Interview] Kiyono Anno releases her second single, "Haruuremata" (Sunny Pattern), in which she sings about the world of the TV anime "Arte" with her whole body.

Kiyono Anno is releasing her second single, "Haruremata," the ending theme song for the TV anime "Arte," which began airing in April 2020. The song features her soft vocals with hopeful lyrics and melody along with the story of Arte, a girl who aspires to become a painter in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance.
The Blu-ray on the limited first edition includes footage from the final day of the 2nd live tour held last December 2019. This is also the first live performance of "Harematou" and is a valuable visualization of the song. We spoke with Kiyono Yasuno, who has released one of the most fulfilling albums of the year.

I sang the song while feeling the air and the morning streets of Italy.

─ ─ "Harumemoyo" is your second single since "Rocket Beat," the opening theme for the TV anime "Card Captor Sakura: Clear Card Arc.

Yasuno: I am very happy to be tied up with both wonderful works. I was able to sing "Haruuremata" this time with a clear image of the world and atmosphere of "ARTE" in mind, and I hope it is a song that conveys the world of "ARTE" in its purest form to everyone who listens to it.

───There are many phrases in the lyrics, such as "Let's make it a picture," that remind us of the world of "ARTE.

Yasuno: I felt that the second verse in particular expresses the curiosity of the main character Arte, and his interesting and competitive spirit that makes him look up even when he hits a wall. The song as a whole, with its positive lyrics, overlaps with Arte's gaze, as he keeps his eyes open to the world, trying to hold on to the only scene he can see now, and has strong hopes for the future.

The melody by Reishi Yamamoto is very lively, and the arrangement by h-wonder gives the song a peaceful and nostalgic sound. What is your impression of the melody and sound?

Yasuno: My first impression of the melody was that it was like a ripple that gradually becomes a big wave, a passionate melody rising out of the silence. h-wonder's arrangement seemed to open the introspective gaze of the quietness to the world. With the help of the lyrics, I was able to bring out the feelings of Arte, who is carefully and intensely interested in the exciting world, even in a relaxed and calm state of mind.

──What kind of worldview of "Arte" did you imagine when you were recording the song?

Yasuno: I imagined the world of "Arte" with my whole body!　I sang with my mind's eye looking at the morning streets of Italy and my nose filling my chest with the morning air, surrounded by negative ions (laughs). (Laughs) While singing with such a mindset of being on the stage of the work, I naturally replaced my feelings for "painting" with those of "acting" and "singing" for me, and sang while getting emotionally involved. I think there are a lot of similarities between the two, so it was easy for me to get into the feelings.

─ ─ "Arte" depicts the world of art, but it is also a story about a woman who works hard in a male-dominated society. How do you feel about the story and the main character, Arte?

Yasuno: In Italy during the Renaissance, women were in the minority in their desire to establish themselves as painters. Despite this, I think that Arte is a really strong woman who stood up on her own to fulfill and pursue her deep-seated desires, without indulging in the conventions. It takes a lot of power to go straight for the dream you want to fulfill, and people naturally gather around those who keep that passion burning. Such a story gave me a lot of courage. I genuinely admired the figure of Arte, who, in a not-so-friendly world, continues to sincerely deal with people and pictures, sometimes softly, while maintaining her conviction.

─ You play the role of Dacha in the film. What kind of woman do you feel Dacha is?

Yasuno: Dacha was born in a farming family and cannot read or write, but like Arte, she is a girl with ambition who is not content with her situation. Inspired by Arte's actions, she wanted to change and change her situation, so she gathered up her courage and went to Arte to learn how to read and write, and this is how their friendship began.

─ How did you feel about the ending image of Arte climbing up the stairs of hope?

Yasuno: I had the impression that the encounters and the many memorable landscapes that she has encountered so far pushed Arte to move forward, and that the future that awaits her is full of possibilities. It is a very nice ED video filled with hope and love for Arte!

───The music video (music video) for "Haruuremata" had a different worldview, didn't it?

Yasuno: The concept of the music video is that a girl with a camera travels alone to see beautiful scenery. It was recorded in one day, and I had a lot of fun riding a bicycle, taking a ferry, and going to a campsite.


───It was refreshing to see the outdoorsy Yasuno-san.

Yasuno: Thank you very much!　It was the end of February, and while we were swinging in the hammock and making coffee at the campsite, the weather, which had been fine until then, broke and it started snowing like hail. My breath turned white, and I was worried that it would show up in the video. At the cottage where we took a break, we all gathered around the stove to get warm (laughs).