Ray - [BE:FIRST] SOTA Interview – What has changed since debuting? (english translation)

This is from a series of short interviews the website Ray is doing with the members of BE:FIRST looking at how they've changed since their debut. SOTA is my favourite and his answers are pretty straightforward, so I wanted to give translating his a shot. These are a nice length and they're fun to read so I might do one or two more.

Here's the original article: https://ray-web.jp/186514

[BE:FIRST] SOTA Interview – What has changed since debuting?

Q: How has your impression of each member changed since you first met?

SHUNTO
I thought he was shy, but recently it’s like he talks without taking the team into consideration. At first, I was shocked by how fast he ate. Recently, he’ll arbitrarily report things like “I’m eating a hamburger today!” (lol).

MANATO
Even though I thought “he’s a well-behaved kid” at first, when we were in a room together during the training camp, that character collapsed to the point where I was like “Can he not see me!?” (lol) In reality, he’s a cheerful and mischievous guy.

RYUHEI
I think he’s changed the most. He was conscious of everyone in the group being older than him, but he’s started to take advantage of that. He’s become able to ask clearly when there’s something he’s not good at or that he doesn’t understand.

JUNON
I thought “He’s good at singing. He’s tall.” at first. He was the last one I talked to, but he’s reliable like a big brother, so being with him is calming.

RYOKI
He was wearing shoes that I wanted, and I liked the lock screen image on his phone, so I thought our tastes would match well, and that hasn’t changed to this day.

LEO
He seemed very caring and helpful, like a big brother in charge of a nursery school, and I realized that he was a person that always had other people around him. That dependable side of him hasn’t changed. While we weren’t able to meet up we became closer by exchanging messages on LINE (lol).

Q: If you had to analyze your own character?

SOTA: I’m “The AB Type” (*as in the stereotypical personality associated with the AB blood type). I can’t calm down. I’m always just thinking about things like dance and music, to the point where it’s like there’s always someone dancing in my head.

Q: If you were an animal?

SOTA: I’d be a bear. Because I like Winnie the Pooh (lol).

Q: What’s changed the most since before your debut?

SOTA: Since my life isn’t centered around dance anymore, the frame of things I want to do has widened. Before, I was just thinking about dance, but now that I’m in this circle called “music”, I’ve become able to do various things.

Q: Of all the new things you’ve encountered recently, which one is your favourite?

SOTA: After obsessing about it and searching around a lot, I found a double bed. Even if I stretch out both arms there’s extra room, and it’s good for sleeping both comfortably and snugly, so it’s the best!

Q: What is your secret for getting along with someone when meeting them for the first time?

SOTA: If you look at the person’s profile from up to like 2 or 3 years before to kind of figure out whether you want to get to know more about them or not, then you can start with something like asking them questions about their self. Since the way I look on the outside might lead people to imagine a lot of negative things, I try to act as cheerful as possible.

Shurkn Pap - Road Trip (romaji only)

Just as a warning, I think the person who originally wrote out the kanji lyrics I was working from just did them by ear, so they may not be 100% accurate. I think this was a digital-only release, so there probably isn't anything "official" to check them against, unless Shurkn Pap shared the lyrics somewhere himself.



Road Trip

SHURKN PAP
Ore wa ima kara ROAD TRIP
ENJIN fukashi-makuri
Tabi no kaji o toru
Ore ga BOSU dashi*
AYE AYE
AH imada minu keshiki o miru**
Sono tame ni tabi ni deru
I JUST WANNA GO
I JUST WANNA GO
Kogasu taiyou kaze o kiru
I’M JAMES BOND
Kattobasuze kousokudouro YEAH
Mou tomarenaize
Dare ga ore o tomereru YEAH***

Ore ima fumikomuze AKUSERU
Mata shikari HANDORU nigitte
Hora mae mite I’M ON MY WAY
ON MY WAY, YEAH
TAKE A ROAD TRIP THIS WEEKEND
I FEEL LIKE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, YEAH
Hora mae mite I’M ON MY WAY
ON MY WAY, YEAH
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
RO-RO-RO-RO-RO-RO-RO-RO-ROAD TRIP,
YEAH, YEAH
ROAD TRIP
SHURKN PAP
ROAD TRIP

OKAY mado o akete kaze o kanjiru
OKAY te o dashite kaze tsukamitoru
LET'S TAKE ROAD TRIP RIGHT NOW
LET'S TAKE ROAD TRIP RIGHT NOW
Suki na uta kiite
Suki na fuku o kite
Nimotsu oite tobidase
Ore chou FURESSHU
Furoagari mitaku ore chou FURESSHU
OH FURESSHU
Yori ki ni shinai
ADORENARIN zenkai

Ore ima fumikomuze AKUSERU
Mata shikari HANDORU nigitte
Hora mae mite I’M ON MY WAY
ON MY WAY, YEAH
TAKE A ROAD TRIP THIS WEEKEND
I FEEL LIKE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, YEAH
Hora mae mite I’M ON MY WAY
ON MY WAY, YEAH
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
RO-RO-RO-RO-RO-RO-RO-RO-ROAD TRIP,
YEAH, YEAH
ROAD TRIP
SHURKN PAP
ROAD TRIP

Tsukisusume
Massugu na michi furikitteke
Tomaranaize
GASORIN kara ni naru made
Tsukisusume
Yorimichi wa nashi asoko made
Tomaranaize
BUREEKI wa nashi kattobase

ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
ROAD TRIP R-ROAD TRIP
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
RO-RO-RO-RO-ROAD TRIP
RO-RO-RO-RO-ROAD TRIP
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP

SHURKN PAP
ROAD TRIP, YEAH

Notes:
I got the kanji for this from the comments under the YouTube video. The person who posted the lyrics said they got them from Spotify, but another person pointed out that anyone can submit lyrics to Spotify, so they could be wrong.

Most of what's in the original comment sounds accurate, but some comments called out lines that seemed off, and those corrections make more sense to me in context than what the original poster had, so what I have is adjusted to include those corrections and won’t match the kanji from the original post 100%.

These are the lines that were corrected:
*Ore ga osu dashi (“Because I’m a man”) vs Ore ga BOSU dashi (“Because I’m a boss”)
**AH ima nami no keshiki o miru (“Ah, now I’m going to look at the waves”) vs AH imada minu keshiki o miru (“Ah, I’m going to see scenery I’ve never seen”)
***Dareka ore o tomete (“Someone stop me”) vs Dare ga ore o tomereru (“Who can stop me?”)

Kanji:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePQr4mEq5SM
^in the comments

Novel Core - THANKS, ALL MY TEARS (romaji only)

Just romaji since the video has English subtitles already - you just have to turn on captions to see them.

I wasn’t totally sold on RAN during THE FIRST, but his dancing in this MV is really beautiful.



THANKS, ALL MY TEARS

Lyrics: Novel Core
Music: Novel Core, UTA

Asa ga tsuretekuru no wa
Kinou o nazori kaita you na taikutsu na kyou
Haribote no sora ni te o nobashi
Muishiki ni tsuita tameiki
Kono jinsei ga eiga da to surya
Koko wa tobasareru CHAPTER 1
Mina to kurabereba
Ore no nayami nante sa
Mada chippoke tte ka?

Tenjou ni haritsuita taiyou ni warawarete
Kuyashikute modokashikute
Sore demo ne
Kako ni sugaritsuite
Ima ni shigamitsuite
Asu ni kitai o shite
Funbatte aruite yuke

BUROKUSO ni makete
Namida ga karetemo
Kurushikute sabishikute
Muryokusa ni yararetemo
Kanpeki na RASUTO SHIIN o
Kiwadataseru no wa
Zetsubou to taikutsu de
Sono tame ni kyou o ikiru no sa

Yoru ni nareba NOKKU mo sezu heya no naka ni
Makuramoto ni tatsu
Ashita no fuan
Kizukatte kureru hito ga ookerya ooi hodo
Nigeba ga nakunatte iku
Moshimo ima kara
Ore ga kakugo kimete sa
Jinsei o oete shimaeba
Ashita no bun no sekinin wa dokka iku yo naa
Nante ne sonna yuuki
Ima wa nakute
Fumange ni mioroshita tsuki ni sekasarete
Nigetakute nasakenakute
Soredemo ne
Kako ni sugaritsuite
Ima ni shigamitsuite
Asu ni kitai o shite
Kono jinsei o enji-kire

BUROKUSO ni makete
Namida ga karetemo
Kurushikute sabishikute
Muryokusa ni yararetemo
Kanpeki na RASUTO SHIIN o
Kagayakaseru no wa
Zetsubou to taikutsu de
Sono tame ni kyou mo ikiru no sa

Kyou mo ikiru no sa
Kyou mo ikiru no sa

Kanji:
https://j-lyric.net/artist/a061f73/l056fbb.html

i.D.A - LRRH. (romaji only)

LRRH.

Lyrics: Xeno
Music: rize

Kazoerarete CLOSE THE STORY

BATAA, WAIN, o HAISO ni hakobu.
“Konnichi wa, suteki na ojou-san”
DAGAA NAIFU to nite iru kiba ga
Shoujo o nomikonda.

“1 sexuality.”
[“Goodbye Lady.”]
“2 sexuality.”
[“Leave it alone.”]
“sweet powder.”
[“Namemawashitero!!”]
…kawaki-dasu

“1 sexuality.”
[“Goodbye Lady.”]
“2 sexuality.”
[“Leave it alone.”]
“sweet powder.”
[“Namemawashitero!!”]
Hara o hiraite,
Reiketsu kaerichi abite iku…

Kegarete wa tsuritsubushite
Shari, tsumete tsumete iku.
Hakanaku wa shoujo no BIROODO
Chi de tsutsumikomarete wa akaku somerare,
HAPPY EVER AFTER nara
Shinderu KOITSU wa joudan ka?

Machikogaretemo daremo konai
Dakara kurutte koroshiteta.
Sutete shimaeba raku ni nareru
Haji o sutete shimae
Hora ne, itsu shika ochite iku
Engeki-ha desu ka? Tsuraku nai wa.

“1 sexuality.”
[“Goodbye Lady.”]
“2 sexuality.”
[“Leave it alone.”]
“sweet powder.”
[“Namemawashitero!!”]
…kawaki-dasu
If you want to violate
Violate me!

Sayonara wa mada ienai
Iki, tomete tomete iku.
Nora chie yo saraba kiesare
Chi de tsutsumikomarete wa akazukin ni naru
Mebuku kyouki no me ga.

Dareka no tame ni shinde iku…

"Kegarete iru no furenaide.”
Tsumete tsumete ita.
Hakanaku wa shoujo no BIROODO
Chi de tsutsumikomarete wa akaku somerare,
HAPPY EVER AFTER nara
Dondake honki de joudan da?

Kanji:
https://linkco.re/mvYgzate/songs/1092362/lyrics?lang=en

Novel Core - WAGAMAMA MONDAIJI (romaji only)

WAGAMAMA MONDAIJI

Lyrics: Novel Core
Music: Novel Core, KM

(YEAH) kudaranai SEORII o
(YEAH) kakimawasu MERODI o
(YEAH) dareka ni wa narenee
Sakebe yo MY NAME
(YEAH…) Ore-tachi WAGAMAMA MONDAIJI
(YEAH…) Ore-tachi WAGAMAMA MONDAIJI

Urusai
Kikanai
Yatsura no koe na do
RUNNIN’ WILD, RUNNIN’ FREE
Hagurete hajikete
Sakimidareru bara mitai ni
Hade na fuku kite aruku machi
(YEAH) dareka ni wa narenee
Hokore yo MYSELF
Seishun to shakushijougi
Chou busaiku na KONBI
Kou aru-beki to ka nai shi
Dou ari taika ga daiji
Kasa mo naku hitori
Doshaburi to odori
Warawaretemo mou ii
Tada WAGAMAMA ni
Ikiru

(YEAH) kudaranai SEORII o
(YEAH) kakimawasu MERODI o
(YEAH) dareka ni wa narenee
Sakebe yo MY NAME
(YEAH…) Ore-tachi WAGAMAMA MONDAIJI
(YEAH…) Ore-tachi WAGAMAMA MONDAIJI

Hoka no hito wa dou to ka
Futsuu
Kore wa kou to ka
Najimu koto ga seigi da
Hamidasanai you ni na
Oshierareta toori ni
Ikite kita orera wa
Hito no me ni tsunagareta
SAAKASU no zou mitai
(YEAH YEAH) iine ya RETSUIITO
Nakeraba shinjau no?
(YEAH) dareka ni wa narenee
Aise yo MYSELF
Seishun to shakushijougi
Chou busaiku na KONBI
Kou aru-beki to ka nai shi
Dou ari taika ga daiji
Eraihito ni kobi ikiru no wa dasai
Okoraretemo mou ii
Tada WAGAMAMA ni

(YEAH) kudaranai SEORII o
(YEAH) kakimawasu MERODI o
(YEAH) dareka ni wa narenee
Sakebe yo MY NAME
(YEAH…) Ore-tachi WAGAMAMA MONDAIJI
(YEAH…) Ore-tachi WAGAMAMA MONDAIJI

Kanji:
https://j-lyric.net/artist/a061f73/l055ebf.html

THE FIRST - Be Free (romaji only)

I guess, technically, this is also going to end up being a BE:FIRST song. The subtitled episode has the English translation of the lyrics, but not the romaji, so I thought I'd type it up.



Be Free

Produced by: SKY-HI, Chaki Zulu, sty

[Manato]
TELL ME BABY donna kimi mo
Hitotsu nokorazu ni oshiete yo

[Reo]
BETTER DAYS donna mainichi mo
Ichi-byou datte minogashitakunai yo

[Reiko]
Kurikaeshiteru owaranai RUUTIN
Kawaribaeshitetai

[Rui]
Kimi to nara hamidashitai na
YA READY? Kono te o totte

[Junon]
LET YOUR FEARS GO
Kanashimi ni wa ai o
SO LET YOURSELF GO
Mune no muchuu moyashitara
STAY WILD AND

[Manato]
BE FREE!
Atarashii asahi ga noboru you na egao
Boku ni misete yo
SO I WANT YOU TO BE

[Reo]
BE FREE!
Ima sugu ni jiyuu ni yume o miyou yo
IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN DO IT
Subete omoi no mama sa

[Manato]
I KNOW mada monotarinai n darou?
[Sota]
STOP AND GO
Dokomademo tsukiaimashou
[Manato]
Kumo no ue de CHILL
[Sota]
Dare ga jama dekiru?
[Manato]
Hoka no dareka ja nai kimi to ima mo yume o miru

[Rui]
LET’S GO BABY wasurenaide
Bokura yagate tobidatsu BRAND NEW DAY

[Reiko]
IT’S OKAY omoidashite
Kono te hanasanai itsumo tonari de

[Reo]
Fumidashitara tomenaide MOVIN’
Furimukanai shi
[Sota]
Kimi to nara mucha shitai na
YA READY? Tobira hiraite

[Junon]
LET YOUR SOUL GLOW
Tamerai ni wa yuuki o
SO LET YOURSELF GO
Ima sugu mirai dakiyoseyou
STAY STRONG AND

[Rui]
BE FREE!
Atarashii asahi ga noboru you na egao
Boku ni misete yo
SO I WANT YOU TO BE

[Reiko]
BE FREE!
Ima sugu ni jiyuu ni yume o miyou yo
IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN DO IT
Subete omoi no mama sa

[Sota]
I WANNA BE (WHAT?)
YOU WANNA BE (WHAT?)
WE ALREADY GOT THE WING
COME WITH ME (AH YEAH!)

I WANNA BE (WHAT?)
YOU WANNA BE (WHAT?)
NOW WE’RE GONNA FLY
COME WITH ME

Motto ikouze SPEED UP
Chuu o mau namida
Oikoshite waraouze yuuutsu na ashita
DAIYAMONDO, MIRION DARAA
to ka nanimonaku tatte SUUPAAMAN
Otona kara mireba PIITAA PAN
(OK!) nara tsureteku NEBAARANDO

[Manato]
BE FREE!
Atarashii asahi ga noboru you na egao
Boku ni misete yo
SO I WANT YOU TO BE

[Junon]
BE FREE!
Ima sugu ni jiyuu ni yume o miyou yo
IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN DO IT
Subete omoi no mama sa

Kanji:
Video is subtitled

TYOSiN - TWILIGHT (english translation)

Lol, he did both schoolboy and "gal" cosplay, and both looks are amazingly right and amazingly wrong on him. I love it. There's a kind of charmingly juvenile energy to a lot of TYOSiN's stuff, and I think this MV and the lyrics really highlight that aspect of him well.

Fanservice aside, what I think is so cool about TYOSiN is that this song and video are totally out of left field compared to his previous work, but they also still both feel totally on-brand for him. It's rare to find an artist with that kind of flexibility. I think it's so cool that he's brave (or reckless) enough to just randomly overhaul his style completely every few years. And, IMO, he manages to pull off the changes without losing the good qualities of the previous eras.



TWILIGHT

Lyrics: TYOSiN
Producer: ATSUKI

Oh, every day, every night
I was refining it
Just honing my sensitivity
It seems like I can grab hold of it, I’m gonna grab it
Just a bit more left to go, just a bit more

Oh, every day, every night
I was refining it
Just honing my sensitivity
It seems like I can grab hold of it, I’m gonna grab it
Just a bit more left to go, just a bit more

I couldn’t carry out my promise to break it all down,
I’m just flailing about
I’m still being knocked around in the underground,
But I’ve been able to find happiness in it
Like pulling in a frayed thread and cutting it short to repair the knot
I have countless regrets
But, well, I’ve reached a point where things aren’t bland
I was on a wide stage, basking in cheers
But I got sick of the me I’d become used to
“It’s not supposed to be like this, I still want to have fun”
I want to turn what I’ve been imagining into reality

I haven’t changed from that time
All that’s changed is the people around me
I’ll say it again,
“The people you surround yourself with are your mirror”
It’s just that, it’s still just that
So don’t be scared to say goodbye
Even if it’s messy, it’s beautiful
I want to love the version of myself that can believe that

Oh, every day, every night
I was refining it
Just honing my sensitivity
It seems like I can grab hold of it, I’m gonna grab it
Just a bit more left to go, just a bit more

That’s it, I’m at my limit, I’m at my limit
I want to die, I want to live
As I thought, it’s impossible
In this scrawl, I can feel the violence of words
I’m totally immersed in filling in this painted over blank space
It’s fun, it’s painful
It’s sad, it hurts
It’s filled with the full range of human emotions, future struggles, all of it
If it’s not real, it can’t move hearts
I turn the feelings I can’t tell others into songs
If I do one bad thing,
Then I’ll do 10 good ones to make up for it
My heart is dirty, but I’m dreaming
Don’t let go of your child-like mind

Surely, perhaps
Those negative feelings everyone has,
Even if they’re swallowed up by the devil*
It’s beautiful, it’s beautiful
The heart I denied
The ego kills people**
An ark that rides in on twilight
In twilight, I’ll say farewell

Oh, every day, every night
I was refining it
Just honing my sensitivity
It seems like I can grab hold of it, I’m gonna grab it
Just a bit more left to go, just a bit more

Notes:
*, ** I’m really not sure about these lines at all :(

TWILIGHT

OH…
EVERYDAY, EVERY NIGHT
Migakareta
Kansei dake o togisumashiteta
Tsukamesou, tsukamu yo
Ato chotto, mou chotto

EVERYDAY, EVERY NIGHT
Migakareta
Kansei dake o togisumashiteta
Tsukamesou, tsukamu yo
Ato chotto, mou chotto

“Zenbu kowasu” yakusoku wa
Hatasezu, tada agaite iru n da
Mada chika de momareteru uchi ga
Shiawase datta you ni omoeteta
Hotsureta ito o taguriyosete
Togirenai you ni musubi naoshite
Koukai nante kazoekirenai
Demo ne, mumimushuu ja naku natte kita
Hiroi SUTEEJI abiru kansei
Nareteku jibun ni iyake ga sashite
“Konna hazu ja nai mada tanoshimitai”
Souzou o genjitsu ni kaete ikitai

Ano koro to kawaranai
Kawatta no wa mawari no hito dake
Nan-kai demo iu
Tonari ni iru hito wa jibun no kagami da
Sore dake, tada sore dake
Dakara wakare wa oshimanai
Kitanakutemo utsukushii
Sou omoeru jibun o aishitai

OH…
EVERYDAY, EVERY NIGHT
Migakareta
Kansei dake o togisumashiteta
Tsukamesou, tsukamu yo
Ato chotto, mou chotto

Mou genkai, mou genkai
Shinitai, ikitai
Yappa muri
Kotoba no bouryoku nagurigaki
Muchuu de nuritsubushita kuuhaku o
Tanoshii, kurushii
Kanashii, itai
Kidoairaku, zentotanan, zenbu
RIARU ja nai to kokoro wa ugokasenai
Hito ni ienai kimochi wa kyoku ni shita
Warui koto o i-ko shitara
Ii koto o juu-ko shite torikaesou
Kitanai kokoro demo yume o miteru
Kodomogokoro wa nakusanaide

Kitto, tabun kitto
Minna motsu fu no kanjou
Akuma ni nomikomareta tte
Utsukushii sa, utsukushii yo
Hitei suru kokoro
EGO ga hito korosu no
Tasogare o noseru hakobune
Tasogare ni wakare o tsugeru

OH…
EVERYDAY, EVERY NIGHT
Migakareta
Kansei dake o togisumashiteta
Tsukamesou, tsukamu yo
Ato chotto, mou chotto

Kanji:
^Pinned in the comments of the YouTube video