Do As Infinity - Shinjitsu no Uta

Shinjitsu no Uta (literally Song of Truth or True Song) by the band Do As Infinity is a hauntingly beautiful song that features the sound of the ancient Chinese instrument known as a jinghu. The song was chosen as the fifth ending theme of the hugely popular anime InuYasha.

All Do as Infinity's CD's state that "Do As Infinity are Van Tomiko, Owatari Ryo, Nagao Dai and all supporters" in order to honor their fans. Tomiko is the band's lyricist and vocalist, Ryo contributes to the lyrics, plays guitar, and sings backup vocals, and Dai is the songwriter and guitarist. Several additional musicians helped form the touring band. Note that the band's name is abbreviated DAI and was formed from the letters of the guitarist and songwriter's name.

Do As Infinity officially disbanded in 2005, six years to the day after the release of their first single. They left a legacy of beautiful music for us to enjoy.

Kawabe Chieco - Sakura Kiss

It's well past time for some more of the adorable Kawabe Chieco. This song, Sakura Kiss was used as the opening theme for the anime Ouran High School Host Club. Chie-chan is currently a host on a popular radio station in Harajuku, and does modeling. It's been a while since she released any music, but fans are hopeful. Messages and promotions on Chieco's blog indicate that there may a new release sometime soon. Let's go, Chieco!

Oh my goodness, that is beyond adorable. The frog costume is a reference to her time in the Sera Myu (Sailor Moon Musicals). It's the same one she wore in one of the FanKans (Fan Kansha Events), which are special, often hilarious, videos of the Sera Myu girls behind the scenes.

Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Aru Machi no Gunjo

Here's the very popular J-Rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation, or simply Ajikan for short, with the song Aru Machi no Gunjo (City in Blue).

Masafumi Goto, the lead singer, guitarist, and principle songwriter for the band, met guitarist and Kensuke Kita and bassist and Takahiro Yamada at Kanto Gakuin University in Yokohama and formed the band in 1996. Drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi joined soon after.

Aru Machi no Gunjo is featured in the anime movie Tekkon Kinkreet, adapted from the manga series Black and White.

Maki Goto - Yaruki! IT'S EASY!

Here's my darling Gocchin. Maki was born in Edogawa, Tokyo, in 1985. She's one of the most famous members of the supergroup Morning Musume and the associated Hello! Project. She has performed in many Hello! Project subgroups, as well as having a successful solo career.

Maki joined Morning Musume at the age of 14, as one of the leading vocalists. Their first single after she joined sold over a million copies, several times more than any previous release they had done.

Bonnie Pink - Love Is Bubble

Bonnie Pink's real name is Kaori Asada. She was born in Kyoto in 1973. She lived in New York in the late 90's, and speaks English as well as Japanese. Many of her songs are in English. She composes her own music and writes her own lyrics, and also plays the guitar and piano. This song, Love is Bubble is one of my favorites. It makes me get up and dance.

Love is Bubble was used for the theme of the Japanese movie Memories of Matsuko, which also cast Bonnie in a role. The film has been very well recieved by audiences.

In Asia bubble tea is very popular. In the West, Pearl Milk Tea with tapioca on the bottom is called bubble tea, but in Asia bubble teas is sweetened tea that's been shaken to mix the ingredients, making it frothy on the top. One big bubble tea chain called Ice Monster has a promotion for a special Love is Bubble drink called Pao Pao (Chinese for "bubbles").

Rie fu - Life is Like a Boat

Rie fu (Rie Funakoshi) was born in Tokyo in 1985 and lived in Maryland from 1992 to 1995. Fluent in both English and Japanese, her songs often shift between one language and the other, as it does in this song, Life is Like a Boat. The song was featured as the first ending theme of the very popular anime Bleach.

Rie's songs have been chosen as closing themes for several animes. I Wanna Go To A Place... was used as the closing theme for Gundam SEED Destiny, Tsukiakari (Moonlight) for Darker than Black, and Anata ga Koko ni Iru Riyuu (The Reason You're Here) for D.Gray-man.

Rie travels between Tokyo and London, where she graduated from the University of the Arts London in 2007. She has studied fine art painting, fashion and graphic design. She designs most of her own album and single booklets, and her paintings often appear in them.

Yui - Rolling Star

Here she is, the incredible, wonderful, and beautiful Yui. Yui and her band have been rocking Asia like a musical typhoon. This young multitalented dynamo from Fukuoka began singing locally when she was only sixteen. At seventeen she released her first album on an indie label, and was discovered shortly thereafter. Her rise to fame has been meteoric and well deserved. She's a great singer and songwriter, as well as a guitarist and actress. She also plays the piano and drums.

And I just bet she's a great kisser. Mmmm... wha? Sorry, drifted off there for a second. Here's Yui with the kicking hit Rolling Star.

Yui also starred in the movie Midnight Sun.

The Seatbelts - Tank!

Yoko Kanno is quite simply one of the greatest composers in the world, an absolute genius. The quality of her work is astounding, especially since it encompasses such a breathtaking range of styles.

Nowhere is her genius more apparent than in the songs composed for the anime Cowboy Bebop. Here is the song Tank! from the opening of Cowboy Bebop performed live by the band The Seatbelts, formed specifically for recording and performing this work.

Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts have produced seven albums and a live DVD of work just from Cowboy Bebop. The amazing diversity of styles includes jazz, funk, rock, country, ballads, hip hop, and electronic.

Yoko Kanno has written music for several animes, including Wolf's Rain, Please Save My Earth, Vision of Escaflowne, Brain Powerd, and the Ghost in the Shell series Stand Alone Complex, 2nd Gig, and Solid State Society. She has also scored for many films and television works, as well as pop albums.