MikitoP - Summer Ticket Stub (Natsu no Hanken / 夏の半券) English Lyrics
I had a lot of MikitoP translations I did over the years but never posted, but I decided to go through and proofread them all today (like six songs wow)! Please view them through my MikitoP tag or from the translation archive on my page (sorry I didn't want to clutter everyone's timelines). Can you believe most of these songs are over 10 years old??? I'm basically a grandma at this point.
いつもと違う午前3時
汗ばむ部屋着を取り替えて
もうダメだって声を枯らす 蝉時雨
A 3AM that’s different than usual
I change out of my sweaty roomwear again
“I can’t do this anymore,” my voice cracks. The cicadas cry
このまま朝を迎えに行こう
近所を軽くジョギングしよう
君の真似して朝食は多めにとろう
I think I’ll go ahead and greet the morning like this
I’ll do some light jogging around the neighborhood
I’ll have a larger breakfast than usual, like you used to
離れ離れは どこか新鮮で
同じ朝焼けは見れない
Going our separate ways was somehow refreshing
I can’t see the same morning glow
“寂しい”とか男らしくないね
そう君に笑われそうさ
次の恋はひと回り大人の顔して
忘れ合おう
It’s not really manly to say, “I’m lonely,” is it
Yeah, I think you’d even laugh at me
Let’s turn our next loves around and act like adults
Let’s forget each other
僕が探すのは言葉だった
君がくれたのは気持ちだった
「沈黙だってあなたなら、平気だよ」って
What I was searching for were words
What you gave me were feelings
“Even if you’re quiet, that’s ok. Because it’s you”
もしまたいつか どこかで逢えたら
お互いの世界を自慢しよう
If we happen to meet again somewhere someday
Let’s be proud of our respective worlds
そばにいたら近すぎて
君の大きさが見えなくなった
色褪せてく 二人で観た映画の半券
When we were next to each other, we were too close
I couldn’t see how big you were
It’s fading, the ticket stub of the movie we saw
そんなに簡単には 君のこと嫌えないけど
このままでは進めないから
君のこと嫌えるように 頑張ろう
I can’t hate you that easily but
I can’t move on like this so
I’m going to try my best to hate you
“寂しい”とか男らしくないね
そう君に笑われそうさ
次の恋はひと回り大人の顔して
忘れ合おう
It’s not really manly to say, “I’m lonely,” is it
Yeah, I think you’d even laugh at me
Let’s turn our next loves around and act like adults
Hello, thank you always for your translations! I wanted to ask if there's any plans to translate Soraru's novels? I hope you have a good day!
I'm not planning on translating them actually! (sorry ;w;) As a general rule, I try to stay away from translating things that would require me to post the whole work for free on my blog. For example, I mainly do lyrics because you still have to listen to the song and it still generates revenue for the original creator (I view my lyric translations as just a supplement to the original piece of work). idk I rather not have to feel guilty for messing with copyright if I don't have to
I super updated this translation cause the PV is gonna drop tomorrow! It's one of my favorite songs from Yumetoki and tbh I had it on my to-do list for months to update this song (I really feel like my original translation was so clunky orz sorry for not putting out better work sooner)
“Summering” is like showing up for your class reunion, but it’s actually a funeral.
Last year, the summer seemed to stretch on forever in Japan. It felt like it didn’t want to end until “Summering” was released. I listened to the song plenty of times in October, and even added it to my regular rotation at karaoke, but for some reason, the lyrics didn’t fully hit me until I was particularly sleep deprived one day, surrounded by the surreal scenery of Japanese mountains, azure sky, and an old station platform.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that I moved to Japan because of Kagepro. Like yeah, everyone knows I moved here because of utaite, but like, 12, 13 years ago? The utaite community was saturated in Kagepro. At that point, saying you liked utaite should have been synonymous with saying you liked Kagepro.
As I was waiting on the station platform, I felt a little strange listening to a funeral song about the summers I spent with Kagero Project. After all, I was simultaneously experiencing the sounds, smells, and blistering heat I originally only heard about through those songs. It was fun when I was translating “Summering,” because now I had a real-life reference for the “damp smell” of Japanese summers and the “rusted railway bridge,” as there’s one in my town. “The flimsy can badges,” “stickers ripped from the sheet”-- I also knew these references very well.
Surely, this must be Kagepro merch.
Even though they’re just cheap pieces of paper and plastic, I made sure to carefully put the merch I had into a box and storage shed in America, instead of throwing everything away when I moved out. In that sense, maybe I did “get it together” to a certain extent, but I still think there’s a part of me not quite all there for dropping everything and moving to a foreign country.
真面 (まとも/matomo) was one of the first words I struggled with translating (I translated 真面になった as “I got it together”). In the dictionary and many of the translations I saw, it’s commonly translated as “serious,” but that doesn’t even begin to cover all the nuance contained in that word, especially in the context of “Summering.” In “Summering,” it mainly brings to mind someone becoming an adult, literally getting their crap together and stopping messing around, but in some contexts, it can also mean “sane.” If you don’t get your crap together, work, give up childish things, and become a member of society, you’re insane. And the fact that the narrator of the song themself says they “got it together” makes it sound like, yeah, they believe they were into silly things and they weren’t normal. It’s horrifying that they betrayed their past self and grew ok with it.
That’s why the summers in “Summering” have passed. They’re not just gone with the seasons– they’ve passed away. They’re dead. And the thing that was breathing life into them was maybe not just summer vacations and youth, but Kagepro. Maybe losing that wonder is what is consuming our narrator with regret.
Maybe there’s a certain point in our adult lives where we attempt to rewrite or justify the past to protect ourselves. Maybe everything wasn’t as beautiful as we remember, or maybe we shut away parts of ourselves because we think it would be in our best interest.
Maybe that’s why in the second verse of “Summering,” the narrator writes a letter to their past self to explain why they chose to “get it together” (If you take out the line breaks, it reads as 拝啓 僕 or “Dear myself,” basically). They didn’t need to protect only themselves, but also their hobbies, because they loved them so much. I know that anime is very mainstream now, but when I was in high school, it was lame and nerdy. Luckily, no one in my school was bullied for liking anime, but I got voted as class nerd because everyone knew I was going home and studying Japanese for two hours every night LOL (I was very popular don’t worry this was not bullying HAHA). Even in Japan, though, I don’t think it was easy to be an otaku.
At the end of the letter in “Summering”, I like how the “always” could be connected to both “I believe” or “Yours sincerely.” Maybe the narrator has always thought it was tragic that they had to abandon everything they loved to keep living. But in the end, after rewriting and throwing away those summers countless times, the narrator is finally letting them go and becoming a “real” adult (of course, it’s not lost on me that this line may also mean Jin’s giving up on the Kagepro IP battle that’s been going on forever). This line doesn’t come off as painful to me, though, just more accepting and maybe bittersweet. That’s probably the most adult attitude you could have when you’re attending the funeral for your childhood.
I’ve been very fortunate to not have to wear the recruit suit the narrator is wearing in the PV, but if I want to move on to bigger and better work opportunities here in Japan, I’m probably going to have to wear one very soon. It really does feel like a funeral suit ngl lol. But I think I still have a few more years until I become numb to the cumulonimbus clouds and azure skies in Japan.
As for what I would call something like that, though… I'd say it's nothing short of miraculous.
Maigo Hanyu "Mashou no Kamatoto" Interview from Natalie Music 12/18/2019
Hi I am dumb I forgot I had the majority of this interview translated like 5 years ago BAHAHAHA. I didn’t like super proofread for meaning (only for grammar and ease of reading) so if something is incorrect, please blame myself from 5 years ago. It might sound like a completely different person when it shifts from 2020 me to 2025 me towards the end so I apologize in advance.
Original: 12/18/2019 omg its from 2019 i am so sorry
A Tale “Written by the Times” Spun from Music and Story
Maigo Hanyuu, popular for the Vocaloid songs “Aun Beats”, “Sange Mairi”, and “Harehareya,” completed the concept album, “Mashou no Kamatoto,” distinctive from his previous works.
This album combines several creative mediums and music, such as Maigo Hanyuu’s self-written short story and Segawa Awoji’s (TN: It’s romanized as”Awoji” but 99% certain it’s pronounced as “Aoji”) hand-drawn music videos, to create one story. Set in the Taisho era and early Showa era, this story focuses on a young male artist, a faux-naif (TN: This is the best equivalent for “Kamatoto” I could find in English. A few things to point out though is that Kamatoto is usually only applied to women. Kamatoto’s act naive to try to make men like them more. But also, I’m gonna keep it as Kamatoto for continuity teehee), and depicts various love stories conceived from Anzu, Machiko, and Ringo about this one man. Here at Natalie Music, we interviewed Maigo Hanyuu, who has finished his music and short story. What did Maigo Hanyuu wish to convey through his work, “Mashou no Kamatoto”?
Series Introduction
The series is set during the Taisho era to early Showa era and centers on Port Anemone, a bustling port town with many types of people. The story focuses on a young male artist, the Kamatoto, and three women: Anzu, who holds feelings for him, Machiko, and Ringo. In the album, the songs portray their three perspectives and thoughts on the Kamatoto. In addition, the limited edition CD comes with a short story containing many thoughts that are left unvoiced in the lyrics.
Characters
The Kamatoto: A young male artist who owns an atelier in Anemone’s shopping district. There are rumors of him in the port town as an elusive, handsome man.
Anzu: A female student who was taken in by the Kamtoto as a disciple to learn how to draw. She holds special feelings for the Kamatoto.
Machiko: The poster-child for the tobacco shop in the shopping district. Everyone loves her carefree personality.
Ringo: The daughter of the large merchant family that controls the shopping district. She works very hard at taking care of people. She lives with the Kamatoto.
Interview with Maigo Hanyuu
It was Necessary to have a Short Story Fill in the Gaps Between Songs
— ”Mashou no Kamatoto” isn’t just music– it’s a conceptual piece expressed through various mediums, such as short story and illustrations. What brought about its conception?
My previous work, “Ukiyo Meguri,” is a big factor. After finishing “Ukiyo Meguri,” I felt that only expressing things via sound and lyrics was limiting. Of course, there are things that can be properly expressed by consolidating songs in the form of an album, but I felt that the work I’d conceptualize next after “Ukiyo Meguri,” “Mashou no Kamatoto,” needed to be expressed with more than just sound and lyrics. So, I started with creating a backdrop– or image board– then made the music and short story.
— Why did it become a short story?
Since it was based on an image board, I felt that if the world of “Mashou no Kamatoto” took form as only music, then listeners would only be able to extract one part of its world. A song is limited to expressing one person’s timeline. That’s why I also tried writing a short story to act as a way to fill in the gaps this time.
— By the way, have you written any short stories before this?
This was my first time. It’s not like I was dead set on having it be a short story, but it felt inevitable. I guess you could say that with this work in particular, I kept feeling that I had to do it this way, or that “Mashou no Kamatoto” was written. I simply wanted to try writing short stories, so writing this was really fun. Of course, making songs is also fun, but writing short stories made me more excited. It felt like I discovered a new part of myself.
Searching for Worries that Lead to Modern Times
— In the short story’s afterword, you explain that “Mashou no Kamatoto” takes place during the Taisho era to Showa era. Why did you choose these eras?
A big reason is that I wanted to incorporate more modern components than the Edo period image I had when I made “Ukiyo Meguri.” The Taisho era is when Japan and the west were mixed together, and I think people’s thoughts were also confused. If I set the story in the Edo period, I wouldn’t be able to express this world view and the depths of humanity, so I thought it would be easier if I set it closer to the modern era.
— In the short story’s afterword, you write “the era’s backdrop from these times also come through in modern times.” In what way do you feel that it is similar to modern times?
If I explain it in context, it largely has to do with Japan before it participated in a large war. I imagine that during the war, people worried about human relations and that there wasn’t a lot of room to think about culture and other people. If that’s the case, I think that even while different senses of values mingled together in the Taisho era, pleasure and entertainment were more prominent than in previous eras. It’s because there was so much pleasure that there were worries, and I think that’s what has carried through until modern times.
Momentary Darkness in the Songs
— A distinguishing factor in your work this time is that you use one vocalist.
In the beginning stages of “Mashou no Kamatoto,” I decided that using Vocaloid was out of the question. Vocaloid’s good point is that it sounds cold. A cold Vocaloid voice fits with cold music based on programming. Vocaloid fit “Ukiyo Meguri,” but I wanted “Mashou no Kamatoto” to be a raw work that digs out deep human emotions. It’s weird, but I felt like “Mashou no Kamatoto” was begging me to find a vocalist to be its ‘narrator’.
— The vocalist appointed to the role, Nekoyashiki, is generally unknown. What drew you to Nekoyashiki?
I never cared if the “narrator” was good or bad at singing. What was important was to be into the roles of “Mashou no Kamatoto.” Three girls appear in this work, but what was crucial for the vocalist was whether or not they could navigate the girls’ feelings well. When I first heard Nekoyashiki sing, something like the darkness of humanity would momentarily appear and disappear in her cute voice. I thought that was really good.
— What was difficult about recording with a vocalist instead of using Vocaloid?
It was hard. Before singing, I would have to explain everything in the situation, such as the worldview, and the many characters’ personalities and mental state. I thought there were parts where it was easier to apply concepts from real love stories, so while listening to Nekoyashiki’s experiences, there were also times when I would send advice like “remember your feelings from that time when you sing.” It was refreshing and fun to talk about each song one by one like that.
— In “Sekai de Ichiban janai Anata wo Aishitara” Sou participates as a vocalist. Why did you choose Sou to be the Kamatoto, bearer of everyone’s feelings?
Because Sou-kun is super popular.
— I see haha.
Sou is liked by a lot of different people, so I think there’s some parts of him that are similar to the Kamatoto character. I said earlier that before Nekoyashiki would sing, I’d explain a lot of different things to her, but actually when I talked to Sou about this series, I didn’t tell him about the Kamatoto in detail. I didn’t need Sou to play a role– him singing like he always does expressed my image of the Kamatoto. When I said this to him, he said, “I’m not this kind of person!” and he may have gotten upset but… haha. I’m truly grateful to Sou for bringing my imaginary Kamatoto to life.
A “Warped Existence” Birthed by Modern Times
— The series is called “Mashou no Kamatoto,” but each song portrays the feelings of three female characters. The specifics of the male Kamatoto character are not actually described.
The “Kamatoto” character was created to draw out the feelings of the three girls, and all of the girls are the main character. The three of them have many different perspectives on love, and the negative parts are brought to the surface by the Kamatoto.
— 3 music videos have been released and portray the many different characters. The first character is Machiko in “Oni no Inu Ma ni”.
Machiko is a generally honest and admirable girl. Because of this, she doesn’t snub anyone and is well-liked by people. Also, each of the music videos for “Mashou no Kamtoto” depict one moment from this world, but “Oni no Inu Ma ni” is the only video that has a notable time change between the first and second half.
— You made it so that someone would understand the two chronologies if they read the short story, right?
Yes. In “Oni no Inu Ma ni,” it becomes winter halfway through. What Machiko is thinking in the two timelines and who leaves her the small bundle in the middle of the music video is written in the short story, so if you’re interested, please read it.
— Anzu is the main character in the music video, “Aza.”
Even I don’t understand Anzu’s character. However, as far as expression goes, she was easy to draw.
— Why was she easy to draw?
It’s probably because there’s also many people in the modern world that let their emotions run wild like Anzu. Aren’t there a lot of people on social media who feel cornered, and then commit crimes or end their lives because of the negativity caused by events sensationalized on social media? Since I’ve seen this reality with my own eyes, I had to write a character like Anzu.
TN: This is where my original translation ended. Everything from this point is 2025 mini!
— So that’s where the link with the Taisho Period comes in?
Exactly. I’m not trying to tell others that they should just “live” in this modern reality; the message I want to convey is that there are so many other people in this world that are similar to you. “Mashou no Kamatoto” is fiction, but it’s based off of the people living in our world. I want to use this work to tell everyone that it’s not just them– lots of other people are worried about the exact same things you are.
—The MV for “Aza” is drawn completely differently from “Oni no Inu Ma ni.” Some of the illustrations seem disorganized or incoherent.
I wanted to show Anzu’s state of mind with the “Aza” MV. I thought that we’d find an absolute mess if we extracted and examined part of Anzu’s mind after she was backed into a corner. All the illustrations have proper backgrounds though. That’s where you can find the series of events that lead to her mental collapse. Nobody goes crazy out of nowhere, after all.
Machiko and Anzu were Necessary to Create Ringo
—Ringo, the last character, is depicted in the MV for “Sekai de Ichiban janai Anata wo Aishitara.”
This is the song that brought about “Mashou no Kamatoto.” When I imagined this series, the lyrics for this song just came to my mind, and that’s where the main characters, Ringo and the Kamatoto, were born. I really wanted to write about these two. Machiko and Anzu came later. They were both characters necessary for creating Ringo.
—Ringo is closer to the Kamatoto than Machiko and Anzu, correct?
Yes, and she’s the girl who thinks the most realistically. She knows that just because she likes the Kamatoto, that doesn’t mean everything will work out. She likes him, but she’s a girl who’s seriously considered her wants versus her needs, and if she can see a real future together with the Kamatoto. But a lot of girls think like Ringo when choosing their partner. I think this way of thinking is going to become even more important in the modern era.
—Segawa Awoji is in charge of the MV’s for all three songs, but the artistic touch in “Sekai de Ichiban janai Anata wo Ashitara” is very different from the other two works.
Awoji mainly draws with a ball pen, but I requested for this MV to be drawn with pencil because the video needed to have a certain warmth to it. I wanted to convey my message with minimalistic lyrics, so I thought it would be good to have a PV with no color too. We also kept the background to the bare essentials and only drew the two contrasting male and female characters.
—How did you explain the world of “Mashou no Kamatoto” to Segawa Awoji?
The world of “Mashou no Kamatoto” was created by both me and Awoji. Since I can’t express myself through drawing, I first gave Awoji text and rough sketches. The cleaned-up version of those is what became “Mashou no Kamatoto.” The fictional town of Anemone was born from our studies of the era “Mashou no Kamatoto” takes place in and bouncing ideas off of each other. We based it roughly off of the port town Dejima in Nagasaki, where foreign imports freely enter the port and Japanese and western elements mix together. Without Awoji, Anemone would have never existed, and I’m extremely grateful for their help.
—Have you already thought about what you’re going to do for your next project?
I have an idea already, yeah. I’m thinking about refining the process I used for “Mashou no Kamatoto” to express things better. This was my first time writing a short story, so there are some other things I want to try to explore with this mode of expression. I’m thinking about writing a short story again and looking for other mediums too.
—I mean this in a good way, but that means you’re not too particular about music, then.
I don’t really feel like I make music, but more that I make stories. That’s what makes all of this fun. If there are other ways to tell my stories, I want to try those out too. I’m sure I’ll try something new next time.
Comments from Participating Creators
Segawa Awoji
There are refreshing differences between your past works and this one, like the change in time period, the exploration between female and male relationships, and how humans (Nekoyashiki and Sou) sang the songs instead of Vocaloid. However, this story doesn’t just put the character’s misfortunes to a melody– I feel that these songs will become a safe haven for your listeners.
Congratulations on the release of “Mashou no Kamatoto”! As one of your listeners, I’m looking forward to hearing all the other wonderful works you will make in the future. I’m so happy that I was able to participate in creating something so amazing. Thank you very much.
Nekoyashiki
I’m so grateful that I was able to participate in Maigo Hanyu’s “Mashou no Kamatoto”!
I tried my best to bring color to Maigo’s musical worldview. I hope many people listen to it.
Maigo, congratulations on the release!
It's that time of year again-- I have another letter project hehe. This time, I want to help fans all over the world by translating your fan letters to deliver to Mafumafu!
Letters will be physically delivered to Mafumafu's Utattemita concert this year on August 8th and 9th, as I will be attending both days.
For personal sanity reasons, I will only be accepting 20 letters.
Letters can be submitted to this Google form:
https://forms.gle/HSxEpavLv98hu1Fw8
Guidelines:
Letters must be submitted in Japanese, English, or Spanish. English letters will be translated to Japanese by me (@minini_1). Spanish letters will be translated to English by Ayril (@catsgetjealous), and then to Japanese by mini (@minini_1). All letters will be handwritten by me and my oshikatsu support squad.
Please include your name and what country you are from.
English and Spanish letters must be a maximum of 400 words.
If you know Japanese, you may hand-write your letter and submit it as a PDF or image. Please ensure that the submitted files are of high quality and can be easily read. There is no word or size limit with this option, but please keep your letter to a reasonable length.
If you know Japanese, but would prefer my team to hand-write it for you, please submit a letter with a maximum of 800 characters.
Please do not write anything that may make Mafumafu uncomfortable. I will not deliver letters that I deem inappropriate.
This Google form asks for your email, but will only be used if you need to be contacted (something is unclear in your submission, files are corrupted, the 20 letter limit has already been reached, etc.)
Deadline: July 9th
If you have any questions, feel free to message me here on Tumblr, Twitter (@minini_1), or email [email protected].
Thank you! And I hope to see lots of wonderful letters :)
Orangestar’s back with his first Youtube upload since his hiatus! It’s such a beautiful ballad and Kase. is so talented. I can’t believe that not only did she write the lyrics, but she has a wonderful voice and also did the art for the video.
I think "toki" in Yumetoki has two meanings, one being "time" and the other "unravel," so I wanted the English to kinda reflect that. "Tide" denotes a time or a season but is also pronounced the same as "tied" (which I am aware is the opposite of unravel, BUT I think it fits still, don't you hehe)
さよならも言えずに二つの夢解けていた
乾いた涙の痕 振り返っても静寂だけ
Without even a chance to say goodbye, the two dreams unraveled
Streaks of dried tears. When I looked back, I was only met with silence
Even if you’re not in my life, I’ll continue to breath
Because even this stabbing pain in my chest is precious to me
The rusted gears are still waiting for the time
Reeling in dreams, I search for you
いくつ季節が過ぎ この街にも雪が降るよ
思い出も手触りも色褪せずに熱を帯びてる
Several seasons have passed. It’s even snowed in this town
Memories, your touch, nothing has faded as this fever burns
Even if you’re not on this earth, the sun still rises, night comes to an end
In the early dawn, I’m praying to the comets
The promise we made still can’t be fulfilled
I pick up the fragments of my dreams and search for you
たった一つ道標は
二人を結ぐもの
The only lead I have
Is what ties us together
君がくれた心だけ
The heart you gave me
波音が囁く 古びたバス停と
君の後ろ姿
The waves murmur. An old bus stop, and
A glimpse of your back
It looks like I never have to return to a world without you
In my arms, I held my only miracle
The rusted gears make a sound as they start to spin
I’ll reweave our unraveled dreams and keep walking
The scent of the sea breeze, the waves murmur
All that’s here is a rusty bus stop
It’s been abandoned in the gaps of time
So it’s just like me, trapped by my dreams
あさがきてねむる よるがきたらおきる
変わらない今日を繰り返した
The morning comes and I sleep. When night comes, I wake
I repeated these unchanging days
I’m always waiting in vain, in my own world
Waiting for someone who’s never going to come
If I could overcome anything and cross the ocean
I wonder if I’d reach the edge of my dreams
I’m always waiting in vain, in my own world
As usual, I gazed at the looming night
If I could overcome anything and touch the comets
I wonder if I’d see what happens next in my dreams
I see you when I close my eyes
I’ve never even seen you before– who are you?
Hold me with those warm hands and take me away
If you wish, beyond the dreams
I’m always waiting in vain, in my own world
Waiting for someone who’s never going to come
If I could overcome anything and head towards tomorrow
I’d want to see what happens next in my dreams with you
夢の先の景色を見れるかな
Will I ever see what lies beyond the dreams?
(鳥籠の中 迷子のままで 夢を見ていた)
(Inside a cage, still a lost child, I dreamed)
ここにあるのは錆びたバス停一つ
裸足のままでずっと君を待ってる
All that’s here is a rusty bus stop
Barefoot, I’m always waiting for you