10 songs that herald the arrival of a new era of ani-song! Hiroyuki Deguchi's "Just Shut Up and Listen to Anime Songs! in Autumn 2020" by Hiroyuki Deguchi!

Hello to all 10 million anime fans in Japan. I am Hiroyuki Deguchi, bassist and DJ specializing in anime songs and special effects.

When a new anime work is broadcasted each season, the time has come again for the well-known "Just Shut Up and Listen to Anime Songs! The time has come again for the "I'll shut up and listen to ani-song! This will be the last update of the year, the Fall 2020 issue.

Some of you may be reading this column for the first time, so let me give you a brief explanation of this column.

I will listen to all the opening and ending songs of every anime broadcast each season, select 10 songs based on my own subjective judgment, and explain the super cool points of each song based on my own subjective judgment.

I'll be saying things like, "They didn't include that song! I didn't include this song! Redo it!" I am sure some of you may say, "Oh, no, they didn't include that song!" or "They didn't include that song!

This year was a year in which not only the animation industry, but society as a whole, and the world as a whole, was hit hard by the new coronavirus. We are still in the midst of a confusing situation, and there are no signs of an end to it yet.

From spring to summer, society as a whole was in a state of turmoil, and the number of TV animation productions was abnormal, with only about half the number of productions broadcast as in previous years. However, this does not mean that the situation has turned around, and the situation continues to be very worrisome, as the number of infected people is beginning to rise sharply again ...... as winter approaches.

What is it with anime in such a difficult time of year? Some of you may be thinking, "Why anime in such a difficult time of the year? As the saying goes, "sickness is a disease of the mind," and if you lose your mind, you will be exhausted both physically and mentally. Before that happens, I hope to spend a healthy time by watching anime, listening to ani-songs, and doing other things that are no different from what I normally do.

So, after giving my impressions of the year 2020 as a whole, rather than the anime of fall 2020, I will choose 10 songs from this season's anime productions!

There were so many good songs this season that I was quite worried! I hope you enjoy reading this article while thinking, "I'm so torn!

Here are the 10 songs from this season!

Akudama Drive

OP "STEAL! /SPARK!!!SOUND!!!SHOW!

It's fun to have a dog and a cat every day!

ED "Nyan-da-wan-da Days/Ayaka Ohashi

The man who was picked up by the gods

ED "BLUE ROSE knows/MindaRyn

Jujutsu Kaisen

OP "Mawari Kitan/Eve

Sore Dake Necklace

ED "Sore wa nekutsu wa nekutsu / Dakkugokumon Doukokai

It would be wrong to seek encounters in a dungeon III

ED "Evergreen/sajou no hana

Tonikakukawaii

OP "Koi no uta (feat. Tsukasa Yuzaki) / Tsukasa Yuzaki (CV. Akari Kito)

Hanyou no Yashahime

ED "Break/Uru

Fushigi dagashiya sen-tendo

OP "Kisotenkai fushigi wo dashi wo sasete / Aimi Noda

Nana the Incompetent

ED "Call me a Bakemono/Chiai Fujikawa

This time, the ratio of OP and ED songs is almost 50/50. All of the songs have their own points of interest, and because of this, it was difficult to make a quick decision. It was difficult to make a quick decision, so we had a lot of trouble. Although we selected the songs without deciding on a theme, the overall arrangement of the songs seems to be very clear with a few instrumental notes.

Now, let's start with the explanation of each song.

It is wrong to seek encounters in a dungeon III

ED "Evergreen/sajou no hana

It is no exaggeration to say that sajou no hana is at the forefront of the current anime and ani-song scene, and this song too has a sophisticated melody line and arrangement that can be called "the latest anime song of the moment. Recent anime songs (and music in general, not just anime songs) have broken away from the sound image of a wall of sound, or rather, they have reduced the sound as much as possible to create a sound image with depth using a minimum number of instruments. The wall-like soundscape is not a bad arrangement, and it is not a bad technique, but I have a feeling (at least for me) that I am getting a bit bored with it these days, as I have a similar impression of the sound, so it makes sense that I am more interested in the thinned-out arrangement. I get the strong impression that the arrangement of "Evergreen" was done with this in mind.

I think it is a cutting-edge anime song and cutting-edge Japanese music at the same time.

Akudama Drive

OP "STEAL! /SPARK!!!SOUND!!!SHOW!"

Music lovers with quick ears will already be paying attention to the band "Susashi" a.k.a. "SPARK!!!SOUND!!!SHOW!!!". The band's name is "Susashi", which means "SOUND!!!SHOW!

The overwhelming energy and tension of their sound is so great that it is easy to tell at first listen that they are a live band with a hundred years of experience. Although high tension is the band's specialty, their true value lies in their sophisticated sound design, which is the opposite of pushing through with such vigor. If you listen carefully, you can hear that the band calmly selects tones carefully, thinning them out to create a three-dimensional arrangement. In the use and inclusion of sound effects, one can clearly sense a strong intention. The magic of a band is to create a miraculous ensemble by accident, but the magic of a band is to create a miracle by constructing an ensemble with intention and aiming for it.

Susashi's sound is filled with the wonder of the band.

Incompetent Nana

ED "Call me a Bakemono / Chiai Fujikawa

The rock band's solid band sound with a low center of gravity is wonderfully cool and different from other anime songs. The core of the band's sound and the song is undoubtedly the vocal presence of Chiai Fujikawa. While most of the vocalists have a high range that can be heard through the sound, the fact that she has a voice with a strong bass resonance is an overwhelming advantage. Anyone can have a high voice if they train for it. It is just like muscle training; you get to produce the upper register a little bit at a time. However, a low voice is much more difficult to train than a high voice. The body, especially the throat, is greatly affected by the nature of the voice, so a clean-sounding low voice is a talent in and of itself.

The low part of the voice is restrained and the peak part is high and penetrating. It is a basic principle in arranging music, but it is difficult to practice it perfectly. I think this song follows this methodology almost perfectly.

That's the only bottleneck

ED "Sorezore wa Necklace/Utsukushikakkou Doukoukai

It is no exaggeration to say that the most notable anime songs are used in every season of this short anime. This season, rock fans will be familiar with "UCHISHU GOKUMON DOUGOKUKAI". I'm sure that many fans were smitten by their typical choice of words.

Basically, anime songs (and not only anime songs, but also theme songs of visual works in general) are made to fit into 90 seconds. The so-called first, one chorus contains the beginning and end of the song that links to the animation work, but in short animations, only about 30 seconds are given to the song due to the short broadcast length. However, this shortness is not a disadvantage, but rather the greatest weapon of "impact that can be remembered in one shot after listening," which is very interesting in a very current sense.

The arrangement, which builds up and explodes from a restrained introduction, allows the listener to feel the band's dynamics even in 30 seconds, and the band's high level of performance is also clearly conveyed. There is certainly a story-like interest, but this interest is an "omoshiro" backed up by overwhelming skill.

The Man Picked Up by the Gods

ED "BLUE ROSE knows/MindaRyn

Among the anime songs featuring band sounds this season, "BLUE ROSE knows" is particularly straightforward, with each instrument interacting with its own part to create a pleasing ensemble. Although the trend these days is to use more instruments, the clean arrangement that neatly shows all the sounds being played is still strong. If you are a beginner in musical instruments or in a band, this song may be a good model for you.

The drums form the basis of the rhythm, the guitar enriches the ensemble with chord work and arpeggios, and the driving bass is the star of the ensemble in this song. The bassist should definitely listen to this song because it is a model for each part, especially the bass, which also has a solo.

I took a closer look and found that I knew the bassist of this song! I'm so happy!

Fushigi Dagashiya Sentendo

OP "Kisotenkai fushigi wo o sore wo dai / Aimi Noda

This song is right in the middle of jazz, cabaret, and Showa-era songs, which is exactly the kind of song I like. I always select ani-songs with this type of tune in this column, so of course I chose this one without hesitation.

It's good. It's a wonderfully good song! And if you like it too much and let your guard down, it becomes a mere opinion piece. Although it is arranged in a musically advanced way, with the way the beats are taken in each section and the complex jazz-derived chord work, it does not give the impression of being difficult at all; rather, it has a strong sense of popular appeal. The artisanal balance of making something very difficult easy to listen to without making it sound difficult is wonderful. These aspects are common to songs that incorporate jazz, cabaret music, and Showa-era songs, which is why I always select them. Once again, a good song!

It 's fun to have both a dog and a cat every day!

ED "Nyan-da-wan-da Days/Ayaka Ohashi" (Nyan-da-wan-da Days)

I'm sorry to say this is a personal matter, but I have two cats (Tsukune and Imo-kun), and although I don't have a dog, this work and this song make me feel like I'm not a stranger to cats, and they are very cute! Cats (and dogs, too)! That's why I selected it. That's all!

I'd like to say a little more about it. Of course, I selected this song because of the wonderful and good music (of course).

The song is based on funk-soul, and is decorated with sparkling tone parts that are typical of anime songs. The song has a taste that is typical of recent anime songs, and if you listen carefully, you will notice that the context of the latest EDM music is also included in the song. The music is not only girly, but also has a section where the groove sinks in, and it is clear from this that the music is composed in the EDM manner.

Well, I've written a lot, but anyway, cats are great, aren't they? (And dogs, of course.)