Ketteiteki Sanpunkan Explained

Ketteiteki Sanpunkan
Cover:chiaki-kettei.jpg
Alt:A portrait of the face of a woman, wearing a short, yellow wig and decorative eye make-up. The right side of her face is covered by a fan, coloured brown, yellow and green.
Type:single
Artist:Chiaki Kuriyama
Album:Circus
A-Side:Oishii Kisetsu
B-Side:Cat's Eye
Recorded:2011
Genre:Pop-rock, Rock
Length:4:14
4:26
Label:Defstar Records
Prev Title:Cold Finger Girl
Prev Year:2011
Next Title:Tsukiyo no Shōzō
Next Year:2011

(stylised as "The Decisive 3min.") is one of the two songs that made up the fourth single by Japanese entertainer Chiaki Kuriyama, along with "Oishii Kisetsu". They were released on March 2, 2011, as the lead singles from her debut album Circus, released two weeks later. Both songs were produced by musician Ringo Sheena, who covered "Ketteiteki Sanpunkan" for her album in 2014.[1]

Background and development

After Chiaki Kuriyama debuted in early 2010 with the single "Ryūsei no Namida", she began to release collaboration singles, featuring a famous Japanese rock musician as the producer. "Kanōsei Girl" (2010) was produced by Tomoyasu Hotei, and "Cold Finger Girl" (2011) by Kenichi Asai of Blankey Jet City.[2] In 2010, Kuriyama starred in the drama Atami no Sōsakan. The Ringo Sheena-lead band Tokyo Jihen performed the theme song for the drama, "Tengoku e Yōkoso".

Writing and production

Of the two songs, "Ketteiteki Sanpunkan" was the first worked upon.[3] Both songs featured Sheena's band Tokyo Jihen performing instruments.[2] The band recorded together with Kuriyama, and Sheena gave pointers to Kuriyama during the sessions, asking her to use a whispering voice in "Ketteiteki Sanpunkan".[2] [4] "Ketteiteki Sanpunkan" was written by Sheena specifically with Chiaki Kuriyama in mind.[3] [5] It was written with the same concept as Tokyo Jihen's single "Nōdōteki Sanpunkan," with a BPM of 120 and a length of exactly three minutes.

The sond was first performed by Kuriyama at the Valentine Special Live concert at Shibuya-AX on February 12, 2011.[6]

The third song on the single is a cover of Anri's "Cat's Eye", the eponymous theme song for the 1983 anime Cat's Eye.

Promotion and release

Music videos were produced for both "Oishii Kisetsu" and "Ketteiteki Sanpunkan", both directed by Hiroshi Usui.[7] [8] Usui was a director who had previously worked with Sheena on videos such as "Kōfukuron" (1998), "Kabukichō no Joō" (1998), "Koko de Kiss Shite." (1999) and Tokyo Jihen's "Kabuki" and "Kenka Jōtō". (2006) The video for "Ketteiteki Sanpunkan" was shot in a very narrow corridor, and featured Kuriyama performing the song in a shor, blonde wig and a megaphone, as a digital time display counted down the time left in the song. Additional scenes feature Kuriyama against a projection of fish underwater, and Kuriyama in a dark room with green lasers.

On March 5, Kuriyama performed an in-store live at Tower Records in Shinjuku to promote the single.[9] Between February 28 and March 5, promotional comments by Kuriyama appeared on Sendai FM, Cross FM, FM Port, Kiss-FM Kobe, FM OSAKA and Tokyo FM's School of Lock![10] Interviews appeared in February and March editions of What's In?, BLT, Pichilemon, De View 50, Otona Lab, The Japan Times and Tower.[10] She also appeared on the Fuji TV show Sakigake! Ongaku Banzuke on March 10, 2011.[10]

Ringo Sheena covered "Ketteiteki Sanpunkan" in 2014, on her 2014 album .[1]

Critical reception

Kazuhiro "Scao" Ikeda of EMTG praised the song's "noisy and suspicious atmosphere".[11]

Charts and sales

Sales and certifications

Release history

RegionDateFormatDistributing LabelCatalogue codes
JapanRingtoneDefstar Records
CD, digital downloadDFCL-1759, DFCL-1760
[14] Rental CD

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 椎名林檎、初のセルフカバー集『逆輸入 ~港湾局~』リリース&レコ発ライブ開催発表 . Ringo Sheena, first self-cover album collection Gyakuyunyū: Kōwankyoku release and release party live . Barks . March 25, 2014 . April 5, 2014.
  2. Web site: 栗山千明、椎名林檎プロデュース、東京事変の演奏による両A面シングルをリリース . Chiaki Kuriyama releases the Ringo Sheena produced double A side single, featuring Tokyo Jihen performing. . Rockin' On . January 28, 2011 . April 14, 2014.
  3. Web site: 栗山千明の最新作は椎名林檎らが楽曲を提供したアルバムのデラックス盤。動画コメントも!. Chiaki Kuriyama's new work is a deluxe version of her album featuring offerings from Ringo Sheena and others. Also featuring a video comment! . Keisuke Tsuchiya . EMTG Music . January 11, 2012 . April 15, 2014.
  4. Web site: http://www.werockcity.com/2011/03/31208.html . ja:栗山千明 スペシャル・インタビュー . Chiaki Kuriyama Special Interview . https://web.archive.org/web/20110318143007/http://www.werockcity.com/2011/03/31208.html . Tomonori Nagasawa . We Rock City . March 18, 2011 . Japanese . March 16, 2011 . April 14, 2014.
  5. Web site: http://www.chiakikuriyama.net/info/index.html . ja:衝撃のプロデュース第三弾!!椎名林檎 作詞・作曲・プロデュースによる両A面シングル発売決定!! . Amazing third production! Ringo Sheena (lyrics, composition, production) double A side single release . https://web.archive.org/web/20140414111908/http://www.chiakikuriyama.net/info/index.html . Sony Music Entertainment Japan . April 14, 2014 . Japanese . January 28, 2011 . April 14, 2014.
  6. Web site: バレンタイン直前に、ブレイク必至アーティストたちが熱演を展開! . About to break artists performing right before Valentine's! . Yukiko Kawakura . EMTG Music . February 24, 2011 . April 14, 2014.
  7. Web site: http://www.spaceshowertv.com/search/detail.cgi?mu=0084710&ch=0 . ja:栗山千明 おいしい季節 . Space Shower . Japanese . April 14, 2014.
  8. Web site: http://www.spaceshowertv.com/search/detail.cgi?mu=0084711&ch=0 . ja:栗山千明 決定的三分間 . Space Shower . Japanese . April 14, 2014.
  9. Web site: http://www.chiakikuriyama.net/info/index.html . ja:3/5(土)タワーレコード新宿店にてインストアライブ決定!! . 3/5 Tower Records Shinjuku in-store live! . https://web.archive.org/web/20140414111908/http://www.chiakikuriyama.net/info/index.html . Sony Music Entertainment Japan . April 14, 2014 . Japanese . February 15, 2011 . April 14, 2014.
  10. Web site: Media . https://web.archive.org/web/20140414114911/http://www.chiakikuriyama.net/media/index.html . Sony Music Entertainment Japan . April 14, 2014 . Japanese . April 14, 2014.
  11. Web site: レビュー . Kazuhiro "Scao" Ikeda . EMTG . Japanese . March 17, 2011 . April 16, 2015.
  12. Web site: http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/203725/products/music/903424/1/ . ja:「おいしい季節/決定的三分間」 栗山千明 . Oricon . Japanese . April 14, 2014.
  13. Web site: オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 . Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree' . . subscription . March 14, 2014.
  14. Web site: http://store.tsutaya.co.jp/item/rental_cd/003946620.html . ja:おいしい季節/決定的三分間 . Tsutaya . Japanese . April 14, 2014.