amazarashi

amazarashi is a Japanese band from Aomori Prefecture that formed in 2007 and is led by vocalist and guitarist Hiromu Akita. Signed to Sony Music Entertainment Japan, the group works in j-pop and j-rock while maintaining a dark, cinematic identity that has made it stand out in Japan’s alternative music scene. The band’s lineup has included Hiromu Akita on vocals and guitar, alongside Manami Toyokawa on keyboard and backing vocals. amazarashi is known for keeping its members’ faces hidden from the public, and its live concerts are performed behind a screen, reinforcing the anonymous presentation that has become part of the act’s concept. Its music videos often rely heavily on computer graphics, adding to that visual style. That image-driven approach has earned recognition beyond music. The video for "Waiting for the Summer" received the Excellence Award at the 14th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2010, and the band has also been recognized at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, SIGGRAPH ASIA 2011, and one dot zero 2011 in London. In anime, amazarashi released an anime music video for the opening song of Blue Exorcist -The Blue Night Saga- in 2025, and in 2026 it was featured in the second trailer for Suikoden: The Anime with an opening theme song, reinforcing the band’s long-running connection to anime openings.