INDEX
Combination of illustration and music
Celeina：I picked up some of Amano-san’s work related to music. First of all, you were in charge of editing the art book of Yusuke Nakamura, the artist who created the CD jackets for Ajikan, weren’t you?
Originally, Mr. Nakamura was a music lover, and since he was a student, he often drew flyers and other music-related things. When Mr. Nakamura met Ajikan, they were just starting out together, and the first time he went to an Ajikan concert, there were only a few people in the audience. But from that time on, Mr. Nakamura liked Ajikan, and Mr. Goto of Ajikan also liked Mr. Nakamura’s drawings. They talked to each other about the possibility of being in charge of the jackets for their albums when they came out, and Mr. Nakamura ended up drawing the jackets for their major label debut mini-album “Hōkai Amplifier” and their first album “Kimi Tsunagi Five M”. At the same time that Ajikan was making its major debut, Mr. Nakamura also became known to the world as an illustrator, and we watched the development of both of them in such a way that they became well known.
I had a connection with Mr. Nakamura when he was a student and contributed illustrations to our magazine (“Comickers,” the predecessor of “Kikan esu”). I saw the jackets of Ajikan painted by Mr. Nakamura at a record store and thought, “I want to interview him!”. I was deeply impressed by the connection that when our own magazine came out and developed, both Mr. Nakamura and Ajikan became known to the world, and eventually published a book of their paintings. Reviewing your work again, I was struck by the ideal collaboration between music and painting.
Takano: If you say so, it is indeed a very famous combination of illustration and music.
Celeina: Typical!
Takano:In some aspects, music jackets have become a medium or a place for illustrators to showcase their work.
Celeina：Amano-san’s editorial department has also published an animation book that delves into the process of completing “Baby I love you, man,” a special animation directed by Rie Matsumoto and with a theme song written by BUMP OF CHICKEN for Lotte’s 70th anniversary. You are also in charge of an illustration book and next month’s exhibition by illustrator Chachagoma, who has created illustrations for music videos and goods of very popular singers such as Mafumafu and Amatsuki.
