5572320 Invades Shinjuku for Their 1st Public Performance of “Hanseiki Yuutousei”!

| Artist | Posted by Kai Okudara on Mar.19.2015

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5572320 (go go nana ni san ni rei) took the stage in Shinjuku on March 19th, getting a one day head start on their scheduled debut, revealing the “secret” that many fans had figured out since the short version of the MV for their debut song “Hanseiki Yuutousei” (Half a Century Honor Student) was uploaded to YouTube a few weeks ago: they are Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku!

It was a cool and rainy spring afternoon at Shinjuku Station Square as the curtain dropped on 5572320’s “guerilla live” to perform the song that had amassed almost 2 million views (1,923,177 as of 6:45pm JST March 19, 2015). Although the Internet had been buzzing with fans claiming vehemently that “they were ‘Ebichu’!”, the large majority of onlookers waiting for the performance to start did not seem to be die-hard “Ebinofu” (a common nickname for fans of Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku).

With the announcement that their performance was in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Coconut Sable (which sounds a lot like 5572320 with some creative reading of the numbers in Japanese; “ko ko na tsu sa fu re”) biscuits, everything made even more sense! Despite its long history, Coconut Sable had never been known as something that particularly stood out because of its traditional and conservative image; it was often thought of as something you might see when you go visit your grandmother or when you needed to buy a lot of snacks for cheap. Just as Ebichu expressed the desire to change through taking up guitars and drums, Coconut Sable also wanted to change up their image. 5572320’s first public performance of “Hanseiki Yuutousei” was not quite as polished as the one in the MV but, considering the complexity of the song, it was an intense musical experience.

Having unplugged their guitars, the feeling of Ebichu returned as they smiled warmly and waved at the audience but since becoming 5572320, there was also something different about them. When asked about there being a second song in the works, Riko Nakayama laughed while noting that just learning the first song was difficult enough for the time being.

“Hanseiki Yuutousei” will be released digitally on iTunes and other online distribution channels worldwide as well as being available on all DAM and JOYSOUND karaoke machines across Japan. Aika Hirota and Mirei Hoshina held up a sign declaring that their goal was for the song to be downloaded 10 million times. It was also announced that Coconut Sable would be sold in special 5572320 and Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku packaging starting on March 20th, the same day as 5572320’s official debut.

Even if you knew from the very beginning that 5572320 was Ebichu all along, how did it feel to see them taking on such a challenge? Did it make you feel like you could also take steps to change as well? Do you think a product like Coconut Sable can change its image after 50 years of being thought of as unexciting? Perhaps that is the real meaning of “Hanseiki Yuutousei” (Half a Century Honor Student), that you can always change your situation, no matter how much time has passed?

5572320 Official site: http://www.5572320.jp/

Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku Official Website : http://www.shiritsuebichu.jp/official/pc/

Coconut Sable 50th Anniversary special site: http://www.coconut-sable50.com/

Photos by Yosuke Mochizuki