Live BD Present! This is how Franchouche's music was created - Interview with Koji Sato (music creation and production), who supported "Zombieland Saga" in terms of sound!

The live concert in Alpino, a sacred place, ended with a great success. The popular TV anime "Zombieland Saga" has been the talk of the town for quite some time now, with the announcement of the production of the long-awaited sequel. For this interview, we asked Koji Sato (Scoop Music), who wrote and produced the music for the songs in the show, about how the songs of "Zombieland Saga" were created.

The man behind the music for the popular anime "Zombieland Saga" is Mr. Koji Sato, who was in charge of music and production production production. For this interview, we asked Sato-san, who knows everything about the "songs" for this work, to talk a lot about how the music for "Zombieland Saga" was created.

Now that the live performances have come to a close and the CD "Zombieland Saga: Franchouche The Best" will be released on November 27, 2019, which will include all of the songs from the play to date, let's take another look back at the songs of "Zombieland Saga"!

In this interview, we will talk about the creative atmosphere of the production site and the cast who brought the songs to life. In the interview, we talked about the creative atmosphere of the production site, the appeal of the voices of the cast who breathed life into the songs, behind-the-scenes stories about the production process, and many other rare topics that people want to know about but can't easily ask.

There is also a present announcement at the end of the article, so be sure to check it out as well!

Whenever we came up with an interesting song, the staff would get on board with it!

How was the "Zombieland Saga LIVE: Franschouche Minna de Orabo" in Saga? ～in SAGA"?

Sato: Basically, I go to live venues to check and adjust the sound, but this time it was a little more difficult (since the live venue, Alpino, was an event hall). However, the engineer in charge of manipulation was the same engineer who mixed all the songs in "Zombieland Saga," so I was able to listen to the sound and make detailed adjustments on the spot. Of course, there were some parts that were not fully done, but in general, the PA was excellent, so the sound was very good and I was satisfied with the result. The singers of Frans Chouche did a great job as well.

Q: Alpino was like a gymnasium, but someone who knew all the songs made the final adjustments to the sound.

Sato: So I think we were able to get a balance that sounded pretty close to the sound source. I think it was much easier to listen to the sound because we made adjustments based on how the venue sounded and how it would have sounded on the recording.

Q: How was the live performance itself?

Sato: I got the impression that it was more exciting than the first live concert in Shinagawa. We had also recorded the sound, so when we did a sound check after the concert, the fans were very loud (laughs). I thought, "The volume is really loud! I thought.

I think the songs in this work are so appealing that the fans are so enthusiastic about them. I would like to ask you how the songs were created.

Sato: I am very happy if you thought the song was good.

Q: First of all, how did you receive the story of "Zombieland Saga"?

Sato: I was like, "Are we really going to do this piece?" I started from the point of "Are we really going to do this work? Because of the content, I was both hopeful and anxious about whether it would really be broadcast. I was anxious and hopeful.

Q: At what point did your expectations exceed your concerns?

Sato: Maybe after it went on the air (laughs). (laughs) Until then, there were only a few producers involved. Director Munehisa Sakai, Manabu Otsuka of MAPPA, and Nobuhiro Takenaka of Cygames. It was very easy to work with them, since most of the decisions were made by them. I felt comfortable with the "get it done" feeling and the groove, so I really enjoyed writing the music. On the other hand, I always wondered if it would be all right. On the other hand, I was always anxious about whether the song would be okay or not, so we started recording the song at ....... But then, when I saw the rough video, it was so interesting that, at the risk of sounding rude, I thought to myself, "It's done right! That was the first time I thought, "It's done right!

Q: Akiba Research Institute has interviewed the staff several times, and they are all quite interesting people, aren't they?

Sato: There's no weird reserve in the relationship. The visual production team at MAPPA seemed to have given me a lot of input, and I was able to pursue the project further thanks to them. And the producers, including the director, were on board with that, so it was like we had a really good relationship. I think there were a lot of details that I could understand. I think there were a lot of "I know what you mean!

Q: Did you have any input on the casting for the song?

Sato: I had almost nothing to do with the casting, but I did check with the cast. I had worked with Asami Tano and Risa Taneda before, but this was my first time working with Maki Kawase and Kaede Hondo, so I asked them to come into the studio once to see what they could do. But that was about it.

Q: I heard that you wrote the songs without thinking about the live performance.

Sato: That's right. So I think it must have been difficult for everyone. We had at least tried to reproduce the singing as much as possible, but there were some difficulties! We did a few things that were a bit like a chorus group in terms of singing. But they did their best to reproduce them live, so I am happy for them, but at the same time I feel sorry for them (laugh).

Q: First of all, what kind of order did you place for the OP and ED?　For example, did you have a competition?

Sato: We didn't do competitions for the most part; we just made and fixed things over and over again. What do you think about it?

Q: Can you tell us what kind of order it was?

Sato: The only thing I can say is that we didn't have a specific idea for a Sentai Mono. Neither Kato nor I had intended it to be a Sentai movie, but when we opened it up, we realized that it was (laughs). We actually had two main orders: we were told to submit a song based on an existing song, and we were told that we wanted a song in this direction or in that direction. But when I listened to the finished soundtrack, it was neither of them (laughs). (Laughs.) If you dig deeper, you can see that "I see what you mean," but it is very difficult to explain. We don't know why we did it. Kato and I sometimes talk about how it came to be, but we end up saying, "But it turned out to be a great song, didn't it?

Q: "Zombieland Saga" has a trick in the beginning, and no one thought it was going to be like this when it first aired, didn't they? So it was a surprise to hear this song. How did you feel about that?

Sato: This is the same story, but after a quick listen, it was completely different from what we had ordered. But it was an interesting song, so I gave it a listen anyway, and it was really good! It was great! The staff of "Zombieland Saga" are the kind of people who say good things are good. So I think the only thing that I faithfully reproduced (the order) was the first speech of the TV size version.

It's not exactly what they ordered, but it's a good song, so it's OK. It's different from what we imagined, but it's interesting.

Sato: It seems that the animation staff thought of the song first, and when I saw the line drawings, I thought, "Oh, everyone felt it was a Sentai Mono," and "The artists are amazing.

Q: Was the ED song "Hikari e" intended to be a chorus song from the beginning?

Sato: I don't know how this also became a chorus song. ...... I didn't have any graduation or anything like that in mind at first, but when we were discussing it, we kind of talked about it, and that's how we ended up going for that fragment of it. If we came up with an interesting word during the discussion, we all went for it.

Q: You wrote the lyrics for both songs, but you also wrote the lyrics for many other songs in this album, didn't you?

Sato: He was the main lyricist for this work. Especially for "Clumping Flowers," the lyrics are almost entirely his own. I asked him to write lyrics that you don't know what they are saying, and he came up with those lyrics.

Q: The lyrics are not clear, but they express the work perfectly, don't they?

Sato: He read the scenario very carefully, and he himself loves zombies, and if you ask him to talk about zombie movies, he would talk about them all day long. He became a big fan of "Zombieland Saga" in a good way.

The first songs we created were "Atsukunare" and "Yomigaerae.

Q: How did you create the insert songs?

Sato: In order, the insert songs were finished first, and the OP and ED were completed at the very end. In the first place, I was surprised to hear that a zombie is an idol. And the fact that it takes place in Saga was "What do you mean? (laughs). (Laughs) The first two we started working on were "Atsukunare" and "Yomiga ere". I guess I finished the lyrics of "Yomiga ere" first.

Q: These two songs have a strong image of being representative of Frans Chouche. The way the tune changes so many times, it's like "this is a Franschoux song".

Sato: They are what is called "progressive music.

Yes, that's right. I wonder if that feeling is the basis of the songs that Kotaro Tatsumi writes for this idol group. How did you make these two songs?

Sato: "Yomigaerae" and "Atsukunare" are two songs that I wrote as candidates for representative songs for inserts. At the time of the demo, both songs were titled "Yomigaerae," but when it came to choosing which song would be their representative song, the current "Yomigaerae" was chosen. However, "Atsukunare" is also very cool, so a suggestion was made to use it in this scene, and it became Junko and Ai's song, and then we made various adjustments to the lyrics and singing style, and it became the current "Atsukunare.

Q: So that's how you decided on Ai and Junko's solo in the A melody of "Atsukunare"?

Sato: There was a flow of the scene, so I suggested to the staff that the song would become Junko and Ai's song if they sang the solos in this way, and they listened to it.

Q: Both songs are so good that even after listening to them again, I want to use them both, aren't they?

Sato: When you say that, I am glad that I worked so hard on them! I'm glad I worked so hard on them! However, it was the writers who worked the hardest (laughs).

Q: Is it an order that the song becomes hard rock in the middle of the song?

Sato: These two songs were played in the head-banging scene in the first episode, and in place of "Awakening Returner" in the third episode, and they were also candidates to be played in the final episode, so they still have that feel. But when "Yomiga Ere" was chosen, I thought, "This song won't be metal, so let's make a new song," and that's how "Welcome to Saga" was born.

Q: So it's more of a coincidence.

Sato: I think that's part of what makes us artists. I make a variety of songs and fit them together. I myself have been involved with many idols and works, but I can't remember a work in which I have done so many things in accordance with the song. In episode 10, there was a lyric card with a song arrangement that I had seen somewhere before (laughs).

But "Awakening Returning" was the song that was played the most in the film.

Sato That's right. The production team liked the song and thought it would be better this way. It was used more and more. This song was originally only supposed to be used for the live scene after the lightning strikes in episode 7. When I was making it as a demo, I basically made it with the post-thunderbolt scene in mind, but I couldn't make the demo with kero kero vocals, so at first the production progressed with normal vocals. And before I knew it, I was singing in episode 3 on the contest, and then in episode 4, and so on (laughs).

(Laughs) The singing and singing style for the production of episode 3 was different from the normal one, so I asked the singers to sing a different version for episode 3. I basically made versions of this song for the number of episodes that aired.

Q: Personally, I felt like the history of digital pop music from TM Network to Perfume.

Sato: I didn't really think about that. This song is very specific in terms of sound, and it's hard to describe the sense of genre. It was written by a composer named Tomoya Kinoshita, and it has his own feel. It's hard to describe the sound, and although it is electro, it has a strange sound that I am not sure if it can be called that.

Q: So the tune of this song also changes frequently?

Sato: Basically, I tried to make each song a piece of entertainment, or rather, each song is not a theme park, but I personally tried to make it enjoyable to listen to.

The second episode, "DEAD or RAP! How did you go about recording the rap battle between Saki and Sakura?

Sato: Of course we had a guide, but both of them came up with their own ideas of how they would sing and the nuances, and those ideas were incorporated directly into the recording. I did give a few timing instructions, but it is almost the same as it was. This is my stance in my work, but I give them the materials and basically ask the singers to come up with their own ideas. I think songs are for the singers. No matter how many composers and producers there are, the singer inevitably bears the burden of the song. In this work, too, Frans Chouche is carrying the song on his back. So, I ask the singer to come up with an idea, and then I ask him or her to submit that idea, and then we start talking about what to do.

Q: So that's how that famous scene was created.

Sato: I am not talking about Franchouche, but what really struck me was the voipa (voice percussion). At first, the scenario said, "Kotaro's brilliant voipa," and I thought, "What are you going to do with that? I was like, "What do I do with this? I had a demo that I had made by typing it out, but I knew it wouldn't take shape unless I had someone perform it for me. I happened to know someone in the office of beat boxer Daichi, so I asked him through him, "Can you do it for me? He was very kind to accept my request. Thanks to him, we were able to produce a "brilliant boipa" of the highest quality.

The voipa performed by Mr. Kou Kimura himself was also wonderful after I asked him to do it recklessly during the recording (laugh).

Each character's song was greatly developed through the live performance.

Q: In addition, each character had their own turn, and there were songs in which each took the main vocal. I think all of them were quite homage to each other. ......

Sato: "To my Dearest" is by Masashi Sada, and "Tokko DANCE ~DAWN OF THE BAD~" is by those people. I have already said it here and there as an open secret (laughs).

(laughs). First of all, I think that Mimi Tanaka's narration of "To my Dearest" was really outstanding.

Sato: She was really good. She was very good. Everyone was good, but this song was especially great. The song is difficult to begin with. It's not so much that it sounds like a storyteller, but rather that he sang it with a lot of trouble, because he had to keep building up and building up the rhythm. But he sang very well. Whenever I said something, he would focus on it. Also, it makes me cry when I listen to it in combination with episode 8!

Q: Did you make this as ordered?

Sato: Yes, I did. In a way, I think the song is in line with the order (laughs). It may be the only song that was not retaken. From the moment Yosuke Yamashita sent it to me, I thought, "This is it! I brought it to the staff and said, "I've got a great song!

I was very moved at the live performance.

Sato: Then I would like you to watch the broadcast on Animax. It's not like a recording, but we made adjustments to make the parts that were hard to hear easier to hear. In other words, the sound was adjusted to a level that would be good enough to be released on Blu-ray or something, so please look forward to it.

Your singing voice was also wonderful in "Tokko-DANCE ~DAWN OF THE BAD~".

Sato: I have never in the past asked you to "roll your tongue more" when recording a song like this (laughs). I usually ask them not to roll their tongues (laughs).

Q: The live performance is really exciting, isn't it?

Sato: I feel like the songs are growing. That may be because Franchouche has become an "idol. Whether it's the characters or the people inside, when a song is developed on the spot, it means that they are becoming idols, and I think it's very interesting to see that. It was very interesting to see that. Seeing the excited fans, I wished I could be one of them as I watched from the back of the stage.

Q: The dialogue is also very convincing.

Sato: The moment I laughed through my nose, I thought, "Oh no! I thought, "Oh my God! I didn't ask him to do so, but when I heard it, I thought, "Oh my God! (laughs).

The last song played at the end of the last episode was "Let the FLAG Flutter! Was this a song you wrote for the final scene?

Sato: It was categorized as "the last song," and since it was the last song, I wanted it to be cheerful, so I wrote it with the theme of being cheerful and fun. Since we are idols, we thought it would be better to have fun. The songs played in the show are only six, but I think Franchouche actually has more songs. Otherwise, it would not last one stage, and since we are doing Alpino as a one-man show, there are at least 15 to 16 songs. I am sure there are a lot of bright songs among them. It's a song that feels like one of them, that we can all sing together and have a chase.

Q: How is it a song that can be enjoyed at a live concert?

Sato: I wanted people to get the same feeling that they get at a live concert, so I was very moved to see it reproduced exactly that way. The chasing phrase is quite difficult. But the fans were very skilled at it (laughs). The easy-to-understand and simple ones are fun, but I am impressed by the sense of excitement when they get into it when it is just a little bit more difficult. I felt that the songs were growing as well.

Q: If "Atsukunare" and "Yomiga ere" are the main songs in this piece, I felt like this must be the song that these girls often sing at the end of their live performances.

Sato: Our standard song, let's all sing it at the end and get excited~! It's like that, isn't it? I don't think it's good to end a live concert on a somber note. I want the show to end with something like, "Come again! I want the show to end with something like, "Come again!

Have Iron Frill's producers not changed?

And I thought the Iron Frill song was interesting because it had a period feel to it. Were you particular about that when you made it?

Sato: What I wanted to emphasize was that the songs should be easy to understand. If you have to dig deep to understand a song, it won't be exciting to see it at a live performance. If you listen to those two songs, if you are over 30 years old, you should be able to hear them and say, "Aha! I'm sure that if you are over 30 years old, you will be able to hear those two songs and say, "Ah! I think that's important because it's easy to understand because you can hear and feel the sense of the times. On the other hand, I don't think it's necessary for people to be able to sense the era of Frans Chouche. They are a local idol group, an underground idol group, and above all, a newly formed group.

However, Iron Frill has a clear sense of the time period, and even after Ai is gone, they are still performing, so I think it's better to listen to the music to get a clearer image of the time period, so I want to emphasize that.

Q: If we assume that the time when Iron Frill had love was in 2008, I thought the taste of the song might be a bit earlier than that.

Sato: In the end, what I ended up doing is that this is not the actual story. So it's not as if songs like "FANTASTIC LOVERS" were actually popular in '08, and it's not as if songs like "Jellyfish" were popular in '18. In the history of idols in Japan, I think there is a sense of era that everyone remembers easily, and I think the era that was particularly sensational in terms of sales was "Morning Musume。 The era of sensational sales was the era of "Morning Musume" and other Tsunku-san-produced groups. About 10 years later, Akimoto Yasushi started the 48 group. This sense of time is easy to understand musically. So, even though it is about 10 years behind, I used it as a reference because it gives a clear sense of that era.

Q: Can you describe the musicality of that era in words?　For example, do you think that recent songs tend to be more complex, or that there was a musical trend in this way?

Sato: I think complicated songs have always been complicated. So I don't think it's because they are complicated, but because they sold well at that time and are remembered by everyone, which gives them a sense of the times. So I don't think it's a matter of musicality. Of course, the range of expression has changed with the evolution and change of equipment, so in that sense, recent music may have become more complex. However, if you ask me if this is directly related to trends, I don't think so. There may be characteristics in terms of chord progressions and development in each era. It is difficult for me to tell you in words. ......

I think that the "musicality of the times" is a superficial, or rather, a very deformed impression. It's like, "That's how it was back then. For example, in the case of objects and culture, loose socks are a good example. Words, things, and music are symbolic of their times, and this time we were able to find them in a form that was easy to understand, so we were able to use them as references.

Q: I think it's amazing that you were able to reproduce that.

Sato: It just happened. Even if we had such a theme, if there had been no music that symbolized that era, I think we would have taken a different approach.

Q: Nowadays, music genres are diversifying, and it occurred to me that because of this situation, for example, it would be difficult for creators of later generations to try to recreate the music of the current era. Even in such a situation, "Jellyfish" seemed to me to be very current.

Sato: Did it have a modern feel? (Laughs.) As for "Iron Frill," there is one thing that I am trying to set up in my mind, and that is to make the characteristics of the different singers similar. There is a center, and the structure of who sings to the center is almost the same, with the same lyrics written by the same Miho Karasawa, and the same professionals singing the chorus. In other words, the Iron Frill producers have not changed, and although many things have happened, we have overcome them and are still active. But that's just in my mind (laughs).

I see!　So you are working with the same staff and doing music that is in tune with the times.

I am amazed at how well they sing these songs! I thought, "How can you sing these songs so well?

Q: Now that we've heard so much about the songs, could you tell us about the appeal of each voice actor's voice?

Sato: First, let's start with Kaede Hondo. She has a great range of high notes. Her voice feels really good when it is stretched. It comes out with a crackle. It's like she can go anywhere, which makes me nervous. Are you sure you won't break your throat? Are you okay? I wondered. It extends that far. I think that "Tokko-kou" says it all for you, Mr. Tano (laughs). The range is set low to give the song a Saki-like feel, but the way she sings while winding it is just like Saki herself. As for my love for Risa Taneda, I really like her shakuri. I love the way she shakes the end of words. It's not easy to do so beautifully! Maki Kawase, who plays Junko Konno, started out with no recording experience, but she evolved every time she recorded a song. I thought that was interesting and amazing. I think it must have been very difficult for him because he was supposed to be a Showa-era idol and a good singer, and he seemed to be troubled by it.

I added the idea that she is a good singer because she is a Showa-era idol on the spot (laughs).

(laughs). - The solo in "Atsukunare" is great, though.

Sato: I always cry at the drop. It's really good. Rika Korikawa's yugiri is consistently good. She sings well all the time. What can I say? I urge you to listen to the new songs on the album "Zombieland Saga: Franchouche The Best!　I think Yugiri's greatness has come out, and I think it has gone beyond the realm of "good" (laughs). Mimi Tanaka's Lily is the only one of the three whose voice is created as a character. Everyone else's voice is not so much created, but Mimi is the only one who did. I am amazed that she can sing that well. Also, she understands very fast. As I mentioned earlier, she responds quickly to what I want her to do.

Q: Among the members of this group, I think that Ms. Tano and Mr. Tanaka have a lot of experience in live performances.

Sato: I didn't expect everyone to be able to sing so well on stage! I was surprised when I received the material for the live sound. I was surprised when I received the sound materials for the live performance. That was the first thing that impressed me. When I received the sound files and opened them up with the engineer to work on the live mix for "Minna de Orabo" in Shinagawa, I was amazed. They were all singing great songs!　I was honestly surprised at how they could sing these songs so well, even though they were not the main singers! I was honestly surprised at how they could sing these songs so well even though they were not the main singers.

Q: Recently, voice actors are really good when you hear them sing live.

Sato: I think they probably practice a lot. I think they all put in a lot of effort to come here. They practice a lot before coming to recordings, so I am reminded once again that they are all professionals.

(Interview and text by Junichi Tsukagoshi)

One lucky person will win a copy of the Blu-ray "Zombieland Saga Live: Franchouche Minna de Orabo! ～will be given away to one lucky winner!

To commemorate this interview, we are giving away a copy of the Blu-ray "Zombieland Saga Live: Franschu Minna Orabo! ～which includes the live performance held in March 2019, will be given away to one lucky winner! Please read the detailed application guidelines before applying.

＜Please read the detailed application guidelines before applying.
Entry period: September 27, 2019 (Fri.) - October 4, 2019 (Fri.) 23:59
Number of winners: 1 person
Announcement of winners: Winners will be announced upon delivery of the prizes.
Prize shipment: Scheduled to be shipped by the end of December 2019.
How to apply: Use the dedicated application form below.

＜Please note the following
Registration (free of charge) is required to apply.
Only one entry per person is allowed.
We will not be able to respond to any inquiries regarding the results of the drawing or shipping status.
Transfer or resale of the prize or rights to the prize winner to a third party is prohibited.
Kakaku.com Group employees and related parties are not eligible to participate.
Prizes must be shipped within Japan.
We will take the utmost care in packaging the prizes, but please note that we will not accept returns or exchanges in the event that the prizes are damaged due to an accident during transportation.
Please note that the prize will be invalidated in the following cases
　Multiple winners at the same address or in the same household
　If you have entered the contest using an unauthorized account (e.g., multiple accounts by the same person)
　If the prize cannot be delivered due to the winner's address, change of address, long-term absence, etc.
　If a prize cannot be delivered due to incomplete contact or delivery address information registered by the winner
　If you fail to contact us by the deadline for notification of your prize delivery address
　If there is any fraudulent activity related to the application.