#Mahorovacation

[redfreesias03]

Mahoro Vacation (“Mahoroba Vacation”)

“Momoclo Heaven ☆ Momoclo Heaven ☆ Come here just once! Use the spark in your heart to make the barren flower bloom, head towards Nirvana!!”

OR: the title is a portmanteau of Mahoroba and Vacation, which is only one of the many puns and traditional Eastern cultural references inside the song, which is also about how a MomoClo concert feels like “paradise” to MomoClo fans.

YUITSUMUNI NO TAMASHII YO, SHINWA E TO HABATAKE…

O ONE AND ONLY SOUL, FLY TOWARDS THE LEGEND…

icchi danketsu! aien! kien! kansha sai! saa soukessan!

Band together! A relationship formed through an odd but welcome twist of fate!  A thanksgiving celebration! Come, let us sum it all up!

yossha! yotterasshai! HORA mite rasshai! APPARE harebutai (tagire!) nayuta wa mawatte dappi kanryou minna okaeri~!

Alright! Come one and all, hey, come see! A splendid world-class stage  (Burn up!) After going around a decillion cycles, you’ve finished breaking free¹ Everyone, welcome home!

teka, MISSHON! shou mon rai fuku desu! kore tennyo no oyakume nanda~! IZA! kissui POJITIBU BORUTEEJI! enjin kumi shiageteku SUTEEJI!

Or rather, this is a mission! Good fortune and happiness comes to the home of those who smile! That is a heavenly nymph’s duty~!² Come now! Pure positive voltage! Complete the circle and put the finishing touches on the stage!

momoKURO tengoku ☆ momoKURO tengoku ☆ ichido wa oide! kokoro no hibana de adabana sakase mukau! NIRUVAANA!!

Momoclo Heaven ☆ Momoclo Heaven ☆ Come here just once! Use the spark in your heart to make the barren flower bloom, head towards Nirvana!!

ingaritsu KATARU SHISUTEMU (ISSAI! GASSAI!) KIMI no ITAMI, shouka suru kara! (SHOW MUST GO ON!) koumyou tadotte risoukyou

It’s a cause-and-effect cathar-system (Each and everything!)³ I’ll sublimate your suffering! (THE SHOW MUST GO ON!) Follow the bright light and paradise is there⁴

kowase! kako mirai seou KARUMA (OH〜!) RIHA nashi de honban da! jibun jishin ga souzounushi (YEAH!) yuke! futaiten

Break it! The karma that burdens you past and future (OH〜!) We’re going on live, with no rehearsal! You yourself are the creator (YEAH!) Move forward with resolve!

koko kara hajimaru! MAHOROBAKEESHON! isshoukenmei ga issho no ji SHOW TIME! IYAMONI tsuketara hagoromo HIRARI hayagawari~misemashou! inochi RIFURESSHU! MAHOROBAKEESHON! tanoshisa zentei SETTO RISUTO ketsui ga wakitatsu jikuu tenkuu dai HOORU tsuite oide yo~!!

It starts from here! Mahoroba Vacation! Putting heart and soul into it, our auspicious SHOWTIME together!⁵ When we put on our in-ear monitors, let’s change quickly and gracefully into celestial robes and enchant them all~!⁶ Refresh your life-force! Mahoroba Vacation! A setlist that aims for fun A large hall in the space-time heavens    that makes your determination boil up! Follow us there~!

gozouroppu e hibiki watare! (HIGH↑HIGH↑) jidai chouetsu yaruki denshou! (IT’S ALRIGHT!) HARUKA KANATA no KIMI ni mo (HAI! HAI!) watashi no koe TO・DO・KE! (LET’ S GO! )

Let it resound to your heart’s core! (HIGH↑HIGH↑)⁷ A legend of aspiration that transcends eras! (IT’S ALRIGHT!) Even to the FAR-OFF you (Yes! Yes!) May my voice RE・ACH・YOU! (LET’S GO!)

“Ladies & Gentlemen! The most exciting space show you've ever witnessed! We come to bring you a sonic recreation of this proof of heaven. Appearing live! Momoiro Clover Z!”

motto! NOSEchau yo! odorasechau yo! bikkuri joutou! na SHOO! (kiwami!) kono dokyou to aikyou wa hyoujun soubi! IGUNISSHON! tentekomai mainichi! demo man’in onrei! ikiyouyou! GACHI! ZETTAI gamushara HISUTORII! tenjou sae ZAWA tsukasu SUTOORII!

More! I’ll excite you! Make you dance! A first-class show that welcomes surprises! (Extreme!) This gutsiness and our charm are standard tools of the trade! Ignition! A whirl of activity, every day! But we thank you for the sold-out full house!  We feel proud elation! Diligence! A history of absolutely working like mad! A story that will get even the heavens talking!

momoKURO tengoku ☆ momoKURO tengoku ☆ itsudemo oide! gyakkyou wo shiki tte saikyou no yuuki ga AANANDA

MomoClo Heaven ☆ MomoClo Heaven ☆ Come by anytime! The highest courage that comes from knowing adversity is bliss⁸

choudokyuu DOKYUMENTO DAYS (DON MAI! WASSHOI!) NAMIDA itsuka myouga ni dekiru! (WE ARE UNITED!) ai no shiwaza sa subete!

Top-class documented days (Don’t sweat it! Heave-ho!)⁹ TEARS will someday yield divine blessings! (WE ARE UNITED!) Everything is Love’s doing!

kizuke! shinrabanshou RELATION! (o~!) FURU SUKOA AKASHIKKU kyoumei no dai doumei (UP! ) tataeru kodou

Build up your relationship with all things in nature (Oh!)¹⁰ The Akashic full score¹¹ A grand, resonating alliance (UP!) A pulse pulsing, giving praise

minna de moriagare! MAHOROBAKEESHON! mikai no kakai wo koete saa saikai gokou sae HOT SPOT LIGHT! yume to jounetsu jiko hasshin    KIRAKIRAA! ENDORESU ni tsudzuku! MAHOROBAKEESHON!! noushuku de tsumekomu kidoairaku OKUTAABU takaku kodama shiteiru ANKOORU sa, mou iccho iku yo~!

Let’s all get pumped up! Mahoroba Vacation! Come, after you cross beyond the unenlightened lower realm of humans, let’s meet again¹² Even a halo is a HOT SPOTLIGHT! A self-transmission of dreams and passion, sparkling! It continues endlessly! Mahoroba Vacation!!! All the human emotions, stuffed into one An encore echoing one octave higher, C’mon, let’s go one more~!

Woo~Woo~    me to me ga atte egao ni natte Woo~Woo~    te to te tsunaide hitotsu ni nareru Woo~Woo~    KIMI ga kureta HIKARI no BATON mata tsugi ni tewatashite shin sekai terashiaou!

Woo~Woo~    When our eyes meet, our faces become smiles Woo~Woo~    And when we hold hands, we can become one Woo~Woo~    The baton of light that you handed me, Let’s pass it on to the next person and light up the new world together!

koko kara hajimaru! MAHOROBAKEESHON! isshoukenmei ga issho no ji SHOW TIME! IYAMONI tsuketara hagoromo HIRARI hayagawari~misemashou! inochi RIFURESSHU! MAHOROBAKEESHON! tanoshisa zentei SETTO RISUTO ketsui ga wakitatsu jikuu tenkuu dai HOORU tsuite oide yo~!!

It starts from here! Mahoroba Vacation! Putting heart and soul into it, our auspicious SHOWTIME together! When we put on our in-ear monitors, let’s change quickly and gracefully into celestial robes and enchant them all~! Refresh your life-force! Mahoroba Vacation! A setlist that aims for fun A large hall in the space-time heavens    that makes your determination boil up! Follow us there~!

gozouroppu e hibiki watare! (HIGH↑HIGH↑) jidai chouetsu yaruki denshou! (IT’S ALRIGHT!) HARUKA KANATA no KIMI ni mo (HAI! HAI!) watashi no koe TO・DO・KE! TSU・YO・KU! TSU・YO・KU!

Let it resound to your heart’s core! (HIGH↑HIGH↑) A legend of motivation that transcends an era! (IT’S ALRIGHT!) Even to the FAR-OFF you (Yes! Yes!) May my voice RE・ACH・YOU!    RE・ACH・YOU・STRONG!

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¹ A decillion is the easiest English translation, but nayuta is a Buddhist loan termword that means “many, many” in Sanskrit, and “going around cycles”  (輪廻って) is a roundabout of 輪廻 (rinne or Samsara, the endless cycle of death and rebirth Buddhists seek to break free from.)

² Tennyo can be translated as celestial angels as well, but they’re a concept borrowed from Chinese Buddhism so I went for an English phrase that was less loaded with Christian overtones.

³ Portmanteau of “catharsis” and “system”: a system of catharsis, so to speak.

⁴ The term used for bright light, koumyou, can refer to the light that radiates from a buddha.

⁵ ki SHOW TIME is actually a portmanteau of 吉祥 (kisshou, or “auspicious”) and SHOWTIME.

⁶ Hagoromo (“feathered / celestial robes”) are specifically tied to the heavenly nymphs mentioned previously.

⁷ Although as an expression 五臓六腑 may be thought of as a “heart’s core”, this phrase continues the traditional Asian references as it reflects the old Confucian understanding of human anatomy. The phrase is literally 五臓 (five viscera: liver, lungs, heart, kidney, spleen) and 六腑 (six entrails: stomach, large intestine, small intestine, gall bladder, bladder, and ‘heating organ’—a blend of the thorax and abdomen.)

⁸ Bliss here is ananda, another Buddhist loanword from Sanskrit that usually refers to the Buddha’s disciple but I couldn’t find any direct quotes to the individual so I chose to translate it as the emotion instead.

⁹ I’m 90% sure “top-class document days” is just a nonsensical pun (chouDOKYUU DOKYUU-mento) but choudokyuu originally referred to super-dreadnoughts (a superior type of battleship) so if anyone can spot a reference along those lines, feel free to let me know.

¹⁰ Shinra Banshou is another Buddhist idiom used to refer to the entire universe and nature.

¹¹ A “musical” twist on the philosophical concept of the Akashic records (the idea that every human act, thought, word, and knowledge in history is gathered somewhere in either a giant lifeforce or etheric plane.) “Akashic” is derived from the Sanskrit word Akasha, which in Buddhist terms refers to the “aether”.

¹² I might’ve added a few too many words here, but I was at a bit of a loss for how to translate kakai with context. The literal translation is the “lower bound”, or “lower world”, but it’s always used to our world (down here, as opposed to heaven above). As a result, it’s often translated as say, the realm of mortals, in contrast to heaven or hell.

[monalisaclub-archive-blog]

imouto discography

Single:  Hello from the Land of Oheso /Sakura Night Fever (2010)

Hello from the Land of Oheso (A-side)

Sakura Night Fever (A-side)

Single: Yattaruchan / Atarashii Watashi ni Nare! (early 2011)

Yattaruchan (A-side)

Atarashii Watashi ni Nare! (B-side)

Single: Seishun Manmannaka / Nice Guy (late 2011)

Seishun Manmannaka (A-side)

Nice Guy (B-side)

Single: We Are Born! / Tachia Girl (early 2012)

We Are Born! (A-side)

Tachia Girl (A-side)

Album: Heya Hello! (late 2012)

Super Generation

Ai no Joke ft. Sorority

Chotto Matte Kudasai

Lucky Cha Cha

FRESH!!!

Ai no Gundan

One Two Three

No One Can Replace You

Single: Naitemo Iindayo / Chotto Guchoku ni! Chototsu Moushin (mid 2013)

Naitemo Iindayo (A-side)

Chotto Guchoku ni! Chototsu Moushin (A-side)

Single: Be Genki! Naseba Naru / Ee Ka?! / Uchouten LOVE (late 2013)

Be Genki! Naseba Naru (A-side)

Ee Ka?! (A-side)

Uchouten LOVE (B-side)

Album: Fluffy Love (late 2014)

Sexy Cat’s Speech ft. Sorority

MOON PRIDE (part of single released in early 2014, Kyoko’s first single)

One and Only (part of single released in early 2014)

Samui ne?

MAHOROVACATION

Ran Ra Run ~Crazy about you~

Love Thief

What is LOVE?

Single: Follow Me / Hey youth, come at me! (early 2015)

Follow Me (A-side)

Hey youth, come at me! (A-side)

Single: Dot Bikini / Please Miniskirt Postwoman! (late 2015)

Dot Bikini (A-side)

Please Miniskirt Postwoman (A-side)

Single: Itoshima Distance / Ups and Downs (early 2016)

Itoshima Distance (A-side)

Ups and Downs (B-side)

Single: Itoshikute Gomen Ne / Wakatteiru no ni Gomen Ne (late 2016)

Itoshikute Gomen Ne (A-side)

Wakatteiru no ni Gomen Ne (A-side)

Single: Neo Stargate / Cookin’ / Low Temperature Burn (early 2017)

Neo Stargate (A-side)

Cookin’ (A-side)

Low Temperature Burn (A-side)

Album: 13 Constellations (late 2017)

The Sunset After Rain

Sally the Witch

Greenlight of the Dreadnaught

Smile

Uke Uke Monkey

Password is Zero

Utakata Saturday Night

Song of Eternity ft. Sorority

Single: Be Double Sure / The Biggest Paradox (mid 2018)

Be Double Sure (A-side)

The Biggest Paradox (A-side)

Single: In the Corner of a City Called Tokyo / A Gonna (December 2018, Kyoko’s last single)

In the Corner of a City Called Tokyo (A-side)

A Gonna (A-side)

Because it’s a Free Country (A-side)

What You Say? (A-side, Kyoko solo -- included in special edition)

[arbitrarygreay]

Blast thoughts

In the past, Momoclo PVs have nearly always played up a camp aspect, deflating any pomp. In the likes of Push and Z Densetsu, they explicitly send up the notion of these girls lifting weights. It's a form of baking humility into the production, which deflected some of the backlash that comes with being the top. For example, 48G embraced their title much sooner, and that bombast made it much easier for the mainstream tide to turn against them, no matter how humble the actual members were. But Momoclo really has turned the corner in some respects, acknowledging that they're at the top. This first manifested in the Naitemo Iindayo PV, which did not have that humorous undercutting of its storyline. (also the song was shit) Thankfully, it also had memetic B-sides. And subsequent non-ballad PVs went back to keeping on that fun train. (Although seriously, wtf were those We Are Born outfits?) But at the same time, in that the primary way non-idol fans relate to Momoclo as a sports team to cheer on, they are therefore now allowed to channel some pride on behalf of their fans. Sports Illustrated's June issue this year ran an article about the tensions surrounding sports dynasties, ultimately finding that while the smaller/local scenes might take a hit, the general populace wants their myths, their juggernauts, their legends. Momoclo are currently that. And on top of "graciously" accepting their fans taking them to the top by acting the part, Momoclo also avoid the appearance of arrogance because their portrayed swagger within a greater sports storyline can be taken as admirable nationalism, such as they are potential representatives of Japanese pop culture. Blast explicitly posits itself as linking Japan's journey towards the next Olympics to Momoclo's goal to perform at it, which also recalls their groundbreaking concert at the old Olympic stadium. And so Blast is allowed to sincerely claim Momoclo as champions, without a camp caveat to undercut things. Or rather, as Queen did it, uttering the brags with pure sincerity and devotion to the premise itself becomes the camp subtext, as it frees the song from the context of the artist (and the artist from the connotations of the song content). Anyone can subsequently sing it for themselves, and believe its contents of themselves. I don't know if Blast can go that far, but we'll see. But also, the girls now just have the weight of presence to justify it. They have the chops, they have the experience under their belts, they have the ease with the camera that only comes with being an acclaimed veteran of the industry. So where they previously over-emoted in their last outing as deities in Naitemo and felt false for it, in the likes of Mahorovacation or Blast, or even Decoration, they can be more casual, and yet feel more genuinely dominant for it. But note also along with Mahorovacation, that invisible manners composes and arranges to emphasize this "laid back insistent" new form of Momoclo's. The rhythms and melodies can't be interpreted through brute force. You want to fit the flow of the arrangement to maximize the power in the music, rather than the standard approach of just vocals over instrumental. invisible manners definitely subscribes to the "don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" school of thought. And yet in that, the results in Blast feel more Romantic Orchestral than ever, as my favorite maximalist symphonies focus not on the solo, but on the interplay of contrast. So it reinforces the team theme of Momoclo within the greater national context, vs. the way most hip hop/inspired drum-heavy songs of dominance valorize just the performing artist. (Including the Yoo Youngjin TVXQ songs I compared Blast to last time.)

[papercoleena]

Momoiro Clover Z - Mahorovacation Momoclo Heaven☆Momoclo Heaven☆Drop on by anytime!

Translation: Coleena (Lyrics Page)

[the-secret-life-in-asia]

マホロバケーション /Mahorovacation

by ももいろクローバーZ/Momoiro Clover Z

[arbitrarygreay]

Dear lord, Umaku Ienai almost coulda been a Momoclo song, were it not for AKIRA loading up the arrangement with H!P-isms. The composition, the structure, that is really some A+ crack on the level of Kimi Sae, even as it's a different kind of crack from the regular Tsunku variety. Consider the structure-chopping: Chorus Verse Pre-chorus Chorus Verse Pre-chorus Bridge WTF even Interlude Bridge sting using verse melody Double chorus, closing with a series of lyric-less long notes instead of running adlibs during the chorus like a normal song would does Takui wanna write for Ariana Grande or smth On top of that, the way Nakajima Takui halves the chorus length and loads it at the front makes it pull double-duty as the hook, same as Taiki Bansei. But he also uses the verse as a partial hook, what with that bridge sting. It's not quite at the hook-melody subversion genius of Shabondama, but it's similar creativity. The arrangement pulls some serious heft in making this a H!P song, because both there and for Taiki Bansei, the funk/disco-ness strictly comes from the instrumentation and non-melody additional rhythms. Shorten the verse/prechorus a bit (whether by halving them or axing the pre-chorus), un-densify the arrangement a bit, and this has enough 80s DNA to jump the pond over into Kpop's version of rock-ish a la Infinite, especially with the half-length chorus. (Uh, I'm not sure, but I think the chorus is like a minor key Royal Road compatible, if not Royal Road. It doesn't pull that amazing subversion on the third chord Kissing You does, but that descending-until-pull-up-at-the-last-second trick is still good stuff.) That bridge. That Bridge. THAT BRIDGE. AAAAAAAAHHHHH THAT AMAZING EVIL BRIDGE. Even Kimi Sae wishes it were as bonkers as that bridge. "Oh, you thought we were in an upbeat minor? Nope, now we doing longer major key NOPE U-TURN BACK INTO MINOR...and then resolve in major" aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh And it all matches the lyrics! Frustration pretends at inspirational for a moment before the cynicism shows back through, with the abrupt major key end mirroring how that last line of the bridge also leaves us hanging. And there's no melodic connection to the bridge sting, because the entire song (epitomized in the bridge sting lyrics, as repeated from the first verse/post-hook line) is about how the singers are frustrated that they can't find the words to express themselves! The weirdness of the bridge is an example where they actually begin on developing an idea, but can't figure out how to get to the coherent conclusion they want! Although in the current status quo, while Momoclo has begun picking up more syncopated rhythms, what with Mahorovacation and their "sing MORE insistently" modus operandi, Umaku Ienai still could only be pulled off by the generation that grew up with Tsunku's rhythm theory. The exact type of bounciness in the melody isn't something I would ID as Momoclo-ish. And, yeah, that AKIRA arrangement. So good, so dense. Much maximalism. Every inch packed with a counter-rhythm and a different shiny. I could dissect it for hours. (For example, that magnificent bastard did a key-change fakeout for the instrumental sting between the pre-chorus and chorus! Almost makes me wish they had gone full-in on the crack and had the "soredemo soredemo" on the bridge sting keychange on the fly.) Also Takui is slathering himself all over the backing vocals like a true Tsunku successor except Takui is doing even the parts Tsunku would leave to Inaba roflmao Tsunku better lock his doors at night this dude is GUNNING for all his tricks