"Kick Back" is a song by Japanese musician Kenshi Yonezu. It was released as a single digitally by SME Records on October 12, 2022, as well as in three physical editions: a regular CD edition, a video edition, and a chainsaw edition. The song serves as the opening theme for the anime series Chainsaw Man.
Background and release
This song is used as one of the opening theme for the anime series Chainsaw Man. Yonezu was in charge of the theme song for the TV anime My Hero Academia, the first opening of the second season. It has been about five years since the theme "Peace Sign".
King Gnu and Millennium Parade member Daiki Tsuneta participated in the production and arrangement with Yonezu. "Kick Back" also samples Morning Musume's 2002 song "Sōda! We're Alive".
On September 19, 2022, the preview for Chainsaw Man was released, with "Kick Back" being used. In addition, it was also performed live for the first time at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium performance on the first day of "2022 Tour / Henshin", which was held on September 23. In addition, the arranger Daiki Tsuneta appeared at the tour final at Saitama Super Arena on October 27, performing this song and "Ai Lily".
The CD single was released in three formats: a chainsaw board, a video board, and a regular board, and it also came with a "Kenshi Yonezu 2023 Tour / Fantasy" advance lottery application serial number and a corporate privilege sticker.
Composition
"Kick Back" starts in B-flat minor for the intro. During the verses, the first half of each verse was written in B-flat minor, however in the second half of the first verse, it changes to the key between the key of D minor and G minor.
In the pre-chorus, the song changes to the key of A-flat minor, but dramatically changes to C-sharp minor for the chorus. It remains at this key until at the end of the first chorus. It then switches back to B-flat minor for the second verse.
In the second verse, it follows the format of the first verse, with an exception of changing it dramatically to A-flat major for the bridge.
At the end of the bridge, it changes back to C-sharp minor for the final chorus and the post-chorus of the song.
The song ends in the key of B-flat minor and runs at the tempo of 102 BPM (204 BPM if double).
Music video
Prior to the song's release, the music video premiered on October 25, featuring Yonezu and Daiki Tsuneta. It was directed by , who also worked on the music video for "Kanden" and Yonezu's promotional photos. In the video, Yonezu devotes himself to training in a gym alongside Tsuneta. After a montage of vigorous working out and Yonezu shown with large muscular arms, Yonezu runs off a treadmill into a field and then onto a road, where he is hit by a truck, which launches him through the air and into doing parkour across shipping containers and city buildings. A group of men dressed in similar attire appear and run alongside him through an industrial site and across a quarry. The video ends with Yonezu shown back in the gym, walking on a treadmill alongside Tsuneta, with a security camera revealing Tsuneta is not really there.
The opening sequence for the Chainsaw Man anime plays tribute to several films, including Reservoir Dogs, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Pulp Fiction, Sadako vs. Kayako, No Country for Old Men, Fight Club, Messiah of Evil, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Don't Look Up, Jacob's Ladder, Constantine, and The Big Lebowski. The other references are the manga Goodbye, Eri and Fire Punch by the same author, the song "Sōda! We're Alive" by Morning Musume and the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. The sequence was directed and storyboarded by Shingo Yamashita.