Renai Circulation (lit. “Love Circulation”) is a song from the 2009 Japanese anime television series Bakemonogatari (the animated adaptation of the first book from the Monogatari series by Nisio Isin) and performed by Kana Hanazawa as her character, Nadeko Sengoku. “Renai Circulation” serves as both Nadeko’s character image song as well as the opening theme song in episode 10 of Bakemonogatari, which first premiered on September 11, 2009, to represent the “Nadeko Snake” story arc.
“Renai Circulation” is composed by Satoru Kōsaki with lyrics written by Meg Rock. Kōsaki felt it would be interesting to feature Hanazawa rapping in a gentle manner, inspired by Shibuya-kei music and Japanese hip-hop artist Kaseki Cider. Similar to Hanazawa’s song “Melody”, “Renai Circulation” is focused on a narrative with rap elements against a “funky tune.” J-Cast described the song as a “light pop tune” that makes use of Hanazawa’s vocals. Anime News Network described the song as a “starry-eyed love song” that reveals Nadeko’s “conflict and character.” Kai-You described the lyrics as depicting Nadeko’s feelings for the main character of the Monogatari series, Koyomi Araragi, with Hanazawa portraying Nadeko’s “maiden heart” with a “clear, whisper vocal” against a light brass section, single-note guitar, and a glockenspiel. The chorus opens with the Japanese onomatopoeia fuwa-fuwari which means “fluffy” and is used to describe “cute, upbeat, or insubstantial things.” The song also contains a wordplay about Nadeko’s name and yamato nadeshiko in the line “I will try without the ‘shi’ — I mean, I will try if it would cost my life!”
“Renai Circulation” was released on digital services and as a limited edition CD bonus with vol. 4 of the DVD and Blu-ray home releases of Bakemonogatari in January 2010. It was later given a wider physical release and compiled on the series’ soundtrack album, Bakemonogatari Ongaku Zenshū Songs & Soundtracks in December 2011. “Renai Circulation” received praise for its “cute” melody as well as Hanazawa’s vocals. After the song’s initial release, in 2010, “Renai Circulation” became popular among anime fans, inspiring cover dances with original choreography and song mash-ups on Niconico. Nadeko won first place in a Bakemonogatari character poll held by anime merchandise retailer Toranoana, with some voters citing “Renai Circulation” as the reason. In 2022, Hanazawa stated that the success of “Renai Circulation” led her to receiving more offers to perform character songs as well as a singing career. She also stated that the song has helped her “get to know [her] voice.”
In 2018, “Renai Circulation” went viral on TikTok in China. In December 2019, Chinese electronics company Xiaomi posted a parody version of the song video on Bilibili about their Q3 financial report using processed voice clips from their CEO, Lei Jun. In 2021, “Renai Circulation” spread outside of Asia on TikTok as well through a 2012 English-language cover version by American singer Lizz Robinett. Robinett’s version inspired cover dances on the app and became an Internet meme. Her version of the song also saw popularity with Japanese users who were unfamiliar with the song. “Renai Circulation” was described by Natalie as an example of a J-pop song finding a global audience.
n 2015, Hanazawa performed “Renai Circulation” as an encore song for her “Live 2015 Blue Avenue” concert tour.[15] After “Renai Circulation” went viral on TikTok in China, Hanazawa was invited to perform the song as a special guest at the 2019 BTV Universal New Year’s Eve Snow and Ice Song Festival in Beijing, China. She later performed the song again in 2019 during a concert in Shanghai. In May, Hanazawa performed the song at Monogatari Fes: 10th Anniversary Story, a talk event celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Monogatari anime adaptation. In 2022, Hanazawa performed “Renai Circulation” on her “Live 2022 Blossom” concert tour. She also performed it at Animelo Summer Live 2022. In October, Hanazawa performed the song at the Dream Entertainment Live, an event celebrating the 55th anniversary of All Night Nippon. In 2023, she performed the song at the Tencent Music Entertainment Awards as part of a medley of her other anime songs.
