RADWIMPS (ラッドウインプス, Raddo'uinpusu) are a Japanese rock band who debuted in 2003. They are best known for their collaborations with film director Makoto Shinkai, beginning with the highly acclaimed Your Name (2016), for which they won the 2016 Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Music, and followed by Weathering With You (2019) and Suzume(2022).
A Partial List of Discography
- Radwimps (2003)
- Radwimps 2: Hatten Tojō (2005)
- Radwimps 3: Mujintō ni Motte Ikiwasureta Ichimai (2006)
- Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan (2006)
- Altocolony no Teiri (2009)
- Zettai Zetsumei (2011)
- Batsu to Maru to Tsumi to (2013)
- Your Name. (2016)
- Human Bloom (2016)
- Anti Anti Generation (2018)
- Weathering with You (2019)
- Forever Daze (2021)
- Suzume (with Kazuma Jinnouchi) (2022)
Tropes in their work:
- Alternate Continuity: Their music video for "Sparkle" has Mitsuha and Taki reuniting while the latter is still in high school, unlike the six year gap in Your Name.
- Dark Reprise: Used in Weathering With You with the second half of "Clear Sky and Loss" as a more sombre rearrangement of "Fireworks Festival", without the choir.
- Leitmotif: Their work with Shinkai makes frequent use of this to help establish the moment and tone for the various characters, settings, and story elements. Notable examples include "Theme of Mitsuha" from Your Name and Suzume from Suzume which are invoked throughout their respective films.
- Lonely Piano Piece: Shows up several time in Your Name. The best example is "Katawaredoki", a melancholy remix of "Dream Lantern" with a piano and minor strings that plays during Mitsuha and Taki's meeting at Magic Hour.
- Ominous Latin Chanting: Utilized in Weathering With You with the triumphant choir that plays after Hina clears the sky at Roppongi Hills and, as the weather gets worse, an eerie choir in the background music that emphasizes how dire things are getting.
- Translated Cover Version: For the English dub release of Your Name, they did new English covers of all their songs in the film.