#translation notes

(Yet again, don't be a dick - don't plagiarize or take screenshots of this post.)

Toshiya always feels like he is navigating in a fog once a new album gets released, but that fog is especially thick with Mortal Downer. Things become clearer after they play the songs live.

Since ARCHE, Toshiya has tried to make his playing style simpler.

Toshiya described Shinya's drumming as very unique. For Mortal Downer, he tried to make it shine more by playing less bass, essentially.

Toshiya thought at first that Dir en grey wouldn't last long because each of its members had strong wills. Toshiya feels like all the members have the same desire to "make a cool band", and that is what has united them and kept them working together for so many years.

He also sees that doing things outside of the band, such as his photograph and art projects, is necessary to continue contributing to Dir en grey, otherwise he might run into a wall eventually.

Kaoru considers that Mortal Downer is the first chapter to a new era of Dir en grey.

Kaoru feels that there are things better left vague and undiscussed among the band, because otherwise it would lead to awkward moments between them. It's better to let them independently figure things out by hinting at them instead, showing what kind of atmosphere one is leaning toward. He said that they all try not to be too categoric and assertive, because then it could kind of scare off one of the others. But after 30 years together, the members have become agile at thinking along the same wavelength. They are mindful of the others' feelings and avoid asking personal questions, instead deducing their mood through their demeanor.

They don't read each other's interviews.             

The band agreed that they would all wear black for the promotional photos. The photoshoot for Burrn! was the first time they got snapped together: even the official band pictures were shot individually.

Die attributes the band's longevity to Dynamite Tommy, who was a pillar to them according to him. If it had just been the five of them at the mercy of a recording company, he thinks that the band might have ended years ago. For Die, there was a moment around Dum Spiro Spero when he had a lot of internal conflict, but after a while, he came to accept things and endure them.

Die said that they didn't start out as friends, but once they moved to Tokyo for the band, they hung out together like friends at first because they only had each other. As time passed, they made their own friends and their lives changed. They learned more about their respective personalities and kept a distance so that they didn't pry too much into their lives.

In the dressing room, the members don't talk to one another, the atmosphere is "gloomy" because all you can hear is the metal music playing in the background. The same thing would happen if you just put the five of them together: nobody would speak.

Toshiya also talked about the tension among the band, which has always been there and which might be the key to why they all stay on their guards, respect one another and have been able to survive for so long. Toshiya says that there has never been a sense of "security" in the band.

Die has lived his life reminding himself every daythat he is "Die from Dir en grey", doing things that he thinks Die from Dir en grey should do, even in his workouts.

Shinya considers that his drumming style was perfected 20 years ago. Also, he hasn't noticed any sign of aging, and he thinks that that's due to living a stress-free life wherein he does what he wants when he wants, and never does what he doesn't want to do.

Apparently Shinya used to get a lot of criticism for his drumming?! And he finds that his life has gotten easier since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shinya described Dir en grey as a miraculous band and quoted a trend that he noticed on Twitter recently, where Dir en grey was nominated whenever people had to think of "a band that looks like they make a blunder but who hasn't done anything wrong".

Shinya didn't mind that the album took so long to produce, because it put off the promotional activities surrounding it like interviews, which he dislikes because he can't answer questions like: "What were you thinking/feeling when you wrote this song?"

If Kyo had to give "Mortal Downer" a Japanese title, it would be 報復 (悪意) Houfuku (akui), or Retaliation (malice). Kaoru preferred to abstain from answering that question because nothing came to his mind instinctively, but in Ongaku to Hito, he offered that the album could be described as "vocal-oriented". As for Die, he would summarize the album as the kanji character 渦, vortex. Toshiya's kanji is 重, heavy. Lastly, Shinya's choice is 滅, metsu, as in metsubou – extinction.

Kaoru was hoping to work with Tom Lord-Alge to mix their songs even from the year The Insulated World was released, but their schedules didn't align until now, from The Devil In Me onward.

Kaoru doesn't ever take into consideration to compose stuff that doesn't sound like something that Die would make, even if the two of them are the musicians who help shape Dir en grey's sounds. Kaoru was more focused on leaving behind the trend of writing songs that start vaguely and which the vocals then carry the atmosphere on their own. He concentrated on coming up with guitar phrases that were cool and grabbed the attention individually. Die is more considerate of avoiding making songs in Kaoru's style.

Die finds Dum Spiro Spero to be their densest work and their most difficult to perform. Kaoru feels like it has been really hard for him to compose songs ever since Dum Spiro Spero, like he won't be able to do this much longer.

Kaoru always wonders whether his young self would find his new songs cool.

The album ended up being completely different from what Toshiya had imagined at first, one year prior to completion. He thought that it would be more varied, but it turned out to be more focused.

To Toshiya, although Dir en grey aims for a heavy and negative atmosphere, he finds that those feelings are just one side of a coin, and that delving into that atmosphere can help lift people afterward. He thinks that people come to live music venues to vent their feelings and come out purified.

Die thought that Dir en grey would never last this long, that they would break up when the time comes and that being in a band isn't forever. But after passing the 20th anniversary, Die has been even more cognizant of the fans' expectations, how Dir en grey and going to see Dir en grey perform has become part of their own lives, as well as the responsibility toward all the staff who supports Dir en grey and their livelihood.

Interviewers and even the members constantly refer to Mortal Downer as a "vocal album", with characteristic "choruses" that are not typical but more like riffs. Toshiya felt like there were a lot more of those "choruses" this time around. But nobody really understands what's being sung even when they follow the lyrics while listening to the songs.

Toshiya agrees with the interviewer in Burrn! that each song on Mortal Downer could fit into one of their past albums, but that wasn't their intention while composing.

Regarding the festivals where Dir en grey performed in 2025-2026, Kaoru thinks that those who invite them know that Dir en grey are not normal people, so they don't adjust their performance and just go all in. Apparently Dir en grey rarely gets invited, so when they do receive an invitation, they positively consider it. But whoever invites them to a festival needs to have gone to one of their shows first.

Shinya doesn't feel any need to escape reality, ever.

In the past, Shinya was frustrated that his songs didn't make the cut for albums, so he used to go out to record stores to listen to nu metal albums to study that sound, because those were the kinds of songs that tended to be selected by the rest of the band. Even this time around, the demos that he was most confident in were the ones that got rejected. It's difficult, but he has come to accept this. Instead, he turns to SERAPH for music that he wants to create.

Die always flinches when Kyo unexpectedly bumps his mic on something during the interludes.

The interviewer in Phy vol. 29 made Kyo realize that he had changed, that he expressed his anger more simply, and more in general. Kyo nuances that he realized that he has become an unpleasant person and, seeing as he now finds it pointless to be angry at someone because it wastes time, nowadays he might just react by thinking or saying: "Oh, is that so? So you're that kind of person." and let the anger simmer below the surface.

Kyo clarified that he is focused on doing as much as possible within an impression that he has very little time left not only because he wants to have no regrets, but he thinks that he is doing it as a way to save himself in the end. Essentially, if he can look back and name a few things that he has done, then he won't have led that bad a life.

Kyo hopes that his songs can bring a bit of relief by helping people realize that they are not alone with those feelings.

Kyo likes the way that being in bands "distorts" him. He ruled out doing completely solo songs because he cannot compose any.

Kyo's look in the photoshoots for the Mortal Downer release represents his image of the album.

He thinks that a ballad with acoustic guitars wouldn't fit Dir en grey's vibe now.

When Kyo records his initial vocal melodies, apparently he sings the parts that he thinks should be in English in "words that sound like English".

Kyo thinks that Dir en grey's pace of releasing albums might become longer and longer and, objectively speaking, he estimates that Dir en grey could go on this way for another 10 years approximately.

One of Kyo's recent regrets was that he thought he should have studied English when he was younger.

Given the opportunity, Kyo might want to re-record his vocals for the songs that were written in 2024, but that's always the case, and this process might never end.

Although he's generally satisfied by Dir en grey's history, he feels that they should have pushed further maybe earlier, like going abroad sooner in their career. He also regrets listening to people who told him that he should write songs in English if he was performing abroad.

To set it up, here's what the Two Hinakos talk about prior to this statement in JP:

寿幸さんみたいに 誰かをものすごく好きになって その人のために ものすごく努力して 情熱の全てを注ぎ込むような 一途で一生懸命な生き方をしてみたい

Just like Kotoyuki-san who fell deeply in love with someone for the sake of that person he put in tremendous effort as if pouring all of his passion into it I want to try living a life of dedicated, wholehearted effort (like him)

The message is pretty identical to the Eng translation. Hinako admires Kotoyuki's passionate efforts for the sake of the person he loved, so much so that she wants to have that same mentality with her own life.

Now let's look at the next part, the proposal statement.

今度は私から寿幸さんに求婚するくらいの勢いで 一生懸命に This time, I'll live life to the fullest -- with determination to the extent that I could propose to Kotoyuki-san.

This is again very similar to the Eng dub ("To live with such passion, that she might propose to Kotoyuki.") The main difference is that JP Hinako does not specifically say "when I'm ready," which is more of an implied statement (what matters firstmost is her desire for a "life of passion").

The key grammar here is the use of the particle くらい (kurai). A more thorough explanation can be found here, but basically くらい emphasizes the feeling/emotion of the phrase that comes after it, using the phrase stated before ("[B], to the extent of [A]").

In this case, the feeling being emphasized is 勢い (ikioi, lit. "force, intensity"). Hinako's feeling of "determination" is so strong, that she could propose to Kotoyuki, just like how Kotoyuki proposed to her. It's her acknowledgement of how Kotoyuki's own efforts led to him having the determination to propose. So this statement is Hinako sharing his sentiment.

If they wanted Hinako's feelings for Kotoyuki to be ambiguous, she could've instead said 「私から大切な人に求婚する」 ("I could propose to someone special"). Doing so would've mirrored the earlier observation where Kotoyuki "grew to love [someone] deeply".

But she specifically says "I could propose to [Kotoyuki-san]". There are multiple ways she could've phrased this statement but she chose 「私から寿幸さんに」 ("from me, to Kotoyuki"). The person she grew to love is Kotoyuki.

His passion inspired her, including the way he endured for years for the sole purpose of marrying her:

寿幸さんはずっと 私をお嫁さんにしたい一心で･･････ ずっとずっと努力してきたって･･････ 孤独にずっと･･････ ずっと･･････ 嗤うな! 一生懸命に悩んで 生きてきた寿幸さんを嗤うな! All this time Kotoyuki-san, with the sole, wholehearted desire of making me his bride, has been working so hard, for so long.... All alone... all this time... Don't laugh! Don't laugh at Kotoyuki-san, who lived his life so earnestly while struggling so deeply!

この人は、私に求婚するためだけに、今日までどれだけの苦労をしてきたのだろう。 子供ならば誰もが享受すべきいくつものことから目を背けさせられて。

How much hardship must this person have endured up to this day, solely for the sake of proposing to me. Forced to turn away from many things every child should enjoy.

She never once diminishes the efforts he has made, even if ultimately she never needed him to obtain everything for her. His feelings and efforts touched her heart more than any wealth or power his position as the Tsuneki heir could give.

There's also a reoccuring phrase that has shown up in the past few scenes: 一生懸命 (isshoukenmei, "trying with all one's might"). Ryukishi's writing style involves repeating information over and over to emphasize its importance to the story or to the character's. The emphasis here on "Kotoyuki trying with all his might" reflects how Hinako deeply admires his perseverance, even in the midst of struggle:

Also important to note... She's wearing the brooch again. Let's look at her words when she originally offered the brooch up to the Jizo statue (an important condition to reaching this ending):

こんな素敵な贈り物をありがとうございます 折角頂いたものですが･････ 私がこれを受け取るのに相応しいかどうか･･････ 考える時間が欲しいのです････ Thank you for this wonderful gift It was kindly given to me, but... Whether I am worthy of receiving this... I need time to think it over...

While she appreciates Kotoyuki's efforts and the sacrifices he made for her, it's also a burden that's too heavy for her to bear. She gave it back because of that power imbalance, and because rushing into it with halfhearted feelings based on "gratefulness" wasn't fair to both herself and Kotoyuki.

By choosing to wear the brooch again and stating she will have the "determination to propose to him", Hinako is approaching her relationship with Kotoyuki as true equals. It removes the imbalance and conditionals their previous engagement forced on her like the "Tsuneki branding" or the "mask" that takes away her personhood. She only keeps the brooch (which was a token of Kotoyuki's affection) and the fox arm (which was the only ritual she carried out herself, and is a visual metaphor of her adulthood).

If the creators wanted her feelings towards him to be more vague, they didn't need to include the brooch at all, simply her saying she "might propose" would be ambiguous enough. But here, she is wearing the brooch to signify her desire for a relationship on equal terms.

Not to mention Hinako already made her feelings towards him clear when she last saw him:

In JP, Fox Hinako says 「寿幸さん ････一緒に････」 meaning she wanted to go together with him (either to face the Kyubi, or perhaps even to run away together), but he stops her before she can elaborate, because he has to figure out his own feelings first.

もし私たちへの愛が…… 本物だったなら また会いましょう 私達も　しっかり悩んで 答えを用意しておきます If your love for us…. was real, let’s meet again. We will also properly think it through and have an answer ready.

Immediately after Kotoyuki explains that he wants to know if his feelings are genuine or not, Fog Hinako reaffirms her desire to see him again.

What's important to note here is the only condition Hinako has for him is if "his feelings are real." What he can "offer her" doesn't matter. The gods don't matter. Their family and friends' opinions don't matter. What they can gain from marriage doesn't matter. The only thing that's important is their own feelings. No more and no less.

Also, if she truly did not hold any affection for Kotoyuki, she would not be asking him to "wait for her" in her diary despite initially saying "she might not become what he wants her to be." He is someone she wants in her future, even if the form may not be the "ideal result" as others expect it to be. After all, Hinako does not want to be a housewife nor does she want to be endlessly provided for.

その結果は、あなたが望むものとなる保証はありません。 それでも私のために待ってくれますか? 寿幸さん。

There is no guarantee that result will be what you desire. Even so, will you wait for me? Kotoyuki-san.

When I first read this section in English I thought it was switching between "Fog Hinako" and "Fox Hinako," but it's actually not the case. Both the last two lines are written in teineigo, which is what Hinako uses when speaking with Kotoyuki (Fox Hinako speaks this way and this is also how Hinako and Kotoyuki write in their letters.) This shows that she has the resolve to stand on her own, while also hoping Kotoyuki will wait for her to catch up to him. She wants an equal relationship between two people who love and support eachother.