Based on the popular manga by Koyoharu Gotouge, the new Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle Arc Arc Chapter 1: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Returns is a film adaptation of the anime series. Released on July 18th, the film is not only stunning in its visual beauty, but is also garnering attention for its double theme songs, "A World Where the Sun Doesn't Rise" by Aimer and "Shine on a Cruel Night" by LiSA. Aimer previously sang the theme song for the Entertainment District Arc, which aired from December 2021 to February 2022, and will now perform the double theme song for the first chapter of the Infinity Castle Arc , which depicts the final battle between the Demon Slaying Corps and the demons. We spoke to them about the behind-the-scenes recording process and the thoughts they put into the songs.
◇The "final piece" of Chapter 1 was "A world where the sun never rises"
When Aimer received the offer to sing the double theme song for the first chapter, she said, "At first I was just surprised. I was very happy to be able to sing the theme song together with LiSA, and I felt very honored to have been entrusted with this role after ' Entertainment District Arc'."
The lyrics for "A World Where the Sun Doesn't Rise" were written by Kondo Hikaru of ufotable, who is the general director of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba," and the music was composed and arranged by Shiina Go, who is in charge of the music for the series. When he first heard the song, he wondered, "Will I be able to sing it well?"
"At first, I received something before the final version, and they had included temporary vocals, but it made quite an impact. The song has a lot of different musical elements in it, and I got the impression that it's an aggressive song."
Aimer said that before recording "A World Where the Sun Doesn't Rise," she had the opportunity to talk about the song with Kondo and Shiina, who wrote the lyrics.
"Mr. Kondo spoke to us about the significance of creating a double theme song in this day and age. During the recording stage, production was nearing the end, and he told us that 'this song is the final piece,' and that he wanted it to 'permeate the worldview,' and 'make an impact.'"
◇A first experience in recording: A song that brings out Aimer's "MAX"
Aimer said that recording "A World Where the Sun Doesn't Rise" was something she had never experienced before.
"I was shown a video while I recorded. Kondo-san and Shiina-san were there, and they thought, 'Maybe if we had an image we could put more emotion into it, and it would sound better,' so they quickly prepared a screen. Before we started recording, I was worrying about how I should sing, but once I got into the recording booth, it recorded in an instant, which surprised even me. Having the image there really did seem to raise the temperature, or the voltage, several levels. It gave me an indication of how much energy I should put into it. When you're performing live, there's an audience, you're on stage, and you're all at the same temperature, but I think having the image here helped create the live feel."
"A World Where the Sun Never Rises" is said to be a song that makes the most of Aimer's vocal range.
"There was an anecdote that Shiina-san mentioned after the recording. It seems that the staff gave Shiina-san my vocal range in advance and used it to create the song. Usually, songs are created with some leeway from the lowest to the highest notes, but this time Shiina-san said that he created it at the MAX from the lowest to the highest. So, at the end of the chorus, there's a part where the key is high and sung like an opera, and then the A-melody goes all the way to the lowest key in one go, so the difference in pitch was quite drastic. I think it was a song that I felt was satisfying to sing."
In particular, the lyrics of "Genkyō," "Yōyō," and "Atsukunare" are in a fairly high key, and he expressed his challenge, saying, "Because the phrases themselves are simple, they are parts that need to be colored more by the vocals, and also because of the unique nature of this song, I think I was able to bring out a take that I've never done before. I think there are a lot of phrases this time that show a more intense side of me."
"A World Where the Sun Doesn't Rise" also gives us a glimpse of Aimer's new expression. "I sang this song with the feeling that I was speaking for the feelings of everyone in the Demon Slaying Corps, including Tanjiro, so I hope you enjoy the waves of emotion," she said.
"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kimetsu no Yaiba" tells the story of Tanjiro Kamado, whose family was killed by demons, who joins the Demon Slaying Corps to turn his sister, Nezuko, who has turned into a demon, back into a human. The original manga was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 2016 to 2020. The manga has sold over 220 million copies worldwide. The TV anime "Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc" aired from April to September 2019, and the movie version "Mugen Train" released in October 2020 attracted over 28.97 million domestic viewers and grossed approximately 40.4 billion yen, the highest box office revenue in Japan's history. The "Entertainment District Arc" aired from December 2021 to February 2022, the "Swordsmith Village Arc" from April to June 2023, and the "Hashira Training Arc" from May to June 2024. The "Infinity Castle Arc" is a trilogy.
