The key points are "youth" and the "darkness" that sneaks in! Interview with Jun Maeda (lyricist/composer) and MANYO (arranger), creators of the theme song for the much-talked-about spring anime "KYUSEI".

The spring anime "Tamayomi," which vividly depicts high school girls who devote their adolescence to baseball, has excited the hearts of anime fans. The TV broadcast of "KYU-YOMI" was recently successfully completed, and many viewers were moved by the refreshing finale, but the theme song that colored the story should not be forgotten.

The OP theme "Never Let You Go!" sung by Nanaho and the ED theme "Plus Minus Zero Law" sung by 10 members of the Shin Koshigaya High School Girls Baseball Club are the same as those of "AIR," "CLANNAD," "Little Busters! and "Charlotte," for which Mr. Jun Maeda, who has created a great deal of attention for his planning, original story, screenplay, theme songs, and insert songs, wrote the lyrics and composed the music. The song is a killer tune arranged by MANYO, a popular creator who has worked on numerous game music tracks, and has become one of the brightest anime songs of spring 2020.

In this interview, we asked the two creators of this new divine song about the secret story behind the song's creation.

Never Let You Go!", which is like a bravado cheering you on.

───What was your impression when you first read the original comic?

MAEDA I thought that it was a thick and grueling sports manga.

MANYO I was surprised at the gap between the cute characters and the gritty storyline and detailed descriptions of play.

──What were you careful and conscious of when creating the opening theme?

ASAEDA I tried to incorporate the image of a cheering song played by a brass band when the game is on the offensive into a vocal song.

MANYO I tried to create an arrangement that would not destroy the image of Mr. Asae's music, but would also be in keeping with the world view of "KYU-SEI".

─ ─ What do you think is the highlight of the song?

Asaeda: The brass arrangement by MANYO in the chorus and the way it blends with the vocals. I think it is cool.

MANYO I think it is the brass arrangement, which is rare in Asae's songs. The horn section also incorporates three live instruments so as not to spoil the power of the song.

Asae I think I first asked him to "make the arrangement sound like a brass band cheering for the song! I think I asked them to do so.

MANYO You had a clear image in your mind from the stage of ordering the arrangement, so I tried to faithfully embody that image while also expanding it.

─ ─ The lyrics seem to be spun while remembering your youth, and I get the impression that you are in the middle of a game right now. What were you conscious of or particular about when writing the lyrics?

Asaeda: I was very conscious of my youth. What I was particular about was not simply being positive, but secretly mixing in some darkness.

─ What is your impression of the singer Nanaho? Also, did you have any communication with her about the production?

Asaeda: She is a very good singer, so the recording went smoothly. I asked her, "Do you like anime songs? I asked her if she liked anime songs, but she said she did not listen to anime songs at all and that she loved Namie Amuro.

MANYO You are a wonderful vocalist with a great voice, technique, and charm. She sang the song very well during the recording stage, so I felt comfortable entrusting the song to her.

The full-size version of "Plus Minus Zero Law" is very moving.

─ ─ What did you pay attention to or keep in mind when creating the ending theme?

Asaeda: I was conscious of giving the song a heartwarming feeling, just like an ending song.

MANYO As with "Never Let You Go!", I tried to keep the image of Asae's music as much as possible. I felt that this song has more of Asae's style.

─ ─ What do you think is the highlight of the song?

MANYO The brass arrangement of the chorus. This phrase was originally included in the song, but I think it is a wonderful phrase that doesn't interfere with the vocals, and at the same time, it makes a strong statement.

Asaeda: It's the big chorus part that appears after the chorus, which is not in the TV size.

───Certainly, the final part of the song is surprising and moving at the same time, as opposed to the TV version, which has a strong impression of a simple band sound.

Asaeda The brass melody in this song is pretty much the same as in the demo I made, but from that point on, I made the chorus and the last chorus with the brass melody.

MANYO Basically, I arranged the song with the primary consideration of how to bring out the charm of Asae's original song (......). It was an arrangement process where I was not trying to be selfish, but rather I was enjoying myself while bringing out the charm of the original song.

───At around the second verse, the "dark" component began to appear and disappear in the lyrics, which also made me nervous.

Asaeda: To have a voice actor sing these lyrics, I think I did a great job myself. It is my own style, and the message is that life is not only fun, but it can also be very painful, but even so, I still wonder how I got through with this .......

─ ─ The 10 members of the Shin-Koshigaya High School Girls Baseball Club sang on the song.　Were you present during the recording process, and what were your impressions after listening to the finished product?

Asaeda: Unfortunately, I was not present during the recording. I was so moved by the last chorus and the big chorus that I got goosebumps.

MANYO I left the recording to you. I listened to each part of the song in detail from the mixing stage, and I am enjoying listening to the finished sound.

Jun Maeda talks about the roots of his love for baseball

───The anime broadcast has ended without incident, how do you feel about it?

Asae: It's been a while since I watched the anime, but I was really moved when my song was played as the opening theme.

MANYO I liked how the tension grew as the matches went on from the laid-back beginning.

───Which character is your favorite?

MAEDA It's Nozomi Nakamura.

MANYO I would say Yoshino. I like the military man type, so I like .......

─ Which episode of the anime was particularly memorable for you?

Asaeda I would have to say the episode where Nozomi Nakamura makes her first appearance.

MANYO Shirakiku's batting against Kagemori was really cool.

─ Incidentally, I think that coming-of-age and baseball are indispensable in your works, but what made you feel so strongly about baseball?

Asae: My parents were Giants fans, and from the time I was a child, I was shown live broadcasts of their games on TV. At the time, the Oyo Whales were so weak and unpopular, and when I saw that, I thought to myself, "No one must be rooting for such a weak team. ...... Then I should root for them! That's when I started rooting for the Whalers. I have been a BayStars fan since that time.

─ I didn't know there was such an episode! Lastly, could you give a message to the readers of Akiba Research Institute?

Asaeda It seems to be available for distribution, so if you are interested, please listen to "Never Let You Go!" and "The Law of Plus Minus Zero"!

MANYO KYUSEI, thank you very much!

CD Information

TV anime "KYU-UEI" theme song "Never Let You Go!

Now on sale
Price: 3,850 yen (tax included)

＜Price: 3,850 yen (tax included)
01 Opening theme "Never Let You Go!
Song: Nanaho Words: Associate Asae Arrangement: MANYO
02 Ending theme "Plus Minus Zero Law
Song: Shin Koshigaya High School Girls Baseball Club (Kaori Maeda, Satomi Amano, Ruriko Noguchi, Mari Hashimoto, Airi Nagano, Rina Kitagawa, Miyu Tomita, Yume Miyamoto, Rina Motozumi, Nao Shiraki)
Words & Music: Associate Asae Arrangement: MANYO
03 Ending theme "Plus Minus Zero Law" Nanaho Ver.
04 Ending theme "Plus Minus Zero Law" Eishin Ver.
05 Ending theme "Plus Minus Zero Law" Tamahime Ver, 06 Ending theme "Plus Minus Zero Law" Nanaho Ver
06 Ending theme "plus minus zero law" Nozomi Ver,.
07 Ending theme "plus minus zero law" Violet Ver,.
08 Ending theme 'Plus Minus Zero no Houhou' Risa Ver,.
09 Ending theme "plus minus zero law" Ryo Ver,.
10 Ending theme "Plus Minus Zero no Houhou" Sobuki Ver,.
11 Ending theme "Plus Minus Zero Law" Rei Ver,.
12 Ending theme "Plus minus zero law" Shirakiku Ver.
13 Ending theme "Plus Minus Zero Law" Yoshino Ver,.
14 Opening theme "Never Let You Go!
15 Ending theme "Plus Minus Zero Law" INST

■Kyuu Ei Original Soundtrack

Now on sale