Taisei Fukumoto's 'angel wing' MV

With his first solo album angel wing, Taisei Fukumoto turns a fan-loved symbol into the foundation of a deeply personal artistic statement.

For Taisei Fukumoto, “angel wing” marks more than the release of a first album. Since beginning his activities as a solo artist in June 2024, he has built his current path with a pace that feels both careful and determined, each work released representing a part of him.

The album’s title — angel wing — comes from a detail fans had already turned into affection: the naturally silver patch of hair at the nape of his neck that stands out against the rest of his hair. In an earlier interview, Taisei spoke about this so-called “angel wing” — or tenshi no hane (天使の羽) — sharing that he only became aware of it when a hairdresser pointed it out to him.

What could have remained a small physical detail instead became something meaningful, especially once fans began affectionately calling it his “angel wing.” Since then, it’s become an important feature in illustrations and merchandise alike. And now that image becomes more than a visual nickname. It becomes the entrance point to an album shaped around opposing emotions, and to a title track of the same name that gathers those contradictions into sound, image, and movement.

Before the premiere, Taisei himself described “angel wing” as a song that could only be delivered now, on this first album. That makes the MV feel less like a detached concept and more like a timestamp — a record of who he is at this exact point in his solo career. He also described the MV as showing two versions of himself and asked viewers to enjoy the contrast between them, and that idea becomes the core of the video.

“angel wing” is not only a song Taisei performs well; it is a song he helped write into existence. The emotional weight of the track comes from how closely its imagery, contradictions, and repeated insistence on continuing feel tied to his current chapter. He is not simply interpreting someone else’s concept. He is shaping the language of his own story.

The opening places Taisei alone in a chapel-like space, dressed in white beneath stained glass. The frame is beautiful, but not entirely peaceful. He looks small inside the shadowed architecture, held by light but surrounded by darkness. It immediately sets the tone for a song that begins from a broken emotional landscape — a place where silence, pain, and damaged hope are not hidden, but carried.

That contrast is also present in the choreography. Created by Csk and performed with dancers Shuta, YUZUHA, CHIHAYA, Miku, MARINA, and JIN, the movement is sharp, controlled, and physically demanding, but it never feels like technique for technique’s sake. Taisei spoke in his livestream about having to bring out every expression he had during the shoot, carrying the lyrics through full takes and different patterns inside the same studio. Watching the MV with that in mind, the performance feels less like he’s performing just for show and more like pressure being released through the body.

The MV’s use of contrast is especially interesting because it does not follow the usual logic of white as freedom and black as restraint, or light as salvation and darkness as threat. As the song progresses, the brighter space begins to feel increasingly heavy, almost restrictive, while the darker scenes can read as a place where hidden pain is finally allowed to surface. The light does not simply protect him from the dark; at times, it feels devastating in its own way. And the darkness is not only destructive; it can also feel like a space where something wounded is being acknowledged. Through its cinematography, scene direction, and flow, the MV lets each image carry several meanings at once — sadness, pain, hope, loneliness — without forcing one simple interpretation.

This is where angel wing feels especially strong. It does not treat pain as decoration, but it also does not let pain become the whole story. The song’s message is not that nothing hurts. It is that hurting does not erase the will to keep going. Shattered hope can still be gathered. A single wing can still be opened and fly. A voice can still remain and sing just as loud.

That is also why the MV has resonated so strongly with fans. A shared feeling appears again and again: gratitude that Taisei kept singing, gratitude that he remained an idol, and a sense that this song feels like something only he could deliver. Not because no one else could technically sing it, but because its meaning depends on his image, his history, and the path he has taken to reach this moment.

The performance also shows how much Taisei has grown as a solo artist without erasing the years that shaped him. He has spent much of his life in the entertainment industry learning how to build presence through timing, formation, support, and trust. In angel wing, the solo frame changes the focus, but it does not erase that foundation.

In the livestream, Taisei described songs that move through love-song brightness, relaxed and cute textures, hip-hop elements, ballads, dance tracks, band-driven energy, and playful ideas made with live performance in mind. He also noted that some previously released songs had changed in arrangement, melody, or key. That makes the album feel less like a collection of old and new material placed side by side, and more like a living revision of his journey so far.

The title track becomes the center of that journey. It gathers the album’s contradictions and gives them a body. The angelic image is there, but it is not presented as something pure or weightless. The wing suggests effort. It suggests survival. It suggests the choice to rise without pretending the ground never existed.

Musically, “angel wing” also feels like an important step in Taisei’s growth as a vocalist. Many of his previous songs have leaned into a brighter, more classic J-Pop sound, but this track brings a harder rock edge into his discography. Even so, the warmth in his voice is still there. It simply settles into a lower, more grounded register, giving the song a rawer emotional pull.

That vocal shift also reflects the work behind the album. Taisei mentioned that the range of genres made the recording process more demanding, requiring him to experiment with different ways of using his voice.

The camera reinforces that tension through distance and closeness. Wide shots let the chapel-like space and formations feel almost overwhelming, while close-ups bring the focus back to Taisei’s face, breath, and restraint. In the black-clad scenes, the covered eyes make his exposed mouth and voice feel even more vulnerable.

Behind the finished MV is also the practical work of creating it. Taisei mentioned a full-day shoot, last-minute adjustments, and the director’s many ideas during production. The creative team — including assistant director Mizuki Murakami, lighting director Mitsunari Ishii, hair and makeup by meg., styling by Kenta Nakakita, and project coordination by Masaki Nagata of PEACEKEY WORKS Inc. — gives the video its finished shape. That matters because the final image may look controlled, but its emotional force comes from the work behind it.

By the end, “angel wing” does not offer a simple feeling of victory. The final return to the white space, with bodies fallen around him and stained glass still glowing above, feels more like survival after impact. The world of the MV is still broken, but Taisei is still standing inside it. Still gathering what remains. Still choosing to sing.

That is the emotional weight behind “angel wing” and Taisei’s journey as a whole. It is not just a beautiful MV or a strong performance, but a reminder that continuing can be meaningful in itself — especially when it carries the past, the effort, and the people who have stayed beside him.

With each release, Taisei seems to be answering the support he has received in the only way that feels truly his: by continuing to sing.

In angel wing, that gratitude does not need to be spoken loudly. It is there in the work itself — in the songs he keeps creating, the stages he keeps preparing for, and the way he continues to move forward with the fans who have stayed beside him.