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 |
Kuroi yami no naka Sotto saiteta |
Inside the black darkness It was gently blooming |
差し伸べてくれた手を 努めずにいる私は |
Sashinobete kureta te wo Tsukamezuni iru watashi wa |
The hand you held out to me Without even trying hard |
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 |
Kuroi yami no naka Sotto saiteta |
Inside the black darkness It was gently blooming |
あきらめたふりをして 期待してしまっている |
Akirameta furi wo shite Kitai shite shimatteiru |
Pretending to have given up I’m counting on you instead |
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 |
Sashinobete kureta te wo Tsukamezu ni iru watashi wa |
I’m unable to take your outstretched hand |
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[]
- ↑ TV Size Romaji and English translation by Aniplex of America