Interview] "Glow at the Velocity of Light," the new single by Nariko Azuki, evokes the expanse of the universe.

NARIKO AZUKI releases "Glow at the Velocity of Light", the ending theme of the TV anime "Astra Beyond", as her fourth single. The song was composed by Nasca, the creative unit behind the popular songs "Black Sheep" and "Eccentric" by Keyakizaka 46. The song is a light and spacy number that is typical of the ending theme of a work set in space!

The song features strong and positive lyrics, just like the main character Kanata!

─ ─ Before getting into the story of this single, I really like "Whiteout," the ending theme of the TV anime "Boogiepop ha Laughing Never".

Yasutsukina Thank you very much!　I love this song too. It was a challenge in terms of the tune, and I felt like I discovered a new me. I learned new techniques in "Whiteout," such as the rhythm and singing in a husky voice with an added breath for the parts where the emphasis is on emphasis.

──It was also well received by fans who watched the anime, wasn't it?

Azukiina: It suited the dark world of "Boogiepop," and the storyline of each episode was like "? I think the mysterious atmosphere of the song was conveyed to the audience even more by the fact that it is the ending theme that is played after the story ends. I was very happy to receive such a high evaluation, and I thought to myself, "Yes! I thought (laughs).

───The new single "Glow at the Velocity of Light" is the ending theme for the TV anime "Beyond Astra. This time it is a science fiction story set in space.

Yasutsukina: I knew that "Astra Beyond" won the "Manga Grand Prize 2019" for its original story, so when I was informed that I would be singing the ending theme for the anime adaptation, my heart was filled with joy at being involved in such a great work. I then read the original story, which was full of foreshadowing and surprising twists and turns, and I thought, "This is indeed a work that has won a major award. I was impressed by the wonderful story of survival by working together with friends, the romantic drama, and the many other elements packed into the five volumes of the book.

───The story is very well written, isn't it?

Azukiina: It's amazing. When I read the last story, I thought, "I've been beaten! I thought (laughs). The whole story could have been serious, but Kenta Shinohara, the original author, would insert exquisite gags in places. His sense of humor was so outstanding that I read the whole book in one sitting. The anime also had me laughing and crying every time, and I thought it was amazing that such a work could have so many different emotions at once.

──You started the production by reading the original work, didn't you?

Azukiina: Yes. I read the original work to understand the world of the work and waited for the creators to come up with the lyrics and music. The lyrics written by Zero Tanaka were initially in several versions, which I actually sang and we all chose together. Mr. Tanaka told me how difficult it was to write the lyrics without spoiling the song, and I felt that the lyrics were written with a lot of thought and care. The chorus, "I'll gently hold your hand in the light," reminded me of the scene in the first episode where everyone holds hands to save Aries, and it really hit home for me. I was also moved by the scene in the first story when everyone held hands to save Arie. I hope you will enjoy the lyrics along with the anime.


─ ─ I thought the lyrics were positive and suited the work.

Yasutsukina That's right. There are a lot of lines like "Don't run away, don't throw it away" and other lines from the main character Kanata, and there are a lot of words that are spoken, or words that you say to yourself. I thought it was fresh and emotional because I don't usually use such words. The chorus, "I really, really, really want to change," is something I feel the same way, so I was able to sing it with all my heart.

──What was your first impression of the song?

Yasutsukina I thought it was a sparkling song. I was very happy when I found out later that it was composed by Naska.

───The composer Nasca is a unit of Daishi (Daishi Sato) and Yamauchi Pumpkin (Mariko Yamauchi), isn't it?

Azukina These are the people who created "Black Sheep" and "Eccentric" by Keyakizaka 46. I thought the sound was like outer space, with so many sounds overlapping each other. The real outer space is silent (laugh), but I thought the infinite expanse was expressed in the sound. The arrangements were done by a team called The Third, who often collaborate with Naska to create songs.

──The team of writers is gorgeous, isn't it?

Yasutsukina This was my first time working with Tanaka Zero, who wrote the lyrics, and as I've said repeatedly before, his lyrics are wonderful. I write lyrics and compose music myself, so I am always inspired by music provided by professionals.

───Were you there at the recording session, Mr. Naska?

Azukina: Yes. There were some parts where Nazca-san changed the melody on the spot to match the sound of the lyrics. His flexibility helped us to improve the music.

───The music video (MV) is now available on YouTube. How was the filming?

Yasutsukina: It was a lot of fun. I love "The Prince of the Star" by Saint-Exupéry, and the location was the "Prince of the Star Museum" in Hakone, so I was very excited during the shoot. I had visited the museum once when I was a child, but this time we were shooting at night after the museum closed, so I was very impressed. There are various scenes of dancing and playing the guitar.

─ ─ The dancing is a continuation of the "Whiteout" music video, isn't it?

Yasutsukina: Seeing the completed music video, I was reminded how wonderful it is to convey emotions through dance. Since it is a contemporary dance, I can't dance with everyone at the live performance, but I think I was able to express what I wanted to convey in the song with my body as well.