Vocal : Matsuoka Mitsuru (松岡充)
Guitar : Toyoda Kazutaka (豊田和貴)
Bass :… Read Full Bio ↴Vocal : Matsuoka Mitsuru (松岡充)
Guitar : Toyoda Kazutaka (豊田和貴)
Bass : Kuroyanagi Yoshio (黒柳能生)
Drums : Akamatsu Yoshitomo (赤松芳朋)
Keyboard : Miyako Keiichi (都啓一)

SOPHIA, who got their name from the word philosophy, is a band consisting of five interesting musicians, who lately celebrated their 10th anniversary. With their ability to create high quality pop rock, the band's career has proved to be one of the strongest in recent years.

Matsuoka Mitsuru, the vocalist with boyish charisma, has achieved a special level of fame, gaining further popularity from his performances in the Titanic musical and TV drama series.

Toyoda Kazutaka and Matsuoka Mitsuru had already played together in a few groups before they formed a new project in early spring of 1994. The previous band, Rosé Noir, had officially disbanded only in the beginning of the year.

Besides the two members, SOPHIA had a third founder, Miyako Keiichi. In the summer of 1995, the line-up was completed with Kuroyanagi Yoshio and Akamatsu Yoshitomo, and so the band was ready to begin their career. They performed for the first time on July 26th at Kawasaki Club CITTA in Tokyo and at the end of the year they played their first one man live concert at Shinjuku LOFT.

Their first release, SOPHIA, came out at the beginning of 1995 and understandably this was the moment that the band considered as their actual debut. The recording came out via the label TOY'S FACTORY, who already had noted Rosé Noir on their omnibus album called EMERGENCY EXPRESS 1994 coup de theatre. One of the biggest early year hits was the song machi, which was also associated with the Playstation role playing game Breath of Fire II.

SOPHIA received more and more success in quite a small time frame and in August 1999, after the release of three full length albums, the band performed in front of 30,000 people at Showa Kinen Park, in Tokyo's Tachikawa. In December of the same year the single OAR was released, after being recorded in London, UK, together with Tim Young. Also the PV for the song, as well as the jacket photos, were shot in the United Kingdom.

The band was also noticed abroad - their first concert outside Japan was in Hong Kong in August 2000. In December 2001 a set of two best of albums was released. The Short Hand included songs released as singles, while The Long Hand was a collection of songs chosen by the band members.

SOPHIA changed their label to Toshiba-EMI in the year 2004. The first release on the new label was an interesting set of three limited singles (tabi no tochu, please, please & hana wa karete mata saku, each with a press of 30,000), and each of the singles, finished with a beach themed jackets, were released with only one week between the,. All of the singles contained not only one song, but also lots of extras in PC compatible CD extra format. The ones who collected the whole set were able to attend a special concert held in August. The performance was a huge success and the number of fans was close to the 30,000 maximum.

In the July of 2005, a single release was coupled with a cover of Edith Piaf's French song HYMNE A L'AMOUR. In November, the group celebrated their career with their 10th ANNIVERSARY BEST album, with a tracklist chosen by fan voting. At the end of the year there was also a positively surprising DVD release, as philosophy VII included unseen material way back from the time when the band was on the label TOY'S FACTORY.

As an interesting fact it should be mentioned that SOPHIA has done collaborations with the comic group Garage Sale, under the sneaky name hybrid of Gaphia.

The band has continued releasing new material after their anniversary year. It should be taken into consideration however, that the members also contribute to their own music related projects. Miyako has worked as a producer for the young pop star Kimeru, while Kuroyanagi joined Mark Muffin in 2005. The band includes also Masayuki Moriyama (ex.Wyse) and Ronzi (BRAHMAN).

Matsuoka has acted in a few TV dramas and has also been seen on the stage of a theater - his most challenging project on this course of arts is probably the Japanese version of the Titanic musical in 2007, directed by Glen Walford. In the musical Matsuoka performed the role of Thomas Andrews.
In his private life the vocalist is married to Kurosawa Yuu, who is involved in politics. Yuu is directly related to the famous film director Kurosawa Akira.

Official Website www.sophia-eternal.com

Happy End
ＳＯＰＨＩＡ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

ここには来るつもりはなかった
何処からずれ始めたんだろう
きしむ椅子に座って
窓の外グランドを走ってく
誰かの影を見てたあの頃かな
あの頃かな
限りなく弱虫な僕は
思えば中途半端なまま

惜しむことなく
強い愛で背中押す君を
いつまでも泣かしているね
Happy end いつも憧れた言葉さ
だけど続くこの道に終わりはなく
そしていつかこの場所を振り返る頃
今度は泣き顔じゃない君に
居て欲しいのさ

雨上がり柔らかな光に
窓開けたけど風はまだ冷たくて
振り返ったり懐かしむ事ばかりなら
もうこれ以上不安になる事はない
だけど僕らは限りなく弱虫な僕は
痛みがなくなるとまたそう
胸が痛むのさ
Happy end いつも憧れる言葉さ
だけど続くこの道に終わりはなく
そして君と走りつかれて倒れたら
どこかの窓からのぞく僕を

見つけるのさ終わりはない
終わりはない

Overall Meaning

These lyrics tell a story of reflection and longing for a happy ending. The singer starts by expressing surprise at finding themselves in a place they didn't intend to be, questioning how they ended up here. They recall a time when they were a weak and indecisive person, always observing others from a distance. Despite having someone who supported and encouraged them with strong love, they admit to continuously causing them sadness by constantly crying. The phrase "Happy end," which they have always admired, becomes a symbol of their desire for closure and resolution. However, they acknowledge that the path they are on has no end, and one day when they look back at this place, they hope to see the person they love not crying anymore.

In the second verse, the singer describes a scene after the rain, where gentle sunlight enters through the window. Although the window is opened, the wind still feels cold. They realize that if they only look back and dwell on nostalgic memories, there will be no more anxiety. They mention again their own weakness and the recurring pain in their heart. The longing for a happy ending remains, but they acknowledge that there is no end on the ongoing path they are walking. And when they eventually collapse from exhaustion after running together with the person they love, they hope the person will find them looking through a window, signifying that there is no end, no resolution in sight.

Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of introspection and yearning for closure, while acknowledging the perpetual nature of life's journey and the complexities of human emotions.

Line by Line Meaning

ここには来るつもりはなかった
I never intended to come here

何処からずれ始めたんだろう
I wonder when did things start going off track

きしむ椅子に座って
Sitting on a creaky chair

窓の外グランドを走ってく
Looking out the window, seeing people running on the field

誰かの影を見てたあの頃かな
Those were the days when I used to see someone's shadow

あの頃かな
Maybe it was that time

限りなく弱虫な僕は
I, who is immeasurably timid

思えば中途半端なまま
In retrospect, I have always been unfinished

惜しむことなく
Without any hesitation or regret

強い愛で背中押す君を
You, pushing me forward with strong love

いつまでも泣かしているね
I keep making you cry indefinitely