映像も含めて多重に意味が込められた素晴らしい作品で、見終わってしばらくなにもできなかったです。 聴き心地のよいトラックと巧みなストーリーテリングにすっかり引き込まれたあとの、まさかのアウトロで絶望して、「こんな思いをする人がいるのはよくない、もう嫌だ」と自然と思わされました。 アウトロで当事者のように怒りと絶望を体験することで、「大変だったけど立ち直れてよかった」「幸せになってね」みたいなお客様的な消費ではすませられない仕掛けになってると思います。 「I used to love H.E.R」が出てきたけど、「彼女」はcrystal-zさんのことを愛してると思います。 少し遅かったのかもしれないけど
Sai no kawara by crystal-z: Lyrics Translation *6 Our crew was still active those days: we issued a selfmade single. Soon later it was aired on TV. Day by day we felt tangible achievements on our hands But each of us started to have a family, sweet home we walk on a different road, stable jobs and creation we brought our cohabitation to a conclusion, left the shared house, our crew broke up The destination disappeared, audio equipments of no use New beats and rhymes can bring me no foods 32 years old: blurred future with no goal It's up to me whether I light it up or not What about I save patients as a doctor but I know it needs patients for that Still I needed something I can work on The meaning of life I can live for Soon I quit my tutoring school job At the final English class I played 'I Used to Love H.E.R.' Its translation handout freaked the school master out 'Are you losing your common sense!?' was his word of farewell In Ohanomizu every month I take a practice test and each time marked a personal best Go ahead, today, tomorrow and the day after Day by day I built up my knowladge at the cost of a part of my life At the top floor of that library from open to close My girlfriend saved me with her dinner My musician brain regained its edge 'The Chart' turned from blue to red*1 Someone called me a 'Daydream Believer' but with shaped fangs I stepped forward Lazy-me is dead now, time flies and my first winter comes*2 It doesn't have to be perfect ('順'調, Juncho) You don't need to be a genius ('天'才, Tensai) Going around in circles('堂'々巡り, Dohdoh meguri) over and over Tokyo, the Great ('東京 偉大', Tokyo Idai) City*3 It doesn't have to be perfect ('順'調, Juncho) You don't need to be a genius ('天'才, Tensai) Going around in circles('堂'々巡り, Dohdoh meguri) over and over Spring doesn't come in Tokyo*4 I was confident that the finish line is only inches away 'Center Exam' score was higher than when I was in high school*5 But stay focused, you have another high wall ahead As such I gave everything I got to the 'Second Exam,' which turned out to be a total failure I failed in all universities in Tokyo of my choice That year and the next too Even though I pass the paper test, I somehow can't pass the interview Even though practice exams always show 'A: Pass', the result is always a let-down The age handicap? I've never dreamt of that Finish line is pulled away If you stick to Tokyo, you end up to be failed If you choose a countryside, you have to be away from your girlfriend The ultimate decision almost tore me apart but in the end I was on an airplane to take the exam My number was on the result announcement webpage She was taking the shower but I proposed and we hugged each other soaked To my friends, my parents and the city To the days I could spend with loved ones 'Come see me even though it's quite far' I left Tokyo with a huge gratitude It doesn't have to be perfect ('順'調, Juncho) You don't need to be a genius ('天'才, Tensai) Going around in circles('堂'々巡り, Dohdoh meguri) over and over Tokyo, the Great ('東京 偉大', Tokyo Idai) City*3 It doesn't have to be perfect ('順'調, Juncho) You don't need to be a genius ('天'才, Tensai) Going around in circles('堂'々巡り, Dohdoh meguri) over and over Spring doesn't come in Tokyo*4 **Sampling from a actual news report** 'A former examinee sued medical universities claiming that he was made failed in exams due to his age. Although the 34-year-old man was made failed last year, the universities' internal investigation found out later that he was in fact over the pass score.' **Another sampling from his actual meeting with university staff after the investigation** 'The age, 33 years old is...' 'We are sincerely sorry but' 'Due to the issue of age' 'You are very earnest, so...' 'This is not a fraud' 'This is not a fraud we think' 'I know how you feel very well. And we are sorry for...' *1 The Chart: the most popular math study-aid workbook. Blue is advanced and red is super advanced. The book is on his desk and changes its color through video) *2 Japan's entrance exam season is winter and school starts from April, cherry blossom season. *3 He put a gimmick into the hook. If you read the lyric vertically, it says '順天堂' which is Juntendo (University). And the final line '東京偉大' (Tokyo great, or Tokyoidai) can be interpreted as 東京医科大学, or Tokyo Medical University, both of which rigged exams. *4 '桜咲く' or 'Cherry blossom has bloomed' metaphorically means you pass the entrance exam in Japanese. 'The spring doesn't come in Tokyo' stands for the fact that he somehow can't pass exams for universities located in Tokyo *5 Japan's SAT: Each university evaluates the score of both 'Center Exam' and each university's 'Second Exam' (+interview) *6 The song title 'Sai no kawara' is a river beach which is believed, in Buddhism, to be located before another world where children past away before their parents attempt to make a small rock tower to do memorial service for their parents but as they complete a tower, demons come to collapse them. It also means the effort for no use.