YOASOBI-'Idol' DEEP SONG & VOCAL STUDY (60 minutes)

Bro what is ado did a cover of this song @____@ I don't think I could handle it

Definitely watch the first episode of the anime. It tells Ai's story just as the song did

I read (but cannot confirm myself) that the same vocalist recorded the English version of the song despite not speaking English. It seems believable enough since her phonemes aren't *perfect* in it, but for just doing it phonetically it's absolutely mind-blowing, if that's the case! It's also a different translation, as makes sense necessarily to make it fit the melodies/cadences of the original song. I've heard a lot of English covers of anime songs, but if that's true I think this is the only one I've heard by the same artist...does that still count as a cover? Anyway, as others have said if you want more context the best way is probably to watch the show. It gets dark, as one would expect, but is overall pretty entertaining. I'll get flak for this, but imo the English dub is solid -- I certainly enjoyed it. As with most it's more of a localization than the subtitled version would be, and some don't like that while others don't like the voice acting. Very much a personal preference thing.

Several people commented how you should watch the first episode. I don’t know how you would watch the first episode without watching the rest of the series! So perhaps it will be another series you can watch on your channel with everyone.

for the idol culture thing, it seem to be an unfamiliar concept in the west but the thing is that in East Asia (I mean China, Japan, Korea, as far as I know) people treat "idol" and "artist (like pure singer/songwriter, band, vocalist, dance group)" as almost a complete separate thing. I did realize this kind of difference doesn't exist in the West tho. In general, for idols, usually looks, visual and personality is more important. Idols sell relationship and identity more than music and crafts. This isn't a controversial take or anything tho, ask pretty much any Chinese, Japanese, or Korean person they'd tell you the same thing. And tbh if you called a non-idol (singer/songwriter, band, vocalist, dance group) an "idol", their fans might be weirded out as if you're downplaying their artistry. (at least in China and Japan, Korea can be slightly different because idols are more mainstream there) The main reason why "idols" can get a tons of backlash whenever they're found dating, because in general, idols rely more on core parasocial fans' support instead of casual listeners, or people that just simply enjoy their artistry/craftsmanship. Which is why as you said, sometime Korea can feel less extreme when it come to idol dating tho. Cuz pretty much the entirety of K-pop is idols, and the line between idol and artist is more blurred, ESPECIALLY for the most popular, mainstream idol groups. Because they are able to succeed without relying on those traditional idol dynamics. But in Japan or China, the line between idol and artist are more clear, because pretty much all the mainstream artists AREN'T idols. So most idols do mostly rely on parasocial support from core fans to succeed. For westerner it might seem silly for fans to get mad over celebrity dating, (cuz idol culture doesn't really exist here) but you have to understand the entire idol culture is rooted from parasocial relationship, the industry encourage and actively attracts those kind of people. cuz like it or not, parasocial fan spent the most money. & Idol fans (mostly in China and Korea) are also expected to mass stream songs (Im saying like on multiple devices, 24/7) and spent a lot of efforts to promotes their idol on social media, otherwise other fans wouldn't even consider you a real fan. (This is NOT a fringe behavior btw, pretty much every Chinese or Korean person that have a slight familiarity about entertainment circle KNOWS that fans are doing this, which is one of the reason why idols aren't respect as much as artists compare to actors, singers over there) In China, there was even several cases where fans book airport and buy billboards just to promote their idol (Yes you heard it right, FANS brought it). The industry pretty much encourage this behavior too. Obviously bashing or bullying idols over dating still isn't right, but there are a lot of complex reasons for it, fans spent a lot of efforts to support their idols... especially when you consider the work culture in east Asia, where most people are so busy they don't have time to date themselves either. Not saying that idol can't be good singer or artist (cuz obviously that's not true) but it's more like a "wow, this idol happens to also be good at singing~" kinda thing. ...the more I write the more unrelated it becomes to just this song 😅, hope this is helpful.

The first episode literally encapsulates the entire Opening animation, it's basically a movie over an hour long. 100% worth watching and reacting to it, you get SO MUCH insight into idol culture, and the story itself is intriguing. Whether you watch the entire series or not is up to you, but I found it hard to stop watching after the end of the first episode. BTW if you DO watch it, do not forget the end credits.

If you found this intriguing I really think it's worth doing a reaction to at least the first episode of the anime and maybe a few more (Personally I wouldn't recommend committing to the whole show, it kind of gets off topic after the first few episodes in my opinion, most of the juicy stuff about idol culture is at the beginning) This song was really a phenomenon a few years ago, I'm glad you had a good time digging into it! My personal reading of the two Ais in the music video (notice that they're the same character, just coloured differently) is that one is her internal self (the real emotional self), and the other is the performative idol self. I've noticed anime music videos tend to do that kind of thing often, it's like they externalize the interior to give it more symbolic presence. Just a fun language thing, her name written in the Japanese order is "Hoshino Ai", Hoshi means Star, and Ai means Love, it kind of translates to Star's Love, which could be interpreted as the Love of a pop Star, or, since she is passed away (as you discovered in the plot synopsis) it could be Love from the Stars, as if she's looking down on her children from above. Anyway, thanks for the fun break down, I love the sudden key changes in this song, it gives it such a jagged kind of feeling that feels so appropriate for the thematic content

My understanding of the idol culture prohibiting dating, at least in Japan, is that it's about encouraging the parasocial relationship; i.e. an idol can't date because their fans are supposed to be able to imagine that they're dating the idol. There's a bit of that in the two different words for "secret" they use in the lyrics. When answering the "interview questions" at the beginning, Ai says her favorite book is a "secret" (naisho, 内緒), and then a bit later there's the line "secrets that seem visible but invisible" (himitsu, 秘密 is the word for secret here). The first "secret" (naisho) conveys a sense of intimacy - it implies a secret that might be shared with friends. So there's the implication that, if you get close enough to Ai, she might tell you her secret. The word choice is also more feminine. But the second "secret" (himitsu) is more standard and impersonal. It's something you definitely don't want people to know and wouldn't share with others of your own volition. Also the translation of "I won't acknowledge anyone who isn't stronger than anyone else" is a mistranslation. It actually says "You're stronger than everyone, and I won't accept anyone but you"

Glad you discovered that wonderful pearl of an opening to a really interesting anime critique/analysis of the entertainment industry. You really gotta react to even just the first episode, it's a good self contained one big episode centering on AI and her carreer as Idol. And then, you can always choose to watch the rest or not. Yoasobi also did release an english version of the opening with the same singer singing it in english which is just as good. BTW the whole imagery regarding rabbits is due to its associations in japanese language with "lie", as in usagi means "rabbit" but uso means "lie". Ai is wearing a rabbit costume for her performances amplifying the aspect of lying to her audience. Little bonus : The Mephisto cover you analysed of ERB & Banzoin Hakka is the ending for the first season of Oshi no Ko.

if people want to submit anime songs for the livestream here is the google form: https://forms.gle/iJzQLwjodTG4bpJ77