Chime (Ai Otsuka song)

"Chime" is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Ai Otsuka. The song was released as her 26th single on September 4, 2019, through Avex Trax.

Background

"Chime" was used as opening theme for the second half of TV Tokyo anime series Fruits Basket, which began airing July 5, 2019. The song was described as a positive and upbeat track aimed at “ringing a starting bell for those who want to change but find it hard to take that first step.”

Otsuka revealed that she actually had written the song four years prior, but adapted its lyrics to reflect on the anime series. The theme she wanted to convey with the song was that "it’s okay not to be perfect, that’s why people meet and connect with others." Otsuka co-arranged the song with Hiroo Yamaguchi (under pen name "hiroo").

The single’s b-sides include “Kit Palette,” which was previously released on digital platforms and used as the theme song for KitKat's "Everyday Nuts & Cranberry" in Japan, and “XOX,” an English self-cover of the 2014 song “Dame Dame da”, which was originally written by Otsuka for Shiori Tomita, and used as ending theme for TV anime series '. The self-cover of “Dame Dame da” with Japanese lyrics is included on the Chime digital EP.