Puffy AmiYumi's "Real-Life Foothold"

The popular rock band "Puffy AmiYumi," known in Japan simply as "Puffy," has taken the west by storm in just about one year's time. Recently holding a concert in the Washing D.C. area, the band has proven to be much, much more than the voices and sounds behind popular theme songs heard on American television over the past few years. Puffy AmiYumi is a popular band whose jamming rhythms and sweet lyrics are capable of generating an almost hypnotic aura of intrigue in boys and girls, as well as children and adults. As chronicled in a recent Japan Times article by Derek Sands, Puffy AmiYumi has already broken into the western world of music, now, fans just need to take it all in.

On stage at D.C. area concert venue, the venerable 9:30 Club, the Puffy AmiYumi concert was perhaps not your ordinary nightclub, as the audience was packed with music fans of all ages. From twenty and thirty-somethings, to what article author Sands comments was, "a balcony […] lined with parents, young children and teenagers." And not only that, but the energy--a sustained energy--was perhaps what made most fans' experience with the band most memorable. Especially when the band members raised their arms to spell out "T-E-E-N T-I-T-A-N-S."

With consideration that it has been incredibly difficult for Asian music icons to find their way to western audiences over the past decade, Puffy AmiYumi is a slow to rise phenomenon. Although this particular band has sold millions of albums in their homeland of Japan since their debut in 1996, their presence in the western music scene stretches only as far back as last year when the two vocalists of the band--Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura--served as the basis for an animated television series. The TV series, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, would soon become one of Cartoon Networks most intriguing animated programs; with animation production by Renegade Animation, and live-action interstitials by Ami and Yumi themselves, the animated alter-egos of the rock stars has proven an invaluable guide in introducing Puffy AmiYumi to western audiences.

The Japan Times article which follows Puffy AmiYumi's latest concert, at the 9:30 nightclub--entitled "Puffy Gains Real-Life Foothold on 'anime' -crazy U.S. Market"--notes that the country's youth is almost entirely taken by the bands charm and fervor: "In the front row an American girl about 13 years old sang along in a Japanese school girl's uniform. On the balcony, a 12-year-old fan […] jumped up and down with such enthusiasm his mother pulled him back from the railing," writer Derek Sands notes.

Puffy AmiYumi's influence reaches this young audience through not just live concerts, but also, through the animated television series. Currently one of the best rated television programs for the girls aged two through eleven demographic, Hi Hi PuffyAmiYumi is an animated comedy that follows Ami, Yumi, and "band manager" Kaz as they travel the world playing concerts and getting into trouble. Packaged and produced by Sam Register along with animation writer and producer Tramm Wigzell, this animated program debuted incredibly strong last year, and remains a strong force within Cartoon Network's original programming line-up.

"But what does this offensive into the North American market mean to the artists themselves?" Sands of Japan Times inquires. "In an interview with Kyodo News the day after they played their Washington concert, Onuki and Yoshimura answered that question…" The response, Sands remarks, was that the band does not just play in the west in order to act as a "cultural bridge," but rather, the band plays throughout Japan and the United States "for fun," as individuals who just plain love music.

But regardless of whether or not Puffy AmiYumi wants to become a "cultural bridge" that is capable of bringing foreign interest into their endeavors, it has become rather obvious that their incredible work ethic in the music industry may perhaps be doing just that. Oftentimes grouped into an interest group associated with Japanese animation and other unique, Asian-inspired interests, Puffy AmiYumi's presence is undoubtedly increasing western interest in Japan and Japan's music industry as well.

Looking at the numbers one might argue: "Puffy AmiYumi CD sales have not caught fire," as Derek Sands notes; however, come this Holiday season, Sony Music Japan and other industry groups are planning a "Puffy AmiYumi marketing blitz." From Wal-Mart to Kmart to every other one of the United States' largest stores, fans of Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi and fans of Puffy AmiYumi will be able to purchase dolls, shoes, bicycles, and watches and much more, all adorned with the lovable and charming appeal of the band. Noting the one-year mark for the animated television series and hopefully a new year full of an even higher interest in popular Japanese rock music, Sony Music Japan is eyeing the fans to help push this band to an even higher level.

Read the Japan Times Article: "Puffy Gains Real-Life Foothold on 'anime' -crazy U.S. Market"

About the Japan Times: From its inception in 1897, The Japan Times has been Japan's premier English-language daily newspaper, providing comprehensive coverage of world and domestic news, business and politics. Additionally, with the largest classified ad sections of any English-language daily in Japan, The Japan Times offers its readers the biggest and best opportunities for finding the right job or location for you.