[Interview with Anisama 2019 theme song "CROSSING STORIES"! Junichi Sato (fhána), composer and arranger, talks about the story and message behind "CROSSING STORIES".

The outline of "Animelo Summer Live 2019" (Anisama 2019) was announced at the recent "Anisama 2019 15th Kick-off Party" stage at AnimeJapan 2019.

The theme of this year's event was announced as "Story". It was also announced that the theme song "CROSSING STORIES" would be written by Junichi Sato of fhána, and the song has already received a great response.

We asked Sato Junichi, who has completed almost all of the recording, about how the song was created.

--Thank you very much for your hard work on the recording. First of all, what did you think when you were offered the big role of theme song for Anisama?

Sato: Actually, at the launch of last year's Anisama, Mr. TRUE told me, "Next year, it will definitely be you (who will write the theme song). I also asked, "What do you think?" I didn't think much about it at the time, but then I got the offer, and I thought, "I got it! (Laughs) I told Saito P (Anisama general producer) about it, and he said he hadn't thought about it at all at the time, so I guess my prediction came true.

--So you must have been under a lot of pressure?

Sato: I was surprised, but there wasn't much pressure. As soon as I received the offer, I started thinking about what I wanted to do with the song, and various ideas came to me.

--I was thinking of a song like this, based on the theme song that has been used up to this point. Is that what you were thinking?

Sato: While taking that into consideration, this time I thought it would be good to have a song that is grand and moving, but not a normal ballad, with a sense of rhythm, and in a good way, not like ani-songs, but more like J-ROCK, so that it would be fresh. became a big hit in 2016, and RADWIMPS' "Sparkle" was played along with the anime, and I felt that it was becoming popular among people who don't usually watch anime. Then, I thought it would be interesting to put a different tune in a different context for the theme song of "Anisama," the biggest anime song festival. I thought.

--I thought it would be interesting to put a different tune in the context of the theme song for "Anisama," the biggest anime song festival in Japan. By the way, what is your impression of "Anisama" itself?

Sato: I performed in the year of fhána's debut, and last year was fhána's 5th anniversary and they released their best album, but last year was also the 5th time I performed at "Anisama. So I feel that fhána has been with us since our debut, or rather, that we have been brought up together, and we feel like a warm home for fhána. There are many people who came to know fhána through Anisama, and it may be a bit presumptuous to say, but I have an image of it as a place to which we can return. It is also a place where we can get to know the other performers and learn that there are people who sing this kind of songs. It's a place where all kinds of possibilities open up.

--It's a place where you can get inspiration.

Sato: Yes, it does. The stage performances are the same, and when everyone sings the theme song at the end of Anisama, there is a lot of excitement on stage (laughs), which creates interaction among the performers. We talk backstage, and I get a lot of inspiration from them.

--I know this may be a difficult question, but what do you think is the significance of "Anisama"?

Sato I wonder what it is. ...... It has a unique charm that goes beyond simply gathering artists and voice actors of today's popular anime songs. Anisama" has a theme or a story every year, and based on that, the situation of the ani-song scene at that time, the drama of each of the performers, such as someone returning after a break, etc., are all summed up, and then, as if through the eye of a needle, a delicate story is told. I think that they are creating a big story like a tapestry. I think it is because of Anisama that such a festival is possible, and I hope that the history of the festival will be carried on and continue in the future.

--I hope that the history of the festival will be carried on and continue in the future.

Sato: When I received the offer, I first talked with P. Saito. I proposed to him, "I think this is the kind of song we would like to have this time. He said, "Great, great!" and we got excited.

--So that's when the direction was decided (laughs).

Sato That's right. So at the beginning, there wasn't a request, "Could you write this kind of song for us? We proposed "Let's make this kind of song," and it was like we were co-producing the song.

--The lyrics were written by Hideki Hayashi, who also writes lyrics for fhána.

Sato: Yes, the theme song for Anisama carries the theme of that year's Anisama, and it is a song that is sung by many people, so when we asked Hayashi to write it, he said, "This is a big job. ......" (laughs).

(Laughs.) -- Specifically, what did you tell him?

Sato: First of all, the theme of "story" was fixed in the discussion between Saito P and myself before we asked Hayashi to write the song, I asked him to write lyrics that would be like a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, with each story intersecting in the place called "Anisama" (......).

--I asked the staff to write lyrics like that.

Sato: I suggested the word "story" at the first meeting. Saito P had a theme for Anisama 2019 in mind as a text. We came up with the word "STORY" to incorporate the theme, since we also came up with the title "STORIES" for fhána's best album released in January this year. ...... (laughs). (Laughs.) I asked myself, "Is this OK? (Laughs) I asked myself if this was OK, but I thought "STORIES" was the perfect word to incorporate the theme that P. Saito had in mind. So we decided to go with it.

--I got the impression that the lyrics were about the intersection of various stories. Did you go smoothly in writing the lyrics?

Sato: After we received the first draft, Saito P. and I directed the lyrics, Hayashi-kun made adjustments, and finally we submitted the lyrics via Google Spreadsheets and made adjustments in real time while talking on the Internet. At first, there were a lot of words like "story" and "narrative" in the lyrics, but we wanted to wait until the lyrics had accumulated a little more before submitting them, so we reduced the number of words and changed the choice of words. We also made minor adjustments to the melody and musical arrangement on the spot to accommodate the lyrics. It was like working with P. Saito to make final adjustments.

--The lyrics of "CROSSING STORIES" have many great phrases, such as "Everyone is the star of the stage on which you live.

Sato: That part of the song echoes ZAQ's "Playing The World" (theme song for "Anisama 2017"), "Next time it's your turn," so I asked ZAQ to sing it for me. Saito P always decides all the song assignments, but this time, Saito P had a bigger perspective based on the flow and story of "Anisama" so far, and I brushed up the song assignments together with him from a musical perspective, including voice quality and melody.

--Saito: So there is a story that is created by the person singing the lyrics?

Sato: That's right. In this case, I think that Sphere's part really brings out that kind of thing. Also, there is a lyric, "I've come this far and now I realize," and I can't announce which artist is singing it yet, but since it says "I've come this far," I think it would normally be sung by someone who has a long career. I think it would be sung by someone with a long career, but there are many teenagers in the audience of "Anisama," and I believe that they must have had the pain and joys they have carried up to this point in their young lives and have reached this point. That is why I told them that I thought there were many young people who would feel sympathy for the lyrics, and we ended up having the artist sing the song.

--I was impressed by your MC at last year's Anisama. When I saw the lyrics, it reminded me of that.

Sato: It's exactly like, "Everyone is the star of the stage you live on." I saw angela perform at "Anisama" in 2014 and heard her MC say, "It's the best feeling in the world, so come on up (here)," and I actually stood on that stage. So there is a story there as well. Anisama" is a three-day event that connects stories within the three days, and if you come every year, you can tell that kind of story as well. I think that fits the theme of this year's festival. Suzuko Mimori performed for three days last year, and Milky Holmes disbanded this year, but there is a story of them performing at Anisama again this year in a different form.

--I hope you will take the time to look at the song-splitting as well.

Sato That's right. And there is one more thing to say about the "Anisama" story. When we were discussing how to record this song, I expressed my wish to record it with the Anisama band. Since the theme of the song is "Story," I felt that the theme song had to be recorded by the Anisama band, which has supported Anisama up until now, so the entire Anisama band participated in the recording. The strings were also recorded by a double quartet, and I think the result is quite gorgeous.

--Oh, and was there anyone in particular that caught your attention during the recording of the vocals?

Sato: Sphere has parts where all the members are heard in harmony and parts where each member has a solo part, but each of them has a very appealing voice, and I was again impressed by that. Mikiba-san of Spira Spica has an impressive smile and I have an image of her singing with the corners of her mouth raised, so I asked her to sing some of the lyrics. Also, the D melody was sung by a fresh member with a high tone voice. There are many things I want to say about each of the singers, and I think we recorded a very good song, so please look forward to it (laughs).

--Lastly, what will the music video be like?

Sato: We are working together on the planning of the music video, and this year there are no cameras in the recording studio. We are expressing the lyrics and the world of the song in a different way than in the past, so I hope you will enjoy it as well.

(Interview and text by Junichi Tsukagoshi)

Event Information

Animelo Summer Live 2019 -STORY

fhána led by Junichi Sato, whom we interviewed this time, will perform on 8/30(Fri.)!

Date: 8/30 (Fri.), 8/31 (Sat.), 9/1 (Sun.) Doors open at 14:00, Concert starts at 16:00 each day

Venue: Saitama Super Arena

Official website (both PC and mobile): https://anisama.tv/

CD Information

Anisama 2019 theme song "CROSSING STORIES

Lyrics: Hideki Hayashi

Composed and arranged by Junichi Sato(fhána)

Song: Asakihana, Natsuori Ishihara, Oishi Masayoshi, ZAQ, Konomi Suzuki, Sphere, TRUE, towana(fhána), Mikaha(Spira Spica), Suzuko Mimori, etc.

Performed by: Anisama Band & Yutaka Mabe Strings

Coupling song "ONENESS (15th Stories)

Words and music by Masami Okui

Arranged by Yasushi Mohri

Song: Masami Okui, Minami, ZAQ, TRUE, Suzuko Mimori, Sayoshi Oishi, Konomi Suzuki, Sogo Nakamura

Performed by: Anisama Band (Yoichi Matsuo, Jun Yamazaki, Sei Murakami, Masashi Imayamauchi, Yasushi Mori)

Date of release: On sale from 5/17 (Fri.) at animate and Gamers stores and online!

Price: 700 yen (tax not included)

Distribution: Available at ANiUTa and animelo mix from 5/24(Fri.)!

(c)Animelo Summer Live 2019