Kyu-kurarin (きゅうくらりん) is a song released on August 29, 2021, featuring KAFU.
Background[]
Kyu-kurarin (きゅうくらりん) is track no. 9 in Watashi no Heritage.
The main character's name was confirmed to be クラリ (Kurari) in a tweet from August 30th, 2021.
Meaning[]
Kyu-kurarin is about a depressed teenage girl who forces herself to keep smiling for the sake of others. She struggles to keep going, and finds herself unable to keep up the act as her symptoms wear on her. The ending shows her crying to someone she loves, who hugs her in return, but it is ambiguous whether it really happened.
Theories[]
Sayori[]
People have made comparisons to this song and Sayori from the video game Doki Doki Literature Club! because shortly before the song’s release, Iyowa tweeted that he would like to make a song about her. This leads many to suspect that this is that song, following many similar story beats and aspects of Sayori's character. The girl's character design supports this theory, as she and Sayori share a hairstyle along with bows in their hair.
This has also raised questions about Almost Ended being about Monika from the same game. This would give new context to the line, "Ah, it's just like she said, it's over".
Suicide[]
The second verse takes the images of Kurari previously shown and moves all but one upward, as if to depict her hanging. The song's closing line causes many to believe that she dies by suicide at the end of the song. The phrase "ちゅうぶらりん" can be read as something being up in the air, either being literally suspended or figuratively left unresolved.
On October 31, 2023, Iyowa posted a Halloween-themed depiction of Kurari as a jiangshi, possibly supporting this theory.
Lyrics[]
※ Translation by AngelSubs
| Japanese | English |
| うるさく鳴いた 文字盤を見てた | I squinted at the wailing dial |
| きっときっと鏡越し 8時過ぎのにおい | Surely, surely, through the mirror, 8 o'clock has come and gone |
| しらけた顔 変わってなくてよかった | I'm glad my unamused face hasn't changed |
| ピンクの植木鉢の ぐちょぐちょした心のそばに | Beside the pink flowerpot's soaked heart |
| 大きく育ったもの 結ばれたつぼみが | Is an overgrown, swollen bud entangled with it |
| こんなにも 愚かしい | It's so foolish |
| ああ 化石になっちまうよ | Ah, I'll turn into a fossil |
| ああ 取り繕っていたいな | Ah, I want to keep up the act |
| ちゃんと笑えなきゃね 大した取り柄も無いから | I have to smile, since I don't really have anything going for me |
| 空っぽが埋まらないこと 全部ばれてたらどうしよう | I can't fill this gaping emptiness; what will I do if it all gets out? |
| ああ あなたの右どなり | Ah, the neighbor to your right |
| わたし きゅうくらりん | My heart races, head fuzzy |
| 例えば今夜眠って 目覚めたときに | Say, when I fall asleep tonight and open my eyes |
| 起きる理由が ひとつも 見つからない | I can't find a single reason to get up |
| 朝が来たら わたしは どうする？ | When the morning comes, what exactly... should I do? |
| うるさく鳴いた 文字盤を見てた | I squinted at the wailing dial |
| 一歩一歩あとずさり 「また明日ね」とぽつり | Backing away one step at a time, "see you then," I mumble |
| 喜びより 安堵が先に来ちゃった | Relief came before any sort of joy |
| 思い出西日越し うつるこまかなヒビが | Through the reminiscent setting sun, the tiny cracks can be seen |
| こんなにも恐ろしい | It's so unbelievably terrifying |
| ああ あなたが知ってしまう | Ah, you'll find out |
| ああ 取り繕っていたいな | Ah, I want to keep up the act |
| ちゃんと笑えなきゃね 大切が壊れちゃうから | I have to smile, or the things precious to me will break |
| 幸せな明日を願うけど 底なしの孤独をどうしよう | I wish for a happy tomorrow, but what will I do about this abyss of loneliness? |
| もう うめき声しか出ない | I can't even scream anymore |
| わたし ぎゅうぐらりん | My heart seizes up, head dizzy |
| ああ 虹がかかっている空 きれいと思いたくて | Ahh, I want to think a sky filled with rainbows is pretty |
| 焦がれては逃げられないこと | What I yearn for is being unable to run away |
| みんなにはくだらないこと | What everyone finds worthless |
| もう どうしようもないの | Ugh, but there's nothing to be done about it |
| わたし きゅうくらりん | My heart races, head fuzzy |
| そばにたぐりよせた末路 | The final days are closing in on me |
| 枯れ落ちたつぼみが こんなにも汚らわしくて | This withered bud is so unbelievably filthy... |
| いじらしい | So innocent |
| ああ 呪いになっちまうよ | Ah, I'll turn into a curse |
| ああ 「あきらめた」って言わなくちゃ | Ah, I have to say "I've given up" |
| 頭の中で ノイズが鳴りやまないから | Or the static in my head won't stop |
| 空っぽが埋まらないこと 全部ばれてたらどうしよう | I can't fill this gaping emptiness; what will I do if it all gets out? |
| ああ あの子の言うとおり 終わりなんだ | Ah, it's just like she said, it's over |
| ああ 幸せになっちまうよ | Ah, I'll end up happy |
| ああ 失うのがつらいな | Ah, losing things is painful |
| 全部ムダになったら 愛した罰を受けるから | If it all goes to waste, I'll take my punishment for having loved |
| ひどく優しいあなたの 胸で泣けたならどうしよう | You're so, so nice... What would I do if I cried into your chest? |
| 最後 見たのはそんな夢 | That was the dream I saw in the end |
| わたし ちゅうぶらりん | My heart hangs in the air |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Kyu-kurarin was the first Iyowa song to use a CeVIO voicebank.
- Kyu-kurarin is playable in maimai DX, CHUNITHM, Taiko no Tatsujin, O.N.G.E.K.I. and Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage.