Interview in commemoration of the release of her new album "Soranouta! Yoyoko Ishida looks back on the 10 years she spent with "Strike Witches" and her 25th anniversary as a singer with its twists and turns!

After winning the Grand Prix at the "4th Anime Singer Contest" sponsored by Nippon Columbia (1990), she made her debut with "Otome no Policy," the ED theme song for "Sailor Moon R" and "-S. In the 25 years since then, Ms. Yoyoko Ishida has delighted people with numerous anime songs.

However, one particularly significant milestone in her career is "Strike Witches," which began as an illustration by Fumikane Shimada and has since been developed into an anime, novel, and manga. Mr. Ishida has sung the theme song for all of the series, including two TV anime series, an OVA, a movie version, and "Brave Witches," the sequel to the series. Ten years have passed since the first TV anime adaptation of "Strike Witches," and this year, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Yoyoko Ishida's career, a double memorial album titled "Soranouta" was released.

Strike Witches" has a new work, "501st United Combat Wing Strike Witches ROAD to BERLIN," scheduled to begin airing in 2020, "Luminous Witches of the Federation Air Force Air Magic Band" being planned for a 2021 anime adaptation, and a heartwarming spin-off work, " Strike Witches: 501st Squadron! will be animated in 2019, and "World Witches" is developing into a major series, and expectations for Yoyoko Ishida, aka "Captain Ishida" (a pseudo-characterization of Ms. Ishida in the "Witch" world), are rising. She told us a rich story about her thoughts on "Witch," her own personal journey, and where she is going. In particular, we believe that the story of her life before and after her debut is the first time it has been made public in Japan. We hope you will listen to his precious story.

You are going to sing "Royal Road Anime Songs" again, aren't you?

--Did you have any songs in mind for the album release that you decided to record first?

Ishida: "Moonlight Trip". I sang it at a previous fan event "Brave Witches: What I'm going to do with everyone! If the theme songs I had sung were about the blue sky, this song reminded me of patrolling in the starry sky, and it was a "strike" song with a completely different color. But in "Mindeki," the three of us (with Rina Sato and Hiromi Igarashi) sang it together, and it was a lot of fun, and the atmosphere was great, so that was a big factor. I really wanted to sing it, so I chose it first.

--It is interesting that the first song you chose was not one of your own. By the way, what song did you choose next?

Ishida: It was "Motto Tsuyoku, Motto Faster" sung by three members (Mina Dietlinde-Wilke/Rie Tanaka, Erica Hartmann/Sakura Nogawa, Gertrud Barkhorn/Mie Sonozaki). This was a song I had never sung before, not even in "Mindeki" or other events. But among the various "strikes" songs I heard, I really liked the strength, sadness, and melody line, and the world view was wonderful. It was a song that I personally really liked.

--It is difficult to cover a song that you have a good image of in your mind as a soloist, isn't it?

Ishida: Yes, it is. Especially "Stronger, Faster" had a good balance of each character. I had to work on losing the image of the song once. I couldn't help but draw the characters close to me, and it may have taken me a long time to create the song as I would have done it. However, I was not worried that my singing would destroy the worldview. The composers and lyricists had the worldview of "Witch" in mind.

--I think the cast members also like "Witch" songs very much, don't you?

Ishida: Yes, we like it (laughs).

(laughs) -- I think the reason is that the music represents the work very well, as you said. It's like the royal road of anime songs. It is like "Otome no seisaku (Otome's policy)".

Ishida: When I first heard "Watashi ni kiru koto", I was actually reminded of "Otome no seisaku". I had sung it for 15 years since my debut, so I felt that I was going to sing a royal ani-song again.

--Looking back on your own activities, what do you think of "Strike Witches"?

Ishida: First of all, it was a work in which I encountered a new song that I can call my signature song. Also, it was the work that fulfilled my dream of singing in the movie version. （The second chorus of the theme song "Yakusoku no Sora e ~Me no Ita Basho ~" gave me goosebumps when the cast members joined the song. Just yesterday, Ayumi Ohashi (who plays Eila Ilmatar Jutilainen) and I were really excited and said, "That song moves me when I hear it" (laughs). It's a song that makes me cry when I remember scenes from the movie version, so I can talk about it passionately with the cast.

--It's a difficult song to sing, isn't it? The cast members also said, "I like it, but it's difficult.

Ishida It is difficult, isn't it? Yes, it is difficult (laughs). I want to sing with everyone someday. I would like to reproduce the different parts of the song. I hope I can do it.

--Ishida: Looking at the recorded songs, were there any songs that reminded you of those days?

Ishida "private wing" was recorded in January (2009).　The title of the song was changed and some of the lyrics were also changed, so we re-recorded the song. I re-recorded the song, but only parts of it. At that time, I was told to "keep it the same as when I sang it in January," and I thought, "They are testing me," (laughs).

(Laughs) -- That's quite a high hurdle. Could you tell us about the popular song "Sweet Duet"?

Ishida: It is a divine song, but I was afraid to sing it. But it is lonely to sing a duet song alone, so I thought about who I should sing with, but it was very difficult to choose. So I decided to sing it with all three of us (laugh).

(Editor's note: "Sweet Duet" is sung by three people, Mr. Ishida, Aki Misato, and rino.)

--(Ed. note: "Sweet Duet" is sung by three people, Mr. Ishida, Ms. Aki Misato, and Ms. rino.

Ishida: There is a wine party that I always hold.

--You often post about it on your blog, don't you?

Ishida That's right. It's a group of people who can drink and sing, and I thought Aki-chan Misato and rino's voices, which we usually drink together casually, would go well with "Sweet Duet".

--Ishida: Yes, it does have a Sanya V. Litvyak (Mai Kadowaki) & Eira feel to it.

Ishida That's right. Rino and I sang most of the first verse, and Aki-chan and I sang the second verse, but Aki-chan sang the chorus of the first verse, Rino sang the second verse, and I harmonized the third verse. I think we were able to make a good balance in the song.

--I think we have a good balance in this song.

Ishida: The three of us always drink wine together, and we sometimes talk about our dreams of singing together someday, but it was a surprise that it came together so quickly, but I was very happy. I was surprised that it came together so quickly, but I was very happy. They were also very happy, and the wine tasted so good that night (laughs).

--What was the last song you decided to record?

Ishida: The song that slipped in at the last minute was "Soranouta," for which I wrote the lyrics. When I was invited to write the lyrics, I was happy to be asked to write a song for "Witch" for the first time. I had felt a strong bond with the audience through "Mindeki" up to that point, so I expressed my gratitude and a feeling of "Let's continue to enjoy supporting each other! I wanted to express my gratitude to the audience for their support. I was a little worried about including a song that was not the theme song for "Ashitanotsubasa" since it was a c/w song, but since this is a double anniversary album (25th anniversary and 10th anniversary), I said passionately, "It means a lot to include it! I said enthusiastically and had it included (laughs).

Even though I won the Grand Prix, I didn't realize they called my name.

--I would like to look back before you met "Witch." Did you want to be a singer since you were a child?

Ishida: I liked singing very much, but I didn't think I wanted to be a singer. I liked anime in general, and there were times when I was interested in voice actors. I would buy anime magazines and pay attention to the voice actors when I watched "YAWARA! It was when I saw a contest in a magazine that I learned about the profession of ani-song singers. I was originally the type of person who didn't want to be in front of people.

--Is that so?

Ishida: Yes. I was the type of child who didn't raise my hand in class. I was quiet, and I would say, "Please don't guess," and I would make my presence felt invisible. I was not very good at speaking in front of others. But I thought that if I was going to sing the theme song of an anime, I didn't have to appear in public, so I applied for the contest. The extra prize was a trip to Australia (laughs). The first part was a tape screening, and I sent in a tape I had recorded in my living room, but the final screening was an open audition in front of an audience, and the second part was an "event concert" featuring Kageyama (Hironobu), Horie (Miyoko), and my brother (Ichiro Mizuki), among others. The third part was the announcement of the results. So I thought, "Oh shoot. The 11 finalists were all people who had been in bands or had tried many contests to become singers, but when I looked at the footage from that time, I was wearing jeans and singing with a blank expression on my face. I had never dressed cute or sang with a smile on my face. I don't know how I got accepted.

--Do you remember what you sang?

Ishida: For the assigned song, we had to choose one from several songs, and I sang "Maple Town Story. I sang "Maple Town Story." And for the free song, I sang a song by Miki Imai.

--Ishida: I can tell from what you say that you have "become" an anime song singer.

Ishida: No, you are right. When the results were announced, I was standing there in a daze when the drum roll sounded, and I didn't even notice when the winner was announced. When the person next to me said, "Hey! I didn't notice it until the person next to me said, "Hey! I was like, "What? I had rehearsed the arrangements for when my name was called, but I didn't listen to it because I thought there was no way I could win the grand prix (laughs). Because my singing was terrible, my performance was terrible, my costumes were dull, and I didn't think I would be accepted. I would like to show you a video of it. It shows me backstage right after I was accepted, and I'm so depressed. I was thinking, "What kind of adult whirlpool will I be caught up in after this?

--What was the actual process from the audition to your debut?

Ishida: Until my debut three years later, I had nothing to show for a while, except for a few live performances by senior members such as Ichiro Mizuki. After two years, my parents gave me permission to move to Tokyo on the condition that I go to college.

--Is your first recording "Otome no seisaku (Otome's policy)"?

Ishida Actually, there was an animation of a famous fairy tale published by Columbia, and I sang the theme song and insert song for "Cinderella" in it for the first time. But I probably don't have that left anywhere. I didn't even have it at home. The composer was Akiko Kosaka (who worked on "Maple Town Story" and "Sailor Moon" music).

--That's a connection, isn't it?

Ishida That's right. Also, someone asked me to try recording once, and I recorded "The Hottest Summer in the World" by PRINCESS PRINCESS.

--So it was a very time-consuming process.

Ishida Yes, it was. But that's how much you had to nurture them, don't you think? (Laughs). (laughs) However, it seems that the selection criteria for the contest were that the contestants had to be fresh, without any color. Otherwise, I don't think I would be here today.

--I know this is a bit of a common question, but in the 25 years from your debut to now, what was the most difficult time for you?

Ishida It was a little after "Sailor Moon" finished airing. I had been working hard only on "Sailor Moon" since my debut, so I had no desire to do more. So I didn't have enough material to move on to the next step, and in many ways I had nothing left when "Sailor Moon" ended. For the next several years, all I did was work part-time.

--But you still held on to the desire to continue as a singer?

Ishida: Yes, I did. I wondered how I could sing the theme song again. I grew up listening to Mitsuko Horie's voice since I was a child, and when I belonged to Columbia, she and other senior artists were always in front of me, so I naturally hoped that I could do the same. But in reality, I was working part-time and struggling everyday.

--How did that time open up for you?

Ishida: While I was working part-time, I was also doing jobs such as tentative singing and chorus work for voice actors, unbeknownst to others. The person who gave me that job asked me if I could introduce him to a vocalist he was looking for for an album called "para para max.

--I said, "By all means." - and that's how you got connected with Pioneer LDC.

Ishida That's right. It just grew and grew.

--How did you feel the joy of singing after going through the unfavorable period?

Ishida I was really happy. Besides, I also wrote lyrics for "Because I Can't Tell" (the ED theme of "Petit Puri*Yushie").

--And then you finally met "Witch".

Ishida: I wanted to return the favor by "working with Columbia again," but I ended up being greatly indebted to them again.

--I guess that's exactly how I felt about "What I can do" ("Strike Witches" OP theme). I think that what Yoyoko Ishida can do is none other than "singing," but what can you do with your own singing?　What kind of image comes to mind when asked what you can do with your songs?

Ishida: Well, I guess. I want to be a singer that people want to listen to forever, because I can't be a singer without people who listen to me. Besides, ani-songs are based on the works themselves, so I would like to be someone like Miyako Horie, who can always recreate the world of anime through her singing.

Illustration of Captain Ishida by Fumikane Shimada, author of "Strike Witches

--You have recently started teaching as well. Did you want to train younger generations?

Ishida: No, no (laughs), I just received the offer when I was celebrating my 25th anniversary and feeling like I wanted to start something new. It's the same reason I started learning the piano.

--I think it's the same reason why I started to learn piano.

Ishida......Yes, that's right.

--Your tone dropped at once, but did you have any bad memories?

Ishida: No, not at all!　I just remember something that was very difficult ....... I remember "I cried because I was so frustrated" (laughs).

--How has starting a teaching job affected your work as a singer?

Ishida: It has stimulated me a lot, but only in terms of my consciousness. I feel it is very important to be aware of it again. I always say, "Always be ready to perform at your best," but it is no good if the students come to see you and think, "Sensei, you are not speaking up at all. I have also started to think about the students. This album was recorded in such a situation, so I was very conscious of overcoming even if I thought the key was a little low.

--Do you have any thoughts on your own position in the anisong community?

Ishida: No, I was feeling like a young artist for a long time, but then I realized that I had become like "Yo-Yo-san," and I was like, "Oh, have I come to the top?　Have I come to the top? (laugh). (Laughs.) But I am not a big name, so I certainly have a feeling of how I should handle this position. But instead of being neither, I can be both. It is very important that I am still active, and on the other hand, I would be happy if people feel nostalgia from my songs. I hope I can be a singer who combines the best of both worlds.

(Interview and text by Koji Shimizu)

CD Information

Soranouta" / Yohko Ishida

Release date: December 19, 2018

Price: 2,500 yen (excluding tax)

＜Songs included in the CD

STRIKE WITCHES -what I can do

Sweet Duet (Duet with rino and Aki Misato)*

Bookmark A Head

4.private wing

STRIKE WITCHES 2 -Magic of Smile

Over Sky