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The story
An AI-generated song built around internet memes, ‘INMU KING,’ racked up 3.866 million music-video views on Oricon’s “Weekly YouTube Chart” (tallying September 25 to October 1), jumping from No. 7 the week before to No. 2. The unusual sight of it charting alongside hits from established acts like M!LK’s “Jikū Koete Universe” and ILLIT’s “It’s Me” drew a flurry of reactions on 5ch’s Entertainment/Sports News+ board. Discussion kept circling back to the real-life figures behind the song’s memes, how it compares to Ado (the masked Japanese singer), and the fact that it reportedly isn’t monetized.
‘INMU KING’ Hits No. 2 on the Oricon Chart — Just How Far Will the Generative-AI Entertainment Craze Go?
M!LK, ILLIT… An Unprecedented Upset Among Popular Artists
An internet-born song made with generative AI has muscled its way into the upper tier of an established music chart. On the “Weekly YouTube Chart” (tallying September 25 to October 1) announced via Oricon News’ official X (formerly Twitter) account on October 7, YAJU-MC’s track “INMU KING” logged 3.866 million music-video views and landed at No. 2 — up five spots from No. 7 the previous week, a new personal best in its third week on the chart. With chart neighbors including smash hits like M!LK’s “Jikū Koete Universe” and ILLIT’s “It’s Me,” it’s an unusual turn of events for an AI-generated song built on internet memes to break into the upper rankings.
Source: zakzak.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Yeah, that line really packed a punch.
At this rate, the day 'TADOKORO BOMBER FIRE' charts too can't be far off.
Wonder if they'll even get Pooh-san dancing in it.
That'd be hilarious for sure. ("Pooh-san" = the online nickname for Xi Jinping, after his banned resemblance to Winnie the Pooh)
Well, they've basically declared it a banned cult over there and keep censoring it nonstop lol
Exactly the same as Ado.
Line it up next to that stuff and even that name starts sounding kind of dirty.
Tadano's not exactly a household name anymore, though.
Can't help it, he's stuck in an echo chamber (エコチャン = net slang for someone trapped in an online echo chamber).
The vocals are passionate too.
There are a bunch of different arrangements, but my favorite is the city-pop one.
The lyrics are just the absolute worst, but the music's good enough that I keep listening anyway.
I don't know the parody versions that well besides the Tadokoro Kōji one, so I haven't properly checked out the rest.
Apparently it's a side project of theirs.
That video relies on Chinese-made AI, so censorship rules mean they can't actually depict Xi Jinping ("Kinpei").
That's why even inside INMU KING they sub in a Winnie-the-Pooh plush toy instead.
Huh, so it's made with Chinese AI.
Apparently monetizing it would open them up to lawsuits, so they're not monetizing it.
What is it that's hitting home for kids here?
Flip side — do you even get what's good about the other top-5 acts, Ebisu Gakuen Danshibu, M!LK, and ILLIT?
Nobody gets a single yen from this to begin with.
Though I guess everyone whose likeness appears in the footage does technically have the right to sue.
Background and Key Issues
Oricon’s “Weekly YouTube Chart” is tallied purely on music-video view counts, which made this a rare case of label-signed artists and an individual’s generative-AI content competing on the very same leaderboard. Opinions in the thread split between those praising the song and video on their own merits, and those raising concerns over the fact that it reportedly isn’t monetized and the possibility that real people’s likenesses appear in the video without permission. AI-generated videos often leave rights clearance and performer consent murky, so the more views one racks up, the more legal and ethical questions tend to surface. Note that replies mocking or expressing concern about the real people shown in the video, as well as posts that veered into loosely related political topics, have been excluded from this article.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and summaries of the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread ‘[Music] The Ripple Effect of ‘INMU KING’ Hitting No. 2 on the Oricon Chart.’
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