Long interview in commemoration of "New Sakura Taisen the Stage: Two Flames"! Kohei Tanaka talks about the creation of each country's music, as well as behind-the-scenes stories of the old and new "Sakura" stages!

New Sakura Wars the Stage: Two Flames", a new stage production of the cross-media content "New Sakura Wars" by SEGA Corporation, will be performed at Theater 1010 from December 17 to 19, 2021.

In connection with this, he has been in charge of music for the series including "Sakura Wars" and "New Sakura Wars," and has written the music for "Proclamation! Teikoku Kagekidan (Gekitei)" and other gems of theme songs, we conducted an interview with Mr. Kohei Tanaka. In addition to asking him about episodes and behind-the-scenes stories that traverse the old and new "Sakura" series, centering on the stage, we were also able to hear some very interesting stories about his theories on the creation of the music.

We hope you enjoy the interview to the end.

*The stage photos are from the previous "New Sakura Wars the Stage.

─ I heard that you are working on a new song for "New Sakura Taisen the Stage: Two Flames".

Tanaka: Masami Ito, the director, asked me for a new song. He told me, "This is the song that will be used here in the script. I will sing it at the end of the first act. I hope you don't miss it, because there are various interesting devices, such as dialogue in the middle of the song. It is a powerful song.

───What kind of music is it conceptually?

Tanaka I can't tell you that, but yes. （I think it is similar to a song that Maria sang in the "Sakura Wars Song Show".

───What are your impressions and attractions of the "New Sakura Wars" stage from the perspective of Mr. Kohei, who has seen (and created) "Sakura Wars" as a whole and the Hanagumi's "Song Show" and other stage productions?

Tanaka First of all, the "Sakura Wars Song Show" is performed by voice actors. This is fundamentally different from this time, when the stage version is performed by actors.

─ ─ The fact that the voice actors are performing on the stage as they are was groundbreaking at the time.

Tanaka The "Sakura Taisen" game sold extremely well, and after consulting with Oji Hiroi (the general producer), we decided to do a stage production as a one-time-only event. At first, it was only for three days.

─ I heard that the first song show, the Hanagumi special performance "Because of Love," had a very tight preparation schedule.

Tanaka The result was a great success, but from the viewpoint of the voice actors themselves, it was too little perfection, so they said, "We can't end it like this! We can't finish this! The voice actors asked if we could make it again properly, so we decided to do a second show, and the "Song Show" that followed began.

─ Then the "Sakura Wars Song Show" became an event that lasted for 10 years.

Tanaka As the show continued, the voice actors also became successful, didn't they (laughs)? (Laughs.) There was Luffy (Mayumi Tanaka, who played Kanna Kirishima), you know. That's why we couldn't get together for rehearsals. There were times when we could barely rehearse with everyone together during the final rehearsal. When we decided to stage the "New Sakura Taisen" production, we unfortunately did not have the option of using voice actors for the stage. Everyone was really busy, and even a two-hour song recording would have to be adjusted on a monthly basis. It is impossible to hold such people for a month, isn't it? First of all, it is physically impossible. That's why we wanted to use actors. However, if we were to have specialized actors for the stage, it would be difficult to differentiate it from other 2.5D stage productions.

─ ─ "The same cast plays both the stage and voice roles" used to be a characteristic and individuality of "Sakura Wars" in the past.

Tanaka: I thought that this (having different actors play different roles on the stage) might be difficult for fans who have been watching the singing show for a long time to accept. That's why I explained everything in detail on my blog and told the actors first that I wanted them to synchronize their roles with the actors more and more. I told them that I wanted them to be exposed to the "New Sakura Wars" in various ways and that I would tell them whatever I could. Thanks to that, I think I managed to synchronize the actors with the characters in last year's "New Sakura Taisen the Stage". But this "New Sakura Taisen the Stage: Two Flames" is even more amazing!　I think it's the actor himself who is standing on the stage.

─ ─ I was also attached to the voice actor's performance, but in "New Sakura Taisen the Stage", it was so convincing that I was convinced that this was Clarice.

Tanaka: It's the same with the figure, and the voice also comes close. I didn't mean to make her sound like Clarice, but it just happened as I listened to Saori Hayami singing and acting Clarice over and over again. So, in this stage, please look forward to the degree of synchronization. She is becoming more and more like herself.

─ ─ I think it is difficult to have different voice actors and actors singing the same song for the same character, because there are many differences in register and so on.

Tanaka You understand very well. Ana-san (Anastasia) seems to have the most difficulty. Juri Hirayu, who sings on stage, has a male Takarazuka background, so her voice is about three notes lower than Ayaka Fukuhara's. That's why she sings in the same key as Fukuhara's original. So she said at first that it was quite difficult to sing in Fukuhara's original key. However, in the past six months, her upper part of her voice has been getting longer and longer, and she even said that she could no longer sing in a lower key (laughs).

─ ─ He said that adjusting to such a situation is part of the skill of a professional.

Tanaka Experience is everything. Of course there is voice training, but it is the performance that develops the girls, and one performance is better than a hundred voice trainings.

Tanaka ─ I think that the growth and maturation that takes place during the performance is similar to the "Sakura Taisen" stage in the past.

Tanaka: The singing show had a lot of freedom. I know because I was conducting on the side (*Note ...... the early Sakura Wars Song Show had a live orchestra!) ), there were times when I forgot the script on stage. But the girls were amazing enough to make it work. Mayumi Tanaka once ad-libbed an entire scene.

───That kind of temperature may be a little different in the new Sakura.

Tanaka: The new Sakura is very elaborate, including the timing of the music. Everything is calculated, so a slight deviation could lead to injury. It's very difficult because everything is decided on how many seconds and how many counts it takes to go from here to there. When you watch backstage, everyone is counting and doing things like "5 to go," "7 to cut," etc. It is an amazing stage. It is an amazing stage. So you should think of it as a different approach. But I am sure there are different qualities in both. I hope that even the old fans will enjoy it and wonder if there is such a thing as this.

─ ─ The Shanghai Hagekidan and the London Hagekidan also appear on stage this time, don't they?

Tanaka It's a problem because they are synchronized right from the start (laughs). (Laughs.) I think Yui is just the same as before. （Hirari Nishida (who plays Yui) used to be an idol at Avex and won a folk song contest. That's why we have her do Chinese-style fists. She can make sounds that normally don't rotate. Ms. Hoha Komatsu (who plays Lancelot) is a hot-blooded girl. That's her. Her mother said she has been a fan of mine for 30 years, so I told her to bring me next time (laughs).

─ ─ What do you think about when expressing the individuality and characteristics of each country's Kagekidan in your music?

Tanaka: It's inevitably going to be fake. It can't be helped. It would be more authentic if a Chinese person wrote it, wouldn't it?　But it is the degree of fakeness that counts. Yesterday I was watching a movie called "Around the World in Eighty Days" (1956), and the music when they arrived in Yokohama was already Chinese, and the viewers thought it was different. But that is a stereotype, so even "SAYURI" (2005), the music is Chinese. So, when I write Chinese music, I think about whether it will seem new Chinese when Chinese people listen to it. So that it will be interesting when people in London listen to it. （There is a lyric in the song "The Sound of Westminster Bells" (sung by Lancelot in "Knights of the Round Table"), and I used real Westminster bells for the sound. If I'm going to do this, I really want to imitate them, and I'm thinking of writing China, which they can't write. When I wrote the music for "Tengai Makyo," I wrote it with an awareness of fake Japan as seen by people overseas. I thought the opposite of that, and this time, I would remove the stereotype as seen from Japan and write music that a modern Chinese person would write.

─ ─ You depicted Paris in "Sakura Wars 3" and New York in "Sakura Wars 5," is the approach the same?

Tanaka: Both "Under the Flag" in Paris and "Warrior on the Ground" in Cotswolds are "Gekitei". Then there is Hakurin (Berlin), but for these three, I created "gekitei" for each country. So, whether in Shanghai or London, the first song I make is the "gekitei" of that country.

─ ─ Even though you say that you create "gekitei" for each country, I think there is a sense in which a new piece is finally evaluated as being equal to or superior to the original.

Tanaka In that sense, the "Gekitei" of "Shin Sakura Taisen" (New Sakura Wars) is a good example! Teikoku Kagekidan <New Chapter>" (of "New Sakura Wars") was well done, wasn't it?

─ ─ I think it was wonderful.

Tanaka You put a lot of thought into it. That's true, and I don't like it when my work is not constantly evolving. I don't want my work to be ever-evolving, because what I am doing now is to keep throwing away the glory of the past. I don't trace my old successes, I don't plagiarize from myself. That's a point that all great composers, no matter how great, tend to fail at.

─ ─ You are always moving forward, aren't you? I was once talking to a creator in the ani-song industry who told me about the mighty wall of Mr. Kohei when considering sounds inspired by Takarazuka and Revue.

Tanaka We can't lose to "revue 00 light" (laughs). Uematsu (Noriyasu) and Kanzen (Satoru) often tell me to retire as soon as possible. I reply, "If only you guys could surpass me.

─ ─ There is a generational struggle at a high level (laughs).

Tanaka You might retire before I do (laughs).

───Mr. Kohei's name is also mentioned by people of the generation below you.

Tanaka Hidekazu Tanaka also told me that. He would think of methods that he had not tried, and he would use techniques that I had not tried, which was very interesting. As you can see, Hidekazu Tanaka is very smart. The music for "Wake Up, Girls! Yoshioka-san is also a nice girl.

─ ─ Mr. Yoshioka also plays the role of Itsuki Nishijo in "Shin Sakura Taisen".

Tanaka I would have liked her to appear on stage if she could. I knew it would be difficult for a voice actor to have a good schedule.

─ ─ With the expansion of projects such as "Sakura Wars," "New Sakura Wars," and "Sakura Revolution," there have been changes in the production staff. I think there are many fans who see the fact that Mr. Kohei is in charge of the music as a spiritual encouragement or as continuity in the series.

Tanaka If there are people who think of "Sakura" because I am doing it, that makes me happy. I have also done music for "One Piece," but it is a work that has many entrances, and above all, it is Oda-sensei's work first and foremost. As for "Sakura Taisen," I feel that it is a work that Oji Hiroi and I have worked on together, so I am trying to carry on Hiroi's "ism" as if I am carrying on his work.

─ What do you think is the core of the "Sakura Wars" music that has continued through the various series?

Tanaka If you ask me, the core of "Sakura Wars" music is the melody. A thick melody. In the current era, things are going in various directions, such as rhythm and humor, but if you take out just the melody without any accompaniment, you can clearly see that the melody is fat. If you listen to "Run, Kosoku no Teikoku Kagekidan," it's easy to understand (laughs). (Laughs.) To put it simply, you can grab it in five seconds. Lately, due to TikTok and other influences, there are more and more short songs. They don't have intros, or they put the part they want you to hear at the beginning. So, in a way, "Gekitei" is the first chorus. The part "cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha♪" (the intro) is another chorus.

I see!　Does that have something to do with the fact that the sound of "Sakura Wars" is game music?

Tanaka As for "Gekitei," people walking around Akihabara would turn to me and say, "What! I was asked to write a song that would make people walking around Akihabara turn their heads and say, "What! I said, "Yes, I understand," and as a result, that introduction was born.

─ I think "Gekitei" has had an immeasurable impact on the anime song world. I can't tell you how many times I've seen it covered in live performances. Why is "Gekitei" so special?

Tanaka Well, because it is special. I think it's the fat melody, the catchy intro, and the fact that the song makes you want to try singing it. It's not too difficult. ...... It's a very difficult song to sing properly, though. No one has ever sung it properly on "I tried singing it," so I was thinking of directing it myself (laughs).

─ ─ In creating a "new chapter" of such a difficult song for "New Sakura Wars," it was spartan to make it even more difficult, like chasing the high notes of "Hashiree" (laughs).

Tanaka That was because Ms. Ayane Sakura could play E. She could play F#. She can also play F#, so I thought that if she could play E, I would ask her to play this. So when I chose Yuna Sekine to play the role of Sakura Amamiya on stage, I wanted her to play the role with an "E" in her front voice.

─ ─ Because the hurdle was so high, I chose someone who could do it well, and I also helped her with special training.

Tanaka: Then the level became even higher. It was a good relationship. That's no wonder she (Sekine-san) is sought out for various performances.

─ ─ Just like your approach to composing, you are always aiming high, so you are able to update your work to make it even better.

Tanaka If you don't constantly update your work, it will just disappear. I wondered why so many great people in the world of composition had disappeared, and then I looked at those who had not disappeared. Then, I found that the ones who survived were those who had good personalities, looked young, and were able to constantly renew themselves. Mr. Hiroaki Watanabe, Mr. Shunsuke Kikuchi, they all had low backs. Then I thought, why don't I do the same (laughs). (laughs) I was at Victor for a while, so I watched them closely and learned from the past.

─ ─ Personally, I was most surprised and impressed that you had created something that could surpass "Gekitei" with "Under the Flag".

Tanaka I remember that meeting. Mr. Hiroi said to me, "Give me a song that is more powerful and Parisian than "Gekitei" and that will be a big hit! He said, "Give me a song that is more powerful than 'Gekitei,' more Parisian, and a big hit! I thought, "Who would sign up to hit a home run in baseball? (laughs) So I hit a home run. In that sense, the new Gekitei ("Proclamation! Teikoku Kagekidan <New Chapter>) was also a home run, I think. With a different bat.

─ ─ It was the best home run. Finally, do you have a message for the fans who are waiting for the stage?

Tanaka: Whether you have been supporting us for a long time or you have just started with the "New" version, I think you will enjoy the play and I hope you will not blink for even a second, but watch and remember everything. I promise you that you won't be disappointed. Thank you very much.

(Interview and text by Kiri Nakazato)

Event Information

Performance title: "New Sakura Taisen the Stage: Two Flames

Staff

Original story: "Shin Sakura Taisen" (SEGA Corporation) / Series original story: Oji Hiroi / Music: Kohei Tanaka / Director/Screenplay: Masami Ito / Production: Office ENDLESS and others

Cast: [Sakura Amamiya] Yuna Sekine, [Hatsuho Shinonome] Rina Takahashi, [Azami Mochizuki] Yui Kantake, [Anastasia Palma] Juri Hirayu, [Clarice] Natsume Oki, [Yang Xiaolong] Mariko Honjo, [Huang Yu] Hirari Nishida, [Arthur] Kaede, [Lancelot] Hoba Komatsu, [Sumire Kanzaki] Moe Mi Katayama, [Seijuro Kamiyama Moe Katayama, Yohei Azaue (voice), Seijuro Kamiyama

Seira Yamada, Rio Yazawa, Hikaru Motomiya, Ayame Iijima, Ayaka Ishida, Mizuhi Kotachi, Marie Nagai, Miona Makino, Yori Mishima, Yuna Yamashita

Please note that the performers are subject to change.

Date, time, and performance schedule:

December 17 (Fri.) - December 19 (Sun.), 2021 (6 performances)

Theater: Theater 1010

Theater: Theatre 1010

The performance schedule is subject to change.

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