About This Blog

Sorry for putting up this kind of 'explanation/description' post so late.
Well, I finally got some time after finishing my APs and stuff.

So here goes.

Ethnically, I'm Northeast Asian. But I've traveled all around the world.
Thanks to Dad's work and stuff. So I know many languages (see profile).
Personally, I'm in love with Japanese music and manga/anime and traditional culture.
I draw original manga, compose songs, and even cosplay LOL
I also like Japanese fashion and food, but that's for some other time.

Anyways. I've been like that since, like, junior high.
Right now, I go to college in the US (California to be exact), but I took a semester off and I'm here in Tokyo till next month.

So, I started off my 'Internet identity'(?) on Ameblo, the Japanese blogging service, so that I could introduce/suggest music and anime that I thought were well-made.
(And I'm still doing that.
If you speak Jap, you'd be better off seeing that blog, coz I update that far more frequently.)

However, there aren't that many people who know both Japanese AND another language, like, English for example, well enough to be able to effectively translate original Japanese material into these languages.
As a result, there are a lot of translations out there that have some serious mistakes (due to the different grammatical structure of Japanese vs. English or French or Spanish etc. sentences), as well as translations that have failed to convey the original 'feeling' or 'nuance' of the original.

To be frank, I have to say that it is impossible for a translation to have 100% of the nuances preserved, however skilled the translator may be; the best way is to actually learn Japanese yourself.
Even so, I have decided to take on the translating job myself.
This is because, well, learning another language is hard, and it's a lot to ask of you people who may be interested in the stuff I like.
So to get more fans for the artists I admire so much, I'm going to upload translations of lyrics whenever I get the time.

Many Japanese artists write exceptionally poetic lyrics.
I, myself, have always had a knack for poetic stuff; try asking my French teacher from middle school.
So, although I cannot guarantee you a 100% accurate translation (for instance, there are many words in Japanese that have no exact English counterpart), I'm confident that my translations will be some of the best out there.

Oh yeah, I'm itching to do French translations and more, but for now, it'll be English because 1)I'm friggin busy, being a Berkeley student and 2)that's the language the most people can understand.

I'm also thinking of starting a Youtube channel sometime this year (maybe even this summer, if Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra turn out to be easier than I thought), which will introduce Japanese songs and stuff to all those people out there who are interested.

Hungry for suggestions of songs to listen to and animes to watch? Want to actually understand what the hell your fave band is actually saying? And (sometimes) want some info on other sides of Japanese culture? This is the blog for you.
And follow me on Twitter because from now on, I'll announce there when I put something on the Internet. https://twitter.com/Isabell_Sen

Announcement!!

I got Alice Nine's new single, 'Shooting Star', today!
The lyrics have been fixed to match the official lyrics.
The fixed lyrics and translation are at the old link here:

http://isabell-sen.blogspot.jp/2013/04/alice-nine-shooting-star-lyrics.html

Just in case: if the link doesn't work, go to my archives.
It's in April.

T.M.Revolution Ft. Mizuki Nana: "Preserved Roses" Lyrics, Romaji, Translation

短い夢を重ねて
mijikai yume wo kasanete
The falseness of the flower

永遠にして逝く花の
eien ni shite yuku hana no
That piles up short dreams into eternity then falls

偽りが切ない
itsuwari ga setsunai
Is sorrowful

閉じ込めた命の
tojikometa inochi no
I dedicate to you the solitude

孤独を君に捧げる
 kodoku wo kimi ni sasageru
Of the life imprisoned within

Ｐｒｅｓｅｒｖｅｄ　Ｒｏｓｅ

(order switched around to make English make sense)



躯の奥溢れるものを人と変えているだけ
karada no oku afureru mono wo hito to kaete iru dake
Merely exchanging what's overflowing deep inside oneself with someone else
(I used 'oneself' instead of 'one's body' because it seemed more right here. Also, in the song, 躯 is read as 'karada', but it is not the normal kanji for 'body'. 躯 normally means 'corpse'. This most likely continues the concept of an eternity that seems out of reach.)

「全てが冷たすぎる」なんて、指を解かせないで
subete ga tsumetasugiru nante yubi wo hodokasenaide
You're saying "Everything is too cold"...? Do not loosen the grip of your fingers...
(I did a literal translation with this one, but I did think of putting just "Don't let go of my hand")



光と闇のどちらにでも居れる
hikari to yami no dochira ni demo ireru
We can be in either light or dark
(Here, 'we' can be exchanged for 'you', too; it's not specified)

怖がらないで、望まぬ朝はもう来ない
kowagaranaide nozomanu asa wa mou konai
Don't be scared, the morning you do not wish for will not come anymore

鮮やかだけを繰り返し、
azayaka dake wo kurikaeshi
Repeating only brightness,

繋がり、終わり、君はまた…
tsunagari owari kimi wa mata
Connecting, ending, you will, once more...



短い夢を重ねて
mijikai yume wo kasanete
The falseness of the flower

永遠にして逝く花の
eien ni shite yuku hana no
That piles up short dreams into eternity then falls

偽りが切なく
itsuwari ga setsunaku
Sorrowfully,

拒む世界を傷付ける
kobamu sekai wo kizutsukeru
Hurts the world which rejects it



願うなら魅させる
negau nara misaseru
If you wish for it, I will enchant you
(Literally, 'misaseru' is 'attract', but 'enchant' seemed more powerful, which is why I used it)

だから遠く消えないで
dakara tooku kienaide
So don't disappear far from here

君が見る明日の
kimi ga miru ashita no
I will greet the new breath

新しい息吹を
atarashii ibuki wo
Of the tomorrow you see

伸ばした腕に迎える
nobashita ude ni mukaeru
With outstretched arms

離さない
hanasanai
I will not let go



無傷のまま溶け出す熱を　愛を　弄る想い
mukizu no mama tokedasu netsu wo ai wo masaguru omoi
The feelings that touch the passion, the love that melts out flawlessly

作リモノの微笑み疑う　罪に　囚われながら
tsukurimono no hohoemi utagau tsumi ni torawarenagara
Getting caught in the sin of doubting a fake smile



汚れてしまう　前に行くと決めた
yogorete shimau mae ni iku to kimeta
"You'll get tained" "I have decided to go forward"

やがて零れて　散らばる水に　華やかに
yagate koborete chirabaru mizu ni hanayaka ni
If you can brilliantly project your heart

ココロを映し　出せるなら
kokoro wo utsushi daseru nara
Onto the drops that eventually spill out and scatter

途絶える歌と　引き換えに
todaeru uta to hikikae ni
In exchange for the song that has ceased


激しい色を注いで
hageshii iro wo sosoide
If you believe

飾り立てた幻を
kazari tateta maboroshi wo
In the fantasy adorned

君が信じるなら
By intense colors spilled onto it
kimi ga shinjiru nara

真実だって越えるだろう
shinjitsu datte koeru darou
Even truth can be surpassed



移る時間(とき)を止めて
utsuru toki wo tomete
Stopping the elapse of time

朽ちる術も知らないで
kuchiru sube mo shiranaide
Not even knowing how to rot away

血を流すその手は
chi wo nagasu sono te wa
Those hands that spill blood

閉じ込めた命の
tojikometa inochi no
Dedicate to you the solitude

孤独を君に捧げる
kodoku wo kimi ni sasageru
Of the life imprisoned within

求めてる
motometeru
"I am seeking for it"



短い夢を重ねて
mijikai yume wo kasanete
The falseness of the flower

永遠にして逝く花の
eien ni shite yuku hana no
That piles up short dreams into eternity then falls

偽りが切なく
itsuwari ga setsunaku
Sorrowfully,

拒む世界を傷付ける
kobamu sekai wo kizutsukeru
Hurts the world which rejects it



願うなら魅させる
negau nara misaseru
If you wish for it, I will enchant you

だから遠く消えないで
dakara tooku kienaide
So don't disappear far from here

君が見る明日の
kimi ga miru ashita no
I will greet the new breath

新しい息吹を
atarashii ibuki wo
Of the tomorrow you see

伸ばした腕に迎える
nobashita ude ni mukaeru
With outstretched arms

離さない
hanasanai
I will not let go

OK, this one was complicated. But I love this song, as well as the anime.
"Valvrave the Liberator". *sigh* I'm absolutely in love with L-elf...

*SPOILERS*

About today's episode.............
Who the hell is that girl in the photo from L-elf's pocket?!?!
Is she the princess that's gonna show up in the next episode?
In any case, if she's got some romantic connection with L-elf,
I want to become that girl!! Maybe I should cosplay as her LOL
She was pretty in the openings and endings too...

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isabell_Sen

ROMAJI & TRANSLATION BELONG TO ME
Please cite this blog if you want to use any part of this.

Random stuff

I will start uploading more posts on this blog starting on the 24th of May.
Until then, here are some Japanese songs that I recently discovered and recommend:

Raven Crier: 八重桜　http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQeftNmQhew
(actually their whole mini-album is really cool, I'll upload a review sometime)
Malice Mizer: Au Revoir
ミサルカ：Jester （ジェスター）
T.M.Revolution Ft. Mizuki Nana: Preserved Roses (release 14th of May)

And here are two animes that I recommend:
Kakumeiki Valvrave
Devil Survivor 2: The Animation

And as always, do listen to SID and Alice Nine and Ayabie and Kagrra, etc. (>.<)

For those of you who know how to read Japanese, do go see my Ameblo.
The link is on my profile.

And do add comments, all of you, if you please (^o^) especially on that translation,
of my previous post (Shooting Star by Alice Nine).
Thanks~