SiGNZ P𖦹iNT 2 CHAOS ✰

ASCENZIOxN VERSUS EXPLORIUM #1: Isana by Saito Soma

Disclaimer: I'm just a person on the internet who likes to listen to music, so don't take anything super seriously. It's all in good fun. All of these are just my thoughts, opinions, and interpretations of the music, so you’re fine to disagree. This is my first time doing this type of thing, so please go easy on me (T^T). With that outta the way, enjoy!!

Isana (Whale) by Saito Soma is an impressive 8-minute-long shoegaze-inspired song with dreamy guitars, twinkly piano, and lullaby-esque vocals that keep your intrigue throughout its entirety. It’s beautifully constructed and heavy with lots of poetic lyricism. I’d describe this song to be poignant and hauntingly beautiful.

Despite the song’s somber tone, there are some small glimmers of hopeful undertones within the lyrics. I unfortunately do not know how to read Japanese, so I'll be referencing a translation of the lyrics by @quantumstranger throughout my analysis. Through my reading, I’ve concluded that the song is about the existential journey of finding yourself through new beginnings, growth, self-acceptance, but also grief. 

The subject of this song and who/what it was directed towards was a bit perplexing for me to decipher, but not at all in a negative way! I enjoy the mystery of it, but I also admit it may be due to a lack of nuance on my part, so please keep that in mind. For the sake of clarity, I’ve decided to interpret the subject to be a person. 

Soma-san’s introspective lyrics at the beginning of the song start with a person being lost in the fog, swimming and sinking, desiring to find a better world (or better self), and starting a new journey in that regard. The lines "walking on a sea of quarks" coupled with the mentions of "fractals where similar things lay together" imply vast connections between the person and other people in the universe through the endless possible paths of one's journey in this existence. I've interpreted Soma-san’s lyrics about carving out "layers of fossils and feelings" to be a metaphor related to someone searching for their true self within their culmination of memories and experiences. This is emphasized by the next line, which states that searching through those layers of intricacies is equal to someone asking themself about who they really are, adding to the song's theme of self-discovery through self-reflection. After these lyrics, he follows up with the line "you're okay as you are, you know?" which feels like he is reassuring the person he’s singing to but also encouraging them to accept themself. The succeeding lines sung by Soma-san then profess, "You are in bloom, I'm telling you, ‘I love you,’” and these words are repeated throughout the song, but feel different every time due to the context of the lines before or after they’re repeated. For example, as I mentioned, in this context, they seem like a means of encouragement and reassurance.

The next verse talks about Soma-san having passed by the person at some point in time and how “seeing that flower in the rain” will help them understand the meaning of “all this.” I’ve chosen to view the flower in the rain as a symbol for withstanding the grief of losing something. The flower can also be seen as the metaphorical catalyst for remembering a difficult memory. If it’s the right time, the person will remember the grief and pain they experienced, but they will understand why they had to go through that experience to stand where they are now. Subsequently, after these lyrics, there are lines about seeds sprouting and a flower beginning to grow, representing a new beginning for the person in the song. Followed by the lines "even if we look so scared and fragile, you are in bloom, just like a whale," which puzzled me a bit. I ended up comprehending it as meaning the person in the song is resilient, since whales tend to be astoundingly resilient creatures. Continuing the structure of this song, these lyrics are once again followed by the repetition of the lines, "You are in bloom, I'm telling you, ‘I love you,’” which takes on a different meaning this time. The sentiment of the repetition in this context is Soma-san telling the person that, despite the grief, fragility, and fear throughout their existential journey, growth and change can still allow someone to accept their true self, to "bloom" if you will.

I can conclude that to Soma-san, being “in bloom” doesn’t mean to be at your peak, perfect or unchanging; it means to be in a state of constant renewal, finding yourself again and again. To be "in bloom" is to become something new, even if you’ve been struck with pain or grief. Finding yourself is not a linear process, and no matter how many times you have to, I hope you can still be "in bloom." ❤︎   

I thoroughly enjoy this song, and it’s one of my favorites from Soma-san’s discography, even though, admittedly, it makes me cry. This was extremely self-indulgent, but I had a great time deconstructing this song and trying to make sense of it! Once again, check out the incredible translation and give it a listen!

ASCENZIOxN VERSUS EXPLORIUM #1: Isana by Saito Soma

Disclaimer: I'm just a person on the internet who likes to listen to music, so don't take anything super seriously. It's all in good fun. All of these are just my thoughts, opinions, and interpretations of the music, so you’re fine to disagree. This is my first time doing this type of thing, so please go easy on me (T^T). With that outta the way, enjoy!!

Isana (Whale) by Saito Soma is an impressive 8-minute-long shoegaze-inspired song with dreamy guitars, twinkly piano, and lullaby-esque vocals that keep your intrigue throughout its entirety. It’s beautifully constructed and heavy with lots of poetic lyricism. I’d describe this song to be poignant and hauntingly beautiful.

Despite the song’s somber tone, there are some small glimmers of hopeful undertones within the lyrics. I unfortunately do not know how to read Japanese, so I'll be referencing a translation of the lyrics by @quantumstranger throughout my analysis. Through my reading, I’ve concluded that the song is about the existential journey of finding yourself through new beginnings, growth, self-acceptance, but also grief. 

The subject of this song and who/what it was directed towards was a bit perplexing for me to decipher, but not at all in a negative way! I enjoy the mystery of it, but I also admit it may be due to a lack of nuance on my part, so please keep that in mind. For the sake of clarity, I’ve decided to interpret the subject to be a person. 

Soma-san’s introspective lyrics at the beginning of the song start with a person being lost in the fog, swimming and sinking, desiring to find a better world (or better self), and starting a new journey in that regard. The lines "walking on a sea of quarks" coupled with the mentions of "fractals where similar things lay together" imply vast connections between the person and other people in the universe through the endless possible paths of one's journey in this existence. I've interpreted Soma-san’s lyrics about carving out "layers of fossils and feelings" to be a metaphor related to someone searching for their true self within their culmination of memories and experiences. This is emphasized by the next line, which states that searching through those layers of intricacies is equal to someone asking themself about who they really are, adding to the song's theme of self-discovery through self-reflection. After these lyrics, he follows up with the line "you're okay as you are, you know?" which feels like he is reassuring the person he’s singing to but also encouraging them to accept themself. The succeeding lines sung by Soma-san then profess, "You are in bloom, I'm telling you, ‘I love you,’” and these words are repeated throughout the song, but feel different every time due to the context of the lines before or after they’re repeated. For example, as I mentioned, in this context, they seem like a means of encouragement and reassurance.

The next verse talks about Soma-san having passed by the person at some point in time and how “seeing that flower in the rain” will help them understand the meaning of “all this.” I’ve chosen to view the flower in the rain as a symbol for withstanding the grief of losing something. The flower can also be seen as the metaphorical catalyst for remembering a difficult memory. If it’s the right time, the person will remember the grief and pain they experienced, but they will understand why they had to go through that experience to stand where they are now. Subsequently, after these lyrics, there are lines about seeds sprouting and a flower beginning to grow, representing a new beginning for the person in the song. Followed by the lines "even if we look so scared and fragile, you are in bloom, just like a whale," which puzzled me a bit. I ended up comprehending it as meaning the person in the song is resilient, since whales tend to be astoundingly resilient creatures. Continuing the structure of this song, these lyrics are once again followed by the repetition of the lines, "You are in bloom, I'm telling you, ‘I love you,’” which takes on a different meaning this time. The sentiment of the repetition in this context is Soma-san telling the person that, despite the grief, fragility, and fear throughout their existential journey, growth and change can still allow someone to accept their true self, to "bloom" if you will.

I can conclude that to Soma-san, being “in bloom” doesn’t mean to be at your peak, perfect or unchanging; it means to be in a state of constant renewal, finding yourself again and again. To be "in bloom" is to become something new, even if you’ve been struck with pain or grief. Finding yourself is not a linear process, and no matter how many times you have to, I hope you can still be "in bloom." ❤︎   

I thoroughly enjoy this song, and it’s one of my favorites from Soma-san’s discography, even though, admittedly, it makes me cry. This was extremely self-indulgent, but I had a great time deconstructing this song and trying to make sense of it! Once again, check out the incredible translation and give it a listen!