Mameshiba (song)

"Mameshiba"
Single by Maaya Sakamoto
from the album Lucy
LanguageJapanese
B-side"Kūki to Hoshi"
ReleasedDecember 6, 2000 (2000-12-06)
Studio
Genre
Length6:08
LabelVictor Entertainment
ComposerYoko Kanno
LyricistMaaya Sakamoto
ProducerYoko Kanno
Maaya Sakamoto singles chronology
"Shippo no Uta"
(2000) 		"Mameshiba"
(2000) 		"Hemisphere"
(2002)

"Mameshiba" (マメシバ; lit. 'Little Shiba dog') is a song by Japanese voice actress and singer Maaya Sakamoto, released as her eighth single on December 6, 2000, through Victor Entertainment.[1][2] Co-written by Sakamoto herself and Yoko Kanno, the song served as theme song for the television anime series Earth Maiden Arjuna,[1] which premiered in January 2001 in Japan.[3]

Background and release

"Mameshiba" marked Sakamoto's return to recording after a break from new music releases post-1999, period which Sakamoto prepared for her college entrance exams.[4] The song also marked the first time Sakamoto penned the lyrics for the title track of one of her singles. The song was composed by Yoko Kanno specifically as a tie-in theme for the anime Earth Maiden Arjuna, with specific lyrical directives provided to Sakamoto.[5] Upon first hearing the demo of the song, Sakamoto commented that she asked Kanno where the chorus was—a question Kanno would later recounted as a humorous anecdote.[5]

The song title originated as a provisional name chosen by Kanno before the lyrics were written. After Sakamoto completed the lyrics—centered on the theme of “running as far as I have to for the person I love”—Sakamoto and Kanno considered that it evoked a dog-like determination, prompting them to keep it.[6] Sakamoto would later comment that this marked her first attempt at adopting a more literary, author-like approach to lyric writing.[5]

"Mameshiba" was released on December 6, 2000—about a month before the anime's television premiere[3]—as an 8 cm CD packaged within a standard 12 cm jewel case.[7][8] This became the last single release by Sakamoto on 8 cm CD format. The single featured the B-side "Kūki to Hoshi," penned by lyricist Yuho Iwasato.[9]

Music video

The music video for "Mameshiba" was directed by Naoki Imamura,[8] with filming taking place in the Shibuya and Daikanyamachō metropolitan areas. In the video, Sakamoto and a puppy run continuously through multiple sites to capture the song's energetic, dog-like sprint imagery.[10]

Commercial performance

"Mameshiba" debuted and peaked at number 47 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart,[1] selling 5,110 copies on its first week. The single charted for two weeks, with reported sales totaling 7,990 copies.[11]

Album appearances

"Mameshiba" was first included on the soundtrack album Arjuna: Into the Another World, released on March 23, 2001, by Victor Entertainment.[12] This album included a different version of the B-side "Kūki to Hoshi" (クウキ ト ホシ; the title written in katakana), with lyrics penned by Gabriela Robin and vocals by Chinatsu Yamamoto.[13]

Both "Mameshiba" and "Kūki to Hoshi" were included on Sakamoto third studio album, Lucy, released on March 28, 2001.[14]

An alternative version of "Mameshiba," titled "Saigo no Mameshiba" (さいごのマメシバ; lit. 'The Last Little Shiba Dog'), was included on the soundtrack album Arjuna 2: Onna no Minato, released on May 23, 2001.[15]

Legacy and impact

In 2019, Japanese novelist Sako Aizawa published an essay expressing his admiration for "Mameshiba," describing it as a transformative force in his teenage years, providing him with a sense of salvation amid feelings of loneliness and despair.[16]

In 2025, "Mameshiba" ranked sixth in a fan-voting initiative conducted as part of the celebrations of Sakamoto's thirtieth anniversary of her debut, leading up to the release of her second best-of album M30: Your Song.[17] Sakamoto expressed surprise at this, noting that while she was aware of its relative popularity, the high placement was unexpected.[5]

Track listing

All music is composed by Yoko Kanno.

Mameshiba - 8-cm CD single
No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Mameshiba" (マメシバ, lit. 'Little Shiba dog')Maaya Sakamoto6:08
2."Kūki to Hoshi" (空気と星, lit. 'The Air and the Stars')Yuho Iwasato5:22
3."Mameshiba" (without Maaya) 6:08
Total length:17:38

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the CD single.[8]

  • Maaya Sakamoto – vocals
  • Yoko Kanno – keyboards, producer, artwork photographer
  • Yasuo Sano – drums
  • Hitoshi Watanabe – bass
  • Tsuneo Imahori – guitar
  • Keishi Urata – synthesizer manipulating
  • Gavyn Wright Strings – strings
  • Masashi Yabuhara – recording, mixing engineer
  • Miyuki Umeda – assistant engineer
  • Seiji Sekine – assistant engineer
  • Nik Pugh – assistant engineer
  • Nick Wollage – assistant engineer
  • Shigeo Miyamoto – mastering
  • Toshiaki Ota – recording coordinator
  • Elle Kawano – recording coordinator
  • Yukako Inoue – director
  • Shiro Sasaki – executive producer
  • Yoshiyuki Akagawa – cover artwork design

Charts

Chart performance for "Mameshiba"
Chart (2000) Peak
position
Japan (Oricon)[1] 47

References

  1. ^ a b c d "マメシバ | 坂本真綾". Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  2. ^ "マメシバ". FlyingDog (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b "地球少女アルジュナ". Satelight Inc. (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  4. ^ "坂本真綾ロングインタビュー" [Long Interview - Nikkan Sakamoto Maaya 0331]. 日刊坂本真綾 0331 (1): 22–29. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d "坂本真綾 30周年記念ベストアルバム 『M30〜Your Best〜』 インタビュー&全曲解説". Maaya Sakamoto Official Website (in Japanese). FlyingDog. Archived from the original on 11 November 2025.
  6. ^ "ベスト盤「everywhere』収録全30タイトルー挙レコメンド - 日刊坂本真綾 0331" [Commentary on each track of the best of-album Everywhere - Nikkan Sakamoto Maaya 0331]. 日刊坂本真綾 0331 (1): 30–31. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  7. ^ "マメシバ/坂本真綾". Tower Records Japan (in Japanese). 2000. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Sakamoto, Maaya (2000). Mameshiba (8-cm CD-single). Victor Entertainment, Inc. VIDL-30514.
  9. ^ "空気と星（歌：Sakamoto Maaya）". Yoko Kanno Official Website (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  10. ^ "*- 坂本真綾 【I.D.】 12人の優しい人たち -* 第５回 GUEST: ヘアメイク　井之丸 泰子". Maaya Sakamoto Official Website (in Japanese). Victor Entertainment. 2001. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  11. ^ "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Taiju']. Oricon. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  12. ^ "「地球少女アルジュナ」オリジナル・サウンドトラック～into the another world / 菅野よう子". CD Journal. 2000. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  13. ^ "クウキ ト ホシ（歌：山本千夏）". Yoko Kanno Official Website (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  14. ^ "坂本真綾 / ルーシー [廃盤]". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2001. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  15. ^ "「アルジュナ2」～オンナの港". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2001. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  16. ^ Aizawa, Sako (11 November 2019). "相沢沙呼さんが思春期に心震えたアーティスト・坂本真綾　自分の心を暗闇から救ってくれた" [Saho Aizawa on the Artist Who Shook His Teenage Heart—Maaya Sakamoto: The One Who Saved My Heart from Darkness]. Good Books, Good Days. The Asahi Shimbun Company. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  17. ^ "坂本真綾、「MAAYA's BEST SONG～あなたの一番好きな坂本真綾の曲を教えてください～」投票結果TOP15発表！30周年記念ベストアルバム10月22日リリース決定！". LisAni! (in Japanese). 23 August 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
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