I mainly blab on Twitter: @TeNShIkA. This blog is where I post my translation and it's Ensemble Stars-centric. Header image: Shirobako. English is not my first language :'D Please feel free to let me know about translation or grammar mistakes.
Lyrics: Yuka Maruyama
Composed and Arranged by: Takahiro Shiwono
Sung by: albĂŻreo (Ryo Yanagi CV. Yuka Nishiyama and Toa Magoshi CV. Tsubasa Yonaga)
Romaji and colour coded lyrics (do not repost): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FRGY0C2gsRasazsXysH8hhxnm7tXPp7MKlVQu28i5OM/edit?usp=sharing
albĂŻreo - THANK YOU
1, 2, 3, Jump UP
Just how much fun it is
To walk side by side with you
Would it have been better not to have known?
It's raining inside my heart (Love!)
Even in a gloomy downpour (Love!)
Sharing an umbrella could take us anywhere (Love!)
A scenery more beautiful than anything
You showed it to me
No matter how much I wish for it
My other half remains empty
3, 2, 1
The song you hummed
Won't leave my mind, impossible to forget (because it's precious)
Plays a warm melody that's almost saddening
Between the patches of falling raindrops
Our silly little conversations, and that smile (I love you)
I'll wait for the rain to stop; will the weather clear up tomorrow?
Darling, umbrella singing love for you...
(love for you...)
Right now I'm alone under this umbrella
I don't know where I went wrong
Is that why I'm still "a child"?
The rain falling together with your tears, your true feelings
I rejected them all
I want to protect you who hid away your damp shoulder
There it is, acting all tough
I don't want mud splashing all over me
Thatâs why I can't chase after you so desperately (because it's precious)
I wish I had the courage to jump over the rain puddle
I'm scared of the reflection showing how weak I am
Reject my love stronger, I beg of you (I love you)
Let everything be washed away; I don't mind it torn and ripped apart
Darling, umbrella singing love for you...
(love for you...)
Some rains won't stop
I closed my umbrella so that we can be together always
But you say "There you go again, drenched all alone"...
(I'm sorry) (Thank you)
Illuminating the breaks between the long rainy days
Is a figure that bears semblance to the sun (because it's precious)
Far away where the rain lets up, it blinds my eyes and my vision melts
Swaying at the mercy of the overflowing light
Crying is unfair, you know; I like you after all (I love you)
In the sky that cleared up before I realised, there was a rainbow
Darling, umbrella singing love for you...
(love for you...)
The feeling that swells as I finally closed my umbrella is "sunshowers"
3, 2, 1 Jump up!
Lyrics: Yuka Maruyama
Composed and Arranged by: Takahiro Shiwono
Sung by: albĂŻreo (Ryo Yanagi CV. Yuka Nishiyama and Toa Magoshi CV. Tsubasa Yonaga)
T/L notes:
âTwinkle twinkleâ isnât in the official lyrics.
âLONRYâ probably means âlonelyâ.
DREAM UNIT of putting voice acting husband and wife together they sing so well their strong (wife) and soft (husband) voices mess up with your mind in such a good way they're such goals!!!! thank you aishota!!!;;;
Kanji and romaji here (colour coded by me): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gMm214U8hMRLHynrNu8HyJ_MAAi3rhDb-pRIbAnNcMo/edit?usp=sharing
albĂŻreo
In every step
We've connected
Lies promises
Dance on the Starry Stage
We've had numerous detours
Times when we've swallowed the word "sorry"
We still have ways to go
But there are moments we want you to see in the present time
Set the sparks in your heart free
shining flying starâ
It's already started
Precious Daysâ (Fly high)
Unequalled phrases
I'll celebrate it (with you)
Overlapping double star
Smile more
it's all rightâ â
We've shared between us
ONLY LONRY DAYSâ (Fly high)
Unequalled melodies
One day (with you)
Until I can become someone special
That time when
I couldn't hear anyone's voices
You taught me
That I have wings
Nobody knows the future; that's why it makes my heart race
Even if fate messes with us
If we clap our hands
The bond shines brighter
What colour do you see?
Set the sparks in your heart free
shining flying starâ
Counting on my fingers
Precious Daysâ (Fly high)
Unequalled phrases
I'll celebrate it (with you)
Overlapping double star
Smile more
it's all rightâ â
It now knows how to fly
little flapping wingsâ (Fly high)
Unequalled melodies
One day (with you)
Until I can become someone special
(Twinkle twinkle)
There's no sky
We can't reach
What should we
Name it?
Bring our hands together, bring the stars together!
A miracle that happens at an astronomically low chance
Set the sparks in your heart free
shining flying starâ
Reflected in your eyes
Precious Daysâ (Fly high)
Unequalled phrases
I'll celebrate it (with you)
Overlapping double star
Smile more
it's all lightâ â
Be the brightest in the night sky!
Albireoâ (Fly high)
Unequalled melodies
Celebrate it (let's dance)
Always (together)
One day (with you)
All the way beyond the dream, you and me
Thanks so much for the Idol Show Time translation!! I was wondering if you plan on doing any more for that franchise; you don't have to of course, just curious! Keep up the good work and I hope you have a great day. Thank you again!!
Hi, thanks for checking it out! I don't have plans to do it, sorry. I can't wait for the new CD though! Have a good day too!!
[Visual Novel] NăźéŁć/The Table of N [English Patch]
Released in 2012, The Table of N (Windows PC) is a free VN by Tsushimi Bunta and Kowo Kazuma under the doujin circle named TARHS Entertainment. In the mobage scene, Tsushimi Bunta is the main writer of IDOLiSH7 and The Promise of Wizard/Mahoyaku, and Kowo Kazuma is the world supervisor for Mahoyaku.
In short, itâs a story about vampires who have lived for far too long.
I really recommend this game mainly to those who play Mahoyaku. There are a lot of similar themes, like the loneliness and the conflict between humans and vampires. Itâs a rather short read, which is great since it essentially feels like Mahoyaku compressed in 1-2 hours.
In general, if youâre interested in checking out Tsushimi Buntaâs past writing which still embodies a lot of that subtlety and emotional roller coaster that you can see in their more recent works, this may be for you.
DL links after the jump.
Synopsis:
A blessed meal is an ingredient to a happy life.
Those who feed on humans, the Neversistas, have lived a life
close to an eternity.
They shoulder a melancholic feeling as they circle around the
dull dining table for yet another time.
However, they cannot stop feeding themselves.
The people fear the unknown Neversistas.
They victimise, hurt, and cast doubt on each other.
However, they cannot stop from being suspicious of others.
Even in this town, a widespread rumour about monsters that
terrorise people has initiated a "Neversista hunt" to
exterminate those that slipped into town.
The endless and repetitive mealtimes, suspicion, and love...
Will they be able to obtain a closure?
Download the game here (External website)
Download the English patch + instructions here (Dropbox)
Some image previews (Twitter)
Specs:
ăOSăWindows 2000/XP/Vista/7 Japanese system locale
ăCPUăPentium2 400MHz or above ïŒMMX compatibleïŒ
ăMemoryă64Mb or above ïŒ128MB or above is recommendedïŒ
ăVIDEOă65536 colours (TrueColor, 16bit) or above
ăDisplayăDevice that supports 800Ă600 pixels window
ăSoundăDirectX3 or later (can play WAVE files)
Content warning: Mature themes, some coarse and suggestive language, death
hi, do you think you could edit your kuwabara interview? there's a mistranslation where you said the female fans might "stab" HE and this isn't what it says. ăŠăăăăœăłă°ăäœăć§ăăćœćăŻăć„łæ§ăŠăŒă¶ăŒăźçăăă«ćșăăăȘăăźă§ăŻăȘăăźă means hapiele was worried those songs might not resonate with female users. thank you!
Mahoyaku Interview: Tsushimi Bunta (Main Screenwriter) and Kazuma Kowo (Worldbuilding Supervision) + Coly Scenario Director
Released: 28 February 2020
(!) Warning (!): Some spoilers for Main Story chapter 17 towards the end of this post.
TL note: I feel like going by surname-given name in this article;;; pardon the inconsistency
Also support the fab fan translation site if you havenât already: https://mahoyaku-eng.com/Â
Blurb:
This is a world where mages and humans coexist, and this is a story that depicts the journey to save itâbrought to you by screenwriter Tsushimi Bunta, known for their subtle writing style that retains a realistic touch, and Kazuma Kowo, who oversees not only character background but also the worldbuilding of each country, among other things. In this issue, weâve asked what sort of things they were being mindful of during the gameâs creation and if there are any behind-the-scenes that they could share. In addition, weâve also included a few comments from the scenario director, whoâs in charge of bringing together all story elements in this game from the Main Story to Training Location stories. We hope you enjoy everything that Promise of Wizard has to offer as you play through it.
Tsushimi Bunta:
Freelance screenwriter. Main scriptwriter of Idolish7 as well as the author of the novel adaptations. In this game, theyâre in charge of writing the Main Story, Training Location stories, and Event Stories among others.
Kazuma Kowo:
Manga-ka and illustrator. Representative works include Junsui Adolescence (Ichijinsha Inc.), Dear Tear (Hakushensha Inc.), and Hinemosu Futari (Takeshobo Co., Ltd.). In this game, theyâre in charge of worldbuilding supervision.
----- * * * -----
Part 1: Interview with Tsushimi Bunta (Main Screenwriter) and Kazuma Kowo (Worldbuilding Supervision)
Q: How did you get involved in the development of Promise of Wizard?
I got my first offer around five years ago, but I had to decline because I was already working on something else. Theyâve continued to contact me a number of times since then, and then finally the right chance came along. There was the worldbuilding, and then the management and creation of character setting sheets that would shape their sets of values et cetera, which seemed to be a lot for me to handle. Thatâs why I asked Kazuma-san to help us out. We made games together in the past.
Q: Kazuma Kowo-san is in charge of worldbuilding supervision. Together, the two of you came up with the magesâ world as well as the story. What sort of discussions did you guys have when you were creating the character setting for the wizards as well as the world construct?
We decided on the fantasy genre, but it can range from fairytales to light novel stuff to something as massive as high fantasy. We started from discussing what extent would attract the audienceâs attention the most. We talked over and over about it, and in the end, we moved forward with the idea of the countries having their own fantasy taste. We had Kazuma-san sort which wizard into which country first, and then we made adjustments over time. Oz was in the North at first, for example, and then there was Figaro in the Central country. Shino was more reserved, Heath was the flirt, whereas Leno was someone ruthless. Then we figured we should be finalising the characters that would be âthe faceâ of each country first, so that people can remember the characteristics of each country more easily. These are Arthur, Murr, Shino, Rutile, and Mithra. Things that have wizards and witches vibe such as precious stones, stars, plants, fortunetelling, incense, booksâa lot of these things are what girls usually like, so we tried to be brave and implement as much as we could.
Q: How did you develop the personality and other characteristics of each wizard from each country? Was there anything you paid attention to in particular when creating these wizards?
The central country has wizards with heroic qualities, so they lean more towards heroes, leaders, and priests. The Western countryâs qualities stress on the eccentricity, the bizarre, and entertainment, so they have themes like the Cheshire Cat and Halloween. The Japanese equivalent would be the kitsune foxes and the shapeshifting tanuki racoons. The East has wizards that are gothic, dark and gloomy with melancholic feel to them. The Southern wizards are like the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. They're good at helping others, honest, and pastoral. The Northern wizardsâ image is like a demon lord or great witches who rule over humansâthe power type that screams horror.
Q: In this game, wizards have powers that humans donât have. Because of it, humans rely on them and they adore them. But, there are also occasions where the wizards are feared and detested. Youâre depicting not only the âcool wizardsâ, but also the gap between the wizards and humans. There are also characters who have power but suffer and feel lonely because of it. I think things like that are what makes this game charming, but was there anything you were being mindful of in the process of writing that sort of aspect?
I donât want to make the loneliness that the wizards feel to be theirs alone. Instead, I want the players to feel something similar, seeing as we all live in a society. I think anyone who lives in a society feels that they âwant to be understoodâ or âwant to understand [others]â. But at the same time, they also feel some sort of indignation where they âdonât want to be understoodâ or want to say âdonât you dare think youâve understoodâ. I want the players to take any of these emotions and observe from the wizardsâ point of view. I want them to let their imagination expand and enjoy themselves that way.
Q: Many of the wizardsâ incantations are phrases that weâre unfamiliar with. I believe a lot of fans have put a lot of thinking into figuring out the meanings and the origin. How did you come up with these incantations?
In regards to incantations, I had Kazuma-san take the wheel. We had it in katakana so that it reads more smoothly in text, but we also adjusted it as we prioritise things like how easy it is to pronounce and for people to catch it. The impression you get from these incantations (sounds powerful, weak, ominous, or itâs still too early for you, et cetera), and how powerful they actually areâwe have it all ranked and organised, so it would be nice if it shows one at a time.
Q: Was there anything about the âfantasy parallel universeâ genre and the ârelationship between wizards and the sageâ you find to be the reason why you can deliver particular ideas? Was there anything you found interesting during the writing process?
I actually had to restrain my thinking process because I had to remind myself that Iâm writing fantasy, so itâs like I canât include things that are normal and already exist in the real world. Even if I come up with a good idea, Iâll end up thinking that itâs a little too normal and then it gets scrapped.
Q: The existence of the previous sage who doesnât put on airs and has an approachable personality becomes one of the attention-grabbing elements in the storyline. In your mind, what sort of character is the previous sage?
A white-collar worker who works at an exploitative company. They can say pretty irresponsible things to the mages and amuse themselves with it. But they also get scared simply from scary things, and they have the boldness to say something selfish.
Q: Please tell us, if there are any, things that seem trivial but itâs something that you were being particular about during the process of writing the Main Story. These can include scenes, specific lines, or portrayal of something.
The same goes for the Main Story and the Sub Stories, but I want people to feel excited and let them imagine all sorts of things. I always have that in mind and thatâs why Iâve added lots of details into the setting. âIf I were a mageâ, âIf I were a citizen of this countryâ, âWhich country would my friends come fromâ, âWhat does this taste likeâ, âWhat are their previous love stories like, and whatâs their life been like until nowâ... I think being able to have so much freedom in imagination is what the real pleasure of the fantasy genre is. I hope itâs become a world that allows the players to indulge themselves in daydreaming.
Q: Lastly, please leave a message to all fans who are out there supporting Promise of Wizard.
Thank you for playing the game! Itâs pretty much my first time writing fantasy, so right until it was released, my heart kept pounding thinking if it would really count as fantasy⊠But Iâm so happy that a lot of people are having fun with the story! Please continue your support for Promise of Wizard from now on too!
----- * * * -----
Part 2: Interview with Mahoyakuâs Scenario Director
Q: How did you make this job offer to Tsushimi Bunta-san? What is it about Tsushimi-sanâs works and writing style that makes it charming to you?
Right around the early stages of the establishment of our company, Coly, one of their past works touched my heart. Their script writing ability was so mind-blowing that I thought I just had to make this offer. In the end, that also instigated Kazuma-senseiâs involvement, and thatâs how we got them to help us out as well. I think one of the things that make Tsushimi-senseiâs work charming is the universally relatable characters, the writing that makes the reader want to cheer the characters on, as well as a whole new world that they bring to the readers. Tsushimi-sensei has the ability to transform unsaid feelings and unwritten motions into breathtaking scenes. Sometimes, trivial dialogues can depict genuine feelings within human hearts, like that of a childâs. You can feel through the writing affection and gentle point of views towards those in a weaker position.
Q: The setting of this game involves the main character who suddenly wandered into another world where mages live. Then, they became the âsageâ who gather up the wizards and guide them. How did you decide on what the story was about and which direction it was going?
We had the people in our company come up with several ideas and we went through them to see which ones had and hadnât already been used in regards to the fantasy parallel universe genre, which was the direction we were going with. From there, we ended up with a story where the sage, someone who wandered into another world, and wizards fight together. We donât want you to forget reality. Instead, we want you to enjoy it even more. We want to bring a world that gives you courage and positive energy, and we want to deliver the wizardsâ world thatâs blinding, mysterious, and exciting.
Q: Could you tell us a scene or a line from the main story thatâs particularly memorable for you? And why as well, if possible.
Every scene in the main story is memorable for me, so to be honest with you, itâs really hard to pick one. But I was particularly driven in the execution of Chapter 17âs âRusticaâs Requestâ, so I cherish it a lot. Itâs something that Rustica said to Chloe, who was tearing up silently as his feelings were hurt, âThatâs because thereâs only one of it in this world. This is something that only you can make.â Itâs a sweet line, one that will always stay close to you and give you warmth. It may sound cheesy, but no matter how many times you read it, it echoes through in every corner of your heart.
Buy the digital CD here:Â https://ishota.booth.pm/items/1759184
1st CD long preview:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPuNR3DQ460&feature=youtu.be
Translatorâs note: I love this series also because talented and veteran female seiyuu go ham with voicing these boys I want more people to know!! ;-; It also features other renowned seiyuu such as Junko Minagawa, Kotori Koiwai, Yuka Nishigaki, Tsubasa Yonaga, and Aina Kusuda.
According to the drama CD, the song is about âa one-sided love for an older someoneâ. Raion also came up with the guitar solo.
Kanji and Romaji I transcribed can be found here (Google Docs):Â https://docs.google.com/document/d/10IhrC4viqp4TDM6coRNzDA1-E4lKk2E4joFqitEPB40/edit?usp=sharing
It looks like this
A New Game of Bravado
[Verse 1]
Game start
How did you find the tutorial?
Prepare yourself, fightingâ!
I wonât lose this time
Acting condescending
Treating me like a puppy, again
Better off not showing me any opening
If you donât want me to bite!
You donât get it
Be true to yourself?
I know you want it
Even if I reach up
Itâs nowhere near enough
Barrier of excuses
But thatâs not bad either, darling
Which job class do you prefer?
Shall I become a prince for you?
How about you admit to it already?
That you like me a lot
Shall we gotcha LOVEĂ2ïŒan invincible knight of the party!
Donât you look away!
Feigning ignorance is against the rule
If thatâs how you play it, then Iâll get serious too
I panic, trivial mistakes immediately exposed
I donât want you to see through it all!
A constant ânoâ is also part of love
The few âcentimentalsâ difference is so frustrating
[Verse 2]
Damage dealt quite a bit
Statuses are satisfactory
Logic wonât help me understand
Itâs nowhere near enough!
If you let your guard down
âOne dayâ will already be around the corner
If thatâs what you want
Then Iâll conquer you
Pinning you against the wall, scooping up your chinâleave it all to me
Press B to hurry and cancel? Thatâs all tall tale
In my fantasy, just like this... (Come at me more!)
But thatâs not right! I want to try it! (A proper romance!)
Itâs the one thing that Iâm weak toâthat personality gap of yours
Succession of bluffs with what little courage I have!
Undefeated gag lines increasing cliche level
Trump card joker
A new game of bravado!
Bring it on
Cheats are nonsense!
Weakness spotted, easy win
A direct challenge
Donât take me lightly
Thatâs unfair, My Sweet
A counterattack of smiles
A sneak attack on my heart, Clean HIT!
Itâs super effective!?
We donât know what the future holds for us
Will you tell me?
Shall we gotcha LOVEĂ2ïŒan invincible knight of the party!
Donât you look away!
I love you this much, yet
I didnât know you had an ace in the hole
Not even my finishing move reaches you
Controller covered in sweat!
If youâre the heroine
Then the hero should definitely be me
[Interlude]
Itâs too soon
For the closing credits
I donât want it to end at a timing like this
Level up like crazy
Grind one stage to the next
Shall we gotcha LOVEĂ2ïŒan invincible knight of the party!
Donât you look away!
Iâm the grand prize winner, ainât I?
If weâre talking about how much one thinks for your sake
Just a bit more, but itâs unreachable
What is it that Iâm missing?
I like that part about you too!
I wonât give up! So let me choose to continue!
Thank you very much for translating Ensemble Stars you saved me thanks!! And Are there still other parts of the Ensemble Stars? I support you, thank you so much
Hi, thanks for your message! (If I'm not answering your question just ask me again, sorry. I feel like I'm not understanding your question right) I am putting Enstars translations on hold now, but if I am to continue then it'll be the 10-volume mook series đ I most likely won't be translating the stories. There's also a whole lot of people on Twitter translating Enstars as well so that's also a good pace to look. Thank you again!
YouTube MV:Â https://youtu.be/f-fEeF12FH4Â (27 April 2017)
Official song of 2018 Asian Para Games
This will be the last of my Tulusâ song lyrics series!
* * *
You can smash my leg, but not my dreams
You can immobilise my arm, but not my dreams
You can rob me of my smile, but not for long
You can rip my heart to shreds, but I know how to restore it
Strong people, that's us
Strong souls, that's us
Strong people, that's us
Strong souls, that's us
You can blacken my white, but you will cloud over nothing
You can crush my path, but then I'll find another way
Strong people, that's us
Strong souls, that's us
Strong people, that's us
Strong souls, that's us
If it's not His will
None of your deceits will bring any harm
Strong people, that's us
Strong souls, that's us
Strong people, that's us
Strong souls, that's us
Strong people, that's us
Strong souls, that's us
Strong people, that's us
Strong souls, that's us
You can smash my leg, crush my arm, rob me of my smile
Blacken the white of my heart, but not my dreams
[Lyrics] Tulus - Mr and Ms Lonely/Tuan Nona Kesepian
YouTube Video:Â https://youtu.be/LdQuBsOnj6QÂ (23 June 2011)
* * *
(Hello, mister.)
(Hello, miss.)
Mister Lonely
Short of friends
His heart is a fragile one
Yet he acts tough
Young miss who has no friends
Has never experienced love
Imagination is her forte
Dreaming is her nature
They crossed paths
In one corner of a city square
They stared at each other, but in silence
They began analysing one another
*(The miss said...)
Hey mister, what is wrong with you?
Why do you have a thousand faces?
Hey mister, what is wrong with you?
Itâs as if the world consists of you, you, you, and only you
(The mister said...)
Hey miss, what is wrong with you?
Whatâs so fun about losing yourself in fantasy?
Hey miss, what is wrong with you?
You know I ainât interested, yet youâre still building up expectations
Repeat*
Theyâre drowned in their own ego
Closed off their hearts and listened to themselves
They'd shoot words, yet wouldn't look at themselves in the mirror
Everyone else was nothing more than a passing breeze
**The miss fell in love with the mister
The mister was waiting for someone else
The miss wouldnât care even if the mister
Never cared about anything else around him
YouTube MV: https://youtu.be/G2-ZC9NpDBg (28 February 2016)
* * *
Backs leaned against each other
Facing towards different points of the compass
You're waiting for nightfall
While I wait for daybreak
We've run through all the options
So that we can still be together
The only thing left in this story
Is your fear of losing me
All reasoning points towards the word "apart"
Don't force yourself to hold onto it
Let me walk off first
The only thing that will change is that I'll no longer be yours
You won't lose sight of me yet
You have to believe that I'll still be a good friend of yours
We've run through all the options
So that we can still be together
The only thing left in this story
Is your fear of losing me
All reasoning points towards the word "apart"
Don't force yourself to hold onto it
Ooh...
The only thing that will change is that I'll no longer be yours
Ooh...
You have to believe that I'll still be a good friend of yours
Let me walk off first
The only thing that will change is that I'll no longer be yours
You won't lose sight of me yet
You have to believe that I'll still be a good friend of yours
YouTube Video:Â https://youtu.be/-kdoL382qiAÂ (23 June 2011)
* * *
I'm a statue and they are too
A hot cup of tea, yet rigid and cold
Wooden tables polished and gleaming
Your cheeks are wet from tears of paint
My body stiff and static
I want to wipe those tears off, but I have no way
Wooden statues polished and gleaming
Their minds are empty from carrying out their roles
This tale could have ended in a happier way
But we are inside a diorama
We should have spent the rest of the time in bliss exchanging stories
But we are inside a diorama
Diorama, diorama
Your feelings are hurt because of me
The pain runs deep and becomes a chapter in history
No chance to pull off a trick
Those days will take control of your mind forever
This tale could have ended in a happier way
But we are inside a diorama
We should have spent the rest of the time in bliss exchanging stories
But we are inside a diorama
Diorama
This tale could have ended in a happier way
But we are inside a diorama
We should have spent the rest of the time in bliss exchanging stories
But we are inside a diorama
YouTube MV: https://youtu.be/QqJ-Vp8mvbk (26 November 2016)
A tribute to everything around me that have shaped my life.
* * *
A picture in black and white
I try again to recall the colour of your shirt at that time
For the first time in my life
Another person held me in their arms
A picture in black and white
I try again to recall the scent enveloping my home that afternoon
A chocolate cake and balloons in million colours
My birthday party
Wherever you may be
I will send you my gratitude
For the colours in my life and many sweet memories
I am what you've painted
A picture in black and white
It throws me back to that night when I counted the stars
When my eyes were wide awake
Your voice would send me off to the dreamland
Wherever you may be
I will send you my gratitude
For the colours in my life and many sweet memories
I am what you've painted
We never know how much time left have been provided for us
If I'm gone before you are, don't forget me
This song is for you
Itâs my word of thanks
A slip of monochrome, black and white
I try to remember one by one the colours in my life
I would never have known love
If not because of your warm soul
[2/2] Online Bâs-Log Interview with Satoru Kuwabara
Released 4 June 2018
Original source Part 2
The original article has pictures that complement well so please check it out too.
This is Bâs-Logâs new project, âCreator Touchâ, an interview series with creators of popular series. The first person they interviewed was Satoru Kuwabara, the music producer of Ensemble Stars!.
In the first half of the interview, they asked about how Kuwabara started to get involved with Enstars unit songs. Kuwabara also talked about the points he focused on in the song series that have been released so far. (~2.8k words)
In the second half, they talked about song numbers that left the biggest impression on Kuwabara, the 3D live concert, the voice actor live concert and Enstage. (~2.2k words)
In their third single, I wanted to show everyone Trickstar who had transformed.
Q: You had created numerous songs for Enstars, but which one left the biggest impression?
K: There are many⊠but outside of first season songs, Iâd say itâs Trickstarâs BREAKTHROUGH!. It was supposed to be the B-side at first. We made DIAMOND SUMMER with the intention of making an A-side because it was a very Trickstar song. But we also wanted to show a different side to Trickstarâa transformed Trickstarâand not just their cheerful and positive side. Thatâs when we brought up the suggestion to make BREAKTHROUGH! as the A-side song. Both songs were very important, but the first song would be the long-lasting impression after all. Thatâs exactly why we made BREAKTHROUGH! as the first song.
Q: Thatâs a good point. As opposed to the other songs that Trickstar have released so far, itâs like theyâre fighting in this song.
K: I wanted to show how Trickstar has an enemy that they cannot oppose at their current state through music as well. I thought that if they were to challenge their rivalsâEve, Adam, and Edenâit would make things better if they werenât the âusual Trickstarâ. Thatâs why I strongly pushed BREAKTHROUGH! for the A-side forward.
Q: Were there any other songs that left an impression on you?
K: It would be 2winkâs TRICK with TREAT!!. One reason is because I was the one who wrote the song, but it was also the first time âSaito-sanâ and âSoma-sanâ got to sing with the others so I was happy for him (laugh). Saito-san always looked so lonely all by himself, so it was a long-awaited moment.
Q: TRICK with TREAT!! has UNDEAD singing as the backing vocals and voicing out dialogue lines. Speaking of UNDEAD, I think there were a lot of fans who were waiting for the veteran unit, Dead Manâs.
K: You must mean Dead Manâs Death Game Holic. In that CD, Dead Manâs song took priority and was made first, so making UNDEADâs songs was a herculean task. UNDEADâs second season CD was considerably cheerful, so I wanted to show their corrupted side more in the third season, but there was a restriction where they must not feel more corrupted than Dead Manâs. Iâm the composer of Gate of the Abyss, and actually it was a song that was chosen through a contest. Happy Elements chose this song in the end.
Q: From a professionalâs point of view, what would be your fixation in Enstars unit song series? Specifically, can you tell us if thereâs anything like, âMaybe you wonât notice if you donât listen to it carefully, but actuallyâŠâ
K: I wanted to deliver the best sound quality as best as I could, so we made it compatible with high resolution sound quality. Itâs actually made in a much better sound quality environment compared to generic CDs. Although when you burn it into CDs, itâs not high-res anymore⊠Also, up until around the second season I took into account the unitsâ upbringing and position. I made some delineation in my mind, for example how I think I can make some parts more extravagant. I thought to myself that Iâd better make those improvements.
Q: âŠIn other words?
K: âWe should record a live string performance for fine!â (laugh) Valkyrie is a unit of artists so naturally we would record the instrumentsâ live performance, ditto with Akatsuki and the traditional Japanese instruments. On the contrary, I try not to include acoustics as much as I can for 2wink. For Ra*bits, theyâre also a rookie unit, and although we had skilful musicians perform for us, we didnât use live recording as much at first.
3D live concert, voice actor live concert, and the secret episode behind Enstageâs production
Q: Enstarsâ unit songs have been performed in various types of media such as the 3D Live âDREAM LIVEâ (Star Live) and the Starry Stage, a live concert of the voice actors. Can you tell us a bit more about them as well?
K: With the Star Live, I was the one who wanted to have a live band. In 3D Lives, the charactersâ movements are pretty much the same for every session, so I think putting on a live band accompaniment would make the audience think that the characters are alive even more. I supervised the band arrangement of the songs and also the casting of the band members. It was only the performance on December 31st where one of the band members couldnât make it and I had to fill in for them (laugh).
Q: Now that youâve seen the Star Live, what do you think?
K: I simply thought that wow, we live in an amazing era! Sorry if that sounded like a 5-year-old commentary (laugh). I was blessed with the opportunity to feel the fansâ wish to see this concert first-hand. I was able to take on a new challenge and I felt grateful.
Q: What about Starry Stage?
K: I was involved from the planning stage. I was actually the one who wanted to have a live performance with the voice actors. Our plan got through after right about 2 years, and it was approved with the title "Starry Stageâ. I actually donât know what âSSâ is the short for, but when it appeared in the game I thought it was âStarry Stageâ. In Starry Stage, I was involved in casting, stage production, and production supervision. I really got to do many different things!
Q: What did you think of it?
K: Goodness, I was just emotionally overwhelmed. One of my strongest feelings would have been, âI finally got to see this scenery!â But more importantly, it brought to surface my powerlessness and what I was lacking (bitter laugh). To bring forth a live performance, we made the fans wait for 3 years, so the Starry Stage also had a concept of getting up close to the fans as much as we can. Thatâs why I wanted to absolutely have all of them get on the moving cart and also have them go to the smaller stage (at the back). I think we managed to clear that part. Although, among the 13 cast members, to more than half of them it was their first time singing and dancing for an idol series. Thatâs why it was difficult to ask them to learn difficult choreography so we just did the best we could. Those were some of the challenges we had, so it was a really touching moment for me when I watched the performance.
Q: Thereâs a second concert for Star Live, but how about Starry Stage?
K: The official title had â1stâ in it so, in other words, you know? (Laugh) As for me, Iâd like to make it happen!*
*[T/L note] Itâs happening! 13 January 2019 at Nippon Budokan.
Q: You guys from Arte Refact are also involved in creating original songs for the stage adaptation, Ensemble Stars! On Stage. Are there any differences in the processes between making a song for a CD release and making a song for a stage play?
K: In Enstage, we basically received the script and then we were asked to make a particular type of song. Enstage played out the main story. Around that time, we kind of already made them into unit songs, so it was difficult. But we took out some specific parts of a scene and looked at them from a different point of view. Thatâs when we could create. We made them as we thought how this unit was singing this particular type of song, and how this was the kind of music that would fit this kind of scene⊠So what we did was the same, but we made the song from a different viewpoint.
Q: In Ensemble Stars! Extra Stage ~Judge of Knights~ that used the event Rebellion! The Kingâs Horseback Ride as its theme, they performed many new songs during the Judgment Live scene.
K: Judgment had a developing battle scene so they asked us to make a medley. At that point, the script was not yet finished so I had no idea how it was going to be. But when I read the finished version I understood what they meant. Although, I asked them what would happen with the dialogue bits in between, since it wouldnât be called a medley anymore if they had stopped [the music]. Then, they told me that they were going to include something like a dance choreography as well. Thatâs how I decided to let the music play in the background during those times and let it develop entry points for the singing to come in again.
Q: So you made it based on the fact that it was going to have both acting and singing included.
K: Also, the actors can sometimes change when they choose to take a breath between the phrases. When that happens, the timing feel will change as well. I canât create with the stance that they have to breathe at some specific point. When they sing, itâs fixed, but other than the singing part I make the music loop (so that they can get back onto it should they be running behind). Since the battle scene was made to accelerate, I and the composersâ side suggested to also increase the bpm (tempo) a little by little. It was subtle so that the audience wonât feel the abrupt change.
Q: You really made these songs based on how itâs going to be sung at a stage play.
K: When there are dialogues within a song, I would read those dialogues out loud to myself and think about the timing of how the character speaks. Then thatâs how I figure out how long the phrases should be.
Q: Have you seen Enstage?
K: Iâve seen all of them, of course. All of them and all the characters are truly really good, but personally I really like Eichi Tenshouinâs actor, (Takahisa) Maeyama-san! I was like, âThanks for giving me a chance to write a song for Eichi-sama! It was the best!â (laugh)
The main point about character songs is that itâs not unnatural.
Q: Iâd like to ask something with regards to what we call character songs in general. Is there anything that you feel you must do every time you create character songs or unit songs?
K: Itâs difficult to explain it in words, but I myself donât think of Enstarsâ songs as âcharacter songsâ. Itâs like Iâm actually producing idols and real life idol songs. But if I have to answer from the viewpoint that theyâre character songs, I guess it would be how I wonât make something thatâs unnatural for that character of that world to sing this kind of song. I want to make a song that can let you picture the world and the character. That the world matches the character themself, and that itâs nothing out of place. For example, you donât feel right hearing digital instruments in an anime with an idyllic setting. But if thereâs someone in that anime who likes games, it wonât be strange to insert something digital. I think about how I should set things apart like that.
Q: Do you not approach the way you make [character songs] and songs you make for real world artists differently?
K: Thereâs no difference. But for me, itâs often the case that I would ask the artists to write the lyrics as a condition when Iâm the one producing or providing songs for them. If the situation proves to be difficult, or when they have other tie-up songs to work on as well, then other lyricists may be called in. But as long as that is not the case, Iâd like the actual person who will be singing this song to write the lyrics themself. Otherwise it wonât get through to the listeners, is what I think. If they sing words written by someone else, thereâs always something about it that doesnât feel right. I want to make a song that includes the singerâs feelings in it even just a little, so Iâd like them to write their own songâs lyrics whenever possible.
Q: Lastly, please leave a message to readers who are looking forward to your next work! What would you like them to hear in the songs that you have produced?
K: I think music is something alive. Even if the melody and the lyrics donât change, your emotions donât stay the same when you listen to the song for the first time, the second time, the third time, and so on. I want you to enjoy a song by paying attention to the way the singing is different, or how the accompanying music is different even though the melody is the same. It may make you think how much the world in that song have changed. For Enstars unit songs, you can spot the differences especially if that song has live performance of the backing instruments. Or even though itâs not a live performance, more instruments may be added and the way the melodies play out may also be different. We make that kind of contrasts so I think âspotting the little differences as you listen to itâ is another way of enjoying the songs. We are very particular to each and every musical part of the song and not just the melody, so I hope you can pay close attention to that. Iâd like you to listen to the karaoke versions that are included in the CDs single as well!
[1/2] Online Bâs-Log Interview with Satoru Kuwabara
Update:Â
- (2 Sep 2020) Correction â When we started making the unit songs, we didnât make hip hop songs, afraid that the female players may stab usâ --> âWhen we started making the unit songs, we didnât make hip hop songs, afraid that it wouldnât resonate with the female playersâ
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Released 4 June 2018
Original source Part 1
The original article has pictures that complement well so please check it out too.
Bâs-Log started a new project, âCreator Touchâ, an interview series with creators of popular series. The first person they interviewed was Satoru Kuwabara, the music producer of Ensemble Stars!.
In this first half of the interview, they asked about how Kuwabara started to get involved with Enstars unit songs. Kuwabara also talked about the points he focused on in the song series that have been released so far. (~2.8k words)
In the second half, they talked about song numbers that left the biggest impression on Kuwabara, the 3D live concert, the voice actor live concert and Enstage. (~2.2k words)
Some of the info has already been published somewhere before, so this may be a repetition to some. But otherwise, it can be a refresher as well. Enjoy!
Q: Kuwabara-san, youâre also Arte Refactâs representative. Could you tell us what your job entails?
K: As part of Arte Refact, my work revolves around anime and game music. It doesnât mean that Iâm not working with other genres at all, but Arte Refact is basically a company where people who love anime and games gather around. So we want to surround ourselves in that world and conform to it as much as we can.
Q: Could you tell us what started your involvement in Enstars unit songs?
K: Before the game release, a person I was indebted to gave me a tip, âThereâs this game thatâs coming up,â he said, and showed me the proposal and illustrations. I had a look at it and thought, âI really want to do this!â If I remember it correctly, it was around about the start of the preregistration period, so the only information I had in hand was that it had the high school idol theme and idol units. It also had a simple description of each character and a main theme song. I was sure that they would already have songs for the units prepared as well, so when I was given the chance to introduce myself to Happy Elements, I made some unit songs while expecting to be shot down. There were 8 announced units, so I visualized and prepared 2 songs for each unit and went to present.
Q: This was before the game even started⊠So you made these songs with so little information to go on with.
K: The unit that I misunderstood the most was fine. Itâs pronounced like âfee-nayâ, which is different from the English pronunciation of âfainâ, right? I ended up making a song with lots of the âfainâ version in the lyrics (laugh). Other than that, I thought the âbitsâ in Ra*bits referred to, say, 1bit, so I thought that maybe their songs have lots of pinging sounds like those in a game. Turns out I was completely wrong for both (laugh). On the contrary, Trickstar, UNDEAD, and Ryuseitai were easy to figure out and I remember that it was a smooth process.
Q: Among the songs that you presented, were there any that actually got released as unit songs?
K: I think it would be Knightsâ Checkmate Knights and Ryuseitaiâs The UnrivaledâMeteoranger!. Although we remade those after receiving the unitsâ proper background setting.
Q: You have been playing the actual game. Can you tell us your first impression or what it is about the game that attracted you?
K: My true first impression would be during the pre-release, but I thought that their illustrations were nice, generally speaking. In general, the art in a female-oriented series has that touch that doesnât sit too well with guys. But Enstars feels like anime and its head count for the character design is actually pretty close to that of a real person and without being deformed in any weird way. So itâs also easy for guys to accept. When I first saw the illustration, it gave me a gush of inspiration and I could keep churning out songs. But after the game got released and I started playing, my impression shifted to, âItâs this dark?â (laugh) If I had to choose, male-oriented series have a fundamentally happy atmosphere and not many would delve into the charactersâ upbringing or pasts. Even if they do, they only do it lightly or they would only touch on some characters with a considerably rough past⊠just like that. But pretty much all Enstars characters have something that theyâre worried about, right? Thatâs what makes female-oriented and male-oriented series different, and what I think makes Enstars attractive.
I think of them as idols and create.
Q: Can you tell us specifically how you make these songs?
K: All units have already had a few songs released by now, so I would start from thinking about what kind of songs a particular unit would need next, while also taking their previous songs into account. I have the image within my mind that these characters are alive. My way of thinking will also change depending on the unit and the CDâs month of release. Take Ryuseitaiâs album as an example (released on 7 March 2018). It was released around the âRepayment Festivalâ, so it had a White Day theme. If there are songs made based on established event stories, there are also those made simply because we wanted to make this kind of songsâthe origin may vary. But if I know a lyricist who fits the image of a particular song, the first thing Iâll do is to place an order with that said lyricist.
Q: How do these lyrics come about?
K: Our main lyricists are Youhei Matsui-san and Saori Kodama-san. Enstars had its 3rd anniversary and at this point, a lot of content has been fleshed out. We want someone who understands the story and wonât cause discrepancies in the lyrics, so in the end itâs difficult to ask someone who isnât used to the series. If I do ask someone other than those two, itâs often the case that I think their usual writing style fits a particular unit.
Q: An example would be how Arika Takarano-san from ALI PROJECT worked on Valkyrieâs Bewitching Theater.
K: Exactly. I asked Takarano-san beforehand that we may cause her a lot of trouble and may ask her to retake so many times and if she was alright with that, but she still said that she was going to do it. And in actuality, it was accepted without any revision so it was really cool!
Q: I believe there would be a lot of fans out there who would listen to one song and think, âThis is the feel that this unit has, huh!â and then would get surprised by the approach of another song. But it was actually just the perfect balance. How do the artists begin their work on the songs and the lyrics?
K: It goes without saying, but Matsui-san and Kodama-san play the game as well. There are times when they come up with a selection of scenes because they want to write about those parts. The lyricists rely heavily on the script, but on the other hand the composers have told me that they make progress when they are given visuals. Itâs really easy to understand when you look at an illustration, "so this is going to be a song where this character sings with this kind of expression, huh.â Iâve heard that the event CGs are their most helpful reference.
Q: Rather than a 2-dimensional character, they imagine that itâs a real singing idol as they make the songs.
K: Thatâs what I doâI think of them as idols who really exist as I make the songs. I donât even think of them as game characters anymore. Iâd say things like, âHey check this out, this kind of song is nice, donât you think? What? The pitch is too high for you? Nah, I know you can do it. You can, canât you?â (laugh)
The 3rd seasonâs theme is âLoveâ!
Q: So far, the series has released 3 seasons of CD singles and right now the album series is ongoing, with one album being released after another. Could you tell us their concepts and any fixation you had on each series? To start with, how was the first season?
K: The first season was something that we made with zero-based budgeting, so in that sense, it was probably where I participated like a music producer the most*. In the first season I was being rather pushy about my opinion on how this particular song would definitely suit this or that unit. It was also because Happy Elements was not used to music production, so if I was hesitating, they would too. I thought that it would be better to give out a clear-cut proposal, so I told myself to express my opinion properly while also offering some options.
*[T/L note] I wasnât sure if this would make sense to the readers since I still translated it quite literally, but basically since the unit song series just started out they didnât have much luxury to call out to other composers/lyricists like they do now, so they had to use the limited resources (and human resources) to the best they could. Please note that this is my interpretation since the whole original sentence looked pretty vague to me.
Q: I feel that the first season is filled with many songs that exude each unitâs character and public image.
K: Personally thatâs my intention. That being said, to be honest we started making the songs when the game was not even out yet. We didnât know how far we could experiment with these songs. We also didnât know if there was going to be season 2. So, of course we wanted to make more, but if there was no second season, we decided to make songs that would make these units complete. We wanted these songs to be popular too, so we made a lot of up-tempo songs that have a good beat. But I also wanted to make some ballads, so I included Checkmate Knights for Knights and Love Letter of the Brilliance of Cherry Blossoms for Akatsuki.
Q: Now, onto the second season. Some units have songs with a different taste compared to those from the first season. Did you intend to show another side to them that you couldnât in the first season?
K: Letâs see. Now that the fans are aware of these unit songs, we started the second season by creating songs meant to be something original and asking artists we would like to place an order with. I had the impression that my job was to materialize the unit image that Happy Elements had in mind. If they had artists whom they would like to work with, Iâd go around making offers, become the middleman, and suggest to brush up some parts of a song as we record the music. That was the kind of job I did. But among that, I think I let myself loose quite a bit when making songs for Valkyrie and Switch, who joined from the second season.
Q: How about the third season?
K: After observing the audience reception until the second season and receiving fansâ responses, we made songs âthat are neededâ and âthat it should be like this!â on top of putting the unit members into consideration. The hidden theme of the third season is âLoveâ. Basically, thereâs âLoveâ on the A-side. It can be love for their fans, or for their friendsâit varies. Even though the word âLoveâ itself is not used in the songs, they still have âLoveâ as their theme.
Q: This makes me want to listen to them once again to find some âLoveââŠ! Then, what about the album series that are ongoing right now?
K: The theme for these albums are âPresentsâ. Itâs a thanks to the fans of course, but itâs also a thanks to their supportive friends. I want to make something that everyone can enjoy, so basically there are a lot of songs with lyrics that are filled with gratitude. It also has something akin to the third seasonâs âLoveâ, but thatâs what idols are! I think fans would be happier to receive love thatâs almost excessive (laugh).
Q: The albums also include the idolsâ solo songs.
K: To many of the voice actors in the first season, it was their first time recording a song, so we talked a lot before we began to record. There were 8 units at that time and I was talking with this kind of feeling, âI want to make something that can get each of the unit up on the Budokan stage for 8 days and on the last day I want to see everyone perform at Tokyo Dome together. So letâs make lots and lots of songs!â The voice actors were really happy about that and they sang for us. So to me it felt like itâs the long-awaited solo songs.
Q: Especially with these solo songs, I can feel that you understand a fanâs mentality and the characters really well!
K: Itâs because I love everyone (laugh). I also think of them as real people while creating. I think I do as I please during the recording, like suggesting that we should change the lyrics because I donât think he will say this kind of thing for example (laugh). I also dare to play around with the song and rip things apart. Although I would also record a few versions and present it to Happy Elements to see which they would prefer, like, â(I think this one here is better but) what do you think?â (laugh) Also, I wouldnât change the rough outline of the songs I receive, but I often discuss with the composer to tweak the melody line or adjust the key to match with the character.
The teachersâ songs are Mr. Kuwabaraâs long awaited production!
Q: Apart from songs by the students of Yumenosaki Academy, you have also released songs by the teachers and the rival unit, Eden. How did the teachersâ CD come about?
K: I had always wanted to make songs for the teachers! Even when I first introduced myself to Happy Elements, I asked them if the teachers would sing as well, and then they replied âI suppose not.â (laughed) I asked them the same thing a few times after that as well, and finally around about the 2nd anniversary of the gameâs release they finally said, âWeâd like to make songs for the teachers,â and I replied, âIâve been waiting to hear those words!â (laugh) Thatâs how it started. I personally like Jin Sagami a lot and in the game I just keep entering the nurseâs office âby mistakeâ (laugh). My wish of making the teachersâ songs came true just before the third season. In Akira-sanâs mind, apparently theyâre idols who dance with roller skates.*
*[T/L note] A reference to an older generation idol, Hikaru Genji, who performed with roller skates in the 80s. [YouTube]
Q: It felt like we had moved back a generation or twoâŠ
K: Yes, I also stopped myself and thought that the teachers were probably around 30 years old (laugh). I chose the direction that would lean towards that age group as best as I could.
Q: The CD jacket and design labels made a big impact.
K: This is, well, a total grownupsâ practical joke (laugh). Someone suggested to make it an 8cm CD, but going that far would be difficult after all.
Q: I also felt that the sound quality felt close to that of the CDs released some years ago.
K: True, we added a bit more echo than usual to get close to the era we were aiming for. But the art and craft of audio recording continues to evolve from day to day, so without dropping the sound quality down too much, we chose to focus on bringing out the intended atmosphere and made it into a 12cm CD to match with the current age. Likewise with the acoustic pressureâif we dropped it down too much, it would also not be a good thing to suddenly hear a drop like that in quality if the listeners chose to add the songs into a playlist.
Q: On the other hand, Edenâs CD also ended up with a different taste than that of Yumenosaki Academyâs unitsâ.
K: Edenâs setting is that theyâre a rival unit that stands up before Yumenosaki Academyâs representative, Trickstar, and block their way. So Edenâs song has to surpass Yumenosaki Academyâs unit songs like Trickstar, fine, and Akatsuki. Weâve always been serious about making these unit songs, so the moment I was told that, I didnât know what to do (laugh). And then, I asked them to lift the ban on rap songs. In the end the song wasnât a pure rap, but up until now I had been asked to avoid rap as much as I can.
Q: Is that Happy Elementsâ request?
K: Yes. When we started making the unit songs, we didnât make hip hop songs, afraid that it wouldnât resonate with the female players⊠But various series have made a hit with the genre and maybe itâs now recognized, so I went to discuss about lifting the ban. I asked them like this, âWhen they fuse into Eden, please let me give them rapâ.
Q: With a hip hop-like element included, it became a unit song that had a different orientation from Yumenosaki Academy idols.
K: Right. I think they managed to exude out a different kind of mature feel. Their CD booklet is amazing too, donât you think? It used special paper, special printing, unusual cutting⊠(laugh)
Q: Was the packaging your idea too, Kuwabara-san?
K: No, it was Happy Elementsâ. They wanted to make it that way. Each pieceâs lumber quality was just so extravagant. The third season had clear sheets as well, but Edenâs CD booklet was really a surprise (laugh).
Continued to the last half of the interview: song numbers that leave the biggest impression, 3D live concert, voice actor live concert and Enstage.
areudirty
vaporwave
snowghoul
andulkaphoto
annaxmalina
stormborns