# Mesmerizer (song)

"Mesmerizer" (メズマライザー) is a 2024 song by Japanese music producer 32ki (pronounced "Satsuki") featuring vocals by Vocaloid virtual singer Hatsune Miku and Synthesizer V [ja] Kasane Teto. The song's accompanying animated music video, created by Japanese animator "channel", reached 10 million views on YouTube within two weeks of its release, unprecedented for Vocaloid songs. On November 17, 2024, the song reached 100 million views on YouTube, becoming the fastest Vocaloid song in history to reach 100 million views (6 months and 21 days).

## Background and release

The music video for "Mesmerizer" was released on April 27, 2024, and the song was released for streaming on May 17. The song was included on 32ki's first album, Circus's Detail, which was released during Niconico Chokaigi [ja] 2024. The song's stems have been made available to the public as part of the "Remix Project" by Dwango.

## Composition

"Mesmerizer" contains a high-density mix, a rhythmic and hooky sound, and lyrics that leave room for interpretation. 32ki said that the melody is influenced by "high-speed singing/high range" songs written by such as Japanese music producer Tohma and kemu [ja]. Patrick St. Michel of The Japan Times described the song as "jagged sonic textures — with Jersey club touches buried beneath clattering beats — and tops it off with vocals courtesy of Miku and fellow synthesized character Kasane Teto". The song explores the theme of "mesmerism". The lyrics also examine the desire to escape from reality and the danger of losing oneself to escapism.

## Music video

The music video for the song was created by "channel", whose fan-made animation for "Rabbit Hole" by Deco*27 went viral on social media in February 2024. In the music video, Hatsune Miku and Kasane Teto dance to cheerful singing and rhythmic effects, wearing clothing in the style of an American diner. Despite the video's bright colors and the song's upbeat instrumental, disturbing details are littered throughout the video. Teto's use of distress signals is hidden throughout the video, including her signing "help" in American Sign Language, showing the Signal for Help, and blinking "SOS" in Morse code. Before the first chorus, Teto and Miku perform two-finger salutes with their right hands, holding their left hands behind their backs. The positioning of their hands and arms, combined with a tridecagram flashing "mesmerizer!!" in between them, resemble "SOS". A similar pose is used in the thumbnail with Miku and Teto once again forming "SOS" with the tridecagram. During the "QUIZ TIME!" segment before Miku gets hypnotized, the first letters of each answer spell out "HELP", as well as the fourth letters (excluding the first word, being "HAT"), spelling out "SOS".
Halfway through the video, Miku succumbs to hypnosis, and she begins to lose control of herself while Teto is seen resisting the hypnosis for at least 10 days, with both of their eyes gradually fading to black. This is suddenly interrupted by Miku and Teto on a green-screen background, respectively looking confused and shocked. At the start of the final chorus, Miku goes completely insane and begins to dance wildly, now with sharp teeth, pitch-black eyes, her tongue out, and the subtitles becoming mojibake when Miku sings. Teto, although visibly frightened by Miku's transformation, continues to dance with a concerned expression, her eyes losing their pupils and irises changing to a dull red. During the final seconds of the video, although obscured by a shower of confetti, Teto's eyes close momentarily before opening and fading to black, her distressed expression fading to a vacant smile with black eyes like Miku, implying that she also has been hypnotized.

## Reception

The music video for "Mesmerizer" uploaded to YouTube reached 10 million views on May 11, 2024, 13 days later. The song is also the third and fastest song to surpass one million views on Niconico utilizing Synthesizer V, and the second fastest among all Vocaloid songs. On June 27, 2024, the video surpassed 50 million views. A commemorative illustration was made by channel the following day. The song reached 100 million views on YouTube in November 17, becoming the fastest Vocaloid song in history to reach 100 million views (6 months and 21 days). The song has also inspired a large number of Internet memes. Patrick St. Michel argued that the song "shows how Miku and the software she represents remain vital to the musical ecosystem of the 2020s".
On October 2, 2024, the song was included in Sega's rhythm game Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage!. the song was also included in Chunithm on 12 December 2024, in beatmania IIDX Pinky Crush on October 9th 2024, in pop'n music Jam&Fizz on December 19th 2024, in DanceDanceRevolution WORLD on December 25th 2024, and in SOUND VOLTEX EXCEED GEAR on January 9th 2025. A doujin turn-based rhythm game has been released.

## Chart performance

The song debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Japan Niconico VOCALOID SONGS TOP20 chart for the week, later topping the chart for five consecutive weeks, and entering the top 20 of "Japan Songs (South Korea)" for three consecutive weeks. It also debuted at No. 65 on the Japan Hot 100 on May 29, 2024. On May 30, 2024, the song reached No. 13 on the Billboard Global Japan Songs excl. Japan chart. Additionally, the song reached No. 3 on the Heatseekers Songs chart. In June 2024, the song ranked on Billboard Japan Niconico Vocaloid Songs Top 20' Half-year chart at No. 6 after releasing for five weeks. The song also ranked on Billboard Japan 2024 Niconico Vocaloid Songs Top 20' Year-end chart at No. 2.
It ranked No. 2 on the YouTube Japan Daily Top Music Videos chart on May 13, 2024. On May 22, 2024, it debuted at No. 5 on the YouTube Japan Weekly Top Songs chart. Additionally, "Mesmerizer" became the top-searched term on Nico Nico Pedia [ja] Weekly HOT Word Ranking on May 8, 2024.

## Charts
### Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Mesmerizer" :
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100) | 65 |
| Global (Billboard Global Japan Songs excl. Japan) | 13 |
| Heatseekers Songs (Billboard Japan) | 3 |

## Release history

Release dates for "Mesmerizer" :
| Region | Date | Format |
| World | May 17, 2024 (2024-05-17) | Digital downloadstreaming |