Aya Uchida, Azumi Waki, and Aki Toyosaki - Reviewing three new albums that showcase their individuality as artists! Seiyu Artists Monthly - June 2021

In the June 2021 issue, we pick up a total of three works by voice-over singers plus α. As the final episodes of spring anime series continue to come out, we hope this article will be a good opportunity to listen to the theme songs of these works again and reflect on the time spent with them. As the final episodes of the spring anime series are approaching one after another, we hope this article will provide a good opportunity to listen to the theme songs of these works and to reflect on the time spent with them.

◆Aya Uchida's 5th single "Pale Blue" (June 2)

The title song "Pale Blue" is the ending theme song for the TV anime "Yakunara Mugugu no mo. As the anime depicts high school girls interacting with ceramics, the "changing relationships" in the song are compared to the smooth curves drawn on ceramic clay. Aya Uchida's caroling voice in the chorus of the song gradually changes to a more mature expression as the song progresses, which is another key point of the song.

The song was produced by hisakuni, who has been involved in many turning points in her music career. As the title suggests, the sound arrangement emphasizes a "pale and blue" transparency, and was created with Uchida's life-size perspective in mind, as if she were looking on from afar as she watched the anime characters play out their coming-of-age drama. Her character, Mado Deemon, also plays the role of watching the characters from afar and sometimes giving them a hard time in the previews for the next episode of the anime, so the song and her character are a perfect match in terms of the "bird's eye view. The lyrics of the song are also very much in tune with the character's surroundings.

Hisakuni's lyrics are almost like the work of an esper. Given her "big sister" perspective in singing the song and the message of the aforementioned lyrics, this is a song that has meaning for Uchida as a voice-over artist.

The coupling track "Destiny" is another must-listen. This song is an answer song to "Sign," the ending theme song for the first season of the TV anime "The Bride of the Five Equals" that she sang in the past.

Like "Sign," "Destiny" was written by Mayumi Kaneko and arranged by Koji Matsuzaka. The lyrics and melody line of "Destiny," which depicts a happy ending of the heroines of the anime, are based on "Sign," and you will find many parts of it sampled from "Sign.

◆Azumi Waki 4th single "Viewtiful Days!

Azumi Kazuki, who just released her first full album in February this year, has already arrived with a new one.

What should be mentioned first and foremost is the jacket photo, which, when scored on a 100-point scale, makes one want to give it 100 million points for fashionable elements. The pastel colors used as a base color, with similarly toned accessories around it, and a full-body shot of the artist in the center of the photo, as if she were a dress-up doll or a fashion magazine for women, is a creative work that is sure to be loved by female fans. It is rare to find a jacket that is so close to female fans among recent voice-over artists' works.

Of course, the four songs on this album are also excellent.

The theme of this album is "everyday life," and lyrics that seem to have been written with the Corona disaster in mind can be found throughout the album. The title track, "Viewtiful Days!" is the ending theme song for the TV anime "300 Years of Defeating Slimes, and Before I Knew It, I Was Level Max. It is a catchy girls' rock number that is typical of Yusuke Mochida, who has previously produced "Apple Mint" sung by Aya Uchida and "Blooming!

The other title track, "I fell in love with a memory," is a fresh and sentimental guitar pop song that makes one nostalgic for encounters in the past. In the electro-pop tune "2030," she sings in a voice with an empty atmosphere, "It's an atarashii world where this story begins/I'm in love with you with my mouth covered, isn't it? In the electro-pop tune "2030," Ki sings of her heartrending and healthy love for improving herself even under the new normal, and of course, the coupling songs are not to be missed.

The coupling song "2030" is especially applicable to this single, but throughout the entire album, it was clear that Ms. Waki's music activities are centered on her own "what she wants to do," including her love of shoujo manga (girls' manga) and "love stories. I was reminded that the mainstay of her musical activities is her own "what she wants to do," including her beloved shoujo manga and "love stories. At the same time, she seems to be in a transitional phase, passing from the innocent side seen in her previous singles to the more mature mode of the "B side" of her last album. This album is another step forward as an artist.

◆Aisei Toyosaki 4th album "caravan!

This is the first full album released in 5 years after her 10th anniversary as a voice actress, and it is one album that contains the various "happiness" she felt at the Corona Disaster.

The album features a mixture of new and old talents, including creators who have supported Ms. Toyosaki's music activities to date, as well as singer-songwriters whom she says she loves in her private life. This album is a "best album" in the sense that it is her best album to date, on par with her best album "love your Best" released in July 2017. The second chapter of her music career finally begins.

The title track, "Sore mo Hoshi-shiteiru neruda," was produced by the powerful tag team of Tomoya Tabuchi and Mito (clammbon) as an update of Toyosaki's live standard song, "music. The motif of this album is a group of people crossing a desert (=caravan), and "I still can't help wishing" has a warm sound that suits the earth colors that are used as a base there. The mid-tempo track, based on claps and stomps and layered with matte-toned trumpets, gives the impression of peaceful vibes from start to finish. Ms. Toyosaki's down-to-earth, calm, and cheerful vocals also shine with more naturalness than ever before.

In addition, there are songs written by artists she admires and loves. Singer-songwriter Yu Sakai, whose best-known songs include "Roses and Roses," composed "MORNING:GLORY," a song with a retro and Western flavor. The album also includes "Cheers!", an urban song written by Asako Toki, a former vocalist of Cymbals with a deep knowledge of city pop, and Toomi Yoh, who has recently arranged many of aiko's songs. At the time of this writing, samples of the songs other than the title track have not been released, but the album, created with artists who form her musical vision, has us already looking forward to the day of its release.

In addition to the three works introduced so far, Miu Tomita also released her first album "Prologue" on June 30, marking the one and a half year anniversary of her activities. The album includes "Letter," her first song with lyrics, which she even describes as "the feeling you get when a child is born," the moment a song is completed. On June 23, Aika Kobayashi released her first album "Gradation Collection" and Riyo Takahashi released her first EP "Transparent Sticky Notes" as her solo debut. The positive trend is likely to gain further momentum in the summer months.


(Text by Kota Ichijo)