The year '23 was the year of Aina the End! Hiroyuki Deguchi and Ichirokuso Samejima (BANBANBAN) talk about the BEST anime songs of 2023! Talking! Anime Songs" Part 5 Part 2

This time, they will be discussing three anime songs each from TV anime that were broadcast or distributed in the year 2023. In addition, one song will be chosen from each of the films released in theaters, and we will delve into them in depth over a total of six sessions!

If you read this, you will know what anime songs you should listen to now. ......

In addition, a podcast program where you can enjoy the talk and the songs together is also available on Spotify! Please enjoy it as well!

Enjoy the podcast! Anison Special Edition: The BEST Anison Talks in 2023" starts in the 3rd episode!

Song of the Dead" ("Zombie 100 - 100 things I want to do before I become a zombie" OP) / KANA-BOON

Samejima BANBANBAN Samejima's choice for the last ani-song of 2023 is here. Song of the Dead" by KANA-BOON!

Deguchi: You like Mr. Shark, don't you? I feel that this song is one of the songs of 2023 for Mr. Shark. Before I go any further, I would like to say that the biggest event of 2023 is still the "Ueno de . I think the biggest event of 2023 was the ani-song disco at the "Ueno De. Beer Festa 2023" held in Ueno in August. I also participated as a DJ, and the "Song of the Dead" gave me the feeling that the festival had finally come home to us. That moment was the highlight of the year for me. It was an amazing sight. It was a festival. There were almost 5,000 people in the back of the venue, raising their hands to that song, and it felt like our festival had finally returned after the last few years that started with Corona. It was a song in which I felt I saw Shark-san in it.

Samejima Thank you (laughs). (laughs) From the moment I heard the song, I knew I wanted to make a choreography for it, and I felt that I would definitely put a lot of work into it. The live-action version of "Zong 100" itself was also getting a lot of attention on Netflix, and I thought the anime ended after 9 episodes without a word, but the rest of the anime was broadcast at Christmas time. The original KANA-BOON came up with the choreography for it, and it became a hit on TikTok. I don't know what the circumstances were, but I felt the spirit of going all the way with this song, and I also felt that we were still going to make it a big hit. I thought this song was like a long-lived zombie song that was popular during the summer and winter (laughs). It has a nice groove to it.

Deguchi I think the fact that fans are waiting with anticipation despite the irregular broadcasting schedule may be due to the power of the work and the power of the song. I'm not talking about the ani-song disco I mentioned earlier, but our songs are finally coming out.

Samejima I think it's a physically enjoyable song. Song of the Dead" was also a song that would "look good" at festivals, and I think it is a song that we can enjoy now that we are in the Corona 5.

Icotoba" (ED) by Aina the End

Deguchi In 2023, the third ani-song chosen by Deguchi is "iCotoba," the ED of "Yakuya no Hitorigoto" ("Yakuya no Hitorigoto" ED)!

Samejima Not the OP, but the ED?

Deguchi It's a really good song, and looking back on the year 2023, I thought that the singer, Aina the End, had made quite a breakthrough as an artist. She sang the ED "Red:birthmark" for "Mobile Suit Gundam: Witches of Mercury" (season 2), and the movie "Kirie's Song" starring her was released before "Yakuya no Hitorigoto" started. Her voice is husky, and I think her expressive power has broadened considerably. I thought it was on a different level from the past. I felt the depth of expression in her singing voice in "Icotoba," such as when she sings gently and when she sings with a sense of urgency, so I thought it was a song for the year 2023.

Samejima I feel the effect of a good ending. The main character's way of life in "Yakiya no Hitorigoto" is also very pop for a historical piece. The main character is a girl who looks like she could be in the present day, and I think it is a good ending that stirs up the story and then cools it down with the ending. But I didn't see this coming.

Deguchi: I think one of the big topics in 2023 is the AI problem. AI today is what is called collective intelligence. Whether it is illustrations or music, if you give it an order and ask it to create something like this, it will create something like that. It is an amazing technology, and I was surprised, but when I look at it calmly, it is very boring. They are all the same, or rather, they are all very stereotypical. It's boring, like a bunch of uninteresting "I know, right? The technology is great, but when it comes down to it, I think it comes back to the fact that human beings are better, and the elements that can never be imitated are the voice of Aina the End and the individuality of Queen Bee as a band that I mentioned earlier. Something that appeals to people's hearts and minds is something that AI can never do.

Samejima Even if you use AI to write something, what we find interesting are the happenings, aren't they? For example, an elbow is bent in a strange direction, or a sentence is not correct. In the end, mistakes, failures, and pettiness are the charm of the work, aren't they? I don't know if failure leads to warmth, but in the end, what we want to see are not things that are perfect and super good, but rather, we want to see the flaws in the work.

Deguchi: That's what we sympathize with, and that's what moves us. （People say that jobs will disappear (with the advent of AI), but I don't think jobs will disappear. What is required at the center of the work is, "What are you? I selected Aina the End's "Icotoba" because of its human power.

Deguchi: So, we looked back at each other's three theme songs, and the results were quite interesting. But in that order, I guess.

Samejima It's like what would be arranged around "[guess who]", isn't it?

Deguchi: Are there any other songs that were not selected, or songs that you would like to talk about, such as insert songs?

Samejima I think it's right in the middle of the songs in the play, "Sign as B" by "[Myushi-no-ko]". I think we have to include this one. It was made by Oishi Masayoshi, and it was a strong song in the theme song class. It's memorable, the choreography is good, it's buzzing on the Internet, and I think this is one of the songs in the play that can't be left out. It was a wonderful idol song.

The other song was "Taisaku☆JUMPING!" by "Jujutsu Kaisen". There is a macho character named Todo who loves idols. The idol he is promoting is called Takada-chan, who is 6 feet tall, and her song is "Highest Tide Jumping. The song is "Supreme Jumping" and it is a very strong idol song, but the scene where this song is used is in the scene where Todo is fighting for his life. Todo's locket (pendant) fell off and when the lid opened, there was a picture of Takada-chan in it, and when Todo saw it, he powered up and fought with that song in the background.

In "Jujutsu Kaisen," there is a pattern that someone dies after a very funny, bright, and fun scene, and when I saw this scene, I had a feeling that Todo was going to die. Actually, he didn't die, but he was seriously injured. It was used in a good way.

And can I play one more song?

Deguchi It's good!

Samejima "Matsubokkuri" from "Kawagoe Boys Sing". This is an anime about a male chorus club, and we put a lot of effort into the song. "Matsubokkuri" was a song sung by a rival school. It's a very strange song, ...... a word I don't really like to use as a performer (laughs), but the lyrics have a great habit. The tune is like a fake Nagabuchi. I thought, "Is this the song sung by a rival school? I thought, "Is this a song sung by a rival school? I thought, "So that's why!

Deguchi: So your impression of the Nagabuchi feeling was correct. That's what the rival school is singing. Are there any particular tsukkoso in the play?

Samejima There are no particular scenes like that, but everyone watching the show was wondering what the characters were feeling when they were singing.

Deguchi: That's the right way to make things interesting. It is difficult to create a completely original work, and even if there were a completely original work, the world would not understand how interesting it is. Instead, the current attitude in creating something is to adapt it and include nuances such as, "If you like this, please come and see me. If you intentionally hide it or try to use it as a springboard, it becomes pacri. The right way to put in the essence of love by properly professing that you like it is the right way. ......This was just as it was (laughs). It's like a certain Nagabuchi song, but you have to really like it to get this certain thing.

Samejima I bought the song too, but I don't have the courage to play it at a DJ (laughs). I want to play it someday, but I don't know where to play it.

Deguchi Well, I just mentioned my top three songs of the year, and they are the song "Jewel Days," which was played in the final episode of "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury," and is sung by Aina the End.

Deguchi: Aina the End also sang "Red:birthmark," the ending song for Season 2. I don't want to talk about the story since it has nothing to do with the music, but I think the most exciting part of "The Witch of Mercury" was that it ended with a big circle, and then the ballad "Jewel Days" came on, and I felt like, "Wow~, even though this is a Gundam, it ended so well. The song "Red: birthmark" that had been playing up to that point had an impassioned, wistful feel to it, but in contrast to that, it was a very gentle song, and I thought, "Wow, they can express things like this, it's amazing. I thought, "Wow, you can express yourself in such a way." I knew it was too special because there had been 24 episodes up to that point, and this song came at the very end.

After "Jewel Days," the real final end roll is played, and the song that plays is "Blessing" by YOASOBI, the OP from the first season. The story is over. And then "Blessing" plays, and when the chorus at the beginning ends, the sound becomes thicker, and the subtitle of episode 24 appears for the first time.

Samejima Ah, the guy the otaku likes! That's a good use of it.

Deguchi: And the subtitle of episode 24 is the last lyric of the song "Blessing. The subtitle of episode 24 is the last lyric of the song, "Bless you with all my heart. I thought, "This is the kind of guy otaku like" (laughs). I think it's a bit unfair that "Witch of Mercury" is from the fall anime of 2022, but the excitement, the passion, and the anticipation for the work are symbolic of the year 2023. Not only Gundam, but there are many long-lived works these days, and such works have been around for almost 50 years. In many cases, these works have been created and supported by very old people, but the question is how to attract new fans. I think the theme of "The Witch of Mercury" was to create something that could be enjoyed by younger people, and I have the impression that it was very successful in this regard. I think the previous reviews were quite mixed, and the work itself, while showing attention to the old fans, seemed to be appealing to a new audience by saying, "Gundam is fun. Even with the sad story and the inevitable developments, I was glad to see it because this is how it landed at the end.

Hiroyuki Deguchi

Hiroyuki Deguchi made his major label debut in July 2007 as the bassist of the rock band Mono Bright. In addition to participating in live performances and recordings for numerous artists as a bassist, he is also active in a wide range of other media, including songwriting, arranging, DJ, writing, and TV show MC.

Samejima Ichirokuso

Ichirokuso Samejima is the "non-frieza" of the comedy duo BAN BAN BAN, and in 2010 the duo launched the anime song DJ event "Anime Song Disco," playing anime songs at various venues both in Japan and abroad, large and small. He belongs to Yoshimoto Kogyo.