Lyrical Landscapes Volume I: 新宝島

Taking a closer look at Sakanaction's "Shin Takarajima"

Greetings, and welcome to the first edition of Lyrical Landscapes, a series of translations and deep dives into some of my favorite Japanese songs. In this first entry, I’ll be covering Sakanaction’s 2015 hit “Shin Takarajima.”

Written as a theme song to the film “Bakuman,” this song yearns to take another to a 新宝島 (Shin Takarajima - “New Treasure Island”). In the movie, the dejected son of a manga artist falls in love with an aspiring voice actress, and through her finds new strength in pursuing illustration. They agree that after both achieving their dreams, they can marry. In keeping with that theme, the lyrics use the verb 描く (Egaku) which carries multiple meanings including “to draw” as well as “to depict” or “to picture in one’s mind.” It’s a perfect word for the occasion in that each of its various interpretations support its central meaning, and if that’s not poetry I don’t know what is.

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Okay, right off the bat we have some strong, deliberate guitar chords with a light and breezy synth part as a compliment. Then we shift into a more upbeat groove, but don’t forget that intro! After an 8-bar intro, we get our first lyrics:

次と　その次と　その次と線を引き続けた
次の目的地を、目的地を描くんだ
宝島
(Tsugi to, sono tsugi to, sono tsugi to sen wo hiki tsuzuketa
Tsugi no mokutekichi wo, mokutekichi wo egakunda
Takarajima)

The next, and the one after, I kept drawing the next line,

The next destination, the destination I will draw,

Treasure island

このまま君を連れて行くと
丁寧、丁寧、丁寧に描くと
揺れたり震えたりした線で
丁寧、丁寧、丁寧に描く
と決めていたよ

(Kono mama kimi o tsurete yuku to
Teinei, teinei, teinei ni egaku to
Yuretari, furuetari shita sen de
Teinei, teinei, teinei ni egaku
To kimeteita yo)

As it is I’ll take you with me,

I’ll draw carefully, thoroughly, and steadily

With a line that trembled and shook,

I’ll draw carefully, thoroughly, and steadily,

I’ve already decided.

This chorus is just an all timer in my book. The way it ascends with passion and determination to return to a steady midrange to deliver the lyrics of sturdiness is what made this such a karaoke classic in the first place.

次も　その次も　その次もまだ目的地じゃない
夢の景色を探すんだ
宝島

(Tsugi mo, sono tsugi mo, sono tsugi mo mada mokutekichi ja nai
Yume no keshiki o sagasunda
Takarajima)

And the next, and the next one still, the next one is still not the destination.

I will search for the landscapes of my dreams,

Treasure island.

このまま君を連れて行くと
丁寧、丁寧、丁寧に歌うと
揺れたり震えたりしたって
丁寧、丁寧、丁寧に歌う
と決めてたけど

(Kono mama kimi o tsurete yuku to
Teinei, teinei, teinei ni utau to
Yuretari, furuetari shitatte
Teinei, teinei, teinei ni utau
To kimeteta kedo)

As it is I’ll take you with me,

I’ll sing carefully, elaborately, and politely.

Even if I tremble, even if I shake,

I’ll sing carefully, elaborately, and politely,

I’ve already decided, but…

On this note of uncertainty we are left with a single guitar strumming a single chord, with a stripped down synth part over top — the musical equivalent to time standing still during a time of reflection. What’s a better remedy for self doubt than a ripping guitar solo soaring through the sky?

With newfound determination, our singer continues.

このまま君を連れて行くよ
丁寧、丁寧、丁寧に描くよ
揺れたり震えたりしたって
丁寧、丁寧、丁寧に歌うよ

(Kono mama kimi o tsurete yuku yo
Teinei, teinei, teinei ni egaku yo
Yuretari, furuetari shitatte
Teinei, teinei, teinei ni utau yo)

As it is I will take you with me,

I will draw carefully, thoroughly, steadily.

Even if I tremble, even if I shake,

I will sing carefully, elaborately, and politely.

それでも君を連れて行くよ
揺れたり震えたりした線で
描くよ
君の歌を

(Sore de mo kimi o tsurete yuku yo
Yuretari furuetari shita sen de
Egaku yo
Kimi no uta o)

Nevertheless, I will take you with me.

With a line that trembled and shook,

I will draw,

I will shape your song.

And with that final arrival of determination, we hear the same refrain from the song’s introduction, as if to say that the strength to achieve our dreams was within us all along. Aside from that poetic read on things, I always love when a song revisits a refrain like that.

Grammar Notes

• The particle よ (Yo) gives an insistence to the sentence that comes before it. The lyrics utilize this particle more and more as the song continues and our protagonist’s determination grows.

• 丁寧 (Teinei) is a versatile word that generally pertains to politeness or conscientiousness. In this song it’s used to describe drawing and singing, so I took some creative liberties with my translation to give it some variety.

• Japanese uses the particle を (O) with a direct object and a verb to make a basic sentence like in「目的地を描く」(Mokutekichi o egaku - “To draw a destination”), but Japanese is a language of indirectness, and oftentimes the verb is omitted in favor of the implication of a verb. This shows up in the last line of the song「君の歌を」(Kimi no uta o - “I will ____ your song.”). Whether that verb is sing, write, or anything else is up to interpretation.

• This band’s name is a portmanteau of the Japanese word for fish (“Sakana”) and the English “Action.” According to the band, they wanted to be able to adapt to multiple musical styles with ease like a fish in the ocean.

If you enjoyed this song, try out another of Sakanaction’s hits from the same album, 忘れられないの (Wasurerarenai no - “The thing I can’t forget”). A personal favorite of mine, the bass goes all in on that one.

愛を持って、

With love,

gb

These letters are inspired by the Earwyrms playlist and newsletter. Read it here.