Exclusive Interview: Daiki Tsuneta, Who Describes Himself as a “GHOST IN THE SHELL Child,” Shares His Passion for the Iconic Franchise

We present an exclusive interview with Daiki Tsuneta (King Gnu / MILLENNIUM PARADE), who created both the opening and ending themes for the new TV anime series THE GHOST IN THE SHELL. Dive deep into his complex creative world as he reflects on the profound influence Ghost in the Shell has had on his work, his deep respect for the franchise’s musical legacy, and the behind-the-scenes stories of crafting the opening theme “GO GHOST” and ending theme “Blue.”

*This text is an edited transcript of an excerpt from the video “Special Interview | Daiki Tsuneta THE GHOST IN THE SHELL,” currently available on YouTube.

 

—How did you discover THE GHOST IN THE SHELL?

 

Tsuneta: Yoko Kanno was doing the music. The same goes for Mr. Kawai and Cornelius. It’s a work that has a solid history in that musical context, so I naturally came into contact with it through that.

 

—What do you find appealing about THE GHOST IN THE SHELL?

 

Tsuneta: There’s a certain kind of music that just screams THE GHOST IN THE SHELL, right? Even a bit earlier, with Geinoh Yamashirogumi, I was blown away by how they matched something so traditional with a work depicting the future, with sci-fi.
How should I put it… the contrast? Taking something like a very primitive Japanese traditional song and combining it like that—I’ve always thought that was incredibly cool, and it’s been one of my own personal benchmarks for a long time.
THE GHOST IN THE SHELL exactly carries the weight of that era, or rather, it’s a monumental achievement.
I have a massive amount of respect for it.

 

—”What kind of influence or inspiration have you drawn from THE GHOST IN THE SHELL?

 

Tsuneta: The nuance in my own mind is very similar—like playing incredibly beautiful music over a highly violent movie or scene. It’s about the relationship between music and visuals.

Personally, I really love Quentin Tarantino and stuff like that. I’m very conscious of how to create that kind of contrast, or how playing the exact opposite can bring certain things into sharp relief.

The feeling that matching something quiet with something quiet isn’t interesting—I definitely feel like I’ve learned that from works like these and have been putting it into practice.

 

I definitely think we are THE GHOST IN THE SHELL children.

Looking at creativity as a whole, it’s practically a shared understanding. Even on a subconscious level, like how cities or worldviews are depicted…

We don’t really go out of our way to talk about it and say, “Oh, this part is just like THE GHOST IN THE SHELL,” but it’s at the level where it naturally becomes a shared recognition.

 

—What is your impression upon receiving the theme song offer, and why do you produce it as King Gnu?

 

Tsuneta: Honestly, normally, an opening by Kenji Kawai would have been just fine, you know?
In my mind, it’s something a bit more sacred, and I had this feeling toward THE GHOST IN THE SHELL like, “You don’t need to bring this down to a mainstream level.”
So, of course, part of me thought there was no need to force a pop opening onto it.
But, you know, the incredible creations by the original members back then can’t just be applied exactly as they were to the younger generation, to the current era.
Looking at that from various angles, I felt like maybe it would be better to do it as King Gnu.

THE GHOST IN THE SHELL is that kind of presence to us, but I feel like my role is to pass it on to the next generation.
That’s the mindset I have.
When getting involved with a work like THE GHOST IN THE SHELL, I think deeply about what our generation needs to do in order to deliver and pass it on.

 

 

—You’re involved under two different project names this time—providing the opening theme “GO GHOST” as King Gnu and the ending theme “Blue” as MILLENNIUM PARADE. How did this come about? For you right now, how do King Gnu and MILLENNIUM PARADE differ in terms of their roles and positioning?

 

Tsuneta: Well, I think King Gnu is trying to create things built upon the context of Japan.
On the other hand, MILLENNIUM PARADE is a bit more free, more fluid, or formless.
So, in terms of genuinely facing the worldview and creating sound for it, MILLENNIUM PARADE might actually be better suited.
But when you think about that social perspective of passing it down to the younger generation, there was this feeling that making it as King Gnu might be better.
King Gnu is more pop-oriented, whereas it’s easier to go in a soundtrack-like direction with MILLENNIUM PARADE. There’s a difference in mindset when creating.

 

—What was the initial idea behind King Gnu’s “Go Ghost,” and how did you develop it?

 

Tsuneta: First of all, regarding the so-called THE GHOST IN THE SHELL sound, and the relationship between the music and visuals, I wanted to properly adhere to that style. So I reached out to a girl at Geidai (Tokyo University of the Arts) who sings funauta (boatmen’s songs) and traditional songs, and we started by recording that.
It’s not exactly a sampling approach, but we recorded that traditional song, and then it was like, “Okay, what do we do from here?”
After all, with THE GHOST IN THE SHELL and Kenji Kawai, and then moving toward the band side, there’s also the Yoko Kanno element…
Taking that slightly upbeat electro vibe they used in THE GHOST IN THE SHELL and putting a beautiful, high-pitched female vocal over it—I thought that was something we could approach in a King Gnu way. So the soundscape ended up having a lot of respect for THE GHOST IN THE SHELL.
Masculinity… King Gnu has both sides, but I tried my best to keep that aspect suppressed.

 

 

—“Blue” by MILLENNIUM PARADE came from a session with Saya Gray and Daniel Caesar three years ago. Reflecting on it, how was that experience?

 

Tsuneta: This was way before this THE GHOST IN THE SHELL project even started.
About three years ago, Saya Gray came to Tokyo, and we went into the studio together and were making a song.
Then about half a year later, I was in LA making a different song with Daniel—not the one for this project.
When the THE GHOST IN THE SHELL project came up, I thought there was a great affinity there. Without thinking about whether it was for the opening or ending, I started reworking the song I had with Saya about a year ago.
Daniel happened to come to Tokyo again, to the studio, and while I was working on the song with Daniel right here, I told him, “I’m doing this with Saya”—Saya and Daniel go way back, by the way.
When I played it for him and said, “I’m working on this song,” he was like, “Let me sing on it,” and we ended up recording it right here on the spot.
Actually, the reason Daniel knew about me and we connected was because Saya had told him about me, which started that session.
So in that sense, it wasn’t something that started as a tie-up or anything; it was built on a much more organic relationship.

 

—How do you foresee the world evolving in the future? In music and art, what kind of mindset do you hope to see in successful creators?

 

Tsuneta: We should be super domestic. I’ve really been thinking about this lately.
Within a small community or country, you have to push forward with your own unique values.
I feel like I need to properly judge things that way. I feel this especially strongly in art.
I don’t know about politics, but in music, I feel like that’s the kind of era it’s going to become.
It’s the opposite of the K-POP way of thinking, though.
Of course, I think that comes after having my own interpretation and stylization.