Under17

UNDER17 or "Ansebu", was a duo consisting of singer Haruko Momoi (Halko) and guitarist Masaya Koike (Aniki). It was officially founded in 2002, although the pair had worked many times before since the late 90s. The band is known for its distinct cute vocals as heard in many anime and games, and has been an influential force in "moe song," a category of music that focuses on cute female vocals and pop beats. According to Halko, the term "moe song" itself was coined by UNDER17, and on their second album, they boasted the label "World Famous Moe Artist." On September 27, 2004, UNDER17 announced its breakup via a handwritten letter posted on their website. This came as a shock to many fans, as the band had been rapidly gaining popularity and only just began touring for the first time. The band remained together briefly to finish the first and final tour, culminating in an emotional last performance on November 20th, 2004 at Yokohama Blitz. During their existence, the band produced in total over 20 singles and three compilation albums, and have been featured in anime TV series such as Popotan, DearS, and Genshiken. They have toured once.