From "piece of youth" to "imaginary triangle," ChouCho's two singles offer a taste of youth

ChouCho is releasing "Imaginary Triangle," the ending theme song for the TV anime "Haruchika: Haruta to Chika wa Seishun suru. She also released "piece of youth," the theme song for "Girls und Panzer: The Movie" last November. Both of these songs are about youth. However, the scenes and feelings depicted in each song are different and can be found at ....... ChouCho talked about the freshness of the two songs, including her own memories of her high school days.

I wrote the lyrics based on the theme of unexplainable feelings unique to youth.

─ "Imaginary Triangle" was composed and arranged by Masato Nakayama, wasn't it?

ChouCho Yes. I haven't worked with Mr. Nakayama since our debut single "Kawarumirai" (OP of the TV anime "God's Memocho"), so it's been about four and a half years since we last worked together. The piano phrase in the intro is stylish, and I thought it was cool from the moment I heard the demo. I have never sung a song with such a strong beat before, so I think this song shows a new side of me.

─ You wrote the lyrics yourself, didn't you, ChouCho?

ChouCho: First of all, I read the original story of "Haruchika" to get an idea of what I wanted to write. It was a well-structured mystery, and the writing was easy to read. Above all, the love story between Chika (Chinatsu Homura) and Haruta (Shunta Kamijo) was interesting.

Chika-chan (Chinatsu Homura) and Hartha (Shunta Kamijo) are in a love triangle over their brass band advisor, Kusakabe-sensei, after all.

ChouCho It is surprising to see a girl and a boy fall in love with the band advisor, isn't it (laughs)?

───As the title "Imaginary Triangle" suggests, is the theme of the lyrics also a love triangle?

ChouCho I wanted to express two motifs together: the blurred and unexplainable feelings of adolescence and the love triangle. So there are many antonyms in the lyrics, such as "yes or no," "expectation and anxiety," "relief and frustration," "superiority and inferiority," and so on. The melody and rhythm are impressive, so I wanted to put words on the sound that would make the most of them. I chose words that not only have meaning in the lyrics, but also feel rhythmical when you listen to them.

───There are also musical terms such as "harmony," "melody," and "crescendo" scattered throughout the song, aren't there?

ChouCho Since the story takes place in a brass band, I was conscious of that as well. On the other hand, I didn't include so much mystery in the lyrics. The last phrase, "Let's go look for the 'answer'" just makes it sound like a riddle to be solved. The theme of "youth" came first in my mind.

─ ─ The opening phrase, "The monochrome world begins to move, now" is also impressive.

ChouCho I think that the moment when love is born is the moment when the world that had no color before becomes colorful and starts to shine. I started with this phrase because I wanted to express how the world changes the moment you find something important, not just love.

─ What did you pay attention to in the vocals?

ChouCho: To express the beat firmly. I sang the second and fourth beats strongly, and I made a lot of other invisible efforts.

───What are your impressions of the on-air video of the ED?

ChouCho I like the direction of the video, which gives us a look back at the events of that episode number. It was fun to see Chika and Hartha running briskly, and to see them in their casual clothes. Especially, Hartha's casual wear was well-received by the people around me. He looks mature and cool.

───Which character in "Haruchika" do you pay particular attention to?

ChouCho: Miyoko Narushima. Her tsundere personality and the way she looks when she is embarrassed are really cute. I get a crush on her every time I see her (laughs). I also think it's cute that she gets pushed around by Chika. All the characters in "Haruchika" are attractive, and the images are beautiful, so I watch the show in real time quite often.

The coupling song was composed by Junichi Sato, leader of fhána

─ ─ The coupling song "Tomorrow is another day" was composed by Junichi Sato, leader of fhána. This is a very gentle song.

ChouCho This is the third time I have sung a song by Mr. Sato, and he has written a wonderful song for us this time as well. The melody is just so shining and attractive. When I listen to it, I can't help but hum along.

─ I felt that this song has a distinctive melody line.

It is different from "looping star" included in ChouCho' s first album "flyleaf" and "life is blue back" which was a coupling song for the TV anime "Girls und Panzer" OP "DreamRiser". I thought it was a song with warmth and gentleness. I was inspired by the melody and wrote the lyrics on the theme of what I think is important. I think that the closer we are to our family and friends, the more we take their presence for granted and often forget to say "thank you. I wanted to express the importance of human relationships that are often overlooked.

─ The vocals also have a very gentle atmosphere, don't they?

ChouCho Yes, it does. But since the song has a bouncy rhythm, I was conscious of singing in an R&B-like manner.

───Did you emphasize rhythm in both songs for this single?

ChouCho Yes, which is rare for me (laughs).