I'm Araragi Koyomi... Unexpected confession by Arisa Takigawa, who sings "Sayonara no Yukue," the ED song of "Shin Megami Monogatari.

Singer-songwriter Arisa Takigawa made her debut in March 2015 with "Season," the ending theme for the TV anime "Seven Deadly Sins. The song was much talked about because it was a newcomer who was suddenly appointed to the position. Her third single will soon be released: "Sayonara no Yukue," the ED of the TV anime "Hanamonogatari. When I read the original novel, I felt the similarities between my past self and the main character, Koyomi Araragi. This led to the creation of this single, in which all three songs are about confronting one's past self.

I started playing in a band in the second year of junior high school, and from the beginning I was making originals.

─ I heard that you have been playing in a band for a long time.

Takigawa: I started when I was in the second year of junior high school and played until I was over 20 years old. I was fortunate to be in a junior high school that had a light music club and a studio on campus. I wanted to make my debut with that band and tried my best, but it didn't work out. I ended up going solo, and here I am.

─ You are a singer-songwriter now, when did you start writing songs?

Takigawa: About the same time I started a band. I hardly played any copied songs (laughs). I regretted it at times. I thought it would be better to copy a variety of songs so I could learn the basics. That is why I started copying songs later.

─ ─ It is amazing that you were able to create originals right from the start.

Takigawa: It was totally terrible (laughs). (laughs) But my stance is the same now. I play at home and write melodies and words at the same time.

─ ─ The lyrics you write are unique. Are you often told that you have a different worldview from others?

Takigawa: I am often told that. I choose words consciously in many aspects. I have been influenced by Yumi, Tatsuro Yamashita, and Japanese rock from the 1980s. Japanese is not a simple language, after all. There are many ways to say one thing, and I find that interesting. I also wanted to use expressions that were different from those of other people, so I developed my own unique way of saying things.

─ ─ What do you think is unique about your lyrics?

Takigawa: I like songs that show scenery, so I wanted to write songs like that myself. Or songs that are like a movie. Ideally, I would like to write a song that is like a movie, where the listener is immersed in the world of the song, including the lyrics and the soundscape, and the song is complete on its own. I also think that songs with a sense of the seasons are my characteristic.

─ I heard that you also like taking photographs.

Takigawa: Yes, I do. Photography has been a hobby of mine since I was in junior high school. When I look at a landscape photo, a song often comes to mind.

─ ─ Unfortunately, the band broke up in 2012, didn't it?

Takigawa: Yes. From then on, I was stuck in a swamp of loneliness (laughs). I stopped playing live, I couldn't write any songs at all, and there was a period of time when I just faced myself and felt depressed.

─ ─ But that period of your life has now become a fertilizer for your expression, hasn't it?

Takigawa: Yes, I think so. Now I feel that way (laughs).

─ ─ You began your activities as a solo artist and finally made your major label debut in March of this year. Your debut song "Season" was the ending theme for the TV anime "The Seven Deadly Sins. What prompted the tie-up?

Takigawa: The staff of "The Seven Deadly Sins" liked my song and offered it to me even before my debut. I was really happy to hear about the anime tie-up. I didn't think I would have the opportunity to be involved in another work from the very beginning. Moreover, I had been reading "The Seven Deadly Sins" for a long time. So I was very excited to write a song as a fan.

───How did you feel when you saw your song being played on TV?

Takigawa: At first I couldn't believe it was me, and it wasn't until about the 5th episode that I finally realized, "Oh, it's my song" (laughs). (Laughs.) It was a Sunday evening anime, so someone I knew happened to be watching it and contacted me. I hadn't been in touch with anyone for a long time, so everyone was like, "We can finally confirm that you're alive! (laughs).

Meeting "A Tale to End All Stories" helped me face my past.

─ So your friends could tell that you were doing well thanks to the TV show (laughs). After the 2nd single "Natsu no Hana (Summer Flowers)," the 3rd single "Sayonara no Yukue (Sayonara no Yukue)" is once again tied up with a TV anime. It is the ending theme song for the TV anime "Ending Story.

Takigawa: I am very happy. When I was in high school, the "Monogatari" series started airing and all the anime-loving kids at school were talking about it. I had never seen the series, but when I heard about the tie-up, I checked out the original novel and the anime. I was surprised to find that the story of "Life Story" had a lot to do with my own life. I am the Araragi Koyomi (laughs).

(laughs) ─ So you had the same experience as Araragi?

Takigawa: I really had a lot of similar experiences, and I was so emotionally involved that there were parts of the novel that were difficult for me to read. The human relationships depicted in the novel were more painful to me than the stories related to the mysterious things. Like Araragi, I was unaware of who I had hurt and where, and when I was 20 years old and on my own, I would often find myself on train platforms and suddenly realize that I had hurt my friends with my words when I went to school. So I would stand there on the platform. I felt as if I was reading my own autobiography, even though the story is about Koyomi Araragi. So I thought I should write about myself for the ending theme.

───That is how I ended up with "Sayonara no Yukue" (Sayonara no Yukue). This song contains your memories of your teenage years, doesn't it?

Takigawa: Yes, it does. After the summer vacation, for some reason, things didn't go well from the second semester with the kids I had gotten along with up until then. At that time, the atmosphere I was feeling after school was very similar to the after-school atmosphere depicted in "All Last Tales". Rather than being disliked, I think it was me at that time, feeling more and more different from each other because we were too awkward to talk to each other. I created "Sayonara no Yukue" with this theme in mind. I wrote the first and second parts of this song from the perspective of both men and women. I tried to depict the feelings of the two, which cannot be understood only from the first person's point of view.

───That must be what you want to say to your past self as well.

Takigawa: That's right. When I was writing the lyrics, it was quite painful, as if I was gouging out a wound, but I think it gave me a chance to face the past. I am glad that I came across "A Tale to End All Stories.

─ ─ While it depicts deep feelings, the melody line is very cheerful, isn't it?

Takigawa: I'm an ama-no-jaku (laugh). I felt that if I made the song sad with these lyrics, it would not be able to save the song. I added the word "yukuue" to the title because I wanted to say that there is hope beyond good-bye. I think the song became a song about using the fact that I have crossed paths with you as food for living, and living a positive life.

─ The beautiful chorus at the beginning of the song is one of its main features.

Takigawa: "Sayonara no Yukue" has a lot of chorus work in various parts. I started with the chorus because I wanted to give the impression of a quick transition from the story of "Ending Story" to the world of this song. I also wanted to express that there are many versions of myself in this song, from my teenage years to the present, by layering my voice on top of the chorus. It may be self-satisfaction, but that's what I wanted to express in this song.

─ ─ The chorus has a very deep meaning, doesn't it? How many voices are layered in that chorus?

Takigawa: I layered five or six voices and then doubled them. It is truly a layer of life (laughs). (Laughs.) Also, I think the chorus gives the audience a sense of the season, like autumn just before winter.

─ ─ The ending of the film has a different worldview from that of the main film, doesn't it?

Takigawa: The trolley ride. That image is also interesting. There is a coupling song called "How to Get Off the Galactic Railroad," and I felt it was connected to the worldview of that song. Of course, it was just a coincidence.