Summary
Whether you’re familiar with the name or not,Egoistis known for their large contribution to the anime scene - namely soundtracks.Psycho-Pass,Kabenari of the Iron Fortress, andProject ItohfeaturedEgoistas part of their main soundtracks. But there’s yet another anime thatEgoistsang for, and the very same one that gave birth to it:Guilty Crown.
A duo consisting of Ryo fromSupercelland Chelly, the two worked together to create music for the fictional band; with Chelly acting as the vocalist, Inori Yuzuriha, who was also the female lead ofGuilty Crown.
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Guilty Crown
Released in 2011, and taking place in the year 2039,Guilty Crowntells the story ofShu Ouma, a shy young man who struggles with coming out of his shell. Yet in his free time, he has a passion for music and follows a popular online band,Egoist. One day, he comes face-to-face with the lead singer, Inori Yuzuriha and soon learns that she is much more than meets the eye. Shu is then chosen by the Void Genome - a vial that contains DNA from an apocalyptic virus, but re-purposed into a biological weapon that allows the user to extract physical manifestations from a person’s body, in Inori’s case, a sword. But soon after, he finds himself in the middle of a governmental conspiracy between a local resistance group, and the UN, which exacted control over Japan, after the country had to rely on the former to contain a deadly epidemic that spread 10 years prior.
While it initially had a strong reception and a promising premise, come the second half of the series,many fans were disappointedin the direction it went. Most notably, bringing back characters who died and recycling old villains, while rushing to a climactic ending and breaking the original narrative. And lastly in a bittersweet turn of events, Inori dies protecting Shu.
Living On
At the end ofGuilty Crown, Shu is last seen listening toEgoist’s music and picturing himself holding Inori, implying that while she’s physically gone, she still lives on through her music. And just that she does. Soon afterGuilty Crown’s run ended,Egoistcontinued producing music and holding concerts. Additionally, on the cover of all their albums and concert appearances were none other than Inori! Each album cover showcases her wearing a different outfit, but in some cases, she’s wearing attire from the originalGuilty Crown, as seen on the cover of their 2017 album, “Alter Ego”. In their music video, “All Alone With You”, we seeInori guiding what looks to be a young girl, struggling to accept the future.
Throughout the video, Inori takes the form of a bear that the girl held close to her heart, which she thought she had lost. But it’s Inori’s influence that encourages her to accept the “death” of her old self and embrace the “birth” of her adulthood. Just how she pushed Shu to live on and live his life. At the end of the video, a pink butterfly follows the girl once she’s freed, potentially implying that a part of her will always be with the girl.
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Egoist’s first gig afterGuilty Crownwas producing music forPsycho-Pass, singing the first 3 EDs of the series, “Monster without a Name”, “All Alone With You”, and “Fallen”. All three songs have a corresponding outfit given to Inori. Moreover, it doesn’t stop there, either - all anime OSTs thatEgoistsang for, incorporated an original design corresponding to that anime. Additionally, for concert appearances, she was given different outfits as well.
But Inori always stayed true to her roots. Occasionally, she would wear her attire fromGuilty Crownin concert, even for songs that weren’t from the original soundtrack. In 2021,Egoist’s officialYouTubechannelreleased a full versionof “Departures”, which was the first ED ofGuilty Crown. Throughout the video, Inori walks through the events of the anime, before reuniting with Shu and guiding him with her at the end, whereas in the first version of the original ED from episode 1, she leaves him behind.
Earlier this month,Egoistheld their last concert in Kanagawa, before officially disbanding. However, this doesn’t mean that Chelly (or Inori) has stopped altogether, as she is continuing as a solo singer, Reche.
BothSupercellandEgoistset the tone for a lot of anime soundtracks going forward, and though Inori may no longer be “alive”, she is still the face ofEgoistand always will be.
