#japanese 2018 drama

[save-the-data]

Dele S01E02

Japanese Drama - 2018, 8 episodes

[moviestillsxx]

my little monster (2018) - dir. Sho Tsukikawa

[theaskywalker]

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)

[lostgoonie1980]

149. Assunto de Família (万引き家族, 2018), dir. Hirokazu Koreeda 

[thebroccolination]

"Ossan's Love" Becomes Japan's Number One Friday Night Drama of All Time

名シーンの連続に、第1～3話とTVerで配信中のスピンオフの見逃し配信総再生数が700万回を突破（※ビデオリサーチにて算出 期間1月6日～24日）するなど、金曜ナイトドラマ枠歴代1位の快進撃となった。 oricon.co.jp

"This series of famous scenes has become the number one Friday night drama of all time, with the total view count of the first three episodes as well as the spin-off episode (available on TVer) surpassing 7 million (calculated by Video Research Ltd. from January 6 to 24)."

The Ossan's Love franchise began in 2016 with a TV movie that earned a small but loyal following that enabled the 2018 series that saw the casting of Hayashi Kento and the introduction of Maki's character. It's his inclusion, the chemistry between him and Tanaka Kei, and the extra work they did on developing nuance in their characters that I think led to the massive popularity of the 2018 drama.

It was only seven episodes, and no one expected it to be popular, but the final episode trended globally at number one on Twitter, which is bananas.

Summer of 2019 saw a movie that continued on from the end of the 2018 version. This was massive. Red carpet event for the premiere, nationwide theaters, merch, and the biggest screen in Roppongi Hills (the one with the fancy armchairs).

Ossan's Love was a massive success.

There was also the plane show in winter of 2019 (without Hayashi). It sure did happen.

The fanbase of the 2018 version (called S1 by the Japanese fandom) is huge and enthusiastic, so it's no surprise to see the success of S2, but to claim the number one Friday night drama of all time!!! For a queer drama!!!

A queer drama just became the number one Friday night drama of all time in Japan, a country that has yet to legalize marriage equality.

Incredible.

[absolutebl]

Hey. Ty very much for your posts. As a woman in my 30s I got hypnotised by the beauty of the novelists and was wondering if you had similar high heat intense recommendations (also watched the samurai one "taboo"), bi or mlm with older leads and non fluffy storylines.. Moody atmospheric and venomous is my weak spot

Moody, atmospheric & venomous BL

Like, the Novelist? really?

AKA Pornographer movie series AKA The Novelist, Mood Indigo, Pornographer Playback (Japan 2018-2020) - emotional manipulation, cheating, obsession, seduction, May/December, kink, touch of necrophilia, explicit.   

Okay I got one right off the bat: seek ye....

The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese

AKA Kyuso wa Chizu no Yume wo Miru (Japan 2020) - obsession, cheating, breakup, reunion, then break up again, explicit, mature characters. 

Now let me think about some more:

high heat

intense

non fluffy

older leads

The last one is a doozy, so I'm not gonna use it as a qualifier. BL is most, well, about "boys" not men.

Some others that might work for you but don't meet all your criteria:

Your Name Engraved Herein (Taiwan 2020 Netflix) - this movie is fantastic but it is also seriously depressing, it’s a self acceptance journey, but if you wanna wallow in high quality acting and serious gay drama, this’ll do it. 

Innocent (Taiwan 2021 GaGa) - mental health, childhood trauma, actually kinda sweet. 

The Eighth Sense (Korea 2023 Viki - This isn’t in the KBL bubble, there’s sharp edges and lots of triggers. For a KBL the darkness of the content left me feeling unsettled but it's really damn good.

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan 2023 Gaga) - Basically: boys who fell in love in college end up living together but both are so repressed they actually don't realize they're in love. They're hot, young, in love, and total idiots.

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Thai 2023 grey or YT) - IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, elegant and classy… from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, it gets hot more that explicit, but it does have sharp edges.

Tokyo in April is AKA Shigatsu no Tokyo wa (Japan 2023 Viki) - Two young men with a shared tragic past reunite and fall in love all over again, but the past will not stop hunting them. It’s Japan in full on soft focus which means it gets emo, abusive, and chewy. These two characters are giving parts of their souls away in a desperate attempt to shape themselves to the expectations they have of each other it's heavy and cutting.

Moonlight Chicken (Thai 2023) - I enjoyed this complicated little show, even though it’s spectacularly messy gay with lots of shrapnel and authentic pain. EarthMix turn in their most compelling performance to date.

Bed Friend (Thai 2023 IQIYI) - Office frienamies transition a flaming hot one night stand into a f-buddy relationship that is built on a puppy/cat dynamic (and kinks into it at one point). Our puppy is loyal, smitten, and protective with endlessly longing eyes, while our cat is snarky, prickly, and deeply damaged (ALL THE TRIGGERS). NetJames give lovely high-heat with excellent chemistry and tuned-in performances of surprising depth.

Big Dragon (Thai 2022 Gaga) - This is a decent execution of true enemies to lovers, these two spy on and bully each other, exploring darker themes and self worth issues. The way the leads transition between anger, resentment, titillation, and flirting (and the way, with kinksters, this can all be the same thing) is really well done. A pairing that proved itself to be a lot more sophisticated than I expected with excellent chemistry, but something went askew around plot, directing, and ending. Still if you're in it for the sexy, go to, they did.

My Beautiful Man AKA Utsukushii Kare (Japan 2021 Gaga - One of the most Japanese BLs to release in the last decade, as weird and as messed up as any 2000′s yaoi: emo af and hella warped, entirely true to itself with no attempt made to modify its POV for modern sensibilities or current BL fandom. It used seriously old school problematic and kinky tropes, like whipping boy, for a truly uncompromising piece that also manages to hit up themes of communication, consent, and self acceptance. It’s a wonderful BL but uniquely dirty and harsh, in the best possible way - Japanese cinema, uncompromising.

End of the World With You

Junjou: Pure Heart

The Egoist

No thoughts on those three, not my thing.

You also might consider some of the stuff on this list:

Hope that gives you some options!

[tottenhamhotsperm]

as a wrestling and kpop fan I feel obligated to talk about this

the song strong machine j is dancing to is perfect night by le sserafim, a kpop girl group. here's a side by side comparison with a fancam of miyawaki sakura, one of the members. she is legitimately called kami (god) by her japanese fanbase which tells you a lot on what you need to know about her popularity. he was probably paying homage to her as a fellow japanese.

however, the plot thickens. here's another video of a wrestler:

someone look familiar? that's sakura.

sakura, although now an extremely popular kpop idol promoting in korea, has had several side quests in life. she started as a member of hkt48 at just 14, an idol group under the main group akb48 which quite literally has hundreds of members. they run on an "election" system, where the general public gets to vote for their favorite members and the most popular members generally get more opportunities/performances/merch/etc. so to stand out, she had to take some liberties whether it be pretending to be extremely shit at jump roping or have comically bad running form to garner laughs.

it's important to realize that japanese idols are seen more as entertainers rather than performers. rather than focusing their energy on perfecting their singing and dancing, they're more like a jack of all trades working more toward making their audience feel energized.

the clip of sakura wrestling is actually from a drama akb48 broadcasted called tofu pro wrestling where sakura inherits her dad's tofu shop only to find out she could only pay back the debt he left behind if she won a wrestling championship. so not only did sakura, but SEVERAL other members under the akb48 umbrella learn puroresu and perform in front of a live audience. great stuff.

she then goes on to become one of the most popular members of the group and travels to korea in 2018 for an idol competition show called produce 48, which brought together members of akb48 and korean kpop trainees who would be voted into a temporary girl group.

sakura, who was extremely popular before even going on the show, was voted into the final group called iz*one. (there was voting manipulation but sakura would've been in the final group regardless so I won't go into that.)

as an iz*one member she gains a massive korean fanbase while simultaneously maintaining her japanese fans. once iz*one's contract ended in 2021 and disbanded, sakura decided to stay in korea and would later join le sserafim in 2022 where she is now promoting.

all that and she's only 25! I've barely grazed the tip of the iceberg that is sakura's career, but it's honestly a treat whenever i find out about some batshit crazy stuff she's done in her decade-long career.

miyawaki sakura, one of the most popular celebrities in japan, was once a wrestler! something to think about whenever you listen to iz*one/le sserafim.

also here's a photo of her in the audience during kenny vs okada wk 11 LOL

[isaksbestpillow]

Probably all alone here with my unpopular opinion, but I'm actually excited about the Ossan's Love reboot.

I watched the original as it was airing on Japanese tv in 2018 (the tv movie aired in 2016 and was later extended into a drama) so I remember it fondly. Yes it was silly then and even sillier now (though some of the silliness is rooted in typical japanese romcom beats), but it was groundbreaking for its time. Japan didn't have Will and Grace, or Queer as folk, or Glee, or any of that. Queer representation on mainstream media was mostly limited to drag queens and cross-dressers. Gay people on TV were usually in the role of onee or okama (a negative term though reclaimed by some) rather than gay. Many japanese people did not know the difference between sexuality and gender identity. So at the time, a romcom with three men in a love triangle all wearing suits was something new. What's more, no one died. Japan has since produced queer entertainment with far more substance and nuance, but Ossan's Love was an important step along the way. It was an unexpected hit that indicated people's minds were changing.

I'm interested to see how Asahi will collaborate with GMMTV on this project to bring it to this day. They've been an important partner in promoting thai bl in Japan. Earthmix are Japan's favourite so their casting makes sense. They have really good comedic timing and chemistry with each other so I'm excited for them to build on that after their more moody shows.

If Ossan's Love Thailand has one excited fan, I guess it's me!

[save-the-data]

Dele S01E01

Japanese Drama - 2018, 8 episodes

[yurimother]

Yuri Manga 'Run Away With Me Girl' Final Volume Released

On Tuesday, Kodansha Comics released the third volume of Battan's Yuri drama manga Run Away With Me, Girl (Kakeochi Girl) in English digitally and in paperback. It is the final volume in the series.

Run Away With Me, Girl follows the turbulent relationship of Midori and Maki. The two women dated and loved each other in high school, but Midori broke up with Maki at graduation, saying they were "too old" to be "fooling around" dating girls. Ten years later, they reunite, and Maki is stunned to find out that Midroi is getting married and pregnant with her first child. But it soon becomes clear that Midori's life is not as idyllic as it seems.

The publisher describes the third volume:

Maki and Midori leave Shodoshima, but instead of returning home, the two women find themselves riding away to a remote corner of a train line. Maki knows they can't hide forever, but she can't quite figure out how to tell that to Midori. Meanwhile, Midori doesn't know where she is in her life any more than she knows where she is on the map, but Tazune is trying to answer that second question-and if he does, it may force Midori to answer the first... The thought of running away was once a wistful dream for Maki and Midori, but when the two women wake up to find it a reality, they'll have to decide if it was just what they needed to find their way home.

The manga was serialized digitally in Hatsu Kiss between 2018 and 2020. Kodansha initially published it in four digital volumes in Japanese. The series was re-released in three Japanese print volumes with new cover art in 2021.

The second and third volumes are translated into English by Kevin Steinbach. Volume one is translated by Rose Padgett.

Run Away With Me, Girl is notable for its complex adult characters and heavy subject matter. It includes topics such as emotional and physical abuse, cheating, and internalized homophobia.

Battan is a manga artist known for her drama stories, including Run Away With Me, Girl, and the single-volume Yuri manga Ane no Yuujin. Her current series, Kemutai Ane to Zurui Imouto, is serialized in Kodansha's Kiss magazine.

Check out the third and final volume of Run Away With Me, Girl today in English digitally and in paperback: https://amzn.to/3HziD9I

Reading official releases helps support creators and publishers. YuriMother makes a small affiliate commission from sales to help fund future coverage.

[vocaloidfactoftheday]

Which Vocaloids have Twitter?

as twitter slowly burns to ash, a question that may have crossed your mind is "how many vocaloids are still using twitter?"

just for fun, i've put together a list of every official vocaloid twitter account i can think of! this list includes account handles, when the account was made, the language the account promarily posts in (usually the vocaloid's native language), whether the account is still active, and any other notes i think are interesting.

these are organized by vocaloid release date, not twitter account creation date.

Hatsune Miku

Japanese account (cfm_miku) created January 2010, English account (cfm_miku_en) created February 2014

both accounts are still active

Camui Gackpo

Japanese account (GackpoOfficial) created July 2023

active

GUMI

Japanese account (GUMIfromMegpoid) created November 2016

active

SONiKA

English account (SonikaVocaloid) created July 2009

inactive since November 2012

SONiKA was the first Vocaloid to have an official Twitter account!

Lily

Japanese account (DjLily_Vocaloid) created February 2011

inactive since April 2011

there are only 20 tweets.

SeeU

SeeU doesn't have an official Twitter, but a Twitter account was made to promote and celebrate her 10th anniversary (SeeU10thAnniv)! it was made in August 2021 and posts in Korean and is still active!

Tone Rion

Japanese account (tonerion) created October 2011

inactive since August 2012

OLIVER

English account (vocaloid_oliver) created November 2011

he also has a Chinese account (Oliver__China) created in July 2021, but that account still frequently posts in English

both accounts are active

his main English account was inactive for a while, i believe between 2017 and 2020, but he's back on the net!

CUL

Japanese account (CUL1224) created June 2021

active

Bruno and Clara

Spanish/English account (V3BrunoClara) created August 2013

inactive since December 2021

they shared!

IA

this drama queen has had 4 accounts. one is IA_Official (Japanese account, created July 2019, active), another is IaWorldpage (Japanese/English account, created April 2014, inactive since August 2014), the third is the account she shared with her little sister ONE, IA_ONE_Official (apparently deleted?) and last is IA_GLOWB (English account, created July 2022, active).

these accounts are largely focused on IA as a CeVIO and Vtuber/virtual artist rather than as a Vocaloid.

Aoki Lapis/Merli

neither individual Vocaloid has a Twitter, but i-style Project, which was focused solely on them, had a Twitter account under the handle i_style_vc3. it has since been deleted.

Luo Tianyi

interestingly, Luo Tianyi has only a Japanese Twitter account (LTYjp), created in January 2018 and inactive since August 2020

none of the other Vsinger characters seem to have Twitter accounts. this is probably because Weibo, which they DO all have accounts for, is more widely used in China than Twitter. (and at this point? i'm jealous of them.)

AVANNA

English account (VocaloidAvanna) created August 2012

inactive since new year's day of 2014. her last tweet was: "Wishing everyone a wonderful 2014!"

YOHIOloid

English/Japanese account (YOHIOloid) created April 2013

inactive since September 2013

in case you didn't know, yohioloid was released on september 10, 2013. his last tweet (out of a total of 5) was made on september 15, 2013.

MAIKA

mostly English and only sometimes Spanish account (VocaloidMaika) created September 2013

inactive since October 2022

Macne Nana

Japanese account (macnenana) created June 2009

inactive since June 2020

Macne Nana was released for VOCALOID3 in 2014, so this account must have been initially made for her debut as a GarageBand and Reason plugin

anonkanon

Japanese account (Anon_Kanon) created February 2014

inactive since June 2015

flower

flower has 2 accounts! both are Japanese. the first one, v_flower_jp, was made in April 2014 and has been inactive since June 2021, except for 2 tweets in April 2022 about flower's CeVIO release. flower's second account, Ci_flower_, created for the CeVIO release, was made in March 2022 and is still active.

Tohoku Zunko

Japanese account (t_zunko) created July 2011

active

Rana

Japanese account (rana_0909) created June 2014

inactive since September 2022

Xin Hua

her Twitter account was XinHuaOfficial, but it was...suspended for violating the Twitter Rules!? what did she do?????

unity-chan! (Kohaku Otori)

Japanese account (UnityChan_PR) created December 2013

active

it should be noted that the account was made when she first debuted as Unity Japan's mascot, and this account mostly focuses on promoting the Unity engine. she hasn't posted anything about her Vocaloid release in quite a while.

Xingchen

English/Japanese/Chinese account (quad_stardust) created December 2015

active

this account mostly posts in English, though the bio is Japanese and the tweets and retweets sometimes contain Japanese or Chinese. i assume most Chinese posts, like the Vsingers, are made on Weibo instead.

Otomachi Una

Japanese account (otomachiuna) created May 2016

active

MATCHA and AZUKI

the project they were created for, Project 575, has a Japanese account (project575) created in May 2012. this was for MATCHA and AZUKI's private V2 voicebanks.

this account has basically been inactive since late 2017, but they do still diligently post happy birthday messages each year for the main Project 575 characters

LUMi

Japanese account (ava_lumi) created June 2017

inactive since June 2021

Mirai Komachi

Japanese account (miraikomachi_PR) created May 2018

active

this is kinda similar to unity-chan where Mirai Komachi, as a character, is essentially a mascot affiliated with Bandai Namco. but unlike unity-chan, she still seems to frequently acknowledge her existence as a Vocaloid.

Haruno Sora

Japanese account (harunosora17) created May 2022

active

MEIKA Hime and Mikoto

Japanese account (himemiko_jp) created June 2019

inactive since June 2021

Hime and Mikoto shared the account and would frequently sign off tweets with their respective emojis and katakana characters; Hime's was 👹 and ヒ and Mikoto's was 😈 and ミ.

[writingmochi]

a terra incognita introduction

cast: jake ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: as the world entered the middle of the 21st century, many things have changed for the better or for worse in the newly united korea peninsula: the preparation for the succession of the new conglomerates of the past decade, the uprising of deviant androids, and the new layer of life shield by walls of codes. in the middle of it, two beings are trying to understand each other and the situation of the world they live in; an unknown territory

genre: cyberpunk, cyber noir, psychological thriller, science fiction, dystopian future, politics and philosophies regarding artificial intelligence and humanity, romance, drama, angst, mature content (war and revolution, explicit smut)

based on: video game cyberpunk 2077 (2020) and detroit: become human (2018), anime serial experiments lain (1998), and tv show succession (2018-2023)

masterlist

united korea

the united republic of korea (known as "united korea") is an east asia nation on the korean peninsula. as a result of the reunification agreement back in 2025 of the former north and south korea, the state has now prospered in terms of sociopolitical and economic issues from the korean war. it now excels technologically as one of the firsts in the world to introduce commercialized androids along with other east asian countries such as japan and china. in the aftermath of the social media collapse and the cyber world war of 2027-2030, the private conglomerates of the state have released a new way to connect to the information superhighway.

FLAG

(flag link to r/alternatehistory on reddit)

INFORMATION

capital cities: neo seoul | neo pyongyang

population: 65.5 million

language: korean | english | japanese | chinese

>> HISTORY

>> GEOGRAPHY

>> GOVERNMENT

>> SOCIETY

>> ECONOMY

>> MILITARY

>> MAJOR CITIES

neo seoul

one of the capital cities of united korea and the former capital of south korea, neo seoul is a metropolis for the state's bustling life from the most traditional to the most modern. neo seoul is known for six districts that are divided by the han river flowing in the middle, known as the division of north seoul and south seoul

north seoul encapsulates the traditional side of neo seoul and the center for the city's and state's government administration

south seoul lies the center of neo seoul's economy where conglomerates build their headquarters. a distinct living cost gap can be seen to compare those living in the north and those in the south where it is connected to incheon, a major city of transportation with its international seaports and airport

neo pyongyang

one of the capital cities of united korea and the former capital of north korea, neo pyongyang is the capital of the parliament of united korea. it's located on the taedong river kilometers upstream from the yellow sea. it is known as the city where the declaration of unification was signed along with its establishment as half of the capitals of the unified countries. much of the population of neo pyongyang are citizens coming from the southern of the peninsula as they migrate to fill in the spaces and utilize materials. it is also a growing industrial hub where conglomerates built their factories, along with kaesong.

with the rise of deviancies from androids made by shim laboratories, journalists have made observations and assume that neo pyongyang is the main hub of the rebellion between androids and their creator (as one human equates to two androids), creating unrest between the two parties. yet, they also say that neo pyongyang is a better refuge for deviant androids than neo seoul.

taglist: @raeyunshm @endzii23 @fluffyywoo @camipendragon @hiqhkey @wccycc @cha0thicpisces @y4wnjunz @yeehawnana @beansworldsstuff @kimipxl @blurryriki @reallysmolrenjun @frukkoneeeeg

© writingmochi on tumblr, 2021-2024. all rights reserved

[trojanteapot]

Obligatory Infinity Train Fanfic Plug I Guess

I have some new followers since I posted about my Infinity Train cosplay process so I guess now's a good time to plug my boring overly-long fanfics that are mostly sad and stuff.

SHIPPING FICS

RYMIN:

Ain't No Cure For Love: Ryan and Min-Gi perform their first gig in Montreal. Min-Gi wants to confess his feelings. (First fic I ever wrote probably a bit rough now and the only fic without any sort of theme besides "love wins" i guess) It Can't Be Helped: Takes place in the mid-2000s when Ryan and Min-Gi's band have become quite successful and are touring East Asia. Ryan has some cultural identity issues to overcome at the age of like, 40-something. (This one is much much better than the first Rymin fic, and is about more than just shipping. I did a ton of research into Japanese-Canadians and Korean-Canadians for it as well! Shout-out to my partner for his huge role in shaping this fic as he is Japanese-Canadian himself.)

GRIMON:

Raison d'Etre (PART 1) (PART 2): Post-Canon AU where Simon survives the Train. Grace and Simon spend about 4 years apart from each other living their own lives on Earth, but one day Grace shows up randomly in Quebec to pay Simon a visit. Traumatic wounds get reopened, things get emotional, philosophical, maybe even a little... sociopolitical? Also interspersed between Grace and Simon's little dates are flashbacks to the Train that explain exactly how Simon managed to leave the Train in this AU.

I separated it into two halves because the second half contains smut. However, the second half kind of needs to be read for there to be a complete story. The smut is entirely skippable and doesn't contribute to the overarching plot so I do encourage you to read both halves.

(Also of note is that this takes place not in the "present" but in the past (2018), because I am An Old Person(TM) and so I made Grace and Simon millennials. And I also didn't want to write about the pandemic. It's not that noticeable and you can ignore that timeline fuckery if you want.)

True Love Waits: (VERY VERY CURSED) Sort of not a shipping fic? But Grace gets pregnant here and we all know who the father is! So Grace needs to leave the Train before the baby is born. Canon complacent so Simon is dead. (TW: other than pregnancy there's also thoughts of self-harm and mentions of abortion)

Leave It In My Dreams: Grace's sad nightmare in Alma Mater but from Simon's perspective.

Shame On You, Blue-Eyed Fox: Grace lets her guard down and harassed by a rookie cop. Simon finally makes himself useful for once in his entire life. (TW: real world racism obviously.)

GENERAL FICS

Alma Mater: Post-Canon. Tulip starts college, is very typically Tulip about it, but she befriends an older student named Grace Monroe who helps her through it. However, Tulip comes to learn that she and Grace have more in common than they realized at first. Also Jesse and Lake get thrown into the mix and drama ensues. (Mostly canon complacent except for 1. time period, and 2. Grace is from California, not DC, but her parents work in DC.)

Initial State: A side story to Raison d'Etre. After Simon realizes he's wrong he works with the Cat to bring his number down and leave the Train. But this isn't as easy as he thought especially when he meets a denizen he's recently met before, but never expected to meet again (becausehekilledherlol).

Semi-Automatic Lonely Boy: Prequel to Raison d'Etre. Just a series of vignettes of Simon's life after returning to Earth. (TW: depictions of self-harm) Other than It Can't Be Helped, this is the other fanfic that I am the most proud of so far. Literally went and relearned French to write some of the dialogue in this.

I'll Get It Right Sometime (ongoing): Four years after Book 3, Hazel and Amelia have a pretty decent life on the Train. But this peace is interrupted when Hazel meets a passenger and decides to help him through the Train. How can Amelia keep Hazel safe? Who is this passenger anyway? Why is the Cat so interested in interfering? Why is Simon somehow involved?! Why is JESSE somehow involved?!?!??! (Note: I think Hazel ages normally, so she's 10 years old in this one.) This is also my most ambitious fanfic yet. I have an Entire Homestuck Reference chapter, a Reddit chapter, and I plan to have several Discord chapters.

[maristelina]

Interview with DECO*27 and Takuya Yamanaka on the Interactive Music Project MILGRAM -ミルグラム-

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TRANSLATOR NOTES:

This is an old interview back in 2020. It's important to remember that the thoughts of Yamanaka and DECO*27 about the direction of the characters could've changed! Don't let that deter you from your initial voting!

Given the structure of Japanese, run-on sentences are inevitable. I did my best to rephrase them for better flow and brevity. But there were some sentences that I found difficult to change so I left them as is.

Sometimes there would be additional context on some of the questions. This is because the interview answers won't make any sense without them. Haruka's song being the prime reason... They will appear as indented to separate them from the interview questions.

Please let me know if there are any errors especially with the names I used. I struggle with translating names accurately, so I did my best to be as precise as possible.

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An interview with DECO*27 and Takuya Yamanaka, the producer of MILGRAM, has been published on Music Natalie.

As the first interview since the start of the project, they talk extensively about MILGRAM, starting from their initial encounter. Please check it out!

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DECO*27, a music producer, and Takuya Yamanaka, a game creator known for the "Caligula" series and other works, have collaborated on a new project called MILGRAM -ミルグラム-. The third CD in the series, "Umbilical," has been recently released. The two artists, who usually work in different genres, have joined forces for this project.

MILGRAM -ミルグラム- is a unique project that encourages viewer participation through music, visuals, and voice dramas. As "guards" of MILGRAM -ミルグラム-, viewers observe the crimes of the prisoners through the release of music and music videos and then make a judgment of "forgive" or "not forgive".

The project involves professionals from different fields, including members of DECO*27's company OTOIRO who have contributed to the visual, video, and music arrangement aspects.

The project also features a cast of talented voice actors such as Yurina Amami (Es), Shun Horie (Haruka), and Yuuka Aisaka (Yuno). The project has gained attention for its collaborative nature and the participation of professionals from various genres.

Music Natalie interviewed the two creators behind the MILGRAM -ミルグラム- project, discussing the inspiration behind the project, their perspectives on it, and the process of producing the music, including the release of the third CD, "Umbilical".

The interview was conducted by Hitoshi Sugiyama, and Keiki Takenaka from ARTIST PHOTO STUDIO provided the photos.

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PRIORITIZING VIEWER ENJOYMENT

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──Is it safe to say that your initial collaboration was for the game "Caligula Overdose," released in 2018 and produced/directed by Mr. Yamanaka, where DECO*27 composed the Stork song "Love Scope"?

DECO*27: Yes, that's right. It was the first time we met at the recording studio at that time.

Takuya Yamanaka: During media interviews for the game, we talked about our musical ideas and realized that we were of the same generation.

DECO*27: But we didn't have any contact for a while after that.

Yamanaka: Yeah, that's right. During that time, I became a freelancer, and he founded OTOIRO, so our circumstances shifted. When I saw the music video for "Otome Kaibou feat. Hatsune Miku" that came out early 2019, it felt like a showcase for OTOIRO as a company. I recall thinking, "If I could harness this potential and create something of my own, it could be really fun."

DECO*27: We had the opportunity to have a meal together and talk about work and various things. At that time, we talked about wanting to do something together. It was a typical polite social gesture.

Yamanaka: I came up with the idea for "MILGRAM -ミルグラム-" during a meal with DECO*27. I didn't want the suggestion to be perceived as just a polite social gesture, so I proposed the idea on the spot.

Originally, I had thought of turning it into a game, but after seeing the music video for "Otome Kaibou," I was inspired to develop something that was synced with music. I found this idea more modern and interesting. The comment section of Vocaloid songs often features various people offering their interpretations and analyses of the music video.

However, there's usually no way to confirm whether these interpretations are correct or not. So, I came up with the idea of providing an answer and turning it into a complete story.

DECO*27: As soon as I heard that idea, I could envision myself as the composer and akka as the character designer, so I said right there and then, "I'm in!"

Yamanaka: From there, we started to communicate our ideas for this work and worked together to make it happen.

The Music Video that inspired MILGRAM's Direction

──Was there anything you were conscious of when starting the project?

DECO*27: In creating MILGRAM -ミルグラム-, our main goal was to prioritize viewer enjoyment. That's why we made sure that crucial aspects of the project were not restricted to paid areas, such as the official app.

Yamanaka: We wanted to keep things fun and avoid commercializing our collaboration as two individuals from the same generation. So, we made an effort to exclude any commercial aspects. For instance, we considered including voting tickets in the CDs to boost sales, but ultimately decided against it.

DECO*27: Also, since the theme of the content itself is heavy, we wanted to make it easy for people to participate by keeping the door open. Some people may deeply ponder the concept of sin and ask themselves, "Would I forgive my family, friends, or lover if they committed such acts?", while others may easily forgive a character simply because they enjoy the music. Both reactions are valid, and we welcome them.

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MORE PRISONERS RESULTED IN HEAVIER WORKLOAD

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──What about the specific system, story composition, and the interplay between music and story?

Yamanaka: I believe that "listening to music to understand the emotions of the creator" is an approach that deepens our understanding of music. The MILGRAM -ミルグラム- system was created with that motivation in mind. To really maximize its potential, we came up with the idea of having viewers explore the underlying reasons behind the "sins" portrayed in the music.

Nowadays, it's common to see a lot of people sharing their thoughts on crimes that happen in the world through social media and other platforms. I believe it would be fascinating if we could inspire people to reflect more deeply on "why" they feel a certain way towards a particular crime--and allow them the freedom to explore their emotional reactions.

For example, in MILGRAM -ミルグラム-, there's a character named Amane (CV: Miu Tanaka) who is 12 years old. Some people might say "I forgive them because they're just a child," while others might think "I won't forgive them just because they're a child."

In my opinion, there aren't many chances for people to truly articulate and ponder "what kind of person am I, and why do I think this way?"

Our hope for MILGRAM -ミルグラム- is that viewers will be able to reflect upon themselves and their own emotions through examining the sins of the characters.

DECO*27: Absolutely. But we haven't revealed what the outcome for the characters will be based on the viewers' judgment. So, at the moment, our main objective is for viewers to simply listen to the music, analyze it, and form their own opinions freely.

──Were there any changes made to the original plan due to DECO*27's input?

Yamanaka: Of course. When we worked together on "Caligula -カリギュラ-", I was impressed by how he expanded on the initial concept to create music. At the same time, I feel like my ideas provide him with inspiration that is different from what he usually gets when making music alone, so we are mutually influencing each other.

DECO*27: For instance, we initially planned to release one song per character over the course of three seasons - with each season containing song number 1, song number 2, and full-length versions. But for some reason, I proposed right from the start that we should release all of them in full-length versions (laughs). That was quite challenging.

Yamanaka: Originally, there were eight characters burdened with the weight of guilt.

──In the end, there were two more characters, making it a total of ten.

DECO*27: It began with my suggestion to include a character who would cause a stir in MILGRAM -ミルグラム-.

Yamanaka: While thinking to myself, "I know I'm struggling, but you're in the same boat, right!?" (laughs).

But in fact, the two people who joined the project at that point actually ended up doing an incredible job. I think that without them, the project would not be possible. As a result, we both ended up facing a hellish amount of work... (laughs).

I have the feeling that the nature of this project, which isn't based on the commercial principle of "creating something worth the investment," has lifted its constraints. We're motivated by the desire to push ourselves, "Let's do it even if it doesn't justify the cost."

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A CRAZY PROJECT

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DECO*27: Well, it's just hell (laughs).

Yamanaka: (laughs) I have all kinds of possible endings in mind, and we have a storyline that we think would be easy to create, but it is really up to the viewers to decide what will actually happen.

DECO*27: It's the same with the music. After each character is voted for, we start working on the music for the next season, but we're also brainstorming ideas for both "forgive" and "don't forgive" outcomes, so it could go either way.

Yamanaka: MILGRAM is such a crazy project (laughs).

I was really happy to find someone who would go along with it, and when I first suggested playing the game, I had the theme of "sin and love" in mind, with questions such as "Can you forgive someone after knowing their crimes?" and "What would you do if you couldn't forgive someone you loved?"

But, in expressing this through DECO*27's music, it was expanded to combine various emotions other than love with sin. It shifted to something more contemporary, closer to what the audience can relate to.

We came up with characters by personifying their sins, creating a situation where the judgment of whether to "forgive" or "not forgive" varies depending on the person judging them. We listed many situations where judgments are divided based on the viewer's personality, environment, upbringing, and so on.

Even if the sins seem similar at first glance, the circumstances in which they were committed and the possibility of extenuating circumstances can create entirely different characters.

DECO*27: When I saw the characters being developed, I thought to myself, 'Oh, they're going to do some nasty things...' and wondered how I would write songs for them. But each prisoner has a story leading up to the point where they commit their sins, and this varies depending on the character.

──While reviewing the materials for the interview, I was impressed by the detailed characterizations and realistic personalities portrayed, down to the smallest details.

Yamanaka: For me, I do not want my characters to be perceived as two-dimensional beings. I stick to the idea that they are based on real people who happen to have a two-dimensional appearance. That's one of my rules when creating characters, and I also make sure to write down their backstory in the materials.

So, even though the setting of the story in MILGRAM is a fantasy space, I wanted the characters themselves to feel like they could exist right beside you. That's why in this work, there are no instances of killing people with magic.

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DETAILED DIRECTION FOR VOICE ACTORS

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──DECO*27 has released three albums of music to date. Could you first talk about the production process behind "Undercover," which was the first album released in May?

Yamanaka: This song is really cool, isn't it? I felt that it perfectly captures what we wanted to express in MILGRAM. The music is spot on.

──The song "Undercover" serves as the character song for Es (CV: Yurina Amami), who serves as a representation of the viewer. As a result, it has become something of a theme song for MILGRAM.

DECO*27: Yes, that's right. I felt a lot of pressure to create something that would help listeners understand MILGRAM - a sort of introductory song for the work.

Es sings about the emotions of various characters in the song, but the lyrics of the part where prisoners appear in the music video correspond to each character, so that's an important hint as well.

Although it can be enjoyed as a fun theme song for MILGRAM, there are various hidden clues in the music.

Once the phrase "Will I be able to forgive everything now that I know everything?" was created for the chorus, the production went smoothly.

I think this phrase is the part that everyone is scratching their heads about when analyzing the song, but every line and delivery that feels strange while listening will come to have an important meaning later on, so I'd be happy if people could listen closely.

──Speaking of 'Undercover,' the way 'Future' is sung is quite distinctive, isn't it?

DECO*27: I provided the voice actor with a temporary recording of me singing, but I remember recording 'Future' multiple times until I was satisfied with the nuance I wanted to convey to Es (Yurina Amami).

Yamanaka: The songs for MILGRAM -ミルグラム- are created with the image of having a ratio of three parts singing to seven parts acting, as we ask the voice actors to perform. We also give them detailed directions on how we want them to act and sing.

──That's because it's an extension of the voice drama included on the CD?

DECO*27: Yes, that's right. So, if you listen to all the songs on the first installment of 'Undercover' in sequence, you'll hear a line in the last voice drama that says 'Now, sing your sins,' and the first track starts playing right after that.

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GUITAR ROCK AND ELECTRO-POP

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──And the second installment was the song ''Weakness' by Haruka (CV: Shun Horie).

DECO*27: This is a song about cannibalism.

Yamanaka: The music video created by OTOIRO was really crazy, or rather, it made me feel like saying, 'Let's do this!' In the MV, Mana Inoue created a collage that was mixed with animation. It's reassuring to see each creator playing to their strengths.

DECO*27: Using that technique, we portrayed Haruka's sin in an eerie way.

Translator Notes:

Thank you Ollie for this context. I'm horrible with Japanese puns.

The title of Haruka's songs are based on famous Yojijukugo (think of idioms) but one of the kanji is changed to a different one that sounds the same but causes the meaning to shift.

Haruka's first MV is a play on the phrase 弱肉強食 じゃくにくきょうしょく (literally 'weak meat, strong eat'). it's considered similar to 'survival of the fittest.'

Haruka's MV title is 弱肉共食 'strong' becomes 'together.'

So it can be translated as 'the weak eat each other.'

Because this is a high level pun, they just went with Weakness.

Fun Fact: This is why when Weakness merch goes through machine translation it gets called like weak meat co-eat.

And while we're here, let's talk about AKAA.

It's "omniscience and omnipotence" (All Knowing and All Powerful) [全知全能 ] / [ぜんちぜんのう]

But the word 能 talent/ability is swapped for 悩 worry/distress hence "All Knowing, All Agony."

──What is important to DECO*27 in the music of MILGRAM -ミルグラム-?

DECO*27: When it comes to the music of MILGRAM -ミルグラム-, we first considered two directions: whether to make all the sounds rock-oriented and in line with the world of MILGRAM -ミルグラム-, or to change the genre for each character.

We struggled with this decision, but ultimately chose the latter. My role is to express the story created by Takuya Yamanaka with music that suits the story and to collaborate with his work in various ways.

In the trailer currently available on YouTube, you can hear the chorus of the ten songs of the ten prisoners in the first trial. I intentionally made it so that you can hear various genres of music, so I hope you enjoy that as well.

── Indeed, the music in MILGRAM -ミルグラム- is very diverse, and it seems that rather than making everything into dark rock-oriented music just because it's a serious work, there are efforts to convey the personalities of each character.

Yamanaka: It expresses the characters' emotions, doesn't it? Even if something appears grotesque from an outsider's perspective, that person may feel like they're doing something pop. When I receive sound sources from DECO*27, I'm always surprised by how he expresses things.

── In that sense, the new release "Umbilical" by Yuuka Aisaka's character Yuno has a completely different sound from the guitar rock style of "Undercover" and "Weakness." It's a bright electro-pop tune.

Yamanaka: From the planning stage, we talked about wanting to create a musical style that would surprise those who had heard the songs of Es and Haruka.

DECO*27: "Umbilical" is an electro-pop song, but actually, the sound of the orchestral hit (Okehi) included in the song is related to that. I purposely added the sound that was popular in the 90s before today.

Yamanaka: We also put a lot of conscious effort into the backgrounds in the music videos for each song, so if you pay attention to those, you might notice things that people who are aware of them will appreciate. Each song is also made with consideration for how the audience will feel upon first listening. As the story progresses, I think there might be new discoveries made by listening back to past songs.

DECO*27: Each CD also includes a cover of a DECO27 song, but I personally select songs that suit each character's voice. Although it only has to suit their voice, and isn't related to their personality or crime committed, we change the key and arrangement to match the character, so I hope people enjoy that aspect as well.

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TWO PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT MINDS

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──How has the response been from viewers so far?

Yamanaka: In my case, I've started to be mistaken for THE ORAL CIGARETTES' Yamanaka Takuya (vocals, guitar)… Fans of the band follow me on Twitter, and then quickly unfollow me when they realize their mistake (laughs).

DECO*27: (laughs) And also, the singing ability of the voice actors who participated this time is amazing. It makes me very happy when people notice the attention we put into that. Everyone's acting and singing were great, and they provided the correct answers from the beginning, so I thought, "I want to take it further!" and added some direction.

── At the same time, there must have been moments when the two of you rediscovered each other's charm, right?

Yamanaka: In the process of creating things together, DECO*27's notable point is that he has a very pure perspective.

In my case, when I experience some entertainment, I have a tendency to look at it from an overview perspective, thinking, "As a creator, this is what I would do."

But he receives entertainment 100% and is able to enjoy it to the fullest. That's why ideas keep coming to him. Even though we're the same age, he has a bit of a boyish charm. I think the secret to being able to continue making hit songs for over 10 years is that he can continue to maintain that charm. He has his own writing style, and constantly updates his sensitivity, which is kind of abnormal in a good way.

──On the other hand, what are the appealing qualities of Mr. Yamanaka from DECO*27's perspective?

DECO*27: In his case, he's someone who has a lot of "ifs." He has both the "ifs" of success and the "ifs" of failure preconceived, so he has a large tree of "what ifs" prepared. In my case, when something unexpected happens, I panic and say "oh no!" but he calmly makes choices.

Yamanaka: I'm a pessimist, so I think about what to do when things don't go well.

──In that sense, MILGRAM -ミルグラム- is a project where two people with different personalities come together.

DECO*27: I really think so. By just watching how we would write the character's dialogue, you can tell our brain works differently. In MILGRAM -ミルグラム-, the characters' lines are sometimes quoted in my lyrics. On the other hand, during the voice drama recording, I sometimes think, "he picked that up from my lyrics!" And he (Yamanaka-san) even helps me find the right phrases, like "that's it" or "that's perfect!"

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IF EVERYONE IS FORGIVEN, THEN LET'S SHOW THEM HELL

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──It's really interesting how your exchange influences each other, and how the project's content changes based on the choices of the viewers

Yamanaka: That's why depending on the viewers' choices, it may lead to a surprising development that even we didn't expect, like "Oh, so this is how it turns out...!" It's both exciting and enjoyable for us.

──As viewers, what should we look forward to in the future?

DECO*27: From a musical standpoint, the songs in the first trial serve as an introduction and explanation of each character's crime. We hope you'll enjoy seeing how each character's singing voice and style come together. The chorus emphasizes melody, but we also focused on bringing out the unique personality of each character in the other parts, so I hope people pay attention to that while enjoying the visuals as well.

──Based on what I heard earlier, the music is quite diverse. There are songs that adhere to "character song" conventions, while others incorporate trap elements. Additionally, there are songs that combine soul and R&B elements with city pop, and even some with death voice.

DECO*27: This was made possible with the help of Rockwell's power. The songs with trap parts are conscious of overseas trends, and the city pop-like songs are sung by cool characters. Please pay attention to the combination of characters and music genres.

──What about you, Mr. Yamanaka?

Yamanaka: In MILGRAM -ミルグラム-, we want viewers to think and consider things, but whether their considerations are correct or not is not really a big deal.

Rather, I would be happy if they could confront their own emotions and imagination through the characters from various perspectives, such as, "If this were the case, I would not forgive them." or "If this were the case, I might forgive them." This is not only important in MILGRAM -ミルグラム-, but also in life.

── You want us to have the opportunity not only to learn about the characters, but also to learn about ourselves.

Yamanaka: That's right. That's why we want to treat the characters not just as two-dimensional characters, but as human beings. We want people to think about how they would feel if such a person actually existed.

──Does MILGRAM -ミルグラム- relate to what you just talked about, given that its name comes from the Milgram Experiment which studied the psychology of people who obey authority?

Yamanaka: It does, but not just that. Although it is titled MILGRAM -ミルグラム- , the situation is more like the Stanford prison experiment. A psychological experiment in which subjects were divided into prisoners and guards in a prison-like facility to observe their behavior. However, the question of what the Milgram Experiment was trying to prove is at the core of the work.

──What do you personally expect from MILGRAM -ミルグラム-in the future?

Yamanaka: It's not exactly what I'm expecting, but I assume that everyone will lean towards "forgiving" all the characters. But if they were all forgiven, I would "show them hell" (laughs).

DECO*27: (laughs). To put it in real terms, forgiving a murder means that those people will all come back into society as they are.

Yamanaka: Yes, that's right. But on the other hand, there is certainly the love of family members. Depending on the distance between that person and oneself, I think the way one feels will surely change. That's what's really interesting. For me, it's like I'm doing a psychological experiment (laughs).