Nao Toyama to Sing OP Theme of "Ascendance of A Bookworm" Season 3

During the Nao Toyama Birthday Celebration ~Naobou is quitting the 20s~ held at EX THEATER ROPPONGI, it was announced that Nao Toyama will be singing the opening theme of "Ascendance of a Bookworm" Season 3, which will be airing in Japan startting in April. It was also announced that she will be releasing a double tie-in single on June 8!

This sixth single, which is also Part 3 of her 5th Anniversary Plan, will include both “Ano Hi no Kotoba”, the opening theme of "Ascendance of a Bookworm" Season 3, and “Growing”, the previously announced ending theme of "I’m Quitting Heroing". “Ano Hi no Kotoba” was written by singer-songwriter Sakura Fujiwara and composed and arranged by Soulife. Comments from both artists can be found below.

The new single will be released in three formats. The Ascendance of a Bookworm Edition (Limited Edition A) will feature a jacket illustration by Yū Shiina and come with a Blu-ray disc containing a 120 minute digest video of Nao Toyama Birthday Celebration ~Naobou is quitting the 20s~, including bonus footage. The booklet will contain a birthday report manga drawn by Makana Watari, a manga artist who has previously created illustrations for Naobou-chan.

The I’m Quitting Heroing Edition (Limited Edition B) will feature an I’m Quitting Heroing jacket illustration and come with a DVD containing new video footage. The limited Edition B and regular edition will also come with a “secret song” by a surprise artist, so please stay tuned for more details!

Comment from Nao Toyama:
"I will be performing the opening song of the third season of Ascendance of a Bookworm. I worked really hard with the anime staff to ensure that 'Ano Hi no Kotoba' matches Season 3’s story. In fact, I almost ended up crying many times during the recording. May the people around you find happiness. I hope that this song resonates with everyone who is working hard towards a future that they chose."

Comment from Sakura Fujiwara:
"I wrote the lyrics to this song after watching the previous seasons as a viewer. When I heard the sound source of Nao Toyama singing them to the lovely pop tune created by Soulife, I was so impressed that I immediately sent the director a message saying: 'This is amazing!'

I wanted to make it a warm song where Myne turns the pages one by one and expresses her gratitude for the encounters and events that she has experienced so far, so we had many back and forth exchanges to complete it, and I’m delighted to see it finally released. I hope you enjoy it!"

​Comment from Soulife:
"When I was asked to compose this song, I carefully read the original story and decided to create a song that would bring out a more mature quality than anything Nao Toyama has done before.

While it retains the classical, medieval European elements of past theme songs, it also has a 'sadness' that people say is typical of my work. The result is a melodious and encompassing song. The main character grows with a mixture of anxiety and expectation in the lyrics written by Sakura Fujiwara. I hope listeners will feel the excitement of turning to the blank page of 'today' with this opening theme. I look forward to watching Myne’s growth with you all!"

"Ano Hi no Kotoba" / "Growing" Release Information:
Release date: June 8, 2022

Track List:
Ascendance of a Bookworm Edition (Limited Edition A)
1. Ano Hi no Kotoba
Lyrics: Sakura Fujiwara, Composition: SoichiroK / Nozomu.S, Arrangement: Soulife
2. Growing
Lyrics, composition, arrangement: Wataru Sena
3. New song
4. Ano Hi no Kotoba (TV size ver.)
5. New song instrumental version

I’m Quitting Heroing Edition (Limited Edition B)
1. Growing
Lyrics, composition, arrangement: Wataru Sena
2. Secret song
3. Ano Hi no Kotoba
Lyrics: Sakura Fujiwara, Composition: SoichiroK / Nozomu.S, Arrangement: Soulife
4. Growing (TV size ver.)
5. Secret song (short ver.)

Regular Edition
1. Ano Hi no Kotoba
Lyrics: Sakura Fujiwara, Composition: SoichiroK / Nozomu.S, Arrangement: Soulife
2. Growing
Lyrics, composition, arrangement: Wataru Sena
3. Secret song
4-6. Instrumental versions

Nao Toyama Profile:
Birthday: March 11
Blood Type: A
Home Town: Tokyo
Hobbies: Singing, dancing, playing the electric organ

Nao Toyama made her voice acting debut in 2010. She attracted a lot of attention for her role as Kanon Nakagawa in the TV anime The World God Only Knows. After that, she went on to play characters in numerous popular works, such as Karen Kujo in Kin-iro Mosaic, Chitoge Kirisaki in Nisekoi, Reina Prowler in MacrossΔ, and Rin Shima in Yuru CampΔ. She also belongs to popular groups Rhodanthe* and Walküre, both of which were born in anime, and has enthralled fans with her clear voice and flawless performances. On February 1, 2017, she made her debut as a singer with “True Destiny/Chain the world,” a tie-up song for the anime Chain Chronicle: Haecceitas no Hikari, and on February 3, 2018, she held her first solo live at the Nippon Budokan. In 2019, she held her first solo tour and performed overseas in Taipei and Shanghai. In 2020, she celebrated her 10th anniversary as a voice actress by releasing her character song best album “Special Thanks,” which placed third on the Oricon Weekly Ranking. On December 5 and 6, she held a 10th anniversary concert titled “Special Thanks! Festival” at Tokyo Garden Theater, where she performed various theme songs and character songs from her voice acting career. In 2021, she released a mini-concept album titled “off” on the theme of rest and healing in May and her fifth single “Samenai Maho” in November. In 2022, she will be carrying out her 5th Anniversary Plan to celebrate her five years as a singer!

5th Anniversary Webpage
http://toyamanao.com/5th/

Nao Toyama Twitter: @naobou_official
Nao Toyama LINE account ID: toyamanao
Nao Toyama blog: https://lineblog.me/toyamanao/
Nao Toyama artist homepage: http://toyamanao.com
Nao Toyama YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/naobou_channel
Nao Toyama Instagram: @naobou_official