Interview] Single "Tsukiakari no Monologue" released; two AKINOs meet under the moonlight.

AKINO arai (Akino Arai) and AKINO from bless4, two AKINOs who are label mates of Flying Dog, collaborate for the first time to release "Monologue of the Light", the ending theme of the TV anime "Hachio, That's Not True! The song "Moonlight Monologue" will be released as the ending theme of the TV anime "Hachio, That's Not It! What kind of chemical reaction occurred when the voices of these two vocalists, who are polar opposites as vocalists, overlapped?　We asked them about the story behind the production of the song and the coupling song "Étoile de prière," which was written, composed, and arranged by Kazuko Hashimoto.

Akino-san's soothing vocals are like the moon (AKINO)

─ You two have been members of Flying Dog for many years, but have you had any contact with them before?

AKINO from bless4 (AKINO) I knew Akino Nii's name and music, of course, but the first time I met her was at the "Inu Fes! in February last year (2019). It's nice to meet you, I'm AKINO. We have the same name. I greeted her by saying, "It's nice to meet you.

Akino Nii (Akino Nii) and her siblings from bless4 came to my dressing room. My image of AKINO is "Genesis of AQUARION. I am here! I had the impression that she was a very good vocalist with a clear and strong voice that said "I am here! On the other hand, I have a vocal voice that blends in with the instruments and the atmosphere, and I don't know where I am. I think I am the opposite of you.

AKINO I understand (laughs). Akino's vocals are soothing, like negative ions, so I couldn't imagine how her voice would overlap with my powerhouse voice. But I was very happy to hear about the collaboration, and I wanted to do my best so as not to inconvenience Akino-san.

─ ─ "Moonlight Monologue" was written and arranged by Motokiyo. What was your first impression of this song?

AKINO It was a song in a genre that I have never sung before; the A melody was gentle and soothing, but the chorus became more powerful, so I thought that the song was written with both Akino's and my voice qualities in mind.

Nii: I also felt that the song was written with the two of us looking for the right place to collaborate. My personal interpretation of the song is that it reminds me of nostalgic 80's pop music, so I wanted to make my vocals crisp and clear, rather than singing the same way I usually do.

AKINO On the contrary, I thought I would sing gently with more breath.

Nii: AKINO was the first to record the song. She sang the song with my voice in mind, and I think it became a song in which our voices overlapped well.

AKINO I am glad! When I listened to the completed recording, Akino's voice at the beginning of the song was really wonderful and soothing.

Nii: I sing solo in the last part of the A melody and AKINO joins in with a hamo at the part where I say "Leave it with me." The way she dares to enter at the halfway point is exquisite.

AKINO I am so happy. I sang carefully, thinking to leave my voice to Akino-san.

─ ─ What was your impression of the lyrics?

AKINO I felt a sense of gentleness throughout the song. In our daily lives, there are times when we desperately want answers. When I read the lyrics of the B melody, "If you listen carefully, you will hear the voice of your heart," I thought that the answer was in my heart and that it was something I already had. So I thought that if I close my eyes and listen carefully to the voice of my heart, I would naturally hear the answer. Also, when you are troubled or sad, you want to look up at the moon, don't you? I thought that the light of the moon, like the voice of the heart, is something that leads us to the answer.

Nii That is a wonderful interpretation. Like me, at night, people tend to become lonely and their thoughts tend to go in a sad direction, but I thought it expressed the fact that the moonlight leads us in a brighter direction.

AKINO When I was asked to write a song about the moon, I searched for images of the moon on the Internet and looked up at the moon when I was walking in the city at night. The sun is too glaring to keep my eyes open, but the moon is bright and gentle enough to heal me. Akino-san's soothing vocals are also like the moon.

Nii I love the moon so much that I have written many songs in which the word "moon" appears in the lyrics. I once went to an observatory in Hokkaido and was shown the surface of the moon through a telescope. I also once had a bench on my balcony at home, and my boom was to look at the moon and stars every night. I feel like I am good friends with the moon (laughs).

──The moon is also depicted in the ending image of the anime, isn't it?

AKINO Yes. It is a moonlit image just like the lyrics, and it fits the music very well. The scene where the main character runs looking at the moon looks so nice, I thought I would like to do that too (laughs).

NII I didn't think I wanted to run on a moonlit night (laughs), but I was happy to see the ending, which is a very beautiful picture and fits the music well.

───The music video (music video) had images of the moon, but also showed the two of you singing indoors.

AKINO Akino and I sang opposite each other in the studio. We recorded separately, so I hadn't seen her in person since "Inu Fes! I was very nervous at first. But as we sang together, our bond grew stronger and stronger, and we had a lot of fun shooting the music video.

Nii: We didn't have much time to exchange words before we started filming, but before the cameras rolled, I was able to meet AKINO and we sang the song a cappella to confirm the lyrics. I felt as if we had been friends for a long time, and we were able to open up to each other at once.


AKINO Just by starting to sing together and harmonizing with each other, we understood each other. I was amazed at the power of music.

Nii: It was a great match, as if we didn't share the same name (laughs). This music video became an important work for me because it was the first time I had the pleasure of singing with AKINO-chan, and I gained many things from it, such as the freshness of the two of us being together and the joy of being able to share music together. But the most important thing was that I fell in love with AKINO because she is so cute.

AKINO I also love Akino-san!