#im really happy whenever people bring up this sorta stuff with me. like yes!!!!!!!! mahiru!!!!!!!!!!!

[dearmahiru-archive]

hi there! i know you've probably done an analysis/theory for Mahiru's T1 song covers (i just can't find it). I've just been thinking a lot about her version of Psychogram. Mahiru's my favorite and i'm currently obssessed with Psychogram (i just like songs that gives me tone whiplash, like MeMe). So when I found out she had a cover for it, I was so happy. I really wanted to hear her sing the contrasting tone of the song. However I was surprised to find out her cover took a different direction. Mahiru's Psychogram had a rather consistent tone throughout the song. The music and vocals retained that chill feeling. There wasn't much contrast within the song (except for the ending where it kinda went full sweet and sunny) For me, the original version's contrast in tone kinda makes it deceptive and manipulative. In the beginning, the heaviness makes me think that there is something wrong with the relationship of the characters. When I start to think about what is wrong, the song hits me with the sweet chorus, telling me "nothings wrong here". Then it repeats again. But in the last part, the sweet chorus was mixed with the heavy music similar to the earlier verses. It kinda has the same progression as MeMe (with the heavy verse > soft chorus > heavy verse > soft chorus > heavy version of the chorus)

However in Mahiru's cover, since there was almost no contrast, it also lacks the deceptiveness and manipulation of the original. When you think that something is wrong in the verses, the feeling continues in the chorus as well. Even if Mahiru is trying to reassure that it's fine, it doesn't come of as her trying to manipulate you into thinking that. Rather it comes of as someone trying to pretend that all is well even if the relationship is breaking apart. I think Mahiru knows somethings wrong, but she's trying not to let it show. Unlike the girl in the original who probably genuinely thinks it's fine.

And then in the last chorus it finally shifts into a sunny tone (opposite to the original switching to a more heavier tone). That's also the part where she "kills" the guy (putting that in quotations because someone theorized in the original's comments that the boy's "death" wasn't literal and more in a psychological sense, although I don't know what to make of this in Mahiru's case). I'm not sure what's with the ending's change in tone, but I think corresponds to Mahiru feeding her boyfriend rats in I Love You. Like that was her last attempt at saving their relationship before she "killed" him. What I'm trying to say is that the fact that Mahiru's Psychogram has little contrast in tone shifts, changes the meaning and intention of the song, making it some sort of opposite to the original version. I'm no music analyst, and quite new to milgram (i joined after backdraft was released) and to making theories so I might be missing somethings, but that's how I interpret Mahiru's Psychogram.

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Anyways I'm so sorry for sending you a whole essay on your asks. I just wanted to share what I think with you. I don't know if you already noticed that so I don't know if I'm adding anything new to the conversation 😅. But I hope you understand my point. Love your blog btw! 💕💕

aa i'm so thrilled to recieve this ask! it was mahiru's psychogram cover (specifically the "omoi hodo bibitto kuru no~") that made me fall hard inlove with mahiru. i did have this draft where i analysed both of her covers but i hated how it turned out >< wasn't really hitting any new territory apart from going "this relates to mahiru's suffocation imagery" ad infinitum.

and i never considered this before but yes it is very interesting how mahiru covers her songs! both psychogram and parasite—both songs with a dark tone—are shifted to become more soft and sweet. a perfect representation of mahiru's rose-colored glasses hiding her bleak situation. i quite like how angelic psychogram sounds in the chorus in contrast to her frantic "love!" and "hey, i love you!" in the chorus.

i also believe the victim dying in psychogram is meant to be metaphorical! the reason why the narrator kills him despite him returning her affections is that she "never wants to let him go." even if he's dead, he'll never want to leave her.

likewise, even if mahiru's boyfriend is dead, his corpse is still attached to the carousel. the blue feathers in mahiru's mv imply theyre falling from stress—meaning, when the feathers stop falling, his naked corspe is rotting somewhere above her. when mahiru boyfriend dies she's with him. the two of them can't escape eachother because they've clung together so hard they've suffocated. overheated. like parasites.

man this girl has so much suffocation imagery it's insane