MAN WITH A MISSION Shares Insights on New EP, World Tour

Few musical artists can hold a candle to the impressive list of anime that the wolf-headed Japanese rock band MAN WITH A MISSION has done intros for, which includes iconic titles like Vinland Saga, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc, and My Hero Academia, among others. ANN recently had the opportunity to speak to one of the members, Jean-Ken Johnny, about what goes into creating an anime intro song, touring, movies, and what's new for MAN WITH A MISSION.

So, tell me about the group's taste in anime. Do you guys have any favorites? Do you have anything you're watching lately?

Jean-Ken Johnny: I am a huge manga and animation fan. So, picking one is a pretty cruel question. But right now, what's going on in Japan? DAN DA DAN. Do you know DAN DA DAN?

Yes, we love DAN DA DAN!

JOHNNY: Yeah, that's awesome! Y'know, the visuals, the creation, even the songs. The main theme is about UFOs, ghosts, and all the creepy stuff. The combination of it and how the story goes on—it's really amazing. I really like the animation. Talking about the recent ones, I would pick that. But talking about the oldies, I am a huge fan of Masamune Shirow, like Ghost in the Shell. Stuff like that. Also, Akira. All the oldies, the [sci-fi] stuff that the Japanese legends made—they were always my biggest heroes.

Speaking of anime, can you tell us about the process of making an anime intro song? How much info are you given about the show while you're working on it? Do you get to watch any of it in advance? And how long does the process take from start to finish?

JOHNNY: Whenever we get the chance to collaborate with anime and stuff like that, I really don't watch the animation that much. I usually read the comic, the novel, to understand the whole story. And whenever I drop a song, it is a song for the series, but I always want to put in the whole message of the story [in the song]. So I try to read from the beginning to the end, everything, and then drop a song that also fits the series itself, but also talks about the whole theme of the story.

Nice. And how long does this usually take from start to finish?

JOHNNY: First of all, I read the whole thing. That only takes me one or two days because I'm quick to read everything. But after that, I guess, as I am a massive fan of animation and comics as well, I always think about songs, music, that really fit those opening themes. The idea probably only takes me, I don't know, less than a week or something like that, just to think about it. But after that, writing lyrics and stuff takes a little time, but not that much. I'm really into it. I'm such a huge fan, so I get into it immediately.

And what's your favorite part about making an anime opening?

JOHNNY: I guess it's imagining how it's going to sound for an opening animation. That's the most fun part about it, as I'm a fan myself. I'm thinking that the story itself is so cool, but having a song of our own in the opening animation, stuff like that, just imagining it and putting in the emotion and energy to the song. That's the most fun part of creating a song for the animation.

So, pivoting a little bit. MAN WITH A MISSION has had the opportunity to tour overseas several times now. Are there any songs—especially from anime, but it doesn't have to be from an anime—but any songs that your overseas audiences get more excited about than your Japanese audiences?

JOHNNY: I guess a lot of songs, of course, from the animation, but songs like "Dead End in Tokyo," the song that we wrote with Patrick Stump. Yeah, that song actually gets a huge reaction, especially from the people overseas more than in Japan. It's a great song. A lot of people react to that song even in Japan. But I see a lot of people dancing and bouncing a lot more overseas.

One time we finished our set list and people were asking for curtain calls and stuff like that, but this kid, this boy, was just shouting out loud to please play "Take Me Under." He just wanted this. “If you don't play that song, I'm going to die,” or something like that. We were not planning to play that song, but we just said, “Okay, you asked for it, so there it goes,” and yeah, a lot of people enjoy that song too.

Now speaking of tours, your Wolves on Parade tour in 2023 marked the first time that MAN WITH A MISSION got to tour overseas since the pandemic. I was wondering how much has the pandemic changed touring for you, and what was it like getting to go back on an overseas tour after so long?

JOHNNY: I believe that everybody in the whole wide world had a hard time during that era, and everybody was reconsidering, thinking about how a plague can really damage the music industry. So after that pandemic, we really reconsidered how lucky we are that we can perform music in a normal way. And we really felt a lot more grateful, now that everything's settling down, compared to those days. But we really enjoy a lot more, we're grateful a lot more for touring and making music. And I guess it's the same for the audiences too. You know, everybody never had a chance to go to a live show, especially in Japan. Everybody was really afraid of just going outside. But after that pandemic, I believe I can feel that everybody's enjoying music a lot more, and at the same time being grateful for it.

Speaking of tours, how did your Japan tour with 311 in January 2024 come about? Can you share any fun stories about working with them?

JOHNNY: We are huge fans of that band. They're from the '90s, and our music's main influence was all made in that era. The alternative music, the hybrid mixture that was going on in that era. So, 311 is one of our heroes, and the booking agent actually told us that they're planning to tour in Japan and are looking for some openers for that. And we just said, we're huge fans, so let us do it. And we had a chance to tour the U.S. as well. We played in Denver and also at Red Rocks Amphitheater. That is a legendary venue, and it was one of my dreams to perform in that place. We had a great, amazing time.

Tell me about your latest EP, XV. What do these songs mean to you, and what inspired them?

JOHNNY: Mainly the bass player and I write the songs for MAN WITH A MISSION. Usually, we build up an idea and toss it to the other members, and that's how it starts. But since it was an anniversary EP, we wanted to think about a different kind of creation process. This time, we made all the members present an idea just from scratch, and then built on it by jamming on it or having a session, stuff like that. So the four songs are from different members: the vocalist, the DJ, the bass player, and me. This album, with its four songs, was created through a totally different process, and it was really a lot of fun.

Even though we've been together for 15 years, talking about what you want to do or stuff like that, just bringing a song that you want to do. That's more than words—you can actually see what this guy wants to express and do as an artist. So, bringing concepts meant a lot more than talking about things. It was really a great experience for us to have the other members bring their own ideas. We're really proud of what we made. It should be very fresh for the usual listeners of MAN WITH A MISSION. I hope you guys enjoy it.

And speaking of all the new stuff on there, "whispers of the fake" in particular, that's an unusually depressing song for MAN WITH A MISSION. I was wondering how this song came about.

JOHNNY: The song's idea came from the center vocalist, Tokyo Tanaka. And well, obviously it's a political protest song, implying about the politics, the government, and also kind of a warning to ourselves not to be ignorant about those kinds of situations. It's probably pretty different from the usual songs that we've written. And Tokyo Tanaka, the vocalist, is thinking right now about what's going on in Japan. And not only in Japan, but I believe everybody has their own problems in their own countries. But yeah, the central theme is about—of course, it's a protest song, but the main theme is about not being ignorant about what's going on. We wanted to make it sound depressing but also kind of hopeful. That's how we created that one.

Do you have any fun facts or details about the band or your music that you like to talk about but you never get asked about? This is your opportunity! Tell me about that obscure thing you always wanted to talk about, but you've never been asked about it. Or if you can't think of something you've never been asked about, something you wish you were asked about more often.

JOHNNY: I really enjoy people asking me what kind of music I like. What kind of artists were you inspired by? Well, those are obvious questions. What kind of movies did you watch in your— when we were young or stuff like that? I really love to talk about that and find something in common with another person.

Tell me about the movies you like, then! What kind of movies are you into?

JOHNNY: I mean, the greatest movie that was made in the 20th century is Back to the Future. I mean, it's a masterpiece. You know, everybody knows what's going to happen next—everybody knows the next line, but as soon as he says that line, everybody enjoys it. That's a masterpiece.

Any other favorites that spring to mind?

JOHNNY: This is a serious one, but Robin Williams, The Dead Poets Society. Yeah, that was a great movie. I mean, I can't help but cry to that movie. It's a great movie talking about adolescence, youth, stuff like that. Actually, yeah, I'm really inspired by that movie a lot. I guess some songs that I write are pretty inspired by that movie.

Are there any in particular that come to mind for you?

JOHNNY: That movie is about adolescence, the youth, and all the struggles that a person can confront. But also, he's cherishing the moment—the beauty of what he has. It's all about the struggle and the frustration and all the problems. Still, he's also enjoying and cherishing his beautiful moments and a beautiful way of philosophical thinking in the world. That is quite a central theme of the songs that we write.

We always sing about what's going on in the world, but you have to deal with it on your own. But you never have to be depressed because there are beautiful moments. Whatever the others say, they talk about it, you have your own beautiful moments you can cherish. I guess that's a really concrete theme that we write in our songs a lot. I never talked about this, but I guess I'm really inspired by that movie as well.

And finally, closing this off, do you have any messages that you would like to share with your fans?

JOHNNY: Yes. It's been a while since we had a tour that's going all over the world. In October, we're hitting the UK and Europe, and after that, we have a chance to go through China and Asia. And it's really great to be back on the road again. It's kind of, blushing, awkward to say this, but it was always a dream for us to travel all over the world and just create music, perform the music like the heroes I listen to, the music that I was obsessed with, and just create a song and travel all over the world to see how people react. And I'm really glad, really savoring the luckiness and happiness that we can do it right now. And we're lucky to do it again this autumn, in October. And I hope you guys have the chance to come out and see how much fun you can have at our shows.

Thank you so much for your support. We're glad to be back on the road and can't wait to meet you guys.

The MAN WITH A MISSION "Howling Across the World" tour kicks off in London on October 2 and will span the UK, Europe, and Asia. You can find more information about concerts happening in your area on the MAN WITH A MISSION official website listings.