Was “Umi no Shizuku” used in an anime or something? I’ve been getting a lot of hits because of that song. I searched but the top result is for a nutritional supplement. Maybe that’s what people are looking for? And they end up here instead. LOL

Anyway, at this point the only EP I’ve done tracks from that I haven’t completed is 2011’s TRUE. So, I decided to tackle “Honnou.” It’s got the harder metal sound that I love. Actually, the guitar reminds me of “Longing” by GACKT, the b-side to “REDEMPTION.” Just that a bit faster.

I couldn’t find an in-depth post about this song on miko’s blog, only this short one from June 8, 2011. She says “Honnou” is “simply and clearly” about “instinct,” that she worked up a sweat recording it, and that reading the lyrics will probably make you feel as if you’re at the show, getting riled up by Jyou. (LOL)

A couple typographical notes about the romanized lyrics: since I don’t have a physical copy of this EP, I’m going off of what’s posted on Rock Lyric, the site I usually use for Japanese lyrics. The first two instances of the pronoun “kimi” (meaning “you”) are written in kanji, the next two are written in katakana, and the last one goes back to kanji. Other lyrics sites display this the same way, so I assume it’s intentional. The change happens in the line about “the real you,” though this does make me wonder why the last “kimi” wasn’t also in katakana. I’ve reflected this difference by writing the katakana version in all caps.

Also, the lyrics sites don’t use parenthesis to indicate the little asides(?) that miko(?) is singing, but it’s easier for me to follow the lyrics putting them in. (I feel like there’s a proper technical music term for this. Maybe quodlibet?)

Lyrics in Japanese can be found here on Rock Lyric: https://rocklyric.jp/lyric.php?sid=58007

And so, on to it!

☆

HONNOU

Shall we dance?

nani mo shiranai orikouna kimi e tsugu
kono basho ni mayoikomu kowasa wo shitteiru kai?

(ima nara ima da) joushiki ni oshitsubusareta mukuna kimi
(modoreru wa yo) muchitsujona sekai e youkoso

kaihou shitemisete umekomareta hakai no shoudou
Moving shadows nugisutereba hora
mune ni kakusu honnou

dare mo shiranai hontou no KIMI e tsugu
rakuen wo mitsuketa yasuragi ni yoikurue

(kuse ni naru to) mukishitsuna repurika ni warawareta KIMI
(modorenai wa) taikutsuna sekai ni sayonara

kaihou shitemisete uso de shibaru ibara no kusari
Falling enemy awarena yatsura wo toriko ni saseru honnou

kaihou shitemisete umekomareta hakai no shoudou
Moving shadows nugisutereba hora
kowaku wa nai

nukidasu saibou osaerarenai riaruna yokujou
Would you dance with me? kimi ga hitsuyou da
sotto akasou ima sasayaku honshou wo

INSTINCT

Shall we dance?

Let me tell you something, my sweet summer child¹
Do you know how scary it is to get lost in this place?

(It’s not too late yet) Oh you, crushed down by social norms²
(You can still go back) Welcome to a chaotic world

Set it free, show me that buried urge to destroy
If you throw off the moving shadows, you’ll see
The instinct hiding in your heart

I’m talking to the real YOU that nobody knows
Lose yourself in the intoxicating peace of finding paradise

(Once you’re hooked) YOU, ridiculed by an inhuman replica
(You can’t go back) Say goodbye to the boring world

Break free of the thorny chain that binds you with lies
Falling enemy
Instinct will make slaves of those pathetic people

Set it free, show me that buried urge to destroy
If you throw off the moving shadows, you’ll see
There’s nothing to be afraid of

Your DNA laid bare, the real passion you can’t hold back³
Would you dance with me? I need you
Let’s reveal it tonight, just the two of us⁴
Our true nature whispering now

---

^1. A direct translation of the first line would’ve been “Well-behaved person/child/pet who doesn’t know anything, I tell you,” which sounds absolutely dreadful. Originally I wrote “You clever, clueless girl / Let me tell you something,” but the pronoun “kimi” isn’t exclusively used for girls, and I was glossing over the difference in nuance between 利口 and お利口 (clever versus well-behaved or obedient). So while “sweet summer child” is a bit of an artistic liberty, it actually captures the meaning of the original words well, just that perhaps with an added hint of what some will take as internet sarcasm despite the phrase’s much older history. ⤴

^2. The word 常識 (joushiki) is usually translated as “common sense,” but I feel like in contemporary American English “common sense” has come to mean something more akin to “knowledge,” or rather, that if you don’t have it, you’re stupid. E.g. saying “common sense isn’t common.” That’s not what this song is about. “Common practice” would be a better choice, but I think that “social norms” is ultimately the clearest choice in this context, especially given the first line referring to the You in the story as “well-behaved.” ⤴

^3. The lyrics say “cells,” not “DNA,” but I feel like even though we’re made of cells, to ascribe instincts to individual cells rather than a bigger collection of them is kind of weird. Maybe I’m just thinking of Hojo (FFVII) or the line “The cells I am at the moment will soon die / but I will be here” in the song “Cells” by The Servant. ⤴

^4. I’m going on the assumption that そっと (sotto) here means “in private” rather than “in secret” or “gently” given that the latter two meanings don’t mesh with the rest of the song. Also I’m assuming that 明かす (akasu) is a double entendre, using both of its meanings “to pass the night” and “reveal.” ⤴