doihanko

No note: everyone, 雑/Z: Zatto, 山/Y: Yamamoto, 高/K: Kousaka, 尊/S: Sonnamon.

闇に紛れ地獄さまよう  yami ni magire jigoku samayou Hidden in the darkness, wandering in hell, 月影さえ背負うことなく tsukikage sae seou koto naku With not even the moonlight shining on our back, 敵によりて未来を奪う teki ni yori te mirai wo ubau We seize the future from the enemy 狼隊の術  okamitai houka no jutsu We’re the Wolf Squad, masters of arson 山: あなたのそばで この身崩れようとお支え申す anata no soba de kono mi kuzureyou to osasae mousu Y: Even as my body grows frail, I vow to stay by your side and serve you, 山: : 山本陣内 yamamoto jinnai Y: I, Yamamoto Jinnai 高: 憧れ敬い 誰よりも前で盾となる  akogare uyamai dareyori mo mae de tate to naru K: I adore and revere you, and I will stand before all others as your shield 高:  高坂陣内左衛門 kousaka jinnaizaemon K: I, Kousaka Jinnaizaemon  尊: 炎の中から父を救い守ってくれた  honoo no naka kara chichi wo sukui mamotte kureta S: You saved and protected my father amidst the flames,  尊: あの頃私に出来しは一つ  ano koro watashi ni dekishi wa hitotsu S: So there was only one thing I could do  尊: 死なせはしない 死なせはしない shinase wa shinai shinase wa shinai S: “I won’t let you die, I won’t let you die”  尊: 帰さねばならない 義の名の元に kaesanebanaranai gi no na no moto ni S: “In the name of justice, I must bring you back”  尊: 諸泉尊奈門 moroizumi sonnamon S: I, Moroizumi Sonnamon 雑: 声より先に刃つき 静けさの中 気配消す koe yori saki ni yaiba tsuki shizukesa no naka keai kesu Z: Our blades thrust before our voices are heard; we vanish within the silence 雑: すべてが我らが殿のため  subete ga warera ga tono no tame Z: All for the sake of our Lord すべては明日の夢のため  subete wa ashita no yume no tame This is all for the sake of tomorrow’s dream 山: 背負いし髑髏何を問う  seoishi dokuro nani wo tou Y: What does the skull we bear demand of us? 己の正義ここにある onore no seigi koko ni aru That our justice lies here.  己の心どこにある onore no kokoro doko ni aru Does our heart lie here? 己の忠義ここにある  onore no chuugi koko ni aru That our loyalty lies here 背負いし髑髏未来指す seoishi dokuro mirai sasu The skull we bear points toward the future すべては明日の国のため  subete wa ashita no kuni no tame This is all for the sake of tomorrow’s nation すべては明日の民のため  subete wa ashita no tami no tame This is all for the sake of tomorrow’s people すべては明日の subete wa ashita no  All for the sake of tomorrow 雑: すべては明日の  subete wa ashita no  Z: All for the sake of tomorrow  すべては明日の  subete wa ashita no  All for the sake of tomorrow

Whew! TL notes time. First of all, if you don't know about Tasogaredoki's lore, in addition to the anime movies and episodes you probably already watched, I suggest the bonus pages of volume 50 of the manga, listening to the 2012 song "Tasogaredoki", and Ninmyu 6's rerun.

Again, this is by ear. Once I can find an official transcription, I'll edit this post! So be careful! The part I am most unsure about is:

己の正義ここにある onore no seigi koko ni aru That our justice lies here.  己の心どこにある onore no kokoro doko ni aru Does our heart lie here?

Actually I'm not sure if they ask a question, literally "our justice is here / where is our heart?" or simply repeat onore no seigi koko ni aru / onore no kokoro koko ni aru. In the second line, I do hear a softer sound, so I hear doko instead of koko, but I might just mishear a softer pronunciation. If that's the case, this would change the lyrics to more resolute affirmations:

己の正義ここにある onore no seigi koko ni aru That our justice lies here.  己の心ここにある onore no kokoro koko ni aru That our heart lies here.

Anyways. I've seen criticism of this song being in total contradiction with Zatto's character song that Amako had written back in 2012, and I respectfully disagree! I think the contrast is intentional and fits the themes of Myu16. I want to think the similar imagery between the two songs isn't random. Myu16 tackles the danger of losing your sense of self by devoting yourself to the mission, putting the nintamas' whole-heartedness directly against Tasogaredoki's devotion-to-the-point-of-alienation. Kousaka is the worst example of that alienation and embodies perfectly what Zatto came to hate, and it's shown explicitely in a certain scene where he learns that one of his subordinate died on the mission. Kousaka tells him "He must have been honored to be useful to you. Had it been me..." and Zatto cuts him off shouting "Don't be ridiculous! What superior would rejoice in one of their subordinate dying?" Basically Zatto knows he and his men have no choice but to be loyal to Tasogaredoki, that they're ninja and tools for their Lord before people, and he came to hate that. But of course, if he were to word it, he would betray his subordinates' expectations of him, and they would lose their sense of purpose... So Zatto is stuck in that delicate position. This makes Myu16's song the visible face, the outer layer of Zatto's character ; the ninja devoted to his castle. In turn, the 2012 Tasogaredoki's song is about his more inner, intimate thoughts. As a side note, I do think Zatto has an interesting history where he was pretty much misunderstood by the anime staff at first ; his first voice actor gave a complete different impression of the character. I do think Morikubo Showtaro, his current VA, also evolved in the way he interprets Zatto through the years, getting a stronger grasp of what his character is about. I'm sure Amako's own vision evolved with time too, but she had a pretty solid idea of what she wanted the Wolf Squad to be pretty early on, so I believe that while Morikubo's performance in the Tasogaredoki song is outdated, the lyrics themselves are still very true to Zatto's character and the Wolf Squad.

Hidden in the darkness, wandering in hell, With not even the moonlight shining on our back, We seize the future from the enemy

"Hell" being brought up right at the beginning evokes all the morbid imagery of Zatto's character song from 2012. Here, they operate in total darkness, and I guess it's better for a ninja lol, but in a more poetic context the moon here evokes support and hope (the same way it's used in Hansuke Shunjuu and Rikichi's theme, for example) ; after all, in the 2012 song, the moon is present, but only for the Tasogaredoki ninja's funerals. But it wasn't here for them in life! "We seize the future from the enemy" the idea here is "we take it away from the enemy", so kill to ensure your own people's safety. A hard lesson Kousaka and Yamamoto teaches the sixth years in the musical, that Isaku seems to take it extremely badly!

We’re the Wolf Squad, masters of arson There are three squads in the Tasogaredoki ninja army: the Moon Bear Squad (the main offensive squad), the Black Eagle Squad (for intelligence gathering), and the Wolf Squad, specializing in gunpowder, bomb, firearms, and ambushes by arson. Ironic for Zatto, hm? I wonder if the fire that caused his burns was started by the Wolf Squad...

Even as my body grows frail, I vow to stay by your side and serve you Yamamoto is old, but won't retire ; it's a vow he made after Zatto's father lost his life while protecting him when he was younger. These events were mentioned in Ninmyu 6.

I adore and revere you, and I will stand before all others as your shield Damn okay calm down Jinza. As I said before, Kousaka is probably the most obvious example of that "loss of self" Tasogaredoki ninja go through.

You saved and protected my father amidst the flames... Please watch season 32, episode 63!

Our blades strike before our voices are heard; we vanish within the silence All for the sake of our Lord I said this song is about what Tasogaredoki allows people to see rather than their most intimate thoughts, but it's still very much about their dehumanization, and it's very explicit in this line. They become their blades by metonymy, their own body and self disappearing into stillness. All for the sake of a Lord, who embodies a possible future where Japan becomes a united nation in an era of constant civil war.

What does the skull we bear demand of us? Of course, the skull refers to the kamon emblem of Tasogaredoki. When the sixth years are made to wear it during their internship, it marks them as belonging to Tasogaredoki, but symbolically it brings them closer to Death as they've ever been. In this song, the skull demands justice, loyalty, and "heart" (or "spirit", "mind", or whole inner self...) from Tasogaredoki ninja. In the 2012 song, Zatto sings about "empty skulls" begging to be remembered after their death, a much more cynical take...

That our loyalty lies here It's interesting that technically, said loyalty is to their Lord, who embodies Tasogaredoki castle/territory as a whole, including its people etc. But when they sing that, Sonnamon, Kousaka and Yamamoto bow to Zatto. I think it shows a certain awareness from them about where their loyalty truly is.