Continuation of interview (1). " GeGeGe no Kitaro GeGeGe no Kitaro " is a TV anime based on the manga by the late Shigeru Mizuki. It airs episodes selected by famous people connected to Kitaro from seasons 1 to 6 of the series. The show's ending theme song, "Party of Monsters," was produced by Tetsuya Komuro and sung by Kiyoshi Hikawa (KIINA.), making for a spectacular collaboration. Hikawa, who said he looked up to Komuro, and Komuro, who said he "felt potential" in Hikawa, shared their thoughts on the song and the power of music.
◇ The Komuro sound gives hope for life: "It's not just music"
--It seems that Komuro is someone you look up to, Mr. Hikawa. How has he influenced you?
The most shocking thing for Hikawa was when he bought a CD by Komuro and YOSHIKI's unit "V2" when he was in the second year of junior high school. At the time, it was a vertical single CD, and he thought what a beautiful melody and jacket it had. In the heart of a 14-year-old second year of junior high school, he had a longing for it, and a hope to "become a beautiful person". The song that shocked him was "Eyes of Venus", and Komuro's singing voice was also very soothing, and since it was a sensitive time and he had a lot of worries, it was the strength to live. From there, he became a fan of the Komuro family, and when he was working part-time, he bought a lot of CDs and had trouble making a living (laughs). Rather than being a trend, he liked Komuro's work and liked his feelings. Even now, the comfort, coolness, and sexiness of the universal Komuro sound have not changed and are his hope in life.
--Mr. Komuro, what do you think about Mr. Hikawa's story?
At the time, it was not an era where you can understand everything from SNS and data like today, so the only guide to whether something was selling or not, whether it was liked or not, was the Oricon chart. So I was interpreting it broadly as "I guess it's like this," so I may not have been able to get that close to everyone. However, for the past 10 years or so, I have tried to ask about 10,000 people a year directly, "What did you feel?" It goes without saying, but if there are 100,000 people, there are 100,000 different thoughts, each of which is different. There are various settings, such as who you were with when you listened to it, when you listened to it, what your emotions were. I really think that music is not just music. I'm glad I chose a good profession.
Mr. Hikawa: That music is what gives me the strength to live. Since I was in middle school, Mr. Komuro's existence has given me the strength to live.
Mr. Komuro: There's still no end to newcomers, or rather, there are newcomers making their debut every day, to the point that you wonder, "Are there still kids who want to be musicians?" There's always new people coming out, and there's never a break in the people who are gaining popularity. That's really the only thing that's mysterious. I think there are some forms of entertainment that end and disappear, but music is unchanging, and it never dies.
◇Tetsuya Komuro talks about the power of music and the "with t.komuro" jinx
--I feel like this time's "Party of Monsters" is a song that you'll want to listen to over and over again. What message do you want to convey through this song?
Komuro: This time, because we have an excellent performer called KIINA., we are going to list all the bad things happening in the world right now, such as war, global warming, and various other troubling problems in the lyrics. But it's all "people" that are doing it. Music is what makes it easy to say such things. If politicians say this in words, it can be difficult because it can cause friction. But with music, you can say it happily. You can even say it while dancing. I think that kind of power is amazing. Still, it's meaningless if it doesn't reach people, so I hope that a messenger like KIINA. can embody it and spread it to the world. In that sense, KIINA. has excellent recognition, and people are interested in "What kind of songs are you singing?" I think it would be best if that leads to various things.
--This time, the artist name is "Hikawa Kiyoshi with t.komuro." Do you have any thoughts about that?
Komuro-san: Until now, only three people have been allowed to use the name "with t.komuro" - Shinohara Ryoko, Hamada Masatoshi, and Takanori Nishikawa. Now KIINA. is the fourth. Up until now, everyone has sold explosively, which would be 2 million copies in CD terms, so I hope that this will happen. Also, it's a pressure on the staff (laughs).
-What do you want to convey with this song, Hikawa-san?
Hikawa: The world is run by people, and I think people are the scariest thing. There are good and bad people in people, aren't there? I think I have to live a good life, and I want to be a singer who can give people hope and the strength to live. I took a two-year break, so I'm determined to keep singing and live my life to the fullest, without taking a break from now on, so that I don't waste time. I'm just in the middle of my life, and I feel like I'm just finishing up, so I hope that the start of my work, "Party of Monsters," will reach a wide range of people, including anime song fans.
