Aina The End didn¡¯t set out to write one of Japan¡¯s defining songs of 2025. But by late summer, her snarling rock single ¡°¡± had escaped its original context ¡ª as an opening theme for a paranormal anime ¡ª and taken on a life of its own, drawing new listeners from far beyond Japan.
One measure of that reach came last September, on the streets of Shinjuku.
On a warm evening just before 7 p.m., Aina, who keeps her real name private for security reasons, staged an unannounced ¡°guerilla live¡± in front of Kabukicho Tower. Several hundred people who had seen the news on social media less than an hour earlier gathered quickly, while passersby heading home from work were caught off guard by the opening notes of ¡°.¡±
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