Last year, my interview with GARNET CROW was very well received. So this time, since GARNET CROW are once again handling a TV *Detective Conan* opening theme, "Misty Mystery," and releasing it on August 31, they agreed to a special interview commemorating the release. This time, vocalist Yuri Nakamura and guitarist Hitoshi Okamoto appear!
中:Yuri Nakamura; 岡: Hitoshi Okamoto; す: Supi
中:Hello. That is another amazing T-shirt.
岡:There is a face drawn on it (laughs).
す:The image color of "Misty Mystery" is purple, and when you say a purple character, that means the Joker from Batman, so I wore a Joker T-shirt.
(Note:I was wearing a Joker T-shirt from *The Dark Knight*.)
中・岡:(laughs)
す:The new opening theme for *Detective Conan*, "Misty Mystery," is just such a cool song.
中:Thank you! Last year, the movie theme song was a bright song, and after that we released bright, forward-looking pop songs for a while, so I wanted to try a song showing a different side. Cool and stylish. Powerful, with a deep, forceful feeling (laughs).
す:The jacket photo is wonderful too.
中:Nobody is smiling, right? Those are our determined faces (laughs). Yes, it is the determined-face route.
岡:This time, the arrangement is centered on programmed sound. Also, everyone was particular about the wide range between low and high sounds. It is a digital rock song, which is rare for GARNET CROW.
す:Neo-acoustic GARNET CROW is taking on digital rock?
中:This time, we wanted to put in digital sound.
岡:But it also has a twist that is very GARNET CROW-like. Since the surroundings are digital sounds, the interlude uses gut guitar (note: a kind of classical guitar). That warmth may be GARNET CROW-like. Also, Ms. Nakamura's "breath" (laughs).
中:Yes. This time, we recorded about ten variations of "ah" and breath sounds and scattered them through the song. I had never done it before, so we recorded everything: high "ah," low "ah," all kinds of things, then chose the ones that clicked. That is another point (laughs).
す:Reading online comments, it seems to be very well received as "perfect for the *Detective Conan* opening!"
岡:Ah, that is good. Actually, when we are making a song, we are facing the song itself, so we are absorbed until it is completed. There are times when we cannot judge it calmly.
中:Actually, this time we made two songs and presented them to the other side, the *Detective Conan* staff side. One was "Misty Mystery." The other was "live" (read "liv"), which is included as the coupling track for "Misty Mystery." It seems they liked both, so we were waiting for their decision.
す:"live" is a bright, uptempo song, isn't it?
中:That's right. Actually, I think both express the *Detective Conan* quality. *Detective Conan* is a fun anime, and it is also suspense. So, for example, if they had wanted to present the next *Detective Conan* as more of a romantic comedy, the bright "live" might have been chosen.
If they wanted to emphasize the appeal of *Detective Conan* as a mystery-solving work, "Misty Mystery" is perfect. Many different artists provide songs for *Detective Conan*, but as GARNET CROW, we want to attach a minor-key, cool song to Conan. After all, we want to value its color as a mystery.
岡:When I hear "mystery," the first thing I think of is Agatha Christie's *And Then There Were None* (laughs).
中:For me, when I say mystery, it is the other two members: Hirohito Furui, who handles arrangement, and AZUKI Nana, who writes lyrics (laughs).
岡:True! AZUKI Nana's very existence is a mystery (laughs).
中:Furui's private life is completely unknown. A mysterious private life... a mystery (laughs).
す:In short, GARNET CROW itself is full of mysterious appeal (laughs). You co-starred with Conan at an event for last year's movie tie-up, right?
中:Last year we did many things. It was our tenth anniversary too. What we did last year has become one standard. For example, with live performances, it is like, last year's live was like this, so this year let us do this. Through the activities of that one year, it feels like our own "drawers" increased.
We do not want people to say it was amazing only because it was the tenth anniversary, so we want to use that "tenth anniversary" as a draft and keep surpassing it.
す:I see. By the way, the final lyric of "Misty Mystery" is "解き放て無謀な衝動." Is there anything you want to "set free" and do right now?
岡:Let me think. If I were set free... maybe I would want to rest slowly (laughs). But even while resting, I might still end up worrying about songs.
中:I have not ridden any thrill rides this year, so I want to ride one! (laughs)
す:Do you like thrill rides?
中:Yes. Wherever the amusement park is, I ride its famous thrill ride. The one I want to try now is "Takabisha" at Fuji-Q Highland.
(Note:This is a thrill ride certified by Guinness World Records for its "maximum drop angle of 121 degrees." Here, Ms. Nakamura spoke passionately about this minus-120-degree course with gestures. This side of Ms. Nakamura is very cute!)
す:I would like to hear Ms. Nakamura's wonderful voice "screaming" (laughs).
中:Is my voice loud? (laughs)
岡:Rather than loud, I think your voice carries. Even in restaurants, sometimes when the manager says "Excuse me," it does not get through, but with Ms. Nakamura it gets through in one shot (laughs). (Note: Mr. Okamoto also has a very wonderful voice.)
す:Ms. Nakamura's voice reaches people's hearts no matter when (laughs). Wonderful!
Interview Afterword
It was a very fun interview. When I asked the two of them about films they like, Mr. Okamoto said he likes American comedies. Ms. Nakamura likes science fiction, including the anime *Legend of the Galactic Heroes* and *Planetes* (you really do like sci-fi), and around *Men in Black*! (*Men in Black 3* is coming next year!) She also likes ScarJo and enjoyed *Iron Man 2*! (Next year, you can see cool ScarJo again in *The Avengers*!)
During this fun interview, I actually dared to ask this question as well. It was about "3/11." Both Ms. Nakamura and Mr. Okamoto said that for a while they "did not feel like making music." Ms. Nakamura said, "Music is something you can enjoy precisely because there is peace. It adds color to life and living, so it cannot help people whose foundation for that has collapsed."
Mr. Okamoto was himself affected by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and said, "In a situation where water matters more than music, music can only be meaningless." But when he finally decided to start walking toward recovery, he suddenly wanted to hear music badly, and apparently recorded music from radio programs constantly. "When a person thinks they need music, I think that person has shifted into a positive state. Music becomes a plus for people who have begun to feel forward-looking."
Ms. Nakamura said she thought, "There are people helping those affected by the disaster. It is all right for there to be music that 'helps' those 'helpers,'" and that is how she began musical activities again.
When I write articles for this column, I always listen to GARNET CROW songs.
When I appeared on a radio program as a guest related to American comics, I had them play GARNET CROW's "Go For It." This is definitely the song of *Thor*! Really (laughs).
Many of their songs are sad, but somehow they give you energy. I think that is because each of them is, after all, a wonderful cheering song. Everyone, please do listen to them.