WOWOW 30th Anniversary Anime "Eternal 831" Special No.4] Fighting with words and anger - Interview with Kanoerana, who sings the OP theme song "Kingyobachi.

WOWOW's original new feature-length anime "Eternal 831" directed by Kenji Kamiyama will be broadcast and distributed on WOWOW on January 30, 2022.

This is a commemorative work for the 30th anniversary of the opening of WOWOW, and is a completely original new work with a script by Kamiyama himself. It is a work based on a certain supernatural ability, and its content directly reflects the stagnant times and real social conditions.

Akiba Research Institute is featuring "Eternal 831" in this issue! We will be presenting a series of interviews with the cast and theme song artists.

In this fourth installment, we interviewed Kanoerana, who sings the opening theme song "Kingyobachi.

In the film, 30 years of stagnation in Japan is depicted as one of the motifs, and Kanoerana was born in 1995. We asked her about the theme of the film and her thoughts on the music, as seen from her generation, which is close to that of Suzushirou, the main character of the film.

Kingyobachi" was created after reading the script

─ How did you feel about being in charge of the opening theme for "Eternal 831"?

Kanoerana (KANOE): I was just surprised at first. When I set up something like a dream for myself, I said that I wanted to be involved in music for animated works, such as theme songs and insert songs. Normally, I don't move my facial muscles very much, but when I heard this offer, I was so surprised and happy that I ran like crazy.

─ What was your impression when you read the script?

Kanoe: It was the first time for me to receive a script for an animated film, so I was thrilled to receive something like this. The characters' setting materials were also very detailed, and the images seemed to float in my mind as I read the script. When I thought about who I should focus on to make it easier to write the music, I felt that Suzushirou, who is close to my age (the main character), was close to me in his thoughts. I think this is a story that will appeal to people of the same generation.

─ ─ What kind of image did you have of director Kenji Kamiyama's work?

Kanoe: I had seen "Eden of the East," and I thought it was a work in which I strongly felt the power to do something about the social atmosphere and who the enemies are, even though I did not understand what they were! I thought it was a work in which I strongly felt the power to do something about it, even though I did not know the social atmosphere or who the enemies were. I myself have often wondered who is running the country and how, so it was easy for me to get involved.

─ ─ One of the themes of your work is that the times have been stagnant for the past 30 years. What kind of image do you have of that era, being born in the middle of it?

Kanoe: I am of the generation that experienced the "Galapagos" and now uses a smartphone, and has had the experience of using a computer to search the Internet since about the 5th grade of elementary school. Those of us born in 1995 are known as the "Yutori-generation," and we were often told by adults that "you people" and "young people" are the ones who are "yutori. But I always wondered, "Who created that system? What should I be angry about? "Where should I go from here?" I think that kind of confusion was similar to Suzushirou's.

───Can you tell us about the creation of the music for the opening theme "Kingyobachi" and the inspiration you received from the work?

Kanoe: When I was thinking about how to put together the lyrics, the staff told me that I could think about how I wanted to write the song by putting my feelings into the characters, just as I thought they would be. First, I read the script and put sticky notes on the important pasts of the characters and on the points that would be the turning points. I am the type of person for whom lyrics and music are born at the same time, so I created the music like a puzzle, thinking about how to put irony, metaphors, and word play in my own words.

─ Which character did you feel the most emotionally involved with?

Kanoe: I felt the most sympathy for the main character, Suzushirou-kun. I wanted to put the emotion of anger into the song the most, so I thought it would be better to make the tone a little more aggressive. So I added more harsh nuances to the vocals than usual, and I also made the vocals a little blurred to change the atmosphere. Usually I tend to joke around a bit (laughs), but this time I was very serious about the issues and put pure anger into the song. Fighting with words! That's how I feel about this song.

─ ─ I was very impressed by the phrase "I love death by cutting off the niku" in the lyrics.

Kanoe: The use of katakana for the word "niku" is a play on words by turning the word "kuni" upside down. I wanted to include it as a key word because the work deals with the phenomenon that occurs at the moment of death. I think everyone has thought about death, and I wanted to put it in the chorus, which has the greatest impact. Even if you save all kinds of people by putting yourself in harm's way, you will be left with nothing but a broken heart. I wondered who would love my death! I put this feeling into the song.

───What was the thought or image behind the title "Kingyobachi"?

Kanoe: There were many candidates for the title, but "Kingyobachi" was the one that was easiest to understand and convey... When I thought about what August was and what summer was all about, I thought about summer vacation, summer festivals ...... and I remembered that we used to scoop goldfish. I started to connect the associative game. I don't remember what I did with the goldfish I scooped. I may have forgotten and left them there. My thoughts were drawn to the question of what happened to the goldfish. Goldfish are beautiful and fun to look at, but they tend to be forgotten afterwards, I thought. I thought, "This is a title that I could use for my own life. In the script, I had an image of a goldfish fighting against a transparent wall or something invisible, so I thought the title was "Kingyo-bachi" because I felt that a bowl is small, and I wondered how a goldfish should live in this small world, and I felt that it was struggling and wavering.

─ ─ Is it from the inside that you are looking at the goldfish bowl? From the outside?

Kanoe: In the lyrics, the image is of a young man staring at his moyamoya from outside the fishbowl. I hope the song can be listened to from any standpoint.

On working on his dream anime song

─ ─ The ability to stop time appears in the song, but is there a time when you want to stop time, or what you would like to do if you could stop time?

Kanoe: I am the type of person who puts all of my feelings and what I want to do into my songs. That's why I'm not very good at putting into words what I want to do or communicating. I have a lot of trouble with that, so I want to stop time to think about it! That's why I want to stop time.

─ ─ I think this song and work will be one of the major milestones for Kanoe. Please tell us about your future prospects and enthusiasm.

Kanoe: It was never my dream to be a singer, but rather to sing anime songs for sure. I have only been active for a short period of time, and there are still so many things I am lacking. Eien no 831" is my first work with King Record, and I do not know what the future holds for me, but my dream is the same, and I am determined to keep it strong. I would like to be involved in various productions, and I would like to grow as a person myself in the future.

─ ─ Finally, do you have a message for the fans who are looking forward to "Eternal 831"?

Kanoe: I would like people of my generation or a little younger than me to watch this film. There are many people close to me who are wondering what it means to enter a university or go to a vocational school, or what they should do if they don't have a dream for the future. I think this work will give these children something to think about. I am writing my song with the sole intention of being there for them, so I ask for your support.