But I thought Kakumei was Revolution? DAMN THOSE JAPANESE AND THEIR MULTI-WORDED . . . !!!!

*SPazzes*

Hey, I made the disclaimer that I could be wrong.

If you want the link, I will provide: Lyrics to Absolute Destiny Apocalypse (framed site)

Note the differences between what they have listed and what the subtitles say. There's a difference there. So if anybody's wrong, it's the site I linked.

Oh well- I like my first Nanami duel song:

Revolution, Evolution, Everlution.

I think there's an essay about it in the notes with OST4, but I don't have that handy right now...  I think it's just an analysis of the song itself, and its relation to the play it's originally from, pre-SKU.

Last edited by Imaginary Bad Bug (05-03-2007 09:00:58 PM)

Geneon, who released (some of) the OST's use the translation "The Revelation of Absolute Destiny."

I assume their translation was done more directly, word-for-word rather than ecompassing the idea behind the title.

Incidentally, for the lyrics at they end, they've translated the word revelation in rearranged form:

Geneon wrote:

revelation lationreve
tionrevela larevetion
revetionla tionlareve

Last edited by Ragnarok (05-04-2007 01:02:55 PM)

I thought the definition of armeggedon was a climactic battle between good and evil. And that the mountains were an area which saw some large scale battles?

brian wrote:

Those words seem like almost gibberish to me and perhaps that is the point. Maybe they are just metaphysical Akio-esque smoke designed to distract the duellists.

What?  You mean ZUM plays over PA speakers as Utena ascends to the duelling arena?  I thought it was music to set the mood for us, the viewer.





That would be interesting though if the duel choruses played in the arena as they dueled.  The only thing is it might devalue the metaphorical nature of the duels themselves...  All of a sudden it would be a spectator sport.

Last edited by Imaginary Bad Bug (05-04-2007 10:15:06 PM)

Stormcrow wrote:

brian wrote:

Someone once claimed that absolute destiny apocalypse could be translated as: final revelation of destiny. Any thoughts?

apokolipsos from the Greek, translates literally to revelation.  Thus, the most recent book from the new testament was originally called "The Apocolypse of St. John the Divine", and only later came to be known as Revelations.  Through this association, apocolypse came to mean "The End of the World".  Damn, I love etymology.

On a related note, armageddon (sp?) derives from the Hebrew Har-Megidon, which signifies the mountains near the town of Meggido.  How it came to mean the end of the world, I have no idea.

More related notes!
Mokushiroku isn't really the Japanese word for Apocalypse, that's Mokushi. That little -roku means 'record.' Literally translated, it means "The Record of the Apocalypse." Which is the Japanese translation of the Bible's name for "The Apocalypse of St. John The Divine." So there you go, it's actually talking about the Bible! Kinda.

It makes mine hurt too, but it's worth it.

Mokushi kushimo shimoku kumoshi moshiku shikumo is nonsense, I promise   Senseless anagrammania to create a falling-apart effect of a kind that it's hard to replicate in English.  For my very favorite example of this kind of Japanese syllable-play, see the later dueling song "Astragalus Earthly Backgammon:"

Watashi watashi watashi watashi watashi watashi SOFIA watashi watashi watashi SOFIA watashi watashi SOFIA watashi SOFIA watashi SOFIA wata SO shiwa FI tashi A watashi SOFIA wa SO ta FI shi A!

If I were subbing "mokushi kushimo shimoku kumoshi moshiku shikumo," I can see myself using any of the options that have been mentioned.  I think I'd probably end up going with an alternate way of creating the impression of semantic chaos:

Revolution, revelation, evolution, elevation, dissolution, desolation!

Of course, the "mokushi kushimo" line doesn't literally mean ANY of that, but the feeling of chaotic wordplay is preserved.

As has been mentioned, mokushi = apocalypse; mokushiroku = the Book of Apocalypse (i.e. of Revelations).  It's farfetched to translate "zettai unmei mokushiroku" as "revelations of the absolute destiny" on this basis, however; while "apocalypse" in English derives from a root meaning "revelation," "mokushi" in Japanese does not, and the song is after all written in Japanese.  If Ikuhara wanted to play with that kind of double meaning, he'd have used the English word "apocalypse," as he used the English word "revolution" in the opening song to suggest a double meaning that "kakumei" does not carry.

Last edited by satyreyes (05-06-2007 12:43:05 PM)