Charlotte (Japanese band)

Charlotte
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	2001
Defunct	2011
Headquarters	Yokohama, Japan
Products	Music albums, singles, DVDs

was a rock group classified under the oshare kei style within the visual kei movement, adopting a "school" motif. Their official website was named "Yokohama Charlotte School," and their visual presentation prominently incorporated school uniforms. Musically, they embraced a playful punk rock sound that complemented this thematic concept.

History

Charlotte initiated their activities with a live performance at the Sound Hole in Yokohama Arena in December 2000. The original members were Kazuno (vocals), Ruka (bass), Takane (drums), with Mitsujou serving as a support guitarist.

In February 2001, Mitsujou officially joined the band, marking their formal establishment. Their first major live show took place on February 21 at Yokohama 7th Avenue. The band introduced their debut demo tape, titled "Charlotte," in May, which was exclusively sold at concerts. November 2001 saw the addition of Touya as a second guitarist and a shift in the band's name spelling from Latin characters to the hiragana "しゃるろっと."

They shared stages with groups such as DuelJewel, Kra, Kalimero, and Loz’a veria. September marked the release of their first maxi-single "B Kyuu Idol Densetsu," followed by their inclusion on the compilation album Yougenkyou –Star- in December.

In 2003, Charlotte participated in compilations like Hysteric Media Zone IV and Loop of life III. Their second maxi-single, "Yokohama Love Story," launched in April, sold out during pre-orders and warranted a reissue. Both this single and its follow-up, "Otona no Kijun," quickly sold out upon release.

Their inaugural solo concert on August 17 at Takadanobaba was completely sold out. The reissued version of "Otona no Kijun" featured an additional track. They continued to perform through September and November; in October, they released a collaboration CD with Mask titled "Tobe, Tobe Oyuuki," which achieved 4th place on the Oricon indies charts.

On January 1, 2004, Charlotte unveiled their first mini-album, Gakuen Jigoku, followed by a solo concert at Yokohama Arena Soundhall on January 11. Their single "Koi shinbou mansee!!" reached number six on the Oricon indies charts in May. An August solo tour included distribution of a single. They maintained an active presence at various events afterward, releasing another joint CD with R*A*P called "Uchuu Gakuen" in November, accompanied by an eight-page booklet.

January 2005 brought the debut of their first DVDs, titled Natsuyasumi no Omoide ga Oppai - Saigo no XX Happyo, offered in two editions: Yoko ban and Hama ban, each containing unique live performances and promotional videos. In April 2005, they released another mini-album named Ryuunen Kettei.

Vocalist Kazuno passed away unexpectedly due to illness on April 5, 2011.

Members

Kazuno - Vocals (Deceased)
Touya - Guitar
Mitsujou - Guitar
Ruka - Bass
Takane - Drums

Discography

Albums & Mini-Albums

Gakuen Jigoku (学園地獄) 2004-01-01
Ryuunen Kettei (留年決定) 2005-04-01
Osharu no Gakkou Ichigoukan (おしゃるの学校壱号館) 2005-08-10
Osharu no Gakkou Nigoukan (おしゃるの学校弐号館) 2005-12-11
Sharu de Nashi Blues (しゃるでなしブルース) 2006-12-13

Singles

"B Kyuu Idol Densetsu" (B級アイドル伝説) 2002-09-26
"Yokohama Love Story" (横浜ラブストーリー) 2003-04-21, 2nd Press 2003-05-21
"Otona no Kijun" (大人の基準) 2003-07-21, 2nd Press 2003-08-21
"Koi Shinbou Mansee!!" (恋辛抱マンセー!!) 2004-05-14
"Yokohama Love Story / Diamond Busaiku" (横浜ラブストーリー/ダイヤモンドブサイク) 2006-09-06, Oricon Single Weekly Ranking: 79

DVDs

Natsuyasumi no Omoide ga Oppai - Saigo no XX Happyo (Yoko Ban) (夏休みの思い出がおっぱい-横盤-) 2005-01-08
Natsuyasumi no Omoide ga Oppai - Saigo no XX Happyo (Hama Ban) (夏休みの思い出がおっぱい-浜盤-) 2005-01-08
Shinban : Bangumi Hajimarutte Hontou Desuka!? (新盤: 番組始まるって本当ですか!?) 2006-04-09
Jukuban : Bangumi Hajimarutte Hontou Desuka!? (宿盤: 番組始まるって本当ですか!?) 2006-04-09

Demos

"Charlotte" 2001-05-26
"Oyuugi Tape" (お遊戯テープ) 2002-02-13

References

CD Journal Artist Profile (in Japanese)
Visunavi Artist Overview (in Japanese)

External links