#Lyricist: Miura Yoshiko

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Lyricist Yoshiko Miura Passes Away

The Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun are reporting that lyricist Yoshiko Miura passed away on November 6, 2023 due to pneumonia. She was 74 years old at the time of her passing. Miura was known for writing some anime theme songs in the 1980’s. Her biggest anime theme song hit was Cat’s Eye‘s opening theme for the first season, sung by Anri. The song reached No. 1 on the Oricon monthly charts…

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Natsuiro no Nancy (“Nancy in Summer Colors”)

“Me, closing my eyes by the poolside—that’s the sort of image stuck on your mind. I want to try and graduate from being the girl that just trails after you.”

OR: A teenager over the summer.

koi kana    Yes! koi ja nai   Yes! ai kana    Yes! ai ja nai kaze ga fuku tabi kimochi mo yureru    sonna toshigoro ne

Is it love? Yes! Not love? Yes! Is it true love? Yes! It’s not. Each time the wind blows, my heart sways along with it—I’m just at that age

You & me splashing along the beach Summer time Only two of us along the beach Summer time

PUURUSAIDO de hitomi wo tojiru sonna watashi wo anata ki ni shiteru anata no ato wo    tsuiteku dake no onna no ko kara sotsugyou shita mitai If you love me    natsuiro no koibito If you love me    natsuiro no NANSHII kyounen to wa kuchibiru ga chigatteru…

Me, closing my eyes by the poolside— That’s the sort of image on your mind I want to try and graduate from Being the girl that just trails after you If you love me, summer lovers If you love me, Nancy in summer colors My lips have changed since last year…

koi kana    Yes! koi ja nai   Yes! ai kana    Yes! ai ja nai kaze ga fuku tabi kimochi mo yureru    sonna toshigoro ne

Is it love? Yes! Not love? Yes! Is it true love? Yes! It’s not. Each time the wind blows, my heart sways along with it—I’m just at that age

You & me splashing along the beach Summer time Only two of us along the beach Summer time

aoi sora kara mabushii    sunshine yaketa karada ni    JERASHII kamo ne anata wa dareka ni koe kaketeru kedo hontou no ai    kidzuku toki ga kuru wa If you love me    natsuiro no koibito If you love me    natsuiro no NANSHII sakki kara jikan sae tomatteru…

Dazzling sunshine coming from blue skies Might be jealous of your suntanned body You call out to some other girl, but There’ll come a time when you’ll notice true love If you love me, summer lovers If you love me, Nancy in summer colors From here on out I’ll make even time stop in its tracks…

koi kana    Yes! koi ja nai   Yes! ai kana    Yes! ai ja nai kaze ga fuku tabi kimochi mo yureru    sonna toshigoro ne

Is it love? Yes! Not love? Yes! Is it true love? Yes! It’s not. Each time the wind blows, my heart sways along with it—I’m just at that age

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No real notes, but just a reminder that in Japanese, saying “Not love? Yes!” will mean “Yes, that’s right, it isn’t love” as opposed to in English where someone might answer “Not love? Nope, it’s not love.”

Also, natsuiro is literally “summer-colored” but here it’s more like “the summer version of Nancy”.

Anyway, this song, like many great 80s idol songs, was written as an ad jingle. Natsuiro no Nancy wormed its way into people’s heart advertising Coca-Cola with the slogan “Yes Coke Yes”, and became a cat-themed Y!Mobile ad in 2016 entitled Natsuiro no Nyancy (“Meowncy in Summer Colors”).

This song was also recorded by Kikkawa You for her cover album Vocalist? and by Terashima Yufu as a b-side for her single Watashi wo Ryokou ni Tsuretette

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Mizuiro Princess ~Mizu no Sei~ “Light Blue Princess ~Water Nymph~”

“A water-colored princess, a one-time wish. In order to see eternity, I gamble it all.”

OR: The Undine myth revisited.

Love…koi wa totsuzen na no tsuki no yo    himitsu no sunahama Kiss…naze ka    kanashiisou na anata no hitomi    mune sashi shita Love…machi ga neshizumareba hitori    nukedashite odoru wa Kiss…yume wo miru anata no matsuge   kuchidzuke suru tame ni… mizuiro PURINSESU    negai wa ichido eien miru tame ni    subete wo kakeru HANPUTI DANPUTI…oshiete please tsugi no PEEJI    hiraku yuuki kono watashi ni kudasai please wasurekaketa    nazo no jumon kono watashi ni kudasai

Love…love happens suddenly A moonlight night    A secret beach Kiss…for some reason, it feels sorrowful Your eyes    Pierced my heart Love…when the town falls asleep I slip out all alone and dance Kiss…so I can kiss Your eyelashes as you dream… A water-colored princess    a one-time wish In order to see eternity, I gamble it all Humpty Dumpty… tell me Please give me the courage To turn to the next page Please give me the half-forgotten Mysterious spell

Love…gin no hoshi no shizuku tenohira    atsumeta NEKKURESU Kiss…kami ni kazatta nara futari    musubareru deshou ka Love…tooi umi no kanata suteki na butoukai ni douzo yume wo miru anata no yume nara    mou samenai hazu yo mizuiro PURINSESU    negai wa hitotsu kokoro ga kayou nara    subete wo kakeru HANPUTI DANPUTI…oshiete please tsugi no PEEJI    hiraku yuuki kono watashi ni kudasai please wasurekaketa    nazo no jumon kono watashi ni kudasai please ai wo ubau    akai kutsu wo kono watashi ni kudasai please koi ni ochiru tenshi no ya wo kono watashi ni kudasai La la la la la la la la…

Love…silver stardrops I gather them in my palm and form a necklace Kiss…if I decorate my hair Will it tie the two of us together? Love…please come to the wonderful ball Beyond the distant sea If this is a dream that you’re Dreaming, you mustn’t wake up from it anymore Water-colored princess    I have one wish If your heart travels back and forth, I’ll gamble it all Humpty Dumpty… tell me Please give me the courage To turn to the next page Please give me the half-forgotten Mysterious spell Please give me the red shoes that Can snatch someone’s love Please give me cupid’s Love arrow La la la la la la la la…

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Mizuiro is literally “water-colored” but usually taken to mean light blue. I translated it as light blue in the title to avoid redundancy, but the whole mermaid/undine/water spirit(?) motif is important so I used the literal term in the song.

Also, the Undine myth is probably best-known through its fairy tale retelling as “The Little Mermaid”, but this song references other fairy tales, including Mother Goose’s Humpty Dumpty, Urashima Tarou’s Otohime throwing an underground ball, and Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes.

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Megami no Suggestion (“The Goddess’s Suggestion”)

“One shake of her golden staff, and she’ll grant you courage! Even Princess Aurora’s kiss, even Cinderella’s carriage, were the goddess’s suggestions.”

OR: A fusion of fairy tale mythologies.

akiramenaide    makecha dame da yo! subete wa    kururi to    sou    kawaru no oyasumi to    ohayou no ma ni nanika ga okoru

Don’t give up    You must not lose! That’s right, everything will change for you suddenly In between “goodnight” and “good morning” something will happen

yume no naka no dekigoto    megami no me no mae kimi wa    nani    soudan? kumo no ue    shoujiki    uchiakete

An incident inside a dream:    Before the eyes of the goddess, What will you seek advice on? Above the clouds, be frank and bare what’s on your heart

OORORAhime no Kiss datte Shirayukihime no ringo datte megami no    SAJESUCHON unmei    nante    TAIMINGU

Even Princess Aurora’s kiss Even Snow White’s apple Were the goddess’s suggestions What we call “destiny” is timing

hyakuten manten    ja nakute    ii yo kimi no jinsei wa    HAAI, sou desu kimi dake no    chikara de wa    kansei shinai to    ieru

It’s okay not to score the full 100 points Yes, that’s right    you could say that You can’t complete your life relying on your strength alone

soshite megami wa    kitto    GATSUN to    hitokoto UINKU de    kimi ni kin no tsue    hitofuri    CHIKARA    kureru!!! Let’s go! go!    TORAI shite Let’s go! go!    CHARENJI no Let’s go! go!    kurikaeshi tamerai nante moji

Well then, the goddess will surely give you a firm piece of her mind With a wink and One shake of her golden staff, she’ll grant you strength!! Let’s go! go! Try it! Let’s go! go! It’s a challenge! Let’s go! go! Over and over “Hesitation” is just a string of letters¹

FIYORUDO no hora GIZAGIZA de dokoka   tooku ni    tobashichatte megami no    SAJESUCHON kokuhaku    nante    TAIMINGU���good timing!

Zigzag through the fjord’s caves and Come running out somewhere far away!² It’s the goddess’s suggestion A “confession” is a matter of timing…good timing!

asu no asa    mezametara    megami wa hohoende wa mirai no DOA wo    akete kureru soshite    megami wa, soshite    megami wa    kitto

Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, the goddess will Open the door to the future for you And then the goddess,    and then the goddess will    surely

GATSUN to    hitokoto UINKU de    kimi ni

Give you a firm piece of her mind And with a wink

kin no tsue    hitofuri    yuuki kureru OORORAhime no kiss datte SHINDERERA no basha datte megami no SAJESUCHON unmei    nante    TAIMINGU…

One shake of her golden staff, and she’ll grant you courage Even Princess Aurora’s kiss Even Cinderella’s carriage Were the goddess’s suggestion

megami no    SAJESUCHON unmei    nante    TAIMINGU

The goddess’s suggestion: What we call “destiny” is timing

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¹ Literally, “hesitation is moji”, but since moji=Japanese writing, I subbed in the Western writing equivalent.

² I don’t know if this is clear, but basically enter running through one side and by the time you exit you’ll be somewhere completely different and far away.

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RI・BBO・N

“I told you ‘I don’t even want to see your face’ just now, but it’s because I love you so much I’m scared…I’m sorry.”

OR: A girl’s jealousy gets the better of her.

kaiten tobira no mukou anata ga namida nugutte imashita otoko no hito mo naku no ne nandaka watashi ijiwaru yo…

On the other side of the revolving doors You wipe away the tears on your cheeks Looks like guys also cry I’m being a little cruel…

mou aitakunai to    sakki itta keredo YAKIMOCHI kara deta KOTOBA…gomen ne ano ko ga kureta HANKACHI nanka ima kono basho de sutechatte…

I told you “I don’t ever want to see you again” just now, but That was my jealousy speaking…I’m sorry Throw away the handkerchief that girl gave you Right here, right now…

sukoshi tsumetai kaze desu futari no kata ni kareha ga maichiru watashi no kokoro no RIBON yurari yurete wa    ai no iro

The wind is slightly chilly The autumn leaves flutter and fall down on our shoulders The ribbon in my heart is Swaying in the breeze, the color of love

kao mo mitakunai to    sakki itta keredo kowai kurai    suki dakara….gomen ne ano ko ga kureta omoide nanka ima kono basho de sutechatte…

I told you “I don’t even want to see your face” just now, but It’s because I love you so much that I’m scared…I’m sorry Throw away the memories that girl gave you Right here, right now…

mou aitakunai to    sakki itta keredo YAKIMOCHI kara deta KOTOBA…gomen ne ano ko ga kureta HANKACHI nanka ima kono basho de sutechatte…

I told you “I don’t ever want to see you again” just now, but That was my jealousy speaking…I’m sorry Throw away the handkerchief that girl gave you Right here, right now…

anata no ai no RIBON de douzo ima    watashi dake dakishimete

Please accept this ribbon, my love for you From now on, embrace me and me alone

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This song was covered by Mutou Ayami in her 80s cover album DNA1980 Vol. 1, in which it was rearranged with a stronger string emphasis by Funayama Mutoki.