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Base Ball Bear is a Japanese
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band from
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
that made its major debut in 2006 with
EMI Music Japan , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. Wh ...
. Although assembled in autumn 2001, the band formally began in 2002, and started off with self-produced releases. Their style influences include Japanese
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
bands Number Girl and
Supercar A supercar, also known as an exotic car, is a street-legal sports car with race track-like power, speed, and handling, plus a certain subjective ''cachet'' linked to pedigree and/or exclusivity. The term 'supercar' is frequently used for th ...
, and British rock bands such as
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentLinda Linda Linda is a 2005 Japanese comedy-drama film directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita. It stars Bae Doona, Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii, and Shiori Sekine (of the band Base Ball Bear) as teenagers who form a band to cover songs by the Japanese punk rock band the The Blu ...
'' (in which bassist Shiori Sekine had a leading role) and performing the themes to the
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
series '' Toshokan Sensō'', '' Ōkiku Furikabutte'' and ''
Gintama is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in '' Jump Giga'' from December 2018 ...
''. The band, initially named Planet, was formed for a one-time performance at a high school culture festival, but decided to continue due to how well-received they were and the fun they had at the festival. The name Planet had likely come from the Supercar song of the same name, and the band's current name also derives partially from a song name. Koide had thought of Japanese singer Chocolat's song "Base Ball and Elvis Presley" and suggested the name "Base Ball". Guitarist Shohei Yuasa thought it would be better if one more word was added to it, and the rest of the band agreed, eventually settling on the word "bear". In 2016, the band announced the departure of Shohei Yuasa and that they would continue with 3 members.


History


Formation and early years

Koide originally assembled the band in 2001 under the name "Planet," to perform at their high school's fall festival. They performed covers of the songs ''OOYeah!!'' and ''OOKeah!!'' by the band
Supercar A supercar, also known as an exotic car, is a street-legal sports car with race track-like power, speed, and handling, plus a certain subjective ''cachet'' linked to pedigree and/or exclusivity. The term 'supercar' is frequently used for th ...
. Following their festival performance, they decided to continue with the band as a hobby. In March 2002, the band formally assembled. In April they began sending demo tapes to record labels, whereupon they were advised by Toshiba EMI to change their name. They eventually chose "Base Ball Bear," the name under which they performed their first gig at Shimokitazawa Garage that July. Throughout the rest of the year, they continued playing in the
Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...
and
Shimokitazawa is a neighborhood in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. It is located in the southwestern corner of the Kitazawa district, hence the name "Shimo-kitazawa" ( ''lower Kitazawa''). Also known as "Shimokita", the neighbourhood is well known for the density o ...
areas of Tokyo as their fan base began to grow. In November 2003, Base Ball Bear signed with Blitz Pia Records, an independent label. They immediately released their first mini-album ''Yūgata Generation'' on 26 November. The band released its first single, ''Yume is Vision'', in April of the following year. It was the first of the band's songs to be accompanied by a music video, which was created in collaboration with Yūki, a Japanese fashion magazine model and Base Ball Bear fan. The band spent the rest of 2004 practicing and writing new songs, some of where were featured on compilation CDs. The band released its first full-length album, ''High Color Times'', on 16 March 2005, and started playing concerts to sold-out crowds in larger venues. Also, Shiori Sekine was cast in one of the lead roles in the film ''
Linda Linda Linda is a 2005 Japanese comedy-drama film directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita. It stars Bae Doona, Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii, and Shiori Sekine (of the band Base Ball Bear) as teenagers who form a band to cover songs by the Japanese punk rock band the The Blu ...
'', which featured some of the band's music.


Major debut and increasing popularity

Base Ball Bear signed with
EMI Music Japan , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. Wh ...
in January 2006, and immediately released an introductory album, ''Band B ni Tsuite'', on 12 January. Although they had previously released another version of ''Band B ni Tsuite'' on 14 October 2005, this new release included one new song and other remastering. They then played on the "Nyakunyaku Nannyo Summer Tour" with
Chatmonchy was a three-piece all-female rock band which consisted of Eriko Hashimoto (guitar, vocals), Akiko Fukuoka (bass, chorus), and formerly Kumiko Takahashi (drums, chorus) who are from Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan. From 200 ...
and Snowkel and released their first major album, ''C'', on 29 October. Their first solo tour "Live by the C" took place in the spring of 2007. Over the course of the year, they released four more singles, as well as their second major album, ''Jūnanasai''. Their live performances included the
Rock in Japan Festival The Rock in Japan Festival is an annual three-day rock festival A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of ...
, another round on the "Nyakunyaku Nannyo Summer Tour", and the "B-Pop High School Tour". In 2008, the band went on a solo tour called "17-sai Kara Yattemasu Tour" that ran from the middle to the end of March. Their first single of the year, ''Changes'', was released on 8 May 2008, and was the ending theme to the Production I.G
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
series '' Toshokan Sensō''. The band then made its first appearance on the popular music program
Music Station , stylised in all caps, is a Japanese music television program. Broadcasting live weekly on TV Asahi since October 24, 1986, it currently airs from 9PM-10PM on Fridays. The program is also colloquially known as , , and . The show is currently sy ...
on 9 May and performed ''Changes'' on the show. Base Ball Bear also performed a two-day show at Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall in late September. In January 2009, they released their eighth single ''Love Mathematics'' and a compilation album ''Kanzenban Band B ni Tsuite'' containing all their indies songs. Following the releases, the band went on a tour called "Live Mathematics Tour 2009" starting in March. They also held a show named "Hibiya Nonfiction" at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall on 27 June. With a total of four singles in 2009, the band closed out the year by releasing their third album ''(What Is The) Love & Pop?'' in September and achieving ninth place on the
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
Weekly Albums Chart. It was their first album to reach the top ten, and they held a five-venue tour at
Zepp The Zepp music halls are a group of Japanese music venues covering every area of the country. They play host to many international tours and are a popular stop among Japanese musicians. Each venue takes the Zepp name, along with the city in whic ...
halls to promote the album. Base Ball Bear managed their first solo concert at the
Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. The Budokan was a popular venue for Japanese professional wres ...
on 3 January 2010, titled "Live;(This Is The) Base Ball Bear".


Departure of Shohei Yuasa

In 2016, also the band's 10th anniversary of debut and their 15th year together, it was announced that guitarist Shohei Yuasa would be leaving the band. According to their management agency, since mid-February that year, Yuasa had been uncontactable and did not turn up at the studio when they were scheduled for production work. He then declared his intention through a third party that he was unable to continue his activities in Base Ball Bear. After that, the staff and members tried to contact Yuasa directly for several days but no one managed to reach him. On 27 February, Base Ball Bear went through with a scheduled appearance at a festival with the remaining 3 members, announcing that Yuasa could not participate as he was not well. However, with the band's own tour "Live By The C2" due to kick off on 5 March, the agency had no choice but to make the decision public on 2 March that it would be difficult for them to continue as four. The tour would instead have ex-Doping Panda member Yutaka Furukawa perform as a support guitarist. To this, the band's members and staff felt unable to comprehend the situation and expressed regret. Vocalist Koide said that they had spent more than half their lives together and it was "very regretful" that Yuasa would leave the band. Horinouchi said it was "vexing" because he had believed the band would be 4 members "for 20 or even 30 years." Having taken for granted that they would always be four, he could not understand why this had happened and "even feels anger." Bassist Sekine said that she was "extremely bewildered at first by this sudden development", and that she had never thought about anyone leaving. She expressed that she was uneasy that something precious to her had "crumbled", but no matter what she wanted to continue Base Ball Bear, and Koide and Horinouchi felt the same.


Band members

Current * ** Born 9 December 1984, in
Edogawa, Tokyo is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It takes its name from the Edo River that runs from north to south along the eastern edge of the ward. In English, it uses the name Edogawa City. The easternmo ...
** Vocalist and guitarist ** Primary lyricist and composer of the band's music * ** Born 8 December 1985, in
Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...
(youngest member) ** Bassist and backing vocalist ** The only female member and had no experience playing bass before joining ** Also bassist of Paranmaum band from the 2005 movie
Linda Linda Linda is a 2005 Japanese comedy-drama film directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita. It stars Bae Doona, Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii, and Shiori Sekine (of the band Base Ball Bear) as teenagers who form a band to cover songs by the Japanese punk rock band the The Blu ...
* ** Born 17 January 1985, in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
** Drummer and chorus Past * ** Born 16 April 1984, in
Chiba Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...
** Guitarist ** Favorite artists include
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant Thee Michelle Gun Elephant (often abbreviated to TMGE) was a Japanese garage rock band formed in 1991. History The band was formed in 1991,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 1025-6 while Chiba, Ueno, and Kuh ...
and
Sly & the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1966 and active until 1983. Their work, which blended elements of funk, soul, psychedelic rock, gospel, and R&B, became a pivotal influence on subsequent Amer ...


Discography


Self-produced works


Indies


Singles


Albums


Various artist compilations


Major label


Singles


Digital download releases


Albums


Mini-albums


Live albums


Best-of albums


Various artist compilations


Video releases


Live DVDs


Music video compilations


Other releases

*Band B ni Tsuite (バンドBについて ''About Band B'') (2006-01-12) **Special introducing album limited to 5000 copies. **This is the same as the indies release except for track eight "Girl of Arms", which was replaced by "Labyrinth e no Timing" as track two for this release. *Yoakemae no Yoakemae (2011-04-07) **Limited edition single only sold at live venues on the band's "Base Ball Bear 10th Anniversary 'Sayonara-Nostalgia Tour'". **Contains live performance audio recordings of two songs, "Yoakemae" and "Changes".


Other collaborative works


Yusuke Koide only

*Shiho Nanba (2011-06-15) **Lyricist *Shiho Nanba (2012-03-07) **Lyricist * Becky "15 ~Spring Flag~" (2012-06-27) **Co-lyricist and composer * Okamoto's (2012-07-18) **Co-lyricist with Okamoto's * Chocolat (2012-12-05) **Lyricist and composer *
Mai Endo is a Japanese idol, singer and talent from Tokyo. She was a member and former leader of the Japanese idol group Idoling!!!.Tokyo Girls' Style (stylized as TOKYO GIRLS' STYLE) is a Japanese girl group formed in 2009, and was the first idol group created under Avex Trax after SweetS. The idol group originally consisted of five members: Miyu Yamabe, Hitomi Arai, Yuri Nakae, Konishi Ayano ...
"Partition Love" (2013-09-25) **Lyricist and composer * Yasuyuki Okamura w Yusuke Koide (2014-04-02) **Vocalist and lyricist


As Base Ball Bear

*
iLL ILL, or Ill, or ill may refer to: Places * Ill (France), a river in Alsace, France, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Vorarlberg), a river in Vorarlberg, Austria, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Saarland), a river of Saarland, Germany, tributary o ...
(2010-06-23) **Co-lyricist and co-composer with Koji Nakamura, vocals * Hyadain (2013-01-13) **Arrangement and guest vocals


Media appearances


Film

* ''
Linda Linda Linda is a 2005 Japanese comedy-drama film directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita. It stars Bae Doona, Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii, and Shiori Sekine (of the band Base Ball Bear) as teenagers who form a band to cover songs by the Japanese punk rock band the The Blu ...
'' (2005) - Sekine as Nozomi Shirakawa * '' Library War: The Wings of Revolution'' (2012) - Koide as Rikudō Mark Ingram (voice acting)


Television

* Base Ball Bear no Base Ball Variety (Space Shower TV) * Base Ball Bear no Base Ball Variety 2 (Space Shower TV) * Base Ball Bear no Base Ball Variety 3 (Space Shower TV) * Base Ball Bear no Base Ball Variety 4 (Space Shower TV)


Radio

* Base Ball Bear no All Night Nippon R ( JOLF, 2 December 2006, 3 March 2007) * Base Ball Bear no Soft Ball Dōkō-kai ( JFN, 2009) * School of Lock "Bebobe Locks!" ( TFM, 2009–present)


See also

*
Chatmonchy was a three-piece all-female rock band which consisted of Eriko Hashimoto (guitar, vocals), Akiko Fukuoka (bass, chorus), and formerly Kumiko Takahashi (drums, chorus) who are from Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan. From 200 ...
* Snowkel *
Sakanaction are a Japanese rock band from Sapporo, Hokkaido. Their music is a fusion of alternative rock, electronic, pop, and new wave styles. The band consists of five members: Ichiro Yamaguchi, Motoharu Iwadera, Ami Kusakari, Emi Okazaki, and Keiichi ...
* Okamoto's *
Yurina Kumai is a Japanese model and former singer. Kumai began her career as a member of Hello! Project Kids in 2002. In 2004, she debuted as a member of Berryz Kobo, a girl group associated with the musical collective Hello! Project. During her time with ...
*
Tsubasa Honda is a Japanese actress and model. Career In mid-2006, Honda entered the entertainment industry after being scouted by seven different people on the same day. She then debuted as an exclusive model for the magazine '' Seventeen'' in the same year. ...


References


External links


Base Ball Bear Official Website

Base Ball Bear @ Nippop
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bear, Base Ball Japanese alternative rock groups Musical groups established in 2002 2002 establishments in Japan Musical groups from Tokyo Universal Music Japan artists