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Nagao Kei - 極夜 (Kyokuya) | Lyrics Translation

Nagao Kei - Polar Night

I’m getting used to the sight of this long night But even lost in an endless dream On my own, I could still dance So let my eyes that are still bright remain that way, will you?

The mirage brushed my cheeks I waited for the revolution before daybreak The sun going in reverse Have a nice dream, no I couldn’t say it, it won’t mend

If it were to come true no matter what, surely I won’t long for it I won’t suffer over it But will I be happy that way Endlessly Dreaming a dream

I’m getting used to the sight of this long night But even lost in an endless dream On my own, I could still dance So let my eyes that are still bright remain that way I gently kiss the mic

The morning glow reflected my dream The pathetic me dancing alone in the midst of the fog And the sneering crowd There’s no way I could live by just being kind, not a chance

If it were to come true no matter what, surely I won’t long for it I won’t suffer over it But will I be happy that way Endlessly Dreaming a dream

I’m getting used to the sight of this long night But even lost in an endless dream On my own, I could still dance So let my eyes that are still bright remain that way, will you?

The sight of this long night is clearing up The morning glow melts away the moon and I wake up alone Let my eyes that are still bright remain that way I pour my heart out into the mic

TL notes below

The songs from the Union single collection are a result of collaboration with a platform called Showbiz, in which each of the VΔLZ member provided something as a base for their individual song, and Showbiz users could submit the songs they made based on that. iirc, Nagao provided the general concept/theme for his, and this is the chosen song.

I think this suits him well, I like the song! And despite only being released in September, it somehow became one of the top songs in my Spotify Wrapped?!

Btw, the title 極夜 (Kyokuya - Polar Night) is in reference to phenomenon in which the sun doesn't rise for more than 24 hours (happens around north and south poles). I think it's a fitting title for this lyrics.

Anyway, fun fact! The lyrics include some kanji which are referring to Nagao and VΔLZ. Like in the chorus 長い夜の景色に慣れて , the kanji 長 and 景 in Nagao's name are there.

Also for the last chorus, the lyrics are slightly different and this time contain the kanji in Kaida's (晴) and Genzuki's (月) names. I think it's quite neat!

長い夜の景色が晴れて 月溶ける朝焼け独り目が覚めて

I thought of translating this when it was released, posted the draft of the chorus, went on to procrastinate for months, and then translated almost all of it in the middle of the night in a few hours in a sudden burst of motivation lol. I wish next year (this year) I'm a bit more consistent!

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Nagao Kei - 極夜 (Kyokuya) | Romaji Lyrics

(Will be posting the TL on a separate post)

Nagai yoru no keshiki ni narete Samenai yume ni mayottatte Hitori, odorerushi Mada azayaka na me de isasete hoshii no ii desho?

Shinkirou ga hoo nadeta Yoake ga kuru mae ni okiru kakumei matta Taiyou, gyakuryuu suru Ii yume mite ne nante Ienai ienai

Kanarazu kanau nara kitto Akogarenai kara kurushimenai kara Sore demo shiawase de iru no Owaru koto nai Yume o miteru

Nagai yoru no keshiki ni narete Samenai yume ni mayottatte Hitori, odorerushi Mada azayaka na me de isasete hoshii no Maiku ni tada yasashii kisu shite

Asayake ga yume o utsushita Kiri no naka ni hitori odoru aware na boku to Warau hito no mure Yasashii dake ja kitto ikirenai ikirenai

Kanarazu kanau nara kitto Akogarenai kara kurushimenai kara Sore demo shiawase de iru no Owaru koto nai Yume o miteru

Nagai yoru no keshiki ni narete Samenai yume ni mayottatte Hitori, odorerushi Mada azayaka na me de isasete hoshii no ii desho?

Nagai yoru no keshiki ga harete Tsuki tokeru asayake hitori me ga samete Mada azayaka na me de isasete hoshii no Maiku ni tada omoi butsukete

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I'm getting used to the sight of these long nights Getting lost in an endless dream Even so, all alone, still I dance on So let me keep this pair of eyes bright, would you?

Some sort of rough draft/excerpt. Because I don't know if/when I'll finish it.

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The lyricsssss

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VΔLZ - 青春応歌 (Seishun Ouka) | Romaji Lyrics

Toge ga tsukisasaru  furukizu no itami Aoi haru no kageboushi

Yamikumo ni kaita  osanaki rakugaki Ima wa tada waraibanashi

Tokidomeru hodo shibireta inazuma Ano hi no kotoba kakugo ni kaete Ganmei na unmei o kenmei ni kirihiraite

Yuke Kobushi agete  noroshi agete Nidoto modoranu  ima o kakero Nandatte ii janai  doudatte ii janai Wagamama na mama  chouryou bakko Tebanasuna yo  jibun dake no yume

Tsuyokunaritakute Nandomo nagashita namida de kokoro migaita

Naimono nedari  fuan no kiwami Kibouteki kansoku  kurikaeshi Norari kurai tsunawatari no hibi mo

Sainou Mesen agete  koudou agete Takanaru mune no oto kikasero Kujikerunjanai  akiramerunjanai Nashitogeru noda  yuugen jikkou Te ni irero yo  jibun dake no koe

Shizumu yuuhi mo  noboru asahi mo Arikitari ni sugisatte shimau keredo Muda na mono nado nai nai nai

“Hitori de wa nai” “Kodoku de wa nai” Warera o tsunagu kyoutsuu gengo

Nannimo dekinai Nante omowanai Ketsui o mune ni fukaku kizande

Yuke Kobushi agete  noroshi agete Nidoto modoranu  ima o kakero Nandatte ii janai  doudatte ii janai Wagamama na mama  chouryou bakko

Mesen agete  koudou agete Takanaru mune no oto kikasero Kujikerunjanai  akiramerunjanai Nashitogeru noda  yuugen jikkou Te ni irero yo  jibun dake no koe Tebanasuna yo  jibun dake no yume

Seishun ouka

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Nagao Kei - MIRROR | MV Manga Translation

0:02 I hate this smell This stuffy suit These pumps that hurt to walk on

0:13 Surely, this is what’s ‘right’  ... It really doesn’t suit me after all Was this how I wanted to be growing up

0:45 I hate makeup I hate the smell How come I was told not to wear it when I was a student But the moment I became a working adult I’m supposed to wear it Just let those who want to wear it do so To begin with I hate putting anything on my face The precious time in the morning If I don’t have to do any of this I’d be able to sleep 20 more minutes

0:54 “So troublesome...”

1:00 “Wha... I haven’t gotten ready yet...!” What should I do...

If I don’t buy breakfast And rush my makeup, I might still make it Anyway I’ll just apply foundation and do my eyebrows

“I’ll just put a mask on... Huh, no way, I ran out of masks” I’ll do my hair properly And run to the train station As long as I can catch the train, I can still make it

1:03 Do I really need to go that far?

1:08 “It should be fine right? Just for today...”

1:10 “Good morning” I didn’t do anything wrong, there’s nothing to feel guilty about “Good morning” “Morning—”

1:13 “Hey, come here for a bit” “Yes?”

1:15 “Why are you not wearing makeup today?” Eh?

1:20 “What’s wrong? Did you oversleep?” “It has to be today of all days... It’s so unlike you” Eh?

“Today the client is coming too. Boss will definitely go ‘Do you still think of yourself as a student? The new hire training isn’t working well huh’” Ah...

I’m getting chided For something like this  I see... I... “Here you go”

“I’m lending you mine, use this for today” “Next time make sure to get ready before leaving the house”

1:28 I couldn’t say it That I purposely didn’t wear it

Surely, my senior is correct I’m the one at fault

Even if I say what I thought this morning I’m sure it won’t make any difference

I’m the one at fault for hating it 

For someone unsightly like me This appearance that I hate is the correct one

1:50 (Train announcement) The next stop is ... station For transferring passengers...

3 more stops until the company

1:55 (Twitter) Recommended Ultimate Office Lady Chan...   13h I can’t take it anymore, it’s so stuffy Why is it only women who have to wear makeup? It has nothing to do with my work, so why does it even matter? I want to sleep in a bit more

1:58 Eh? It’s the same as what I thought before Is she getting flamed? Or is it some big account’s tweet? The comments have opposing responses

2:04 (Twitter) Nekochan   @ nekonekoneko...   1h I never wear makeup to work lol

2:08 (Twitter) I only put on foundation and do my eyebrows~ I sleep in as much as I can People wear makeup properly to work? I go barefaced everyday and got no complaints

2:11 “It has to be today of all days... It’s so unlike you” “Next time make sure to get ready before leaving the house” “Huh” What was that all about?

2:26 What even is correct anymore I’m such a fool

When I was a kid I always believed that I could be the person I wished to be Always did as I told And endured everything I thought I was correct for doing all that

2:37 I... I... Where did I go wrong? When I noticed, I’ve already become someone so pathetic I couldn’t be anything anymore 

From 2:51 onwards the text on the MV are the lyrics~ posted here

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Nagao Kei - MIRROR | Lyrics Translation

I love this so much!!

Already loved it the moment Nagao posted the preview the day before the release, but at the same time I was a bit wary too. What if I don't like the full version (this is just me not wanting to get my hopes up too much lol).

But turns out I worried over nothing. As shown in the preview, of course there's Nagao's strong and clear vocal, which I've liked since the moment I heard FuKeiZai's Tsugai Kogarashi cover. But turns out I also really like the arrangement, lyrics, and story.

When I first read the video description, I was quite surprised. The original concept of the song actually came from Nagao himself!? It's a really pleasant surprise. Also the theme of trying to conform to society's expectation and losing sight of yourself really hits home tbh lol. And the release timing nicely fits the moment fresh graduates are starting their first week of work.

Anyway, congrats on the original song release and thank you Nagao!

The concept of the MV itself is interesting, it's like a video manga. So I will be posting the TL for both the lyrics and manga below (the post got too long lol, posting the manga TL on a separate post). Please listen to the song and go through both, the lyrics and story are so good and I think many people can resonate with it.

Lyrics translation:

You, who live in the mirror You’re the image I’m after, You’re the definition of correct after all  I kept on asking the questions which answers I couldn’t see As if imitating, I merely kept on dancing

The right way for me to be has been deeply ingrained within me I fixed every quirk of my body one by one I got further away from the figure in the mirror And I’ve come to hate myself for it

As time goes, I don’t know what’s right anymore What on earth am I supposed to believe Surely everything has their flaws The closer I get to you The more everything falls apart

MIRROR answer me Show me the right way for me to be Tell me now Show me the image I longed for There’s nothing The broken mirror is not true This unsightly you Is no longer needed

I came to notice that correctness is not clearly defined So I fixed a fake smile on my face Seeing people going through the days over and over It’s so dreadful, I could only run away

No matter how, I always Wanted to be something I thought that’s the right way to be So I was drawn to it Since when Did I get things so wrong The closer I got to you The more I lost everything

MIRROR answer me Show me a clear figure of myself Tell me now Of this person who can no longer be anything anymore

MIRROR answer me Show me the right way for me to be Tell me now Of the figure I cling so hard to There’s nothing The mirror shows me nothing This unsightly you Is what’s true right now

TL notes below

I'm not that satisfied with my translation this time, but since I don't think I can work on this next week, I guess it's better to just post it now than leaving it as a forever WIP.

To me, the song tells a story of someone who's trying to chase that image of "correctness" in her mind, only to realize that the more she does that, the more she's losing herself. In order to be able to move forward, first she has to accept who she actually is, be it the good or the bad.

Anyway, that's my interpretation. I found it interesting how often 正しい (and its related forms) which means "correct", as well as 姿 which means "figure", are repeated throughout the song. It really emphasizes this "image of correctness" the MC is after.

At first I wanted to convey this, to try to find words that could be used multiple times on the translation to show the focus on this "image of correctness". But I realized that in English it sounds quite unnatural, especially because different context and sentence sounds better with different word choices. So that's how this translation came to be.

This time I tried to focus more on conveying the meaning. I think some sentences still sound a bit janky, but I feel the more natural sentence options kinda lose some context, so I'll take the more janky translation this time.

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Nagao Kei - MIRROR | Romaji Lyrics

(Will be posting the lyrics and manga TL on a separate post) Kagami no naka ni sumu anata wa Motomerareru sugata  Seigi datte sa Kotae ga mienai toi kurikaeshite Maneru youni tada odori tsuzuketa

Tadashii arikata shimikomasete Kotonaru karada hitotsu zutsu naoshite Aitaisuru kagami no sugata kara Toonoku jibun o uranda

Itsushika wakaranakunatte itte Ittai sa nani o shinjitara iindatte Kitto sa nanimokamo ga fukanzen de Anata ni chikazuku hodo Zenbu kowarete ikunda

MIRROR kotaete yo Tadashii sugata o utsushidashite yo Ima, kikasete yo Akogareta sugata utsushidashite yo Nanimonai kara Wareta kagami wa tadashikuwanai kara Minikui anata wa Mou hitsuyou nainda

Seigi no aimaisa ni kizuite Toritsukurou waraikata o naoshite Dareka ga kurikaeshita hibi ga sa Osoroshikute tada nigedashita

Doushitatte itsudatte Nanimono ka ni naritakattanda Kitto tadashisatte mon ni Hikarete shimattetandatte  Ittai itsukara sa Kanchigai o shiteitanda Anata ni chikazuku hodo Zenbu, ushinatteita koto

MIRROR kotaete yo Toumei na sugata o utsushidashite yo Ima kikasete yo Nanimono ni mo narenakatta sugata o

MIRROR kotaete yo Tadashii sugata o utsushidashite yo Ima, kikasete yo Shigamitsuku sugata utsushidashiteyo Nanimonai kara Kagami wa nani mo utsushiwashinai kara Minikui anata ga Ima, tadashii sugata da

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VΔLZ - 青春応歌 (Seishun Ouka) | Excerpt | Fan Transcription & Translation

Uooohh congrats VΔLZ on the mini album and tour announcement!! Here's hoping for online viewing announcement soon.

Anyway I already liked their new song Seishun Ouka just from the preview. Tried to transcribe the lyrics from what I heard and translate them. I hope we'll get to hear the full song soon!

Disclaimer: Not official lyrics!! This is only based on what I heard so I hope my listening comprehension doesn't fail me lol

VΔLZ - 青春応歌 (Seishun Ouka) | Anthem of Youth

拳上げて　狼煙上げて Kobushi agete Noroshi agete Raise your fist up Shoot the flare up

二度と戻らぬ　今をかけろ Nidoto modoranu Ima o kakero Put everything on this moment It doesn't come twice

��だって良いじゃない　どうだって良いじゃない Nandatte ii janai Dou datte ii janai No matter what it is No matter how it is

わがままなまま　跳梁跋扈 Wagamama na mama chouryou bakko Indulge yourself on your whims let loose, run wild

手放すなよ　自分だけの夢 Tebanasunayo Jibun dake no yume Your dreams are yours alone Don't you ever let them go

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VΔLZ - 黎明の轍 (Reimei no Wadachi) | English Lyrics (Fan Translation)

VΔLZ - Tracks of Dawn

What awaits in the future The answer is God only knows...

A bizarre world The fettered nights of ideal and reality

Did you call? Do not lose your way in the maze of your heart just Ring your bell

Unraveling the ties of good and evil The stream of my tears boldly weaving onwards Resolutely reaching out  Please take my hand

That’s right  whatever  woe betides For however many times Hold my hand tight, together we fight hand in hand

This desire to preserve  is a proof of our bonds Deep in the midst of this darkness  a guiding prayer

Would any of these flowers bloom Only to gently flutter down They bloom to bask in the moonlight in all their glory Should I preserve this normalcy (read: miracle)

Underground A grim shooting star  quietly cutting through the night

Noisy heart The sky looking like a broken kaleidoscope

Each and everyone with their own reasons As their personal sense of justice Looking back at the tracks of memories

No doubt  weal and woe  lie ahead For however many times Despite it all I’ll never let go of your hand

The sight I long to preserve Is it merely a distant wish? I’m running as hard as I can in my confusion

“The regret that you have embraced Turns into a new encounter” Towards this cruel and ruthless world  I cry my heart out The scream of an assured self (read: heart) 

That’s right  whatever  fate befalls For however many times Come what may, just have faith in our joined hands

Here and now This desire to preserve is a proof of our bonds Deep in the midst of this darkness  a guiding prayer

“The regret that you have embraced Turns into a new encounter” Towards this cruel and ruthless world  I cry my heart out The scream of an assured self (read: heart) The scream of an unwav’ring faith (read: heart)

TL notes below

Will be rambling a bit about the lyrics and the TL here. I first posted this on twt, but it's probably good to keep a record of my thoughts when translating this here as well.

Basically this is my personal project in which I want to challenge myself to translate the lyrics in a way that fits the original tune. So the main goal is not a 1 to 1 translation, but to convey the lyrics within what one of my fav songwriters called syllable real estate.

So I had to take some creative liberties in my translation choice. I tried to be faithful to the original as I don't want to change too much, but here and there I need to change the line orders to make it makes sense in English or take some inspiration from the MV to fit the lyrics length.

Anyway, trying to translate the lyrics made me appreciate it better. There are many clever lines there which I couldn't fully convey in my translation. Here are some that I found interesting:

アイマミエル　ミライ Since it's written in katakana, there are many ways to interpret it. Is it 合間 見える 未来? or 相見える 未来? It's purposely written in katakana to make it vague. I couldn't quite find a way to convey this, so I settled for something vague although it's still kinda different.

日常(きせき)を護れば The lyrics contains many clever use of furigana, where the reading (the one in the bracket) is different from the kanji written. Here what's written is 日常 (the ordinary, daily life), while the reading is きせき (miracle). For this kind of furigana changes, this time I prefer to simply follow the original - to translate the lyrics as based on the kanji with the reading added in a bracket.

こんな　”愛・哀” 出逢うだろう Both 愛 (love) and 哀 (grief) have the same reading "ai". In the lyrics it's written as both but simply read as "ai". It's as if to show that love and grief come as a set. I couldn't think of any English words which can represent both, or good homonyms/homophones for this. So i settled for a word combination that have similar feel - "love and grief", "good times and bad times".

“抱きしめた後悔を くつがえす邂逅だ” This is a very clever word play. The literal translation of the lyrics is "the regret you've embraced overturns into an encounter". Regret here is read as "kou kai", while encounter is "kai kou", so it's literally overturned. I tried to think of so many ways to convey this. Anagrams, rhyming words, etc. Long story short i gave up and settled to simply translate the line lol.

どんな運命(さだめ)でも Another play on the reading. 運命 (destiny, fate) here is read as さだめ (order, decision). I think this fits the nuance of VΔLZ and Ouma Empire setting nicely. For the translation, i chose to simply translate it as "fate", which has the feel of something decided/assigned/ordered from above.

確かな己(こころ)だ 変わらぬ信念(こころ)だ Another clever furigana usage. Here, both 己 (self) and 信念 (faith) are read as こころ (heart). Furigana is neat. Sometimes I wish other languages have it too lol.

舞い落ちるためと 咲く華はないだろう？ 光彩を浴びるため華開いた 日常(きせき)を護れば I love this whole part of the chorus, it's probably my favorite part of the lyrics. It's so poetic to me. Btw, for the line "光彩を浴びるため華開いた", the actual translation is simply "the flowers bloom to bask in splendor/glow/etc". But of course it's not enough to fill the whole line. So I was wracking my brain for something when I saw the MV again and was struck with the scene where the sakura petals are fluttering under the moonlight. i love the imagery so much and I think it's fitting for this part of the lyrics. So no, the "moonlight" in my translation was not actually in the original lyrics. But it was heavily inspired by the MV. please allow me this much creative liberty lol

Another translation choice I'm a bit torn about is the pre chorus part, specifically the 何度も　何度も lines. I had to switch the order with the line after this one because this way I could find sentences which fit the syllable space and flow better in English. But the downside is the line distribution ended up being different. I think the line assigned to each member here fits their character quite nicely, so it's a shame that the order is changed. Anyway in my mind they will still sing the line with the same meaning (so the order is flipped) lol. not that anyone gonna sing this

Anyway, I actually have much more thoughts about translating this, but it's probably not important to put here lol. I think most part about the interesting bits of the lyrics and translation choices have been covered.

If you notice any error please let me know! And feel free to message me about this lol. I'm not that active here but I'll (maybe eventually) read your message. Otsu~

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VΔLZ - 黎明の轍 (Reimei no Wadachi) | Romaji Lyrics

(Will be posting the TL on a separate post)

Aimamieru  mirai Kotae wa  God only knows...

Kikaina World Risou to genjou  ganjigarame no yoru

Yondakai? Kokoro no airo ni mayowanaide  Ring your bell

Karamaru zen’aku o himo toite Namida wa maishin de azanatte Osorezu nobasu te yo todoke

Sousa  nandomo  nandomo Donna “kyou” ga osottemo Tsuyoku te o musubi, tatakae

Mamoritai shoudou ga  kizuna e no shoumei da Kurayami no naka de tadotta shingan Maiochiru tame to  saku hana wa nai darou? Kousai o abiru tame hana hiraita Kiseki o mamoreba 

Underground Fuonna ryuusei  sotto kirisaku yoru

Noisy heart Hibiwareta  mangekyou no you na sora

Dare mo sorezore no kotowari o Seigi to shinagara Omoi no wadachi o  furikaette wa

Kitto  nandomo  nandomo Konna ai deau darou Soredemo kono te o hanasanai

Mamoritai koukei wa  haruka naru shoukei ka? Tomadoi no naka de  tada hashitta “Dakishimeta koukai o  kutsugaesu kaikou da” Zankokuna sekai e to sakebu no wa Tashikana kokoro da

Sousa  nandomo  nandomo Donna sadame demo Musunda kono te o shinjite

Ima o Mamoritai shoudou ga  kizuna e no shoumei da Kurayami no naka de tadotta shingan “Dakishimeta koukai o  kutsugaesu kaikou da” Zankokuna sekai e to sakebu no wa Tashikana kokoro da Kawaranu kokoro da

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I realized twitter is horrible for long text, so here I am, back at Tumblr. My translation dumping playground.

I don't think I will be checking this blog often, but feel free to message me for corrections, etc!

Current interest is Nagao Kei and VΔLZ, so expect posts around those topics I guess.