‘BanG Dream!’ (Bandori!) is a multi-faceted project that includes not only anime, but also a smartphone game and band activities performed by the voice actresses. Within the project, there is one other band that has attracted as much popularity as the main character Toyama Kasumi’s band ‘Poppin’Party’ (PoPiPa): ‘Roselia’, which debuted as an original band in the smartphone game ‘BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!’ (Garupa). This time, we’ll look into the people who give their voices to the members of Roselia and carry out band activities, and feature gravure at the end of this book!
-Text by Katsubara Tarou
| TV anime ‘BanG Dream!’ First-year high-school student Toyama Kasumi, who wanted to find something sparkling and heart-pounding, comes across a star-shaped guitar and decides to start a band. She forms ‘Poppin’Party’ along with others who are searching for a similar shining thing: Ichigaya Arisa, Ushigome Rimi, Yamabuki Saaya, and Hanazono Tae; and the band begins its activities. Then, along with bands like Glitter*Green, who they aspire to be like, and Roselia, who they happened upon at the live venue, they work hard together to make their performance at the venue of their dreams, ‘SPACE’, a success. |
| Roselia 1st Live Additional Performance Decided! Roselia’s 1st concert was held at Shibuya duo MUSIC EXCHANGE on June 30th. And, it has been announced that an additional performance will take place on July 29th! For details, please refer to the official ‘BanG Dream!’ website. (Tickets may be sold out). Roselia 1st Live Additional Performance Date: Saturday, July 29th, 2017 Venue: Tokyo, Ariake Coliseum Official website: http://bang-dream.com |
| [New Releases] ‘BanG Dream!’ Blu-ray Vol. 3 On sale July 26th, 2017 OVERLAP 7000 yen (+tax) Includes episode 5 ‘My Heart was Racing’ and episode 6 ‘I made it!’. The special video included is ‘Bandori! Special BanG! ~Count Down PARTY~’, broadcast on January 14th, 2017. As a first publication bonus, an early pre-sale application ticket for ‘Poppin’Party Fan Meeting 2017☆’ will be included. Additionally, it was announced that the Blu-ray volume releasing on November 22 will feature a completely new OVA, ‘We Played!’. Roselia ‘Re:birth day’ On sale June 28th, 2017 Bushiroad Music [Limited edition with Blu-ray – 2000 yen (+tax)] / [Regular edition – 1300 yen (+tax)] Roselia’s long-awaited 2nd single ‘Re:birth day’ is already available in the game and has garnered a lot of attention. This incredibly emotional song was produced by Agemastsu Noriyasu (Elements Garden). The Blu-ray that comes with the limited edition includes a live performance of ‘Re:birth day’. |
| Minato Yukina. The vocalist. A second-year at Haneoka Girls’ High School. Roselia’s leader. Has a strong core and is extremely serious when it comes to music. | Aiba Aina. Born October 17. From Osaka prefecture. Affiliated with HiBiKi. Notable appearances include ‘Kemono Friends’ (Rockhopper Penguin) and ‘Cardfight!! Vanguard G: NEXT’ (Anjou Tokoha). |
| Hikawa Sayo. The guitarist. A second-year at Hanasakigawa Girls’ High School. Has a high-strung and quite solemn personality. Her younger sister is ‘Pastel*Palettes’ guitarist, Hikawa Hina. | Kudou Haruka. Born March 16. From Osaka prefecture. Affiliated with Ace Crew Entertainment. Notable appearances include ‘Cardfight!! Vanguard G: NEXT’ (Yumizuki Luna) and ‘Honey and Clover’ (Hanamoto Hagumi). |
| Imai Lisa. The bassist. A second-year at Haneoka Girls’ High School. Yukina’s childhood friend. Sociable, always fashionable, and has many friends. | Endou Yurika. Born June 24. From Tokyo city. Affiliated with Swallow. Notable appearances include ‘Angel’s 3Piece!’ (Momijidani Nozomi) and ‘Kaiju Girls ~Ultra Monsters Anthropomorphic Project~’ (Windom). |
| Udagawa Ako. The drummer. A student at Haneoka Girls’ Middle School. The younger sister of Udagawa Tomoe from ‘Afterglow’. Became a member of Roselia because she admired Yukina’s singing voice. | Sakuragawa Megu. Born October 24. From Ibaraki prefecture. Affiliated with S inc. Notable appearances include ‘Wagamama High Spec’ (Sakuragi R. Ashe) and ‘Love Live!’ (Kira Tsubasa). |
| Shirokane Rinko. The keyboardist. Ako’s best friend who attends Hanasakigawa Girls’ High School. Is introverted and withdrawn, but is especially skilled at sewing, producing handmade stage costumes. | Akesaka Satomi. Born January 2. From Saitama prefecture. Affiliated with Amuleto. Notable appearances include ‘Idol Incidents’ (Kitani Ruru) and ‘Tantei Opera Milky Holmes’ (Arsène /Henriette Mystère). |
Everything about the band named Roselia is cool!
———To start, please tell us the distinctive features of the band called Roselia.
Aiba: Roselia is a band with a high level of technique and a dark and cool worldview.
Akesaka: You definitely can describe them as “having a high level of technical ability”. And all the members were drawn in by the vocalist Minato Yukina’s singing voice.
Kudou: The five of them all have their own differing personalities and approaches to music, but they share the same feelings about Roselia. It’s a very passionate band.
Endou: They’re always serious, and also cool as hell (*laughs*)!
Sakuragawa: Yeah! No matter how you describe them, Roselia is cool above all else! The characters, the songs, the costumes, the live performances… all of them are super cool! Even people who don’t know about Roselia should be able to think “cool!” as soon as they take one look at them.
———Now, please introduce the characters you play.
Aiba: The vocalist I play, Minato Yukina, is a pure and slightly tactless girl, who has a strong core and has no doubts in her convictions. Yukina doesn’t smile much in front of others, but when she sees a cat, she becomes playful and affectionate… she has a huge gap.
Kudou: Hikawa Sayo, the guitarist that I play, is definitely stoic! She’s always saying “practice! Practice!”. And she’s a total tsundere.
Endou: The girl I play is Imai Lisa, on bass. Contrary to her gyaru-ish appearance, she’s the motherly type who takes a position like a middle manager and balances out the other members
Sakuragawa: Ako-chan is a girl who pursues “coolness” because of how she admires and loves her super cool big sister (Afterglow’s Udagawa Tomoe). She sometimes uses chuunibyou-like speech because she’s thinks it’s cool. She has a very direct and straightforward personality, and she trains extra hard to join Roselia. And even after she joins, she keeps thinking really hard about what she can do to help her beloved Roselia. She’s the only middle-schooler in the band, so she’s the member with the most vitality and energy!
Akesaka: I play Roselia’s keyboardist, Shirokane Rinko. She’s a shy girl who gets anxious around others.
———When you do your band activities, you all play the same instruments as the characters you portray. Could you please tell us about the instruments you are in charge of?
Aiba: I’m a vocalist but… I’ve always loved singing. From an early age, I’d call my relatives and put on concerts for them by myself. As a matter of fact, there are recordings of that, but I get embarrassed watching them (*laughs*)! After I became an adult, when I would go to karaoke, I didn’t just sing, but I wanted to do a bunch of stuff to get fired up, so… it hasn’t really changed that much from before (*laughs*).
Kudou: I tried out the guitar a little when I was a student, but I only ever played simple music, so I’m basically just a beginner. I was playing with incorrect form and holding the pick wrong. I started from a state where I really knew nothing at all.
Endou: I was definitely a true beginner when it came to bass. When I was in high school, I did guitar and vocals in the light music club, but I could only play the backing guitar, and I didn’t play much after graduation…. I never thought there’d be a day where I’d practice playing an instrument as a professional (*laughs*).
Sakuragawa: When I was in elementary school, I did percussion in a brass band, and in junior high, I joined a girls band for just 3 months as a way to make memories, but we mostly just hung out and fooled around. I started playing drums for real after I got the role of Udagawa Ako. When I tuned my drums for the first time with Roselia, I taped the score to the tom when I played, and it was so amateurish that all the staff nearly freaked out (*laughs*).
Akesaka: I’m new to the ‘keyboard’, but I took piano lessons from when I was roughly five to fifteen years old. My hands were so small back then that I couldn’t even play an octave, but even now as an adult, there are some places where I can play one and other places where I can’t (*laughs*). Because of that, I can get a little desperate during performances.
———Roselia made their debut in the smartphone game ‘Garupa’, but they also appeared briefly in episodes 9 and 13 of the anime.
Aiba: Roselia was still cool as ever in the anime~. Kasumi-chan greeted Yukina cheerfully, and Yukina replied with a simple “my pleasure”, smiling in spite of herself (*laughs*). And there was also a scene that showed a side of Roselia that you don’t usually see, which made it feel fresh.
Kudou: It was surprising that Yukina and Sayo were so kind to Lisa. I wonder what in the world happened to Lisa during that performance~. Could that story be depicted someday?
Endou: Roselia in the anime felt kinda like they were “softened up” (*laughs*). You usually see their typical stoic side, so I got a little choked up at how concerned they were for Lisa. Lisa is Lisa, the type of girl who worries about other people first before showing her own weaknesses. She thought “I can cry in front of these four people”, and that warmed my heart.
Sakuragawa: I was happy to see Ako-chan’s full-power chuunibyou style in the anime! By the way, I shouted with all my power during the voice dubbing!
Akesaka: But everyone only spoke a few words…. Let us talk more!!!!!!
The stage we stood on after working hard for half a year… was simply amazing!
———Roselia appeared as a secret guest at PoPiPa’s 3rd solo concert ‘BanG Dream! 3rd☆LIVE Sparklin’Party 2017!’, held on February 5th. What are your impressions of the performance held back then?
Aiba: I was nervous until the second we got on stage, but… But the moment I heard everyone’s cheers, I felt more adrenaline than I’d ever felt in my whole life! It was absolutely, really, truly, the most fun and happy time!!
Kudou: I stood on that stage with the feeling of “we’ve been working so hard for half a year just for today! So let’s enjoy it no matter what happens!”. The show was… over in a blink of an eye. Afterwards, I became overwhelmed thinking “I’m glad I worked hard for half a year for this extremely fun time. I’m really happy I got to meet the other members!”. It’s a nice memory.
Endou: I have so many feelings about it that I can’t put into words… but I think it’s a performance that I’ll never forget for as long as I live. That view I saw when the curtain fell, the atmosphere that filled each and every second…. That stage where the five of us stood for the first time is something I can sincerely say was extraordinary. And… I do wanna say this too — “it was really really tough to get to that point in half a year” (*laughs*).
Sakuragawa: To be honest, I was nervous about standing on stage as a “drummer”, instead of as a singer or actress. But I think the bonds the five of us share — that were born when we were practicing — supported not only me, but each and every member. I’ll never forget the excitement and passion from that day!
Akesaka: Going from it being 13 years since I quit playing the piano, to a secret debut, to revealing 3 songs… I was extremely worried about if my hands would be able to move the right way during the real performance and if the audience would get excited. But when I got up on stage, the audience’s excitement was incredible…. Anyway, it was a fun time that was over in flash!! I pushed myself so hard that my muscles were aching the next day (*laughs*).
———And Roselia’s 1st single ‘BLACK SHOUT’ released on April 19th, and became a big hit that reached 7th place in the Oricon weekly rankings!
Aiba: It was a bigger hit than I ever imagined I would be, and I’m also thankful that there were many places where it sold out. I couldn’t believe it at first. I talked with the others, and we all said “I don’t get how this is happening. It doesn’t feel real”. At any rate, I’m super happy that so many people have listened to ‘BLACK SHOUT’!!
Kudou: I was so happy, my zeal to “work hard for the concerts” grew even stronger!
Endou: Still, I thought there was no way it would reach that many people… It made me really emotional and I thought “There are this many people enjoying ‘Garupa’. It’s amazing”. Thanks to ‘Bandori’, its content, the fans, and the characters, all of us have had such really wonderful experiences.
Sakuragawa: It honestly hasn’t sunk in yet for me, it’s such a surprise! I’m overjoyed at the same time! I’m going to talk about the concert again…. In those six months before our debut performance, given how we were a group made up of basically amateurs with instruments, playing on stage for the first time in front of around 3,000 people was something we saw as a tremendous and terrifying hurdle. I think it was a concert that everyone dealt with by going beyond their own limits. If all our hard work led to the CD becoming a hit, then I’m really happy. By the way, a video of our part of that concert is included as a bonus in the ‘BLACK SHOUT’ CD (*laughs*).
Akesaka: At the time ‘BLACK SHOUT’ came out, we hadn’t appeared in the anime yet, the game had only just been released, and we’d only performed live one time… Given those circumstances, I’m really happy that so many people picked it up. It made me realize that there were lots of people who got interested by seeing us on YouTube, or who became fans after seeing us at the concert, or who continue to follow the project called ‘Bandori’.
———And your featured 2nd single ‘Re:birth day’ was released on June 28th.
Aiba: The song has a beautiful melody, lyrics that relate to each member of the band, and it’s filled with Roselia’s many different feelings! And one of the appeals of this single is that the coupling song, ‘Sunkissed Rhodonite’, has a slightly different vibe than the rest of our songs so far. And the bonus video is cool too!!
Kudou: It’s a song filled with sentiments of joy and gratitude that Roselia, which had become disconnected, was now united as one. The part of the chorus sung by the instrument team is also very nice, so I’d be happy if you’d listen and pay attention to it.
Endou: I think it’s Roselia’s number one “most emotional song to cry to” (*laughs*). You might know this if you’ve gone through their scenario in the game, but ‘Re:birth day’ is song that represents how the five members were separated and then went through some development and came together to play as a band. It’s a very important song for Roselia, which makes us smile when we perform it.
Sakuragawa: The recorded version on the CD is wonderful, but I also want you to watch the performance video that comes with the CD as a bonus! I think you’ll be able to see how we powered up and grew after our first show, and more than anything else, I think our bonds and trust in each other will be conveyed through it. There’s always someone making eye contact…. And also take note of the conversations we have during the performance!
Akesaka: It’s a song where you can feel the sense of the band’s unity through the lyrics and melody, and it also has a lively feeling like our previous release ‘BLACK SHOUT’. You’ll be moved to tears if you listen to it while making your way through Roselia’s story in ‘Garupa’.
———And then your 1st solo concert will be held on June 30th. It will already be over by the time this interview is published in Seiyuu Paradise, but… what kind of concert do you think it will be? (※After this interview was conducted, it was decided that an additional performance will be held on July 29th).
Aiba: With Roselia’s dark and cool worldview, the audience and us and everyone can look forward to the moooost exciting time… that’s my expectation. I’m sure it’ll be a show where you’ll be able to experience Roselia’s new progress.
Kudou: I hope it’ll be a legendary concert~. Hehehe.
Endou: It will be a time shaped by the five of us who are fully devoted to being Roselia, and the fans who are resolved to bet everything on us. It’ll be the most intense, insane, and amazing 1st live!
Sakuragawa: Now, before the show, I honestly really don’t know. I don’t know, but… I think if we can get through that day, then we’ll move on to the next step. I’m fully prepared to devote everything I have to Roselia on the day of that concert, so I hope it’ll be a show that conveys that feeling.
Akesaka: I hope it’s a success in the first place!! Frankly, the songs we showed off previously have gotten more and more difficult in some aspects. Using ‘Garupa’ as an example, it feels like we’ve gone from ‘hard’ to attempting ‘expert’. That’s how emotional and cool the finished songs are, so it’ll be exciting… I hope…!
What does PoPiPa mean to Roselia…? And Roselia’s future!?
———What kind of existence is PoPiPa to all of you?
Aiba: We wouldn’t be here without them. In one word: indispensable!!
Kudou: We admire them and aim to be like them! And they’re our friends, who help us make ‘Bandori’ exciting!
Endou: They definitely play the starbeat! They’re a fantastic brightly sparkling senpai band. They have a completely different outlook than Roselia, but at the same time, their shows make you have a happy glittering feeling. They’re super charming. Everyone in PoPiPa has built up the ‘Bandori’ franchise, so I want to give it my all so Roselia will eventually be able to live up to that.
Sakuragawa: It may be the opposite of how it is in the anime, but from my perspective, they’re a fellow band that I strive to be like. I don’t want to forget that Roselia exists now because of PoPiPa’s efforts.
Akesaka: Their songs and atmosphere are completely different from ours, but I think they’re a good model of how a band should be. We’re no match for PoPiPa’s well-coordinated performances or the bewitching way they play their instruments. But… we have our own enthusiasm and teamwork, and we won’t lose! And, if I may say something overambitious… I want to catch up to PoPiPa. I want to surpass them.
———Finally, please tell us about the future prospects and ambitions you have for ‘Bandori’ and Roselia.
Aiba: I’ll keep my ambitions to myself (*laughs*). If I were Yukina, I’d say “our current state isn’t good enough, I want to attract more and more people”. As for future prospects, I want all of us to do a shoot on location. I want to make some kind of fun program with these people!!
Kudou: I want Roselia to perform at the Budokan someday! And I want to perform overseas! Hmm… And I also want to go on a trip with everyone (*laughs*).
Endou: Within the band’s story, the objective is to appear in ‘FUTURE WORLD FES.’. It’s Yukina’s dream and everyone’s goal, so I want to make that dream come true. I think if we take that goal and modify it to suit those of us in 3D Roselia… it would probably be like performing at a summer music festival! Beyond that, something like a 2-day event, where one day is guys only and the other is girls only! You know, when we go out drinking, we talk about this stuff a lot. “I want to do a show like this~”. So we have lots of things that are merely conceptual (*laughs*). Regardless, I’m gonna do my best and practice so I can perform in front of everyone lots more times (*laughs*)!
Sakuragawa: I really love how the five of us in Roselia can have those conversations and work hard together. I hope all of us can keep having fun and performing music like this!
Akesaka: Of course I want fans of ‘Bandori’ to say this, but I also want people who have never heard of the franchise to say “I like this band”. My main job is being an actress, but at the same time, all of us are truly serious about the band, so I’d like to be recognized for our performances on stage. Furthermore… I want a Roselia radio show! And a live-action program!! I 100% want “Roselia’s Steamy Training Camp ~Ping-Pong Bang!~”!!!
Rosenland 