Entering their 6th year of activity! Interview with i☆Ris on a new stage, singing "Changing point," the theme song for the TV anime "Magical Girl Sight

On May 9, 2018, the voice actress unit "i☆Ris" will release their 16th single "Changing point". The girls have been known for their cheerful songs such as the "Pripara" series, but this is their first song tied to a late-night anime, so their image has changed drastically! This time, however, their image has changed drastically, as it is their first song tied to a late-night anime!

This March marks the end of the "Pripara" TV anime series, which had catapulted the unit to stardom six years after its formation. The girls have made a fresh start and are now entering a new field, and we asked them to talk about the new ground they have broken.

Changing point" is a song that they have dug into by confronting themselves.

─ Your new song "Changing point" is a serious song that is a complete change from the image of i☆Ris up to now.

Saki Yamakita (Yamakita): Up until now, i☆Ris had an image of singing cheerful and energetic songs, but I think the point of this song is a complete change from that. We are singing with a different tone of voice and I don't think we have sung songs with dark themes before, so I hope you will see and hear us open up a different side of ourselves.

Yu Serizawa (Serizawa): We have been working together with "Pripara" for many years, and this song is not "Changing point," but it is a song that expresses a completely new view of the world, thanks to a new tie-up with a late-night anime. I hope you can feel the determination of i☆Ris to continue to work as i☆Ris even outside of "Pripara" from the strength of our singing voice.

Akaneya Himatsu (Akaneya): The lyrics are very short, about half the volume of a normal song, but the content is rich and condensed, so we feel a sense of accomplishment when we finish singing the song. Up until now, most of the songs have been cheerful, fun songs with little kids and girls, but this time, I recorded the songs after thoroughly confronting myself with the songs. I was able to sing the song as it is, or rather, it is a song that is more muddy than cool, so I would like everyone to pay attention to my singing voice.

Yuki Wakai (Yuki Wakai): At first glance, you may think that the song is heavy and dark, but it is a song with strength mixed in with the pain, so it is not as dark as you may think. In the end, there is hope, so I think the worldview of the song is linked to that of "Magical Girl Site. In "Pripara" I was very conscious of "idol-ness," but in "Changing Point" I was less conscious of that, and I think I was able to sing the song as it is.

I think i☆Ris has a strong image of sparkling, bright, and cute songs, so it must be fresh for those who usually see them that way. I think we have made it clear that we are capable of this kind of voice and a cool, cool part as well. The song "Changing point" is the opening song for the anime "Magical Girl Site", so I hope the audience will get the strong message from the melody and lyrics that the characters are just barely surviving in their will to "live".

Azusaki Shibuya (Shibuya) i☆Ris, who has been singing cute songs, sings an anime song that sounds like a royal road, so I would like you to listen to the depth and expression of my singing voice that solo artists cannot produce.

─ Do you feel that this song is meaningful because it is the "6th year" of the "Pripara" series?

Akaneya: As for myself, I think I have been helped a lot by "Pripara" up until now. The anime itself was "Minna Tomodachi, Minna Idol! Everyone is an idol! So many of the songs were about "Let's all look forward together and do our best," but while I was working on the songs, I kept thinking about what I would do in the future. When I saw the reality of the end of the project, I really thought about what I was going to do, and I had a lot of time to face myself. So it was very meaningful to sing this song at this time, and I think it became a "changing point" for i☆Ris as well.

Serizawa I feel that "Changing point" is not only a cool song, and it is meaningful for us to sing it because we have experienced many things in our 6 years as i☆Ris, including setbacks, I think we can express this kind of worldview.

─ Looking back on the history of i☆Ris, what was the biggest "changing point"?

All of you "Pripara" was the biggest "changing point" in the history of i☆Ris!

Yamakita It is the biggest "changing point" in the history of i☆Ris.

Shibuya: If there was no "Pripara", there really would not be i☆Ris now.

What is the point of the unique costumes?

──Did you design the costumes this time?

Shibuya: This time, I made it based on the image I heard the music, so I used a lot of black color as a whole. I designed only my own costume, but I gave ideas with the designer about what I wanted to show and what I wanted to hide for other members' costumes. I have been doing this for six years now, so I know the members' bodies very well (laughs). (Laughs.) We have naked social time together, and when we change clothes, we all wander around in our underwear, so I get a good look at them.

Based on that, I designed each member's body differently for this project, and no two pieces are the same. The only thing that is the same is that everyone wears a glove on their left hand. The material and shape of the gloves are also different, so I hope that it will be a "changing point" of i☆Ris, but also a "changing point" of each member. ...... I've been thinking about that right now! (laugh) I thought it was wonderful that everyone's individuality came out as a result.

Yamakita: I told Zutchan (Shibuya) that I wanted to show my legs, but when I was fitting for the costume, my legs were not showing much, so I asked him to show more (laugh). (Laughs) In the end, it turned out to be the way I wanted. In the case of "Pripara", there were many combinations of "white + each color" or sleeveless costumes, but this time, the costumes were basically long and heavy, which I thought was a stark contrast to the previous costumes. I thought it was fresh and new to wear. I think it is fresh to wear. I think freshness is important in life.

Serizawa: I like the way the skirt is made up of many layers of fabric, and at a glance it looks like just a long skirt, but when you move, you can see your legs between the layers. This time there is a lot of spinning choreography, so I think it is good to see glimpses of legs that are usually not visible when moving. I also like polka dots, so I am happy to see them on the skirt.

Shibuya: I decided the one point of each member with the designer. I thought it would be nice to have various people. Yuu's unique point is that everyone's hips are flabby, but only Yuu (Serizawa) has a "stone" design. I think it gives the skirt a stylish look that can be achieved because of the thinness of her body, and it also gives the skirt more volume when she turns.

Akaneya: I also think it is good to show off the legs in a nice way. Personally, I am the type of person who wants to hide my thighs, so I am thinking about how much to show. My costume is asymmetrical, with different lengths on the left and right sides. This is an element that I have not been able to show before, and I have always liked black and mature looks in my own clothes, so I am happy about that.

WakaiI am the only one wearing a tight skirt, but I am short, so if there are too many accessories, I get buried (laughs). (laugh) So I appreciate that you made it in a way that people can recognize me.

Shibuya: (Wakai) Her legs are very long. I was very nervous during the fitting because my torso is short, so if I made the same shape as other members, it would be a little unbalanced.

Wakai: I was the only one who had two fittings.

Kubota: Surprisingly, I don't give my opinion, I just wear what comes to me and leave it to others, but this time I have a dark look and my hair is like a croissant twin, so I feel like a villain character in "Sentai Mono" rather than an artist (laugh).

Shibuya: The combination of orange and border looks like Halloween, doesn't it?

Kubota It's like a one-man Halloween.

Acting is unexpectedly difficult! Shooting scene of a serious music video

Kubota: What is the highlight of this music video?

Wakai: The theme of the music video is "changing point" where Himi (Akaneya) comes from the human world to the demon world. We are in the position of welcoming her. It is interesting to see the story that goes along with the song "Changing Point".

Akaneya: This time, we are not all doing the same movements one by one, but we are doing different things. I was shouting, but it was fun as if I was doing a play.

Shibuya: In the scene where (Akaneya) is shouting, other 5 people have to watch the scene with a blank expression for a long time, but (Wakai) Tomoki couldn't stand it anymore or ...... (laugh).

Wakai: Yes, "Himi is screaming! and I unconsciously looked at her with a pitiful expression.

Shibuya: Such kindness oozed out of me and we laughed just by staring at each other, so I thought it was difficult for the members to play each other. Usually, I am able to do the recording.

Kubota It would have been fine if the music video was funny, but this time we were told not to laugh. ...... I can act in a friendly manner, but when things get serious, I start to feel embarrassed!

─ How about the dance?

Yamakita: I think the dance for this show is different from the previous ones, perhaps because the tune is different from the previous ones, and I can't fake it with my face or my energy. The dance shots were taken from different angles than usual, so I was really into it. The choreography is not the same as when everyone dances together, but there are some nuances that have never been seen before. There are also some anime-inspired moves such as a heart appearing when you shoot a gun in reference to "Magical Girl Site". I hope that people who like anime will enjoy watching these parts, and people who have seen i☆Ris before will enjoy them in a different way, and I hope that the new dance will attract new fans.

Serizawa: In terms of the link with the anime, I shed black tears. In "Magical Girl Sight," when you use a magic stick, blood comes out from various places, and the main character, Aya, also cries tears of blood. The gun-shaped magic stick also belongs to the main character, Aya, and the music video has some of her keywords in it. I think ani-songs should be in line with the anime, and they should be accepted by anime fans, so I think it is in line with "Magical Girl Site" in that respect.