The true meaning of his comment "People have trouble writing lyrics" is also revealed! Interview with Aki Hata (lyrics) and Yusuke Shirato (music) for the TV anime "LOST SONG"!

The original TV anime "LOST SONG" is being distributed and broadcast on Netflix, TOKYO MX, and other popular TV stations. The work, which stars Konomi Suzuki and Yukari Tamura, is a fantasy opera woven by two divas, and its music is also attracting a lot of attention.

The songs that color the work include the opening theme song "Uta de Soko Kuni Kara Kara Kara" (sung by Konomi Suzuki) and the ending theme song "TEARS ECHO" (sung by Finis [CV. Yukari Tamura]), both of which were released on May 23, 2018, as well as the songs during the play, all written by Ake Hata and composed by Yusuke Shirato ( Dream Monster). We interviewed these two artists directly for this issue. We asked them about the theme song and other aspects of the music production.

The opening song, which went through six retakes

--First of all, let me ask you about the opening theme song. I understand that you created the melody of the song first, but you have written many of Konomi Suzuki's songs in the past. What did you have in mind when creating the song this time?

Yusuke Shirato (Yusuke Shirato): At first, Morita and the director gave me rough requests such as "emo" and "good one," while the committee gave me various requests such as "just make it catchy" and "make it a god song," and I was troubled (laughs).

(Laughs.) Then, Konomi Suzuki, who sings the song, also made a request, and we went through a series of challenges and did six retakes. There was even a file called "OP6.

--And what was the main point of the completed song?

Shirato: We took on a lot of challenges, but I didn't like the up-tempo style. But I thought that if I wanted to put a sadness in the song, it would be possible (to use up-tempo). Rather than going the cool route, I made it a point to make it "up-tempo with a lot of sad elements.

--The lyrics were co-written by Mr. Suzuki and Ms. Hata. How did you go about writing the lyrics?

Hata: I thought it would be confusing if I told Konomi a lot of things from the beginning, so I asked her to write whatever she wanted. I told her that I would make adjustments later.

--I heard that you actually went to see Mr. Suzuki writing the lyrics.

Hata: I went to the site where he was writing the lyrics as if I was visiting him in the camp, but Konomi was locked in a room with her computer open and was having a hard time thinking, "hmmm, hmmm. I had never seen anyone write lyrics before, so in a way I was impressed.

I had never seen a person writing lyrics before, so in a way I was impressed.

Aki Hata

--I remember you saying these words at a previous "Lost Song" event, and both the audience and the speakers were shocked and astonished. I mean, don't you worry when you write lyrics?

Hata: That word alone might be misleading (laughs). Of course I worry. I worry "before" writing lyrics. I think, "Where does this song fit in this anime? I wonder. In this case, Konomi is the heroine of the song, and she is opening a new door for herself as an artist by taking on the challenge of writing lyrics. I was really struggling to figure out how to fuse them together and where they should stand.

Once I have a vague idea of the role of this song, I listen to it carefully. I wonder what the song is trying to express. There is definitely a "word that the song is calling for," so I try to understand the song and concentrate on it.

Then, the "images I want to write about" and the "images the song has" match within me. These images are different from those of the actual animation, but I think that by making them different from the actual images, I can show them to the listeners from various angles.

So when I decide to write a song, I have already decided on the theme and the position of the song, so I just go ahead and write it (laughs).

(laughs) -- So writing is just outputting what you have already created in your head?

Hata That's right.

Shirato: It's the same when writing songs. For example, when I am making a chorus, rather than starting up the computer and worrying "Hmmm, I can't make a chorus for ......," I think, "Oh, let's make this chorus.

Hata: First of all, you think of something three-dimensional in your mind. What is this song about? I think about it.

Shirato: Yes, I think about it.

Hata: I think about it at that point, but I don't worry about the output. So I thought it was refreshing to see Konomi worrying about output (laughs).

(Laughs) -- There is also the technical aspect of simply not being used to writing. This song is not under the name of the character (Lynn), but under the name of Konomi Suzuki, so as you said earlier, it is an image that includes the person herself, isn't it?

Hata: That's right. I really thought about the position of the song as an artist. I wondered what kind of turning point this song would be for her, and what kind of door I could open for her with this song.

--At the same time, it was a challenge for Ms. Suzuki to play the character. You sing the song "as Lynn" in the play, was that a challenge for you?

Shirato: It was a challenge. She has her own artistic style, so when she was asked to sing the song in this world, she seemed to be at a loss at first. He tried to sing in a gentle way, but his technique was too strong.

I tried to make it a little less aggressive," "Is that what you mean? I tried to match her words with her drawings. She has a lot of drawers, so she can embody what I tell her, but I felt that (as a character) she is not accustomed to reaching that point.

Hata: I think all of her previous drawers were "drawers as Konomi Suzuki," so it was time for me to create new drawers.

Shirato: I think I was able to do that through this work.

Yusuke Shirato

An all-encompassing ending

--In contrast, the ending theme song is not sung under the name of Tamura Yukari, but under the name of Finis. How was it to create the song?

Shirato: The ending song came first, but I was told, "It's a ballad, but I don't want it to be too grandiose. But I didn't want it to be too small, I wanted it to add a sense of completion after the story is over. He also showed me a picture of a hill, saying, "It's like a slightly open hill.

Hatake I didn't see it (laughs).

Shirato But the hills bothered me, and it took me until about ED3 (3 retakes) to get to the ending. ......

Hata I'm probably glad I didn't see it (laughs).

Shirato: In the end, I focused on the reading experience. I wanted to give the audience the feeling of "this one's over, too" when they hear the intro and A melody after the main part. The chorus is sad, but I was conscious of not making it too lukewarm.

--What do you think about the lyrics?

Hata: I was very conscious of the fact that "the character sings," and I never wanted to include words that would be uncomfortable for Finis to sing. I wanted to make sure that the people who felt emotionally attached to the characters would also feel emotionally attached to the songs. There are many sad moments in the story, but I wanted the ending to bring each episode to a close, as if to forgive and embrace all that has happened over time.

--Reading the lyrics, I get the impression that Feenis' heart is written straight from the heart.

Hata: Like the opening, I thought, "Let's not use difficult words," and "Let's make it so that anyone can understand the meaning of the words no matter where they listen. The songs are important in this work, aren't they? So I decided to use words that could be understood without looking at the lyrics card. The same goes for the songs in the play.

--Mr. Hata has written songs for Mr. Tamura many times before, but this is the first time for you to write a song sung by Mr. Shirato, although this time it is a character song. What was your impression of the recording?

Shirato: All I could say was, "Yum! was all I said (laughs). I have directed many people's recordings, and Mr. Tamura has a way of expressing himself in a way that suits him, so all I had to say was, "You're stretching the notes too much" (laughs). (Laughs.) I felt that he understood the world view and was able to create the image of what the director wanted.

Hata: He is a professional.

Shirato: I was thinking, "What should I do (in terms of direction)?

Hata: I think she sings as an artist and when she sings as an actor, it's completely different. This time, she sings as an actor, so I think her grasp of the world is stronger than her powerful singing.

I also paid attention to the language of the lyrics.

--Since songs are the key word in this work, I think songs in the play and accompaniment are also important. Were there any particular points you were conscious of?

Hata: In terms of lyrics, we were very careful about the "language. We are speaking in Japanese, but is this world really a Japanese world? I was very worried about whether it was okay to use foreign words in the lyrics, just as we say "tea time" when we drink tea.

Basically, I wanted to use Japanese words that were easy to understand, and if I did use foreign words, I wanted to use simple words, or words that would be the basis for the words. I thought that Latin, not English, would be a good choice. ...... In addition, I tried to use words that everyone would know and understand, such as "I'm sure that's the origin of that word. Words have power when combined with a song, so I had to create a definition of the word in my mind.

--How about the songs?

Shirato: I wrote the first three songs for the hall recording, and from there I think I worked on them for about 10 months in total. There were quite a few retakes, so it was a lot of work.

--You recorded the songs in a concert hall, so did you place importance on the grandeur of the music?

Shirato: Yes, that's right. I put a lot of emphasis on grandeur, but when I submitted the demo to ......, the director said, "I don't want that Hollywood feel," "It's grand but not sparkling and magical," "Don't make it sound like XXX," "Try to be conscious of XXX," etc. (laughs). After much deliberation about what to do, I decided to go with a heavy classical feel.

--It seems like it would be difficult to get a clear image of what you wanted to do.

Shirato: The director had a solid sound image of "not like this," so we used that as a basis for finalizing the sound. But as the script was revised, the nuances gradually changed and matched the music we had created. The songs in the latter half of the film were very easy to write because I had a clear idea of the sound. The most difficult part was the period of groping until the image matched.

--Lastly, what is the appeal of "Lost Song" from your point of view?

Shirato: I think one of the pleasures of the film is that the director's color comes out here and there, such as "It's very serious, but suddenly a gag pops in," or "The seriousness is not lost, but suddenly a silly point comes out. This is not a simple work, so I hope you will enjoy it in various ways.

Hata: This work has an interesting worldview and story, but there are also sad things that make you think. When I really face the grief, I am immersed in the sadness for a long time, and I end up thinking like "What is human grief? I think about it like that. I understand fighting to protect something, but after all, fighting causes tragedy. But it is to protect someone else's happiness, and I went into a mode that made me think in a roundabout way with ....... I thought that kind of thought-provoking part of the work is also wonderful.

(Interview and text by Kenichi Chiba)

Original TV Animation "LOST SONG

This song even changes the destiny of the stars. A fantasy opera by two great divas.

＜The theme song CD was released today, May 23 (Wed.)! ＞The opening theme song: "Sing There, Sing There".

Opening theme song: "Uta de Soreba Kimi ga Sorena Kara Kara (Because You Are There When I Sing)

Lyrics: Konomi Suzuki, Aki Hata / Composition and arrangement: Yusuke Shirato / Song: Konomi Suzuki

Artist Edition: CD+DVD USSW-0094 1,800 yen (excluding tax)

Anime Edition: CD USSW-0095 1,300 yen (excluding tax)

Ending theme song: "TEARS ECHO" Song: Finis (cv Tamura Yukari)

Lyrics: Aki Hata / Composed and arranged by Yusuke Shirato / Sung by Finis (cv. Yukari Tamura)

USSW-0097 1,200 yen (tax not included)

Included in the album is a coupling song from the movie, "Ends of the World"!