Starting on 27 August, 2025 a series of special podcasts episodes featuring conversations between some of the team behind New PANTY & STOCKING with GARTERBELT began airing. It’s our great pleasure to provide English translations of these conversations with permission and approval from STUDIO TRIGGER and FlyingDog. Today we continue the discussion between series sound producer ☆Taku Takahashi and contributor Yackle. Be sure to check out Episode 3, Part 1 to make sure you're up to speed!
If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Episode 1, Part 1 / Episode 1, Part 2 and Episode 2, Part 1 / Episode 2, Part 2 for a conversation between ☆Taku Takahashi and Studio TRIGGER's Hiroyuki Imaishi and Hiromi Wakabayashi.
If you would like to read along to the original Japanese audio, the podcast can be heard via Spotify.
☆Taku Takahashi: Okay – here’s a question for you, Yackle.
Yackle: Yes.
☆Taku: When working on anime music, what surprised you versus your usual production, or what stuck with you?
Yackle: This was my first time working on the soundtrack for an anime. Normally, the music itself is the primary focus, but with a soundtrack, you’re emphasizing or supporting scenes and story. So I was forced to keep that in mind.
☆Taku: I see.
Yackle: And because it was PANTY & STOCKING, watching the original, you see it’s different from other anime, especially musically. I kept that in mind, but I also made a lot of it the way I usually produce. So I never had those moments of feeling stuck.
☆Taku: You’d seen the original?
Yackle: Yes.
☆Taku: So with that imprint from having seen the original series, with this time the direction being a bit different from last time, did anything clash with what you expected?
Yackle: The original leaned more into dance music. As you said, this time had more rock taste. At first I wondered how to handle that, but as we progressed, we added your and my flavors and found a nice balance. Once we took that first step, we were able to piece it all together. That first step was the trickiest part.
☆Taku: Right, there are some very “score-y” pieces this time, which we didn’t have before.
Yackle: Yeah.
☆Taku: But even among all that, the drums would come across as proper dance music, while the samples could go “gnyuuuun.” You’re good at “gnyuuuun”.
Yackle: “Gnyuuuun,” yeah. That’s actually hard.
☆Taku: What is “gnyuuuun”? [laughs] Turning “ja-jaka-jaan” into “ja-jaka-ja-on.”
Yackle: Pitch-bend—pitch-bend is tricky. Shaping the sound…
☆Taku: Making an “impossible” sound.
Yackle: Right.
☆Taku: Taking orchestral sounds and making them into something though impossible – that’s a dance-music process.
Yackle: Using sounds in ways you can’t do with live performance, and later in the track, I added techno/electro elements. It works as a score but also brings in that dance music flair.
☆Taku: We tried to make it function as a score while layering synths over orchestral sounds.
Yackle: Also, one of the other things I was keeping in mind was making sure there’s always a part that could be dropped in the club without sounding out of place.
☆Taku: Take “Defcon 0” for example – after it’s out, I’d love people to listen to it, then come back to this podcast.
Yackle: Yes, please.
☆Taku: I definitely wanted your flavor to come through.
Yackle: Thank you so much.
☆Taku: I left all the snare choices to you.
Yackle: Yeah, basically.
☆Taku: Your sound is in the snare.
Yackle: For me, it’s about how far to distort that metallic snare into a weird sound.
☆Taku: That “kaaan!” hit.
Yackle: Exactly. And you fully trusted me there, so I just went with my usual instincts.
☆Taku: It’s so different from a typical score.
Yackle: There are tons of sounds in there that would never appear in standard scoring. If people listen out for that, it’ll be really fun.
☆Taku: I feel like “Defcon 0” is going to get used all over news programs.
Yackle: Hearing it on the news would be awesome.
☆Taku: Like, “We’ve uncovered the criminal ring’s location – “duh-duh-DUHN!”
Yackle: Totally. If anyone from a news show is listening, please use it!
☆Taku: Right?
Yackle: Can’t wait to hear it on air.
☆Taku: There are a lot of highly usable tracks.
Yackle: They fit so many different situations.
☆Taku: That’s thanks to Wakabayashi and the TRIGGER team wanting a huge range of scenes – every episode feels like a different anime. With so many episodes and emotions, they gave us a reason to make all kinds of music.
Yackle: Exactly. I’ve actually got another question for you, Taku.
☆Taku: Go for it.
Yackle: You’ve done lots of soundtracks—New PANTY & STOCKING, the original, other anime, dramas, films, and stage shows. How does making a soundtrack differ from producing as an artist/DJ/producer with m-flo or solo?
☆Taku: Great question.
Yackle: Thanks.
☆Taku: We’re composers, arrangers, producers. Bringing ourselves to the table is important – that’s a given. But do you know screenwriter Dai Sato, Yackle?
Yackle: I’m not familiar.
☆Taku: He’s worked on tons of projects. Eureka Seven, Ghost in the Shell, even Doraemon. He’s close with folks like Imaishi and Shigeto Koyama. In interviews with him, he said something that really inspired me: “How do you make the director confident enough to put this out?” Music plays a powerful role in any given project. So how do we help the TRIGGER team release their work with confidence? That was one of my core focuses this time around. Directors are always worrying over how best to convey things to the audience, while my job is to help them feel sure that they’re on the right path. Of course, I inject myself into it, but I focus on how to make the whole team confident in putting it out there.
Yackle: I feel that exact same way – if there’s any compromise there, it becomes a source of doubt and directly affects motivation.
☆Taku: There’s also a bit of an improv vibe to it – like, how should I answer the brief? Ultimately, I end up opening all my drawers and pulling things out. Luckily or not, I have a lot of drawers to pull from.
Yackle: You really do. *laughs*
☆Taku: Across many dance genres, and it’s the same for you.
Yackle: Yeah, I don’t stick to one genre either. That’s why working with you is fun. We both bring lots of options. You’ll suggest something I hadn’t considered, and I’m like, “That’s cool,” and we can adapt it right away.
☆Taku: Being able to get hands-on with each other is really important.
Yackle: Totally, and we use the same DAW in your studio, so sometimes we literally swap seats back and forth mid-track.
☆Taku: Right.
Yackle: Yep.
☆Taku: Here’s a slight confession, collaborations with other trackmakers actually aren’t my strong suit.
Yackle: Oh? You collaborated with so many trackmakers and singers this time. What makes it difficult?
☆Taku: How much of myself to put in, and how much to pull out of the other person – that balance is tricky. But this time it was easy with everyone. The only risk is thinking something is fine as is, and leaving it. That’s the tricky part of collaborations.
Yackle: I get that. It’s hard to cleanly do 50/50.
☆Taku: Exactly.
Yackle: And if it’s good, it’s good, you don’t need to force it.
☆Taku: Yeah. But this time, while thinking “This is great,” I could still inject my part. In all our co-productions, I feel like both our voices are present.
Yackle: Same here.
☆Taku: How about other tracks? Have you had a chance to listen?
Yackle: Anime credits don’t show names per track, but you can often guess who it is. Fans of each artist will probably pick it. For our six tracks, the balance feels just right. I’ve been listening post-completion and still feel that way.
☆Taku: It really does come through.
Yackle: Yeah. I always feel like you’re mixing in fresh elements with your signature sound. That shows on this soundtrack too. “Sweet but Deadly,” for example, has a fast BPM, but doesn’t cross over into drum’n’bass territory.
☆Taku: I actually love chiptune.
Yackle: When we started that one, the idea was to head that way.
☆Taku: “Sweet but Deadly” was originally made as Stocking’s theme.
Yackle: Right.
☆Taku: When it came time to make Stocking’s theme, the thought process was that, well, she likes sweets, so let's make it sweet.
Yackle: And within that, we added a bit of venom.
☆Taku: Yeah.
Yackle: Not “menhera,” but we wanted it to have that kind of edge. So even with aggressive sonics, some of the tones are cute.
☆Taku: Violently cute.
Yackle: “Violently cute.” *laughs*
☆Taku: That’s an event name. *laughs*
Yackle: Right.
☆Taku: Jokes aside, it’s pretty bleepy.
Yackle: It is. There are lots of synths, and to bring a darker rock vibe, the second verse leans into distorted trap – a more hyperpop-ish sound.
☆Taku: It was meant for Stocking’s battle scene, where there are weapon SFX in verse two. But it ended up playing whenever Gunsmith Bitch appears.
Yackle: Now that you say it, yeah, it does pop up every time.
☆Taku: It wasn’t until later on that we realized that they were using it for Gunsmith Bitch scenes. She’s my favorite character, by the way.
Yackle: Then it’s perfect timing for the track.
☆Taku: I’d imagined Stocking slicing with her sword – sound effects of blades and gunshots in verse two. Using non-instrument sounds as instruments, dodging bullets, that kind of imagery. It makes for a fun listening game.
Yackle: Yeah, listening to the soundtrack, you can imagine the production moments. There are a lot of tracks like that.
☆Taku: By the way, what did you feel the first time a piece you made played in an anime?
Yackle: When I first saw it, I felt happy – it all felt kind of surreal.
☆Taku: How so?
Yackle: Hearing my music in there for the first time, there was an exciting realization that this must be how it feels for all the other producers who work on anime. Plus, being part of the anime made me really happy.
☆Taku: Right.
Yackle: And there was this sense of relief that it actually supports the scene properly.
☆Taku: Same here – I still feel a bit surreal. Like, this almost disbelief that what’s playing is something that I created.
Yackle: Right? I watched episode one at your studio and was like, “It’s playing!”
☆Taku: “It’s playing!” *laughs*
Yackle: And it would pop up in places I didn’t expect, making it even more surreal and fun.
☆Taku: Totally.
Yackle: Sometimes it’s like, “You used this there?” – to me, that’s the best part.
☆Taku: And when Wakabayashi uses something in a spot I never saw coming I’m always like, “Ah! He pulled it off!”
Yackle: Yeah, absolutely
☆Taku: Right?
Yackle: And it makes you realize, “Oh, it can work there,” which I hadn’t thought of – that’s exciting.
☆Taku: Exactly. It becomes a reference for future work. Negative space is important; write a piece that fits one scene but can also work elsewhere. It broadens your output as a creator.
Yackle: Right. And because we made so many tracks, when they use one in different contexts in each episode, that’s really gratifying.
☆Taku: For sure.
Yackle: Yeah.
☆Taku: We talked about “Sweet but Deadly” earlier, but let’s touch on other songs.
Yackle: Absolutely.
☆Taku: “Fear and Happy Hour,” that track has fear –
Yackle: Yeah, the “Fear” half at the start has a tense feel.
☆Taku: Compared with “Defcon 0,” I tried not to make it too attention-grabbing.
Yackle: It still uses dance-music elements you could play in a club, but in a way that also works as BGM – something that sits behind a scene without being intrusive.
☆Taku: We did make it pretty minimal.
Yackle: Yeah. Usually, I cram in lots of parts, but for that one, I consciously subtracted to keep it minimal.
☆Taku: When you sit down to compose, do you picture the work, or just focus on the music?
Yackle: It really depends. For “Sweet but Deadly,” I kept the concept of the show in mind, but produced it like I usually do. For “Fear and Happy Hour,” I was more conscious of the visuals. The sounds are my own, but the overall impression is different.
☆Taku: For me while I was producing “Sweet but Deadly,” I had Stocking on my mind the whole time, while “Fear and Happy Hour” was purely just focusing on the music.
Yackle: Wow.
☆Taku: Like, really just focused on the music.
Yackle: For me, the latter half – the “Happy Hour” part – was definitely like that for me. It modulates and opens up, and I leaned into the musicality of it all there.
☆Taku: “Defcon 0” gets used a lot – I wrote it like a final boss piece, but they used it in totally different places.
Yackle: Yeah, that was interesting. I expected it only for battle-esque scenes, but it might be the most widely used track.
☆Taku: I was actually channeling “Little Witch Academia.”
Yackle: Oh, really?
☆Taku: I might be influenced by that soundtrack, like the climactic battle vibes from season two.
Yackle: So you had a pretty concrete image.
☆Taku: Different work, but same TRIGGER background.
Yackle: For me, on “Defcon 0” and others, I focused on balance. It was the usual dance music output versus soundtrack elements.
☆Taku: With “Girlz Noize” – that “Jaa-jaa-jaa”
Yackle: That track was fun to make. The intro uses sounds I don’t normally make, but then the loop-like build process drew on the electro I listened to as a grade-schooler. I think it’s the first time I've put that into one of my own tracks.
☆Taku: It definitely uses 2010s electro as its foundation.
Yackle: Yep. It was really fun to build that section.
☆Taku: How to base it on that “jaa-jaa-jaa” and then break it, structuring it all into a very electro package.
Yackle: Exactly. Taking a single loop, chopping it, moving parts before/after, reversing, and making a new phrase. It felt like cooking up a meal from a single ingredient.
☆Taku: Ah, nice metaphor.
Yackle: That was fun.
☆Taku: I think the most-used track might be “F-Bomb.”
Yackle: Possibly.
☆Taku: “nyo-ne-ne-ne…”
Yackle: The opening is super memorable.
☆Taku: That “nyaa…” voice.
Yackle: Yeah.
☆Taku: In a meeting with TRIGGER, there was a scene of carrying a big “kokeshi” – we had to call it that as a euphemism, you know?
Yackle: *laughs* Right, otherwise everything gets beeped like the TV version.
☆Taku: Exactly. For the scene where they’re carrying the huge kokeshi, they said, “Make it feel like Miyuki Nakajima.” I was so confused.
Yackle: *laughs* Carrying a giant kokeshi to Miyuki Nakajima? Huh??
☆Taku: Maybe a “Project X” vibe?
Yackle: *laughs*
☆Taku: I happened to find a great sample, it doesn’t sound like Miyuki Nakajima, but it has that phrasing. I was elated.
Yackle: You just had to roll with it, right?
☆Taku: TRIGGER probably won’t feel the Nakajima vibe, and listeners won’t either – but I hope people notice that sampled phrasing. And then we slam in hyper-trap.
Yackle: Like drill.
☆Taku: Yeah, drill.
Yackle: When you suggested adding drill after that intro, I was confused at first. Most people wouldn’t pair Jersey flavors with drill there. But once we proceeded, it gelled, somehow.
☆Taku: It fit.
Yackle: It’s not just having lots of tools at your disposal; it’s your unique thought process. You propose it because you can already kinda see the result.
☆Taku: Sort of. Like, no one puts umeboshi in hot pot, right?
Yackle: Right…
☆Taku: But if you use it as a sauce, it’s surprisingly tasty. Ponzu is sour, so it matches.
Yackle: The acidity.
☆Taku: Like adding Japanese elements to Italian cuisine, or vice versa. I love that kind of cooking, and it totally applies to music. So you get “da-da-da-daa” with “boon-tsuka-boon-tsuka,” and then go full Jersey to blow it up.
Yackle: Right.
☆Taku: We wanted a bigger lift at the end – so Jersey was the obvious choice.
Yackle: “Jersey, obviously.” *laughs* Both of us use Jersey in our normal tracks anyway, so we went there. From the “settled” drill tempo to Jersey’s sudden intensity.
☆Taku: In a typical project, you’d put some keys over that sample, add some orchestra, and call it a day.
Yackle: True.
☆Taku: But because it’s PANTY & STOCKING, we can throw in trap, Jersey club, all these dance music elements. That’s on-brand.
Yackle: While producing, I sometimes wondered whether or not doing this would be okay. Then I’d remember it’s PANTY & STOCKING, so the answer is almost definitely yes. *laughs*
☆Taku: Exactly. You okay to answer another question?
Yackle: Please.
☆Taku: Now that everything’s finished and the series is out, how do you feel about the final result?
Yackle: Honestly, even though it’s released, it hasn’t fully sunk in yet. It’ll hit me more with time. I still feel a bit surreal because it was my first time. My tracks show up in scenes I expected and didn’t expect, seeing it all packaged into one work makes me happy.
☆Taku: We’ve got an event coming up, right?
Yackle: We do.
☆Taku: And you’re DJing, too.
Yackle: Yes.
☆Taku: Will you play the tracks you worked on?
Yackle: I’ve been thinking about that. I’m DJing three times – part one daytime, part two evening, and the late-night. I probably won’t play all six in a single set, more likely I’ll distribute them across sets. I’m still deciding whether to use the intros as is or just the dance music sections, but I want to play them.
☆Taku: Will you do any remixes?
Yackle: I’m considering it.
☆Taku: Me too.
Yackle: Not necessarily full remixes, but “club edits” that are easier to play.
☆Taku: For me, it’s a race against time. *laughs*
Yackle: Same.
☆Taku: I want them to be recognizable – something unique to that night, because DJing is live.
Yackle: Right, reading to the room.
☆Taku: So I’m thinking about how to add elements you can only hear live.
Yackle: For “Fear and Happy Hour,” I love the original works as it is, but I’m thinking of making it less
☆Taku: Yeah.
Yackle: The easiest to use might be “Sweet But Deadly.” You can drop it as is, and it’s also super remixable.
☆Taku: Right.
Yackle: Like you said, it comes down to time – what to tweak and how much to tweak.
☆Taku: The need to make it live set ready.
Yackle: Yeah. But I also think some people want to hear it loud and untouched, so I’m weighing out that balance mentally.
☆Taku: The event is Saturday, September 13. The biggest talk-and-music event in PANTY & STOCKING history. As you said, it’s three parts—day and night at Zepp Shinjuku/ZERO TOKYO—“NEW PANTY & STOCKING Fes.” Then a late-night club event at the same venue, which is called “ZERO TOKYO” at night. Don’t get confused, it’s the same place.
Yackle: Right, people not used to events might think the venue changes, but it’s the same spot.
☆Taku: The late-night event is “NEW PANTY & STOCKING ESCAPE” at ZERO TOKYO. You’ll be there, I’ll be there, top producers from the soundtrack will be there, and there might be surprise guests.
Yackle: Oh?
☆Taku: Might be.
Yackle: The late-night lineup shows only DJs so far.
☆Taku: There might be people not yet listed who pop in.
Yackle: There were a lot of vocalists involved this time, too.
☆Taku: Lots of them. I might call a friend, like, “Hey, swing by for a drink, and hop in my set?” No promises, but… maybe.
Yackle: That kind of surprise could be fun. Please come out!
☆Taku: About that live set idea you mentioned previously – do you have a vision yet?
Yackle: For late-night, since it’s a music-centric event, I’m less conflicted. Day and evening are trickier. I go first, and it might be when people are still coming in. As the opening DJ, you set the tone for the day; it’s super important. So I’m debating the approach. Also, in the day/evening, I think the only DJs are you and me, so I’m considering playing tracks beyond the ones I worked on.
☆Taku: Play what you love, it’s your time on the stage.
Yackle: You always say that, so I take full advantage and do sets where I spin a ton of your works before and after you. *laughs* You're my senior, so it’s a kind of with unspoken permission, but I asked you once and you said, “Do whatever you want,” so I do. Maybe too much. *laughs*
☆Taku: You play my tracks better than I do. *laughs*
Yackle: You told me that! I probably play more of your works than you do in my sets.
☆Taku: And I appreciate it. I feel like a farmer who grew the vegetables –
Yackle: – and I get to cook them.
☆Taku: – and you’re cooking them deliciously. It makes me happy. It also reinforces that my veggies are tasty! I want as many people as possible to try them. For late night, I want even folks who don’t usually go clubbing to come. Clubs are more diverse now, people who only go to anisong events or concerts are coming, too.
Yackle: Yeah, a lot more.
☆Taku: And we DJs, we’re just like you.
Yackle: Exactly.
☆Taku: We’re fellow nerds. You might hear unfamiliar tracks and wonder how to move at first, but it’s about expressing yourself freely and having fun. You don’t need to stay on the floor the whole time. Wander around, and just jump in when you feel like it. It’s a free space. Even if you have preconceptions, I think you’ll have a blast.
Yackle: People might imagine it’s scary or intimidating, but go once and you’ll probably love it. Don’t worry about others’ eyes; if a song you love comes on, go wild, dance, shout. It’s not a space for worrying about judgment. Everyone should just do what they like.
☆Taku: That’s exactly the message of New PANTY & STOCKING with GARTERBELT. Panty may seem selfish with how she flaunts herself, but she’s not forcing it on others.
Yackle: Right.
☆Taku: It’s like “I’m me, and it’s okay for you to be you.” A super positive message. People remember the dumb gags –
Yackle: *laughs* Including the kokeshi, right from the start.
☆Taku: – but it’s really “Live free, that’s my way. I’m not forcing you, but you can, too.” I want the night to feel like that.
Yackle: And since this event is all about the anime, most attendees will love PANTY & STOCKING, so you can chat with anyone there about it.
☆Taku: You can make friends on social media, but connecting in person with people who love the same thing, that’s wonderful.
Yackle: On the street, the odds of that are tiny. But this event gathers people who like the same thing, so it’s easier to spark conversations and make friends fast.
☆Taku: Let’s be real – if you tell school friends or coworkers you love PANTY & STOCKING and show them an episode, some might be a little repulsed.
Yackle: True.
☆Taku: But at this event, everyone’s a fan, so there’s nothing to worry about. We’re all friends. Have fun.
Yackle: Yes, please. I’ve got friends who’ve never been clubbing but love PANTY & STOCKING, so they’re coming. Don’t overthink it, come during the day, evening, and late night!
☆Taku: We’ll do our usual DJ sets but play lots of PANTY & STOCKING tunes, so you’ll get a variety of musical experiences.
Yackle: Yeah.
☆Taku: Enjoy it like a live show. You don’t have to “dance” – you can just bounce.
Yackle: And if you drink, great; if you don’t, that’s fine, no pressure.
☆Taku: None at all.
Yackle: Orange juice is totally fine.
☆Taku: I’ve got friends who party on soft drinks till morning.
Yackle: Yep.
☆Taku: So please, if you’re going to day and evening and feel like trying late night too, come on over.
Yackle: Please do!
☆Taku: So that wraps up our three-part “THIS IS NEW PANTY & STOCKING.” The anime NEW PANTY & STOCKING with Garterbelt is airing now. If you somehow haven’t watched yet –
Yackle: I don’t think that’s the case. *laughs*
☆Taku: Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it’s not too late. On Prime Video, you can binge what’s out as of today; other platforms have it, too. Search online, you might already be subscribed to somewhere you can watch it. Please check NEW PANTY & STOCKING. And for the music we made, you can play the “Who made this track?” guessing game.
Yackle: Right, you can hear the songs in the anime before you get the soundtrack. Make predictions, then check answers when you grab the OST. Do it as a game with friends you meet at the event, that’d be fun.
☆Taku: And although it’s a soundtrack, we built it to be enjoyable as a standalone album. Maybe it’s not just music… There are surprises, so please look forward to it. The soundtrack turned out great.
Yackle: Please check it out.
☆Taku: How was today, Yackle?
Yackle: I had a blast. We got to talk in depth, stuff we probably wouldn’t cover otherwise. Thank you so much for the opportunity.
☆Taku: New PANTY & STOCKING is still airing, so we’ll likely have more chances to talk. Let’s keep it going.
Yackle: Please do. Thank you.
☆Taku: Today’s guest was Yackle.
Yackle: This was Yackle – thanks so much.
☆Taku: And I’m Taku Takahashi. See you.
That's a wrap on This is New PANTY & STOCKING! We hope you enjoyed reading this behind the scenes look at 2025’s most outrageous anime series!
