Ae! group's Emotion: Puts the Band at the Center

There is a particular pattern to Ae! group’s singles.

《A》BEGINNING. Gotta Be. Chameleon. DEKOBOKO LIFE. Emotion.
A, B, C, D, E.

It is the kind of detail fans were quick to notice when Ae! group (Aぇ! group)—Seiya Suezawa, Yoshinori Masakado, Ken Kojima, and Masaya Sano—announced their fifth single, Emotion, on August 24.

Four young men in stylish outfits sitting against a concrete wall, showcasing diverse hairstyles and clothing styles.

What began rather explicitly with the “A” of their debut, and much fitting to their name as well, has quietly continued across five releases, with each title picking up the next letter of the alphabet.

Ae! group’s fifth single will be released on November 4, with the group finally putting a band song in the position fans have long wanted to see: the title track.

The band has been part of Ae! group’s identity since well before their debut. It has never been the only thing they do, nor should it be; their strength has always come from their versatility and how they convey the Kansai charm—how comfortably they move between music, dance, comedy, variety, and performance.

But band songs occupy a particular place in their history. They are tied to songs such as “PRIDE,” “Hoko,” and “Break Through,” to the live stages through which the members developed as instrumentalists, and to an image of Ae! group that many longtime fans consider fundamental to who they are.

The song is an aggressive, solid rock number that asks the members to tackle more technically difficult playing than before, with that instrumental intensity set against Seiya’s high-tone vocal. It is already positioning itself as a song designed to hit hardest live, while describing it as another step forward in the group’s playing and expression.

There is an extra bit of symmetry in the timing, as August 24 is also Seiya’s birthday—a particularly fitting date for news of a rock song whose official description specifically highlights his vocals.

But Emotion also arrives after a release that deliberately brought Ae! group’s past back into view.

Their fourth single, DEKOBOKO LIFE, included a newly recorded version of “PRIDE,” one of the songs most closely associated with their pre-debut band performances, and a song fans consider their main anthem. Now, only one single later, the group is not simply revisiting a band song from its history. It is releasing a new one as the main event.

There has understandably been a lot of conversation about what parts of Ae! group’s original identity would remain as the group moved further into its post-debut years. A group changes after debut simply because its opportunities change: television tie-ins become larger, musical expectations broaden, and singles have to introduce the group to people who may know nothing about the years that came before them.

But Ae! group has embraced that expansion without compromising their identity as a group or who they are at their core. “Chameleon” showed one side of their pop identity; “DEKOBOKO LIFE,” written for their starring film, leaned brightly into another. And their first album D.N.A lived up to its name and showcased their D.N.A—their past, present, and future. And with each tour, they have never forgotten to include a band corner to deliver a true live performance feeling with their unique band arrangement. With Emotion, the band identity gets the spotlight it deserves.

All four editions include “Kono Asa” (この朝は), the theme song for ABC TV’s long-running morning program Ohayo Asa Desu. Written and composed by Noriyuki Makihara and arranged by Kenichi Maeyamada, better known as Hyadain, the song has already been accompanying mornings in Kansai since the spring.

The edition-exclusive tracks, meanwhile, cover an unusually broad range of seasons and moods. Limited Edition A contains Ae! group’s first Christmas song, “X’mas FAM!”; Limited Edition B includes the winter love song “White Love Story”; and Limited Edition C adds the Halloween-themed “Mrs.Vampire.”

The physical release also comes with a characteristically varied set of bonuses. Early reservations across all editions will receive a four-piece flake sticker set featuring individual member designs, while first-come, first-served bonuses differ by edition: photo props for Limited Edition A, a rubber wristband for Limited Edition C, and Unit Trading Card Set C with the regular edition. Limited Edition B, meanwhile, gets perhaps the most unexpectedly practical Ae! group bonus yet: a toothbrush.

The Unit Trading Card Set differs depending on which store you buy from, so make sure you double-check your orders if you’re on the hunt for specific cards!

But for longtime fans, the regular edition may contain the biggest surprise after “Emotion” itself.

The long-time favorite “Aッ!!!!!!” is finally being released on CD.

The song dates back to Ae! group’s Junior era and has remained a fixture of their live identity, a representative Ae! group song that has been “raised” through performances together with fans.

“Aッ!!!!!!” remains one of the songs where fans at lives are the most hyped up, and the sound of thousands of fans singing together with the boys in the venues will always be a dear memory when you experience it.

After two years of learning what a debuted Ae! group can look like, the fifth single puts instruments back at the center—not as nostalgia, and not as an attempt to recreate an earlier era, but as a skill the four members are still expected to push further.