This long-awaited album is filled with the footsteps since their debut and the personalities of the three members! Interview with Run Girls, Run! 1st album "Run Girls, World!

(Run Girls, Run!), a voice actress unit consisting of Koko Hayashi, Yuka Morishima, and Nanami Atsugi, was born from the 2017 "Wake Up, Girls! AUDITION: The 3rd Animation Song Vocal Audition! (also known as "Run Girls, Run!").

Three years after their debut, their long-awaited first album "Run Girls, World! The album includes not only the singles they have released so far, but also fascinating new songs, as well as solo songs that are a concentrated blend of the three members' personalities!　The album is the culmination of Ranga's career and serves as their calling card.

In this interview, in addition to the highlights of the album, we asked the three members of Ranga to look back on their past activities.

I feel that everything we have experienced up to now has become our strength (Morishima).

--First of all, looking back over the three years since your debut, what events have left a lasting impression on you?

Hayashi: I remember the shooting of the music video for "Slide Ride" the most. It was the first music video that the three of us shot together, and it was also the first time I had seen that much snow. It was probably the first time in my life that I had seen that much snow. I lived in the western part of Shizuoka, where it didn't snow at all. ...... (laughs). (Laughs). I was excited because of that, but I was also impressed by how beautiful the finished images were.

Morishima: I think that everything we have experienced so far has been a source of strength for us. I have been a part of a variety show from July to September last year, "Run Girls, Run! I think that my talk ability has improved through my appearances on various programs, such as the variety show "Run Girls, Run!

Atsugi: I have always loved the songs we have released, especially the "Pretty Series," so when I was able to sing "Kiratto Pri☆Chan" opening theme "Kiratto Start" at the "Chao Summer Festival 2018" event, I was extremely moved!

I was so moved when I got to sing the opening theme "Kiratto Pri☆Chan" at the "Chao Summer Festival 2018." I remember it strongly because until then I had been the one chasing dreams, but now I was the one giving dreams to everyone.

--Please tell us frankly how you felt when you decided to release your first album after such an experience.

Hayashi: Ever since I was a little girl, it was my dream to have a CD with my name on it. This time, I was able to leave it not only as a single but also in the form of an album, and I am filled with a sense of "Another dream has come true.

I believe that an album will allow me to express Ranga's colors even more strongly, and I can't wait for everyone to listen to it!

Morishima: I have been able to feel the "Ranga-ness" in the songs we have released so far.

I was very happy that we were able to put together an album of songs that fully express that "Ranga-ness!

And once the songs were actually on the album, I could see our colors again, and I myself felt that I was able to "get to know Ranga one more time.

Atsugi: Thankfully, Ranga has been able to release songs in a short span of time, and in fact, we had been talking about making an album since last year. So I was happy that we actually decided to release it this way.

I think you can get a better understanding of Ranga just by listening to this album, and I hope that not only runners (meaning fans) but also people who don't know us will listen to it!

--How did you decide on the title "Run Girls, World!

Hayashi: We discussed it with everyone, including the staff, and this was the title that fit best.

Morishima We also had the concept of "to give people a deeper understanding of Runga," so it fit perfectly with that.

Atsugi: It was the first idea that came up, and it was unanimously and easily decided!

--How did you decide on the composition?

Hayashi: We wanted to put the songs in an order that would give an idea of the history of Ranga, so we put "Kakeru x Kakeru" as the first song. Although our solo songs are included in the middle, the single songs are arranged in the order of their release.

Atsugi: I thought about it while valuing both the solo songs and the songs we have sung so far.

Morishima: Personally, I like "Break the Blue! and "Darling Darling," a solo song in which I pursued my cuteness, are my personal favorites (laughs).

--Now let me ask you about the songs that will be included in the album for the first time. Let's start with "Swimsuit and Watermelon.

Hayashi: Natsumi Tadano (lyricist) and Sho Ishihama (composer) have written songs related to the seasons, such as "Sakura Gelato" (spring), "Autumn Color Tweed" (fall), and "Snow Glider" (winter), but "Swimsuit and Watermelon" is a "summer song.

It is a very sad number, and I felt that the main girl in the song has "grown up".

Atsugi: In the past, I could sympathize with the main girl who longed for the glittering city, but this time, I was emotionally involved with the other boy, who is not directly depicted in the song.

When I first heard the song, I was like, "How could I have missed such a good boy?" When I first heard the song, I was so annoyed.

--How about "Illuminage Land"?

Hayashi: It is the opening theme for the third season of "Kiratto Pri☆Chan. This time, the main character Mirai Momoyama and her friends live in a town called "Kirajuku," where a new virtual amusement park called "Pretty☆Chan Land" is being built. ...... When I first heard the song, I thought, "It sounds like a parade at a theme park. When I first heard it, I thought, "This song sounds like a theme park parade. When I first heard the song, I thought, "This song is like a parade in a theme park! The song is filled with the excitement of "The story is about to start!

The past songs of "Pri☆Chan" have been bright and positive, so I personally wondered if there would be a gutsy song this time as well. I personally thought, "Will we get a song with guts this time, too?

Morishima I also had an image of "Pri☆Chan" songs up to now as "gasoline" songs that would propel the runners forward, but this song also gave me a strong feeling that it would be able to pull the runners along in the live performance.

Atsugi: My image of "Pri☆Chan" songs was "bursting with brightness," but the story has changed dramatically since the start of the third season, and I wondered if the direction of the brightness has also changed.

I had never sung this kind of theme park-inspired parade music before, so I felt that "being able to express the world view of the work with this kind of music is one of the ways I have grown".

--I am also interested in the future of the story of the "Pri☆Chan" anime.

Hayashi: We don't know the future of the story either, so we are enjoying it as a viewer.

There are new characters, and we wonder "Why is Alice-chan sleeping in a camper? And so on.

Morishima: And there is also Megara-brother.

Hayashi Yes, that's right!　I was surprised because I hadn't seen him in a while. Personally, I was very nervous when I recorded the preview for the next episode with Junichi Suwabe, who plays Megabroi. ...... (laughs)

Shooting the music video for "Rangering Singasong," in which I talked about my feelings toward the members, was very embarrassing (Hayashi).

--The lead song of the album, "Rangering Sing-a-Song," is a fast-paced number.

Hayashi: In the order of the songs on the album, the girls in "Kakeru x Kakeru" came to Tokyo with dreams of becoming entertainers, and have finally taken the first step toward fulfilling their dreams. Although the song is not an official sequel to "Kakeru x Kakeru," I got the impression that it tells a story.

The dance choreography has the same parts as "Kakeru x Kakeru," and I can't wait to show you the performance in front of you!

--I can't wait to see your performance in front of everyone!

Hayashi: I was surprised that I was asked to "improvise" for my solo part (laughs).

The director of photography asked me to introduce Mocchi (Morishima) and Acchan (Atsugi), but I was very embarrassed because I usually don't say out loud what I think about the members... I was so embarrassed....

I was very embarrassed... By the way, that scene was a one-shot shoot. It's about a friend calling me and telling me what's going on, but if I did several takes, it would look unnatural. ......

When I watched the finished video later, I was so nervous that my eyes were darting around, which was also embarrassing (laughs).

Morishima I was happy to know that they thought of us this way, but at the same time I was embarrassed (laughs).

Atsugi Me too (laughs)!

Hayashi: Actually, I wanted to make both of them embarrassed, so I think it was a great success in that sense. ...... (laughs).

--I'm sure you and Atsugi have solo parts as well.

Morishima There is a very strange scene in which we cross paths with our past selves, and I think it can be interpreted in many ways. Personally, I was looking at that scene with the awareness that I was looking at our future. Every time I watch the video, it is fun to let my imagination run wild in my head.

Also, there is a scene where a music player is played, and I felt that a lot of what we have walked through in our lives was incorporated in the music video for "Kiratto Start" because there was a similar scene in the music video for "Kiratto Start" as well.

Atsugi: We shot outdoors, close to the ocean, and it was especially windy that day. I thought it was a miracle that we were able to finish the filming safely, since there was wind during the lip-sync scene.

As Hayamaru (Hayashi-san) mentioned, it was snowing heavily when we shot "Slide Ride," and it was very windy when we shot "Break the Blue! I realized that Ranga overcame such adversities and became stronger (laughs).

--(Laughs) - The scene where the manager hands a letter to the three working in the conference room is also impressive.

Hayashi: This is the scene where ...... is encouraged by reading the letters received from the runners.

The theme of this music video was "Ranga's daily life. We usually keep in touch with each other even when there is nothing going on, so I guess you could say that the music video is like ......, where our off-shoots are used directly in the music video.

Atsugi: That's right. The dance lesson scene was also shot in a "close-up" kind of way.

Hayashi: We also used self-filmed footage, so you can see the three of us in real life!

─ In addition, the MVs of the singles released so far will also be included in the Blu-ray. Can you tell us about some of the MVs that have left a lasting impression on you?

Hayashi: As I mentioned at the beginning, I would have to say "Slide Ride". It was our first music video, and it was snowing heavily that day, so I remember how beautiful the white scenery was. I hadn't seen that much snow since I went to Nagano Prefecture for a hands-on skiing class when I was in the first grade of junior high school, and that alone got me excited. I was so excited that I wanted to lie down on the snow before getting on the bus to go home, and when I tried to jump in, A-chan scolded me, "Don't do that, it will be cold on the way back! I remember being scolded by Acchan, "Don't do that, it'll be cold on the way back! (Laughs) The curry I had for lunch was also delicious!

Morishima: "Break the Blue! which is also the theme song of the TV animation "Girly Air Force,
It was a really valuable experience to shoot the music video in the same worldview as the film, with the cooperation of Komatsu Air Base. I am very grateful for that. The timing of the shooting was also close to the time of the recording, so I could feel the real atmosphere of the base and use it in the recording. The pilot suits were remade by the Self-Defense Forces to fit my size, and the patches were made to each member's name, which was really amazing! Please take a look at the video again.

Atsugi: "Go! The video was shot at a school wearing school uniforms. We filmed at school wearing school uniforms, and it was fun to see what it would be like to live school life with the members. It was a fun shoot that made me feel what it would be like to live school life with the members. It was also very memorable that we danced on the roof of the school, which is a standard but unusual experience! Also, the dance scene was filmed in a gymnasium, and I remember being very impressed by the staff's skill in creating a space that looked like a stage.

--I remember how impressed I was by the staff's skill in creating a space that looked like a stage.

Hayashi: I thought Mocchi was about the same age as me (high school student) at first, because he was wearing thick-soled shoes when I auditioned and there was a height difference between us (laugh). But now I think he is very dependable.

Morishima That's good (laughs)!

Hayashi: I had the impression that Acchan was like a so-called "slope" idol. She has a strong image of being neat and clean, and I thought, "This person is already complete. ......

Atsugi: I'm glad you thought that!

Hayashi: When I talked to her, she was surprisingly natural (laughs). Still, all three of us were so different in our genres that I thought, "Is this the same unit? I thought (laughs).

Morishima Before the final selection for the audition, we took a picture of each of us individually, and while the other candidates were looking down at their scripts, only Hayashi (Hayashi) was looking at me. I felt a little bit of fate, and we were also together in the subsequent screening, and she looked at me while I was acting, so it was easy for me to get into the role, and I was impressed that she was a great girl.

Hayashi: That makes me happy!

Morishima Achan and I were close in age, and when we all started going out to eat together after the three of us made our debut, I thought, "I can work with this girl, too.

Atsugi I became aware of Hayamaru on the day of the acceptance announcement, and when I arrived at the venue, I was surprised to see that he had already become very friendly with the staff.

Hayamaru and Mocchi had been talking to each other during the audition, so I felt like I was the only one left out, and when I learned that Hayamaru was five years younger than me, I was even more troubled (laugh). Mocchi is Mocchi, and at first he looked younger than me. ......

Hayashi: I knew it!

Atsugi: But as Hayamaru said, I came to respect him later as "a very dependable person.

Also, I was really impressed when he said in his audition self-promotion, "I'm from Kyoto, but I've never had matcha green tea, so I want to drink it next time. ......

Hayashi: I remember it well too. I thought, "I'm beaten! I thought, "I've been hit! As soon as I got home from the audition, I reported to my parents that she definitely passed the audition (laughs).

Morishima I thought I had to make an impact at the audition, so I guess it was a success (laughs).