Minako Kotobuki (寿美菜子, born September 17, 1991) is a Japanese seiyū and sin… Read Full Bio ↴Minako Kotobuki (寿美菜子, born September 17, 1991) is a Japanese seiyū and singer born in Hyogo, Japan. She is best known for her role of Tsumugi Kotobuki in K-ON!. Kotobuki began her singing career with the performance of the opening and ending themes of the 2009 anime series K-On! with fellow voice actresses Aki Toyosaki, Yōko Hikasa, and Satomi Satō. Shortly after, she performed the opening theme of the 2009 Hatsukoi Limited series with Aki Toyosaki, Ayahi Takagaki and Haruka Tomatsu. The four are affiliated with Music Ray'n, an artist management and publishing group of Sony Music Entertainment.They are currently known as the musical group Sphere (スフィア, Sufia) and released their first single "Future Stream" on April 22, 2009.
On September 15, 2010, Kotobuki Minako released her debut solo single called "Shiny+".

Métamorphose
Kotobuki Minako Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

濃い霞が朝の息吹
古へと染めゆく
雲の隙間差す光に
誘われし旅人
綴られゆく時代(とき)のなか
話してくれました
美しく咲いて舞い散る
世界があると...

憂いに満ちた目で
鮮やかに変わってく世界で
変わらないものを探してゆく
儚くともそれは強く
光を放つと信じられる
あなたと共にいられるのなら

彩られた時代(とき)の絵巻
金色雲がかかる
折り重なる言ノ葉たち
そしていま此処に生る
あなたのこと想うたび
この胸しめつける
やわらかなこの苦しみを
何と呼んだら
癒されるのですか?
ゆっくりと変わってく世界で
変わらないものを探してゆく
募る想い胸のなかで
変わってゆくことにも気づかず...

祈りを捧げるように
掌に残った
ぬくもりを確かめながら
そっと握った
手を手で抱きました
あなたを知り私の知らない
本当の私に会えたとき
この心は運命(かたち)を変え
遙かなる時代(とき)を
越えてゆくの
鮮やかに変わってく世界で
変わらないものを探してゆく
儚くともそれは強く

光を放つと信じられる
あなたと共にいられるのなら

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Kotobuki Minako's song "metamorphose" capture the essence of transformation, both on a personal and a societal level. The imagery of the lyrics is poetic and full of contrasts, like the "dense haze" of morning giving way to the light that invites the traveler to journey forth. The traveler is someone searching for something constant, something that won't change in a world that is constantly shifting. They meet someone who tells them stories about a beautiful world that blooms and dances, and they are filled with a desire to find something that won't change in this world - something that is fleeting but still powerful like the belief that even the most ephemeral things can radiate light.

As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is searching for a sense of self, and she feels conflicted about the emotions that swirl within her. She wonders what to call "this soft pain" that grips her heart whenever she thinks of the person she holds dear. She seeks solace from this pain in the idea of constant, unchanging things, but the more she thinks about it, the more she realizes that all things change, including herself. She's unsure of what she's becoming, but she takes comfort in holding the warmth of this person's hand and feeling a sense of clarity about her identity. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer discovering a sense of meaning in her journey and feeling empowered to cross the vastness of time and find her place in a world that is always shifting.

Line by Line Meaning

濃い霞が朝の息吹
The dense haze is colored by the breath of morning

古へと染めゆく
And dyed into the past

雲の隙間差す光に
In the light that shines through the gaps in the clouds

誘われし旅人
The beckoned traveler

綴られゆく時代(とき)のなか
Within the times that are being woven

話してくれました
You spoke to me

美しく咲いて舞い散る
The world blooms beautifully and dances and scatters

世界があると...
And there is a world...

憂いに満ちた目で
With eyes filled with sadness

鮮やかに変わってく世界で
In a world that changes brilliantly

変わらないものを探してゆく
I search for something that doesn't change