the telephones × PAPUN BAND: How Dragon Quest Bridged Borders and Sparked Groove

How PAPUN BAND’s Shiny and the telephones’ Ishige “AKIRA” First Crossed Paths

The two bands first connected at an online event in 2021. Can you share your initial impressions of each other?

Ishige: I got a sense of their alternative vibe and felt like we had a lot of shared interests, so I knew we’d get along right away. During the online conversation, we hit it off talking about our favorite bands and even joked about things like “Who’s the most popular member with fans?” [laughs]. It felt like we were chatting as if we’d known each other for ages. I remember being genuinely happy—it felt like making friends through music across borders.

Shiny: During the online discussion, we even talked about manga. When I first heard Akira-san’s name, I immediately thought, “It’s the same as AKIRA, my favorite manga!” [laughs]. While it might be a common name in Japan, it felt like fate to me. We also bonded over our mutual love for pop-punk bands like blink-182. Finding someone who gets me like that was rare—it was such a special moment. It really felt like we’d been friends forever.

Did you first meet in person when PAPUN BAND visited Japan in 2023?

Ishige: Yes, that’s right. The first time I saw them perform live, the experience was surprisingly different from what I had expected after watching their online performances, but in a good way. Shiny’s stage presence really reminded me of certain guitarists we both admire, and I felt a strong sense of connection. The way he raised the neck of his guitar, for example, felt like something we both shared in terms of guitar heroes. His effort to engage the crowd and get them hyped also struck me as something that aligns with what we do in the telephones.

Did you hang out together after the performance?

Ishige: Even though the telephones didn’t perform at that particular show, we did end up drinking together at the after-party. We clicked instantly because we had a lot of shared humor. We both love dark humor, like “BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD” and “jackass” [laughs]. That kind of humor is something that connects with the telephones too. We drank a lot and just had a laid-back, stress-free time together. Of course, there was the language barrier, but because we shared so many of the same interests, we were able to get excited and bond over that. Actually, Seiji (Seiji Matsumoto/the telephones drummer) even ended up staying in the same hotel where their drummer Lee was!

Amazing, you’re really good at communication [laughs].

Shiny: At that time, Akira was drunk and his face was bright red, but suddenly he got serious and started giving me lots of advice about the order of stepping on the effects pedals, performance, and areas where I could grow. It made me feel like he was really paying attention to me, and I was really moved. He could see both my strengths and areas where I needed improvement, and I felt like he was a really trustworthy older brother.

Ishige: I don’t remember because I was drunk… I’m glad you didn’t hate me [laughs].

Shiny: No way! [laughs]

Did you also talk about the music you both like?

Ishige: We did! I obviously love Japanese artists, and I think Shiny enjoys Taiwanese artists as well, but there’s something common in the way Asian musicians tend to admire the music scenes in America and Europe. Nowadays, I have plenty of friends with whom I can discuss these things, and my music taste has gradually evolved, but when I was a teenager, I didn’t have anyone to talk about this with. So, I was really happy to make friends across countries and share those interests.

Shiny, did you also create your music influenced by Western music when you were younger?

Shiny: Yes, that’s right. I grew up listening to Western music from a young age. The first artist I listened to was Michael Jackson, and after that, I got into Linkin Park. The bands that had the biggest impact on me were blink-182, SUM41, Weezer, Simple Plan, and Limp Bizkit. They really shaped the foundation of the music I create today.

Ishige: “As an Asian, I must incorporate Asian melodies and phrases to create something truly original.”

In another interview, I saw you mention that when you were younger, you were influenced by Western music, but recently, you’ve become more conscious of creating original music as an Asian band. Does this relate to your current collaboration? Is this awareness stronger for you now?

Ishige: Yes, definitely. When I was younger, I was very much into the idea that “Western music is the coolest,” but trying to imitate foreign music 100% is difficult when you’re Japanese. So, I realized that after taking elements like sound design and song structure into my own blood, I had to incorporate Asian melodies and phrases as an Asian person to create truly original music. Around the same time, I started noticing the rise of Korean music globally. I felt the shift in the times, and I think today’s young Japanese musicians are naturally able to do this. When I create music, I’m very conscious of being Japanese.

Do you also have an awareness of being “Asian” in addition to being Japanese?

Ishige: Yes, I do. Recently, when I saw events like the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, seeing everyone from Asia coming together to do something as a unified force was something that had never happened in music history before, so I was really happy about it. It also made me want to work hard to the point where we could be part of that too. In that sense, I’ve started listening to music from Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand, and I think there are so many interesting bands from those places.

In 2022, 88rising, headed by Sean Miyashiro, presented ‘Head in the Clouds Forever’ on the main stage, with appearances from prominent Asian artists like Hikaru Utada and Indonesian artist Rich Brian. The following year, BLACKPINK made history as the first Asian group to headline the event in 2023.

Earlier, you mentioned AKIRA, and I heard you’re a big fan of Japanese pop culture.

Shiny: My knowledge of Japan actually started with games. Since I was a kid, I played on consoles like Nintendo and PlayStation, so I naturally became interested in Japan. I love Japanese culture, and every time I go to Japan, I buy a lot of toys. I especially enjoy going to Nakano and picking up anime, manga, and game-related items.

Do you have any particular anime or manga you enjoy?

Shiny: I love both the anime and the manga of AKIRA. I also like this one (shows an image of Taiyo Matsumoto’s Tekkonkinkreet on his phone).

Ishige: Ah, that’s Taiyo Matsumoto. Ping Pong as well.

Shiny: Yeah, Ping Pong too, I know it.

Ishige: Japanese band SUPERCAR’s songs were used for its movie.

While both of you have an interest in each other’s bands and countries, how did the actual collaboration come about?

Shiny: One day, I was playing Dragon Quest XI, and I came up with the melody and the bassline for the chorus of “LV99 勇者.” After that, I played the sequel, Dragon Quest V, and finally completed the chorus, but I couldn’t finish the whole song. It stayed unfinished for a while.

Then, I met the telephones, and we really hit it off. I had this intuitive feeling that the telephones were the missing piece needed to complete “LV99 勇者.” So, I reached out through our manager to ask for a collaboration, and they happily agreed. That’s when we were able to finally finish the song. In the end, I found my “friends,” and the song, inspired by Dragon Quest, was completed.

Ishige: That’s amazing!

Shiny: Amazing! Genius! Akira!

Ishige: Genius! Shiny!

Shiny: “I love video game music so much that sometimes I’ll start a game just to listen to the soundtrack.”

It’s a great relationship [laughs]. So, the fact that both collaboration songs have video game music as a theme wasn’t something you specifically decided on, but more of a natural flow—Shiny initially made a song based on Dragon Quest, and then Ishige made a song based on a game as well, is that right?

Ishige: Yes, that’s right. The demo Shiny first gave me had a game-like sound in it, so I just went with that and arranged it. After listening to it, I wanted to make a song too, and that’s how “Zan”讚” came to be. By incorporating a lot of game elements into that track, it felt naturally compatible with “LV99 勇者,” and it turned out great. If two bands are making a song together, I think it’s better to have something in common, and in this case, it turned out to be games, which I think was something both of us subconsciously had, so it came out naturally.

Shiny, have you always been a fan of video game music?

Shiny: Yes, I’ve always liked it. I love the town BGM from Kingdom Hearts, and the opening theme too (shows images of Chrono Cross and Hoshin Engi on his phone). I used to start the games just to listen to those soundtracks.

Shiny, I’ve heard you’re also a fan of Persona‘s music?

Shiny: I absolutely love it. I think soundtracks play a huge role when talking about games. I even bought the deluxe edition with the soundtrack CD, put it on my iTunes, and listened to it over and over again. I’ve even started the game just to listen to Persona‘s soundtrack music.

Nowadays, video game music has become an established genre of Japanese music that is listened to worldwide. For example, the Atlus Sound Team, responsible for the Persona series, ranked third on Spotify’s “Most Streamed Japanese Artists Overseas” list for the end of 2024.

Ishige: I haven’t played Persona, so I asked Seiji and Nobu (Nobu Okamoto, the synthesizer player from the telephones) about it, and they taught me a lot. Indeed, it’s a very unique sound, unlike anything you typically hear in other countries. The fact that this kind of Japanese music, which you can’t even easily categorize by genre, is getting recognition overseas is truly a sign of a great era.

Shiny: Compared to Japan, there were only a few Taiwanese games in the 1990s like Xuan-Yuan Sword, and their level of polish wasn’t as high as Japanese games. Japanese video game music really stands out in terms of quality.

The Creative Energy of ‘Dragon Quest V: Bianca as the Sole Choice’

Given that background, ‘LV99 勇者’ was inspired by Dragon Quest, right?

Shiny: I just remembered, but the day before our recording in Japan, when we had dinner with everyone from the telephones, someone casually asked, ‘If you had to choose a bride from Dragon Quest V, who would it be?’ It’s a topic that anyone who’s played the game has discussed at least once. Since I’m all about Bianca, I said “Bianca,” and everyone shouted “Bianca!” in unison [laughs]. In Taiwan, I’ve never had a moment like that where we all cheered “Bianca!” like that, so it was really moving, and I still remember that night. It was such a rare experience to be able to shout “Bianca!” together with people who share the same musical spirit.”

Choosing between Bianca and Flora in Dragon Quest V is always a hot topic among game lovers, but it’s amazing to see it become a theme that crosses countries [laughs]. What impression did you get from the initial demo, and what elements did you think would be interesting to add?

Ishige: It was very much a PAPUN BAND-style song, but I wanted to bring out more of their unique vibe. I added pop-punk elements and tried creating a sound with synths sound, like stepping down stairs in Dragon Quest. I imagined what Shiny might be thinking and made adjustments based on what I thought would make him happy.”

Shiny: Akira’s arrangement was truly amazing. He really understood everything I wanted to do with this song. I was surprised by how much he knew me. For example, when I created the intro, I couldn’t quite express the game-music vibe I wanted, but when Akira sent back his revisions, it sounded exactly like what I had in mind. Even though we were communicating in broken English, every time a demo was sent, I was like, “This is incredible!” And whenever I sent him an idea, he would always compliment me. Despite the language barrier, the whole process went so smoothly, and it felt like a miracle. Akira is like a god!

The lyrics of “LV99 勇者” are a unique blend of Japanese, Chinese, and English. How did you come up with this approach?

Shiny: When we decided to collaborate and I started writing the lyrics, the phrase “Moshi Moshi Dare?” (Hello, who is this?) suddenly popped into my head. The Japanese I know is very simple, just words like “Moshi Moshi” or “Sumimasen” that anyone from Taiwan would understand. Also, since I really love Attack on Titan, I absolutely had to include the word “Susume” (go ahead).

Ishige: So that was the starting point!

“Moshi Moshi” truly is a universal phrase.

Ishige: There’s a label in the UK called Moshi Moshi Records, too! [laughs]

Shiny: “Don’t wanna say goodbye” just came to me naturally. I was worried that having three languages in one song might make it too complicated, but I trusted my intuition and kept going with it.

What was the idea behind creating Zan“讚”?

Ishige: “讚” (Zan) is one of the words we picked up during a tour and festival in Taiwan about 10 years ago. It means “good,” “great,” or “wonderful.” At the time, Nobu kept saying “讚! 讚! 讚!” every chance he got [laughs]. When we were thinking about the title for our song, I immediately thought it had to be “讚,” so I started by working on the sing-along part of the chorus.

The song Zan“讚” is inspired by TwinBee, right?

Ishige: Yes, that’s right. First, I created the main structure of the song, then I looked for a game that would match the melody. Since the track has a very ’80s, retro vibe, I thought a Famicom game would be a good fit. When I tried arranging the theme from TwinBee, it just clicked perfectly. I also had fun creating the sound of the bell changing colors with the synth.

What was your impression when you first heard Zan“讚”?

Shiny: I really, really, really, really love it! Especially the guitar in the chorus—it felt like love at first sight or maybe “love at first listen.” The song gives me the same feeling as Back to the Future. At first, I didn’t know what Akira was singing, but since I was asked to add lyrics, I added the phrase “Back to the future / Everybody coming.”

Ishige: I was thinking of making something along the lines of synthwave or retrowave, something influenced by The Weeknd and the like, so I was really happy when Shiny made that connection with Back to the Future. Of course, the lyrics were great, but Shiny also created the melody, and I thought it was really great.

Shiny: The production process for Zan“讚” left a strong impression on me. When we were mixing in Taiwan, Akira gave me some corrections, but the terms were so technical that it was hard to translate. However, I didn’t want to take shortcuts, so I asked him to communicate in Japanese. When I faced Akira speaking seriously in Japanese, even though I didn’t fully understand the language, I could still feel what he wanted to convey. After passing it on to the engineer and making the changes, he gave a big nod of approval. It was really amazing and moving to be able to communicate beyond language. It felt like we became soulmates, connected not through words, but through our senses and emotions.

The saxophone by Shoki Morohoshi from 7ORDER in Zan“讚” was also very impressive.

Ishige: Until now, whenever I made a song like this, I didn’t know any saxophonists, so I had to play it on guitar. But after meeting him, I have a friend who could play sax.

You performed together in 2022 and deepened your friendship from there, right?

Ishige: Yes, exactly. I thought I’d be able to ask him for something in the future, and Zan“讚” turned out to be the perfect opportunity. When PAPUN BAND first visited Japan, I invited him to our after-party, and he got along with everyone. When I asked him, he knew the vibe of the group and played an amazing sax solo—better than I imagined. It was awesome.

Shiny: I’m really grateful to him, too. When I first heard him play, I was moved and almost teared up. I was also really happy that Akira introduced him properly. I think the reason I connected the song to ‘Back to the Future‘ was because his saxophone has a power that evokes “memories” and “recollections.”