Bakemonogatari Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Bakemonogatari Wiki

perfect slumbers is the opening theme song of the Nekomonogatari Black anime. It was performed by Yui Horie, who voices Tsubasa Hanekawa. During the TV broadcast, it was only featured on Tsubasa Family: Part 1. During the home media release, its usage was expanded to Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

It is also featured as the first opening theme of Koyomimonogatari in Episode 01.

Background[]

"perfect slumbers" is a J-pop song with instrumentation from acoustic guitars, bass guitars, strings, drums and piano. It is set in common time, and is currently the slowest song used for the Bakemonogatari series at a tempo of only 80 BPM. The song is mostly accompanied by acoustic guitar and bass guitar, and begins with soft strings, joined by maracas softly added into the song up to the rest of the song. The drums, on the other hand, are added from the first verse, with rhythm changes during the bridge sections. Throughout the song, the vocalist sings alone, accompanied by backup vocals at key portions of the song. The major 7th chord is used frequently. The song ends with a short instrument coda by piano.

The song carries a slow and somber pace compared to the dramatic rhythm of Horie's other song for the Bakemonogatari series, "sugar sweet nightmare", and that of other songs in the series. It tells about a girl's feelings blooming from the darkness, away from her lover's sight, and how she sees the lover's hand as a beam of light, which despite her lover's best efforts, is unable to reach her heart.

Opening Credits[]

The opening credits animation used to accompany the song depicts Tsubasa Hanekawa riding a train and traveling through different places alongside a guitar. Throughout the credits, she is seen with a guitar or a portable CD player with her, and bookmarks are commonly seen. By the last verse of the song, Tsubasa is depicted standing in front of Koyomi Araragi, who is performing a dogeza. At the end, Tsubasa's hair is untied as the background and foreground colors invert, turning black to white and vice versa, and Tsubasa's cat hair ribbon is shown.

The animation is heavily stylized, and is mostly made of silhouettes and shapes that smoothly transition through each other. In the credits, only Tsubasa is rendered in 2D animation.

Lyrics[]

TV Size[]


黒い闇の中
そっと咲いてた
初めての心
君はきっと知らない

差し伸べてくれた手を
努めずにいる私は
あと少しもう少し
君にもっと求めている
それは一筋の光

心の行方を
今は私にたくない



Kuroi yami no naka
sotto saiteita
Hajime no kokoro
Kimi wa kitto shiranai

Sashinobete kureta te wo
Tsukamezu ni iru watashi wa
Ato sukoshi mou sukoshi
Kimi ni motto motomete iru
Sore wa hitosuji no hikari

Kokoro no yukue wo
ima wa mada shiritaku nai



In the blackest darkness
my first emotion
was blooming quietly
I'm sure you don't know that

Although I can't grab your hands
that are reaching out to me
Just a little more
I am longing for more of you
That is a ray of light

I don't want to know yet
where my heart is heading
[1]

Full Version[]

Original Japanese Japanese Rōmaji English Translation
黒い闇の中

そっと咲いてた
初めての心
君はきっと知らない

Kuroi yami no naka

Sotto saiteta
Hajimete no kokoro
Kimi wa kitto shiranai

Inside the black darkness

It was gently blooming
My first heart
And you surely don't know of it

差し伸べてくれた手を

努めずにいる私は
あと少しもう少し
君にもっと求めている

それは一筋の光

Sashinobete kureta te wo

Tsukamezuni iru watashi wa
Ato sukoshi mou sukoshi
Kimi ni motto motomete iru
Sore wa hitosuji no hikari

The hand you held out to me

Without even trying hard
A little more, just a little more
I'll be seeking it out

It's a beam of light

心の行方を

今は私にたくない

Kokoro no yukue wo

Ima wa watashi ni takunai

And right now

It doesn't shine where your heart lies

黒い闇の中

そっと咲いてた
はじめての心
今日も云えないままで

Kuroi yami no naka

Sotto saiteta
Hajimete no kokoro
Kyou mo ienai mama de

Inside the black darkness

It was gently blooming
My first heart
And I can't say it up to now

あきらめたふりをして

期待してしまっている
君になら君となら
だからこそ怯えている

Akirameta furi wo shite

Kitai shite shimatteiru
Kimi ni nara kimi to nara
Dakara koso obieteiru

Pretending to have given up

I’m counting on you instead
If it’s you, if it’s with you
That’s the very thing I’m scared of

それは あたたかな光
Sore wa atataka na hikari
That’s my warm light
多分今はまだきっと夜明け前

君のとなり微睡みながら明日を待ってる

Tabun ima wa mada kitto yoake mae

Kimi no tonari madoromi nagara asu wo matteru

I think I’m sure that dawn still hasn’t come yet

I’m waiting for tomorrow while napping by your side

差し伸べてくれた手を

つかめずにいる私は
あと少しもう少し
君にばかり求めている

Sashinobete kureta te wo

Tsukamezu ni iru watashi wa
Ato sukoshi mou sukoshi
Kimi ni bakari motometeiru

I’m unable to take

your outstretched hand
But I’m almost there, give me a little longer
You’re the only one who I’m asking for

それはひとすじの光
Sore wa hitosuji no hikari
That’s my one ray of light
はじめての心

君に 気付いてほしくて

Hajimete no kokoro

Kimi ni kizuite hoshikute

I want you to notice

this emotion that I’m having for the first time

Trivia[]

  • The theme of the opening credits appears to tie up with Tsubasa's dream of traveling in the Bakemonogatari series.
  • A verse shown, albeit shortly, in the opening credits reads: "Books with your life. And bookmark to your heart's."
  • Tsubasa is seen using a DMP, a conceptual music player that is supposed to play mp3 files and CDs as well.
  • In Tsubasa Family, Part 4, the last verses of the TV Size version are changed from Kokoro no yukue wo ima wa mada shiritaku nai (I don't want to know yet where my heart is heading) to Hajimete no kokoro kimi ni kizuite hoshikute (Hoping that you will notice my first feeling)

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. TV Size Romaji and English translation by Aniplex of America

Navigation[]

v  e
Music Released for the Monogatari Series
Openings 1. Staple Stable • 2. Kaerimichi • 3. Ambivalent World • 4. Renai Circulation • 5. Sugar Sweet Nightmare • 6. Futakotome • 7. Marshmallow Justice • 8. Platinum Disco • 9. Perfect slumbers • 10. Chocolate Insomnia • 11. Happy Bite • 12. Mōsō Express • 13. White Lies • 14. fast love • 15. Kogarashi Sentiment • 16. the last day of my adolescence • 17. Orange Mint • 18. decent black • 19. mathemagics • 20. Yuudachi Houteishiki • 21. mein schatz • 22. terminal terminal • 23. dreamy date drive • 24. dark cherry mystery • 25. wicked prince • 26. 07734
Closings 1. Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari • 2. Naisho no Hanashi • 3. Kieru Daydream • 4. Ai wo Utae • 5. Sono Koe o Oboeteru • 6. snowdrop • 7. Hanaato -shirushi- • 8. border • 9. Sayonara no Yukue • 10. whiz • 11. Étoile et toi • 12. SHIORI • 13. Azure
Soundtracks 1. Staple Stable & Afterstory • 2. THE IDOLM@STER Break! Volume 3 Mini-Album • 3. Bakemonogatari OST 2 • 4. Bakemonogatari Complete Soundtrack • 5. Utamonogatari • 6. Utamonogatari 2 • 7. Nisemonogatari & Nekomonogatari Black Original Soundtracks • 8. Monogatari Series Second Season Original Soundtracks • 9. Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu Original Soundtrack • 10. Kizumonogatari Part 2: Nekketsu Original Soundtrack • 11. Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu Original Soundtrack
Miscellaneous List of Music Used in Each Episode
Advertisement