Covering the Boom

On ETC Works 2, Monpachi covers a song by The BOOM, but it's not the one you would expect. That song, of course, is the song that was inspired by Okinawa, Shima Uta:



It's a beautiful song, right? It's also the reason why people think The BOOM is from Okinawa, though their hometown is actually in Yamanashi Prefecture. So, it's interesting to me that Monpachi would cover a song by a non-Okinawan band that has done Okinawanesque music, but choose a song completely unrelated to the styles they have been getting into (which is infusing traditional Okinawan music into their punk).

What is even more interesting is that the original song sounds like this:



Is that ska/reggae I hear in there? Isn't that what almost the entirety of ETC Works is? But why, then, does it sound like vaguely Okinawa country when Monpachi covers it?

(Unfortunately, I do have a youtube video of the song. May have to rectify that myself in the near future.)

It's just too fascinating for words!

Monpachi News

Hey! It's an article on Monpachi! Find it here.

The website it's posted on, the Ryuukyuu Shimpo, is a good source for local Okinawan news if your Japanese isn't ready yet for Japanese newspapers (which mine certainly isn't).

Boku and Jelly Translation

Original Japanese | Romanji Reading | English Translation | Translation Annotations

While I've technically already translated half of Minami Kaze to Taiyou, I'm still going to call this the inaugural translation for the new album, ETC Works 2. After all, I've drawn a picture for it, and completed the entire translation!

As for the picture, I know the song conjures up less wintry theme, but I decided to relate it to the climate I'm used to, and not Okinawa. I still included a jelly fish, so I don't feel like it's too out of place.

Boku and Jelly
MONGOL800
Etc Works 2

彷徨う　定め
風に乗って　波に乗って
ゼロのなって　ユラユラ

漂う定め
風に乗って　波に乗って
ゼロになって　ユラユラ

ユラ　ユラ　ユラ　ユラ
ユラ　ユラ　ユラ　ユラ

水面に浮かぶ銀の月
ユラユラと　微笑む

さぁ迷う　ただただ　漂う
さぁ迷う　ただただ

漣踊る　海の月
ユラユラと　見守るの

Boku and Jelly
Mongoru Happyaku
ETC Works 2

Houkou Sadame
Kaze ni notte Nami ni notte
ZERO ni natte YURAYURA

Tadayou sadame
Kaze ni notte Nami ni notte
ZERO ni natte YURAYURA

YURA YURA YURA
YURA YURA YURA

Suimen ni ukabu Gin no Tsuki
YURAYURAto Hohoemu

Saa mayou Tadatada tadayou
Saa mayou Tadatada

Sazanami odoru Umi no tsuki
YURAYURAto Mimamoru no

Me and Jelly
MONGOL800
ETC Works 2

Our (1) fate is to wander,
to ride the wind, to ride the waves,
and to become nothing, swaying from side to side

Our fate is to drift,
to ride the wind, to ride the waves
and become nothing, swaying from side to side (2)

Drifting, drifting, drifting
drifting, drifting, drifting

The silver moon floats on the surface of the water
swaying from side to side, it’s smiling down on us

Well, we’ll be lost, only drifting (3)
well, we’ll be lost

The moon in the sea dances on the ripples
Swaying from side to side, it’ll watch over us.

Translation Annotations:

(1) This entire song is entirely bereft of subjects, so it’s not really clear whose fate it is to wander. That being said, since the song is called “Boku and Jelly” which translates as “Me and the Jellyfish”, I think I can safely assume he is saying we.

(2) Yurayura is an onomatopoeia used for ripples in water, or someone who is sort of drifting. It’s not a very easy word to translate. But, it is supposed to evoke the image of something moving back and forth.

(3) This is a cool twist of words! “only” in Japanese is often said as “tada”. When you say “tadatada” you are emphasizing that it is the only thing (seriously!). The next word, to drift, is pronounced tadayou. So, he played on the sound “tada” to make a cool sentence.

More on Daimeiwaku (Last post, I swear!)

This will probably be my last post about Daimeiwaku. I tend to go on about it because it's my favorite Unicorn song covered by my favorite Japanese band, so indulge me this one last time.



The two are so different! (Monpachi cover is here) It's amazing! I love interesting covers like this. Sort of like the Atari Kousuke cover of Okuda Tamio's Tegami.

Anyway, you may have noticed the drawing for the translation and the man in the video have the same haircut. It is not a coincidence. It is the most fantastic 80s-tastic hair I have ever seen. I want it.

Okinawa Day 2011 in London

Why did I have to move from England? This isn't really applicable to anyone, but for those interested in Okinawa culture, this looks amazing! I wish I could have gone!

Though, I have to admit, even if I still lived in England it would be pretty hard to get up the gumption to take the trip from Newcastle anyway. I don't even know why I'm complaining.

You can find the facebook page here, and the official page here.

For those who are going, I highly suggest you check out the music! You can really understand where some of Monpachi's musical roots are. Especially since they have been returning to traditional Ryuukyuu themes in their more recent albums.

Have fun!

Daimeiwaku translation

Original Japanese | Romanji Reading | English Translation | Translation Annotations

I really love this song. It's fun to sing in karaoke and it's so bizarre that it's a consistently interesting song to listen to. Best yet, it's a covered by Monpachi. There used to be other translations out there, but they seem to have disappeared. Weird. So, you'll just have to make do with mine.

If you're interested in Okuda Tamio or Unicorn, please check out my livejournal community :)

Note about the drawing: This is actually based off of this page in my drawing journal where I make fun of me karaoking the song.

ユニコーン
大迷惑
服部


町のはずれでシュヴィドゥヴァー　さりげなく
夢にまで見たマイホーム　青い空

エプロン姿のおねだりワイフ
日なたぼっこはバルコニー　Hey it's a beautiful day

突然　忍び寄る　怪しい係長
悪魔のプレゼント　無理矢理　３年２ヶ月の過酷な一人旅
この悲しみをどうすりゃいいの　誰が僕を救ってくれるの
僕がロミオ
君がジュリエット
こいつはまさに大迷惑
君をこの手で抱きしめたいの
君の寝顔を見つめていたいの
町の灯潤んで揺れる　涙涙の物語

枕が変わっても　やっぱり　するこた同じ
ボインの誘惑に　出来心　３年２ヶ月のいわゆる一人旅
この悲しみをどうすりゃいいの　誰が僕を救ってくれるの
僕がカンイチ君はオミヤ　正にこの世の大迷惑
君をこの手で抱きしめたいの　君の寝顔を見つめてたいの
町の灯潤んで揺れる　涙涙の物語か
この悲しみをどうすりゃいいの　誰が僕を救ってくれるの
君がカンイチ僕はジュリエット　この世は正に大迷惑
逆らうと首になる　マイホーム　ボツになる
帰りたい　帰れない　二度と出られぬ蟻地獄
君をこの手で抱きしめたいよ　君の寝顔を見つめてたいよ
君の作った料理食べたいよ　西も東も大迷惑
帰りたい　帰りたい　君は誰　僕はどこ
あれは何　ナニはアレ　お金なんかはちょっとでいいのだ


Yunikoon
Daimeiwaku
Fukubu

Machi no hazure SHOOBEDOWA Sarigenaku
Yume ni made mita MAI HOMU Aoizora


EPURON no sugata no Onedari WAIFU
Hi no bokka BARUCONII Hey, it's a beautiful day!

Toutsuzen Shinobiyoru Ayashii kakarichou
Akuma no PURESENTO Muriyari Sannen Nikagetsu no kankoku na hitori tabi

Kono kanoshimi dou suryaa ii no?
Dare ga boku wo sukuttekurerru no?
Boku ga ROMIO Kimi ga JURIETTO
Koitsu wa masa ni daimeiwaku
Kimi wo kono te de dakishimetai no
Kimi no negao wo mitsuteitai no
Machi no tou un urunde yureru Namida Namida no Monogatari

Makura ga kawattemo Yappari Surukota onaji
BOIN no yuuwaku Dekigokoro Sannen nikagetsu no iwareru tabi

Kono kanoshimi dou suryaa ii no?
Dare ga boku wo sukuttekurerru no?
Boku ga KAN'ICHI Kimi ga OMIYA
Kono you wa masa ni daimeiwaku
Kimi wo kono te de dakishimetai no
Kimi no negao wo mitsuteitai no
Kono kanoshimi dou suryaa ii no?
Dare ga boku wo sukuttekurerru no?
Boku ga KAN'ICHI Boku wa JURIETTO
Kono you wa masa ni daimeiwaku

Sakurau to kubi ni naru MAI HOMU BOTSU ni naru
Kaeritai Kaerenai Nidou to derarenu arijikoku

Kimi no sukutta riori tabetai no Nishi mo Higashi mo daimeiwaku
Kaeritai Kaeritai Kimi wa dare Boku wa doko
Are wa nani Nani wa are Okane nanka chotto ii no da
Machi no tou un urunde yureru Namida Namida no Monogatari


UNICORN
Pain in the Ass
FUKUBU

On the outskirts of town,
Shoo-be-doo-wa!
Not a care in the world (1)
My home is as much as I’ve dreamed,
And the sky is so blue.

The shape of an apron,
And a nagging wife
Basking in the sun on my balcony
Hey, it’s a beautiful world.

Suddenly, it creeps up, this suspicious chief clerk (supervisor)
This demon’s present is against my will
And it’s a three year, two month long harsh journey by myself (2).

What should I do with this sadness?
Who will save me?
I’m Romeo
You’re Juliet
That fucker is a goddamn pain in the ass(3)
I want to hold your hand,
I want to look upon your sleeping face
The town’s lights dim, and sway. Tears, this tale of tears!

Even if you change the pillows, what you do is still the same **
Victim to the seduction of your big breasts, this so-called three year two month long journey by myself.

What should I do with this sadness?
Who will save me?
I’m Kanichi
You’re Omiya (4)
This world is a goddamn pain in the ass

If I reject this, I'll be fired
I want go home, but I can’t go home. You can emerge from hell twice (5)
I want to hold your hand.
I want to look upon your sleeping face
I want to eat delicious food
From East to West, this is a pain in the ass
The town’s lights dim, and sway. Tears, this tale of tears!

I want to go home, I want to go home
Who are you? Where am I?
What’s that? That is what?
Stuff like money, it’s a little good...


Translation Annotations :

1) This sort of means “in a casual manner” but that sounded really stupid in English.

(2) I was only able to translate this awkwardly… hitori tabi means “a journey undertaken by one person” Originally, I thought this song was about an affair, so I thought it meant that the three year and two months he spent with her might as well have been alone. But now I think it is about being transferred against his will.

(3) Japanese cussing… well… they don’t really cuss. They just use implied rudeness… So, I spiced it up! Daimeiwaku means “big trouble” and can sometimes mean “pain in the ass” but it so much stronger than that. Koitsu means “that guy” but the fact your separating him from yourself, means that you think he’s barely human (but that can depend on the tone of voice).

(4) Omiya and Kan'ichi are part of a tragic story called Konjiyasha (金色夜叉) about two lovers torn apart when the former decides to marry for money.

(5) OK, this actually says “you can’t leave the lair of fire ants twice”, but the kanji used for lair of fire ants is hell… So… owing to the fact we have no cultural connection to emerging from fire ant lairs, I decided to just stick with hell.

** I thought this was in regards to sleeping, but my friend Aki says it's about masturbation...

ETC Works

I haven't lived in Japan for two years, so imagine the massive amount of ambivalence I was feeling when Monpachi announced their new album. Joy for new music, but chagrin and not being able to easily obtain it.

It turns out that facebook is a magical thing. I may have mentioned there(read: proclaimed loudly and complainedly) that I wished I could have the album, and one of my best friends from Japan happened to see it. One month later, the doorbell rings while I'm in the shower. When I come out, my roommate hands me a package from Japan.

I am total EXCITE when I see this. I frantically unbind it from his cardboard wrapping, and find ETC. Works 2!

Needless to say, there was much squealing.

There is still much squealing.

There will be much squealing.