New song "Share the light" is released, facing the homework from MONACA head-on! A long interview with Run Girls, Run!

Run Girls, Run!" (hereafter referred to as "Ranga"), a voice actress unit consisting of Koko Hayashi, Yuka Morishima, and Nanami Atsugi, has released its sixth single "Share the light"!

Ranga, which will celebrate its second anniversary this summer and expand its activities more and more, will release its new single "Share the light" on November 27, 2019 (Wednesday), after a half year absence from its previous single.

The song, which many of you may already know as the OP theme for the fall anime "Assassin's Pride," was written by Natsumi Tadano and composed and arranged by Hidekazu Tanaka (MONACA), a powerful tag team. It is a song by a powerful tag team: lyrics by Natsumi Tadano, music composed and arranged by Hidekazu Tanaka (MONACA). The cool song overturns the image of Ranga, which has been "full of energy" up to now, and is the very image of the girls as they enter their third year and aim to make a big leap forward.

The song "Kiraristo Jewelist" is the new OP theme song for the anime "Kiratte Pri☆Chan" and "Snow Glider" is a sad dance-pop tune based on the theme of winter.

What kind of feelings do the three members have as they run through their days nonstop, and what kind of message does the new single convey? We asked them to talk at length about how they are living their lives and what kind of message is contained in the new single.

The start of the third year of the band, a time of great growth

─ It has been about half a year since the interview for your last album "Diamond Smile. First of all, could you look back on the past six months?

Hayashi: I have been able to do a lot of different things, but the one in particular that challenged me in a way I had never done before was "Rangaban! was something I had never done before. It was our first variety show, and it was like a dream come true for us to have our own TV show, but it was the first time for the three of us to do a full-fledged video variety show, so it was a lot of work.

Hayashi──It was broadcast from 8:00 p.m. on AT-X and re-broadcast from 9:30 p.m. on TOKYO MX, so it was a sudden move into prime time, wasn't it?

Hayashi: That's right! It was in a time slot that everyone could watch, so I had many people tell me that they had seen it. It wasn't broadcast in my hometown (Shizuoka), but a friend of mine who was on a trip to Tokyo happened to see the show and contacted me saying, "I just saw it on TV. We usually have many opportunities to have our voices heard through our anime characters, but having our faces on terrestrial TV like this made me realize once again that "all kinds of people are watching" and "the influence of terrestrial TV is amazing.

Morishima For my part, we celebrated our second anniversary this summer, and I am very enthusiastic about starting our third year, so I think it was a time when our approach to our work changed once again. I think it was a time when we changed the way we approach our work. When recording songs, we deepened our understanding of the world more than ever before, and I think we began to approach radio and other media as a place to express ourselves more than ever before.

Koko Hayashi

─ Isn't it also significant that you played the role of Gripen, the main heroine in "Girly Air Force"?

Morishima Yes, it was. In the past, I would have been too nervous to show my full potential when I should have done so, but I think that I have become more calm and able to handle myself in such situations.

Atsugi: I performed in the "Purichan Live" (Puripara & Kiratto Puri☆Chan AUTUMN LIVE TOUR 2019 - Kiratto! It's time to start being an idol! ~) left a lasting impression on me. On the stage of ordinary rangas, if I make a mistake, I can think that I have that aspect of my character, but when I stand on stage as a character, I was extremely nervous because I felt responsible not to make any mistakes. But when I read the comments and letters from the audience after the event, many of them said that I had grown up more than before. Compared to last year, I think I am able to move with more confidence and have grown in my personal skills. This event gave me confidence that I am steadily growing, little by little, through gaining various experiences.

─ Did you have smoother communication with your seniors than last year?

Atsugi: We met every week during recording sessions, and I was able to get to know Ms. Kubota (Miyu) a little better, so I was able to interact with her much less nervously than last year. This year, I think I was able to perform as Rinka Aoba.

Hayashi: I am also a member of "Miracle Kiratz," and I feel that the three of us (with Atsugi and Miyu Kubota) are really Miracle Kiratz. There are many lyrics in "Kiratz" that say "invincible," and I really feel like we are invincible.

Atsugi: Rinka, the character I play, is a calm character, but they are junior high school students, so they can be innocent on stage. So it's really nice. Pretty live.

Hayashi When we make eye contact with the seniors, they are in character, so we can be in character, too. It's fun.

─ How about you, Mr. Morishima, who has seniors (Yu Serizawa and Yuki Wakai) on both sides of you?

Morishima: They are big and "strong" senpai (laughs). (laughs) I am also glad that the "meltic star" to which I belong has really increased our communication before and after live performances. Until now, we rarely worked together as Meltic, but recently the three of us have been doing more interviews together, so we are able to talk a little bit more.

Hayashi You seem really happy (laughs).

Morishima I am happy! Some of the songs have a scene where we get to hang out with our favorite people on stage, and I feel like the Meltik members naturally got together for that kind of thing and were able to move in their own unique way. I am glad that I can look back at the video later and think that way.

Yuka Morishima

Share the light", where you can enjoy the two faces of a singer and a voice actor

─ ─ As the production continues for one or two years, there is more and more to accumulate, both as a character and as a cast member. Ranga's new single "Share the light" has been steadily growing.　Personally, I was impressed by its floating melody.

Hayashi: Indeed! I also thought it was a strange or interesting song when I first heard it. I heard various sounds, some bright, some dark, and I thought there were many ways to express oneself in one song, and I had the impression that it was a very difficult song. But when I read the lyrics, I realized that the song was close to Merida's feelings in "Assassin's Pride," and I sang it as if I was in her mind when I recorded it.

Morishima I think you will find something new in this song every time you listen to it, and I think it is a song that will continue to evolve the way we present it when we sing it live, so I hope you will listen to it over and over again. I think it is a song with a lot of charm.

Atsugi: "Share the light" is the OP theme of "Assassin's Pride," so the content is very close to the work. I thought the melody was like nothing I had ever heard before. The lyrics are also wonderful, expressing Merida's struggle to fight for something she wants to protect even though she can't show her mana. We have sung many cool songs as Ranga in the past for tie-ups, but this song has a different kind of coolness to it, so I thought it would be a song that would give the audience a new sense of our glamour.

─ ─ The songs of Ranga so far have been thick and powerful, but this time, we have a new charm to them! but this time, I got the impression that it was cooler, with fewer notes, and more like modern Western music.

Hayashi: Indeed! I just figured it out! That's why it's so stylish!

─ ─ The chorus is also not in an easy-to-understand "This is the chorus! My first impression was that it didn't sound like an anime song.

Hayashi: That's right. At first, I wondered where the chorus was. I thought, "Where is the chorus? Even my parents told me it didn't sound like ani-song. Anime songs have their own unique groove, but this song is different and makes you want to listen to it carefully.

─ I feel as if MONACA gives Ranga homework every time, asking him if he can sing this next song. I feel like MONACA gives Ranga homework every time, asking him if he can sing this next song. I think "Share the light" is one of those songs. What kind of communication did you have with Hidekazu Tanaka, the composer, during recording?

Hayashi: We didn't have much time to exchange about the music, but during breaks, he would ask me, "How is school? or "What time do you get up in the morning? We made small talk like, "How's school? (Laughs) "I get up at 6:00 a.m." "Wow, you are up early!" It was a pleasure to talk with Mr. Tanaka outside of work.

─ Were there any impressive directions during the recording?

Hayashi: I have a strong voice when I sing. I tend to sing straight. I was told that my voice might be a little too strong this time as well, so I recorded "Share the light" while thinking about how much I should reduce the strength of my voice to make it sound more calm and nice. On the other hand, when it comes to the chorus, "Don't resist being alone", I was told to use my energetic voice and sing it however I wanted.

Morishima It feels good here, doesn't it?

Hayashi Yes, it is. I feel good when I sing it myself. So, I challenge myself to sing in various ways in one song, so I hope you will listen to it.

Morishima On the other hand, I was directed to sing a little more coolly, so I tried two or three different ways of singing in addition to the way I created from there, and the teacher came to the conclusion that I should sing this way. So I think the song contains the sounds that came out of opening several drawers inside me.

Atsugi: I was the last one to record the song, so I recorded it after listening to the two of them sing. So it was pretty easy to get an image of the song, and I was able to record it rather easily, but the nuance of "You don't notice, do you? at the end of the first chorus was difficult, so we had to re-record it several times. There are many ways to think about this part. It can be taken as Merida-chan's feelings for Mr. Kufa, or it can be taken to mean the blossoming of Mana's talent. In the end, I was given the OK to direct Merida, who is 13 years old, to have the atmosphere of a "precocious" girl who has grown up a little, and to talk to someone who is closer to her.

Nanami Atsugi

─ You said earlier that the song doesn't sound like an anime song, but in terms of lyrics and expressions, it is quite linked to the world of anime, isn't it?

Atsugi: It is deep, isn't it? I was also thinking "how deep" as I recorded the song. There is also a line, "Do you want to share? We are voice actors, so it makes us nervous when we suddenly hear a line in a song. We usually record these parts after we finish the song, but when we hear "The main line is over. Let's record the lines! I get nervous (laughs). (laughs).

Hayashi I understand (laughs).

Morishima You are a voice actor. You have to be able to do this well.

Hayashi: We don't usually show our faces as voice actors to Natsumi Tadano and Mr. Tanaka. That's why I'm even more embarrassed. Especially the part where we say "Soo ......" and go into voice-over mode (laughs).

In the music video, I tried various acting styles without seeing the finished product.

─ ─ I would like to ask you about the music video. What is the story this time?

Hayashi The story is that something led us to the church, and we end up dancing there.

Atsugi: We find what we were looking for there.

Hayashi The entire film is dark. Actually, it was shot in the daytime, but we darkened the screen. That helped to expand the world view.

Atsugi: In the past, we used to shoot the dance scene after various image cuts, but this time we started with the dance scene. So the shooting progressed with a fresh feeling all the way. Recently, we haven't had many performances with props, and I felt that it had been a while since I had done that. I played the part of opening a treasure chest, and after I opened it, the director said to me, "It glowed! I had a look of "wow! I looked at him and said, "A light just came running from the side! I turned my head to look at him. It was very fresh. I recorded it while imagining what was going on.

Hayashi: We also asked the audience to be scared of something approaching from behind. We ourselves were the least able to imagine the finished product. Until now, most of our performances have been "wow! (laughs).

Morishima There it is, there it is (laughs).

Hayashi: I usually act only with my voice, so I realized how difficult it is to act with facial expressions like I did this time.

─ ─ What are the highlights of the music video?

Atsugi: This was the first time we had only silhouettes filmed for the dance scene, and since we had never had only silhouettes filmed before, I was impressed by the unprecedented tension and concentration we had to put into the film. I did my best, so I would like people to see that.

Hayashi: This time, the choreographer was with us the whole time and made adjustments to make it look cool not only right before but also while filming, so I want you to pay special attention to the dance scene.

The new OP of "Pri☆Chan" is a song that pushes cuteness!

──And "Kiratte Pri☆Chan" OP theme "Kiraristo Jewelisto" will also be included.

Hayashi: I love this song because it is the cutest song I have ever heard. The previous season's OP "Diamond Smile" was sparkling but had a passion at its core, but this time it has more cute elements. But the ambition to "aim for the top! and the lyrics about "individuality" are linked to the world view of "Pri☆Chan". Not only aspiring idols, but people sometimes compare themselves to others, thinking "I want to be better than that person" or "This person is working so hard, but I'm ......". But songs like "Colorful Channel" and "Individuality is a thrill, a voracity, my own jewel" tell us that we are fine with who we are and that it is important to let our individuality shine through, and these songs really push us forward.

Morishima This time around, there are phrases like "aisite," and I hope that fans will join in. I want the girls who watch the anime to do "pa-pa-pa-pa-ya-pa," and I think it's a song that can be easily called out, so I like it so much that I want to sing it at the climax of my live performances from now on.

─ ─ The OP video also has an all-star feel to it, and each character has his or her own highlight. When I listened to it together, I was very moved.

Atsugi: I was moved too!

Hayashi: It was really too cute and I was surprised from the beginning of the video. I was so surprised when the video started. Atsugi

Atsugi: In Season 1, the girls were always competing as a team, but from Season 2, it's more like an individual battle, which I feel is very much linked to the lyrics. I feel that the lyrics of the song are very much linked to the "Pretty" series, and it is a song that makes a sparkling girl's dream come true. I really like the lyrics, "Your hard work will become your trajectory. I think there are many times when you have a dream that you long for, but you don't know how to work toward it. I think that such a small daily effort will lead me to my dream. I think these are wonderful lyrics.

The use of katakana in the words, "I want to be a fashion icon," is very Emochan-like, don't you think? The chorus of "fashion icon" after that reminds me of Emo-chan's line from the first season, "I'll take care of the coords! As for Rinka-chan, I think "I can't get over it, I want to cry" is very "typical" and "Delicious" is very Megure-chan-esque.

Morishima That sounds like something she would say!

Atsugi It's very cute, isn't it? I want people to pay attention to those little lyrics as well.

─ ─ Personally, I like episode 76, "Kirachi wa! The day Daiya and Daiya met! I thought the episode in episode 76, "The day Daia and Daia met, that's the day!" where Daia is inspired by Mirai and her friends' successes to become a Pritchan idol, seemed to be in sync with the way the fans of Ranga are nowadays.

Morishima Yes, I have many such opportunities when I am involved in "Pretty☆Chan".

Hayashi: I have received letters directly from small children, and there are children who come to the live dressed as Mirai, and I think it was at the handover event at ....... I think it was at the handover event at . A little girl asked me how she could become a better dancer, and I was so moved by that. I thought, "From this child's point of view, we are the ones she admires," and I felt that it was because she thought that way that she asked such a question. I was on the side that I had always admired, so I was very happy to think that I was now in that position.

Morishima When I hear comments like, "I always watch the show" or "It gives me energy," I am happy that we are not only the ones who are looked up to, but also the ones who give energy to everyone. I'm also happy to see little kids imitating us and dancing at "Pri☆Chan" live performances.

Atsugi: The letters are very encouraging. I can tell from the letters that they were written with great effort, and when they write things like, "I love Rinkachan," I am glad that I worked so hard. That's exactly what I felt at the recent Autumn Live (Prepara & Kiratto Pri☆Chan AUTUMN LIVE TOUR 2019 ~Kiratto! It's time to start being an idol! ～), some of the girls were wearing their normal clothes instead of Rinka's idol costumes. I was so happy. I was so happy to see that some of the girls were wearing their normal clothes instead of Rinka's idol costumes. I thought that I liked Rinka-chan who supports everyone as a backstage person, and I felt that I could be a trigger for those dreamy girls and play an ideal character.

The long-awaited new song for the seasonal series, "Snow Glider"

─ ─ And "Snow Glider" is a seasonal series following "Sakura Gelato" and "Autumn Color Tweed". This is another mature song that is different from the previous songs. What struck me was the nuance of Hayashi's voice.

Hayashi: The lyrics really stuck in my mind. When I was recording the song, I thought the story was continuing with "Sakura Gelato," "Autumn Color Tweed," and "Snow Glider," and when I thought about that, I got too emotional about the song. I had this image in my mind that I loved him so much, but I couldn't tell him for a long time and he was going away. I was at the airport, watching him leave, crumpling the letter I had written and not being able to give it to him. ...... Through this song, I thought I was able to express sadness better than in my previous songs.

Morishima I think the charm of this song lies in Mr. Tadano's unique lyrics. When I actually sang this song, I had a clear image of the world and how I wanted it to be presented when I sang it live, so I was able to sing it with ease.

Atsugi: I really like Ranga's seasonal series, so I was happy to finally get a winter song. Snow Glider" is by far the most sad song in the seasonal series written by Mr. Tadano, and I sang it with so much emotion that I almost cried during the recording. But the techno-pop tone of the song balances it out nicely, and we now have another divine song.

─ I would still like to hear the Seasonal Series in a live performance.

Hayashi: That's right. I think it would emphasize the storyline more and emphasize the lyrics with Tadano's shoujo manga-like world view.

Atsugi: It really brings a picture to mind, doesn't it?

This is the end of the year when we want to be fulfilled in our work and private lives!

─ ─ On November 24, "Run Girls, Run! 2nd Anniversary LIVE 1.2.3 Jump! in Kyoto" will be held on November 24. This live will be held in Kyoto, your hometown. Is this the first time for you to perform in your hometown? （Is this your first time to perform in your hometown?)

Morishima This is my first time. I am so happy. Basically, when I go to a concert, it is usually in Tokyo, and when I perform in the Kansai region, it is usually in Osaka, so I am very grateful to be able to perform in Kyoto. My family is going to see Ranga live for the first time. I would like to show my best on stage there, and I hope I can create good memories with my fans.

Hayashi: It will be the first time for Ranga to do a one-man show in the Kansai region since our first anniversary live, so I am happy to be able to go back to the Kansai region. It will be the first time for us to perform in Kyoto, so I am looking forward to seeing how the audience will react. I am sure there will be many people who will see us perform for the first time, so I hope they will enjoy the show. Also, since we will be in Kyoto, I would like to enjoy a private time with the three of us.

Atsugi: I'm really looking forward to it, and now that I hear that Mocchi's family will be there, I'm a little nervous (laughs). I think each place has its own way of making live performances more exciting. Osaka is more like "Osaka!" and Tokyo has a more intimate atmosphere. So I am looking forward to seeing what kind of excitement Kyoto's live shows will bring.

─ ─ It seems that you will be busy this fall and winter in addition to your live performances.

Morishima I want to spend my private time with a sense of the season (laughs). If it is winter, I would like to enjoy Christmas properly. Since I started living alone, I don't celebrate events such as birthdays at home anymore. I do get to celebrate at work, but I don't get to enjoy them personally anymore.

Hayashi: I would like to have a Christmas party or something like that! For the past two years, we have had Christmas parties for work, but we haven't been able to have private dinners with the three Rangas, so I would like to get together with the three of us for Christmas, have dinner, and talk about things slowly. Since we have been meeting for work every day recently, we haven't been able to spend time together in private.

Atsugi: We do have dinner together in between work. It's the first time in a long time that we have private time together. It's about the same.

Hayashi: Thankfully, we don't have many weekends off. I want to eat your home-cooked food!

Atsugi: Ha-ha-ha (laughs). We could do a live broadcast of that.

─ ─ So this year-end, with the release of "Share the light," you want to enrich both your work and private life!

Hayashi: That's right. Both "Share the light" and "Chiralist Jewelist" are very gorgeous singles that have received major anime tie-ups, and I think you will be able to see a different side of us in each of them, so I think they will be introductory singles for you. I hope you will take the time to listen to them.

Morishima "Share the light" is a song that we will do our best to sing for those who like the original story of "Assassin's Pride" as well, and "Chillerist/Jewelist" is a theme song that we can express because we are also cast members of the show.

Atsugi: "Snow Glider" is also a song that makes us feel that we can sing such a sad song now. I think this means that this year will be a year in which you will be able to see us in many different ways. I hope you will pick up this CD as a starting point. We look forward to your support!