Me and "Fujifabric"

An interest that began with "Niji"

I first learned about Fujifabric in the summer of 2009. It was "Niji" that I listened to after a senior at university recommended it, saying, "This is a good place to start."
It wouldn't be accurate to say I was shocked after just one listen. However, strangely enough, the melody remained in my head after I finished listening, and I played it again. It doesn't assert itself strongly, yet it quietly slips into your consciousness. That was the kind of song it was.

At the time, I didn't listen to music with the intention of deeply understanding the band's background or context. Fujifabric simply carved out a place for themselves within me, little by little, as music I would suddenly want to play in my daily life.

The news of Masahiko Shimura's passing

On December 24th of that year, I heard the news that Masahiko Shimura had passed away. I hadn't even been to a concert yet, nor had I listened to them enough to call myself a fan. Even so, that headline I saw left a strong impression on me for some reason.
I think I understood the fact that "things I was supposed to learn about from now on would no longer be updated" not with my head, but with my senses.

That night, I went to karaoke and sang many Fujifabric songs. It was closer to a feeling of wanting to confirm them by saying them out loud rather than a desire to sing them well. It wasn't as dramatic as a sense of loss, but it was a time for me to process in my own way that something had indeed ended.

The achievement that is "CHRONICLE"

The work from the Shimura era of Fujifabric that leaves the strongest impression on me is their 4th album, "CHRONICLE." It was produced after traveling to Stockholm, and it is a concept album where all songs were written and composed by Shimura.
When listening to this work, I feel less like I am enjoying the songs and more like I am accompanying the flow of Shimura's thoughts.

Compared to previous works, the lyrics are clearly more introspective, with emotions and hesitations becoming words just as they are. They are by no means explanatory, but there is little deception either. That honesty acts strongly upon the listener while leaving room for them to interpret.
Through this album, my impression of Fujifabric changed from a "slightly unusual pop band" to a "group of performers with their own unique world."

Words left in "MUSIC"

Among the 5th album "MUSIC," which was released after Shimura's death, "bye bye" remains particularly close to my heart.
This song does not have the strength of pushing emotions to the forefront. Rather, it depicts thoughts on lost relationships and the future from a perspective that looks back after time has passed.

Common to "Wakamono no Subete" as well, Shimura's lyrics do not condemn anyone or simplify emotions. There is a sense of distance, as if praying for the other person's happiness from afar while holding onto both regret and hope at the same time.
It feels more like the words of someone who was already viewing the world from a step back, rather than the passion of youth.

The Yamauchi era as a change

Since 2011, some people have said that Fujifabric, with Soichiro Yamauchi as the vocalist, "clearly became a different band." I can understand that feeling itself.
It is true that the lyrics became less direct than in the Shimura era, the overall sound became more organized, and the melodies became catchier. It is also impressive that Yamauchi improved his singing ability to a degree that makes it hard to believe he was a guitarist.

However, I did not simply think that their "individuality had faded." Even after Shimura was gone, songs that made one feel Shimura's DNA certainly existed, and as time passed, the colors of Yamauchi and the other members becoming more prominent is a natural flow, as a band is a living thing.
Even if Shimura had lived, it is hard to imagine that their music would have remained in the same place. In fact, signs of that change were already visible toward the end of the Shimura era.

The meaning of continuing

In 2025, 15 years after Shimura's death, Fujifabric announced their hiatus. Looking back, the period Shimura was in the band was only a little over five years from their major debut, and the time since then has been far longer.
During that time, while accepting that they were "Fujifabric without Shimura," they protected the name and continued to update it.

When I heard that "Wakamono no Subete" had become a famous song known to many and was decided to be included in music textbooks, I felt the weight of what they had continued to do all over again.
There must have been painful times, and it could not have been an easy choice. Even so, Fujifabric did not disband, but chose the form of a hiatus.
Looking back now, I think that decision was a way of ending that was true to them—one that did not deny the past and did not close off the future.