PENICILLIN

Although initially known as a leader of Japan's visual kei movement during the 1990s, Penicillin enjoyed Top 40 success throughout the 2000s and 2010s, as well. The group formed in 1992 in Tokyo, where vocalist Hakuei, bassist Gisho, drummer O-Jiro, and guitarists Shaisuke and Chisato all attended Tokai University. The independent albums Penicillin Shock and Missing Link were both released in 1994, and Penicillin made its major-label debut with the single "Blue Moon" in March 1996. "Blue Moon" reached Number 17 on the Oricon Singles chart, with the follow-up single "Imitation Love" also reaching the Top 20 two months later. In 1997, "99banme no yoru" reached Number 9 in Japan, marking the group's first Top 10 single. The accompanying album Limelight also charted within the Top 10. Penicillin reached a newfound career peak in January 1998 with the Number 4 hit "Romance," which remained in the Top 10 for six consecutive weeks and doubled as the theme song for the anime hit Sexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoi yo!! One year later, the album Ultimate Velocity climbed to Number 2. Penicillin briefly joined the roster of the indie label Omega A.T. Music in 2001 before aligning with another major label, Avex Trax, in 2005. Meanwhile, albums like 2001's Nuclear Banana (which reached Number 27) and 2002's No.53 (which reached Number 48) continued to position the band within the upper reaches of Japan's rock scene, although Penicillin failed to reach the Top 40 again until 2011's Will. Lineup changes resulted in Penicillin's transformation into a power trio featuring Hakuei, Chisato, and O-Jiro, and the group revisited the commercial success of its earlier years with records like 2016's Lunatic Lover (Number 35) and 2018's Megalomania no Tsubasa (Number 40).

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