Yuuka Aisaka makes her solo debut!　High-quality vocals on "Transparent Night Sky" overflowing with tenderness

Voice actress Yuuka Aisaka, nicknamed "Aisaka-kun" by her fans, has long been known for her singing ability. Now she is finally making her debut as a solo artist. Her memorable debut song is "Transparent Night Sky," the ending theme song for the TV anime "Activ Raid: Mobile Assault Room No. 8," in which she also plays the role of You Yamabuki. It is a fresh and gentle pop song. She also tried her hand at writing lyrics for the coupling song "Impulse". We talked with her about the story behind the jacket shoot and her struggle to become a voice actor!

I realized after singing "Invisible Night Sky" that I actually like sad expressions.

─ ─ "Invisible Night Sky" is a very refreshing song, isn't it?

Aisaka Thank you very much. It was played at the end of the main story in the first episode, and I was happy to hear several comments from viewers that the way the song came in matched the scene.

─ ─ "Activ Raid" is a science fiction story, but at the same time it has elements of a coming-of-age anime through work, and "Transparent Night Sky" is a song that focuses on that.

Aisaka: I think it is the perfect song for the exhilarating feeling after solving a case. I hope you are smiling," the song says to those who are working hard, and that is the feeling I had for the members of the Eighth, and also the feeling I wanted to deliver to everyone away from the anime. I was able to sing it with a smile.

─ I heard that it is a difficult song with a range of two octaves.

Aisaka: I thought it was difficult because of the drastic rise and fall of the notes. The chorus was especially difficult, but I am a competitive singer, so I was determined to do my best. We re-recorded the song many times to make it better. Recording was a series of challenges, but now I have nothing but fond memories of how much fun it was.

─ I felt that you put a lot of importance on the lyrics and sang each word with a lot of emotion.

Aisaka Really?　I am so happy to hear you say so, it brings tears to my eyes. As an artist, I discussed with lyricist Mako Yamamoto what I wanted to convey to listeners, and she wrote wonderful lyrics, so I sang every word with all my heart.

─ Did you practice a lot before the recording?

Aisaka: I didn't really practice hard, but I did try many times to find out how much fun I could have singing the song, and I worked on it before the actual recording. I think it was good that we were able to sing the song many times in the studio, first for key matching, then for the band's recording, and finally for the actual vocal recording. When I listened to the first take I sang in key after it was completed, I realized that I had sung without thinking (laughs). (Laughs.) I realized that every step of the process was not a waste of time.

─ What is your favorite part of the song?

Aisaka I like the A-melody of the second verse, which shows the song's brightness mixed with sadness the best. I like the A-melody of the second verse the best. It is the part that is not played on air.

─ That's the part with the lyric "Overflowing tears, sinking the world. I felt your singing voice became more sad.

Aisaka: I sang this part as if my heart was being squeezed tightly. I usually sing cheerful and upbeat songs, but I realized for the first time through "Invisible Night Sky" that I actually like sad expressions. I felt that this kind of expression was the closest to what I wanted to convey.

As a human being, I want to be kind.

─ You have sung several songs under the name of your characters in "Sakura Trick" and "Amagi Brilliant Park," for which you have appeared in the past, and you have a reputation for your excellent singing ability. But since this is your debut as an artist, you must have felt differently about tackling these songs than you have in the past, didn't you?

Aisaka That's right. Character songs are content that allows us to learn more and more about the characters, and I have sung them with the hope of expressing the true feelings of the characters that are not told in the main story through song. This time, since the song was to be released under the name of Yuuka Aisaka, I went into the recording process with an emphasis on my true feelings, or rather, what I wanted to convey. If I am allowed to sing under the name of Yuuka Aisaka, I hope I can express myself in a way that only Yuuka Aisaka can, in her own words, and in her own way of singing.

─ ─ What is Aisaka Yuuka's true intention?

Aisaka: In the course of our lives, we all sometimes experience pain and sadness. I don't think a song that says, "Cheer up" is the right song for me. Rather than saying, "Hang in there," I think it is better to say, "Don't worry," and to be there for them, which is more suited to my feelings. During the production, I talked many times with the staff about how I wanted to express myself in a gentle way.

───What made you decide to pursue your current job in the first place?

Aisaka: I have loved anime and manga since I was a child, but what really made me want to become a voice actor was when my favorite manga was made into an anime and I saw a DVD of a live performance by the voice actors. When I saw how they expressed their characters not only through acting but also through singing, I decided to try my hand at voice acting. I had always liked singing, and I thought that voice acting was an amazing profession that allowed me to create a world through various forms of expression.

───When did you start taking your career seriously?

Aisaka: Around the time I was in my second or third year of high school.

───What was the path from there to your debut?

Aisaka There were so many conflicts that I don't even know what to tell you. In the beginning, I was too concerned about what people thought of me. People would say to me, "You're a nihaka, you don't really like anime. You don't really like anime, do you? But I thought to myself, "Everyone has their own level of liking, and I should cherish the feeling of liking that I have inside me. Besides, voice acting is a job that involves acting and singing in front of people, so I couldn't do anything if I was worried about what other people would think.

So I decided to be myself first.

Aisaka: When I first started going to technical school, I was not used to expressing myself in front of people. It was hard for me to break out of my shell, which I had closed myself in and wondered what I should do. But gradually, I became able to perform in front of everyone, and when it became my job, I had no feelings of embarrassment from the beginning. I think I was able to do what everyone else was aiming for, which was to express myself in the best possible way.

─ ─ What do you feel at the site of "Activ Raid"?

Aisaka: In previous productions, the actors were mainly young, but "Activ Raid" has people of all ages, and there is a calm atmosphere. I have learned a lot from the veterans, not only in their performances, but I have also noticed that they always give off a good vibe. I would like to always be kind, and I would like to fix my habit of being a little jumpy when dealing with people (laughs).

─ ─ As for your singing, I think you give off a very good vibe, you are gentle, and you are very confident.