Akatsu Saito, Yuki Nakajima, Kanako Takatsuki - Read the messages from these voice actors on their new albums! Seiyu Artists Bulletin, June 2022 issue

In the June 2022 issue of this series, we review works by voice actors and artists of note, and for the June 2022 issue, we pick up three works by Akatsuka Saito, Yuki Nakajima, and Kanako Takatsuki.

From "Hajimari no Sine," a song about smiling with fans at a live concert, to a tear-jerking message about living more carefully for yourself and no one else, we hope you can feel the feelings that each of these artists put into their songs.

Akatsu Saito Distribution Single "Hajimari no Hajimari no Sine" (May 25, 2012)

Does Akatsu Saito's live performance make you smile? Or do only smiling people gather at her live performances? It is so important that such "chicken and egg" propositions are no longer important, as Ms. Saito's music is not just a "sound" but now a way of expression to which she dedicates her life. I think that Saito's music has begun to carry his "way of life" as a way of expressing his devotion to life.

I felt this way after listening to one of the phrases in the new song, "Hajimari no Sine," which seems to condense Saito's live performance: "You laugh, and I can't help it, I laugh at you, too, repeating it over and over, overlapping each other, echoing each other, surely that is our cue. With the Corona disaster, Saito's activities were not going as smoothly as he had hoped, and fans were restricted from cheering him on, but instead they exchanged hand signs on stage and on the floor, and in any situation, he continued to enjoy the whole situation. (Incidentally, during the live performance described below, some fans even invited Saito-san's "guffaws" by playing with a fox's hands.) This song is all about Saito's live performance.

The song was produced by Hayashi Kei, who has worked with Ms. Saito since her debut. The arrangement is more sparkling than ever while following the pure and honest guitar pop lineage of existing songs such as "Kutsuhimo" and "Himawari," which have a royal road feel. In the chorus, each phrase is rhymes with "ai" from "Hajimari no sign" to make each phrase more impressive, and at the end of the big chorus, Saito's voice is delivered more straightforwardly by removing the sound of the track. In the end of the big chorus, the track is stripped of its sound, allowing Saito's voice to come through even more straightforwardly. The music of Saito and Hayashi is sure to convince you that it is more than just "stable".

This is not the only cool thing about the song. Actually, "Hajimari no Hajime" is a song Saito created for his "Shuen 2022 LIVE HOUSE TOUR 'Hajimari no Hajime'" held in April this year (......), and during the live performance, the fact that he had been working on this new song was revealed as a surprise. It was revealed that this new song had been produced during the live performance. In other words, the existence of the new song was first announced in the title of the live performance, and then foreshadowed later in a neat manner, as in the case of "Kotaeawase.

Furthermore, they announced that they were planning to start their longest live house tour, "Shu-en 2022 LIVE HOUSE TOUR 'Kimi to Barefoot Youth'," in August. The fact that they have chosen a venue with a capacity of 300 to 500 people, which is as close to the stage and floor as a professional band can choose, is indeed impressive even before seeing the live performance.

Who could have imagined such a future two years ago, when the world had changed so drastically? The "sign of the beginning" exchanged between Ms. Saito and her fans at the live concert is sure to shine even brighter in the coming summer.

Yuki Nakajima's 2nd single "Route BLUE" (May 25)

The title track "Route BLUE" and the coupling track "Utsuroi to Kimi" were both written by Erika Masaki and arranged by sky_delta (Hifumi,inc.). Although there are many works by voice-over artists, it is rare to find a single artist in charge of all the songs on a single album. However, when one actually listens to the songs, one is surprised to find that while both songs make full use of the freshness that is the signature of Ms. Nakajima's voice, each song takes a completely different direction.

Route BLUE" is the ending theme for the TV anime "Shikimori-san, Not Just Cute. The track, created by sky_delta, who has a proven track record in the game music industry, including the "BEMANI" series, is based on a refreshing electro-pop tone, with occasional 80's tones, and a guitar solo, which is rare in such music, The song structure is quite interesting. To use the lyrics of the song as an example, "melancholy bliss" is exactly what the song is about.

While retaining the lingering feeling of "Route BLUE" (especially in the keyboard tone), "Utsuroi to Kimi" has a fast-paced band sound. Here we are given the impression of the singer's voice as if she is struck by the heat of love and her body is floating away in fluff. It may be a little difficult to convey, but the transparency and a hint of danger in her voice make it clear that sky_delta is well aware of the characteristics of Ms. Nakajima's voice, which has the "sound of youth.

The phrase "blue fever" in the lyrics also shows the high resolution of her musical activities.

Kanako Takatsuki's 3rd single "Before the Nightmare" (May 25)

The rock line of the title song, which has been used for two consecutive singles, is still present in the latest single, including "Before the Nightmare," the ending theme song for the TV anime "Black★Rock Shooter DAWN FALL," and Kanako Takatsuki continues to write the lyrics for all songs on the album. The album also includes "Before the Nightmare," the ending theme for "Rock Shooter DAWN FALL.

Although the line between ani-song and voice-over artist songs is blurred, Takatsuki's self-consciousness as an ani-song singer comes through clearly in the aforementioned "Before the Nightmare". In line with the TV anime's parallel world, Takatsuki herself had a nightmare in her personal life before she started writing the lyrics for the song.

The song was written and arranged by eba (cadode), who has worked on songs by LiSA and others and has known Ms. Takatsuki for some time. The intro and outro singalongs and the heavy rock style of the song, which Mr. eba describes as "pounding, pounding, pounding, The heavy rock tone of the song, which Mr. eba describes as "Baki Baki Baki," including the intro/outro singalong, is even sharper than the previous single "Subversive.

The coupling song is an essential part of Takatsuki's work. The album includes "Lying Dirty," which has a fusion touch, and "Love myself, All myself," a ballad that begins with a piano-only intro. For "Lying Dirty," the artist invited Rupo Ichise, a Vocaloid P, to sublimate his own angry energy into the lyrics based on a casual lie told to him by someone else.

In contrast, "Love myself, All myself" is a song in which Ms. Takatsuki sings as if she were lifting her own veil and revealing her true personality. This is a song about her goal, and the message of wanting to live more carefully for herself, not for anyone else, is inscribed in an honest and powerful way. The song "I was clinging to it and it was crumpled up / Even though I didn't have a future map on paper / Time will flow, time will lead / Sometimes you don't need a form" is one of the most punchy lines of the single, which nicely captures the contrast between what has form and what doesn't. The song is especially applicable to the coupling track, "I've been living a life that's not my own.

This is especially true of the coupling songs, all of which are songs about facing oneself, even though the starting point of the feelings is different. The fact that the sound of the single as a whole is so different, in a good sense, is a nod to the multifaceted view of the person that is Kanako Takatsuki.

This is a single album filled with the current Kanako Takatsuki, and I urge you to listen to it in its entirety.

(Text by Kota Ichijo)