# Anime theme song lyrics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920 "2013-07-30T17:04:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920/1 "2013-07-30T17:04:38Z")
I know there’s a strong element of WTF to Japanese culture, but I just don’t get this kind of thing: _Without the waving sense of reality, where is this sentiment that’s piled up, just like the rubble, going? Holding onto the crushed dream, I ran like crazy brushing off the red rain. What will I see at the end of crumbled emotions? And what’s there? I don’t know yet. The future of all fragile things continued to spread out silently before my eyes._ Those are the lyrics to the “High School of the Dead” theme song about a bunch horny teens fleeing a zombie epidemic, sung to a thrash metal track. What the hell? ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920/2 "2013-07-30T17:58:30Z")
There are a lot of anime (and video game) theme songs that have, at best, a tenuous connection to the actual material. Sometimes if you do deep lyrical analysis and really know the anime/game well you can make an argument, but I think most of the time they’re just supposed to be catchy. I think the point is just to draw people into watching the show because the theme song comes on and it sounds good, not make an artistic statement. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920/3 "2013-07-30T18:30:30Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > There are a lot of anime (and video game) theme songs that have, at best, a tenuous connection to the actual material. Sometimes if you do deep lyrical analysis and really know the anime/game well you can make an argument, but I think most of the time they’re just supposed to be catchy. I think the point is just to draw people into watching the show because the theme song comes on and it sounds good, not make an artistic statement. The OP’s example seems (superficially, at least–I haven’t seen the anime in question) as relevant as any. I read it as being about ordinary hopes and dreams shattered by a disaster, threaded with a metaphor invoking the physical ruins of a disaster-struck society. The singer is struggling to hold onto the shards while fleeing, but sees only more ruin ahead–the “future of all fragile things” is to be broken. I could see that in connection with teenagers trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920/4 "2013-07-30T18:33:01Z")
Yeah, this one you can definitely make an argument for (given the OP’s presentation at least, have not seen that show), but I get what he’s saying from experience. ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920/5 "2013-07-30T18:40:13Z")
Got another one - why, with subtitled anime, do they sometimes subtitle their Japanese theme songs… in Japanese? (well, phonetically at least) ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920/6 "2013-07-30T18:48:55Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > Got another one - why, with subtitled anime, do they sometimes subtitle their Japanese theme songs… in Japanese? (well, phonetically at least) Probably for the benefit of the otaku who want to sing along. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920/7 "2013-07-30T18:51:45Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > Got another one - why, with subtitled anime, do they sometimes subtitle their Japanese theme songs… in Japanese? (well, phonetically at least) My guess: it’s the influence of karaoke. It makes it easier to sing along with the opening/closing theme song. (I’ve also seen them subtitled in Japanese characters – kanji, hiragana, etc. – and with some indication of where you are specifically in the lyrics, e.g., the words fading after they are sung.) ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920/8 "2013-07-31T00:59:08Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > The OP’s example seems (superficially, at least–I haven’t seen the anime in question) as relevant as any. I read it as being about ordinary hopes and dreams shattered by a disaster, threaded with a metaphor invoking the physical ruins of a disaster-struck society. The singer is struggling to hold onto the shards while fleeing, but sees only more ruin ahead–the “future of all fragile things” is to be broken. I could see that in connection with teenagers trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. Sure. Now resolve that somber tone with these images: - a girl in a school uniform pressing her breasts up against a chainlink fence. - a girl in her underwear perched on a chair next to ballet slippers - the busty school nurse lounging in bed - the busty school nurse running/bouncing towards the camera …okay, there’s also shots of kids fighting zombies, but they’re about 1/10th as long. And don’t get me started on Rosaria and Vampire… “Disco lady! Disco lady! Big emotion! Big emotion!” :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920/9 "2013-07-31T19:13:16Z")
That sounds like a thematic incongruity between the show and the intro, rather than necessarily between the show and the song. (You are talking about the intro, right? The scenes you describe are accompanied by the theme song?) As I said, I haven’t seen the show, so I don’t have much to go on. However, I will venture a notion as to why a show based on this general concept might make an artistic choice to embrace that apparent incongruity. The emphasis on sexual themes in a survival scenario reflects the loss of innocence and hopes for more romantic forms of relationship. Time and dangerous circumstances make the idealized romance a risky and difficult proposition; this, in combination with the influence of danger on sex drive, results in a focus on shallow sexuality. “Holding onto the crushed dream”, in this interpretation, would be a reference to clinging to the sexual aspects of romance, which are all that survived the disaster. Of course, it’s more likely that the decision in this particular case was more on the order of “Sex sells, so make sure you get at least a panty shot or two in the intro.” I’m just saying that one could plausibly reconcile the images, lyrics, and theme of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920/10 "2013-07-31T23:56:11Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > And don’t get me started on Rosaria and Vampire… “Disco lady! Disco lady! Big emotion! Big emotion!” :dubious: Yeah, the theme song was ridiculous, but the show was pretty good (if a bit … gratuitous). ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anime-theme-song-lyrics/664920/11 "2013-08-01T11:10:34Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Yeah, the theme song was ridiculous, but the show was pretty good (if a bit … gratuitous). Right – gratuitous fan service – but, typically for anime, moving from sexy comedy to potential tragedy for the protagonists Tsukune and Moka.