The 7 BEST Anime Songs for Winter 2023! Hiroyuki Deguchi and Ichirokuso Samejima (BANBANBAN) start a new series of articles talking about anime songs ["Talking! Anime Songs" Part 1]

With so many anime being broadcast each season, anime songs are also being released one after another. Musician and DJ Hiroyuki Deguchi and comedian and anime song DJ Ichirokuso Samejima (BANBANBAN) have selected their favorite anime songs from the countless anime songs that are created by stars!

They will present each other's best 3 ani-songs from the winter 2023 anime season and talk about them in the new series "Talk! Anime Songs" has started. If you read this, you will know what anime songs you should listen to now. ......

Deguchi: I have started a new series of articles! Starting this time, I, Hiroyuki Deguchi and BANBANBANBAN Sameshima Ichirokuso will talk about ani-songs of each season!

Samejima So what you used to do at the end of every year, you will now do every season. So the performance fee you used to receive at the end of the year will be divided into four parts.

Deguchi Yes, that's right (laughs). So let's keep up the good work without lowering our motivation (laughs).

Deguchi──We will pay you every time (laughs)!

Deguchi: So, the purpose of this series is for us to present each other our three favorite anime songs from each season.

Samejima: We are almost always in the latter half of each anime season, so I'm sure your impressions have changed since the first time you heard the song.

Deguchi That's right. It was a time when the story was moving in a big way. Before I get into the main topic, I wanted to ask you if you have already held an ani-song disco this year?

Samejima We are doing it.

Deguchi How has the response been to this season's anime songs at the club?

Samejima: The response is slow at the beginning of the season. The response usually improves at the end of each season. For example, "Demon Slayer" ran for two seasons. I have the impression that the longer a work has been on the air, the better the response to its music. Also, I have released the voice-over, and the excitement is totally different. I cried, I cried.

Deguchi: I understand. I didn't know it was this big.

Ichirokusan Samejima (BANBANBAN)

Samejima I still wear the mask, but when I hear the voice from "Hamtaro" saying, "Me too! I cry when I hear people shouting "Me too!" in "Hamtaro." ...... I heard that Gen Hoshino's vocalization was lifted during his one-man live concert at Yokohama Arena in January, and that he cried uncontrollably when he heard everyone's voices.

Deguchi I see. I am the Gen Hoshino of ani-song disco! I thought.

Samejima Ha-ha-ha-ha (laughs). I play guitar and dance! I even act! (laughs) I knew that voice was good. Deguchi-san is a member of Mono Bright (*Mr. Deguchi's band, currently inactive). (*Mr. Deguchi's band, currently on hiatus) seems to have come out of its hiatus for one night only.

Hiroyuki Deguchi

Deguchi The live concert was a great success. I was a bit surprised to hear that a live concert with a full house was a mass of great energy. I had forgotten that I was doing something like this. The pressure or energy was so different. Even when I couldn't speak, I felt some kind of energy swirling around me, but it was a little more inward energy. But it was more like an explosion. The impact or the feeling of the air changing was amazing.

Samejima: Deguchi-san, did you also pretend to be GEN-chan?

Deguchi Yes, although I still can't act! Let's take a look back at the various events that took place during the winter season of 2023!

■ "Big brother is over! Ayden Sadasada Meltdown / Enako feat. P-Maru-sama.

■"Tomo-chan is a girl! Kurae! Telepathy / Maharajan

─ ─ Now let's start talking about the ani-songs of the Winter Cool 2023!

Samejima: Let's start with me. First of all, "Onimai (Ojisan wa oshimai!)". Iden Chastity Meltdown", the OP of "Onimai (Ojisan wa Oshimai!)"!　Enako feat. This is a very haphazard and silly song. It's very open, silly, and great. It's very bright and cheerful. It's the anime song I've been waiting for. I like the way it's a little bit naughty anime theme song, with the call-outs and the radio waves and all.

At first I thought the singer was a voice actor, but I was surprised when I heard it was Enako. I thought that Enako-san has very good instincts as an anime song singer. I was surprised that she could sing such fast songs.

Deguchi: There were many serious songs in this season, so I had the impression that she stood out among them. Not only this season, but for a while now, there have been few songs that are interesting and out-of-the-box, so I guess I was waiting for this. I think this song is an anime song in the sense of an anime song, or rather, it stands close to a project album. I think this song has the right place in today's anime songs, including the fact that Enako-san is not a singer by profession.

Samejima: It's not like I'm a voice actor in an anime, but I'm doing this as a project. The lyrics, music, and arrangements are by Yashikin-san, and I thought he was very good at writing such a frank song.

Deguchi That's exactly the kind of song that would look great at an anime club.

Samejima That's right. We played it at ani clubs when it was released, and we created the choreography for it. I thought of a choreography in which I made a circle with my hands for "Yes" and a cross for "No." Later, I saw Enako's PV of the original song and she did a similar choreography.

Deguchi I see. I am the Enako of ani-song disco! I thought.

Samejima Wahahaha (laughs). (laughs). I thought she was outstandingly bright and nice, and that's why I chose her. How about you, Deguchi-san?

Deguchi: "Tomo-chan is a girl! Kurae (Telepathy)" (Maharajan) Telepathy" (Maharajan).

Samejima I like this one! I love it.

Deguchi It was super good. Like "Iden Chastity Meltdown," this one is rather silly, but it's oddly cohesive. It's messy, but it has a sense of unity, which I think is very current. It's also a bit clunky.

Samejima Hahahaha (laughs). I understand!

Deguchi: It's a bit cloying, but the cloyingness is addictive, and you keep getting hooked on it. When I thought about what this is similar to, I thought it might be "Welcome to Japali Park" by Oishi Masayoshi, although I am not comparing the two. That song is messy, but the messiness of the song is rather well-organized. It's not a mess, and it's a bit dull, but when you look at it as a whole, it's also very well calculated, which I thought was amazing.

Samejima: The A melody of this song is messy, but the B melody becomes a bit like a crying melody. That's what makes it so pleasant.

Deguchi Yes, and instead of getting silly towards the chorus, it takes an emo direction.

Samejima It becomes a beautiful melody. I thought you did a good job of putting it all together in 90 seconds. I also like the title! It's silly and doesn't make sense. It's like "telepathy" is something non-physical, but it hits you physically.

Deguchi I like the twitchiness of it.

Samejima The animation is also interesting. I used to think I didn't really like romantic comedies, but in the last few years I'm starting to think I might like them. I also got into "That dress-up doll falls in love. I wonder if something has changed in me.

Deguchi: Why do you say you couldn't see it before?

Samejima I used to think, "What a nuisance! I used to think, "Shut up! You should get used to it!" (laughs). (laughs). (laughs) But recently, I'm liking that kind of thing. I've changed my mind. I want them to end up not saying they like me.

Deguchi: In that sense, "Tomo-chan" may be the ultimate example.

Samejima By the way, the opening scene starts with an action scene between Tomo-chan and the other boy, and it looks just like the action scene between Goku and Jiren from "Dragon Ball Super" "Limit Break X Survivor. They are doing a lot of action, that's all I'm talking about (laughs).

Deguchi: I feel that this sense of parody and homage has become the foundation of all entertainment, not just anime, since the 2010s.

Buddy Daddies" SHOCK!

Mouichipon! Stand By Me / Subway Daydream

Samejima The next song I would like to recommend is "Buddy Daddies'" "SHOCK! It is sung by Ayase of YOASOBI. At first, I thought, "Someone new is here." "The melody and the development of the song are very current," I thought, "It's the guy from YOASOBI! I was first shocked when I realized that he is such a good vocalist! The anime is about two hitmen who take in the child of a target they have killed, and at first they are a pain in the ass, but gradually they become more and more aware of their role as fathers. There are lyrics like, "The girl who swept me off my feet," but I think it's a great ani-song because you still end up loving her. I've been listening to this song since the first episode, and my impression of it has gradually changed. I listen to it because I think the lyrics are good.

Deguchi: When I listen to it, I instantly think that it is a modern song, and if I may say so, I feel that YOASOBI created a completely current kind of sound. I guess you could say it sounds like YOASOBI here, but I don't know if it's intentional, but all the instruments sound at the same volume. It's not like there is something playing in the background, but all the instruments sound rather close together. I wondered why, but then I thought about the environment in which they listen to their music, which might be a smartphone or a computer. I mean this in the sense of being very good, so as not to mislead you, but that's why my ears get really tired when I listen to them with headphones or in a proper environment.

Samejima Wow, really?

Deguchi: Instead, if I listen with a smartphone or less expensive earphones that don't have a very precise audio system, I can hear just fine. Since all the sounds can be heard properly there, the sound is more appealing. On the other hand, music that is listened to in a proper environment has a sound that cannot be heard with a smartphone.

Samejima Maybe they know who is listening and where they are listening.

Deguchi: Maybe they know, or maybe YOASOBI's own environment is like that. Maybe he is making it with an aim, but I thought that was great. So, as for the bass phrases, a slap-like sound is often used, but it doesn't have to be a booming bass sound, so it can be heard clearly even on a smartphone or computer, which don't have bass reproduction capability.

Samejima This is the second shock! The sound is different depending on the environment in which you are listening. As for this song, Ayase's voice is also very good. It is cynical, and I discovered that she has such a voice. I think this is the most fashionable ani-song of the season, and it stands out from other fashionable ani-songs such as Mad Kid and Dance of Philosophy. I feel that the trend of ani-song is changing. Now, Mr. Deguchi, please go ahead.

Deguchi: There are many good songs this season, serious songs. One of them is "Stand By Me" from the anime "Mouichipon! Stand By Me" Subway Daydream from the anime "Mo Ippon! It was really good. Subway Daydream is a band from Osaka, formed in 2020. We have vocals, guitar & vocals, guitar and drums. We don't have a bass player.

Samejima Heh, that's unusual! I guess you didn't come to recruit band members.

Deguchi (laughs). This song is pretty simple for a recent band. But I think it shows the quality of the song and the coolness of the band very well. And yet, the song is not as messy as the earlier song "Kurae! Telepathy," which is a messy song, but it is a unifying factor, and the band has done a very sophisticated job. It's the exact opposite of the interesting and amazing puzzle that a single musician can create, such as a chord progression, a very detailed phrase, or a variety of sounds, and it would be cool if a guitar player played a "bang! I am moved by the simplicity of the music, the way it would be cool to play a guitar with a "Gah!

Samejima That fits the theme of the anime. It's not about the strongest female judoka on earth. It's about a life-size judo club member who is just a little bit stronger than the rest of the class, so I think this simple band sound is perfect for that.

Deguchi: The sound has its roots in the indie and alternative bands of the '80s and '90s, the kind of bands that older men and women over the age of 40 used to listen to. So, perhaps they have a natural "bands are supposed to roar" as their format from the beginning. Considering that they debuted shortly after their formation, their sound is similar to that of Supercar, a band that our generation used to listen to. Supercar also debuted shortly after its formation. I am very sorry to mention this, but Mono Bright also debuted shortly after the members were formed.

Samejima Wow! That's elite, isn't it?

Deguchi That's right (laughs). (laughs) But aside from that, the power of simplicity is very persuasive. I felt that kind of power from this song.

Kaina of the Great Snow Sea" Telepath/Yolushka & "Juvenile" Greeeen

Boku to Roboko" lol / GANG PARADE

Samejima The last one is "Kaina of the Great Snow Sea". I would like to ask for one OP and ED together for this one! OP is "Telepath" by Yorshka and ED is "Juvenile" by Greeeen.

Deguchi: I didn't know that was the way to do it (laughs).

Samejima: Both songs are so destructive that I could recommend one song each, but I'm going to go out on a limb and use them as a set. The anime "Kaina" itself has always had a disturbing atmosphere. In a world we have never seen before, people eat insects, jump from tall trees into a sea of snow, and people die, but the OP song "Telepath" is a very quiet song. I don't think I've ever heard an anime song that is so uninspiring and disturbing. On the other hand, the ED "Juvenile" is a song full of hope. I think the OP, the ED, and the main story all together are just a pleasant piece of work, so I've introduced it as a whole.

Deguchi: I have the impression that Yorushka has been changing over the past year. I would say that they are moving inward. I had the impression that they were more current, a band of the new generation, but they have been moving away from that. I thought Greeeen's ED was genius! Greeeen's ED was genius.

Samejima Greeeen has never changed. They are truly evergreen.

Deguchi I can really feel that feeling of the early 2000s in this song. When I listened to it this time, my impression didn't change at all, so I felt again that it was definitely Greeeen's sound that created the whole atmosphere of the music scene of that era.

Samejima If the ED had been dark, I wouldn't have been able to watch it. It is painful, dark, sad, and scary. Not only the main story, but also the OP and ED are well produced together. What is your third song?

Deguchi: "lol" by GANG PARADE from "Boku to Roboko". The song is also very good, but when I looked at this season as a whole, I noticed that the number of anime songs by idols, which used to be common at one time, has decreased significantly. Other than "Philosophy Dance" this season, what other pure-hearted anime songs have you seen?

Samejima Other groups such as Junjo no Afilia and DIALOGUE+ are voice actress idols.

Deguchi There are voice-acting idols, but the number of idols who were once involved in anime songs has decreased. Although there are people who are active in other genres, compared to the boom of the past, the number of idols has been shrinking a bit. I think that the way of life and the way of thinking of idols in this day and age is more deliberately "this is how we are," and that is what makes them so cool. The song starts off sounding really bad, but when it gets to the chorus, it suddenly becomes pop, catchy, and beautiful, like a so-called "sakamichi" type song (laugh). (Laughs.) If that gap between the two was intentional, it would be frightening, but I get the sense that they are fighting. The combination of "me and Roboco" is also interesting (laughs).

Samejima: WACK idols sing a lot of anime songs, and BiSH sang "Godzilla: Singular Point" and "Kingdom," so they are directly related to us, and I think we share the same mindset. I think the combination of anime songs and WACK idols is a good fit.

Looking back at this season's anime songs in this way, I feel that the power structure is changing again. Of course there are many voice actors, but it seems that more and more general artists are making inroads. Perhaps it is because I happen to be picking up a lot of anime songs by voice actors, but there seem to be fewer anime songs by voice actors than there were at one time. Of course there are many, but there are still many.

Deguchi: "Luxurious Spoon" (Van de Shop) from "Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hobo Meshi" is also similar to Oishi Masayoshi in terms of genre. Like Maharajan, I wonder what kind of sound the next generation will come up with within the current ani-song format that has been expanded by Oishi Masayoshi. I think we are in an era where new anime songs are being created based on the interpretations of the next generation.

Samejima I think that Oishi Masayoshi himself and Official Bearded Man-dism are at the forefront of this trend. On the other hand, the "When I became a dog, I was picked up by the person I love. On the other hand, there is "Gyakkyo☆Fujyaku☆Fraction" of "When I Become a Dog, My Favorite Person Picked Me Up. It has a lot of gorgeous members such as Miyuki Hashimoto and Yui Sakakibara.

Deguchi I like the way they beat us to the punch with their careers and numbers.

Samejima I have never seen such a use of singers (laughs).

Deguchi I wish they would do more, because it would be a dream come true.

Samejima The animation is great, just like "the nerd's animation! I wonder if we can all perform these songs live together (laughs). (Laughs) With songs like this, this season seems to be a battle of the strongest groups. I'm looking forward to seeing how the anime song scene will develop toward the end of the year. Oishi Masayoshi also said that male ani-song singers are an endangered species, so he wants to do his best. He said that anime song singers are not allowed to join "Chainsaw Man.

Deguchi: That is an earnest point of view from someone who is actually involved in this field. If you put it this way, the hottest people gathered there for a hot topic.

Samejima Mr. Oishi also said that he, too, was originally an outsider. So I have high expectations for pure ani-song singers.

Deguchi: I wonder if the definition of ani-song singers is becoming more and more difficult. Among them, there is one ani-song singer that I would like to mention this season, and that is MindaRyn. She is a Thai YouTuber who likes ani-songs and covers them, and finally debuted as an ani-song singer herself. I have the impression that many women have the strength to say they are an ani-song singer, and I think it is great that they have made it a pillar of their career.

On the other hand, it is difficult for men, but we have to emulate the way of life of Ichiro Mizuki. I think we have to take over, but I wonder who will fill that position.

Samejima Personally, I hope it will be Oishi Masayoshi. But surely it would be wonderful if such people could do more and more. ......By the way, have you decided on the title of this series yet?

Deguchi: Not yet. So we will have a meeting to decide on the title after this.

Samejima Actually, I already have an idea. It's called "Talking! Anime Song".

Deguchi Oh, that sounds good. Not bad! Thank you very much.

Samejima You're early! Yay! It's decided!