Everything is too gorgeous!　The special unit "KOTOKO x ALTIMA" CD is finally here!

KOTOKO has combined (collaborated) with "ALTIMA," a unit consisting of motsu (MOTSU), formerly of m.o.v.e., sat (SAT) of fripSide, and Maon Kurosaki (MAON). The special unit with heavyweight members is "KOTOKO x ALTIMA. It has been about six months since the announcement of their formation last November. Finally, their first work will be released as a CD. It is "PLASMIC FIRE," the main theme of the movie "Accel World - Infinite Burst. The song was a flashy number that did not disappoint!

I was actually worried that our two voices would be too close to each other.

KOTOKO×ALTIMA" can only be described as a special unit. Anyway, it's amazing that these four have come together. Could you tell us how you came to work together?

SAT KOTOKO sang the ending theme "unfinished" for the first season of the TV anime "Accel World," and I contributed the music. I provided the music for the opening theme "Burst The Gravity" for the second season, and ALTIMA sang the opening theme "Burst The Gravity" for the third season, so Warner suggested that we work closely together on the music for "Accel World - Infinite Burst". That was the direct trigger.

I have worked with the members of KOTOKO ALTIMA many times at events, and we have become good friends. We had often talked about how it would be great if we could work together someday, so I was happy that it was finally here.

MAON ALTIMA has covered one of KOTOKO's songs, and I have felt a connection with them for a long time. I had always wanted to work with them, so I am happy that my wish has finally come true.

MOTSU The first thing I thought about when the four of us decided to work together was how we should pose (laughs). (Laughs) After much deliberation, we came up with the diamond pose, and since it felt right, I was convinced that "this will definitely be a good unit! I was convinced that this was going to be a great unit.

─ ─ What did you think about when creating "PLASMIC FIRE"?

SAT Since it is a song from "Accel World," I was conscious of following in the footsteps of "unfinished" and "Burst The Gravity," and I wanted to create a sense of collaboration unique to KOTOKO and ALTIMA. I have been working with "Accel World" for a long time and have a lot of love and understanding for the work, so the music itself was very easy to write. However, I couldn't predict what would happen when KOTOKO's and MAON's voices would overlap until the recording. I was actually worried that they would clash with each other.

KOTOKO I also felt that I had to be prepared to work with ALTIMA, because I had been watching MAON and MOTSU's power for a long time, and I knew that they were very powerful. I had to find out how I could make the most of my strengths in the midst of them.

SAT You can't tell how the voices will work together until you try it out. As a result, I am glad that it turned out to be a good, cohesive piece.

KOTOKO wrote the lyrics, and MOTSU did the rap parts.

KOTOKO The song that SAT wrote was designed so that MAON and I could interact with each other, so we worked accordingly. Of course, the main theme of the "Accel World" song was "acceleration," but when I read the scenario of this work, I felt that it was a story about the bonds between the characters. Since "bond" is also connected to the theme of KOTOKO x ALTIMA, I wrote the lyrics with "acceleration" as the two pillars.

─ ─ "Accel World - Infinite Burst" is an original story written by the original author, Reki Kawahara (scenario by Hiroyuki Yoshino). What did you think of the story?

KOTOKO Well, you'll have to wait and see more, but I felt that it was a story in which the characters, who have grown stronger through the battles of the TV series, are now tested to see what they can do for their friends.

MOTSU I also read the scenario and made a rap song. I focused on how I could speed up the song and how I could have a fun dialogue with the audience at the live performance.

SAT: MOTSU gave me a lot of ideas for the rap part, and we flexibly changed them during the recording session. We had all the staff participate, but it was MOTSU's manager who shouted "Yeah" in the best way (laughs).

MOTSU He had a wild voice (laughs). I would like to encourage the audience to shout out loud during the live performance.