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Love Live! TV Anime Official Book - Special Interview with Composer Yoshiaki Fujisawa

In celebration of the "Love Live! Anime 10th Anniversary Orchestra Concert," I've translated the special interview with Yoshiaki Fujisawa, the composer for the "Love Live!" anime, from the Love Live! TV Anime Official Book!

This is my first time translating something by myself, so I apologize for any errors.

Direct quotes from the anime are from the FFF fansub.

The main theme contains all of my initial inspiration for "Love Live!". Without it, the soundtrack for the show wouldn't be complete…!

Composer: Yoshiaki Fujisawa

Born in Fukuoka Prefecture. From composing and arranging songs for top artists to providing soundtracks for anime productions, he is a music creator active in a variety of genres. His major works include the TV anime series "GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri," among many others.

Background music, or a soundtrack, which sometimes subtly enhances the story or highlights the emotions of the characters, is an essential part of any production. The last of these special interviews is with Yoshiaki Fujisawa, the musician in charge of the soundtrack for "Love Live!"!

The first keywords were "hot-blooded passion" He was conscious of creating songs that expand the world of the deeply emotional μ's members

―How did you come to be in charge of the music for the "Love Live!" TV anime?

I was originally a song composer, but I'd started to do some work on soundtracks as well, and I was thinking I'd like to try my hand at more of that kind of work when I was approached to do it. I remember being very happy, partly because the timing was good. I'd heard of "Love Live!" through gossip at song competitions. I was under the impression it was about idols, but when the words "club activities" and "hot-blooded passion" came up at our first meeting, I knew exactly what kind of show it'd be. From then on, I completely changed my mindset. I wanted the songs to express the positivity and liveliness typical of teenage girls. I believe this is a time when girls are troubled by small things, thinking various thoughts, and full of emotions, so I wrote the songs with this in mind to expand such feelings.

―Seeing as "Love Live!" is the first time you've been responsible for the soundtrack of a single production by yourself, what were some of the most significant challenges you faced?

Making forty to fifty songs in one go. I'd never made that many songs at once. It was all new to me, so it was like I was building my workflow from scratch while making them. Each song was created differently, and the number of recording sessions and time allotted to each was different, so it was difficult to think about all the details. But most of all, I was afraid I'd make the world too small…. I was very concerned with how I could make the world bigger and wider, even within the scope of what was presented. The setting is the school and the Akiba area, which isn't really that big, but perhaps to μ's, who are high school students, that's all there is to the world. Looking back on it now, I think the key point was how I could bring the breadth of the world to them.

―Which songs in particular did you make with a conscious effort to expand the world?

Take "Hanarebanare (Apart)," for example, which plays in episode twelve of the first season when Honoka quits being a school idol. I thought it best to play up the depression in the song to the point that it sounds as if someone is going to die. It's such a shocking event for Honoka's friends, and I think when someone is truly in despair, they feel like they can't see a way forward. Especially when a girl like Honoka says she is quitting, she must be on the edge. If I were to take it easy on her, it'd just make it sentimental, so I made it as if I was kicking her down to rock bottom (laughs). "Hanayo no Ketsui (Hanayo's Decision)" from episode four of the first season is another song that expands the imagery to push Hanayo's back in a grandly powerful way. On the other hand, for a similar friendship scene in episode three of the first season involving the three second-years, I remember writing "Yuujou (Friendship)" with the aim to focus rather than expand. It feels like it's contained within them alone.

From memorable songs such as the main theme to songs used in unexpected scenes! Many stories about the composing process!

―What was the first song you wrote?

The main theme, "Hajimari no Asa (Morning of Beginning)". This song contains all of my initial inspiration for the soundtrack of "Love Live!". Without it, the soundtrack for the show wouldn't be complete. I finished the melody and composition very fast as if the idea I had in my head just popped out. The other song I was able to write without hesitation was "Nozomi no Mune no Uchi (Within Nozomi's Heart)" from episode eight of the second season. The story is connected to "Snow halation," and it depicts Nozomi's thoughts and feelings from her childhood to the present, as well as her contributions to μ's, so I had a clear image of what the song would be about. I felt like I was able to create it quickly from the get-go. For the second season, I had some sense of the direction, so it was easier to grasp the main points.

―Was it easier to write songs for the second season?

Of course, after doing the first season, I had set a basic atmosphere for the world. However, since the last part of the story is about the end of μ's, it was difficult to find ways to express that. I wanted to do things I didn't do in the first season, so I tried various approaches, including changing the manner in which I wrote the songs. For instance, in the aforementioned "Nozomi no Mune no Uchi," I tried to do what I couldn't do in "Hanayo no Ketsui," which was to create a gentle image that envelops the listener. "Kinpaku (Tension)" from episode four of the second season is also notable. It's the song in the scene where they're worrying if they'll pass the preliminaries or not. There's a part where Nico crushes her strawberry milk carton and it squirts everywhere (laughs). If they don't make it here, it might be the end. In that sense, it's the most tense scene, but I thought it'd be uninteresting if I just built up the tension in a serious way. I wanted to express the panic of the girls in the music as well.

―Was there any song that was used unexpectedly?

"Yume no Ato (Echo of a Dream)," which plays before μ's perform their encore in episode twelve of the second season. It was originally supposed to play during the rooftop scene in episode thirteen. You can imagine my surprise when it instead ended up in the scene before the encore. This song is very memorable to me because I completely reworked the melody in the middle. It's the original up to the chorus, which is the most climactic part, but the rest of the song was totally different at first. It didn't feel right no matter how many times I listened to it, so I erased the whole block because I felt the melody was out of place. Maybe that's why it worked in the encore instead, but I think it's an interesting phenomenon. It's a simple song with only piano and strings, but the string performance was so emotional it gave me goosebumps while recording it, even though I wrote it myself (laughs). We discussed using it in episode thirteen as planned, but the director wanted to end it on a softer note, so we ended up using a variation of the main theme titled "Urei no Yuugure (Dusk of Sorrow)". This song does indeed have more of a feeling of coming to a close.

―Are there any other songs that were used in unexpected ways?

The intro of "Alisa" was used in the scene where Eli first appears. That phrase has been used quite a bit since then, and it seems to have become the song of the Ayase sisters (laughs). Another unexpected song was ">ω</". It was supposed to be a song for Honoka's house, Homura. I didn't think Rin-chan would take it (laughs). Also, if you look at the series as a whole, "Hanayo no Ketsui" is used in many scenes involving the first-years. As I'm sure the fans are aware, it was used in episode five of the second season when Rin-chan is pushed by Hanayo and the others and in episode eleven of the second season when Maki-chan tells Nico she'll continue being a school idol at the beach. When I think about it, I feel "Hanayo's decision" was what ended up pulling all the first-years together. The song gained that meaning as well.

―How did you create "Zenkai no Love Live! (Last Time on Love Live!)," which appears in almost every episode?

I knew it'd be distracting to make it too melodious because of the narration, but it wouldn't be entertaining if it was just static, so I found a good balance between the two. I wanted it to have a lively impression, so I decided to use the trumpet as the main instrument. Then, by coincidence, in the opening sequence of the first season, there was a shot of Honoka blowing a trumpet, and I knew I'd made the right choice. I was surprised to hear her singing along to it in the second season. In a way, this might've been the most unexpected song (laughs).

We also asked Mr. Fujisawa about his favorite scene from the TV anime series & μ's song♪!!

―What scene from the TV anime series particularly left an impression on you?

The scene in episode eight of the first season where Eli joins μ's. Specifically, the sequence of scenes from the songs "Eli no Yaritai Koto (What Eli Wants to Do)" to "μ's no Hajimari (The Beginning of μ's)". The interaction between Eli and Nozomi, as well as hearing the sound of voices practicing in the distance, really left an impression on me. When Eli says, "I'd do what I wanted if it could get me somewhere!" that's a restraint for people. The members of μ's, especially Honoka, took that restraint away. In contrast to Eli, Honoka has the mentality of doing things because she wants to do them, and even if someone is holding back, she gives them the push they need. I had that idea in mind for "μ's no Hajimari," so I put a synth bass in with the orchestra. I thought it needed that heartbeat.

―Do you have a favorite μ's song?

"Bokura no LIVE Kimi to no LIFE (Our LIVE and LIFE with You)" is a great song. "Yume no Tobira (The Door to Our Dreams)" and "Dancing stars on me!" as well. Although "Bokura no LIVE~" isn't the main theme, I like it because it feels like the group's initial inspiration. The melody of "Yume no Tobira" is simply great, and even though they saw their rivals give an incredible performance right in front of them, they sang it without losing their way, so I can feel their will in this song. On that same note, even though they were unsure about it and tried on different costumes, "Dancing stars~" is also a song they sang in their own way in the end.

―What do you think the appeal of "Love Live!" is?

I think the appeal, up to and including the movie, is that the girls tried to do something with determination. From the beginning to the end, even when they faced obstacles, they thought things over, made sound decisions, and kept moving forward without giving up. That passion is obviously appealing. In episode nine of the second season, there's a scene where Honoka, Umi, and Kotori head to the venue in the snow, and even the two who seemed to be following Honoka up to that point expressed their feelings of being involved of their own volition. Rather than going with the flow, they each made their decision on their own accord. That implies they're taking responsibility for themselves. I think that's why they shine so strongly.

―From what you've said so far, it sounds as if you've been making the soundtrack in a way that empathizes with the feelings of μ's. Is that because it's "Love Live!"? Or do you do the same for other productions?

There are characters in every story, of course, so I consider that in other productions as well. But as for "Love Live!," I had the strong impression those nine girls were driving the story, so perhaps I was thinking more about what they were feeling.

―Please give us a closing message!

I'd like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude by saying thank you and also to say "Love Live!" is not only a fun show but also one that cheers you up when you watch it, so if you're ever troubled or stuck in a rut, I'd urge you to watch it. If there are people around you who aren't sure whether to make a move or not, please encourage them to make a move like Honoka did!!

#love live school idol project #µ's #translation