Natori & imese's first collaborative song "Melodrama" is featured! Nissan's 90th anniversary movie "NISSAN LOVE STORY" released

■The web movie starring Gordon Maeda and Ai Mikami features 37 Nissan vehicles, both new and old!

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. will release a movie commemorating its 90th anniversary, “NISSAN LOVE STORY,” inspired by the love stories of Nissan owners, on August 29th.

Starring actors Gordon Maeda and Ai Mikami, this movie is an epic love story that spans multiple eras, and features a total of 37 Nissan models that have colored the eras from the 1950s to the present, including the Skyline Hardtop 2000GT KGC110 type (commonly known as the Kenmeri) and the Nissan Ariya B9 e-4ORCE FE0 type.

Furthermore, the film reflects the culture of each era, such as drive-in theaters and discos, and recreates not only the stage design but also the fashion and hair and makeup reminiscent of those times, such as the hippie style of the 70s and the conservative style of the 90s. Along with Nissan’s successive car models, the film tells a sweet yet sad story that reflects the transition of the times.

■Natori & imase’s first collaborative song, “Melodrama,” is featured!
The theme song for this movie is “Melodrama,” a new song by Natori & imase, who are collaborating for the first time. Although they have been friends for a long time, the two wrote the lyrics and composed the song, making this their first collaboration.

“Melodrama” has a nostalgic, retro-pop sound that makes you want to listen to it while driving, and Natori and Imase’s soothing singing voices match the web movie, adding color to the couple’s love story.

“Melodrama” will be released digitally on August 30th.

■ Interview with Gordon Maeda and Ai Mikami
Q: Now that filming is over, please tell us your thoughts.
Maeda:It was a lot of fun. There were about 10 scenes in each episode, and the cars, fashion, and relationships between the two characters were all different depending on the era, so it was a very rewarding shoot.
Look up:It was so much fun filming and we paid so much attention to every detail that it felt like we were shooting a movie.

Q: The video features 37 Nissan models from all generations. Which car and scene left the biggest impression on you?
Maeda:The Skyline was really cool. It made a big impact on me when I saw it. I had a lot of fun shooting the playful, slightly musical-like scene at the drive-in theater.
Look up:The cherry car was so cute! When we were shooting at the beach, we parked it on the beach, and the contrast between the blue of the sea and the orange of the cherry car was super cute. Up until then, we had been shooting some dark scenes, so this scene itself was fun and very memorable.

Q: One of the themes in the video is “a car bringing two people closer together,” but do each of you have any unforgettable driving memories or stories?
Maeda:“Drive-thru.” Whenever I go for a drive, I always go to a drive-thru. I love going to a drive-thru somewhere and spending time eating something with friends.
Look up:“Tearful Drive”. I just said it because it sounded catchy (laughs). It’s nothing special, but I often go for drives with my middle and high school classmates, and when I was tired from work and other things, a friend suddenly came to pick me up at my house in the middle of the night and said, “I’ve got a view I want to show you now,” and we immediately left, went all the way to Nagano, and showed me the sunrise. It was so beautiful that I cried, and it’s a very memorable experience.

Q: Please tell us where you’d like to go for a drive this year, and what you’d like to try while you’re there.
Maeda:“Glamping”. I love glamping and going to barbecues. I’m thinking of going to the foot of Mt. Fuji next time! I’d like to go to a large supermarket and buy a lot of food, which is something you can’t do without a car, so I’d like to go for a drive.
Look up:“Lake tours.” I also like touring the lakes in Yamanashi and Nagano, and I often go to the lakes with my friends. Until now, my friends have always driven me, not me, so next time I’d like to take everyone there driving myself!

Q: Please give a message to the viewers who will watch the movie.
Maeda:The film is an interesting depiction of the changes in the times, cars, fashion, and the relationship between these two men, and is truly fitting for Nissan’s 90th anniversary. I think it’s a wonderful, so-called emotional film! I was able to create this film together with some truly wonderful staff members, so I hope you can feel the story from beginning to end!
Look up:This year marks Nissan’s 90th anniversary, and my grandfather has always driven Nissan cars, so he’s just over 90 years old. The cars that appeared in this film were the Skyline and Fairlady Z that my grandfather drove, and the first car my parents bought after getting married was a Figaro. While I was acting out the relationship between the two lovers, I sometimes thought back to the time my parents had spent together, and while cars don’t necessarily play a leading role in our lives and memories, they are always a part of everyone’s memories, which is what I felt while filming this long period of time. I hope that people who watch this film will feel nostalgic, or conversely, that they will feel that their current era was born from this era, and that they will feel the same way about the cars!

■ Natori Comment
This time, I wrote a song called “Melodrama” in collaboration with Imase. As the times go by, people and cars change, but there are some things that don’t change and remain, and I wrote “Melodrama” hoping that it would be one of those things. Please listen to it along with the movie that depicts various eras.
■imase Comment
Natori and I have always talked about wanting to make a song together someday. I am very honored to be able to collaborate on Nissan Love Story. For me, cars are something that take me to all kinds of places and have created so many memories together.
I would be happy if this song could become something that colors all of your various memories.