In the midst of the second year of the Corona Disaster, Hiroyuki Deguchi and Ichirokuso Samejima talk about the anime songs you should listen to in 2021!

Only a few days remain in the year 2021. So, Akiba Research Institute's annual year-end event, an ani-song talk by Hiroyuki Deguchi and Irukuso Samejima, was held again this year!

The end of the year, while being swept away by the new coronavirus as last year, seems to have gradually begun to shift to an after-coronavirus routine. Hiroyuki Deguchi, a musician and writer for various media, and Ichirokusan Samejima of the comedy duo "BANBANBAN" will discuss the anime song scene in 2021! What do these two well-known ani-song DJs think of the ani-song scene in 2021?

As usual, they selected the best 3 anime songs from each season from winter to fall 2021, as well as their favorite song from anime movies, and talked about anime songs to their heart's content.

─ This is our first interview in a year, isn't it? How has the past year been for both of you?

Deguchi: It was the same as last year in some ways, but I personally feel that my live performances have increased as the world has changed since the beginning of autumn. However, it is not as if we are completely back to the same situation as before.

The number of anime songs has increased this year, but as a DJ, I had no place to play them.

This year, however, the number of anime songs has increased as usual, but as a DJ, I had no place to play them.

Samejima: Since the beginning of this year, I have been consciously trying to increase my opportunities to speak, and every morning since my birthday, I have been doing a 10-minute voice delivery on an app called "REC. Perhaps it is because I have increased my opportunities to speak in this way, but I feel that I am getting more public speaking jobs.

I also started teaching part-time at a voice actor school in April. I also do rakugo every month, and I think that kind of work increased as the second half of the year progressed. I am sure that things will be back to normal next year, but I didn't want to keep my arms limp in preparation for that, so I was actively working on it.

As for anime, like you, Deguchi-san, I've been on the scene less and less as an anisong DJ.

Hiroyuki Deguchi

─ ─ What was the situation like for anime clubs in 2021?

Samejima: I'm doing what I'm doing, but as for the "ani-song discos" that I host, I'm not doing nearly as many as I used to. I have held one last month and one this month, but they are small, with limited admission.

Ani-song disco is not the type of event where you have to show off your technique, but rather, it's the type of event where everyone gets together and has a good time. If that's the case, I decided it would be better not to do it.

─ ─ Even now, the situation is still unpredictable, but is the atmosphere a little different from the hopeless atmosphere of a year ago?

Samejima Yes, it is. It feels like it's just before the dawn!

─ ─ I would like to take a look back at the anime songs of 2021. Please give my best regards!

Iriksan Samejima

Winter 2021 Anime

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Undulation" by Sakiyama Aoshi (ED of "2.43 Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club")

Ue wo muite tounbo with erythrocytes & white blood cells" by POLYSICS (ED of "Hataraku Cyte BLACK")

Ganbare! KUMOKO-san no Theme" I (Yuuki Aoi) ("KUMO de desuka, nanika? (ED of the previous season)

＜Samejima

Rakuen" by Fuji Fabric ("Dr. Stone" 2nd season OP)

Yuko Ohara (OP for episodes 3-9 of the first season of "Unemployed Tensei: Isekai Igarashi de Genkidasan")

Keep weaving your spider way" NARIKO AZUKI（OP of "KUMO de desu desu, nani ka? (OP for the first season)

─ ─ "Ganbare! Spider Girl's Theme" had a great impact. I thought that Aoi Yuuki's skills as a voice actress really shone through.

Deguchi: I feel that this year as a whole, there were not many songs of this type, so-called "silly" songs - songs that would definitely get people excited if played at live performances, events, or at ani clubs. I don't mean "good songs," but "great songs.

Samejima It was amazing. It was like Maximum the Hormone all by himself. It was amazing that he did everything by himself.

Deguchi The fun factor was a completely different level of "skill" than just practicing the song hard to improve your expressive ability.

Samejima It's amazing that you are able to express your emotions as a voice actor. (While listening to the soundtrack) I wonder if this can be done in a live performance.

Deguchi: I think you can (laughs).

─ ─ However, it was probably broadcast in the middle of the Corona disaster, so I don't think it has been performed live yet, since no stage events for so-called fans have been held.

Samejima: Indeed, there was another state of emergency declared on January 9. I remember the date well because it was issued the day before my event. I remember the date well: "It's over! If the time of year was right, some of the events might have been major topics of the year.

─ ─ For example, we hardly had a chance to gather at a karaoke bar and sing ani-song songs together this year, so there were almost no opportunities for anime fans to get together and have fun with ani-song songs, except for Anisama.

Samejima: It's hard to put it this way, but maybe it's the songs that are a lost opportunity. I was the one who wrote "Keep we we weave" for the first season OP of "Spider, what is it? I recommend "keep weaving your spider way," the OP from the first season of "Spider, desu dake, nanika? Of course, it is great that she sings along with the animation, but I once saw Ms. Azuki singing this song with only an acoustic guitar, and I was struck at once: "She sings this song with an acoustic guitar? I was struck at once. I was taken aback at first sight. I thought she had about eight fingers. Her sense of rhythm is also amazing.

The music video is simple, and the lyrics come out like spider threads, which is cool. I love the way the sound of the anime's OP video fits together so perfectly, and as a fan of OP videos, I can't get enough of it.

Deguchi: Both the OP and ED of "Spider" were great. I'm glad that Shark-san and your work were in the same place (laughs). I feel like I wasn't wrong in my feeling.

Samejima Ha-ha-ha (laughs). My next song was "Unemployed Reincarnation," and as a lover of OP images, I was completely betrayed. The song played during the entire episode. If you are a fan of the anime, you will be happy to see 90 seconds more of the main story. I have never seen such a presentation anywhere else.

I also like the song itself. It's a slow ballad that doesn't interfere with the main story, but it fits the work very well.

─ ─ Fantasy anime with slow OP themes are in the same vein as "Senki of Rhodes" and "Escaflowne in the Sky". I think they are the successors of the legitimate fantasy anime.

Deguchi: Yes, that is true.

Samejima And then there is "Rakuen" by Fuji Fabric. It is the OP of the second season of "Dr. Stone." The first season's OP is a jangly rock song like "Good Morning World!" by BURNOUT SYNDROMES or "Three Primary Colors" by PELICAN FANCLUB, but Fuji Fabric's song has a slower BPM and is a bit less OP-like. The BPM of Fujifabric's songs are slower, and they don't seem to be OP songs.

When it comes to OPs for the second season of an anime, there are usually two styles: one that continues the line of the first season, and the other that dares to betray the first season.

Deguchi: I feel that this year's trend is that the BPM of the music is slowing down, or perhaps it is becoming slower. There are fast songs, and when bands play anime songs, I have an image of them singing powerful songs like Samejima-san mentioned, but they don't seem to be going there, but instead are singing Western-style or side-splitting songs. I feel that there is a shift toward such songs.

When I first heard this song, I honestly thought it was a very plain song, but I thought it was very cool and modern.

Samejima The last part of the song where it modulates is really good, isn't it?

Deguchi The OP and ED of "Hataraku Cycle BLACK" were both by POLYSICS, and the OP was performed by Seya Yamasaki, the vocalist of "Kyusoneko-Kami," and that song was great, but I think the ED had a stronger POLYSICS flavor. It was completely the sound of the new wave of the 70s and 80s, like P-MODEL or HIKASHU or something like that.

It's very nonsensical. It's a bit strange, and if you ask me if it's cool, I wonder if it is. I'm a bit confused, but it's punkish and not blurred. In terms of sound, it's not about the cells in your body. It's about the rhythm of the cells in your body, or the way they move in the same way, and the beats that are churned out at the same intervals, which is characteristic of new wave music.

───The main part of the song is very hard, but it's great that the ED gets you in the groove and makes you feel like you're in the middle of something.

Deguchi: The gap between the two is also very good. If you depict what is happening inside the body in a very dramatic way, it will be like this work, and if you try to depict it in a comical way, it will be more comical, like in the main story of "Hataraku Cell". If it had been a more serious song, I think it would have been a harder work, but I think the fact that POLYSICS did it was a great match.

And then there is "Undulation" Sakiyama Aoshi. 2.43 Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club" had a good OP.

Samejima: I was a last-minute candidate for this one, too.

Deguchi: It's a bit unfair. As anime songs go, both the OP and ED are unorthodox, but it's difficult. It's like, "It's a good song, so it's good." Mr. Sakiyama originally appeared in auditions and "Senko Riot," and probably the first time the public noticed him was on "Variety Pioneer Variety: Himura ga yuku" (AbemaTV). People were surprised by that, and at that point, there were several hundred original songs, so it was an extraordinary thing to come out. From there, you quickly became a major artist.

You are not the type of person who sings very well, but you are unique. He has a very strong personality, so when he doesn't fit in with a tie-in song like this, he sometimes doesn't fit in at all, but I think it's because the anime is so sharp that he got into it.

Samejima As I recall, you also did the ED for "My Hero Academia (5th season)" this year. Maybe he is the one who fits in with the otaku crowd.

─ ─ Perhaps the vivid sensation of "2.43" might have been a good fit because it is about high school club activities.

Deguchi: Tie-ins to works like this often call for a fresh or evergreen feel, but "Undulation" stands out as an anomaly even in this context. The voice is clearly in a strange position compared to the others, but it has a raw, life-sized feel to it. It's not just "it's nice," but rather, "it's our song" or "it's our song.

Samejima (Sakiyama-san) is a virgin in a good sense. He seems to forgive people like us who can't forget our virginity, so I think he will be supported by such people, and that's why I'm glad he came to the world of anime. 2.43" itself is a sports anime, but there were many dark stories, so I guess it just went well with Mr. Sakiyama's worldview.

Deguchi: I thought that Aoshi Sakiyama's rare artistic talent was in the way he transformed the negative impression into a positive one, or rather, led to a sense of hope. I think the three songs are now in perfect balance with each other.

Samejima That's right. I was torn between "Wonder Egg Priority" and "Wonder Egg" until the very end. There was also "Uma Musume" in this cool season, wasn't there? Yakunara Mug Cup" was also in this cool season, wasn't it?

Spring 2021 Anime

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ODDTAXI" skirt and PUNPEE ("ODDTAXI" OP)

Bokuno Ubisaki" by Megumi Hayashibara ("SHARMAN KING" 1st season ED)

Bump it! Dynamite Battle" NORISTRY ("Beyblade Burst DB" OP)

<SAMEJIMA

REVENGE" by FRANCESH (insert song for "Zombieland Saga Revenge" episodes 1 and 12)

EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!" Yuu Serizawa with DJ KOO & MOTSU ("Isekai Maou to Summon Girl no Slave Majutsu" 2nd season OP)

Did you hear the sound of laughter beyond the wall?" by Tony Frank ("Odd Taxi" episode 6 ED)

Deguchi I see!

Samejima: I was quite worried about this cool season. There is also "Tokyo Revengers" by Official Bearded Man-dism. There was also "Super Cub", "Hiroaca", and "Godzilla S.P.".

Deguchi There was also "SSSS.DYNAZENON," wasn't there?

Samejima I also liked "Shakunetsu Kabaddi" because it was ridiculous (laughs). Now let's start with you, Deguchi-san.

Deguchi I think it is "Odd Taxi" after all. I mentioned it in the series, didn't I? I thought, "This is it. It was new and the images were great. It fits the animation itself, and if I say it's 1990s-esque, that's all I'm saying, but the beat is not too aggressive. It had a hint of the loose hip-hop era, but it had a groove and a good melody, and I really liked the combination. It may have been the best of the year.

Samejima I also liked Tony Frank's "Did you hear the laughter behind the wall" more than "Odd Taxi. Tony Frank is a Yoshimoto comedian, and I think he is the best singer-songwriter in Yoshimoto. Odd Taxi" has a lot of Yoshimoto comedians in it, and to be honest, at first I wondered how it would turn out, but it didn't feel out of place at all.

There is a comedy duo called Homo sapiens, played by Diane, and the disparity between the duo comes out in episode 6 with a bang. The one who was originally leading the duo by making material was not the one who was making material, but his partner's comedic partner had sold out, and this was shown behind them saying, "What are we going to do now? So I think it's a song like "Asakusa Kid" by 2025. As someone who is in a similar situation (laugh), I was more moved by this song than others. I used to listen to this song all the time for a while.

─ ─ It was a very graphic animation, wasn't it?

Deguchi: I think that today's comedians have become a form of entertainment that includes the way they depict the backstage. One such example is "M-1," where they do documentaries on the run-up to the M-1 show. When I watch it, I can't help but be impressed.

Samejima That's right. The more you work part-time, the better.

(Everyone laughs)

Deguchi: I think there is the most drama in the way the people around you are kind and supportive. Of course, the performance is also a drama, but a decade ago, that would never have been allowed to be shown. It was only natural that they were working hard behind the scenes.

Samejima When Nakagawaya-san and Masuda Okada-san won the competition, there was no such documentary-style direction.

Deguchi: "Last! or "Last year! and so on. For example, Laughing Rice's "Finally, the last challenge! We were watching the drama that had been built up in the program, but nowadays, everything is prepared from the beginning.

Samejima: Of course it has to be interesting, but I think it depends on what kind of added value you can add to it. I guess we live in an age where we have to show everything in our lives.

Deguchi I feel that actors are also looked at in this way. It's like there is an underbelly. Musicians are not so much about the hard times and the upbringing as they are about the drama. Even if you say you can sell, there is a part of me that says, "What makes you sell? I think that's what makes them sell.

─ ─ With comedians, one of their goals is to be on TV all the time, but with musicians, I think there is a little more diversity. In addition to simply selling CDs and being in the media, there are other goals such as pursuing one's own world view or receiving great recognition for one's live performances. There are several axes of evaluation. That may be why it is difficult to create a clear-cut drama of conflict in an anime about a band.

Deguchi: That's why it is difficult to create a theme about the band's activities or music itself in an anime about a band, and I feel that the content is generally lacking.

─ ─ Are you okay with that?

Deguchi: Yes, I'm fine (laughs). In the real world, band activities, management, and songwriting are really a series of steady work, and the drama is born when a song is completed or a live performance is held. At the end of the 13th episode, there is a moment of drama. When you think about it, it is difficult to handle a band in an anime (laughs).

Samejima: Going back to "Odd Taxi," the characters all lead different lives and are in different positions, but the way they all come together at the end is very well done. Even people who don't usually watch anime watched it.

Deguchi: I think the fact that geinin (comedians) voiced the characters was the catalyst, but the casting was very meaningful.

Samejima The lead actor was Natsuki Hanae, and I was surprised that he was completely different from Sumijiro in "Demon Slayer. So the next song, for me, is "EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY! I think this was the stupidest song of the year. That's all!

Deguchi: Wahaha (laughs).

I was surprised to hear that DJ KOO, MOTSU, and Yu Serizawa can be so cheerful when they get together.

Samejima This might be the most necessary song in this world today (laughs).

Deguchi It has the sound of the 1990s music bubble era, when production costs were huge and sales of one million copies were common.

─ ─ It is amazing that two legends who have been active since the 1980s and 1990s are doing cutting-edge and ridiculous things, and it is also amazing that Yu Serizawa has the audacity to stand tall against such legends.

Deguchi It is also amazing that such great people are still doing the cutting-edge flicks of the time, and that they look so funny yet cool at the same time.

Samejima Yes, that's right. The art photos are too silly (laughs).

Deguchi It was also a time when people tended to be depressed, and the atmosphere in the world as a whole was telling people to cut the crap, but I think the people who were not cutting the crap were able to share their energy with everyone.

Samejima The song was played at ani clubs I went to a few times, and the floor was really excited. I felt that people really like this kind of music.

Deguchi: Next is "Beyblade DB's" "Bump it! Dynamite Battle" from "Beyblade DB. I'm with Same-san on this one, the song is cool, that's all! The bass is really cool.

The bass is really cool! There is not even a B-melody.

Deguchi The structure of the song is like a dance-rock song with one chord riff, but the fact that it is the theme song for a so-called "boys' anime" makes me think it was an anime song in the right sense. Odd Taxi" is aimed completely at adults, or rather, the target age group is the same as the creators of the song, so it fits in that way, but as a former male myself, I think that anime for boys must be able to enliven the boys. The instruments are cool and the phrases are cool. I have nothing more to say (laughs).

Samejima Another song of mine is "REVENGE," which was played in the 12th episode of "Zombieland Saga: Revenge. It was the song played during the final scene of the Saga concert.

Saga Prefecture was actually flooded at the same time in the movie. It was a really great scene because it showed the will of the story to rise up from the disaster, and also the desire of Frans Chouche to take revenge by packing the same venue where they had previously suffered a big embarrassment at the Saga Stadium. The camera work and direction of the live scene is 100 points, the drama leading up to it is great, the lyrics are great with the will that we will rise up again from here, and it makes me cry no matter how many times I watch it.

I also feel a sense of hope that someday Corona will really settle down and we will be able to see a live concert with a full house like this again. There are two more live songs in this episode, and the call-and-response also gave me a sense of hope.

─ ─ The last episode was so packed that it didn't have enough length, so it was broadcast nonstop for 27 minutes without commercials. I thought it was amazing that they changed the broadcast format for the sake of the work.

Samejima I really appreciate everyone who was involved in this work and made the effort. And everyone in Franchouche is a great singer! It's really amazing. I cry every time.

─ ─ And "#Bokuno Ubisaki" by "SHARMAN KING".

Deguchi Everyone loves "SHARMAN KING." To be honest, the OP didn't really hit me, or rather, the "Over Soul" we know was too strong, so I couldn't help but want more of it, but the ED surprised me. It's human-powered vocals. Of course, the vocals are processed by a machine, and the voices are made to sound like Vocaloid.

Samejima Is this Megumi Hayashibara? That's amazing!

Deguchi: I just heard "Ganbare, Ganbare! Spider Girl's Theme" and I thought it was amazing in the same way. I was like, "You can do this?

What is interesting is that Vocaloids are made by synthesizing human voices, and while we try to make them sing things that humans cannot sing, the technology is accumulating and it is becoming possible to make them sing in a way that is as close to human as possible. If that is the case, then why not have a human sing the final song? This song is the result of a reversal of the phenomenon of "humans are amazing, aren't they? I thought it was amazing that as humans become more skilled, they can eventually do things that are not human-like.

This song is also a good song, and it makes me think that voice actors are amazing.

───The way she returns to her human voice at the end is also very emo.

Deguchi: Yes, it is very emo. I don't think that was the intention, but it gives the feeling of disrespecting human beings.

Samejima It's like you're trying to bring back life, isn't it?

Deguchi Yes! That's what I wanted to say (laughs). Some people might say, "If that's the case, why don't you just have vocaloids sing it? It's a cool song. I was really impressed by the human power.

─ ─ Talking about human power, as Deguchi mentioned at the beginning of this article, many of this year's anime songs were performed by bands. I guess they were looking for live performances and the heat of human power.

Deguchi: "Ganbare! Spider Girl's Theme" had lyrics that were written in a way that was like a vocaloid song, and the score was not intended to be sung by a human. By having a human sing the lyrics more perfectly than a machine, the uneven breathing of the human comes to the surface, and the fact that it works in a positive way is the "strangeness of human power".

In the case of typed music, notes are placed on a score and set so that they sound at the right time, but if you do that, all the notes sound at 100% perfect timing. Then I intentionally shift the notes a little bit to make them sound more lifelike. Nowadays we have the technology to do anything, but who is going to use it and how? Once again, I thought that music is interesting when it is performed by a human being.

I know I'm going off topic, but voice actors are amazing! I am very impressed with the voice actors.