Now, for something a bit different! Since Akarui Mirai is one of my favorite songs ever, I decided to do something special about it. Translating it in English wasn’t enough. Translating it in Italian wasn’t enough.
In the world of Sega’s rhythm game Chunithm, there are several characters and universes. These characters can be selected before playing, and each one of them has their own gameplay effects and story. This post is a translation of the story of Rockstar★Amy, the character on the jacket cover of Akarui Mirai.
Please note that BUTAOTOME doesn’t have any involvement in the creation of Rockstar*Amy and her story, outside of providing her character song. However, she is partially based on them, since she has a stuffed bear, cat, and rabbit playing instruments.
By the way, I’m not going to translate other Chunithm character stories. Unless BUTAOTOME will provide another original song, maybe. However, I’m considering translating the Sybylla Seireiki stories, since I’ve read they are extremely dark. But they are completely unrelated to this website (as they have absolutely no Pig contribution), and I don’t have another public space where I could publish them…
TL Notes
Most of the places mentioned are actual Tokyo districts. They are written in katakana in the original text.
There are several words related to the Japanese Edo era. And samurai stuff.
Kabuki: Japanese classical drama
Dokuganryu: literally “one-eyed dragon”, it was a nickname for Date Masamune, a regional ruler of Japan’s Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period.
Kabukimono: Edo-period eccentric who attracted public attention with their eye-catching clothes, peculiar hairstyle, and weird behavior
Komyo Army: they are fictional, and only featured in this story (not in other Chunithm stories). Interestingly, “koumyou” (光明) can mean “bright future”.
Seppuku: form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment.
Iai: Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.
Crossroad killing: “tsujigiri” in Japanese. It’s the practice of samurai to test their new katana by attacking a random passerby
Kirisute Gomen: right of samurai to kill commoners for perceived affronts
Original text from the unofficial Japanese Chunithm Wiki.
“Leave the logic behind! Burn your soul! I’ll be the embodiment of Japan’s magirock!”
Name: Ami Todoroki
Age: 17
Occupation: kabuki rocker (vocalist and guitarist)
Secret weapons: stuffed animals, Air Kissel
Illustrator: Kotetsu Kishida
Song: Akarui Mirai
EPISODE 1 – Rockstar★Amy “Leave the logic behind! Burn your soul! I’ll be the embodiment of Japan’s magirock!”
An eccentric girl from the north. She uses a Kissel guitar.
She usually takes a slanted stance with her Dokuganryu style, and is labeled as a delinquent by those around her.
However, she is a maiden at heart. Her longing for the freedom expressed by rock music led her to play her own sounds.
Having grown up in an old-fashioned neighborhood, her words and actions are a bit out of sync with the times, but her sound is rather new and unfashionable.
Dressed in a punkish modified school uniform and boots, and accompanied by her band members (stuffed animals), she aims to conquer the holy land of Harajuku while battling with the hard-headed people who don’t understand the concept of kabuki and arts.
EPISODE 2 – The beginning of the journey. Ami Todoroki, our Rockstar★Amy, sets out for the capital with a wholehearted determination.
I don’t know. I can’t help it.
I just decided to go to the capital.
Even if I keep talking with the stony-headed oafs, I won’t get anywhere. The world is not moving forward.
If you want to say that our tradition is to live patiently in the cold, grass-covered countryside, that’s fine.
I’m going to leave that tradition here.
I’ll just burn it in the bath heater with the firewood.
It’s really smoldering and not likely to burn much.
Oh well! Let’s get going.
Did I forget something?
My soul is my guitar. With its brand new neck. Good.
The outfit I got from Asakusa. It’s perfect.
Bro, I’m surely prepared! Thank you!
So, who else wants to be my companion?
EPISODE 3 – A kabukimono and her friends. Amy had three dependable bandmates who accompanied her through rainy and snowy days.
Hurry up, or I’ll leave you behind.
Are you ready? Let’s do roll-call!
Kuabear! *drum sounds*
Nekocat! *piano sounds*
Usarabbit! *guitar sounds*
…Can’t you do something about your names?
I know they’re my beloved bandmates, but…
Well, I don’t really care about names.
What matters to us is the sound. And the soul.
After all, I, too, have inherited the local tradition of a strong and passionate soul that can withstand a snowstorm.
I’m not ashamed of it. Even though it’s a tradition, I’m proud of it.
I want to keep the pride, but I just want to change the way we do things.
Yes. To test ourselves, to make sure.
We’re going.
The members are all here, and we’ll leave when the snow stops.
EPISODE 4 – Brother eyeball. I have heard that Amy’s brother has very large eyes and also has good eyesight and deep insight.
Huh? What is it, bro? Are you that worried about me?
Well, I’m the one who gave you your share of preparation, so I’m afraid you won’t be able to keep up.
It can’t be helped. Let’s go together.
In the meantime, why don’t you just stick to my head?
To tell you the truth, I don’t really know what the capital is like… This is only my third time going there.
And I’ve never been south of Ueno.
Look. Mail order is so convenient these days.
You don’t have to go far to shop.
Bro, have you ever seen Harajuku?
It’s a good idea to get into the capital before you are too old and moody.
Even bro will be bothered when the rice planting starts.
Oh, I remembered that there are places to eat over there… I’ll prepare a lunch box.
EPISODE 5: Refusing a Kissel on the train. There’s no way Amy would take a train without a ticket. She’s a very disciplined kabukimono, by the way. What a walk.
Wait a minute! I just want to get on the train… Why am I being let off?
What? “If you’re going to put such a big bag and stuffed animals on the chair, you’ll need to pay the ticket for three people”?
How stingy.
I don’t have any money either, but…
All right, all right, I’m getting off. I won’t take the train.
I’m going to walk to the capital!
Ten miles a day! Thirty miles in three days! We’ll make it!
Come on, let’s walk. You’re already exhausted.
Bear, you’re not strong enough to be a drummer.
Hey Cat, don’t take any detours.
Rabbit is sleeping on the side of the road. How reckless!
It’s getting late in the evening… We’ll continue tomorrow.
Bro, shall we stay here today?
If not, we’ll just stay out in the open… It’s still cold, I don’t like it.
EPISODE 6 – Tempura, and then sushi… I’ve heard that the ninja specialty is shuriken throw. And if you’re hungry, even Amy is soul food.
When the sun comes up, we just walk, and when it gets dark, we sleep.
As we went south like that, the shurikens flew in.
Hey, you assholes, you’re the rumored Komyo Army!
I hit the Komyo ninjas that suddenly appeared with my Kissel guitar. This thing is tough as nails.
It’s so tough it won’t break. I hit and hit. They’re blown off. Good.
But I’ll have to re-tune my guitar later.
The ninjas scurry off, and we continue walking, but we’re hungry.
We’ve already eaten all the lunch we brought on the way out, and as usual, we don’t have any money, so we get some food locally.
I went fishing with my bro along the coastline. Great catch.
It must be thanks to the bait that Cat prepared.
Bear was handling the fish from one end to the other, turning them into tempura and sushi. I was just impressed by his skill.
Freshly caught fish is the best. Don’t hesitate to eat it, bro.
Rabbit was asleep again. Doesn’t she want to eat?
EPISODE 7 – Hesitation marks. Amy has experienced seppuku!
Do, don’t get me wrong! I mean, don’t look so hard.
I’m not showing off my belly!
The scar on my belly is probably a surgical scar. Huh.
Appendicitis. This is also what was called in the old days. Hey, bro.
I’m afraid of getting sick in my belly. If it gets worse, it will be full of holes.
The doctor who stitched me up was so good that I thought I’d learn to sew from him.
And yet, the stitches are so clear?
It’s fashion, fashion.
The stitches on my belly are completely different from the ones of appendicitis.
The appendix is on the right side of the belly, right?
Oh, by the way, the band members are torn and a lot of the wadding is coming out…
I’ll take care of them as soon as I can, using a doctor’s sewing needle.
I feel sorry for them if they don’t get cleaned up.
EPISODE 8 – Harajuku. Amy’s group has finally arrived at the capital. They are going to make a name for themselves in the world.
We crossed the Tonegawa and Arakawa rivers, and finally, we landed in the capital!
We visited Ueno’s museum, which my bro wanted to see, and I made a lot of money from street performances along the way, so I bought studs at Ameyoko to strengthen my equipment.
Now it was time to hit the holy land of Harajuku.
By the way, how do I get to Harajuku from Okachimachi… How do I take the metro?
The capital is bustling with people, and it really feels like a city.
What kind of place is Harajuku?
I’m sure I’ll get familiar with it, gathering information from magazines and rumors.
If you start with the appearance, you won’t be fooled if it looks great.
A land where everything from gothic to punk to slashes can coexist.
Freedom and longing are in Harajuku! Of course!
I’m a little concerned about the fact that there seems to be a lot of Komyos in Harajuku…
But we’ll do our best and win. And let’s change the world.
EPISODE 9 – Are you ready? Amy has decided to challenge the masters to a duel in Kagurazaka.
As we were running down Kagurazaka, which we had climbed by mistake, a lot of samurai were approaching us from the other side.
Hey, you assholes! It’s the Komyo army again!
The Komyo hermits surrounded me.
They’ve even called in an Iai master, and they’re really serious.
“Sensei! Please!” I said.
They’re rather serious in trying to kill me.
Isn’t crossroads killing a crime in the capital?
We were outnumbered and didn’t want to get my brother or the band members involved, so I asked to fight the Iai master.
Somehow, my opponent agreed.
Stay away from me, guys. It’s okay, bro.
I’ve got the strength in my arms that you gave me,
that’s why I’m hanging on to it!
Come on, come on. The game will be decided in a moment. I’ll be back.
EPISODE 10 – Kirisute Gomen. I’ve slashed something trivial again.
The Iai master across from me jumped.
With a bang. He kicked a tree. Then he drew his sword.
I looked up at him. The sun was shining so brightly that I couldn’t make out the direction he was coming from.
But there was nothing to worry about.
There was no doubt that he was aiming for me.
Even if I couldn’t see him, I just had to safely intercept him right there.
I also drew my sword.
I didn’t want to use this one, but I had no choice.
The guitar neck of my Kissel guitar is a hidden sword.
With my traditional blow, my opponent was cut off with a snap.
The Komyos hurried away with Iai-sensei, whose body was cut in half. I’ve won.
Aaah. But.
I’ve slashed something trivial again.
I don’t want to use a sword too much because the blade will get rusty.
I wanted to settle this with a guitar if possible.
EPISODE 11 – A staggering tomorrow. Beyond the wall, there is a bright future. That’s what Amy believes.
We’ve finally arrived in Harajuku.
This is where the rampage begins. My heart is filled with anticipation.
And yet, Harajuku was so quiet.
There were few colors and no crepe shops at all.
There was no gothic, no punk, no lollipop, no hip-hop, and no talent stores.
Isn’t that strange? It doesn’t feel like anything I know.
This Harajuku is like a fake.
There are “under construction” signs and walls all over the place.
To be honest, there were too many walls, and they were really an obstacle.
Since no one was looking, I decided to test something and smash down one of the walls.
…Therefore, on the other side of the broken wall, there was a future.
But it wasn’t finished yet… It seems I came too early.
Well, we’ll continue tomorrow. Okay, bro?