| Zone | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Sapporo, Japan |
| Years Active: | 1997 - 2005 2011–2013 |
| Label: | Sony Music |
| Past Members: | Miyu Nagase Mizuho Saito Maiko Sakae Takayo Ookoshi Tomoka Nishimura |
was an all-female rock band started in Sapporo, Japan, in 1997. It started as a dance group and turned into an all-female band. Zone has been categorized in a new genre called "bandol" (a portmanteau of the words "band" and "idol"). The band was started and managed by Studio RunTime and its first single, "Good Days", was released by the major record label Sony Records, on February 7, 2001. The group officially disbanded on March 2, 2013.
Zone's most famous song is "Secret Base (Kimi ga Kureta Mono)", released on August 8, 2001. It sold about 744,000 copies in Japan.[1]
Zone started with eight members in 1997, then reduced to six and finally to four – Miyu Nagase, Mizuho Saito, Maiko Sakae and Takayo Ookoshi – by the time it released its first indie disc in 1999.
Tadayuki Ominami, a representative of Sony Records, noticed that the crowd reaction at the group's first concert was particularly enthusiastic. Initially, Zone was solely focused on singing and dancing. Ominami watched a live video of the band playing with instruments at the KomeKome Klub and felt that, due to the overabundance of dance groups, Zone had the makings of a breakthrough act, provided they could play their instruments as well as sing and dance.
In late 2003, Ookoshi announced her departure from Zone to pursue her studies and was replaced by Tomoka Nishimura, one of the two original members cut from the band when it was reduced from six members to four.
Between 1999 and 2005, Zone released 17 hit singles, three full-length CDs and three DVDs, appeared in commercials and a television special, in addition to attending high school. They all graduated.
Zone officially disbanded on April 1, 2005, after playing a final concert at Nippon Budokan. On April 13, a greatest hits album, E: Complete A Side Singles, was released. The album entered the charts at number 1 with first-week sales of about 98,000 copies, the band'#s first number-one album on the Japanese Oricon charts.[2]
In February 2011, Nagase, Sakae and Nishimura announced that they would be reuniting (without Saito) for the 10th anniversary of "Secret Base". The group released Zone Tribute in August and made several concert appearances. In November, Nishimura announced that she would be leaving the band for health reasons. Nagase and Sakae continued as a duo, and released "Treasure of the Heart" in June 2012.
In February 2013, Nagase's contract with RunTime Music Agency was dissolved with the company claiming "immoral behaviour" and "frequent non-fulfillment of duties".[3] On March 2, Maiko posted on the official website for RunTime Entertainment that she would be ending ZONE.[4]
Zone's music has been used in the 2003 Astro Boy series (opening theme, "True Blue" and second ending theme, "Tetsuwan Atomu: ballad version") and the Japanese release of Ice Age (theme song, "Hitoshizuku").
"Shiroi Hana" was used as the theme song to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance in Japan.
"Secret Base (Kimi ga Kureta Mono)" was covered and used as the ending theme to the anime Kyō no Go no Ni and by the voice actors of the respective anime.
"Secret Base (Kimi ga Kureta Mono)" was covered by the Japanese band SCANDAL. A music video of this version has also been made.