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[nu-shockworks-blog]

LUV IMITATION Translation

I want to narrow this distance tonight.  I cannot surely say.  (Be in the side, and do not leave it)

I savor loneliness to feel to be hurt and sleep.  (Be in the side, and do not leave it)

Ah, it sweetly gnaws at me It isn’t painful It’s tender (affectionate)

I miss you, I miss you I want to please my lips with your warmth But you won’t be back until dawn My bare feet entangle the silk sheets

I want to narrow this distance tonight.  I cannot surely say.  (Be in the side, and do not leave it)

I savor loneliness to feel to be hurt and sleep.  (Be in the side, and do not leave it)

Can I ever pass through this night? I don’t know… I guess we’ll see

It hurts, it hurts It hurts to embrace you but, “What is the reasoning in that?” But I saw and heard from that innocent smile…I felt it “An Imitation of Love”

Today, I love your face Tomorrow, I will love your voice Yesterday, I loved your all But I just not your heart…kiss

“I love you” I miss you, I miss you I want to please my lips with your warmth But you won’t be back until dawn I entangle the silk sheets with my bare feet

It doesn’t reach you, it doesn’t reach you The voice of the truth echoes, “Lonely.” But whatever you do is fine It seems you’ll be satisfied even without me

I cannot go I must stay here Too far away Still, even now, I can’t grasp your heart But still… “An Imitation of Love”

I want to narrow this distance tonight.  I cannot surely say.  (Be in the side, and do not leave it)

I savor loneliness to feel to be hurt and sleep.  (Be in the side, and do not leave it)

Ah, it sweetly gnaws at me It isn’t painful It’s tender (affectionate)

I miss you, I miss you I want to please my lips with your warmth But you won’t be back until dawn My bare feet entangle the silk sheets

I want to narrow this distance tonight.  I cannot surely say.  (Be in the side, and do not leave it)

I savor loneliness to feel to be hurt and sleep.  (Be in the side, and do not leave it)

Can I ever pass through this night? I don’t know… I guess we’ll see

It hurts, it hurts It hurts to embrace you but, “What is the reasoning in that?” But I saw and heard from that innocent smile…I felt it “An Imitation of Love”

Today, I love your face Tomorrow, I will love your voice Yesterday, I loved your all But I just not your heart…kiss

“I love you” I miss you, I miss you I want to please my lips with your warmth But you won’t be back until dawn I entangle the silk sheets with my bare feet

It doesn’t reach you, it doesn’t reach you The voice of the truth echoes, “Lonely.” But whatever you do is fine It seems you’ll be satisfied even without me

I cannot go I must stay here Too far away Still, even now, I can’t grasp your heart But still… “An Imitation of Love”

Footnotes: I have none. Other than the fact that the really bad English is from the original lyrics, this was done by request, and the lyrics are amazingly cute. So...ASTRAY is a really new visual Kei band that debuted earlier this year (March 2012). The lyrics were really great and the preview too but I must say, the excessive growling sort of ruined it for me. LOL it's kind of sounding like they did that so they didn't have to actually say the English lyrics. But if so, why bother adding them. Whatever. This is JRock. Why even BOTHER questioning their logic? Seriously.

[nu-shockworks-blog]

KyoSei (叫声/Scream) Translation

It stopped as it is fragilely, transiently

Something broken

Don’t refuse it, it’s needed

For the sake of protecting myself

I was about to give up

Stop…

And turn around…

Hesitantly entwined and taken…

Still, stop…

I saw the result of my many transmigrations

The road I must take

Did my scream

Reach you?

My voice doesn’t become words even if

My throat shouts until it’s hoarse…

And furthermore my life withers…

What I wanted to convey

Was my scream

Heard from afar?

My meaning should have been

“It hurts…it hurts”

Moaned from the innermost depth of my heart

What I wanted to convey

Please save me from this hypocrisy

I tried to conceal my weakness

It’s filthy

I couldn’t face the filth because I’m too weak

I had to escape this hypocrisy

Things like “being right” aren’t anywhere to be found

Hence things like "being wrong”

Can’t possibly exist anywhere

I saw the result of my many transmigrations

The road I must take

Did my scream

Reach you?

My voice doesn’t become words even if

My throat shouts until it’s hoarse…

And furthermore my life withers…

What I wanted to convey

Was my scream

Heard from afar?

My meaning should have been

“It hurts…it hurts”

Moaned from the innermost depth of my heart

What I wanted to convey

Tied to yesterday...lost sight of tomorrow…

Even if I lose reality…

Reach out to grasp this hand

For the sake of that hand

Keep screaming

Footnotes: Dang. I seriously have something against the English language now. Yeah, Tasogare Doki was bad enough but this...this...English just ruined the poeticness of it comepeltely. Fully and completely. Yeah, I tried to take the blame. Just wasn't rational though. 

See, take the title and all the times it rondos for example. I'd use "cry" as in an "outcry" but the last line would have looked seriously issued. "Keep crying" just doesn't sound cool at all bro. Not cool at all.

That,

Things like "being right” aren’t anywhere to be found

Hence things like “being wrong”

Can’t possibly exist anywhere

Line also got pretty f***ed up. I mean dude. It's not even parallel statement anymore. Also "correctness" and "wrongness" sound dumb. But it's seriously the English equivalent. Had to be changed.

Ohh the pain.

Funny.

The song is about pain and I have arm muscle pain right now.

Well okay not really so much about pain as having pain involved.

It's funny because the song is kind of backwards. You get subtlty--vague details--in the beginning. Then the end of the lyrics give you the big picture.

Nobody wants me to keep ranting about that. You should probably have this all figured out.

I bid you...

Adieu.

Type A (Limited Edition) of KyoSei: KyoSei, Oboro, KyoSei [PV]

Type B of KyoSei: KyoSei, Oboro, Hitei no Uzu

Type C of KyoSei: KyoSei, Oboro, Shitakiri Suzume

[nu-shockworks-blog]

Oboro (朧/Dim) Translation

The stillness; a shadow turns its back towards it to compromise

The brittleness; it greedily devours the transience of life to live

The feelings toward my beloved grow very violent

In my innermost heart it lurks…confusing the madness

Dancing to illuminate the rising moon in the shape of a heart 

To bury with all sorts of gloominess

A bewitching light will lure me if I fall into the darkness (of the gloominess)

I don’t return a second time

Squirm, but the limits of squirming will be sneered at

Paw (at the ground), but the limits of pawing will be sneered at

The feelings toward my beloved grow very violent

In my innermost heart it lurks…driving the evil thoughts mad

This sad world hides the clouds that dance for the sky

Quietly seething the negative hatred

A violent vertigo harasses me, losing all sense and reason

To roam about for eternity

Dancing to illuminate the rising moon in the shape of a heart 

Buried in all sorts of new gloominess

Suspicious words will lure me if the light plunges in grief

Remaining is the lingering affection, falling is the Red*

Hey, at least…even just a little is fine

If you could kindly give me warmth

Despite this we can start over…

*It's a funny word choice. It could mean the blood, the leaves (thus suggesting a traditional setting) or anything red you can think of.

Footnotes: Well...I must say the song lives up to its name. It does indeed paint a very surreal picture. Especially the "dancing to illuminate the moon in the shape of a heart" line.

I just absolutely adore how Kiryu's lyrics always (almost always) relate to some sort of psychological condition. Sakuragarami was like schozophrenia, Zakuro was ophelia (and a bit of revenge-ish...unable to let go type of taints too), and Oirantan was just downright prostitution. Anyways.

Oboro is kind of about a person who, I think, doesn't want society to think he is weak (I believe it is a man) and so he becomes abusive. But all along he knew it wasn't exactly the best way to go and he just wishes that he can take back his stupidity and "start all over". Whatever that means. e___e Probably lady issues again. Makes sense.

Right along the lines of "violent vertigo" and stuff like that ("quietly seething"), it kind of reveals that this man was probably a supressed figure. He must have been a...弱男 type of guy. Like...a gentleman in a cowardly way? A "good student"? Yeah.

Another part of it is...in the last little bit it said "if you could give me warmth". It suggests that he lashed out because he never told anyone how he felt (probably thinks it'd make him appear even more feeble) and so he had no supportive social partners...an abusive person in the flesh. He doesn't (want to) say anything about his feelings but he expects everyone to understand.

Sad, sad endings.

Well done, Junji.

Le gasp! Could Junji be this abusive character? o__o He wrote the lyrics, yes.

Type A (Limited Edition) of KyoSei: KyoSei, Oboro, KyoSei [PV]

Type B of KyoSei: KyoSei, Oboro, Hitei no Uzu

Type C of KyoSei: KyoSei, Oboro, Shitakiri Suzume

[nu-shockworks-blog]

Hitei no Uzu (否定の渦/Vortex of Denial) Translation

Goodbye, goodbye

That is how ideals and reality are similar

Goodbye, goodbye

That is by no means in conflict with one (lone) person

Solitarily drinking into a persecution complex*

Going and returning overflow with deceit

Loneliness is unpleasant, for someone to depend on,

It hurt, I hurt yet I’m still alone**

What I saw going in circles…would that be me someday?

I’m starting to do well on my own, with no one to depend on,

Loneliness and anxiety crush down on me

Did you see me somewhere roaming about for warmth?

The me in tomorrow is… “Someone somewhere”

[The Vortex of Denial spins like a top***]

Even if it is goodbye, even if it is goodbye

It hurt, I hurt yet I’m still alone**

In waiting for the result of going in circles…I became used to seeing that figure

Abusing “I hate”, “I hate”

Without seeing anything but that

In the endless Vortex of Denial…I realized

Even if it is goodbye, even if it is goodbye

No matter how I tear it up to escape being abandoned

In waiting for the result of going in circles…I became used to seeing that figure

Abusing “I hate”, “I hate”

Without seeing anything but that

In the endless Vortex of Denial…I realized

I am what I am…after all.

*A psychological condition where the subject is subjected to a malnutritious blend of depression and paranoia.

**Suggests that for love, this person was hurt (emotionally, mentally, and/or physically). Or, the person hurt others for love--at least what this person believed to be love.

***Okay. Well it's hard to say it in English without sounding like an 80's car dealer, but it's technically "spins like a top". Only it was more poetic because "kurukuru mawaru" is trying to convey that this Vortex of Denial revolves and surrounds the protagonist. Kind of like driving down a high way, how the scenery is whizzing past in a blur. That blurring speed is another part of it. So yep.

Footnotes: Wow, wow, wow. It was hilarious because when editing an interview about depression, I got seriously droned and decided to "procrastinate" by finishing my KyoSei translations (before I left for New York). Then when I actually began reading the lyrics, it dawned on me that it was about denial causing depression. Wow, depression. Well played.

Okay. So a person--m/f unspecified--falls into the denial of being alone, or the fact that this person was "dumped" or "abandoned" by his/her loved one. The, "No matter how I tear it up to escape being abandoned" line proves it. It's interesting because it was never specified to be whether, in the end, the person awoke from this denial or not. The part that makes these lyrics very deep and realistic is how the person, apparently, knows what's going on. They know that keeping this facade up will lead to no future. That makes an interesting debate in the end, whether it is that "I am who I am after all" is them knowing that they are a good-for-nothing who was dumped or "I am who I am after all" as who they believe themself to be.

I guess it's that Garfield: "Haha. You think this is gonna make me crack? Huh-uh. This is great! I love being alone--THANK YOU!" or the Where the Heart Is girl: "No. I'm not alone, he'll come back for me" or even the Nancy Drew Sherrif from 1800's: "Lie low and trust no one" type of mindset that Kiryu is trying to portray.

Well done.

Type A (Limited Edition) of KyoSei: Kyosei, Oboro, KyoSei [PV]

Type B of KyoSei: KyoSei, Oboro, Hitei no Uzu

Type C of KyoSei: KyoSei, Oboro, Shitakiri Suzume

[nu-shockworks-blog]

Shitakiri Suzume (舌切雀/The Sparrow with the Slit Tongue) Translation

The scream was high-pitched, the ringing in my ears resemble that voice

From here and there and here and where…

It slips through the shut fingers

Running around trying to escape, face covered in tears, the way where there is no way is in the darkness

From here and there and here and where…

To the deathly agony of stillness

The scarlet words gouged out from me are

Torn to shreds to writhe and to break

Unable to eat without wanting to throw up…

But…but…still I surge and undulate…

Torn to shreds…the words dance in shreds

Flowing…the sea of red flows

Involvement…the cage of stillness was involved

The end of depravity is a severed tongue

It hurts but I cannot convey it…

It’s sad but I cannot convey it…

The me right now is a miserable [Sparrow with the Slit Tongue]

Footnotes: As most people familiar with the Japanese culture should know, Shitakiri Suzume is also the title of a very well-known fable. If you're expecting me to explain what it is, I'll have to dash you some two-fours. Just google it--Wikipedia might have something juicy. If you know the story of like...The Three Heads in the Well or Diamonds and Frogs or something, you would have a pretty good understanding of what the scenario is. 

The way Kiryu is using this theme is very dark--as expected. The most popular children's version has a happy ending. However, the lyrics personify the Sparrow in a way. The protagonist is very much similar to this Sparrow in question; cut tongue, voiceless, miserable, but is also not alike because it doesn't end with a samaritan saving the sparrow. No. The Kiryu sparrow just wallows in pain and misery until it dies because unlike birds, humans will die if you cut their tongue. What a delicate creature.

If you don't read the original story, you wouldn't know that the one who slit the sparrow's tongue was a greedy old woman. A woman. Oooh, the plot thickens.

Knowing me, I push the line boundaries of understanding. Perhaps they're suggesting that the protagonist is the victim of an abusive woman--perhaps not. It's up to you to really thinkwhat thesenlyrics are truly portraying.

Gotta love Kiryu.

You know, the cover of the single that Shitakiri Suzume is released on has an appropriate reb bloch. Much like blood. Also, the brown stuff in the back kind of look like sparrow tufts. Hm, I wonder.

  Type A (Limited Edition) of KyoSei: KyoSei, Oboro, KyoSei [PV]

Type B of KyoSei: KyoSei, Oboro, Hitei no Uzu

Type C of KyoSei: KyoSei, Oboro, Shitakiri Suzume

[nu-shockworks-blog]

Mirai Chronicle (未来クロニクル/Chronicle of the Future) Translation

I speed up to meet myself in the future that continues to be drawn

Only waiting for the things that haven’t happened yet  Now I’m finally aware

It seems that the hand of the clock that just began moving hasn’t given in yet

Continue to sing the words of the song

Only have faith in the beating of this chest

We all thought “You always see people use time machines to travel time in movies”

In our childhoods

Feeling like you can do anything if you tried, though it might hurt to fall down

Even so, stand back up Your heart would smile because you tried (to do it)

Before you call upon tomorrow, try harder

Aim for more (higher) and next, next time you will leap into your true self*

The pure feeling of that time

If you always have it, your dream with extend…

Such as thinking about those things that have no meaning

From today forward, try to live with all your might

If you got through it, tomorrow will come

Pushing your back they say, “Hey, walk faster”

But what is wanted and what is real appear to be slightly different

From now on, jump into the opposite of repetition

I speed up to meet myself in the future that continues to be drawn

Only waiting for the things that haven’t happened yet  Now I’m finally aware

It seems that the hand of the clock that just began moving hasn’t given in yet

Continue to sing the words of the song

Only have faith in the beating of this chest

I wonder what, in the distant and yet unseen future, we are going to waiting for?

I wonder what kind of sound and words it will give birth to?

Always sending, conveying even more

I now have proof of my existence

“But the time when every cell in this body disintegrates

In 100 years or even 1000, this song will appear to shine”

I wish to carve this place into my mind

It seems that someday I will finally reach the time-traveling you

*To, basically, embrace your true self without regret. It’s cheesy, but it’s a pretty great piece of advice.

Footnotes: This is actually my first time writing footnotes on Tumblr first.

Well, it's not my first time translating Blu-BiLLioN (always on request though) and I'll post the previous ones later but I must say that Blu-BiLLioN posed a challenge this time in the length of the lyrics. I can't even imagine what this song would sound like (never heard it before) but it's probably more than 3 minutes. Obviously.

Now more about the song: I think it's a very happy and bright song, suiting the style of Blu-BLN and I guess it's potentially motivating as well. It has a really nice and positive message, basically trying to get the kids of today to live with a future-oriented passion and to embrace their own character without subjecting to conformity. But like my friend's blog says: "Remember, you're unique. Just like everybody else." So that how I thought throughout the whole thing but it's a great break from translating darker, more emotionally deep songs like Kiryu works *shot*. No, I think Blu-BLN is great, really.

This song took me a while because, believe it or not, I hate reading and as soon as I saw this sea of kanji I just imploded. I was so easily distracted when I was working on it. But that just goes to show you shouldn't trust my word when I say something it not motivational because it takes an asston of motivation fuel to get me motivated. An asston, my friend. To sum things up, I thought it was a cute song and very Blu-BLN just longer than usual. Not that I'm complaining or anything.

The Limited Edition of Everlasting Blue: naked BLUE, reason, Mirai Chronicle, L∞P, Fuka Ai, H&H, Reason PV.

The Regular Edition of Everlasting Blue: naked BLUE, reason, Mirai Chronicle, L∞P, Fuka Ai, H&H.

[nu-shockworks-blog]

Ruru (屡流/Fast Flowing) Translation

Remain unnoticed at the beginning

That was the moment of the end

Remembering the repressed desire

To rise over heels

To talk about love to a playing house

Locked in a grapple’s impurity

Changes to sadness

Flowing, flowing through this life

Resounding from the other side of the darkness

Harsh words and jeers are prevented

Light not even a discerning eye possesses

Not even love but even so why made…

Why accept…?

To toy with one’s feelings

You wouldn’t to me…?

Knowing that the end is the end

To make the best use of tricks on me

The confusion saying silk floss

Tricks me to go

To talk about love to a playing house

First and foremost

Been taught to lie

Lonely, so lonely no use crying

Screaming in pain, in pain

Harsh words and jeers are prevented

You don’t have ears to listen

Why am I here…?

That answer isn’t supposed to exist

“Tears” just tell lies

Flowing, flowing through this life

Resounding from the other side of the darkness

Harsh words and jeers are prevented

Light not even a discerning eye possesses

Not even love but even so why made…

Why accept…?

To toy with one’s feelings

You wouldn’t to me…?

Footnotes: Bro, you don't know how happy I was when I heard that someone actually wasted I don't know how many minutes of their life to actually read my footnotes. Oh my god, holy crap, I'm close to tears.  So moved.

  Ironic because this one here is "Ruru".  Now the title is quite perplexing.  屡 on its own means "frequent" or "often" and even "again and again" etc.  Kiryu is known for their wacky pronounciations of the words.  If the words in the title ever, ever, ever, ever happen to appear side-by-side I assure you that 99.999% chance it won't be pronounced "Ruru" unless it's a blog post having to do with Kiryu, this song, or anything remotely connected.  We'll leave it as "Frequently Flowing" for now but "流" as a lone kanji pronounced as "ru" doens't actually mean "flow" like it should, but it means exile.  Weird.  I know, I feel you man but hey: I didn't invent the language.

Anyways.  Judging by the PV and the lyrics and some other songs I've heard, when you see "love" in a song like this it's prooobably not talking about a signficant other.  Not your wife, not your boyfriend, not your fiance, not nanotubes, not the Debby the secretary, but.  Your.  Family.  Not as a whole, no.  In this case, it's the woman's (in the lyrics) child.

From what I can tell, this woman's child fell into this rough rapid of a river and was carried away by the currents.  Desperately the woman tried to chase after her child but it was no use and she. Was. Devastated.

Now here comes the good part: This song deffers from the drowning in 'Sazanami' because it's possible that this here is the story.

A very critical mother is always criticizing her child because she wanted the child to be perfect.  Though it wasn't quite shown the way it was supposed to, she loved her child.  More than anything in the world.  Now we all know that as a kid there is nothing worse than being compared to another kid  by your parent(s).  It seemed that this child couldn't take it anymore--'harsh words and jeers are prevented'--so he/she jumped into the river.

...I'm sure the rest should come easily...

It is kinda the mother's fault (way to go, mom).

Type A of Ruru: Ruru, Zetsu wo Nozomu, Shinin Hana, Oirantan -Rerecording-

Type B of Ruru: Ruru, Zetsu wo Nozomu, Ruru PV

Type C of Ruru: Ruru, Zetsu wo Nozomu, Oirantan PV

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Oirantan (花魁譚/Ballad of a Courtesan) Translation

Glittering light from a seductive moon

Equinoctial flower petals outside the roughly woven fence

That the inside of the corridor is connected by

Suffering halts and the age becomes transitory

Courtesan parade (x4)

It’s only a dream, even so it’s a dream

Poisonous days scattering autumn leaves

Hell was first

A luxurious payment beckons the silhouette

Self-satisfying eyes smile the desire of temptation

Turning around, suppressing dizziness

The scattering—scattered ending dream

False cosmetics, bewitching conversations

Cover-up, reporting to the emperor with a whirling dance

Lather drool onto a dog’s mouth

Lightly with the index finger

The murmur from smoking a pipe of honey

Strings up the string of words from the red-light district

Licentious coquetry for a trifling love

The pomegranate’s flesh is ripe with grief

And a full bloom of it

Licking for a one-night-only pledge

Greedily thrusting intimacy ripened with wile

“Feeling” is discarded, “accounting” to deceive

Proud of being haunted by wicked men’s jostling shadows

Precise rising and sinking is evaluated

Swaying, the swaying from a flicker

Is moved by love

False cosmetics, bewitching conversations

Cover-up, reporting to the emperor with a whirling dance

The present is only a dream, a dream is an illusion

Illusion is only the present—evening interstices

The men are in heaven, the women are in hell

Wearing scarlet scales on the body

Licentious coquetry for a trifling love

The pomegranate’s flesh is ripe with grief

Palpitations are audible in the middle of the night

Like a fire bell’s sound

Still more to the whole thing

And then the crimson lotus is dyed again

Tonight, again, over there, selling my “sexuality”

Wrapped in the flames of relief…

Resignation is the fetters of the Floating World

Footnotes: This one is pretty impressive.  In case most people are confused or blindly think they're really smart, a courtesan (Oiran) is not a freaking Geisha.  Geisha only dance and sing and sometimes has tea (maybe even sake) with people or "customers".  An Oiran on the other hand...is a downright, straigh-out, punch-in-the-nose prostitute.  Back then of course, but they probably exist even now.  Only now they're not called that.  Go figure.

Since it's a ballad, it tells a story.

Of what?

OF A PROSTITUTE!

Now most white-collars or freshmen highschoolers would think "prostitutes are bad, they and bad people, they've got no story, don't even try me."  No actually, no, you're wrong.

Most people who...do that for a living don't necessarily choose that like a kid would say "mom, I want to be a vet" or "dad, I want to drive a race car" or "Ms. Molly, I want to be a teacher just like you".  No.

What's even sadder is that back then, most if not all prostitues are sold to the Floating World (the "Red-light distrct" of the Ukiyo-e).  It's impossible to leave unless someone buys you (those guys are usually non-decent unless it's a ghost story) and you will be punished for the randomest, seemingly mundane-est things.  It's not just frustrating, it's infuriating but you can't do nothin' about that.

Hence the last line 'resignation is the fetters of the Floating World'.  I'm sure the rest is easily understood?

Oh: courtesan parade. Right.  It's what the fat yo mama of the Ukiyo does when a rich-as-hell customer comes in.  She rounds up the ladies, they all do their dance around the court room and when Mr. Richballs here likes what he sees, he takes that oh-so-special girl for the night.  Unless he bails her (which is pretty damn expensive and reality isn't exactly a ghost story).

  Type A of Tsuki no Hime: Tsuki no Hime, Oirantan, Tsuki no Hime PV

Type B of Tsuki no Hime: Tsuki no Hime, Live DVD Clip

Type C of Tsuki no Hime: Tsuki no Hime

Type A of Ruru: Ruru, Zetsu wo Nozomu, Oirantan PV

Type B of Ruru: Ruru, Zetsu wo Nozomu, Ruru PV

Type C of Ruru: Ruru, Zetsu wo Nozomu, Shinin Hana, Oirantan -Rerecording-

[nu-shockworks-blog]

Sakuragarami (桜絡ミ/Entangled Sakura) Translation

To think back upon, to reflect upon…the unforgettable feelings* now sleep

It beckons me, dragging me into a misleading spring (season)

Being deceived is not realizing the pretence, what I wanted was inseparability between the two of us

But what was left was a “cold spring”, a “cold love”, a “cold you”

Ready or not…

No, not yet…

And so you are the only one I love because I can’t stop (loving you)

I was so devoted to you…nevertheless…

Ever so soon it was before I saw your cold back**

“You jerk” who sneered at those feelings

I didn’t realize it even though I wonder what I was thinking?

The time of how many times, how many days, how many years flow by…

Frankly I accustomed to what happened on that day

One would think I’m proud of my place…but…

Tears aren’t the least bit warm…

Broken pieces of regret are unrealistic …

Specks of sorrow are unthinkable…

I hurried to fill the silent you with love, but...

Tears aren’t the least bit warm…

Cherry blossoms peek into my room and my memories, even now, bite like lions…

*See, the word used here is “omoi” and that can be all sorts of feelings or thoughts. Like “desires”, “love”, “sentiment”…whichever one you think sounds nice in there, go ahead and use it.

**Okay…well you could have figured that it’s like giving someone the “cold shoulder” so to speak.  The equivalent could be “it wasn’t long before you became distant” or “cold”.  You know.

Footnotes: Ooooh hoo hoo boy.  This is another one of my favorites.  It's a song sang from a female's point of view.  It's quite an interesting one too.  Young love.  Everyone, face it, you've--we've--all had and/or have crushes on people. There's nothing particularly bad about it, it just proves you're human.  Now back then we all know that people married early.  You know, 16 or 15?  Even 12?  Yeah.  Well despite them usually being arranged marriages, this marriage/relationship (most likely marriage/engagement) was "fought for".  As in these two young people were soooo in love and practically got down on their knees and begged for permission of marriage.  Now here's the twist:After that happened...and they did "get involved"...the man showed his true colours.

He's a player.

Now this woman becomes upset and whatnot as anyone would after being ignored, verbally abused, and cheated on by this person that you fought SO HARD for to marry.  That sucks.  A lot.

Especially because second-marriages weren't very common (practically didn't happen at all) for women.

Any normal person would have filed a divorce and moved on with their life.  But that's modern society.  Other than that...this woman was still crazily and uncontrablably in love with this man that she repressed all of her regret and depression.  That's not healthy at all,

 'Broken pieces of regret are unrealistic …

Specks of sorrow are unthinkable…'.

Eventually, this woman obviously left this man.  Either that or this man left her.  I'm thinking it's probably the latter.  Sad for her.  This here...is chijou (inside joke for those who read footnotes~).  Then when she's all old and pruny, this "flash-back" happens and voila: this song.  Now here's a deeper part: it is possible that something unthinkable happened.  The woman was so desperate of somehow returning to that point before she ever met this man and relive, she developed schizofrenia and "escaped" into this world where she is alone and there are these "cherry blossoms" peeking into her room.  That's a common scene in Japanese tales of illusion.  Something to think about.

  LIVE LIMITED release of Sakuragarami: Sakuragarami

Type A of Akaku Chiru Boku no Ao: Akaku Chiru Boku no Ao, Sakuragarami, Kuon no Kanata

Type B of Akaku Chiru Boku no Ao: Akaku Chiru Boku no Ao, Sakuragarami.

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Kisai (鬼際/Demon Festival) Translation

Now begins to awaken, the pulse  Look…the pulse beats

Melting away reality is the demon of heresy

To be normal is to turn away from the irregular (warped/distorted) people

To be abnormal is to be the considered-foreign me…

Rotting off in the darkness of a sliver of hope

Thorns in the words…blame in the hearts…

To taste the welling up feelings of undermined self-satisfaction

Singing and singing…dancing and dancing…

To honor this evening  The figure should have been released

A man-eating fiend (person)’s nature

The look of fascination by the drowning stupefaction

Nirvana of this life  Loitering aimlessly

A man-eating fiend (person)’s nature

The look of fascination by the drowning stupefaction

Nirvana of this life  Loitering aimlessly

“I think therefore I am”

A man-eating fiend (person)’s nature

The look of fascination by the drowning stupefaction

Nirvana of this life  Loitering aimlessly

Unseen things

Unknown things

From the larva of the absurd, and what’s called reality

What is right about self-escape…

Welcome to the undeniable vortex of thyself

“I think therefore I am”

Footnotes: Make it short, it's about some guy who's been denied by society and so went into self-withdrawal. But sinisterly, this "person" is a demon. Whether it's metaphorical or literal--I wouldn't know.

  Type A of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Kisai [PV]

Type B of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Tasogare Doki

Type C of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Hanabi

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Zakuro (柘榴/Pomegranate) Translation

Dripping* when bloomed a pomegranate

The trickling honey was a scenic orchard

Not one shed (the blood)

Those closing eyes drown the inflamed twilight

Dripping when bloomed a pomegranate

The trickling tears were the bottom of despair

Not one could raise its voice (scream)

I am the crow tearing and biting its throat into pieces

Everything is painted in solidified lies

My expressionless smile

Snatched away, snatched away the present (now), my last days are to remain in suspicion

In the shade of gentleness continues to swell my

Charred and severed love does not reach you

Enameling everything, but the engraved expectations…

I just ran away from “It might be good once you have forgotten”

I’m unable to say goodbye…

In the shade of sorrow continues to swell my

Lies I want to live and rely on love

That smile of yours continues to wreck me

I grasp onto the forgotten leg and I don’t let go

Collapsing and rotting, the pomegranate still boasts of blooms

*Potsuri. That’s the word Sakai used. It could mean “dripping” like I said, only it can also mean “standing alone”. So it could be “standing alone with…” or “alone bloomed a…” and weirdly, they both make sense.

Footnotes: This one reminds me of Shinin Hana.  The difficult part about this one was that the vocabulary was not similar to English at all.  In any. Freaking. Way. But it wasn't as bad as Tasogare Doki (which I'm working on right now...only I put it off for quite a while).

Ahem.  Anyways, this reminds me of a story I once read...I think it's about a a person (probably a woman) who was involved with a man.  I'm guessing that he became very "successful" (whatever that means to you) and was "built" or "made" successful by this woman only he left her because now he's all awesome he can pick up any girl he wanted to.  Or so he thought.  A normal, battered housewife-type woman would just grieve and move on, but no: if she could build him, she could destroy him.  So she tries.  The 'tearing and biting at the throats' or something is an example of that "trying to ruin him".  But she still does want him back if at all possible and so the "collapsing and rotting" and all the other phrases like that...

Well it's pretty easy to figure out this way. I think.

Type A of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Kisai [PV]

Type B of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Tasogare Doki

Type C of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Hanabi

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Tasogare Doki (誰彼刻/Twilight) Translation

“We want that kid, that kid is needless”

Hana ichi monme we win and we lost*

Let me pass

Go with difficulty, return with glamour

Stepping into a narrow path, the unreliable singing crow

“Who stands behind you…can you tell?”

Round and round scattering around, circling to the six realms in the endless cycle of death and rebirth

Kagome, Kagome The evening of dawn

Who is the “one” in “anyone”?** Lost in the infatuation of twinkling eyes

Dyeing the six o’clock sunset scarlet Hand in hand in hand in hand…

I II III IV V

VI VII VIII IX X

I II, the wretched tempo

“You are needless, we want that kid”

Hana ichi monme they win and they lost

Bottomless pan, pan is bottomless because

Squirming maggots scratched it off Forgot the way back and weeping

“How would it be boiled…now?”

Simmering and boiling, dispersed and scattered, foams if boiled

Eating as far as the spine, Mr. Demon right this way

The blending of twilight is the boundary of this world and the other world

“You’re very welcome, please make yourself at home” Hand in hand in hand in hand…

Who is the “body” in “anybody”? Lost in the infatuation of twinkling eyes

Dyeing the six o’clock sunset scarlet The sunset is the ill-omened time of disaster

I II III IV V

VI VII VIII IX X

I II, the wretched tempo

*Hana Ichi Monme is a Japanese “wareba uta”. It’s like a nursery rhyme or a clapping game but without clapping and…yeah you know. Hana Ichi Monme is like the American “Red Rover” game. Google it if need be. The entire song, Tasogare Doki, has puns, word plays, lines of wareba uta, and all that good stuff. The entire first verse minus the last line and “let me pass” refers to Hana~

**Tasogare, like the title of this song, is supposed to mean “Twilight”. There was a production back in the haydays called “Tasogare” (誰彼). You’d never the kanji like that though. Usually written as “黄昏”. 誰彼 also means “anyone” so the only decent way to translate that would be this way. Twilight (the time) is equivalent to about six o’clock. It’s the Japanese “witching hour” so to speak. Demons and the like are supposed to come out then. Ehh…a lot of children’s games are related to this other-world stuff.

Footnotes: It never seizes to bother me how similar the lyrics of Tasogare Doki and Onigokko are. They're both derrived from the warabe uta of Japan. However don't getme wrong the tune is completely different. So is the mood, and the lyrics aren't exactly the same. Many times, though, I've listened to Onigokko on shuffle and went, "Whoa. Why do I know these lyrics?"  but of course...I don't. Well not as the whole thing just the "ano ko ga hoshiya" and "oni-san kochira" and the other similar parts. I've explained all the background I think you need in the * notes so I took up this space to rant about my old man music problems.

Well not literally.

Yeah that's right.

When you see the text

Breaking up like this

You know

It's

Over.

Type A of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Kisai [PV]

Type B of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Tasogare Doki

  Type C of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Hanabi

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Hanabi (花火/Fireworks) Translation

I lost you in the ever passing flow

What should I look at?

No matter how much I beg the time that flowed would not come back

Now I am there in body, but not in spirit

“I can’t forget all that I took out on you”

That spoiled me who thrust away the love you kindly reserved for me

The fireworks that ascended in the summer night sky, the moment they bloomed they fell

Vanish into the tedious morning when I think of you

If I look back even now, the smiling face like the one on that day is there, look…

Crying, crying, crying out loud…

My tears and my voice cry until they’re hoarse…

I continue to chase after your shadow, do you see me?

The fireworks that ascended in the summer night sky, the moment they bloomed they fell

Vanish into the tedious morning when I think of you

The fireworks that ascended in the summer night sky, the moment they bloomed they fell

I had a feeling when you gave me your last words

If I look back even now, the smiling face like the one on that day is there, look…that kind of feeling

But I can’t promise I won’t cry…still though…still though…I must live…

In the present

Footnotes: This song actually made me cry. Legit. It was just...such a legitimate story. 

By the sounds of it, I think it's about a spoiled man--could be woman but more likely man--of a relatively young age (legally older but morally younger) who regrets his foolish, selfish, immature, jerkish acts of stupidity. Towards a woman. Obviously he was the spoiled-rich-kid type of boy and never saw the ill of his ways until this woman came along. 

Kudos to the girl, she was strong and independent (quite a rare trait back in the days) and most likely not of as wealthy of a family.

That "I can't forget all that I threw at you" line is probably a metaphor. I'm guessing it was "insults" that he "threw" at her. The Japanese used there after "anata" is "no tonari he". "Tonari" (となり) means "next to" or "neighbour" or in this case "side". Meaning he probably "missed". That girl is a tough cookie after all. lolololo*shot*

I guess I cried because the tune is a hopeful and cheerful one that gets so desperate in the end because there is no happy ending. The woman walks out on him. Moved on with life. Opportunity don't do no repeatin', bro. You missed out. Big time. o_o

The chorus depicts a very legitimate scene in the ways of an ancient Asian love story. Richie here was probably dreaming of a romantic date where he and That Girl were watching fireworks then he wakes up to the smack on the face reality gave him where he catches himself thinking about her. Then he decides it's just nothing but it's a reoccuring thing. So he decides to go after her one day only to find out that she left. He went on a short and fruitless pursuit.

Then returned.

Hating himself.

Now he finally understands.

He regrets.

He wants a second chance.

But it's not gonna ever happen.

So the becomes that "typical" there in body but not in spirit type of man.

Sad. 

Type A of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Kisai [PV]

Type B of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Tasogare Doki

Type C of Kisai: Kisai, Zakuro, Hanabi

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Tsuki no Hime (月ノ姫/Mistress of the Moon) Translation

The depth of my heart has never been touched

All of your hands reaching out

“Are for my sake”

“Are for my sake”*

The lies encased in my own greed are exposed

Real fake love tells of scattering brittle, dying ash

As I looked up at that faintly glowing moon of nihility over there

The things I believe in know desperation

The things I don’t believe in are dyed in solitude

The teasing surrounding from all sides result in salvation

When I was told to return to the moon

I had glimpses of all your sentiments

But I really didn’t need anyone

I couldn’t get anyone to even say a single word of “goodbye”

The things I believe in know desperation

The things I don’t believe in are dyed in solitude

In a dark room with wounds on my fingertips

I compare them to the wounds flowing out from my heart

I can’t feel the pain of such things

The pain of emotions are more painful, why?

When I was told to return to the moon

I had glimpses of all your sentiments

But I really didn’t need anyone

I couldn’t get anyone to even say a single word of “goodbye”

I still believe that

Deceivingly I too have the excellence of a full moon

I mean things like I am

Born in bloom,

Scattered death takes place for the Revolving Lantern’s purpose

*Here's something cool: in the song, Mahiro sings "watashi no tame ni, watashi no dame ni" instead of "tame ni" twice.  The lyrics say "tame" which would be "for my sake, for my sake" but Mahiro sings it as "for my sake, for my ruin". Both are plausible, and in the PV when he sings "dame ni" he acts all sarcastic which make this wordplay all the more cool.

Footnotes:  Ahaha this was my first requested translation.  My absolute first was Wakare Biyori ha Honoka ni Somaru. It's not as good as the later ones, but I did some last-minute editting right here.Anyways.

This song is pretty dark.  It's about an...inhuman coming to Earth to torment and kill only to end up feeling feelings they (she) had never felt before.

The line 'As I looked to the glowing moon of nihility over there' suggests that one of the reasons this mistress came down to earth is because she was tired of the moon.  Nihilty is just an archaic/fancy word for "nothing".

The chorus,

"When I was told to return to the moon

I had glimpses of all your sentiments

But I really didn’t need anyone

I couldn’t get anyone to even say a single word of 'goodbye'"

suggests that she's now contradicting her own mind of what she once was.  Before, she was...like a cold bitch.  But then when she had to return from the darkness from whence she came, she suddenly felt the emotions (love) these men showed her.  So now returning to moon she understands what it's like to be mortal.  But by the sound of it, it's too late because it doesn't sound like she'llbe returning any time soon.

Just in case you didn't notice, when the Moon Mistress finished her foolings around with these men, she killed them.  To her I guess it was natural.  Hence the last line of the lyrics.  The Revolving Lantern (走馬灯) is supposed to be the light in hell that they use to hypnotize you.  One of the ways to erase your memory or just get you to follow the demons into hell. Sound good? Okay.

  The only decent cover I could find of Tsuki no Hime: Tsuki no Hime, Oirantan, Kogarashi

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Meikyoushisui (明鏡止水/Clear and Serene As a Polished Mirror, Still water) Translation

A one-sided snow-scape appears as the ruins of what I once was…

I put power into those aligned feet and advanced forward.

The sadness felt in that moment

I can only protect myself to the end this way

Could I face myself for the first time since?

The transparently colored me still exists, you have me in your what appears to be existence

A blue ideal is spoken ill of, a black reality is pressed against it

The reflected me in the mirror is falsely similar

From a distance you’re still the same, are you defending your existence from falling out?

The red pain swells, bewitching before it changes color…

At least the pure white withers away proudly

Even though it’s easy to release your hand

It’s not possible, is there lingering affection? Or is that obsession?

I can only protect myself to the end this way

Could I face myself for the first time since?

The true meaning of a “strong heart”

Is your heart lying to itself

A one-sided snow-scape appears as the ruins of what I once was…

The transparently colored me still exists, you have me in your what appears to be existence

A blue ideal is spoken ill of, a black reality is pressed against it

The reflected me in the mirror is falsely similar

From a distance you’re still the same, are you defending your existence from falling out?

The red pain swells, bewitching before it changes color…

At least the pure white withers away proudly

Footnotes: Just as the title (in...Japanese at least), this song is very "beautiful" in a poetic way.  In fact...actually, read my footnotes in Wakare Biyori ha Honoka ni Somaru.  Much easier and mystique-esque that way.  Bro, in case you're wondering I do (not joke) take requests. But if it'ssomething I'm really not getting into or too...insanely archaic that the richness can't be carried over into English...ehh...yeah, no.  But no worries, I do try my best.  This is a hobby after all.

Oookay.  That was off topic.  The song is about a man (Mahiro in PV) who probably was so in love with this one girl (Hiyori in PV) that he just really...wanted the relationship to bloom.  Only branching over to Wakare~, Hiyori and Takemasa (in PV) are two...super-glued lovers that not even lions could tear them apart.  So now being the (stereotypical old east Asian romance stories) rich and wealthy boy who thinks he deserves Hiyori, Mahiro is out to get Takemasa.  And Takemasa does die but that leaves Hiyori in so much pain--the rest is in Wakare Biyori ha...Honoka ni Somaru.

Well okay, Hiyori commits suicide (jumped off the bridge in picture) and now Mahiro is all empty and lost wondering about his place in the universe.

The one and only cover of Meikyoushisui, a full-length album by Kiryu.

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Shigoumi Sakura (獅噛ミ桜/The Cherry Blossoms that Gnaw at Lions) Translation

“I won’t let go”

“We will always be together”

You…never said so

April, in another spring (season) stained in light pink

The cherry blossoms peeking through my window rustle

When suddenly, his words rang in my head…

“I will make you the happiest in the world”

Embrace, never kissed…

Are you just going to leave (this room/me) now?

You wanted to break up with me

You would have taken everything from me, you know

I bit my lip   Teary eyes blurred in an early afternoon

Flower petals; lightly, softly dance in the wind and dissolve in vain

The man who broached separation, the one relied on…

“Sorry…” he said with a cold visage

A word of such irresponsibility

I don’t need any lies

Because I have witnessed what happened that day

That’s right…I am amazingly gullible

To that woman’s former partner…you moved on to another, haven’t you?

“Goodbye” as you turned your back on me

You shook me off as I grasped your arm

The door opens and I see the shape of your back

A petal of spring casually passes through the window

Impulsively, I pick up a blunt weapon

And from that back comes an aaa“AAa”aah…

Footnotes: Uh oh, looks like I've been getting lazy. I had this one one a while back and realized it wasn't even posted! Screw that, then.

This song is just as morbid as it sounds. Women can be crazy, let's all embrace that fact. But stepping aside from my anti-feminazi quotations to admire these lyrics, let's take a moment to consider that this is Kiryu's very first song. At the time, this band was still having an identity crisis and didn't know if it should lean to be traditional (like their musical impressions) or be modern (like every single one of you little s*** out there. Okay, I don't mean it). If you saw their photos, you'd know very well what I meant.

I think they can easily turn this into like a horror...thing. Like Junji Ito's works. I'm going to stop there but if I become a producer one day, I know I have already hit a gold vein.

  The one and only version of Shigoumi Sakura: Shigoumi Sakura

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Wakare Biyori ha Honoka ni Somaru (別レ日和ハ仄カニ染マル/To Faintly Stain the Day of Farewell) Translation

The seasons pile up each time

I look up at the sky

Languid faces also show

Trifling times change and pass by

But…

Dimming memories bind me

Forever…

Everywhere…

Never to pass…

Cherry blossoms blossom and I remember

If you laughed and “feelings genuinely lie”

Cherry blossoms fall this time, tears did not

That day we parted

The small right handed hand shake, one petal fell

Maybe I wanted to spin on and now I think…

I still try to escape the past lingering affection

I abandoned myself uncontrollably

I don’t know anything…

I don’t have anything…

I don’t accept anything…

I’m glad if I’m a dark grey…

I remember the kindness that clung to me

The unchangeable weakness if what you blame

Goodbye…my loved one

Is it a good thing you’ve already forgotten?

The two who pledged under the cherry tree

To “commitment”…to “remember”

To “a lifelong love”…

To “I’ll defeat the loneliness with spilling tears”…

I muttered an offering…

Cherry blossoms blossom and I remember

If you laughed and “feelings genuinely lie”

Cherry blossoms fall this time, tears did not

That day we parted

The small right handed hand shake, one petal fell

Maybe I wanted to spin on and now I think…

Footnotes: Whew man I'm kiiiinda doin' this backwards.  If you didn't already realize, I was going alphabetically starting from Ameyo ni Waraeba.  I've considered other organizations, yes, but this was the easiest...though not very smart.  I might turn around and change things on you, just saying.

Ahem.  I posted this here because strangely, this song connects to Meikyoushisui so well that while trying to type that, Toshiba decided to type "sad".  Uhuh.  Okay tie me to a stake and shut me up for good, but let me finish this:

I'm pretty sure that even though in Meikyoushisui I said "yeah, Tama-chan died, ladidadida~" but no.  It could be a perfect example of far east Asian: Romeo and Juliet only believe me, the Asian ones came before R&J.  No.  Tama-chan isn't deeeead.  Okay seriously, he's not.

But Hiyori is.

Because he killed himself.

Yeah, it goes back and forth.

Trust me, I know because the kanji for "I" or "me" used here is "僕" and dude take it from me: Hiyori's role/character is most definitely not the type of girl to do that.  Hence it's Takemasa.  I'm guessing that Takemasa (Tama-chan, Kujo-san) is a warrior of sorts (budoshi? Samurai?) so he comes back to give Hiyo-chan the good news.  Only what happens?

She's dead.

Now Mahiro AND Takemasa are wondering around aimlessly as empty shells trying to find their place in life.

...

...and then they meet up and decided to screw the so-called conept of mourning and go for each other.

...

I did not just say that. *mini-nuked by locals carrying fat-men in their man-bags*

Type A cover of Minazakura: Wakare Biyori ha Honoka ni Somaru, Ameyo ni Waraeba, Wakare Biyori ha Honoka ni Somaru PV, Ameyo ni Waraeba PV

Type B cover of Minazakura: Wakare Biyori ha Honoka ni Somaru, Ameyo ni Waraeba, Wakare Biyori ha Honoka ni Somaru PV

Type C cover of Minazakura: Wakare Biyori ha Honoka ni Somaru, Ameyo ni Waraeba, Ameyo ni Waraeba PV

Type D cover of Minazakura: Wakare Biyori ha Honoka ni Somaru, Ameyo ni Waraeba, Sakuyoi