Maison Ikkoku Music Box Interviews

Translated by: Harley Acres

Takao Sugiyama (杉山卓夫)
Cross Interview 1

First of all, what made you decide to do Maison Ikkoku?

Sugiyama: At the time (1986) I was in a band called Mother Earth, and due to various circumstances, there was talk of releasing a record through Kitty. ^[1] So, around the same time I started playing, I was working with Toshinobu Kubota. I got a call from Honma-san, his former director, and asked if I would like to try out for Maison Ikkoku. So, for the soundtrack, I'd have to write live string pieces, so I thought I'd give it a try because I'd learn a lot. I was asked if it would be possible, and that's how I decided to do Maison Ikkoku.

And how did you go about doing the actual work?

Sugiyama: First of all, I didn't have time to reread the original work. They asked me to do 200 songs in one week.

However, now that I think about it, I think there was something really important about the arrangements and things that we were doing. Although this may be a simplistic way of putting it, for example, you have a melody, and there are various kinds of music from around the world, such as samba and jazz. I can apply that sort of music, I became familiar with these styles. I thought, "I can do it like this." I can say that I've broadened my range.

There are a lot of songs with a comical feel to them. I had never done anything like that prior to working on this, and it was a great learning experience. For 10 seconds or so, I have a sound played (on a synthesizer), and I would decide based on that tone. When the operator starts playing, I'm like, "Oh, wait, I'll use that sound now." In the end, I worked with various artists... working on Maison Ikkoku was like going to school.

So, for you, Maison Ikkoku was a kind of foundation?

Sugiyama: I can't have this many songs unless I put out everything I've done so far. So, I just put out everything I have accumulated up to this point. I think I did it as if it were my own album.

Well, at the beginning it was like being an amateur. But when I decided to do this, I couldn't say that anymore, so I called musicians to the studio and asked them help. However, since I wasn't used to it, there were times when I ended up leaving after only 20 seconds of the song was left (laughs).

Also, the sound director, Shiba-san, is an amazing man. His passion for music is the same as mine, and he is a professional. I think he thought I was still an amateur.

We only had a few days. However, even in that situation, he basically never compromised. For example, somewhere in a piece was "Tara's Theme" from Gone with the Wind. I had a request to do something like that, and I really wanted a live orchestra. However, at the time, instruments capable of sampling were just coming out, and I thought that if I used them, it would probably be okay. But they made me redo the whole thing.

How do you feel about hearing your songs again?

Sugiyama: Well, this kind of thing is embarrassing. Even if I think it's embarrassing, I think the fans can connect the scene and the song. ...I'm very happy that people feel that way even though I don't know about it. But isn't that what music's all about? I'm sure it's a little different for each person, but when people listen to it, they think, "Oh, this song." I'd be happy if people thought, "That's the scene I saw when that song played." It's better than receiving royalties (laughs).

Do you have a particular favorite song?

Sugiyama: There are songs called "Spring," "Summer," "Autumn," and "Winter". I created them from songs that I was making as a hobby at the time. After this, I had almost nothing left of my own music.

In fact, it was supposed to be possible to connect "Spring," "Summer," "Autumn," and "Winter" into one song. I don't think anyone, including Shiba-san, was aware of that. Also, track 3 "Spring" from "Takao Sugiyama Hen 1" (杉山卓夫篇1) is done with live strings at the beginning. ^[2] The melody is played on the harmonica, and there are many different melodies in one song. So you can use various patterns. Personally, I wanted to play this melody with other instruments. But when I listen to it now, it doesn't bother me at all (laughs). Ah, "Takao Sugiyama Hen 2" (杉山卓夫篇2), track 17 "Memories" I'm playing this on piano (laughs).

Do you have a favorite character in Maison Ikkoku?

Sugiyama: I like Yotsuya-san. Somehow (laughs). Also, I admired Kyoko Otonashi more than I liked her. I watched Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ/Kaze no Tani no Naushika), where the main character was played by Sumi Shimamoto, a voice actress, and at that time I almost memorized the lines. When I met Shimamoto-san, I thought, "Oh, that's her voice." That's how it all started (laughs). My image of Kyoko's and her voice actor matched the character quite well.

Maison Ikkoku marks the only time that you did the BGM for an anime. So, is this CD the only one where you can listen to this type of music by you, Sugiyama-san?

Sugiyama: I suppose so. After that, I started working with Toshinobu Kubota around the same time. There was never an opportunity to follow up these kinds of musical elements.

So, what kind of music did you mainly listen to up until working on this project?

Sugiyama: Mainly American pop music from the 1970s and 1980s. I also love old pop songs like those by the Peanuts. ^[3] I'm a "meh" kind of guy, I suppose. With old pop songs, you just put the songs on top of an orchestra when you recorded them. The music was really good. The singers were good, and they thought about the lyrics and breath control.

I also think that the lyrics are important. After all, you can't add a melody that sounds like "edge" (端/hashi) to the lyrics "chopsticks" (箸/hashi). Nursery rhymes and songs learned at school don't have any of those confusing things. For example, in the case of "rain shower" (時雨/shigure), "rain" (雨/ame) is one word, so "cicada rain shower" (蟬・時雨/mushi shigure, the cacophy of insect sound) doesn't make sense. Also, although the word itself is fashionable, it doesn't have much meaning.

When I listen carefully, the words enter my head as lyrics. I think it all comes together as one song. I can't say anything too grandiose, but I want to make music that values the Japanese language. That's what I think (bitter smile).

Thank you very much.

Kenji Kawai (川井憲次)
Cross Interview 2

Maison Ikkoku was created shortly after your debut, right, Kawai-san?

Kawai: That's right. I guess it was my fourth or fifth work...

-How did you originally get into the music industry?

Kawai: I quit university (laughs). So I formed a fusion band with an acquaintance while working part-time in Akihabara and other places. I used to play guitar... (Kawai-san is one of the guitarists in "Ah My Goddess, King of the Privilege Collection" [ああっ女神さまっ 特典王~クレーム対象外コレクション〜], which is now on sale from Pony Canyon). Then I entered a contest... only college students were allowed to enter, but even though there were only three real college students, I entered just for the money and car I would get if I won. Somehow, we won, and we decided to go for it as a band. I made a demo tape for a record company, and after running around to about 30 music production companies with it, barely one or two companies approached me, and we did some music for commercials. By the way, Ikuo Kataoka-kun (片岡郁雄) and Taiji Ogura-kun (小倉泰治), who were members of the band, are still active as musicians and arrangers.

So, after a long and difficult period of training, did you make your debut?

Kawai: Actually, it wasn't that hard. Back then, the full-color version of Space Invaders had just come out, and I was going to the arcade every day just to see it (laughs).

After that, I worked as a backing band for Yuji Mitsuya-san and various other people, and I was also in charge of the music for Mitsuya-san's plays. ^[4] Asari-san from Omnibus (a production company led by Shiba-san, the sound director of Maison Ikkoku) happened to be watching the performance, and he approached me. After that, I started working on BGM for anime.

I was lucky to be able to do this because I have always loved anime and manga. I think my first job was a promotional video for Tokuma Shoten's animation projects. I remember that it included Oshii-san's sketches for Angel's Egg (天使のたまご/Tenshi no Tamago) and footage of Laputa (ラピュタ).

So, after Red Spectacles (紅い眼鏡/Akai Megane) you moved on to Maison Ikkoku?

Kawai: Hmm, well, my memory is fuzzy about that, but I think I received a call one day from Shiba-san, the sound director of Red Spectacles and was asked to do the music for Maison Ikkoku. ^[5]

Could you tell us more specifically about your music production?

Kawai: First, we receive a music menu from the sound director. It's something like this, and it's a certain length. Using that as a guide, I compose the music. I try to embody what's written there as much as possible. I try hard to do that, but people often say things like, "That's not right, Kawai-chan" (laughs). It can be pretty bad (laughs).

Did you receive any instructions from the director?

Kawai: No, it was just the music menu that Shiba-san gave me. The other thing was... Prince was popular at the time, and the music director asked me to create a Prince-style orchestra without using shirotama (long sound marks in musical notes). Many of the songs on "Music Blend 2" were created with this concept in mind, so to speak. ^[6] I think the mixing was also quite extreme. The drum toms and plusses were really big...

However, it was still difficult to use it as a theatrical accompaniment, and Shiba-san got angry with me and we had to re-mix it (bitter laugh). Also, about half of the rhythms were computerized, but we also decided on key instruments and featured them. I used piano, harmonica, and strings (violins, etc.) to give the song a Kyoko-san feel.

It seems that the synths were also sampled in "A Bad Dog on his Gait", for example.

Kawai: Oh, that cry was originally a sound that was on the synthesizer and was used exactly as it was. Also, there's something that sounds like a crow's cry in the middle of "Grandma's Plum Wine," right? That was a cheap little thing that cost about 300 yen. It's made of PVC or something, and when you squeeze it, it makes a pitiful sound like "mitsu"... For some reason, I often sampled that sound and used it in Maison Ikkoku.

When it comes to synths, they've changed a lot since we made the album. There's nothing that can change when it comes to live instruments, but even the sound of a drum on a synthesizer is completely different than it is now. However, I can't say that things are better now. For example, if you replace the original orchestra with modern synths, the sound may be better, but the atmosphere will likely be ruined.

Come to think of it, there are some songs that aren't on the record...

Songs used in the anime, but aren't on the record?

Kawai: Actually, I lost an entire multi (tape) (laughs). Apparently it was stored in a warehouse at the time, but when I tried to take it to Izu (the studio's location), it seemed to be missing. Well, now I don't even remember what songs were on it, but I think there were a few that I liked... You could say the fish that got away were big... ^[7]

That's just an illusion (bitter smile). By the way, who is your favorite character, Kawai-san?

Kawai: I admire Kyoko-san. So many of the songs related to Kyoko-san are not narcissistic, but they express my inner self. I also feel a kind of compassion, not admiration, for Yotsuya-san, a sympathy for his perversity, like when he suddenly breaks through the wall of his room (laughs).

Do you have a favorite song among the songs recorded during this time?

Kawai: Many of the songs included in "Music Blend 2" are my favorites. In fact, I consulted with the director and put together only the songs I liked (laughs). To be more specific, this one... The CD (川井憲次編1/Kenji Kawai Hen 1) has 6 songs, track 2 "Bells Ring in the Dawn" to track 7 "Ichinose Will Come Today Too". Also, track 9 "Tennis Balls and Rumors" and track 11 "Wish I Could Go Up Tokeizaka," track 14. "Serves You Right?!" track 15 "A Dinner Party at the Front Door," track 27 "When Godai Thinks of Kyoko," track 28 "Kyoko's Sadness," and track 35 "The Season of the Scattered Leaves". This CD (川井憲次編2/Kenji Kawai Hen 2) has track 5 "A Landscape with a Kiss" track 6 "Grandma's Plum Wine," track 12 "Complex Night," track 19 "Soichiro and the Fly," track 25 "Proposal," track 26 "Silently but Surely, Spring has Come," and track 32 "Wind Symphony". Well, when I like a song, I want to listen to it over and over again, myself. Also, track 1, 7, 13" and 27 in Blend 2 were created as musical accompaniments. I made it longer with the intention of including it in the album, rather than the original. It was worth making (laughs).

So, was it fun to create the music for Maison Ikkoku?

Kawai: To be honest, it was fun. I laughed more in the studio than at any stupid party... Well, that aside, I was able to write a lot of my own melodies, so it's still one of the best jobs I've done with the fingers on these hands. It might sound corny, but I created the music for Maison Ikkoku with the image of a city at dawn. It was still dark in the Kitashinagawa shopping district near where I live, and you could hear the sound of vending machines and telephone pole transformers humming... I didn't actually wander the streets in the morning, but that's the image I had in mind...

So, if you ask me now, what do you think?

Kawai: Methodologically, it's true that I was trying to do what was popular at the time, but when I finished it, it was my own sound. It's been so long that I feel nostalgic, but... Even now, I can listen to it without any hesitation. Compared to other BGMs, I guess you could say it's full of my feelings. It's not a work with great confidence, but I'm satisfied with the selfish parts.

Lastly, Kawai-san, what are your musical roots, or what kind of music do you like?

Kawai: The person who influenced me the most was Burt Bacharach from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Bacharach's songs are very cold. No matter how upbeat his songs are, there's a scary side lurking behind them. Listen a little. It's just a bright and easy-to-understand melody, but if you listen to it closely, you'll notice that it does things that are so scary and unimaginable that you wouldn't normally think of. I think that's why many people misunderstand it... Also... I don't pay particular attention to it when I compose music, but I love Santana and Carole King, and I still listen to them.

I see. Well then, thank you very much for today.

Hideharu Mori (森英治)
Cross Interview 3

First of all, Mori-san, you also performed the ending of Maison Ikkoku as a member of Picasso. How did that come about?

Mori: Well, let's see. The first song was "Cinema," which was Picasso's original song, not planned for Maison Ikkoku at all. The single version had already been released, but Kitty's staff said that "Cinema" was a good song and that they wanted to combine it with a video instead of just releasing it. It was just a coincidence that I was asked to do the ending of Maison Ikkoku. We paired them and it turned out to be a great fit, and Picasso has been in charge of three more Maison Ikkoku endings since then.

However, it made us a bit tied to "Cinema" for the next three endings. The introduction of "Cinema" is very distinctive. It was said that the intro to "Cinema" was very distinctive, and that alone drew the attention of both the eye and the ear. I was worried that I would have to create an introduction that would grab people's attention for 2~3 seconds in the following songs. But the best one was "Cinema". Picasso was still an amateur band, and we had been making music before we called ourselves Picasso. Even if you exclude my feelings for it... I think it's a song that will still be around in ten years."

Do you have any image of Maison Ikkoku itself?

Mori: I was thinking, "If it was a little more straight-forward, the story would be quicker. But otherwise, it wouldn't be a drama" (laughs).

How about your favorite character?

Mori: Hmm, I really like these three people. Ichinose-san, Yotsuya-san, and Akemi-san."

After that, there were many twists and turns, and you ended up being in charge of the music for Maison Ikkoku: The Final Chapter, what about any of the characters in that?

Mori: Is that the scene with Kyoko's father and Iioka? I like the scene where those two are talking. I also liked the scene with the puppet show. It's nice to be surrounded by people like this who are kind and can speak openly. It's probably not the life we live in in Tokyo now. That's what's great about it. I'm sure people who have been watching it for a long time also think so. Back then, when people came to Tokyo, they saw such beautiful apartment managers (laughs).

How do you feel about listening to songs from those days now?

Mori: I'm not saying what's wrong with Maison Ikkoku when I say this, but when I listen to old songs, I'm more concerned about my own naiveté than the nostalgia. Well, let's leave that aside.

I was thinking about this when I was making this, and in the end, in Maison Ikkoku, everyone is mean, and there are twists and turns, but in the end, I'm rooting for the two of them. I hope my music becomes something like a cheering song. That's what I thought when I composed the music.

As for Maison Ikkoku: The Final Chapter, the story really ends within Ikkoku-kan. Therefore, I wanted to keep the instrumentation as small as possible, but I wanted it to have depth within easy reach.

I see. Do you have any favorite songs that you've listened to again?

Mori: Track 1 "I Love You," track 5 "In the Moonlight," track 11 "Grandmother," track 12 "Moon and Guitar," track 14 "I Need Her," and track 15 "Merry-Go-Round for Two" (laughs).

How exactly did you compose the music for Maison Ikkoku: The Final Chapter?

Mori: I think I started writing after receiving the music sheet and storyboards from Shiba-san, the sound director, without looking at the video. Shiba-san always gave me a lot of instructions. But with this movie, , there weren't as many songs as I expected. Not all that many, but most of them were long. I finished all 15 songs on this CD in about two weeks. I tried to create something that could stand as a single song. I remember it being quite easy to make.

Is that because it's an anime?

Mori: No. For example, if it is something that goes on every week, even if it is just one sound or melody, I think I have to create something strong that brings the characters to mind. But I was never conscious of whether it was an animation or a live-action film.

Where does Maison Ikkoku: The Final Chapter stand in your music history?

Mori: My first movie I did by myself was Maison Ikkoku: The Final Chapter. In that sense, it also holds a special place in my memory. I don't have any regrets, but I do feel that it was made a long time ago, and that it's still very immature. I think that if I were to do it now, I would be able to organize the connections between the songs and make this CD more unified as a whole.

What are the roots of your music?

Mori: I know it's a bit cliché, but the Beatles were the biggest influence on me. And Elton John, the Police, Trevor Horn... There are so many. After all, this is the radio of the 1960s, when pop, rock, and movie soundtracks were all on the hit charts. But I also listen to a lot of classical music. I listen to Ravel, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, etc. But I like all kinds of music (laughs).

Lastly, do you have any message for those who will listen to this CD?

Mori: Hmmm. I would be happy if people who see this film and listen to the music can feel a warm feeling of peace. I'm sure that the junior high school students who were watching Maison Ikkoku back then are now working in society. I hope that they will not forget what they liked back then and find something new that they like. Also, don't be surprised that Picasso has changed so since back then (laughs).

Shigeharu Shiba (斯波重治)
Cross Interview 4

First of all, could you briefly explain your job as a sound director?

Shiba: Actually, it's not really a real job. It is a job that should normally be done by a director. However, because Japanese animation has developed mainly through the medium of television, animation has to be shown once a week.

Because of the weekly schedule, there is no way the director could physically go through the entire episode and add all the sounds. That's why the job called sound director arose. Therefore, please understand that the job of a sound director is to compose the production of all sounds, including the actual voices of the actors.

Once the imagery is complete, I read the scenario and storyboards and cast the main characters while thinking about what kind of sounds should be included. Also, in order to commission music from a musician, we consider what kind of BGM is needed in that world, so if we want a song of a certain length and a certain kind of atmosphere, we create a detailed music menu for all the BGM. We will prepare in the same way for sound effects. Then, once the preparations are complete, we record the lines, add the music, add the sound effects, and finish them off. That’s the job.

Then, isn't it hard to communicate with the staff?

Shiba: If I were a member of the art staff, we would have talked about many things, but at present, image and sound are separated, so we rarely have such deep discussions. The relationship between image and sound is overwhelmingly limited in Japanese animation. For example, when Ghibli creates an animated film, the sound staff is involved from the start of production. That is the true way of production. However, this is not possible with a television series. We are asked to do this kind of work after the scenario is completed and the storyboards are finished. The sound staff cannot get involved in the content of the scenario. The proposal comes in about a month or two before the production begins. It is impossible for the sound staff to be involved in the beginning of a film, given the way Japanese animation is currently made.

Even so, it must be difficult to organize such a large number of songs and give directions.

Shiba: In the past, even for TV series, for the first season or so, we would have the composer actually look at the artwork and compose the music, compose a variety of songs, and then add more as needed. But business has entered into the creation of the opening themes and ending themes. Although these are supposed to capture the theme and content of the series, it's often decided to choose the right singer, the right lyricist, and the right composer instead. That can't be helped, and it's true that the opening and ending themes must have excellent music.

When it comes to background music, something simple is sometimes easier to use than something really fantastic. Background music is extremely special. That's why even if you're a good opening or ending theme composer, you won't be able to create good BGM unless you're good at arranging music.

That's why I give the composer a music menu with detailed instructions and have them quickly write a song in a short amount of time, but sometimes they end up with something completely different from what I imagined from the menu. Some things are different, and some are really good. However, songs like that are something that are unlikely to be used in the series. We keep a miscellaneous collection of these things and select songs to add to the finished work.

I rely on the composer's sensibilities and have them compose freely based on the original work and my menu, and I manage to work out the rest. So, to be honest, animation work isn't very interesting. Radio work is more interesting. With a script in hand, I can decide what kind of music to create for each scene, what kind of sound effects to create, and create a world based solely on sound. That kind of work is definitely more interesting.

In the case of Maison Ikkoku, did you have any difficulties with the casting?

Shiba: I had decided on Kyoko-san from the beginning. However, there were other people who thought that this person or that person would be better, but I had an image of Shimamoto-san in the role. I was allowed to go with my choice (laugh).

So, the one I had the most trouble with was Godai's Futamata-kun (laughs). At first, I said that he couldn't play such a handsome guy. Come to think of it, I didn't know it at first, but he was a big fan of Maison Ikkoku. Apparently he thought he was the only one who could do it.

If an actor has a clear internal method of creating a character, he or she will always be able to express that character, so even if there are slight differences in image at first, after several jobs, the actor's expression will become closer to the character. Of course, if the actor's grasp of the character is off, he or she will remain off until the end, but it is our job to cast the voice actors based on their ability to create such roles.

Who is your favorite character in Maison Ikkoku?

Shiba: Is it Ichinose-san? No, it would have to be Yotsuya-san (laughs). Ichinose-san's husband was also interesting, although he only appeared three times. Yuko Mita-san, who played Akemi, had not played such a role previously. Even so, Akemi was very good (laughs).

Are there any feelings you have about the release of this CD collection?

Shiba: Hmm. I'm curious as to what kind of people will buy this CD collection. Unlike laserdiscs, these don't have any imagery, so I wonder if people will buy it while thinking of this work as a memory of their own youth. For example, when a station producer who works on the front lines now says, "I watched Maison Ikkoku when I was younger," I get upset (laughs).

Actually, I don't really understand it, but... In my youth, novels, poetry collections, and print were the primary popular media, and I used to read them and talk about issues of love with my friends. It sparked debate. However, in this day and age, such print media have come to be shunned. In the interaction between Godai and the people around him in the manga world, and in their appearance in the anime, we feel the same things that we have felt and learned in my youth.

So, if CDs with only sound are still selling well, I think it's because they're reminding us of those days.

Thank you very much for your time today.

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Footnotes

• [1] Kitty Enterprises began as a record company, and Urusei Yatsura was its first anime production. For more information on Kitty Enterprises, which would later become Kitty Films, please see our article.
• [2] This is referring to "Music Blend" or the first CD of the boxset which has its tracks somewhat reorganized. "Spring" is the second track on the first CD of the boxset but is the third track on "Music Blend".
• [3] The Peanuts (ザ・ピーナッツ) were a 1960s-1970s vocal duo comprised of twin sisters Emi Ito and Yumi Ito.
• [4] Yuji Mitsuya (三ツ矢雄二) is the voice actor who portrayed Tatsuya Uesugi in Touch and Dr. Tofu in Ranma 1/2. Kenji Kawai working has a backing musician for him is also mentioned in the interviews for the counterpart to this set, the Urusei Yatsura Music Box.
• [5] Red Spectacles (紅い眼鏡/Akai Megane) is Mamoru Oshii's live-action film that is part of the Kerberos trilogy. The film stars many voice actors that Oshii worked with on Maison Ikkoku including Shigeru Chiba (Megane, Yotsuya) and Machiko Washio (Sakura).
• [6] "Music Blend 2" is also the third volume of the "Maison Ikkoku Complete Music Box".
• [7] The books for both the "Maison Ikkoku Complete Music Box" and the "Urusei Yatsura Complete Music Box Set" which include this interview, also contain listings of each episode with a list of the sequence of songs that were played in each. However, there are some sections (in both Maison Ikkoku and Urusei Yatsura) where the song is listed as "not available" on the set and no title is provided for these missing songs.
• [8] Shigeharu Shiba (斯波重治), the sound director for the series, answers similar questions about Urusei Yatsura in the interview he gave for that boxset as well. Shiba was involved with Ranma 1/2 as well, though no similar boxset of music was compiled for that series unfortunately.

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