Fukushima: I felt that we were entrusted with a very important scene in the flow of “The Apothecary Diaries” so far, so I created the song while thinking about what would be appropriate for a piece that plays during the climax. In the second cour, the situations and relationships of Maomao, Jinshi, and Shisui change dramatically. I built the lyrics around two main themes: the regret of not noticing a different side of someone important to you, and the depiction of conversations becoming soliloquies after being separated.
Since the lyrics aren’t very long, I really paid attention to what information was truly necessary and what words would evoke the right images. I’m glad I was able to use important words from the story like “flower” and “insect.”
Fujii: For this song, I composed the melody first. When I wanted to express the duality of Shisui and Consort Luolan through the musical style, I started creating the song with the idea of having the key seamlessly modulate repeatedly without the listener noticing.
I think the climax of the second cour is truly emotional, so I wanted to preserve that poignancy and emotion in the composition.
Favorite Character is Lakan? “I find myself relating to him.”
鈹鈹By the way, do you have any favorite character or is intrigued about one from “The Apothecary Diaries”?
Fukushima: To avoid spoilers, I’ve been consistently answering Lakan (laughs).
Tomita: Honestly, in the second season, I found myself thinking, “Wow, Shisui is such a great character!”
Fujii: Shisui definitely steals my heart the most.
Fukushima: Lakan is a rather awkward person, and maybe because I’m similar, I find myself relating to him. He’s clumsy, but I really appreciate how deeply he cares for others.
Fukushima: It’s about whether I can empathize with the story. The maximum impact is when it moves me to tears. For “The Apothecary Diaries,” the climax from a certain point is the most emotional moment. I was really touched by the tense developments.
Fujii: I try to grasp the overall atmosphere of the show. When our song plays during the ending, I want to make sure it’s not too disconnected from the world of the anime. I watch the series with the intention of absorbing that underlying atmosphere into my body.
Tomita: I don’t typically get involved from the scratch. Instead, I focus on how to refine what the other two have created based on their impressions of the work, and how to best incorporate that with the original source material.
“Hitorigoto” by Omoinotake
About “The Apothecary Diaries” Season 2
When the emperor’s high-ranking consort, Gyokuy艒, discovered she was pregnant, Maomao returned to her role as the Jade Pavilion’s poison-tester. She remained vigilant to ensure no further incidents would target the consort and the emperor’s son.
A new consort, Loulan, whose father was an influential minister from the previous emperor’s reign, entered the palace. An unprecedented unsolved case emerged, where the emperor’s life was threatened, and the suspect, Suirei, disappeared.
As the unsettling atmosphere persisted, foreign traders and ambassadors with unreasonable demands also arrived. More dark clouds were beginning to gather over the court.
The new challenges facing Maomao and Jinshi will eventually escalate into a major incident involving the entire country—-
Maomao: Aoi YukiJinshi: Takeo OtsukaGaoshun: Katsuyuki KonishiConsort Gyokuy艒: Atsumi TanezakiConsort Lihua: Yui IshikawaConsort Lishu: Hina KinoXiaolan: Misaki KunoShisui: Asami SetoAyla: LynnAylin: Yumi HaraLahan: Toshiyuki ToyonagaShenmei: Rika FukamiNarrator: Sumi Shimamoto
(C)鏃ュ悜澶忋兓銈ゃ優銈搞偒銈ゃ兂銉曘偐銈癸紡銆岃柆灞嬨伄銇层仺銈娿仈銇ㄣ嶈＝浣滃鍝′細