It is the first time for me to expose myself and sing! Interview with Yuri Komagata, who will appear on the June 21 broadcast of "Ani☆Ste!

Ani☆Ste, a ranking music program specializing in ani-songs, airs on TOKYO MX1 every Thursday from 22:00. Voice actress Yuri Komagata will appear in the studio LIVE on its June 21, 2018 broadcast.

Ms. Komagata, who made her debut as a singer with "Tomare no Susume," the theme song of the currently airing anime "Treading Time," will make her first appearance on the program with this memorable song in tow! We asked her how she felt after just finishing a nerve-wracking live recording.

--How was today's recording of "Ani-STE"?

Yuri Komagata (Yuri Komagata): I had experienced being filmed while singing live, but this was my first time singing in front of a camera (for a TV recording), so I was very nervous coming to the recording. （The staff was more efficient than I expected (laughs).

(Laughs) I enjoyed singing the song while learning what it is like to be on a TV set!

--I couldn't believe that it was your first time to sing on the set.

Komagata: Really?　I'm glad.

I had a self-imposed rule: "Don't worry about the camera, just sing happily. Before I started singing and after I finished, I wondered if I would be okay. But when I was singing, I was giving it my all, so I was already in the zone (laughs).

--(Laughs) - The costumes were also very refreshing.

Komagata: I was wearing a white one-piece dress on the CD jacket of "Tomare no Susume," which I sang today, but today's recording was in a white studio, so I was given a fresh color costume that was not white. I like blue and cold colors, and I usually wear them a lot. I also like to wear tight one-piece dresses like the one I wore today, so I am happy that they chose such a cute outfit for me!

Also, in the CD jacket of "Tomare no Susume" I have green and red apples, so I matched them with green sandals and red nails, and green and red accessories.

--The outfit matches the image of the song. Tomare no Susume" is your debut single.

Komagata: "Tomare no Susume" is the opening song for the anime "Treading Time," and it has a fresh, fast-paced feel that matches the anime.

Looking at the title alone, you might think, "Are we stopping or going forward?" (laughs). (Laughs.) The title implies that it is important to stop once in order to take the next step forward. It is a double meaning of "encourage" and "go forward. I think that the author wrote the song to accompany the work "Level Crossing Time".

First, I read the original manga of "Level Crossing Time," and after that, I chose the demo song, and among the three candidates, I chose the one with a more fast-paced feel. I really liked the tune myself, and the producer shared the same opinion, so we decided on the current song, "Tomare no Susume.

--Please tell us about the anime "Treading Time" as well.

Komagata: It is a five-minute omnibus-style anime that captures the human drama that takes place during the few minutes you spend waiting at a railroad crossing, such as the time you spend waiting for the crossing with the person you love, or the moment you gaze at your classmate of your dreams at a railroad crossing. The content can be viewed without hesitation.

There are a lot of "erotic" words in the work, romance between girls, and stories with a bit of spice, but I watch it thinking it is a soothing anime.

--How did you feel when you actually sang the theme song for the opening episode of the anime?

Komagata: I was thrilled and happy. When I heard the song being played along with the animation for the first time, I thought it was great that the animation and the song fit together like pieces of a puzzle, creating a single worldview. The opening illustration is austere and tasteful!　I thought the gap between this and "Tomare no Susume" was interesting.

--I heard that you have always loved ani-songs.

Komagata: I have been singing ever since I was in the lower grades of elementary school.

When I was in high school, I joined the only music club at my school, the "Folk Song Club," and learned how to play the acoustic guitar from my seniors. When it came time to "perform live at the school festival," I formed my first anime song band, .......

We played songs such as "Cruel Angel's Thesis," "Touch," "Genesis of Aquarion," the first ending theme of "One Piece," "memories," "God knows...," and "God knows..." We played a variety of songs from a band score book. At the night after the school festival, we sang "God knows..." in front of the whole school. I sang "God knows..." in front of the whole school as if I was a nerd (laughs).

--(laughs) - I think I may have developed my stage guts back then.

Komagata: I sang in front of people and on stage even back then. In my club, we had an event where we performed in front of our seniors and were criticized afterward, so I had been thinking about what it was like to be seen by others since then.

In elementary school, I just vaguely liked voice actors and anime songs, so I thought, "I'll be a voice actor!　I'm going to be a voice actor! I wanted to be a voice actor and sing ani-songs. But as I got more and more experience in various jobs, I realized how difficult it is to sing as a career. I have been taking it one step at a time, and now that it has finally come to fruition and I am making my debut, I feel that I can really give a good report to the person I was back then.

In the past, I have sung songs that were closely related to the works or as character songs in the works, but this is the first time I have sung "Tomare no Susume" without exposing myself. So I am happy, but also a little anxious and nervous.

--What kind of singer do you want to be in the future?

Komagata: I like songs that can be easily absorbed into my ears and heart, no matter what state I hear them in. So, I would like to sing songs that will make people feel something positive when they listen to them, so that when they are tired, they can listen to my songs and think, "I am tired, but I did my best today, so I will do my best tomorrow, too.

--Thank you very much for your time today!


(Reporting, writing, and photography by Michi Sugahara)

Program Information

Ani☆STE

Broadcast time: TOKYO MX1 every Thursday from 19:58, Sapporo TV every Saturday from 26:30, J:COM TV every Thursday from 22:00 / every Sunday from 23:30

MC：Daimao Kosaka, Ryoga