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bethygauw · 5 years ago

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Mahoyaku Interview: Tsushimi Bunta (Main Screenwriter) and Kazuma Kowo (Worldbuilding Supervision) + Coly Scenario Director

Released: 28 February 2020

(!) Warning (!): Some spoilers for Main Story chapter 17 towards the end of this post.

TL note: I feel like going by surname-given name in this article;;; pardon the inconsistency Also support the fab fan translation site if you haven’t already: https://mahoyaku-eng.com/

Blurb: This is a world where mages and humans coexist, and this is a story that depicts the journey to save it—brought to you by screenwriter Tsushimi Bunta, known for their subtle writing style that retains a realistic touch, and Kazuma Kowo, who oversees not only character background but also the worldbuilding of each country, among other things. In this issue, we’ve asked what sort of things they were being mindful of during the game’s creation and if there are any behind-the-scenes that they could share. In addition, we’ve also included a few comments from the scenario director, who’s in charge of bringing together all story elements in this game from the Main Story to Training Location stories. We hope you enjoy everything that Promise of Wizard has to offer as you play through it.

Tsushimi Bunta: Freelance screenwriter. Main scriptwriter of Idolish7 as well as the author of the novel adaptations. In this game, they’re in charge of writing the Main Story, Training Location stories, and Event Stories among others.

Kazuma Kowo: Manga-ka and illustrator. Representative works include Junsui Adolescence (Ichijinsha Inc.), Dear Tear (Hakushensha Inc.), and Hinemosu Futari (Takeshobo Co., Ltd.). In this game, they’re in charge of worldbuilding supervision.

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Part 1: Interview with Tsushimi Bunta (Main Screenwriter) and Kazuma Kowo (Worldbuilding Supervision)

Q: How did you get involved in the development of Promise of Wizard?

I got my first offer around five years ago, but I had to decline because I was already working on something else. They’ve continued to contact me a number of times since then, and then finally the right chance came along. There was the worldbuilding, and then the management and creation of character setting sheets that would shape their sets of values et cetera, which seemed to be a lot for me to handle. That’s why I asked Kazuma-san to help us out. We made games together in the past.

Q: Kazuma Kowo-san is in charge of worldbuilding supervision. Together, the two of you came up with the mages’ world as well as the story. What sort of discussions did you guys have when you were creating the character setting for the wizards as well as the world construct?

We decided on the fantasy genre, but it can range from fairytales to light novel stuff to something as massive as high fantasy. We started from discussing what extent would attract the audience’s attention the most. We talked over and over about it, and in the end, we moved forward with the idea of the countries having their own fantasy taste. We had Kazuma-san sort which wizard into which country first, and then we made adjustments over time. Oz was in the North at first, for example, and then there was Figaro in the Central country. Shino was more reserved, Heath was the flirt, whereas Leno was someone ruthless. Then we figured we should be finalising the characters that would be “the face” of each country first, so that people can remember the characteristics of each country more easily. These are Arthur, Murr, Shino, Rutile, and Mithra. Things that have wizards and witches vibe such as precious stones, stars, plants, fortunetelling, incense, books—a lot of these things are what girls usually like, so we tried to be brave and implement as much as we could.

Q: How did you develop the personality and other characteristics of each wizard from each country? Was there anything you paid attention to in particular when creating these wizards?

The central country has wizards with heroic qualities, so they lean more towards heroes, leaders, and priests. The Western country’s qualities stress on the eccentricity, the bizarre, and entertainment, so they have themes like the Cheshire Cat and Halloween. The Japanese equivalent would be the kitsune foxes and the shapeshifting tanuki racoons. The East has wizards that are gothic, dark and gloomy with melancholic feel to them. The Southern wizards are like the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. They're good at helping others, honest, and pastoral. The Northern wizards’ image is like a demon lord or great witches who rule over humans—the power type that screams horror.

Q: In this game, wizards have powers that humans don’t have. Because of it, humans rely on them and they adore them. But, there are also occasions where the wizards are feared and detested. You’re depicting not only the “cool wizards”, but also the gap between the wizards and humans. There are also characters who have power but suffer and feel lonely because of it. I think things like that are what makes this game charming, but was there anything you were being mindful of in the process of writing that sort of aspect?

I don’t want to make the loneliness that the wizards feel to be theirs alone. Instead, I want the players to feel something similar, seeing as we all live in a society. I think anyone who lives in a society feels that they “want to be understood” or “want to understand [others]”. But at the same time, they also feel some sort of indignation where they “don’t want to be understood” or want to say “don’t you dare think you’ve understood”. I want the players to take any of these emotions and observe from the wizards’ point of view. I want them to let their imagination expand and enjoy themselves that way.

Q: Many of the wizards’ incantations are phrases that we’re unfamiliar with. I believe a lot of fans have put a lot of thinking into figuring out the meanings and the origin. How did you come up with these incantations?

In regards to incantations, I had Kazuma-san take the wheel. We had it in katakana so that it reads more smoothly in text, but we also adjusted it as we prioritise things like how easy it is to pronounce and for people to catch it. The impression you get from these incantations (sounds powerful, weak, ominous, or it’s still too early for you, et cetera), and how powerful they actually are—we have it all ranked and organised, so it would be nice if it shows one at a time.

Q: Was there anything about the “fantasy parallel universe” genre and the “relationship between wizards and the sage” you find to be the reason why you can deliver particular ideas? Was there anything you found interesting during the writing process?

I actually had to restrain my thinking process because I had to remind myself that I’m writing fantasy, so it’s like I can’t include things that are normal and already exist in the real world. Even if I come up with a good idea, I’ll end up thinking that it’s a little too normal and then it gets scrapped.

Q: The existence of the previous sage who doesn’t put on airs and has an approachable personality becomes one of the attention-grabbing elements in the storyline. In your mind, what sort of character is the previous sage?

A white-collar worker who works at an exploitative company. They can say pretty irresponsible things to the mages and amuse themselves with it. But they also get scared simply from scary things, and they have the boldness to say something selfish.

Q: Please tell us, if there are any, things that seem trivial but it’s something that you were being particular about during the process of writing the Main Story. These can include scenes, specific lines, or portrayal of something.

The same goes for the Main Story and the Sub Stories, but I want people to feel excited and let them imagine all sorts of things. I always have that in mind and that’s why I’ve added lots of details into the setting. “If I were a mage”, “If I were a citizen of this country”, “Which country would my friends come from”, “What does this taste like”, “What are their previous love stories like, and what’s their life been like until now”... I think being able to have so much freedom in imagination is what the real pleasure of the fantasy genre is. I hope it’s become a world that allows the players to indulge themselves in daydreaming.

Q: Lastly, please leave a message to all fans who are out there supporting Promise of Wizard.

Thank you for playing the game! It’s pretty much my first time writing fantasy, so right until it was released, my heart kept pounding thinking if it would really count as fantasy… But I’m so happy that a lot of people are having fun with the story! Please continue your support for Promise of Wizard from now on too!

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Part 2: Interview with Mahoyaku’s Scenario Director

Q: How did you make this job offer to Tsushimi Bunta-san? What is it about Tsushimi-san’s works and writing style that makes it charming to you?

Right around the early stages of the establishment of our company, Coly, one of their past works touched my heart. Their script writing ability was so mind-blowing that I thought I just had to make this offer. In the end, that also instigated Kazuma-sensei’s involvement, and that’s how we got them to help us out as well. I think one of the things that make Tsushimi-sensei’s work charming is the universally relatable characters, the writing that makes the reader want to cheer the characters on, as well as a whole new world that they bring to the readers. Tsushimi-sensei has the ability to transform unsaid feelings and unwritten motions into breathtaking scenes. Sometimes, trivial dialogues can depict genuine feelings within human hearts, like that of a child’s. You can feel through the writing affection and gentle point of views towards those in a weaker position.

Q: The setting of this game involves the main character who suddenly wandered into another world where mages live. Then, they became the “sage” who gather up the wizards and guide them. How did you decide on what the story was about and which direction it was going?

We had the people in our company come up with several ideas and we went through them to see which ones had and hadn’t already been used in regards to the fantasy parallel universe genre, which was the direction we were going with. From there, we ended up with a story where the sage, someone who wandered into another world, and wizards fight together. We don’t want you to forget reality. Instead, we want you to enjoy it even more. We want to bring a world that gives you courage and positive energy, and we want to deliver the wizards’ world that’s blinding, mysterious, and exciting.

Q: Could you tell us a scene or a line from the main story that’s particularly memorable for you? And why as well, if possible.

Every scene in the main story is memorable for me, so to be honest with you, it’s really hard to pick one. But I was particularly driven in the execution of Chapter 17’s “Rustica’s Request”, so I cherish it a lot. It’s something that Rustica said to Chloe, who was tearing up silently as his feelings were hurt, “That’s because there’s only one of it in this world. This is something that only you can make.” It’s a sweet line, one that will always stay close to you and give you warmth. It may sound cheesy, but no matter how many times you read it, it echoes through in every corner of your heart.

#spoon2di #mahoyaku #staff

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bethygauw · 5 years ago

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[Idol Show Time] Tsuyogari New Game / A New Game of Bravado English lyrics

From the 2nd installment of the doujin series by seiyuu Yuka Maruyama and Aoi Yuuki (Idol Show Time/Aishota Twitter)

Song preview (verse 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ewalaerLdw

Lyrics: Yuka Maruyama Composition: Ritchie the world Guitar: Ritchie the world and Raion Gotou Singer: étailes [Setsuna Sakurai (Mutsumi Tamura), Hinata Koizumi (Yumiko Kobayashi), Seijuurou Kuuge (Mitsuki Saiga), Raion Gotou (Ryouko Shiraishi), Mikhail Seto (Nanako Mori), Reo Amatsuka (Aoi Yuuki), Shun Horimiya (Yuka Maruyama)]

Buy the digital CD here: https://ishota.booth.pm/items/1759184

1st CD long preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPuNR3DQ460&feature=youtu.be

Translator’s note: I love this series also because talented and veteran female seiyuu go ham with voicing these boys I want more people to know!! ;-; It also features other renowned seiyuu such as Junko Minagawa, Kotori Koiwai, Yuka Nishigaki, Tsubasa Yonaga, and Aina Kusuda.

According to the drama CD, the song is about “a one-sided love for an older someone”. Raion also came up with the guitar solo.

Kanji and Romaji I transcribed can be found here (Google Docs): https://docs.google.com/document/d/10IhrC4viqp4TDM6coRNzDA1-E4lKk2E4joFqitEPB40/edit?usp=sharing

It looks like this

A New Game of Bravado

[Verse 1]

Game start How did you find the tutorial? Prepare yourself, fighting☆! I won’t lose this time

Acting condescending Treating me like a puppy, again Better off not showing me any opening If you don’t want me to bite!

You don’t get it

Be true to yourself? I know you want it Even if I reach up It’s nowhere near enough

Barrier of excuses But that’s not bad either, darling Which job class do you prefer? Shall I become a prince for you?

How about you admit to it already? That you like me a lot

Shall we gotcha LOVE×2＝an invincible knight of the party! Don’t you look away! Feigning ignorance is against the rule If that’s how you play it, then I’ll get serious too

I panic, trivial mistakes immediately exposed I don’t want you to see through it all! A constant “no” is also part of love The few “centimentals” difference is so frustrating

[Verse 2]

Damage dealt quite a bit Statuses are satisfactory Logic won’t help me understand It’s nowhere near enough!

If you let your guard down “One day” will already be around the corner If that’s what you want Then I’ll conquer you

Pinning you against the wall, scooping up your chin—leave it all to me Press B to hurry and cancel? That’s all tall tale In my fantasy, just like this... (Come at me more!) But that’s not right! I want to try it! (A proper romance!) It’s the one thing that I’m weak to—that personality gap of yours Succession of bluffs with what little courage I have! Undefeated gag lines increasing cliche level Trump card joker A new game of bravado!

Bring it on

Cheats are nonsense! Weakness spotted, easy win A direct challenge Don’t take me lightly

That’s unfair, My Sweet A counterattack of smiles A sneak attack on my heart, Clean HIT! It’s super effective!?

We don’t know what the future holds for us Will you tell me?

Shall we gotcha LOVE×2＝an invincible knight of the party! Don’t you look away! I love you this much, yet I didn’t know you had an ace in the hole

Not even my finishing move reaches you Controller covered in sweat! If you’re the heroine Then the hero should definitely be me

[Interlude]

It’s too soon For the closing credits I don’t want it to end at a timing like this Level up like crazy Grind one stage to the next

Shall we gotcha LOVE×2＝an invincible knight of the party! Don’t you look away! I’m the grand prize winner, ain’t I? If we’re talking about how much one thinks for your sake

Just a bit more, but it’s unreachable What is it that I’m missing? I like that part about you too! I won’t give up! So let me choose to continue!

#lyrics #aishota #idol show time #mutsumi tamura #yumiko kobayashi #mitsuki saiga #ryoko shiraishi #nanako mori #aoi yuuki #yuka maruyama

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bethygauw · 5 years ago

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Thank you very much for translating Ensemble Stars you saved me thanks!! And Are there still other parts of the Ensemble Stars? I support you, thank you so much

Hi, thanks for your message! (If I'm not answering your question just ask me again, sorry. I feel like I'm not understanding your question right) I am putting Enstars translations on hold now, but if I am to continue then it'll be the 10-volume mook series 😅 I most likely won't be translating the stories. There's also a whole lot of people on Twitter translating Enstars as well so that's also a good pace to look. Thank you again!

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bethygauw · 5 years ago

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[Lyrics] Tulus - A Strong Human/Manusia Kuat

YouTube MV: https://youtu.be/f-fEeF12FH4 (27 April 2017)

Official song of 2018 Asian Para Games

This will be the last of my Tulus’ song lyrics series!

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You can smash my leg, but not my dreams You can immobilise my arm, but not my dreams You can rob me of my smile, but not for long You can rip my heart to shreds, but I know how to restore it

Strong people, that's us Strong souls, that's us Strong people, that's us Strong souls, that's us

You can blacken my white, but you will cloud over nothing You can crush my path, but then I'll find another way

Strong people, that's us Strong souls, that's us Strong people, that's us Strong souls, that's us

If it's not His will None of your deceits will bring any harm

Strong people, that's us Strong souls, that's us Strong people, that's us Strong souls, that's us

You can smash my leg, crush my arm, rob me of my smile Blacken the white of my heart, but not my dreams

#lyrics #tulus #Asian Para Games 2018

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bethygauw · 5 years ago

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[Lyrics] Tulus - Mr and Ms Lonely/Tuan Nona Kesepian

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/LdQuBsOnj6Q (23 June 2011)

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(Hello, mister.) (Hello, miss.)

Mister Lonely Short of friends His heart is a fragile one Yet he acts tough

Young miss who has no friends Has never experienced love Imagination is her forte Dreaming is her nature

They crossed paths In one corner of a city square They stared at each other, but in silence They began analysing one another

*(The miss said...) Hey mister, what is wrong with you? Why do you have a thousand faces? Hey mister, what is wrong with you? It’s as if the world consists of you, you, you, and only you

(The mister said...) Hey miss, what is wrong with you? What’s so fun about losing yourself in fantasy? Hey miss, what is wrong with you? You know I ain’t interested, yet you’re still building up expectations

Repeat*

They’re drowned in their own ego Closed off their hearts and listened to themselves They'd shoot words, yet wouldn't look at themselves in the mirror Everyone else was nothing more than a passing breeze

**The miss fell in love with the mister The mister was waiting for someone else The miss wouldn’t care even if the mister Never cared about anything else around him

Repeat**

#lyrics #tulus

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bethygauw · 5 years ago

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[Lyrics] Tulus - Goodbye/Pamit

YouTube MV: https://youtu.be/G2-ZC9NpDBg (28 February 2016)

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Backs leaned against each other Facing towards different points of the compass You're waiting for nightfall While I wait for daybreak

We've run through all the options So that we can still be together The only thing left in this story Is your fear of losing me

All reasoning points towards the word "apart" Don't force yourself to hold onto it

Let me walk off first The only thing that will change is that I'll no longer be yours You won't lose sight of me yet You have to believe that I'll still be a good friend of yours

We've run through all the options So that we can still be together The only thing left in this story Is your fear of losing me

All reasoning points towards the word "apart" Don't force yourself to hold onto it

Ooh... The only thing that will change is that I'll no longer be yours Ooh... You have to believe that I'll still be a good friend of yours

Let me walk off first The only thing that will change is that I'll no longer be yours You won't lose sight of me yet You have to believe that I'll still be a good friend of yours

#lyrics #tulus

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bethygauw · 5 years ago

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[Lyrics] Tulus - Labyrinth/Labirin

YouTube MV: https://youtu.be/ANLIBOKQVLc (7 September 2018)

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I'd find out more about you Your day, month, and year of birth I'd learn more about your star sign to guess your personality

Your favourite cartoon character And the colours that you love I'd search for that one single point in which we'd cross

(Knock me out) Knock me out with that gaze of yours, that gaze of yours (Your mystery) Torments me yet so addictive, so addictive

The twist and turn in your labyrinth Won't back me away I'm so confident that the two of us can become one

(Your labyrinth) Trap me inside your labyrinth, your labyrinth (I'm lost) I'm lost in your resplendent, in your charm

(Your labyrinth) Trap me inside your labyrinth, your labyrinth, your labyrinth (I'm lost) I'm lost in your resplendent, in your charm

I'd find out more about you Your day, month, and year of birth I'd learn more about your star sign to guess your personality

(Knock me out) Knock me out with that gaze of yours, that gaze of yours (Your mystery) Torments me yet so addictive, so addictive

(Your labyrinth) Trap me inside your labyrinth, your labyrinth, your labyrinth (I'm lost) I'm lost in your resplendent, in your charm

The twist and turn in your labyrinth Won't back me away I'm so confident that the two of us can become one

#lyrics #tulus

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bethygauw · 5 years ago

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[Lyrics] Tulus - Diorama (English)

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/-kdoL382qiA (23 June 2011)

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I'm a statue and they are too A hot cup of tea, yet rigid and cold Wooden tables polished and gleaming Your cheeks are wet from tears of paint

My body stiff and static I want to wipe those tears off, but I have no way Wooden statues polished and gleaming Their minds are empty from carrying out their roles

This tale could have ended in a happier way But we are inside a diorama We should have spent the rest of the time in bliss exchanging stories But we are inside a diorama

Diorama, diorama

Your feelings are hurt because of me The pain runs deep and becomes a chapter in history No chance to pull off a trick Those days will take control of your mind forever

This tale could have ended in a happier way But we are inside a diorama We should have spent the rest of the time in bliss exchanging stories But we are inside a diorama

Diorama

This tale could have ended in a happier way But we are inside a diorama We should have spent the rest of the time in bliss exchanging stories But we are inside a diorama

Diorama, diorama

#lyrics #tulus

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bethygauw · 5 years ago

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[Lyrics] Tulus - Monochrome/Monokrom

YouTube MV: https://youtu.be/QqJ-Vp8mvbk (26 November 2016)

A tribute to everything around me that have shaped my life.

* * *

A picture in black and white I try again to recall the colour of your shirt at that time For the first time in my life Another person held me in their arms

A picture in black and white I try again to recall the scent enveloping my home that afternoon A chocolate cake and balloons in million colours My birthday party

Wherever you may be I will send you my gratitude For the colours in my life and many sweet memories I am what you've painted

A picture in black and white It throws me back to that night when I counted the stars When my eyes were wide awake Your voice would send me off to the dreamland

Wherever you may be I will send you my gratitude For the colours in my life and many sweet memories I am what you've painted

We never know how much time left have been provided for us If I'm gone before you are, don't forget me This song is for you It’s my word of thanks

A slip of monochrome, black and white I try to remember one by one the colours in my life I would never have known love If not because of your warm soul

#lyrics #tulus

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bethygauw · 6 years ago

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[2/2] Online B’s-Log Interview with Satoru Kuwabara

Released 4 June 2018

Original source Part 2 The original article has pictures that complement well so please check it out too.

This is B’s-Log’s new project, “Creator Touch”, an interview series with creators of popular series. The first person they interviewed was Satoru Kuwabara, the music producer of Ensemble Stars!.

In the first half of the interview, they asked about how Kuwabara started to get involved with Enstars unit songs. Kuwabara also talked about the points he focused on in the song series that have been released so far. (~2.8k words)

In the second half, they talked about song numbers that left the biggest impression on Kuwabara, the 3D live concert, the voice actor live concert and Enstage. (~2.2k words)

In their third single, I wanted to show everyone Trickstar who had transformed.

Q: You had created numerous songs for Enstars, but which one left the biggest impression?

K: There are many… but outside of first season songs, I’d say it’s Trickstar’s BREAKTHROUGH!. It was supposed to be the B-side at first. We made DIAMOND SUMMER with the intention of making an A-side because it was a very Trickstar song. But we also wanted to show a different side to Trickstar—a transformed Trickstar—and not just their cheerful and positive side. That’s when we brought up the suggestion to make BREAKTHROUGH! as the A-side song. Both songs were very important, but the first song would be the long-lasting impression after all. That’s exactly why we made BREAKTHROUGH! as the first song.

Q: That’s a good point. As opposed to the other songs that Trickstar have released so far, it’s like they’re fighting in this song.

K: I wanted to show how Trickstar has an enemy that they cannot oppose at their current state through music as well. I thought that if they were to challenge their rivals—Eve, Adam, and Eden—it would make things better if they weren’t the “usual Trickstar”. That’s why I strongly pushed BREAKTHROUGH! for the A-side forward.

Q: Were there any other songs that left an impression on you?

K: It would be 2wink’s TRICK with TREAT!!. One reason is because I was the one who wrote the song, but it was also the first time “Saito-san” and “Soma-san” got to sing with the others so I was happy for him (laugh). Saito-san always looked so lonely all by himself, so it was a long-awaited moment.

Q: TRICK with TREAT!! has UNDEAD singing as the backing vocals and voicing out dialogue lines. Speaking of UNDEAD, I think there were a lot of fans who were waiting for the veteran unit, Dead Man’s.

K: You must mean Dead Man’s Death Game Holic. In that CD, Dead Man’s song took priority and was made first, so making UNDEAD’s songs was a herculean task. UNDEAD’s second season CD was considerably cheerful, so I wanted to show their corrupted side more in the third season, but there was a restriction where they must not feel more corrupted than Dead Man’s. I’m the composer of Gate of the Abyss, and actually it was a song that was chosen through a contest. Happy Elements chose this song in the end.

Q: From a professional’s point of view, what would be your fixation in Enstars unit song series? Specifically, can you tell us if there’s anything like, “Maybe you won’t notice if you don’t listen to it carefully, but actually…”

K: I wanted to deliver the best sound quality as best as I could, so we made it compatible with high resolution sound quality. It’s actually made in a much better sound quality environment compared to generic CDs. Although when you burn it into CDs, it’s not high-res anymore… Also, up until around the second season I took into account the units’ upbringing and position. I made some delineation in my mind, for example how I think I can make some parts more extravagant. I thought to myself that I’d better make those improvements.

Q: …In other words?

K: “We should record a live string performance for fine!” (laugh) Valkyrie is a unit of artists so naturally we would record the instruments’ live performance, ditto with Akatsuki and the traditional Japanese instruments. On the contrary, I try not to include acoustics as much as I can for 2wink. For Ra*bits, they’re also a rookie unit, and although we had skilful musicians perform for us, we didn’t use live recording as much at first.

3D live concert, voice actor live concert, and the secret episode behind Enstage’s production

Q: Enstars’ unit songs have been performed in various types of media such as the 3D Live “DREAM LIVE” (Star Live) and the Starry Stage, a live concert of the voice actors. Can you tell us a bit more about them as well?

K: With the Star Live, I was the one who wanted to have a live band. In 3D Lives, the characters’ movements are pretty much the same for every session, so I think putting on a live band accompaniment would make the audience think that the characters are alive even more. I supervised the band arrangement of the songs and also the casting of the band members. It was only the performance on December 31st where one of the band members couldn’t make it and I had to fill in for them (laugh).

Q: Now that you’ve seen the Star Live, what do you think?

K: I simply thought that wow, we live in an amazing era! Sorry if that sounded like a 5-year-old commentary (laugh). I was blessed with the opportunity to feel the fans’ wish to see this concert first-hand. I was able to take on a new challenge and I felt grateful.

Q: What about Starry Stage?

K: I was involved from the planning stage. I was actually the one who wanted to have a live performance with the voice actors. Our plan got through after right about 2 years, and it was approved with the title "Starry Stage”. I actually don’t know what “SS” is the short for, but when it appeared in the game I thought it was “Starry Stage”. In Starry Stage, I was involved in casting, stage production, and production supervision. I really got to do many different things!

Q: What did you think of it?

K: Goodness, I was just emotionally overwhelmed. One of my strongest feelings would have been, “I finally got to see this scenery!” But more importantly, it brought to surface my powerlessness and what I was lacking (bitter laugh). To bring forth a live performance, we made the fans wait for 3 years, so the Starry Stage also had a concept of getting up close to the fans as much as we can. That’s why I wanted to absolutely have all of them get on the moving cart and also have them go to the smaller stage (at the back). I think we managed to clear that part. Although, among the 13 cast members, to more than half of them it was their first time singing and dancing for an idol series. That’s why it was difficult to ask them to learn difficult choreography so we just did the best we could. Those were some of the challenges we had, so it was a really touching moment for me when I watched the performance.

Q: There’s a second concert for Star Live, but how about Starry Stage?

K: The official title had “1st” in it so, in other words, you know? (Laugh) As for me, I’d like to make it happen!*

*[T/L note] It’s happening! 13 January 2019 at Nippon Budokan.

Q: You guys from Arte Refact are also involved in creating original songs for the stage adaptation, Ensemble Stars! On Stage. Are there any differences in the processes between making a song for a CD release and making a song for a stage play?

K: In Enstage, we basically received the script and then we were asked to make a particular type of song. Enstage played out the main story. Around that time, we kind of already made them into unit songs, so it was difficult. But we took out some specific parts of a scene and looked at them from a different point of view. That’s when we could create. We made them as we thought how this unit was singing this particular type of song, and how this was the kind of music that would fit this kind of scene… So what we did was the same, but we made the song from a different viewpoint.

Q: In Ensemble Stars! Extra Stage ~Judge of Knights~ that used the event Rebellion! The King’s Horseback Ride as its theme, they performed many new songs during the Judgment Live scene.

K: Judgment had a developing battle scene so they asked us to make a medley. At that point, the script was not yet finished so I had no idea how it was going to be. But when I read the finished version I understood what they meant. Although, I asked them what would happen with the dialogue bits in between, since it wouldn’t be called a medley anymore if they had stopped [the music]. Then, they told me that they were going to include something like a dance choreography as well. That’s how I decided to let the music play in the background during those times and let it develop entry points for the singing to come in again.

Q: So you made it based on the fact that it was going to have both acting and singing included.

K: Also, the actors can sometimes change when they choose to take a breath between the phrases. When that happens, the timing feel will change as well. I can’t create with the stance that they have to breathe at some specific point. When they sing, it’s fixed, but other than the singing part I make the music loop (so that they can get back onto it should they be running behind). Since the battle scene was made to accelerate, I and the composers’ side suggested to also increase the bpm (tempo) a little by little. It was subtle so that the audience won’t feel the abrupt change.

Q: You really made these songs based on how it’s going to be sung at a stage play.

K: When there are dialogues within a song, I would read those dialogues out loud to myself and think about the timing of how the character speaks. Then that’s how I figure out how long the phrases should be.

Q: Have you seen Enstage?

K: I’ve seen all of them, of course. All of them and all the characters are truly really good, but personally I really like Eichi Tenshouin’s actor, (Takahisa) Maeyama-san! I was like, “Thanks for giving me a chance to write a song for Eichi-sama! It was the best!” (laugh)

The main point about character songs is that it’s not unnatural.

Q: I’d like to ask something with regards to what we call character songs in general. Is there anything that you feel you must do every time you create character songs or unit songs?

K: It’s difficult to explain it in words, but I myself don’t think of Enstars’ songs as “character songs”. It’s like I’m actually producing idols and real life idol songs. But if I have to answer from the viewpoint that they’re character songs, I guess it would be how I won’t make something that’s unnatural for that character of that world to sing this kind of song. I want to make a song that can let you picture the world and the character. That the world matches the character themself, and that it’s nothing out of place. For example, you don’t feel right hearing digital instruments in an anime with an idyllic setting. But if there’s someone in that anime who likes games, it won’t be strange to insert something digital. I think about how I should set things apart like that.

Q: Do you not approach the way you make [character songs] and songs you make for real world artists differently?

K: There’s no difference. But for me, it’s often the case that I would ask the artists to write the lyrics as a condition when I’m the one producing or providing songs for them. If the situation proves to be difficult, or when they have other tie-up songs to work on as well, then other lyricists may be called in. But as long as that is not the case, I’d like the actual person who will be singing this song to write the lyrics themself. Otherwise it won’t get through to the listeners, is what I think. If they sing words written by someone else, there’s always something about it that doesn’t feel right. I want to make a song that includes the singer’s feelings in it even just a little, so I’d like them to write their own song’s lyrics whenever possible.

Q: Lastly, please leave a message to readers who are looking forward to your next work! What would you like them to hear in the songs that you have produced?

K: I think music is something alive. Even if the melody and the lyrics don’t change, your emotions don’t stay the same when you listen to the song for the first time, the second time, the third time, and so on. I want you to enjoy a song by paying attention to the way the singing is different, or how the accompanying music is different even though the melody is the same. It may make you think how much the world in that song have changed. For Enstars unit songs, you can spot the differences especially if that song has live performance of the backing instruments. Or even though it’s not a live performance, more instruments may be added and the way the melodies play out may also be different. We make that kind of contrasts so I think “spotting the little differences as you listen to it” is another way of enjoying the songs. We are very particular to each and every musical part of the song and not just the melody, so I hope you can pay close attention to that. I’d like you to listen to the karaoke versions that are included in the CDs single as well!

#ensemble stars #b's-log #satoru kuwabara #staff

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bethygauw · 6 years ago

Text

[1/2] Online B’s-Log Interview with Satoru Kuwabara

Update: - (2 Sep 2020) Correction “ When we started making the unit songs, we didn’t make hip hop songs, afraid that the female players may stab us” --> “When we started making the unit songs, we didn’t make hip hop songs, afraid that it wouldn’t resonate with the female players”

* * *

Released 4 June 2018

Original source Part 1 The original article has pictures that complement well so please check it out too.

B’s-Log started a new project, “Creator Touch”, an interview series with creators of popular series. The first person they interviewed was Satoru Kuwabara, the music producer of Ensemble Stars!.

In this first half of the interview, they asked about how Kuwabara started to get involved with Enstars unit songs. Kuwabara also talked about the points he focused on in the song series that have been released so far. (~2.8k words)

In the second half, they talked about song numbers that left the biggest impression on Kuwabara, the 3D live concert, the voice actor live concert and Enstage. (~2.2k words)

Some of the info has already been published somewhere before, so this may be a repetition to some. But otherwise, it can be a refresher as well. Enjoy!

Q: Kuwabara-san, you’re also Arte Refact’s representative. Could you tell us what your job entails?

K: As part of Arte Refact, my work revolves around anime and game music. It doesn’t mean that I’m not working with other genres at all, but Arte Refact is basically a company where people who love anime and games gather around. So we want to surround ourselves in that world and conform to it as much as we can.

Q: Could you tell us what started your involvement in Enstars unit songs?

K: Before the game release, a person I was indebted to gave me a tip, “There’s this game that’s coming up,” he said, and showed me the proposal and illustrations. I had a look at it and thought, “I really want to do this!” If I remember it correctly, it was around about the start of the preregistration period, so the only information I had in hand was that it had the high school idol theme and idol units. It also had a simple description of each character and a main theme song. I was sure that they would already have songs for the units prepared as well, so when I was given the chance to introduce myself to Happy Elements, I made some unit songs while expecting to be shot down. There were 8 announced units, so I visualized and prepared 2 songs for each unit and went to present.

Q: This was before the game even started… So you made these songs with so little information to go on with.

K: The unit that I misunderstood the most was fine. It’s pronounced like “fee-nay”, which is different from the English pronunciation of “fain”, right? I ended up making a song with lots of the “fain” version in the lyrics (laugh). Other than that, I thought the “bits” in Ra*bits referred to, say, 1bit, so I thought that maybe their songs have lots of pinging sounds like those in a game. Turns out I was completely wrong for both (laugh). On the contrary, Trickstar, UNDEAD, and Ryuseitai were easy to figure out and I remember that it was a smooth process.

Q: Among the songs that you presented, were there any that actually got released as unit songs?

K: I think it would be Knights’ Checkmate Knights and Ryuseitai’s The Unrivaled☆Meteoranger!. Although we remade those after receiving the units’ proper background setting.

Q: You have been playing the actual game. Can you tell us your first impression or what it is about the game that attracted you?

K: My true first impression would be during the pre-release, but I thought that their illustrations were nice, generally speaking. In general, the art in a female-oriented series has that touch that doesn’t sit too well with guys. But Enstars feels like anime and its head count for the character design is actually pretty close to that of a real person and without being deformed in any weird way. So it’s also easy for guys to accept. When I first saw the illustration, it gave me a gush of inspiration and I could keep churning out songs. But after the game got released and I started playing, my impression shifted to, “It’s this dark?” (laugh) If I had to choose, male-oriented series have a fundamentally happy atmosphere and not many would delve into the characters’ upbringing or pasts. Even if they do, they only do it lightly or they would only touch on some characters with a considerably rough past… just like that. But pretty much all Enstars characters have something that they’re worried about, right? That’s what makes female-oriented and male-oriented series different, and what I think makes Enstars attractive.

I think of them as idols and create.

Q: Can you tell us specifically how you make these songs?

K: All units have already had a few songs released by now, so I would start from thinking about what kind of songs a particular unit would need next, while also taking their previous songs into account. I have the image within my mind that these characters are alive. My way of thinking will also change depending on the unit and the CD’s month of release. Take Ryuseitai’s album as an example (released on 7 March 2018). It was released around the “Repayment Festival”, so it had a White Day theme. If there are songs made based on established event stories, there are also those made simply because we wanted to make this kind of songs—the origin may vary. But if I know a lyricist who fits the image of a particular song, the first thing I’ll do is to place an order with that said lyricist.

Q: How do these lyrics come about?

K: Our main lyricists are Youhei Matsui-san and Saori Kodama-san. Enstars had its 3rd anniversary and at this point, a lot of content has been fleshed out. We want someone who understands the story and won’t cause discrepancies in the lyrics, so in the end it’s difficult to ask someone who isn’t used to the series. If I do ask someone other than those two, it’s often the case that I think their usual writing style fits a particular unit.

Q: An example would be how Arika Takarano-san from ALI PROJECT worked on Valkyrie’s Bewitching Theater.

K: Exactly. I asked Takarano-san beforehand that we may cause her a lot of trouble and may ask her to retake so many times and if she was alright with that, but she still said that she was going to do it. And in actuality, it was accepted without any revision so it was really cool!

Q: I believe there would be a lot of fans out there who would listen to one song and think, “This is the feel that this unit has, huh!” and then would get surprised by the approach of another song. But it was actually just the perfect balance. How do the artists begin their work on the songs and the lyrics?

K: It goes without saying, but Matsui-san and Kodama-san play the game as well. There are times when they come up with a selection of scenes because they want to write about those parts. The lyricists rely heavily on the script, but on the other hand the composers have told me that they make progress when they are given visuals. It’s really easy to understand when you look at an illustration, "so this is going to be a song where this character sings with this kind of expression, huh.” I’ve heard that the event CGs are their most helpful reference.

Q: Rather than a 2-dimensional character, they imagine that it’s a real singing idol as they make the songs.

K: That’s what I do—I think of them as idols who really exist as I make the songs. I don’t even think of them as game characters anymore. I’d say things like, “Hey check this out, this kind of song is nice, don’t you think? What? The pitch is too high for you? Nah, I know you can do it. You can, can’t you?” (laugh)

The 3rd season’s theme is “Love”!

Q: So far, the series has released 3 seasons of CD singles and right now the album series is ongoing, with one album being released after another. Could you tell us their concepts and any fixation you had on each series? To start with, how was the first season?

K: The first season was something that we made with zero-based budgeting, so in that sense, it was probably where I participated like a music producer the most*. In the first season I was being rather pushy about my opinion on how this particular song would definitely suit this or that unit. It was also because Happy Elements was not used to music production, so if I was hesitating, they would too. I thought that it would be better to give out a clear-cut proposal, so I told myself to express my opinion properly while also offering some options.

*[T/L note] I wasn’t sure if this would make sense to the readers since I still translated it quite literally, but basically since the unit song series just started out they didn’t have much luxury to call out to other composers/lyricists like they do now, so they had to use the limited resources (and human resources) to the best they could. Please note that this is my interpretation since the whole original sentence looked pretty vague to me.

Q: I feel that the first season is filled with many songs that exude each unit’s character and public image.

K: Personally that’s my intention. That being said, to be honest we started making the songs when the game was not even out yet. We didn’t know how far we could experiment with these songs. We also didn’t know if there was going to be season 2. So, of course we wanted to make more, but if there was no second season, we decided to make songs that would make these units complete. We wanted these songs to be popular too, so we made a lot of up-tempo songs that have a good beat. But I also wanted to make some ballads, so I included Checkmate Knights for Knights and Love Letter of the Brilliance of Cherry Blossoms for Akatsuki.

Q: Now, onto the second season. Some units have songs with a different taste compared to those from the first season. Did you intend to show another side to them that you couldn’t in the first season?

K: Let’s see. Now that the fans are aware of these unit songs, we started the second season by creating songs meant to be something original and asking artists we would like to place an order with. I had the impression that my job was to materialize the unit image that Happy Elements had in mind. If they had artists whom they would like to work with, I’d go around making offers, become the middleman, and suggest to brush up some parts of a song as we record the music. That was the kind of job I did. But among that, I think I let myself loose quite a bit when making songs for Valkyrie and Switch, who joined from the second season.

Q: How about the third season?

K: After observing the audience reception until the second season and receiving fans’ responses, we made songs “that are needed” and “that it should be like this!” on top of putting the unit members into consideration. The hidden theme of the third season is “Love”. Basically, there’s “Love” on the A-side. It can be love for their fans, or for their friends—it varies. Even though the word “Love” itself is not used in the songs, they still have “Love” as their theme.

Q: This makes me want to listen to them once again to find some “Love”…! Then, what about the album series that are ongoing right now?

K: The theme for these albums are “Presents”. It’s a thanks to the fans of course, but it’s also a thanks to their supportive friends. I want to make something that everyone can enjoy, so basically there are a lot of songs with lyrics that are filled with gratitude. It also has something akin to the third season’s “Love”, but that’s what idols are! I think fans would be happier to receive love that’s almost excessive (laugh).

Q: The albums also include the idols’ solo songs.

K: To many of the voice actors in the first season, it was their first time recording a song, so we talked a lot before we began to record. There were 8 units at that time and I was talking with this kind of feeling, “I want to make something that can get each of the unit up on the Budokan stage for 8 days and on the last day I want to see everyone perform at Tokyo Dome together. So let’s make lots and lots of songs!” The voice actors were really happy about that and they sang for us. So to me it felt like it’s the long-awaited solo songs.

Q: Especially with these solo songs, I can feel that you understand a fan’s mentality and the characters really well!

K: It’s because I love everyone (laugh). I also think of them as real people while creating. I think I do as I please during the recording, like suggesting that we should change the lyrics because I don’t think he will say this kind of thing for example (laugh). I also dare to play around with the song and rip things apart. Although I would also record a few versions and present it to Happy Elements to see which they would prefer, like, “(I think this one here is better but) what do you think?” (laugh) Also, I wouldn’t change the rough outline of the songs I receive, but I often discuss with the composer to tweak the melody line or adjust the key to match with the character.

The teachers’ songs are Mr. Kuwabara’s long awaited production!

Q: Apart from songs by the students of Yumenosaki Academy, you have also released songs by the teachers and the rival unit, Eden. How did the teachers’ CD come about?

K: I had always wanted to make songs for the teachers! Even when I first introduced myself to Happy Elements, I asked them if the teachers would sing as well, and then they replied “I suppose not.” (laughed) I asked them the same thing a few times after that as well, and finally around about the 2nd anniversary of the game’s release they finally said, “We’d like to make songs for the teachers,” and I replied, “I’ve been waiting to hear those words!” (laugh) That’s how it started. I personally like Jin Sagami a lot and in the game I just keep entering the nurse’s office “by mistake” (laugh). My wish of making the teachers’ songs came true just before the third season. In Akira-san’s mind, apparently they’re idols who dance with roller skates.*

*[T/L note] A reference to an older generation idol, Hikaru Genji, who performed with roller skates in the 80s. [YouTube]

Q: It felt like we had moved back a generation or two…

K: Yes, I also stopped myself and thought that the teachers were probably around 30 years old (laugh). I chose the direction that would lean towards that age group as best as I could.

Q: The CD jacket and design labels made a big impact.

K: This is, well, a total grownups’ practical joke (laugh). Someone suggested to make it an 8cm CD, but going that far would be difficult after all.

Q: I also felt that the sound quality felt close to that of the CDs released some years ago.

K: True, we added a bit more echo than usual to get close to the era we were aiming for. But the art and craft of audio recording continues to evolve from day to day, so without dropping the sound quality down too much, we chose to focus on bringing out the intended atmosphere and made it into a 12cm CD to match with the current age. Likewise with the acoustic pressure—if we dropped it down too much, it would also not be a good thing to suddenly hear a drop like that in quality if the listeners chose to add the songs into a playlist.

Q: On the other hand, Eden’s CD also ended up with a different taste than that of Yumenosaki Academy’s units’.

K: Eden’s setting is that they’re a rival unit that stands up before Yumenosaki Academy’s representative, Trickstar, and block their way. So Eden’s song has to surpass Yumenosaki Academy’s unit songs like Trickstar, fine, and Akatsuki. We’ve always been serious about making these unit songs, so the moment I was told that, I didn’t know what to do (laugh). And then, I asked them to lift the ban on rap songs. In the end the song wasn’t a pure rap, but up until now I had been asked to avoid rap as much as I can.

Q: Is that Happy Elements’ request?

K: Yes. When we started making the unit songs, we didn’t make hip hop songs, afraid that it wouldn’t resonate with the female players… But various series have made a hit with the genre and maybe it’s now recognized, so I went to discuss about lifting the ban. I asked them like this, “When they fuse into Eden, please let me give them rap”.

Q: With a hip hop-like element included, it became a unit song that had a different orientation from Yumenosaki Academy idols.

K: Right. I think they managed to exude out a different kind of mature feel. Their CD booklet is amazing too, don’t you think? It used special paper, special printing, unusual cutting… (laugh)

Q: Was the packaging your idea too, Kuwabara-san?

K: No, it was Happy Elements’. They wanted to make it that way. Each piece’s lumber quality was just so extravagant. The third season had clear sheets as well, but Eden’s CD booklet was really a surprise (laugh).

Continued to the last half of the interview: song numbers that leave the biggest impression, 3D live concert, voice actor live concert and Enstage.

#ensemble stars #staff #satoru kuwabara #B's-log

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