Interview] More than three years in the making!　Composer Reiyo Ishizuka talks about the making of the "extraterrestrial boys and girls" soundtrack.

It has been 15 years since "Dennou Coil" since Mitsuo Iso directed his first film, "Extraterrestrial Boy and Girl. All six episodes will be screened in theaters in two parts, and a limited theatrical release Blu-ray & DVD will be released on February 11, and simultaneous worldwide distribution will begin on Netflix.
An original soundtrack CD will also be released in conjunction with the film. The CD includes 36 BGM composed by Rei Ishizuka and the theme song "Oarana" sung by Haru Saruhi.
What makes the soundtrack of "Extraterrestrial Boy and Girl" unique is the length of its production. Weekly meetings with director Iso and the animation staff were repeated for several months, and they discussed in detail the music to be used for each scene. As a result, Ishizuka says, "The soundtrack is full of worlds that I could not have achieved on my own. In this interview, we asked him about the production process in detail!

Our work began when I met with Director Iso in April 2018.

───First of all, could you tell us how you came to take on the music for "Extraterrestrial Boy and Girl"?

Ishizuka: I first heard from producer Tomohiko Iwase (Avex Pictures) that "Dennou Coil" director Mitsuo Iso was looking for a composer for his new film. Mr. Iwase was an assistant producer on "Dennou Coil," and I was in charge of "Pripara" after that, so we had some contact with each other. One day, Director Iso told me that he was looking for someone who could write music for his new work, and he gave me the soundtrack of an anime. It was a soundtrack with strong orchestral elements, which is my specialty, so I offered to give it a try.

───Producer Iwase was the key person who connected Director Iso and Mr. Ishizuka, wasn't he? When did you first communicate with Director Iso?

Ishizuka: April 2018. But right after that, the director decided to concentrate on the script work, and for about six months, we exchanged opinions by sending sound files by email and in writing through Mr. Iwase. It was around December 2018 that we were able to meet in person.

─ ─ I think it is unusual that the production of the soundtrack started when the script was still in the writing stage. What kind of materials did you use to compose the music for this original work?

Ishizuka: Director Iso had a clear image of the music he wanted, and at first he gave me a list of songs with reference tracks. At the same time, I also received an outline of the story and characters, as well as some setting drawings, and based on these, I created a demo.

─ So the demos were not songs to be attached to specific scenes, but rather rough images of what the everyday songs would be like and what the suspense songs would be like?

Ishizuka: No, the director had a clear image of the kind of music he wanted to use for this scene from the very beginning of the script writing. So, from the beginning, I composed the music with a specific scene in mind.


───That is to say, your demos must have been working against the director's conception of how to create each scene, right?　The music also played a role in clarifying the concept of each scene, just as the image boards drawn by the drawing staff did.

Ishizuka: I would have to ask the director about that, but I am proud to say that I was able to contribute a little to the construction of the image.