2008 Nov Pati Pati Chap. 1 Part 2
The rest of Chapter 1~~ :D I just realized how short it is, so yeah, I'm sorry, I should have just joined the two together. ^^;
Again, as I mentioned in the previous post, this is NOT the final version. The fully edited version will be posted up on Eien no Yume website, so if you want to repost/retranslate, please wait till it's up on EnY. Thanks~~
(xxx) = other meanings of the word or literal translations or missing word/words not specifically mentioned. For e.g. The fans screamed when (Gackt and his band members) entered the stadium! Read it like you will a normal sentence.
[xxx] = real brackets used in the interview
I: The sound that you’ve acquired over the years was made possible because of the trust that you have in each other.
G: Yes. That’s why I’m grateful to the members, and of course to the staff as well. Because, see, we are like an army. We don’t “practice”, we “train”. (laughs) The depth of the sound is also completely different (than the usual), right? This is a bit technical, but sounds below 50 Hz are cut for almost all rock songs produced in Japan in order to make it easier for (people) to listen. But if you release the song as it is without cutting it, the sound when it comes exploding from the speaker is very powerful. Using that along with other elements, I want to make songs for this project that will not lose to others even when brought to the world stage.
I: That makes sense. I found the song loud (urusai: noisy) even though I listened to it with the volumes turned down. (laughs)
G: Yeap, this song is very loud. (laughs) Like it storms towards you, right?
I: Exactly. And the song feels jagged and prickly overall, as if there are thorns bursting out here and there.
G: That’s because I purposely excluded all soft sounds. The same goes for the album, (the sound) is quite sharp. The idea is to make music that pierces [1] you(r senses), and so this song is heavy, and it’s painful, it’s fast, it’s coarse, and it’s rough. I think this song is going to be very good for concerts too.
[1] 刺さるsasaru: stick. This verb is often used with nouns like heart (Cuts deep into my heart, Pierces my heart, etc.) Based on the context, I assume that he’s referring to piercing your senses, but it could be something else too.
I: Looks like it’s going to be a hard concert (to do).
G: I will make (the audiences) pass out right from the first song. (laughs)
I: So, it’s better to talk about the details of the story content later?
G: That’s right. You’ll probably be able to understand the story better after I release a few more songs and once the concert has started.
I: Are the songs that you plan to release from now on, including the album, a continuation [1] of “Rebirth”?
[1] Literally, “answer songs”. I think what he means are songs that explain the mysteries of Rebirth.
G: Not all of them if you look at the songs one by one. But still, I wanted to make something that is related to Rebirth as a whole, so we made (the album) based on the method we used for Rebirth, while adding the “taste” that we’ve acquired since on top of it. So I think of Rebirth and the next album as a set. I think you will also be able to see clearly (through the album) how much we’ve grown in this interval of 7 years. Well, 9*9 too is based on the same idea.
“I won’t die in the next 5 years.
Beyond that, only time will tell.”
I: The live audio in 9*9 is so cool, why must you (ruin that) by including a joke in the DVD?
G: It’s not like that. (laughs) At first it was supposed to include only the live audio from the 6 nationwide tours held in conjunction with the (release of the) albums, as well as the Zepp tour that was limited to fanclub members, making it a total of 7 packages. But while we were talking about it and counting the number, “one, two, three, four, five, six, seven…” one of the staff who was there said “humili-eight.[1]” “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, humili-eight” [2] sounds good, doesn’t it?
[1] Hahaha, sorry, pathetic attempt to translate the joke into English. >.>;; In Japanese, eight is “hachi” and here the staff said “haji” which is the kanji for shame, abash, dishonor, etc. Technically, the correct translation should be humili-eight-ion. XD;
[2] Here he listed the kanji for each number: 壱、弐、参、四、五、六、七、恥haji（should have been八）
I: So that’s how the humili-eighth CD becomes the parody of the radio show that you did right after your solo debut for half a year.
G: It’s a joke that took 9 years (to complete). (laughs) I also want you to look at the jacket clooosely because you’ll find plenty of jokes in the details.
I: Any reason for releasing something like this in the 9.9th year of your solo career?
G: Next year is my 10th anniversary right? 10 years signal the end of a period for me, but that simply means a new “beginning (hajimeru)” [1], which is why I am releasing this recap of my career in my 9.9th year. (Releasing something like) that in your 10th anniversary, now that’s truly “mortifying (hajimeru)”[1]. (laughs)
[1] The first one is 始める (hajimeru) which means to begin or start; and the second one恥める (haji-meru) is the verb form of 恥haji , which doesn’t actually exist. XD It’s a homonym that he created himself. I couldn’t think of a way to translate that, so what I did was chose words that has the same ending - “-ing” words.
I: But to begin with, a live audio isn’t something you can release [1] if you’re not satisfied with it right?
[1] Literally, “that you can turn into a work”
G: Ugh, but it’s still embarrassing. I really hate lettings others listen to it, to a live audio like that from 9 years ago. It’s like letting others see a picture of you getting your diapers changed. That’s how embarrassing it is. Ugh, no way.
I: Why did you release it then? (laughs)
G: Not like I have a choice! (laughs) Well, because the album is to let you see how much I’ve grown. The reason why the fans (lit. minna: everyone) have continued to support me over the past 9 years is because I've grown, isn’t it? So yeah, I hope they can listen and feel my various evolutions, and then wait in throbbing anticipation and suspense as to what will come next.
I: Ah, I want to listen to the yet-to-be-released song “Justified” included in the special DVD during the concert!
G: Aaah, that.
I: What’s with the halfhearted response?
G: That song is not for this tour; it’s for the next tour or the tour after that.
I: Really? You already have plans so far ahead? Do you really honestly mean it?
G: Okay, I promise you then. I won’t die in the next 5 years. 5 years later…… I don’t know. [1]
[1] see below
Mufufu (laughs)
G: Ah, sounds good, eh? “I won’t die in the next 5 years. Beyond that, only time will tell.” [1] That shall be my catchphrase for now. (laughs)
[1] It’s the same words as the sentence above, but I changed the translation a little as you can see.
５年は死なない、５年後は知らない
Go nen wa shinanai
Go nen go wa shiranai
The humour comes from the fact that the sentence shinanai and shiranai actually rhymes. (At least I think that’s the reason! XD)
Own comments:
Man, translating the description of Jesus was hard with all the onomatopoeia they used. XD Trying to translate the joke was fun, but also a pain in the arse. XD;; By the way, if any of you have other suggestions for the hachi vs haji and the hajimeru bit, let me know~~! :D
After listening to the song/PV, I sure get what they mean with the jagged and prickly bit. Ouch, Gackt. XD; I don't know if I should mention the PV here, especially since it has caused such controversy. Personally, I don't mind it at all, but I am concerned about the kind of image it portrays. For someone who doesn't know him or his work, they will just think that he's encouraging suicide, and that will reflect badly on him and his image. It might perhaps be a wiser move to include that in say, the concert movie, instead of as a PV that is aired nationwide.
But as to why I don't really mind it at all, it's because I DO see it as something more than a message of suicide. To me, during the rapping part where Gackt says Do it do it do it, it wasn't as a third person or as Gackt, but as a part of the soldier himself. Gackt (and the rest of the members) are like the devils in a person. You know, it's like what you often see in cartoons when an angel and a devil pops up on your shoulder, and one will advise you to do the right thing while the other will try to persuade you to break the rules. In this case, I see Gackt as the devil within the man/soldier himself.
As for the suicide issue, I don't agree with it either, but I think in the end it's not up to us to judge another man's action. Who are we to judge after all? I can say right now that I think suicide is pointless and I find life beautiful and full of hope (which I do believe by the way), but that's because I have never gone through shit in my life. I don't know pain, I don't know suffering, so who am I to judge those who have gone through that? Even those who have gone through them has no right to judge others in my opinion, because can you honestly say that you understand 100% what another person is going through? People are born with different backgrounds, go through life differently, experience different things, so let's not be too quick to judge others.
*takes a deep breath* So that's my two cents on it.
9*9... that's funny. XD I didn't know that that's what the haji meant. I did find it weird when I first read about it, and it didn't really click in my mind that it's supposed to be a play of words. XDDD Now I can probably appreciate the DVD better when I get it. And aww, he was so cute when he was talking about releasing the live audio!
So Justified was supposed to be for the MOON album after Diabolos (I think). *-* Interessssting~~ I haven't heard the song myself, but from what I've read, it seems like the song is similar to Redemption? Or was it Returner...? Either way, I guess that makes sense, since they are all made at about the same time and possibly for the same album. :D Even though the song sounds "new" to us, it's probably really old to him. He will probably redo the entire album once he's done with Rebirth 2... >.>; He's such a perfectionist that it's hard to imagine him not doing it! XD
I'm doing Chapter 2 now, where he talks about the coming tour~~ That one is interesting too. I was planning on translating more today, but I stopped by the bookstore and bought What's IN and was suddenly filled with an urge to translate that instead. XD; It's a terrible habit of mine. >.>; It's hard to focus on one object!! Anyways, I've actually finished translating What's IN but it's still in its rough draft so it's pretty much gibberish. XD That was another interesting article tho. Very short, about half a page, but talks about the song and PV in detail, so I can't wait to show it to you guys! I'll try to post it by this week, once I've finished Chp 2 and have time to go through it again. :D
Okay, I should talk less and go translate some more. XD My comments are longer than the actual translation above! XD;;
Please leave a comment if you've read this~! Thanks for reading. :D
Again, as I mentioned in the previous post, this is NOT the final version. The fully edited version will be posted up on Eien no Yume website, so if you want to repost/retranslate, please wait till it's up on EnY. Thanks~~
(xxx) = other meanings of the word or literal translations or missing word/words not specifically mentioned. For e.g. The fans screamed when (Gackt and his band members) entered the stadium! Read it like you will a normal sentence.
[xxx] = real brackets used in the interview
I: The sound that you’ve acquired over the years was made possible because of the trust that you have in each other.
G: Yes. That’s why I’m grateful to the members, and of course to the staff as well. Because, see, we are like an army. We don’t “practice”, we “train”. (laughs) The depth of the sound is also completely different (than the usual), right? This is a bit technical, but sounds below 50 Hz are cut for almost all rock songs produced in Japan in order to make it easier for (people) to listen. But if you release the song as it is without cutting it, the sound when it comes exploding from the speaker is very powerful. Using that along with other elements, I want to make songs for this project that will not lose to others even when brought to the world stage.
I: That makes sense. I found the song loud (urusai: noisy) even though I listened to it with the volumes turned down. (laughs)
G: Yeap, this song is very loud. (laughs) Like it storms towards you, right?
I: Exactly. And the song feels jagged and prickly overall, as if there are thorns bursting out here and there.
G: That’s because I purposely excluded all soft sounds. The same goes for the album, (the sound) is quite sharp. The idea is to make music that pierces [1] you(r senses), and so this song is heavy, and it’s painful, it’s fast, it’s coarse, and it’s rough. I think this song is going to be very good for concerts too.
[1] 刺さるsasaru: stick. This verb is often used with nouns like heart (Cuts deep into my heart, Pierces my heart, etc.) Based on the context, I assume that he’s referring to piercing your senses, but it could be something else too.
I: Looks like it’s going to be a hard concert (to do).
G: I will make (the audiences) pass out right from the first song. (laughs)
I: So, it’s better to talk about the details of the story content later?
G: That’s right. You’ll probably be able to understand the story better after I release a few more songs and once the concert has started.
I: Are the songs that you plan to release from now on, including the album, a continuation [1] of “Rebirth”?
[1] Literally, “answer songs”. I think what he means are songs that explain the mysteries of Rebirth.
G: Not all of them if you look at the songs one by one. But still, I wanted to make something that is related to Rebirth as a whole, so we made (the album) based on the method we used for Rebirth, while adding the “taste” that we’ve acquired since on top of it. So I think of Rebirth and the next album as a set. I think you will also be able to see clearly (through the album) how much we’ve grown in this interval of 7 years. Well, 9*9 too is based on the same idea.
“I won’t die in the next 5 years.
Beyond that, only time will tell.”
I: The live audio in 9*9 is so cool, why must you (ruin that) by including a joke in the DVD?
G: It’s not like that. (laughs) At first it was supposed to include only the live audio from the 6 nationwide tours held in conjunction with the (release of the) albums, as well as the Zepp tour that was limited to fanclub members, making it a total of 7 packages. But while we were talking about it and counting the number, “one, two, three, four, five, six, seven…” one of the staff who was there said “humili-eight.[1]” “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, humili-eight” [2] sounds good, doesn’t it?
[1] Hahaha, sorry, pathetic attempt to translate the joke into English. >.>;; In Japanese, eight is “hachi” and here the staff said “haji” which is the kanji for shame, abash, dishonor, etc. Technically, the correct translation should be humili-eight-ion. XD;
[2] Here he listed the kanji for each number: 壱、弐、参、四、五、六、七、恥haji（should have been八）
I: So that’s how the humili-eighth CD becomes the parody of the radio show that you did right after your solo debut for half a year.
G: It’s a joke that took 9 years (to complete). (laughs) I also want you to look at the jacket clooosely because you’ll find plenty of jokes in the details.
I: Any reason for releasing something like this in the 9.9th year of your solo career?
G: Next year is my 10th anniversary right? 10 years signal the end of a period for me, but that simply means a new “beginning (hajimeru)” [1], which is why I am releasing this recap of my career in my 9.9th year. (Releasing something like) that in your 10th anniversary, now that’s truly “mortifying (hajimeru)”[1]. (laughs)
[1] The first one is 始める (hajimeru) which means to begin or start; and the second one恥める (haji-meru) is the verb form of 恥haji , which doesn’t actually exist. XD It’s a homonym that he created himself. I couldn’t think of a way to translate that, so what I did was chose words that has the same ending - “-ing” words.
I: But to begin with, a live audio isn’t something you can release [1] if you’re not satisfied with it right?
[1] Literally, “that you can turn into a work”
G: Ugh, but it’s still embarrassing. I really hate lettings others listen to it, to a live audio like that from 9 years ago. It’s like letting others see a picture of you getting your diapers changed. That’s how embarrassing it is. Ugh, no way.
I: Why did you release it then? (laughs)
G: Not like I have a choice! (laughs) Well, because the album is to let you see how much I’ve grown. The reason why the fans (lit. minna: everyone) have continued to support me over the past 9 years is because I've grown, isn’t it? So yeah, I hope they can listen and feel my various evolutions, and then wait in throbbing anticipation and suspense as to what will come next.
I: Ah, I want to listen to the yet-to-be-released song “Justified” included in the special DVD during the concert!
G: Aaah, that.
I: What’s with the halfhearted response?
G: That song is not for this tour; it’s for the next tour or the tour after that.
I: Really? You already have plans so far ahead? Do you really honestly mean it?
G: Okay, I promise you then. I won’t die in the next 5 years. 5 years later…… I don’t know. [1]
[1] see below
Mufufu (laughs)
G: Ah, sounds good, eh? “I won’t die in the next 5 years. Beyond that, only time will tell.” [1] That shall be my catchphrase for now. (laughs)
[1] It’s the same words as the sentence above, but I changed the translation a little as you can see.
５年は死なない、５年後は知らない
Go nen wa shinanai
Go nen go wa shiranai
The humour comes from the fact that the sentence shinanai and shiranai actually rhymes. (At least I think that’s the reason! XD)
Own comments:
Man, translating the description of Jesus was hard with all the onomatopoeia they used. XD Trying to translate the joke was fun, but also a pain in the arse. XD;; By the way, if any of you have other suggestions for the hachi vs haji and the hajimeru bit, let me know~~! :D
After listening to the song/PV, I sure get what they mean with the jagged and prickly bit. Ouch, Gackt. XD; I don't know if I should mention the PV here, especially since it has caused such controversy. Personally, I don't mind it at all, but I am concerned about the kind of image it portrays. For someone who doesn't know him or his work, they will just think that he's encouraging suicide, and that will reflect badly on him and his image. It might perhaps be a wiser move to include that in say, the concert movie, instead of as a PV that is aired nationwide.
But as to why I don't really mind it at all, it's because I DO see it as something more than a message of suicide. To me, during the rapping part where Gackt says Do it do it do it, it wasn't as a third person or as Gackt, but as a part of the soldier himself. Gackt (and the rest of the members) are like the devils in a person. You know, it's like what you often see in cartoons when an angel and a devil pops up on your shoulder, and one will advise you to do the right thing while the other will try to persuade you to break the rules. In this case, I see Gackt as the devil within the man/soldier himself.
As for the suicide issue, I don't agree with it either, but I think in the end it's not up to us to judge another man's action. Who are we to judge after all? I can say right now that I think suicide is pointless and I find life beautiful and full of hope (which I do believe by the way), but that's because I have never gone through shit in my life. I don't know pain, I don't know suffering, so who am I to judge those who have gone through that? Even those who have gone through them has no right to judge others in my opinion, because can you honestly say that you understand 100% what another person is going through? People are born with different backgrounds, go through life differently, experience different things, so let's not be too quick to judge others.
*takes a deep breath* So that's my two cents on it.
9*9... that's funny. XD I didn't know that that's what the haji meant. I did find it weird when I first read about it, and it didn't really click in my mind that it's supposed to be a play of words. XDDD Now I can probably appreciate the DVD better when I get it. And aww, he was so cute when he was talking about releasing the live audio!
So Justified was supposed to be for the MOON album after Diabolos (I think). *-* Interessssting~~ I haven't heard the song myself, but from what I've read, it seems like the song is similar to Redemption? Or was it Returner...? Either way, I guess that makes sense, since they are all made at about the same time and possibly for the same album. :D Even though the song sounds "new" to us, it's probably really old to him. He will probably redo the entire album once he's done with Rebirth 2... >.>; He's such a perfectionist that it's hard to imagine him not doing it! XD
I'm doing Chapter 2 now, where he talks about the coming tour~~ That one is interesting too. I was planning on translating more today, but I stopped by the bookstore and bought What's IN and was suddenly filled with an urge to translate that instead. XD; It's a terrible habit of mine. >.>; It's hard to focus on one object!! Anyways, I've actually finished translating What's IN but it's still in its rough draft so it's pretty much gibberish. XD That was another interesting article tho. Very short, about half a page, but talks about the song and PV in detail, so I can't wait to show it to you guys! I'll try to post it by this week, once I've finished Chp 2 and have time to go through it again. :D
Okay, I should talk less and go translate some more. XD My comments are longer than the actual translation above! XD;;
Please leave a comment if you've read this~! Thanks for reading. :D