On December 1, 2021, the same date as the release of their EP The Book 2, Yoasobi announced the project Hajimete no, a collaboration between the duo and four Naoki Prize-winning novelists: Rio Shimamoto, Mizuki Tsujimura, Miyuki Miyabe, and Eto Mori, to produce songs based on the authors' novel under the theme of "a story to read when you do [something] for the first time". All novels were published as a book on February 16, 2022, titled Hajimete no.[1][2] One of four novels written by Miyabe is Iro Chigai no Trump (色違いのトランプ, Iro Chigai no Toranpu, lit. "Color-different playing cards") with the theme "a story when you first become a suspect".[3]
From January 17, 2023, Lawson's Machi Café partnered with Yoasobi to offer a special drink called "Yoasobi Honey Caffè Latte"; customers would also receive a sleeve with two-dimensional code for listening to the snippet of the duo's new and final single from Hajimete no project, titled "Seventeen".[4] Two months later, on March 22, Yoasobi announced that the song would be available on digital music and streaming platforms on March 27.[5] An accompanying music video premiered on the same date as the release, produced by Contrail Co., Ltd and MAPPA, and directed by Masatsugu Nagasoe.[6][7] The song was later included on the duo's extended plays Hajimete no – EP and The Book 3, released in May and October 2023, respectively.[8][9]
Commercial performance
"Seventeen" debuted at number 32 on the Oricon Combined Singles Chart,[10] and atop Oricon Digital Singles Chart in the chart issue dated April 10, 2023, with 12,645 downloads, becoming Yoasobi's eleventh number-one since "Shukufuku" (2022).[11] For Billboard Japan, "Seventeen" entered the Japan Hot 100 at number 21 dated April 5, earning 10,737 downloads, peaked at number two on the Download Songs.[12] The song also debuted at number 63 on the Streaming Songs,[13] and ascended to number 36 the following week with 2,847,845 streams, an increase of 130%.[14]
