Autumn Anime "Maji Iruma-kun! Iruma-kun" OP "Girigiri Ride it out" distribution starts! Interview with Sekai (FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE) Part 1

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 celebrate its release, we conducted an interview with the leader of FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE, Mr. Sekai, who is known as an anime & manga lover. In the first part of the interview, he talked about the anime "Maji Iruma-kun 3rd Series! Iruma-kun 3rd series" and the single to be released in the first part, and in the second part, we talked about Mr. Sekai's history of anime & manga.

TM: First of all, what do you recommend for "Giri Giri Ride it Out" and what is your favorite phrase or sound?

Sekai My recommendation is the intro part "♪ Wow.... Buddy buddy~" part of the intro. I like it a lot. I saw it in the opening of the first episode and have been repeating the non-credit version of the opening on YouTube (laugh). Seiji Kameda makes an ani-song! I have the impression that "Iruma-kun" is an anime song created by Seiji Kameda! The song has Kameda's fashionable feel, but also contains lyrics that follow the worldview of the anime. When I first heard the song, I was grabbed by the intro.

What did you find stylish about the song?

The world After the second chorus and before the B melody. I thought it was very tricky to have the piano suddenly come in, and the last chorus is also played twice. I also felt that the short introduction was very modern. The opening was created in the form of what is called "sound framing," in which the sound is placed on the picture, and I found myself watching it with a very strange feeling even though it was our own music. From the third series, the story of "Iruma-kun" develops in a different way, so I thought there were elements of the evil Iruma-kun in the evil cycle. It's just my impression (laughs), but I don't know what it is. ...... I think it has a little bit of S-ness to it.

I'm not sure if it's just my opinion (laughs), but I think it has a bit of an S-feel to it.

World I like to watch anime in real time as much as possible, so I watch as much as possible in real time. When I go out of the country for work, the broadcast times change, so in those cases, I rely on the distribution service. I would be happy if you could stream the anime at the same time, so I can watch it without any discrepancies. ...... (laughs). I try to watch at a pace that doesn't lag behind the TV broadcasts.

What is your recommendation for "Iruma-kun"?

World There are many characters in this work, so you can always find a favorite. In the third series, I have decided to recommend (Orobas) Coco (interview was conducted at the timing of the broadcast of the first episode). I have a personal relationship with her, and she is played by Hiroki Yasumoto, whom I respect not only as a performer but also as a person (laughs). (Laughs.) The one I have been promoting so far is Kuromu-chan. I love cute characters. Isn't Akudolu awesome? For a boy, he is an ideal idol because he is a classmate and has a secret or front face that only he (Iruma-kun) knows. Well, he is an ideal type. I don't mind being frozen by Kuromu-chan.

T : The single includes a cover of the classic song "Choo Choo TRAIN," which has been passed down from ZOO. You have probably had many chances to perform this song in the past, but how do you feel about officially releasing it as a single?

World It was a very strange feeling for me, as this song has been a part of EXILE for a long time, and it was released in 1991, when I was born, which is already 31 years ago. It was a new experience for me to release it as a single of FANTASTICS, and to shoot a music video for it. At the same time, there was a lot of pressure. I think he was joking, but HIRO told me "I'll leave "Choo Choo TRAIN" to FANTASTICS" (......). I was not taking it as a gag, but I really felt that it was a serious thing and that I was responsible for it. I didn't want the fans who have loved and supported this song since the ZOO days to be disappointed.

I took over the chorus part, seasoned it in EXILE style, and added some fantasy. I also incorporated the old steps and made the dance like a textbook, but with a playful modern touch. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of reactions I'll get.

I would like to ask you to teach me how to dance "Choo Choo TRAIN" in a cool way!

World We all had a hard time during the shooting, but the head roll dance is a very difficult part to make it look cool. Most of the dancers go straight around, but the key is for the person in the front to go out to the side. By doing so, the person in the back looks beautiful. The most important thing is the movement of the person in the front.

By the way, how many people should dance together to make it look the best? I think there are a lot of people who want to upload videos of everyone dancing together, so I would like to ask you about the key points!

World From what I have seen, I think 5 or 7 people look the most beautiful. However, this is just my experience as an otaku (laugh), but if you go to an event, you can feel sympathy and become friends because you have the same goal, but otaku usually act alone, so it is difficult to gather a group of people to dance together.... But since otaku usually go out alone, it may be difficult to gather a group of people to dance together....... I hope you will gather your friends and have fun dancing together!

(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)