Aisaka-kun releases himself in the blue sea of Okinawa!　The exhilarating 2nd single "Cerulean Squash" is now available!

Voice actress and artist Yuuka Aisaka, aka "Aisaka-kun," has released her second single. Following her debut single "Transparent Night Sky," it is the theme song for the TV anime "Activ Raid: The Eighth Section" and is the opening theme this time. The music video and jacket photo were shot in Okinawa. The music video and jacket photo were shot in Okinawa!

The song has a refreshing, summery feel to it.

─ ─ Since it was released in August, "Cerulean Squash" has a very summery title and sound.

Aisaka: Like "Transparent Night Sky," this song was composed by Sunao Tokizawa, but this time it is the opening theme, so it is an up-tempo song with a penetrating brightness. The sound also has a strong rock flavor, which I think makes the song more like me.

The beginning of the chorus is also very OP.

Aisaka: There is an interlude after the opening chorus, and I was wondering if there would be a narration there like in the first season.　I was looking forward to it, and I was happy to see that it turned out just as I had hoped.

─ The title "cerulean squash" sounds cool, but what is the meaning behind it?

Aisaka: After I wrote the lyrics, I thought about it with the staff. I wanted a summery, refreshing feeling, and there is a line in the lyrics that says "azure and shining," so I wanted to add an image of blue. We searched for a word that would mean blue without being too cold, and we found "cerulean blue," and we said, "Cerulean, isn't that good?" And we all nodded to each other. We then added "squash" to it to give it a more refreshing feeling.

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

Aisaka: I wrote them on the theme of "new life. I think I was able to write about the excitement and anxiety of a new life in my own words, something I have experienced before. Although the tone of the song is cheerful, I did not just make the lyrics about hope, but also included a bit of depression to make the lyrics more realistic. I think it was also good that it was spring when I wrote the lyrics.

─ I liked the way the song started out with an anxious feeling and then brightened up toward the chorus.

Aisaka: In the A melody, I dared to write about the anxiety of a new life. From there, the chorus goes straight into the heart of the song.

─ I got the impression that the lyrics in the first chorus are directed to all those who have started a new life, and that the "active raid" feeling is heightened in the second chorus.

Aisaka: Indeed, the second chorus has a stronger battle element. I thought that after overcoming anxiety, the next step would be to devote themselves to their work with all their might. It was easy for me to write because I could imagine everyone at Daihachi working.

─ ─ In the second season, the positions of the members of Daihachi have changed quite a bit. Some of them have clearly entered new lives.

Aisaka That's right. Sena-san became the president of a cleaning company in Nagoya, and Asami-san moved to Osaka. In addition, Daihachi has added a new member.

─ What is going on with Yo?

Aisaka: At the end of the first season, she found out that her sister was the boss of Daihachi, and it seems that she will be more involved with Daihachi in the future. It seems that she will be in a new environment, a little different from her past life as a normal high school girl, so the lyrics of "Cerulean Squash" may be related to Yoh's thoughts.

─ ─ You played an active role in the climax of the first season.

Aisaka: I was happy to be a key person in the story, but because of what happened to Hachijo-senpai, I was left with a sense of sadness. Personally, I was like, "Hachijo, damn ......" (laughs). I felt sorry for Yo and was squeamish. I want to see a happy Yoh, and I want to play him, so my expectations for the second season are high.

──You and Hachijo have been through a lot, and at the Blu-ray&DVD release event held on July 3, the scene where Yoh hugged Hachijo was a topic of conversation among the cast members.

Aisaka: I and Murata-san (Taishi), who plays Hachijo, both mentioned that scene in our "memorable scenes" list (laughs). It was so funny during postrecording that the cast was momentarily taken aback and burst into laughter. The sound director told Ms. Murata to do the line "I love you" in a mousy way, and I was amazed that she was able to do exactly that.

─ ─ At the July 3 event, Mr. Murata also did a mousy reenactment of "I love you," which was interesting.