Da-iCE’s New Song Is About the One Thing Time Can’t Modernise

The world changes. The way we meet changes. Even the way we fall in love changes. But the simple urge to care about someone, and the hope that it will last? Da-iCE’s new theme song for the TV series “A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You (波うららかに、めおと日和)” is built around a feeling that was there 100 years ago and deserves to last another 100.

The mid-tempo ballad “うららか Uraraka” was written by Da-iCE’s Sota Hanamura and Ryuki Koike of GENIC. Hanamura has written some of Da-iCE’s signature songs, including “I wonder”, “Nonfictions” and “Unlimited”, while Koike has contributed songs to artists including =LOVE, produced by Rino Sashihara. The two bring their songwriting together for a song about the simple, enduring impulse to love someone, with a sincere wish that the feeling will continue into the next century.

The song serves as the theme for the sequel to Fuji TV drama “A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You (波うららかに、めおと日和)”, which returned to Thursday Theatre on 15 October. Based on the manga by Hachi Nishika, the story begins in the spring of 1936, when Natsumi Sekiya finds herself engaged to Takimasa Ebata, a lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Navy, through an arranged marriage. Their wedding day arrives before they have even met: Takimasa is called away for training, leaving only his photograph beside his bride.

When they finally meet two weeks later, neither knows much about romance. Natsumi has little experience speaking with men, while Takimasa is reserved and difficult to read. With no mobile phones or other conveniences to bridge the distance, the newlyweds must find their own ways to communicate, understand each other and gradually build a life together.

That slow-growing connection lies at the heart of Da-iCE’s theme song. Rather than treating love as a sudden grand gesture, the ballad reflects the sincerity of two people learning what it means to care for one another. Its arrangement by ha-j, whose credits include Snow Man, Nogizaka46 and Ryokuoushoku Shakai, balances a solid foundation with warmth, incorporating wedding-inspired elements that complement the drama’s setting.

The original series aired from April to June 2025, following the couple as they navigated the unfamiliar experience of married life. The sequel continues their story, and Da-iCE’s new theme now plays alongside it.

The way we love changes with the times. The hope that it will last doesn’t.

About Da-iCE

Da-iCE is a five-member male artist group known for their captivating twin vocals spanning four octaves. The group consists of vocalists Yudai Ohno and Sota Hanamura, along with performers Taiki Kudo, Toru Iwaoka, and Hayate Wada.

Their 2020 release, “CITRUS”, became the first song by a Japanese male dance & vocal group to surpass 100 million streams, and earned them the 63rd Japan Record Award in 2021.

Their follow-up single, “Star Mine”, became a hit across generations as a signature festive anthem of the Reiwa era. In 2024, they celebrated their 10th major debut anniversary.

In April, they released “I wonder”, which received the Excellence Award at the 66th Japan Record Awards. The track has surpassed 200 million streams in record time for the group.

Their latest album, “MUSi-aM”, dropped on October 2, and they made their first appearance on the 75th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen at the end of last year.