#jun oosuka

Guide to Enstars, Jun Oosuka style

Tamao: By the way, how active are you in the events?

Oosuka: I’ve pretty much unlocked all stories from events after Mika-kun joined. End of the Marionette’s Strings is grouped into first half of 2016, so I’m good with everything from second half of 2016. But, there are scout stories that I haven’t unlocked yet.

Tamao: So you unlock everything, even stories that don’t have Mika in them.

Oosuka: I can unlock event stories as long as I play the event regularly after all. I guess it’s also because I want to stock up diamonds.

Tamao: You’re very thorough in collecting them.

Oosuka: I guess I am. Every Event Produce lesson can get you 7 diamonds*. That’s part of the reason why I run through them.

[*I think this should have been 6.]

Tamao: So you basically complete all the Produce Lessons.

Oosuka: Even the regular Produce – I’ve collected all the trophies up to 100% except 3-B. Oh, I haven’t done Switch Lessons yet. Before, in Mika’s event, the number of diamonds I had went down to 2 digits, so I thought the first thing I should do is to complete those normal and special scenarios. But the bonuses for the early lessons were voice clips, right? I was like, yes! I’m getting the diamonds! But it turned out to be voice clips. “Ah, it was voice clip…” That kind of thing (laugh).

Tamao: [Getting the voice clips] still makes you happy, but of course you wanted the diamonds too.

Oosuka: Even so, I got to complete quite a lot of them, so I managed to recover the number of diamonds quickly.

Tamao: Are you not putting any money into the game?

Oosuka: Nope, I’m f2p.

Tamao: Oooh…! Maybe we can hear something that can be useful for the players out there.

Oosuka: Previously, I mentioned I was an f2p in an event and that creeped the audience out (laugh). It’s like they’re thinking, “What are you talking about?” “You’ve gotta be kidding.” But I really haven’t spent any money playing this game.

Tamao: So you go through the game without cutting corners, farm all the diamonds without any useless effort.

Oosuka: That’s right. First, we get diamonds daily as login bonus, so in a month we can get 30 diamonds, right? I’d use one or two-thirds of that for events. But there are two events in a month, so I have to choose whether or not I use those 10 diamonds in a particular event. In the end, I can get more than I use.

Tamao: Aah, I see. That’s how you stock up the diamonds. But a female player who doesn’t normally play games that much may think, “You would go that far, huh…” I’m one of those female players (laugh).

Oosuka: I think there are people who consider what I’m doing is a matter of course, even more than I imagine. But I also think that’s not the case. I think I’m different from those who put money into the game in a timely manner.

Tamao: When I interviewed Kamio-san (Kuro’s VA, Shin’ichiro Kamio) and gathered feedback, there was an overwhelming proportion of people whose playing style was “I want to stay f2p as much as possible.” Accordingly, a lot of people said they wanted to hear Oosuka-san’s story.

Oosuka: I only realized that maxed 3* cards can be useful after I read that interview with Kamio-san. I just started to level them up after all this time.

Tamao: It’s hard to realize that sort of thing when you play alone, and other players out there seem to agree on that point. You get stuck when there is no one around you who knows the way around it.

Oosuka: Kamio-san said, “You can see the nodes on Idol Road, so before you power up the cards, you use a calculator and decide if you can use the card.” At that point, I understood that oh, this person is a serious one! I was surprised (laugh).

Tamao: But your line of thinking leans towards that, doesn’t it?

Oosuka: After events end, I level up my duplicate copies of 3*s to maximum. After that, I store them into the album right away.

Tamao: By the way, how do your units look like?

Oosuka: My Live Units look like this. My Dance, Vocal, and Performance units are all over 300k now, so I can clear everything with 3LP, except the Emergency Live. Also, I just can’t clear the second half Live with 3LP.

Oosuka: My strongest team is Vocal, but there’s room for improvement.

Tamao: When forming the Live Units, I’d leave it to the “Recommended Formation” button. How do you organize your teams?

Oosuka: I’d always tap the “Recommended Formation” button first. Then, I’d make sure to have the Unit Skills activated. Especially in my Vocal team, I’d activate the Handicrafts Club skill.

When Tsumugi-kun, Oshi-san, and Mika-kun are lined up, I get bonus 10% Vocal, and it makes a pretty big difference. When the Handicrafts Club had only two people, it was 5% if I remember correctly. So 10% is quite an increase! For Performance, Valkyrie skill gives 5% bonus, so I also make sure to activate it. Other than that, there’s Shinobu-kun’s Ninja Association, which gives 2% bonus of Performance stat. And 2% from Game Research Club*, and so on.

[*Pretty sure this should be 5%.]

Tamao: It’s always better to have Unit Skills activated, isn’t it?

Oosuka: What I want to do one day is to make Tsumugi-kun a leader, then include the two from Valkyrie and the rest of Switch. If I do that, Handicrafts Club and Switch skills should activate, I think…? When Tsumugi-kun appeared with his first 4*, I thought, “I must have it!” With just Oshi-san and Mika-kun, I could no longer activate Handicrafts Club skill after all.

Tamao: In the current rotation, we still don’t have Tsumugi’s high rarity cards (The interview was held in February 2017). The players are standing by.

Oosuka: In this round, Tetora-kun’s 5* finally appeared, huh? When Tsumugi-kun comes, I wonder if it’ll be about Switch? Or maybe the library committee?

Tamao: In the past, the student council’s vice president was part of the library committee, wasn’t he?

Oosuka: Then the ranking for that will probably be crazy.

Tamao: What is your playing style? Do you play a lot even when an event is not on?

Oosuka: The only time I play regularly is pretty much during the events. Also, I basically don’t scout for limited gacha. Not even solo.

Tamao: Do you not use those special cards in the events?

Oosuka: I don’t need them. In Halloween event, I had around 900 diamonds saved up. At that time, I looked up the ranking borders from previous events. Valkyrie ranking was an unknown territory, so I thought it’s dangerous to blow up 145 diamonds for scouting. Even if my teams could become stronger with the 5*s or 4*s, I decided it’s better to use those 145 diamonds to recover LP. At the end of the event, I only had 23 diamonds left, so if I had scouted I wouldn’t have been able to make it.

Tamao: Do you still keep your play style not to scout?

Oosuka: Yes. I’ve sometimes thought of pulling a solo, but if Mika-kun appears, I wouldn’t be able to scout. I don’t want that to happen… I want to save it for emergency. Even if I say emergency, I get uneasy if I save just enough for one 10-roll, so I want to save enough so I can do 10-rolls twice or thrice. Other than that, I’ll always without fail complete all Event Produce lessons to 100%. I’m f2p, so I’d have to choose when to use the diamonds. If I just need another LP to clear a live, I’d use a diamond. Also, I’d get those Lives up to level 30 as fast as I can. After that, I’d go for the Daily Produce lessons.

Tamao: Do you play the Daily lessons during events?

Oosuka: Those Live Requests appear even in Daily lessons, so I’d do them as much as I can since I want to farm the jewels. They may consume more AP but they give more experience points than Event Produce lessons. Of course, more Live Requests appear in Event Produce compared to regular Produce, so every time a Live appears I would have to use the diamonds. When you’re an f2p, that’s the hard part. It’ll make you want to raise your Rank, and you’d want more jewels. That’s where Daily Produce lessons come to play.

Sunday is a “quest” for experience points, so my strategy, for Sundays especially, is to “eat bread”. I’d first go through Produce lessons and rank up. Then I’d continue until my AP runs out, then I eat the bread and my AP replenishes to 200. When there are some 100 experience points left, I’d do a Daily lesson to rank up. When I rank up, my LP recovers, so before that happens if I’m lucky Live requests appear in those Daily Produce runs. If no Live appears, I’d do the Event Produce and clear one Live. Then I should have 2LP left, and if I carry that along and rank up, with the extra 5LP I would have 7LP. Then I can clear 2 Lives with 3LP each. If you do that, you can rank up 2-3 levels non-stop even if your Rank is already high.

Tamao: I see… What do you do with your Producer Points?

Oosuka: I only use it to level up [the cards].

Tamao: So this is where Oosuka-style and Kamio-style* differ.

[*Gamegift note: Kamio-san uses them to scout.]

Oosuka: Personally, I’m fine with just the 3*s I get from the events. Even if you scout in the points gacha aiming to bulk your teams up, the 4* pull rate is extremely low. That’s why I think diamond scout is better, so I use all those points to level up [the cards] instead. Conversely, once you level them up, it’s easier to predict their stats to a degree. According to Kamio-san’s method, it’s okay as long as you strengthen the cards that have maxed number of copies, so it’s the matter of how many duplicates you have. I do want the cards just for the sake of completion though…

Tamao: How do your Produce Units look like?

Oosuka: My Produce Units are pretty much fixed. We can now have four teams, so the first one looks like this.

Oosuka: With stats like this, there’s no way I’d fail in Lessons. I don’t want to fail just because I want to level up new cards, so I thought it’s better to level them up with points. When I play regularly, this is what I usually use. One thing though. Produce missions sometimes tell you to get 250 jewel fragments, right? I formed units to specialize in that. My second unit is for yellow.

This Midori-kun should also make medium yellow jewels drop more easily. The third one is for blue jewels.

The fourth is for red jewels.

The red jewel team has another role. If I remember correctly this Mika-kun card has the skill to raise FEVER, so I also use this team to activate FEVER twice. They pretty much became troops solely to farm jewels. But, there’s also a disadvantage to this. I just can’t get a lot of big jewels.

Tamao: I see. To clear the missions, you formed units accordingly. Gathering 250 fragments is a pretty bothersome task after all.

Oosuka: That’s why I made teams for regular use and for every color. That alone makes quite a big difference.

Tamao: It’s not rare to do those Lessons with regular units and miss clearing the missions by a hair.

Oosuka: Another trick is to also activate FEVER twice as you do it. For example, you can finish a Lesson during FEVER, then you get that FEVER boost when you start the next one. One more thing is to pay attention to the color of each Location. When you tap the Yellow area with Yellow unit you can get more jewels, right? I could get 500 [fragments] with that. If you do all this, you can complete all missions in one go. When I have certain jewels I want, I’d also use these teams to do Daily Lessons. During events, Live requests appear in these Lessons too after all.

Even if you do nothing but grind diamonds and actively participate in the event, in the end what you want is jewels. It’s better not to run out of both diamonds and jewels, but you do use them up. Also, I used to have my own rule: “The maximum number of diamonds I’ll use to replenish LP is 3.” I have a definite reason behind this. LP recovers every 30 minutes, right? When all LP recovers, the timer resets.

Tamao: Oh, I see. Good management is important for this kind of thing, isn’t it?

Oosuka: I think there are people who believe that the most important thing is to grind lots of diamonds. But if you go on and on, you would have to replenish even AP with diamonds. In that mean time, you should have spent a good 30 minutes. That means in that 30 minutes, you should be able to get one LP naturally, and it’s important to always make some room for that. Other than that, as I mentioned, breads are important for ranking up on Sundays.

Tamao: Everyone should treasure that one LP = 30 minutes isn’t it…

Oosuka: Don’t you think what we’ve talked so far is a matter of course to people out there? (laugh)

Tamao: No, I don’t think that’s the case. Beginners and those who don’t know anyone around them who also plays the game would find these things hard to realize. I think there are a lot of people who would use diamonds because they can’t be bothered. I’m one of them.

Oosuka: I always aim for efficiency in other games, just like this. Oh, I also have a rule to keep the event diamonds in the Present Box. I feel like I’m going to use up any diamond I have in hand.

Tamao: I know that feeling (laugh).

Oosuka: Yes, you would really use them. So it’s a safe. It’s just like when you put money in your wallet. You’ll end up using it (laugh). I can only keep them for a month, so after events end I’d retrieve them. When I do that I can feel, yes! I have more diamonds than the start of the event.

Tamao: (Tamao looks at Oosuka-san’s Present Box) You don’t have any sport drinks or anything like that.

Oosuka: I retrieve those all the time. I use up all sports drinks during events. Generally, my goal is to get up to the backgrounds, and I find it difficult to reach without using them. In Live requests, I use them for Emergency Lives. When I run out, I stop challenging Emergency Lives. But I use konpeito I get in the beginning to adjust the LP, since it can recover one LP at a time.

Tamao: Kamio-san also said he’d ignore Emergency Lives when he doesn’t have any sports drinks left. I see. This has become a really useful reference.

The Custom(?!): Scouting Contest!!

(Paraphrased) Just like previously in the interview with Kamio, Tamao and Oosuka will battle out their luck on limited scouting. This time, they’re pulling a 10-roll from The Four Fighting Beasts that focused on karate club members, and both of them had 4* guarantee. Oosuka’s phone is the green one, and Tamao’s is the white one. And the results are…!

Tamao: Oosuka-san got 5* Tetora-kun on his first pull!!! Tamao pulled an initial 4* Kuro-san, but he’s still from the karate club!!

Tamao: A spontaneous victory pose from Oosuka-san. But that’s not all!!

Tamao: Oosuka-san pulled 4* Kuro-san as well!! What is this godly pull…!?

Tamao: Well, who wouldn’t smile like this when something similar happens to them! Therefore, the winner of this contest goes to Oosuka-san. He won by a wide margin.

Behind the scenes:

1. Oosuka used the white board to write down today’s words of wisdom: “Eat bread!!”

2. Oosuka saw the banner from Kamio’s interview, where Kamio posed to make up the word “Stars!”, or “スターズ！” and Oosuka said he wanted to do it too. The picture is the pillbug pose, used for the dots on ス and the exclamation mark. (Image link)

Lastly, there were 3 shikishi giveaways, signed by Oosuka. Unfortunately the last day to enter was on May 18th… (I’m sorry I’m always late about these things.) Here are the messages on each shikishi.

1. Be careful! Of the number of diamonds you have left, of your mobile data. [Sukawo]

2. I scouted 10 times using diamonds others gave me. I got a 5*♡. Take good care of your diamonds. [Sukawo]

3. Please give me medium jewels!! If possible, red and yellow. Please. [Sukawo]

Tamao: It’s my pleasure to be working with you today.

Oosuka: The pleasure is mine. Holding my phone on one hand while getting interviewed is a novel experience (laugh).

Tamao: I don’t mind if you’re grinding on the event (laugh). First, could you please tell us about your first impression on Mika and what happened when your role was decided?

Oosuka: At first, I was only told, “Your role in Enstars has been decided.” At that time, the game was already released and I knew it’s getting richer and richer in content, so I thought to myself, “Wait wait, I thought they only cast veterans or young voice actors?” (laugh) So I was surprised when I got the offer. Then, when I got the character materials and looked through them, I was like, “His character setting is like a full course meal…!” He has heterochromia, speaks Kansai dialect… I wondered if I’m really up to the job. I’d never had a role that speaks Kansai dialect either (laugh).

Tamao: You’re from Kyushu, aren’t you?

Oosuka: Yes, Fukuoka. Kyushu and Kansai have similar intonations. But the details and vocabularies that they use are different after all, so for recording, I would have notes for the dialect. That’s also why even now, when I hear Kansai dialect on the TV, I would pay attention to it and see how it’s done.

Tamao: When you act as Mika-kun, do you have anything you like? Or is there anything you find to be relatable?

Oosuka: What I find relatable is how he’s lacking in self-confidence. I reflected again after KYOMAF event (an offline event held in September 2016) that I really don’t have confidence in myself. But there’s also a part of me that will go through it because there’s a strong voice inside me that says, “I have to do it!”. I feel that’s our common point. Putting it in a good way, he’s an honest boy. Putting it badly, he’s a foolish boy. He’s very straightforward. Although I also see it as a good point of his. Also, there was quite a long period of time between the time I finished recording and when he’s introduced into the game. In that period, I was really anxious thinking about what everyone will think. After it was made public, I see he’s loved by many and I’m relieved.

Tamao: He’s really popular, isn’t he? He also ranked high in the popularity poll from the other day.

Oosuka: The dakimakura one, right? I also voted 17 times (laugh). The MV wasn’t even released yet, but a Valkyrie member made it to the ranking board. But to be honest, Mika’s popularity as a character can become pressure at times.

Tamao: Certainly from a player’s perspective, I got a bit sceptical when they’re introducing a new character full of quirks this late into the game. What is this character going to be like? I wondered. But once I tried to open the lid, he turned out to be such a boy with no self-confidence, but very kind, and when Jun Oosuka-san’s voice is added—

Oosuka: I feel like my voice makes him more pitiful (laugh).

Tamao: No no! Conversely, I think it makes me feel more affectionate about him. I suppose you could say it stirs up one’s desire to protect him? (laugh)

Oosuka: Aah, so that’s why his [Gamegift] birthday article was like that (laugh). I was so surprised. A friend told me, “It was very poetic.”

Tamao: This is the second round I’m writing birthday articles for all characters, and year-by-year it gets more and more poetic (laugh). Among the characters, I think Mika-kun is a very unique character. It’s like this person called Mika-kun is incomplete in his own.

Oosuka: No matter what, Oshi-san is always already there, isn’t he?

Tamao: Yes, that’s it. That’s also what made it a bit hard to write at times. But from my point of view, he’s like someone who got deep into a Bible-like thing without himself realizing.

Oosuka: In a way, he worships Oshi-san like a god, huh.

Tamao: That image of his is really vivid, so I thought his existence is like that of Saint Peter. I also received feedback that says, “Mika-chan is that kind of boy.”

Oosuka: Among Enstars characters, Mika-kun seems to be someone who is worldly but is actually naive, and I feel that in a way he may be the least idol-like among them. He also feels like every other young man who could just be around the corner over there, but when he enters the stage he undergoes metamorphosis, which I think is his charm. I hope that part of him could be brought out in his singing as well.

Tamao: Can I ask you to elaborate a bit more about what you think about Oshi-san?

Oosuka: If I consider Valkyrie, Oshi-san looks like he’s pulling the team along, but in reality he’s very frail. There are a lot of instances where you can see Mika-kun being the one who’s supporting him—perhaps it’s the fragility that one doesn’t have unless they’re a genius. In Scout! Nocturne, I really like how we can see a glimpse of Ryuu-kun (Kuro Kiryu) and Oshi-san’s past. Also, Scout! Eccentric is a story that have all Five Oddballs in it. I could see how Oshi-san back then was a properly sociable person as well.

Tamao: I can see that. He also made matching outfits for everyone, didn’t he?

Oosuka: When he’s talking to the Oddballs, you can see his gentleness, and there are humane qualities that he doesn’t show in front of Mika and Nazuna. That’s what you may think, but he can be super cool just like in Tanabata event (Dance Performance! Thoughts that Bridge the Milky Way).

Tamao: That Oshi-san had a threatening presence like a demon god*.

[*trivia: “demon god” is here is 鬼神, consisting of kanji for “demon/ogre” and “god”. There are many readings and I don’t know which one is used, but one of them is apparently “kijin”, which is homophonic with “kijin” from “奇人/Oddballs”.]

Oosuka: As graduation gets closer, we get scenes suggesting Oshi-san “may one day cease being able to talk with Mado-nee”. I wonder if it means Oshi-san is becoming an adult, or if he’s on his way conquering something on the lines of unspoken trauma. By being separated from Mado-nee, Oshi-san may turn into an ordinary person, or he may become even more of a genius. I’d like it to be the latter, but also, I feel that Oshi-san is showing us his humane side more than Mika-kun does.

[It’s getting bulky so I’m only putting up one picture... There are more pictures in the original]

Tamao: After the third-years graduate, there will be units that have only one member remaining. Akatsuki is like that, and Mika-kun goes without saying. Personally, what do you think Mika-kun will do?

Oosuka: I think he’ll depend on the transfer student. Though there’s also a possibility that Oshi-san may leave him a parting gift. Maybe Oshi-san will leave him at the stage where he can look for friends even on his own, or maybe he’ll have those friends prepared already—I don’t know. But since Oshi-san has always been doing anything for Mika’s sake, I hope as a result Mika will become someone who thinks that he has to become strong. I want him to change from being a “doll” to a “human”.

Tamao: Are a lot of your favorite events related to Mika-kun, after all?

Oosuka: I suppose. My favorite, as I thought, is Tanabata event (Dance Performance! Thoughts that Bridge the Milky Way). I also like Halloween (React! Magical Halloween), but the event that shows Valkyrie’s awesomeness is Milky Way after all. That event story is where the line “Oshi-san’s sayin’ is absolute” got realized as it is. They managed to surprise that Eichi. To me, Mika’s singing is on a higher difficulty in that event so in a way I’m also bearing a grudge for that event (laugh).

Tamao: Milky Way was really good, wasn’t it? Oshi-san and Mika-kun couldn’t be any cooler.

Oosuka: I thought that must be the Oshi-san whom Mika fell for. It was what he was waiting for.

About the unit songs

Tamao: Speaking of singing, Valkyrie’s unit songs are great, aren’t they?

Oosuka: Really, I was glad I got to do it with Hiroki-san (VA of Shu Itsuki: Hiroki Takahashi). Actually, when I had my debut, I worked together with Hiroki-san. I was able to work together with him for a long time in a certain series*, so we have understanding of each other. Of course he’s also a senior I respect, so that makes our relationship like that between Oshi-san and Mika-kun. So even when I was singing, I was able to think, “it’ll be okay if I follow Hiroki-san.” When my role for Mika-kun was decided, my manager asked me to tell who the co-actor was, and when I told my manager it’s Hiroki Takahashi-san, I was given a triumphant pose with full strength (laugh).

[*I’m not sure which series, maybe Prince of Tennis 2?]

Tamao: Your relationship is very fitting.

Oosuka: It is. Actually, our height difference is about the same as Valkyrie. So when we line up it looks natural (laugh).

Tamao: Are there times when Takahashi-san gives you advices?

Oosuka: No, we pretty much don’t see each other in Enstars-related jobs. In the end I didn’t get to see him during the [unit song] recording either. For some reason though, I got to see Ishikawa-kun (VA of Tsumugi Aoba: Kaito Ishikawa) (laugh).

Tamao: How did you find the recording?

Oosuka: First, as an otaku, my reaction was, “AliPro!?”. A part of me thinks, even if a guy sings AliPro* songs, there’s no way anyone can hold a candle to the great Arika-sama! (laugh) When I tried singing as it is after I received the song, a part of me thought I was losing to the song. The bar was set high, I thought. I went through trial and error thinking about what I should do with it, but the interesting thing is, during the recording, the direction I got was more for acting, rather than for singing. For example, “Imagine there’s an audience beyond the mic and sing” or “Look intently when you sing”. Also, I got a direction, “bring out your emotions gradually towards the second half”. For that one, I think I was able to express the concept of Mika-kun being a “doll” well, so I was thankful for that direction.

[*Ali Project, the group behind Bewitching Theater. Lyrics (also unit’s vocal): Arika Takarano. Composition & arrangement (and unit’s keyboard): Mikiya Takakura]

Tamao: Certainly you can see a picture of something like a stage play expanding before your eyes.

Oosuka: As for the recording, Oshi-san (Hiroki Takahashi) and Nazuna-nii (Yuki Yonai) finished theirs first, and I was the last to record. For the most part I practiced with the singers in the demo tape. But I was able to [record] while listening to the rest of Valkyrie singing, and I felt like Hiroki-san’s singing pulled me along. I’m glad I was the last to record. But I hope one day we’ll be able to do that…

Tamao: In other words?

Oosuka: Being on the stage together, the two of us with Hiroki-san… no, with Yonai-kun as well—I want the three of us to sing together. I know it’s really difficult for that to happen, but it makes me think of the possibility of me and Hiroki-san wearing those Valkyrie outfits (laugh).

Tamao: Please wear different colored contacts too!

Oosuka: I can’t have piercings, so I’ll wear clip-on earrings (laugh).

Tamao: Valkyrie especially is a unit that has a perfected worldview, and since it’s their first unit songs, people had high expectations for them.

Oosuka: They were way too high! It was so scary. When I’m singing character songs, I’m the type to get super nervous until the release date. This time too, I was really at loss thinking about Mika’s “singing voice”. It was possible to sing in the way he speaks as it is, but I was also contemplating if Oshi-san would allow that.

Tamao: Oh! I see, that’s something to consider.

Oosuka: My interpretation is that Mika-kun’s singing in Bewitching Theater was what was born after Oshi-san’s training and maintenance. Regarding Mika, when I act as him I don't make up any sort of voice. So when I act as him “I” am the one who is out there, but his singing voice is what is produced after Oshi-san’s guidance. I hope you can capture that.

Tamao: I’m incredibly moved by what you said.

Oosuka: If I sing in the way Mika speaks in normal times, I thought it would be disrespectful to the song and AliPro. But, I bet there are those who expected the usual Mika, so I also feel sorry for them. But when I consider Valkyrie as a piece of work, Valkyrie as artists, I believe I did the right thing this time, so I hope you can accept it kindly.

Tamao: Well, I think you couldn’t be any more correct. I think that’s why it gained so much popularity too.

Oosuka: When I went to Tower Records a day after the release date, they ran out of Valkyrie’s CD. When I asked the staff, they said it was sold out. I replied with a sad face, “I see…” but the me inside was like, “Serious… Are you serious!?” (laugh).

Tamao: What do you think about the other unit songs?

Oosuka: There was a song preview event* on the other day so I got to listen to Switch’s songs. Now, I can pretty much sing them, somewhat.

[*Switch and Valkyrie cast and Satoru Kuwabara (2nd series music director) hosted an event where they previewed the songs and talked about their impressions and behind the scenes etc. There are sessions with the rest of the CDs too.]

Tamao: What? Really?

Oosuka: I like computer-programmed songs. Sound-wise, Akatsuki’s songs are unique and I like them too. The quality of Enstars songs are so high—you may end up not being able to tell if they’re character songs or artists’ songs. But they’re idols in the first place, so I do think that song quality is something that is demanded from them. But I get the impression that there are many songs that are polished really well. By the way, I have sung the opening theme at the karaoke. One thing though – and I think everyone agrees on this – when you sing Morikubo-san’s parts you’ll end up singing like him, no matter what.

Tamao: I understand (laugh). You will, won’t you.

Oosuka: I’ll never sing it in front of him, though (laugh). That song is also really good, isn’t it? I’d like Valkyrie, Leo Tsukinaga, and Switch to be part of it.

Tamao: I agree. There’s a disadvantage to the new characters who are not involved in the main story… By the way, have you seen Enstage?

Oosuka: No, I haven’t! One day, when Valkyrie participates in the stage play, I’d like to visit Mika-kun. Being in this line of job, there are times when I get to see my roles appear in stage plays. Before I watch the play, I would keep a slightly arrogant stance. Something like, “How will you act out my character, I wonder?”. But mysteriously, when the play starts and my character appears, I’d be all, “Foowaaaaahhh…! I said this! I said this!” and it made me give my stamp of approval (laugh).

Tamao: Enstage hasn’t finished the main story yet, so I think they’re at that stage wondering about how they should proceed if Valkyrie were to participate.

Oosuka: It's not for me to say, but a lot of characters that are introduced later are popular, so I think there are a lot of people in the audience who are holding up expectations. I’m looking forward to who will be chosen as his actor. Their character reproduction is amazing, after all. On the topic of character reproduction, I was surprised with Kitamura-kun! [who is the VA and stage actor for Arashi].

Tamao: That was an unfair move, wasn’t it? (laugh) From Knights, there were only two of them in the first part, but even so they were perfectly Knights.

Oosuka: By the way, I like tokusatsu. I didn’t know Maeyama-kun (Eichi’s stage actor), who was in Kamen Rider, was participating until later. I wanted to go.

Tamao: Maeyama-san was wonderful. His way of expressing that charisma of Eichi’s was solid.

Oosuka: You know, Eichi is up there on my list of favorite characters. This is my own selfish interpretation, but he reigned the academy by oppressing everyone, right? But I think the scenario inside Eichi himself may have been, “only until someone who defeats fine appears.” If I think that way, I don’t hate fine’s position—I don’t hate Eichi.

Tamao: Interpretation for Eichi’s character varies a lot depending on the person, doesn’t it? If there are those who see him as virtuous, there are those who see him as evil.

Oosuka: To Trickstar, he’s a villain. Valkyrie thinks the same too. In the app, there’s the main story, but there are also a lot of people who basically just focus on their favorite characters. So they may build an impression on another characters but stop at that.

Tamao: Ah, that may be the case. There are parts you won’t be able to understand unless you have covered everything, but there’s no way everyone is doing that.

Oosuka: Everyone plays the game with their favorite characters as their focus, and moreover, everyone has their own depiction of the stories in their minds. I’m one of the “people behind the scenes”, so I have to think about the relationships between my character and other characters, and by extension, everything.

Tamao: After you see a character’s bad side, you stop at that and that’s your impression… That sort of thing may be happening.

Oosuka: I think there are a lot of ways you can come to like them. By changing the way you view them, you may come to like characters you previously hate. As a result, you will have more favorites, and you may be able to have more fun.

Tamao: Do you have other favorites?

Oosuka: I like fine members, like Wataru Hibiki… Actually, all Oddballs are a pain, aren’t they? (laugh) Even Oshi-san, from Jun Oosuka’s point of view, is a pain (laugh). Other than that, I like Mika-kun’s classmates. Like Oogami-kun, or Naru-chan. As for first years, I like Midori-kun. I can sympathize with that favorite phrase of his, “I feel sluggish…” (laugh)

Tamao: The main story will be fully-voiced soon.

Oosuka: But [Mika’s] not appearing! I only realized after I gave my response on Twitter the other day. He’s not in the main story! (laugh) But I’m probably the one who’s scared of having it fully-voiced the most. I have to speak with a dialect after all.

Tamao: Because it will be voiced to the full anyhow, huh…

Oosuka: It’s not my official language (laugh).

Tamao: Come to think of it, there was a voiced drama in the unit song first series. Since Valkyrie only joined in the second series, they didn’t have the voiced drama.

Oosuka: That’s right. So in the probable event of Valkyrie releasing a drama CD, there will be at least three roles: Mika-kun, Oshi-san, and Mado-nee. So compared to Hiroki-san, I would have it easier.

Q: Then how did the actual recording go?

Takahashi: While I sing, I think about how Bewitching Theater is a fiction that is created and completed within Shu’s outlook of the world, which is why it’s called a “theater”. I’d take great care of the logic that is present in the lyrics, and did it as if I’m intoxicated in an action movie. Actually, the director gave me a lot of instructions about that sort of thing. “With tenacity! Tenacity!” he said (laugh). Before the recording, I thought I had to sing more loudly, but turns out he meant more towards “being intoxicated.” As for Castle of Sand, Nazuna joined. However, if you ask me whether or not Nazuna is the focus, I’d say he isn’t. I came to the recording thinking it’s a song dedicated to Mademoiselle! (laugh) In Takahashi’s analysis, the part “light is shining” inside the “glass eyes” means “If what resides within a doll isn’t something that lasts virtually forever, but a finite soul instead, then I shall accept that!” I think it’s that kind of song!

Q: Please tell us the appeal of each song.

Takahashi: I’ve talked about Castle of Sand, so this time it’s Bewitching Theater (laugh). The lyrics in the chorus of this song follow a very proper logic, and I thought the repetition of keywords can deepen your experience. Although the parts “clockwork staircase”, “ascending and descending”, and “after endless searching” are changed at some point, I try to sing with strong feelings of how they may be going round and round, but as long as they don’t give up in what they pursue, they’ll reach it. The making may be close to Western songs. For example with Michael Jackson’s Bad, or the one from the movie Stand By Me—they keep singing the same lyrics in the chorus. But that’s why it’s memorable. Bewitching Theater is in Japanese, so it has different presentation, but it uses repetition of one phrase to make it more memorable. Which is why I felt there’s a very proper logic behind it.

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?

Takahashi: I think Valkyrie is a unit like The Drifters during the time they did Hachiji dayo! Zenin Shugo [1] (laugh). In that show, they performed a new program at the theater every week and it was broadcast live! The leader, Chosuke Ikariya-san was super strict. So strict with every detail and in just one week they made a script, built it up and remembered it… so I heard the members had it really rough. I think Valkyrie is that kind of unit! Valkyrie’s leader has high ideals and is pursuing them, and there’s Mika-chan who would follow him. The young generation may find that difficult to comprehend, but that’s the impression I got from my point of view. If you ask me, I suppose I’d say Shu is a prodigy. He’s diligent, dexterous, and is very aware of his position as a leader. He’s a serious person, but he’s also haughty yet naïve. This duality reminds you of an artist. He’s a character with an extreme gap moe, I suppose. He can’t talk well to someone he hasn’t met before, but he’s aware that he needs to have communication skills, so he’ll converse through a doll called Mademoiselle.

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

Takahashi: The CD series is getting released, and I believe you’re looking forward to your favorite unit’s songs. But for all Valkyrie fans out there, thank you for waiting. The first Valkyrie unit songs are here. I think they are becoming something that won’t betray your expectations! I think you’ll probably know everything about this unit called Valkyrie once you listen to both songs, so please wait for the release while holding up high expectations.

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(t/n)

1. The Drifters, Japenese comedy group and also a rock and roll band. Their iconic show, “Hachiji da yo! Zenin Shugo” or “It’s 8 o’clock! Everyone Gather ‘Round” is a comedy variety show aired in 1969-1985 and it was very popular with kids.

Jun Oosuka (VA of Mika Kagehira)

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

Oosuka: Before I listened to the songs, I’d heard the group ALI PROJECT-san was going to compose the song, so my first reaction was surprise, like, what!? (laugh). I think the world pictured in ALI PROJECT-san’s song and Valkyrie’s outlook of the world match each other, but I felt pressured if I’ll be able to sing it. But, the song I received was so awesome… and I didn’t want to lose to that and told myself to rise up to the challenge. As for Castle of Sand, a scene from the event Reminiscence*End of the Marionette’s Strings came into mind. When I listened to it for the first time I cried for real! In my mind, Valkyrie sings Bewitching Theater for everyone, and as for Castle of Sand, Valkyrie members are singing with someone in mind. Whom they’re thinking of may be different, but my interpretation is that there is a common point where there is someone they’re thinking of while singing. With that in mind, I sang the song.

Q: Then how did the actual recording go?

Oosuka: In Bewitching Theater, there are these unique note suspensions. For example, in “kokui no ou” it doesn’t go “o→u→” but “o↓u↓↓” [1], something like that. There are so many parts that made me go, “Aah, so ALI PROJECT-san sings suspended notes like this!” But I also think it’s that way because it’s the original people, so I was also troubled with how I should express it. Oshi-san’s (Shu Itsuki) voice actor, Hiroki-san, sang it first, so as Mika and as myself I sang while thinking, “If Oshi-san interprets it like this, then I’ll follow,” and let Oshi-san take the lead. As for Castle of Sand, those who listen to Nazuna’s singing in Ra*bits may have mixed feelings. But on the other hand, I’m looking forward to the fans’ reaction when they listen to the past Nazuna. I was also the last one to record this song, and when I listened to all three of them singing, I thought I wanted the three of us to sing together a bit more. It has a different flavor from the singing with the two of us only, I and Oshi-san. I also like how the three are different in their own way as well. I think the three in Valkyrie are able to express it so well that it wouldn’t feel out of place to have this song played as background music in the story.

Q: Please tell us the appeal of each song.

Oosuka: My favorite is in Bewitching Theater, where Mika and Oshi-san are singing in turns: “Turn towards the eyes of the angel / who has cast God aside; / Yes – turn your eyes / towards me alone.” Supposedly, they’re holding a performance as though they’re telling the others, “Look at us and us only!”. It’s very Valkyrie and I like it (laugh). As for Castle of Sand, it would be the final chorus. There are parts where I overlap it with the story in Reminiscence*End of the Marionette’s Strings, and there’s this image in my mind: in a corner of the crafts clubroom, or perhaps in the place where Oshi-san and Mika live, Mado-nee is left there alone, and the days would pass... that kind of image. Also, by far I think this is the first time I gave so much thought into how I should control my breath. If my singing is a bit breathy, I thought it would fit the tone in the lyrics well. I hope those who listen will be able to tell where I’ve put my efforts in (laugh). This also applies to me, but Mika is a boy who wouldn’t make much difference whether or not he’s there. We’re alike in the way we’re extremely lacking in confidence! (laugh) If we’re told to do a thing, we’ll be desperate and do our best to complete that task. To Mika it would be, “Oshi-san says so.” To me it would be, “If Oshi-san says so, Mika will have to sing like so.” While singing, there were a lot of exchanges like that in my mind.

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?

Oosuka: There are all kinds of units in Ensemble Stars!, but Valkyrie would be a unit where the relationship between the characters, Shu Itsuki and Mika Kagehira, and that between the cast, Hiroki Takahashi and Jun Oosuka, are similar. Actually, in the event where I got to work together with Hiroki-san, I was also following Hiroki-san’s flow (laugh). In the future, when there is another event or something, I wonder if the audience will be able to see Oshi-san and Mika-kun in the way I follow Hiroki Takahashi’s flow? Actually, the height differences between the characters and between us are pretty much the same, so it’ll overlap even visually (laugh). Putting it in a good way, Mika-kun is honest. Putting it in a bad way, he’s a foolish boy. But I guess the fans love that kind of fluffy part of his. To me, he feels like a handful younger brother.

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

Oosuka: It’s been half a year since Valkyrie’s first appearance, and finally we’re able to deliver their songs to you! For many times in the game it has been said that “Mika-kun is good at singing,” so to Oosuka the pressure he felt was really great… But I’ll leave the judgment to all of you listeners (laugh). Please enjoy listening to them! If an opportunity comes by where we’ll be able to sing in front of you all, I intend to sing with all I have, so please support Valkyrie and Mika Kagehira! And Oshi-san! And Hiroki Takahashi!! Please and thank you!

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(t/n)

1. The arrows - I kept the original symbols here… I reckon they indicate note bends/intervals. → means straight notes, while ↓ means the notes go lower then lower.

Yuki Yonai (VA of Nazuna Nito)

Q: Firstly, please tell us about your impression when you first listened to Castle of Sand.

Yonai: I was happy when I was told I got to participate, but on the other hand, since I’m aware of the story, I knew I’d have to produce a clear voice that Shu would fall for, not the singing of Nazuna Nito from Ra*bits. When I realized that, I was at loss for what to do…! (laugh) I’m sure the fans are also wondering, but I was also thinking really hard about what kind of role Nazuna is shouldering, and how I should convey it. I think the music is really wonderful. It’s an atmosphere that Ra*bits definitely doesn’t have, and you can tell immediately from the music that it’s Valkyrie. It reminds you of the event Reminiscence*End of the Marionette’s Strings, doesn’t it? Around the final chorus, I sang while thinking “The three are going to go separate ways, huh…”

Q: Then how did the actual recording go?

Yonai: I was very committed into my singing. I’ve given the song a good listen and sung the higher octave as well, but I don’t know how it’ll be accepted. This may sound abstract, but I gave myself a challenge, “through singing, how well can I express the role of Valkyrie Nazuna?” It was difficult. But the actual story says things like how he sings at a higher register than he does in Ra*bits, and how his voice is clear. When I was thinking based on that, I also thought, “if I sing in my usual tone, it’ll just sound as if Nazuna is singing a bit more smoothly.” When I did that, I think the higher octave came out just fine… that’s how I practiced. Whether it’ll be used or not… please have a listen (laugh). Other than that, I was wondering about how much a child can project a high-pitched singing, so I watched a movie called Boychoir. In my research, I thought about how Nazuna’s voice must be close to this.

Q: Please tell us the appeal of Castle of Sand.

Yonai: The chorus is impactful, after all. For example, “The time falls away, like sand.” Valkyrie’s outlook of the world is squeezed into the chorus. You’ll be able to tell it’s Valkyrie’s song just by listening to the chorus. It’s also where the three of them are singing together, so I think it’s when every member is able to convey their own feeling.

Q: Please tell us about your impression on Valkyrie Nazuna.

Yonai: I had a vague feeling that he still had a story to tell, and after reading Reminiscence*End of the Marionette’s Strings, I didn’t think it would be this deep. For example conflicts he dealt with, or how he acknowledged there is present because people are able to overcome those conflicts… He experienced a lot of things in that story, and I see that’s what he’s carried on to the current Ra*bits. In my own way, I have been working with all my might to act as Ra*bits Nazuna, but when I think about the past Nazuna, I thought about how I have to face Nazuna head-on even more properly. Valkyrie Nazuna worked hard while keeping everything inside, or rather, often he didn’t show how he felt on the surface. So in this song I tried not to sing so emotionally, and I kept in mind about what Shu is asking from Nazuna.

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