![[Setsuna-kei] Incredibly tear-jerking! Classic heartbreaking J-pop songs](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KsWTbuB4xH4/hqdefault.jpg)
“Setsuna”-style J-POP.
Those wistful lyrics and melodies really make your chest tighten, don’t they?
Starting with Thelma Aoyama’s “Soba ni Iru ne,” this style was characterized by R&B-like love songs that were especially popular from the late 2000s to the mid-2010s.
If you’re from the “chaku-uta” generation (when people downloaded song snippets as ringtones), this might feel nostalgic.
As social media became widely adopted, the style evolved—lyric videos have become a staple, and it feels like there are now more angles from which people can find relatable points.
Here, I’ll carefully select and introduce some nostalgic hits that were popular back then, as well as modern “setsuna” songs!
There are plenty of tracks that speak the feelings you can’t put into words, songs that stay by your side, and songs you can’t help but get completely absorbed in.
I hope you’ll use this as a list to discover new, heart-piercingly bittersweet masterpieces.
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[Setsuna-kei] So moving it’ll make you cry! Classic melancholic J-POP masterpieces (1–10)
Wish feat. YU-A (Foxxi misQ)Dōji-T
Dohzi-T, who was active as a member of the hip-hop group ZINGI and later established a rap-plus-singer style in his solo career.
“Negai” is a hit track that, featuring YU-A before her solo debut, surpassed 1.1 million ringtone downloads.
It brings back memories, doesn’t it? Its appeal lies in a sentimental, heart-wrenching melody that vividly rises to the surface the moment you hear it.
The lyrics follow a concrete story, and I think they resonate not only with people in love but even more deeply with those who share similar circumstances.
Regrets about not being able to be honest and memories of happier times come flooding back, making you think, “I want to go back…”—and maybe even cry.
Among ‘setsuna-kei’ songs, this is a standout masterpiece overflowing with poignant sadness.
Time, Stop feat. SEAMOazu
After a fun date, saying goodbye can leave you with an overwhelming sense of sadness, right? That feeling is exactly what AZU’s “Toki yo Tomare feat.
SEAMO” (Time, Please Stop feat.
SEAMO) captures.
Released in 2008, this collaboration with rapper-singer-songwriter SEAMO was used as the ending theme for the anime Itazura na Kiss.
Wanting to stay together much longer—one day just isn’t enough! It’s a bittersweet dilemma unique to two people deeply in love.
It’s not like you’ll never see each other again, but you still can’t wait for the next time.
Isn’t this a kind of heartache that anyone who has someone they love has experienced?
Love ForeverKatō Miriya × Shimizu Shōta
When it comes to heart-wrenching songs, you can’t leave out “Love Forever”! It’s a love song that defined the era of ringtone downloads, a popular duet by the golden duo Miliyah Kato and Shota Shimizu.
For those who remember that time, it’s nostalgic, and some may have discovered it through the cover by Eito and yama.
The chorus melody is unbelievably beautiful—just the best—and the aching sadness squeezes your heart.
In the latter half, the highlight where their harmonies blend is incredibly moving.
Even on days when nothing goes right and you can’t see the future, meeting someone you truly love can change your world—that’s the wonder this song conveys.
With lyrics full of those feelings, it’s a masterpiece that stirs both the sorrow of an ending and deep gratitude for someone precious.
I miss you…YU-A
YU-A’s “Aitai…” is a song about a painful, lonely breakup with someone you truly love.
Released in 2009, it was her solo debut single.
It portrays a relationship that shifts from sweet, happy times to gradual change, and finally to separation.
Even after breaking up, the narrator longs, aches, and desperately wants to find a way to meet again and stay by their side.
It depicts the raw pain and suffering of parting with someone precious.
For those going through a similar breakup, this song stays close to your feelings and offers comfort and healing.
See you againSEAMO
Just as you can’t stop yourself from falling in love, you can’t keep a cooled-off romance going.
Since it’s not good for either person, most of us choose to part ways.
SEAMO’s “Mata Aimashou” sings about a gentle lie told to make the final goodbye a positive one.
Even if you break up, it doesn’t change the fact that the time you spent together was wonderful.
Rather than turning it into something only sad, even if, deep down, you believe you’ll probably never meet again, you say “Let’s meet again,” and choose to part on a hopeful note.
maybeYOASOBI
YOASOBI’s “Tabun,” released digitally in 2020, is a track based on a novel of the same name by Shinano.
It was also chosen as the theme song for a film with the same title.
The song portrays a person alone in the room they once shared with their lover, brooding over the breakup.
What ultimately caused it, and where did things go wrong? These unanswerable questions are distilled into the title word “Tabun” (“Maybe”).
The inability to arrive at a clear answer brings on an indescribable haze and a lingering, aching sadness.
With time—and with this song by YOASOBI—that haze will surely begin to heal.
HAPPY BIRTHDAYback number
The 20th single by back number, the three-piece rock band that now immediately comes to mind when you think of “setsuna-kei” (melancholic) music.
Chosen as the theme song for the TV drama A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love, the track is propelled by vocalist-guitarist Iyori Shimizu’s singing, which weaves in exquisite falsetto to heighten the song’s wistful feel.
Describing the beginning of romantic feelings as “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” is a stroke of genius—an apt expression that many listeners of love songs can relate to.
It’s a standout number that captures emotions everyone experiences with a bittersweet musical tone, showcasing exceptional word choice and superb arrangement.
