#saori kodama

[sanaimissyou]

i am having so many thoughts about himeru rn (mostly violent) (thank you himeru solo preview)

Thinking about how the songwriter was told to portray a sad man who’s still holding onto a little bit of love.

[imasallstars]

The cover art for アニメ『アイドルマスター シャイニーカラーズ 2nd season』オープニング主題歌「プリズムフレア」 album has been released and the album is set to be released on October 9th 2024. It will feature the opening theme of the upcoming second season, paired with separate unit versions and the off vocal

Tracklist:

Tr.01　Prism Flare 　Lyrics: Saori Kodama　Music: HigeDriver 　Arrange: Powerless Tr.02　 Prism Flare (Illumination Stars ver.) Tr.03　 Prism Flare (L'Antica ver.) Tr.04　 Prism Flare (HO-KA-GO CLIMAX GIRLS ver.) Tr.05　 Prism Flare (ALSTROEMERIA ver.) Tr.06　 Prism Flare (Straylight ver.) Tr.07　Prism Flare (Off Vocal)

[astraeasatelier]

Ringing evil phone

Do not reprint, reuse, retranslate, or link this translation on wikias and external sites without my permission. 

Lyricist: Saori Kodama Composer: amazuti

Happy global Ensemble Stars streaming!

I didn't realize how badly I wanted an electro-swing shuffle. Since I can't get the song out of my head, here's a translation for everyone.

Edit 4/29/2024: I forgot a line from Hinata, so I've added it.

Translation under the cut.

Hokuto: Ringing evil phone Natsume: Hello

Hokuto: Your hesitant finger wavers over the private dial Hajime/Ritsu: The border line of reason, what a precarious border line Natsume: Soon your anticipation will outweigh your anxiety Hinata/Hajime/Ritsu: Step across the border line, connect the world lines

Ritsu: Through the receiver I hear you gasp as your breath's taken away Hajime/Ritsu: I can't help but smile Hinata:Just can't help it Natsume: Could you speak a little more clearly? I'll praise you for your confused courage Hinata: Who's calling please? Hokuto: Let's hear out this inquiry, shall we? Now, Hajime: Ringing evil phone

I have a wish that I can't reveal to anyone, Hinata: Ah, what a tempting looking soul Calling-Calling, make sure your request is as clear as possible Ritsu: You want us to make it reality, don't you? Our prices are always fair, without any deception Just say the word once you're prepared Natsume/Hokuto: And say yes with your voice to the contract

Hinata: Perhaps if you just prayed to god, this would have worked out without any issue Natsume/Hokuto/Hajime: A line that's as good as a prayer, a fated secret lie Ritsu: Succumbing to temptation is something you must take responsibility for, don't you know? Natsume/Hokuto/Hajime: This is the secret line you've chosen, welcome to the end of the line

Hokuto: The sound of your voice becoming so relaxed Natsume/Hokuto: Is rather dangerous, but so precious Hajime: So cute Hinata: You're just barely holding onto that facade of being a good person Seems like we'll have some fun in tricking you, huh? Hajime: Whose fault is it? Ritsu: Let's return to back to the topic at hand Now, Ritsu: Ringing evil phone

That wish hiding deep inside of your heart, Hajime: Ahh, what a lonely looking soul Calling-Calling, just leave it to me, whatever your heart desires Natsume: I'll grant them all for you With that, just give me your word as a binding contract Let me hear it directly from your lips

Ringing evil phone... Say yes with your voice to the contract, Say yes with your voice to the contract Ringing evil phone...

Natsume: Hey, all those excuses you're holding on to… Hokuto: Just gather them up and admit them Hinata: Hey, don't you realize that if you take this long… Ritsu: My heart Hajime/Hinata: and my body

Natsume & Hokuto & Ritsu: Just can't stand waiting for you?

Hinata: Ringing evil phone Hajime: I have a wish that I can't reveal to anyone, Ritsu: Ah, what a tempting looking soul (Now) Just leave it to me, whatever your heart desires I'll grant it for you Hinata: With that, just give me your word as contract Hokuto: Let's come to an agreement Natsume: Let me hear it directly from your lips Say yes with your voice to the contract

Natsume: Ringing evil phone

[couldbebetterforsure]

It's here!!!!!!! The Ryuseitai Trip Album cover is finally here!!!!!

Ahh, my sweet boys, they all look so pretty and cool and handsome! And I love how their outfits remind me of their Comet Show oufits! Tetora, Midori, and Shinobu are all up front, taking center stage in the shot while Chiaki and Kanata are to the sides and more to the back. But they're all standing together, as one unit! Five incredibly and wonderful individuals who make up the brilliant Ryuseitai!

And here's the preview for Ryuseitai's new song, which we'll get an MV of once we get the album release on March 6th, New Daybreak! Once again, Ryuseitai refuses to release any bad songs, it's banger after banger after banger with them!

Looks like the lyricist is Maori Kodama. I can't find any information on them other than they're also the one who wrote the lyrics for Bokura no Stella from Ryuseitai's Stella Maris story. And that song is the current love of my life, so I totally look forward to hearing what lyrics they came up with for New Daybreak! EDIT: Okay, turns out Google Translate and the Enstars Wiki was just lying to me...The lyricist's ACTUAL name is Saori Kodama. In which case, there is PLENTY of info on her! She has a long history of song writing under her belt, with plenty of anime being graced by her music. And, from what I'm seeing, it looks like she was especially involved in magical girl anime! She also has written prior stuff for Enstars other than Bokura no Stella and New Daybreak. So yeah, how fun that Ryuseitai's new album will have both tokusatsu AND magical girl influences!

The arrangement of the song is being done by Shuhei Naruse. He's done compositions for several Kamen Rider series and some Mega Man anime as well!

And the composer of the song is Hironobu Kageyama. A singer and composer who has done a TON of music for a variety of tokusatsu series as well as several anime, including famously being the singer for Dragon Ball Z's first, and honestly most well known, opening theme "Cha-La Head-Cha-La".

Having two people who are known for their work on tokusatsu shows working on a song for Ryuseitai is perfect! And from the preview alone I am already loving the feel of this song. Can't wait for the full version.....Especially when we get the MV!!!!

So yeah, I've already preordered the limited edition version of the album. So I am ready for that Ryuseitai musical goodness! Especially since we will be getting full versions of Bokura no Stella and Relax Paradise too! Aaaaaahhhh!!! I love you Ryuseitai!!!!!

[kiryma]

Yubisaki no Ariadne by Lyrics: Saori Kodama Composition: Koji Miyashita Arrangement: Akimitsu Honma

Matsudappoiyo cover

[itsblueee13]

Favorite aikatsu song?? ⁉️⁉️

I just put them randomly so no song is better than the other 🙏🙏

• Calendar Girl (Waka, Fuuri, Sunao from STAR☆ANIS)

• Bon Bon Voyage! (Miho, Rie, Ruka from AIKATSU☆STARS! & Risa)

• SHINERS (Risuko, Remi, Yuna)

• Soulmate/Kokoro No Tomo (Mao, Shiori from STARRY PLANET☆/Kāya Date & Rion Watanabe)

• Moonlight destiny (Risuko from STAR☆ANIS)

• Excitement Antenna/Tokimeki Antenna (Ruka, Rie, Miki from AIKATSU☆STARS!)

• Okemaru (Ema from BEST FRIENDS!/Yui Ninomiya)

• Girls be ambitious! (Maika from BEST FRIENDS!/Karen Miyama)

• Ponytail After School/Houkago Ponytail (Remi from STAR☆ANIS)

• You × I/Kimi × Watashi (Maika, Ema from BEST FRIENDS!/Karen Miyama & Yui Ninomiya)

• Fantastic Imagination (Mao, Meisa from STARRY PLANET☆/Kāya Date & Narumi Uno)

• Magical Door (Ruli, Shiori from STARRY PLANET☆/Rio Ogura & Rion Watanabe)

• Wake up my music (Risa & Eimi)

• Sentimental Berry (Remi, Mona from STAR☆ANIS)

• Adult Mode/Otona Mode (Mona from STAR☆ANIS)

• Precious (Risuko from STAR☆ANIS)

• Tick×Tack Nostalgia (Mao, Meisa from STARRY PLANET☆/Kāya Date & Narumi Uno)

• See You See You See You See You See You Tomorrow/Mata Mata Mata Mata Mata Ashita (Mao, Shiori from STARRY PLANET☆/Kāya Date & Rion Watanabe)

• Angel Snow (Remi, Eri, Yuna from STAR☆ANIS)

• Cosmos Search (Waka & Ruka)

• Happiness on the same Earth/Onaji Chikyū no Shiawase ni (Eri from STAR☆ANIS)

• Thrilling Dream (Risuko, Sunao from STAR☆ANIS)

• Good morning my dream (Ruka, Mona, Miki from AIKATSU☆STARS!)

• So Beautiful Story (Sena & Nanase)

• lucky train! (Miho, Nanase from AIKATSU STARS!)

• Promise Carat/Yakusoku Carat (Miho, Nanase from AIKATSU☆STARS!)

• Summer Tears Diary (Miho, Kana from AIKATSU☆STARS!)

• Take Me Higher (Hibiki from BEST FRIENDS!, Risuko, Risa/Yōko Hikasa, Risuko, Risa)

• Inner Voice (Ruli, Meisa from STARRY PLANET☆/Rio Ogura & Narumi Uno)

• Petit Price Everyday/Puchipura Everyday (Ann, Sala from STARRY PLANET☆/Amy & Rurika Uno)

• Street Corner Cinderella/Machikado Cinderella (Shiori, Sala from STARRY PLANET☆/Rion Watanabe & Rurika Uno)

• Continue Future!!/Mirai Continue!! (STARRY PLANET☆)

• Brand New World (Ruli, Kyōko from STARRY PLANET☆/Rio Ogura & Shizune Nagao)

• Melody of Heart/Heart no Melody (Eri from STAR☆ANIS)

• Goodbye Tears (Saori Kodama)

• prism spiral (Fuuri from STAR☆ANIS)

• Legend of Beginning/Hajimari no Legend (Risa, Miho, Rie, Ruka)

• POPCORN DREAMING♪ (Sena, Rie from AIKATSU☆STARS!)

• TRAVEL RIBBON (Ruka, Rie, Miki)

• MY STARWAY (Waka, Fuuri, Yuna)

• Blooming♡Blooming (Eri)

• Miel Miele (Kana from AIKATSU☆STARS!)

• Hello Hello (Miki from AIKATSU☆STARS!)

• Dream Ballon (Fuuri, Yuna, Eri from STAR☆ANIS)

• To the New Stage/Aratanaru Stage e (Hibiki, Alicia from BEST FRIENDS!/Yōko Hikasa & Saori Ōnishi)

• Trap of Love (Sunao)

• Cosmic • Stranger (Ruka, Nanase from AIKATSU☆STARS! feat. Johnny Bepp (CV. Makoto Yasumura))

• LOVE GAME (Nanase, Mona from AIKATSU☆STARS!)

• Etude of Radiance/Kagayaki no Etude (Waka from STAR☆ANIS)

• Midnight Skyhigh/Mayonaka no Skyhigh (Risuko from STAR☆ANIS)

• Strong, Kind, Beautiful/Tsuyoku, Yasashiku, Utsukushiku (Karen from BEST FRIENDS!/Azusa Tadokoro)

• Tutu • Ballerina (Ruka, Mona, Miki from AIKATSU☆STARS!)

• Lovely Party Collection (Ruka, Mona, Miki, Miho, Nanase, Kana from AIKATSU☆STARS!)

• After Lovely Party (Ruka, Rie, Miki)

• Hirari/Hitori/Kirari (Waka, Fuuri, Sunao, Remi, Moe, Eri, Yuna, Risuko from STAR☆ANIS)

• Please Mary/Onegai Mary (Miho, Miki from AIKATSU☆STARS!)

• Ice Forest/Kōri no Mori (Waka, Fuuri, Yuna, Remi, Eri, Risuko)

[hiyojun]

99% of the time when i listen to an enstars song and think Whoever wrote these lyrics is a genius beyond words its songs all written by the same lyricist (kodama saori) like she’s actually the backbone of enstars

[doyoulikethisanimesong-poll]

Song: Monochrome~version de l'apprivoiser~

Artist: Saori Kodama, Satoru Kosaki, Ryuichi Takada, Haruka Tomatsu

Anime: Star Driver

Type: Insert

Youtube:

Spotify: N/A

[bethygauw]

Enstars: PASH! April 2017

Released in March 2017.

Thank you Nhi for the scans!! She translates Enstars stories on Dreamwidth. Check it out!

Special interview with Saori Kodama and Youhei Matsui, lyricists of Enstars unit song second series. The second half of this post includes more detailed comments on all songs they were in charge of.

They were in charge of: Saori Kodama: 2wink, Ra*bits, Switch, fine Youhei Matsui: Knights, Castle Upon Sand, Trickstar. Previously, he also wrote Enstars opening song.

Credit of lyric translations quoted in this post, references: - 2wink by PatriciaSelina - Love Ra*bits Party!! by Keru - Knights by Mike - Castle Upon Sand on wiki

Q: Both of you took part in the making of many Enstars unit songs as lyricists. What kind of impressions do you have on the game itself?

Matsui: In the beginning, the complexity of the story surprised me. The characters are divided not only by units, but also by year groups and classes. Each character has a lot of different interactions with various characters, which is something I don’t see often. I remember I got nervous thinking if I’ll be able to understand it (laugh).

Kodama: They have clubs too.

Matsui: Depending on the club, the senior-junior interactions also differ.

Kodama: There were a lot of things I couldn’t tell just from reading the main story, so when I read the event stories I got surprised by the relationship between some characters. It was worth reading.

Q: What were your impressions on the units you were in charge of?

Matsui: The units I was in charge of were Knights, Valkyrie, and Trickstar. Knights have a solid philosophy, which is “chivalry”, so they were the easiest to understand. As for Valkyrie… Say, Kodama-san, when writing lyrics, how do you read the original story?

Kodama: In my case, I’d firstly read from the point of view of all characters.

Matsui: I see! For me, I’d intentionally skim through the stories or read them from one character’s point of view, so that I can focus on that particular character who’s singing. But for Valkyrie, I properly and carefully read all the stories. They’re poor guys, I thought. If something goes wrong during my performance, I would firstly go, “Oh, come on…” (laugh) When it comes to how resolute Mika was when he started singing all by himself in that kind of situation…

Kodama: Mika had great resolve and determination, didn’t he? What about Trickstar?

Matsui: Trickstar is a unit that’s the truest to themselves. If I can say this, there’s no way they would’ve won against fine in the first place. But they did, so what’s going on there? I thought about things like that. For example, in sports, you can’t win if there’s a considerable difference between your abilities. But when it comes to idols, you can have a chance to win. When I was thinking about why that is, I thought maybe it was because of “the power of support”. I thought about the kind of people who would make me want to support them, who make me want to push their backs. So the feel I have for Trickstar is that they are important friends whom I’d root for. I could also consider about “who writes the lyrics”. For Trickstar’s songs, it seems that the lyrics would have been written by all of them. And that doesn’t mean that one member writes his own part, but it feels like a member’s part is written by the other members. I can imagine an exchange like, “Hokke, sing this part!” They are able to write others’ parts because they understand each other. I think those four are like that.

Q: What about you, Kodama-san?

Kodama: I’ll start from 2wink. From the stories, I could see that they are twins who are shouldering a heavy burden, so I figured I couldn’t write songs that only sound cute. Ra*bits also seemed easy to understand and there is truly a variety of characters in this group. I had all the intention to read the story from a character’s perspective, but Mitsuru-kun would jump in out of nowhere and go, “I’m gonna dash dash!” (laugh) I think Ra*bits gives off the feeling, ���We are working hard even if we have things we worry about. This is a declaration of our determination.” I wrote the lyrics based on a collection of phrases they would want to sing.

Matsui: It’s like they asked you to write it.

Kodama: That’s truly how it felt like. For Switch, the unit wasn’t even announced yet when I got the offer. They weren’t in the main story, so I suppose I got to know them gradually at the same time as everyone else. Then, for fine… Firstly, I didn’t know what to do with Hibiki-san (laugh).

Matsui: I like Hibiki-san the most.

Kodama: Because you guys are silk hat buddies*, right? (laugh) I think it must be hard work to continue being rulers.

[*Note from PASH: The silk hat is Matsui-san’s trademark. TL’s note: yes, there are pictures if you search 松井洋平.]

Matsui: Being perfect is hard, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be a great pressure to them? I had the opportunity to write fine’s song for Enstage, but I thought a perfect unit must have perfect lyrics. But I’m not perfect, so how do I create perfection? It was something I worried about, and at the end I gave the song title “Perfect World”! (laugh) It’s like, I just have to say it myself, don’t I! (laugh)

Kodama: That’s a good way of thinking! (laugh) But if you put it that way, there’s also a genius in Knights. Didn’t that become pressure as well?

Matsui: Indeed, Knights has Leo. I don’t know who writes the lyrics in Knights’ songs, but I bet Knights’ songs are what were born within them.

Q: Is there anything that makes you think, “Now that’s what makes it Enstars”?

Matsui: If I can say this being prepared that it may cause misunderstandings: they’re not pro yet. I think their real work starts after graduation. That amateur feel is very much like Enstars, I thought. That naivety connects to “the feel of wanting to root for them”, and that feeling is the strongest for Trickstar to me. But fine doesn’t have that kind of naivety (laugh).

Kodama: I think I can understand that. I think after I’ve understood the units or characters in my own way, choosing the words that I’m going to give them is important. Even if a character’s way of thinking doesn’t match the meaning behind the lyrics, I would wonder about how the meaning would become. Does this sound difficult? (laugh)

Matsui: No, no! I listened while thinking you’re amazing. That happens, doesn’t it? In Knights for example, there’s this line, “Just being friendly will not hone this bond.” They don’t seem to be the type to say “bond” so thoughtlessly, right? But accordingly, it seems to hold a special meaning, different from what it would mean to other units. So if they’re going to sing these words, I would start asking, how would they say it? Why would they say it?

Kodama: That’s it. For Sora-kun from Switch, he’s using slightly difficult words that he wouldn’t use normally. But I think it’s because it is Sora-kun there’s a meaning behind giving him those words. Careful examination of every character perhaps, as a result, connects to “what makes it Enstars”.

Q: What do you think about the songs you didn’t work on?

Matsui: It’s amazing how fine and Trickstar became “the end” and “the beginning” unintentionally. In the lyrics, to fine’s “Finale”, Trickstar answered with “Raise the curtain!”*

[*Neo Sanctuary’s bridge: Bokura no Finale ni fusawashii maku o orosu / We shall bring down a fitting curtain to our finale; HEART→BEATER!!!!’s beginning: Maku o hirake]

Kodama: Yes! We didn’t even discuss over it.

Matsui: It’s purely coincidental. This is truly the power of the story, I thought.

Kodama: Others like “recollection*”, a word that both of us used, is a vocabulary in Enstars that holds a powerful meaning, so it comes out naturally.

[*Recollection/memories = tsuioku = 追憶, which is in Neo Sanctuary (Kodama) and Castle Upon Sand (Matsui) for example]

Matsui: Yeah, that’s right! That kind of thing really happens, doesn’t it.

Q: Then lastly, please leave a message to PASH! readers.

Matsui: These unit songs may be performed at Dreamfes or listened by other characters. For example, what kind of feeling would Wataru Hibiki have when he listens to Silent Oath? I think you can find many ways to listen to and approach every unit song. For that reason, please listen to all of them! (laugh)

Kodama: As of current, there isn’t a lot of voiced content in the game. But when you listen to the songs, you can see that each unit is singing. I think that’s amazing.

Matsui: It’s the power of the voice actors. Like really, you can see Yumenosaki is just over there. I realized unit songs have a role to make Yumenosaki closer to us. I’m looking forward to its world expanding further from now on too.

More detailed comments on each song

2wink (Kodama)

Heart Prism Symmetry: The theme is the twins having different views. When I read the story of the event Snowflake＊Street Performance of the Falling Stars, there’s a dialogue line, “It’s hard to maintain a self-image in front of a cracked mirror.”*  The way one can treat someone like a mirror and see themselves in them left an impression in me, so I implemented that phrase. In the chorus where they sing together, I intentionally made the persona all mixed up, such as with “my soul” and “Just be yourself”. I think each of them can see the other as both “your soul” and “my soul”, so by mixing up the subject both of them can blend into one. That’s the image I’m trying to depict.

[*Paraphrased; the original article didn’t quote the story dialogue exactly either. Dialogue line is from Star Chart 4, TL by Rain]

2winkle Star Beat☆: The theme is, “when these two stop feeling reserved with each other and combine together, they become the strongest!” When they sing believing they can be free, well, they’re just sparkling all over and no one can hold a candle against them. That’s what I thought, so I added lots and lots of sparkles (laugh). Moreover, Souma Saito-san sang each part perfectly, so it was truly wonderful!

Ra*bits (Kodama)

Hoppin’ Season♪: Shortly after their unit formation, it may have been a fortunate thing as well, but a strength typical of a young man is sprouting within them. That’s the image I have. I would also think about how they may have requested someone to write the lyrics to this song. Perhaps, they brainstormed the phrases themselves and showed it to them, “Right now, we are this kind of people!”  It can make you feel like they surely want to write the lyrics themselves one day. This song is exactly this developing phase of theirs. I also hope you can feel the increasing intensity from “Spring days” to “and now”, and “and now” in the last chorus. I’m sure all of you players know what happened to them in spring. Works that have an original story has strength, where it provides information that we can share just like this. It adds depth to the words.

Love Ra*bits Party!!: The theme is having a slightly grown-up party, so the lyrics are bold, just a little bit. But even if there’s a line, “Escorting you”, when Ra*bits sing it, you can really tell that they must be the ones who are getting nervous instead. I think that’s Ra*bits’ charm. But the last line, “Your heart is unprepared / because we’ll put you in a trance” may give your heart a big thump. I think it works that way because of the way the voice actors express it.

Knights (Matsui)

Silent Oath: For Knights, I was asked to treat their worldview with great care. “With story-telling style, a world of fantasy,” they said. It’s a story of a knight and the person they swore their loyalty to. This song probably has a stronger knight feel rather than idol feel. Knights is a unit that is accommodating with their fanservice, so I think they also show kindness not to destroy the worldview their fans are asking for. I thought of bringing that side of them forward. Also, the title suggests that their “oath” is not something to be put into words. If it’s set in the medieval world, where you can see a forest and a castle… I think the feelings that are concealed within their hearts would spill under the moonlight, rather than the sunlight. So the phrase “Dear Moon Light” was the first thing that came into my mind. I attached the word “Dear” to “Moon Light”. I think the dearest moonlight would affect the knight and the person they swore their loyalty to differently depending on each member. Each member would also hold different feelings regarding the phrase, “Don’t shine your light upon me” which comes up several times. Moreover, the reason why some members don’t sing certain lines… I think it’s something interesting to imagine. The choruses were done comparably quickly. The part “an eternity of purity” is referring to the title “Silent Oath”. It means to swear to an eternity that is clean of impurities.

Q: Leo’s singing “Because I will disappear myself” left an impression.

I put it towards the last chorus because I wanted to give it a meaning, because of the game’s story plot and also to make you wonder who wrote this line. Similar to this, there’s also the line, “This world filled with struggle”. While it stays within the idea of a fairy-tale, it also reminds you of the war era in the academy.

Fight for Judge: Conversely, this song perhaps brings out their true side. It can make you feel their determination in intentionally using the phrase “Fight for Judge”. I think it’s a song that audibly declares what kind of unit they are. “Nobly” is sung by Leo, but it’s not like he’s singing it thinking he’s a noble guy, but perhaps what he refers to as noble is actually his unit. He may seem to be someone who would say, “I’m noble!” (laugh) but maybe the fact that he won’t is what defines Leo. But when he’s with Knights, perhaps something like a resolve was born within him, that there’s no way he can walk away without saying the line.

Q: I was mesmerized by the line sung by Izumi, “Then once you’re prepared to struggle for it, come.”

It’s the part, “Come,” isn’t it? (laugh) If Izumi tells you to “come”… well, you would go, wouldn’t you? (laugh) There are times when I’d fling a word at a character precisely because they don’t look like the type to say it. But the amazing thing about voice actors is they’re able to make you approve of it. They grasp the intention of the song properly. They themselves are Knights, so if they’re asked to sing something, no matter what song, they’ll surely do it in this way. I think it’s something that will not change.

Valkyrie (Matsui)

Castle Upon Sand: First, I thought about the meaning behind Nazuna’s participation. From there, I thought that the theme, “coming apart” was necessary, and I started my work from creating an image in my mind perfectly and then smashing down the emotions. There are no specifics in what scene this song was sung in, and I didn’t give it a limit either. I think it’s okay to interpret the meaning behind the three singing this song in any way you like. But all of you know what happened, right? Maybe it’s when Mika started singing acapella in Marionette, maybe it’s when the three of them sang together in StarFes. After you come up with that, your imagination may start to expand, “What would the meaning of the lyrics become…” I chose the title “Castle Upon Sand” with the meaning of what seems to be perfect at a glance is something that crumbles so easily. But to me, this idiom also applies to “time”. Nazuna’s voice change also depends on “time”, and reconciliation perhaps depends on “time” as well. Also, there’s the line, “The key to the showcase is now covered in rust.” Perhaps “to rust” doesn’t have the nicest connotation, but if you think about the passage of time, antiques look more wonderful the more they rust. It’s a song that packs a variety of elements that can be seen as both good and bad.

Switch (Kodama)

Temptation Magic: Firstly, to inform more about the unit, we have the keywords “magicians” and “entertainment”. These are Switch’s first songs, so they would be introductory songs. On top of that, both songs share the theme, “We will attract your hearts with our magic, and make everyone happy!” Although, I approached both songs from different angles. To be specific, Temptation Magic uses the unit’s motif “lightning” and pierces through everyone. You can see a cool side of theirs that’s slightly more assertive.

Q: In “We’ll etch it in your heart …Switch,”* the part “Switch” is breathy and it had a great impact.

At first, I imagined that part to be a bit more machine-like. I already thought that would’ve been impactful enough, but I was surprised with how it turned out! It surely will be etched in your heart (laugh). It went beyond my imagination. It was truly amazing!

[*End of chorus: Kimi no HEART ni umekomu...Switch]

Knockin’ Fantasy: The picture I had is that in this song, they are showing their more natural selves than they do in Temptation Magic. While you don’t know if they’re expressing their true feelings, while you can feel the song’s insecurity and be entranced by it, they’re going all out with the happy feel to fill up the concert hall with smiles.

fine (Kodama)

Fortissimo of Fluttering Wings: I was given a request to reveal Eichi’s feelings. But I can’t make it into Eichi’s solo—it had to be a song sung as a unit. I started from there. So rather than Eichi’s own feelings, I kept in mind things like the burden that is shouldered by the unit fine that Eichi formed. Maybe, depending on the time period, both this song and the second track Neo Sanctuary would’ve been sung by different members. But I thought about fine’s purpose at a particular time period, and wrote the lyrics.

Neo Sanctuary: For this one, I thought about a way to make the listeners think that it might have been fine consisting of different members. Depending on how you see it, Eichi’s strong determination to open up a new world may be “evil”, but for some reason you can’t look away. Eichi is Yumenosaki’s top idol to those who don’t know him, but those he hurt wouldn’t be able to see him that way. Eichi and fine stand on top of such despair, all alone. That’s the image I have. Midorikawa-san’s “fine -the end-” was recorded more times than I expected…! For this part, I was asked to make it impactful, but I was surprised when I listened to the end product. Also, I thought the meaning of “Hibiki wataru/resounding” would waver if Hibiki himself sings that line, so I had the juniors sing it. In the chorus before the climax, Tori-kun’s “For eternity”* was so cool, and it left an impact. If Tori-kun can hit it off with a line like this, I couldn’t think of anything else but, “He’s really going to be the next emperor!” I could feel that all of the voice actors truly did a good job in making the character theirs.

[*“Towa ni ataeyou” | The whole line: We shall bestow you order (Yuzuru) for eternity (Tori)]

Trickstar (Matsui)

HEART→BEATER!!!!: What I worried about was if it’s going to overlap with the main theme, ONLY YOUR STARS. In the end, I decided that ONLY YOUR STARS expresses the excitement the [boys] have towards themselves, while in HEART→BEATER!!!! the four are going to get the audience excited. Regarding the title, there are two Trickstar members who are part of the basketball club, right? The term used in the sport, “buzzer beater” became an inspiration to the title, which means that “they are going to make your heart beat [loudly]”. You can feel that it’s something that the four would come up with after discussing with each other. You can imagine a good-natured conversation, like, “There’s this thing called ‘buzzer beater’, so what about ‘HEART→BEATER!!!!’? Sounds cool, right?!” “I like that!” Also, I added four exclamation marks, with meaning that these four are going to make a surprise together. For the lyrics, I also chose the words, as best as I could, so that it wouldn’t be surprising if Trickstar members were the ones who wrote the lyrics. There are parts where I wanted to emphasize that this is what they want to convey, rather than considering if it’s easy to sing. In that sense, the lyrics are something less technical than ONLY YOUR STARS. That’s why some lines seem like something I wouldn’t write. Youhei Matsui won’t write, “The spotlight will turn even sweat into light,”* but if it’s Trickstar members they would write it, I thought. It’s like they would put down how they feel as it is into lyrics. The line, “We can’t wait,”** expresses their feelings of wanting to sing on the stage right there, right at that moment. I didn’t have much trouble writing this song, and it felt like I wrote the lyrics after listening to conversations among the four of them.

[*Chorus of second verse: Spotlight ga ase sae hikari ni kaeteku **Beginning: Machikirenai no sa]

Rainbow-Colored Seasons: This song may not have been made by the boys in the present time. When they’ve become a bit more mature, I think they would have this kind of worldview. Perhaps, this is an expression of Trickstar members from one step ahead in the future. Firstly, Subaru’s “The changing seasons”*… it’s not something you would’ve imagined coming from Subaru so out of the blue (laugh). But that’s exactly why, if he’s singing something like this, he wouldn’t be the Subaru from “now”, but it would be Subaru who has slightly matured, has had and digested a lot of experience. Perhaps, it’s a song of Trickstar members who are aiming to stand on an even bigger stage.

[*Beginning: Utsuri kawaru kisetsu no]

[takuru21]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIejdP4L5ik)

[imasallstars]

Spade no Q (PiePie ver.) by Kotoha Tanaka&Serika Hakozaki

　Lyrics: Saori Kodama 　Music&Arrange: Hideyuki Gushimiyagi (Hifumi,inc.)

[astraeasatelier]

Meikyuu Denshi Kairou

Do not reprint, reuse, retranslate, or link this translation on wikias and external sites without my permission. 

Lyricist: Saori Kodama Composer: Yoshihiro Suda (Relic Lyric, inc.) Arranger: Yoshihiro Suda (Relic Lyric, inc.)

I wasn’t able to choose a translation for 迷宮電子回廊 , but the two titles I came up with were “Winding Electronic Corridors” and “Labyrinthine Electronic Cloisters“. As a sidenote, “Cloister” felt more appropriate considering the dilapidated church aesthetics of the song, but “corridors” flows a bit better to my ears.

Translation under the cut.

Spirits beckon you into these winding corridors

(An die Freude, Libera me)

Ahh, overwritten melodies sink into legend

(An die Freude , Libera me)

Now, let us reveal those corridors, suspended in electricity

(A song governs over questioning love and delivering punishment)

We mischievously pass judgment,

Whilst hiding behind the veil of anonymity

We become ghosts,

And dance in this underground trial

(A song that governs the corridors where we meet, inviting souls into love…)

A faceless choir surrounds the lonely soloist

Sing loudly for those who have nowhere to return to that truth lies here

The curtain is raised to rapture, agitators of those times,

Come forth, audience, to the new world where 0s and 1s bloom in abundance

A game crueler than a dream

Everyone in this game must be yearning,

Towards the myth of that perfect world

(Winding corridors, love is the perfect world)

Compassion reverberates through this faceless choir

The salvation of suffering and the cries of the helpless poured into this performance become light

To the children of those days, lost in the fragile waves,

Come forth now, to the new world of trapped 0s and 1s

Translation notes:

The German in the choral lyrics, “An die Freude, Libera me” are most likely references to the ode “Ode to Joy” and the Catholic responsory “Libera me”.  

[kuma829]

SAVAGE LOVE AFFAIR English Translation

Lyrics: Kodama Saori

Composer: Atsuhito Sato (Dream Monster)

Koga: Drifting through the moonlight of the ballroom at the dead of night

Kaoru + Koga: The silhouette of her dress sways side to side

Adonis: Her graceful appearance—her expression—a surge of heat rushes through her

Rei + Adonis: Tainted by this instinct, it’s Passionate

(Savage romance)

Kaoru: I want to chain you together with my savage love

(Sensual crisis)

Rei: Even with your resistance, it’s all useless

Rei + Kaoru: Bargaining like this is just a sign of impatience

ALL: Come dance with me, it’s a Love affair

(Just tonight Just tonight)

Adonis: Your pupils have widened by now

All: Guilty fairy

Rei + Koga: To a love that isn’t human

(Naked love Naked love)

Kaoru: Everyone’s gathering here

ALL: A ballroom waltz of desire

ALL: A veil of night conceals me, trapping you within

ALL: It all burns Savage

Rei: Biting down like it’s Kissing, while I break this apart through whispers

Rei + Adonis: The mistake of trying to dig for a reason

Kaoru: You can’t even hear the buzzing noise surrounding you

Kaoru + Koga: For now, the world belongs to just the two of us

(Private romance)

Adonis: Surrender your body to my sweet spell

(Perfect crisis)

Koga: You don’t need to trust me

Koga + Adonis: You just need to feel me

ALL: Such seduction from this Love affair

(Just tonight Just tonight)

Kaoru: If it hurts, that only makes it more real

Kaoru + Koga: Perhaps, it may even be better

Koga + Adonis: It’s numbingly intense

(Naked love Naked love)

Rei: Let’s hug each other tight, Let’s erase all these boundaries

Adonis: Falling through depths of this love

Kaoru +  Koga: Throw the key away and lose yourself to this eternal night

ALL: Dance with Savage romance

ALL: Fall in Sensual crisis

ALL: Dance with Savage romance

ALL: Right now…

Kaoru + Adonis: Even the Perfume that takes your passing breaths away makes me jealous 

Kaoru + Adonis: Engrave this into your memory

ALL: With probing steps I offer you my entire heart

Rei + Koga: Consciously, just for a moment

Rei: Come dance with me, it’s a Love affair

Koga + Adonis: The abyss of your pupils flare up

Kaoru:「Let me see」

ALL: Such seduction from this Love affair

(Just tonight Just tonight)

Kaoru + Koga: Getting hurt makes it real, 

ALL: it’s better that way

Rei: It’s numbingly intense

(Naked love Naked love)

Kaoru + Adonis: Let’s hug each other tight, 

ALL: Let’s erase all these boundaries

Koga: Falling through the depths of such love

ALL: I’ve imprisoned you

Rei: It all burns Savage

[pkjd]

A second key visual and PV for the original college rugby anime “number 24” has been released. It’ll have its broadcast debut in January 2020.

-Synopsis-

"Natsusa Yuzuki entered university expecting to be the rugby club's ace, but he can no longer play rugby due to certain circumstances. Ibuki Ueoka is a senior who also quit playing rugby. There is also Yasunari Tsuru, Natsusa's junior who finds him disagreeable. On the other hand, another junior, Yuu Mashiro looks up to Natsusa and follows in his footsteps. Last, there is Seiichirou Shingyouji, Natsusa's childhood best friend. This is an original rugby anime of former teammates who fight together in matches of Kansai's university rugby league."

-Staff-

Director: Shigeru Kimiya

Series Composition: Rika Nakase

Main Character Draft: YukiKana

Character Design: Saori Sakiguchi

Studio: PRA

-Cast-

Natsusa Yuzuki (CV: Kengo Kawanishi

Seiichirou Jingyouji (CV: Ryouta Suzuki)

Ibuki Ueoka (CV: Junichi Yanagita)

Yasunari Tsuru (CV: Shouhei Komatsu)

Yuu Mashiro (CV: Ayumu Murase)

Gakuto Zaitsu (CV: Hinata Tadokoro)

Ikuto Yufu (CV: Shinnosuke Tachibana)

Taisei Uchinashi (CV: Makoto Furukawa)

Ethan Taylor (CV: Kazuyuki Okitsu)

Madoka Hongou (CV: Souma Saitou)

Kazutaka Hongou (CV: Kaito Ishikawa)

Fuuga Saitou (CV: Takuya Kodama)

Yayoi Tsuzura (CV: Aoi Ichikawa)

Sunao Konoe (CV: Masamu Ono)

Tsuugen Sasaki (CV: Shinnosuke Murashima)

Li Honghin (CV: Yuuki Inoue)

Makoto Someya (CV: Kentarou Kumagai)

Ren Tamashiro (CV: Mizuki Chiba)

Pongsaklek Yunu (CV: Ryuuma Kuno)

Takumi Hidaka (CV: Shougo Yano)

Toranoshin Higashizaka (CV: Daichi Kanbara)

Yuuki Koreeda (CV: Masanori Kobayashi)

Shinya Ishigami (CV: Yuuta Hayama)

via: number24-anime.com

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 1/4/21

Black Clover, Vol. 23 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – Given we came to the end of a very long arc last time, it makes sense that there’s a lot of goofy comedy before we start the next arc (which has a timeskip!). Fortunately, Black Clover is pretty good at being dumb and goofy in a shonen way—I’ve said before that it’s ripping off every single shonen series in the world, but it’s not doing it badly. Therefore we get a lot of silly love confessions, and priestesses who wear spiral “nerd” glasses like Mousse from Ranma 1/2. Oh yes, and Asta is not executed—for now. They still think he’s totally evil, though. Hopefully fighting a devil may help to change that opinion. This has become one of the longest-running Jump series now, and it’s easy to see why it’s still going. – Sean Gaffney

Days of Love at Seagull Villa, Vol. 1 | By Kodama Naoko | Seven Seas – Another yuri series from this author, this book starts with one of our heroines fleeing to the countryside after her boyfriend gets her best friend pregnant. She’s there to teach (and boy, her class could use some lessons in “don’t slutshame and don’t bully”), but she’s also staying with a young woman who’s raising a kid alone after her whole family was killed. The two are seeming opposites, but turn out to possibly have much in common. The yuri so far here is just a drunken kiss, but I’m sure there will be more to it. That said, the series seems content to introduce its cast and then start to simmer things to a slow boil. That’s good too. I want to learn more about this village. – Sean Gaffney

Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! Everyday Misadventures!, Vol. 1 | By FUNA and Yuki Moritaka | Seven Seas – I was expecting this to be a 4-koma sort of volume, but it isn’t. Instead it’s just goofy comedy chapters without the ongoing plot that we get in the normal series. So you get things like Reina trying to learn to cook, and Mavis getting hit on by women again, etc. The usual stereotypes apply—Pauline has large breasts, Mile is… well, Mile, Reina is hot-headed, etc. There’s also a flashback to Adele’s experiences at school, where it turns out that all the school’s “Seven Mysteries” are just her being stupidly overpowered. No one should get this who’s not a fan of the original, but those who are should be quite pleased. – Sean Gaffney

Dr. STONE, Vol. 14 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – Most of this volume is trying to rescue everyone from the evil village “god” and his even more evil minion, who is unfortunately more overpowered than most of our team. On the cool side, most of the rest of the group gets un-petrified after recovering their bodies from the ocean floor, thanks to the power of Taiju being really strong and really dumb. On the less-cool side, Kohaku and Ginro are now petrified, though frankly that’s a good thing in Ginro’s case, as he was bleeding to death. This is probably the biggest villain that Senku and company have had to face before, so it makes sense that he’s finally taking a very dark step (as he himself says) and bringing guns into this world. Great fun. – Sean Gaffney

Eniale & Dewiela, Vol. 1 | By Kamome Shirahama | Yen Press – I was told when I saw who the author of this series was that I should not expect it to be much like Witch Hat Atelier, and that’s an understatement if anything. Oh, the art is still amazingly gorgeous, but the content is very much designed for those who enjoy the dynamic of, say, Gabriel Dropout. An angel and a demon are best friends despite sniping at each other the entire volume. Eniale is a bit of a featherhead. Dewiela has a bit of a temper. Together, they get involved in Very Wacky Situations. How much you enjoy this will depend on how wacky you find the situations. I found it fun, but I think I would enjoy it better in a magazine chapter by chapter than in volume form. – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 13 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – This series about four couples—heavily overbalanced towards two of them—finally comes to a close by going back to its leads, as Riko’s mom is moving due to her job and… is NOT asking Riko to come with her. Yes, the final volume involves everyone trying to self-sacrifice the most, with lots of tears and angry words. Of course we know that Riko really needs to be with her mom, even if they may not have the best relationship, which of course means that she and Kai are now far from each other. Fortunately, it’s the final volume, so this can be resolved with a flash forward to college. This was a solid series, but I’ll remember it for Takaya and Ayumi more than anyone else—in fact, possibly just Ayumi. – Sean Gaffney

I Love You So Much, I Hate You | By Yuni | Yen Press – Ayako Asano and Saori Fujimura are both accomplished, successful career women working closely with each other at their company. But outside of the office they’re even closer—they’ve actually started sleeping with one another. Two women becoming romantically involved isn’t so much of an issue, but the fact that Ayako is both married to a man and is Saori’s boss poses some significant problems. I Love You So Much, I Hate You is a mature manga dealing with some mature themes. Initially, there are definite imbalances in Ayako and Saori’s relationship, each woman approaching it from a different starting point and hoping to get different things out of it. However, over the course of the volume their needs and desires begin to align. But it’s not easy for either of them for a variety of reasons; granted, a relationship that starts out as an affair is bound to be complicated. – Ash Brown

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol. 5 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – Nanase and Dr. Tendo are a couple now, so, inevitably, we must introduce the rivals. This volume gives us the first one, a rich young man with a medical condition who cynically says that people only care about him because of his money. He runs into Nanase, who is, well, herself, and falls head over heels in love with her. I was impressed how the author took this old-standard josei manga trope and simply… had the leads act like adults. There are a few misunderstandings and small fights, but there’s no huge blowup or breakup, mostly as Dr. Tendo is very familiar with who Nanase is. That said, Nanase still has self-image issues, and the cliffhanger implies a stronger rival on the way. Maki Enjoji is always good. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 17 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – While we’re still dealing with the consequences of Miyuki and Kaguya dating, the series really has gotten very good at the tiny little jokes. Including possibly the DARKEST ‘in between chapters’ gag I’ve ever seen, where Iino talks about how she enjoys pain as it makes her “feel safe.” As for Chika, I think she has realized that the author increasingly doesn’t know what to do with her. She probably does not have a big character-building arc like the other four, so she’s essentially the goofy one that annoys people, something she is catching on to. Though the funniest chapter in this book features Karen invading the main title from her spin-off manga—still sadly not licensed—and almost getting everyone arrested. – Sean Gaffney

Practice Makes Perfect, Vol. 3 | By Ui Hanamiya | Kodansha Comics (digitial only) – This volume has our lead couple finally going all the way, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems. For one, the first time HURTS, and even successive attempts are nine parts pain to one part pleasure for Nohara (who, amusingly, is still trying to handle this in a “sports” way, as is Yano). There’s also the fact that Yano thinks that Nohara is going to break if he tries to be anything but super super gentle, which… also is not helping, though it leads to the volume’s best joke. Fortunately, the next volume is the last. Unfortunately, it appears that we’re going to get a “hey, the girl I love spends her days surrounded by hot guys!” chapter. Still, this Rated-R manga is still a lot more fun than I expected. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown