Interview with Nao Higashiyama and Kiyono Anno of the unit "Poka Poka Aeon," which has been in existence for five years, releases its first single, "Yajirushi," a song that will soothe you just by listening to it!

Poka Poka Aeon (Nao Tokiyono), a unit formed by Nao Higashiyama andKiyono Yasuno, was unofficially formed by the two after they appeared on a TV program in 2017, but after five years, the unit is now "official" and has released its first single. They decided to release their first single.
It is "Yajirushi," the opening theme for the TV anime "Slow Loop. The two have already been known to anime fans for their singing ability through Valkyrie of "Macross Delta" and their respective solo activities. The result is not only "warm and fuzzy and healed by negative ions," but also a work worth listening to!

The jacket photo of "Yajirushi" is "one blessed by the earth" (Yasuno).

───Both Mr. Higashiyama and Mr. Yasuno have been a frequent guest of Akiba Research Institute for interviews. Just before the interview with Higashiyama-san that we did last October, you also met with Yasuno-san at the same place, right?

Yasuno: That's right. I just had a chance to say hello.

Higashiyama On that day, there was a stage greeting for the "Macross Delta the Movie: Absolute LIVE!!!!!!". and I was interviewed near the movie theater where the event took place. And actually, it was also the day that Poka Poka Ion got into the kotatsu for the first time.

─ ─ What do you mean?

Higashiyama: The fitting for the kotatsu costume used in the jacket photo of "Yajirushi" was also held on that day.

Yasuno: That was the day we experienced the unprecedented kotatsu costume fitting (laughs). I couldn't stop laughing, because I couldn't believe that the two costumes were connected and had become a kotatsu futon as it was.

Higashiyama: When the producer first explained verbally that the costumes would be like this, I had no idea what to expect. But when I saw the actual costume, it turned out to be very cute.

Yasuno: The pattern is a mixture of the pink of "Poka Poka" and the blue of "Aeon," and it matches perfectly with the green of the grass and trees in the jacket.

─ ─ In the jacket photo, you are sitting outdoors in a kotatsu, but is that a composite?

Higashiyama: No, we shot it on location. For the Poka Poka disc (limited edition A), we placed a kotatsu in a grassy field and had a drone take pictures of us lying on the floor from above.

Yasuno: That shot of us lying down was not part of our original plan. After we had finished shooting, we suggested, "How about lying down? We decided to shoot it. ......

Higashiyama: And to our surprise, it was adopted for the jacket.

Yasuno: The jacket of the Poka Poka disc was shot on a wide plateau at the foot of Mt. Fuji. It was a clear day, so the ridge line was clearly visible and beautiful. And the ionic disc (limited edition B) turned out to be "a miraculous one.


It is a shot of the two of you wrapped in a kotatsu (a table over a kotatsu) in the shade of a tree, with your eyes closed. I thought it was very soothing, but what do you mean by "one miraculous shot"?

Higashiyama: Among the many shots we had taken, that one was the only one where the light hit the subject in such a beautiful way. Moreover, it was a test shot taken before the actual shooting, but in the end, it turned out to be the best shot.

Yasuno: Nature brought this shot to us, and we call it "a shot blessed by the earth" (laughs).

Higashiyama I was wrapped up in the benevolent Kizeno-san, and she seemed to be very happy (laughs). When I saw the photo later, I was so moved, "I am loved! I was so moved.

Yasuno: I'm so happy~ (laughs).


──The Poka Poka Aeon logo was printed on the top panel of the kotatsu. Could you tell us the origin of that logo?

Yasuno: We came up with the logo together while drawing with crayons, and the designer brushed up on it.

Higashiyama: The rough design that Kisono drew was almost the finished product, and the concept of the logo was that the two of us would work together to grow a sapling.


─ ─ The music video (MV) for "Yajirushi" also features grasslands and forests. Are the locations the same as in the jacket?

Higashiyama: Nearby. It was a "Poka Io" camp where I could be with Kizeno-san for the whole two days.