Matenrou opera-Designer baby

I'm sorry this is taking so long, I was super busy with school. I especially apologize to Milica, who requested this song <3
okay I wasn't THAT busy, but I just couldn't get myself to do it, lately I feel extremely... shallow. I guess that's because I'm watching Pretty little liars lol. I loved the books so much so I really had to see the show too. I had watching marathons for the last few nights, I'd just watch 10 episodes at once. That's more than 7 hours of constant watching of the same teen show a night, hey, I'm sure my brain melted by now.
Oh and guys, I'm using my twitter account again. It's here:
 twittie twittie
feel free to tweet, read, follow, whatever.
You can also tweet me requests if for some reason you can't leave comments here (not sure if you can leave comms without blogspot account, I'm still pretty new to this stuff)

Anyway I've been useless enough for this week, so I better head on to doing some analyzing!

Today I'm doing "Designer baby" and hopefully I will have enough time/will to do Awoi's "Bedroom" by the end of the week. These two songs kinda remind me of eachother because it all happens to be the memories and thoughts of one sleepless night. Designer baby is from a perspective of a lonely child, and Bedroom is from a perspective of a lonely girl. The child in Designer baby is apparently abandoned by his/her parents and Bedroom girl from a boyfriend. I won't reveal too much of my thoughts about Bedroom right now, so enjoy Matenrou opera first^^

MATENROU OPERA

Justice

Designer baby

lyrics: Sono  music: Sono&Ayame

"眠れない夜 またそばにくる耳鳴りに気づいてしまう

優れている身体に産んでくれたのでしょう?

もっと便利に 感情を作ればよかったのに"

(Nemurenai yoru, mata soba ni kuru miminari ni kizuiteshimau

sugureteiru karada ni undekureta no deshou?

motto benri ni kanjou wo tsukureba yokatta no ni)

(Sleepless night, I noticed the buzzing in my ears is starting again

I guess it's born from this excelled body?

It would be so much better if I could produce my feelings)

Ouch, deep and hard words strike from the beginning.
It would be good to take care of the "buzzing in ears" phrase since it naturally brings something more than we'd notice at first. So called "Tinnitus" is a medical condition which happens from disturbed blood pressure in human brain, right? It brings light vertigo with it, you see those weird light spots and sometimes it even ends with nausea (personal experience, I'm very very far from a medicine pro). I believe the full lyrics came from such a condition, since they bring a lot of dark feelings within.
The narrator, a child is tired from everything, that's why I used "excelled". It could also be "worn-out". Yet he can't sleep.
It just didn't fit the style to translate it as "useful", that's the literal meaning, yet I kinda felt "it would be so much better" was so much better haha. So, "it would be so useful to create my feelings" is a bit more literal and a bit less poetic translation. I bet we all feel this way sometimes, so I don't think I should explain this too much. The kid feels everything would be better if he could control his feelings and not feel that sad and lonely at the moment.

"そんな眩しい目で 羨む顔をしないで 

そんな悲しい目で 哀れむ顔をしないで 

羨望の眼差しも 自己欲に浸る優しさも 

いらない ただ 僕に触れて" 

(sonna mabushii me de, urayamu kao wo shinai de 

sonna kanashii me de, awaremu kao wo shinai de. 

Senbou no manazashi mo, jikoyoku ni hitaru yasashisa mo 

iranai, tada, boku ni furete)

(With those dazzling eyes, don't make your envy face

with those sad eyes, don't make your pity face.

the gaze of envy, the kindness soaked in greed,

I don't need them. Just, touch me.)

I don't think this is addressed to the parent, it feels more like this child is talking to his surroundings, the whole world, everyone who pretend to pity or envy him. It's just the "kindness soaked in greed" that reveals this so directly, even though you can see it from the first two lines too. In his eyes, every kindness toward him is actually selfish and greed filled action.

However, I am really not sure what to think about these last words he says here. It could be that he wants them to experience his feelings, to understand him (the other possible meaning of a verb)

"おやすみなさい 

また明日も期待通りの僕でいるよ 

いい子ねって聞きたいから 

でもそんな日々ももうすぐ終わり 

僕は僕を取り戻す" 

(Oyasumi nasai 

Mata ashita mo kitaidoori no boku de iru yo 

ii ko nette kikitai kara 

demo sonna hibi mo mou sugu owari 

Boku ha boku wo torimodosu) 

(Goodnight. 

Like always, I'll have hope tomorrow again,

because I want to ask if I'm a good child... 

But those days too will be over soon. 

I'm taking myself back)

This feels addressed more to his parents than anybody else. Everyday he wakes up and tries so hard to impress them, to gain their love in some way, just wanting to get kind words, appreciation and attention, that every child should get. But the "like always" and "again" show that he's been trying and trying but could never reach that. To be completely honest, I added the "like always" part because, in the lyrics there are two expressions, for "again" and "also", so it would be just "again tomorrow also" but it isn't right in any possible way I guess. However, I don't think it would feel right without the "like always" because, well, it's just I kinda feel what should be there. 

The last two lines are leading to something awful. A suicide.

"I'm taking myself back", or "I'm regaining myself" might seem a bit strange in english, but in japanese it makes sense, and there's no other meaning that I can think of other than a suicide. "I'm taking my life" would be a closer expression I guess.

"盲目に従順に ただ素直な僕が欲しいんですか? 

ありがとう と言えばあなた方は僕を見てくれますか? 

永遠の耳鳴りが僕の鼓動を掻き消す前に 

このアスファルトの海に沈めて"

(Moumoku ni juujun ni tada sunao na boku ga hoshiin desu ka? 

Arigatou to ieba anatagata wa boku wo mitekuremasu ka? 

Eien no miminari ga boku no kodou wo kakikesu mae ni, 

kono asphalt no umi  ni shizumete)

(I guess you blindly obediently want me to be obedient?

If I say "thank you", will you finally look at me? 

Before the endless buzzing in my ears erases my heartbeat, 

I sink into this sea of asphalt)

These are not only hard to translate, but really hard to understand too. 

There could be a meaning that he's talking about social "rules" and people who blindly follow them. This kind of people can never understand the people who are not like them, who fight for their freedom. 

A "Thank you" could be just a sarcastic gratitude towards people (possibly parents) who either made him stronger or killed inside the poor child by ignoring him when he needed gentleness. 

He is sure he will die that very moment, from all the overflowing emotions. 

"The asphalt sea" is such an beautiful phrase, I can't stop reading it again and again. 

It could mean two things:

the simple meaning I get is that it represents the huge expanse of hard, cold asphalt, the way the kid sees the whole world. 

the other meaning could be that he has mixed feelings, that something he thought would be so gentle and transparent as water is actually so hard and unbreakable. It again represents the world seen through the eyes of a child who discovers how this world really is.  

Whatever meaning you like more, we could sum it all into the same conclusion-he let the harsh world finally eat him up.

"「これから」「今まで」 

どこにもない 僕がいない 

終わることが僕の始まり" 

("Kore kara" "Ima made"

Dokonimonai boku ga inai

Owaru koto ga boku no hajimari)

("After this", "Until now"

I'm not in either. 

The end is my beginning.)

He won't exist after this, but he didn't really exist before either. It's just the dead or alive body that is different, he feels his soul died a long time ago. However he sees some kind of a salvation in death, where he will finally be peaceful. 

I must confess I cried a river while doing this. It feels just so... I don't know... it's so sad, seeing the world without any hope or happiness through this song. It's amazing. Thanks for requesting it, Milica! 

I guess next is: Awoi-Bedroom