"Mirai no Museum" (未来のミュージアム, literally "Museum of the Future" or "Future Museum") is a song by the Japanese electropop girl group Perfume. It was released on February 27, 2013, as the group's seventeenth single and served as the third single from their fourth studio album, Level3 (2013).
Background and Composition
The song was written, composed, arranged, and produced by Yasutaka Nakata, who has been the primary producer and songwriter for Perfume's recordings since 2003. It was recorded in Tokyo, Japan, with Nakata handling mixing and mastering. Musically, "Mirai no Museum" is a dance-pop and electropop track that incorporates instrumentation from a drum machine, synthesizers, and keyboards.
Release and Promotion
The single was released as an extended play digital download on February 27, 2013, and subsequently distributed in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United States. Two CD single formats were issued: a standalone CD containing all four tracks, and a digipak edition that included a bonus DVD, a lyric sheet, and a music video comic book.
"Mirai no Museum" was used as the ending theme song for the 2013 animated film Doraemon: Nobita no Himitsu Dōgu Museum (Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum). The official music video, directed by Japanese director Yusuke Tanaka, features Perfume inside a comic book–style world and premiered on Perfume's YouTube channel in June 2013.
Reception and Chart Performance
The song received mixed reviews from music critics. Some reviewers, including those writing for The Japan Times and Land of Rising, criticized the track as out of place within the album's context, while others, such as Ian Martin of AllMusic, highlighted it as a standout in the group's discography.
Commercially, "Mirai no Museum" reached number two on the Oricon Singles Chart, becoming the group's eighth consecutive single to peak at that position. It also peaked at number two on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Japan Hot Animation chart. The track reached number twenty-three on the Gaon Foreign Album Chart in South Korea. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 100,000 units.
Track Listing
All tracks were written by Yasutaka Nakata:
- "Mirai no Museum" (未来のミュージアム) – 3:23
- "Daijyobanai" (だいじょばない) – 3:06
- "Mirai no Museum" (Original Instrumental) – 3:23
- "Daijyobanai" (Original Instrumental) – 3:06
Personnel
- Ayano Ōmoto (Nocchi) – vocals
- Yuka Kashino (Kashiyuka) – vocals
- Ayaka Nishiwaki (A-Chan) – vocals
- Yasutaka Nakata – producer, composer, arranger, mixing, mastering
Chart Positions
- Japan (Oricon): 2
- Japan (Billboard Hot 100): 2
- Japan Hot Animation (Billboard): 1
- Japan Hot Adult Contemporary (Billboard): 9
- Japan Hot Airplay (Billboard): 7
- South Korea Foreign Album (Gaon Chart): 23
