Have been working here and there on a couple different translations, but then Ota Yuuri’s graduation solo came up on my playlist today. I’ve been meaning to get to it, and now seems as good a time as ever!
Except this isn’t her solo song – this is the title track. As they’re linked, and both feature Ota Yuuri, well I decided it was best to take these as a double-header. So to start here I have a sub of her first, and last, A-side center, 初恋至上主義 (hatsukoi shijou shugi / Your First Love is the Greatest).
Both this MV and Yuuri’s solo are available on NMB’s YouTube channel.
Her sudden graduation announcement, just as it seemed she was returning to form and ready to take the head of NMB beside Miru after Sayanee’s graduation, was a big shock to me. I think this song, and her solo, reflect different parts of how she felt and the people around her felt about her. I suppose there’s a lot you could read into this, though I won’t put my guesses down here.
The music is nice and upbeat considering the subject, I guess helping to emphasize the optimism. It does feel very NMB-ish to me (on-brand in a good way; maybe part of that is it throwing in some WOW’s to get stuck in your head). Also everyone’s looking great in the MV, whose choreography also has those characteristic NMB moves. It’s fairly straightforward but nicely composed. I appreciate story MVs in general, and perhaps I have a soft spot for graduation songs in particular.
The end of this video dovetails directly into her graduation solo, which I’ll have coming up next.
NMB48 初恋至上主義 (hatsukoi shijou shugi / Your First Love is the Greatest) Translation by SaitoWinterStar 初恋からずっと WOW WOW WOW hatsukoi kara zutto WOW WOW WOW As my first love WOW WOW WOW 君のことが好きだ kimi no koto ga suki da I've always liked you あの気持ちは ano kimochi wa And those feelings 変わっていない kawatte inai Will never change 街で偶然 machi de guuzen Just by chance バッタリ会った BATTARI atta We ran into each other in town 何年振りだろう nan nen furi darou Just how many years has it been クラス会のテーブル以来 KURASUkai no TEIBURU irai Since we were at that table at the class reunion 田中は元気か? tanaka wa genki ka? How's Tanaka doing? どうでもいい話して dou de mo ii hanashi shite Just making small talk 君はシングルかな kimi wa SHINGURU ka na I guess you're single? さりげなく探り入れた sarigenaku saguri ireta I casually threw in 幼馴染って osananajimi tte As a childhood friend 告白のタイミング kokuhaku no TAIMINGU Finding the right time to confess 照れ臭くって言えなくて terekusaku tte ienakute It's embarrassing and I just can't say it いつまでも友達だ itsu made mo tomodachi da So we'll stay friends 初恋からずっと WOW WOW WOW hatsukoi kara zutto WOW WOW WOW As my first love WOW WOW WOW 気づかれないように WOW WOW kidzukarenai you ni WOW WOW All that time, so you wouldn't notice WOW WOW 胸の奥で叫んでた I wanna keep loving you! mune no oku de sakende ta I wanna keep loving you! I was crying inside my chest, "I wanna keep loving you!" 今更なんだけど WOW WOW WOW imasara nanda kedo WOW WOW WOW Even after all this time WOW WOW WOW このまま見つめたい kono mama mitsumetai I still want to gaze at you in that way だって僕は datte boku wa Because for me 初恋至上主義 hatsukoi shijou shugi Your First Love is the Greatest WOW WOW WOW... お互い何も otagai nani mo Between the two of us 変わってないね kawatte nai ne Seems nothing's changed それは褒め言葉か sore wa homekotoba ka Is that just a compliment? もしかしたら願望かも… moshikashitara ganbou ka mo... Or maybe there's a chance you're wishing... 田中とはしばらく tanaka to wa shibaraku Tanaka, that was a long time ago 付き合っていたんだろう? tsukiatte ita n darou? So you two were dating? わざと冗談っぽく wazato joudan ppoku Sounding like I was joking 過去形でぶっこんでみた kakokei de bukkonde mita I tried throwing that in with the past tense 君が幸せなら kimi ga shiawase nara If you're happy 僕だって嬉しい boku datte ureshii Then I'm happy too でも それ以上 demo sore ijou But further than that 踏み込めないプライベート fumikomenai PURAIBEITO I can't intrude on your privacy あの頃はじっと WOW WOW WOW ano goro wa jitto WOW WOW WOW Those days I was patiently WOW WOW WOW 自分 抑えていたんだ WOW WOW jibun osaete ita n da WOW WOW Holding myself back WOW WOW 傷つくのが怖かった Hard to say I love you kizutsuku ga kowakatta Hard to say I love you Afraid of getting hurt, it was hard to say I love you 意気地なしってことさ WOW WOW WOW ikijinashi tte koto sa WOW WOW WOW I'd say it's that I'm a coward WOW WOW WOW 昔に帰りたい mukashi ni kaeritai I want to go back to those days あとちょっぴり ato choppiri I want to have had 勇気が欲しかった yuuki ga hoshikatta Just a little more courage あれから恋を are kara koi wo Since then いっぱいしたけど ippai shita kedo I've had many loves 初恋以上 hatsukoi ijou But none have been more thrilling ときめくことはないよ tokimeku koto wa nai yo Than that first love 初恋からずっと WOW WOW WOW hatsukoi kara zutto WOW WOW WOW As my first love WOW WOW WOW 気づかれないように WOW WOW kidzukarenai you ni WOW WOW All that time, so you wouldn't notice WOW WOW 胸の奥で叫んでた I wanna keep loving you! mune no oku de sakende ta I wanna keep loving you! I was crying inside my chest, "I wanna keep loving you!" 今更なんだけど WOW WOW WOW imasara nanda kedo WOW WOW WOW Even after all this time WOW WOW WOW このまま見つめたい kono mama mitsumetai I still want to gaze at you in that way だって僕は datte boku wa Because for me 初恋至上主義 hatsukoi shijou shugi Your First Love is the Greatest じゃあ またねなんて jaa mata ne nante Well then, I'll see you later 叶わない約束して… kanawanai yakusoku shite... Making a promise that won't come true... WOW WOW WOW...
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NMB48 — Acting tough – SaitoWinterStar · August 9, 2020 at 4:04 pm
[…] was foretold, here’s my sub of Ota Yuuri’s final NMB song, her graduation solo “Acting […]