"Goodbye Sengen" (グッバイ宣言, Gubbai Sengen, 'Goodbye Declaration') is a 2020 song written by Japanese music producer Chinozo, utilizing the Vocaloid voice library V Flower. The song is the most viewed Vocaloid song on YouTube with more than 100 million views, and received over 3 billion listens on TikTok by 2022.[1] A light novel adaptation was released on October 25, 2021,[2] and sold over one hundred thousand copies by 2022.[3]
Background
Influenced by Japanese Vocaloid music producers Harumaki Gohan and MikitoP [ja], Chinozo started to create Vocaloid music. Attracted by Japanese illustrator Chika Aruse's illustrations posted on Piapro, he decided to collaborate with Aruse to create a Vocaloid music video.[4] In an interview, Chinozo said the situation was "becoming dark" due to the spread of the COVID-19, so he wanted to make some upbeat music.[5]
Music and lyrics
"Goodbye Sengen" is a fast-paced rock song with a tempo of 170 beats per minute.[6][7] Its vocal range spans from the low note of C4 to the high note of C6.[8] The pre-chorus features a repeating hook, "lu-lu-lu".[9] The lyrics make reference to hikikomori,[10][9] and the lyrics also express the pain of loneliness.[9] In a trending topic on Twitter in 2021, participating tweets interpreted some lyrics of the song as "yandere" and "scary".[11]
Music video
The illustration of the music video for "Goodbye Sengen" was drawn by Japanese illustrator Chika Aruse, featuring a signature gesture which Chinozo and Aruseee designed together.[12] The gesture shows the right hand touching the index finger with the thumb, rotating behind the head, with the left hand making the V sign towards the right hand.[13] Japanese singer Sou [ja] hailed the illustration as "kawaii, fashionable, and coolness coexisting".[12]
Reception
Many singers, YouTubers, and VTubers have uploaded cover versions of the song. A derivative finger dance was popular on TikTok.[13] Chinozo also released his own cover version on July 31, 2020.[14] By October 2022, the music video had received 760,000 views and over 3 billion listens on TikTok, and was used as background music in 310 thousand videos, including many dance cover videos.[1]
In August 2021, its view count surpassed the music video for "DUNE" by Kenshi Yonezu, becoming the most viewed Vocaloid song on YouTube.[13] On July 26, 2022, the song reached 100 million views on YouTube, unprecedented for Vocaloid songs.[15]
On April 28, 2023, the song won a bronze medal at the NexTone Award [ja] 2023.[16] In May, the song was nominated for three categories of Independent Artist Awards by TuneCore Japan: Top Streaming Music of the Decade, Top UGC Music 2022, and Best Music Video 2022.[17]
In 2024, McDonald's Japan collaborates with Goodbye Sengen to promote its new evolution Cheese Bacon Potato Pie.[18]
Chart performance
On March 4, 2021, "Goodbye Sengen" reached fourth place on Spotify's "Viral 50 - Japan" chart.[19] The song ranked at number two on the Billboard Japan Top User Generated Songs chart on March 17,[20] and topped the Billboard Japan Heatseekers Songs chart for two consecutive weeks.[21] The song also topped the TikTok Hot Song Weekly Ranking chart five times.[22]
The song topped the TikTok Hot Song Weekly Ranking chart in the first half of 2021,[23] and ranked fourth in Top User Generated Songs chart for year-end 2021.[24] It also topped the annual music chart "TikTok Trends 2021" released by TikTok at the end of 2021 with 3.25 billion views.[25]
A light novel adaptation was written by Midori Sangatsu, illustrated by Chika Aruse, and supervised by Chinozo. It began publication on October 25, 2021 by Media Factory under their MF Bunko J imprint.[2] The novel series mainly tells the story of high school students Kiritani Kakeru and Nanase Rena.[10] The sequel volume "Shamer" was released in April 2022 and tells the story of "Goodbye Sengen" four years later.[3] The third volume "Elite" was written from the perspective of Saki Ayase, a model student in class.[42]
In the first week of its release, the novel ranked 5th on the Oricon Light Novel Weekly Chart with a sales volume of 7,424 copies,[43] and kept this ranking with a sales volume of 6,977 copies in the next week.[44] It reached third place on the Japanese Rakuten BOOKS Light Novel Weekly Chart,[45] ranking ninth in the bunkobon category of the "Next Light Novel Award 2022" held by Kadokawa's "Kimirano".[46] It also ranked in the top 20 of Tsutaya's monthly light novel sales chart for 7 consecutive months. By June 2022, it sold over one hundred thousand copies.[3]
A manga adaptation was announced in December 2021.[53] Illustrated by Iri Arata, it was serialized in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Daioh magazine from July 27, 2022,[54] to May 27, 2024. Its chapters were collected in three tankōbon volumes.
An audio drama adaptation by Kiki Anime under STUDIO koemee started airing in August 2022.[58] It stars Minori Suzuki as Nanase Rena and Setsuo Itō as Kiritani Kakeru.
