Documentaly

In March 2010, Sakanaction released their fourth studio album, Kikuuiki.{{cite web | url=http://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000058288 | title=サカナクション、相容れないものが混ざり合う作品？ | language=Japanese |publisher=Barks |date=February 11, 2010 | access-date=April 24, 2015}} It was the band's most commercially successful album up until that point, but Yamaguchi felt disappointed by the sales, expecting the album to sell over 100,000 copies.{{cite web |url=http://ro69.jp/feat/sakanaction_201109?p=4 |title=特集 サカナクション |language=Japanese |author=Shinji Hyogo |publisher=Rockin' On Japan |year=2011 |access-date=April 16, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416104907/http://ro69.jp/feat/sakanaction_201109?p=4 |archive-date=April 16, 2015 }} Yamaguchi felt that the band's sound on Kikuuiki was inaccessible to some pop listeners, leading to the album not selling well,{{cite web | url=http://www.excite.co.jp/music/close_up/interview/1109_sakanaction/ | title=サカナクション インタビュー | language=Japanese |author=Naohisa Matsunaga |publisher=Excite Japan |date=September 26, 2011 | access-date=October 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823100004/http://www.excite.co.jp/music/close_up/interview/1109_sakanaction/ |archive-date=August 23, 2015}} but also felt the pressure from their new-found audience to release more music.{{cite web | url=http://natalie.mu/music/pp/sakanaction03 | title=サカナクション (1/6) - 音楽ナタリー Power Push | language=Japanese |author=Shoichi Miyake |publisher=Natalie |year=2011 | access-date=September 5, 2015}} In order for the band to sell more and become more well known, Yamaguchi felt that Sakanaction should utilize new techniques to promote themselves, such as appearing more in media and on television.{{cite web | url=http://ro69.jp/feat/sakanaction_201109?p=5 | title=特集 サカナクション | language=Japanese | author=Shinji Hyogo | publisher=Rockin' On Japan | year=2011 | access-date=April 16, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217181354/http://ro69.jp/feat/sakanaction_201109?p=5 | archive-date=February 17, 2015 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }} One of these techniques was to release three singles before the album; something that he believed would show a story-like development of Sakanaction's album creation process, as well as alleviate the increased pressure he felt to release more Sakanaction music.{{cite web | url=http://music.emtg.jp/special/20110901005238733 | title=サカナクション、5枚目のアルバム『DocumentaLy』が完成!! | language=Japanese |author=Aki Ito |publisher=EMTG |date=September 28, 2011 | access-date=October 3, 2015}} At the Sakanaquarium 2010 Kikuuiki tour final on May 28 at Zepp Tokyo, the band performed a song entitled "Identity" for the first time during the concert's encore,{{cite web | url=http://ro69.jp/news/detail/35329 | title=サカナクション、8月4日に新シングル『アイデンティティ』、そして10月に初の武道館公演へ | language=Japanese |publisher=Rockin' On Japan |date=May 28, 2010 | access-date=August 29, 2015}} a song that had first been written early in the Kikuuiki recording sessions in 2009, and recorded just after the band finished recording music for the album.{{cite web | title=サカナクション インタビュー | url=http://www.excite.co.jp/music/close_up/interview/1008_sakanaction/ |language=Japanese | author=Yuichi Hirayama |date=August 6, 2010 | publisher=Excite Japan | access-date=August 29, 2015}} On the same day, the song was announced as the band's next single, released in August.

On October 8, 2010, the band performed their first concert at the Nippon Budokan, Sakanaquarium 21.1 (B),{{cite web |title=サカナクション｜アイデンティティ｜@Victor Entertainment |url=http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/-/Discography/A020936/VIZL-386.html |language=Japanese |publisher=Victor Entertainment |access-date=August 22, 2015}} performing material from their first four albums, along with "Identity".{{cite AV media notes |title=Sakanaquarium (B)(C)(D) |others=Sakanaction |year=2011 |language=Japanese |publisher=Victor Entertainment |location=Tokyo, Japan}} "Rookie" was written by Ichiro Yamaguchi after the band's concert at the Nippon Budokan. Though the concert was an important milestone for the band, the actual concert felt like more of a ritual than a genuine milestone to Yamaguchi.{{cite web |title=新たな歴史の開始を予見させるサカナクションの新曲 |url=http://music.emtg.jp/special/201103004130deb1c |language=Japanese |author=Miho Takahashi |publisher=EMTG |date=March 18, 2011 |access-date=September 5, 2015}} This left Yamaguchi wondering what direction the band should take next, what Sakanaction's place in the music scene was, and how the band was seen by others. Yamaguchi wanted to create a song that expressed the reasons that Sakanaction made music.{{cite web | url=http://ro69.jp/news/detail/48469 | title=サカナクション・山口一郎が語る。傑作"ルーキー"誕生までの壮絶な日々 | language=Japanese |publisher=Rockin' On Japan |date=February 28, 2011 | access-date=September 5, 2015}} The pre-production process for recording "Rookie" began in January 2011. Originally the band planned to release "Endless" as the second single from Documentaly, however Yamaguchi was not fully satisfied with the song and continued to work on it until August 2011; releasing "Rookie" in its place.{{cite web | url=http://www.musicman-net.com/focus/3-3.html | title=サカナクション ニューアルバム『DocumentaLy』担当ディレクター ビクターエンタテイメントGMpV制作部 杉本陽里子氏インタビュー | language=Japanese | author=Tatsuya Yashiro, Masahiko Yamaura | publisher=F.B.Communications Inc. & Magnet Co., Ltd. | date=December 7, 2011 | access-date=October 5, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006122232/http://www.musicman-net.com/focus/3-3.html | archive-date=October 6, 2015 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }} The documentary theme for the album was fully conceptualized in January, during the "Rookie" and early "Endless" recording sessions, developed from Yamaguchi's feelings of wanting to express himself more. On February 22, 2011, Sakanaction released a set of DVDs entitled Sakanaquarium 2010. Coming in three different packages, Sakanaquarium 2010 (B) covered the band's Nippon Budokan concert, while Sakanaquarium 2010 (C) was a recording of the final concert of the band's Sakanaquarium 2010 Kikuuiki tour, recorded at Shinkiba Studio Coast on May 15. The third package compiled both concerts and added a third DVD, Sakanaquarium 2010 (D), featuring tour documentary and interview footage.{{cite web | title=サカナクションのライブDVD『SAKANAQUARIUM 2010』の詳細発表 | url=http://ro69.jp/news/detail/44974 |language=Japanese |date=December 15, 2010 | publisher=Rockin' On Japan | access-date=September 4, 2015}} The band found that the public's response to Sakanaquarium 2010 (D) was so positive, that it strengthened their documentary-themed album concept. Instead of merely adopting it as a theme, Sakanaction decided to record an actual documentary of the album's creation process, on an additional visual media disc.

File:TVXQ in Paris France cropped.JPGn boyband TVXQ.]]

Just prior to "Rookie"'s physical single release, Japan experienced the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. Sakanaction cancelled or rescheduled many of their planned radio appearances, deciding not to directly promote the single at the remaining appearances.{{cite web |title=出演番組の中止､延期のお知らせ |url=http://sakanaction.jp/mobile/news/2011/03/post-19.html |language=Japanese |publisher=Hip Land Music Corporation Inc |date=March 13, 2011 |access-date=May 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502114428/http://sakanaction.jp/mobile/news/2011/03/post-19.html |archive-date=May 2, 2015}} During these, the band preferred to focus on sending messages of hope for the victims of the disaster. In April, Yamaguchi visited Kesennuma and Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture to help with the emergency relief, without a media presence. Yamaguchi made the decision to go to Miyagi after watching television segments on celebrities visiting the disaster zone, and feeling that the segments were too focused on celebrity camera opportunities, and did not show the genuine realities of those affected by the earthquake.

The earthquake made Yamaguchi rethink his reasons why Sakanaction make music. The meaning of a documentary-themed album changed after the earthquake, as the band felt as if they did not have a heavy album that reflected these events, then it could not truly be a documentary. Yamaguchi wrote the songs "Bach no Senritsu o Yoru ni Kiita Sei Desu" and "Years" directly after the earthquake, as therapy for himself.{{cite web | url=http://natalie.mu/music/pp/sakanaction03/page/3 | title=サカナクション (3/6) - 音楽ナタリー Power Push | language=Japanese |author=Shoichi Miyake |publisher=Natalie |year=2011 | access-date=September 5, 2015}} Realizing that rock bands were no longer a staple of Japanese charts in the early 2010s, Yamaguchi wanted to create a Sakanaction-style pop song that would resonate with a general pop audience, one that listened to idol groups such as Girls' Generation, TVXQ and AKB48.{{cite web | url=http://music.emtg.jp/special/201107009088b6dd7 | title=サカナクションの5thシングル『バッハの旋律を夜に聴いたせいです。』完成！ | language=Japanese |author=Miho Takahashi |publisher=Excite Japan |date=July 19, 2011 | access-date=September 27, 2015}} As rock music was no longer so prominent in Japan, Yamaguchi felt that the reasons for people listening to music had changed over time, and wanted to mix rock music with entertainment-focused music in order to give people music that they look for.{{cite web | url=http://weekly.ascii.jp/elem/000/000/056/56776/ | title="この時代に音楽をつくって生きていたという証拠"サカナクション山口一郎氏インタビュー | language=Japanese |author=Mayumi Aikawa |publisher=Kadokawa Corporation |date=September 28, 2011 | access-date=October 6, 2015}}

File:Around Shizugawa Public Hospital in Minamisanriku after tsunami 2.jpg (pictured: Minamisanriku, Miyagi in April 2011)]]

Though the early concept for the album was to show the band's reality and development in a chronological order, the earthquake made the band re-evaluate what they wanted to express with their documentary theme. Instead, the band decided to express what living in 2011 was like.{{cite web | url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/interview/2011/sakanaction0928/index.html | script-title=ja:サカナクション『違和感を含めた“リアルな気持ちの揺れ”を露骨に歌にしたかった』 |author=Kazuhiro "Scao" Ikeda |publisher=Oricon |date=September 28, 2011 | access-date=October 6, 2015}} Yamaguchi felt inspired to create music that when listened to strongly expressed the sentiments of a certain era, which he saw in the music of John Lennon, Bob Dylan and in Japanese singer Yōsui Inoue's song "Kasa ga Nai" (1972);{{cite news | url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/entertainment/music/artist/20110929-OYT8T00776.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017130248/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/entertainment/music/artist/20110929-OYT8T00776.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 17, 2011 | title=サカナクション５作目 | language=Japanese |author=Makoto Tanaka |newspaper=The Yomiuri Shimbun |date=September 29, 2011 | access-date=October 3, 2015 }} as a way for people in the future to be able to experience how people felt during the post-earthquake era. In addition to the earthquake, Yamaguchi expressed other events that happened to him in 2011 through the albums's lyrics, including the death of electronic musician Rei Harakami in July 2011 which affected him deeply, as well as a turbulent event in his love life.

When writing the album's lyrics, Yamaguchi tried to express both the feelings that he had, and those that he saw were common in society in the early 2010s. He focused on questioning what the role of a musician was during this period; and attempted to represent the idea of certain types of people existing in 2011, making certain types of music.{{cite web | url=http://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000073516 | title=サカナクション、『DocumentaLy』で心をぶつけあって音楽を生み出してることを伝えたい | language=Japanese |publisher=Barks |date=September 27, 2011 | access-date=April 26, 2015}} He believed that the true role of a musician had become strongly evident after the earthquake. The band also tried to express 2011 sonically, through the style of synths that pianist Emi Okazaki created for the songs.{{cite web | url=http://natalie.mu/music/pp/sakanaction03/page/5 | title=サカナクション (5/6) - 音楽ナタリー Power Push | language=Japanese |author=Shoichi Miyake |publisher=Natalie |year=2011 | access-date=September 5, 2015}}

The Documentaly album concept was created in January, after the song "Rookie" was written. "Endless" was first recorded after "Rookie", however was left uncompleted because Yamaguchi was not satisfied with the song. Yamaguchi spent eight months writing the song, recording the other compositions for the album in between working on "Endless". "Endless" became the most central song on the album for the band, with other songs arranged around "Endless" to complement it. The long writing process for "Endless" was frustrating for Yamaguchi, making him worried about if the documentary theme expressed itself well, and considered giving up on the theme.

As Yamaguchi spent much of his time focused on "Endless", he entrusted most of the album's arrangements to the other band members.{{cite web | url=http://www.excite.co.jp/music/close_up/interview/1109_sakanaction/?lead=2 | title=サカナクション インタビュー | language=Japanese |author=Naohisa Matsunaga |publisher=Excite Japan |date=September 26, 2011 | access-date=October 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823100101/http://www.excite.co.jp/music/close_up/interview/1109_sakanaction/?lead=2 |archive-date=August 23, 2015}} This made Yamaguchi feel as if he was the director of the project, with drummer Keiichi Ejima leading the band as its captain during his absences as he focused on lyric writing. As Yamaguchi's workload was lessened, he noticed that Sakanaction were working together more like a genuine band on Documentaly. In addition to the band members, Yamaguchi felt that Sakanaction had gained a solid core of peripheral staff that helped with the recording process, compared to their previous albums.{{cite web | url=http://natalie.mu/music/pp/sakanaction03/page/6 | title=サカナクション (6/6) - 音楽ナタリー Power Push | language=Japanese |author=Shoichi Miyake |publisher=Natalie |year=2011 | access-date=September 5, 2015}}

Documentaly was officially announced for release on August 1,{{cite web | url=http://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000072043 | script-title=ja:サカナクション、5枚目のアルバムは9月28日リリース |publisher=Barks |date=August 1, 2011 | access-date=October 6, 2015}} before the album had been entirely recorded. The band finished recording "Endless" on August 5, on the morning before the band's performance at the Rock in Japan Festival.{{cite web | url=http://ro69.jp/news/detail/52006 | title=サカナクション、7月20日にニュー・シングルをリリース。全国ワンマンライブも | language=Japanese |publisher=Rockin' On Japan |date=May 31, 2011 | access-date=October 3, 2015}} Due to the song's protracted creation process, finally being able to finish the composition gave the band a sense of the album finally being complete. After recording the final song "Monochrome Tokyo", the album had finally finished being recorded in late August.

The band ordered the songs in a general chronological order for when each song was written, put into an order so that the listeners would understand Sakanaction as a band by the end of the album. When completed, Yamaguchi felt that Documentaly expressed what the band had come to understand while living in Tokyo. In contrast to Kikuuiki, which left him emotionally drained, he felt optimistic after completing Documentaly, feeling that he had a future in music. The Documentaly sessions led Yamaguchi to decide to live as a musician for a full-time career.

{{Listen |filename=Sakanaction - Endless.ogg|title="Endless"|description=Music critics praised the musical progression, beginning with a simple piano arrangement and gradually incorporating rock and electronic elements in "Endless". |format=Ogg

|filename2=Sakanaction - Document.ogg|title2="Document"|description2="Document", a song written by Yamaguchi in a single day, was described by critics as having a powerfully lingering impression who also saw the song as representing the entire album thematically.|format2=Ogg}}

Reflective of the documentary theme, Yamaguchi saw the album expressing the ups and downs of regular days, more so than previous albums. Despite the inspiration taken from the heavy events of the earthquake, Yamaguchi felt that because the album featured three singles that were tailored to be heard by a wide audience, which pushed the album into a brighter sound.

The first song written for the album, "Identity", was first written during the early demo sessions for Kikuuiki in 2009,{{cite AV media notes |title=Sakanarchive 2007—2011: Sakanaction Music Video Collection (Limited Edition) |others=Sakanaction |year=2011 |language=Japanese |publisher=Victor Entertainment |location=Tokyo, Japan}} in the same period when the band were experimenting on the song "Aruku Around" to develop a signature song with a recognizable Sakanaction sound.{{cite web |url=http://www.hotexpress.co.jp/interview/100113_sakanaction/page2.html |title=サカナクション インタビュー |language=Japanese |author=Tetsuo Hiraga |publisher=Hot Express |date=January 13, 2010 |access-date=April 21, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192041/http://www.hotexpress.co.jp/interview/100113_sakanaction/page2.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }} It was recorded directly after the band finished work on Kikuuiki, and had lyrics inspired by the band's song "Me ga Aku Aiiro", as well as how people create identities for themselves in society.{{cite web | url=http://music.auone.jp/specialandinterview/interview_detail?specialandinterview_id=824d09d12b4fe026448ac8fb4876ebf1 | title=サカナクション「自分の中にある"感覚"を信じろ」山口 | language=Japanese |author=Akiko Kabe |publisher=KDDI Corporation | access-date=August 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207040105/http://music.auone.jp/specialandinterview/interview_detail?specialandinterview_id=824d09d12b4fe026448ac8fb4876ebf1 |archive-date=December 7, 2010}} "Holy Dance" was recorded in June 2010,{{cite web |title=サカナクション、新作にAOKI takamasaリミックス収録 |url=http://natalie.mu/music/news/33400 |language=Japanese |publisher=Natalie |date=June 16, 2010 |access-date=August 22, 2015}} inspired by Yamaguchi's frustrations of unable to go fishing.{{cite web | url=http://www.tfm.co.jp/lock/sakana/index.php?itemid=6537&catid=17 | title=MV「ホーリーダンス」オーディオコメンタリー解説 | language=Japanese |author=Ichiro Yamaguchi |publisher=Tokyo FM |date=August 13, 2015 | access-date=August 30, 2015}}

The songs "Monochrome Tokyo" and "Kamen no Machi" were written about Yamaguchi's experiences of the chaos of living in Tokyo. "Monochrome Tokyo" was written in late 2010, around the same time that they were writing "Rookie". The song's demo originally began with the lyric {{nihongo|Okazaki no ie no kāten wa dasai|岡崎の家のカーテンはダサい||"The curtains in Okazaki's house are old-fashioned"}} as a joke, referencing the band's video chat discussions.{{cite web | url=http://www.tfm.co.jp/lock/sakana/index.php?blogid=4&archive=2012-12-10 | title=レクリエーション | language=Japanese |author=Ichiro Yamaguchi |publisher=Tokyo FM |date=December 12, 2012 | access-date=February 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224043756/http://www.tfm.co.jp/lock/sakana/index.php?blogid=4&archive=2012-12-10 |archive-date=February 24, 2015}}

"Ryūsen" was composed by Yamaguchi on the guitar, as a challenge to create a melody that would emphasize a song's instrumental. Yamaguchi stressed dynamism during the writing process, choosing a non-standard pop song structure for the piece. The song was recorded in a single live take. The audio from the take was then recorded onto a cassette tape and afterwards reconverted to digital sound, as a convention to add a deteriorated sound effect. "Ryūsen" and the instrumental track "Documentary" were arranged to complement "Endless", the song present between the two. Seeing releasing music as an act of self-expression, "Endless" was a song written by Yamaguchi to express his inner feelings as directly as possible. For this, Yamaguchi felt that he needed to develop new lyrical techniques to fully express his inner feelings, as these would not be expressed truly if he relied on techniques he had already developed. Eventually, he rewrote the song 74 times, creating a total of 78 different versions of the song lyrics. The instrumental piece "Documentary", which Yamaguchi felt linked to "Endless" due to its synth elements, was primarily created by Ejima, who had been creating instrumental songs for the band's albums as a way for him to learn about dance music. Yamaguchi saw the piece as more minimal than previous Sakanaction songs, and saw the song as a documentary of Ejima's increased skills as a music arranger.

"Bach no Senritsu o Yoru ni Kiita Sei Desu" and "Years" were written together directly after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, as therapy for him after the earthquake. He wrote the songs as having a common theme spread across two works, hence featuring them on Documentaly in the same order as they had appeared on the "Bach no Senritsu o Yoru ni Kiita Sei Desu" single. "Bach no Senritsu o Yoru ni Kiita Sei Desu" is a song written focusing on everyday occurrences, while "Years" was focused on messages reacting to the "great anxiety" in society during the post-earthquake time in Japan.{{cite web | url=http://www.excite.co.jp/music/close_up/interview/1107_sakanaction/?lead=2 | title=サカナクション インタビュー | language=Japanese |author=Tomoyuki Mori |publisher=Excite Japan |date=July 15, 2011 | access-date=September 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308132459/http://www.excite.co.jp/music/close_up/interview/1107_sakanaction/?lead=2 |archive-date=March 8, 2014}}{{cite web | url=http://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000070732 | title=サカナクション、新曲タイトルは表記に注意 | language=Japanese |publisher=Barks |date=June 15, 2011 | access-date=September 27, 2015}} The final track on the album, "Document", was a song created to document the band's song creation process. The entire song was written and arranged in a single day, and fully recorded the following day. The lyrics were ad-libbed, a technique which Yamaguchi felt expressed a very personal side to himself, however made the lyrics more sarcastic and cynical than Sakanction's other songs. The song features the first ever instance in a Sakanaction song where Yamaguchi used the word {{nihongo|ai|愛||"love"}} in his lyrics, something he sees as a natural response to seeing love as an everyday thing now.

The album's title was officially confirmed on August 21.{{cite web | url=http://ro69.jp/news/detail/56627 | script-title=ja:サカナクション、ニュー・アルバムのタイトルを発表 |publisher=Rockin' On Japan |date=August 21, 2011 | access-date=October 6, 2015}} Originally the band planned on self-titling the album Sakanaction, as a reflection of the original theme of a documentary depicting themselves. The album was re-titled after the events of the earthquake, when the band felt that the event forced them to refocus the documentary theme around all of the events of 2011, instead of just themselves. The new title for the album, {{sic|DocumentaLy}}, is a pun on the words documentary and mental, with the letter 'l' capitalized. Yamaguchi, the creator of the title, felt that the title expressed the idea of bands living and making music in 2011, and saw the letters "r" and "l" as two letters that join together the word "real". The title is a recurring motif in the song titles of the album, including the instrumental track "DocumentaRy" (sic.), and the begging instrumental track "RL", which features both of the capitalised letters.

The band released the song "Bach no Senritsu o Yoru ni Kiita Sei Desu" as a single in July, two and a half months before the album's release.{{cite web | url=http://www.nexus-web.net/article/sknctn-8/ | title=サカナクション、『バッハの旋律を夜に聴いたせいです。』発売記念UST決定 | language=Japanese | publisher=Nexus | date=July 22, 2011 | access-date=April 28, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001061940/http://www.nexus-web.net/article/sknctn-8/ | archive-date=October 1, 2015 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }} It was commercially successful, becoming certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for digital downloads,{{cite web | script-title=ja:レコード協会調べ 4月度有料音楽配信認定 |trans-title=Record Association Investigation: April Digital Music Download Certifications | url=http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/chart/w140520.html | work=RIAJ |language=Japanese | date=May 20, 2014 | access-date=May 20, 2014}} and reaching number four on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart.{{cite magazine | title=Japan Billboard Hot 100 | url=http://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot100&year=2011&month=08&day=1 | magazine=Billboard |language=Japanese | date=July 27, 2011 | access-date=April 28, 2015}} The song's music video, featuring a distinctive dance where Yamaguchi was laterally attached to four mannequins was well received in Japan, later winning the Best Video of the Year award at the 2012 Space Shower Music Video Awards.{{cite web | url=http://ro69.jp/news/detail/65544 | title=スペースシャワーTV「MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS」、大賞をサカナクション＆ベスト・アーティストを東京事変が受賞 | language=Japanese |publisher=Rockin' On Japan |date=March 21, 2012 | access-date=September 27, 2015}} The band were featured in the September edition of Musica magazine, released on August 12, in a featured piece detailing the album's recording process.{{cite web | url=http://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000072364 | script-title=ja:サカナクション、アルバム発売記念先行爆音試聴パーティー開催決定 |publisher=Barks |date=August 11, 2011 | access-date=October 6, 2015}}

The song "Endless" was used as the main promotional track for the album,{{cite web |title=サカナクション本日発売新作より「エンドレス」PVフル公開 |url=http://natalie.mu/music/news/57203 |language=Japanese |publisher=Natalie |date=September 28, 2011 |access-date=April 28, 2015}} and made its radio debut on August 31.{{cite web |title=ｱﾙﾊﾞﾑ｢DocumentaLy｣から新曲を初O.A. |url=http://sakanaction.jp/mobile/news/2011/08/documentalyoa.html |language=Japanese |publisher=Hip Land Music Corporation Inc |date=August 31, 2011 |access-date=May 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502122410/http://sakanaction.jp/mobile/news/2011/08/documentalyoa.html |archive-date=May 2, 2015 }} In the week after Documentaly's release the song was the fourth most played song on Japanese radio for the week,{{cite magazine | title=Radio Songs | url=http://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=radio_songs&year=2011&month=10&day=10 | magazine=Billboard |language=Japanese | date=October 5, 2011 | access-date=October 6, 2015}} making the song reach number eight on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.{{cite magazine | title=Japan Billboard Hot 100 | url=http://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot100&year=2011&month=10&day=10 | magazine=Billboard |language=Japanese | date=July 27, 2011 | access-date=February 24, 2015}} The song's music video, co-directed by Takumi Shiga and the band's long-time creative consultant Hisashi "Momo" Kitazawa, was unveiled on YouTube on the day of the album's release.

Documentaly was released on September 28 in three editions: a standard edition, a limited edition version featuring a 52-page special booklet and a bonus track, "Holy Dance (Like a Live Mix)", and a more expensive limited edition version featuring a DVD, on top of all of the additions on the other limited edition version. The DVD featured Documentaly Documentary, a 27-minute documentary focused on the recording process of "Endless" and "Document".

On December 14, Sakanaction released Sakanarchive: 2007-2011: Sakanaction Music Video-shū, a DVD compiling the band's music videos since their debut in 2007, including all of the music videos released for songs from Documentaly.{{cite web | url=http://ro69.jp/news/detail/60425 | script-title=ja:サカナクション、MV集に“ドキュメント”MV、“アルクアラウンド”メイキング、あの曲の振付映像などが収録 |publisher=Rockin' On Japan |date=November 19, 2011 | access-date=October 6, 2015}} The collection featured a new music video for the Documentaly track "Document", which the band were inspired to make due to the documentary footage included on Documentaly's visual media disc, showcasing the recording of "Document". The video, depicting a female stalker in Yamaguchi's home played by singer-songwriter Kanae Hoshiba, was recorded in Yamaguchi's own home on November 6, after the band finished their concert at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba.

In May 2012, "Monochrome Tokyo" was featured on Tokyo Compi: Aoban, an album compiling songs thematically linked to Tokyo.{{cite web | url=http://tower.jp/item/3082405/%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E3%81%93%E3%82%93%E3%81%B4-%E8%97%8D%E7%9B%A4 | script-title=ja:東京こんぴ 藍盤 |publisher=Tower Records | access-date=October 6, 2015}}

File:Makuhari Messe, North hall 1.jpg convention center (pictured).]]

In June, prior to the release of the single "Bach no Senritsu o Yoru ni Kiita Sei Desu", the band performed a six date tour of Japan's Zepp music halls, Sakanaquarium 2011: Zepp Alive.{{cite web | url=http://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000070362 | title=サカナクション、新曲リリース決定 | language=Japanese |publisher=Barks |date=May 31, 2011 | access-date=September 27, 2015}} Before the album's release, the band performed at several of the major Japanese summer music festivals: the Rock in Japan Festival on August 5, World Happiness on August 7, the Rising Sun Rock Festival on August 13 and at Space Shower Love Shower on August 21.{{cite web | url=http://ro69.jp/news/detail/55449 | script-title=ja:サカナクション、9月28日に5thアルバムをリリース |publisher=Rockin' On Japan |date=August 1, 2011 | access-date=October 6, 2015}} On September 8, 2011, Yamaguchi threw the ceremonial first pitch for the baseball match between the Yomiuri Giants and Chunichi Dragons.{{cite web | url=http://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000072610 | script-title=ja:サカナクション・山口一郎、9月8日の中日vs読売戦に登板決定 |publisher=Barks |date=August 22, 2011 | access-date=October 6, 2015}} Musica organised a listening party for the album, held at Liquidroom Ebisu in Tokyo on September 23.{{cite web |title=MUSICA＆ｻｶﾅｸｼｮﾝpresents ｻｶﾅｸｼｮﾝ 5thｱﾙﾊﾞﾑ 先行爆音試聴ﾊﾟｰﾃｨｰ |url=http://sakanaction.jp/mobile/news/2011/08/5th.html |language=Japanese |publisher=Hip Land Music Corporation Inc |date=August 11, 2011 |access-date=May 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502114428/http://sakanaction.jp/mobile/news/2011/03/post-19.html |archive-date=May 2, 2015}} The band toured the album from October to November with their Sakanaquarium 2011 tour, performing 15 dates at 13 venues in Japan, including the Zepp music halls and the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba.

Actor and singer Gen Hoshino held an event with Yamaguchi on December 15 to celebrate the release of both Documentaly and Hoshino's album Episode. The event was held at Tower Records Shibuya.{{cite web |title=ｻｶﾅｸｼｮﾝ『DocumentaLy』､星野源『ｴﾋﾟｿｰﾄﾞ』 ｱﾙﾊﾞﾑ同時ﾘﾘｰｽ記念公開Premium Ustream "ｻｹﾉｻｶﾅ" |url=http://sakanaction.jp/mobile/news/2011/09/documentaly-premium-ustream.html |language=Japanese |publisher=Hip Land Music Corporation Inc |date=September 16, 2011 |access-date=May 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124024543/http://www.excite.co.jp/music/close_up/1109_sakanaction/ |archive-date=January 24, 2013}} On February 24, 2012, the band performed an overseas concert in Taipei, Taiwan.{{cite web |title=本日､台湾台北ﾗｲﾌﾞ､USTREAM決定!! |url=http://sakanaction.jp/mobile/news/2012/02/ustream-2.html |language=Japanese |publisher=Hip Land Music Corporation Inc |date=February 24, 2012 |access-date=October 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502122824/http://sakanaction.jp/mobile/news/2012/01/highapps-in-taiwan-1.html |archive-date=May 2, 2015}} Both events were simultaneously broadcast on Ustream.

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = CDJournal

| rev1Score = (favorable)

| rev2 = Excite Japan

| rev2Score = (favorable)

| rev3 = Rolling Stone Japan

| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev4 = Vibe

| rev4Score = (favorable)

}}

The album was well received by music critics in Japan. Yuya Shimizu of Rolling Stone Japan gave the album four out of five stars, praising how the album blended DFA Records-style dance rock and minimal techno with their Japanese pop sensibilities, and also noting Yamaguchi's oddness and lyrical sense.{{cite web | title=サカナクション『DocumentaLy』 | url=http://www.rollingstonejapan.com/reviews/archive/documentaly/ | language=Japanese | author=Yuya Shimizu | publisher=Rolling Stone Japan | access-date=April 28, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428055845/http://www.rollingstonejapan.com/reviews/archive/documentaly/ | archive-date=April 28, 2015 | url-status=dead }} Kenta Eizumi of Vibe felt that Sakanaction expressed a strong sense of crisis happening in the contemporary Japanese music business on the album. By creating an album themed around documentaries, and giving the listener a chance to understand the entire creation process, Eizumi felt that Documentaly expressed the preciousness of music more so than other musical works.{{cite web | title=REVIEW サカナクション DocumentaLy | url=http://www.vibe-net.com/musicinfo/release/review/?record_cd=2261 | language=Japanese | author=Kenta Eizumi | publisher=Vibe | access-date=May 9, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508130446/http://www.vibe-net.com/musicinfo/release/review/?record_cd=2261 | archive-date=May 8, 2015 | url-status=usurped }} Looking at the album's central track "Endless", Shimizu felt that the song was an ambitious "compilation-like work", likening it to electronic musician Rei Harakami. CDJournal reviewers praised the "calm piano intro" that transitioned from the album's previous song "Ryūsen", and how the song progressed into "a Sakanaction-like electro and rock fusion sound". They praised Yamaguchi's lyrics, feeling they were "symbolic" and "like two recursive mirrors".{{cite web | title=サカナクション / DocumentaLy [限定] | url=http://artist.cdjournal.com/d/documentaly/4111080164 |language=Japanese | publisher=CDJournal | access-date=April 28, 2015}}

Naohisa Matsunaga of Excite felt that the album showed "the unfolding of a peculiarly intelligent and pop world", noting the album's "profound" band sound that adopted danceable electronic elements, as well as the "catchy and thrilling" sound progression.{{cite web | url=http://www.excite.co.jp/music/close_up/1109_sakanaction/ | title=クローズアップ サカナクション | language=Japanese |author=Naohisa Matsunaga |publisher=Excite Japan |date=September 26, 2011 | access-date=October 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124024543/http://www.excite.co.jp/music/close_up/1109_sakanaction/ |archive-date=January 24, 2013}} CDJournal called the album a "must listen disc", praising the increased skill of the "literary world" of Yamaguchi's lyrics, and the album's "fantasy-like nostalgia". They described "Monochrome Tokyo" as an "impressive rock number created by synthesizer and bass guitar riffs", praising the band's skill at removing musical elements as well as Yamaguchi's "emotionally sung" and "sexy" vocals. For "Antares to Hari", the reviewers felt that a "stylish jazz funk aroma" was created by a "relaxed" bass line and guitar cutting, and praised the light atmosphere created by the deep synths, while "Ryūsen"'s "comfortable" acoustic guitar "paints a dramatic and grand scene." They felt that the song managed to develop and increase in "temperature" without becoming noisy, and pointed to this as well as the "abstract" lyric {{nihongo|"ryūsen, arata ni ryūsen"|流線 新たに流線||"streamline, a new streamline"}} as creating a "mysterious atmosphere". The reviewers likened "Kamen to Machi" to Japanese electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra, and felt a sense of tension created by Yamaguchi's fast-tempo vocals and the changing background instrumental. They believed that the album's closing song "Document" was a condensation of the album's taste, and that the final lyric {{nihongo|"ai no uta utatte mo ii kana tte omoihajimeteru"|愛の歌 歌ってもいいかなって想い始めてる||"I'm starting to think that it's okay to sing love songs"}} set to a "relaxed and hopeful sound" had a powerfully lingering impression.

File:Yellow Magic Orchestra in 2008.jpg.]]

Reviewing the first single "Identity", CDJournal reviewers gave the single their star of approval, calling it the "highest [level of] pop music" and a future anthem for Sakanaction.{{cite web | title=サカナクション / アイデンティティ | url=http://artist.cdjournal.com/d/identity/4110051283 |language=Japanese | publisher=CDJournal | access-date=April 28, 2015}} They praised the "radical but considered electro sound" and the "danceable" four on the floor beat. They praised Yamaguchi's "unique" lyrical sense, as well as Yamaguchi's vocals at the start of the chorus as he sang the word dōshite, feeling it was "intense". Sumire Hanatsuka of Skream! felt that the song blended a Latin rhythm with the "spirits of a Japanese festival".{{cite web | title=DISC REVIEW サカナクション『アイデンティティ』 | url=http://skream.jp/diskreview/2010/08/sakanakution.php |language=Japanese | author=Sumire Hanatsuka| publisher=Geki-Rock Entertainment Inc. | access-date=April 28, 2015}} For the song's B-side, featured as a bonus track on the album, reviewer Yuichi Hirayama described the song as "an electro tune demanding an escape from anguish",{{cite web | title=クローズアップ サカナクション | url=http://www.excite.co.jp/music/close_up/1008_sakanaction/ |language=Japanese | author=Yuichi Hirayama |date=August 6, 2010 | publisher=Excite Japan | access-date=April 28, 2015}} feeling that it had all of the "power" of "Identity" and the other band's singles.{{cite web |url=http://music.emtg.jp/pickUp/20150806104463840 |title=レビュー |author=Yuichi Hirayama |publisher=EMTG |language=Japanese |access-date=August 12, 2015}} Reviewing the "Like a Live" remix found as the bonus track on Documentaly, CDJournal reviewers praised the song's "rhyme-like wordplay and exhilarating sound".

Critics praised the second single "Rookie" for its new style, not seen in previous Sakanaction works.{{cite web | title=音楽シーンに対してのカウンター | url=http://www.excite.co.jp/music/check/review/162.html |language=Japanese | publisher=Excite Japan | access-date=April 28, 2015}}{{cite web | title=DISC REVIEW サカナクション『ルーキー』 | url=http://www.hotexpress.co.jp/review/3014/ | language=Japanese | author=Tetsuo Hiraga | publisher=Plantech | access-date=April 28, 2015 | archive-date=March 4, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120131/http://www.hotexpress.co.jp/review/3014/ | url-status=dead }} The third single, "Bach no Senritsu o Yoru ni Kiita Sei Desu", was praised for its "ecstatic beat" and "elegant piano",{{cite web | title=DISC REVIEWサカナクション『バッハの旋律を夜に聴いたせいです。』 | url=http://skream.jp/diskreview/2011/08/post_39.php |language=Japanese |author=Toshitomo Doumei | publisher=Skream! | access-date=April 28, 2015}} and "smart dance music" sense.{{cite web | title=サカナクション / 『バッハの旋律を夜に聴いたせいです。』 [限定] | url=http://artist.cdjournal.com/d/-/4111041784 |language=Japanese | publisher=CDJournal | access-date=April 28, 2015}} Dai Onojima of Rockin' On Japan felt the song felt simple compared to the busy arrangement of "Rookie", and that it was one of the band's songs most strongly structured as a pop song.{{cite web | title=成長と自信 | url=http://ro69.jp/disc/detail/54711 |language=Japanese |author=Dai Onojima | publisher=Rockin' On Japan | access-date=April 28, 2015}} Reviewing the single's B-side "Years", CDJournal felt that it was an "ambient-taste electro song that develops through its triple metre," and praised Yamaguchi's lyrics as "hopeful" and "poignant".

The album was one of thirteen prize-winning entries in the 2012 CD Shop Awards, an award chosen by music store staff across Japan,{{cite web | url=http://ro69.jp/news/detail/63313 | script-title=ja:「CDショップ大賞」、サカナ・星野源・高橋優・マンウィズ・back numberなど7作品が入賞 |publisher=Rockin' On Japan |date=January 27, 2012 | access-date=October 6, 2015}} however the band lost the grand award to idol group Momoiro Clover Z's debut album Battle and Romance.{{cite web | url=http://www.cdshop-kumiai.jp/?page_id=2688 | script-title=ja:第4回CDショップ大賞 全日本CDショップ店員組合 | publisher=All-Japan CD Shop Clerks Union | access-date=October 6, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319132755/http://www.cdshop-kumiai.jp/?page_id=2688 | archive-date=March 19, 2015 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }} iTunes Japan awarded Documentaly the best album of the year award at their annual iTunes Rewind 2011 awards, chosen from among the 100 most commercially successful albums on the platform.{{cite web | url=http://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000075375 | script-title=ja:2011年に最もダウンロードされた作品は？ 「iTunes Rewind 2011」発表 |publisher=Barks |date=December 9, 2011 | access-date=October 6, 2015}}

The album debuted at number two on Japan's Oricon albums chart underneath South Korean boyband TVXQ's Tone, selling 46,000 copies. Rival sales tracking agency SoundScan Japan found that the majority of copies sold in the first week were of the limited CD/DVD edition of the album, which accounted for 40,000 of the sold copies.{{cite web | title=アルバム ランキング TOP20 2011年9月26日〜2011年10月2日 調査分 | url=http://www.phileweb.com/ranking/cd-top20/1561.html |language=Japanese | work=SoundScan Japan |publisher=Ongen Publishing Co., ltd. |date=October 2, 2010 | access-date=May 2, 2015}} The limited CD-only edition of the album accounted for 6,000 copies, while the standard edition did not sell enough copies to chart in the top 20 albums released that week. In its first month, the album was certified by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for over 100,000 copies of the album shipped to music stores across Japan. The album spent an additional five weeks in the top fifty, and continued to chart in the top 300 until February 2012. The album re-entered the top 300 from April to October 2012, and for a third chart-run from January to May 2013. In January 2014, the album re-entered the top 300 for a single week, bringing the total weeks on the chart to 62. In the album's chart run, it managed to sell a total of 103,000 copies.

{{track listing

| headline =

| all_lyrics = Ichiro Yamaguchi

| total_length = 49:00

| title1 = RL

| music1 = Sakanaction

| length1 = 0:42

| title2 = Identity

| note2 = {{nihongo2|アイデンティティ}} Aidentiti

| music2 = Yamaguchi

| length2 = 4:10

| title3 = Monochrome Tokyo

| note3 = {{nihongo2|モノクロトウキョー}} Monokuro Tōkyō

| music3 = Yamaguchi

| length3 = 3:58

| title4 = Rookie

| note4 = {{nihongo2|ルーキー}} Rūkī

| music4 = Yamaguchi

| length4 = 5:21

| title5 = Antares to Hari

| note5 = {{nihongo2|アンタレスと針}} Antaresu to Hari, "Antares and the Stinger"

| music5 = Yamaguchi

| length5 = 4:02

| title6 = Kamen no Machi

| note6 = {{nihongo2|仮面の街}}, "Mask Town"

| music6 = Yamaguchi

| length6 = 3:35

| title7 = Ryūsen

| note7 = {{nihongo2|流線}}, "Streamline Wave"

| music7 = Yamaguchi

| length7 = 6:05

| title8 = Endless

| note8 = {{nihongo2|エンドレス}} Endoresu

| music8 = Yamaguchi

| length8 = 3:47

| title9 = Documentary

| music9 = Sakanaction

| length9 = 4:08

| title10 = Bach no Senritsu o Yoru ni Kiita Sei Desu

| note10 = {{nihongo2|『バッハの旋律を夜に聴いたせいです。』}}, "It's Because of Listening to Bach Melodies at Night"

| music10 = Yamaguchi

| length10 = 4:00

| title11 = Years

| music11 = Yamaguchi

| length11 = 4:23

| title12 = Document

| note12 = {{nihongo2|ドキュメント}} Dokyumento

| music12 = Yamaguchi

| length12 = 4:49

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Limited edition bonus track

| total_length = 54:15

| title13 = Holy Dance (Like a Live Mix)

| note13 = {{nihongo2|ホーリーダンス}} Hōrī Dansu

| music13 = Yamaguchi

| length13 = 5:14

}}

{{track listing

| headline = DVD: Documentaly Documentary

| total_length = 27:12

| title1 = Endless

| length1 = 21:46

| title2 = Document

| length2 = 5:26

}}

Personnel details were sourced from Documentaly's liner notes booklet.{{cite AV media notes |title=Documentaly |others=Sakanaction |year=2011 |language=Japanese |publisher=Victor Entertainment |location=Tokyo, Japan}}

Sakanaction

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• All members – arrangement, production, composition (#1, #9)
• Keiichi Ejima – drums
• Motoharu Iwadera – guitar
• Ami Kusakari – bass guitar
• Emi Okazaki – keyboards
• Ichiro Yamaguchi – vocals, guitar, lyrics, composition (#2-8, #10-13)

{{div col end}}

Personnel and imagery

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Masahito Arai – video producer
• Yohei Hanyuda – DVD authoring engineer
• Daisuke Ishizaka – photography
• Minoru Iwabuchi – executive producer (Victor Entertainment)
• Jun Iwasaki – Documentaly Documentary director
• Kamikene – design, art direction
• Kotaro Kojima – mastering
• Hayato Kumaki – manager
• Kensuke Maeda – assistant engineer for Alive Recording Studio
• Tatsuya Nomura – A&R producer (Hip Land Music Corporation)
• Aki Okiyama – coordination
• Masaki Shinozuka – Documentaly Documentary producer
• Yuchiro Soshi – coordination
• Yoriko Sugimoto – A&R director
• Satoshi Tajima – executive producer (Hip Land Music Corporation)
• Masashi Uramoto – mixing, recording
• Wataru Woka – sales promoter
• Satoshi Yamagami – A&R promoter
• Naoki Yokota – executive producer (Victor Entertainment)

{{div col end}}

{{reflist|2}}

{{Sakanaction}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Documentaly}}

Category:2011 albums

Category:2010s Japanese-language albums

Category:Sakanaction albums

Category:Victor Entertainment albums