#ひので

[roundtripjp]

在有著絕美町名的日之出町之中，有著同樣美麗名字的公園，更是一座維護良善、適合休憩與欣賞舊鐵道之美的「日之出公園」!

[elizadraws]

Bulgarian Music in Studio Ghibli films

”Myth has it that Orpheus was born in what is now Bulgaria. It seemed to be fact, not myth, that his daughters are still singing there”

These words were written by the New York Times in the remote 1963 — the year in which the largest Bulgarian folk ensemble crossed the Iron Curtain to conquer an entire continent with its cosmic art.

The 1975 release of Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, a compilation album of modern arrangements of Bulgarian folk songs, further popularized Bulgarian music, and in 1977, a vinyl record featuring the folk song “Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin” (Eng: Come out rebel Delyo) began its journey aboard the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecrafts.

From this point on popularity from the West spread to the East, and Bulgarian folk music made it to the entertainment industry, including legendary Japanese anime films, like the cult cyberpunk “Ghost in the Shell” or the heartwarming Studio Ghibli features.

In this short article I write about two occasions of Bulgarian music playing in Studio Ghibli’s films.

The record that inspired the creation of “Only Yesterday”

“Only Yesterday” is a 1991 Japanese animated drama film written and directed by Isao Takahata, based on the 1982 manga of the same title by Hotaru Okamoto and Yuko Tone. Set in rural Japan, the film draws parallels with the peasant lifestyle present in Eastern Europe.

The original work is a compilation of short stories about 11-year-old Taeko’s daily life in 1966. Director Takahata had a hard time making it into a movie since the manga, told in the form of a memoir, has no plot to hold a feature. Together with producer Toshio Suzuki, they came up with the solution of bringing the narrator of the story, adult Taeko, into the movie. But there is a curious anecdote about how this idea came to mind.

Taeko picks safflower as the Bulgarian song “Malka moma dvori mete” plays in the background. © Studio Ghibli

In a 2021 interview with students from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, producer Suzuki recounts how a record of Bulgarian songs performed by the children choir “Bodra Smyana”, introduced to him by director Takahata, inspired the creation of the movie. Moved by the cosmic voices of the children, they decided to make “Only Yesterday” a musical. He also recalls what a tiring process it was to acquire the rights to the music, but if you’ve seen the movie, I am sure you will agree that it was worth it; the haunting, beautiful songs with the pastoral images of farmers picking flowers contribute to one of the greatest scenes created in cinema.

Producer Suzuki showing the record that inspired the creation of ”Only Yesterday”. Source: Studio Ghibli’s Twitter

In “Only Yesterday”, we can hear two songs from the album Bulgarian Polyphony I by Philip Koutev Ensemble. The upbeat “Dilmano Dilbero” [Eng. beautiful Dilmana] sets a happy mood as the protagonist gets changed and ready to go on the field. As the scene shifts and Taeko starts narrating a sad story about the girls in the past picking safflower with their bare hands, the song and mood shift as well.

While the first song has a fast rhythm, with lyrics about pepper planting that can also be interpreted figuratively, the second one, “Malka Moma Dvori Mete” [Eng., a little girl sweeps the yard], is a ballad about a young girl who is forced into marriage but has never known true love.

Both compositions sing about life-cycle events like marriage and the regular coming of the harvests, with lyrics perfectly fitting the setting and plot of the movie, which makes me wonder if the filmmakers chose them by chance or if they had someone translate the words.

Bulgarian Cosmic Voices Enchanting Howl

“Howl’s Moving Castle” is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, loosely based on the 1986 novel of the same name by British author Diana Wynne Jones. Set in a fictional kingdom the movie draws inspiration from various places in Europe. One of them being Bulgaria.

The story focuses on a young girl, named Sophie, magically transformed into an old woman, and a self-confident but emotionally unstable young wizard, Howl, living in a magical moving castle.

A sketch of a Star Child. Source: The Art of Howl’s Moving Castle

If you’ve seen the movie, you surely remember the scene when Madame Suliman ambushes Howl and tries to strip him of his magic powers. Star Children encircle him and his companions; their shadows grow big, dark and intimidating. They start dancing and chanting unintelligible magic words and are almost successful in their devilish act.

This scene, together with the music played in the background, have been a favourite of many fans of the film. Some even recount it giving them nightmares when they were children.

Star Children encircle Howl in an attempt to strip him of his magic powers. © Studio Ghibli

It turns out, however, that these aren’t any incantations, but the lyrics of a folk song. In Bulgarian. And a love song! Contrary to popular belief, the lyrics have nothing to do with magic and are actually about a boy taking his sweetheart, Dona, to the market to buy her new clothes. The excerpt used in the movie is very short and a bit altered from the original, but the words used go like this: Trendafilcheto, kalafercheto, Done mamino, translated as “the rose, the costmary, my darling Dona”.

I am planing a follow up article where I will post the translated lyrics together with a brief explanation on how they are related to the movies.

If you want to comment on or add something, I would love to hear!

Source

[takaki2]

ほらね？わかりやすい。靖国神社がA級戦犯を祀ってるから駄目！参拝は軍国主義だ！ってC国K国がいってたことは全部ウソだったんだよ。なぜって、卓球・早田ひな選手が「鹿児島の特攻資料館（知覧特攻平和会館）に行きたい」といったらC国が「中国人の感情への冒涜」「超えてはいけないラインを超えた」「侵略者を崇拝」とお怒りが発生し、さらにはいつものK国も反応し、「平和を掲げているが実際には戦争を美化してる！」とかいい出した。 でも知覧にはA級戦犯なんか祀られていないし、そもそも祭祀を行う場所でもない。侵攻してくる米軍から日本本土をまもるため出撃前に家族や友人にあてた遺書や手紙を展示してあり、当時の特攻隊員の気持ちを知ることができる場所。 要するに、彼らが靖国神社を攻撃した「アジア人民の鮮血で両手を血まみれにしたA級戦犯が祀られてる」とかは単なる口実で、本当は「共同体のために命を落とした人へ感謝するという当たり前の精神」自体をとりしまりたい、日本にはその資格がないとマウントしたい、ってだけだったんだよな。彼らの要求に屈して恐々とすることがいかにくだらなかったかわかる。

丹羽薫（ニワカちゃんの憂鬱）@NIWA_KAORU

[kyokocanary777]

今年はお寿司

2025年のお正月は、おせちではなく、お寿司にしました🍣🎵

お正月用のお寿司！

あけましておめでとうございます🌅

2025年もよろしくお願いします✨

バームクーヘンまで、ついてました🎁

木箱に入ったドルチェデュオのバームクーヘン。

[kwnri-m]

トーチャーいろいろ

[tadanotukounin]

『NARUTO-ナルト- うみのイルカフィギュア-一楽でのひととき-』 公式HP画像を見た時は、こんなもんかな…と思ったけど、現物をみたら思った以上に造りがしっかりしていて、イルカ先生の顔が良くて大満足！笑 今回はイルカ先生のみだけど、ナルトも揃えたくなるなぁ。 11月にS.H.Figuartsから発売される一楽ラーメンセットを予約済みだから、フィギュアサイズが合えばイルカ先生も一緒に遊べたらいいな✨

[mukiryoku-staff]

[seedflowerrooters]

[mangacapsaicin]

hideji oda’s coo’s world || 小田ひで次の『クーの世界』 

[roundtripjp]

有趣公園名!日本特色公園之一，有著極其長條形狀的公園腹地，同時能欣賞鐵路與橋下結構無限綿延幾何之美的「良心公園」!

[kanyoko]

カーテン魂様のご依頼にて、『お兄ちゃんはおしまい！』のギャルな6人のSDイラストを描かせて頂きました！よろしくお願い致します！💞★販売ページhttps://www.curtain-damashii.com/item/tag/onimai/

[nao-san-no-kagoshima-love]

前日までの雨のせいか、ピンクのドアがうまく開かない

@中山ひまわり団地

[papatomom]

2023.10.29（sun）

福井県ふるさと文学館 俵万智展 #たったひとつの「いいね」

[tadanotukounin]

一楽でのひとときのナルトもゲットした！ ナルトのラーメンは固定かと思いきや、取り外しできるのにびっくりした。 やっぱりラーメンはナルトとイルカ先生が一緒の方が絵になる☺️ 少年篇のナルトも可愛いし、額あてないイルカ先生も貴重だ… (ただでさえフィギュア化なんて珍しいのに！)

Figuartsの一楽の発売日が待ち遠しい！

【おまけ】 ナルトとイルカ先生がセットになっているアクスタが丁度あったので一緒に撮ってみた！笑

↓『一楽でのひととき　うみのイルカ』

[amelikos]

Liko talking about Lucius being her great-great-grandfather the same way she did when she mentioned being the heroine of a story.

[mukiryoku-staff]