Title: ワタシケンシ (I am Kenshi)
Circle: 森羅万象 (ShinRa-Bansho)
Vocal: あやぽんず＊ (Ayaponzu*)
Lyrics: azuki
Arrangement: kaztora
Release Date: Dec 30, 2018

It took 7 years for me to find a Youmu arrange that I like, and it turned out to be one of the longest and most lyrically advanced song I’ve ever come across.  This song relies a lot on wordplay like homophones in order to drive the story’s narrative.  I don’t think I’ve figured it all out yet, but I gave it a shot and I’ll come revisit this translation down the line later once I’m more fluent.  The song appears to be about Youmu’s journey to finding out her true self.  She started by waiting for others to tell her what she is, but discovered that it was up to her to determine her own identity out of other things that sound similar.

Romaji

knock·knock yo·shi a·shi no ki·me·te wa
o·to·shi·go·ro o·to·shi·do·ko·ro
knock·down o·mo·to·me wa a·chi·ra he
mi·ya·ge·ba·na·shi ni shi·te

[collapse]

  • ノックノック 良し悪しの決め手は
  • お年頃 落としどころ
  • ノックダウン お求めはあちらへ
  • 土産話にして
  • Knock-knock, the line between good or evil
  • becomes compromised as an adult
  • Knockdown, I wish to tell you
  • of my travels[1]Literally, a souvenir story. to that faraway place

Romaji

se·ka·i wa shi·ro·ku·ro da-te
nan·te ki·me·tsu·ke·cha·wa·nai·de
mo-to ka·ra·fu·ru ni i·ro·dzu·i·te
ha·na sa·ka·su wa

[collapse]

  • 世界は白黒だって
  • なんて決めつけちゃわないで
  • もっとカラフルに色づいて
  • 花咲かすわ
  • Even if the world is black and white
  • don’t make such assumptions
  • Change things to be more colorful
  • and you’ll make the flowers bloom!

Romaji

chou·shin·sei wa·ta·shi wa
chi·ri ki·wa no ka·ga·ku han·nou
i-tou·sei wa·ta·shi wa
do·chi·ra no i·ro ni so·ma·ru no ka·shi·ra

[collapse]

  • 超新星 わたしは
  • 散り際の化学反応
  • 一等星 わたしは
  • どちらの色に染まるのかしら？
  • I’m a supernova
  • on the verge of a chemical reaction
  • I’m a first magnitude star
  • I wonder what color I will be ?[2]The story starts off with the singer being fierce, ready to receive her “test results”.

Romaji

do-chi? do-chi? do-chi? do-chi?
na·ga·ku no·bi·ta ken·shi da-te
i·ro ki·dzu·i·ta wa ko·no shi·ken·shi

[collapse]

  • 【どっち？どっち？どっち？どっち？】
  • 長く伸びた犬歯だって
  • 色気づいたわ　この試験紙
  • Which one? Which one? Which one? Which one?
  • Even though I bared my fangs[3]Fang (lit. canine) is a homophone of Swordsman, both pronounced “Kenshi”.  Possibly the litmus test is telling her that she isn’t that type of “Kenshi”.
  • I realized the color of my litmus test

Romaji

check·mate o·ta·ga·i no a·shi·do·ru
ka·n·kei wa ma·wa·ru ha·ma·ru wa
check·out o·ka·e·ri wa a·chi·ra he
mi·ya·ge wa na·shi ni shi·te

[collapse]

  • チェックメイト お互いの足取る
  • 関係は廻る　嵌るわ
  • チェクアウト お帰りはあちらへ
  • 土産は なしにして
  • Checkmate, we trace each other’s steps
  • The relation is circular and we’re stuck
  • Checkout, I am being sent all the way home
  • without any souvenirs[4]The same word for souvenir used in the first stanza.  Possibly means that though she feels the test was meaningless, the experience itself ended up having meaning in the end.

Romaji

ju·ken wa pe·i·pa·a da-te
dan·tei ho·ra pe·i·ha·a tan·tei
san·sei ha·n·ta·i de ki·me·chau de·mo·ku·ra·shii

[collapse]

  • 受験は初心者ペーパーだって
  • 断定ほらpH探偵
  • 賛成反対で決めちゃうデモクラシー
  • Though the exams were only on paper
  • The verdict was delivered by a big-shot pH investigator[5]The results were delivered by someone with authority, and she felt that could not dispute them.
  • A democracy that decides conclusively with yeas and nays

Romaji

ne·e wa·ta·shi no mo·no ni
ma·da ma·da ma·da so·ma·ra·na·i no
na·ya·mi no ta·ne mo pa-to chi·ra·se·te
ha·na sa·ka·su wa

[collapse]

  • ねぇ わたしのものに
  • まだまだまだ 染まらないの？
  • 悩みの種も パッと散らせて
  • 花咲かすわ
  • Hey, is mine
  • not yet, not yet, not colored yet?
  • Though it should worry me, I suddenly tear everything up
  • and make the flowers bloom!

Romaji

sou·tai·sei wa·ta·shi wa
sa·ri ki·wa no bi·ne·tsu han·nou
ze-tai·sei wa·ta·shi wa
ji·bu·n no i·ro wo o·bo·e·te·i·ru no?

[collapse]

  • 相対性 わたしは
  • 去り際の微熱反応
  • 絶対性 わたしは
  • 自分の色を覚えているの？
  • I am relativity
  • A mild fever from getting ready to leave
  • I am absolutivity
  • Do I remember what my own color is?[6]I’ll be honest, I have no idea what this passage means.

Romaji

do-chi? do-chi? do-chi? do-chi?
shi·ro to ii·ha·ru ken·shi da-te
ji·ki ni so·ma·ru wa ko·no shi·ken ni
ko·no shi·ken·shi

[collapse]

  • 【どっち？どっち？どっち？どっち？】
  • 白と言い張る検視だって
  • 直に染まるわ この試験に
  • この試験紙
  • Which one? Which one? Which one? Which one?
  • Even though the autopsy report insists on white[7]Autopsy report is also pronounced kenshi.  A white litmus test means no reaction.
  • I’ll paint it on myself, right on this test
  • On this litmus test

Romaji

shi·n·ji·ta mi·chi su·ra
u·ta·ga·fu mi·chi·su·ga·ra ka·ra·ku·mo
ma·yo-te i-po fu·mi·ha·zu·shi·ta

[collapse]

  • 信じた道すら
  • 疑ふ道すがらからくも
  • 迷って 一歩踏み外した
  • Though I believed in my path
  • I began to doubt when things got tough
  • I got lost, took a step astray

Romaji

hi·to fu·ri fu·ta fu·ri
mi·bu·ri mo te·bu·ri mo wa·su·re·te
mou i-kai mou ii kai?
ho·ra ha·na sa·ka·su wa
pa-to sa·ka·su wa

[collapse]

  • 一度ひと振り 二度ふた振り
  • 身振りも手振りも忘れて
  • 【もう一回 もういいかい？】
  • ほら　花咲かすわ
  • 【パッと咲かすわ】
  • I wavered once, I wavered twice
  • forgetting the motions of both my hand and body
  • One more time, are you still fine?
  • Look, I’ll make the flowers bloom!
  • Suddenly, the flowers bloom!

Romaji

zen da-te a·ku da-te
su·i·da·shi·te ka·ga·ku han·nou
ai·mai ni ni·ji·n·de
ke-kyo·ku sai·go wa ka·mi·sa·ma ma·ka·se

[collapse]

  • 善だって 悪だって
  • 吸いだして化学反応
  • 曖昧に滲んで
  • 結局最後は神様まかせ
  • Whether good or evil
  • I’ll suck it all out and produce a chemical reaction
  • Blur it out and
  • leave the final conclusion to God!

Romaji

do-chi? do-chi? do-chi? do-chi?
dou ni mo kou ni mo na·ra·na·ku·te
do-chi? do-chi? do-chi? do-chi?
ji·bun i·ro ni so·me·a·ge·ta

[collapse]

  • 【どっち？どっち？どっち？どっち？】
  • どーにもこーにもならなくて
  • 【どっち？どっち？どっち？どっち？】
  • 自分色に染め上げた
  • Which one? Which one? Which one? Which one?
  • No matter what, I couldn’t change it
  • Which one? Which one? Which one? Which one?
  • I had to color it in for myself

Romaji

chuu·sei ni na·ra·na·ku·te
nan·de nan·de nan·de da·rou-te
i·ro ki·dzu·i·ta wa ko·no shi·ken·shi

[collapse]

  • 中性になれなくて
  • なんでなんで なんでだろうって
  • 色気づいたわ この試験紙
  • Though I’m not used to the indifference[8]The indifference of the world, perhaps
  • though I asked why, why, why?
  • I realized the color of my litmus test

Romaji

do-chi? do-chi? do-chi? do-chi?
a-chi? ko-chi? so-chi? do-chi?
do-chi? do-chi? do-chi? do-chi?
dou ni ka kou ni ka na-cha-ta
do-chi? do-chi? do-chi? do-chi?
ken·shi ken·shi shi·ken·shi ken·shi
i·ro ki·dzu·i·ta wa wa·ta·shi ken·shi

[collapse]

  • 【どっち？どっち？どっち？どっち？】
  • あっち？こっち？そっち？どっち？
  • 【どっち？どっち？どっち？どっち？】
  • どーにかこーにかなっちゃった
  • 【どっち？どっち？どっち？どっち？】
  • 犬歯 検視 試験紙 検診
  • 色気づいたわ わたし剣士
  • Which one? Which one? Which one? Which one?
  • That one there? This one? That one? Which one?
  • Which one? Which one? Which one? Which one?
  • Everything turned out alright somehow
  • Which one? Which one? Which one? Which one?
  • Fang, autopsy, litmus test, health exam
  • I realized my color[9]Color can also mean type., I am a swordsman

Notes

Notes
↑1 Literally, a souvenir story.
↑2 The story starts off with the singer being fierce, ready to receive her “test results”.
↑3 Fang (lit. canine) is a homophone of Swordsman, both pronounced “Kenshi”.  Possibly the litmus test is telling her that she isn’t that type of “Kenshi”.
↑4 The same word for souvenir used in the first stanza.  Possibly means that though she feels the test was meaningless, the experience itself ended up having meaning in the end.
↑5 The results were delivered by someone with authority, and she felt that could not dispute them.
↑6 I’ll be honest, I have no idea what this passage means.
↑7 Autopsy report is also pronounced kenshi.  A white litmus test means no reaction.
↑8 The indifference of the world, perhaps
↑9 Color can also mean type.