31 May 2012

lyrics translation! ~ 'seijaku wa heddohon no naka' by See-Saw

this time I would like to present
Seijaku wa HEDDOHON no Naka (Silence Is in the Headphones) by See-Saw
this song is from 'Kimi wa Boku ni Nite Iru' single. the strange thing, I dislike the title song itself, as well as most of other songs which were written during the period. however this is just a masterpiece which makes me cry every time. every singe line of the lyrics is beautiful and the last one simply kills me

Romaji 
daiji na koto kara dandan usureteku
shizen na koto da yo to dare ka ni sou iwareta
seijaku ga hitori no HEDDOHON o tsutsunde
kimi no koe sagasu yo

massugu nagete kuru kimi no sunao na kotoba ni
boku wa yoku aru koto da to hitokoto de katazuketa
kimi no kakaeteru mono o hanbun kudasai to
naze ienakatta n darou

ano koro boku no ashimoto wa itsu mo
nukarunda tsuchi ni tatteru you de
yasashisa o kuchi ni suru ni wa tabun
mada hayasugita n da yo

kimochi o hadaka ni sureba suru hodo
yasuragi ni aeta no ka mo shirenai
nani ga kowakute kirei na keshiki o
kowashita no ka wakaranai

kimi wa doushite iru no darou

Japanese 
大事なことから段々薄れてく
自然なことだよと誰かにそう言われた
静寂が一人のヘッドホンを包んで
君の声探すよ

まっすぐ投げてくる君の素直な言葉に
僕は「よくあることだ」と一言で片付けた
「君の抱えてるものを半分ください」と
なぜ言えなかったんだろう

あのころ僕の足元はいつも
んだ土に立ってるようで
優しさを口にするにはたぶん
まだ早すぎたんだよ

気持ちを裸にすればするほど
安らぎに会えたのかも知れない
何が怖くて綺麗な景色を
壊したのか分からない

君はどうしているのだろう

Translation

Gradually parting with what is precious to you
Is just a natural thing, somebody told me
When silence wraps the headphones
I search for your voice

The frank words you threw at me,
I settled them with only one phrase – ‘it’s just a common thing’
But ‘give me half of what you have to carry’
Why wasn’t I able to say this?

My underfoot of that time was always
As if I stood on a muddy ground
Putting the tenderness into words
Was perhaps too early

While unsheathing my feelings,
Maybe, I could meet with peace
What I was afraid of to destroy the beautiful scenery
I do not know

I wonder what you are doing now
_____
well, the lyrics were a bit hard to understand even for me. shall I try to explain?
the first two lines are there to show that though the thing described is considered to be natural, the  author is assumed to disagree
silence wrapping the headphones is a thing that not everybody can understand. I personally think I do and I know there are people who do too. for me, this particular silence does not mean the absolute silence, 'tis the phenomenon that when you have headphones (earphones in my case) on, they block all the sounds from the outer world and while you still see what is around you, you move as if in a different dimension. here, the author searches for the voice of his/her beloved
the next paragraph is a flashback. it stated that he or she did not care much about the complaints of the partner. while the Jap-Rus dictionary did not provide a good variant for the word 'kakaeru', jisho.org has a more accurate definition - 'to have (esp. problems, debts, etc.)'. this means, the other person was really in trouble, which explains his/her 'frank words'. the main idea is simple - we don't value a thing until after it's lost
the order of sentences in the last two chorus parts is a bit confusing, so let me rearrange them
the last chorus states the fact that opening one's feelings is the way to retain peace
but this was prevented by the 'muddy ground' which means the unstable position that made the author hesitating
however this particular fear was that what led to the catastrophe
for me this is just a wonderful song, and I think I would like to make an AMV with it. well, a different one from that which already exists, because I did not like it very much. well, I do not like when no attention is paid to the lyrics. I do not care that most of the MV makers cannot understand Japanese, 'tis their own problem

29 May 2012

a sudden discovery in a cosmetics booklet

somebody put a Faberlic booklet into our mail box. though I haven't used its cosmetics for 7 years, I was interested in prices and looked through the booklet. and suddenly my eyes stopped on the page...
European otokoyaku? ^o^

IT IS NOT my humble opinion on 'kaichou wa maid-sama'

right now 'tis half past 1 AM and I have to get up in 4 hours. therefore, my 'thorough analysis' - well, my humble opinion on this beautiful manga will be somewhen next time
I am just overly happy with chapter #71 released and translated. somehow this is the manga that really supports me. 'tis there when I need it, realistic and fantastic at the same time. of course the list of what I like is not limited to it, but the delight it brings to me every time is just so... indispensable? ^.^

28 May 2012

my little thoughts ~ Yumeno-san in Snow

somehow I have failed to notice the fact that Yumeno Seika had transferred to Snow. and... and... and I don't know
'tis not  as if I liked her very much, but she was nice sometimes, in some performances. and in general
'tis not as if I really hate Snow with all my might. in the end, I have never seen its usual performances
but... Yumeno-san is certainly aiming for the Top, is she not? imagining her as the future Top of Snow is kind of disappointing. of course, she might change the Troupe. but 'tis more likely that the Troupe will change her more. am I wrong?

flower storm

this is not sakura. and this is not in Japan. I was simply going down from the hill where my university is, and the apple tree blossoms were falling down. well, I guess 'twas apple tree. I had a completely different feeling from what I had in Tokyo this April, but still 花吹雪 is a great thing


27 May 2012

synesthetic perception. experience of mine ~ part 1. introduction, alphabets

the reason for me to start researching this issue was that I read the Wikipedia article about synesthesia by chance
yesterday our philosophy professor told us to pick up any question we like and to be ready to tell her about it next week on the last lesson. first, I thought about 'the problem of war and peace', then I decided to speak about art in general. however, I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and both prepare a report and know better what I am interested in
while reading about synesthetic perception, I got acquainted with the types of it. and I felt a bit left out, because I seemed to have only the most primitive ones, or at least widespread - links between digits or letters and colours, and also sensation of colour and movements in music. these seem to be just plain ones. however, I started thinking about my experience of sensing something else - and I discovered some more, so that now I can name really different types of my associations that came up to my mind

let me start with letters
there are a lot of books for children that have alphabet written in different manners. my own alphabet I have in my mind has its own structure, influenced by the most simple way of presenting alphabet - lines

the English version is divided in accordance with a very famous song
A B C D E F G 
H I J K L M N O P 
Q R S T U V W X Y Z
at first I thought of colouring every letter I put here, but this seems impossible. the colours available in the browser are just too simple, mine and more complex. to say nothing of the fact my colours may vary a bit. I better explain every of them
A is white, for sure
B is dark, dark, dark blue
C is close to the colour of sand or ochre
D is dark brown
E if yellow closer to orange, than to green
F is violet, the vivid kind
G is dark, dark brown, almost black
H is blue, vivid blue
I is certainly black
J is a doubtful one. either black or saturated green
K is brown-black... yep
L is light blue, maybe with a bit of cyan
M is vivid green
N is blue, simply blue - without indigo or cyan or whatever
O is red. I know a lot of people see it white and A as red - this is surprising for me
P is green, but the darker one
Q is red-brown
R is a complicated question. I feel 'tis closer to black
S is something between indigo and violet
T is brown
U is indigo, this is certain
W is light blue, closer to indigo but not indigo...
X is black, and it has always been
Y is somewhere around the blue and violet, but its tones may vary from light to dark ones
Z is green, perhaps a dark one, darker than other green letters

Russian alphabet is longer and even more complicated
А Б В Г Д Е Ё Ж З
И Й К Л М Н О П Р С
Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Ъ Ы Ь Э Ю Я
А is white again
Б is green
В is blue to violet
Г is light blue and vivid one
Д is dark brown close to black
Е is the same as its English colleague
Ё is magenta
Ж is dark indigo close to violet
З is green, but unlike English Z - light one
И is black
Й is 'light black' - dark grey?
К ia the same as English
Л is light blue, but darker than English L
М is the same as English
Н is blue, the one closer to real blue than cyan
О - surprising, but Russian O can be red, and can be closer to orange
П is dark sand or ochre colour, unlike its English colleague - P
Р is saturated green, not the colour of young grass and not the
nephrite colour, does not match English R, eh?
С is like English C - sand or ochre
Т it the same as English T
У is blue, which is close to Y but not the same - Russian one does not have any violet tones
Ф is life English F, but lighter, even close to the colour of lilac
Х is the same as X in English
Ц is green, perhaps a vivid one
Ч is dark violet or something... hard to say
Ш is dark grey
Щ is dark violet. or light violet. I am not sure
Ъ is black
Ы is also black. but with a bit of brown
Ь is black as well
Э is orange!
Ю has the colour which is difficult to explain in English. to translate it literally, it would be lilac. but 'tis not. 'tis something in tne middle of violet and magenta, and a very saturated one
Я is rose or pink. somehow, English alphabet lacks it ^.^

translation! ~ an article about the last day of 'Edward VIII' and 'Misty Station' in Grand Theatre

 
Takarazuka Revue Moon Troupe, the curtain has risen for the Top Combi Last Stage!
On March 3rd, the curtain has risen for the retirement performance of the Takarazuka Revue Moon Troupe Top Combi, Kiriya Hiromu and Aono Yuki.
The first part was the musical 'Edward VIII' based on the historical facts about Edward VIII, who earned great popularity among the masses and called 'Prince Charming' both at home and abroad. The musical paints both the false and the real image of him who, though loved by people, had to abdicate the throne in order to fulfill his love with an American national, Wallis Simpson.
The story starts with the funeral of Edward VIII, and then traces back the meeting of the couple. The unexpected direction of the funeral scene was quite interesting because a radio was used there, and thus seized the hearts of the spectators.
Kiriya, who played the open-hearted and possessing a modern character Crown Prince David (Edward VIII), was setting the pace of the performance with her nimble tone. Speaking of which, while looking as a man who leads free and pleasant life, the negative sides the character possessed as a person were also revealed. Thus, everyone could enjoy the splendid acting manner of Kiriya. Her partner actress, Aono, gently portrayed the changing feelings of Wallis to David, after she approached him in order to obtain a high status, and though a certain amount of loneliness and weakness was blurred in her, she finished as a strong woman with a firm heart.
Also, an indispensable supporting character was played by the Second, Ryuu Masaki. She portrayed Guy Burgess, a BBC producer, who was penetrating inside the scenes, but also narrated the story so that the spectators would not get confused. The Third, Asumi Rio, was playing the private secretary of David, who was watching over him, sometimes being harsh, but with a tender attitude, despite the fact he was twisting his secretary around his finger. While presenting her gentle image, Asumi showed both her character's strength of expressing his opinion straight to the face of the Crown Prince, and the irritation of being unable to help him.
The second part of the performance was 'Misty Station' starting with a scene which was to create a recollection of Kiriya's departure. She  played a young man Misty who embarked on an adventure with a trunk case and a map. After this a lot of dynamic scenes followed one by one. Cosmos, jungle, Arabia, enigmatic town, and a lot more - Misty is travelling around the variegated world. Among them, the scenes with Kiriya singing in the centre, surrounded by the Moon Troupe members standing in a row, and the male players dance in black tailcoats in perfect order were a grand sight. It was beautiful to the extent that a sigh would escape from the lips of spectators. Another certain thing was the duet dance of Kiriya and Aono, whose breath was perfectly matching, and there were also highlights for Ryuu, Asumi, and for those retiring like Aoki Izumi, Isshiki Ruka, and others, so the show was very enjoyable, presenting the overwhelming power of Moon Troupe.
For the last stage of the Top Star, in both works a lot of scenes and songs with farewell image were included. Do not miss the performance full of Kiriya's charm, who perfected in singing, acting, dancing, all these three skills.
 
 
 
 
 

26 May 2012

my humble opinon on See-Saw and Chiaki Ishikawa

the more I listen to what Kajiura-san composes, the more I end up disliking it. moreover, I like the music itself, the melodies, the performance... and still
the more she write she more she becomes 'turned in on herself' - a phrase I read yesterday in my English schoolbook ^^`  - I wonder if 'tis applicable here
I mean, her works 'closed up', she repeats herself a lot. some may call this a style of a composer, I would call it lack of ideas. she might have been a great composer, but somehow...
I should say I did not listen to all of her projects in chronological order. this makes me think, I am less biased... I think, if I listened to the first projects first, and the last projects last - it would be natural for me to hear repetitions and spot musical phrases and tricks which are alike. however, when I hear them in earlier songs, for example when a See-Saw songs reminds me of Kalafina's or FJ's - this is strange. and I realize that 'tis Kalafina girls or FJ members who repeated what was already used in See-Saw's discography
I know I am in no position to say this, but when Kalafina was described as 'three unsatisfied and therefore showing a great deal of affectedness girls' I really laughed a lot..... even though there are some songs of theirs I like a lot... even though they look nice... guys, they DO show affectedness, histrionics, bombast, or how should I call this? and it is revealed in both their music, and their looks, and in WHAT animes their songs are used as OPEDs ^o^

let me be honest, See-Saw is not free of those qualities, also. but! at least their first albums and singles were different. I understand completely why Ishikawa-san left. forgive me, but I am glad she did
her solo career is much more impressive... let girls from Kalafina implement Kajiura-san's dreams, and let Ishikawa-san sing what she likes, being apart with Kajiura-san

the first works of See-Saw I speak about are those until 1995. they present quite usual 90s pop (with a slight touch of disco) and among all those songs there were only a few which really make me unabke to sit straight. however, those which do - DO. they are 'kirai ni naritai', 'suhada' and 'slender chameleon'. however, what is really important, the other songs are not bad, and are not even average. they are just a little less magnificent than 'tis necessary for me to put them in my walkman playlist. however, I like to listen to them at home, using them as a background for me doing homework or working, while usually I skip songs which fail to impress me
speaking for each song
'suhada' is a light song which I could call 'celebrating'. it is a song of feeling happy - and the happiness is sincere and deep
'slender chameleon' is a song that creates a 'cunning' image. an image of someone very strong and self-confident. the words contribute to the image, also
'kirai ni naritai', my favourite, was created while the third member, Nishioka-san, was still there. as far as I know she decided to pursue her writing career, this makes me think she was responsible for the lyrics. and if I am right, I adore her. the chorus part is simple but so very strong. 'tis not the simplicity that sounds cheap and unprofessional, 'tis the high level simplicity. my attitude towards the lyrics will be futher described in the next post, when I provide a translation

after See-Saw reunited, they created several beautiful songs together. they are 'Yasashii Yoake', 'Tasogare no Umi', 'Sen'ya Ichiya', 'Anna ni Issho Datta no ni', 'Kimi ga Ita Monogatari', 'Indio', 'Kimi wa Boku ni Nite Iru' and 'Seijaku wa Headphone no Naka'. at first sight, there are more songs in this part then in the previous one. however, among those I listed, most are just average Kajiura works, which are still beautiful, but already too recognizable, and therefore - boring. better to say, the songs are not boring, they are good, but the fact that they are so close to Kalafina and FictionJunction makes me feel uncomfortable when listening to them
another fact to mention is that latest works of See-Saw, as well as Kalafina's and FJ whole discographies are easy to sing. not simply easy, but VERY easy. just so easy that listening to a song once or twice enables you to repeat it looking into lyrics without the support of the original, while trying to sing early See-Saw made me understand I should better listen to the songs a lot more before I sing myself. in other words, the melodies of latest songs are PLAIN. so very plain that 'tis doubtful if it really required Kajiura-san to put any efforts in them
so, I am not going to describe each song I mentioned, because, as you see, I consider them to be alike to the extent they don't deserve being described. the songs I would like to mark as outstanding are
'Indio' used in 'Noir', where I heard it for the first time. I liked this song then, and I like it now so much that sometimes I cannot help crying, and at the same time I think 'tis a pity 'twas used in such an anime as 'Noir' which is not worthy of such a great OST
'Sen'ya Ichiya' is not a too usual song for Kajiura, also. though retaining a lot of her style, it presents a good attempt to create something new and different. even being used in '.hack' does not make it too plain
'seijaku wa headphone no naka' is a very touching song, and a very unusual one for Kajiura. therefore, one of the few favourites of mine
songs which remind me of some others are
'tsuki hitotsu' - looks like 'sayonara solitaire' used a lot of trick that were used in this song, but even more - 'Love' by Chiaki-san has not gone far from it, also
'kioku' is also a source of future Nanri-san's 'Kouya Ruten', though 'tis also quite close to 'Edge' and 'Obsession', in my mind
'anna ni issho datta no ni', 'kimi wa boku ni nite iru' are Gundam theme songs, but these two and several others are just SO Kajiurish that though the songs themselves are great I could not listen to them too much. I felt awkward. no, I felt 'twas almost repulsive. the latter was especially close to FJ YUUKA's 'akatsuki no kuruma' which was used in Gundam as well. hey, Gundam fans, are you not tired of theme songs almost indistinguishable from each other?
'Kimi ga Ita Monogatari' and 'Tasogare no Umi', '.hack' theme songs - again  a very Kajiura-like works, which reminded me of FJ Yuuka and FJ a lot. nevertheless, I should admit these songs are a bit better than the previous ones
'Yasashii Yoake', another .hack theme song, is the only one where I dislike Chiaki-san's vocal. 'tis really, really bad, and the song itself is one of the most boring among Kajiura's works
'Obsession' and 'Edge' are the two songs which existence I cannot understand, or forgive. in my mind both of them are ugly, and they cannot even be described as energetic or insane creations - oh no, such were 'Paprika' or 'KoBJ' OSTs, but these two songs are just a shame on See-Saw

when I listened to Ishikawa-san's discography I was literally shocked. the amount of her songs I liked a lot was so close to 100%... I though I was mistaken, and probably overly impressed with her songs because I listened to them for the first time. however, I have heard each of them twice or three times as for now, and though some of the songs moved from 'WOOOOW' to 'well, these are good songs' - I am not disappointed. the same as in case with early See-Saw, a lot of songs are better than average and magnificent voice of Chiaki-san makes it impossible to tear yourself off them. another thing I was positively impressed with, is that the lyrics of many songs are very beautiful. as far as I know many of them were created by Ishikawa-san herself
such is 'natsu no niwa' where the word 'dream' is constantly repeated, which makes it really touching, though I was not really fond of the melody itself
'fukanzen nenshou', as well as 'switch ga haittara' are together with the previously mentioned song theme songs of 'Kamisama Dolls' - an anime obviously filled with fanservice, succeeding in graphics and lacking what a good anime should really have, judging by the reviews. 'tis a pity, because while 'switch' is not among my favourites, 'fukanzen' is a really good piece, energetic and with Latino rhythms, which is almost always very nice when Japanese composers use it. but what really pissed me off was using 'natsu no niwa' as an insert song to add dram to the visual component of the episode. well, 'tis an already trite thing, to play a calm and sad song while showing a lot of blood, death, scenes with good memories of the part and the tragic present, etc. and this might be ok. but 'tis not. 'tis NOT ok when the trick is just a calque - and I see 'tis. I have seen a lot of such scenes in other animes, and though sometimes they lacked quality, they were sincere enough for me to shut my eyes to the fact it did not look too realistic. this time they had all the means to create a credible scene, but it looks like a cheap affected trick to make spectators moved. well... I might be wrong. but I am not happy with the fact that such an angelic song as 'natsu no niwa' with such brilliant lyrics and sweet melody is used in such an anime... 
'Mou Nani mo Kowakunai, Kowaku wa Nai' delivers a sharp contrast to the previous song. I did not like the song itself, 'twas too boring for me, but it did fit in with the anime - 'Gundam something', I don't remember well... somehow, this is a much more 'classic' use of a 'classic' song in a still 'classic' anime - oh yes I think that Gundam did not went too far from its origins and thus can be considered the same Gundam 'twas when just created. am I wrong?
'Prototype' is another Gundam theme, and again I see it as a 'classic' anime song used in a 'classic' ending - with a bit of histrionics, but still nice. the voices effect is especially unusual and therefore a good point of the song. however, the chorus part did not impress me too much
'First Pain' is a strange thing. the lyrics have both good parts and parts which I cannot understand. and the melody is quite nice, but in the end, I cannot help thinking 'tis too plain and perhaps even too close to Kajiura-san's style. even the fact that the song was used as an OP in 'Element Hunters' did not change my impression
'Little Bird' is a 'Bokura no' theme song, and even though I think - well, I hope - it fits in with the anime message and overall impression, 'tis a boring song for me
'Uninstall' is a 'Bokura no' song as well, but this is a song I love with all my heart. for me, 'tis one of the top songs of Chiaki-san. the voices in the beginning remind of 'Prototype' but the song itself is not as 'angry' as 'Prototype', 'tis much more gentle, though not less energetic. there is an acoustic version also, though I do not like it very much. the general impression of 'Uninstall' is a sad one, to the extent that it almost makes me cry. the only thing that puzzled me a bit was that some moments in the song reminded me of NGE osts and the anime itself reminded me of NGE itself... though I know there is nothing to confuse them
'Vermillion' is the third 'Bokura no' theme song, but unfortunately 'tis did not impress me at all. it sounds as a very old song of a low quality and I almost regret Ichikawa-san wasted her voice and time on it
'Utsukushikereba Sore de Ii' is a theme song of 'Simoun'. and I am not really happy with the fact. Studio Deen, shoujo-ai - not that I am against these two phenomena, but coupled, they create an image of a HUGE fanservice creation. and Ishikawa-san is not a person whose songs should be used in such animes. and the song it pretty good
'1/2' is a theme song of 'You're under arrest' 3 season. I cannot help feeling this anime is good only because of the fact 'tis based on Fujishima Kousuke manga (and him I consider to be a great mangaka and artist). of course Studio Deen does not contribute to this feeling, but well, they did Kenshin as well, and it was not TOO bad... oh, the topic, the topic - the song is good, but I did not feel like listening to it a lot after trying it for the first time. well, perhaps when I watch the anime I will reconsider my opinion on it. no, not perhaps, I WILL. I can see already how the name of the songs suits the plot, and even images in the ED video were created in accordance with the lyrics. 'tis great when anime directors-animators-etc. pay attention to such trifles (which are not really trifles, for me at least)
'Like an angel' is a 'Mermaid Forest' theme song, and somehow I feel like 'tis also a 'classic' song in a 'classic' anime. 2003 was a period when the quality of graphics dramatically increased and the quality of everything else had not dropped yet. therefore, the song itself and the was 'tis used in the anime seem very nice to me
'Emerald Green' is already a too modern, and too Kajiura-like song, used in  some part of '.hack'. the strange thing about it is that though I was listening to it while going from my university to the bus stop last week admiring the May light green leaves and young grass everywhere around me, I could not link the image I saw with the song, though its name really implies that I should
among her early songs she released under the name Somali, there is one particularly nice - 'zenshin ~karada~' which seems to be a bit close to 'fukanzen nenshou' in its guitar accompaniment
'eden' may seem close to them also, but I somehow dislike the whole album 'Inner Garden', though the verse part of 'yume o mite ita', songs 'like an angel' and 'ame no hi ni koi o shita' with an oriental intro are not bad
'house' is a song that makes me cry almost every time I listen to it. I don't cry because 'tis sad, no. I cry because 'tis so light and ethereal, and the guitar part is very touching, and the lyrics contribute to the general mood greatly
'namida' is another adorable song, very sad and... blue... I know 'twas used in 'Bakumatsu irohanihoheto' - or how is it called? - as an insert song. hope it fitted
'mislead' is the only song which I LOVE and which was not released as a single. 'tis a pity because it has no karaoke version T___T the song itself is energetic and reminded me of songs I heard when a child and teen. something close to 90s esthetics, but already 2000-ish
'cloudy' and 'rakurui', 'squall' are somewhere in the middle. I liked them the first several times I listened to them. but then... not that I got fed up with them. no, they are beautiful... but less than I need them to be
'gyakkou', 'ruisen', 'shylpeed' are very Japanese songs. while being completely modern, they retain the traditional style and this trick I love very much. only a small part in 'rakurui' in the middle of the song does not delight me very much
'TW' is perhaps the greatest song ever. not only among Chiaki-san's songs, but also among songs I have every heard, it belongs to the group of those which stuck in my mind and would not let me go, would not let me live on if I do not have them - download them, put them in my player, listen to them every time I can. the verses are great, the chorus parts are just taking your heart out of your chest, and the ending part with repeating phrases is just.... *BOOOOM* this was my head bursting out with this song's perfection
'The Giving Tree' is a kind of... wild song, with a bit of ethnic? touch... and a very beautiful song which almost makes you dance to it
'insomnia' reminded me of 'suhada' very much. not that they are linked or have a lot of in common, but their mood is close, meseems. and 'tis a good thing. I love this song, I feel as if this song were a song describing everyday life foll of small miracles and pleasant trifles. 'tis positive in spite of what its name could imply. also, I simply cannot help smiling when Chiaki-san sings 'shakashaka' and repeats 'ii n desu ka' in the chorus
unfortunately the other songs I consider to be boring. such as 'sherbet snow' or 'suna no ue no dolphin' are calm and sound more like a lullaby to me. well there are energetic ones like '49 scale' or 'taiyou' but still they lack something more unique and piercing your heart to be 'levelled up'

now that I count once again the amount of songs I like in Chiaki-san's discography coupled with See-Saw one, I am really happy I picked them out ^_^ they brought me a pleasure I was in need of so much

25 May 2012

morning tea

I had a lot of time to spare and I went to the canteen to eat my 'second breakfast'. there was no black tea sold, so I had to buy green. and 'twas so warm and beautiful in the rays of the morning sun
I did not even have to apply photoshop or pixlr-o-matic effects. 'twas naturally beautiful

24 May 2012

a link! ~ common obsessions ^.^


thanx to surfing through Tumblr, I found an interesting Japanese blog again. and the funniest thing is that apart from usual, conventional images of Takarazuka (like - 'I am fond of otokoyaku stair dance' or 'fluffy shanshans always look so cute'), there are trifles, details which are not easy to notice, but somehow there are people who share common obsessions and pay attention to similar things
in my case, 'tis... Marimo's hand O_____O
well, the post I linked to is a post describing the author's admiration towards Marimo's hand, and I cannot help signing under its contents
all the epthets are just sooo right. her way of waving is really distinguishable, the position of fingers, the general strain and direction of the hand look really beautiful
the author says that her way of opening the fingers is elegant as if she belonged to the royalty. and I cannot disagree >____<

23 May 2012

railway

when I walk through a station I have a mixed feeling. part of it is an urge to get on the train and go somewhere very far having your mp3 player with you, and needing nothing else. and the other part is the almost unconscious realizing of the fact that you could fall on the railway before a passing train if you walk too close to the edge

20 May 2012

my humble opinion on... website? ~ Oozora-sama and Nono-sama memorial


somehow, Cosmos Troupe seems to be not only the most freaky, but the richest also. not only it goes beyond the borders of 'tradtionalism', but also gains the most sophisticated, to put it mildly, decorations. not only the stage decorations, costumes also, and... how shall I call it... setting? staging? well, overall impression of how the stage looks
the more I look at Oozora-sama and Nono-sama, the more I understand I lost nothing by paying no attention to their combi. at the same time, I admit they both are good actresses, however, with different approaches. Nono-sama seems to like affected manner of playing. if she acts, she ACTS. if she pretends, she does it so that everybody would notice how much she tries. if she plays, she makes everyone see that she plays. not that she lives on stage. and there would be nothing wrong with it for me, if not for one thing. she has nothing of herself in her roles. she lets the role shape her as much as it can, and leaves nothing personal in it
vice versa, Oozora-sama never does something like this. while given different roles, she plays them as she can, in her unchangeable manner. therefore, however emotion there might be in the character, they all look the same for me
some praise her smile which is rare and thus precious. well, I know people whose smile is really rare and therefore worthy of earning, but even smiling Oozora-sama fails to impress me. I thought I was wrong, I hopes I was wrong, but the more I see her, the less I want to watch a performance with hers. realizing I am wrong for judging like this, I cannot help thinking this way
still, I wish them both good luck in their final performances in Tokyo

19 May 2012

a discovery ~ Yumeno-san in Shinkansen PR campaign

I thought Takarasiennes only support Hankyu, and Mitsui Sumitomo sometimes, but they do participate in PR campaigns and ads of other companies as well... o___O
here is Yumeno-san in a PR campaign of the Shinkansen Shintosu station in Tosu city, Saga prefecture, which was to open on March 12th last year. According to the description, she became a symbol of interaction between Kansai region and Saga prefecture (interaction exactly because of the new station opening) as a person who was born there, together with Asaka Manato-san, and they were named as Kyushu Shinkansen Tosu station Missionaire 'Saga Sakurasienne'
unfortunately the sound of the video is not very good, so I cannot write down what they say right now, but I do not feel there is something really important or interesting among those phrases I have heard
here is the address itself. they are not saying anything really deserving a translation. the words are trite, they only congratulate everyone with the new Shinkansen line and invite Saga citizens to visit Takarazuka, promising that they would do their best both in Takarazuka and in the PR campaign
p. s. and judging by the eye movement, they pronounced the text written for them and with the help of a teleprompter

18 May 2012

script! well, a kind of... ~ Cafe Break in April - Moon retirements, RomiJuri

introduction
  1. after being so angry with Mirio's photo session I was almost unable to see her face. however, I made myself listen to her and look at her. the Cafe Break was much later than the session I speak about, and Mirio is still cute and funny. perhaps I am wrong for being so annoyed with that image of hers...
  2. also, bear in mind that this time I am not 100% sure that I could hear all the words they pronounce. mistakes possible
  3. I did not put my remarks as I usually do, below the text. this time I felt like writing them directly after the sentences they are related to. I hope this doesn't spoil the text too much

if I am not mistaken, this is it

Snow Troupe part
the vid starts with Snow Troupe material which I have no interest in (hint: this means - no literal translation)
what I would say is that even if I cast aside the 'absence of love' towards Yukigumi in me, still both Otozuki-sama and Maihane-sama sound very, very, very hypocritical. they speak fast and their words sound as if they were prepared before and learned by heart. and their words are just so... general... and... hollow... well, perhaps, one can say that they always say general and hollow words on such occasions, and perhaps, I am too biased to be able to feel any sincerity in the Tops whom I do not like. still, I did not have such feelings when I watched videos with my beloved Moon...
well, I can write this part down, if anyone really needs literal translation...

retirement part
we see Kiriya-sama saying the first part of her text from the conference (which can be found in my previous post). nothing in the article on the official website was different from what she really said, unlike newspapers articles which tend to sum up different parts of press-conference and omit a considerable amount of information
then some scenes from the farewell show follow
then Kiriya-sama descends the stage. the subtitle below tell us that the melody is not 'sumire no hana' but from 'Phoenix'. the debut performance of Kiriya-sama
then we cannot see who gives the first part of the flowers to Kiriya-sama... >___< showing the person from the back... and very short...
Kiriya-sama's address is as follows
'In my life, meeting with Takarazuka Revue, and that I have lived up till this day as Takarazuka's Kiriya Hiromu, - 'even if the clock is turned back, I would choose the same path'. *audience laughs&applauds - because this is a famous line her character, Edward VIII, uttered in the performance* From tomorrow, I will departure to an adventurous stage, to search a new dream. To all the spectators here in the Theatre, and to numerous people outside who watched over me, I want to convey the feelings from the very bottom of my heart - thank you so much for these 18 years.'
then we see a very brief demachi for every retiring sienne. even Kiriya-sama was shown for several seconds, including the fans saying 'thank you for everything' and Kiriya-sama throwing her roses into the crowd (though of course, it lasted much longer in reality >_____< why are you so greedy, Cafe Break creators???)

RomiJuri part
the presentation starts. the full translation I already posted
then (finally~) we have a chance to watch the songs presentation (I though I would never see them T___T) - and I was quite delighted with the combination of Ryuu-sama's and Asumi-sama's voices with Manaki-sama's. and of course, I am happy to hear her singing is good, just as I wanted it to be - sonorous and bright like that of a bird, though might be not very strong 
then 'ASUMI Cafe Break' comes. Asumi-sama welcomes the 'guests' as new Top Star ans new Top Musumeyaku
she says that there was held a presentation and asks for the Top Combi impression of it
Ryuu-sama laughs that Mirio hosting the programme is an interesting thing, and they agree that it is a new page for her (as a joke, of course... well, if I understood them right)
then Ryuu-sama starts explaining her feelings. 'finally, this has started' she says, meaning obviously their Topness. 'I have swore once more that I would do my best to create a performance that the audience would enjoy.'
Manaki-sama adds 'Though I was worried a lot, when I started singing I realized keenly that this is the beginning, that it is enjoyable.' (ohhhh you see how she looks on her partners when speaking?)
then Asumi-sama goes on talking nonsense. I am very sorry to say this but she really is >____< and somehow 'tis really funny...
'When I saw you two singing 'aimer' from aside, I thought you were so sparkling! you were so... close! *here Ryuu-sama bursts laughing* I mean, you both have such small faces... (BTW, she uses polite word for 'you both') but it is so fitting! so I became looking forward to it very much. also, I would like to ask... though it might be strange for me to ask this... is there an image of how Ryuu-san is going to play Romeo?'
'Not only Romeo, but also Tybald, and all the following roles I will have, I would like to play in an enjoyable Moon Troupe, with passion and energetically, to tackle those roles, this is what I think... to be the basis of creating a role. (this is a hard phrase to translate... by 'creating a role' Ryuu-sama means the process when the actor thinks of how to act, how to behave on stage, how to become the character he is to play, etc.) And what do you think of it, Mirio?'
'Me? Well... though I am worried, I am thinking - what can jump up to me from the environment, and how am I to react? (I should admit I did not find any resemblance of Asumi-sama's last word in dictionaries, so this is only my speculation) This is how I enjoy the process. Well, maybe I should already start creating a plan for myself.' (by plan they mean the process of creating the role which I described)
Ryuu-sama notes 'Though we have switching roles in one performance, in a way, this is as if we had two performances, and this is also an enjoyable aspect...'
Asumi-sama agrees 'When the roles are different, it is as if we had different performances. The same I felt when in Scarlet Pimpernel. The lines, the feelings were different to the extent I could not imagine, and thinking of how it would turn out to be, is also a thing to enjoy. Chapi, what do you think of playing Juliette?'
Manaki-sama *blushing already beet-red* 'Until now there weren't a lot of chances for me to have the honour of playing together with Masaki-san, and Asumi-san...'
Asumi-sama interrupts her (which seems such a cruel thing to me... how could she say this instead of supporting her kouhai?) 'Your face is so read... You're nervous so it's so red...'
Poor Manaki-sama touches her face and starts repeating in nervousness 'There weren't, were there? There weren't, were there?'
Ryuu-sama is the first to put an end to this 'Finish properly!'
Manaki-sama comes to her senses 'Yes! There weren't, so I am looking forward a lot. For me... personally... I wonder, what colour I would be dyed in, and with a pure white heart I want to move futher.' *and she smiles, probably happy she finally managed to finish her speech properly* (I remember the phrase about the colour used in animes and doramas frequently. this means that a person would be changed depending on some circumstances or other people. if somebody knows 'Kaichou wa Maid-sama', Usui used this phrase in the episode about choosing colours for the maids uniforms - he said that Misaki's colour was white because she was not influenced by anyone, and that he wanted to paint her with his)
Ryuu-sama develops the thought of them three 'The three of us seem to be a party which cannot be separated even if we are severed, and from now on, perhaps, there will be a lot of moments when we think not of ourselves, but of the other two, beyond the stage too, and turning this into a bond, thus creating a better teamwork, it would be great to create a performance like this. This is what I think now.'
Asumi-sams finishes 'So, ASUMI Cafe Break comes to an end today, but I would be happy to do this again! Thank you a lot!' *everybody laughs* (I am not sure why, maybe Asumi-sama simply said a nonsense again... I guess she might have used a word which is not usually used in such cases to mark the ending of the programme)
Ryuu-sama and Manaki-sama also say 'Thank you a lot'

farewell show part again
Kiriya-sama 'Thank you! My dear guests, I see you have already stood up... *laugh* this means... *laugh* your preparations are completed, am I right? *laugh* Hiro-san, and Soruna-san (she calls them by nicknames, huh?), I hope your warming up is also all right. *laugh* So, I would like to conduct the traditional Moon Troupe Closing Night Great Jump. (look at Mirio, she is limbering up her hands and neck!) Guests on the second floor, please be careful. Please, kumichou...'
Koshino-sama 'So, I would like us to jump on ban-ZAI. Tsukigumi...'
everybody, including the audience jumps shouting 'ban-ZAAAAI!'
Kiriya-sama says 'Thank you!' again

the end
(I ended up rewatching the last part several times. not only to write down what they say. simply... to watch again...)

17 May 2012

the new Mirio... or did I get something wrong?


when I was in Quatre Reves, I decided not to buy this particular book only because of the fact WHO was Mirio's partner for the photo session. well, you can see, who. 'tis not as if I dislike her that much, but I had to save some money, therefore, I had to choose what books to buy and what to leave just there in the shop until better times come...
therefore, 'twas not until recently that I finally had a chance to have a look at what is inside. and it makes me shiver...
no, not with Mirio's coolness, or whatever you may call it
I should admit I have always found it difficult to recognize changes, and even if the changes were for the better, I have always been hesitant about them during the initial period. for example, when teachers in our school changes their hairstyle, I was always saying the new ones did not suit them, however, after several weeks I had to agree they were really more fashionable and suitable then the previous ones
this time, no matter how much time I would be given, I am completely unhappy about this change
I am not the first to note the current changes. I remember Otozuki-sama's photo hotly discussed. however, her look seemed to be quite acceptable to me
now I can understand the feelings of Otozuki-sama's fans. however, my disappointment and irritation are far keener
Mirio... what has happened to you? no, better to say, who are you?
what I should answer myself is, this is Mirio... the Mirio who astonished me as loving and caring Henri in 'Algiers no Otoko'. Mirio, who made me smile so much carrying a pig in 'Gypsy Baron'. Mirio, who was cute and a bit fragile even in 'Studio 54', however cool she would look there. this is Mirio whose gentleness and tenderness were praised so many times not only by me, but by Japanese newspapers. this is Mirio who was compared to a small chewing animal. this is Mirio who was so adorably cute on a photo with a kitten
and now I see this. and I am out of words. Mirio portraying a - let me call a spade a spade - Mirio portraying a sexy guy who came with a girl to a hotel room. Mirio lying on a bed with such a lusty face. Mirio looking in the mirror, and so completely unlike, for instance, Ranju-sama looking in the mirror in similar clothes and with similar makeup, but with such a different image and such a different idea
I cried so many times because of happiness and brightness I felt after watching performances, listening to songs, finding photos of siennes I like. I cried because of sadness when I understood that my favourite siennes were to retire. but that was OK. I never though I would cry because I am annoyed, vexed and frustrated. for the first time in my life I hate something concerning Takarazuka. Takarazuka with the motto of 'pure, proper, beautiful'


*upd the same day, 20-01*
OK. now I know what I want. I want that book with a DVD if there is any (I do not remember). or at least some kind of video with 'backstage'. I want to look Mirio in the eyes when she is explaining what image she was to display and what feelings she put into the session. I want to get a proper reason of hers to do this. or at least I want to hear her mumbling something without particular meaning so that I would draw a conclusion she was not the one willing to participate in this session

instruction! ~ an easy way to get access to Takarazuka monthly calendars

my sudden discovery ^.^
though I'm not sure if anybody needs this at all

the Japanese can't even protect their pics too well ^o^
here's the link to the web-site of TCA press
http://www.tca-pictures.net/press/110915_algiers.html
we see two versions of a calendar wallpapers available, one of which has the calendar on the left and the second... you can guess where the calendar is, huh? also there are two sizes offered.
however! when we try to click on the links we see that the site requires a password printed in TCA press. well, those of you who don't understand Japanese can only see some unreadable symbols, am I wright? ^.^
it means we cannot proceed to the page with the pics themselves, you may think. no it doesn't!
try to open the following link. see?
http://www.tca-pictures.net/press/img/110915/wallpaper/1280a-r.jpg
it leads you to the necessary pic page. WOW. how did I manage? I'm a magician! ^.^
well it started when I opened another image with a similar calendar on this particular web-site. and I wanted some more. then I saw I cannot get the pic I want, but I wondered why the previous link opened easily. then I simply changed the numbers which go after the img/ part to the date provided in the link I spoke of in the beginning of my post, which is 110915 as you can see. and I changed the size of the wallpaper to 1280 'cause I wanted the 1280 version. the versions available you can also check on the same page.
the letter 'a' after the size means the image, 'cause we have two of them. the link I provided will show you the Algier pic, and in order to get the Gypsy you should put 1280b there. the letter 'r' obviously means that the calendar would be on the right, as I said in the beginning of my post there's also the left-calendar version available, which is, of course, marked with 'l'.
well that's all for today's lesson. hope someone will ever make some profit out of my description

16 May 2012

Takarazuka monthly calendars - May, 2012

fortunately, nobody is caring to change the link which leads to the calendars... and I am able to download them without passwords, as ever ^.^
BTW, I feel I should have posted the way to the link in my blog, not in G+

15 May 2012

lyrics translation. Tamura Naomi's 'Mother Ship'

I wrote down as much as I could but I still had to check myself because the manner of singing in this song is unusual both for Tamura-sama, and in general - it really prevents from hearing clearly what the words are
therefore, I pay tribute to http://j-lyric.net/artist/a00080f/l01366f.html for being able to check my 'listening comprehension'
*translation updated May 2020

Japanese

失われた航海図 壊れた磁石
沈みゆく船の軌跡
緑を湛え 蒼く輝く
かつての姿はなく
泣いてる mother ship
痛みに堪えて

It’s too late, it's too late
未来へ舵をとれ
It’s out of time 錨をあげろ
帆を張り 風に乗れ

巨大な宇宙にある
小さな命の星

It’s too late まだ終わりじゃないんだ
負けたわけじゃない
It’s out of time 終焉の海を渡れ
持てる力で
It’s too late, it's too late
未来へ舵をとれ
It’s out of time 錨をあげろ
帆を張り 風に乗れ


English

A lost sailing chart, a broken compass
Traces of a sinking ship
Shining with a pale light, it’s full of green
Its original shape already lost

The crying mother ship
Enduring the pain

Its too late, it's too late
Turn your helm to the future
It’s out of time, lift the anchor
Hoist the sail and ride the wind

In the large universe
There is a small star of life

It’s too late, it is not the end yet
It is not as if you have lost
It’s out of time, cross the sea of demise
With all the power you have

Its too late, it's too late
Turn your helm to the future
It’s out of time, lift the anchor

Hoist the sail and ride the wind
damn it. I am happy for Ryuu-Asumi-Manaki trio. I am happy for the new Moon Troupe. I am almost successful in persuading myself that their new performances will be great, even if the start is not too impressive
and I am happy for other troupes which have such wonderful performances as Saint-Exupery, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, for example. they sound so wonderful. and they will be wonderful, I know, I believe!
I do believe. I really do
but 'tis just so impossible... I have just realized that my beloved are no longer there. I imagined the stage without them. and what I felt was the emptiness that eats your soul from within, which I have not felt for such a long time that I already started thinking 'twould never come back again
'tis completely ok when I watch performances on screen, or when I watch tv programmes with other siennes. but I just cannot go there, where the stage has no more the warmth that made me smile and cry. the beauty and sparkling of the shows yet to come suddenly became too far and too cold, though they are not going to change their very essence only because several people left
as if all this celebration were no longer for me. as if 'twere the same Takarazuka, but even if I stand in the middle of it, everything passes me by
I already wrote a quotation from Tamura Naomi-sama's song - 'we are going to move on'. and yet... damn it