[Lyric + PV Analysis] Kagerou - Idol Gurui no Shinrigaku

[jaymee 405]

Nobody's posted another analysis yet, so I decided to put another one up. Hope that's okay!

 

 

Japanese (Credit to 匂宮’s diary)

Spoiler

 

アイドル狂いの心裏学

 

ア゛ーーーーーーッ 

君の可愛い可愛い笑顔をいつもテレビで拝見してます 
昨日のドラマの最後のシーンは「いつも以上に興奮覚えました」 
早く僕のこと知ってくださいファンレターなら毎日書いてます 
他のブタ野郎よりもずっと「キミのことは理解するハズだから」 

夢に出てきた君のことを想い続け夜の夜中にピーーーーしました。 
気持ちのイイのはいつもいつも僕だけだし　少しサミシイ今日この頃です。

 

君の恥ずかしいソレ。君の汚れたコレ。君のいやらしいアレ。 
君が女の子の日。君が女の子の日。君が女の子の日。 
全部知ってます。フェーーーーー 

 

キミはとっても人気者だから　ボクのコトなんて知らない知らない。 
そんなのって悲しいから　だんだん君に苛立ちました 
キミも結局汚いメスなの？ 

夢に出てきたキミのコトを想い続け　夜の夜中ピーーーーしました。 
気持ちのイイのはいつもいつもボクだけだし“少しサミシイ“ 

 

キミとボクは理想の二人だから 
頭の中はキミで溢れている。 
触りたい。触りたい。触りたい。 

 

「僕は根暗な気狂いセオリスト」

 

 

English

Spoiler

 

Idol Fanatic Psychology*

 

Ahhhhh-

 

I always see your cute, adorable smile on TV

That last scene in yesterday’s drama got me more excited than ever before

Please notice me soon

I write you letters every day

I know you much better than those other swine do

 

I couldn’t stop thinking about seeing you in my dreams,

and jerked off in the middle of the night

But it only ever, ever feels good for me,

and feels a little empty, like today

 

Your shameful pussy, your dirty tits, your naughty thighs*

When you’re on your period, when you’re on your period, when you’re on your period*

I know everything, everything about you, fe~

 

You’re so popular that’s there’s no way you’ll ever, ever notice me

It makes me so sad that lately I’ve been getting impatient

Are you just another dirty bitch?

 

I couldn’t stop thinking about seeing you in my dreams,

and jerked off in the middle of the night

But it only ever, ever feels good for me,

and feels a little empty

 

We’d make the perfect couple

You’re all that I ever think about

I want to touch you, I want to touch you, I want to touch you

 

“I’m just a dark, mad theorist.”

 

 

Notes:

1. “psychology” is usually written as 心理学, but Daisuke used the kanji 裏 instead of 理, meaning “hidden” or "ulterior", among other readings.

2. Daisuke uses "sore", "kore", and "are" to allude to different parts of the body, outlined in disc image scan by @sakurakurakura I've gone ahead and replaced these words with their intended meanings.

3. Literally translates to “girl’s day”, but is a slang word for being on your period.

4. Although the character in this song starts out using polite Japanese speech patterns, as the song progresses he gets more and more crude.

 

 

It doesn’t seem to me that the PV has a whole lot to do with the song itself, besides some idol pictures on the wall and Daisuke acting out writing letters to the idol, but Daisuke’s expressions and gestures are poignant and I feel like you can get the general image of some guy(s) being mentally disturbed. However, maybe I've missed something!

 

 

Although the song is rather straightforward, I guess the part that really intrigues me is that how much overlap there seems to be between the idol and visual kei industry, especially in the way dating and information about bands are handled, promotion, etc.  So I’ve often wondered if this song was also a tongue-in-cheek way of also talking about the way some gya think and behave.

 

Besides the different slang both fan bases use, the main difference seems to be that idols generally like to promote the “girl next door” image, while visual kei usually goes for the “handsome prince” or “bad boy” image. In either case, however, they’re selling their fans a certain kind of fantasy.

 

How would you analyze your interest in visual kei? What are your thoughts on the whole idol and/or visual kei concept? Do you think a certain kind person is more attracted to either or both scenes?

Edited July 21, 2017 by jaymee

[Himeaimichu 1535]

I always thought songs like this were satirising how Idols are viewed in Japan, as the Idol industry.. is.. well, far from free flowing. (You have touched in this, but I thought I'd go into more depth) They're expected to stay virgin (in the public eye at least. Their producers, however, well, no one really knows for sure, it's not open information, but... you get what I mean), they're expected to keep a good image, etc. Mostly so the fans would still be attracted to them. They like to market off their "purity", despite often Idol Girls wearing skimpy outfits and all. But I think it's mostly marketing on cute innocence, combined with the Confucian culture Japan is known for, but amped up.  Whereas VisualKei, back in the early 2000's, well... we've all heard the stereotypes that Vkei guys prostitute themselves and stuff, and that used to be true, to an extent. It is RARELY practiced anymore, but Vkei guys were seen as "Bad boys". There was a big contrast back then.  Idols were expected to be cute, Vkei guys were expected to be dirty. Now, the contrast isn't relevant to the lyrics, but it is worth mentioning. 

Basically, the idol industry sexualises girls and makes them attractive based on "purity", and this may be referenced in the lyric "Are you just another dirty bitch?". Daisuke possibly referring to how he hopes his idol girl isn't some other, dirty girl, and that she will be dedicated to him. 

This of course, also brings in the biggest idol fans out there. They aren't your teenaged girl, nope! It's the fat pervert that buys literally ALL their stuff. Ok, so this is a stereotype, but that's what satire does. It makes fun of a stereotype. And well, the song definitely seems to be making fun of the proverbial pervert who is attracted to idol girls. 

The mind of the proverbial pervert generally goes "Oh you're so fucking cute and I want to corrupt you but only with me, I want you to be mine", and that song definitely seems to peer into that mindset. 

 

BTW, I really think you should continue with these analyses. They're really good! I may try one in the future, if possible

Edited June 6, 2017 by AimiGen7

[jaymee 405]

@AimiGen7I definitely agree that idols are marketed for their purity, and in visual kei that's not usually the case. And yes, I feel like these lyrics very much embody the idea that idols (or if we're honest, women in the traditional sense, not just in Japan) should be "pure" enough to refuse the advances of other men/fans, yet not pure enough to refuse the (potential) advances of the man (or men) that want to have her. It's a big Catch-22.

 

As a vague background, I am somewhat connected to the idol scene through work, but my personal preference is the VK scene... And at times it definitely seems like the two are mirror opposites of the same marketing scheme. (Gonna cut this for length.)

 

Spoiler

 

Both idol and VK artists make their money selling an image or fantasy to fans. (Female) Idol fans go for the fantasy of an ideal, "pure" girl, while visual kei fans (mainly female) go for the fantasy of a handsome man that "truly understands and accepts them". For visual kei there may not be the same expectation of purity, but they are expected to be "available", and not advertise their relationships, marriages, or "mitsu", just like idols. Of course you also have women who are female idol fans and male visual kei fans who look up to these artists as the epitome of cool/sexy and the kind of person they hope to be(come), and there are women who are male idol fans who expect the Johnny's groups and the like to be "pure" as well as "available", and understanding, but in either case, just as much or more emphasis is put on projecting a certain image than the actual music itself, at least compared to other musical genres in Japan. Also, a lot of fans of both genres are kind of socially awkward people, but Japanese society standards.

 

Once they've hooked fans on this image/fantasy, they keep fans satisfied, yet wanting more by providing small personal contact opportunities like handshake, photo/cheki, in-store,  post-live, and fan club  events, and they bank on many fans being obsessed enough to by multiple copies of the same release just to get a special postcard, extra song, small personal contact opportunity ticket, or other extra that normally wouldn't motivate fans of other music genres to buy multiple copies of the same release. The amount of money many fans casually drop in the idol and VK world is, to quote Gwen Stefani, is B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

 

Obsessive fans in either genre get jealous of the attention their oshi (favorite idol) or honmeimen (favorite VK artist) gets from other fans, and will jealously lash out at other fans who they believe don't understand him/her or are worthy enough of his/her attention, or they will try other means to establish their "status" as a fan, by buying multiple copies of the same release just to support the band or complete their "collection".

 

Live-wise, both idol and VK songs incorporate a lot of furitsuke (hand-movements) and interact more closely with the audience than musicians of other genres, via designated call-and-response parts (idols) or designated head banging and member name calling or singing along (VK). There is a fan hierarchy in both scenes where the oldest/most obsessive fans run who gets the best ticket numbers/front row, and who organizes special gifts from fans. In the past, irimachi/demachi were extremely popular in both scenes, although this is often seen as rude now since more idols/VK artists have begun sharing their personal lives on SNS. In general, both scenes have their own language to describe the same concepts, which are not normally found or recognized by the "regular" Japanese music scene.

 

 

I personally find the similarities really interesting.
I'm sure Kagerou's song was aimed specifically at the idol industry, but you could replace a few words here and there and suddenly it would't be so clear any more.

 

Also, thanks! You should go for it! I think this lyric/PV analysis thing would definitely benefit from more contributors who listen to bands that are currently popular. I can translate, but I'm more familiar/more inclined to analyze older VK work, which doesn't seem to attract as many people to participate/comment. D:

 

 

Edited June 7, 2017 by jaymee

[Himeaimichu 1535]

2 minutes ago, jaymee said:

Also, thanks! I think this lyric/PV analysis would definitely benefit from more contributors who listen to bands that are currently popular. I can translate, but I'm more familiar/more inclined to analyze older VK work, which doesn't seem to attract as many people to participate/comment. D:

 

Don't worry, I'm also more inclined to do older songs (Either that or indie songs xD). I don't necessarily speak Japanese, but I read WAY too much on the Japanese language, and am very familiar with it, so I'm prone to pointing out interesting things in the vocalist's diction and pronunciation. 

[sakurakurakura 154]

I'm here to revive this thread since this is one of my favorite songs.

 

This song was featured in a live limited release called "kagerou no jiten ＜otona no shoten＞".

and if you own a copy of it you can see what all the "kore", "sore", "are" were about.

 

 

So he's like "Oh, I know you are actually ashamed of this, you are not pure because of this, and you are filthy because of this".

 

Basically the song is about how people fantasize about famous idols to the point that it becomes an obsession to them, sexually, not very romantically and delusionally speaking.

(「いつも以上に興奮覚えました」 → It means he got more aroused than usual after he watched a drama scene played by the idol on tv)

So since the idols get a lot of attention, people get jealous of it as they can't get noticed by the famous person in question.

(他のブタ野郎よりもずっと「キミのことは理解するハズだから」→ "I'm suppossed to understand you more than those jerks" refering to other fans)

Also this obsession leads to becoming an stalker, and in Japan idols get harassed by stalkers pretty often.

(1. 全部知ってます。→ "I know everything about you".

2. 頭の中はキミで溢れている。→ "I think about you all the time" *sexual connotation.

3. 触りたい。→ "I wanna touch you" *sexual connotation.

4. キミも結局汚いメスなの？→ "Are you a dirty whore too after all?" refers to jealousy, since she gets a lot of attention, she knows a lot of men, who she may have messed around with, idols don't make their way just for their talent, you know.

5. 気持ちのイイのはいつもいつも僕だけだし　少しサミシイ今日この頃です。→ "I can only get pleasure by myself, so it feels a little lonely to be like this right now" pretty much what happens to people when they masturbate thinking about someone who they want to be with but can't be be with, in other words, he can't sleep with her so he can only masturbate to feel good but it doesn't feel that good because he wants her really bad.

6. 僕は根暗な狂いセオリスト → "I'm an introverted crazy theorist" means actually "I'm an introverted harcore fan who day-dreams a lot", a theorist is someone who constructs theories, in this case it's used as someone who contructs a fake reality based on their twisted thoughts/obsession).

 

Daisuke it's representing it as fan x idol thing, but it's pretty much headed to the fact some bangyas get delusional af, just like what happens in "mousou nikki" for example.

But obviously, it's not only a vk thing, it happens in all types of industry, from j-rock, j-pop, to even av idols.

It exposes how some people act due to a delusional obssesion towards a person *regardless of which industry they're in* who is/may be "out of their league" but still hold into a little hope.

(キミはとっても人気者だから　ボクのコトなんて知らない知らない。→ "You are so famous you don't even know about my existence").

(キミとボクは理想の二人だから → "We're perfect for each other" as in hoping they will get together someday).

 

That's pretty much how I see it.

[jaymee 405]

@sakurakurakura

 

Thanks for that addition! I figured one of those kore/sore/are was probably a vag reference (to avoid censorship or explicitly singing the word themselves) but it's great and also hilarious that there's a special guide for this. I'll update the translation.

 

Def think you've hit the nail on the head for the other parts.

Edited July 21, 2017 by jaymee

[platy 3018]

Thank you for the translation. Really enjoyed reading everything in this thread! 

 

The idol industry (I'm including vk in this) makes me extremely uncomfortable. The idea that these idols work to create a pool of completely obsessed fans who live in a fantasy world, which in turn can create an issue of the idol's personal safety... It just seems so overwhelming. I've always wondered what the idols themselves truly thought of their work and their fans, but alas I think that's a rarity. I would love to see more lyric analysis/translations of songs that include this subject, I don't doubt there's at least some truth in what they're singing about. 

[sakurakurakura 154]

21 hours ago, jaymee said:

@sakurakurakura

 

Thanks for that addition! I figured one of those kore/sore/are was probably a vag reference (to avoid censorship or explicitly singing the word themselves) but it's great and also hilarious that there's a special guide for this. I'll update the translation.

 

Def think you've hit the nail on the head for the other parts.

You are welcome! I'm glad I could help