Interview with KOTOKO on the occasion of the release of "The Bible," a complete box containing 134 songs that is truly a "Bible" - the culmination of 15 years of KOTOKO's history with bishojo game songs!

KOTOKO has sung theme songs for such anime productions as "Onegai Teacher," "Shakugan no Shana," "Hayate no Gotoku! KOTOKO has sung theme songs for anime productions such as "Onegai Teacher," "Shakugan no Shana," and "Hayate no Gotoku!

However, her career began with bishojo game songs. On April 21, 2020, Kotoko will be releasing the complete box set "The Bible," a collection of the game songs she has sung since her debut.

As a singer for the music creator group "I've," which has created theme songs for numerous bishojo games, the influence of her success as a standard-bearer of radio wave songs was so great that Sho Kiryuin (Golden Bomber), who is still known as her fan, collaborated with KOTOKO on a new song, "Kamatte me, please///. She is still known as a fan of KOTOKO.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of KOTOKO, and we look back at how the still spirited artist "KOTOKO" was born and has grown.

I had her try various things as a singer who can also write lyrics.

--KOTOKO: Do you still like cherries?

KOTOKO Hi, they are still my favorite food. I still can't shake them (laughs).

--When KOTOKO made her debut, there were not many artists who sang theme songs for bishojo games in the spotlight. Can you tell us how "Close to me..." was chosen as the theme song for the PC game "effect: Akuma no Kozai" released in 2000?

KOTOKO At that time, there was probably no singer specified. However, for "Close to me...," we did not record a tentative song, so I think the singer was left to us. I think that is why Kazuya Takase wanted me to sing the song (*Note).

Kazuya Takase...I've's main creator and representative director. He is involved in various genres of music with a focus on trance.

--So, you had experienced recording itself several times before "Close to me..."?

KOTOKO The first song I recorded with I've was "Beyond Tomorrow" (included in "Dear Feeling. (Included in "Dear Feeling", a CD released only at Comiket and through mail order). I wrote this song for the theme song of a game, and it was supposed to be sung by someone else, but the game project was cancelled. I was told to try singing it, so I auditioned and recorded it the next day or so. The song I sang after that was "Nada no Oath" ("Torai Anguru Heart 3: Sweet Songs Forever" OP theme). However, the makers of the song said that my voice was too cute and wanted me to make it more mature, so we recorded it again. It was like an experiment in the beginning. I learned the demo by listening to a demo of Mr. Takase singing a tentative song.

--KOTOKO But I thought he was a composer who sang in women's key.

KOTOKO But he sang in a woman's key. So I thought he was a slightly husky woman, and when I asked him who he was, he said "me" (laughs).

Laughs] -- "Close to me..." is your debut single, but you also wrote the lyrics.

KOTOKO But as a lyricist, I had already been introduced to the world with "Pure Heart ~I love you the most in the world~" (the ED theme of "Pure Heart ~I love you the most in the world~") sung by AKI-san. However, "Close to me..." was the first time I sang and wrote lyrics. I think Takase-san probably thought of "nurturing" the song, and decided to let me do both. He knew that I could sing and write lyrics.

--KOTOKO Did you always want to be a singer-songwriter rather than a singer?

KOTOKO I originally studied singing at a vocal school because I wanted to become a professional singer, but I also thought that being able to write songs would open the way for me, so my teacher taught me to write lyrics as well. When I graduated from the school, I wrote and recorded my own songs with the intention of sending them to a record label, and I also made an independent CD, "If I Could Fly..." It was during that recording period that I started coming to I've, and I played that album for Mr. Takase. Takase-san is a nice person. Takase-san is a nice guy, so he made a CD jacket for me on his computer, even though he had nothing to do with it. At that time, he liked the song "Wings" on the CD and said he would be interested in releasing it as a CD (*Note). So, Mr. Takase knew that I write lyrics and music, and he asked me to try my hand at writing lyrics, which is how it all started.

*Note... "Hane" was later included in my major debut album "Hane-hane" released in 2004.

--So - it was not your first time writing lyrics, was it?

KOTOKO However, I started studying to write lyrics in earnest only a couple of years before I was accepted for the I've audition. As a hobby, I have been writing lyrics since I was a child, even though I didn't have a song, like "this is number 1 and this is number 2," but it's different when it comes to applying them to actual songs. So I think a big part of it was gaining experience while working.

--KOTOKO Could you tell us how you felt when you first wrote the lyrics for "Pure Heart ~I love you more than anyone else in the world~"?

KOTOKO "I wonder if it's okay like this" (laughs). (Laughs.) "Pure Heart" was about an android girl who falls in love with a human boy, and a pure girl who has never known love learns to love, so I guess I thought it was a worldview that a male writer could not write. I think that's why he asked me to write the lyrics. I had no choice but to do what I could do, so I wrote sweet, direct lyrics that sounded like a maiden's diary, but I wasn't sure if they would be OK as a professional theme song for a game. I was afraid to submit the lyrics, but most of them were accepted. From that point on, I wrote the lyrics for all of Takase's songs. I was like, "Writing lyrics is tougher than writing songs, and it takes me a lot of time. (laughs) But I love writing lyrics, so it was fun and enjoyable.

--KOTOKO Did you have any difficulties in writing lyrics for game theme songs, including "Close to me..."?

KOTOKO The amount of material is completely different depending on the work. In the smallest pattern, there is only the game title and the title screen (still image).

--KOTOKO No, there is no synopsis.

KOTOKO No, there is no synopsis. But then, there are dozens of pictures of the whole scenario. Games have branching routes, so you have to read the whole story. But I also wanted to be a novelist, so I am good at imagining things from the titles, and on the other hand, I didn't have a hard time reading long stories and was very immersed in them.

--So, did you enjoy both patterns?

KOTOKO It was like waiting for a new book, "What kind of work will it be this time? And since there were many songs ahead of me, I was looking at the materials and listening to the songs on a loop, and the scenery that came to mind. When the moment came that I felt a link with what I wanted to say in the piece, I would just write it down.

--KOTOKO: It depends on the composer what part of the work he or she picks up, doesn't it?

KOTOKO I don't know if it's right of me to say this, but Nakazawa (Tomoyuki) is faithful to the orders of the makers. Also, Maiko Iuchi, I think. But I've already ignored C.G mix and Mr. Takase (laughs). What?　I often said, "This was the reference song, wasn't it?　Why?" (*Note).

*Note...C.G mix is one of the creators of I've. Tomoyuki Nakazawa and Maiko Iuchi are former members.

--maybe you cherish inspiration.

KOTOKO Yes. I think I was inspired, but the two of you tended to put it completely into your own colors, and I was like, "You got the same material as I did, so why are you coming up with this?" I was like, "Oh, come on." So I thought to myself, "I can't help it, I'll make them more like me. But that kind of balance is also interesting.

The moment I felt I could do what I wanted to do

--When you joined I've, how much knowledge did you have about PC games?　Unlike today, there were not many people who wanted to be theme song artists for anime and games.

KOTOKO When I went to the audition for I've, I was shown a PC game magazine that said we were making theme songs for such works, and I didn't even know such games existed. When I looked at the magazine, it was full of cute girls with cartoon-like pictures. Well, some of them had mosaics on them (laughs).

--KOTOKO That's right (laughs).

KOTOKO When I asked him if there was a possibility of this being made into an anime later on, he gave me hope that it might happen if it sold well (laughs), and I said, "I see, I'll do it then.

--(Laughs.) Then I said, "Well, I'll do it.

KOTOKO That's right. I was writing original songs with the aim of making my major label debut, and I just wanted to work in singing. I was also doing some work for commercials that were only broadcast in my hometown, and I might have gone that way, but I happened to pass an audition for I've, and in the blink of an eye, I got a lot of work. I felt like I was unknowingly becoming mainly involved in video games.

--KOTOKO Do you remember how you felt when you debuted as a game theme song artist?

KOTOKO I am a Mac user, so I couldn't play games. But at the time, you could see the OP movie on the official website of the manufacturer. When I saw it, I was impressed by the "wow! I was so impressed. It was such a small screen (draws a small square with his finger).

--It was a time when bishojo games were about to take off, wasn't it?

KOTOKO That's right. It was the time when games started to have songs attached to them, and at the same time, people started to create communities on the Internet. So, I feel that I was also rising up with them (the games). The size of the OP movie that can be seen on the official site gradually increased, the number of mirror sites for downloading increased, and everyone supported me on the message boards.

--KOTOKO Do you have any memorable songs from around the time when you made your long-awaited debut?

KOTOKO Well, it's a bit silly to talk about songs that are not in the box (laughs), but before I sang "Close to me..." I was a vocalist in an I've unit called "Outer". I sang "Beyond Tomorrow" as an experiment, wrote the lyrics for "Pure Heart~", and got the job for "Nada no Oath", so I thought I was going to continue in that vein, but then it was Outer.

--I thought I was going to go with the flow, but it turned out to be "Outer. It's a very hard-core trance song, isn't it?

KOTOKO That's right. I was also playing in an amateur band, so I was asked, "I think you can do it, KOTOKO, so why don't you come to the studio now?" I went to the studio. So I went to the studio, learned the song, and suddenly recorded it. I was happy because I had never sung before and discovered a new side of myself, but I was also happy because I was able to discover a new side of myself, but I was also happy because I was able to discover a new side of myself.　Am I going this way? I felt uneasy. So when I was leaving, I remember turning around and saying, "That was fun, but next time, please play something cute. That's where "Close to me..." came from.

--So your wish came true.

KOTOKO It came true. Close to me..." was a wonderful song, and since I was allowed to write the lyrics, I thought I could finally do what I wanted to do. I think Mr. Takase was probably testing me to see what I could do in Outer. Other than me, he was a producer who nurtured the children who auditioned by using them on an experimental basis. So the biggest turning point for me was "Close to me...," but the fact that Outer came first was also significant for me. He created a new color in me.

--I guess you must have had strong feelings for the cute song as well, as you said on your way home.

KOTOKO Yes, I wanted to sing. When I was in an amateur band, we did JUDY AND MARY covers and so on.

--KOTOKO Yes, that's right.

KOTOKO Yes, I had a yearning to be in a band with a girl vocalist, and I wanted to sing cute songs.

The feeling of having fans accept what I like

--I felt like what you just said was the key to the legendary "Cherry Kisses, Explosion Damon~n". Before "Cherry Kisses," you created a new trend in theme songs for bishojo games with "Achina Natsu no Monogatari" (theme song for "Ripple: Welcome to Blue Seal"), etc. Can you tell us about that?

KOTOKO Cute songs had a sound that I've never had before. It all started with SAGA PLANETS' "Love CHU! The song that was given to us as a reference was a song by Puchimoni, but Takase and the others said, "I can't do it," so Nakazawa-san was forced to create "Love CHU! But at the time, I was like, "Here comes something I'm good at! I was so happy that I could not help but roll up my sleeves and say, "I'm good at this! I was so happy that I was so happy. That's why I put in so many lines without being asked to. I was also in high spirits during the recording session with AKI-san, who sang with me. But, although Mr. Nakazawa wrote it, he was not at all confident about it, and even though it was exactly as ordered, I was worried that the fans would get angry and say, "This is not I've.

--I was worried that fans would say, "This is not I've." At the time, I've was popular for its cool trance sound.

KOTOKO In fact, there were pros and cons, and Mr. Nakazawa was very upset. But while there were certainly some "no's," there were more "yes's" than no's. So I got a taste for it. I got a taste of it and said, "That's good, that's good" (laughs). That's why I was so satisfied with "Change my Style ~Make me the way you like it~" (OP theme of "Cosette! My Honey"). My Honey" OP theme), the boss asked me to write a pop song, and I said, "Why don't you start with the song? I immediately said, "I'll do it! I immediately said, "I'll do it! That was the first song I composed for the project, and I enjoyed writing several more after that. I think "A Chichina Natsu no Monogatari" is one of them. After that, it was "Cherry Kisses".

--KOTOKO: So you decided to order a pop girlish song, is that right?

KOTOKO Yes, that's right. The content of the game ("Colorful Kisses: 12 Girls' Heartache! ～), in which there are 12 younger sisters in the game. I know it's a problematic theme (laughs), but visually, it was like a variety pack with all the cute girls, so I wanted to add a capacious feel. So I added a chorus that says, "Hi, hi. I was about to start recording when I talked with mix-san (C.G mix) about it, and we decided to go with the "kyun kyun" chorus. We decided to go with it. That's how we came up with the song. But in Mr. Mix's mind, it was actually Seiko (Matsuda). It was supposed to be an idol song. But then I started to sing the chorus on my own.

--I guess it's like a call or an SS image nowadays.

KOTOKO Ah!　You may be right. I hadn't thought of that before. L-O-V-E-Seiko! When the mix-san sent me the sound file, I sensed that there was a gap for a chorus. So I added it as a silent catch-all (laughs).

--(laughs).

KOTOKO It was a good job, wasn't it? It was a time when the term "radio song" had not yet been coined. But after that, every offer that came in turned into that kind of song, and mix-san said, "I'm not good at this kind of song," and we made a lot of songs like that. But I was really happy because I proposed what I liked and the fans accepted it.

--I was really happy because I proposed something that I liked and the fans accepted it. I can understand why it is surprisingly popular among girls.

KOTOKO Yes, I heard that she was really grooving at my live performance. It's a bit harrowing, isn't it, even though I stand out (laughs). But I always jokingly say that the songs were originally for big guys, but now girls like them too, and at my live shows, I can't help but chew on the words "Meyonnyanyo" ...... (KOTOKO). KOTOKO), I can't say (laughs), but they get excited about it, like it's a party song. In that sense, I like this song.

The desire to venture out of the greenhouse.

-- In 2009, he started working with creators outside of I've. In 2011, he became independent from I've. In 2009, he started working with creators outside of I've. What kind of activities were you aiming for at that time?

KOTOKO I am probably a "greedy" person, and when I was a member of I've, I was allowed to sing both traditional songs and touching ballads, and I was also allowed to show my "outer" side and do radio songs, which became my specialty, so I think I was really spoiled. I feel reassured by the large number of songs I was given. I was also allowed to sing original songs to the fullest on my albums, so I guess I really feel like, "What do you want so much? But I felt like I grew up in a greenhouse, and I couldn't get out of I've KOTOKO forever, and I wanted to depict KOTOKO's view of the world on her own.

--I wanted to create a world in which KOTOKO is on her own.

KOTOKO That's right. I wanted to explore, or rather, I wanted to test myself in an unknown world, and it was a time when I really began to want to work with artists other than I've.

--I was very interested in working with artists other than I've, and it was at that time that I really started to feel that I wanted to work with artists other than I've. - Indeed, you worked with top creators such as Shinya Saito for game songs, and ryo (supercell) and Satoshi Yaginuma (fripSide) for anime theme songs. What was the biggest discovery you made when you went out into the outside world?

KOTOKO The recording process was completely different, which surprised me. The atmosphere of the songs is of course different because the writers are different, but it was the recording sessions that made me think "I've been a frog in the well" the most. I've been working with him for 7 years, so we don't change our arrangements. Even if I can't do something, he just leaves that part aside and makes it up as he goes along.

However, when I received direction from a different person, he would sometimes press me hard, which made me realize how inexperienced I was. It is true that Mr. Takase is both kind and strict, and there were times when he made me cry (laughs).

For example, there was a person who told me, "Please make sure the vertical lines are aligned. The point is the rhythm of the words. I would choose the best one out of the many takes I had recorded, and I would match the vertical line of the best take exactly, whether it be dubbing or harmonizing. Some people are like that, while others are very concerned about pitch. Others were neither, and would only talk about the emotion they put into the song.

When we record at I've's studio, the microphones are set up in such a way that it's the only way to get the best sound. However, different artists prefer different microphones, so the way I hear my voice changes. I consider my voice to be rather high (i.e., treble), and I don't like the sound quality to be too hard if I hear too much of it. But even if I wanted it to be rounder, I couldn't get that across very well, so I spent a lot of time making the initial sound. I think you have to be patient to a certain point because time is limited, but I don't know how to adjust the amount of time. I would say, "It's not right yet, it's not right yet," and I would lose track of it. I realized that the recording process differs completely from one artist to another.

--Even the position of the microphone changes the way the song is heard and the feeling of the song.

KOTOKO That's right. If I am not in the right mood, I cannot show the best parts of my songs. In that sense, it was a moment when I really realized that I am not good enough to keep my mental condition above average at all times. I sang at Mr. Takase's place just the other day, and I could sing as soon as I came in, and the rough mix he put together on the spot brought out the best of my voice so well that I could deliver it as is. I realized that it was Mr. Takase who understood the best part of my voice. There were many things I wouldn't have known if I'd stayed at I've, so I'm glad I took the plunge.

Cherry Kisses" to be cute even if you become a grandmother

--KOTOKO: What was the idea behind releasing a complete box of game songs at the time of the 15th anniversary?

KOTOKO I had always wanted to release a complete box set, and we had discussed the idea. However, it was producer Jun Nishimura of NBCUniversal who suggested that we release it at the last moment of the 15th anniversary. I had no idea that we could release it on a major label. ...... I had thought that even if we could release it, it would be in an indie format, but it was a great pleasure for me to be on a major distribution. For example, if we had only released it at Comiket, it would have become a rare item. If we were to get major distribution, it would be much easier for people to pick up a copy. I really appreciated that.

--I think the fans are also happy because many of the songs that KOTOKO has sung have not been distributed as CDs by major labels. Was the title "The Bible" KOTOKO's idea?

KOTOKO Yes. I thought about changing it to "Dictionary," but I thought that old fans would say, "This is my history," and for those who are new to the band, it would be a book to look back on the history of the band, so I thought, "This is the Bible, right? So I put it on the book with the feeling of "This is already a bible, right? It sounds a bit arrogant to say it myself (laughs).

--(laughs) - but I felt more enthusiasm for the title than for "Complete" or "History".

KOTOKO That's right. I wondered what people would think, but Mr. Nishimura told me that the title could only be given to the album because of its 15-year history, so I proudly chose "The Bible" as the title.

--I was so proud that I decided on the title, "The Bible".

KOTOKO I feel that we have become an artist with a style that I had never imagined. As I said before, we were nobody at first. But through many experiments, one girl who loved singing and wanted to be a vocalist in a girls' rock band discovered various aspects of KOTOKO, and I think that is the history of KOTOKO. The colors of the songs vary as well. I think I've grown with each song, and I've come a long way.

--KOTOKO Do you feel proud of yourself?

KOTOKO I am not satisfied yet. However, being exposed to various game scenarios has broadened the range of lyrics I write and allowed me to experiment with various ways of singing, and each of these individual parts has allowed me to become an artist who can now say, "I am all-around in my genre. So, I think it was these works that made KOTOKO what she is (touching the box of "The Bible").

--KOTOKO What kind of desires do you have now?

KOTOKO I have many dreams, but one of them is that I want to perform worldwide, so I would like to perform in countries I have not been to yet. Another is to be active for the rest of my life, which I announced in our 15th anniversary year. To achieve this, I am steadily improving my physical and mental strength and thinking, "I will definitely survive.

--I want to be a person who continues to sing like Noriko Awatani and Michiyo Azusa. I would be very happy if you could still sing "Cherry Kisses" cutely even when you are 70 years old.

KOTOKO That is my goal. When you become an old lady, you often can't sing in a lower key, so I want to be able to sing without lowering the key. So, if anything, my goal is to be like Ado (Mizumori). I wonder if you know what I mean (laughs).

(Laughs) -- Ado is still standing on stage at the age of 80. So you are the Ado Mizumori of the game/anime song world (laughs).

KOTOKO That's right. I aim to be a cute grandmother.

(Interview and text by Koji Shimizu)

CD Information

KOTOKO's GAME SONG COMPLETE BOX "The Bible

Release date: April 21, 2020

Price: [Limited First Edition (10CD + Blu-ray)] 17,000 yen (excluding tax), [Normal Edition (10CD)] 15,000 yen (excluding tax)

＜First Limited Edition bonus (Blu-ray) contents

Including game song singing part of KOTOKO Major Debut 15th Anniversary Tour "Fifteen Tales" IN TAIPEI.

　　Included game songs sung by KOTOKO

Please click here to see the song list!

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