So, if you can believe it, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Symphogear series.
When I first heard Mr. Noriyasu Agematsu talk about his desire to create “an anime series closely linked with music”, his passion for it was infectious. I told him when it becomes a reality that “I’d really love to help!” Years later, it finally took shape as season 1 of Symphogear. I never imagined it would become such a long series. It makes me so happy!
It truly is a series where anime and music are combined into one.
This was the first anime where I had to record songs at the ADR sessions. Although we had performed the various songs ahead of time for the CDs, we couldn’t use those since they didn’t match the anime’s action. Ms. Minami Takayama (Kanade’s actress) was the first to step up and spearheaded the whole process of matching singing with action. When she came out of the booth she said: “I know you guys have a lot of singing to do after this, but that’s it for me! Sorry!” and left (laugh). All I could think was: “She really is the coolest senpai!” And that’s how we all got sent down the perilous path of singing the battle songs (laugh). There were many unique challenges with this series. To put our best foot forward we all had to unite and push each other to be better. The time that we spent working on it was very intense and emotional. It honestly felt like being on a sports team, which is why Symphogear is so unforgettable to me.
I must say, the character of Tsubasa Kazanari seems very “Nana Mizuki” in a way.
Yes, the overly serious side of her is very much like me (laugh). But I think the way she rigidly sticks to her guns after making up her mind about something is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, Tsubasa is like Maria - an older sister figure who brings the group together. On the other hand, she’s surprisingly prone to letting her emotions get the better of her and doubles down too often. When you consider that, I actually think she’s one of the most childish among all the gear girls.
Which makes sense, seeing as how Tsubasa’s mental and emotional growth is portrayed heavily throughout the course of the series.
That’s right. And she still goes off the rails again in season 5 despite all that growth, which highlights the reality that people can’t change so easily. But one of the themes embedded into Symphogear’s story is that we can overcome those challenges with the bonds of friendship and family. Although, it’s hidden under a lot of Mr. Kaneko’s sadistic twists because he never lets anything end so simply (laugh).
Tsubasa really gets a hearty dose of suffering in season 5, doesn’t she?
You’re telling me! It was so shocking that I cried when I first read the scripts and even had tears in my eyes at the ADR sessions. Especially when her father (Yatsuhiro Kazanari) dies, she’s able to openly express herself for the first time and let all these pent up emotions erupt. That scene really stuck with me. The truth behind her birth was also jaw-dropping. During my performance, I had to consider the depth of the misery that she struggles with due to being raised in such a messy family situation. It’s definitely not simple. Tsubasa was trained to live as a sentinel from a young age, which meant that she could never show any weakness. No anxiety, sorrow, etc. She kept it to herself and developed a bad habit of putting on a brave front all the time. Because she was raised in an environment devoid of compassion, she’s perhaps the character who has the most weakness.
It’s interesting to go back and watch her interactions with Kanade in season 1. You give a great performance that shows a softer side of Tsubasa, because she’s with a person who actually provides and acknowledges compassion.
Thank you. Kanade was definitely the one person who Tsubasa could show her everything to. The tender smiles and soft tone of voice that Tsubasa had with her never came back later on. After singing her Superb Song in episode 4 of season 1, Tsubasa recovers and becomes tougher and more dedicated. Mr. Kaneko and the other staff wanted to show her growth as a sentinel and requested that I lower my tone of voice from that point onward. But the more time went on, the more of a hardcore samurai she turned into (laugh). Although, over the seasons, I was really happy that she got comfortable enough around Maria to let her true self show. I struck me that she finally found another person to open up with.
You’ve sung a huge number of songs for the series. Are there any that stick out to you?
Yes, there’s plenty. For starters, “Gyakkou no Flugel”. Not only did that song end up being symbolic for the series as a whole, but it was my starting point as the very first song I recorded for Symphogear. Although it was a duet with Ms. Minami, I actually recorded my part first, so I was really touched when I heard the finished product. Later on, that song became one they used for testing new cast members at auditions, as well as gave birth to “Niji-iro no Flugel” and “Ashita e no Flugel”, which have different lyrics.
And all those songs became the endcaps for each season, as they were used in the final episode credits.
Aside from that, I vividly remember Tsubasa’s first battle song, “Zettou Ame no Habakiri” because I considered many different ways to add some “oomph” to it during ADR for the battle scenes. At first, I thought I should sing more erratically and off-key since she was fighting in a posture that would made proper singing near impossible. But then, I spoke with Mr. Agematsu and Director Katsumi Ono and we concluded that Tsubasa was a highly trained professional with a lot of battle experience. That meant she shouldn’t be shaky or off-key when singing. Instead, we chose to emphasize the fighting through her breathing, by making it more ragged and changing up the breath pacing of the song. Then, from season 2 onwards, we would fine-tune things during recording to even better match the action that was happening onscreen.
That explains why they sound so polished to perfection.
Looking outside of Tsubasa’s songs, I’m very partial to season 4’s “Shito -Ewigkeit-“, which was sung by the antagonist team of Saint Germain, Cagliostro, and Prelati. Symphogear’s villains are always very idiosyncratic and hard to dislike. These 3 in particular resonated with me for how they risked their lives in pursuit of their goals and unique brand of justice. That inspired me to pick “Testament” as the title for season 4’s opening, which means “one’s dying wish”.
You were responsible for writing the lyrics of all the opening themes, right?
Yes, I was always given the plot of each season to read over beforehand. Then I would write the lyrics based on the overall message of the story and the parts that resonated with me. There was always something I wanted to convey to the people watching. From the beginning, I made it a rule to constantly include the words “echo” (Hibiki) and “future” (Miku) somewhere in the lyrics. Other examples include the phrase “kaze no naku” (crying wind) from the season 1 opening, Synchrogazer, in reference to Tsubasa’s last name Kazanari. That song also had “tomo ni kanade ta kiseki” (the miracle we orchestrated together) at the end of the first verse as a nod to Kanade. However, at the end of the final verse that turned into “tomo ni tsumuida kiseki” (the miracle we produced together) to signify the loss of Kanade. For every season’s opening, I worked various references into the lyrics that connected to the story in some way.
It also became a custom over the course of the series for the title of the opening to get used as an attack name.
“Synchrogazer” was a word I invented based on the premise of the gears. The characters could be compatible with them or not based on their synchronicity. Hence, I intended for Synchrogazer to mean “one who keeps watch on the synchro rate”. During the ADR sessions for season 1, Mr. Kaneko suddenly asked: “Would it be okay with you if I used that word as an attack name?” It totally caught me off guard (laugh). He then asked me what the font should be like, so I said “sleek and sharp like steel!” And that’s how it all started. From season 2 onward, I picked out the song titles knowing they could end up becoming an attack name (laugh). So I focused on sticking to one word titles. Something punchy that could be said quickly and would look cool when used as an attack.
The tile of the season 5 opening, “Metanoia”, can mean “change of heart” or “spiritual conversion.” I found it incredibly touching to hear it play during the final episode when Hibiki hugged Shem-Ha and “converted” her back into Miku.
Plus, if you read it backwards in Japanese, it becomes “Ai no tame” (for love). When I first read the plot of season 5, I realized the climax wasn’t going to end with an attack, but a hug. That made me really fret over what sort of title to give the song. When I discovered the word metanoia I instantly thought: “That’s it!” I wanted it to be something powerful, but also heart-warming.
Do you have any fond memories of the “Symphogear Live” concerts?
I remember all of them fondly, but the one that sticks out most is definitely “Symphogear Live 2012”. At the end of “FIRST LOVE SONG”, Aoi looked up at the ceiling and just started shedding tears. Ayahi and I were standing on either side of her and seeing that caused us to start crying in sympathy. That moment still lives in my heart. Aoi was so in sync with her character it felt like Hibiki was actually there as the three of us joined hands. That’s also when they officially announced season 2 and everybody had a good laugh when Aoi said: “I thought this would be the end, but then they drop a season 2 on me”. But yeah, that moment when we truly came together as a team after reaching the finish line was just profoundly emotional. And things just got better from there. The F.I.S. team joined us for season 2, which boosted our morale even higher. Every time we did an event together it felt like our connection to each other grew stronger and stronger. I was so thrilled to work alongside such fabulous people!
Finally, please tell us about something that you’d like to try with the Symphogear series in the future.
Everyone on the cast has long talked about wanting to have a Symphogear movie. I think Symphogear’s animation and music is just a perfect fit for the theater environment. Aside from that, all of the concerts that we’ve done were held on the Kanto side of Japan, so I think it would be awesome if we went on a concert tour! We could change up the set list every day on a tour and perform a variety of songs. Oh, and I want to do a musical! Except I can’t spin around while doing handstands, so let’s hire suit actors to perform the action scenes! Actually, now that I think about it, I might not even be able to handle wearing the costume (laugh).
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