This is a translation of the Love for NANA special interview published in CD Data, relating to TETSU69’s work on the LOVE for NANA ~ Only 1 Tribute ~ album. I originally posted this on minna_genki, linked in the sidebar. This is a revised and spellchecked version of the same thing. The only real difference is that I’ve read the manga since I first wrote this, so there is much less confusion on my part.
For those who don’t know, NANA is a shoujo manga by Yazawa Ai. It features two bands, Black Stones (Burasuto, or Blast) and Trapnest (Toranesu, or Trance) for which the songs on LOVE for NANA were supposed to be written. Also, the manga is being made into a movie, but the movie has not yet been released at the time of this publication or translation.
Begin interview
– How did you first become interested in reading the NANA manga?
[I read it because it was recommended by a friend. Before that, they had recommended ‘Kagen no Tsuki’ to me. I don’t really read many manga on my own, but since it was only three volumes I said “I guess I can read that” so I did, and found it very interesting. I asked if Yazawa-san had any other interesting manga like that, and that’s how I heard about NANA and started reading it. I find the fashion and cars in it are very realistic. It adds detail to the story.]
– So, have you met Yazawa-san in person?
[Yes, about three years ago, wasn’t it? It wasn’t a data gathering meeting or anything, it was just a let’s meet up sort of thing. At the time we were thinking it could turn out to be a good reference for later, and we ended up talking about a lot of my personal experiences. After that, she started coming to lives once in a while.]
– What did you think when you heard about the tribute album?
[It’s a privilege to get to participate in a project for a manga I happen to like. I’d been wanting to make a song for either Blast or Trance, and ended up choosing Trance.]
– By the way, at the press conference for the tribute, you said something about how you “became Takumi” didn’t you?
[It’s a matter of being in the same position… A band leader and bassist, I can relate to that pretty easily. I think I’m the type of person who can do the same type of work that he would.]
– So you had his consciousness during the creation process?
[When I imagine the band, Trance, I come up with a character who isn’t that different from myself. We have a lot in common, even though I don’t think we quite have the same view of the world. It wasn’t too hard to get into that sort of consciousness.]
– Trance has a female vocalist though, did you keep that in mind too?
[ That’s right. I tried very hard to make the melody I wrote fit something a girl would sing.]
– Then, the song ‘REVERSE’ was really born quite naturally.
[ I had other possible songs besides this one. I thought about which one was truest to the world of NANA. That is, I think I can choose right because I’ve experienced that world.]
– tetsu-san, you were really able to synchronize with NANA, right?
[I’ve started recommending NANA to my friends, too. When I make a new friend, I always tell them “You have to read this.” I say that to everyone around me, really. For example, I brought it up when I was working on my image with my stylist, but it really isn’t an easy thing to explain. It’s much easier to just tell everyone to read it for themselves and get the right meaning that way.]
– So then how do you feel about participating in a tribute to something that’s on your mind so much?
[I went through a lot forming L’Arc~en~Ciel, but that’s not the main point. As a solo artist, TETSU69, I don’t think I’m as well-known among fans. It’s that aspect that is participating in the project though, and I’m very happy that more people will have a chance to be exposed to my music this way.]
Translated by Natalie Arnold
For those who don’t know, NANA is a shoujo manga by Yazawa Ai. It features two bands, Black Stones (Burasuto, or Blast) and Trapnest (Toranesu, or Trance) for which the songs on LOVE for NANA were supposed to be written. Also, the manga is being made into a movie, but the movie has not yet been released at the time of this publication or translation.
Begin interview
– How did you first become interested in reading the NANA manga?
[I read it because it was recommended by a friend. Before that, they had recommended ‘Kagen no Tsuki’ to me. I don’t really read many manga on my own, but since it was only three volumes I said “I guess I can read that” so I did, and found it very interesting. I asked if Yazawa-san had any other interesting manga like that, and that’s how I heard about NANA and started reading it. I find the fashion and cars in it are very realistic. It adds detail to the story.]
– So, have you met Yazawa-san in person?
[Yes, about three years ago, wasn’t it? It wasn’t a data gathering meeting or anything, it was just a let’s meet up sort of thing. At the time we were thinking it could turn out to be a good reference for later, and we ended up talking about a lot of my personal experiences. After that, she started coming to lives once in a while.]
– What did you think when you heard about the tribute album?
[It’s a privilege to get to participate in a project for a manga I happen to like. I’d been wanting to make a song for either Blast or Trance, and ended up choosing Trance.]
– By the way, at the press conference for the tribute, you said something about how you “became Takumi” didn’t you?
[It’s a matter of being in the same position… A band leader and bassist, I can relate to that pretty easily. I think I’m the type of person who can do the same type of work that he would.]
– So you had his consciousness during the creation process?
[When I imagine the band, Trance, I come up with a character who isn’t that different from myself. We have a lot in common, even though I don’t think we quite have the same view of the world. It wasn’t too hard to get into that sort of consciousness.]
– Trance has a female vocalist though, did you keep that in mind too?
[ That’s right. I tried very hard to make the melody I wrote fit something a girl would sing.]
– Then, the song ‘REVERSE’ was really born quite naturally.
[ I had other possible songs besides this one. I thought about which one was truest to the world of NANA. That is, I think I can choose right because I’ve experienced that world.]
– tetsu-san, you were really able to synchronize with NANA, right?
[I’ve started recommending NANA to my friends, too. When I make a new friend, I always tell them “You have to read this.” I say that to everyone around me, really. For example, I brought it up when I was working on my image with my stylist, but it really isn’t an easy thing to explain. It’s much easier to just tell everyone to read it for themselves and get the right meaning that way.]
– So then how do you feel about participating in a tribute to something that’s on your mind so much?
[I went through a lot forming L’Arc~en~Ciel, but that’s not the main point. As a solo artist, TETSU69, I don’t think I’m as well-known among fans. It’s that aspect that is participating in the project though, and I’m very happy that more people will have a chance to be exposed to my music this way.]
Translated by Natalie Arnold
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