1. Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi Soundtrack
2. Puffy Amiyumi Episodes
3. Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi Youtube

Puffy AmiYumi have never released a record that is less than wonderful, and Nice is no exception to the rule. In fact, it just might be their best record. From the smashing opener, 'Planet Tokyo,' to the last track, 'Red Swing' (which has the same music as 'Planet Tokyo' but different lyrics sung in Japanese), Nice is a blast. The record genre-hops like a jet-propelled frog, touching on swoony.

Puffy (パフィーPafī, romanized as PUFFY) or Puffy AmiYumi are a Japanesepop rock band formerly signed to Sony Music Japan under Epic Records and Ki/oon Music, later transferred to Warner Music Japan in 2015. The group continues to go by the moniker of PUFFY in Japan but, in order to avoid legal naming conflicts with Sean Combs, have adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi in the United States. They sing in Japanese and English.

Ami Onuki, whose nickname is Jane and Yumi Yoshimura, nicknamed Sue, were scouted by Sony-affiliated talent agencies and put together in the mid-1990s. The band gained mainstream success in Japan during 1998, following the release of their Jet album and tour in support of it.

Their first release 'Asia no Junshin' sold a million records and their success has continued with several more full-length releases (totaling 15 million sales in Japan).^[1]

• 1History
• 2Musical style

History[edit]

Early recordings[edit]

When she was in high school, Ami sang for a band called 'Hanoi Sex'. In her sophomore year, the band auditioned during the Sony SD Audition and passed, becoming employees of Sony Music Entertainment. Years went by with little action by either the band or the record label, as Ami took vocal lessons and attended a professional school to learn how to become a better performer. Eventually the band dissolved, leaving only Ami under Sony's employment. She was encouraged to stay, despite lacking a band and a clear musical direction.^[2]

Separately, Yumi had learned of the Chotto Sokomade talent search underway by Sony Music Artists when she was 'around 18'. She also auditioned and passed. She moved on her own from Osaka to Tokyo, where she eventually met Ami by chance in the Sony Music offices and then at a concert after-party, when the two hit it off. Both felt alone within the large Sony organization and neither were confident in their abilities as solo artists, so even though Ami had already recorded a solo CD under the guidance of former Unicorn front-man Tamio Okuda (it would later become half of solosolo), they requested Sony pair them as a duo.^[3]

As Puffy[edit]

When paired together, their voices blended well and they had a close rapport. Producer and American pop musician Andy Sturmer christened them 'Puffy', and is considered by Ami and Yumi as 'the godfather of Puffy'. Ami had previously met Tamio Okuda at a SPARKS GOGO concert, and he had produced her then-unreleased solo CD. He was eventually signed on to produce Puffy's first album AmiYumi. Their debut single, 'Asia no Junshin', launched Puffy-mania. Asked if they were surprised by the attention after its success, Yumi told an interviewer '... everything that was put together for that song all came together and made it happen, but we didn't expect it. It was luck.'^[4]

As 'Puffy-mania' exploded, they became multimedia stars, including hosting their own weekly TV show Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy with guests such as Lenny Kravitz, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, and rock band Garbage.

Puffy in the United States[edit]

Puffy made their first US appearance as part of Music Japan's 'An Evening with Japan's All-Stars' showcase at the 2000 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas.^[5] After their performance at SXSW, attorneys for Sean 'Puffy' Combs sent the band a cease and desist letter asking them to change their name. After changing their name in the US to Puffy AmiYumi, they told Entertainment Weekly:^[6]

Yumi: It doesn't bother us at all. We respect the fact that Puff Daddy is Puffy in the U.S.
Ami: The bottom line is that we don't know what puffy means. We were given our name by somebody else six years ago, and we really don't have a clue.

The name 'Puffy' most likely comes from Andy Sturmer's conscious or unconscious recollection of the night he and his bandmates/friends in the (as of then unnamed) band Jellyfish were trying to come up with funny/catchy band names. 'The Puffy' was one of the titles presented by Roger Joseph Manning's friend Greg Hillegas. A laugh was had by all, and the conversation moved on. Somewhere on a legal pad in Roger or Andy's archives is that complete list...

After Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy ended production in 2002, Puffy focused on performing in the United States. Several of their previous Japanese albums were released for the US market and they recorded theme songs for the animated seriesTeen Titans and SD Gundam Force. They have also done a cover version with Cyndi Lauper of her hit 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'. They were also interviewed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! by Jimmy Kimmel^[7] and performed their songs 'Hi Hi' and 'Akai Buranko' (Red Swing)^[8] on the show. They came back to the US in 2006 for their Splurge Tour. In April, 2017 the band made an appearance at Anime Boston for autograph signings.^[9] After their appearance at Boston Anime Convention they did a 3 city USA Tour which they called their 'Not Lazy Tour' of the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Dallas, Texas.

Animated series[edit]

On November 19, 2004, an animated series featuring cartoon versions of Ami and Yumi, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, premiered on the United States' Cartoon Network. Despite both of them being voiced by American actresses (though Janice Kawaye, who plays Ami, is of Japanese descent), the real Ami and Yumi star in short live-action segments taped in Japan. The show also features some of Puffy's music. Cartoon Network's Japan service started airing episodes of the series (in English with Japanese subtitles) in 2005. In October of that year, TV Tokyo began airing a Japanese-dubbed version of the series, which eventually also went to CN Japan on January 8, 2006. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi also debuted in other countries such as Mexico, dubbed in Spanish, and Brazil, dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese, both transmitted on Cartoon Network.

Yumi said in an interview with LiveDaily:^[10]

Yumi: The Cartoon Network show has given us a great opportunity to introduce the music to a new audience. When we toured, after the Cartoon Network show started, so many little kids came to our show. We always wanted as many people as possible to listen to the music.

Puffy AmiYumi made an appearance and performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2005 where they were also represented by their own Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi float and balloon.^[11]

On January 16, 2006 Ami and Yumi were appointed goodwill ambassadors to the United States as part of the Japanese government's campaign to encourage tourism in Japan.^[12] They kicked off their 10th anniversary tour in Japan on April 14, 2006, then toured the East Coast of the United States with the PuffyAmiYumi Tour '06 Splurge! Splurge! Splurge! from July 8 to July 19, 2006, coinciding with the premiere of their new television show, Hi Hi PUFFY Bu.

Ami and Yumi have also made cameo voiceovers in an episode of the 2011 anime series, Usagi Drop, which aired on July 8, 2011. They also perform the opening theme to the anime.^[13]

Musical style[edit]

Their music has been largely a collaboration between producer Tamio Okuda, American singer-songwriter Andy Sturmer, and Ami and Yumi themselves. Ami and Yumi's vocals have been likened to U.S. vocal sister group The Roches.^{[citation needed]} They often sing whole songs together with harmonies and their sound borrows heavily from The Beatles and other artists such as ABBA, The Who, and The Carpenters. Both Ami and Yumi themselves have openly admitted that their music is hard to put into just one genre because of the many different influences.^{[citation needed]}

Influences[edit]

They have mentioned Tamio Okuda, The Blue Hearts, Boom Boom Satellites, and Blankey Jet City as their main influences, and named their album Jet CD after Blankey Jet City.

Backing band members[edit]

Discography[edit]

Television work[edit]

• 1997–2000: Saku Saku Morning Call
• 1997–2002: Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy
• 2003–2006: Teen Titans
• 2004–2006: Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi
• 2006: Hi Hi PUFFY Bu
• 2011: Usagi Drop (Episode 9 voiceover)
• 2013–present: Teen Titans Go!' theme

References[edit]

1. ^J!-ENT 50-PAGE SPECIAL FEATURE: Puffy AmiYumi 15th Year Anniversary featuring interviews from 2000-2010 by Dennis A. Amith. Accessed December 5, 2010.
2. ^'Puffy 10th Anniversary Book 'Ayumi', Ami Interview Chapters 1 and 2, Sony Magazines Inc., 2006
3. ^'Puffy 10th Anniversary Book 'Ayumi', Ami Interview Chapters 1 and 2, Yumi Interview Chapters 1 and 2, Sony Magazines Inc., 2006
4. ^Whelski, Tina. 'Feature: Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi'Archived 2006-03-16 at Archive.today. WOMANROCK, August/September 2005. Accessed December 7, 2006.
5. ^Amith, Dennis A. 'Prepare for the Puffy Invasion'. nt2009 Entertainment, March 2001. Accessed December 7, 2006.
6. ^Bruner, Rob. 'Sayonara, Puffy'. Entertainment Weekly, April 3, 2001. Accessed December 7, 2006.
7. ^https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4N5Xfx7qLc Interview with Jimmy Kimmel^{[dead link]}
8. ^https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_lNbB3enN0 Performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!^{[dead link]}
9. ^'Guest Info: Puffy AmiYumi'. www.animeboston.com. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
10. ^Fuoco, Christina. ' LiveDaily Interview: Puffy AmiYumi 'Archived 2006-10-21 at Archive.today. LiveDaily , July 19, 2006. Accessed October 16, 2007.
11. ^'Cartoon Network Unveils Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Float For the 79th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade' (Press release). Time Warner. 31 October 2005. Archived from the original on 26 November 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2006.
12. ^'Puffy appointed goodwill ambassadors to U.S. for tourism'Archived 2006-02-13 at the Wayback Machine, Kyodo News, January 16, 2006. Accessed December 7, 2006.
13. ^Jennifer Sherman (2011-08-04). 'Rock Duo Puffy to Voice-Act in Usagi Drop Anime'. Anime News Network.

External links[edit]

• Puffy AmiYumi on IMDb

The discography for Japanese pop/rock duo Puffy AmiYumi consists of 13 studio albums, 4 compilation albums, 2 remix albums, 12 video albums and 32 singles.Their first single Asia no Junshin became an instant hit in Japan where it sold more than a million records and help to catapult the group.^[1]Jet-CD is their most successful album (having sold more than a million copies only in Japan)^[2], Kore ga watashi no ikiru michi is their most successful single (having sold more than 1.5 million copies only in Japan).^[3] They have sold more than 15 million records worldwide.^[4]

• 1Albums

Albums[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Compilation albums[edit]

Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi Soundtrack

1. Puffy Re-Mix Project (PRMX) (1999) # 28 ^[18]
2. The Very Best of Puffy/AmiYumi Jet Fever (2000) #2 ^[19]
3. An Illustrated History (2002) U.S.
4. PRMX Turbo (2003) #179 ^[20]
5. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (2004) U.S. (2005) Japan #49 ^[21]
6. Hit&Fun (2007) #9^[22]
7. 15 (2011)
8. 20 Anniversary Best Album (2016)^[23]

North American albums[edit]

Puffy Amiyumi Episodes

Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi Youtube

Singles[edit]

1. 'Asia no Junshin' (1996) #3^[24]
2. 'Kore ga Watashi no Ikiru Michi' (1996) #1^[25]
3. 'Circuit no Musume' (1997) #1^[26]
4. 'Nagisa ni Matsuwaru etc.' (1997) #1^[27]
5. 'Mother/Nehorina Hahorina' (1997) #5^[28]
6. 'Ai no shirushi' (1998) #3^[29]
7. 'Tararan/Puffy no Tourmen' (1998) #4^[30]
8. 'Puffy de Rumba' (1998) #14^[31]
9. 'Nichiyobi no Musume' (1999) #15^[32]
10. 'Yume no tame ni' (1999) #12^[33]
11. 'Umi e to/Pool Nite' (2000) #15^[34]
12. 'Boogie Woogie No. 5' (2000) #22^[35]
13. 'Atarashii Hibi' (2001) #28^[36]
14. 'Aoi Namida' (2001) #32^[37]
15. 'Hurricane' (2002) #36^[38]
16. 'Akai Buranko/Planet Tokyo' (2002) #45^[39]
17. 'Sunrise' (2004) #24^[40]
18. 'Hajimari no Uta/Nice Buddy' (2005) #33^[41]
19. 'Hi Hi' (2005) #107^[42]
20. 'Mogura Like' (2006) #35^[43]
21. 'Tokyo I'm on My Way' (2006) #58^[44]
22. 'Hazumu Rizumu' (2006) #15
23. 'Hataraku Otoko' (2006) #41^[45]
24. 'Boom Boom Beat/O Edo Nagareboshi IV ' (2007) #47^[46]
25. 'Oriental Diamond/Kuchibiru Motion ' (2007) #55^[47]
26. 'All Because Of You ' (2008) #34^[48]
27. 'My Story ' (2008) #44^[49]
28. 'Hiyori Hime ' (2009) #38^[50]
29. 'Dareka ga ' (2009) #30^[51]
30. 'R.G.W ' (2010) #44^[52]
31. 'Happy Birthday ' (2011) #56^[53]
32. 'Sweet Drops' (2011) #34^[54]
33. 'Tomodachi no Wao!' (2012) #85^[55]
34. 'Datsu Dystopia' (2013) #102^[56]
35. 'Himitsu no Gimme Cat -Ufufu Honto yo-' (2014)
36. 'Colorful Wave Surfers' (2015) ^[57]
37. 'Puffypipoyama' (2015) ^[58]#62^[59]
38. 'Bouken no Dadada' (2017) ^[60]
39. 'Susume Nonsense' (2018) ^[61]

DVDs[edit]

The release date on DVD is in parentheses

1. RUN! PUFFY! RUN! 1996 (2000)
2. TOUR! PUFFY! TOUR! 1997 (2000)
3. Jet Tour '98 (2000)
4. Jet 1998 (2000) - Music videos, including Chinese version of 'Kore ga Watashi no Ikiru Michi'
5. Fever*Fever 1999 (2000) - Concert footage from Fever Fever tour
6. CLIPS (2000.07.05 and VHS) #15 ^[62]
7. PUFFY SPIKE Daisakusen (2001) - Concert footage
8. Rolling Debut Revue - Canada USA Tour 2002 (2002)
9. Funclips Funclub (2005) #99 ^[63]
10. TOUR! PUFFY! TOUR! 10 Final (2006) # 168 ^[64]
11. Sparks Go Go 15th Special Junk! Junk! Junk! (2006) #186 ^[65]
12. Sparks Go Go 20th Anniversary Special (Junk! Junk! Junk! 2010) #58 ^[66]

Other works[edit]

• Hosted the Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy show.
• Appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (April 25, 2005) [4].
• Played 'Electric Beach Fever' and 'That's the Way It Is' at Japan's New Year's Eve Countdown show (2005–2006) [5][6].
• Recorded a version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun with Cyndi Lauper on her album, The Body Acoustic.
• Recorded the Teen Titans theme song.
• Recorded the opening theme (Sunrise) for SD Gundam Force.
• Two songs from PUFFY's Solo Solo album, Yumi Yoshimura's solo song, Kyouki na Futari [Perfect Couple] for an opening theme and Ami Onuki's solo song, Tadaima [I'm Home] for an ending theme were recorded for Hare Tokidoki Buta (Tokyo Pig).
• Recorded the song Hito Natsu No Keiken on the Yamaguchi Momoe Tribute Album 'Tribute Thank You For...'.
• Recorded a cover version of the Guitar Wolf song Can-Nana Fever on a tribute album 'I Love Guitar Wolf Very Much'.
• Contributed backing vocals on Sayonara for an early American version and eventual Japanese version of Bleu's album Redhead.
• Friends Forever was featured on the Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed soundtrack.
• Urei was featured in What's New Scooby-Doo? episode called Big Appetite in Little Tokyo (second season, first episode).
• Hi Hi was featured in Chilean telenovelaBrujas.
• Asia no junshin was featured on the compilation album Japan For Sale Vol.1.
• Asia no junshin was also featured in the arcade game Taiko no tatsujin 5.
• Atarashii hibi was featured on the compilation album Japan For Sale Vol.2.
• Hajimari no uta was featured on the compilations albums Jpop CD, Vol. 2 and Pikachu The Movie Song Best 1998-2008. It was also featured in Pokémon movie: Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
• Nice Buddy was featured in Gossip Girl episode called Seventeen Candles (first season, eighth episode).
• Kore ga watashi no ikiru michi was featured in Heroes episode called Genesis (first season, first episode).
• Kore ga watashi no ikiru michi was used in Donkey Konga 3.
• Kore ga watashi no ikiru michi (The Readymade Darlin' Of Discothèque Track) was used in French/Japanese movie Wasabi[7].
• Ai no shirushi was featured in Japanese movies Waterboys[8] and Lovely Complex[9].
• Recorded the opening theme (Hataraku Otoko, Unicorn cover) for anime Hataraki Man.
• Recorded the opening theme (Oh Edo Nagareboshi IV) for anime Oh! Edo Rocket.
• Recorded the opening theme (Hiyori Hime) for anime Genji Monogatari Sennenki.
• Recorded the theme (Wedding Bell, Sugar cover) for Japanese drama Konkatsu!.
• Recorded the theme (Dareka ga) for movie Naruto Shippūden 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire.
• Recorded the theme (Sweep Drops) for movie Usagi Drop (film).
• Recorded the song (Now Romantic) for CD compilation Yoshimoto Cover & Best (CD).
• Susume Nonsense was recorded as the eleventh ending theme for Chibi Maruko-chan (1995 series) appearing for the first time in episode 1119 premiered on October 8, 2017 [10].
• Performed Koi no Vacance song by The Peanuts for Chibi Maruko-chan (1995 series) Christmas Special premiered on Decembre 23, 2018 [11].

References[edit]

1. ^一般社団法人　日本レコード協会 > 各種統計 > その他のデータ > 年度別ミリオンセラー一覧 > 1996年 [(RIAJ - Statistics - Other Data - List of million-certified compact discs by year - 1996)]. riaj.or.jp (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
2. ^一般社団法人　日本レコード協会 > 各種統計 > その他のデータ > 年度別ミリオンセラー一覧 > 1998年 [(RIAJ - Statistics - Other Data - List of million-certified compact discs by year - 1998)]. riaj.or.jp (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
3. ^Oricon profile and interview (in Japanese)
4. ^J!-ENT 50-PAGE SPECIAL FEATURE: Puffy AmiYumi 15th Year Anniversary featuring interviews from 2000-2010 by Dennis A. Amith. Accessed June 19, 2011.
5. ^Oricon Style: AmiYumi
6. ^Oricon Style: Solo Solo
7. ^Oricon Style: Jet-CD
8. ^Oricon Style: Fever*Fever
9. ^Oricon Style: Spike
10. ^Oricon Style: The Hit Parade
11. ^Oricon Style: Nice
12. ^Oricon Style: 59
13. ^Oricon Style: Splurge
14. ^Oricon Style: Honeycreeper
15. ^Oricon Style: Puffy Amiyumi x Puffy
16. ^Oricon Style: Bring it!
17. ^Oricon Style: Thank You
18. ^Oricon Style: PRMX
19. ^Oricon Style: The Very Best of Puffy/AmiYumi Jet Fever
20. ^Oricon Style: PRMX Turbo
21. ^Oricon Style: Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi
22. ^Oricon Style: Hit&Fun
23. ^Oricon Style: 20th Anniversary Best Album
24. ^Oricon Style: Asia no Junshin
25. ^Oricon Style: Kore ga watashi no ikiru michi
26. ^Oricon Style: Circuit no Musume
27. ^Oricon Style: Nagisa ni matsuwaru etc.
28. ^Oricon Style: Mother/Nehorina Hahorina
29. ^Oricon Style: Ai no Shirushi
30. ^Oricon Style: Tararan/Puffy no tourmen
31. ^Oricon Style: Puffy de Rumba
32. ^Oricon Style: Nichiyoubi no musume
33. ^Oricon Style: Yume no Tame ni
34. ^Oricon Style: Umi e to/Pool Nite
35. ^Oricon Style: Boogie Woogie No. 5
36. ^Oricon Style: Atarashii Hibi
37. ^Oricon Style: Aoi Namida
38. ^Oricon Style: Hurricane
39. ^Oricon Style: Akai Buranko/Planet Tokyo
40. ^Oricon Style: Sunrise
41. ^Oricon Style: Hajimari no Uta/Nice Buddy
42. ^Oricon Style: Hi Hi
43. ^Oricon Style: Mogura Like
44. ^Oricon Style: Tokyo I'm on My Way
45. ^Oricon Style: Hataraku Otoko
46. ^Oricon Style: Boom Boom Beat/Oh Edo NagareboshiIV
47. ^Oricon Style: Oriental Diamond/Kuchibiru Motion
48. ^Oricon Style: All Because Of You
49. ^Oricon Style: My Story
50. ^Oricon Style: Hiyori Hime
51. ^Oricon Style: Dareka Ga
52. ^Oricon Style: R.G.W.
53. ^Oricon Style: Happy Birthday
54. ^Oricon Style: Sweet Drops
55. ^Oricon Style: Sweet Drops
56. ^Oricon Style: Datsu Dystopia
57. ^[1]
58. ^[2]
59. ^[3]
60. ^https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bouken-no-dadada-single/1216766354
61. ^https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/susume-nonsense-single/1445677167
62. ^Oricon Style: CLIPS
63. ^Oricon Style: Funclips Funclub
64. ^Oricon Style: TOUR! PUFFY! TOUR! 10 Final
65. ^Oricon Style: Sparks Go Go 15th Special Junk! Junk! Junk!
66. ^Oricon Style: Sparks Go Go 20th Anniversary Special (Junk! Junk! Junk! 2010)