Autumn Anime "Maji Iruma-kun! Iruma-kun" OP "Girigiri Ride it out" distribution starts! A more gachi world than I thought (FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE) Interview Part 2

FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE is in charge of the opening theme "Giri Giri Ride it out" for the currently airing fall anime "Ma Iruma-kun! FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE is in charge of the opening theme "Girigiri Ride it out" for the third series of "Iruma-kun" currently airing in the fall, and the single containing this song is the second single of the Seiji Kameda, Kashiwa Sato, and FANTASTICS special collaboration trilogy, "Choo Choo TRAIN It was released as "Choo Choo TRAIN" on November 16, 2022.

To commemorate the release, we interviewed FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE/ Sekai, who is known as an anime & manga lover! He is a fan of the anime "Maji Iruma-kun! Iruma-kun", his favorite point of the OP theme song, and his tips on how to dance "Choo Choo TRAIN" well. In the second part, we asked Mr. Sekai, who is known as an anime & manga lover, about his own history of anime & manga and what anime is hot this season.

Click here to read the first part of the interview!
⇒Autumn Anime "Maji Iruma-kun " OP " Iruma-kun! Iruma-kun" OP "Girigiri Ride it out" distribution has started! Interview with Sekai (FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE) Part 1

Please tell us about the first anime or manga that you got hooked on.

World: For my generation, it's "DRAGONBALL". It was around the time of "DRAGONBALL GT", and I watched reruns of the series before that. Dragon Ball" was also the first series that got me hooked on the "All Time Best" series.

─ I've read your interviews, SNS, V Jump Ray Beta, etc., and I see that you have a lot of exposure to works from generations before your own. ......

World I like it. With today's technology, it is possible to create very beautiful pictures, and many of the voice actors are very good, so there are a lot of good works being created. However, there are certain things that can only be expressed in the old days. It is possible to make it look old-fashioned in today's environment, but the taste that could only be created in the 80s, or even more specifically in the 70s, or in the 90s, the cost and production environment of that time, the celluloid images that could only be created in the 90s, have a time capsule quality, so I still like old-fashioned animation.

Q: Do you have a particular favorite work?

World I like action series, so I can't miss "Fist of the North Star". If it is a robot series, I love the "Gundam" series, which is what boys go through, and I was shocked by a lot of them. Fist of the North Star" is quite different from the manga, and the anioli (anime originals) are very interesting and outlandish (laughs). (Laughs.) I enjoy thinking about these things when I watch the anime because they would never be broadcast nowadays. In the case of "Dragon Ball," Goku and Chichi's marriage would probably cause a bit of a firestorm if it were done today, wouldn't it? I think it would be a lot of fun to create such a work.

In a sense, I understand the position of the creator, so I think there must be many manga artists and writers who entered the industry because they admired the works of those days, but are conflicted about what they want to do now but can't. I feel that way every time I watch their old works.

Do you sometimes choose anime based on the voice actors?　I would like to know your criteria for selecting anime!

World Criteria......, I wonder what it is. It's very similar to buying jackets. I try to watch the first episode of every work every season. I like anime, manga, and games, so there are so many works I have to check out that I don't have enough time. ...... I overslept again this morning (laughs).

I'm sure you must be short on sleep with the timing of this season's anime starting (the interview was conducted in early October).

World I watched "Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War Arc" and then "Detective Conan: The Criminal, Mr. Criminal Sawasan" and played a little video game (laughs). I wanted to watch "Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood Battle Arc" in real time, and since JUMP was updated on Tuesday, I had to read JUMP from 0:30 a.m. .......

So, are you an e-book reader?

World: Basically, I read on paper. I use both e-books and paper because sometimes I can't go to the store at the right time to buy them. I find it much more interesting to read spreads on paper, so paper is indispensable for me. Since I was in elementary school, I have always run to the convenience store on the day of release.

I get nervous every Monday (laughs).

I 'm so nervous every Monday (laughs). I read Jump, Magazine, Champion, and Sunday, so when I go to the convenience store, I buy a pile of them. I also have a subscription to .......

TM: Manga is indispensable for you, isn't it?

Sekai: Yes, they are indispensable. If manga disappeared from the world, I would probably disappear too. I will burn up and turn into ashes together with manga (laughs).

(laughs).

World: Yes, that's true. There are a lot of people around me. But I don't have anything to do with them. My life on the axis has always been the same, and it was only when I became an adult that I added work to my life, something I had to do.

When I went to dance classes as a child, there were many people older than me, and they usually talked about manga as a conversation tool. I think that's why I read Jump and Champion so early. When I was in elementary school, while everyone around me was reading Korokoro, I was the kind of kid who read Korokoro and Jump at the same time. Many of my relatives were also comic book fans, so I read "Kai! Otoko Juku" and so on at a very early age. I was in an environment where there were many people around me who liked manga and anime.

Was that environment good?　Probably it was good (laughs). My mother was in the Takarazuka Revue, so she also read "The Rose of Versailles. I remember reading it as a matter of course and being impressed by how good it was. I remember I was so impressed.

My mother loved reading Big Comic. She also read "Subaru" and liked local comics like "Kamakura Monogatari," so she read a lot of different kinds of comics.

TM: Was your mother's manga influence on you?

World I think it was a big influence. I was able to learn the fun and comedy of adult manga, which elementary school children don't get. ...... I don't think my friends had any influence on me in terms of manga. I was reading ahead of my time (laughs). There was what is now called a school caste, but I was lucky enough to also dance, so I got along with both the nerds and the cool kids, so I was comfortable at school. We would talk about Jump here and bishojo stuff there, and I think I was able to maintain a good balance between the two. Even now that I am an adult, I have not changed my axis in terms of the environment around me.

Do you talk about deep anime and manga to the people at LDH (your office)?

World: Surprisingly, there are people who like anime and manga. But basically, there are a lot of dorky yo-kas, so sometimes I feel awkward (laughs). (laugh) But when I am in a group, I try to wear the armor of a dance character and still be an otaku who can mix with the yo-katsu-sha. Recently, I have more opportunities to make friends with voice actors and other people in the anime and manga industries, and I often feel that it is more fun to be a part of the group. I often feel like, "Oh, I can communicate with them! I can communicate with them! It's a very nice feeling to be able to communicate with people in the anime and manga industry.

I'm sure you are glad that you have made it known that you are an anime and manga fan.

World Yes, it was m-flo's ☆Taku Takahashi's words, "Keep on saying it," that inspired me to start posting things on Twitter and Instagram. I thought that if a senior member said so, I might as well do it. I was also glad that HIRO likes "Kinnikuman" and there are many "Dragon Ball" lovers in LDH as well, and I felt that everyone naturally accepted me because of ....... I was happy that everyone seemed to accept it naturally.

T: I heard that you have an acquaintance credited in the ending of the anime "Jujutsu Kaisen". I would like to know what you think about the affinity between anime and dance, since you are familiar with both.

Sekai: "Lucky Star" and "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" are examples. Dance is an essential part of anime. I think there is a great affinity between the two. Recently, rock music has become the mainstream in ani-songs, and I feel that the genres in the past were more diverse. I feel that the flow of anime songs changed dramatically when they started to include dancing at the end. Otaku can now dance, and the number of dancers who are also otaku has increased, and recently it has evolved a bit. In fact, when I actually talk to them, I sometimes feel like, "Are you really a nerd? (laughs). (laughs) But, well, including the fact that there are such suspicious types, I am very happy to see the connection between otaku and dance, as well as the increase in manga about dance.

By the way, what is your favorite opening or ending theme, with or without dance?

Sekai: Now and in the past, "WE GOTTA POWER" from "DRAGONBALL Z" has always excited me to the extreme. I think it is the ultimate achievement in terms of both the sense of mischievousness of the lyrics and the impact when seen as a single picture. I think it's amazing that no matter when you watch it, you can still feel the same way you did when you first saw it as a child, and it's wonderful that you can feel that with just the sounds, songs, and pictures. I also like "Flying the sky," the opening sequence of "Mobile Budden G Gundam," and I love the ending of both the first and second seasons!

I have a lot of questions I'd like to ask you, but I'll leave it at ....... Lastly, what anime do you recommend this season?

World: "Akiba Meizu Sensou" I thought it looked really interesting when I saw the PV. But I couldn't imagine the content at all from the PV. ...... I was afraid to watch it because I thought it might be a chivalrous story, but I was blown away. I was like, "Wow, this is something amazing. The voice actors' performances were very interesting, and I was impressed that they were able to do this on terrestrial broadcasting. I think that around the fourth episode, the show really explodes and you realize how interesting it is.

Then there is "Love Flops. Mobile Suit Gundam: Witches of Mercury" will definitely be interesting, and of course, I'm also looking forward to "Maji Iruma-kun! Iruma-kun" is also on my radar!

(Reporting and writing by Shinobu Tanaka; Photography by Shohei Kanazawa )

CD Information

Choo Choo TRAIN / FANTASTICS
Now on sale
Price: CD+DVD 3,400 yen (including tax), CD ONLY 1,500 yen (including tax)
Label: Avex Entertainment

<CD contents> 1.
Choo Choo TRAIN
2. girigiri Ride it out
Choo Choo TRAIN (Instrumental) 4.
Ride it out (Instrumental)

Bonus track
(CD ONLY)
Summer Bike (Live)

＜DVD includes
1. choo choo TRAIN (Music Video)
2. Choo Choo TRAIN (Music Video Making Movie)
Summer Bike (Live Video)
Drive Me Crazy (Live Video)
Escape (Live Video)