Special Talk Project] Hiroyuki Deguchi and Ichirokuso Samejima will talk a lot again this year! This is the BEST anime song of 2020!

The year 2020 is already coming to an end. So, as is becoming an annual year-end event at Akiba Research Institute, Hiroyuki Deguchi and Irukuso Samejima will be talking about ani-songs again this year!

It is no exaggeration to say that this year has been a year in which the whole world has been swept up in the new coronavirus, and its effects have reached the world of anime and anime songs as well.

The anime song scene in 2020 was hit by a number of irregularities, including a decrease in the number of anime broadcasts and an increase in the number of reruns and postponed broadcasts.

The panelists are Hiroyuki Deguchi, bassist and anime song DJ, and Ichirokuso Samejima, the comedian of the comedy duo BANBANBAN and organizer of the anime song DJ event "Anime Song Disco".

As in past years, they selected the best 3 anime songs from each season from the winter to fall 2020, and also selected the best 3 songs from anime movies.

This talk was based on a talk live event "Akiba Research Institute presents Hiroyuki Deguchi x Ichirokuso Samejima Gekijoban "This is the BEST Anime Song of the Year 2020! The content is based on the "ZENCHUKU DOKUSHU TO DOKUSHITSU TO KEITAI NO KATA".

───First of all, please begin with a review of this year.

Samejima: This year was a year of being swamped by the coronavirus, with a period of self-restraint from February to June due to the new coronavirus, followed by a sporadic period of work at ....... The result of that period was that I lost 10 kilograms of weight. The Corona disaster helped me lose weight. Under the influence of Corona, you started to lead a regular life and stopped eating out, which shows how bad your life had been until then, doesn't it?

Deguchi: There seem to be quite a lot of people like that.

─ You started a project to meet various people during this period, didn't you?

Samejima Yes, I have been working on a project called "Invite Ichirokuso Samejima" since August, and I am planning to have tea with 100 people. I was allowed to do this with two of you (Mr. Deguchi and our editor, Arita, who was the listener) and we talked for about an hour. I met with some of the people who came today.

─ So you meet not only with related persons and acquaintances, but also with fans?

Samejima: I don't discriminate. I feel that my ideas are constantly being updated by meeting all kinds of people. I am told things that I don't know, so I get new information every day, which is much more interesting than watching TV or SNS. I am talking to 64 people right now. To be honest, there were times before we met that I wasn't too excited about the prospect of meeting this person, but after an hour of talking with him or her, I've come to like him or her a lot. It's very interesting.

Deguchi: It's even more interesting now that we don't get to meet people so casually. When I had the opportunity to talk with him, it had been a long time since I had met and talked with someone. I do talk to people for work-related matters, but I haven't spent time just talking to them for a while.

Like Mr. Samejima, my life changed drastically when I saw how many jobs were disappearing at Corona. It was a difficult time for sure, but it was also a period of self-examination and self-improvement, in that I spent a year thinking a lot about my future. The situation was not good, but I think I was able to use it in a meaningful way.

Samejima You played the bass guitar a lot.

Deguchi I practiced a lot. If I didn't practice anything, I would get scared. It was like a battle against fear. Because you never know what will happen tomorrow. And even if you try your best to make the situation better, there is nothing you can do. It's not anyone's fault, and even if you get angry or pay money, you will lose your Corona. So there is nothing I can do, and I am extremely scared and have no choice but to run away! So it's almost like escaping reality. If I don't do something, I will go under.

Samejima Did your skills improve a lot?

Deguchi: Yes. The more I do, the better I get. I wish I had done it more properly. It was a year of facing myself like that.

Winter 2020 Anime

───That was the year 2020, but how did anime songs fare? Let's start with the winter season (January to March). First, let's look at the results of Akiba Research Institute's user poll.

⇒ HIQ! The popularity never stops! The results of the official voting project "2020 Winter Anime OP Theme Popularity Poll", a collection of ani-songs that will instantly cheer you up if you listen to them, are announced!

⇒ The results of the official voting project "2020 Winter Anime ED Theme Popularity Poll", in which voice-over artists including Aina Suzuki, who made her solo debut, are remarkable, have been announced!

Here are the results for the two artists.

＜Here are the results for the two artists.

Easy Breezy" by chelmico (OP) OP)

Arigatou wa Kochi no Kotoba" by Naotaro Moriyama ("Somali to Mori no Kamisama" OP)

Muzui" by 22/7 (OP of "22/7")

＜SAMEJIMA

PHOENIX" BURNOUT SYNDROMES (OP of "HIQUE!!! TO THE TOP") TO THE TOP" OP)

Stank Zel Krimvale (OP of "Ikoze☆Paradise")

KING & ASHLEY" by MY FIRST STORY (OP of "KENGAN ASHRA")

Deguchi: I guess I'll start with "Easy Breezy". At that time, the influence of Corona was still small, and it was just that there seemed to be an epidemic in China, and we were still having regular anime song DJ events. I think "Easy Breezy" was being played a lot at that time. The song itself is not a new genre, but for our generation, there are many parts that remind us of the '90s, so it feels a bit dated, but for young people to pay attention to old-school hip-hop techniques like this, mainly sampling, is a new sensation, On the contrary, I felt young. I don't know how much of it is aimed and calculated, but I wonder if it will especially stick with "musicians' musicians," or people who spent the 90s and are in the music business.

Samejima: At an Anikura, there is a part of you that is tested in terms of your skill in how you play this song. What would you play after this song? I think it would be "Kokoro Odoru" or something like that. It is difficult, so I have never played it.

Deguchi: Then there is "Arigatou wa Kochi no Kotoba" (Thank you is my word) from "Somali. And "Muzui". Both of these songs have a strong theme, or rather, a big pillar, so I have the impression that the strength and penetrating power of the music is very strong. The songs are tied to the anime work, and they work perfectly as anime songs.

Samejima: I chose "KING & ASHLEY" by MY FIRST STORY. In "KENGAN ASHLEY," there is a heroic hero (Juki Ouma), but there is also an uncle (Kazuo Yamashita) who is the main character. The OP video is very well done, and I included it here not only because of the cool song, but also because of the video.

Also, "Ikouze☆Paradise". It was the stupidest thing I've seen this year (laughs). It's totally Village People.

Deguchi I have the image that the song was played at many ani-clubs.

Samejima We played it a lot at ani-song discos and danced to the choreography of "Happa-tai" during the chorus (laughs). (laughs) There were a lot of naked scenes in the anime. It was also a great song.

And "PHOENIX" from "HIQUEUE. I often read the lyrics because there are many things I don't understand from a musical standpoint, but the other day on TV, Hiroto Komoto said, "People these days listen to the lyrics too much," and when I heard that, I felt embarrassed to explain the lyrics (laugh). I sometimes wonder if it's kind of lame, but I like the second lyric. This season was the story of many practice games before going to the national championships. In this song, there is a lyric that says, "If you like it more than you are good at it, whatever your dream is, that's where it starts," and I thought to myself, "I see. I see what you mean." Everyone loves volleyball, but there are a lot of people who quit because they think they are not good enough or not suited for the sport. That story and the lyrics of the second verse went hand in hand, so I put them here.

───It is a recent trend in ani-songs to express the story and worldview of a work in the lyrics, instead of shouting out the title of the work. In that sense, this song is a royal road song in the current style of ani-song.

Samejima That's right. The lyric "Silence in Karasugi" might be a reference to "Karasuno High School," which I was impressed by, and "orange light" might be a reference to the color of the uniform. Listening to this song, I wondered if BURNOUT SYNDROMES would become the next SPYAIR.

Deguchi: Basically, the song incorporates the worldview and motifs of the anime. Samejima: This season, there were other songs that were not so good.

Samejima: Other songs this season included the cool Jibaku Shonen Band.

Deguchi: Also, flipSide was cool.

Samejima The song "Suishibudo" ("I'll die if Suishibi goes to the Budokan") was also good. It was still before Corona, so that added to the feeling. I thought everyone was dancing to "Ikouze☆Paradise. From this point on, the clouds began to look a bit dark.

Deguchi: To be honest, my memories of those days are very short. What followed was really turbulent, so I don't even remember January. It was like, "Was there ever a January?

Spring 2020 Anime

Samejima Next is the Spring Cool season.

⇒ The turbulent Spring Cool 2020, and the strength of Makoto Furukawa! The result of the "2020 Spring Anime OP Theme Popularity Poll" with a variety of ani-songs was announced!

⇒Mai Fuchigami or ZAMB? Or Grandpa? The result of the "2020 Spring Anime ED Theme Popularity Poll" was announced, with a fierce battle for the top spot!

─ ─ Personally, I was shocked to see how long ago spring anime was. I thought the sense of seasonality was completely lost this year.

Deguchi: It's that time of year when events have already been cancelled across the board.

───Around this time, the effects of the new coronavirus became apparent in the animation industry, and broadcasts began to be suspended or delayed due to production delays. Some of the works were restarted in the following summer season, so some of the titles overlapped between the spring and summer seasons.

Here are the songs that the two of you chose.

<Exit> "DADDY!

DADDY! DADDY! DO!" by Masayuki Suzuki (feat. Airi Suzuki) (from "Kaguya-sama ga Konnareshikatta? ～(OP of "Kaguya-sama ga Tsurenasanai? ~The Geniuses' Love Brain Battle~")

Kimi wa natu shiroi" by Eiichi Otaki (ED of "Kakushigoto")

Sates Haction" by Tamio Okuda (OP of "Haxion Daimao 2020")

＜Samejima

Mimikagemasagorano yoru no hoshi wo (Look up at the stars at night) Kyu Sakamoto (insert song for the final episode of Nami yo kikimete)

Kimi ga natu shiroi (You're a natural color) Eiichi Otaki (ED of "Kakushigoto")

I got it!" Mia REGINA. (OP of "Tenharu Hachiman")

Deguchi: Eiichi Otaki, that would be my choice.

Samejima I never thought it would be an ani-song.

Deguchi This season's choice is a favorite of old men (laughs). (laughs) It's a bittersweet one.

Samejima I would start with "I got it! It's a swingin' jazz song, and it was seriously cool. Kimi wa natu shiroi" (You are my natural color) and "Kakushigoto" is an anime about a father and son. I was really taken by this one. It has a gag-like flow, but it makes you cry about 8% of the time per episode. The song played at the end of each episode, and it was wonderful to see the girls in the light colors. I felt that the song was used because it was in line with the anime, not because it was forced upon them.

In this season, "Gymnastics Zamurai" was so interesting that I started crying around episode 6 or 7 (laughs). (Laughs.) I think that in this bleak situation, works with a sense of refreshment are the ones that will heal the hearts of those who are tired of Corona.

─ ─ I am surprised that "Look Up at the Stars at Night" is included.

Samejima It was an insert song for the final episode of "Nami yo Kikinasete" (Listen to Me, Wave). This anime is about a woman who becomes a radio jockey for a community FM station in Hokkaido. The main character, Minare, is an amateur who starts out as a radio DJ and for some reason is appreciated and is in the studio. Some time after she starts her late-night radio broadcast, an earthquake happens, and she overcomes the situation in her own way as a DJ. But then a senior professional DJ comes on the air, and Minare says, "Maybe you should change," but the producer sends out a note saying, "How long are you going to act like an amateur? Minare suddenly changed her mind and continued to play the radio all the way to the morning.

The next thing I knew, the stars in the night sky were floating in the background. I saw that and thought to myself, "The stars are so beautiful. After that, the senior DJ took over with Minare and said, "I'm sure this is what everyone was thinking. It may be inappropriate, but please listen to this" and he played "Mimikagoregorano Yoru no Hoshi wo. The flow of the song made me think, "Oh, how beautiful. It really spoke for me. The way the song was used was wonderful, so I included it.

───What about you, Deguchi?

Samejima: Masayuki Suzuki, I was wondering if I should include him.

Deguchi: Masayuki Suzuki came out last year as a major newcomer. It is the most troublesome pattern of a big name coming out under a new name or project with the face of a newcomer (laughs). Compared to the previous song "Love Dramatic feat. Rokka Ihara," this song is very well-balanced or mature.

─ ─ And Airi Suzuki's chorus is also good.

Deguchi: Very good. The chorus is a step back from the main theme, and it's like a battle of "Let's eat the main theme! It's not like a battle of "I'm going to eat the main part", but rather a proper support of Masayuki Suzuki. I thought the balance of having Masayuki Suzuki at the center of the song was very good.

I also felt that we had to include a song by Eiichi Otaki. This is the same as what Mr. Same said.

Tamio Okuda's "Satisfaction" was also good. The original was "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones, and the fact that it was completely made as a pun on the title is typical of Tamio Okuda, or at least it gives me a sense of security. I think this kind of material is the playful spirit unique to a band member. I think that many of the anime songs I picked up this year, especially after Corona, were by bands. I thought "SATESHACTION" would be relaxed, but the arrangement is quite maniacal, and although it is inspired by 70's rock, the impression is that it is not too old-fashioned, but has a current sound.

This is a very strange feeling. Even songs that are a bit old as material, or that are just in our taste, are reconstructed with today's sensibilities to create new songs with a new feel. For us, it's something nostalgic, but it sounds very fresh.

Samejima The way people listen to music has changed over the years. Nowadays, people don't listen to artists by album, but rather to songs recommended by subscriptions. As a DJ, I often come into contact with young people, so I can feel their mood, but sometimes it's hard to keep up with them (laughs). (laughs). I can't keep up with them sometimes (laughs). I'm like, "This song comes after this song.

─ ─ Sometimes old songs suddenly become popular on TikTok, don't they?

Deguchi: That's an interesting sensation. I feel that young people are enjoying "Satisfaction" in a different way than the old guys who are grinning and saying, "This is the Rolling Stones, isn't it?

Samejima "Haxon Daimaou 2020" is a program for children, isn't it? There used to be a lot of Showa-esque songs that were the theme songs for "Kiteretsu Daihyakka. I listened to them casually when I was a child, but when I listened to them as an adult, I was surprised to find out that they used to let children listen to such songs.

Deguchi: "Kiteretsu Encyclopedia" has many great songs that are of high quality as pop songs.

Samejima I think that is why today's children, when they grow up, often realize that they were listening to these songs when they were children. I don't make songs just for kids.