About

## Sayonara Ponytail

* Chiitan
* Yuritan

**Sayonara Ponytail (さよならポニーテール)** (2010 ~ Present) is a Japanese music collective consisting of 11 official members. They are often referred to as "SayoPony" (さよポニ).

The members of the band are portrayed as fictional characters in a setting known as SayoPony World. The real identities of the members are not made public. Different illustrators serve as the group's "god" (神さま, *kami-sama*), depicting the members in music releases, comics, and in social media posts. The group does not perform live, though other artists have performed at their launch events. It is said that the members have not met each other, except for Kuroneko and Yuritan.

Some Sayonara Ponytail members have their own solo units through which they release music. In addition, the band has one "sister group" called **Ohayou Twintail**, whose music is produced by Sayonara Ponytail's music team.

## Members

Sayonara Ponytail consists of five vocalists, five music team members, and one support member.

The vocalists are Miina, Ayumin, Nacchan, Yuyu, and Shuka. Miina, Ayumin, and Nacchan joined the band at its inception, while Yuyu and Shuka joined the group in 2012. Ayumin would leave the group in 2013 and come to be known as "first-generation Ayumin", being replaced in her role by a new vocalist referred to as "second-generation Ayumin". Miina, Nacchan, and Yuyu also have their own solo units: *Miina to Luci*, *Nacchan to Tanto*, and *Yuyu to Magician*.

The music team consists of Kuroneko, Fukkun, Maumau, 324P, and Megu. These members serve as the group's songwriters (i.e. compose music and write lyrics). In addition, Kuroneko also serves as Sayonara Ponytail's total producer. Aside from Maumau and the vocalists, all of the music team members have their own Twitter accounts on which they are active. Megu has their own solo unit, known as *Megu to Patron*.

The last member is Megane-kun, who has been credited on albums with support—or cheering. He is not a real person; instead he symbolizes Sayonara Ponytail's fans. In addition to appearing in group and album artwork, he has appeared as a character in the group's manga.

Outside of the band members is S-chan, who serves as a social media promoter and works as a member of Ongaku to Mahou, Sayonara Ponytail's own management office. Multiple people have served the role of S-chan.

Yuritan served as Sayonara Ponytail's first god, from the band's inception until June 6, 2013. Chiitan served as the second god from then on until December 26, 2016. Guest illustrators known as "Special Summons Gods" have fulfilled the role of "god" in album releases since 2017. Unlike the former gods, these guest illustrators have public web presences that exist outside of the band.

### Yuritan Season: Indie Period (2010-2011)

Sayonara Ponytail was formed sometime in 2010. The then 10-member group began to release songs and music videos on the social media platform MySpace, with the creation of their account dated to August 22, 2010. The members assumed anonymous identities in the form of characters who live in a fantasy setting known as SayoPony World. This image of the group was cultivated by their "god" (i.e. illustrator) Yuritan, who managed their social media accounts and illustrated the official artwork. Short comics were also released to establish the members' characters for the fans. The group also began to work on their debut release, the indie album Momyu no Ki no Mukougawa. Originally intended to be a short EP, the band’s output led it to grow into a full album, releasing nationwide on April 27, 2011. This was followed by two short EPs, the Shimashima no EP and the Kirakira no EP.

### Yuritan Season: Major Debut (2011-2013)

Later in 2011, Sayonara Ponytail would sign with Sony’s Epic Records Japan label, leading to their major debut album Mahou no Melody on October 12, 2011. Coinciding with this release came their manga debut Kimi no Kotoba, a collection of short stories which largely gave a glimpse into the everyday life of Miina in SayoPony World.

In May 2012 came their first single, Sora mo Toberu Hazu, in which they also provided the ending theme for the anime Tsuritama. The next month, the group released their second full-length manga, Chiisana Mori no Ookina Ki, which told a spin-off-style story which acted standalone to the established lore. Later that year on December 5, 2012, they released their first mini-album, Nandaka Kimi ga Koishikute. With each musician producing one song for the album, a new precedent was set for songwriting in the band, which had hitherto been left to Fukkun. The release of this album also came with the announcement of two new members: vocalists Shuka and Yuyu. They would participate in the band’s next album, Seishun Fantasia, released on March 6, 2013. Though serving to mark these new additions, the album also saw two departures: vocalist Ayumin (later replaced with a new vocalist referred to as second-generation Ayumin) and their god Yuritan. Before their departure in June, Yuritan released the group's third full-length manga, Hoshikuzu to Cosmos, a collection of short stories in the same vein as Kimi no Kotoba, which had been serialized since the prior year.

By now, the group’s own social media presence had moved away from MySpace to Twitter, tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, where each platform had an individualized presence. Yuritan ran the Twitter and Instagram accounts, the former to make announcements and post illustrations, the latter to post drawings of the members over photography. Kuroneko ran the tumblr, posting insights, music demos, and song covers by Miina. This period also saw the most media coverage for the band; they had regular interviews and features in magazines, live launch events for albums, and manga series, with Yuritan having released several one-shots in addition to the manga volumes.

### Chiitan Season: New Image and Label (2013-2016)

With Yuritan’s departure, Sayonara Ponytail brought on a new god, Chiitan, marking the next era for the group. Chiitan would continue Yuritan’s Instagram and Twitter activities as before, though their relatively cuter and more pop illustration style resulted in a new image for the band.

After the mini-single Himitsu no Jikan in August 2013, the group released their next single, Shinsekai Koukyougaku, on March 5, 2014. Used as an ending theme for the popular anime Kill la Kill, the titular song would become one of the band’s most well-known and the single their most successful, bringing in an influx of new fans. Though the following period saw a lull in album releases, the group nonetheless continued with the posting of new songs to YouTube and weekly episodes of their radio show SayoPony LOCKS!, which ended later that year. Songwriter Megu would also debut their solo album, Maison de Megu, opening the doors to new solo projects from members Yuyu, Miina, Nacchan, and an elusive sister group known only as Ohayou Twintail.

In 2015, Sayonara Ponytail would depart from Epic Records Japan and sign with T-Palette Records, a label known for signing idol groups. The group’s next release would be a mini-single titled Onna no Ko no Uta, released on July 29, 2015. On November 4, 2015 came their 3rd album, and largest yet: Enban Utopia, which heavily emphasized the number 3 and acted as a love letter to the media form of CDs. The following year saw but a few music releases on YouTube, the end of Chiitan’s sole manga serial, as well as the group’s first illustration collection, Himitsu no Jikan, a comprehensive collection of Chiitan’s output for the band. Then at the year’s end, Chiitan departed from Sayonara Ponytail.

### Season 3: New Direction and 10th Anniversary (2017-2019)

No illustrator would replace Yuritan or Chiitan in the same capacity as before. Moreover, their next release used a brand new visual style. On June 7, 2017 Sayonara Ponytail released their 4th album, Yumemiru Wakusei (The Dreaming Planet), utilising monochrome photography. Settled around themes of sci-fi and revolving loops, the album marked the first in a series of annual album releases. Chiitan’s departure also saw the consolidation of the band’s social media presence: now, the group’s tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook would emulate their Twitter feed, which had become their main social hub.

Their next release came on December 20, 2017, the 7-inch LP Sentimental, featuring art by illustrator Ueda Ryoutarou. No longer having a dedicated illustrator, the band begun a new practice of utilising guest illustrators to depict each new album. In addition, this release also saw a movement away from standard CD singles; subsequent singles would largely be in non-standard formats, such as 8-cm CDs, vinyls, and cassettes, sometimes sold in limited quantities. The group also began to release standalone songs on music streaming platforms, usually in anticipation of upcoming albums.

Their next mini-single, the 8-cm CD Seishun Nostalgia, was released the following year on January 12, 2018. Unlike past singles, its content, along with Sentimental’s, would be included on the group’s next album, Kimi wa Boku no Uchuu (You are My Universe), released on February 14, 2018. It was followed at the end of the year by the 324P cassette release on November 13, 2018, collecting the numerous remixes of Sayonara Ponytail songs by the titular producer.

After the release of Humming no Iro on May 15, 2019, another 7-inch LP, the group released their sixth album. Released on June 12, 2019, Kitarubeki Sekai (What's Meant to Be) boasted a second CD, containing the contents of the 324P remix cassette. It was followed up the next month by Kami-sama no Itazura (Whimsical Gods) on July 31, 2019, a limited-release CD single. The end of the year marked Sayonara Ponytail’s 10th anniversary. To celebrate, the group released ROM on November 3, 2019, a 3-disc compilation album which collected some of the band’s most popular songs from their beginnings to the present.

### Season 3: Post-ROM (2020-present)

Following ROM, which outlined Sayonara Ponytail’s musical legacy, Kuroneko documented it in writing in the form of Kimyou na Penfriend. A "textbook" of nearly 100 pages released on February 5, 2020, the booklet discussed the band’s various releases since their inception. Later in the year on September 2, 2020, vocalist Miina released her first solo album, Long Time No Sea. A few months later on November 11, 2020, Sayonara Ponytail released their 7th album, Kimagure Fanroad (Fickle Fanroad).

The following year, the group released a new cassette single, Paradise, on April 13, 2021. Ohayou Twintail, Sayonara Ponytail’s elusive sister group, also emerged with their debut album Kiraboshi on July 28, 2021. Later in the year, Sayonara Ponytail released their 8th album, Ginga, on November 24, 2021. Ginga would mark the last album Sayonara Ponytail would release with T-Palette Records; the group silently parted ways with the label some time between the latter-half of 2022 and the beginning of 2023. Subsequent releases would be done through P-VINE and Ongaku to Mahou.

In the following year on March 4, 2022, Kuroneko released the second volume of Kimyou na Penfriend, now containing interviews with the 5 music team members and discussions of music releases not mentioned in the prior volume. On October 5, they released their next LP single, Curious Girl, followed by their 9th album, the night-themed Yoru no Dekigoto (All Night Thing), on December 2.

In early 2023, Miina's solo unit became active again, releasing two singles which culminated in the release of her second album on March 2, Waiting for the Moon to Rise. This was followed-up on July 25 with Bedroom Recordings, a collection of Miina's home recordings of her previously-released songs. Coinciding with this came the solo debut release of Nacchan with the single Mata Ashita ne.

In late 2023, the MySpace-era release, Anata ni Merry Christmas, was officially released on major streaming platforms. The official release for this song came over 10 years after the song's initial release, far after the official releases of the piano version in 2012 and 324P remix version in 2018.

## Trademarks

### Music

Musically, Sayonara Ponytail is referred to as a pop group, though they incorporate different genres due to the varying styles of the different music team members.

Originally, Miina sung the lead on songs while the other vocalists sang backing vocals and harmonies. With each subsequent release, lead and support singing roles have become more varied among the vocalists. Similarly, Fukkun was originally the main composer and lyricist for the group; now songwriting contributions have become more evened out among the music team members. While early albums had Miina sing lead vocals to Fukkun-composed songs, albums now typically consist of songs that have a spread out participation among the vocalists and music team members. The group also provides alternate English titles for songs, ever since the release of the album Yumemiru Wakusei (The Dreaming Planet).

### Appearance

Each vocalist is depicted with a unique color and hairstyle. During the dedicated god period, the vocalists were often depicted wearing pointed hats, a motif which has become less prevalent in the current guest illustrator period.

Albums traditionally depict the vocalists together on the cover with Miina at the center. During the dedicated god period, these releases also regularly included the music teams members and Megane-kun in the album art. Their appearances have been more sparse in the guest illustrator period.

Originally, music videos tended to be a mix between illustrated, animated, and live-action. During the dedicated god period, illustrated videos were drawn by the dedicated god and were produced concurrent with live-action videos. In the guest illustrator period, most music videos have been live-action, with illustrated/animated videos being less common.

## In Media

### 2010

* **First interview** as advertised on their MySpace page in 2011.
	+ https://www.cinra.net/interview/2010/11/26/000000.php

### 2011

* **HMV Special Webcomic**
	+ https://www.hmv.co.jp/en/news/article/1104270045
* **Natalie Special Webcomic**
	+ https://natalie.mu/music/pp/sayonaraponytail
* **CINRA column** (archived)
	+ https://web.archive.org/web/20190510032235/https://www.cinra.net/column/sayopony
* **Tower Records Interview** from their magazine bounce No.337
	+ https://tower.jp/article/interview/2011/10/12/b87-sayonaraponytail
* ***Mahou no Melody* Major Debut Release Special — "Sayopony Times" Newspaper**
	+ https://natalie.mu/music/pp/sayopony (You can hear the voice of each three vocalists by clicking the speech bubbles. Requires Flash Player.)

### 2012

* Kuroneko, Maumau, and 324P give their combined *MY BEST 10* songs
	+ https://tower.jp/article/feature/2012/01/04/b181-ooty2011-3/b181\_07

### 2014

* Megu to Patron CINRA interview
	+ https://www.cinra.net/article/interview-201405-megandpatron

### 2015

* English article from Anime Limited a.k.a. All the Anime (Kill la Kill's British licensor)
	+ https://blog.alltheanime.com/kill-la-kill-music-sayonara-ponytail/

### 2018

* Power Push page on Natalie for the release of Kimi wa Boku no Uchuu (You are My Universe)
	+ https://natalie.mu/music/pp/sayonaraponytail03

## See Also

* Collaborators
* Inspirations

## Gallery

* Artist Photos
* Vocalists (2010-2012)
* Vocalists (2012-present)

Jacket back design for Momyu no Ki no MukougawaIllustration for Uchuu Senshi-henArtist photo published in issue 85 of *spoon.*Artist photo from Sora mo Toberu Hazu / Bianca / Koisuru SportsArtist photo from Nandaka Kimi ga KoishikuteNandaka Kimi ga Koishikute artist photoYuritan's final artist photoArtist Photo from Shinsekai Koukyougaku

Jacket design for Momyu no Ki no MukougawaFlyer made when Momyu no Ki no Mukougawa was releasedKimi no Kotoba cover designat the Tower of the SunCover art for Dogi☆Magi Valentine (2012 ver.)leaving the Comitia doujinshi convention, Nacchan holds the magazine containing Nacchan no ShashinCover art for the 324P remix of Tooi Hi no Hanabiin Dick Bruna styleCover art used for the 324P remix of Anata ni Merry ChristmasColored title page for Hoshikuzu to Cosmos chapter 8

2013 Happy New Year greetingCover art for Dogi☆Magi Valentine (2013 ver.)Vocalists drawn as BiS, who covered Ano KoroVocalists drawn as Lyrical School, who covered Koisuru SportsFlyer for Seishun FantasiaIllustration for Golden WeekIllustration for Culture DayIllustration for feature in fashion magazine *Numero Tokyo*Christmas 2013 illustrationNew Year's Eve 2013 illustrationNew Year's Day 2014 illustrationChristmas 2015 illustrationNew Year's Eve 2015 illustrationperforming Enban Utopia at Kōhaku Uta Gassenartist photo for Kimagure Fanroad (Fickle Fanroad)artist photo for Gingaartist photo for Yoru no Dekigoto (All Night Thing)
## References

1. ↑ Kuroneko's Tumblr post
2. ↑ https://natalie.mu/music/news/81110
3. ↑ originally (二代目あゆみん, *ni-daime Ayumin*)
4. ↑ https://natalie.mu/music/news/106226
5. ↑ originally (応援, *ouen*)
6. ↑ Kuroneko's tumblr post explaining Megane-kun (February 11, 2014)
7. ↑ S-chan is not officially considered as a member in the official group count. In this 2014 tumblr post by Kuroneko, when the group had 12 members, it is explained that after the 5 vocalists, the 5 music team members, and the then-"god" Chiitan, Megane-kun is the 12th band member.
8. ↑ https://natalie.mu/music/news/92436
9. ↑ https://twitter.com/sayopony/status/813218435857412096
10. ↑ originally (特別召喚・神さま, *tokubetsu shoukan kami-sama*)
11. ↑ Sayonara Ponytail Spotify Bio
12. ↑ Archived MySpace page
13. ↑ Sayonara Ponytail. "Sayonara Ponytail Himitsu no A to Z: Momyu no Ki no Mukougawa." *Himitsu no Jikan*, Poplar Publishing, 2016.
14. ↑ Excepting Facebook, which largely emulated the Twitter feed.
15. ↑ This period of coverage correlates with the time the group was signed with Epic Records Japan
16. ↑ see Publications
17. ↑ The single stayed on the Oricon charts for 5 weeks, peaking at #27.
18. ↑ Sayonara Ponytail. *Kimyou na Penfriend*. Ongaku to Mahou, 2020. p. 69.
19. ↑ Kuroneko's Tweet about the album
20. ↑  https://web.archive.org/web/20230701080047/https://twitter.com/TPalette
21. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230423061858/https://twitter.com/TPalette
22. ↑ https://tower.jp/artist/1894997/%E3%81%95%E3%82%88%E3%81%AA%E3%82%89%E3%83%9D%E3%83%8B%E3%83%BC%E3%83%86%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB
23. ↑ From the current period, ROM, Ginga, Yoru no Dekigoto (All Night Thing) are albums in which these members appear again.
24. ↑ The latest music video to be released was Sora Tobu Koguma, Junrei Su.