Miu Sakamoto and Miki Nakatani ~ a special kind of disappoinment

I don't know how I found Miu, I think I was just browsing randomly and then I stumbled upon her. Then I saw that the person who wrote the artist description said that her voice is similar to that of Miki. So I downloaded both and this is all I can say: boring.

the song that attracted me most - 'awakening'

which turned out to be an almost exact copy of Miki's 'Frontier'. Better to say, 'All this time'.

And Miu's 'Other side of love' is the same as Miki's 'Suna no Kajitsu'.

By the way, I don't quite think their voices are that similar. If I were asked to compare them to someone, I'd remember Mai Fujisawa. I wonder why does it happen that they both were born to famous musicians... Is it something transmitted genealogically?

Speaking of the voice, Miu's one is a real gem. I can totally see why so many people love her music. She has that transparent, ethereal voice that is actually hard to find among Japanese female singers. Miki's voice is closer to the typical cutie-honey, but it's still very specific.

That said, I must first of all admit that I fell in love with both of them. Miu's voice was like a fresh breeze among all those cute girls that look and sound the same. Miki's voice was very tender and warm.

And here comes the main thing. Even though I have been searching for so long for singers with such clear unusual voices, their songs failed completely to impress me. They were all very cute and tender, but so uninspiring.

Miu was doing many covers. After hearing the originals, I, however, lost my interest to them.

a song that sounds much better performed by the original band - 'Opus and Mayverse'

The only cover I liked was 'Fields of gold'

If I had to recommend something, I'd remember '15fun'. However, the first time it was interesting, the second it was so-so, the third time it was nothing and the fourth it was annoying. The same goes for most songs that I intended to include into my playlist initially - 'THE NEVER ENDING STORY', 'Swan Dive' and others.

Miu's next albums were more experimental and inclined towards synthetic sound. Which is all absolutely ok if not for the fact those songs did not last long, too. In fact, I was bored with them even earlier than others: 'Phantom Girls First Love', 'Precious', 'Anata to Watashi no Aida ni Aru Mono Subete Ai to Yobu'.

the songs that still capture my heart after listening to them for 5 times: 'More Speed, More Light.', 'Dance dance dance' and 'I'm yours'.

Just FYI, 5 times is nothing, with a complete collection of more than 100 songs it would take me 3 days to listen to the whole discography several times and pick up what I like.

Actually I'm pissed off with this music video. For me this song is serious and it does not look good with some muppet show going on below.

two songs that made an opposite impression on me - 'odayaka na kurashi' and 'itoshii hito'

On one hand, both describe the wish of the persona to lead calm, normal life with the one she loves. On the other hand, the first song makes me want to throw out with its plainness, while the second is very touching and gives a good kick to imagination. After thinking over for a while I came to the conclusion that the melody is the trick here. I guess if the former song had a different, less annoying melody, I'd be delighted with it.

The last album is just good-for-nothing. If earlier albums at least contained a few songs to choose from, the only decent song in 'Waving flags' is 'HIRUNO HOSHI'. By saying that I'm not saying I liked it very much. I got bored with it soon, too. The whole album gives an impression like it was created as a collection of background music for some slice-of-life movie or anime about schoolgirls.

And Miki? Oh, there was not a single song that I would like to listen again.

conclusion

Summing it up, I guess I have to admit that such singers are for those who... like such singers. I never forget that tastes differ. As for quality, both Miu and Miki offer such music that it's hard to find any flaws in it. But for me, this music lacks inspiration. And it's such a waste because the voices were exactly what I wanted to find so much.

'Nihonjin no shiranai nihongo' drama ~ maji de gozaimasu ka?

This drama is really strange. It does not go into depth of the Japanese language, but it features things that wouldn't be clear for a beginner. While trying to show the variety of Japanese words, grammar, politeness levels and their relation to Japanese culture, the makers kinda failed to notice that it made the story completely incredible.

story and characters

We have a very energetic young miss who suddenly becomes a teacher. I'd praise the fact the lead character is authentic and has certain charisma. By the way, that's how she's called in school - charisma. However, the words 'charisma' in Japanese has already shifted its meaning slightly.

Not only 'charisma', but many other things in Japanese are ambiguous and need explanation.

On one hand, this drama is very helpful since it gives answers on questions that are really interesting and helpful for foreigners who learn Japanese. But that's only in case you have the same questions that our characters have.
The students were the most incredible detail in the story. They could not write and read even simple kanji, but they knew how to say difficult things. They were doing silly things and asking silly questions, but when they were surprised with what their teacher explained, they all exhaled simultaneously: 'heee?', just the same way the Japanese do.

 I'd say they were no less charismatic than the teacher:

 Most puns were based on language tricks:

What I especially liked were the 'historical explanations' of different things in modern Japanese. It was a surprise even for me to learn about the origin of some words and grammar. And the explanations were extremely realistic

and showed just exactly how it was. Yes. Exactly.

I liked it that the creators were objective and featured even the problems that the Japanese language encounters, such as wrong usage of words. By the way, that's exactly the case when it's necessary to write 'don't try to copy!'. Since not all Japanese are accurate in their language use. Like here, when you have a part-time job in a restaurant don't try to learn from waiters who follow a manual without thinking about language problems.

By the way, most jokes about the foreign students were accurate. Now I'm saying this seriously.

Another great things was that the view on Japan in the drama was not one-sided. The drama mentions a lot of things that foreigners have to deal with in Japan - a certain degree of ostracism, girls who pretend to like foreigners just to have a chance to learn English or have a foreign boyfriend or husband, which is a certain kind of fashion, problems with getting a part-time job, and many other things. In fact, each episode describes how the teacher, Haruko, saves a student from some kind of 'pinch'. 'Cause it's really a problem that there are no more ninjas or yakuza on the streets of Japan, right?
And of course, those famous relations. How can a Japanese drama do without them.

And of course, even when Japanese make a mistake in announcing a client's order in a restaurant, they do it our of their wish to be polite.

 And of course, those morals... (bweeee *throwing out*)

And of course, the favourite word of our Heroine is 'thank you'. Isn't she touching? Of course she is, to the extent that even a successful student comes back to her classes after he's already graduated.

But I'm not really against that, you know? Don't you have that warm feeling when you see a silly happy-end like that? Don't you?

acting
Well, don't expect anything from a dorama like this. It was not aiming at high skies from the very beginning. I'd say I even liked the main actress, Naka Riisa. She was making all those cute faces.

Narushi Ikeda was good at making funny faces, too. Well, all the students were also extremely charismatic. That said, in no way is this manga supposed to be viewed as a piece of art with any depth. It is entertainment to the core.

conclusion

 Yes, they do *nods*

'Red Data Girl' manga ~ so that's how it actually is

The story in the anime was not explained very well. However, I knew from the start that I'd love the manga. The original light novel series was written by the same author who did 'The good witch from the West'. And I somehow believed she would not let me down.

story and characters
What a strange fate. The manga follows exactly the same stream of events and most dialogues are almost identical if we compare it to the anime series, but what great difference there is between the impressions they leave. If the anime belongs to the category 'shut up and watch', manga leaves less questions and does not leave one asking 'so what happened right now?'. This does not mean the manga is 100% easy to understand from the very beginning, but in it some characters say things that explain the author's idea in a very clear way.

The most important thing that the goddess that 'possessed' Izumiko explained is her own story. What I could see in the anime was that she's just a woman who travelled back to the past and 'possessed' women in the Suzuhara family so that she would find a person who'd stop her from killing the humanity. In fact, she did not simply search for them but the monks actually existed for that purpose - what an interesting version. Moreover, she told she already became a world heritage in the future, which kinda reveals another side of the story.

What I liked very much was the idea that actually all women in the line were the goddess herself and the reality was that she, the goddess, gradually started to forget who she is. In other words, Izumiko thought the goddess possessed her because could not remember that she IS the goddess. Whether she actually was or her own personality also had a right to exist is another question, though.
Unlike anime, the narration is not completely broken. Even though it does sometimes jump from one moment to another, here or there you can see short phrases that do not take a lot of time but contain a lot of meaning.

The manga plays hide-and-seek with the anime in turns. The moments that were skipped in the anime have more time in the manga, and the moments that were highlighted in the anime were not as impressive in the manga. To speak of my favourite moment in the anime, it had such a great impact due to its greater length (even though it's a couple of seconds, in the manga it did not even take one page) and  the seiyuus' job. Instead, the manga shows the events more from Izumiko's side. Just those few moments when the authors described how she felt when Miyuki was telling her something harsh made me think it was a good decision to read this manga.

It feels like something I have been gathering slowly just broke down with a bump. But it's not that I lost something. I have been alone. From the start.

Or when she compares the way Manatsu gently asks her what happened with the 'shut out' smile of Sagara.

This trick is something found ubiquitously in any kind of manga. Here and there. An important moment takes more frames on a page so that the reader would feel it and have time to understand it. It really depends on the mangaka, though, whether the trick is successful or not. I'd say that RDG is an example of how it should be done.

It really struck me every time when Izumiko's feelings were shown. How does it feel when you are desperate to make someone acknowledge you and your existence? How must it be painful when you're afraid that person would not speak a word, cast a glance on you anymore?

Moments when other characters' inner thoughts were shown were even more rare, but the more so valuable. Just a couple of weeks ago I read a 'teens love' manga about a girl who meets a high-ranked company official who happens to have a yacht, present her a dress, give her an engagement ring with a diamond, find her lost father and, more importantly, save her from having to work as a prostitute. Needless to say, their relationship was extremely explicit. In the short breaks between their 'interactions', there was some vague resemblance of a story. I remembered that manga when I read RDG. Actually, just one broken phone screen and one vision of those once annoying braids can tell much more about feelings.

What is important, this is the case when the supporting characters are not simply a bunch of faceless people swarming around the main Heroes. Even though my favourite were the main couple, their friends - and foes, too - were all people with their own story and motives.

graphics
I have a friends who dislikes that kind of 'round' cute faces that are widespread among modern anime-studios. She is especially pissed off when she sees something like KyoAni's ones.

By the way, I don't. For me the graphics in the anime version of RDG looks very attractive, even though one may say all characters are kinda drawn out of the same stencil plate. However, the manga features a different style. When you get used to it, it's pretty enjoyable too.
Like I mentioned, highlighted moments were very impressive. Even though the style may seem a bit artificial, I liked the way the mangaka expressed her feeling about a certain moment in the story. This is just one of the many frames in the manga, but I'd call it a masterpiece.

Another widespread trick, right? When something cannot be happening right now, but instead of reality mangaka shows an illusory image which is an allegory, a comparison of the real condition to something the author thought of.

language and wording
I wouldn't recommend reading this manga in the original to anyone, unless he is a traditional-Japan maniac. This manga was a source of many new words, but most of them were religious terms having to do something with shinto, historical terms, names and places. The other half were words that could be replaced with a more widespread and understandable equivalent. A lot of periphrasis structures and idioms were used, too. It was a hard work to read this manga. And I'd say it takes a lot of nerves. In the middle of it I was so tired that I let myself have a break and watched an easy to understand TV drama.

conclusion
The ending was not a surprise, but I was still very angry. 'After that they changed the world, but that's another story!', they said. Huh? When you read such a great premise you already hope to see the final denouement... but it's not there.
On the other hand, is it not for the better? The final resolution is up to your imagination.
As such, the manga does not actually have a story, it's like an introduction to something bigger. It does not describe events, but rather it describes feelings and relations. I don't even know why it was serialised in a shounen magazine since it obviously lacks action. However, as a story about people, it's a very good read.

p. s.
And just in case you're wondering how I laid my hands on it, I actually bought it. Yeah, with my own money. What a rare case. I'm not regretting it. For those who are eager to read it despite the fact I claimed it to be difficult, I'll share a secret: a good service is a website called 'cmoa'. If you are not able to find it yourself, register and buy what you want, I wouldn't recommend reading this manga =)

lyrics translation. 'kanata made' by RK Standard

It's a pity that Risa, whose full name seems to be Horie Risa, does not make a lot of good albums herself. Her voice in RK's works sounds very good. The last verse of this song is especially expressive.

Japanese

 
何度も戸惑うけど　何度も怖がるけど
いつしか踏みだしてる　戻れずに
何度も通った道　何度も迷いながら
本当は傷つく事求めてる　どこかで

手を繋いで歩きだそう　二人　月の夜
手を繋いで堕ちてゆこう　きっと　彼方まで

破滅する事を恐れて　近くにいられないなら
奇麗に飾りなさい　嘘つきな姿を

さあ、目覚めて　二人だけの時間抱きしめて
さあ、目覚めて　一人きりじゃ夜は深すぎて

ねえ、何も今は聞こえなくて
胸を伝う鼓動遠くなってゆく

手を繋いで歩きだそう　二人　月の夜
手を繋いで堕ちてゆこう　きっと　彼方へ
もう恐れず水辺に浮ぶ月が揺れてる
手を繋いで離さないで　きっと　彼方まで

Translation

I doubt again and again, I fear again and again, but
I noticed I started to walk, without going back
This is the road I have walked on many times, getting lost many times,
But somewhere in my soul I feel like I want to be hurt

Joining our hands, let’s go together – a moonlit night
Joining our hands, let’s fall down – surely, to that faraway place

If you can’t be near me because you’re afraid of destruction
Than decorate beautifully this lying figure of yours

So wake up! Embrace the time for the two of us
So wake up! The night is too deep for a lone one

You know, I can’t hear anything now
And the heartbeat in my chest is becoming distant

Joining our hands, let’s go together – a moonlit night
Joining our hands, let’s fall down – surely, to that faraway place
No fear – the reflection of the moon is trembling on the water
Take my hand and don’t let go – surely, to that faraway place

Takarazuka monthly calendars. April ~ July 2015

Just a new portion

lyrics translation. 'sore de mo anata o ai shiteta' by Ayaka Hirahara

I didn't like this song at first, it's too boring, I thought. The melody is so plain even I could compose something like that, I thought. Also, it's not that I live such ballads very much. In fact, it's the lyrics that make it so touching. After all, I can't say I love it even now, but it's a very dramatic song with a good text. And I like such songs with kind of pessimistic, dark mood.

http://www.youmaker.com/

Japanese

My darling　尋ねてくれますか
私の行く先を
いつか二人で見た
海に一人きり
My darling　数えてくれますか
二人過ごした日々を
触れそうで触れられない
あなたの指先

返して　私の愛を
返して　私の心を
ねえ、どうして悲しい恋と
はじめから知っていたのに
それでもあなたを愛してた

My darling　覚えていますか
私のこの鼓動を
あなたにあげた肩も
触れた唇も
My darling　泣いてくれますか
私が死んだとしても
他の誰かを愛しても
私を忘れないで

返して　私の夢を
返して　私の涙を
ねえ、どうして惨めな恋と
はじめから知っていたのに
それでもあなたを愛してた

愛して　さあ、もう一度
愛して　私のすべてを
もう二度と戻れないのと
運命が私を抱き寄せても
それでもあなたを愛してた

ねえ、どうして悲しい恋と
はじめから知っていたのに
いまでもあなたを愛してる

Translation

My darling, will you come
To that place where I go?
To the sea that we admired together
Will you come alone?
My darling, will you try to count them –
Those days that we spent together?
With your fingers that look like I can touch them
But I cannot.

Give back my love,
Give back my heart
Tell my why, even though I knew from the start
That it would be a sad love,
I loved you so much?

My darling, do you remember
This heartbeat of mine,
My shoulder that leaned on you
And my lips that touched yours?
My darling, will you cry for me?
Even if I die
And you fall in love with someone else,
Please don’t forget me

Give back my dream,
Give back my tears
Tell my why, even though I knew from the start
That it would be a miserable love,
I loved you so much?

Love me, one more time
Love all of me
Even if destiny holds me
And tells me I’ll never return back,
I loved you so

Tell my why, even though I knew from the start
That it would be a sad love,
I will love you forever?

Остановились попить чайку возле трассы. Нашего радио нет даже на длинных волнах, зато китайское ловит отлично.
Такое ощущение, что качество голосов исполнителей находится в прямой пропорциональной зависимости от коммунистичности ее страны.

 

lyrics translation. 'Kakugo' by Annabel (Masumi Ito)

The song is so short that it does not take any efforts to translate it at all. If you ask me what exactly I must be worshiped thanked for - it is the lyrics itself. You won't find it in the web, since this song is not featured on the booklet from the original CD, and from what I can see no one managed to write it down properly. I am speaking of the second line of the first verse. You will find variants like 世は落下を - 'yo wa rakka o', and 弱わらかを - 'yowaraka o', but both are wrong. If you want a proof, there isn't any. That's just how I hear it.

However, I can say a few words to defend my version. First, when a syllable is doubled, it takes 2 notes in the melody respectively. If it were 'rakka', it would be sung as 'ra-a-ka'. The problem is, the word 'you' in my version does not take 2 notes as it should, it is sung as 'yo' instead of 'yo-u', but that's a thing that happens much more frequently. Second, there's no such word as 'yowaraka'. Third, the last syllable sounds as 'u', not as 'o'. Fourth, there's a caesura before the 'a' sound, which actually made me think if it's not a separate word starting from 'a'. That's how I found 'aragau'. Moreover, the first sound is so obviously 'a', not 'wa'. Fifth, it's not 'torawareru', it's 'torawarenu', if you listen attentively. And after all, at least my sentence is grammatically correct and makes sense.

And I don't mistake 裂く for 咲く.

Japanese

青ざめた世界が遠く深く広がる
瞼閉じた夢に囚われぬよう抗う

砕けた砂を踏み締め、降り積む想いを抱いて
誰よりも早く君へ、その闇　裂いて

何も見えなくても君の手を取って行こう
光へと

Translation

The world that grew pale lies in front of me, vast and deep
I resist to being captured by the dream that I see when I close my eyes

Treading on the scattered sand, embracing the feelings that fall down and cover it
To you, faster than anyone, slashing through that darkness

Even if we cannot see a thing, let me take your hand and let’s go there
Where the light is