Nana Mizuki, who is a voice actress and singer, has recently released a music video collection on Blu-ray and DVD titled "Nana Clips 8." The collection contains music videos for singles that were high on the charts, including "Starting Now!" from 2016 and "Never Surrender," released last year. This latest collection offers elaborately created worlds on video.
Mizuki is a "top voice actress artist" who has appeared on NHK's annual year-end program Kohaku Utagassen, held concerts at Tokyo Dome, played the lead character in a musical and led the cast in a show combining a concert and a play. The impression she makes has not changed over the past decade, and she clearly and sincerely answered my questions with humor.
"A music video is very important. Since it helps expand the world of a song, I take the time and care needed to create it. I think it helps communicate various messages in many ways," Mizuki said.
For example, for the dark fantasy-like "Destiny's Prelude," real trees were brought into a studio to film the video.
"I wanted to express an image in which a spirit caught up in a forest is singing, hoping to be itself again," Mizuki said.
In this way, a further story not described in the song's lyrics unfolded.
"What You Want" is a song with bold lyrics. Mizuki said she had gotten an image of an enthusiastic live concert from the song, and so she created scenes of a music performance. However, she did not simply film a live concert. Instead, she had computer-controlled beams of light move in a rolling motion. The vigorous movements of the lights sync with the music, which creates even more heat.
"When shooting it, I sang intensively many times. I had a sore neck by the end," Mizuki said.
On the other hand, the music video for "Zettaiteki Kofukuron (Absolute happiness theory)" was filmed in one long take. The video camera captures her face without stopping.
"I wanted to show my true self. It was a challenge a newcomer cannot easily take on. Some feelings I can express only because of having various experiences," she said.
In the lyrics, a man says to a woman, "I want to be happy, I want to make you happy." Mizuki said: "The song talks about love, but it is not about enthusiastic and dramatic love. Rather, it is about everyday love, but with high emotion."
The natural and rich changes in her facial expressions make the song more attractive.
"This is the last year of my 30s. I want to actively hold onto live shows and events. I hope people see my vigorous attitude," Mizuki said. Her fulfilling career is likely to continue moving forward.
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