Published in Arcadia issue 13 (June 1, 2001). The first in a regular column consisting of interviews and discussions with artists featured in the pop’n music series.
We’ve heard the cries of fans who want to learn more about the world of pop’n music. And so, Arcadia’s long-awaited deluxe pop’n column finally begins!
An ultra-deluxe lineup befitting the grand opening:
Yuko Asai
First appeared in pop’n 3. Composed and arranged “Peppermint” as “Asai Project”, and did her own vocals for “Candy Blue”.
From composition to production, she covers a wide range of activities. She gained many fans with “Mahou no tobira (Space Maco no Theme)”, which first appeared in pop’n stage and was later brought to pop’n 5.
Parquets
Parquets
Tsugumi Kataoka
Composes, arranges, and plays all instruments for Parquets. Together with Fujino, they write songs for TV and other artists, but no matter what they do, their music is popular among players its nostalgic-feeling melodies.
This February, Parquets released their first mini-album, “Liquid Melody”.
Parquets
Manami Fujino
The female vocalist and lyricist of the duo Parquets, who first appeared in pop’n 3. Embellishes the pop’n series with her bright, pop-y singing voice, as well as working on TV theme songs and commercials.
pop’n 3 included “Koi no charade” with the character Megumi, and “Suichuu kazoku no theme” with the character Poet.
Atsushi Shindo
First appeared in pop’n 3, with “Nanka hen da!”. Has built up a huge fanbase with his high-difficulty songs, with unique lyrics and a distinct groove.
His powerful musical style falls firmly into the genre of “Power Folk”. The game’s extremely popular character Ash perfectly fits Atsushi Shindo’s image.
To kick off this brand new column expanding the world of pop’n music in a big way, we bring you a truly special roundtable!! Thanks to pop’n music sound director Nazo2 Suzuki, we’re able to share plenty of never-before-told stories from 3 groups of pop’n artists! Whether you’re a pop’n newbie or an expert, we hope you take the time to fully enjoy!
meet the pop’n music
Suzuki: Let’s start by looking back on how we all first got involved with pop’n music. Let’s have Asai-chan go first.
Asai: How I first got involved? That would be because Suzuki-san told me to (laughs).
Suzuki: (laughs) Yeah, that’s more-or-less what happened. Alright, moving on (laughs). Well, when I first took on the role of a game sound director, I thought I should use that role to help boost people who I wanted to see take center stage. That’s the reason I told you.
I first got to know Asai-chan when she participated in the chorus of Shiori Fujisaki’s*1 3rd single, “Mouichido kiss shiyou”.
*1 The heroine of the hit love simulation game, Tokimeki Memorial.
Asai: That’s right.
Suzuki: And that’s when I found out that she also writes her own songs. Do you have any particular memories of your first time working on pop’n?
Asai: I mostly recorded from the home studio*2, so it didn’t really feel like I was particularly involved with it at the time. I only really felt it when I was actually at the game center. Like, “oh, there it is, there it is!”.
*2 Recording audio at home with her own recording equipment, as opposed to at a studio
Shindo: Ahh, that’s true (all nod in agreement).
Suzuki: And what about Parquets…
Fujino: We also first met through work related to Tokimeki Memorial.
Suzuki: Kataoka-kun, as part of Parquets, had a song included in a Tokimeki Memorial character song album, which I thought was really great. And then when it came time for mastering, Kataoka-kun called me up and said “I want to try handling the mastering”, which I’ve still never heard any other writer say before (laughs). Like, “I’m not gonna say anything , just let me be there”.
Kataoka: Mastering was something I just really wanted to try taking on. Then when I did it, Suzuki-san just sorta threw himself down (laughs).
Suzuki: (laughs) But I told you about how much I liked the song. I have a ton of attachment to that one song*3, which is in the Parquets mini-album. So I went and listened to your library of previous songs, and decided to include one I thought was interesting in pop’n 3, “Suichuu kazoku no theme”.
*3 “Stand by You”, Lyrics: Manami Fujino, Composition/Arrangement: Tsugumi Kataoka
Kataoka: That’s right, that’s where it started.
The only memories I have of recording involved the heat. We went all the way to a studio in Kobuchizawa*4 to record, but the studio on the 1st floor that had air conditioning was already being used for another song, so we had to carry our equipment to a room upstairs.
*4 Kobuchizawa is a city in Kitakoma District, Yamanashi, established as a summer retreat
Asai: Huh, you just recorded in some room!?
Suzuki: (laughs) We should’ve just recorded at home, at least we would’ve had air conditioning.
Kataoka: That’s right. And we had to show the developers where we wanted the button hits to go while we worked, so we had to do all of that in that room.
It was the middle of June, with no air conditioning, and just one window with no wind, and heat being generated all over the place. It was 46°C [117°F] in that room, with our equipment gradually overheating.
Suzuki: We had to go down to the studio to ask to borrow equipment. We looked like a mess… and were covered in sweat!
Kataoka: Yup. It’s a bitter memory. But at least we were able to make a nice, refreshing song.
(all burst out laughing)
Fujino: Suzuki-san came up to say “it’s time for lunch” and he was just like “I don’t want it!” like a little kid. He was definitely not happy.
Kataoka: We felt like we had to record while the equipment was still working, since we didn’t know when it would break.
Suzuki: What were you up to then, Fujino-cchi?
Fujino: I was singing Asai-san’s song, and we had finished recording at the studio for the day. So I was probably in the studio drinking coffee, having sweets, and playing with my dog (laughs).
Suzuki: pop’n 3 had a song called “Peppermint”, written by Asai-chan and sung by Fujino. And then on the “Vocal Best 2” album, it was sung by Asai herself.
Then my strongest memory of Shindo-kun was that he gave people chocolate along with a minidisc of his back catalog. People would say “he likes chocolates, so he gave this to us himself” and I thought to myself “what a strange guy…”. It was all kinds of different chocolates! I could at least understand a bit more if it was just one kind (laughs).
Shindo: Well, my house is full of chocolate that I bought for myself.
Asai: Suzuki-san is also a chocolate lover. It’s a chocolate-bond.
Kataoka: You’re lucky that you don’t get fat…
Fujino: But I think I’ve got them beat when it comes to chocolate-eating. It’s my staple food.
Shindo: “Staple food”!?
Asai: Looks like we’ve got one more chocolate-bond (laughs).
as a “pop’n player”
Suzuki: Has everyone played pop’n?
Asai: I’ve played it, but I couldn’t clear anything at first. Then after three tries playing together with another person, we managed to clear it. Even though I knew when you were supposed to hit the button*5, because I was the one who set it.
*5 Simple songs with sparse notes often don’t have enough points where you’re supposed to hit the button to work in-game. So to increase that number, the game developers discuss with the artist, so the song can be rearranged. By the way, Asai-san, who specializes in simple songs, often has the number of points to hit the button increased.
Shindo: It’s tough.
Kataoka: I got a call to go to a location test one time. There were some people who were really good at the game there. Good enough that I backed off when I saw it, and didn’t play while they were there. So I waited a bit, and tried playing when there were fewer people around.
Suzuki: Why’s that?
Kataoka: Because the judging gaze of high school girls renders me unable to act. I was able to clear the Beginner Course once, but no more than that.
Suzuki: So you haven’t played “Over the Rainbow”*6?
*6 A popular Parquets song first appearing in pop’n music 4
Kataoka: We tried playing it together, and suffered an honorable defeat.
Fujino: I once happened to see some kids playing “Over the Rainbow”, so I watched from behind, and sang along with it. So I prefer spectating over playing myself (laughs).
Suzuki: What about you, Shindo-kun? Could you clear anything?
Shindo: The first time I played, I couldn’t make it to my own songs. But I really, really wanted to hear my own music in-game. But there was this good player behind me, so I was like, “hey, if I pay for it, will you play Power Folk for me?”. So that guy got to Power Folk for me.
After he left I continued, but no matter how many times I played Power Folk, I couldn’t even clear it once.
Asai: And you didn’t tell him “I’m Shindo”?
Shindo: I didn’t. Though I recall saying “That’s me. The one singing this.” when the song was playing.
Asai: (laughs)
Shindo: I kept continuing and continuing, and people had formed a line before me. This high school lady was like “um, we’re waiting” and I was like “ahhh, sorry…”
(all burst out laughing)
Suzuki: You’ve gotta credit feed*7 in moderation~
*7 When one player inserts coin after coin into a single machine. If other people start lining up, please stop so you don’t annoy them.
challenge in “pop’n music”
Suzuki: Does everyone have anything in particular they want to try from here on with a pop’n music song? Asai-chan, don’t you?
Asai: I don’t (laughs).
Suzuki: Well, let’s just say Asai-chan wants to keep writing and singing good songs. What about Parquets?
Kataoka: I’m generally in the same boat as Asai-san, but I also want to make a ridiculously hard song. From watching people play, I think that having a song really focused on being energetic could be fun. A song that gets your body moving, with an aggressive beat.
Suzuki: So this is a declaration of war with Shindo-kun.
Kataoka: It is not!
(all burst out laughing)
Kataoka: Shindo-san has his own established style, so I want to try making fun-to-play songs with a different approach.
Parquets has a reputation for cute pop songs, so I think it would be fun to try making something that shatters that image, just once.
Suzuki: Now that you mention it, Fujino-cchi played guitar in an all-girls rock band.
Fujino: That’s right. And I have some ridiculous photos as proof (laughs).
Suzuki: I wonder if you’ll play guitar for pop’n sometime. Alright, what about Shindo-kun?
Shindo: I don’t really want to do something completely different than what I’ve done before, but up until now I’ve just done whatever I wanted without worrying about consistency. I wanna try something that takes “cuteness” or “hardness” to the max. Like giving Ash some kind of cyber outfit. But deep down inside, I really haven’t gotten it figured out (laughs). That’s my secret (laughs).
Asai: That’s all you have to say!?
(all burst out laughing)
Suzuki: Alright, let’s finish up by having everyone say what they want readers to check out about their songs appearing in pop’n music 6.
Asai: I want people to listen to the cute lyrics. It stars a little robot boy, with lyrics and music coming together to form “kayo techno”.
Fujino: This time, I handled a cover song. It’s fun only needing to worry about singing the song itself, very different than doing an original song.
Kataoka: It was fun to try to include some Parquets-ness in a cover song. And we put together a “Parquets Course,” so definitely give that a play.
Shindo: I don’t have a new song this time, but I definitely want to make another song for the game.
Suzuki: Shindo-kun is working on pre-pro*8 for an album right now. We want him to take his time and make it great. And, like always, we hope you all enjoy pop’n music 6.
*8 Pre-production. The preparation before actual work begins.
Atsushi Shindo’s Samurai Syndrome
Vol. 1
~ Spring Edition ~
Yo. There’s this thing I’ve been noticing lately. Arcades and pachinko parlors are always close to the train. But, but… you also see a lot of fruit stores near the train. Right?
The nearest train from my place is three buildings down, so I often buy strawberries on the way (strawberries and milk are a great combo, right!?) and I was shocked when I saw how cheap a pack of them are these days (and the color and shape are pretty good too…). I see those strawberries and I can’t help but think “man, it really is spring”.
When you think spring, you think starting school and work, new life, TV shows, love, etc… lots of stuff starting up. And so I, Atsushi Shindo, will suddenly be starting this column as well. Clap clap clap. So, I hope you keep reading.
Back Stage Pass
Nazo2 Suzuki
So, how was that for a start to Pop’n na Kankei? (laughs)
I think we’ve been able to offer the kind of info that you don’t normally get to see (or is it hear?). We hope you’re able to feel even closer to the game and its music, and can enjoy it even more! Or something like that.
Even though I’ve had some gaps along the way (laughs), I’m feeling pretty emotional about entering the 10 year club at Konami. I guess my secret is to follow my heart without considering success or salary… well, that’s the revelation I’ve reached lately! (bursts out laughing) Nah, I think I’m just happy freely being able work on music! (This part is serious)
Of course, we’ve got some soundtrack-related plans this year with Atsushi Shindo’s album, but we have all kinds of other things in the works too, so I hope you’re looking forward to it!
I’m doing my best to be an exceptionally thorough producer, so thank you for your support!
Spilling pop’n secrets (1)
When Asai-san was recording temporary vocals for Morning Musume, she met someone surprising who was doing baseball-related voices for the song. It was none other than Shindo-san. This is where Asai-san and Shindo-san first met. By the way, the energetic voice shouting “o-su!” is Shindo-san.
Spilling pop’n secrets (2)
Fujino-san, whose cute voice leaves quite an impression, works on TV commercials frequently. She’s recently been a regular on cat food commercials, with her singing voice appearing in Marlha Pet Food’s “Black Can” commercials (♪ Densha ~ Gotogoto~).