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, alternatively titled "The Blessing" in English, is a song by Japanese duo
Yoasobi Yoasobi (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese music superduo formed by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, composed of Vocaloid producer Ayase, and singer-songwriter Ikura. Represented by the slogan "novel into music", the duo has released songs bas ...
from their third extended play, '' The Book 3'' (2023). It was released on October 1, 2022, by
Sony Music Entertainment Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is oper ...
, served as the opening theme of the first season of the Japanese
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
anime series '' Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury'' (2022). The song was based on the anime writer Ichirō Ōkouchi's novel ''Yurikago no Hoshi'', depicting the perspective of XVX-016 Gundam Aerial to Suletta Mercury. "Shukufuku" reached number three on the
Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In ...
and Combined Singles Chart, and number two on the ''Billboard'' Japan Hot 100, and was certified platinum for downloads and double platinum for streaming by the
Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...
(RIAJ).


Background and release

Starting on September 2, 2022, Yoasobi uploaded three mysterious images of the unknown black shape with a white background featuring the text "941", "730", and "Coming Soon!!!" for three days. Two days later, the second promotional video of the Japanese
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
anime series '' Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury'' was announced, revealing that Yoasobi would be handling its opening theme "Shukufuku". The song was based on , a novel written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, who is also in charge of writing the anime. The story was published on the anime's official website on October 2. The anime edit version of "Shukufuku" was unveiled on September 16 on the special radio show ''
All Night Nippon is a Japanese radio program broadcast by Nippon Broadcasting System and other radio stations from 1–5 am (JST). It preempts broadcasts from TBS Radio's programming heard on stations under both JRN and NRN ( TBC Radio, CBC Radio, etc.). ...
Music Week'', which the duo hosted for one night only to commemorate the 55th anniversary of ''All Night Nippon''. The digital cover artwork was unveiled on September 25. The song was available for
digital music Digital audio is a representation of sound recorded in, or converted into, digital form. In digital audio, the sound wave of the audio signal is typically encoded as numerical samples in a continuous sequence. For example, in CD audio, sam ...
and
streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content i ...
platforms on October 1, one day before the anime's first episode premiere. The music video, directed by Nobutaka Yoda with animation direction by Yutaro Kubo, premiered via the duo's
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
channel the next day. It portrays the same visuals as the anime but is "warmer" than the main theme. A limited
CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any s ...
of "Shukufuku" was subsequently issued on December 9, including the English version titled "The Blessing", the anime edit version, and the instrumental version, its based novel, original
Gunpla Gundam models, or , are model kits depicting the vehicles and characters of the fictional ''Gundam'' multiverse by Bandai. These kits became popular among mecha anime fans and model enthusiasts in Japan and nearby Asian countries beginning in ...
Demi-Trainer, and XVX-016 Gundam Aerial
decal A decal (, , ) or transfer is a plastic, cloth, paper, or ceramic substrate that has printed on it a pattern or image that can be moved to another surface upon contact, usually with the aid of heat or water. The word is short for '' decalco ...
in an exclusive collaboration with the duo. Yoasobi shared the snippet of the song recorded the English on November 3 after the music video surpassed 10 million views. The English version was released digitally as a standalone single on the same day as the CD single, and included on the duo's second English-language extended play ''
E-Side 2 ''E-Side 2'' is the second English-language extended play (EP) and fourth overall by Japanese duo Yoasobi. It was released on November 18, 2022, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The EP consists of eight tracks from the duo's songs in the En ...
'', released on November 18. The anime edit version later featured on the soundtrack album to the anime, while the full version appeared on the duo's third extended play '' The Book 3'', released on October 4, 2023.


Composition and reception

"Shukufuku" is a
electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a r ...
and
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
song with "catchy" melodies and "throbbing" beats, written and produced by Ayase, a duo member. It depicts the relationship between the main protagonists Suletta Mercury and her XVX-016 Gundam Aerial, narrated from the perspective of the Gundam, fighting alongside their host and watching her lead-up to the events of the anime and reminding "the adherence to and liberation from oppression." It was composed in the key of
E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes nee ...
, 170 beats per minute with a running time of three minutes and 16 seconds. ''Real Sound''s Tsuki no Hito described the composition of "Shukufuku" that "the piano sound is gorgeous, and the arrangement is full of sprinting, but the uneasiness hidden throughout the phrase has a thrilling feel suitable for ''
Gundam is a Japanese military fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with '' Mo ...
'' works with many battle scenes," while said that "the sound image f "Shukufuku"coexists suppleness, beauty, and strength, highlighting the world view of ''The Witch from Mercury'' while vividly demonstrating Yoasobi's innovation." Nahda Nabiilah from Game Rant praised the song as "providing an upbeat tune that can raise the listener's energy and build up their enthusiasm to start the anime episodes." Writing for ''
Rockin'On Japan ''Rockin'On Japan'', often stylized in all caps, is a monthly magazine that covers the Japanese music scene and various cultural events in Japan, such as art venues and culinary expos. History The magazine was founded in 1972, and focused on pr ...
'', Fumiaki Amano compared "Shukufuku" that "may be as close as possible to what lies between Ayase and
Ikura Red caviar is a caviar made from the roe of salmonid fishes (various species of salmon and trout), which has intense reddish hue. It is distinct from black caviar, which is made from the roe of sturgeon.Nichola Fletcher, ''Caviar: A Global His ...
", likening "Yoasobi's
theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at s ...
".


Commercial performance

With two days of tracking, "Shukufuku" debuted at number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Japan Hot 100 in the chart issue dated October 5, 2022, with 23,298 units, charted on the Download Songs at number two. The next week, the song surged up 12 spots to number two after its first full week of tracking, behind
SKE48 SKE48 (S.K.E. Forty-eight) is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SKE48 is named after the Sakae district in Nagoya of Aichi Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at SKE48 Theater on 2F of Sunshine Sakae, a ...
's " Zettai Inspiration". It earned 30,499 downloads, landed at number one on the Download Songs; 6,203,733 streams, debuted at number seven on the Streaming Songs; and 1,397,032 video views. For the specific-genre Hot Animation chart, "Shukufuku" debuted at number seven and ascended to number one the following week. Upon the CD single release, ''
Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine '' Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway is a Japanese private railway compa ...
'' reported that "Shukufuku" sold 24,926 copies for its first week, debuted at number four on the Top Singles Sales chart. For
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...
charts, "Shukufuku" entered the Combined Singles Chart for the issue dated October 10 at number 23, and ascended to number three the following week. The song debuted at number two on the Digital Singles Chart, selling 26,736 units. Then, it peaked at number one the chart on the week of October 17 with 34,563 units, becoming the tenth number-one song on the chart. The single also peaked at number six on the Streaming Chart issue dated October 17, collected 6,390,883 streams. Following the release of its CD single, "Shukufuku" landed at number three on the
Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In ...
and number one on the Anime Singles Chart of November 21 with 23,845 CD sales. Internationally, the song debuted at number 76, 27, and 12 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200, Global Excl. U.S, and Hits of the World's Hong Kong Songs, respectively. "Shukufuku" was certified platinum for download figures and double platinum for streaming by the
Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...
(RIAJ).


Live performances

Yoasobi gave a debut performance of "Shukufuku" at the two-hour special edition of ''
CDTV Live! Live! (also known as CDTV) is a Japanese late-night music television program, broadcast on TBS since 1993. The program is shown weekly, and features a Japanese music video hit chart countdown, live performances from musicians and music information. ...
'' on November 7, 2022, shot at Gundam Factory Yokohama. The members and the band performed in front of an 18-meter life-size movable
Gundam is a Japanese military fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with '' Mo ...
statue. The song was included on the setlist of their concert tours