From ラジヲまにきゅあ1374KHz of 1994, "Can't get off the jungle gym". As can be seen here, this song was later covered with Aki Hata in ANAKREON's album 泡沫～うたかた～, rendered slower and having a more serious feeling. I see the song as another proof of Ikuko Ebata's amazing talent, not only as a vocalist but as a lyricist. Weaving such childish and vain emotions into a serious and touching romantic song is no mere feat. To be able to peek into the heart of a young maiden in love, is this not the true meaning of moe? Unfortunately there was no such consensus among my friends, some of whom viewed it as slightly disorganized and unfinished. Others also associated Shinji Hosoe's composition with 80s disco and older anime opening themes. What do you think?
Pretending to be an adult, being well-behaved I played being a good girl for your convenience Pretending to understand, harmlessly behaving The distance between us has gotten closer, but
it's cruel if I'm not first place!
Heart on the top of the jungle gym, without climbing down, I've been left abandoned Heart on the top of the jungle gym, I'm shaking and freezing
Forcibly hiding my overflowing envy I played being a good girl for your convenience Wanting you all for myself, my heart yearns The distance between us hasn't yet shrunk
Right around now he's with that girl all lovey-dovey!
Heart within the cage of the jungle gym, In obsession I'm clinging to you Heart within the cage of the jungle gym, Wandering about in this maze
At this rate I'll die in pain!
Heart on the top of the jungle gym, Calling out your name, stupid stupid You know my heart well, but you're pretending not to know
From Katamari Aventur Damacy - Touch My Katamari's 3rd OST CD. It was sent to me by a friend who likes the Katamari Damacy line of games very much (and their soundtrack in particular). I thought it was too cute not to warrant a translation for him. Moe moe indeed.
An apron skirt I received from mom
The flower pattern's still pure white
Please, King, if it comes true
Please give me a heart that doesn't break
Ah, the white headband's embroidery is like that, a clump of love
Tōkyō, Kanda, Akihabara
While I was crying rather anxiously
I looked up and there's a beautiful star in the sky
Mom, are you watching?
Nyan nyan nyan nyan
I can't say it nyan
I can't become a moe moe kitten
But I want to become an adult
Mom, are you watching?
A large part of chasing after the fleeting history of doujin music is simply collecting older CDs before all available and functioning copies disappear. This means regularly searching for them, wherever they might appear. With CDs concerning the founding of doujin music, it's critical - so when a new result for junk.test appeared, I knew I had to hunt it down.
This album, as its name may suggest, is the third in the "junk.test" line of albums. They feature both vocal and instrumental tracks, but unlike other artists of the period, their sound feels less influenced by game music nor electronic music in general. However, we must not forget that as with all early doujin music, there is always a degree of involvement in otaku culture. The circle mplayers RECORD (music players) was formed from the music writing sig (special interest group, akin to a forum) of BBS ASCII-NET. Although the circle was only formed in 1994, it seems the core members were around as early as 1989. To what extent their activities were at this point in time, I cannot tell. Founder Bukkon put up several of the circle's works in a YouTube playlist, including one peculiar song - "SOMEDAY" from 1988 performed by DECO軽音楽部. Perhaps we'll learn in the future of them. For now, we have "junk.test".
I've recently been captured by the sound of this Manikyua-Dan song, and wondered what sort of meaning laid behind the words. Now that the lyrics are translated, you too can enjoy this heartbreaking tale from the kingdom of machines - 機械の王国 (Kikai no Oukoku) by まにきゅあ団, released in December 1993. It was performed several times live and rerecorded in 1997. More than a decade later, it would receive a vocaloid cover by none other than Masaki Sahara, a doujin musician of the mid-late 90s who a member of mplayers RECORD.
I'm feeling so good, the computer is (the computer is) You can do anything you want - drugs, sex, biogame I'm feeling so good, the computer is (the computer is) You can do anything you want - it's the kingdom of machines
Welcome to the country of machines, welcome You too from today will be a robotic human My superalloy cast body I unconsciously touch Welcome to the country of machines, welcome You too from today will be a robotic human My superalloy cast body I unconsciously touch Ceramics
I by, the power bestowed, by your body I, will be, keeping on loving you...!
Even though my body is machine-controlled, the love I hold for you hasn't changed There are parts of my behavior that won't be saved at all! If the screw on my back is removed and I'm set free, I'll soar the skies To protect the cherished Earth, I'll fight! I'll keep loving you!
I'm feeling so good, the computer is (the computer is) You can do anything you want - drugs, sex, biogame I'm feeling so good, the computer is (the computer is) You can do anything you want - it's the kingdom of machines
My flesh and blood body I part with a BYE BYE You too from today will be a robotic human Capacity is at 100%, all functions complete So long flesh and blood body, BYE BYE Too late, you're already a robotic human That cybertic body of yours is truly fantastic Ceramics
I by, the power bestowed, by your body I, will be, keeping on loving you...!
Even though my body is machine-controlled, I'll show you that the dream will definitely come true Heart's circuits on the verge of shorting out, are all preparations OK? If the screw on my back is removed and I'm set free, I'll soar the skies To protect the cherished Earth, I'll fight! I'll keep on loving you!
(Even though my body is machine-controlled, the love I hold for you hasn't changed) I'll fully accept (There are parts of my behavior that won't be saved at all!) These overflowing emotions (If the screw on my back is removed and I'm set free, I'll soar the skies) Heartbeat is grating To protect the cherished Earth, I'll fight! I'll keep on loving you!
I recently received a tip about the existence of a previously unheard of
doujin music circle operating in the early 1990s. The information was
embedded within a list in a personal website from the early 2000s, of "doujin CDs, etc. out of circulation"
- music albums that were no longer sold through firsthand channels.
Fortunately, almost thirty years after it was originally released, a single copy
was still changing hands and sold on the Internet, and I was in the right time and place to purchase it..
It is provided as a YouTube video, in full, with tracklist embedded within the video description.
This album is the work of four people: ものえ (monoe), gwn, DEN and Napo.sun. Each provided several of their own tracks, and DEN was in charge of designing the album cover and booklet (or "manual", in his own language). The booklet mainly includes artist comments about the production of each track (detailing the theming and methods of production). The album is dated 1992 on its exterior, but the booklet dates 1993, so I assume this particular copy was not the first production. Music collection Vol. 2 was released in 1994, as per the list mentioned above. Napo.sun later participated in SYNERGY MUSIC NETWORK's SYNERGY4 GENERATE.
I think gwn's use of sampling in "Sure Smile" and "Image Unit" is very impressive. "Image Unit", in particular, felt to me like a much more modern hip-hop track (A blend of Kendrick Lamar and FOREST, perhaps?). When I asked a friend about it, though, he told me it was more like late 80s disco. It's definitely not your run-of-the-mill DTM, so I wonder where gwm got the inspiration from.
What do you think about this album?
The works explored in the previous
posts were indications of developing styles of music that would later become a
symbol of otaku culture - in particular, the denpa-moe music that would
dominate otaku culture the next decade. In this post, I will expand on the
events behind the formation of the band Manikyua-Dan, but before we begin, I
have one comment to give. The production of SYNERGY MUSIC NETWORK compilation
albums MCMLXC, MCMXCI and MYSTERY CASE IN HI! SCHOOL!!
provided the opportunity for amateur and professional composers, arrangers and
lyricists to interact with one another and work together. From MCMLXCI,
they would include comments on their experience within the circle. With any BBS they may have used no longer being maintained in this day of age, these comments are invaluable. Despite this, there is an even better source of information - the websites put up since the advent of the Internet in Japan, somewhere around 1995. My work is nothing compared to the documentation these people put on the Internet more than twenty years back, so my thanks goes out to them.
Artist comments from within the MYSTERY CASE IN HI! SCHOOL!! booklet
Shinji Hosoe (細江慎治) and
Takayuki Aihara (相原隆行), game composers from Namco, joined together to form TROUBADOUR
RECORD in 1991. One year later, in Winter Comiket C43, TROUBADOUR RECORD released their first compilation album Be filled with feeling. Design wise, it was similar to the
previously released SYNERGY MUSIC NETWORK compilation CDs. Note the flavor text and bizarre graphs. I think there is also likeness in the sound, with elements of amateur DTM and professional game composition combining together into one.
From SYNERGY's MCMXCI
From TROUBADOUR RECORD's Be filled with feeling
Following their success , TROUBADOUR RECORD would go on to record two albums for the next Summer Comiket C44: GREAT WALL, an album imaged around outer space, and KAKI-IN 1993・夏,
a compilation album in the same style as the first. The likeness to SYNERGY in design was to the
extent of the latter being mistaken for a new SYNERGY release, as described in the album information page. Shinji Hosoe and Ikuko Ebata (江幡育子), both of which previously participated in SYNERGY albums (Hosoe as たま "tama" and in name, Ebata as Nekoyo and under alias 谷川むつみ "Mutsumi Tanikawa"), encountered one another in one cherry blossom viewing in April 1993. They conversed about the past Nekoya (猫屋) works and if perhaps Hosoe had listened to them before, and then decided to collaborate for the release of KAKI-IN. Together with lyricst Shinji Makino (牧野進司) they created "マニキュア団のテーマ" (Theme of Manikyua-Dan)
Manikyua-Dan website logo (February 1997)
The success of the theme of Manikyua-Dan prompted the first live appearance, which took place in November within venue Shin-Yokohama Space Alter (新横浜スペースオルタ). For the live event, Hosoe and Ebata enlisted the help of three more to liven up the stage: Ayako Saso (佐宗綾子), Nobuyoshi Sano (佐野信義) and Hiroto Sasaki (佐々木宏人). The three were associates of Hosoe and Aihara, working together under Namco on the game Ridge Racer. Saso was placed behind an electronic keyboard, with Sano and Sasaki as dancers at the front of the stage. The three would later become Manikyua-Dan members.
(Below are member portraits from the official website. In top to bottom, left to right order: Ebata, Hosoe, Saso, Sano and Sasaki)
Despite their success, TROUBADOUR RECORD could not yet afford to dedicate an album towards Manikyua-Dan, and so a four-track 8mm CD single was released in Winter Comiket C45, December 1993. Their song from KAKI-IN was rerecorded as an extended single version alongside new songs, like "ぷあぷあ" (Pua Pua). The singles planned to be serial numbered 1~2000, with numbers 1~5 belonging to the five unit members. That is not to say, however, that 2000 CDs were actually printed, or otherwise if they were all sold. Live appearances resumed alongside CD sales, with number of guests coming to the event increases. Their appearances included both original songs and comedy skits. Up until then, they operated under the name of Shinji Hosoe's band 劇団しょうが (Gekidan Shouga), but following their popular live appearances, they decided in favor of naming themselves after their first song "まにきゅあ団のテーマ" (Theme of Manikyua-Dan). It was then that the band name was officially made into Manikyua-Dan. In December 1994, they released their first full album, ラジヲまにきゅあ1374Khz (Radio Manikyua 1374Khz), featuring new original songs as well as versions from their live events.
Over 1995, Manikyua-Dan saw its most immense period of activity yet. Besides three live events across the year, they also recorded two new songs for the TROUBADOUR RECORD compilation album TROUBADOUR to be released in August. Then in September, they released their second full album, らじまに2号 (Radi Mani #2), which contained まにまにステ～ション (Mani-mani Station) original comedy skits as well as recorded songs from live appearances. Manikyua-Dan members participated in the TROUBADOUR compilation album ZUKI-iN 1995・冬 to be released in December, and released a full album of their own the same month, みんなのまにきゅあ (Minna no Manikyua).
Right at the beginning of 1996, they conducted their 8th live appearance. This live appearance was recorded by tape, and later converted into RealMedia video and uploaded on the newly created Manikyua-Dan website somewhere around 1997 (Before then they operated under TROUBADOUR NET, which I believe to have been a BBS). Other RealMedia clips were put on the website as well. After TROUBADOUR RECORDS migrated their website, the section was closed off, but fortunately the files could still be salvaged. For the time being, one clip from the live appearance has been uploaded onto YouTube. The song is "パラ・レ・モーション" from the previous year's TROUBADOUR. Note the position of each member on stage. Please excuse the low quality recording, as that's the extent of what could be shared at the time.
So the first half of the 1990s was sealed for Manikyua-Dan. In the next post we will continue to watch the growth of Manikyua-Dan in the latter half, alongside separate ventures in doujin music within units and bands such as Manikyua-Dan Sepia, O.M.Y., Sound Terror-Rhythm, ANAKREON and the aforementioned Nekoya.
From circle ANAKREON's 1996 album 告白 (Kokuhaku). My translation is not enough to fully deliver the maidenly heart that shines through the words of this song. Composed and arranged by Aki Hata, written and performed by Ikuko Ebata.
Your very thoughts
I didn't want to disturb, so
I sort of avoided us
being together, or something like that
I didn't want to see you, so
I was looking away
In the deep ditch made this way
I got stuck and I can't get out
"I can't stay calm, it's too cruel!"
Though I like you, though I like you, though I like you -
we're far apart, we're far apart, we're far apart
Though I like you, though I like you, though I like you -
we're far apart, we're far apart, we're far apart
"I want to get to know you more -
is what I wanted to say, but I couldn't
That sort of thing... since when?"
In what way am I awkward?
You're so cold, why...? (why...?)
For a reason I don't understand, the mood seems to have changed
I don't get what's going on
The two of us who do not cross paths
Before one knows there's a deep ditch
I want to cover it all but I can't at all
"I'm only pretending to be fine, I can't stay calm!"
"Don't go away", "don't go away", "don't go away" -
I can't say, I can't say, I can't say
"Don't go away", "don't go away", "don't go away" -
I can't say, I can't say, I can't say
"What is it I've done before?
I don't understand! I can't remember
Maybe... that time?"
Though I like you, though I like you, though I like you -
we're far apart, we're far apart, we're far apart
Though I like you, though I like you, though I like you -
we're far apart, we're far apart, we're far apart
Your very thoughts
I didn't want to disturb, so
The two of us who pretended to be okay
Because I didn't want to see you
Because I didn't want to see you
