Year-End Special Project! An interview with P. Saito dismantling Animelo Summer Live 2018 "OK!" to discuss Anisama's production and behind-the-scenes stories!

The world's largest anime song festival, "Animelo Summer Live" (Anisama), attracts 81,000 people over three days at the stadium-mode Saitama Super Arena at the end of every summer. It has continued to be held as a festival of anime songs, where artists gather together beyond the boundaries of labels.

Koji Saito, a.k.a. Saito P, general producer and overall director of Anisama, talked to us about the behind-the-scenes of this monster event, the setlist for "Animelo Summer Live 2018 "OK! Akiba Research Institute talked to Mr. Koji Saito, known as Saito P, the general producer and overall director of Anisama, about the set list and the intentions behind the performance. If you have time, you can compare and contrast the two in the same way as if you were trying to answer the same question.

⇒If you have time, you can compare and contrast the answers to the questions in the report. Animelo Summer Live 2018 "OK!" First day report.

⇒[Play Back Anisama 2018 Part 2] Songs that can be sung because they are voice actors and songs that can be sung because they are ani-song artists - "Animelo Summer Live 2018 "OK! Report

⇒[Playback Anisama 2018 Part 3] It must be a happy thing to be able to say thank you and goodbye -- "Animelo Summer Live 2018 "OK! Report

───First of all, as an entrance, please tell us about P. Saito's role as the general producer of Anisama.

Saito: There are other producers who do the legwork such as ticketing, contracts, and management, and my job is to look after all the creative aspects of Anisama. I work with the artists' team to decide the set list, but I also think about how to make it into a big flow for the entire live performance and what direction the music should take. I also direct the direction of the merchandise, pamphlets, and live Blu-ray videos. It really is all about the creative process.

─ So you are directly directing while coming up with ideas on site?

Saito That's right. That is why I am called a general producer, but I also do a lot of directorial work. The production is controlled on a second-by-second basis, so of course I attend all rehearsals. Rather than thinking of everything on my own, I absorb what the artists want to do, think about it together, and make adjustments to create a single live performance.

─ I have the impression that P. Saito checks artists' activities not only before and after Anisama but also throughout the year and keeps sending various information related to Anisama, such as program information.

Saito: When booking artists for the summer Anisama, I need to know if there are any tie-ups that match the timing, what kind of development the artist will have in the future, and of course I need to check new works and artists that appear every year. In addition, it is necessary to check out new works and artists that appear every year. Researching artists and animation works in order to catch the trends is naturally a year-round job.

Brass sound is the trend for this year's Anisama

─ ─ Thank you very much. Now let's talk about the 2018 Anisama. 2018 Anisama's new element is the addition of a live horn section with the participation of FIRE HORNS, which adds to the depth of the live sound.

Saito: The first trigger was "Shocking Blue" by Miki Ito in 2017, which had a lot of brass and was really cool. So I was thinking that if Ms. Ito had a chance to perform at Anisama as a solo artist, I wanted to perform "Shocking Blue" with a live band. Then I happened to see FIRE HORNS at a GRANRODEO concert, and it was so cool that I offered to play with them at first sight. I looked up FIRE HORNS again, and found that they played on a song in "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," and that the brass on the "Shocking Blue" CD, which started the whole thing, was FIRE HORNS. I thought the sound trend for Anisama in 2018 was brass, and that's exactly what TRUE's "Hibike! Euphonium" and "DISCOTHEQUE" from the opening collaboration on the first day. In the past, strings were often deployed, but this year I thought it was brass. It was a great success, FIRE HORNS, and I really enjoyed working with them because they are skilled and human musicians of the highest caliber.

─ ─ I am going to digress a little, but I have an image of Minori Chihara when I think of a line that uses strings extravagantly, like when she creates a magnificent world in "Paradise Lost" at the end of the live and then a pillar of fire goes off. So this year's "Remained dream" and "Michishirube", two solo songs, created a grand, expansive, and gentle world that I found very fresh.

Saito: "Remained dream" is like being hit by cold rain, and "Michishirube" is also very calm. Rather than ending with these two songs, Ms. Chihara sang "Michishirube" and secretly exchanged high-fives with Mr. TRUE at the pop-up transition, which led to Mr. TRUE's "Sincerely", which is a pairing of songs from "Violet Evergarden". The composition was a pairing of songs from "Violet Evergarden". Those who wanted to be blown away by Ms. Chihara's rock performance were treated to the Mimorin x Minorin (Suzuko Mimori and Minori Chihara) collaboration "JOINT" this time! This was the intention of the event.

───The most impressive stage trick was the video presentation using six screens that could be moved left and right. The screen was used in different ways depending on the artist: 2 screens, 3 screens, 6 screens, etc. In the case of Aqours, 3 screens were used to show the formation of each of the 3 members, and the performance was as perfect as a solo live. In the case of i☆Ris, close-ups of all the members were shown on 6 screens.

Saito: When i☆Ris performed "Changing point", I told Shibuya "This screen is for i☆Ris (6-member unit)" (laugh). If we used a 2-split screen, it would be a screen showing the A and B parts of "POPTEPIC" at the same time, and the 3-split screen worked well for TrySail's "WANTED GIRL". The long first side was used like a panorama in "Steins;Gate" music to create an expanse of space. Since the live performance goes on uninterrupted, it was difficult to consider the transition between the screen divisions and move them seamlessly along the flow of the live performance.

─ ─ In terms of the presentation using images and lasers, I think that the direction of Tomori Kusunoki's "To see the future" in which he performed under the name of Len, using the dancing laser lights as a barrette line, was an invention.

Saito: In the first song "Ryusei" sung by Eir Aoi, the opening song of "Gun Gale Online," Ms. Aoi made a surprise appearance at the center stage where a single barrette line flew. The ending song "To see the future" coming after the barrette line flew wildly is a counterpoint to that production. Actually, until now, there have not been many cases of solo characters appearing at Anisama under their own name. Mr. Kusunoki had never sung in a big concert hall before, so I suggested various things, such as that the audience at Anisama would definitely wave pink psylliums, that it would be good to have the audience wave psylliums like windshield wipers, and that we should hold Pi-chan (Len's gun) at the end of the song.

───The AC Department's Hellshake Yano picture-story show production was also unique to 2018, when the anime "POPTEPIC" became a hot topic.

Saito: Actually, at first, we had a plan to have a manner video made with Bobnemimimi (a story that appears in "Poppetepic"). When I met with him and proposed the idea, he replied that he would like to do it as a live picture-story show. I thought it would be interesting, but in the case of the Manner video, we would have to do it for three days, so we decided to do it at .......

Saito: I thought it would be a little difficult to repeat the project.

Saito: So I immediately asked Hellshake Yano-san to participate. And since they are artists, I left the content to them. The only thing I suggested was to make the stage of Tokyo Big Budokan into Anisama. While they were working on the production, I tried to explain it to the staff verbally, but they didn't get it at all. When they actually saw Hellshake at rehearsal, they found it extremely interesting, and came up with many ideas for special effects and stage effects.

Anisamara Run of Historic Units

─ ─ This year's Anisama attracted a lot of attention as it was the last run of the voice actor units Wake Up, Girls! My personal impression is that it was Anisama and Mr. Saito who, around 2013-2014, shined the light on Wake Up, Girls! as a voice actor unit from a major field earlier than any other, so the last Anisama was very emotional for me.

Saito: I decided to take a chance on performing at Anisama after reading the proposal for the Wake Up, Girls! anime and the script by Doko Waita. There is a venue called I-1 Arena in the anime "Wake Up, Girls!" but I think that was I-1 Hall in the initial draft of the script. We decided to make it the I-1 Arena, and the number of people in attendance was to be in line with the stadium mode of SSA, so we linked the climax of the first season of the TV series with Anisama. In the anime, the I-1 Arena, which is an away field for WUG and a hostile place for them, was depicted changing from red to green, WUG's image color, and we proposed to do the same in the real Anisama. So if you look closely at the work, you will see that the logo on the idol festival poster is modeled after "2014 -ONENESS-", and the stage design has elements of "2013 -FLAG NINE-".

─ ─ Knowing some behind-the-scenes of Saitama Super Arena, it was interesting that the background inside the I-1 Arena was too much as it was in the TV version and the sequel theater version of "Wake Up, Girls!

Saito: We asked for permission from the venue to have the production staff interview the inside of the arena, and we also gave them the CG data of the stage and so on.

──That's why the ending staff roll credited P. Saito and Saitama Super Arena as collaborators. It was a new chapter illustration of WUG standing on the center stage of Anisama.

Saito: I think the seven members of WUG were also aware of Anisama as a sacred place. At last year's "2017 -THE CARD-", Mr. Tanaka shouted "WUG is the best! and ran to the center stage, the camera angle was matched with that of the scene in the movie "Wake Up, Girls! I wanted to connect the live broadcast of the final episode of the anime "Wake Up, Girls! New Chapter", in which WUG was connected via satellite to idol units performing nationwide, with the stage direction in which the "idols" supporting WUG delivered the message "OK!

─ ─ I heard that WUG was not originally scheduled to perform at Anisama 2018 in its last year, but thanks to the efforts of various parties, it was realized.

Saito: It is true that the performance was decided at the last minute. So actually, for "2018 "OK!", the setlist is a little longer only on Friday because WUG entered later. Since Mashoi-san (drums) and Imajun-san (keyboards) from the Anisama band also perform at WUG's live, I asked the other members to learn one more song, although I'm sorry, and we decided to perform "Polaris" with a live band. In talking with the label, we decided not to have WUG perform this year. I have feelings for WUG and support them, but I didn't think it would be right for them to perform just because it was their last time. As a producer, I made that decision based on various factors. But when I saw the fans' opinions and various reactions after the breakup was announced, I thought that Anisama, as well as the fans of Anisama, had been supporting and nurturing WUG together with WAGNER. I thought it would be a good idea to show that the parents of WUG, including myself, and the fans, who have watched the seven members, will not abandon them and will support them until the end, and so we made a new offer to perform. I also suggested that the announcement of their appearance at Anisama be made by Mr. Shiroki (the manager of the I-1 Club in the film) as a surprise at the opening performance of the "Wake Up, Girls!

─ Was it not your intention beforehand that Milky Holmes and DearDream, who were also scheduled to break up and perform at Anisama for the last time, were to perform in the same year?

Saito: It was not our intention. Milky had been performing at Anisama for a long time and Mimori had been a regular attendee of Anisama (since Milky Holmes' debut at Anisama), so we decided to have them first among the three groups. However, the production of WUG and Milky Holmes actually mirrored each other: "Polaris," for which the members of WUG spun the lyrics themselves, is the final song of the final episode of "Wake Up, Girls! Milky also released this year's theme song "Stand by. MUSIC!" Since the unit is related to Mr. Satoru Kamizaki, the composer of the song, we sent the audience off with a piano performance of Mr. Kamizaki's song in the background of the message MC.

─ ─ I never noticed the link between the first day and the third day. The performance of showing videos of past Anisama appearances seemed to have touched the hearts of the audience as well as the members on stage.

Saito: We wanted to make it a real surprise for the members to show the VTR of messages from other units to WUG and the videos of past Anisama appearances as a memorial, so we made two different videos, one for the performance and the other for the rehearsal. I was really afraid that the footage might get lost or that unexpected problems might occur (laughs). (Laughs.) That's why we do different things at the gennée. Everyone was impressed, so I was glad to have done it. Of course, I had confidence that Mayu Yoshioka would be able to sing the long solo after the video, even if it was a bit loud.

─ Was the direction of the Milky Holmes video and message also a suggestion from Mr. Saito?

Saito: Yes, it was. I called Milky's producer, Mr. Okada, and suggested that he play a phrase from "Mirai after the Rain" on the piano, and after MCing with the piano, let's sing the song with a live band. I remember Okada-san was crying on the other end of the phone while we were talking. Milky has collaborated with i☆Ris, Goraku-bu, and others, so I suggested that we play back those videos as well, and they said by all means.

─ Speaking of Milky, the opening performance on the third day, "ANISAM A GO GO" by Milky Holmes, i☆Ris, Uesaka Sumire, and Higashiyama Nao, took me by surprise. The costumes also look like they cost a lot of money.

Saito: It cost a lot of money (laughs). At first we were planning to collaborate with Milky Holmes and i☆Ris, but Higashiyama-san himself wanted to collaborate with us at Anisama. I had heard that Higashiyama-san and i☆Ris are good friends, so I thought I would ask him to join us. Sumipe wanted to perform a single song with the world of "POPTEPIC" at the forefront, but the fans wanted to see more of Uesaka. So, we asked Serizawa-san, who is a good friend of Uesaka's, to invite the two of them to sing along with the lyrics. And if we were going to do this, we decided to have everyone wear Milky's original detective uniform. Actually, there is a story behind this! Milky Holmes Voice Actor Audition Tour" in 2010. She was unable to attend the audition due to a conflict between the date of the selection and an important exam, but she was very happy that we designated Higashiyama-san's detective uniform as green (*Ellie's color is green). As for collaborations for Anisama, we basically make up our minds that it would be interesting if this unit and that unit, or this person and that person, were to work together, but as Higashiyama-san mentioned, the pieces often fall into place due to unexpected requests.

─ ─ I felt the possibility of new collaboration when Sae Otsuka and Rimi Nishimoto of Poppin'Party collaborated with Maon Kurosaki and Runa Haruna on guitar and bass, respectively.

Saito: They are also performing songs from "Bandolier! Saito: It must have been really tough for them to perform "Bandolier! The reason we had Poppin'Party perform "God knows..." was because of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" and "K-ON! and "K-ON! and "K-ON!", I thought that "Bandolier! was the beginning of "Bandoli-! I was really happy that Mr. Otsuka was able to complete that guitar solo performance.

─ ─ I felt trust when the local video clip showed a close-up of Ms. Otsuka's hand during the superb guitar solo part.

Saito: The last time Poppin'Party performed at Saitama Super Arena, I had given them advice on how to present their performance in a large venue like Saitama Super Arena. I was happy to see them return to Anisama as Budokan artists after their successful solo Budokan live performance, and I have faith in them. Their performance is great, and they know how to attract the audience.

─ ─ In terms of cover songs based on the history of the anime and units, Starlight 99 Group's "Proclamation! Teikoku Kagekidan" by Starlight 99 Group was also similar in terms of cover songs based on the history of anime and units, wasn't it?

Saito: The musical style, with the performers singing on stage, and the glamorous Takarazuka Revue-like taste of ...... is definitely a lineage of "Sakura Wars" (*I am referring to the Sakura Wars Super Song Show). Personally, I also felt the taste of "Revolutionary Girl Utena" (*Director Tomohiro Furukawa of "Girl Revue Starlight" had worked under Kunihiko Ikuhara, director of "Revolutionary Girl Utena"). The "Proclamation! Teikoku Kagekidan" was prepared by ourselves from the orchestra. From the Anisama point of view, I thought it was interesting to sing with weapons in the first place. There are people who hold musical instruments, but there has never been a style of singing in which they wield weapons, so I really wanted them to try it. I had been paying attention to "Girls☆Geki Revue Starlight" since the project was launched, because of the talented cast, including Suzuko Mimori. I went to see the play because I had to see it for myself, and while I felt it had great potential, I also realized that it might be difficult to tell the entire story in the limited time available for a stage musical. At the time of booking, there was only a teaser movie of the animation, but I felt it had great potential and potential, so I offered it to them with high expectations. As a result, I think the animation was a hit because the drawings and the story were both excellent.

Expression only possible with "voice actors and artists

─ What do you think about the composition related to "THE iDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE! First of all, the climax of last year's "Million Live! I have the impression that this year's medley consisted of the main song, medley of attribute songs, and the main song, compared to the climax of last year's "Million Live!

Saito: I have personally known Mr. Eichi P (Mr. Takuya Hosaka) of Lantis for quite a long time, so when it was decided that 2017's "Million Live! was going to perform, we discussed a lot of things with JUNGO, the live director of iM@S, when it was decided. For reference, I went to see the live "THE IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE! 4thLIVE TH@NK YOU for SMILE!" at Nippon Budokan in March 2017, and from Anisama P's point of view, it was a great show with Tadokoro Azusa, Machico, Ito Miki, Komagata Yuri Komagata, Haruka Yamazaki, Aimi, etc., I had the impression that there were many talented solo artists in the lineup. However, as of 2017, I thought that many people were seeing "Million Live! stage for the first time at Anisama. So, the concept that Eichi P and I talked about was a set that was going to kill the producers. We decided to bring to Anisama a condensed version of the Million Stars' live that we showed at the Budokan, with a strong lineup of songs, both in terms of music and members. The image was based on the songs "Mitsuboshi☆☆★", "ØωØver!", "Tulip", "Trilogy", and "ØωØver! Tulip," "Trancing Pulse," and "S(mile)ing! That was a strong set list too, wasn't it?　Also, personally, I wanted to see Aimi play guitar; I've seen her play ESP in Poppin'Party, and I wanted to see Aimi as Julia play Les Paul Junior at Anisama.

─ ─ I now understand why you introduced the trump card from "Praline" to "Isle", which is not usually thought of at festivals, and in 2018, each of them could have been at Anisama, and the individual Million Stars who actually performed were united and focused on their strength as a team to make it flow! Do you feel like that?

Saito: Having held solo live performances at Nippon Budokan and Saitama Super Arena, and once on stage at Anisama the previous year, the overwhelming performance of "Million Live! I thought that the overwhelming performance of "Million Live! So what I wanted to show this time was the overall strength of "Million Live!

─ ─ On the same day as the third day of the "Million Live! on the same day as TrySail's performance, on a different day from TrySail's performance, was it also a surprise solo by Momo Asakura, Ten Amamiya, and Shiina Natsukawa, with the aim of highlighting their individuality within the whole?

Saito: The fact that those three are included in the "million live! I wanted to convey that feeling and surprise at the same time. I wanted to convey that feeling and surprise at the same time. I asked the three members of TrySail what they wanted to do as solo performers when we were shooting the pamphlet, and we worked on it right up until the last minute. Amemiya Ten's amazing dress was a suggestion from them, and the skirt alone was about 25 meters long.

Saito: In terms of "diversity of expression by voice-over artists," I think that Aoi Yuki on the second day was a perfect embodiment of this.

Saito: I think Yuuki-san is a one-man Anisama (in the sense of transcending the boundaries of labels) (laughs). The two songs under Ms. Yuki's solo name are performed by Nippon Columbia, Tanya Degrechov's "Child Wars" is performed by KADOKAWA (Media Factory), and petit milady is performed by ZERO A. So, each staff supports her beyond the labels. So each staff supports her beyond their respective labels. I think what makes that much expression possible is the fact that Yuuki's singing is based on acting, and that she is singing as an actor. I could see the forest beyond the way she sang with Ryota Kikuchi's piano playing, and she gave that speech as Tanya Degrechov and head-banged in the surprise petit milady.

─ ─ The collaboration in which Mr. Taketatsu just ate meat on the fhána stage also had a great impact in a different vector.

Saito: This was a collaboration in which Calorie Queen escaped from the castle and came to Cafe de fhána, and her attendant TKT29 (Taketatsu29) came to look for her. That is really A5 rank meat being grilled on the side of the stage, and they are really eating it. It's really delicious meat.

─ I didn't know there was such a backstory. But everyone says that the food at Anisama is delicious. I think I heard that Imasu started to prepare hot meals for the audience to give them more energy at the live because the rice at Anisama was so delicious.

Saito: The food at Anisama is really delicious. I have heard many stories from other artists that they decided to prepare hot meals because of Anisama. The story about iM@S probably dates back to the time when Akihiro Ishihara was in iM@S. Ishihara-san and I used to steal each other's know-how. I think Ishihara-san and I stole a lot of know-how from each other (laughs).

Anisama's "MONSTER

───While the setlist on the first day was filled with gorgeous female artists, I was on edge when Ta_2 of OLDCODEX, the last performer of the night, emphasized the away-from-home environment and revealed his complicated feelings about anime and anisong. I was surprised at how they made the venue their home with the passion and power of their performance.

Saito: I was on the edge of my seat for a moment. But that flow of the performance grabbed the audience's hearts. Because of Ta_2's thoughts, OLDCODEX at this year's Anisama put the images and titles of the anime on the screen for all the songs, showing us a performance that carried the works on its back. During the genel rehearsal on the day of the festival, Ta_2 suggested how to move when all the performers went to greet the audience, and he was the natural leader of the whole event. I think that kind of attitude and behavior appropriate for a festival festival festival leader is an area that has grown since the last time. In the past, I had an image of OLDCODEX as being rockers who would confront the audience with their own rockiness. But when I saw OLDCODEX at Lisani, they enjoyed interacting with the audience, and I felt their appreciation for the audience from their MC. I felt their appreciation for the audience through their MC. That made me think, "Oh, I want OLDCODEX to play the last show of Anisama.

─ ─ And on the last day, JAM Project came back to Anisama.

Saito: As you know, JAM-san had announced his graduation from Anisama. However, the presence of Okui-san (a founding member of Anisama), Kageyama-san, and JAM was essential for the concept of "ONENESS" in 2014, so I asked them to perform. It has been four years since then, but actually, every year I have sent out a "ray of light" asking, "What about this year? I have always sent out a "ray of hope," not only to JAM, but to any other artist, no matter how much I want them to appear! Some artists continue to make offers every year as if it were a ritual, assuming that they will be turned down. This time, I felt that the ratio of female artists was high, and I wanted JAM's powerful ani-songs here! So we made a sincere request to JAM and they performed. The first thing I asked JAM to do this time was to play "THE HERO !!!" from the anime "One-Punch Man" since the live theme was OK. ～(*The main character of One-Pan Man is the strongest hero, Saitama).

Saito──From the beginning of the song, Fukuyama-san's soulful vocals got me KO'd. Were there any requests or things you wanted to do from the JAM Project members?

Saito: I felt the passion of wanting to show the young people of today how hard we are working and how far JAM is willing to go. Then, the legendary band "THE MONSTERS" appeared on the stage with members who looked just like the members of JAM. I was determined to perform as a band, even if it meant dropping out of the show. I was practicing "Snow halation" intensely on my instrument. I heard that Suzuko Mimori and Aozora Tokui were so moved that they cried when they got to a position where they could see the stage, because the other performers had been spoiled during the rehearsal. If you read the story together with the article that Mr. Mimori wrote in his old blog titled "The Day I Became a Monster," I think the story will be connected, so if you don't know it, please search and read it.

--Lastly, please give us a brief look back on 2018 and your enthusiasm for Anisama in 2019.

Saito: I think Anisama 2018 was another great concert, with a simple pop theme of "OK! The artists and the audience who gather on each day have a once-in-a-lifetime relationship, and although the music is only for a moment, the staff will do their best again next year to make this a wonderful event where the emotions and memories will last forever.

Thank you very much for your time today.

(Reporting and writing by Kiri Nakazato)