Team K - "Kimi wa Pegasus"

Sorry for not updating earlier. I meant to, but things keep adding up and making me proceed at a turtle's speed T_T

Today, I happily fulfill a request I've received - I feel that Team K, despite being my favourite team, is under-represented on these pages, and moreover this is one of my favourite songs ♥
Next up I'm planning to translate my first full stage! Can you guess which one?
(For who made me other requests, don't worry, I'll get around to them soon ^_^)

Also, if someone is good at making screencaps (which sounds easy, but I obviously suck at it) and wants to help me out sending me good quality screencaps for about 50/60 songs, I'd be really happy to use your help. ;_;

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"Kimi wa Pegasus" (You are Pegasus)
(from Team K 3rd stage "Nounai paradise")
Akimoto Sayaka, Miyazawa Sae, Sato Natsuki, Noro Kayo

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Oka Naoki
point of view: male language, but the song looks rather gender-neutral
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Kimi wa Pegasus on youtube

The wings on your back have broken
And the dream ends all too soon
Even if I try to stretch out my hand,
Our love waves goodbye without leaving a trace

Your glance looked sadder than a pearl
And it saw right through the loneliness inside me
Through the crack in my heart which no one ever filled up
One cound only catch glimpses of my deep despair

Ah, my Pegasus flying through the sky
What were you thinking when you chose separation?

You cast aside your wings yourself
And fall head down from above
Your heart bleeds
Our love story is like a red sunset
If the two of us had never met, I would have never lost you
I would have just looked up to the sky
And kept believing in legends

An uncorrupted affection is an illusory knife
Without even realizing it I hurt you, and that hurt me too
"If we got closer, we would understand each other more"
I mistakenly believed this was the only way

Ah, even if I can't see you anymore
Now I understand that you're always here

The wings on your back have broken
And the dream ends all too soon
Even if I try to stretch out my hand,
Our love waves goodbye without leaving a trace
For me, since the beginning,
You were the Pegasus I had imagined in my mind
This is my punishment for keeping on dreaming
Of a love that no one had ever seen

The wings on your back have broken
And the dream ends all too soon
Even if I try to stretch out my hand,
Our love waves goodbye without leaving a trace
For me, since the beginning,
You were the Pegasus I had imagined in my mind
This is my punishment for keeping on dreaming
Of a love that no one had ever seen

Comment
As I said above, while the lyrics use the pronoun "boku", generally male, the song could be sung from the point of view of a man or a woman as there aren't other elements that strenghten the "male point of view" theory.
This is a heartbreaking song that speaks figuratively about losing one's partner to depression or even suicide. Of course it is just my own interpretation which everyone is free to disagree with, but I think that behind the delicate, fable-like imagery of the beautiful Pegasus (the winged white horse of Greek mythology), there is a very dark, sad background.
"Pegasus", with his sad glance (let's set on Pegasus being a man and the first person being a woman just for the sake of explaining it easily - it wouldn't change if it was the other way around), could see through the sadness and loneliness the first-person girl was hiding, because he felt the same or even a sharper pain. The girl, who felt understood and saw his tragic beauty, fell in love with "Pegasus", and tried to get closer to him, trying to save him; but this had no other result than hurting both of them. "Pegasus" can't be saved. He eventually "chose separation" and "cast his wings aside", disappearing, leaving only his shadow behind.
I am amazed at the lyrical perfection of this song, at how the words can convey such a dark, heavy message in such a beautiful way. Akimoto Yasushi really is a master of words.
The performance is really good too, with all the girls (the best singers in Team K at the time) dressed as princes, singing out about "uncorrupted affection" with collected emotion. One of my favourite AKB performances ever.

Team K - "Melos no michi"

Another amazing, powerful number by Team K.

"Melos no michi" (Melos's road)
(from Team K 4th stage "Saishuu bell ga naru")
Team K (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Ota Michihiko
point of view: gender-neutral
theme: team song
original lyrics


listen to Melos no michi on youtube

Somewhere in this world
There certainly is someone
Who is waiting for you...
That promise you exchanged with the gods
Is your mission

One day, there will certainly be
A meeting
That will make you understand why you were born...
Under the sky
You are dreaming
Of the unknown

If you strain your ears you can hear
A voiceless cry...
Since you have been choosen,
To the cost of throwing everything away...

Hurry up!
You have to rush
On Melos's road right now
For that person who believes in you
Hurry up!
On Melos's road
Even if the goal is far
Don't complain!
Don't give up!
Keep running!
As long as you're alive

Everyone thinks
That you won't come
All the time...
No matter how long they wait
There's no chance

Those curious onlookers
Who have forgotten love
Laugh at the people who believe
No one would keep
Such a promise
It's impossible

The devil is whispering next to you
"It doesn't matter if you don't go"
Retiring would be easier
But you won't betray, will you?

You
Turn into Melos!
Kick the ground
Cut through the wind
Run to the end
Completely lost into it!
There's only one truth
You
Turn into Melos!
Even if you're completely worn out
And fall down
You'll be able to stand up
So many times
For yourself,
Who's waiting believing in you...

You
Turn into Melos!
Kick the ground
Cut through the wind
Run to the end
Completely lost into it!
There's only one truth
You
Turn into Melos!
Even if you're completely worn out
And fall down
You'll be able to stand up
So many times
For yourself,
Who's waiting believing in you...

Comment
Let's start off by clarifying who the "Melos" in the title is.
"Hashire Melos!" ("Run, Melos!") is the title of a short story by a prominent Japanese Literature author, Dazai Osamu. The story, extremely well known and a staple read in Japanese classrooms, is set in Ancient Greece and talks about the strong bond of friendship.
From Wikipedia:

Melos is a naïve young shepherd with a sense of equity. The land in which he lives is ruled by Dionys, a tyrant king who, because of his distrust of people, has killed many. When Melos hears about the King's deeds one day, he becomes enraged. He decides to assassinate the King, and so he sneaks into the castle with a knife, but is caught and arrested. Melos pleads with the King to postpone his execution and give him three days so that he can attend his younger sister's wedding. The King agrees, but on one condition: that Melos' friend Selinuntius is left as a hostage, and if Melos does not return in three days, he will be executed in Melos' stead.
After the wedding is over Melos hurries back to the city. Along the way he encounters many tribulations, such as a broken bridge due to the overflowing of the river and attacks by bandits. All of these things exhaust him, and he nearly gives up, but then continues to run for his friend's life's sake.
At sundown Melos finally arrives at the city, just in time to save his friend Selinuntius. He apologizes to Selinuntius for his treachery, and Selinuntius apologizes for ever doubting him. The King is moved by the display and decides to let Melos go with impunity.

Rereading the lyrics with the story in mind, the meaning becomes clearer. "Melos no michi" talks about a person who, just like Melos, has to run to fulfill a most important promise s/he made with someone.
But the last word of the second chorus twists it to reveal that the person "Melos" is running for is actually himself. So, beyond being a song about friendship, "Melos no michi" also conveys the idea of running for one's dream, without giving up or betraying oneself.

AKB48, "Keibetsu shite ita aijou"

Sorry for disappearing for almost a month! x_x
I've had some rough times irl, but I'll try to update this blog a lot more in the next few days!

Also, do check the new layout, done for me by Sanzo, featuring Miyazawa Sae ♥


Let's move on to the song. I have been requested to do this single quite a lot, and it's a very meaningful song that I honestly believe anyone should know, so here you go.

"Keibetsu shite ita aijou" (The love that used to scorn me)
(from "Keibetsu shite ita aijou" single)
AKB48 senbatsu members (A: Itano Tomomi, Kojima Haruna, Maeda Atsuko, Minegishi Minami, Nakanishi Rina, Oshima Mai, Shinoda Mariko, Takahashi Minami/ K: Akimoto Sayaka, Kasai Tomomi, Kobayashi Kana, Masuda Yuka, Miyazawa Sae, Ono Erena, Oshima Yuko, Sato Natsuki)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Inoue Yoshimasa
point of view: female
theme: social problems
original lyrics


listen to Keibetsu shite ita aijou on youtube

Even the tragedies told by the TV news
Protected by anonimity
Are as normal as using emoticons
When I type an email on my mobile phone

The grownups, looking like they know it all,
Are looking for a motive
But their quite off the point analysis
Is like a joke that makes no one laugh

Our future is decided
By our rank in decimal point-accurate charts¹
Even if she did her best
She had no hope of making it
We realized that
Quite a while before
But we did nothing

Without even realizing it
I am longing for the love that used to scorn me
I don't want to be alone
I wanted to be held
By someone...

The girl who tried to turn into a bird
Lined her shoes neatly on the rooftop
Did she want people to praise her for her good manners?
Or was it an insinuation?

Even if they carry out a survey now
Asking if she "was" or "wasn't" bullied
The voice in her heart, which she wanted us to hear,
Is lost in the wind and can't reach us

The process of shifting the responsibility
Makes important people cry
We still don't understand
This way too foolish chain reaction...
The one pointing her finger
Is this me,
Who didn't do anything for her

This love used to scorn me
But despite that, I'm hungry for it
While pretending I didn't notice how anxious I felt
I kept looking for a kind glance
All the time...

Without even realizing it
I am longing for the love that used to scorn me
I don't want to be alone
I wanted to be held
By someone...

All the time...

Note
¹ The lyrics use the word "hensachi", meaning deviation value (in the assessment of an exam). It refers to the charts where the whole school's exam results are listed in result order. These charts are usually hung on the wall for everyone to see. In such a competitive schooling system as the Japanese one, where the best marks are essential in order to access the best schools, then universities, then jobs, even ranking one place lower can make a big difference.

Comment
"Keibetsu shite ita aijou" is a very heavy, un-idol-like song. It talks about a schoolgirl who commits suicide by jumping from the school rooftop after enduring bullying, through the eyes of a classmate of hers. This classmate points her finger at how adults seem to rationalize the accident and make excuses and accusations, but at the same time she feels guilty because she knew the girl was bullied, yet didn't do anything.
In a competitive, yet uniformized society like Japanese society, bullyism towards who is "different" for a reason or another is a serious problem. Suicides caused by bullyism are, unfortunately, pretty frequent - which is addressed in the first verse (the news do not give out the names of the people involved if they are underage, therefore "tragedies protected by anonimity".
The verses are sung by the classmate/narrator, while the chorus, in first person, is like the last, desperate cry of the bullied girl, longing for love even from the people who hurt her.

And here comes an idol group addressing the issue with lyrics which are feather light and stone heavy at the same time. The PV opens and closes with Yuko standing on the rooftop, looking as if she's about to jump, and shows instances of bullyism.
What makes the song even more haunting is the use of the flute and of "heavenly" sounding harmonies in the back track of the song. The contrast between this instrumental, the severe melody in minor mode and the seriousness of the lyrics makes the song all the more a blow to the stomach.

Just out of curiosity, there is another AKB song about a classmate killing herself (despite not specifying if the reason was bullyism), "Hitei no requiem" from Team K's 5th stage "Saka agari".

Team K - "Kiseki wa ma ni awanai"

Finally, here it comes. "Kiseki~" is a song that is most precious for me, the song I voted for for this year's Request Hour, it HAD to come around asap. :D

"Kiseki wa ma ni awanai" (Miracles don't make it on time)
(from Team K 6th stage "RESET")
Team K (Miyazawa Sae [centre], Yonezawa Rumi, Nonaka Misato)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Miyajima Ritsuko
point of view: male
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Kiseki wa ma ni awanai

A windy bus stop
Even if I wait for you
You definitely won't come
I knew that much

Over a not so high hill
There's a bench that looks like someone has forgotten it there
My hat flew away...
I kept looking for you since then

But miracles never make it on time, do they?
Love is always such a hasty thing
How many buses will have to stop and leave
Until destiny catches up?
My future lover

The reason why my heart's beating fast
Suddenly sped up
And got closer
To my heart's curve

It feels like
the green trees are staring at me
And I can't calm down
The probability that the two of us will fall in love

But miracles never make it on time, do they?
Pure love is never something that goes smoothly
Even if you weren't on the last bus either
I will forever wait here
I am the only lover

But miracles never make it on time, do they?
Love is always such a hasty thing
How many buses will have to stop and leave
Until destiny catches up?
My future lover

Comment
I LOVE THIS SONG. (wow, a scholarly comment. XD) It's the first unit song that Sae got to lead and it was written exactly for her: it's fun, happy, boyish and cool and cute at the same time, just like she is.
This song has no hidden meaning or cultural references in particular. It talks of a boy/young man who was sitting on a bench next to a bus stop, when suddenly the wind made his hat fly away. When he goes to pick it up, he sees a girl on the bus passing by and falls in love at first sight; so he ends up waiting everyday all day at the bus stop to see her again, hoping for a miracle.
It's as simple as this. Yet, I find it so charming. I find that this songs suits who performs them so perfectly I just can't help but love it as if it were a part of Sae-chan. Rumi and Micha are great in this song too, and the voices of the three of them blend really nicely.
In short: there's nothing about this song that's not to like. XD I might not have a deep lyrics analysis this time, but this song gives me energy and positivity every morning when I have to face a hard day, so it deserves its place here. ♥

Team K - "Mushi no ballad"

I apologize for being so late but I am finally able my translation + commentary of "Mushi no ballad", the song that ranked first in the poll!
If you have never watched Sayaka perform this song, do yourself a favour: read the lyrics and then click on that youtube link and get ready to be blown away. This song is just beyond the idol world.


"Mushi no ballad" (A bug's ballad)
(from Team K 5th stage "Saka agari")
Team K (Akimoto Sayaka)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Tago Kunio
point of view: male first person and language
theme: fighting song
original lyrics


listen to Mushi no ballad on youtube

Alone under the pouring rain
I wanted it to hit me and get me soaking wet
I was trying to wash away
My dirty body and my ugly heart

What am I supposed to believe in
To live through this age?
I ask myself,
But there's no answer

I am not afraid of being hurt
No matter how hard my road is
I am insignificant
Falling down on my knees
I'll just turn into a bug

The wind makes me fall down
But I have to get out of the mud
I recklessly groveled
Beautiful things
Are things that have been washed
By sweat and tears

What is true?
What is fake?
Even if I think about it
If I take a shortcut I won't find the answer

I don't lament the fact I'm going to die
No matter how long eternity is
I am clumsy but I won't look back
I'll just turn into an earnest bug

As long as I live
I don't care if I'm unsightly
On this ground I'm screaming out my soul
I will cling onto the fact I'm alive

I am not afraid of being hurt
No matter how hard my road is
I am insignificant
Falling down on my knees
I'll just turn into a bug

Comment
I think I haven't done much justice to this song with my translation. I am not very confident in the correctness of my English grammar here so any correction will be welcome.
"Mushi no ballad" is a solo song, sung by Akimoto Sayaka. At that time, the only other solo song ever existed was Oshima Yuko's "Naki nagara hohoende" and even now solo songs are not that common, so the fact that she got to do it despite not being a hugely popular member like Yuko really says something about Sayaka's potential and talent.
The lyrics use the male pronoun "ore", which is rather unusual for songs sung by girls (they rather use "boku" when it comes to songs sung in a male point of view). It's grammatically very strong and assertive, matching the theme of the song.
For once, the theme is not "let's do our best to reach our dreams". The main character of this song is portrayed as he struggles to be alive at all.　He appears to be having a very hard time, "groveling in the mud", but he still he doesn't give up on life, whatever it takes. He will "cling onto life" even if it means to suffer, even if it means to become an unsightly bug. It's a powerful song, full of emotion. It might not have a difficult dance routine, but it takes a lot of skill to sing it, to convey the lyrics into a convincing performance. Simply, Sayaka has that.
The song has been performed by other members as well, with various results, during shuffle concerts and when Sayaka was absent from theatre performances, but this is Sayaka's song all the way. Even a great singer like Masuda Yuka (who technically outshines Sayaka) couldn't put as much emotion into her performance as Sayaka does.

Team K - "Korogaru ishi ni nare"

Continuing with the Team Songs series, next in line is my favourite, Team K!
I chose to go with their first and probably still most symbolic team song, "Korogaru ishi ni nare".

"Korogaru ishi ni nare" (Be like a rolling stone)
(from Team K 2nd stage "Seishun girls" - AKB48 1st album "Set list")
Team K (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Yamazaki Yo
point of view: female (as the speaking first person is the girls themselves), but the language used in this song is rather gender-neutral
theme: team song
original lyrics


listen to Korogaru ishi ni nare on youtube

Who is the flower on the roadside blooming for?
It is never noticed by the passer-bys...
Burnt by the sun, exposed to the rain
That far away dream is blown by the wind

Loneliness is always a compensation for freedom
Lost for words,
Walls are indifferent
You have no choice but endure it

Be like a rolling stone
Move according to your own mind
Change the times before burning out completely
Be like a rolling stone
Don't stand stock still where you are
Time flows on
Your passion is hidden
We're the team K

Who are the nameless stars shining for?
Forgotten in a corner of the night sky
It's unbelievable how hey keep believing
Their light is a ticket to ther future

Giving up is like turning your back
You have to stretch out your hand recklessly
As you struggle

Be like a sharp stone
Don't go with what everyone around you says
You have to live stubbornly
Don't round yourself out
Be like a sharp stone
Keep having something you can't concede
Humans are weak beings
Don't lose to yourself

Be like a rolling stone
Move according to your own mind
Change the times before burning out completely
Be like a rolling stone
Don't stand stock still where you are
Time flows on
Your passion is hidden
We're the team K

We're the team K
We're the team K
We're the team K

Comment
Team K's second stage "Seishun girls" was the team's first original stage, and also the first to have a team theme song (A1 had "AKB48" but it was a team song only because A was the only team back then).
"Korogaru~"'s lyrics are very straightforward and powerful. When the song was first performed, AKB48 was still a very young idol group, slowly climbing the stairs to success. If I think about what could have been the state of mind of Team K girls in July 2007, when they started performing K2, I can't help but think that this is a battle cry for them.
They'd only had a few months to warm up, they must have felt in the shadow of the more experienced and popular Team A, and they had to prove their worth with songs made especially for them. Even just one glance at the lyrics is enough to realize how strong its language and message are: it's not the usual "Do your best because I love you and believe in you", but it's "Even if you are alone, even if it's hard to be yourself, you can't give up".
That's why I believe that even after the shuffle this is THE Team K song. Not only because of how many times it has been performed as the K theme song, but also because the kind of strenght drawn from these words suits Team K, the strongest team, the team of deep bonds. (Unlike "Sasae", for example, which was the portrait of a particular moment of Team K. I will definitely pick this song up in the future).

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Next up, team B's "Shonichi" to conclude the Team Songs series.
If you have any request or suggestion about what you'd like to see after that, don't hesitate to post a comment!