Interview with Yousei Teikoku at A-kon

Gothic heavy metal band Yousei Teikoku returned to the USA for a special one-night performance at A-Kon 27 in Dallas, Texas on June 3rd. In a lighthearted interview, the band speaks with JaME about their new single, their recent tour, and their favorite robots.

Please introduce your new single, DISORDER.

Yousei Teikoku: (laughs)

Briefly.

Empress Yui: Introduce DISORDER?

Yes.

Empress Yui: Specifically what should I explain?

A short introduction of sorts.

Empress Yui: DISORDER is the theme song to the anime TV series “BIG ORDER”. As a song that is very much in-line with our current direction, I ask of you, please listen to it.
Gight: We used our experiences from SHADOW CORPS[e] , I thought.
Empress Yui: (laughs) In all respects, yes.
Gight: Yes.

What is the concept behind the composition of DISORDER?

Empress Yui: Ah, the concept … (laughs)
Takaha: Do you want to think it over?
Empress Yui: Yes.
Takaha: The composition was, of course, based on the anime and our own outlook. In previous albums, we’ve made some very complex metal songs, but this time we went for something simple and catchy. With this kind of melody, we felt there was a chance to appeal to all of our subjects, plus people who are not yet subjects. Incidentally, making a song that’s easy to listen to — or, rather — easy to get into with the aim of making new fans was a big intentional advantage.
Empress Yui: Indeed.
Takaha: Go ahead.
Empress Yui: Foremost, we had to express "BIG ORDER"’s world after thoroughly reading the manga and coming to understand it. Our goal was to then communicate it powerfully in a way that was easy to understand.

DISORDER’s was your first MV to feature a concrete story. How was this decided upon?

Empress Yui: This was something I’d wanted to do for some time. This isn’t merely limited to anime fans, but saving those who cannot be saved — becoming their strength, to put it rather flamboyantly, is something on which I’ve dwelt for a many an hour, and this video was produced with that idea at heart.

Your songs often show up in adaptations of Esuno Sakae’s work. Do you feel that your message resonates with the stories he creates?

Nanami: It’s only the second time …
Shiren: It’s about the third.
Empress Yui: Well, there were the opening and ending themes, then we’ve done character songs such as EGOIST ... perhaps it’s the overall dark feeling?
Takaha: It’s the coming together of two outlooks that both try to express keywords like “destruction”. Esuno's manga is very easy-to-understand entertainment, and since I like that sort of thing I try foremost to make music that’s straightforward. Fundamentally, both our works are easy to understand, so there’s a sense of empathy.

Please explain a bit about Akaki koutei, shiroki sekai and Ibara meiro.

Empress Yui: For the composition …
Shiren: When we were making DISORDER, we all put together songs that we thought were suited to "BIG ORDER", like demos, and Akaki koutei, shiroki sekai was one of those that I made. The song was included on the release so we could express a variety of different feelings. DISORDER was composed with a more stripped-down, simple, and accessible sound in mind, but this one was composed with the reverse intent — in keeping with our album SHADOW CORPS[e] , it has a bit more of a complex arrangement to it. Now for Ibara meiro …
Empress Yui: Before that I shall elucidate the lyrics. The general framework of Akaki koutei, shiroki sekai is built around the inner battle with one’s own desires. During the filming of the video for DISORDER, I was watching my weight — thus, I couldn’t have many calories …
Shiren: You were watching what you ate, rather.
Empress Yui: A dietary restriction, then. When I was trying to watch my weight — or rather, my diet — the chance came to go out for sweets. However, had I eaten them all, I wouldn’t have followed my diet. It was delicious — I truly desired to eat them, but such avarice would leave me over my calorie limit, and that is whence this inner conflict was born. There I was, face to face with that pie, and I thought to myself “Truly, this is a difficult battle.” I incorporated this struggle into the song. Now, Ibara meiro ...
Nanami: I’m Nanami. I was in charge of composition for Ibara meiro. This release featured three songs, and since the first two are of a faster tempo, I created a slower, more delicate song with a sound we don’t typically use for inclusion in the single.
Empress Yui: The lyrics … for the story, I’d wanted to write something for a while where … regular people can speak with words, you see, and are able to have conversations. Even if one can have a conversation, what one truly means to say may not be conveyed. The young maiden in Ibara meiro can’t hear the words of others or speak herself, but actually, whether one can or can’t speak, I feel that being unable to communicate what’s inside may remain the same. The lyrics were written with the vexation in mind of whether or not emotions can be expressed accurately.

Now that DISORDER is on iTunes along with many of your other releases, what do you think are the advantages of releasing music this way?

Empress Yui: Ah, would not the most prominent be the ability to pass our music on to our subjects overseas?
Shiren: I think it’s very convenient to think, I want to listen to this, then buy it and be able to do so right there.
Empress Yui: Surely.
Shiren: When you’re interested in something, then of course you’ll want to hear it. But usually you have to go to the CD store or buy online, and it takes a lot of time. On one hand that can make some good memories, but you want to hear something you’re interested in soon. In that situation, I think it’s wonderfully convenient to be able to buy music online.
Empress Yui: In Japan, we often hear from those in the countryside who were not able to find our music on the release date. Since they can’t get the CD until after the release date, it may suit them to be able to buy on iTunes on the day of the release.

Congratulations on finishing up your recent tour! Do you have any interesting stories from the tour?

Gight: There wasn’t any trouble this time, was there?
Empress Yui: Well, Geki remained unfinished … (laughs)
Gight: But that was like, a fun thing.
Empress Yui: Hmm … trouble …
Takaha: Something interesting we did was a call and response with the fans. We were also mindful to perform exciting songs made with ceremonies in mind, so being able to feel how well it all went over was fun.
Gight: This tour, for the first time we did a song with no vocals that was just instr …
Shiren: Instrumental?
Gight: Instrumental only. Since it was the first time we’d performed a piece with no vocals live … I feel like we did something quite novel.

You have now been to America several times. is there anything you like to do while you’re here?

Takaha: We eat good meat.
Yousei Teikoku: (laughs)
Gight: I buy cookies and coffee.
Empress Yui: Nothing in particular.
Shiren: Just meat, I guess?
Manager: Food, definitely.
Empress Yui: Every time we’re here I quite greedily think of eating, but in America the meat is especially good. I remember eating it every time. It’s our fourth time in America, and we consumed meat each time.
Takaha: Steak!
Empress Yui: Steak.
Manager: That’s the usual, huh?
Empress Yui: In California we had it even in the morning. (laughs)
Manager: And in Las Vegas.
Empress Yui: We had steak in Las Vegas as well. Without fail, we eat steak each time. Beyond that, we seek out things that are rare whence we come. But those, too, are food.

Have you seen any interesting cosplay so far in your time here at A-kon?

Shiren: Gundam.
Gight: Jack Skellington from "Nightmare Before Christmas". He was really tall.
Empress Yui: Americans have good figures, so I’m moved to see such life-like representations of Japanese characters. The workmanship of the weapons is amazing as well. At cosplay events in Japan, one cannot bring props over a certain length, the degree of exposure is regulated somewhat, and the rules are rather strict these days. America doesn’t seem to have these restrictions, and it seems pleasant that everyone can cosplay so freely. It’s also rather enjoyable and different to see cosplayers walking all around the hotel.
Gight: It’s really funny when the elevator door opens and all these different characters come out.

Since A-kon is for games as well as anime, do you have any game recommendations?

Gight: Kingdom Hearts.
Empress Yui: The game that accompanied me this trip: Ace Attorney. The sixth installment will be released soon after we return from America; to this I am most looking forward.I would recommend to one and all.
Shiren: Touhou Project.
Takaha: Shironeko Project. I’m pretty serious about it.
Empress Yui: That game …
Shiren: Can they play it here?
Takaha: They can.
Nanami: People are probably playing it here, but try MonHun, everybody.
Gight: Monster Hunter.

If you could pilot any robot, which one would it be?

Gight: Do you mean, like, what kind of robot you’d pilot?

Yes.

Empress Yui: An existing robot? One from an anime or a game? Is it limited to robots from anime and game worlds?
Manager: Movies, too.
Gight: Robots … (laughs)
Shiren: If there’s a five-piece robot that can combine into one, I’d like to try that.
Empress Yui: What do you mean?
Takaha: One where the five of us can combine. Who’s in the legs?
Yousei Teikoku: (laughs)
Empress Yui: I think it’s something they can all do, so I’m rather jealous of the flying function.
Manager: They can’t all do that.
Empress Yui: Can they not? It seems as if most can.
Manager: Gundams can’t fly.
A-Kon Staff: Gundams can’t fly.
Empress Yui: Can’t they?
Shiren: In space …
Takaha: There are Gundams that can’t fly, too.
Empress Yui: Surprising!
Takaha: The first few could usually just jump a long distance.
Empress Yui: Amuro was in the sky, was he not?
Manager and Takaha: That was space, because of the weightlessness.
Empress Yui: All of that was merely floating in zero gravity?
Shiren: Empress Yui can fly anyway, so does it matter?
Empress Yui: Since alighting on Japan, I’ve lost the ability to fly.
Takaha: Since Empress Yui is a fairy, I think Dunbine would be good.
Empress Yui: The winged one?
Takaha: The one with the wings. It’s called the Fairy Kingdom’s Aura Battler.
Gight: Well, not a big robot, not one with a cockpit you ride in, but one you put your arm directly into. For reference, maybe the way the robots are piloted in the anime "Infinite Stratos". I guess.
Takaha: I like robots too much, so there are a lot … (laughs) To pick two, though, I’d like a robot that’s like a three-meter powered suit, the Guges D from Shirow Masamune’s "Appleseed" manga. And then "Zeta Gundam." (laughs)
Empress Yui: And what would you with them?
Takaha: I just want to have fun and fly around. Ah, sorry, I thought of another one.
Yousei Teikoku: (laughs)
Takaha: I want to pilot the LED Mirage. If you know "Five Star Stories", there are these sort of female-shaped support characters, called Fatima. Do you know about that? Are you familiar?

A little bit. My friend is a big fan.

Takaha: Well, I’d like to pilot the LED Mirage.

Ah, I see.

Takaha: I like Mamoru Nagano’s mecha and characters, so I really like the robots he designed for "Zeta Gundam." They’re stylish. Super stylish. Genius-level stylish. (to Nanami) You seem like you don’t have much to say …
Yousei Teikoku: (laughs)
Nanami: Well, not really.
Yousei Teikoku: (laughs)
Nanami: One that can fly?
Takaha: What about a robot that can quickly take you to Ramen Jirou?
Gight: “If he can eat ramen, anything’s fine”, huh?
Empress Yui: Would not it be better to just develop a robot that dispenses Jirou Ramen?
Nanami: This is kind of hard. I guess I think it’d be convenient to have one that’s like a vehicle.
Empress Yui: It’s not as if we do manual labour.
Takaha: The Valkyrie is convenient.
Empress Yui: Valkyrie? Why?
Takaha: It’s small and can fly compactly, and it has the GERWALK form.
Empress Yui: GERWALK is rather unnecessary.
Manager: To a certain extent, you can use the hands and such.
Takaha: You’d have to go into Battroid mode.
Manager: If you transform in the air from Fighter to Battroid mode, you can land vertically. It’s an aircraft with no need for a runway.
Empress Yui: Would not a flying robot accomplish the same thing?
Manager: Regarding the runway? Well, yeah …
Gight: It takes about twelve hours to get to America from Japan, so I wish there was a robot you could smoke in during the trip.
Yousei Teikoku: (laughs)
Takaha: Definitely not an EVA unit, then. Ah, but they can’t fly.
Empress Yui: One is submerged in liquid with an EVA, so it matters not. Perhaps they could put nicotine in the LCL?
Takaha: It feels like it’d go right into your lungs.
Empress Yui: Perpetual smoking!
Gight: That’s fine!
Takaha: But EVAs are on foot and can’t fly. They can only run.
Empress Yui: They can fly somewhat.
Gight: EVAs only work for five minutes.
Empress Yui: Ah, it’s hopeless, then.
Takaha: You could get around by hanging onto an airplane.
Gight: Not unless the umbilical cable is long enough.
Empress Yui: ... And there you have it. (laughs)

Yes, I understand.

Takaha: What about you? What robot would you want to pilot?

I’ll tell you after this.

Yousei Teikoku: (laughs)

Lastly, please leave a message for our readers.

Empress Yui: This is our fourth time in America, but every time we come we discover something of interest. Whether you’re a Japanese subject or an American subject matters not; we can feel your passion and your energy, so it has been quite an enjoyable journey. Naturally, we feel we’d like to come again. We’ve only been to America, but we’d like to go to Europe, as well, so we ask that all our subjects around the world wait for us.

Thank you very much.

Yousei Teikoku: Thank you very much!

JaME would like to thank Lantis, RESONANCE Media, Five Magics Inc, and Yousei Teikoku for this interview opportunity.