#should i make one like this but with sora's and tsumugi's solos as well?

[cutie-lumi]

Wakey-Wakey ❤️❤️❤️

[bethygauw]

[2/2] Enstars: B’s-Log February 2017

Released in December 2016.

Unit Song CD 2nd Series Vol.8: Switch Cast Interview

English lyrics are not yet up on the wiki, but I’ll eventually refer from other sources!

Kenji Nojima (VA of Natsume Sakasaki)

Q: Firstly, please tell us about your impression on the songs when you first listened to them.

Nojima: I had a strong impression of it being dance music that is very pop and makes you want to dance to it. You can imagine the characters singing while dancing, which I think is very fitting for Switch. I wonder if Natsume-kun is in charge of the unit’s sex appeal? (laugh) Even during recording I received a lot of instructions like, “please bring out some sex appeal.” And I thought, “So Natsume is the sensual type…”

Q: Then how did the actual recording go?

Nojima: Temptation Magic leaves a very deep impression in me, and I think you will be able to grasp what kind of unit Switch is from this song. So that you can see this is what Switch is, I thought about in what way each character’s personality will be brought out in this song. My theme is to think about how much Natsume’s sensuality should be incorporated into the singing. Especially in the whispering part, I brought out what little sex appeal I had (laugh). It may be sex appeal that’s like tofu residue, but it’s also what I found to be the most challenging and also fun. I think it’s a distinguishing characteristic of the song.

Q: Please tell us the appeal of each song.

Nojima: Both songs can make you think that this is Switch, but Temptation Magic is a very Switch song, up to the point the word “Switch” itself is in the lyrics. I think each character was able to bring out their good part in the whispering part, “Switch.” In my mind, Temptation Magic is an assertive song, while Knockin’ Fantasy is a song where you can catch a glimpse of Switch’s kindness. Switch’s duality is exuded here, so by combining the two you get one worldview of Switch’s. Personally, I got to reconfirm what kind of unit Switch is.

Q: Ensemble Stars has been extending its reach through appearances in various kinds of media. Could you promote the series to the readers who have not yet been exposed to it?

Nojima: I had only recently recorded the dialogue lines, so I think all of you would know better than I do. But I think Natsume-kun is Switch’s brain. He becomes Switch’s compass and operates it. Even if the three of them are looking at different directions, they’re moving towards the same direction—probably the fact that they’re scattered is what evokes a sense of unity, which is a rare pattern that is unprecedented. There’s always something behind every word that Natsume-kun says, or rather, I think he’s a person that carries a sense of responsibility in every word he says. And those around him can’t tell how much he stays true to his words. I think that slightly mysterious part of him is his charm. I want to know him more, but maybe it’s also better not to (laugh). I also like fortune-telling, so I can relate to him a bit.

Q: Please give a message to the fans who are looking forward to the release!

Nojima: I think people are looking forward to it, and I think it’s finishing up into something that will exceed your expectations. So please give a listen to the songs and I hope you’ll love Switch even more. When you listen to these songs, I think your switch towards Switch will be flipped on. Please have it flipped on! (laugh)

Kaito Ishikawa (VA of Tsumugi Aoba)

Q: Firstly, please tell us about your impression on the songs when you first listened to them.

Ishikawa: Maybe it’s because I’m not used to sing idol songs, but my impression was, “Ooh! They are bright and sparkly!” (laugh). Temptation Magic is a cool song, while Knockin’ Fantasy is “the embodiment of glitters and sparkles”. Singing is not my forte, so I was at loss for how I should sing. It’s my first time acting as this type of character, so while thinking about the character’s personality, I reminded myself of the time I recorded the game dialogues and sang. It’s the three’s unit song, but it’s the first time I’ve heard the voices of the other two Switch members, so I thought, “So this is how Switch turns out to be!”

Q: Then how did the actual recording go?

Ishikawa: In Temptation Magic, I had a hard time singing the high note in the final chorus. The director and the staff stayed with me for a long time until I was able to sing it properly, so I was so relieved when I did (laugh). Also, the lyrics aren’t about the characters, but it’s the unit’s image song. I single-handedly thought that Switch is a unit that’s a bit fluffy, but both songs are so unwavering and cool, which took me by surprise. I compared and adjusted the image I had and recorded while consulting with the staff. Thanks to that, a new image of Switch was born inside me and it was refreshing and fun. As for Knockin’ Fantasy, it’s really sparkly and bright, and has cheerful and positive lyrics. I think it’s a song that would give hope to people. I’m not very good at focusing my attention on things that are sparkly and bright, so I was at loss for what to do (laugh). Also, since Tsumugi is a character that is quite dark (laugh), I would take that into account and in the end I thought about how he would still stay positive despite everything, and maybe it’s fine to sing that way.

Q: Please tell us the appeal of each song.

Ishikawa: The backing vocals in Temptation Magic have lyrics too, so I’d like you to give it a listen. Also, I gave it my all in “We’ll open the door” [1] (laugh). As for Knockin’ Fantasy, I received the direction to sing with different tone in the second verse-prechorus compared to the first one. While I’m worried if I was able to sing them differently, I sang with my all. There were detailed instructions, like, I was told to be honest with my feelings in the first part, while in the second one I was told to sing it calculatingly and then sexily. I tried my best, so I hope you can give a kind judgment (laugh).

Q: Ensemble Stars has been extending its reach through appearances in various kinds of media. Could you promote the series to the readers who have not yet been exposed to it?

Ishikawa: I don’t have many roles in idol projects, so when my role was decided in Ensemble Stars!, I received a lot of surprised reaction from fans. Even when it was decided that I’ll be singing unit songs, there was a big response. I’m not good at singing, but since I was chosen to voice Aoba, I was determined that I’ve got to give my all in singing! I’d feel sorry if Tsumugi Aoba’s charm will be halved because I can’t sing well, so… In order to bring out his charm, I figured I’d have to practice with my all and do my best from now on too.

Q: Please give a message to the fans who are looking forward to the release!

Ishikawa: Naturally I am too, but Nojima-san and Yamamoto-san are also giving their all and are very committed into their singing, so it’ll make me happy if you give the songs a good listen. As for me, this is my first time taking a role of an idol and sing, so it’s one of CDs in which release I’m looking forward to. Please give us your support!

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(t/n)

1. “Tobira o hirakou” towards the end of the chorus.

Kazutomi Yamamoto (VA of Sora Harukawa)

Q: Firstly, please tell us about your impression on the songs when you first listened to them.

Yamamoto: The songs themselves have a lot of sparkly sounds, so I thought they’re like illusion magic. It’s so fluffy and sparkly, and both songs can make me imagine a stage. Each of the three characters have different personalities, so I’m excited to see how it’ll turn out.

Q: Then how did the actual recording go?

Yamamoto: Sora-kun is hard to grasp. It’s not like he’s bundled unconditionally as a cheerful character, and there are times where he just kind of watches over things from an observer’s point of view, so he can act indifferently. He has fluffy cheerfulness. In these songs, while I tried to match my singing with the words, I also wanted to fill in the gaps in the cheerful parts and perhaps in the cool parts as well. I bet Sora-kun is a boy who sings with intuition. For nuances where he wants to deliver certain words or feelings, I think he instinctively thinks that it’s easier for these nuances to reach people’s heart if he doesn’t exert his singing skills. I think he’s a boy who will bring out different styles of singing while matching to the background music, so I gave myself a challenge to also prepare different styles of singing as best as I could. Personally what makes it difficult is actually how Sora-kun can sing just fine without thinking so much.

Q: Please tell us the appeal of each song.

Yamamoto: The backing vocals’ lines in Temptation Magic, for example, “By a warped dissoNANCE” or “By the falling afterIMAGES,” [1] they’re stylized as Natsume-kun’s words, aren’t they? Everyone sings together in this part, but personally I wanted to make it sound like Sora-kun uses Natsume-kun’s words without knowing what it’s all about (laugh). In the lyrics there are parts that are characteristic for each member. In Knockin’ Fantasy, there’s a line where Sora-kun sings solo, “It shines so brightly with so many colors.” [2] I thought the lyrics assignment is really well thought-out. There’s a meaning behind a character singing a particular line. If you listen to the lyric as it is, I hope you can see how fitting these lines are to be sung by Natsume-kun, or Sora-kun, or Tsumugi-kun.

Q: Ensemble Stars has been extending its reach through appearances in various kinds of media. Could you promote the series to the readers who have not yet been exposed to it?

Yamamoto: Regarding Switch, there’s a mysterious and spiritual feeling about them, with Natsume as their chief. Even their daily lives and conversations are all shrouded in mystery (laugh). Personally, I think Switch’s good side is expressed really well when Tsumugi-kun gets punched by Natsume-kun and there’s Sora who would say, “Teacher really likes Senpai, huh!” Sora-kun understands that the words people say are more than meets the eye. Even if on the surface they’re irritable, Sora-kun can understand instinctively that underneath it’s not the same. But he would also point it out without reading the situation. Their interaction is a bit like a manzai [3], which is a fun part of Switch. As for Sora-kun, we don’t know his past yet. And although he’s somewhat hard to grasp, you’ll know he’s a good boy when you start a conversation with him and he would also open up. It’s probably a new type of communication disorder (laugh). He may get too close personally than he should, and acts familiar out of nowhere, but I’m sure to Sora-kun, it’s a natural course of action. That’s why, he may be hard to grasp to other people. But the boy himself is having fun, so as an observer I’d end up giving him a warm chuckle (laugh).

Q: Please give a message to the fans who are looking forward to the release!

Yamamoto: They’re a new unit, and I got to listen to the songs when they’re not yet that well-established. At first I thought their songs would have slightly suspicious atmosphere, fitting for what they call magicians, but in the end they’re songs overflowing with sparkly and spiritual charms. You can build up some expectations just fine! (laugh) I think it’ll exceed your expectations, so please give us your support.

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(t/n)

1. First prechorus: “yugaMU iwakan DE” and “oTOSU zanzou DE” respectively 2. The first prechorus, “Takusan no iro de unto kagayaite” 3. Stand-up comedy comprising of boke and tsukkomi, i.e. the fool and the straight-person.