“Eien Yori Tsuzuku You ni” by AKB48 for On Such a Full Sea

I feel that this song could be an anthem for B-Mor as it emphasizes the value of living an average day-to-day life. I remember being annoyed with the lyrics when I first looked them over in high school because I felt that they were encouraging listeners to accept a boring life and to not dream big. I’ve included the English translation of the full song lyrics below.

 

The time when I was fed up with my monotonous life
I constantly wandered around searching for new inspiration
I could obtain any dream at anytime I wanted
I was filled with thoughts of confidence
However

Every time I live flowing and being swept by the wave of people
I encounter countless ways of life and
I begin creating my own meaning of happiness
Then I finally figured it out
The thing more important than a fantasy

An average day-to-day life is my most prized possession
Living a peaceful life is the meaning of happiness
WOAH
I pray that it will continue like this for longer than an eternity
I’ll make a wish to the stars
That it will always go on like this

No matter the person, feelings isn’t just one thing
It’s several intertwining thoughts that alternately continue to change
I feel the now, the present
As long as these feelings become our future
It’ll subtly start trembling…possibly

But the thing that must be important
Was the time I continued to accumulate
These feelings for myself
These thoughts will serve as the stepping stones of tomorrow
That’s why its the present that counts
The feeling of a moment that lasts a lifetime!

An average day-to-day life means everything to me
Living a casual life is the greatest present
WOAH
Someday this feeling will be erased but
I am certain of these feelings that I’m feeling
Today, recently

An average day-to-day life is my most prized possession
Living a peaceful life is the meaning of happiness
WOAH
I pray that it will continue like this for longer than an eternity
I’ll make a wish to the stars
That it will always go on like this

Source: http://stage48.net/studio48/eienyoritsuzukuyouni.html

 

As I was looking for a video of the song, I realized that this is actually a cover of a 1999 song written and performed by a comedian, which makes me wonder if the lyrics are supposed to be a joke or social commentary. A video of the performance by the original artist, Okamura Takashi, is below:

 

I was torn between posting this song and “Wareta Ringo” by Taneda Risa, the ending song for the anime Shin Sekai Yori (From the New World), which is a dystopian story adopted from a novel of the same title. The title is actually inspired by the same Dvorak symphony (the New World Symphony) referenced in Dark Princess that I posted about while we were reading that novel. Like On Such a Full Sea, Shin Sekai Yori is also set in the future. It is focused on a highly regulated riverside town where people aren’t allowed to stray beyond the borders. The protagonist’s friend (who is also the love of her life) ends up leaving/going missing (as do other children), which is seen as normal part of their society. This reminded me of Reg going missing, and like Fan, the main characters then set out to find out the truth about their world, to the quiet shock of everyone else in the community. The show deals with topics such as what it means to be human, hierarchical societies, and one’s role and responsibilities within a community.

“Wareta Ringo” is sung by the protagonist’s voice actress and is meant to be from the protagonist’s point of view. I feel that this point of view aligns fairly well with Fan’s given their similar situations. Here’s a translation of the lyrics:

Deep within my chest, I carry
A green apple that brings tears to my eyes.
Falling over, (even if I get hurt)
Pretending to be strong,
I glare at the restrictive sky.

I’m not going to just wait obediently
For destiny to ripen it.

Let a thousand winds (I struggle,)
Blow and blow. (I scream,)
I am (But even so,)
A soap bubble. (I believe.)
I stand and fight (I rise up)
In the face of (And come down,)
The unexpected storm, (But even so,)
A soap bubble. (I live on.)
The moment I burst,
I’ll release a rainbow.

Earnestly (in spite of the pain)
Water
The cracked seed of the dream;
Kick to pieces (while you tremble)
Your indecision;
And one day, take hold of the sky.
Do you really think I’ll just behave
And bloom in someone else’s flower bed?

Gazing (I’m about to fall,)
At the sun, (About to break,)
I am (But even so,)
A wild flower. (I won’t stop.)
Blooming (I’m being toyed with,)
On a cliff, (In disarray,)
A nameless (But even so,)
Wild flower. (I won’t lose.)
I want to be picked
While I’m beautiful.

(I’m not afraid.)
(That isn’t a lie.)
(But still…)

If the apple of my heart
Will split apart, let it be green.

Let a thousand winds (I struggle,)
Blow and blow. (I scream,)
I am (But even so,)
A soap bubble. (I believe.)
I stand and fight (I rise up)
In the face of (And come down,)
The unexpected storm, (But even so,)
A soap bubble. (I live on.)
The moment I burst,
I’ll release a rainbow.

Source: https://shinsekaiyori.fandom.com/wiki/Wareta_Ringo#English