黄昏は真珠色
tasogare wa shinju-iro
Twilight is Pearl Grey

Vocals: milka
Lyrics: milka
Arranged by: milka
Album: TOHO BOSSA NOVA 5 【Official Site】
Circle: Shibayan Records
Event: Reitaisai 13 [RTS13]
Original Theme: Omiwa Legend  [大神神話伝]

The speaker seems to be relaxing on the beach, trying to overcome the pain of leaving their beloved. So the music is relaxing, but the lyrics are actually kind of sad…

Apparently, the word used for dusk (黄昏 – tasogare) is also another word for ‘melancholic nostalgia,’ which is probably a more appropriate interpretation given the lyrical content.

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零れ落ちてははぐれるの
あわい　ものおもい
砂浜は珊瑚色
あなたの隠れ家

kobore ochite wa hagureru no
awai mono omoi
sunahama wa sango-iro
anata no kakurega

I fall down and go astray
In a faint reverie.
The sandy beach is coral-coloured.
I am in your hiding place…

ねえ西の海　西の空
漕ぎだせないわ
この髪も　この指も
泡になるだけ

nee nishi no umi nishi no sora
kogi dasenai wa
kono kami mo kono yubi mo
awa ni naru dake

Hey, I can’t start paddling through
The western sea or the western sky.
My hair and my fingers
Will just become bubbles.

Blue Wave　ゆりかごのなかで
降りつむ時間の影
飼いならしてくの
ひび割れた恋も

Blue Wave yurikago no naka de
furitsumu jikan no kage
kai narashiteku no
hibiwareta koi mo

Blue waves form in the cradle,
And the shadows of times gone by are within.
I’m going to tame
That cracked love of mine, too.

鍵をかけてもあふれるの
ふかい　ものおもい
黄昏は真珠色
あなたのまなざし

kagi wo kaketemo afureru no
fukai mono omoi
tasogare wa shinju-iro
anata no manazashi

Though I turned the key, things keep spilling out.
I am in a deep reverie.
Twilight is pearl grey
And you’re gazing at me…

もうすぐ会えるはずの日は
迎えられないわ
このこころひとしきり
海に流すだけ

mou sugu aeru hazu no hi wa
mukaerarenai wa
kono kokoro hitoshikiri
umi ni nagasu dake

Though the day when we will meet again will arrive soon,
I cannot welcome it.
I will just let my heart drift
Through the ocean for a while.

貝殻に眠るなら
睦む声も繭の外
痛みに慣れたら
さざなみで起こして

kaigara ni nemuru nara
mutsumu koe mo mayu no soto
itami ni naretara
sazanami de okoshite

If I am sleeping in a shell,
Then intimate voices are outside my cocoon.
Once I have grown used to my pain,
I will wake my heart up by making small waves.

Blue Wave　ゆりかごのなかで
あなたの夢にあそぶ
飼いならしてくの
ひび割れた恋も

Blue Wave yurikago no naka de
anata no yume ni asobu
kai narashiteku no
hibiwareta koi mo

Blue waves form in the cradle,
And I play inside your dream.
I’m going to tame
That cracked love of mine, too.

なんてことない日
nante koto nai hi
An Ordinary Day

Vocals: witch
Lyrics: Azusa Touma (冬馬 梓)
Arranged by: Shavadava (しゃばだば)
Album: TOHO BOSSA NOVA 2 【Official Site】
Circle: Shibayan Records
Event: Reitaisai 10 [RTS10]
Original Theme: Necrofantasia [ネクロファンタジア]

Requested by: ze

Shavadava, who is the arranger behind this song, is better known as the person in charge of Sound CYCLONE. His laid-back style really suits the genre of bossa-nova. I’m eagerly awaiting TOHO BOSSA NOVA 5’s release next Reitaisai…

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ふわりと午後の日ざし さしこむ
縁側でひとり
ほっと一息ついて ひとやすみ

fuwari to gogo no hizashi sashikomu
engawa de hitori
hotto hitoiki tsuite hitoyasumi

The rays of the afternoon sun softly shine down.
I’m alone on the veranda.
I sigh with relief and relax.

くりかえす日々の
ちょっとした変化だったり
気づかないうちに
なれていくことも

kurikaesu hibi no
chotto shita henka dattari
kidzukanai uchi ni
narete iku koto mo

Without noticing it,
I grew used to the small changes
That took place
In my ordinary life.

いつもと 同じリズムで続く
ゆるやかな時と
つながっていくことも
きっと

itsumo to onaji rizumu de tsudzuku
yuruyaka na toki to
tsunagatte iku koto mo
kitto

Time continues loosely,
At the same rhythm as always.
I am tied to it.
Surely…

こんな瞬間に なんとなく感じてたり
大事なことはそう 意外とシンプル

konna shunkan ni nanto naku kanjitetari
daiji na koto wa sou igai to shinpuru

I vaguely felt something in that moment:
Yes, that’s what’s important. It’s simpler than I expected.

シアワセのカケラをあつめて
ココロのスキマをうめてみよう
気づいてる？
世界はこんなに きらめいているんだ

shiawase no kakera wo atsumete
kokoro no sukima wo umete miyou
kidzuiteru?
sekai wa konna ni kirameite iru nda

I gather up fragments of happiness.
Perhaps I should fill in the gaps in my heart…
Are you aware of it?
The world is so gleaming.

思えば 大変だったことや
楽じゃないことも
今では「しょうがない」って苦笑い

omoeba taihen datta koto ya
raku ja nai koto mo
ima de wa “shouganai” tte nigawarai

When I think about challenging times
Or things that aren’t fun,
I smile bitterly, thinking “there’s nothing I can do about it.”

したってくれる人や
からかってしまう人や
もう会えない人
たくさんいるけど

shitatte kureru hito ya
karakatte shimau hito ya
mou aenai hito
takusan iru kedo

Though there are many people out there
Who yearn for me,
Who I’ll end up teasing,
And who I won’t meet again…

明日がまた 今日にかわるたび
日がしずみ 月がかがやいて
朝がきて 目ざめたときには
笑顔になるように

asu ga mata kyou ni kawaru tabi
hi ga shizumi tsuki ga kagayaite
asa ga kite mezameta toki ni wa
egao ni naru you ni

As tomorrow becomes today, once more,
The sun will sink, and the moon will shine.
I hope that when morning comes, and I wake up,
I’ll be smiling.

つないでく縁が
やがて大きな円になっていくように
つづいてくワタシの大事な
愛するこの世界

tsunaideku yosuga ga
yagate ooki na en ni natte iku you ni
tsudzuiteku watashi no daiji na
ai suru kono sekai

So the ties I have with others
Will eventually form a big circle,
I want the world, my precious world that I love so much,
To continue on.

ring-a-ring

Vocals: milka
Lyrics: milka
Arranged by: milka
Album: TOHO BOSSA NOVA 3 【Official Site】
Circle: Shibayan Records
Event: Reitaisai 11 [RTS11]
Original Theme: The Road of the Misfortune God ~ Dark Road [厄神様の通り道 ～ Dark Road]

Requested by: Nii Chii

Some more heavenly bossa nova. An interesting thing happens about half-way through – milka begins to sing in English, but the lyrics are written in Japanese. Since I couldn’t transcribe what she was saying, I translated the Japanese lyrics. Some parts may match up with the song, but some parts might not. I also didn’t romanise those sections since she’s not actually singing the Japanese lyrics (it might be a bit misleading).

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

むすんでほどいだリボン
風にながれてシングアロング
片隅で回る恋だよ
捨てられちゃったの？

musunde hodoida ribbon
kaze ni nagarete shingu arongu
katasumi de mawaru koi da yo
suterarechatta no?

I tied and unfastened my ribbon.
The sounds of song flowed through the wind.
Our love revolved around this corner.
I wonder if I was abandoned?

うっすら蔭る水辺の午後
わたし夢みたみたい
きみと一緒の白いドレス
｢ほんとはもっと遠いのに｣

ussura kageru mizube no gogo
watashi yume mita mitai
kimi to issho no shiroi doresu
“honto wa motto tooi no ni”

It’s afternoon on the riverbank, as it grows dark.
It seems like I’ve had a dream.
I’m in the white dress I wore when I was with you.
“Though you’re really much further away…”

｢こっち向いて｣だあれ？知らないわ
逆光透けて眩んでる
冷たいドロップ頬に落ちて
目を開けばはじまる

“kocchi muite” daare? shiranai wa
gyakkou sukete kuranderu
tsumetai doroppu hoho ni ochite
me wo hirakeba hajimaru

“Look this way!” Who’s that? I don’t know –
The backlighting shone through, and I was dazzled.
Cold drops fell down my cheeks
And when I opened my eyes, it began.

(この目を見つめるのやめないで
あなたを釣るためにまたたく星を投げこんだわ！
｢おはよう、ぜんぶうまくいくさ！｣
お願い誠実でいてね、だって孤独なのよ
名前をよんでよ、何度もね
だれかに愛されたかったの
ずっと忘れてたの
この頬の涙を拭ってくれたひとのこと…*

(Please, don’t stop looking at me with those eyes…
So I can lure you in, I’ll make my eyes sparkle!
“Good morning – everything went well!”
Be sincere with your wishes, because I’m lonely.
Call my name again and again!
I just wanted to be loved by someone.
I’d forgotten all about those few words
That wiped the tears from my cheeks… *

ハローグッバイって言ってよ
どこにもない庭で再び始めるの
｢わたしをどこかで見つけたら教えてね｣
お願い笑ってよ、だってあなた泣いてるもの
だれもわたしを呼んでくれなかったの
だからだれかに愛されたかった
そしていま、あなたはわたしのこと…)

“Hello, goodbye.” – say it to me!
Everything began again in that garden, nowhere.
“If you find me somewhere, tell me!”
Please smile! Because you’re crying, aren’t you?
Nobody called for me. Nobody at all.
I just wanted to be loved by someone
And now, you feel this way about me…)

*repeat

うっすら蔭る水辺の午後
わたし夢見たみたい
きみと一緒の白いドレス
｢とても近くて甘いみたい｣

ussura kageru mizube no gogo
watashi yume mita mitai
kimi to issho no shiroi doresu
“totemo chikakute amai mitai”

It’s afternoon on the riverbank, as it grows dark.
It seems like I’ve had a dream.
I’m in the white dress I wore when I was with you.
“You’re so close to me. It’s sweet…”

ひっそり浮かぶ記憶の底
わたし目覚めたみたい
つなぐ指の爪のかたち
忘れちゃったの？

hissori ukabu kioku no soko
watashi mezameta mitai
tsunagu yubi no tsume no katachi
wasurechatta no?

I’m at the bottom of my memories, silently floating.
It seems like I’ve just woken up.
I wonder if you’ve forgotten about
The shape of the nails of our fingers, linked together.

うっすら蔭る水辺の午後
名前を呼ばれたみたい
眩む世界の隙間から
恋があふれて　はじまる

ussura kageru mizube no gogo
namae wo yobareta mitai
kuramu sekai no sukima kara
koi ga afurete hajimaru

It’s afternoon on the riverbank, as it grows dark.
It seems like someone’s called my name.
From a gap carved into the world
Love began to flow out.

Don’t let me down

Vocals: 3L
Lyrics: cittan*
Arranged by: Shibayan
Album: TOHO BOSSA NOVA 4
Circle: Shibayan Records
Event: Reitaisai 12 [RTS12]
Original Theme: Apparitions Stalk the Night  [妖魔夜行]

Requested by: Mekouchii
Subtitled video courtesy of Nii Chii: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGU8HbMAFK4

More bossa nova! I might have mentioned this before, but I love good arrangements of Apparitions Stalk the Night/A Soul as Red as a Ground Cherry. RTS12 has been pretty good in that respect. Anyway, like most of Shibayan’s Bossa Nova albums, the lyrics are light-hearted and innocent, with a bitter centre of desertion and isolation.

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こぼれ落ちた雫　水玉をつける
パステルライン　曇り空に変わるよ
まだ帰らないアナタ　想うとポツリと
ひとつまた　ひとつ　流れてはじける

kobore ochita shizuku mizutama wo tsukeru
pasuteru rain kumori sora ni kawaru yo
mada kaeranai anata omou to potsuri to
hitotsu mata hitotsu nagarete hajikeru

The drops of water have spilled over, and they seep in…
That pastel line changes into a cloudy sky.
You still haven’t returned. When I think of you, drop by drop –
One, and another – the water flows down.

出会ったばかりの頃に 歩いた道を
悲しくて通れないの アナタの声が聞こえるから

deatta bakari no koro ni aruita michi wo
kanashikute toorenai no anata no koe ga kikoeru kara

The streets we walked when we had just met –
They’re sorrowful, and I can’t travel along them. It’s because I can hear your voice…

鏡の前ひとり　気取ってみたりね
フワリ・カワイイ・リボンつけて　ほら待ってるわ

kagami no mae hitori kitotte mitari ne
fuwari kawaii ribon tsukete hora matteru wa

Alone in front of the mirror, I try to strut about and so forth…
I put on a light, cute ribbon – hey! I’m waiting!

oh please, don’t don’t let me down
ガッカリさせないで　ずっと待つわ
ひとりで見上げる空はネズミ色　ずっと待つわ
oh please, don’t don’t let me down
イジワルしないで　ここへ戻ってよ
oh please, don’t don’t let me down
ガッカリさせないで　ずっと待つから

oh please, don’t don’t let me down
gakkari sasenai de zutto matsu wa
hitori de miageru sora wa nezumi iro zutto matsu wa
oh please, don’t don’t let me down
ijiwaru shinai de koko he modotte yo
oh please, don’t don’t let me down
gakkari sasenai de zutto matsukara

Oh please, don’t don’t let me down.
Don’t disappoint me. I’ll wait forever!
The sky I gaze up at, alone, is grey. I’ll wait forever!
Oh please, don’t don’t let me down.
Don’t tease me – come back here!
Oh please, don’t don’t let me down.
Don’t disappoint me. I’ll wait forever!