ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION is a popular Japanese rock group from Yokohama, Japan, formed in 1996. The group consists of Goto Masafumi (vocals, guitar), Kita Kensuke (guitar, vocals), Yamada Takahiro (bass, vocals), and Ijichi Kiyoshi (drums). They’re known for making “Haruka Kanataâ€, “After Darkâ€, and “Rewrite†which were used in the anime Naruto, Bleach, and Fullmetal Alchemistâ– The four of them came together in the music club of their university in 1996; for Gotoh, Kita, and Yamada, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION was the first band they ever formed.After a while, they began to perform at the school and in the local Yokohama area. Interestingly, their first songs were all written in English and, in fact, their first independent 6 track album (released in 2000) was entirely sung in English. The CDs were sold at concerts and over the internet.â– In 2001, beginning with “YMD†they held many self-planned events at Yokohama’s CLUB24.â– Once “Konayuki,†the first song in which they used Japanese lyrics, was completed, they sent copies to all the independent shows on the FM stations, and were consequently able to get their music played for the first time on FM radio.â– After that, they released their second CD of original works, this time using Japanese lyrics. It achieved great success within the region and at all the Live Houses.From this time on, starting at Shibuya, Shimokitazawa, Kichijouji and other places, they started putting on shows famed for their energy.
