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namaikihoney · 2 months ago

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just a tl of mona's q&a from her summery! photobook~~

Q1: Please introduce yourself.

A: I’m mona, a High School student and an idol. It’s nice to meet you!

Q2: What is something that you’ve been hooked on lately?

A: Trying out different foods! As you can see from a couple of the pictures in my photobook, I love to eat shaved ice with tons of fruits on it. I plan on trying shaved ice topped with lots of mangoes next time.

Q3: What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

A: I stretch out, just like a cat does. My body is all stiff when I wake up, so stretching feels great. I recommend that you guys do it too!

Q4: What is something that you always carry with you?

A: Lip balm, I guess. As I’m an idol, I’d like to avoid having dry lips if I can help it!

Q5: Do you collect any items?

A: I collect goods of idol girls. Whenever I attend their concerts, I buy at least 10 random bromides, though I’d buy 20 if I can afford them! Also, I have all the CDs of the idols I follow!

Q6: What is your favourite ride at the amusement park?

A: The roller coasters! Like the ones that make you scream a ton, I guess. But that bungee jump that I did on that one TV show was pretty scary~.

Q7: What would you say your strong point is?

A: The flexibility of my body, I guess. I train my flexibility every day for the sake of my dances.

Q8: What is something that you are unable to deal with?

A: I can’t stand horror stuff all that well. Though, I’m the type of person who’d become composed when I’m with someone who’s more scared than me.

Q9: What would you do if you had 5 more hours in a day?

A: I’d play games! I’ve been hooked on a dating sim these days… It’s so much fun that the hours just fly by. I wanna romance all of the targets someday. Ah! I’m not betraying all of my fans with a boyfriend, or cheating on you guys or anything! I promise! This is just a really fun game! I mean it! Please believe me!

Q10: What would you do if you turned into a cat?

A: I’d want to bother my owner! Cats will be forgiven if they selfishly plead for attention, won’t they? I wanna be spoiled a ton too!

Q11: At what point during your Summer vacations would you usually finish your homework?

A: I’d try my best to do my homework on the first day of Summer vacation, but the end of the break always arrives before I know it. So I alwaaays end up barely finishing my homework in time…

Q12: Are anniversaries important to you?

A: Not really~. But maybe I just don’t know cuz I’ve never wanted to fall in love! The birthdays of my family and friends are really important to me, though.

Q13: Do you wait for the entire recommended duration before eating your cup noodles?

A: Nope. I like my noodles firm! Plus, the noodles will soften while I’m preparing my meal afterwards anyway.

Q14: If you could change just one thing about yourself, what would it be?

A: I wouldn’t change anything. Everyone loves me just the way I am after all! …I sure said a really cheesy and embarrassing line there, ehehe.

Q15: What would you do if the world ended tomorrow?

A: I’d hold a concert! I’d want to have fun with everyone till the very end.

Q16: What would you do if you turned into the opposite gender for just one day?

A: I’d want to tease my Big Sis, I guess. She’s so pure that I think it’d be really fun to tease her. I wanna make her heart pound!

Q17: What is a must-buy for you at convenience stores?

A: Ice cream! There are new kinds of ice cream every time I go. It’s the best~.

Q18: What gestures could a member of the opposite gender do that would make your heart skip a beat?

A: Eh, lemme think… Maybe my heart would pound if I saw him enjoy a delicious meal? Like the other day, my heart pounded as I watched this boy from the same batch as me eat cream puffs. No, maybe the sight of a boy who loved sweets was just so cute that my heart skipped a beat… I don’t really know for sure!

Q19: If you could live in a fictional world from either a book, TV show, or a movie, what kind of world would it be?

A: I’d want to live in a world where I could use magic. I still dream of flying to the skies on a broomstick with the use of magic.

Q20: Do you think aliens exist?

A: I think they do! The thought that there’s a civilisation that’s way more advanced than ours in a galaxy far, far away is pretty exciting, right?

Q21: Which of the four seasons is your favourite?

A: Summer! Be it Summer live festivals, Summer festivals, or Summer vacation, Summer’s full of events, which makes it really great~!

Q22: How would you describe yourself in a single phrase?

A: I hate to lose, I guess.

Q23: What image do you currently have as your phone’s lock screen?

A: Uhh, it’s a photo of my class’s blackboard that has the deadline of my assignment written on it… I’m sorry that it isn’t cute at all… But if I don’t set it as my lock screen, I’ll completely forget about the deadline.

Q24: Who are you good at imitating?

A: I’m great at imitating my Big Sis! But Big Sis is really good at imitating me too, y’know?

Q25: Do you believe in fortune-telling?

A: I’ll believe in good fortunes! But I’ll completely disregard bad fortunes!

Q26: What is something you’re unexpectedly good at?

A: Crane games! I’m great at grabbing plushies from my favourite manga series and such. Even my Big Sis often begs me to help her snag some goodies from them these days! Crane games don’t just hold plushies, they hold sweets and all other kinds of stuff too! I like them cuz they’re really fun to play!

Q27: What is something that you would like to challenge yourself to do in the future?

A: I’d like to write lyrics and compose music! I want to give writing songs by myself a try. I think that there are songs that only I would be able to write in order to convey the feelings to my fans which would otherwise be unable to get through to them. Those are the feelings that I wish to write songs about. So I hope that you’ll continue to keep watching over me!

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namaikihoney · 2 months ago

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heroine and idol: lyrical analysis by me!

since apparently i have some explaining to do for why i translated heroidol the way i did, here's a line-by-line rundown and interpretation of both the lines and the scenes from the MV relevant to them.

before i go there, i'd like to remind you all that translations are heavily based on interpretation, and i took many creative liberties for this song, but not without reason!

平等だって聞いたのに! (byoudou datte kiita no ni!) -> it was supposed to be fair game!

okay, this like, in its essence, means: i thought there was equality! which makes no sense. 平等 means equality or impartiality. the rest, you can make that out on your own. i translated it as "fair game" because this line was meant to highlight how idols and normal people are in different levels. for normal people, idols are waaaay out of their leagues and an impossible love. for idols, they are the audience, their careers are dedicated them, but they're not allowed to fall in love.

住む世界が違う芸能人 (sumu sekai ga chigau geinoujin) -> celebrities who live in a whole other world

顔面偏差値　比べ凹む (ganmen hensa-chi kurabe hekomu) -> taken at face value, no one can compare

now, this line was actually really funny. hiyori sees lipxlip on TV and remembers that these idols are in a whole other world from her. then, she looks in the mirror, and the line here translates to "no one can compare to their facial deviation". now, facial deviation is a way of judging whether a person is kind and beautiful based on their face. a high deviation is a compliment, etc. she's saying that just based on appearances, no one can compare to how idols look beautiful and kind (including herself, and normal people like her.)

日頃から笑顔を振りまいて (higoro kara egao wo furimaite) -> charming them all with a smile everyday

リアルか？フェイクか？(riaru ka? feiku ka?) -> is it real? is it fake?

騙されそう(汗) (damaserasou) -> it feels like a deception

these three lines are pretty self-explanatory. lipxlip, as idols even in sakuragaoka high school, portray kind and charming personalities that are nowhere near how they are in real life. hiyori contemplates whether the smiles they're giving to their classmates/fans are real or fake, because she knows what lipxlip are like behind that. the final line, she says it "feels like a deception", another way of translating this would be "it feels like i'm being fooled". because unlike the fans who only know lipxlip as princes, and lxl who are truly just some 16-year-olds with a big dream, hiyori stands smack dab in the middle, both as lipxlip's manager and a julieta herself. to the point where even she, someone who knows what lxl are like, feels like she's being fooled. this also highlights her role in lxl's lives, as the keeper of their secret (the secret being their bad personalities LMAO), because despite knowing the truth and despite all the hoops she's going through in this mv, she's one of the few people who knows the truth.

恋なんて多分ダメだろうに (koi nante tabun dame darou ni) -> falling in love is probably not allowed

そのくせフェロモン (sono kuse feromon) -> still, your addictive pheromones

飛ばしてんじゃん (tobashite jan) -> you send them flying everywhere

arguably the funniest line in this whole song. again, this is very obvious. hiyori knows lipxlip, and idols in general, are forbidden from falling in love (be it with a fan, another idol, et cetera) but still, idols make fans fall in love with them (hence why she says they keep letting out pheromones). and these fans, knowing their idols will never reciprocate their feelings, still throw all their love towards them wholeheartedly. because hiyori definitely does know the consequences that come with an idol falling in love (points to heroine tarumono) and the consequences that come with falling for an idol (points to heroine ikusei keikaku). so both like and unlike these girls, hiyori is once again in the middle, someone who can see clearly that feelings towards idols are almost guaranteed for an impossible love, yet sees how beautiful idols are despite that.

女子のみんな近づかんで！(joshi no minna chikazukan de!) -> to every girl out there, stay as far as you can!

感染させんでよ (kansen sasende yo) -> make sure not to catch the infection

あっちいけ (acchi ike) -> get away from me!

from calling their charms pheromones to calling them an infection, hiyori goes on to find more and more creative ways to describe her idols. hiyori here speaks to her fellow julietas and to other girls, telling them to stay far, far, faaaaaar away from lipxlip, because she knows that once you get caught up in their charms and their beauty, it's almost impossible to escape. but then, hiyori goes through a dilemma when faced with the charming prince of east and the gallant prince of west. theyre really sparkly. like really, really, REALLY sparkly. and therein falls the dilemma, hiyori has been telling people not to fall for the idols' wiles but... now that she's in their place, seeing what they're seeing... あっちいけ!

ズルいよ！ズルい！ズルすぎる！！(zurui yo! zurui yo! zuru sugiru!) -> this can't be! that's cheating! it's dishonest and unfair!!

惚れても責任取れないじゃん (horete mo sekinin torenaijan) -> you won't take responsibility for their feelings for you!

now we reach the point i am often told i mistranslated or misinterpreted. in this scene, hiyori is being held by a prince, portrayed by aizo. the first line is just the word ズルい (zurui) in various degrees, which in simple terms, means unfair or sly or crafty or however you might perceive it. i used a bunch of adjectives because i don't like repeating words but the essence is still the same. hiyori, in these scenes, isn't playing the mob girl from before, she's in the place of someone familiar to all julietas — as julieta herself. she's in the position most fans imagine themselves as, lipxlip's princess whom they promised the moon and stars for. while she's visibly blushing and flustered by the affection, hiyori is singing about how dishonest lipxlip are — how these princes aren't true and this love isn't real (both the fantasy she's experiencing now and the fantasies experienced by every julieta before and after her). here's a talking point, most are dissatisfied with my translation for horete mo sekinin torenaijan because if you launch it into google translate, it would say something like "i can't take responsibility even if i fall in love with you" which is a very zing moment for a lot of people. this translation isn't exactly accurate though. let's pick it apart: (惚れて) horete means to fall in love, to be charmed, attracted, to grow feelings for, et cetera. the line about taking responsibility however, doesn't point to hiyori, but points to lipxlip instead. and this line isn't specifically from hiyori's point of view either. the line is expressing that lipxlip, as idols, have people falling for them left and right, but can't and won't take responsibility for the feelings people have for them — because that's their job, as idols. to have people fall for them and keep falling for them, to hide their true selves and make people enamored with the illusion. putting the first and second line together, if i were to translate this conversationally: “it's extremely unfair, you can't be held responsible for those who fall in love with you.”

but, if idols are doing it intentionally, that means they can be held responsible for those feelings, right? wrong. like hiyori says in the beginning, everyone who gets caught by their pheromones can't escape, and despite her warnings, people will still fall in love with them — knowing exactly that they're never going to return that love.

ヤバいよ！ヤバい！ヤバすぎる！！(yabai yo! yabai! yaba sugiru!!) -> too much! it's dangerous! so risky and insane!!

あざとさ　すなわち“アイドル力” (azatosa sunawachi “aidoru ryoku”) -> cunning is the “power of idols”

again, the first line is just ヤバい (yabai) in different forms, a lot of adjectives for the same point: falling for idols like lipxlip is a dangerous type of love. why? because the power of idols, their fame and their support, comes from how cunning they can be, exactly what the second line says. hiyori, in these scenes with the prince of east and west, is thrashing between how she perceives lipxlip as idols and how she perceives them as people. as romeos, they're perfect, ideal, charming, gentle, everything once would expect from princes, from idols. she's viewing them from the rose-tinted glasses everyone else sees them in. except...

仕方ないけど… (shikatanai kedo...) -> still, it can't be helped

認めざるを得ませんね (mitomezaru wo emasen ne) -> i need to accept, this is how it is.

hiyori wakes up. unlike most julieta who live in the idealization of lipxlip, hiyori wakes up and she thinks: this is just how it is. as someone who knows lxl behind the scenes, someone who knows they're working for their dream just like she is, she needs to accept that the people who fall for their princely selves, the girls who look to them in search for romeo, is all part of the idol life. that's just how it is, and this is how it's supposed to be.

落ち込んだりもする芸能人 (ochikondari mo suru geinoujin) -> celebrities who get depressed sometimes

中身は普通の人間かも (nakami wa futsuu no ningen kamo) -> they're probably just normal people inside

once again, hiyori sees another side of the idols everyone loves. beyond the illusion of perfect princes, lipxlip, no, shibasaki aizo and someya yujiro, are just normal people deep down. they're human, they get sad when there's bad news, they fight when their pissed off, they argue and bicker and cry and laugh just like hiyori or any other julieta would. they're not ideal, nor perfect, hiyori would know, being the closest person their age to know who they are in truth — but they're idols and idols still, both in hiyori's eyes and every julieta's. the only great difference is: hiyori has the chance to break the illusion for herself, because she knows lipxlip aren't just idols, they're people too.

私にはスルーを決め込むの (watashi wa suruu kimekomu no) -> though i go unnoticed and ignored

リアルか？フェイクか？(riaru ka? feiku ka?) -> is it real? is it fake?

これはガチめ(汗) (kore wa gachime) -> this is getting serious

i don't have much to say about these lyrics. they're pretty straightforward, it's just a funny parallel between the "princes" in hiyori's dream who shower her with love and attention and how aizo and yujiro barely even look at her. it's also nice to note how she's the one trying to help lipxlip (by offering them their favorite drinks) because that's gonna be relevant later. as for the second line, hiyori doubts whether lipxlip are truly ignoring her or not (once again relevant later)

私の存在モブだろうに (watashi no sonzai mobu darou ni) -> to them, i'm just another one in the mob

たまに優しいの少し恐怖 (tama ni yasashii no sukoshi kyoufu) -> sometimes their kindness can be a little scary

and we're back in the romeoverse. here, hiyori is playing the mob girl again, and when she stumbles, she's helped by the princes. this is a direct parallel to the previous scene (told you it would be relevant) of how hiyori is ignored by aizo and yujiro in real life, yet treated so kindly by their counterpart princes. take note of hiyori's words here, she's applying the same logic she did to the previous verse: lipxlip are normal people, they get sad, they have bad days, and most of all, they're not as perfect or sweet as the fans want them to be. she knows this because she's been with them for a long time, she's seen them, not as a julieta, not as a classmate, but as their manager and friend. EXCEPT. hiyori right now isn't in her role as their manager. she's playing the mob girl who eventually becomes the princess. she's in the place of julieta herself. hence her words: she's just a mob character, someone in the background not meant to be noticed, just as it is in reality, so being treated kindly by lipxlip's prince selves is more than a little jarring.

分かってても照れちゃうの (wakattetemo terechau no) -> i know this, still, it's so embarassing

絶対からかってる (zettai karakatteru) -> they're definitely teasing me!

あっちいけ (acchi ike) -> get away from me!

continuation of the previous lyrics: hiyori is well aware of how lipxlip are really like, she knows they're not these princes and you would know that as well because i've repeated it god knows how many times. that's why she feels embarassed, the kindness of the princes of east and west may not be fake, but the princes themselves are. knowing this, it's definitely not real, right? once again, she falls into the dilemma: aizo and yujiro are definitely not romeo. they aren't the princes who these julieta see them as. but right now, she isn't with aizo and yujiro, is she? she's with the gallant and charming princes whose whole purpose is to woo the hearts of thousands. she's not their manager right now, she's a mob girl who gains the fancy of the princes while stumbling around with her groceries. so this is what every other girl who loves lipxlip sees. oh, did i mention they're really sparkly? oh. wait. no. JUST GO AWAY ALREADY!!

セコいよ！セコい！セコすぎる！！(sekoi yo! sekoi! seko sugiru!) -> that's sly! so petty! it's cheap and crafty!!

責任取る気もないくせに！(sekinin toru ki mo nai kuse ni!) -> you won't even take responsibility!

again, repetitive adjectives, etc. セコい is the root word here, meaning sly and crafty, which hiyori uses to refer to her idols over and over again. she's really dishing it out. as for the second line, she's once again speaking of how lipxlip — and idols as a whole — always have people falling for them yet they have no responsibility to return that love. it's a very warped point of view, because hiyori is holding the love fans have for their idols in the same standard as a normal love. i mean, i get it. she doesn't have a lot of good examples of fans who DON'T have parasocial relationships with their oshi (cough. chuutan. cough) once again, she pins the blame on aizo and yujiro, who she has described multiple times in the song as people who are deceptive, and are fooling their fans. of course, this emotional response isn't unwarranted, because hiyori is starting to understand what those julieta feel, she's been in the position of them for more than half this song. she KNOWS how easy and wonderful it feels to fall for a sparkly, beautiful idealization and she knows just as much how easy and painful it feels for that illusion to shatter.

強いよ！強い！強すぎる！！(tsuyoi yo! tsuyoi! tsuyo sugiru!!) -> so powerful! too potent! it's incredibly strong!!

計算？　すなわち“アイドル力” (keisan? sunawachi “aidoru ryoku”) -> calculating? ...is the “power of idols”

i'm just gonna guess she's describing their pheromones in the first line bc it's rly funny. anyway, let's focus on the second line. hiyori calls idols, lipxlip specifically, calculating, but then she balks and realizes this is the true idol power: how to make people fall for them without revealing their true nature. how to have people constantly supporting them for the illusion of a mutual love. as a julieta, as someone who supports lipxlip, it's a lot to say idols are tricking you, that what they see is nothing more than an illusion. but as lipxlip's manager, she understands, or at least she should, that this is just how idols are.

マジ悔しいけど… (maji kuyashii kedo...) -> it's so frustrating but...

みんなと一緒トキメクじゃん/// (minna to issho ni tokimeku jan///) -> i'm just as excited as everyone else///

now, once again, hiyori wakes up. back to being lipxlip's classmate and manager, no longer the part-time mob girl and full-time julieta. this is a bit of a realization moment for hiyori. throughout the whole song, she's gone through a variety of emotions — she goes from feeling like she's being deceived by lipxlip just like everyone else to understanding that these idols are still human to thinking that the idols profit off their fans' parasocial love, without even trying to return their feelings. she's twisted between the letting herself fall for the illusion of being loved by two beautiful princes or waking up with the recollection of lipxlip's true selves. these idols aren't perfect, and unlike everyone else, she knows it, 100%. that makes it all the more frustrating, right? because these princes in her daydreams are ideal, but the idols of her reality aren't. but despite all the dilemmas she's experienced, all the resistance to the sparkles, she's just as happy to be fooled by the princes as everyone else.

誰でもできる事じゃないし (dare demo dekiru koto janai shi) -> this isn't something just anyone can do

絶対努力しないとだし (zettai doryoku shinai to da shi) -> you need to put in the effort and hardwork

選ばれし人間なんでしょ！？(erabare shi ningen nan desho!?) -> you must be the chosen one!?

あぁあああああ (A~aaaaaaa!)

and we're back to manager hiyori. the following lyrics are pretty easy to understand, it's the opposite of the rest of the mv. before, we were seeing hiyori in the place of a julieta, being wooed and loved by the princes of east and west. now, we see hiyori in the place of lipxlip's manager, and she sees the parts that she missed while looking only as a julieta. it's really freaking hard to be an idol. it's not always so sparkly and beautiful, it's not always being showered by affection from fans, these idols work hard to make their performances reach their audience's hearts. it's not just something that can be started and ended, it's not just about making people fall in love, because...

these fans are choosing to support their oshi. they're choosing to love their idols. they're enjoying being treated like princesses, even if it's an impossible, parasocial love. that's what it means to support an idol.

and the chorus repeats, this time, with both the princes holding hiyori. she sings the first chorus: idols really are so unfair! they're can't even be held responsible for the people who fall in love with them. idols really are so sly! they're cunning, but that's exactly an idol's power! and then, hiyori wakes up. she wakes up to her reality of lxl, not as the ideal princes, but the idols she's responsible for. the heroine and her idols (badum tss) . but there's a key difference, the way inori minase sings the final part: still, it can't be helped, that's just how it is! she's happy! she wakes up from her daydream, and she's happy! lxl are a little freaked out, but their manager is happy! why? because she's gotten over her dilemma from before, is it real? is it fake? are you really supposed to fall in love with idols? she's accepted that the princes in her daydreams are part of the illusion, and just like everyone else, she's charmed by their beauty and perfection too. but reality is nothing like that, aizo and yujiro are nothing like that. but the sparkly illusion is still fun to enjoy, isn't it? even if she knows the reality behind it.

that's what idols are meant for, after all.

in conclusion: i won't try to dissuade anyone from thinking this song is romantic by nature, that's on you and your preferences, i won't even try. but from the lyrics' perspective and my own, the song is about love, yes, just as all the omoi ai songs are about a person's thoughts on love. this is hiyori's thoughts on the difference between the love between a fan and an idol, and romantic love. if you've ever met hiyori, you know her mind runs on shoujo manga stereotypes. she has always been looking for her prince. she's found them in different forms in her songs: asuka's kindness, nagisa's genuineness, and in this song, the princes of east and west's affection. but hiyori herself knows well enough to break this illusion. personally, for the most part of this song, hiyori's words felt hypocritical to me. she criticized idols who made their fans fall in love with them, despite knowing this was an idol's job. this was their goal in the first place. in the end, she does realize that it's simply like that. and she learns to separate her views on lipxlip's idol selves and their real ones. whether you perceive them as romantic or not, i will never deny that hiyori's unwavering support for lipxlip as idols, and her friendship with aizo and yujiro, is one of the most important facets of her character. in simpler terms, this was a song about hiyori coming into terms with being both lipxlip's manager, aizo and yujiro's friend, and a julieta, through and through.

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