This interview was originally published in Japanese on thefirsttimes.jp. Translated by VK Chronicle.

INTERVIEW & TEXT BY SHIMIZU MOTOKO PHOTO BY SEKI NOBUYUKI

This is the second collaboration interview with the fortune-telling cultivation app “Tarot Danshi ~22 Apprentice Fortune Tellers~” (hereafter “Tarodan”)! Following Yuichiro Umehara from the first installment, this time we have Shoya Chiba, who plays 【The Fool】 Fool the Flyhite. With hobbies including guitar and attending musicals, and a special talent for singing, Chiba has always had a love for music. How will he select three songs that hold deep meaning for him? Alongside a “good understanding person” we met during the interview, he opens up about Takarazuka Revue—a theater company he holds in the highest regard.

Who is Umehara Yuichiro? Kyu Sakamoto, Kaze Fujii, BUMP OF CHICKEN—the music deeply etched into his life.

【First Installment Interview】

Shoya Chiba’s Youth: Fighting with Songs He Loves Over Trends

Q: This interview is conducted under the premise that “what divination reveals is one’s true self.” First, could you select three songs that represent you?

Chiba: For the first song, I’ll go with Janne Da Arc’s “Gekkou Hana.” When I was little, my mom had me listening to a lot of TM NETWORK, X JAPAN, and LUNA SEA. But once I got to middle school, I started listening to Janne Da Arc of my own volition for the first time. “Gekkou Hana” was the theme song for the anime Black Jack, and I’d loved it so much since elementary school that I could sing the whole thing. But back then, I didn’t realize that “Gekkou Hana” was even a Janne Da Arc song… then about three years later, I fell in love with Janne Da Arc, and I was like, “Oh! So ‘Gekkou Hana’ was a Janne Da Arc song all along!”

Q: What made you fall in love with Janne Da Arc in the first place?

Chiba: Looking back on it now, there were lots of reasons I got hooked—like the grand, stringed-instrument sound from keyboardist Kiyo, or the way guitarist You creates inflection through rhythm while making everything else sound deceptively simple. But the very first thing was yasuさん’s voice. I was shocked that a man could sing such a high melody with such a beautiful voice! Since I was in the home club during middle school, my friend and I would go to karaoke two or three times a week to practice together (laughs). I really wanted to be able to sing in as high a key as yasuさん.

Q: I get that. High keys definitely make you want to take on the challenge.

Chiba: Also, back then, the whole “I tried singing [song]” trend was happening, so that made my admiration for singing grow even more. In high school, I joined the light music club and we did cover bands. There was this opportunity where one band from the light music club could perform in front of the whole school during club recruitment for freshmen. So to win the audition to be that one band, I practiced “Gekkou Hana” like crazy. At the time, a lot of people were covering popular bands like RADWIMPS and BUMP OF CHICKEN, which were also hugely popular with the students—I understood that doing one of those would definitely give us an advantage. But thinking about getting to sing in front of hundreds of people, I really wanted to do a song I actually loved. So I recruited members based on that premise, and even named the band “Chibando” by mashing up my name (laughs).

Q: That’s so straightforward! (laughs)

Chiba: Yeah (laughs). It was a band where my “I wanna do this!” impulse just took over. But in the end, a different band was chosen… and I cried so much that day. So it’s not just a favorite song—it’s also a song that brings back my regret.

The Charm of Takarazuka Revue: Drawing You In With Infinite Possibilities

Q: Hearing that story, it seems like once you decide on something, you stick with it. So, what about the second song? Since you’re known to be a Takarazuka Revue fan, maybe a song from there?

Chiba: Great idea! When I was in upper elementary school, Natsuki Mizumi, who was the top star of the Snow Troupe, formed a unit called AQUA5 with other Snow Troupe stars (Mao Ayafuki / Kei Otozuki / Oto Ayain / Kaname Ougi). My mom had me listen to their CD, and around the same time, I watched the Space Troupe’s “Excalibur” and the Star Troupe’s “The Scarlet Pimpernel” (nicknamed “Skapin”) on video, and I thought, “That’s so cool!” I wasn’t particularly hung up on the fact that women were playing male roles or anything—I just felt this urge to sing along with them. Especially once I got to middle school and started practicing high-key songs at karaoke, Takarazuka songs hit just right (laughs). I used to sing “Hitokakera no Yuuki,” the theme song from “Skapin,” a lot. When “Skapin” was revived by the Moon Troupe in 2010, I actually went to see it at the theater—I remember we were in row 23. And from there, I became a fan of the Moon Troupe.

Q: They say the Moon Troupe is “the troupe for drama,” so maybe you were drawn to the acting?

Chiba: Exactly! And among their productions, there’s a song called “Kodomotachi no Naka no Kodoku” (Loneliness Among the Crowd) from “STUDIO 54,” which I’ve always loved. The male protagonist, in his youth, promised the heroine that they’d both chase their dreams together. But in the end, he becomes a gossip magazine journalist, and the heroine, for money, stays with a rock star she doesn’t even love, her heart slowly dying inside. So you get both successful people and people whose dreams have been shattered, but throughout the play, different characters keep singing this “Kodomotachi no Naka no Kodoku” while subtly changing the lyrics. And as each character brings their own conflict and loneliness to the song, it becomes one complete piece… that’s actually one of the reasons I love musicals. It’s like the vague feelings inside me—”I love singing,” “I love acting”—suddenly took on a clear shape. Plus, the lead actor, Daimu Kirisame, is an excellent singer too. He even sang at his final show before retirement, and since the song is about 2.5 minutes and on streaming services, I really hope people listen to it.

Q: So your second song is “Kodomotachi no Naka no Kodoku”?

Chiba: Yes. And that’s why it bothers me so much that I never got to see it live! I was in middle school at the time, and I couldn’t have gone to see Takarazuka unless my parents really went out of their way to get tickets for me. I wasn’t using the internet much either, so I had no idea which troupe was performing what. I think I probably watched “STUDIO 54” on TAKARAZUKA SKY STAGE, the cable channel dedicated to Takarazuka. That happens a lot with me. And when I fell in love with Janne Da Arc, they’d already gone on hiatus… so I’ve never actually seen a Janne Da Arc live concert.

Q: The pain of not being able to follow things in real time. But the way you talk, it’s clear you understand Takarazuka deeply—not just the glamorous surface, but really care about it.

Chiba: Takarazuka has women playing men, young performers playing elderly characters—they use theatrical expression that transcends gender and age, right? As entertainment, I love how they draw “us,” the audience, into their world. I chose to become a voice actor for a similar reason: even if in my real life I could never save the world or become an athlete or whatever, I can express those things through my voice.

“Koi” by Hana Oku: The Song That Comforted Young Chiba’s Heartbreak

Q: That makes complete sense. So, what about the third song?

Chiba: I’d say “Koi” by Hana Oku, which I listened to constantly in middle school. For our generation, when it came to love songs, Nishi Kana was at her peak, but her stuff felt too upbeat for me somehow… I mean, her songs always give the feeling that the main character and their love interest will eventually end up together. But Hana Oku’s songs are raw, you know? A lot of her songs are about love that didn’t work out, and since they’re from a woman’s perspective, they really dig in and hurt. But since I was in the middle of a one-sided crush, those feelings just fit me perfectly. So I’d pretty much always listen to Hana Oku’s songs and cry whenever I was pining for someone.

Q: Were you having that many unhappy romances?

Chiba: Everything fails when you’re a middle school boy! Hana Oku’s songs are full of this “I don’t know why, but things just don’t work out” feeling. Like, you get along with someone, you have a relationship with them, but they just don’t develop feelings for you romantically. Or like, even living together doesn’t work, even going out drinking doesn’t work. Even with those kinds of adult situations, I could relate to it just right. But recently, I’ve been practicing acoustic guitar, and when I listened back to my favorite songs, my interpretation of “Koi” totally changed! I used to think it was just a song about one-sided love in my teens, but now I’m wondering if it’s actually about a breakup after dating someone. And if that’s the case… that’s way more painful, right? Hana Oku’s lyrics use a lot of colloquial language, so back then I thought they were pinpointing specific situations. But now, through my work, I’m exposed to all kinds of creative works, and I’ve come to really understand that the same words can be spoken in so many different situations. Realizing that there’s such a wide range of imagination possible, even with colloquial lyrics—that was a huge discovery for me.

Q: So as colloquial-style lyrics, you can enjoy them for their straightforwardness, but you’ve also come to know their deeper meaning and the depth of the song itself.

Chiba: I have a dream of writing songs someday, so I’m glad I’ve grown up. I still have a pretty youthful mindset in a lot of ways, but at least my way of looking at songs has matured into my twenties (laughs).

A “Tarodan” Tarot Reading of Shoya Chiba

Q: (laughs) In “Tarot Danshi,” you play 【The Fool】 Fool the Flyhite. When we used the “Tarodan Fortune Telling” on the site to divine your future, you came up as “The Coffee Hermit.”

According to the reading: “The Coffee Hermit”

You’re serious and never shy away from effort, but because of your purity, you can be a bit inflexible. It’s hard for you to overlook the gray areas in things, and you might fiercely oppose or protest them. In romance, things you feel you could handle fall apart, and the moment you sense half-hearted feelings, you might suddenly lose interest. What characterizes you is that you always use your own rules and personal values as your axis for judgment. While you have an endless curiosity about romance and can keep seeking the next love without getting discouraged, you’ll gradually open new doors in life once you realize that your personal rules can also cause you suffering.

Source: Tarodan Fortune Telling

Chiba: That’s not right at all! I’m incredibly introverted, so I definitely can’t even make approaches like that. But I do get happy when I meet someone I’ve never encountered before. Regardless of gender, I find myself thinking, “What is this person’s sense of justice?” and “Why am I interested in this person?” Those things do happen.

Q: Self-analysis is one of the purposes of divination anyway. So is that why you studied tarot?

Chiba: Well, I’d call it studying, but it was really just a quick glance. But yeah, maybe that’s why I got hooked on fortune-telling. When I got the offer to be in “Tarot Danshi,” I was genuinely thrilled, and I was like, “Thank goodness I was interested in tarot cards!” That said, the character I play, Fool the Flyhite, symbolizes The Fool in the tarot, which is the complete opposite of the Hermit from my reading. He’s recklessly free and unpredictable—and maybe that’s exactly why meeting a friend who’s equally unpredictable makes me happy.

Throwing All Your Energy Into Problem-Solving Isn’t Always What People Need

Q: The reading does say “serious,” “doesn’t shy away from effort,” and “pure but inflexible,” right?

Chiba: I end up thinking too logically, so I have trouble with things without reasons. Like, people who put themselves down for no reason—I don’t know how to understand that. So I’m also bad at listening to people’s problems.

Q: But being logical should make you good at helping with problems…

Chiba: If someone comes to me with a problem, I get so happy, but then I want to pour all my energy into solving it. In that sense, yeah, maybe I am “serious.” But depending on the situation, that’s not always what people are asking for, right? Sometimes they just want you to laugh and listen. Sometimes all they need is comfort. So even though I’m trying hard to give advice to solve their problem, the person consulting me might feel like I’m rejecting them. I’ve definitely done that before. So I learned that it’s not just about the content—how you deliver it matters too. So I get the reading saying I’m “too serious and inflexible,” but I don’t think “I want things tidy in both public and private life” is accurate!

Q: Really?

Chiba: I can’t do things that normal people do easily. Like, I’ll skip cooking because I’m busy, or even though I’ve been living alone for over a year, I’m only just now starting to buy furniture. My TV was literally sitting on the floor for ages, and I only just got a TV stand (laughs). I tend to skip all the normal stuff you’re supposed to do first.

Shoya Chiba’s Lucky Song: “Mela!” by Ryokushiokushakai

Q: Your “private” self might be in danger (laughs). We also had ace先生, who supervises the fortune-telling in “Tarot Danshi,” diagnose a lucky song for you to listen to when you’re feeling down.

Lucky Song Diagnosis by ace:

“Coffee Hermit” Chiba, who’s normally serious and hardworking: since you tend to fall into a genuine funk when you do get depressed, the most effective approach is to raise your mood before you fully sink in. So we recommend a song that’s straightforwardly passionate and energizing—a song where listening to it stirs up the determination to stand back up again. That song is Ryokushiokushakai’s “Mela!”

Chiba: Honestly, when I’m in a bad mood, I’ve always liked listening to darker songs instead. So when I’m already down, I’ll listen to something that makes it even worse, hit rock bottom, and then wait to come back up. That’s my pattern. So I’ve never really listened to upbeat or cheering-up songs when I’m down. The only one I used to listen to was SEAMO’s “Continue”—every lyric is perfect. But now that I’ve gotten this diagnosis and learned about “Mela!”, I should try listening to it next time I’m feeling down (laughs).

PROFILE

Shoya Chiba (Chiba Shoya) – A male voice actor born August 29 in Tokyo. He plays 【The Fool】 Fool the Flyhite in the fortune-telling cultivation app “Tarot Danshi ~22 Apprentice Fortune Tellers~.”

APP INFORMATION

Release Date: December 7, 2021

“Tarot Danshi ~22 Apprentice Fortune Tellers~”

Genre: Fortune-telling & Raising Game Type: Native App (Android/iPhone compatible) Price: Completely Free

Read the original Japanese interview on thefirsttimes.jp