I’m currently addicted to a few songs. Yes, Albert, they’re Japanese songs :D Yes, both of them are part of anime soundtracks. Lately, I found that one of the easiest ways to hear lovely songs is by watching anime. I kinda gave up on MTV [or TV as a whole] and radio a long time ago .

I guess you can say I’m not that open about music, especially these days when they keep playing RnB and hiphop music most of the time. In case you don’t know it yet, I hate RnB and hiphop music. I’m not saying that they suck [although I think they do, haha], it’s just that I can’t sink my teeth in them. I can appreciate rappers though; I think Tupac and Bone Thugs are pretty good, but those are the only two that I can really appreciate anyway.

Anyway, back to my addiction. one is sung by an artist with a very interesting pseudonym. I first heard of Suara [which happens to mean 'voice' in Malay] when I heard Musouka, the OP song for Utawarerumono [translated to "The One Being Sung"]. I got myself addicted to Musouka for quite a while, since it’s a bright and cheerful melody blended together with beautiful lyrics about dreams and fantasies.

The song I’m addicted to is the insert song for final episode of Utawarerumono, titled Kimi Ga Tame [I'm not exactly sure what it translates to, but my guess is "Unto You"]. To be frank, the title itself doesn’t do the song enough justice so let me paste some excerpts of the lyrics translation here;

Reflecting in your eyes…
What colour am I?
If you yearn for red,
Let me give you the light of day.

Sadness overflowed
And I closed my eyes.
The spilling water drops
Seep into my heart.

The waves softly mix together.
The delivered cradle invites sleep.

I look for a nostalgic vestige
In my dreams.
Extending my arms,
I want to hold you tight.

Aah…

Reflecting in your eyes…
What colour am I?
If you yearn for blue,
Let me give you these far-reaching skies.

What made me addicted to it isn’t just the song or lyrics - it’s the fact that I could understand some 50% of the lyrics even before I found the translation. No, my Japanese is far from proficient, even after I began learning it in 1998. I love this song to bits. [note: When it was played at the finale of Utawarerumono, it was even more dramatic than ever]

The other one is sung by the goddess of Japanese vocalists, Sakamoto Maaya. I heard a few of her other songs before, but this song made me go crazy looking for her entire discography. Hemisphere was the OP song for RahXephon, and it’s got some really cool beats. Allow me to share with you an excerpt from the translation of the lyrics;

I haven’t even lived half of my life;
To rebel, and to embrace others -
These experiences are being tattooed onto my subconscious.

When I was stood on the edge of a cliff,
“Adversity” grabbed my arm,
and for the first time, I could see where I was.
Towards a wider field; towards somewhere deeper, larger…
I’m just heading towards a world which I can’t even imagine.

Tell me, what is the meaning of “strength”?
Does it mean to hurt yourself,
or perhaps to throw yourself away
to protect someone whom you should protect?

From this one song, I am now another Maaya fanboy. Oh, here’s something else about Hemisphere you might wanna chew on - it’s composed by the goddess of composers Kanno Yoko. So yes, it’s an awesome song alright.

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Small Talk:
I have 6 months worth of free time. I have a lot of things in my ‘To Do’ list. I’m actually wondering if I could really complete all of them. Hmm. I’ll be so busy doing lots of stuff… like trying to make lots of money, mwahahaha! I’ve got some ‘big projects’ coming, and if all goes well, I just might share it with you here [the story that is, not the money :D].

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