Nijigasaki," "D4DJ," "Den-Ondebe," and "IDOL Mai Show" - this month we introduce some masterpieces born from media mix contents! Monthly Seiyu Artists Bulletin October 2020 issue

This is a series of reviews of notable works by voice-over artists. This time, we will review four singles with a focus on "media mix contents," which include anime, music, games, and comics.

◆Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Club

The first one is "Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Club. The single "Nijiiro Passions!" containing the opening theme of the anime was released on October 21.

The title song is a guitar-rock based single with a strong melody, just like the previous songs in the "Love Live! series, the song has a guitar rock-based sound with a lot of strings, but the ups and downs of the song are more moderate compared to the theme songs sung by μ's and Aqours. In particular, the bridge section leading up to the chorus has a natural and gentle impression. The progression in the latter half of the chorus, where the chorus line naturally transitions to the main part, is also very comfortable, as if it were flowing smoothly. The title phrase of the song, "Nijiiro Passions!

Also, if you are aware of the song arrangement, the A-melody to B-melody parts are sung by the members as solo parts. In the past "Love Live! series, the songs were sung by the first, second, and third grade students, so this is a very "Nijigaku" style of solo performance, and it also seems to be intended as a change in the standard of the series.

D4DJ

Next is "D4DJ," which also started its TV animation on October 30. Photon Maiden, whose SF-style costumes and music are characteristic of the series, released their first single, "Discover Universe," on October 21.

Their specialty is upper electro dance tunes like the title track, which was written by Ryouhei Sataka (alias y0c1e) and arranged by Genki Hikota a.k.a. DJ Genki. As the cast themselves have often said, you will feel something close to Perfume's world view. The coupling track, "A lot of life," is a future bass piece with lyrics written by Sataka and arranged by fu_mou. The lyrics have a warmth to them, comparing people's loneliness to the stars in the universe, as they cuddle up to each other. The members' passionate singing of the message of such a song, not to be outdone by the waves of synthesizer sound that surged through the air, also touched the hearts of the audience.

Each of the units in "D4DJ" has its own music producer, and Photon Maiden has invited Seiji Mizushima, an animation director who also works as a DJ. In addition, the aforementioned Mr. Sataka and Mr. fu_mou have created numerous masterpieces for "tokyo 7th sisters" based on the axis of ani-song x dance music. Mr. Sataka wrote the lyrics and arranged the music, while Yosuke Sato (aka 4sk) composed the music for the song "Here's the light" by Photon Maiden, which I couldn't go into detail about in this article, so be sure not to miss it.

As a side note, when "D4DJ" was first conceived, Bushiroad Chairman Takaaki Kitani was inspired by the overturned truck riot that occurred in Shibuya, Tokyo, on Halloween a few years ago. The story of how the content was launched is very interesting, so please refer to the following page (see column "Takaaki Kitani's Point of View" ).

◆Den-On Club

Next is "Den-Onbu," which has become a regular contributor to this column. Although the release date is at the end of September, we would like to introduce "MUSIC IS MAGIC" by Koh Shirogane (CV: Arisa Komiya), a song distributed by Minato Shirogane Jogakuin, which is based in the Azab area of the same work.

The song was created by tofubeats, a trackmaker from Kobe, Hyogo. He is widely known for songs such as "LONELY NIGHTS. The overall arrangement of "MUSIC IS MAGIC" is minimal and light. The track, with its urban saxophone and gorgeous brass, reminded me of his representative songs "Mercury" and "Dance till Morning Comes" (I could hear the sound of the "flute," which is probably familiar to his fans). (I could hear that "whistle" sound, which is probably familiar to the fans of Mr. tofubeats.) In addition, Ms. Komiya's ladylike tone, which has become a staple in her other works, is a bit more innocent and relaxed this time, and she sings lyrics that are typical of tofubeats, who sees music as a glittering and mysterious gift.

The overall finish is rough, and perhaps unique among the works that "Den-Ondebe" has released so far. However, there are other works from the same Azabu area, such as "Itadakari Babel," written by Kenmochi Hidefumi and rapped by Akina (played by Tama Kurotetsu), and "Haiiro no kokoro," sung by Azuki Shibuya (played by Ginka Haishima), which offers the 80s-oriented sound of the PC Music Club, which we have previously discussed in this series. The club's direction is probably due to the image of Azabu as a town where wealthy people gather, and it does not push out the club atmosphere as much as in other areas. This is a very well-balanced attempt, based on a bird's-eye view of the entire work.

As a side note, tofubeats himself pointed out that all of the track makers responsible for the music in the Azabu area are from the Kansai region, which is also an excellent "punch.

In addition, Sotokanda Bungei High School (Akiba area) released its first mini-album "New Park" on October 28 from "Den-Ondebu. This will be the first physical release from "Den-onbu," and in addition to songs that have already been distributed, it will also include all unreleased songs produced by TEMPLIME.

◆IDOL Mai SHOW

Like "D4DJ," "IDOL Mai Show" invites different music producers for each unit. The number of singles sold by each unit directly affects the length of the drama part on the CD, and the competition is fierce.

The dance and vocal unit "NO PRINCESS," consisting of four members including Machico, is produced by Shigeru Saito, the producer of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya," among other works. The title track of their second single "MUST BE GOING!" released on October 7 features a sentimental synth melody typical of 90s J-POP and dignified vocals that evoke a "strong female image.

The lyrics are nostalgic yet fresh, as the song describes a past lover, perhaps, who passes by on the street and, with a glance, "clacks her heels and starts to walk away," which is very 90's. (The name of the song, "MUST BE GOING! (The song is probably named "MUST BE GOING!" in the sense of forgetting the past and moving forward into the future.) ) Perhaps those who like the dance and vocal unit SPEED will find their songs particularly poignant.

(Text by Kota Ichijo )

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