She was born in Tokyo, Japan, and started work as a singer from a very young age, her specialty being jazz and a level of sensuality that was somewhat shocking in a Japan as conservative as it was at the time. Her movements, even while singing, are smooth, graceful and have a trademark undulating of the hand at the audience which, with a simple imitation, can bring only her to mind.
Natsuki further shocked the Japanese audiences by performing in full nudity in the Fukasaku Kinji movie Satomi Hakkenden (Legend of the Eight Samurai) in 1983.
Despite her explicit and desirable femininity, Natsuki concentrated all her energy into her art and shunned traditional values of becoming the homemaker or quitting her job after a certain age. Thus, she never married, which made her quite an icon for what is called a Kakkoii Onna, or "classy woman" in modern Japan today. But to the surprise of all, on the 18th of October 2007 she announced that she's engaged to marry percussionist Nobu Saito in spring 2008.
Today she continues to work as an expressionalist singer and performer, as well as an actress. She participates in a wide variety of musical theatre including that of Yukio Ninagawa. She provided the voice of the witch Yubaba in Hayao Miyazaki's movie, Spirited Away, played the young witch's mother in the TV remake of Bewitched in Tokyo, and has twice been nominated for a Japanese Academy Award. She plays the character Big Mama in the Japanese version of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Filmography
2007 Sakuran
2004 Okusama wa majo
2002 Ping Pong
2001 Spirited Away
2001 Shôjo (or Shoujyo) ("An Adolescent")
1998 Samurai Fiction
1995 The Hunted
1989 Otoko wa tsurai yo: Boku no ojisan
1986 Jittemai
1986 Death Powder
1984 Kita no hotaru
1983 Satomi Hakkenden (Legend of the Eight Samurai)
Player
Mari Natsuki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a Player 思い出よりも 新しい今がいいの
泣き出しそうなエンジェル 忙しそうなサタン
涙のうしろで儲ける 奴らに気なんか使って
I'm looking for Beautiful
この頼りない世界の中で
私だけの宝物 歩いて手に入れたもの
答えなどない そこにはない 机の上には
I'm a Player 友達なんて ちょっとでいいのよ
I'm a Player 愚痴や陰口聞いているヒマなどないわ
I'm looking for Beautiful
雨の止まない世界の中で
私だけの宝物 転んで手に入れたもの
I'm looking for Beautiful マイスピードで
傷口なんて 舐めれば治る それより行きましょ
I'm looking for Beautiful
つぼみの眠る世界の中で
私だけの宝物 時間だけがくれたもの
I'm looking for Beautiful マイスピードで
答えなどない そこにはない 机の上には
忙しそうなエンジェル アクビするサタン さぁ、なにか食べましょ
I'm a Player 答え合わせは 最後の最後で
The lyrics of Mari Natsuki's song "Player" portray a person who is confident and independent, a player in her own right. She values her present more than her past and seeks beauty in her life. The chorus of the song repeats that the singer is a player, and that she seeks beautiful things in her own time and at her own pace.
The first verse talks about how the singer is like an angel and a busy Satan at the same time, making money behind tears. This could mean that the singer is a hardworking person who doesn't let emotions get in the way of her work. She values her time and tries not to waste it on those who do not appreciate it. She looks for beautiful things in a world that is unreliable and unstable.
The second and the third verse talk about how she falls and rises again, chasing after beautiful things that she finds along the way. She emphasizes on moving on quickly from her wounds and looks for beautiful things elsewhere. She doesn't care about fitting in and is happy with having a few close friends. She walks at her own pace, looks for beautiful things where nobody else does, and finds her own treasures.
Overall, the lyrics of the song are about a person who is unapologetically herself, a player who is looking for beautiful things in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a Player 答え合わせは 最後の最後で
I'm a player who waits until the very end to see how everything turns out.
I'm a Player 思い出よりも 新しい今がいいの
I'm a player who prefers living in the moment to reminiscing about the past.
泣き出しそうなエンジェル 忙しそうなサタン
There's an angel who appears on the verge of tears and a busy-looking Satan, but I won't bother with them.
涙のうしろで儲ける 奴らに気なんか使って
I won't waste my time worrying about those who profit off of others' tears.
I'm looking for Beautiful この頼りない世界の中で
I'm searching for beauty in this unreliable world.
私だけの宝物 歩いて手に入れたもの
I have found my own personal treasure through my own journey.
I'm looking for Beautiful マイスピードで
I'm searching for beauty at my own pace.
答えなどない そこにはない 机の上には
The answers aren't there on the desk where I look for them.
I'm a Player 友達なんて ちょっとでいいのよ
I don't need many friends, just a few good ones.
I'm a Player 愚痴や陰口聞いているヒマなどないわ
I'm too busy to listen to others' complaints and gossip.
雨の止まない世界の中で 私だけの宝物 転んで手に入れたもの
In a world where the rain never stops falling, I found my own treasure by falling down and picking myself back up.
傷口なんて 舐めれば治る それより行きましょ
Why worry about a little wound? It'll heal if you lick it. Let's get going instead.
つぼみの眠る世界の中で 私だけの宝物 時間だけがくれたもの
In a world where flower buds are sleeping, I found my own treasure, which was gifted to me only by time.
忙しそうなエンジェル アクビするサタン さぁ、なにか食べましょ
The busy-looking angel and the yawning Satan are here. Let's go eat something.
I'm a Player 答え合わせは 最後の最後で
I'm a player who waits until the very end to see how everything turns out.
Contributed by Keira M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ximenasalgado4112
Gracias 😍😍😍
@mariafernandatorresforero2796
Me encanta tu trabajo, amaría si pudieras traducir "There'll never be good-bye" de Minako Obata