Liella!, Inori Minase, Aimi, Marika Takano - In-depth review of the hottest summer anime theme songs! Seiyu Artists Monthly July 2021

The theme for the July 2021 issue is the theme song of the "summer anime" that is currently being broadcast to rave reviews.

Each song is closely related to the anime, but at the same time, each artist's unique style is expressed from all angles. Take your time to enjoy all four singles.

Liella! Single"START! True dreams"(July21)

The fourth in the popular series "Love Live! Superstar! Super Star! The opening theme "START! True dreams" continues from the debut single "Hajimari wa Kimi no Sora" with a band sound.

The track is even more exciting than before with its sense of speed, but it is also very comfortable with its stylish gimmicks, such as the bridge just before the second loop of the intro, which gives the impression of running up the stairs, and the keyboards that precede the outro with a skittering lightness.

Liella! series, so the two-person song assignments are fresh and new. The live drums in their songs are aggressive, and the unison strength that shines as dignified as the aggressiveness of the drums is a strong point that Liella!

The release of "START! True dreams," you can feel that the essence of the anime has been condensed into the song as of the end of the second on-air episode. For example, when Karakana (CV: Liyuu) says, "Is there an end to working hard at what you love? and "Love Live!" of the highest conceivable purity. This is also true of this song.

As for Kanon Shibuya (CV: Sayuri Date), even if she had been able to enroll in the music department, which was her original choice, her trauma of "being too nervous to sing in public" might not have been resolved as clearly as it was in the play. To borrow a phrase from the lyrics, her "true wish" may not have come true without Kuku.

If this is the case, the three members who have not yet joined the group may also be concerned about their "encounter" and their path to unity. In any case, the overwhelming understanding of the "Love Live! series, there is no doubt that the future of the song is positive. I am looking forward to the future of this song.

◆Inori Minase 10th single "HELLO HORIZON" (July 21)

Minase Inori's new single "HELLO HORIZON" is the opening theme of the TV anime "Jisshushugi Yusha no Oukoku Kaihatsu Kaihatsu Ki" (Kingdom Reconstruction of the Realistic Yusha), which is enlivening the program. The main character, Soma Kazuya (CV: Yusuke Kobayashi), who lives in modern Japan, is summoned to another world, where he uses his modern knowledge to reform the kingdom with a "realism" mindset, choosing only "low-risk" options. The anime is based on the story of a young man who is summoned to another world by Yusuke Kobayashi. Ms. Minase herself appears in the anime as the heroine, Licia Elfrieden.

The music was composed and arranged by Yusuke Shirato, who also arranged the 4th single "Aimai Moko". The song begins with an introduction that contains elements of so-called "dissonance," and its impressive progression with many modulations makes it a difficult track to master. The lyrics were written by Yuho Iwasato, who has breathed life into Mizuse's songs at the right moment, including "Blue Compass," the title tune of her second album. This time, too, the song is a first-class work that accompanies the anime story in every way, including the chorus phrase, "I thought there was no me in the world / that the world would want me / but I believed in myself / and when I believed in myself / I was just as I am.

Also, although I am sorry to duplicate a previous review, I would like to mention here that the aforementioned phrase seems to speak for itself of Ms. Minase's steadily positive change of heart toward her music career (Reference: Seiyu Artist Monthly, December 2020issue ). The composition of the story, in which Ms. Minase seems to give encouragement to the characters in "Jisshushugi Yusha no Oukoku Fukkai Kaihatsu Ki" by using the context of her own music activities as well as those she has built up to this point, is a "tie-up" that only she can make possible, don't you think? It is a "tie-up" that only she could pull off, don't you think? When Soma Kazuya is able to recognize herself, Mizuse's music will resonate even more profoundly.

◆Aimi ◆Aimi's 2ndsingle "Kazania" (July 28)

Aimi plays Carla Vargas, Licia's best friend in the TV anime "Jisshushugi Yusha no Okoku Kaikoku Fukkatsu Ki" (Kingdom Reconstruction of the Realistic Brave Kingdom), the same as Mizuse-san. Aimi's new song "Kazania" is used as the ending theme for the anime. The title of the song is a play on the word gazania, which means "I am proud of you" in the language of flowers, and is a combination of the words "wind" and "near". The song was produced by "The Wind" and "The Wind" was produced by "The Wind".

The song was produced by Noriki Tarta, who also goes by the name "Tarto P". The exotic sound that flows throughout the song may be intended to express the "otherworldliness" of the work. The sound is somewhat Scandinavian (......), specifically Celtic and Irish, and the D-melody of the second verse, with its flute and chorus, is particularly symbolic of this.

Also in the introduction, the piano refrain is like a sign that something is about to begin, and it carries a pleasant sense of anticipation for the story of the song to come. This refrain then passes to the guitar and continues to resonate until the end of the song, but in a slightly shorter two-bar phrase than is typically found in rock tunes. The reason for this somewhat "mysterious" impression one gets from "Kazania" can be attributed to the development of the song.

The reason is that this song deviates from the standard development of A/B melody followed by the chorus (......), which is repeated twice before the fall and the big chorus. Especially after the second melody, the song finally reaches the second chorus with a complex and dramatic structure that takes almost twice as long as the first chorus to reach the grand finale.

This is why it is difficult to find the right balance of intonation throughout the song. In addition to singing such a challenging piece, this time, the singer sang the huskier parts of the song than in the previous single "ReSTARTING! and by raising the tone of her voice a little more, she is able to showcase her core singing voice. I have the impression that vocalist "Aimi" is skilled at expressing such a dignified look in her singing voice.

Also, she has an image of being suited for royal rock tunes, but if her voice and presence can also be seen in songs such as "Kazania," we can look forward to more of her future musical activities. Many listeners may mention "Kazania" when looking back on this year's great voice-over artist songs.

◆Marika Takano 2nd single "New story" (July 14)

A complete change from her artist debut "Dreamy, but not a dream" released in February this year, "New story" is a "serious" single. Marika Takano's second single, "New story," is a departure from the "serious" single from her artist debut "Yumemashita, but it's not a dream" released in February of this year. The title track was produced by hisakuni, whose name was mentioned in the previous month's issue, as the opening theme for the TV anime "Seirei Genshi Ki. The song depicts the "duality" of the mind of Rio (CV: Sadacheng Matsuoka), the main character of the anime.

This "duality" can be described as "tension" and "transparency. The lyrics of "New story" and the symphonic-rock based track remind us of the dark situation in which Rio is reborn in another world with a shadowy experience in his mind, and at the same time, we can picture him gradually regaining a clear mind and looking forward to the future. As if to encourage the listener's understanding of the positive direction his mind is shifting in, Mr. Takano's singing voice, with its sharp and gentle sound and clear contours, strikes the listener's heart straight away.

The coupling song "Sayonara Hoshizora", which shows the range of her singing style, is a song that she says she created as a dedication to "Elder flower", the ending theme song of "Seirei Genshi Ki" sung by Akuri Onishi. To begin with, the single itself, as a "Seirei Gensouki" concept single, was designed to unify the overall atmosphere of the work by not changing the atmosphere significantly between the title track and the coupling tracks. The reason for this was to make the single accessible not only to Ms. Takano's fans, but also to "Seirei Gensyou Ki" viewers. This consideration reflects the sincerity with which she approaches her anime works.

(Text by Kota Ichijo)