Sakanaction will be performing their first TV anime opening theme song for the TV anime "Chi. -About the Movement of the Earth-"

■ “We focused on how to make it as abstract and persuasive as possible.” (Sakanaction’s Ichiro Yamaguchi)

It has been announced that Sakanaction will be in charge of the opening theme song for the TV anime “Chi. -About the Movement of the Earth-“, which will begin broadcasting on NHK General TV in October 2024. This will be the first time that Sakanaction will be in charge of a theme song for a TV anime.

“Chi. – About the Movement of the Earth” is an anime based on the masterpiece manga by Uoto (serialized in “Big Comic Spirits” from September 2020 to April 2022), which has won numerous awards including the Manga Grand Prize at the 26th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.

The story is set in a certain European country in the 15th century. In an era when the geocentric theory, which says that the Earth is the center of the universe and the planets revolve around it, was considered the truth of the world, and believing or researching anything that overturned that theory was a serious crime, a child prodigy named Rafal learned of the possibility of the heliocentric theory through the words of the mysterious scholar Hubert. He was called a genius by those around him, and even considered himself a genius, but an uncontrollable intellectual curiosity began to grow in him. “What on earth do I have to sacrifice to know everything about this world?” he asked, risking his own “knowledge,” “blood,” and even his life to prove the heliocentric theory. What fate awaits Rafal?

Maaya Sakamoto plays the child prodigy Rafal, Kenjiro Tsuda plays the examiner Novak, and Sho Hayami plays the mysterious scholar Hubert.

■Comment from Sakanaction’s Ichiro Yamaguchi
◇What were your thoughts when you read the original story and script?
I was able to read the work without any prior knowledge, so I really enjoyed it. Historical facts and fiction are mixed together on the edge of the story, and no matter how far I read, there are no logical gaps. There is also a sense of human passion mixed in, and I thought it was a work that was built on a great sense of balance.
◇ Thoughts behind the theme song, a message to fans
Rather than making the theme of the original work easy to understand and concrete, we focused on how to make it as abstract and persuasive as possible. Despite it being our first new song in a long time since our two-year hiatus, we were given the opportunity to sing the theme song for a TV anime for the first time with “Chi. -About the Movement of the Earth-“. And more than anything, it is a great honor for the band to have been involved in this wonderful work. We hope that our feelings will be conveyed to our listeners.