Kids' Anime Theme Songs Ushering in a New Era! Hiroyuki Deguchi's "Just Shut Up and Listen to Anime Songs! in 2019 Spring"!

Hello to all 10 million anime song fans in Japan. I am Hiroyuki Deguchi, a wandering bassist and DJ of anime songs and special effects music. It's been a month since a new anime has aired, which means it's time for the overly subjective column that comes around the time when all the new season's anime titles are released: "Just shut up and listen to anime songs! It is the season of "Just shut up and listen to ani-songs!

Thanks to your support, "Just Shut Up and Listen to Anime Songs! This year marks the third year of the "Just Shut Up and Listen to Anime Songs!

This column started with the concept of selecting 10 songs for each anime season, and in the past two years, we have published eight articles, four times a year, and now this is the ninth. I listen to about 120 theme songs for every new anime that starts every time, and choose 10 songs from them, which means that I have listened to more than 1000 songs if I simply count the number of songs I have selected.

After two years of listening to anime songs, I have come to have some idea of what the recent transition, or major flow, or so-called trend, of anime songs is. What is going on musically, what is the connection with the work, and what is the overall current trend? This is only my 100% subjective impression, but I feel that the major trend these days is to make the musical parts more musical and the anime song-like parts more anime song-like, and to make it very easy to understand what they are trying to do, no matter what direction they are going in.

For example, in the previous season, "Love Dramatic feat. Rokka Ihara", the opening song of "Kaguya-sama ga Kesshirasai ~Tensai-tachi no Koi Toushi Brain Battle~", was a winner when Masayuki Suzuki appeared! It had a strong impact. It had a strong impact, and above all, its affinity with anime works was interesting and entertaining. It is a wonder that it fits so well with the animation, even though it is a very Martin-like piece.

I feel that new types of anime songs created from interesting combinations that have never existed before will lead the scene in the future.

This season's anime songs stood out for their unprecedented interestingness. I have a feeling that a new era of anime songs has arrived.

So, here are 10 songs from the Spring 2019 anime! Here they are!

Carol & Tuesday.

OP "Kiss Me/Carol & Tuesday (Vo. Nai Br. XX & Celeina Ann)

Gunsei no Magumeru

OP "Dash & Daaash! /Fudan Juku" OP "Dash & Daaash!

Kedama no Gonjiro

OP "Let's. Gonjiro / CHA Gonjiro/CHAI" OP "Let's!

ED "Wasawa Wasawa! /Demon Kogure

Sarasara Zammai

OP "Massara / KANA-BOON

Jimoto ga Japan

OP "Appare! Jimoto ga ichiban! /Akira Kushida

Why is the teacher here?

OP "Bon ♡♡♡bon is his thing♡♡/Uesaka Sumire

B Rappers Street

ED "B Rappers Theme/B Rappers Crew

MIX

OP "Equal/sumika

Misarana Ao can't study

OP "WONDERFUL WONDER/Edgar Sullivan

What do you think? Don't you think these are the 10 songs that foreshadow the arrival of a new era?

Let me take my time to introduce each song one by one!

The pure strength of the music was impressive in "Kiss Me" by "Carol & Tuesday.

Since the film itself is a careful depiction of the magic of music, the songs, including the theme song, are very strong. Naturally, each song has the appeal of a single, and the passion for music can be clearly felt. It is no wonder that the music is so good, as this is also the 10th anniversary of Flying Dog, a company that has produced many quality anime songs and is known for its musical talent.

Among the many single songs, "Kiss Me" stands out from the crowd with its breakthrough power as an OP song. It is stylish and not at all like an anime song! I think there are many people who feel "It's fashionable and not like ani-song at all! I thought so myself, but then I thought, "Wait a minute. I thought it was more like an anime song than anything else. Just as a hot-blooded song always accompanies a robot anime with a hot development, a work with the essence of music as its theme should be accompanied by a song that is musically free and full of magic.

This song, although completely Western in texture, is the right anime song, expressing 100% of the world of "Carol & Tuesday".

Two songs that particularly caught the scent of the new era this season were "Kedama no Gonjiro" and "B Rapper's Street.
First of all, "Kedama no Gonjiroe" is an anime song with a new combination that is a good example of the "interesting combination" I mentioned at the beginning. It is a miracle that the opening and ending were created at the same time. Gonjiro is a miracle anime!

ED "Wasawa Wasawa! /Daemon Kogure"

First of all, the ending song "Wasawa Wasawa! I guess. I'll turn you into a wax figure, too! The song is by Daemon Kogure, a member of the well-known "St. Kangaroo" band, St. Kangaroo II. The combination of a work that is 100% elementary school boy stupidity and Mr. Demon is too interesting at this point, but the song is a song with a pleasantly lapping electro disco beat, and even though the lyrics are extremely surreal, the singing is so good that it's on another level.

The OP "Let's! Gonjiro/CHAI".

And the opening song "Let's! Gonjiroe" is the genius girl band "CHAI," which avid music listeners have already been paying attention to. Well, they are so cool!

The terrific thing about the band CHAI is that they have successfully mixed the taste of Western music from the 2000's onward and put it into an oriental sound that makes the band unique. While other musicians in the world are trying to "make it sound like that band, but I can't do it at all! and they easily express the sound that everyone else has tried and failed to achieve. From the creator's point of view, it's terrifying, but from the listener's point of view, it is extremely exciting. This is what I wanted to hear.

Let's go! Gonjiro" also has a Western taste, which is the backbone of CHAI's sound. To explain simply what I mean by "Western-style music" and "Western-style music feeling," I mean that "all the instruments, including the vocals, can be heard in good balance.

Most of the Japanese music we are used to listening to is tuned so that the vocals are heard best. Therefore, drums, bass, guitars, etc. are balanced one step back (this is not only a volume issue, but also a complex topic of sound range and frequency, so I'll spare you the details), so if you listen to a lot of music, you may honestly feel a little bit short (on the contrary, there are cases where this Japanese music-like balance is to your liking, (On the other hand, there are cases where this Japanese music-like balance is to your liking, so it is a matter of taste, not good or bad.

) It is possible to experience this Western-style volume balance in an easy-to-understand way with "Let's. Gonjiro! Gonjiro" is the one that makes it easy to experience this Western-style volume balance. The vocals are a bit loud (a balance typical of anime songs), but all the instruments can be heard evenly and properly. It is great that a song with such a high musical deviation is the opening song of a work that is a mass of elementary school boys' stupidity. As a result, it is also interesting to see how the musical backgrounds of the idiot boys grow up in an unintended way.

B Rapper's Street" is also really great.

I never thought that hip-hop and elementary school boys would go so well together. This is not a purely animated series, as it is aired as part of the "Kyarasta" section of "Ohasuta," but it has a new age feel to it. It is amazing. The explanation of rap battles and hip-hop terminology is very detailed and easy to understand, making it a true textbook of hip-hop. It is quite possible that a boy who grew up watching this before going to school will eventually grow up to be a world-famous rapper.

The fast tempo of "B Rapper's Theme" is a fast and furious rap song, and the tension that builds and builds along with the chord progression at the end of the song is undeniably tense. Although the song used in the broadcast is very short, it is highly accomplished both as a song and as an animation song.

Another song in the "Kyarasta" slot of "Ohasuta" is "Jimoto ga Japan's" "Appare! Jimoto ga ichiban! is also a must-listen.

The soulful voice of Akira Kushida is instantly recognizable. He is a great fit for old-school funk songs such as this one. Jimoto is the best! The stupidity of "Appare! The fact that such a simple story can be made into a reality with such ease is due to the strength of the music, which never wavers.

It is hard to believe that the singer is over 70 years old. It's not that he hasn't changed, it's just that his voice has become even deeper. Ichiro Mizuki, who is in the same age group, has not lost any of his singing voice, so perhaps many anime song singers in this age group have strong bodies and spirits that do not decline.

WONDERFUL WONDER" from "Misarana Aochan ga Gakuganai" has an addictive quality that keeps me repeating it.

The melody line is cool and fashionable, but the nursery rhyme-like line that appears from time to time invites nostalgia, and this point creates an addictive quality that makes you want to listen to it again and again. The balance between the various instruments is very fresh, with each maintaining a good sense of distance, and the song is driven by a solid ensemble that never gets too hot. This type of anime song may have never existed before.

In terms of anime songs, the time used for the opening song is special. In most anime works, the opening song lasts about 90 seconds or 1 minute and 30 seconds, but this song lasts 60 seconds or about 1 minute, which is 30 seconds shorter than other works. Short does not mean that the content is thin. On the contrary, the shortened time allows the tempo of the opening image and the quality of the music to come together nicely, creating a strange sense of discomfort that is not a planned harmony. The addictive nature of the opening that makes you want to watch it over and over again is also related to the discomfort of the time.

The song that I thought was an unlikely new type of anime song was "Dash & Daaash! of "Gunsei no Magumeru" was a new type of anime song that did not seem possible.

The point where I felt the newness was in the singing voice. The singer, Fudan Juku, sings in a lower key than other female idol groups because of their concept of wearing men's clothes. Their exquisite voices, with a range that does not hurt the ears, are a very powerful weapon in these days of anime songs with high tension and range. I had never imagined that a song in a lower key would fit so well in a cutting-edge anime song with rapidly developing sections. It was an unexpected and interesting discovery.

Why is the teacher here? I personally had not marked the song "Bon ♡♡♡Bon ♡♡Bon is his thing ♡♡" in the "Why is the teacher here?

Sexy! Erotic! It's so sexy!

Well, as a man, I can't help but have my eyes (or ears?) drawn to it. I can't help it, as a man. However, if you analyze the songs calmly without being distracted by this gimmick, you will soon realize that the quality of the music is at an extraordinary level.

The melody is lovely, the chord progression is carefully executed in the manner of pop music, and the rhythm of the chorus, which is the most exciting part of the song, changes to a floor tom with a low center of gravity. This popularity is common to the theme songs of magical girl anime from the 1980s. This means that this song can be traced back to the lineage of idol songs.

Anyway, the song is outstanding, so don't just look at the breasts and buttocks, but pay attention to the music as well. I know how you feel!

The opening song of "Sarazammai," which has been talked about in various places in various ways, is "Massara" by KANA-BOON!

It has a very pleasant drive that is typical of anime songs in the noitaminA frame. The tempo feels just right in terms of physical sensation, but in reality it is a very high tempo song with a BPM of around 207. The reason why the song does not feel rushed despite its extremely fast tempo is because the melody creates a big swell, and at the same time, this melody creates exquisitely emo undulations, which is the most important thing to listen to. The high tension of the arrangement is ear-catching, but the strength of the song pulls the music along.

Lastly, "Equal," the opening song of "Mix."

It is the best song of this season for me, including the artwork! It's good, I mean, it's just irresistible.

To give a brief explanation of the original story, "MIX" is a story 26 years after "Touch" by Mitsuru Adachi. The same age brothers join the Meisei Academy baseball team, which has fallen into disrepair since winning the Koshien championship, and aim to win the Koshien championship. This alone is irresistible. It's just great.

The song is full of elements from Mitsuru Adachi's manga, and the lyrics include words like "south wind" and "touch" that fans of the manga will love. It's great.

The music, which has a sense of transparency with a touch of hotness and masculinity, is a wonderful match for the world view depicted by Mitsuru Adachi. This summer (Koshien season), I want to play this song a lot at DJ sites.

How was it?

We have selected 10 songs from the new season's anime titles. Did you find any of your favorite songs in them?

Finally, the next season, the summer anime, will be the "first cool of 2025. As the saying goes, a new era is coming. I will do my best to follow how anime songs will change in the future.

See you next time in the summer!

(Text by Hiroyuki Deguchi)