International independent rockers milli made his anisong debut in the 2016 series blood eaters and have since contributed songs to goblin slayer, gleipnirand Ghost in the shell: SAC_2045. The group’s newest song “Paper Bouquet” will be featured as the opening theme song in the upcoming anime series. The executioner and his way of life and is available digitally today.
anime news network had the opportunity to interview the main vocalist of the group Cassie Wei about the band’s unique sound, their anime and manga recommendations, and the upcoming series.
The group ‘milli‘ formed in 2012, can you tell us how you met and about the formation of the group?
Cassie Wei: About a year or two before milli formed, was doing covers of Kasai’s Vocaloid songs and posting them on Youtube. At the time, she was in high school and Kasai was using a different name. When he saw my videos, he contacted me through Twitter. He invited me to join his new unit after him. It sounded fun, so I immediately said yes (laughs). It really has been a lot of fun.
After that, Kasai invited some of his old bandmates: bassist Yukihito and drummer Shoto. Together we form milliand when we were producing our first album, we had the opportunity to bring in illustrator Ao.
Can you talk about the name of your group, “milliand inspiration from the Grimm fairy tale? How does the band’s name represent their music?
Cassie: Grimm’s fairy tale “Dear milli“Honestly, it’s quite an unusual story, in my opinion (laughs). The message is not clear, nor does it tell you what the protagonist milli was feeling, or if the ending was happy or bad. However, it is a mysterious story through which you can feel a sense of beauty. I think this beautiful yet hauntingly weird look is a good match for our style of music.
Vocalist Cassie Wei he is multi-talented; Besides singing, she also has a degree in software engineering. Do you still have goals of creating computer games in the future?
Cassie: Lately, I’ve wanted to express my values in a more digestible format. I love games, of course, and I think it’s a great way to immerse yourself deeply in a world, but it takes a long time to show your work to other people, so I realized it wasn’t right for me. There are so many ideas in my head that I want to express and so many messages that I want to convey that everything threatens to be buried. Every day I think of a new kind of story. If I spend too much time on each individual thing, then (as far as I’m concerned) I’d become someone who can’t shape his ideas. I think that’s why I made the switch to writing songs.
How would you describe the mood of your song “Paper Bouquet”?
Cassie: Strength, intensity and a bit of pathos, I suppose?
Were there any notes or instructions provided by the anime staff to create the song?
Cassie: We got some songwriting advice from the production, but they generally left things up to milli. I have a lot of gratitude for the production staff who believed in our sound.
Are any of the members a fan of anime, manga, or light novels? What are some of your favorites?
Cassie: All members are otaku of some kind (laughs). Although everyone is in different genres. When he was in elementary school, he watched a lot of anime every day and even read manga in the bathtub. These days, I’m a fan of Shuzō Oshimi‘s blood on the tracks. I think it’s great how he expresses the story and the feelings of the characters not through words but through images.
Is there an anime song that you consider to be ‘iconic’ or that you listen to frequently?
Cassie: i’m pretty anime otaku, so there are too many songs to be comfortable (laughs). When I was a kid, yuki kajiura‘s “Akatsuki no Kuruma” (from Mobile Suit Gundam Seed) was a masterpiece for me. Also, when I was in elementary school, I watched Fate of the Shrine Maiden (not an anime an elementary school kid should watch, by the way). I was a big fan of ED’s song “Agony” performed by KOTOK.
What bands or musicians do you consider important influences?
Cassie: There is no specific artist, but I have been very influenced by anisongs and japanese pop as gender. Even though I’m Canadian, I’ve loved anime and games since I was a kid, so I usually listened to anisongs. Anisongs are distinguished by their strong melodies. You don’t find songs with such a sense of presence in the West. It was very new to me when I was a child. I guess that’s why milli Do the songs always have a strong melodic line? My catchy melodies complement Kasai’s classical and rock band experience. I think that’s the source milliThe unique sound of today.
You can recommend “The executioner and his way of life” to the Western audience?
Cassie: I have seen the entire footage with my own eyes. So I can say this: The animation is soooo beautiful! It’s a very impressive show, well worth watching, with solid action scenes. The musical score is a perfect match for each scene, adding to the excitement.
It is an anime that is easy to understand and at the same time has a very intricate plot and setting. There is a lot of depth to the story. I can absolutely recommend it to people who love fantasy. Even people who don’t have much of an interest in orthodox fantasy or the isekai genre should take the opportunity to watch it. It could become a new love for you.
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The executioner and his way of life broadcast on HIDIVE
Readers can find milli on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.