From Kohaku Uta Gassen to Kiyoji Hikawa and Chihaya Kisaragi, we discuss this year's anisong scene and "Anisama"!　Anisama General Producer Koji Saito "Animelo Summer Live 2019 -STORY-" Review Interview (Part 1)

2019 ushered in a new era of 2025. Animelo Summer Live (Anisama), the world's largest anime song live event, continues to evolve and grow even more in its 15th year.

We asked Anisama General Producer Koji Saito, known affectionately as "Saito P" not only to artists and creators but also to fans who love anisong, about Anisama and the anime song scene in 2019, a year that saw a variety of events, to continue from last year's Anisong scene. He also talked about "Animelo Summer Live 2019 -STORY-".
⇒Year-end special project! An interview with Saito P dismantling Animelo Summer Live 2018 "OK!" to talk about Anisama's production and behind-the-scenes stories!

─ ─ The year 2019 is coming to an end. What do you think this year has been like for Anisama and for anime songs?

Saito: I think Anisama also plays a role in bringing in the latest anime song trends. If I were to look back on 2019 on top of that, well, I recently participated in the "Heisei Anisong Award" event held at Loft Plus One, where I also selected an anisong that symbolizes the first year of 2025. I chose LiSA's "Kourenka" without hesitation. This year, "Demon Slayer" became a huge hit, and the anime created by ufotable was amazing, and the original work also did very well as the anime became a hit. I believe that ani-songs should be linked to anime, and in that sense, "Kourenka" is a song that symbolizes this year. The anime "Demon Slayer" aired for two seasons, and you chose "Kourenka" as the opening song for the entire run. It's not often that we fix an OP theme song these days (to have a fixed OP theme song), so I was happy about that too. The ending theme song "from the edge" is also included as FictionJunction feat. LiSA, and both are sung by LiSA, who also wrote the lyrics and is close to the work. It's been a while since I've seen an anime song that is so straight to the heart of what an anime song should be.

─ ─ The fact that "this song is associated with this anime" reminds me of the Jump anime of the past.

Saito: It is a special song in that sense, and the scene in "Demon Slayer" where the demon exclaims "The year has changed! The "Demon Slayer" anime and the song "Kourenka" were written at the very moment when the year was changing from Heisei to 2025. Other than that, the TV anime "How Many Kilos Can You Hold a Dumbbell? s "Please Muscle," sung by Ai Fayrouz and Kaito Ishikawa in the TV anime "How Many Dumbbells Can You Hold?

─ ─ "Amy" by Minori Chihara was selected as a special award winner in the "2022 Anison Grand Prix," which was chosen within the "Heisei Anison Grand Prix".

Saito: In the Heisei Anison Grand Prize, we chose "Gutai na Tenshi no Thesis" and "Agape" as the best songs, and it was decided that we wanted a song that corresponds to "Agape" (an insert song for the TV animation "Disk Princess Warukyure") at the Reiwa.

─ This is a song by Melocure. Is it a song that should be left in the history of ani-song?

Saito: Yes, that's right. When I thought about what kind of song I wanted this year, the song that came to mind naturally was "Amy" by Ms. Chihara (the ending theme song for the movie "Violet Evergarden Gaiden -Eien to Jikotei Ningyo-"). The feelings that went into the braids that I continued to weave. The braid has the meaning that if it is braided in two, it will unravel, but if it is braided in three, it will not unravel. The year "2021" has a meaning of hope for peace, but for our industry, it was also a year to be remembered with an incident that caused a great sense of loss. The Kyoto incident happened just before Anisama was to be held. Violet Evergarden" and "Amy" are wonderful works regardless of the incident, but Yoppi (Nippon Broadcasting System announcer Naoki Yoshida) told me, "There must be no anime or anisong fan who does not feel something when they hear those songs. I agreed with him and recommended it because I thought it was a song that symbolized this year.

─ I think LiSA's appearance in this year's NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen is also a major topic for 2025.

Saito: I think this is LiSA's long-cherished wish to appear in Kohaku. I think it would be interesting for her to perform in the Kohaku Uta Gassen as a member of the Kohaku group in 2025 with "Kourenka". In the past, Nana Mizuki, μ's, Aqours, and other artists associated with Anisama have appeared in Kohaku. With the recognition of the existence of ani-song in the world, LiSA's appearance on the Kohaku is one of the symbolic events of the year. But for us, hearing that LiSA will appear on Kohaku is not a special event, but rather something that should be expected. I think it's time to stop saying "I'm from the anisong world".

─ Conversely, big names such as Kiyoshi Hikawa and Masayuki Suzuki have more opportunities to perform at Anisama.

Saito: I don't think they are that conscious of the barrier that it is an anime song concert. I feel that they are enjoying the event as a very nice stage with very passionate fans.

─ What about you, Mr. Hikawa, in your first performance in 2017, you showed a visual-kei-like rock style, and in 2019, you expressed yourself in a more neutral or exciting way, and I feel that you value Anisama as a place to show a new side of yourself. I feel that after this year's Anisama, the image of Kiyoji Hikawa that you conveyed has changed a little.

Saito: I think there is no doubt about that. I think he has had opportunities to express his rock side before, but I think it is a special experience to be recognized and cheered by a packed house of fans in a big box like Saitama Super Arena. There is a phrase in the song "Limit Breakers Survivor" that goes something like "breaking through the door of locked possibilities," and I think that's exactly what it means. In fact, Mr. Hikawa offered us the chance to perform at Anisama this year, and we asked to be a part of it. I asked Hikawa-san to bring what he wanted to do and what he wanted to show. I think the Anisama audience will accept anything.

─ Did the warmth and the depth of the fans at Anisama push Hikawa-san to express himself in a new way?

Saito: I think there is no doubt about it. I think it led to the expression of 2019. It was announced that Masayoshi Oishi would be providing a song to Masayuki Suzuki ("Even if the world looks away"), and I think this is another connection made possible by the Anisama event. There are also relationships that are connected by Anisama, such as ALTIMA, Yukari Tamura and MOTSU, and so on.

─ ─ I was surprised to see Masayuki Suzuki performing with Sphere on stage, and "No, it's not like that" and "Megumi no hito" were also very exciting.

Saito: When I went to see Masayuki Suzuki's live performance, the MC was really funny and the audience was really excited. So this time, I definitely wanted to include the length of the MC. As for the songs, at first we only had "Love Dramatic" (an anime theme song) because it was an ani-song, but if we sang "Nigai, Sorenai" it would be a different "Sorenai" story in the sense that it was not an ani-song. I thought I had to include "Megumi no Hito" when I saw Masayuki Suzuki's live performance of the song and saw how excited the audience was. During rehearsals, I wanted Mr. Suzuki to have fun, so we rehearsed with everyone there wearing sunglasses. It was difficult for Mr. Suzuki to notice me because he was wearing sunglasses, too (laughs). (Laughs.) During the performance, the members of Sphere were not wearing sunglasses, but the members of the Anisama band, whom I had not talked to, were all performing with sunglasses on. I thought this was another example of Anisamaism, as we try to make the artists feel excited and have fun from the rehearsal and preparation stages.

─ Was the collaboration with Sphere proposed from the side of Anisama?

Saito: Yes. Mr. Suzuki's side is not very familiar with anime song artists, so I recommended Sphere because of their singing ability, ability to handle R&B choruses, dancing ability, and variety of interactions. At first, our collaboration with Sphere was only going to be for "Love Dramatic," but Mr. Suzuki decided to do more with Sphere. But Mr. Suzuki said he wanted to do more with Sphere, and at the first rehearsal, Kotobuki had mastered both dancing and singing perfectly, so we were able to expand the arrangement in various ways.

─ ─ DAY 1 opened with a happy and gorgeous collaboration unit "Welcome to Japari Park" by Kemono Friends x i☆RiSphere, please tell us why you decided to start the 2019 Anisama with this collaboration.

Saito: "Kemono Friends" opened Day 1 in 2017, followed by SOS Dan's "Hare Hare Yukai". It is impossible for normal people to have the SOS group come out with a bang first and then sing (laughs). Two years have passed since then, and now we are continuing with "Kemono Friends 2" and the game "Kemono Friends 3," but a lot has happened in the meantime. There have been flare-ups and so on. However, looking at it from a fresh perspective, "Kemono Friends" is a fun, happy, and profound work, and there is nothing wrong with the music or the performers. Above all, what we offer is a concert, and "Welcome to Japari Park" is still a great song. So we decided to have fun together one more time, so i☆Ris, Sphere, and even Toki (Tomoko Kaneda) joined together to sing it with the power of the crowd.

─ ─ "Get on it! Japari Beat", Kaneda-san's free spirit was amazing.

Saito: Actually, Mr. Kaneda was supposed to shout at the timing of "It's Showtime" earlier, but he completely forgot the arrangement (laughs). Mr. Kaneda started to run and Mr. Oishi went after him, saying "Oh no......," and then he made a strange shout when he was completely out of sync with the rest of the group. So Mr. Oishi was really trying to stop him (laughs).

─ There was also a stage where fhāna and Gothic×Luck collaborated to sing "Kimi wa kataru place" from "Kemono Friends 2.

Saito: Humans and Friends in "Kemono Friends" are incompatible and separated, yet they get along well with each other. It is also implied that the time they live is separated from each other. That is why Gothic×Luck appear in "Kimi wa kitaeru place" without any forward motion, and disappear without any MC when they finish singing. They are singing in harmony together, but they and towana don't make eye contact with each other. The fuchou duo are philosophical beings, and they may know the true nature and destiny of human beings. The girls and towana-san, the symbol of humanity, are standing on the same stage, but there may be a disconnect of thousands of years between them. However, I made one place in the chorus where the choreography of the girls and that of towana are synchronized.

Saito: I think there may be something that can be conveyed even if there is a disconnect.

Saito: We discussed such things with fhāna's Junichi Sato and his team many times as we created this piece. This time, Mr. Sato was very enthusiastic because he wrote the theme song "CROSSING STORIES" for us. We worked on this stage with the same level of intensity as if we were creating a fhāna solo live performance.

─ Speaking of collaborations, Suzuko Mimori's collaboration on the first day was very interesting, as she changed partners one after another.

Saito: This time we didn't have an anime song that we had to sing, so we focused on Mimori-san, who is indispensable for Anisama and the anime song scene. It was a milestone for me to perform at Anisama for 10 consecutive years, including Milky Holmes and other units. I call the composition this time "Suzuko Mimori's Humanity Medley," but collaboration is the most calorie-intensive part of the preparation and practice. But with Mimori-san, everyone said, "I'll do it, I'll do it! I think that's her virtue.

───And the most unique song in the setlist of DAY 1 was "Aoi Tori" by "Chihaya Kisaragi".

Saito: This year is the 15th anniversary year of "THE iDOLM@STER" and it is a milestone year. Nowadays, idol works and units are flourishing, but "THE iDOLM@STER" and the "Mujirushi" 765PRO were at the beginning of this trend. I am aware that the presence of Mami Imai and Eriko Nakamura, who have led this trend, has been very significant. I asked Duke Pianito to play the piano this time, and I actually learned about "Blue Bird" from a performance video he posted on Nico Nico Douga. And I was the first one to contact him when he was in the Internet world. I had invited him to perform at the Nico Nico Douga Conference and helped him debut his album. (The composer of "Aoi Tori"), Yui Morishita had appeared at the live performances of Go Shiina and Asami Imai, but I don't think I had a chance to see Imai sing "Aoi Tori", a song from "THE iDOLM@STER", with his performance, so I had a strong desire to see him perform it.

─ ─ Since it was a complete surprise, the atmosphere on the day was unique.

Saito: At first, there were many customers who were not aware of it, but as the intro started and Mr. Imai appeared, the buzz gradually spread. Since we had not officially announced the event in advance, Mr. Imai himself was very nervous about whether the producers would be at the venue and whether they would accept him. What was impressive was that the MC was completely Chihaya Kisaragi, and her lines were perfect. After the stage was over, it was back to Ms. Imai, "I didn't bite! he said (laughs). Nakazato P., what did you think of Chihaya's mannerisms and the way she laughed?

─ ─ I thought that Chihaya would be like that when she stood on stage after the anime, when she had gained a connection with her friends and became more stable.

Saito: That is important. I think it is an image of what would happen if the current Chihaya Kisaragi stood on stage at Anisama.

─ I heard that the costume for Chihaya Kisaragi was made by Asami Imai at her own expense.

Saito: I was surprised to hear that after the event. I was told that she was going to wear a blue dress-like costume to match the image of Chihaya Kisaragi, who is an artist this time. I was really surprised to hear that Mr. Imai ordered me to use all of my fee for the costume.

─ How was Duke Pianito's performance?

Saito: Based on his usual superb technique, I could feel his nervousness from his performance in the beginning. In the original video, he played the main melody, the arpeggio for the accompaniment, and the entire middle section, so much so that I wondered how he was doing with 10 fingers. This time, since Kisaragi Chihaya's vocals were to be added, he opened up the main melody part and instead rearranged it to include a counter melody and other parts that were carried by the strings in the original song. I thought it was the work of a master, sounding like an orchestra despite the fact that there was only one piano.

In the second part, we will continue to talk with Koji Saito about the "Violet Evergarden" music and his appearance in Houkago Tea Time, so please check back.

Continue to Part 2

(Interview and text by Kiri Nakazato)