Whether it be Valentine’s Day, a birthday, Christmas, or an anniversary, nothing complements a message of love better than some romantic lyrics.
But lovers beware!
By falling back on tried and true English love songs, you run the risk of dedicating your partner a track they’ve heard a hundred times before — which could make your message less special. (Especially if it’s a song you yourself have already shared with them in the past.)
How can you avoid awkward silences and maximize emotional impact, then?
It’s easy: Choose songs originally written in a language other than English (namely, Japanese) instead!
In this flashback post, you’ll discover 5 anime songs from the 2020–2021 season whose romantic lyrics will have your special someone swooning in no time -- in ways they’ve never experienced before. You’ll even pick up some Japanese knowledge along the way!
Don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with any of the songs or anime on this list -- we’ll include an English translation and short synopsis of each one. (We’ve adapted the summaries found on My Anime List and Anime News Network for the latter.)
Now then, let the serenading begin!
Contents
#1: Home
Anime
Fruits Basket: 2nd Season
Japanese lyrics
Hitori kiri de wakaranakute hagureteta
Bokura ga deau made wa
English translation
I was lost and all alone
Until I met you
Where’s the love?
There’s something undeniably heartwarming about the idea that one person can give (or restore) meaning to your life.
Maybe you feel safer with them nearby, or they make you laugh in ways you never have before. Maybe they’re the first person you ever felt like you needed to protect. Or maybe it’s all of that at once, in that the happiness they’ve brought you has in turn motivated you to bring happiness to them.
Whatever the situation, one thing is perfectly clear: You’re not alone anymore -- physically, mentally, or even spiritually. And you love them because of it.
Language of love
Hagureru means to lose sight of someone or something and wander astray. It’s getting “lost” in terms of a disconnect and separation rather than physical location and compass directions. Couple that somber imagery with hitorikiri (“alone”) and wakaranakute (“unknowing”) and you’re talking about being disheartened, disillusioned, and unsure of your place in the world.
Deau refers to a chance, yet significant, encounter. It’s more poetic and dramatic than the regular meeting verb, au (as in aitai, or “I want to see you”), and it contrasts perfectly with the loneliness depicted in the first line. You’re really driving home the fact that your special someone is the direct source of your newfound happiness.
About the anime
A year has passed since Tooru Honda began living with the Souma family. Though she has grown closer with its members and become familiar with their ancestral secret, she learns that the truth is darker than she first presumed…
#2: Kioku no Hakobune ("Ark of Memories")
Anime
Deca-Dence
Japanese lyrics
Oikakeru hodo ni tooku naru
Sora no aosa no you na yume da to
Anata wa mata warau no kana?
Ii ya isshoni itekuretara
English translation
Will you laugh and say, once again,
That my dreams are just like a blue sky?
That the more I go after them, the further away they slip?
I don’t mind -- as long as you’re here with me
Where’s the love?
To many, a significant other isn’t just a romantic partner, but also a best friend. Odds are they’re the first person you turn to when the going gets tough: They listen to you complain, wipe away your tears, and give you a nudge when you just can’t take that first step. Out of love, kindness, and respect, they’re right there beside you on every step of your journey.
With these lyrics, you’re reminding your significant other that they’re your pillar, your rock. Their love gives you insurmountable strength -- enough to tackle any challenge head-on -- and you’re a much better person for it.
Language of love
Hodo indicates increasing degree: the more you do something, the more something else happens as well. You could say yomu hodo omoshirokunaru (“the more I read it, the more interesting it gets”), for instance. In these lyrics, there's a certain desperate lament to be felt in the notion that something slips farther away the more you try to grasp at it. It's a sad lonely feeling, no doubt.
Still, there's one (romantic) saving grace -- and it's in the final line.
First you’ve got isshoni, or “together.” Then there’s itekuretara, which combines the verb iru (to be) with kureru (“do me the favor of”) and presents it as a hypothetical using tara. It’s not enough for your special someone to simply be “hanging around” ad hoc. No, what you’re saying is that it’d mean the world to you if they were kindly there with you — not so much to provide comfort from the storm, but to weather it together.
About the anime
In the distant future, lifeforms known as Gadoll suddenly arise as a threat to humanity. Earth’s survivors confine themselves to the Tank, a lower district in the giant mobile fortress Deca-Dence. While most Tankers are content to provide support behind the scenes, Natsume would much rather be on the front lines…
#3: Kimi no Rhapsody ("Your Rhapsody")
Anime
Show By Rock!! Mashumairesh!!
Japanese lyrics
Omoi wa omoi wa motto afureteku
Kikasete tsutaete ima no kimochi wo
Tomaranai tomedonai
Hontou ni suki na hito ni deaetanda
English translation
These emotions keep overwhelming me
Let me know how you feel right now
It won’t stop, it just won’t
After all, I’ve met someone I truly love
Where’s the love?
Affection, like all emotions, is dynamic. It can burst into existence, swell and subside, or even dry up and disappear completely. Happily, these lyrics are all about affection that knows no limits -- to the point where even you’re confused. Imagine liking someone so much you simply don’t know what to do!
Here, you’re declaring in no uncertain terms that you truly love your special someone (hontou ni suki na hito), while also alluding to the uncertainty of such an encounter in the first place (via the verb deau, as with Fruits Basket’s Home). It’s romantic juxtaposition at its finest!
Language of love
Afureru means to overflow or overwhelm, and the teku ending indicates forward movement in either space or time -- in other words, an action that will continue on into the future. Here’s a common example: Nomimono katteku? (“Should we buy a drink [before we set off for our destination]?”)
In the second line, you’re deliberately tweaking common Japanese word order (subject-object-verb) by placing the object -- ima no kimochi wo, or “my current feelings” -- at the end. This is for dramatic emphasis and rhythm: your feelings pack more of a punch than the verbs kikasete and tsutaete (both essentially meaning “tell me”) in this case, and you want your partner to know it. It’s called touchihou (倒置法); we’ll likely revisit it in future blog posts.
About the anime
Though she enjoys her peaceful life in the countryside, Howan decides to pursue her dream of musical stardom when she passes an audition in the big city. Meanwhile, guitarist Himeko feels uneasy after being placed in a band with two other young artists. Under the glittering lights of Midi City, these two musicians will discover something together that they could never achieve alone.
#4: Blue Horizon
Anime
Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table
Japanese lyrics
Tada hitori de wa koishi demo
Tsumazuite shimai sou na watashi ni mo
Sashinobete kureta te hanasanai you ni
Kimi to asu no sora e
English translation
Alone, I’d stumble over even the smallest stones
And yet still you offered me your hand
Now that we’re together, I won’t ever let go
So onward to tomorrow, with you by my side
Where’s the love?
Reciprocation is an essential part of any loving relationship. If one of you isn’t putting in the legwork, it could be a sign that something important is lacking -- whether it be affection, respect, dedication, or all of the above.
You’re telling your partner how grateful you are for their love -- given in spite of your shortcomings, no less -- and that you’ll always offer the same love in return. You won’t ever let their kindness go to waste.
Language of love
These lyrics paint a forlorn picture of how imperfect your life was before your partner entered it, naturally elevating them in the process. Tsumazuku (to stumble) combines with the te shimau ending (“unintentional”) and sou na adjective modifier (to look like) to seal the deal: if you couldn’t even maintain your footing on small stones (koishi), how did you ever hope to stand on your own two feet at all?
Asu no sora e (literally “onward to the skies of tomorrow”) alludes to the deepening of bonds as you journey together with your partner into the future, as unlike the destination marker ni (as seen in a phrase like byouin ni iku, or “go to hospital”), the particle e places more focus on the direction of movement and the trip itself. It’s a subtle yet fairly important distinction, and one that screams hope.
About the anime
It’s been a year since Shiroe and his friends were trapped in Akiba due to the Catastrophe. Their forging of the Round Table has brought order and prosperity to its people. But fracturing political alliances and the constant menace of the Genius monsters threaten to destabilize all they’ve fought for and built. Can faith be restored, or is the Round Table’s destruction truly inevitable?
#5: Gotoubun no Katachi ("The Form of Fifths")
Anime
The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬
Japanese lyrics
Watashi dake mitete hoshikute
Nanifuri kamawanai
Chanto tsutaenakya
Hayai mono gachi damon
English translation
Look at me, nobody else
Might seem crazy, but I don’t care
I simply have to tell you
Before anyone else does
Where’s the love?
Sometimes all you need to do for some extra closeness is express your feelings in a pure, unaffected way. No fancy words, no superficial sentiment -- just you and your special someone. In a world where instant gratification via the Internet and social media has become the norm, the desire to sit down and really converse with someone -- about how important they are to you, no less -- is a romantic breath of fresh air.
These lyrics are a reminder that what matters most isn’t how the people around you perceive your relationship; it’s how the both of you view it yourselves. Others can scoff and smirk all they want, but if you’re with the person you love, why let it bother you?
Language of love
Mitetehoshikute merges the hoshii ending for desire with the verb miru (to see), using the latter’s continuous form to stress that you want your partner to always have you in their mind. Interestingly, it’s a sentiment that might not immediately come to mind in everyday life; but that’s precisely what makes its initial placement here so touching.
Tsutaenakya takes the verb tsutaeru (to tell, convey) and adds the ever-important nakya ending of requirement. This ending comes in many forms, but the shorter nakya, nakucha, and naito dame are most typically what you’ll hear in casual speech. Misa over at Japanese Ammo has a great grammar guide about the subject if you’d like to learn more.
About the anime
Through their tutor Fuutarou Uesugi’s diligent guidance, the Nakano quintuplets’ academic performance shows signs of improvement, even if their path to graduation is still rocky. However, as they continue to cause various situations that delay any actual tutoring, Fuutarou becomes increasingly involved with their personal lives, further complicating their relationship with each other.
The language of love
The anime we showcased here belong to a wide variety of genres (slice-of-life, sci-fi, music, fantasy, adventure, comedy), and yet still manage to have a common focus: human emotions and relationships.
We suppose it’s little wonder, then, that their opening and closing songs focus on love -- the greatest emotion of all.
And while the concept of love is itself universal, it's always nice to see how languages other than your own -- English, in this case -- go about expressing it.
Over to you!
What romantic words in this post would you like to say to your special someone?
Which of the 2020–2021 anime showcased here is your favorite?
Let us know in the comments or drop us a line on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)! We’d love to hear from you!
Other articles you'll enjoy
For more unique takes on your favorite anime and game franchises, give the articles below a gander:
- Tokyo Revengers' Mikey: 5 Hard Facts You Must Never Forget
- 5 Crucial Lessons that Fruits Basket Teaches You About Bonds
- Pokémon Trainers Beware: Pikachu is Unstoppable.
Thanks for reading!
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