Supercell: Computing Maximum Awesomeness From Nico Nico Douga to Sony Music Entertainment Japan (Review)

Supercell has a pretty amazing story. The group of 11 apparently got their start on Nico Nico Douga creating music and videos back in 2007. They’re headed up by sole composer and lyricist ryo, and the remaining 10 members are mainly illustrators and support staff. They received so much attention on various fan sites that Sony Music Entertainment Japan eventually picked them up and distributed their first major public debut in March of this year.

This single, Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari, is the follow-up to that self-titled debut album, and is actually their first single to date. It was released last month, and it features a track that was used as the ending theme for the Bakemonogatari anime series as well as two tracks from the CENCOROLL animated film, and I’ll tell you right out that it’s awesome. With Nagi on vocals and ryo’s amazing musical backing, you definitely need to look into this group.

Read our review of the Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari single after the jump!

The first track is the title track, “Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari” (The Story You Don’t Know) from Bakemonogatari. It’s pretty typical upbeat J-rock stuff, and has some great piano work that dances around and reinforces Nagi’s sweet vocals. The melody is catchy, and the electric guitars remind me of some of the stuff that US-based rock groups like Fallout Boy are doing these days. It’s also exceptionally long, getting close to the 6-minute mark, but it never drags on.

The second track is where it’s at in my opinion. “LOVE & ROLL” is from the aforementioned CENCOROLL, and takes a more electro/pop approach. It opens with some lovely harmonies before a 4/4 drum beat and heavy synth lines come in. It’s downright funky at times, and the chorus section is crazily addictive and has been stuck in my head for days. There are some nice breakdowns where everything drops out except Nagi’s voice, the steady thuds of the bassdrum, and these smooth electric piano chords that lend the track a jazzy vibe. It’s also a long one at 5 minutes, and even though “Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari” is supposed to be the star here, this one totally eclipses it in my opinion.

The last proper track is “theme of ‘CENCOROLL’,” a short electronic track with blaring synth lines and a fat synth bass that sounds like something out of Dance Dance Revolution. It’s only about a minute and a half long, but it sounds like a pretty cool theme. Unfortunately Nagi’s voice doesn’t make an appearance here.

The final two tracks are the karaoke and “TV Edit” versions of “Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari.” I imagine the “TV Edit” is the version that actually appears during the credits on Bakemonogatari, and it’s only 1:33 instead of 5:41. Stick with the original.

I just can’t say enough about how impressed I am with this single from supercell. I think the group has an awesome story, and ryo is amazingly talented to be able to write all the music and lyrics for the group. Even the album’s cover art which appears again on the green monochrome disc itself is amazing. Maybe I need to check out Bakemonogatari myself. I’m definitely interested in hearing their debut release from Sony Music Entertainment Japan as well as some of their older stuff on Nico Nico Douga at this point, and I recommend picking this single up even more so if you’re a fan of Bakemonogatari or know about CENCOROLL.  It’s available at Play-Asia.

Had you heard of supercell before reading this review? Do you find their story to be as interesting as I do?