In recent years, anime songs, created by composer Tetsuji Hayashi and lyricist Masayuki Ueno, have been rediscovered both in Japan and abroad as part of the city pop genre. A live event featuring invaluable talks about the creation of these songs and live performances by guest artists, "Anime Songs Meet City Pop: The World of Masayuki Ueno and Tetsuji Hayashi - The Day Anime Songs and City Pop Met," will be held at Hitotsubashi Hall (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo) on Getsuku. The event will be hosted by Hyadain and Hiroko Moriguchi, and will feature Junichi Inagaki, Azumi Inoue, Yu-Yu, Hironobu Kageyama, Keizo Nakanishi, and popular voice actress Sumire Uesaka, who is also making waves. City pop is a pop music genre that was popular in Japan from the late 1970s to the 1980s. While most of the songs were released before Uesaka was born, she says they have had a major influence on her. We spoke to Uesaka about her thoughts on city pop and her relationship with anime songs.
◇Thinking back to the era of city pop
City pop also influenced anime songs, especially in the 1980s. Anime songs incorporating city pop sounds, such as "City Hunter," "Kimagure Orange Road," and "Akai Kodan Zillion," are now being reevaluated.
"The term 'city pop' didn't exist back then, but stylish pop music became the opening and ending theme for anime. It's interesting how, since it wasn't really considered fashionable at the time, the genres have split off and then intersected again over time."
Uesaka lists techno pop and metal as her hobbies, but city pop is also her roots. She has also released songs written by Hayashi.
"My artistic activities are limited to my hobby, and city pop is an important pillar of my music, just like metal and denpa songs. I've been listening to city pop for a long time. When I was little, I didn't listen to it as city pop; I preferred songs that I didn't hear in real time, so it wasn't until I became an adult that I found out that the songs I liked when listening to compilations of famous Showa era songs were composed by Hayashi and had lyrics by Ueno. It was a different world from my usual one, with many mature songs, and filled with things like the sea, Hayama, driving, car stereos, cigarettes, alcohol...a world that a child could only vaguely imagine, and I think I admired it as a fantasy."
I've been a fan of Uesaka's music since before city pop was re-evaluated.
"When I was a child in the 2000s, life-sized songs were popular, but city pop was fresh because it depicted a world I'd never been to. The musical notation was simple and easy to listen to, and listening to the songs as an adult, the arrangements seem unusual, but they're memorable and you can easily hum along. The first line of the chorus was often the title of the song, which made it easy to remember even as a child. The sound is also rich. I love the sound of drums with a lot of echo. I think there was also the joy of discovering city pop by playing the CD myself, rather than listening to it on TV."
As I listened to city pop, I began to feel a longing for the era before I was born.
"I like things that aren't current, not just city pop, and I enjoy things that are a bit different from the present. Phones are landlines, there are phone booths, everyone remembers phone numbers, meeting people at the beach... I don't know if people really lived like that in the '80s, but because I don't know, I can enjoy the time difference in culture without any preconceptions."
Did you have any opportunities to experience the world of city pop as an adult?
"When I went to Ginza for the first time, I was so moved, I thought, 'This is it!' There are so many sacred places there, and I even walked back and forth across the Sukiyabashi intersection several times... I also went to Hayama, but I got there by train, so it may not have felt very city pop. I don't have a driver's license, so it's difficult to live a city pop lifestyle... I wonder if it's okay to just leave it as a dream?"
◇A luxurious event filled with things you love
It has been announced that at "Anime Songs Meets City Pop - The World of Ueno Masayuki x Hayashi Tetsuji - The Day Anime Songs and City Pop Met," Uesaka will perform Miki Matsubara's classic "Mayonaka no Door ~stay with me," the theme song for the anime "Oishinbo," "Dang Dang Kinii ni," and Uesaka's song written by Hayashi, "Umikaze no Monologue."
"'Mayonaka no Door' is a world-famous city pop song, and I wondered if it was okay for me to sing such a buzzworthy song. It was a suggestion from the event organizers, and I was too scared to propose it, so if they asked me, I had no choice but to do it. I've sung it at karaoke before, but this is the first time I've sung it in front of people. I think the reason it's popular overseas is because it has an essence of Western music. I love all kinds of city pop, and I haven't been able to analyze what it was about this song that was so well received, but the fact that it builds to a climax from the very beginning gives it an anime-like feel, and I think it's catchy no matter how many times I listen to it."
"Dang Dang Kininaru" was also covered by Uesaka on the tribute album commemorating Hayashi's 50th anniversary since his debut, "50th Anniversary Special A Tribute of Hayashi Tetsuji - Saudade -".
"I've always loved this song, and as a fan of both Oishinbo and Hayashi-sensei, I'm honored. I first learned about Oishinbo after I was a university student, and I think it's a wonderful theme song that captures the urban side of Oishinbo. Kurita-san in the phone booth and Yamaoka-san in the bar are also memorable. Many anime songs at the time were easy to understand and aimed at children, but it's cool that a theme song with such solid city pop is used in the midst of all that."
"Sea Breeze Monologue" is included in Uesaka's album "ANTHOLOGY & DESTINY," released in 2022. Uesaka wrote the lyrics herself.
"I never thought that Hayashi-sensei would write a song for me, so I wrote and erased... I carefully composed every line of the lyrics. I'm generally not the type of person who wants to meet my favorite artists, but I also felt it would be a shame to miss this opportunity, so I told her, 'I like urban city pop in the style of Kikuchi Momoko.' Hayashi-sensei is a great person, but he spoke to me as an equal, and after that I was allowed to participate in his compilation and now I'm even able to participate in his live shows, which I can't believe."
The visuals for the event were created by Seizo Watase, a manga artist and illustrator known for works such as "Heart Cocktail" and "Na." Uesaka is also a fan of Watase.
"I really love 'Heart Cocktail,' so I was surprised. I saw Watase-sensei's illustrations in the City Pop area and bought 'Heart Cocktail' as an e-book, but then I wanted a paper copy so I bought it again. It's like a movie, and I think it's stylish that it doesn't explain too much."
It seems that the event will be filled with all of Uesaka's favorite things, including Hayashi, Ueno, Watase, and other great artists.
"The setlist is really strong. It's rare to hear stories from Hayashi and Ueno. Whether you're familiar with the original or hearing it for the first time, the songs are all about the greatness of city pop. It's also a luxury to see them performed live. I'm looking forward to singing them myself, but there are so many songs I like that I'd love to see them from the audience."
Not only will you be able to experience the intersection of city pop and anime songs, but the event will also be a crossroads of nostalgia and newness. We hope you will enjoy the immersive feel of live music and the singing voices of Uesaka and other stellar artists.
