Interview with Arisa Takigawa, who has entered a period of maturity. Wagamama" is a song she was able to write precisely because she is in her prime.

Singer-songwriter Arisa Takigawa will release "Wagamama," the ending theme for the TV anime "Domestic Girlfriend," on March 6, 2019. Wagamama" expresses the self-contradictory feelings unique to adolescent romance, and she says she was able to honestly incorporate her impressions from reading the work into the song. The song was a reflection of the spiritual maturity she had gained through her experiences at live performances and other events. We interviewed her about the music video for the song, which shows a more mature expression than before.

In "Wagamama," I wanted to express the contradictions of adolescent love.

─ ─ This is the first time Akiba Research Institute has talked to Ms. Takigawa since her 5th single "Irofarenai Hitomi" (released on September 7, 2016). During that time, you have released an album, a 6th single, and a concept mini-album, and this is your 7th single. First of all, what kind of year was 2018 for you, Mr. Takigawa?

Takigawa: It was a year in which I released the concept mini-album "Tokyo" and went on a national tour as a solo performer. My way of thinking changed, and I think it was a year in which I matured inside.

─ ─ What do you mean when you say that your way of thinking has changed?

Takigawa: I am not really aware of it, but I was told that I have become more proactive in the way I perceive things and how I feel when I stand in front of others. It is true that the mental imbalance that I have had since puberty has finally been lifted, and I feel that I am able to think flatly and not be swayed by details.

─ ─ You say you have changed naturally with age.

Takigawa: I think so. When people say to me, "You used to be like this," I think, "Oh, maybe I was like that. There were many things that I realized in this way. I used to live only in my own world, but now I am able to open up to the outside world and connect with others, or rather, I am able to live with others. When I was a child, I had the feeling that everything was a fake except for myself. That feeling remained with me even after I grew up (laughs). (Laughs.) But now that I am able to imagine that I am involved in other people's lives, I think I have finally changed from being a child to an adult.

─ Did this change in your feelings have an impact on your songwriting?

Takigawa: Yes, it did. I had never been able to write a straightforward song like "Wagamama" before. The fact that I was able to write it so easily without any kind of trouble shows that my mindset has changed.

─ ─ "Wagamama" is the ending theme for the TV anime "Domestic Girlfriend. When writing music, the first step is to get to know the work, right? What did you think of "Domestic Girlfriend"?

Takigawa: I thought that the work depicted much more pure feelings than I had imagined from the title. I could sympathize with all three main characters, and I felt as if I had experienced the story myself, because I could feel that all the other supporting characters were also alive. That's why the music came very naturally to me.

─ This is a work that carefully depicts the characters, isn't it?

Takigawa: The facial expressions, dialogues, and pauses in the play all feel very realistic. I could understand why everyone said it was like a live-action drama. I could feel the subtleties of the heart, so the melody and lyrics at the beginning of the chorus, "Oh, I'm becoming selfish only for you," came easily to me.

───The story is about the main character Natsuo, who is sandwiched between two heroines, Hina and Rui.

Takigawa: Yes, I could. Some people might feel that I should be more clear about it, but I thought it couldn't be helped (laughs). They are both cute and boyish, and I thought it was very nice. I don't think there are many people who can do that in a situation like this. The feeling of being pushed around was like, "I get it! I could feel it.

─ What do you think about the two heroines?

Takigawa: Of course, I sympathize with them, but I think I am looking at the work from a male point of view. I think they are cute, and I wonder what I should do with them (laughs).

─ You said that "Wagamama" came naturally to you.

Takigawa: I wanted to depict an ongoing feeling. There are feelings in love that you can't control even if you have a good argument against them, and in such situations, you can't explain yourself. I wanted to carefully depict the contradictions of adolescent feelings, such as not wanting the other person to look at you, but not wanting the other person to be attracted to you, but not wanting to become someone else's. I wanted to depict the contradictions of adolescent feelings in a way that would be easy to explain and would not be too hard to explain. The theme of the song is the unexplainability of feelings.

─ Does that mean that the lyrics are mainly from Rui's point of view?

Takigawa: No, I included the perspectives of all three of them. So it is not a song about one person. I wanted the song to sound like a different song for each episode, so that it could be applied to anyone's point of view as the episodes progressed.

─ ─ I was impressed by the passage at the end of the chorus. The first verse, which can be heard on-air, is "Don't look at me," and the second verse, which comes after that, is "Don't look at me. It is a self-contradiction.

Takigawa: Normally, the lyrics would have been aligned, but I thought this is what adolescent romance is all about. I would want to ask, "What would you do if you were in love? but I don't think even he knows what he wants to do. I think there is something more complicated than the desire to find an answer or to fulfill love.

─ I felt that there were subtle changes in the lyrics as we move from the first to the second verse.

Takigawa: The first verse starts out with a very pure feeling, and the second verse is where the feelings get complicated, or more dangerous, I think. Therefore, the arrangement of the music is also different between the first and second numbers.