Kenshi Yonezu Drops ‘Chikyuugi,’ Theme of Hayao Miyazaki-Directed ‘The Boy and the Heron’

Kenshi Yonezu released his new single “Chikyuugi” (Globe) on digital services July 17. The song serves as the theme of Studio Ghibli’s highly anticipated latest animated movie The Boy and the Heron, which opened in Japanese theaters on Friday.

The artwork features an original layout illustration of a scene from the Hayao Miyazaki-directed movie. The J-pop hitmaker personally asked the famed Ghibli co-founder for this particular scene after reading through the film’s storyboard.

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Yonezu also shared a photo of the “Chikyuugi” CD single adorned with the same illustration on the cover. The CD version will be available in first and standard editions, both including a CD containing the track and a 160-page A5-size photo book. The first edition comes in a moss green hardcover case embossed with a leaf pattern and a golden heron, with an outer cover made of craft paper. The standard edition comes in a softcover case.

The photo book captures the five years Yonezu, Miyazaki, and producer Toshio Suzuki spent developing the theme song, photographed by Tomohiko Ishii of Studio Ghibli. Documenting the process of creating the theme for The Boy and the Heron, the photos capture the tension Yonezu felt when submitting the song to Miyazaki and shows the director in tears when he first heard it, giving fans a realistic behind-the-scene look into the creative process. A conversation between Yonezu and Suzuki is also included at the end of the booklet.

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