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Miscellaneous stuff. Further commentary on Buck-Tick, this web site, and things related in any way.

Glossary

Note: when there's a mixture of Japanese and non-Japanese in the title, it's common for Buck-Tick to be writing the same thing in both languages. For this reason, I avoid writing such song titles as double, i.e., I will write "Rendezvous" not "Rendezvous Rendezvous".

Disclaimer: I wrote a little something on another part of the site but again I must make clear that these are my amateur translations. I speak Japanese and have acted as translator for family/friends while in Japan or the USA but I have never studied the art of translation. With live people, one can always question their meaning or have them clarify words/phrases. With printed matter, it is much more difficult, especially as Japanese is a context sensitive language and often excludes pronouns.

Buck-Tick Song/Album Titles Translated

13byou - "13 seconds" (13 is "juusan")

Ai No Uta - "Song of Love" or "Love Song", whatever floats your boat

Aikawarazu No 'Are' No Katamari Ga Nosabaru Hedo No Soko No Fuki Tamari" - "As Usual 'That' Does As It Pleases and Vomitus Piles Up There" (bare with me, this is a crazy title which comes from the crazy mind of Hisashi)

Aku No Hana - "The Flowers of Evil". This is the title for both a Buck-Tick song and album. The title comes from "Les Fleurs du Mal" by Charles Baudelaire, a favorite poet of Atsushi. In the remix album Shapeless, the title is translated as "Evil Flowers" but most translations of Baudelaire phrase it as "The Flowers of Evil" so that is what I prefer.

Amaterasu - the name of the Shinto sun goddess, her brother is the moon god Tsukuyomi

Ao No Sekai - "Blue World"

Ash-ra - The title is in Buck-Tick English but the kanji is read as "ashura" and it is the name of the lowest ranks of deities of the Kamadhatu in Buddhism. They are obsessed with force, violence, and other wicked things. They may be known as fighting demons and have been described as having 4 heads and 4-6 arms. Also, Asura in Hinduism are sinful and materialistic dieties. It derives from the Sanskrit where ashu/asu is "inochi" ("life force") and "ra" is "ataeru" ("to bestow").

Barairo No Hibi - "Rosy Days"

Chikashitsu No Melody - "Basement Melody"

Chouchou - "Butterfly"

Cyborg Dolly: Soramimi: Phantom - the kanji for cyborg are being read phonetically sai-bo-gu (literally cell-tool) and soramimi means "mishearing". The chosen kanji for cyborg is quite clever due to the cloned Dolly the Sheep reference in the lyrics.

Detarame Yarou - "Bullshit Bastard" (The Japanese language doesn't have much in terms of foul language or obscenities, but upon heavy contemplation, I believe this is a fitting translation.)

Django!!! -Genwaku No Django- - "Django!!! -The Dazzling Django-"

Dokudanjou Beauty - "The Unrivaled Beauty"

Doukeshi A - "Clown A". In the song, Atsushi sings the "doukeshi" characters as "piero" (pierrot) so the title may actually be "Pierrot A". Doukeshi is an old way to say clown or fool. It is attributed to the European figure Pulcinella or Punchinello. The modern way to say clown in Japanese is "piero" (pierrot), but in Europe this is a very specific character whereas in Japan it is a little more loose, sort of like any painted face clown. To tie in with the themes of the album this song is on, it should also be noted that there is the song cycle "Pierrot Lunaire" (Moonstruck Pierrot) by Arnold Schoenberg which is based on the poetry of Albert Giraud. In this, Pierrot is both hero and fool who performs high art as well as cabaret. (See how this incorporates the themes of the album the track is from?)

Elise No Tame Ni - "For (the sake of) Elise" or "Für Elise"

Gekka Reijin - "Beauty Beneath Moonlight"

Gensou No Hana - "Flower of Fantasy"

Genzai - "Original Sin". On the live album At the Night Side, Atsushi introduces the song by saying "Original Sin" in English.

Gessekai - "Moon World" or "Lunar World"

Gesshoku - "Lunar Eclipse"

Golgatha No Oka - "Knoll of Golgatha". This was the original title of the song "Rokugatsu No Okinawa".

Hamushi No You Ni - "Like a Biting Louse" (or any small winged insect)

Henshin (Reborn) - "Metamorphosis (Reborn)"

Hosoi Sen - "The Thin Line". It means to be insecure.

Ijin No Yoru - "Night of the Foreigner"

Itoshi No Rock Star - "The Beloved Rock Star"

Juusankai Wa Gekkou - "The 13th Floor is Moonlight" (It should be noted that Buck-Tick later translated it slightly different as the tour was entitled in English "13th Floor with Moonshine". I must point out that I cannot think of any example where one would ever translate "Wa" as "with". If there is, please enlighten me.)

Kagerou - dictionary says: a mayfly; the old word for "tonbo/tombo" (dragonfly); an ephemera; the 52nd chapter of Genji Monogatari ("The Tale of Genji"), a classic Japanese literary work (since the b-side "Utsusemi" also references "The Tale of Genji", it is probably this)

Kagiri Naku Nezumi - "Mouse Without Limits"

Kalavinka - "Kalavinka" is a word Hide had been toying around with and liked very much. It is a bird in Buddhist belief. I believe the pronunciation of the bird's name has changed over the centuries to now be 'karyoubinga', which are the kanji appearing in the title.

"Kalavinka: a bird said to possess a voice more beautiful and melodious than any other bird. The kalavinka is cited in Buddhist sutras and other works for its beautiful voice, which is often used as a metaphor for the Buddha's voice...The kalavinka is said to start singing even before leaving its shell and to live in the valleys of the Himalayas as well as in Amida's Pure Land of Perfect Bliss. Some have equated it with real birds of India, though its origin is not clear, and some Buddhist art depicts it as having the body of a bird and a human head."
--Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism entry on kalavinka

Kamikaze - literally "Divine Wind"; kamikazes were World War II suicide pilots. (Personally, I feel this word has permeated other cultures and most know or have at least heard of kamikazes so it's not appropriate to translate when speaking about kamikazes. For example, saying many young men died as divine wind in the war is quite odd. Poetic, but odd.)

Katte Ni Shiyagare - "To Hell With You". This phrase is hard to translate exactly, just know that it's rude. To do something katte means to do as you please but often in a way that is against others or the norm so more literally it's akin to "do what you want". To use existing lyrics, I think you could translate from as nice a phrase as "Do as you please" (You're My Disease) to as rude as "Go fuck yourself!" (Nakayubi). To look at past pop cultural translations as a refrence point, perhaps the most relevant is the album "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" by the Sex Pistols which was translated as "Katte Ni Shiyagare" in Japan. The 1960 French film À Bout de Souffle" (known as Breathless in the English-speaking market) was also Katte Ni Shiyagare in Japan but this is back when many film titles were released as something entirely different in Japan.

Kick (Daichi Wo Keru Otoko) - "Kick (The Man Who Kicks the Ground)" (My own personal flair wants to translate daichi as "earth" but I don't want to confuse people and have them think planet Earth rather than ground/dirt earth.)

Kimi E - "To You" (as in when addressing a letter; note that the letter "he" is read as "e" when used as a particle)

Kimi Ga Shin..dara - "If You Were to D..ie". I'm not sure what the periods are for other than the possibility of teasing what the (tense of the) word will be or that talking about death is unpleasant so you don't say the world all at once.

Kimi No Vanilla - "Your Vanilla". This may seem like an odd title but browse the lyrics and then it will make sense because Atsushi is a dirty, dirty boy.

Kinjirareta Asobi -Adult Children- - "Forbidden Games -Adult Children-" ("Prohibited Play" would also fit). This title comes from the French movie Jeux Interdits (known as Forbidden Games in the English-speaking market), which goes by the title Kinjirareta Asobi in Japan.

Kirameki No Naka De... - "In the Glitter..." (as translated in the remix album Shapeless; I really can't think of a word more suitable than "glitter", possibly "glimmer" or "shimmer", so let's stick with glitter.)

Kodo - "Heartbeat" (I used to translate this as "palipitation", for kodo does mean that as well, but I realized it just sounds awkward and "heartbeat" is more appropriate in English. Afterall, one says palpitation when there is some sort of ailment. Plus, I believe the taiko group Kodo has been pretty consistent with translating it as "heartbeat". "Pulse" may also work.)

Koroshi No Shirabe - "Murder Melodies" or "The Melody of Murder"

Kourin - "The Descent" as in the arrival of someone important, such as the advent/epiphany of Christ

Kuchizuke - "Kiss"

Kurutta Taiyo - "The Sun Went Insane" (I believe this is how they translate it the Picture Product documentary but "Mad Sun" also works)

Kyokutou I Love You - "The Far East I Love You"

Kyokutou Yori Ai Wo Komete - "From the Far East with Love" (it's printed on the cover art of the single). I believe the title of the song was inspired by the title of the James Bond film From Russia with Love (1958) which was released in Japan under the title Russia Yori Ai Wo Komete.

Kyouki No Dead Heat - "Insane Dead Heat"

Lizard Skin No Shoujo - "The Young Lady with Lizard Skin"

Maboroshi No Miyako - "Capital of Illusions" or "Capital of Mirages"

Madman Blues --Minashigo No Yuuutsu - "Madman Blues --Orphan's Depression"

Makka Na Yoru - "A Dark Reddish Night" or "Deep Red Night"

Megami - "Goddess"

Mienai Mono Wo Miyou To Suru Gokai    Subete Gokai Da - "Trying to See Something Which Cannot Be Seen is Wrong--Everything is a Misunderstanding" (notice how I translated gokai two different ways in order to give greater understanding)

Miss Take -Boku Wa Miss Take- - "Miss Take -I am Miss Take-"

Misshitsu - "Secret Room"

Monokuro No Star - "Monochrome Star" (song from Indies days)

Muchi No Namida - "Tears of Ignorance"

Mugen - "Fantasy"

Muma - The Nightmare - "Incubus - The Nightmare". I have issues with translating "muma". Literally the characters are "dream demon" but it means "nightmare". Another word (akumu) is more commonly used to mean nightmare in Japanese so I lean towards translating as something else, to also give more meaning to the title rather than writing it as "Nightmare - The Nightmare". The dictionary often prefers the Incubus/Succubus variety of demon, though I dislike the sexual connotation because I'd rather have it more generic. The character for demon can be translated as evil spirit or even devil. I'm always hesitant to pick words that have other connotations in the Western (i.e., Christian) world since Japan is culturally separate. Since Buck-Tick is a 'sexy' band and Atsushi's lyrics are chock full of sex, I would lean towards saying that muma means "Incubus" since it's a male demon that sleeps with women in their sleep. Also, various names of demons were chosen for the same album, such as the closely spelled Incubo (Latin for "I lie on top"), so perhaps after lengthy contemplation another demon name more suitable could be picked for my desire to have a more generic dream demon but I really couldn't be bothered.

Nakayubi - "Middle Finger"

Ningyo -Mermaid- - ningyo means "mermaid" or "merman" (gender is not specified)

Omae No Inu Ni Naru - "I'm Gonna Be Your Dog". This is a cover of a cover. The original is "I Wanna Be Your Dog" by The Stooges, which was covered by Michirou Endou as "Omae No Inu Ni Naru", which in turn was covered by Buck-Tick for a Stalin/Michirou Endou tribute album.

Oukoku Kingdom Come - oukoku means "kingdom"

Rakuen (Inori Negai) - "Paradise (Prayer Hope)"

Rasenchu - Literally "spiral insect". I see some Japanese lyric sites list this song as Rasen Mushi rather than Rasenchu. When Atsushi's singing the title in the song, he carries the "n" sound for a bit but ends in "chu" to my ears rather than "mushi".

Roku Gatsu No Okinawa - "Okinawa in June"

Sakebi - "Shout" - this was the original title of the song "Uta"

Sakura - "Cherry Blossom"

Sakuran Baby - "Confusion Baby"

Sasayaki - "Whisper"

Schiz•o Gensou - "Schiz•o Fantasy" (the dot is not actually a period; in Japanese it floats in the middle of the line and is often used to separate foreign words; I'm not exactly sure why they chose to put it in the middle of the word but this album had more than one song title stylized with dots)

Serenade - Itoshi No Umbrella - "Serenade - My Beloved Umbrella"

Shanikusai -Carnival- - shanikusai means "Carnival" (in the Catholic country sense as one dictionary put it, i.e., Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Carnaval in Rio de Janerio, etc.)

Shippuu No Blade Runner - "Gale Blade Runner" or "Blade Runner Gale" (gale as in a type of wind and "Blade Runner" is you know, that movie...). It should be noted that in the song, Atsushi sings the kanji for "shippuu" as "kaze" so the title may actually be "Kaze No Blade Runner" ("Wind Blade Runner" or "Blade Runner Wind").

Suzumebachi - a type of insect, literally "sparrow bee", but may be called a vespine wasp, hornet, or yellow jacket in English. These are eaten in some parts of Japan as a delicacy.

Taiyo Ni Korosareta - "Killed by the Sun"

Tenshi No Revolver - "Angel's Revolver" or as translated on official tour merchandise, "Revolver of the Angel"

Tenshi Wa Dare Da - "Who is the Angel?!" (note that the letter "ha" is read as "wa" when used as a particle)

Tsukuyomi - name of the Shinto moon god, his sister is the sun goddess Amaterasu

Uta - "Song"

Utsusemi - dictionary says: discarded locust/cicada shell; modern way of saying "utsusomi" (man of this world); the 3rd chapter of Genji Monogatari ("The Tale of Genji"), a classic Japanese literary work (since this song is the b-side of "Kagerou", which also references "The Tale of Genji", it is probably this)

Yasou - "Nocturne"

Yougetsu -Yougetsu No En- - the kanji used for yougetsu is a combination of two different yougetsu words, where the first kanji "you" (strange) is from the yougetsu which means "mysterious misfortune" or "strange disaster" and the kanji "getsu" (moon) from the yougetsu which means "an agriculturally busy month", or alternatively means "October". (The "you" kanji is also the one used for "youkai", a type of Japanese ghosts/phantoms/monsters.) Together, this combination would make it the "Strange Moon -Strange Moon Feast-". (Alternate possibilities include "Ominous Moon -Harvest Moon Feast-".)

Yume Miru Uchuu - this could be interpretted several ways in that uchuu means universe or cosmos so there are a couple of personal word choice options. Also, how does one wish to translate the perspective context? Is it about a person dreaming or the universe is dreaming? By itself, I would translate it as "Universe That Dreams". To me, the order of the words declares that it is the universe/cosmos that is doing the dreaming. In an interview with Atsushi, he stated how he came up with the phrase first as a concept, that the sadness of Japan after the Tohoku earthquake/tsunami was sent into space, like an embryo connected by umbilical cord to a star, sleeping peacefully. For the tours and merchandise associated with the album, Buck-Tick have used "Dreamy Universe" and "Cosmic Dreamer".

Yumeji - "Dreamland" or "Dream Road"

Yuuwaku - "Temptation"

Zangai - "Remains" (as in wreckage)

Zekkai - "Distant World", "Severed World", or even "Extinct World"; you get the idea

Buck-Tick Projects/Solo Song/Album Titles Translated

Ai No Sanka - "Hymn of Love" or "Love Hymn", whatever floats your boat (Atsushi solo)

Ai No Wakusei - "Planet of Love" (Atsushi solo)

Akuma Ni Natta Tenshi No Blues - "The Angel That Became a Devil Blues" (Wild Wise Apes)

Amaoto Wa Chopin No Shirabe -I Like Chopin- - "The Sounds of Rain are the Songs of Chopin -I Like Chopin-". This is a cover of a cover. The original is "I Like Chopin" by Gazebo which was released in 1983. Asami Kobayashi covered it in 1984 using the title "Amaoto Wa Chopin No Shirabe". (Atsushi solo)

Atarashii Sekai - "Brand New World" (Lucy)

Bacillus Bomb (Saikin Bakudan) - "Bacillus Bomb (Bacteria Bomb)" is a cover of Battle Rockers that Lucy has performed live

B.A.K.A.T.O.L.L - "S.T.U.P.I.D.T.O.L.L" or "D.U.M.B.T.O.L.L." (Yagami Toll & The Blue Sky)

Boukyaku No Kanata - "The Edge of Oblivion" (Yagami Toll & The Blue Sky)

Chakumero (Love Forever) - "Ringtone (Love Forever)" (Yagami Toll & The Blue Sky)

Hyena No Yoru - "Night of the Hyena" (Lucy)

Kaeru - "Frog" (Wild Wise Apes)

Kanashii Mirai - "Sorrowful Future" or "Sad Future" (Wild Wise Apes)

Kawaii Ano Ko - "That Girl is (Very) Cute" is cover of The Rockers that Lucy performs

Kuroi Boogie - "Black Boogie" (Lucy)

Love (Dakishimetai) - "Love (I Want to Hold You)" but means more like "Love (I Want to Make Love to You)". I must note that it's important to use past pop culture translations as a precedent but oddly the movie I Want to Hold Your Hand (1978) was released in Japan as "Dakishimetai" which is not close in my opinion. I would accept "I Want to Hold You" or even "Hug You" but not "Hold Your Hand"--there's more to the birds and the bees than holding hands. (Atsushi solo)

Manatsu No Hirusagari - "Early Afternoon in Midsummer" (Wild Wise Apes)

Mächen - fairy tale or "wonder tale" in German (Atsushi solo)

Munashii Kao De Hoeru Inu - "The Dog That Barks with a Blank Expression" (Wild Wise Apes)

Neko - "Cat" (Atsushi solo)

Shingetsu - "New Moon" AKA "Crescent Moon" (Atsushi solo)

Taiji - "Embryo" (Atsushi solo)

Tensei - "Reincarnation" (Atsushi solo)

Tooi Symphony - "Distant Symphony" (Wild Wise Apes)

Wakusei - "Planet" (Atsushi solo)

Yasou - "Nocturne" (Atsushi solo book)

Yokan - "Premonition" (Atsushi solo)

Guest Musician Song/Album Titles Translated

4-D Vision No Rasen Kaidan - "Spiral Staircase in 4-D Vision" (Der Zebit)

Asa Made Matenai - "I Can't Wait Until Morning" (Issay) (cover of The Mops)

The Devil is Changed Back to an Angel ~Tenshi Ni Modoreta Akuma~ - the Japanese subtitle is the same as the title. (However, without reading the English title I personally might have translated it as "The Devil That Changed Back to an Angel".) (Yukinojo Mori)

Itoshi No Gaitare - "Beloved Foreign Celebrity" (Naoko Nozawa)

Jigsaw Puzzle No Tenshi - "Jigsaw Puzzle Angel" (Yukinojo Mori)

Koi No Hallelujah - "Hallelujah of Infatuation" (some may translate koi as love since Japanese never use the actual word for love) (Issay)

Mebius No Kagami - "Mirror of Mebius" (Yukinojo Mori)

Mori No Hito (Forest People) - the English subtitles are the equivalent translation to all song titles for this album by Masami Tsuchiya with the exception of certain titles. Without reading the English part, I would have made the following translations:

Mushi - "Insect" (The Stalin 15)

Sasayaku Tenshi - "The Whispering Angel" (Yukinojo Mori)

Shinda Mono Hodo Aishite Yaru Sa - "I'll Love Ya as Much as a Dead Thing" (The Stalin 15)

Shinkai - "Deep Sea" (Chiaki Kuriyama)

Shishunki - "Puberty" (Der Zebit)

Sontoku Kanjou - "Emotions Pros and Cons" (Shammon)

Super Rock Summit ~Tengoku He No Kaidan~ - "Super Rock Summit ~Stairway to Heaven~", it is a John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) tribute album afterall

Tenshi No Ita Wakusei - "Planet with an Angel" (Yukinojo Mori)

Tonkichi Chinpei Kanta - these are the first names of the Hanamura triplets of the 1960s cartoon show "Maho Zukai Sally" (Naoko Nozawa)

Watashi No Teki - "My Enemy" (Mika Kaneko)

Yuki Ga Tsukuru Tenshi - "Angel That Makes Snow" (Yukinojo Mori)

[this page was last updated on 2024.03.10 @ 12:55:46 CDT]