Shūji to Akira (修二と彰, lit. Shūji and Akira) was a special temporary unit formed by KAT-TUN member Kazuya Kamenashi and NEWS member Tomohisa Yamashita for their 2005 dramaNobuta o Produce. Shūji (修二) and Akira (彰) are the names of the characters Kamenashi and Yamashita play in the drama respectively. Although the drama has long finished on television, the duo have revived their performance of their song "Seishun Amigo" (青春アミーゴ, Youthful Friends) numerous times. In 2017, they formed another special temporary unit, Kame to Yamapi (亀と山P, lit. Kame and Yamapi), for their 2017 drama Boku, Unmei no Hito desu.[1]
The limited edition consists of three songs and a special 12-page photo booklet, and the regular edition consists three songs and their instrumentals. "Seishun Amigo" was used as the theme song for the drama Nobuta wo Produce starring Kamenashi, Yamashita and Maki Horikita. Musically, the song has a resemblance to Japanese kayōkyoku music of the 1980s.[2]
Track list
Regular Edition
No.
Title
Lyrics
Music
Length
1.
"Seishun Amigo"
Zopp
Shusui, Fredrik Hult, Ola Larsson, Jonas Engstrand
4:36
2.
"Colorful" (カラフル "Karafuru")
Tomohisa Yamashita
Kosuke Morimoto
4:29
3.
"Kizuna" (絆 "Bonds")
Kazuya Kamenashi
Koji Makaino
4:11
4.
"Seishun Amigo" (Instrumental)
Zopp
Shusui, Fredrik Hult, Ola Larsson, Jonas Engstrand
4:36
5.
"Colorful" (Instrumental)
Yamashita
Morimoto
4:29
6.
"Kizuna" (Instrumental)
Kamenashi
Makaino
4:11
Limited Edition
No.
Title
Lyrics
Music
Length
1.
"Seishun Amigo"
Zopp
Shusui, Fredrik Hult, Ola Larsson, Jonas Engstrand
4:36
2.
"Colorful"
Tomohisa Yamashita
Kosuke Morimoto
4:29
3.
"Kizuna"
Kazuya Kamenashi
Koji Makaino
4:11
Chart information
The unit's sole single "Seishun Amigo" was released on November 2, 2005, and debuted at number one on the Oricon singles weekly chart, selling 520,419 copies.[3] It maintained its number one spot the following week, selling another 250,108 copies.[4] The single sold more than a million copies in less than four weeks[5] and spent a total of sixty-five weeks on the Oricon charts.[6] The single was the best-selling single of 2005[7] and the third best-selling single of 2006.[8]
In 2010, Seishun Amigo was reported by the Oricon's magazine, OriStar, for having sold over 1,627,000 copies and was later certified Million by RIAJ denoting over 1,000,000 shipments.[9][10]
Limited edition 1 consists of one song and its music video and making-of and a special 8-panel lyrics card, limited edition 2 consists of four songs and three instrumentals and a 24-page lyrics booklet, and the regular edition consists of three songs and their instrumentals. "Senaka goshi no Chance" was used as the theme song for the drama Boku, Unmei no Hito desu starring Kamenashi, Yamashita, and Fumino Kimura.[13]
"Senaka goshi no Chance" (Music video + making-of)
Iwatsubo
Iwatsubo
Limited Edition 2
No.
Title
Lyrics
Music
Length
1.
"Senaka goshi no Chance"
Iwatsubo
Iwatsubo
2.
"Follow Me" (Kamenashi solo)
Kamenashi
Chris Wahle, CR
3.
"Bird" (Yamashita solo)
Yamashita
Greg Bonnick, Hayden Chapman, Adrian Mckinnon, Takuya Harada
4.
"Super Funker!!"
Yuuki Fujii
Dailydose
5.
"Follow Me" (Instrumental)
Kamenashi
Wahle, CR
6.
"Bird" (Instrumental)
Yamashita
Bonnick, Chapman, Mckinnon, Harada
7.
"Super Funker!!" (Instrumental)
Fujii
Dailydose
Chart information
The single debuted at number one on the Oricon singles weekly chart, selling 175,269 copies.[14] The single spent a total of twenty-three weeks on the Oricon charts.[15] "Senaka goshi no Chance" debuted at number sixty on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart on May 8, 2017.[16] It rose to number forty-one on May 22 and peaked at number one the following week.[17][18] The song charted for eleven weeks on the Hot 100 chart.[19] The single also topped the Billboard Japan top singles sales chart, selling 188,231 copies in its first week.[20]
The single was certified Gold by RIAJ in May 2017.[21]
