two! step!

Checkers - gizagiza haato no komoriuta/lullaby for a serrated heart

2006-05-04T00:16:21Z

チェッカーズ：　ギザギザハートの子守唄

チチャな頃から悪ガキで
十五で不良と呼ばれたよ
ナイフみたいに尖っては
触るもの皆傷つけば

※ あ、あーー　わかってくれとは言わないが
そんなに俺が悪いのか？
ルッラバイ、ルッラバイ、お休みを！
ギザギザハートの子守唄。

恋したあの子と二人して
街お出をと決めたのさ
駅のホームで捕まって
力任せに殴られた。

※ あ、あーー

(guitar solo!)

仲間がバイクで死んだのさ
とってもいいやつだったのに
ガードレールに花添えて
「青春あばよ！」と泣いたのさ

※ あ、あーー

(key change!)

熱い心を縛られて
夢は机で削られて
卒業式だというけれど
何を卒業をするのだろう？

※ あ、あーー

Checkers - Lullaby for a Serrated Heart

chichana koro kara waru gaki de
         i've been a bad kid since i was tiny:
juugo de furyou to yobareta yo
         at fifteen, they called me scum.
naifu mitai ni togatte ha
         sharp, like a knife,
sawaru mono mina kizutsukeba
         i'll hurt everyone who touches me

ah- ah- wakatte kure to wa iwanai ga
         ah, ah, I'm not saying "understand me", but
sonna ni ore ga warui no ka?
         am i as bad as that?
lullabye, lullabye, oyasumi o!
         lullabye, lullabye, go to sleep!
gizagiza heart no komoriuta
         lullabye for a serrated heart.

koishita ano ko to futari shite
         got together with some girl I liked
machi ode o to kimeta no sa
         and decided to go out on the town, right?
eki no homu de tsukamatte
         we got caught on the station platform:
chikara makase ni nagurareta
         acted tough, and got the shit kicked out of me.

ah- ah- wakatte kure to wa iwanai ga
         ah, ah, I'm not saying "understand me", but
sonna ni ore ga warui no ka?
         am i as bad as that?
lullabye, lullabye, oyasumi o!
         lullabye, lullabye, go to sleep!
gizagiza heart no komoriuta
         lullabye for a serrated heart.

nakama ga bike de shinda no sa
         a mate died on his motorbike, right?
tottemo ii yatsu datta no ni
         though he was a well safe bloke;
guardrail ni hanasoete
         we tied flowers to the guardrail,
"seishun, abayo!" to naita no sa
         crying: goodbye, youth!

ah- ah- wakatte kure to wa iwanai ga
         ah, ah, I'm not saying "understand me", but
sonna ni ore ga warui no ka?
         am i as bad as that?
lullabye, lullabye, oyasumi o!
         lullabye, lullabye, go to sleep!
gizagiza heart no komoriuta
         lullabye for a serrated heart.

atsui kokoro o shibararete
         my eager spirit's been tied down,
yumei wa tsukue de kezurarete
         my dreams are ground away at desks,
sotugyoushiki da to iu keredo
         they call it a graduation ceremony
nani o sotsugyou o suru no darou?
         but what am I supposed to be graduating from?

ah- ah- wakatte kure to wa iwanai ga
         ah, ah, I'm not saying "understand me", but
sonna ni ore ga warui no ka?
         am i as bad as all that?
lullabye, lullabye, oyasumi o!
         lullabye, lullabye, go to sleep!
gizagiza heart no komoriuta
         lullabye for a serrated heart.

notes:
1. I transcribed it myself so it could be rife with errors, the only thing I was particularly unsure of is 'chikara makase ni', 'trusting in my strength', which might in fact involve the passive infinitive of 'makasu', 'to beat, defeat', but Kotoeri didn't suggest it as an option so just took excessive license with the phrase.
2. Also I do not understand why the first verse ends with 'kizutsukeba' which is totally the conditional but I suspect it's a young people speech thing.
3. I have no idea which preposition goes with 'graduate' but that's mostly cos I don't understand this graduation business.
4. Check my lame chat in the third verse! There is no better translation for 'ii yatsu' than 'safe bloke', except possibly 'good lad'. I once knew a young man from round my area (from the estate down the road in fact) who used "pals" as the general term for friends: that's pretty wack and old-man sounding, right? it's not just me? Incidentally, 'abayo' is the rough, manly way of saying 'sayonara': it's more "farewell to our youth!" than 'tek care, lad!', I prefer the latter tho.
5. I kind of used 'I' and 'we' interchangeably, o wels.
6. The dictionary/thesaurus in Dashboard? I'm in love.

MYOJO, March 2006, KAT-TUN "funbare, seishoujo!"

2006-03-18T04:24:09Z

赤西仁：　勉強するなら、楽しくなけりゃソン！
Jin Akanishi: When you're studying, if it's not fun, it's a waste!

introductory remarks!
I can't remember my entrance exams at all~! When I was taking exams, I was probably enjoying myself just as I normally would. In general, it would be a mistake to ask me. The thing is, I hated schoolwork. I hated it all, so that's all I can say... though I can talk about my experience, I can't offer advice or anything to people who're worrying, thinking "what do I do now?" Your route in life, what you stand against, what sort of feelings you have, aren't they different for each person, dependent on environment and circumstances? So long as that's clear, I'll talk as much as you want.

do we have to go to school?
What I think is that, when you hate studying, surely there's no meaning in going to school. It's a waste of time and money. My basic way of thinking is - If you've found out what you want to do, isn't it better to progress along the road you want to take? Ah, but how can you do that? Even if you've something you want to do, unless you're someone with an incredibly strong will, carrying it out is difficult, isn't it. Or even if your resolve is firm! Because everyone's different, in circumstances and environment - for example whether their parents oppose them, or trust their opinions. Of course I can't say "you must resist!"... By the way, my parents understood that I hated studying, and weren't the type to nag, and so I was able to concentrate more on work than studying.

studying of your own accord
I have a feeling that, so far, I've done more studying in the course of my work than in school. Like... social learning? I think that's exactly it, what I've got now. Although you'd expect me to hate studying like this, when I think that I want to study something for myself, even I can get enthusiastic about it. For example, English. At first I thought it'd be pretty cool if I could speak it, and then I made friends who spoke English, after which I wanted to speak it more often... and I'm studying of my own accord. After all, if you've not got the curiosity to want to do it, if it isn't fun, no matter how much you study it probably won't come naturally. And so, so that all you who are taking exams will have fun studying, I'll sing a cheer for you, NEWS' "Kibō ~Yell~". Hooray hooray! ♪

* 'if you'll do me the favour of understanding that/if you understand that for me', kind of, except it doesn't sound so unctuous in japanese.

MYOJO, March 2006, KAT-TUN "funbare, seishoujo!"

2006-03-18T01:55:25Z

田口淳之介：　夢はなに？って自分に聞いて。いつか道が開けるから
Junnosuke Taguchi: Ask yourself: what is my dream? Because the road could open at any time.

are entrance exams necessary?
Regarding my entrance exams - I think I failed them? There was a sense of "since I won't be passing, what'll I do..." Truth is, there was a school I wanted to go to, but it was so high-level I'd given up before I even took the test. Plus, I took the exam for a school that was easy to get into, and I was accepted, but then I decided that I didn't want to go there after all. In the end, I went to a different school. I don't like to make excuses or anything, but my primary ambition was my job, you know? At the time of the entrance exams I'd already started working, and I'd found the dream I wanted to pursue. I think I had the sense that I was made for this job. So, I wasn't able to muster much enthusiasm for exam study. And... I don't regret it. :) Since I didn't lose sight of my dream.

what is your dream?
Maybe because of what I've been told by my parents, maybe because it's got a bad reputation, somehow, the idea of going on to university doesn't sit well with my sense of what's me. If you want to become a singer, it's best to go to a school which teaches singing; if you want to become a cook, it'd be a cookery school. If you've got a dream of your own, wouldn't following it be your first priority? I think that it's best, with such an important thing, to think simply. To say: what is my dream? what ought I do to realise that dream? If you do that, your path will become visible. I"d recommend that people who haven't yet found their dreams try and master their hobbies. Sports, playing instruments, dancing, reading... try to master whatever it is you like. With people, when they try their hardest at something they enjoy, an unexpected power is released, you know?

it's fine to take your time
You've no hobby to master? Even that's totally fine. You don't need to rush it. Don't worry. At some point your dream, what you like, will definitely appear. I have the feeling that people go to high school and university in order to find it. Don't adults often say stuff like "my high school days were the most fun. So enjoy yourself!"? Whether they're really the most fun I don't know, but it's certain that it's a valuable time for everyone. The friends that you meet at this time become irreplaceable, you know. It's your life, it's not pointless. It's not pointless, either, to be able to approach it in a roundabout way. So don't compare yourself to others or anything, just go carefree. Because the road you can walk on is yours alone.

MYOJO, March 2006, KAT-TUN "funbare, seishoujo!"

2006-03-16T16:43:10Z

田中聖：　夢を探す時間は、決してムダじゃない
Koki Tanaka: The time you spend searching out your dreams isn't at all wasted!

taking the road to studenthood
I took my university entrance exams in the summer of last year. I'd graduated from high school and had a lazy life for a while, when suddenly I thought "I'm too idle like this, I want to study." So, as I'd always had an interest in veterinary science, I decided to go to university. In order to manage the schoolwork, I visited any number of cram schools, and also thought about engaging a tutor. But, since I never know when I'll be going in to work, there was nothing for it but self-study. Since that put limits on what I could study, I discussed with teachers from when I was in high school, bought and pored over a book on university admissions; and chose a media department where I could study image and sound. Though English and a short essay were necessary for the entrance exam, since I was good enough to have got 98 points on the mock exam (I lost 2 points for kanji mistakes), I didn't worry. With English, too, since I chat with my foreign friends I can manage everyday conversation. And yet, when I was on the train or while in the bath I'd be frantically studying. On the other hand., when I was in my room I'd spend my time as I liked. It seems like that sort of variety suited me.

rose-coloured campus life
Though coping with university and work at the same time is difficult, I'm still glad to have gone. What's made me the happiest, something I hadn't come into contact with before, is making friends who really come alive talking about their clubs* or their classes. Though in high school I thought 'school, ugh'**, because I can study things I'm interested in at university, I'm able to go without the sense that it's 'school',

let's dream-seekers!
I think it's best for people who fret when they can't find what they want to do to search until they do find it. You don't have to strain yourself unnecessarily in going around looking for work or going on to university. In the end, whether or not you have a happy life, when you look back on your deathbed you'd have no regrets because you decided it. If you live worrying constantly about what people around you think, doing things you don't want to do, you'd certainly regret it. And if you think about it like that, the time you use to search for what you want to do definitely isn't wasted, is it? I'd call that kind of person not a 'freeter'*** but a 'dream-seeker'. And so, I want them to persevere and not give up. Because surely, there are people everywhere who will help you realise your dream!****

* 'Saakuru', actually - a university saakuru is like a group of people who share a common interest but aren't so insanely fixated on it as to have a 'club' (kurabu) - so a football club will have daily practices, whereas a football saakuru is more likely just to have kickabouts and discussion of the j-league.
** 学校うぜえ is what he thought, in fact. 'uze' might be a contraction of urusai, perhaps? shirann.
*** 'freeter' == 'free arbeiter', a person who drifts from part-time job to part-time job rather than settling down at a company. They're considered a bit of a social problem.
**** 夢請負人, lit 'dream contractor', wtf.
in other news, how is his name kōki when the character is 聖? I didn't think that was a possible reading.

MYOJO, March 2006, KAT-TUN "funbare, seishoujo!"

2006-03-16T02:45:25Z

中丸雄一：　親の思いを受け止める器を持つべし
Yuichi Nakamaru: Be capable of responding to your parents' opinions.

day of destiny
During my third year of junior high, wasn't it? I guess I thought I'd just be going to high school in the normal way, didn't have any particularly profound thoughts. A feeling like-- for the time being, might as well go, you know? Anyway, I didn't think much beyond 'so long as it's a school near my home, anywhere's fine!' I remember, I'd planned to go to high school open days with a classmate, but that day clashed with the Johnny's Junior audition, didn't it. For me at the time, high school was still more important, so it was like first I went to the open day, and then popped in on the audition on the way home - but since I managed to both get into the school I visited on that day and to pass the audition, that day became for me the one day I'll never forget. Amazing, how after that my life changed completely, you know?

best to listen to what your parents say
The entrance process itself was recommendation, so rather than an exam there was just an interview. And so I've no recollection of studying for it, it's completely faded. Though I'd started work at the same time, I'd made a promise to my parents to put school first, and I think I wasn't all that impatient about my job. Though, once, when I was late for school or something, I made my parents really worried and they made me sign a contract, like "if I slack off and skip school, I'll quit my job." But, thanks to that, I could develop a sense of "after I graduate, I'll work as hard as I can at my job!" I decided that I could deal with leaving the things I wanted to do until after graduation. I thought about going on to university for like a split second, but even my parents, who'd said that if I didn't go to high school I'd have to quit work, said to me "so, work hard at your job!" without mentioning that I could go to university. I think maybe, since I'd persevered for three years, neither missing school nor work, they'd acknowledged what I was about. Although it's difficult to cope with both school and what you want to do, I'm now able to think that what my parents said was right. Since I doubt there's any parent who intends a bad future for their child, I think you have to listen to what your parents have to say about your future first. If you think from the outset that what your parents are saying stems from thinking about you, your attitude becomes different. And the time it takes to carefully think it over, considering both your own situation and your parents' opinions - your life's that important, right?

okay I totally freestyled some of this, dude needs to quit with the constant qualifying of his statements already, also the classical negative, wtf.

MYOJO, March 2006, KAT-TUN "funbare, seishoujo!"

2006-03-14T18:42:35Z

亀梨和也：　好きなことを見つけて、輝く人になろう！
Kazuya Kamenashi: Discover what you like, and become a shining person!

this thing, "study"
When I hear 'entrance exams' I remember the third year of junior high school. In order to go to high school, I took a month off from work and studied. I got a private tutor to come, eight hours every day. There were all sorts of temptations - wanting to go have fun with friends, wanting just to sleep, but I persevered, imagining what would happen after I'd passed. And yet-- when I though I was tired, if I changed the place where I was working from my house to the library, took a walk in the neighbourhood, my mood would change. My method of study is to think it out for myself, whether study or anything else, rather than be told "do it this way" I prefer to think up my own way of doing it, you know? Since it's more fun, instead of reading the instruction booklet from start to finish, to look at the basics only and then set out to discover it for yourself by trial and error; that feels natural to me.

you need lucky rituals!*
Whether it's an entrance exam or a weekly test, I think there are a lot of people who get stressed on the day and use up 100% of their strength. Me too, it's a constant theme in my life. :) With 'Dream Boys', when rehearsals hadn't even started yet, I wasn't able to sleep. When you're like that, it's not something you can easily change, is it? So, though thinking about some other fun thing feels like running away, I think that sort of escape from reality is necessary at times. When we've got concerts there's a certain ring I wear, I do stretches every morning of the period it's being staged. I really think that sort of lucky ritual is important. If you believe in it it's an emotional support, and when you've got self-confidence you might be able to exert your strength even more than usual. That's my recommendation to everyone. Yes.

experience everything!
I entered the entertainment world during the second year of junior high; since when, the things I want to succeed in are gradually becoming fewer and fewer. So, as someone who gets worried if their aims haven't come to light, I'm amazingly lucky. But, when you start living your life with an interest in things, the possibilities stretch out infinitely. Even someone who right now doesn't have anything they want to do, they'll certainly find it if they broaden their horizons, I think. I want to try all sorts of things, not just decide "that's not it" based on just preconceptions and outward appearances. When people are doing things they enjoy, they're at their most shining. I want everyone to become like that!

* things which i'd classify under ゲンはかつぐもの include lucky exam pens, 'pulling' boxers, minor domestic good-luck talisman type superstitions, you know?

MYOJO, March 2006, KAT-TUN "funbare, seishoujo!"

2006-03-14T03:19:15Z

ふんばれっ、青少女！！
Exert yourselves, ladies!

今は笑顔だけのKAT-TUNにも、進路を考えるときはあった。
Even KAT-TUN, who now are all smiles, once had times when they had to consider their course in life.

受験でツライあなた、将来の目標が決まらないキミ、がんばってる、悩んでるすべての青少女たちに、６人のメッセージを送ります。
We pass on messages from these six people to you - who are struggling with entrance exams, who can't decide on your aims for the future, to all girls and young women who are trying their hardest and are worried.

受験性&がんばっているすべての人を応援します。
We support all those who are undergoing exams and trying hard!

上田竜也：　自分らしくやることが“苦しい”を”楽しい”に変える。
Tatsuya Ueda: Doing things your own way, change 'painful' into 'joyful'

even failing your exams isn't the end
Four years ago, I was working hard for my university entrance exams. From summer on, I went to cram school as well. Oh, and there were cute girls there, which was an encouragement, I'm male after all. Thanks to which I passed the exam but failed at the interview. It seemed that due to my taking part in the entertainment industry it would be impossible. On results day we were all collected together for MYOJO futsal or something, and being told "what, you failed, you failed"-- I just caved completely. Although there'd been days I'd even taken my workbooks to the dressing room and studied, it was all in vain*. but now, I think it might have been a good thing. I've come to think I was forcing it. :) Since I think nothing you strive for is pointless, it's the process which is more important than the result, absolutely! ...is what I think.

aim co-ed!
Because I entered High School through recommendation, I didn't have such a hard time with entrance exams. Since I'd already started working, I chose for myself a school that was close to my place of work. But, after I'd stared at school, I noticed... why did I go and pick a boys' school! :( Then, it's alright, I thought, since there's a girls' school next door, and I recovered pretty quick. :) Except this girls' school was an elite school high in the league tables, so they couldn't just deal with you normally. And only once - okay, going to a school's cultural festival is such a tiny ambition, but every year due to work commitments I didn't go, and then in my third year I said to our manager "pleeeeease, let me go to their cultural festival!" and he gave the nod. The result of those difficult three years is that I think it's absolutely necessary, after all, for a high school to be co-ed. That's natural, isn't it. It's youth! Since we were only male students, there'd usually be guys wandering through the halls with their arses hanging out**, that sort of thing, you know. The eyes of the opposite sex are definitely important! Aim for co-ed!

change it to your own style
Times when I've overcome something I'm no good at, I've done it by changing it completely to my own style. For example the dancing that I'm poor at. If, during choreography, I think "oh, this move is a bit like this form, in boxing," that sort of thing. Dancing with the mood of boxing, you know. It's fun to do that, so I try harder. Or I'm scared of being told "Ueda, you're wrong!" :) That sort of fun escape is the source of my powers of perseverance. You have to keep hold of your own speciality and use it as your weapon.

* i have no clue! i totally just made that up! 全部、パーかよって it says, 'it all depended on my par or something?' eh, whatevs.
** 'arses hanging out' == i spent ages wondering about ケツ出す and finally settled on this, for all I know I have the meaning completely backwards.

sangatsu kokonoka

2006-03-09T02:24:16Z

right in the middle of the flowing seasons
i suddenly realise the length of a day;
among days that hurry past, you and I
sketch out our dreams.

loading their hopes on the march winds,
the cherry-blossom buds hold out for spring.

drops of now-overflowing light
warm up the mornings, little by little;
after a huge yawn, I'm
slightly self-conscious at your side.

standing at the entrance to a new world
what i've just noticed is that I'm not alone.

if I shut your eyes you're there
on the underside of my eyelids
how strong it could have become--
and it should be strong, for you and for me.

a flurry of wind carrying a cloud of dust
is getting tangled up in the washing, but
I was fascinated by this somehow beautiful thing,
the white moon of late morning.

and although there are times when I can't do it right
if i look up at the sky, even that small and

blue sky becomes sharply clear,
and flocks of woolen clouds shiver quietly.
If it's sharing with you the joy of waiting
for flowers to bloom: that's happiness.

in the future, too, smile softly at my side.

'flocks of woolen clouds': the word hitsujigumo means 'clouds which look like a flock of sheep'
'hohoemu', one verb for 'to smile', means with reference to flowers 'to bloom'
the school year ends march 31st: I think the end of term must be mid-march or so, so it's probably in the sakura/graduation/start genre.
the pair of numbers "three nine" would be pronounced "san kyuu" which sounds like "thank you", do you see, etc etc etc.

(reposted from cis)

utawara hot hit ten, March 5th 2006

2006-03-07T18:46:20Z

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:
Matsumoto Jun (Jun) of Arashi, a boybandist of long standing, attractive only when in motion;
Wada Akiko (WA), a joy and a wonder;
Jin Akanishi (jin) of KAT-TUN, soon to debut*, pretty and petulant and none too bright it appears but so very charming;
various guests, represented in this scene by a dude whose name I cannot be arsed to find out;
an audience.

BACKGROUND:
jun pwns jin XD

jin:
...this morning, right? I said hello, and he blanked me.

[excerpt ends]

SCENE:

[guests are discussing relationship failures caused by being 1xfamous]

dude:
マツジュンは？
MatsuJun, what about you?

Jun:
僕たくさんありますよ、失敗
Me, I've had a lot of them, failed relationships.
僕の性格だ　と思うんですけど　最近のことじゃないですけど
I'm the type who - at least this is what I think - and, not recently, but
昔その　気になった女の子　上手くいかなくなったら
It used to be, when things went wrong with a girl I liked
必ずケンカして
we'd inevitably end up fighting,
ケンカ割れで終っちゃう。
split up in a fight and it would be all over.
仲直りをする事なく
And since we didn't make up,
そこからもう喋らない　です
I haven't spoken to them since.

WA:
どっかで会っても
Even if you see them somewhere,
「やあ」も言えない?
you don't say 'hi!'?

Jun:
「やあ」も言えないですねだから
I don't say 'hi'.

WA:
あら！
cor.

dude:
ケンカ割れは何回ぐらいするんの？
How many times have you argued and split up [like that]?

Jun:
３回しました。
Three times.

audience/guests:
へえぇ？
!!!

WA:
結構多いじゃん！
That's a lot!

Jun:
恋愛たくさんしてます。
I fall in love a lot!*

guests:
あら！　カッコイイじゃん [など]
ooh, get him, etc etc etc.

WA:
どう思う　今の態度　どう思う赤西？
So, what do you think about his current attitude, Akanishi?

Jin:
共感します。
I sympathise!

Jun:
♥

* I cannot be the only person who when faced with the verb "to debut" imagines them all as society daughters being presented to the Queen.

** argh I hate these noun+suru jobbies. ren'ai means romantic love; my sense of the the meaning of 'ren'ai takusan shitemasu' is halfway between "i fall in love a lot" and "i'm always romancin' the ladies." 遊び人なんじゃないの, Jun? XD

I wish they had taken longer to make up, the ijime was funny.