The Brilliant Green – Ash Like Snow
Ash Like Snow is the second OP theme to Gundam 00. I was never a fan of the brilliant green and I still think that this song doesn’t feel OP-ish, but the lyrics are great and the booklet art has Tomoko sitting on Kaneda’s bike while holding an orange Haro, and that’s pretty awesome in my book.
Lyrics translation and more after the break.
The title “Ash Like Snow” is a bit misleading since it reads like “ash-like snow” instead of the “ashes that are like snow” that the song is trying to go for. I think Japanese song writers should stop trying to use English if they don’t speak it.
There was also a typo in the official booklet, which I decided not to follow. It makes me feel better to know that I’m not the only one who makes typos all the time.
Ash Like Snow
the brilliant green
sora akaku someru kokutan no yami
nomikomareta hoshikuzu-tachi
hakanaku furitsumoru hai no yuki
mitsumeta nageki no mado
I never dreamed
kooritsuku
there… I come for you
omoi wa sekibaku no yozora ni
maiagari kudaketa
kono sekai ga katachi wo kaeru tabi ni
mamoritai mono wo
kowashite shimatteitan da
kokoro ni hishimeku haitoku no yami
kimi no koe ga masui no youni
tsumetaku kankaku wo ubatteku
mujun wo oikakete mo
owaranai
naze boku wa tatakau no?
tatoeba hikari ga kieusete
kono hoshi ga ochite mo
wasurenai yo
sono chiisana negai ga
aru beki basho eto michibiku
there I come for you yeah
Ash Like Snow
is falling down from your sky
Ash Like Snow
Let me hear…
why I have to fight?
kono omoi wa sekibaku no yozora ni
maiagari kudaketa
yami wo hiraku eikou to hikikae ni
mamoru beki mono wo ushinatte kita
(It’s falling from your sky)
munashisugiru
(Baby I come for you)
kudakechitta kakera ni kizutsuku tabi
tozasareta boku no kokoro wa
tsuyoku naru koto wo erande
koko made kitan da
Ash Like Snow
the brilliant green
The sky is dyed red by the ebony darkness,
And the distant stardust swallowed up,
In this transient moment as the snowing ashes fall.
I watched it through the window of grief.
I never dreamed
I stand frozen.
there… I come for you.
My hopes were alone in the desolate night sky,
They soared high until they were crushed.
Each time the world changes shape,
The things I want to protect,
I end up breaking them.
Oh, the sinful darkness tugging at my heartstrings,
Your voice is like anaesthesia,
Coldly, it robs me of my senses.
No matter how we pursue our differences,
It never ends.
Why do I have to fight?
Even if the light is extinguished,
Even if this earth disintegrates,
I won’t ever forget:
That tiny wish,
It will guide us to our ideal place.
there I come for you yeah
Ash Like Snow
is falling down from your sky
Ash Like Snow
Let me hear…
why I have to fight?
My hopes were alone in the desolate night sky,
They soared high until they were crushed.
In exchange for glory that triumphs over darkness,
I have given up many things I sought to protect.
(It’s falling from your sky)
This is too futile.
(Baby I come for you)
Every time the scattered broken pieces cut me,
Deep down in my closed heart,
I choose to grow stronger.
And I came this far.
I think this is one of the better song translations I’ve done so far. I’m starting to get the hand of this thing, heh.
You can get the CD from Amazon JP (and the limited edition too).
February 6th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
It’s truly a great song. Had a listen to it on Gendou (TV version), and the full length version doesn’t stretch the quality. Too much.
February 6th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I just want to know what they were inhaling when they decided to put in Sniper Pandas.
Heh.
February 6th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Lolz. I watched the clip and felt that the Sniping Pandas were stupid. The song is nice, but the vid really ruins it all. The clip of Wana is the best amongst all 4 songs IMO.
February 6th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of the video, but the tune itself is all right in my book. I’d have preferred something sweeping and orchestral, but I appreciate that this isn’t the way anime OPs go right now, which is fair enough.
Also, the red futuristic bike and the Haro do improve things, somewhat.
February 6th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Finally! I was looking for the kanji. Darky if I were to arrange the scores, can I use your kanji and romanji?
Btw happy Chinese New Year. xD
February 7th, 2008 at 6:42 am
I think she has a great voice. But she’s just so… fugly…
February 7th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Happy Chinese New Year and wish that you get lots of red packets and new year goodies to eat!
February 7th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
“Ash like snow” is not Engrish. To me it means ash that is like snow at first glance, and I don’t see why you’d read it the other way.
February 7th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
The music video highlights what I see to be a general lack of creativity in Japanese music videos. It basically pans through the same three still scenes of her either riding a motorcycle with a haro in the foreground, her speaking into a walkie talkie, and then the full band with some exploding in the background, all with her looking kind of confused and unsure of what’s going on. And I don’t mean in terms of the bizzareness of the whole video, I mean she looks like she was just woken up and asked to record in five minutes time.
I’m amazed though that they actually showed the band. It’s so rare for a group headlined by a female singer to show anything other than her singing and looking pretty. Okay, I guess that’s actually a general improvement then. Certainly better than the Friends MV, but a far cry from some of the classic American Music Videos of the 80′s and 90′s. Song’s good though.
Oh and even though I don’t celebrate it, Happy Chinese New Year. Hope people have a good time.
February 7th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
omo: Actually, it is Engrish. The word “like” is being used as a verb when its intended meaning in the title is only valid when it is used as an adverb.
The intended meaning is only obvious because we, as the readers, don’t expect ashes to hold any feelings for snow. But here’s another example…
There is a huge difference between the two.
The Engrishy title lends itself to confusion because it happens to sound like “ash-like snow” in spoken conversation, reversing the intended meaning.
February 7th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Pffft. Smart alec =P
Oh well, need someone to keep people straight. But lets smack and laugh at DM anyway XD
February 8th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I love this songs. Lost count on how many times I’ve listen to this song. The PV was really good. Go Gundam 00 Theme Songs!!!!!!!
February 11th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Why is it that I’m being reminded of Tommy February6?
February 11th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Thanks for the page and site! Good stuff, and a really great service and resource. Arigatou gozaimasu.
I can’t tell if TP is making a joke or not on Feb. 11? ‘Cause, you know, she’s the same person?
As far as the lyrics go, there’s actually no grammatical problem with the title of the song or its usage. DarkMirage, you’re off about the use of like as a verb here (in the actual English she wrote). Omo’s right. Evidence within the lyrics:
“Ash Like Snow
is falling down from your sky”
That’s a perfectly fine use of “like” adverbially, or rather prepositionally in a simile. The form “Ash (like snow) is falling down from your sky” might make it clearer through the use of parentheses, but it’s not necessary for the grammar to be correct.
Like many song titles, that nice line is cut from the lyrics and brought to the forefront. There’s nothing to suggest that reading “like” as a verb is expected from the title. “Like” is used as a comparative, even in the title. Ash (noun) like (preposition) snow (object of the preposition “like”) = standard simile.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like#As_a_preposition_used_in_comparisons
The title is actually more poetic than most English titles I’ve seen here in Japan. I wouldn’t criticize Tomoko too much for this one. Consider “Lips Like Morphine” by Kill Hannah or “Lips Like Sugar” by Echo and the Bunnymen, “Head Like a Hole” by Nine Inch Nails, “Love Like Blood” by Killing Joke, etc.
Peace!
February 26th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
dm: sorry, it’s not Engrishy. Maybe American, but not Engrishy. Go to answer.com and look it up at the bottom. It’s an informal conjugated form.
March 14th, 2008 at 4:38 am
Hey Kyoji
Please be glad that someone is willing to spot out the difference.So stop acting like a kid.
March 21st, 2008 at 2:56 pm
awesome..one of their best songs..
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
erm in the third sentence from the last :
tozasareta boku no kokoro wa
閉ざされた僕の心は
though she sang “wa” I thought its supposed to be “ha” or something?
is this some kinda special quirk to the language??
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:31 pm
or maybe she’s singing whatever she wants but upon visiting other sites with romanji versions of the lyrics…
tozasareta boku no kokoro o
was found..
so wtf?!
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 pm
You can call it a quirk… But it’s more like a fundamental part of the grammar.
And I just checked the official lyrics booklet. The other sites are wrong.
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Ash Like Snow by The Brilliant Green « Langitku, Duniaku, RumahkuAugust 12th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
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December 15th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Hey Darkmirage, do you have an online translator or have you learnt Japanese enough to translate? How long does one take to learn the language? I’m thinking about unofficially learning the language during my free time– targeting for an overseas scholarship in two years time.
January 18th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
the は ‘ha’ is pronounced ‘wa’ when it comes after a noun. Its part of the language.