It is a true story that I made a blue tongue.
What did you think of the movie "Lion Boy" for which you sang the theme song?
No:It was so much fun. The lion dance was cool and the ending scene was great. Like the movements, the lion dance was full of charm, with cool and cute moments, like the frizziness of the lion dance. As for the storyline, I love these coming-of-age stories where boys and girls are passionate about something.
I was also surprised at how beautiful the images were, and I was amazed at how CG animation can create such beautiful landscapes, and how beautiful the light is. I also enjoyed the difference in sensory perception, such as the use of vivid red in the film, which is different from the red used in Japan, and the vividness of the Chinese culture.
Do you usually watch animated films?
No:Not a huge number, but I will watch them.
What are some of your favorite works?
No:I really like "Summer Wars" and also "Zootopia.
Thank you very much. Now, about this song...
No:Ah! I also really like the "Gag Manga Biyori" anime.
I guess you like this work so much that you want to add to it.
No:Yes, I do. I prefer the animation.
Takahiro Shibata of the band "Ogenoranneyo" wrote the lyrics and composed the music for the theme song "Kono Hibiyo Yo Uta ni Nare" for the Japanese dubbed version of the movie "Yushi-Shonen/Lion Boy". What kind of communication did you have with him before singing the song?
No:I had finished recording this song just before I was asked about the movie. When I saw the movie, I thought it had a strong affinity with "Kono Hibi yo Uta ni Nare" (Let These Days Sing), so I felt it was destined to be a song for the movie. So I really hoped that it would be chosen.
Mr. Shibata had previously provided a song for me, and he appeared at my live-distribution live show. At that time, Non-san told me that it would be nice if she sang a song like this. A few months later, she wrote a song on her own and sent it to me with a letter! When I listened to it, it was so cool, I was like, I want to sing it, I will sing it! I want to sing it, too! I listened to the song and it was so cool that I wanted to sing it, too! Mr. Shibata said he wanted to talk to me and rework the lyrics because they sounded like "Ogenoran nayo" (I'll never forget you), so I told him about my experiences and feelings, and he wrote "Kono hiyo uta ni nare" (Let these days become a song), putting them into his worldview.
What specific lyrics reflect your experience?
No:The A melody of the second number is exactly the same. The part where "...I smashed my face against the glass, the scar that won't disappear, the blue tang in my eyes..." In fact, when I was running to pick myself up at a live rehearsal, I saw the reflection of the road in the glass, and I didn't know that the wall was glass, so I hit it. So I had to make a blue tang and go out to the live show. The other thing is that the last one "...my arms are gonna be ringing" is exactly what I said.
What was the situation like?
No:When I told Mr. Shibata about this, he said he wanted to write the lyrics as they were. I was worried that it would sound lame if I wrote the words myself, but Mr. Shibata incorporated them into the song in a cool, pleasant, and refreshing way, and I was surprised.
