Raise A Suilen

Raise A Suilen (stylized as RAISE A SUILEN), sometimes referred to as RAS, is a Japanese all-female rock band that is part of Bushiroad's media franchise "BanG Dream!". Formed in 2018, the group's members portray fictional characters in the project's anime series and mobile game "BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!" in addition to performing their characters' respective instruments in live concerts.
Raise A Suilen consists of (vocals, bass guitar), Riko Kohara (guitar), (drums), (keyboards, vocals), and Risa Tsumugi (DJ). In-universe, the band is represented by Rei Wakana (Raychell), Rokka Asahi (Kohara), Chiyu Tamade (Tsumugi), Masuki Satō (Natsume), and Reona Nyūbara (Kurachi).
Of the seven bands in "BanG Dream!", Raise A Suilen is one of four whose members perform their own music. The group has produced seven singles and their first album was released on August 19, 2020.
History.
Raise A Suilen started as a backup band that performed music for the in-universe bands whose members are unable to play their own instruments. In a 2018 interview with "Real Sound", franchise creator and Bushiroad head Takaaki Kidani explained he was reluctant to hire a male backup band for an all-female franchise, prompting the group's formation. Kidani envisioned the band as a female version of One Ok Rock and provided them with more freedom in playing music for non-Bushiroad properties than fellow "BanG Dream!" groups Poppin'Party and Roselia.
The group debuted with Raychell, Natsume, Kurachi, and Poppin'Party guitarist Sae Ōtsuka in the Garupa Live and Garupa Party! at Tokyo Big Sight on January 13–14, 2018, where they filled the instrumentals for Afterglow, Hello, Happy World!, and Pastel＊Palettes. The band was formally announced as a standalone unit during the event's second day; they were initially named The Third (Beta) as the third live-action music group in the franchise after Poppin'Party and Roselia.
Their first live concert, known as The Third (Beta) 1st Live, took place on March 25 at Shimokitazawa Garden with Raychell, Natsume, and Kurachi; Ōtsuka was a guest performer and played with the group for the first nine songs, which were pre-existing pieces from the "BanG Dream!" franchise. Kohara was introduced as the band's permanent guitarist for their original track "R・I・O・T". It would be released as the band's debut single on December 12 as part of a triple-release day for the franchise along with Poppin'Party and Roselia's respective singles; "R・I・O・T" peaked at sixth on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart. "R・I・O・T"'s B-side "Unstoppable" was later used as ending theme music for the 2018 anime "Cardfight!! Vanguard". The music from the live was compiled into an album and released on September 26.
On May 12, 2018, The Third served as the opening act for the BanG Dream! 5th☆Live at Makuhari Messe. Tsumugi joined the band at their second live at Akasaka Blitz on July 17, where they were formally renamed Raise A Suilen. A "suilen" is a bamboo screen, and the name alludes to "raising the screen" for performances. In November, the band participated in its first overseas performance at CharaExpo USA in Anaheim, California, with Poppin'Party and Roselia. Raise A Suilen's first official concert with the new name and full lineup, titled Brave New World, took place on December 7 in the BanG Dream! 6th☆Live at Ryōgoku Kokugikan.
The band's second single "A Declaration of ×××" came out on February 20, 2019, as part of a six-single release by the franchise (each band released a song). Every single appeared on the Oricon Daily Chart for February 19, with Raise A Suilen's ranking eighth. Two days later, the band played in the BanG Dream! 7th☆Live at the Nippon Budokan, where their Genesis show was supported by Hello, Happy World!'s Miku Itō, Pastel＊Palettes' Ami Maeshima, Afterglow's Sachika Misawa, Glitter*Green's Suzuko Mimori, and the franchise's male-centric group Argonavis. On June 19, RAS released their third single "Invincible Fighter"; the single's self-titled track and B-side "Takin' My Heart" were used as theme music for the anime "".
RAS held their first standalone show, called Heaven and Earth, on July 13–14, 2019 at World Memorial Hall. Itō, Maeshima, and Ōtsuka made guest appearances at the live. The band would also have guest performances of their own during the year, appearing at the debut live for fellow Bushiroad franchise "D4DJ" on July 21, Animelo Summer Live on August 31, Aso Rock Festival on September 29, and Mag Rock Festival and Animax Musix 2019 Kobe on October 5 and 26. On November 30–December 1, Raise A Suilen partnered with Roselia for the joint concert Rausch und/and Craziness at Makuhari Messe; a second Craziness live by RAS took place at Ecopa Arena on February 9, 2020. The Creation ~We are Raise A Suilen~, the band's second solo live, was conducted at Line Cube Shibuya on December 29, 2019.
"Drive Us Crazy", their fourth single, was released on January 22, 2020; it reached fifth on the Oricon Weekly Chart and ended the year as "Billboard Japan" 97th-best-selling single of 2020. In April, Tsumugi and Kurachi began hosting the franchise-centric variety show "Radio R･I･O･T". A stage play by the band's members called "We are Raise A Suilen -BanG Dream! The Stage-" took place from July 15 to 19 at the Tennozu Galaxy Theater with nine shows; due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unused tickets were refunded and performances were streamed online. A total of 10,064 watched the nine performances at the theater or via live stream.
Raise A Suilen's first album "Era" was released on August 19, 2020; after topping the Oricon Daily Chart for August 18 with 15,420 sales, it ranked second on the Weekly Albums Chart. "Era" also ranked 86th on "Billboard Japan" best-selling albums of 2020 and 94th on its Hot Albums of the year. Later in the week on August 22 and 23, the band performed on the second and third days of the BanG Dream! 8th☆Live, respectively titled The Depths and Special Live ~Summerly Tone♪~, at Fuji-Q Highland Conifer Forest. The Depths saw the band perform every song from "Era" and debut the new song "Sacred world". At Special Live ~Summerly Tone♪~, RAS was the backing band for Pastel＊Palettes' Ami Maeshima, which concluded with Raychell and Roselia's Aina Aiba joining Poppin'Party for the encore. "Sacred world", released as the band's fifth single on October 21, is used as the opening theme song for the show "Assault Lily Bouquet"; the single's coupling tracks "Reigning" and "R・I・O・T" are renditions from "The Stage".
A sequel show to Rausch und/and Craziness was held at Yokohama Arena on February 22, 2021, with an online show known as Rausch und/and Craziness -interlude- taking place on December 12, 2020. The band's sixth single "mind of Prominence" was released on January 27, 2021. The two songs on RAS' April 21-bound seventh single "Exist"—the titular track and "Embrace of light"—were featured as theme music for Bushiroad's "". In May and June, the band will hold its first concert tour, known as Raise A Suilen Zepp Tour 2021 "Be Light", with three shows at Zepp Haneda (May 22), Zepp Nagoya (June 2), and Zepp Namba (June 30). RAS and Morfonica will perform at the BanG Dream! 9th☆Live, subtitled Mythology, at Fuji-Q Highland Conifer Forest on September 4–5.
In-universe band.
Raise A Suilen's fictional counterparts were revealed at the BanG Dream! 6th☆Live. The characters' personalities and backgrounds were created from interviews between the voice actresses and the anime's staff. The band is described by anime streaming service HIDIVE as an "eclectic blend of aesthetics that reflects the mad mix of styles found in their infectious music", which includes the use of electronic rock themes in their songs.
The group first appears in the anime's second season. After her offer to become Roselia's producer is rejected, Chiyu Tamade forms Raise A Suilen to get her revenge, which includes trying to recruit Tae Hanazono from the lead group Poppin'Party. RAS becomes a main band in the third season as they enter the BanG Dream! Girls Band Challenge. The group was added to the "BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!" mobile game on June 10, 2020.
A manga series focusing on RAS titled "RAiSe! The story of my music" began serialization in "Monthly Bushiroad" in January 2019. Kō Nakamura and Ryū Shihara wrote and illustrated the manga, respectively.
Discography.
The band's songs are composed and arranged by Elements Garden.