I'm tired and I can't think of anything to say so, let's just bring it on~~
Oh yes, added something as well, please take note.
=xxx= = real brackets used in the interview
Why such strange sign (=) you ask? Because I ran out of signs to use >.> So yeah, sorry about that.
1. Please DO NOT take my translations and use them for whatever reason, without my permission.
2. Please DO NOT publish my translations elsewhere without my permission. Please kindly link back if you want, but DO NOT copy and paste them.
3. Please kindly spare a few minutes and COMMENT if you read it. What are your thoughts of it?
[number] = more explanation of the sentence below
xxx = more detailed explanations
[xxx] = what I felt a certain part of the sentence meant
(xxx) = other meanings of the word or literal translations or missing word/words not specifically mentioned. For e.g. (The fans) screamed when he entered! Read it like you will a normal sentence.
=xxx= = real brackets used in the interview
There are 2 interviewers (Kouichi Tanaka and Mami Akagi) for this magazine. The questions by Tanaka will be bolded while those by Akagi will be bolded and underlined
A little introduction about “MOON PROJECT” and related works before we begin since this interview is mainly about “MOON PROJECT”…
“MOON PROJECT” is a project Gackt started a few years ago. “ANOTHER WORLD”, released on 5th September 2001, was the first introduction to “MOON PROJECT”. He then released another single “忘れないから” before he released his third album, “MOON”, on 19th June 2002. After which, Gackt started the “下弦の月” (Kagen no Tsuki, waning moon) tour which ended on 24th December 2002. The next single he released was “君が追いかけた夢” on 19th March 2003. “MOON CHILD”, a movie co-starring HYDE (vocalist of L’Arc~en~ciel) and Wang Lee Hom, was released on the big screen exactly one month later. He then started the tour “上弦の月” (Jyougen no Tsuki, waxing moon) on 4th May 2003 while continuing to release the singles “月の詩 TSUKI no UTA” and “Lu:na/OASIS” at the same time. The tour finally comes to an end on 6th July. Gackt also wrote a novel, “MOON CHILD 鎮魂歌 “レクイエム” 篇”, which he released on October 2003. His last single in relations to “MOON PROJECT” was “Last Song” which was released on 12th November 2003. And finally, the release of “Crescent” album on 3rd December 2003 marked the end of “MOON PROJECT”.
Or so we thought…
I: “BLACK STONE”, it’s coupling “Ash” and “Metamorphoze ~メタモルフォーゼ~” =written as ~メタモルフォーゼ~ for the rest of the interview= which will be released in May…… 3 totally different types of songs, but all of the songs contain a very deep world within.
G: (laughs) You are right.
I: During the interview for the “Love Letter” album , you said that ”MOON” will be reopened again along with the release of the next single. So is it all right to assume that “BLACK STONE” is the first step towards the reopening of “MOON PROJECT”?
G: You can say that.
I: “メタモルフォーゼ” as well?
G: Yes, it is a song I wrote based on the “MOON” theme.
I: Just that the reason you wrote “メタモルフォーゼ”was because director Tomino personally asked you to make the theme song for the “機動戦士 Zガンダム ~” movie, right?
G: But, I started writing this song much earlier [even before Tomino-san asked me to make the theme song for Gundam]. And there was once when Tomino-san asked me out for a meal…
I: You and director Tomino knew each other from a long time ago?
G: Yes, we got to know each other by chance. And since then, (he) would come to my concert and if we bump into each other, we would chat (lit. talk normally) and so we became close. As we were eating, Tomino-san started talking about his thoughts then =when Gundam was first aired on television 20 years ago=. The situation at that time (lit. environment) and his mental state, etc…… A lot of such factors influenced him and what needs to be conveyed originally, could not be. Which is why he would like to do this one more time, to re-do this so that he can convey what must be conveyed now without any regrets. He said that my help is required to achieve that. And when I heard what it was that he wanted to express, I felt that even if it was not about Gundam, I would (still) like to write (a song) related to that theme.….. Tomino-san passed me a piece of paper at the end and (after reading it,) I thought to myself, “Aah, I see!”
I: If you do not mind me asking…… could you give me an outline of what was written on that paper?
G: It is not a letter nor is it something written in point forms, rather it started with the line “We are born on this planet. (lit. stars)”… A poem. What I myself wanted to express was summarized in those short sentences. Of all the songs that I’ve written, I believe this song is the song which best corresponds to both Tomino-san’s theme as well as the theme from my own story.
I: You are saying “メタモルフォーゼ” is the song which relates best to that (Tomino-san’s) theme?
G: Yes. And I believe that it will work if it was this song. But what I told Tomino-san then was, “I cannot say anything before I even try making it, I don’t know if you will like (the end product) or not. I will do all that I can but on one condition, I hope that you will not use the song if you do not like it.” And he said that he understands and promised me (not to use the song if he doesn’t like it). And he liked it very much after it was completed.
I: And so “メタモルフォーゼ” became the theme song for Z Gundam.
G: That’s right.
In other words, “メタモルフォーゼ” was not written for the anime theme song.
G: No, it wasn’t. Because this song was written during the “Crescent” time. Moreover, the song would definitely become an introductory song for Gundam if it was made by combining the theme from the anime. So even if I don’t do it, somebody else can do it, right? I feel that the most important point is what the creator wants to express. And that song (Metamorphoze) relates to that. What Tomino-san wants to convey and what I want to express correspond to each other very well.
I: I see. I would like to confirm something about “Ash”. Was this song written with “MOON” in mind as well?
G: You can say that. But, the story “MOON” itself is very long. What I’ve just presented previously (“MOON PROJECT”) and what I’m about to present now are from different time periods. But because they are both continuations of the same theme…… I wonder how I should (lit. can) present that. There will be another story other than “MOON” which will be brought in as well. I’ve been thinking of how to link that other story to the current story (“MOON”) recently.
I: A story other than “MOON”!?
G: Because only once is not enough to express a long story (like “MOON “) fully. And in what form…… Not as an album but how it should be presented on a stage. I’ve been thinking a lot, racking my brain about that recently.
WHAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TILL NOW IS THE LAST OF THE 4TH CHAPTER
I: Right now, to what extent has the story in “MOON” been completed and how far do you see it going to in your mind?
G: In terms of story…… the first story is from the period between year 600 to year 1200 if you look at the Western calendar [1]……
[1] Because Japan do not use the normal calendar to calculate years. They calculate according to the reign of an emperor instead. For example, we are currently in the Heisei era and year 2005 is known as Heisei 17 (平成17年).
I: From the year 600 to the year 1260! What an amazing time period (lit. term).
I: So that is the first [story]?
G: Yes. But the story jumps. Which is why it’s from year 600 to 1260… You can also think of it as 1200 instead of 1260…… The first story is around that period of time. The next story is from then (year 1200) to year 1600 and the third story is from year 1600 to our current time. And then there is the story from our time to the near future. That is how it is divided.
I: So there are 4?
G: That’s right, there are 4.
I: Were these ideas already clearly defined in Gackt-san’s mind when you first started “MOON”?
G: No, the only story I had (in my mind then) was actually the one from year 1600. I saw that clearly in my mind from the start. When the other stories came to me, it just linked (to the previous story) naturally.
I: But...… what you have produced till now, the albums and live (concerts) as well as the movie and novel, are from the near-future story, isn’t it?
G: Yes, that’s right. The last of the 4th Chapter.
I: I thought so. See, (we were) right! (laughs)
G: Eh……?
I: Well, during the staff meeting (before the interview), the head editor, Tanaka-san, was saying, “”MOON” is like Star Wars”. [1]
G: (laughs) Aah, indeed. But there is an earlier story than that.
[1] In case anyone doesn’t get it. Star Wars began from part 4, 5 and 6 before part 1, 2 and 3 were made, right? So it’s the same as Gackt’s stories. The previous “MOON PROJECT” was actually the last part of the whole story. Follows the same sequence as Star Wars.
I: You mean earlier than the near future?
G: Yes, that’s right. But I feel that presenting that will be pretty difficult.
I: Indeed. (laughs) But if that is the case, this “MOON” will really become Gackt-san’s lifework.
G: Lifework…… Well (lit. no)…… Can I really say it is for (my whole) life?
I: Because seems to me like you’ll need to spend your whole life to complete the themes of such a great story……
G: Uun… But if it were shown in the form of a movie, the settings would not be Japan but Europe instead. That is why I think presenting it will be difficult, especially the story from year 1200 to 1600 as well as the one from the year 1600 to our current time. I think it will be hard to turn it into a movie because it is too difficult.
I: But it can still be done if the setting was Maleppa. =The setting of near-future story “MOON CHILD”=
G: Yes. This… How should I put it? When you want to present a particular theme of a great story, you can do so through many other ways besides music, such as movies (lit. using images) or novels…… But I feel that if you were too obsessed (lit. very into) with using images, it would really get blown out of proportion. For example, the great thing about (using) music is, first of all, you create the song because you have a story to tell…… but you can’t really explain the story through the song, so those who listened to it will link it all together in their own mind and create the story themselves.
I: The fun lies in being able to imagine. (想像 souzou: imagine; think of; visualize; figure)
G: Yes, that’s right. And there is a hint here and another one there. As it adds on, our own story can become bigger for sure and more definite. [1] But movies are conclusive, aren’t they?
[1] I think what he is trying to say is the more you imagine (because you only give hints) the bigger the story grows, because you see possibilities now which you have not seen before. And it also becomes clearer and more definite as more hints are given.
I: Because you can see it all, from the setting down to the casting and even the small details.
G: Yes. That is why it is really tragic (悲惨 hisan: tragic; disaster; misery; wretched; pitiful) if you produce something unsuccessful. It’s really scary when you think about it.
I: Scary……
G: Well of course it was very interesting (as well). Because I would often think that this is really interesting while making it. (laughs) Just that there were times as well when it gets blown out of proportion because the story is too long.
I: By the way, talking about the whole flow of the songs, or rather the “MOON PROJECT” which was resurrected this year, which part of the story is it from?
G: Let’s see…… Just like what I said earlier on, the whole story is divided into 4 large parts and I would say this falls under the 3rd part.
I: The one from year 1600 to our current time?
G: No, from year 1200 to our current time. [1]
Just in case anyone is confused, 1st story: 600-1200; 2nd story: 1200-1600; 3rd story: 1600-current; 4th: current-future. There is a sort of uncertainty in his previous answer. Kind of like, "I think it will fall under the 3rd story. Reason for this uncertainty being that the songs were actually in the 2nd story as well as the 3rd story, so it's not just the 3rd part. Reason why is a bit of a spoiler, so I'll post it below, after the whole interview.
I: And who are the characters? (lit. Who came in?) The main characters are different from the previous “MOON” characters, right?
G: It is different.
I: Then the contents of the story are also……
I: Wait a second. Which song are you talking about now?
G: About the 3 songs I just (released).
I: You mean all the 3 worlds (of the songs) are from the same time period and have the same main character?
G: Let’s see…… 2 are the same. Only one is different. The characters in “BLACK STONE” and “Ash” are the same but they are from different time periods. One is before (lit. earlier than) year 1600 and the other story is after year 1600.
I: So only “メタモルフォーゼ” is different?
G: Different. Because it’s (from) another setting. I chose (Metamorphoze) [1] and made it.
[1] This line is rather vague. He just said “ピックアップして” which means choose, though from what he did not say.
I: I see.
G: But, I can create it because I see the story in my mind. That is why I think others won’t be able to understand how the stories link until I release some more songs.
I: Because you are still releasing parts of the story right now.
G: Yes, that’s right.
I: You can say that “Crescent” is a scattered piece of work [1]
G: (laughs) Yes, “Crescent” is a scattered work
[1] Hmmz, not sure what exactly he meant here, but my interpretation of it is that either 1. it came from different time periods or 2. the album are only parts of the stories, and so it's not complete
I: Well… this is really great!
I: Yes. And because of that there is really a lot of thinking (想像 souzou) to look forward to.
I: Indeed. Almost feels like, “What should I do?” [1]
G: Hahahahahaha
[1] I think what he meant was because there are too many ways to interpret it. So much so that he felt lost.
In case anyone is feeling lost, because I know I am ^^”, I believe Akagi-san is referring to the “MOON PROJECT” and related stuff when he said “this is great!” while Tanaka-san is referring to Gackt-san still being on the stage of releasing parts of the story (and so giving him the opportunity to visualize/imagine the story himself)
Translated by: Sweiled
Own comments:
Just in case anyone wonders, that little introduction before the interview was written by me and not part of the interview in B=Pass at all.
With regards to the 1200 - current time comment which I have stated earlier on. I think the reason why he said that could be because Meta is from some time between 1200-1600. And if I have to guess, I would say it is some time nearer to the 1600 end. Which makes sense why he said he thinks it falls under the 3rd story. Pure conjecture though. :D
And no, this is not all there is to it *prods those who thinks so to look at post title* I've only translated 1.5 pages and there are 2.5 more pages to go. Yikes! And hold it before you go, "I thought BLACK STONE was written for his driver, Junior (Ishiguro)? Why does it belong to the 1600 time period?" We'll come to that in Part 2. (pre-emptive measures, ehe... :D)
If any part sounds confusing, please feel free to ask and clarify with me. Because to make things worse, this time even the interviewers are talking in circles. So you get 3 men using long sentences and saying confusing stuff. >.>
Own comments: I was real amazed/impressed to read this article. First I was kind of surprised to read that he didn't specifically wrote Meta for Gundam but that Meta was written during the Crescent time. I like the condition he gave, that if Tomino-san doesn't like the song, he must not use it. I really respect his ability to distance personal feelings from business. I mean, he is a huge Gundam fan and people would normally jump at the opportunity to write a song for their favourite anime, non? But he has higher integrity than that. Kudos to Gackt for that!
Another thing that shocked me was the depth and length of "MOON". *o* Dates all the way back to the year 600... And his visions are just... flabbergasting!! It'll be real interesting indeed to connect all the pieces/songs together and see the story behind "MOON". So "BLACK STONE" and "Ash" sings of the same person, eh? *ponders*
*claps for Tanaka-san too* Man, this guy can really follow Gackt's train of thoughts. He seems to understand Gackt very well too. It really shows that he knows his stuff. Either that or I'm just stupid. >.> Many a times I depended on Tanaka-san's somments/questions/statement after Gackt-san has said something to fully understand what he meant/said. I can't wait to show you guys the rest of the interview! It's a real honour to be able to translate this!! *rubs hand gleefully* :D It's just... WOW!!
Ok, I need to go to bed now. Should stop talking... So, your turn to write away and tell me what you think of it! :D Make me a happy girl, won't ya?
Uploads of Hey!3 are now available in torrents! Or so I've heard anyway... So get it if you haven't! :D (That includes me ^^")