is a song by Japanese rock duo

Yorushika is a Japanese rock duo founded in 2017. The group is composed of N-buna, a Vocaloid producer, and Suis, a female vocalist. They are known for their juxtaposition of "passionate" and "upbeat" production and instrumentation fused with heavier l ...

. It was released as a single by

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

on January 5, 2024, and served as the second opening theme for the 2023 Japanese

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 '' Frieren: Beyond Journey's End''. Commercially, "Sunny" peaked at 11th on the

Oricon Combined Singles Chart The is a record chart released weekly by Oricon, a major provider of information on the Japanese music industry. First published on December 24, 2018, it ranks the top fifty singles in Japan based on an album-equivalent unit system factoring phys ...

and 8th on the ''Billboard'' Japan Hot 100, and received a Platinum certification 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 pro ...

(RIAJ).

Background and release

On December 22, 2023, following the release of ''Frieren''s 16th episode, "Long-Lived Friends", a snippet of "Sunny" was used in ''Frieren''s fourth trailer, revealing

to be in charge of the series' second opening theme. The song was available digitally on January 5, 2024, the same day as ''Frieren''s 17th episode, "Take Care", premiered.

Composition and reception

N-buna N-buna (pronounced ''nabuna'', stylized as n-buna) is a Japanese music producer and composer. He is a Vocaloid music producer and is the guitarist and songwriter for the Japanese rock duo Yorushika. History N-buna was born in Gifu Prefecture ...

, a half of Yorushika and the songwriter, stated in a press release that "Sunny" is about "hoping for sunny days when the weather is not sunny." Ryōhei Ohara from '' Real Sound'' noted that the lyrics of the song are more abstract than ''Frieren''s first opening theme, " Yūsha" by

Yoasobi Yoasobi is a Japanese pop duo formed in 2019. It consists of musician and record producer Ayase (music producer), Ayase and singer-songwriter Lilas Ikuta, under the moniker Ikura. With the slogan "novel into music", the duo originally released Y ...

, but evaluated it as "a song that fits closely with the anime." Eriko Ishii of ''Real Sound'' was surprised by "the raw emotion expressed in the powerful words that come out of the chorus," and praised Suis's vocals as "not a voice that tells a story, but a voice that is determined to convey a strong message to the listener."

Music video

An accompanying animated music video for "Sunny" premiered on March 5, 2024. It was directed by Kohta Morie, who previously worked on several of Yorushika's music videos. The visual was initially meant to premiere close to the song's release date, but following a request from Yorushika to not compromise on the quality, the release was pushed back two months. Inspired by

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been best-sellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for hi ...

's 1985 novel ''

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is a 1985 novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. It was awarded the Tanizaki Prize in 1985. The English translation by Alfred Birnbaum was released in 1991. A new translation by Jay Rubin was released December 2024. A strange and dreamlike ...

'', the story depicts a child and his father living in a town surrounded by impenetrable wall. A special version of the music video, featuring footage from the ''Frieren'' anime, was uploaded on March 29.

Other uses

A rearranged version of "Sunny" was used for

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and ...

Gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...

's Sui online commercial "Sui to Utaeba".

Accolades

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* * {{Frieren 2024 singles 2024 songs Animated music videos Animated series theme songs Anime songs Frieren Polydor Records singles Songs about weather Songs in Japanese Universal Music Japan singles Yorushika songs