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Today on the iM@S official site, Bandai-Namco announced that the upcoming Nintendo DS game iDOLM@STER Dearly Stars will go on sale September 17 2009 for 6279 yen, just in time to distract me from school. It will have a CERO rating of C (15 years old+). There doesn’t seem to be any details regarding a special edition of Dearly Stars but surely being from a hit franchise like iM@S is bound to have one and I’ll be enough of a sucker to buy it.

Can’t wait to play it this fall. Definitely planning to choose Mizutani Eri, the hikikomori idol, first (the blue-haired one). By the way she is voiced by Hanazawa Kana AKA Zange-chan (Kannagi).

I don’t normally do TV size lyrics but considering that I’ve been on a 07th Expansion translation frenzy lately, I decided I might as well. The reason I don’t usually do TV size cuts is because I can’t guarantee the same accuracy from listening and transcribing as I can from looking at lyrics booklets. Anyway I am pretty confident that this is mostly accurate. Special shout out to atlantiza for helping me figure out two of the lines. Enjoy.

うみなりの調べに
Uminnari no shirabe ni
At the melody of the rumbling sea

この雲は空へ集う
Kono kumo ha sora he tsudou
These clouds gather in the sky

嵐を呼ぶ風は高らかに
Arashi wo yobu kaze ha takaraka ni
The wind calls the tempest loudly

謎めく言の葉に
Nazomeku kotonoha ni
With enigmatic words

魔女たちは含み笑う
Majotachi ha fukumi warau
The witches laugh at the hidden meaning

歪な夜の宴は繰り返す
Ibitsu na yoru no utage ha kurikaesu
The banquet of this warped night repeats again

奈落へと堕ちる
Naraku he to ochiru
Descend to hell

金色の蝶
Kin’iro no chou
Golden butterflies

いくつの罪に花を許してゆくの
Ikutsu no tsumi ni hana wo yurushite yuku no
How many sins does it take to forgive the flowers?

泣かないで囚われた
Nakanaide torawareta
Don’t cry over your imprisonment

幻想を壊し
Gensou wo kowashi
Smash this illusion

一度きりの終焉をあげよう
Ichido kiri no shuuen wo ageyou
For a moment I’ll give you an end to your demise

果たせない約束が胸の奥焦げ付いて
Hatasenai yakusoku ga mune no oku kogetsuite
This unachievable promise is burned onto the inside of my chest

赤く赤く果ててくよ
Akaku akaku hateteku yo
Go perish in blazing red

Another wonderful Higurashi no Naku Koro ni song by anNina. I just love how the lyrics describe Rika’s feelings of committing sin during Saikoroshi-hen. Being the 07th Expansion fan that I am I have translated this set of lyrics in addition to the usual transliteration. Please enjoy.

Romaji

Itaku nai you ni Yasashiku ayameta
Kotoba ni okikaete Kanashimi wo wasureta
Aa Ima Nani wo nakushita no darou

Tsumi to iu oto no narabi kara Omoiegakareta
Tsugunau koto mo kanawanai Yume no kioku
Nozomareta kono sekai kara Kiete naku natta
Itsumo sude ni kaketeiru Hito no inori

Kagami ni utsushita Jibun no sugata ga
Shiawase wo shiru hodo ni Futashika ni natte yuku
Aa Mada Hoshii nani ka ga aru no ni

Kyouraku no koe ga kikoenai Ima wo mitasu no ha
Akanau sube mo ubawarete Ikiru itami
Ikinobiru dake no sekai nara Mayoi kizutsuite
Hito wo suki ni naru you na Ai ha iranai

Osaetsukerareta sekai kara Imi wo ushinatte
Koboreochita genjitsu ha, doko he yuku no?
Watashi ga tsumi wo seou koto wo Anata ha nozonda
Watashi wo utsusu kagami no mae ni ha Dare mo inai

English Translation

Painlessly I murdered them gently
I replaced it with words and forgot the sadness
Ah, what have I lost now?

I was made to imagine a list of sounds called sin
It won’t come true, this memory of a dream of atonement
From the world I had longed for they disappeared and vanished
The prayers of people always damaged

The more my figure reflected in a mirror understands happiness
The more uncertain it becomes
Ah, yet there is still something that I want

Fulfilling this present where I can’t hear voices of pleasure
This method of compensation and the pain of living was taken away
If it is a world where I am merely surviving
I don’t need to ambivalently wound or love other people

From the world that I am pinned down I parted with meaning
This scattered reality, where is it going?
You wished for the sin that I am burdened with
In front of the mirror reflecting myself everyone is gone

Kanji

痛くないように　やさしく殺（あや）めた
言葉に置き換えて　悲しみを忘れた
ああ　いま　何をなくしたのだろう

ツミという音のならびから　思い描かれた
つぐなうことも叶わない　夢の記憶
望まれたこの世界から　消えてなくなった
いつもすでに欠けている　人の祈り

鏡に映した　自分の姿が
幸せを知るほどに　不確かになってゆく
ああ　まだ　欲しい何かがあるのに

享楽の声がきこえない　今をみたすのは
あがなうすべも奪われて　生きる痛み
生き延びるだけの世界なら　迷い傷ついて
他人（ひと）を好きになるような　愛はいらない

抑えつけられた世界から　意味を失って
こぼれ落ちた現実は、どこへ行くの？
私がツミを背負うことを　あなたは望んだ
私を映す鏡の前には　誰もいない

Finally the opening single I have been waiting for the most has come out! Super scription of data is a brilliant song and the lyrics match so well with Rika’s story that I obviously HAD to transliterate and translate it. I also included two translator’s notes at the end. I can’t wait for the last episode of Rei. Anyway enjoy!

Romaji

Oshiemashou ka?
Sono kawari dare ni mo iwanai yakusoku shite ne
Yubikiri genman Uso Tsuitara hari senbon

Oritatamareta mama Ugomeiteiru monogatari wo
Hirogete misete yo Kako mo mirai mo
Super scription of data

Umarekawaru tabi ni umekomareta
Iro no tsuita KURISUTARU
Sono nanairo Subete Dasorotta toki

Mekurumeku rin’ne ha PURIZUMU no ken de tachikirarete
Kanashimi no kakera ha Mou doko ni mo nai
Super scription of data

Anata ga nozomu kara
Sore ha itsudatte soko ni aru
Anata ga kaeru nara
Subete ga kawaru
Super scription of data

Mekurumeku rin’ne ha PURIZUMU no ken de tachikirarete
Kanashimi no kakera ha Mou doko ni mo nai
Super scription of data

English Translation

Shall I tell you?
Promise me you won’t tell anyone else, okay
Let’s pinky promise; if you lie swallow a thousand needles

While it’s still folded up unfold the wriggling story
And show it to me, past and future
Super scription of data

Every time I was reborn
I was buried in tinted crystals
Whenever those seven colors were all present

The blinding cycle of death and rebirth cuts me apart with a prismatic sword
And the “kakera” of sadness is already gone
Super scription of data

Since you desire it
It’s always there
If you can change
Everything will change
Super scription of data

The blinding cycle of death and rebirth cuts me apart with a prismatic sword
And the “kakera” of sadness is already gone
Super scription of data

Translator’s notes:

• 輪廻 (rin’ne) is literally the Japanese word for samsara, a religious term. I decided to go with “cycle of death and rebirth” rather than “samsara” since Higurashi really doesn’t really have anything to do with Buddhism.
• 欠片 (Kakera) is literally fragment. Since it is written in the lyrics using katakana (カケラ) and because the term has a special meaning in Higurashi I opted to keep it as “kakera.”

Kanji

教えましょうか？
その代り誰にも言わない約束してね
指切りげんまん　嘘　ついたら針千本

折りたたまれたまま　蠢いている物語を
ひろげてみせてよ　過去も未来も
Super scription of data

生まれ変わるたびに埋め込まれた
色のついたクリスタル
その七色　すべて　出そろった時

めくるめく輪廻は　プリズムの剣で断ち切られて
悲しみのカケラは　もうどこにも無い
Super scription of data

あなたが望むから
それはいつだってそこにある
あなたが変えるなら
すべてが変わる
Super scription of data

めくるめく輪廻は　プリズムの剣で断ち切られて
悲しみのカケラは　もうどこにも無い
Super scription of data

Earlier this week I was approached by Nabiki to help scanlate the Umineko no Naku Koro ni manga with the promise of cleaning and typesetting. I had been thinking about translating the manga as well except that I didn’t have any help so I decided to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. After a little bit of hard work we are proud to present our first release! We picked up at chapter 6 where other groups have stalled. It can be downloaded here. New releases will be updated on the WTDND blog. I hope you guys enjoy!

Last December I wrote that I got Gift’s FumoFumo Touhou Plushie Reimu and Marisa. Nearly half-a-year later I have finally gotten more Touhous to add to my collection. To be precise I received FumoFumo Alice, Patchouli, Remilia and Sakuya this afternoon. I was originally supposed to get Remilia and Sakuya in February but Toys Logic failed incredibly hard despite my early pre-order so I once again turned to Shopping Mall Japan to help me snag them at Yahoo Auctions Japan. I got Remi, Sakuya, Alice and Patchy for about 7000 yen per pair which is close to retail price and after fees and shipping about the same price I would have paid at Toys Logic so in the end it worked out. (There are a few things that Toys Logic offers that other sites don’t that I’m interested in such as the Saki Mahjong Set but I’ll be wary the next time I try to order from them).

Unfortunately I’m still missing Flandre from my collection since I ran out of money. Hopefully I’ll add Flan later. There’s also a giant version of the Reimu Plushie but I’d rather save my money for possibly more of the regular-sized ones assuming Gift continues to release more.

Earlier today a new trailer for the upcoming summer anime Umineko no Naku Koro ni was unveiled on Famitsu.com. Unlike previous teasers this new one actually features scenes taken from the anime instead of graphics from the game. The art and animation look really good although admittedly it really isn’t that hard to top Higurashi with the sole exception of Rei. The girls look really pretty and so do the guys who themselves look rather bishounen. The adults look surprisingly good as well and the expressions look perfect especially Maria’s creepy stare. Too bad there is no footage of any of the supernatural beings including Beatrice herself. How am I supposed to know how sexy Mammon and the other Stakes of Purgatory are!?

It also appears that the first airing will be on Chiba TEREBI July 1st at 25:30 (Wednesday) which corresponds to midday where I live. I wish it was a Friday since that would be easier to schedule for subbing purposes but whatever.

EDIT: My group SEACATS released a translated version.

I don’t know the exact details but a 45 second cut of Umineko no Naku Koro ni’s anime opening song was leaked on Nico Nico Douga recently. Interestingly enough it seems the English fan community has invaded and left a bunch of English comments which the Japanese don’t seem to enjoy very much. Quite hilarious if you ask me. Video below for convenience:

The song is similar in style to the original game’s opening and is sung by the same artist so I am sure it will please fans. Trying to imagine the accompanying animation is somewhat hard but it would be nice if they eluded to the original openings from the games and changed scenes for each of the four episodes. Definitely looking forward to the TV version and the full-size to be released August 19.

(In a related note, I may be helping fansub the Umineko anime.)

After much anticipation the Witch Hunt has finally released the last patch for Umineko no Naku Koro ni Episode 4: Alliance of the golden witch. Like always this patch contains the complete text of all 4 Umineko episodes released thus far since Umineko 4 itself includes all 4 sound novels. For those who have yet to try this amazing series there isn’t much excuse since everything so far is translated so I suggest now would be a great time to get started especially if you want to try to solve the mystery of Rokkenjima. You can think of it as preparation for the anime version which will be released in a few weeks as part of the summer season. Download Links for the patch can be found here.

Thanks a bunch to everyone who has worked on these English patches for your insight and speed! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

K-ON! is by far my favorite anime out of all the shows I’m watching this season so I was excited to have another new member joining the Light Music Club. Of course the first thing I wondered about was what Azusa would bring to the show and after watching episode 9 all I have to say is LOVE.
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