Interview with the cast of "Minamikamakura High School Girls Bicycle Club" in commemoration of the release of the character song CD! Part 1: Rena Ueda as Hiromi Maishun

The TV anime "Minami Kamakura High School Girls Bicycle Club" Character Song Collection Kamakore is set to be released on April 19, 2017.
To celebrate its release, Akiba Research Institute conducted interviews with the cast members participating in the CD.
The first interview is with Rena Ueda, who plays the main character Hiromi Maiharu. She talked about her impressions of the two songs she sang: "Start Line," a refreshing character song inspired by spring, and "Nijiyume Road," a duet with Yuki Hirose, who plays Tomoe Akizuki, and covers the song!

───What are your impressions after the recording?

Rena Ueda (Ueda) I was nervous at first because it was the first time for me to sing as Hiromi. First of all, I sang the character song "Start Line." I think I was able to sing this song with optimistic, cheerful, and a bit screwed up tension, just like Hiromi always does. I really like the melody of this song. Especially the melody of the chorus is a little bit un-Japanese or ....... It is neither Japanese nor Western, it is more like Chinese food. I felt that this feeling, which is not so familiar in her daily life, represents Hiromi riding her bicycle and enjoying herself by stepping out of her usual high school life. I feel that this melody fits the image of the bicycle as something that makes Hiromi feel different and a little thrilled to be a part of it. The highlight of the song is the last verse, "I can say I love you. I can feel the feeling of "I can say I love you" as the song progresses, as I fall more and more in love with the different scenery, the bicycles, and my friends.

─ If you were to make an animated film, how would you envision the visuals?

Ueda: In the first episode, there is a scene in which I look at the bicycle from the side with the monologue "I could ride a bicycle," and I sang the song remembering that scene. The lyrics also say "cherry blossom snowstorm," and there was a scene in the first episode of the anime where Hiromi meets Tomoe in the midst of dancing cherry blossoms, so I sang the song with the image of Hiromi riding her bicycle in the sparkling warm sunlight with the cherry blossoms dancing.

─ How did you feel when you sang the ending theme song "Nijiyume Road"?

Ueda: The duet with Tomoe, "Nijiyume Road," had a slightly rockier groove and a tension that Hiromi didn't have before, so it was more difficult to sing this song. When I was practicing, I was always wondering how I should sing it. I sang the song many times during recording, and finally I realized that I couldn't sing it with the original Hiromi's tension, so I sang it with the attitude of "Hiromi singing a rock song," which is exactly what I was trying to do in the bicycle race.

─ Was it like you were singing while exploring Hiromi's character?

Ueda: Usually when I sing character songs, I imagine that my character is singing next to or in front of me, but for "Nijiyume Road," I kept thinking, "How can I get Hiromi to come out? Finally, I realized that I lacked the "challenging attitude. From there, the image of "Hiromi taking on a rock song" gradually came to mind, and I changed my singing position from standing upright to bending over a bit, as if I was riding a bicycle. It took me a long time to get to that point, and it was so difficult that I finally found the answer in the latter half of the recording. I hope this song will convey the charm of the characters.

─ By the way, do you have any bicycle episodes yourself?

Ueda: When I was a student, it was very far from my house to school, so I rode my bicycle to school. In my case, riding a bicycle is not so much an escape from my daily life or a thrill to step into a new landscape, but rather something that I take for granted and is part of my daily life.

─ ─ Finally, do you have a message for our readers?

Ueda: If Hiromi went to karaoke, would she sing like this? Or, would she play like this when she sings a duet with Tomoe? I would be very happy if you could enjoy Hiromi's unique singing.　We look forward to hearing from you.

CD Information

TV anime "Minamikamakura High School Girls Bicycle Club" character song collection "Kamakore

Release date: April 19

Price: 2,200 yen (tax not included)

Release date: April 19 ・Sales agency: EXIT TUNES
・Sales agency: Pony Canyon Inc.

Included in the album

01. Bicycle ni Hana ha Maiu (TV Edit) / Natsumi Higa (CV. Natsumi Fujiwara) & Fuyune Kamikura (CV. Natsumi Takamori) [Words & Music: Shinya Tanaka, Arrangement: Manon Kushita].

02. Start Line / Hiromi Maiharu (CV. Rena Ueda) [Words & Music: Lamaze P].

03.Natsuiro Bicycle / Natsumi Higa(CV.Natsumi Fujiwara) [Composed and arranged by Penta Inaba, lyrics by Iori Momose].

Blue Treasure / Tomoe Akizuki (CV.Yuki Hirose) [Lyrics by Yuki, music composed and arranged by Starving Trancer].

05. Absolute! Wonder Snow / Fuyune Kamikura（CV.Natsumi Takamori）[Words & Music by Pusu].

Nijiyume Road (TV Edit) / Hiromi Maiharu (CV. Rena Ueda) & Tomoe Akizuki (CV. Yuki Hirose) [lyrics by 164, music by Ryu*, arrangement by Mitsuyasu Yanagita].

Write a review and receive autographs of each of the four "Minamikamakura High School Girls Bicycle Club" cast members!

In commemoration of the release of "TV Animation "Minami Kamakura High School Girls Bicycle Club" Character Songs Collection Kamakore," a campaign has started to give away autographs of Ms. Ueda and the other four main cast members who sing on the CD!

For more details, please check the following article.

⇒ For more details, please check the following article! Four winners will receive autographs from the four main cast members of "Minamikamakura High School Girls Bicycle Club!

Recommended Articles