✲ Please support Mafumafu by purchasing his album “Ashitairo World End” [Amazon] [Animate], which includes this track!
Translator: 抹茶カメ (Matchakame), Proofreading: Emma
✲ Please inform & credit me if you use the translation! If you find any mistakes, feel free to message me!
✲ Please do not create subbed video reprints with my translation, unless I have given you explicit permission! I do not appreciate contributing to views of stolen/unauthorized work.
✲ Please do not monetize my work in any way. This includes using my work as reference for translyrics.
Romaji Lyrics / English Translation:
Amai mono hodo tokeru
Sore ga koi dakke?
Kuchisamishii ya
Watagashi o hitotsu katteikou
The sweeter it is, the faster it melts
Was that always how love was?
My mouth tingles from the emptiness
So I’ll go ahead and buy a cotton candy
Wakanae no sode sora ni nageta koibumi
Ano getabako wa waraikata no kuzukago
A sleeve the color of young green seedlings, a love letter thrown out to the sky
Her shoe box over there ends up as but a wastebasket for my laughter
Utsubushiiro
Nagakami ga yureru hakumei temaneite
Kuchikazu mo heru keidai
Fading into a traditional khaki shade
The twilight where your long hair sways beckons to me
Back at the shrine where the words spoken between us decrease
Nakushita mono bakari kazoeteiru
Yomayoi mousou ni
I keep counting all the things I’ve lost
In a delusion trapped between two worlds
Yume no mata yume ka mihatenu yume
Minashigoto papa ni utomareta ko
Yamiyo hodo hoshi ga kirei na koto
Nee shitteru?
A dream within a dream, or an unfulfilled dream
An orphan and a child neglected by their daddy
The stars shine brighter the darker the night sky
Hey, did you know that?
Sakayume no mama ni
Odore odore
Bokura ga bokura de irareru made
Narifuri kamawazu te o tatake
Itsu no hi ka kono yume ga sameru made wa
While this dream contradicts our reality,
Let’s dance and dance away
Until we can remain just as who we are
Regardless of how we look, let’s clap our hands together
Until we wake from this dream someday far off
Kingyo sukui de sukueru you na inochi wa
Dareka sukutte kure da nante
Omotteita
With a life like the ones you can save in a goldfish scooping game
I had always been wishing
For someone to scoop me away*
Sou da
Dareka no suki na dareka ni natte
Iwareru mama ni otona ni natte
Soredemo wakaranai mama
Doushite namida ga tomaranain darou
That’s right
Becoming the someone that someone else likes
Becoming adults in the way we were told
But still, I don’t understand
Why, oh why won’t my tears stop
Wasureta mono ringoame
Mizu ni oritate tsuki no kage
Kagamigoshi ni chiru hanabi
Among the forgotten things, my candied apple
The moon’s reflection shines down on the water
As the fireworks burst and scatter in the mirror
Sawarenu mono bakari sagashiteiru
Yomayoi mousou ni
I have only been searching for the things I cannot touch
In this delusion trapped between two worlds
Mou ii yo mou ii yo
It’s fine now, it’s fine already
Ukande wa terashite wa
Suikomareru
Tsutsuyamiiro no natsuzora
The things that float to the surface, the things that shine
Will be sucked away
Into the pitch black summer sky
Yume no mata yume ka mihatenu yume
Konna gomi no you na sekai demo
Boku wa suki de suki de suki de
Suki de suki de tamaranai
A dream within a dream or an unfulfilled dream
Even if this world is no better than rubbish
I like it, I like it, I like it
I like it, I like it so much I can’t stand it
Odore odore saa odore odore
Nani mo kamo subete wasuresasete
Narifuri kamawazu te o tatake
Itsu no hi ka kono yume ga sameru made wa
Let’s dance and dance, now let’s dance and dance away
Let yourself forget about each and every thing
Regardless of how you look, clap your hands together
Until you wake from this dream someday far off
Yume no mukou de yume o sagashiteiru
Even in the realms of dreams, I am still searching for my dream
*Translator’s Note: The line contains a wordplay between the homonyms すくって (to scoop) and 救って (to save), which is why the protagonist wishes to be “scooped away” or saved from the prison that encapsulates him.
Hello, I'm very thankful for your translation. I would like to use it to make a video on Youtube. It's a non-profit product and I will definitely give your credit. Thank you.
Thank you for the message! I am fine with creative videos, but please do not use my translations to sub the original artists’ videos! That would be an unauthorized reprint, and I personally do not appreciate being involved in such activities.
If that’s not the case though, I wish you good luck, and feel free to let me know if you have any questions!
Hi Matcha Kame-san! ^^ Thanks for all your hard work in the utaite fandom!! Just curious, who is your Loona bias?? Have a nice day!!
Hi Emma-san! Thanks for all your consistent hard work in utaite translations too!! I’ve always admired your tenacity and approachability – I’m blushing from the fact that you’ve come all the way to my inbox to ask (❁´▽`❁)*✲゚* … (How else do I make this overwhelmingly cheesier lmao)
My soul goes to Jinsoul (obviously haha) and my heart goes to Heejin, but recently Yves has been snatching my weave a few too many times… I hope you watched Heejin’s performance in Ariana Grande’s Greedy like I told you to!
LOL of course we’d have the exact same biases omg. I’m 1. Jinsoul 2. Heejin and probably 3. Chuu right now
Sorry I forgot to reply but yes I watched that performance and she just KILLS IT. She seriously seems like a born performer she is so good on camera in every “role” I’ve seen her in!! :D
(PS I think your message was CUTE not cheesy)
We… are on the same vein a little too often for this to be normal lmao
I am so glad you also worship our sassy queen Heejin b/c sometimes I think 1/3 gets shelved away on the overseas fan side! And I love Chuu (and her PV’s entire aesthetic/fashion choices;;) too, but there’s just something about Yves’s story about her essentially being satan (b/c she’s the fallen angel from heaven) that attracts me… What a terrible reason to like someone wow
I’m looking forward to their debut so much; two more girls to go!!
Kame!! Welcome back ;u; and congrats on surviving university hell (was it? wwww) I’m really happy that you’re active online again, you have no idea how much I missed your little updates and translations! XD Happy new year in advance! (And sorry for filling your askbox right after you cleared it wwww)
Hi Anon, thank you, it's so nice of you to send a message to me just b/c I'm back (;;u;;). Unfortunately, I still have 6 months of uni hell left so I'm not quite done yet but soon! Soon I will be free (into the hands of corporate slavery weeps)! I'll try to be more active again in some way from here on out, and I'm glad at least one person likes the translations... (*´▽`*)Happy early new year to you too!(No worries, this is a cute message and I thankfully don't need to run across the world for the answer so~)
Hi Matcha Kame-san! ^^ Thanks for all your hard work in the utaite fandom!! Just curious, who is your Loona bias?? Have a nice day!!
Hi Emma-san! Thanks for all your consistent hard work in utaite translations too!! I've always admired your tenacity and approachability -- I'm blushing from the fact that you've come all the way to my inbox to ask (❁´▽`❁)*✲゚* ... (How else do I make this overwhelmingly cheesier lmao)My soul goes to Jinsoul (obviously haha) and my heart goes to Heejin, but recently Yves has been snatching my weave a few too many times... I hope you watched Heejin's performance in Ariana Grande's Greedy like I told you to!(P.S. Your bias(es) too please and thanks ;))
Hello! Long time no see, and I hope everyone has been well.
It’s been quite a few months if not years since I’ve been active both here and on Twitter (in that time, I was studying abroad in Japan & preoccupied with other irl duties), but I am hoping to revive my activities bit by bit in the coming year (^^;;)
I deeply apologize to everyone who had been waiting in this time, and before doing anything else, I first intend to answer all of the asks filling my inbox here and completing the song requests I accepted in the past. Hopefully, most of you may have gotten answers from other sources before me as the asks are long overdue;;;
I am unsure of what type of translations I will continue from here (it may only be songs, or may be everything I used to do) as there are dozens of translators who are interested in Mafumafu’s activities now, but please stay tuned :)
Thank you for the patience; I’ve finally answered everyone who sent me a question...!
Good news: My ask box is finally as crystal clean as when I first made this account
Bad news: Every time I post, I lose followers... I mean... okay... (;u;)
I will be working on prior song requests next and non-title songs from Mafumafu and After the Rain’s albums after that, so my requests will be closed while that is still in the works (><) Asks are still welcome, but I will only be replying at most 5 at a time when I’m free!
ahhh i saw from some other asks that it took you 3 years to learn japanese (which is exceptional omg when will i ever) so do you have any tips for studying it? and how intensely did you study it? sorry for bothering you, i know you have a lot of asks. thank you! ^^
To be fair, this is my 7th? 8th? year wrangling with Japanese so it’s not to say that I reached my current level immediately…! But in contrast, I also know a few irl friends who became insanely fluent just after a year or two so it is doable but just a bit rarer (and it boggles me down sometimes (@´_`@))
In terms of tips, I don’t have much to say beyond just practicing the language frequently? Obviously, streamlined learning in the form of textbooks or lessons is essential, but it’ll just go in one ear and out the other if you’re not constantly using those concepts. Don’t be afraid to read a lot w/ a Japanese dictionary at hand, listen to a lot of media or dialogue to catch proper intonation, and speak a lot to others! I think that’s honestly what creates the biggest difference between learners who initially start at the same level.
Practice also comes in more boring forms such as repetitive writing of kanji, vocabulary lists/flash cards, oral re-reading of textbook passages, and creating example sentences. If you’re into diary writing, it might be cool to start recording them in Japanese for some sort of essay practice, and they also serve as a good reminder of progress when you’re feeling down or unmotivated. Having some form of constant constructive criticism (instructor, passionate but direct native friend, Lang-8) is also very crucial imo, b/c it’s so easy to develop bad habits or misinformed lessons for self-study!
B/c I was so excited during my first 3 years (and thankfully had strict teachers to hammer down those basics in me), I remember studying pretty intensely back then? Sometimes in the weekends, I’d spend hours reading ahead in my textbooks and the Japanese textbook section of Kinokuniya was my sanctuary lmao. But since then, I haven’t really “studied” – I only look up new words and the like when I don’t understand something in the middle of reading or surfing the web… ^^;;
I hope this provides you with some kind of reference, and good luck! Let me know if you need any specific advice or help!
How was your stay in Japan? I was really excited and happy for you when I heard you were going!
It was great, and I honestly didn’t want to come back by the end of it! I made a lot of friends with both locals and exchange students from various parts of the world, finally attended concerts for artists I’ve only ever seen on the Internet, and ate too much good food – which is always a blessing haha.
However, at one point my priorities started inverting themselves so bad that during the finals week of my last semester, I was actually writing the last 1000 words to my term paper on the train while rushing over to a concert… (It’s only okay b/c I still got an A in the course sweats)
And thank you for being excited for me, that’s very sweet <3
I don't understand japanese so how can I order stuff from Mafumafu's latest tweet about his merchandise? Do you mind translating? 😭💕
Apologies for the late response! Which tweet/merchandise are you referring to specifically?
The current merchandise for After the Rain’s 2017 winter tour are still limited to venue-only right now, but there will most likely be an online shop set shortly after all the concerts. When that happens, Soraru and Mafumafu (or their staff accounts) will attach the link, and there should be buttons to click and continue the order process within Japan.
CDs and DVDs are available on general CD or anime-related online shops within Japan, including Animate, HMV, Tsutaya, and Tower Records. For overseas online shopping, you can probably find them via CDJapan or Kinokuniya.
Limited edition merchandise, such as Mafumafu’s collaborations with MINT NeKO and Village Vanguard, are only available for online order temporarily and usually cannot be shipped overseas unless you use a shopping service. As such, if you missed that period, those goods aren’t available anymore unless you scour for it secondhand (><)
Attached here on specific instructions to use overseas vendors or shopping services:
Hi Matchakame! If it isn't too much of a trouble, could you translate the sentences that appear and disappear within 2 seconds or so in 脱獄? Thank you! And could you give a your analysis on the song too? ^^ Thank you!!!
“Wait! It's ok. I finally found a translation of those words in Chinese. But if you don't mind, I'd really like to hear your thoughts on the song! Thank you!”
Apologies for the super late reply!
Did you want me to interpret the entire song or just the phrase at 2:20? I’m not an expert on Neru beyond being obsessed with a select few of his songs, but I think Datsugoku is pretty straightforward about painting an attempt at rebellion against oppressive regime, and picking up the incomplete goal of a friend who’s no longer beside the protagonist (whether mentally or physically)?
For the disappearing message, I think it further expresses the protagonist’s memories of their childhood and how the “solution” to breaking free seemed so much easier to grasp back then, when they had a purer, more straightforward understanding of the world. I might be totally off for all I know, but I hope this helps? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Hi, I was wondering if you were considering translating Mafumafu's new song 夢のまた夢 (sm29602449)? I wanna make some english translyrics for it, but I haven't been able to find a good translation yet ^^;;
Apologies for the late reply!
I do intend to translate the song now that I’m back, and it’ll probably one of the first few I have start on. However, I’m sure you may have found an alternative or proceeded with your English translyrics already so I’m sorry if this doesn’t help anymore (^^;;)
Hi, Matcha! I'm writing something in japanese (idek why 😂) but I need some help, since I don't speak japanese very well... I was wondering how to say "I think in their adulthood, they need to be more like kids, who are happy to see snow" and "By doing that, I will become a happy adult, and help building a better society with more happy adults" Thanks in advance!!!
Apologies for the late reply!
I’m… not sure you want to be asking me that since my ENG→JPN is even worse than my JPN→ENG skills, but I tried…? (with maybe a bit too much paraphrasing)
Hello! I'm really thankful to your and Emma's translations and would like to ask if you know any other blogs you can recommend that translate utaite related things? Thanks, have a nice day!!
Apologies for the late reply, and thank you for following my and Emma’s translations! Many of the translators I was acquainted with in the past either stopped translating or translate very irregularly, so I’m not sure you’d be interested in that;;
However, Emma did compile a list of utaite fans and translators here, so hopefully this may be of help! Among that list (and my friends), Giul especially is a regular translator for the utaite S!N if that helps :)
Hello, matchakame! I have a question, I hope you can answer it. How much is Soraru's newest album, with GST and shipping fees included? Since I don't have an income yet, I need to ask my mother if she can buy it for me after my examinations but I'm scared that it may be too expensive... Thank you!
Sorry for the late reply! I’m not sure which of his 3 albums he’s released since I was last active, but as a general note, the album itself is usually $20-25 in Japan, and shopping services/Japanese online stores may charge anywhere from $10-20 extra for getting it for you. Shipping fees depends on what country you’re in so I can’t determine that, but I think it tends to be around $10-25 depending on how heavy the album is...?
Hopes this provides you some sort of reference, and sorry I can’t be any more specific! Merry Christmas!
Are you going to translate "Suisei ressha no beru ha naru"?
Sorry for the late reply. I intend to (along with the rest of Mafumafu’s uploaded songs), but I’m sure there are probably other translations up for it already!
Hi Kame-san! Thank you so much for your translations of Mafumafu's songs and tweets! May I ask what is your interpretation of After the Rain's song セカイシックに少年少女? I really like the song, but I am not sure what Mafumafu's message in the lyrics is. Thank you! :)
Hi anon, I’m sorry for the very, very, veerry late reply on my part! Part of the tardiness comes from the fact that セカイシックに少年少女 was one of the songs I least understood from Mafumafu when this was first asked (partially b/c it was one of my first song translations and partly b/c it wasn’t depressing enough to get me emotionally invested ^^;;;;)
Excuses aside, I interpret the theme to be an unwillingness to become an adult, or possibly wanting to return to a childhood where everything seemed like fantasy? The song starts off with painting this magical landscape with an “ocean of soda” and other sweets, and the young boy and girl are looking out at the stars, weaving through the limitless night sky with infinite possibilities such as overturning Maxwell’s Equations (i.e laws of nature and matter). This is their current and most ideal state, but they know that this changes over time. Aware of this, by the first chorus, the two begin singing about how sick they are of the world’s inevitable order/pattern for every child’s present and future (ex. “the yesterdays they’ve thrown away for others’ expectations”, not wanting to move towards a ‘tomorrow’ where they must become adults). To me, this expresses how because they know they will be bound by the world’s societal standards in the future, they’d rather remain as children forever who can dream about a free, limitless universe like the stars. They are “nameless young boys and girls” in the sense that they have no known title or responsibilities in the world, but that’s okay to them.
The next part of the song starts to express insecurities and doubts about themselves, as the young boy and girl realize they are changing with time even though they vowed within themselves to always stay the same. Because they are aware of this, they plead “hey, I beg of you, please don’t turn around (to look at how different I’ve become)” and try to shut out everything else – choosing a path without others, limiting their gaze by looking down so they can be ‘themselves’ even if they have to be alone. In the 2nd chorus, the lyrics focus on how they are forgetting even their current selves and the “things they loved so much”. They are afraid of their future selves and how those identities will be completely different from now.
In the PV during and after the song interlude, you can see the young girl and boy being sucked away into a black hole – their “current” children selves have disappeared forever, and “the night sky is falling, as if crying and waving goodbye”. In other words, their fantasy and possibilities are falling apart through the passage of time and growth into an adult. However, even if it’s futile, they continue trying to preserve what they can of their child/past selves. Their desperate struggle to meet “themselves” again goes beyond the simple greetings of “hello”, “goodbye”, or “good night”.
The PV adds another layer to the story in that from 3:03, the boy stands alone and a close-up of the girl in serene, white light follows. After that point, the girl is gone from the looping circle they were originally in together, and the song ends with the boy alone closing his eyes, fading out. I think of this as the forgetting of one’s first love and the sparks you felt from that time as you grow up. This girl could be a real person or an imaginary figment, but the loss would smoothly tie into the story in “I Sleep Well” where there are two similar figures in that PV.
All in all, this means that Mafumafu really likes the idea of a romantic, fantasy “first love” and I really like making long essays about his songs. Is this what happens when I only have tests and no papers for my college finals. I hope you enjoyed my interpretation (and that it made sense;;;)