Professor Hartley, Please continue doing your analysis of babymetal next year. I have enjoyed your analysis of all the other Babymetal songs you've done this last year. I too like people reacting to Babymetal I like when musicians react to the Kami band most reactions are just amazed by Babymetal. You're the only one that goes into the translation and the analysis which I look forward to. Again please continue.

One of my favorites. What you explained is what I felt, the stress, but didn’t know why. Awesome how the music and dance brought that out.

You have just articulated what I have felt about this song better than I ever could. As to the subject of the song, I don't think it's about BABYMETAL the band exactly, but considering the lore putting BABYMETAL in a war against the uniform monolith of idol music for the future and "soul" of music itself, I feel like this is calling out popular music and people's interaction with it. And can we take a moment and appreciate the vocal power and prowess of Su-metal for singing while bouncing up and down, and bending over at the waist without so much as a stumble? Absolutely incredible.

Great analysis again and you have helped me firm up my own (previously very vague, incomplete and probably still very misty) thinking and understanding with explaining that what is being said is that "it is both different and wrong" as reflecting what they were constantly being told about their music and the ongoing arguments about was it metal, was it pop - which is it, it should be the same as one or the other, it can't be both or it can't be put in the right box. The stress isn't their own, its the stress other people were feeling who couldn't pigeonhole them, but towards the end we get "It's OK, different is good" - also something that comes up with people saying they don't understand and it mixes genres, so they don't know where to place it or where it fits in, but it sounds good and it works. Possibly with 'Future Metal' off the Metal Galaxy album there is more confirmation to forget the boxes, not everything needs to be the same or to go into a box with everything else with the lyric "This aint heavy metal. Welcome to the world of BABYMETAL." Have a good break, I hope your grading is nice and straightforward and I'll be looking forward to when you hopefully resume this excellent series.

for me it's simple , YAVA is about something that different and the same at the same time and when this thing happened our brains need time to process everything. plus for me Yui have the best expression and dance in this than other Babymetal songs.

Sugoi 🤘😁👍 Can't wait for the next one 😁

Small trivia point - as far as I know Chigau was the fan name for the song before the title was announced - I don't think it appeared as a working title on setlists. I could be wrong though.

yeah there is more than clothes, ponytails (i read it somewhere) many people tend to give a more childish meaning to the lyrics, thank you professor this is prety enlightening

⚡ 💀 💕 / 🤔 That was great. Your conclusion makes a lot of sense. Du-Metal says on his translation page, "The meaning of the lyrics is vague, obscure & ambiguous." But your interpretation sounds very plausible. The choreography is a great place to look for clues. My only quibble, speaking of differences, is that I didn't see Momoko in any of that footage, just Riho and Kano. As well as Yui, Moa and Su, of course. I don't believe Momoko has performed that song with BABYMETAL yet. Even though she is the avenger with the most appearances.

I think “Pippo-Pappo” is the sound of a computer calculating something and last “Pii” having malfunction and cannot get the answer.

Great online lecture again & I appreciate it 有難うございます💛。It is very interesting to know interpretations by other people with different cultural background, especially by insightful people. In my 65-year-long life, I have never considered that "difference means wrongness". Then I suddenly noticed a similar word to difference ("chigau" : 違う). That is "machigau (間違う)" that means "go wrong, fail, misconceive ... etc." Honestly, for the 1st or 2nd lecture of this series, I thought Professor Hartley was a little bit overthinking or overly reacting. But songwriters and choreographers must have deeply considered what kind of messages should be implied and connoted in each performance, so I came to understand your analysis helps dig out the latent meaning under the performance which I have never thought of. In this compilation video Yui and 2 avengers (Riho and Kano) are dancing with Su. I witnessed this song at Makuhari Day 1 on Jan. 25, this year and enjoyed it as just a playful performance. One of the reason was Riho, my most favorite avenger, performed in Yava! (I love Kano and Momoko, too). Next time I will analyze this song with a frown ... No! I can't do it! I will smile at the girls. I look forward to your lectures in the forthcoming year. You are hoping 2021 will bring new and better things. I already got new and better things. I got tickets for 4 BABYMETAL concerts at the Budokan 武道館 in January and February ヽ(^o^)丿

That was a great watch, thank you so much. As you can tell by my nom-de-keyboard this is one of my truly favourite BM songs (hope you do Syncopation too at some point!). I have loved it from my very first introduction when I found footage of BABYMETAL at Tokyo Dome. (For me, at least, still their best performance of YAVA!) It's always been the choreography that has really appealed to me. I probably like other "songs" more, but I find the dance moves in this song tremendous (and on that revolving stage...wow!). I have watched Duane-Metal's excellent translation of the words which went a long way to explaining the song, but your analysis really links the meaning of the words to meaning of the dance. It surely does create a sense of turmoil and inner conflict, and not a little frustration too. Certainly more stressful than shopping I think! Food for thought, and a darn good excuse to get that Tokyo Dome DeLorean out and watch it again. As always, thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. I hope you do continue into the new year. I for one always look forward to your next videos, and I don't think I'm alone in that.

Bloody hell, this was a passionate one! Haha From my admittedly tiny knowledge of Japanese, I understood "chigau" to mean wrong, but never realising it meant different too. I had always assumed the song was about frustration, perhaps even anger, but not having the skills to translate most of it I had no idea of its lyrical depth. I agree (duh) with your interpretation, the intense choreo is integral to the storytelling of Yava as a whole. How can you watch them and think it's about something as trivial as deciding on which sweater to buy? The mind boggles. Anyway, enjoy the holiday period my friend...already looking forward to Amore! 😉

Another great video!! So I guess we just completed the first semester of Babymetal 101. When do we get our grades? 😁 Can't wait to get the next semester started. Enjoy the holidays, hope you and your family stay safe.

Appreciate this one. I have never understood what they are getting at, but this brings clarity. Watching this man do I miss Yui. She said so much with her facial expressions and movements. This musically I feel is one of their best compsoitions, I think the best off the second album. The progressions are so solid and even the chaos is perfectly controlled. Just a great song with a ska beat. They are better as three. I hope they get back to that someday. I do miss Yui but totally accepting that that is in the past; been following bands too long to get wrapped up in changes of personnel. You celebrate the music you have.

There are already many comments here expressing my exact same thoughts but in a more articulate way. So I just want to add please continue with your BABYMETAL analysis series. Your videos are fun, interesting and insightful, always first on my must see list.

Thanks again Professor-Metal, very good analysis as always. Enjoy the holidays and hope to see more in 2021.

I make my second time of comment to your BABYMETAL channel. I am a Japanese in my 50s, graduated from university, but now I am just a hired engineer, lol. When I left my comment on the other reactors of this song before, I got a lot of good 👍 again. I think the content of that time was almost the same as what Sensei said, too, lol. It is not my bragging. I am glad that my sense is almost the same as the keen consideration of Sensei who is familiar with Japanese culture. The word "Yabai" was originally derived from the word "Yaba (矢場、厄場)". This means a place where we shouldn't be, it means bad situation. And it was one of the slang words that thieves started to use in the Edo period, and it was used by yakuza until the post WWsecond period. So this is a dirty word, and our parents taught us, in particular, generations above me, that it shouldn't be used. But I think boys, including myself, liked to use it, lol. But lately, the younger generation, especially even teenage girls, prefer to use this word. Now the meaning has changed and it is used to mean cool, amazing, surprised, delicious, etc. I love this song. Sensei has compared it with Awadama Fever and mentioned in your video, I think it is totally right. Su- once said that we want girls to listen to our songs because we have a lot of lyrics that girls can sympathize with. As I think both songs are so, but Awadama is a bright song, while Yava is a dark song that sings girls' anxiety. I think Su- has sung anxiety about teenage girl's senses of growth period that are different from other girl's one. But even in Japan, as they grow up, they can make individual differences, but I think Japanese women have some sort of pressure to force them to be the same (it can lead to discrimination against women, so I have to be careful to explain it these days). I think there are many women who are worried about this in Japan. However, one person asked me in the comment section before. BABYMETAL's lyrics are ambiguous on purpose, so we might have a different meaning. I think It is certainly true. It is Yabai because of differences from other girls until now, but I am me from now on, it is Yabai, right? I can also receive them as if Su- were screaming like that. As you know, Japan has a culture of Tanka and Haiku. They are short fixed poetries of 5-7-5, or 5-7-5-7-7. In my opinion, BABYMETAL's lyricists are influenced by Tanka and Haiku, or at least I think lyricists are aware of them. The lyrics of recent Japanese singer-songwriters are so mediocre that there are too many explanations! Express with a minimum of words and let us imagine, or express it richly with a minimum of words. It is not limited to Yava, but I think the lyrics of BABYMETAL are very wonderful from those perspective. I like both songs because they are very BABYMETAL-like, but I think that Yava is more suitable as a metal song than Awadama because of the dark vibes. The expressive Moa doesn't smile at all in this song. I also love the development that starts lightly with the rhythm of Ska and goes dark or heavy from the break down part. I am sorry for my poor English and long sentences anytime. Thank you from Japan.

Very interesting. Just knowing about the gesture now puts a whole new spin on this. You've convinced me. :)

WOW! What an analysis! So far this and your Megitsune analysis are my favorites because I get to be more enlightened by the Japanese culture through their music, which for me adds many more layers of appreciation and awe. When you pointed out that the Japanese use the same word to mean "different" and "wrong" was an eye opener for me. A completely binary frame of mind with no grays or middle ground. I believe their choreographer Mikiko should be given a lot of credit for helping Babymetal to use the right moves to apply express the mood of the music and words. I cannot wait to hear your next analysis! Merry XMAS and Happy New Year to AJH!

This was my first time to your channel. As a BABYMETAL fan, their dedication to, & the diversity of choreography they display always intrigued me, & that was before learning that certain movements, gestures, & facial expressions may have a specific or different meaning to those familiar with Japanese culture. I've enjoyed learning this & it allows me a deeper appreciation of BABYMETAL - thank you for the education! I look forward to watching your previous reactions, & hope you continue to share your knowledge & opinions concerning BABYMETAL after the holidays. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Arigatou! 🦊🤘 #notacult

Professor-san, thank you for linking Japanese cultural and language elements to better understand this song. As an engineer and artist, I like to say this song validates my OCD tendencies. Although fleetingly brief, your talk brought to mind meticulously prepared trays of Japanese sweets, each piece carefully made the same as the next and positioned in meticulous uniformity... until you look closely enough, and to be sure, the pâtissier isn't going to appreciate you explaining how they are all different. This was also a really fun compilation version you found. We get some wonderful close-ups, a nice catch of Moa's love of singing to the backing track (here, singing the little 'woo-ooh' descant), and Boh totally getting into the realization and acceptance phase of chigau. Agree nothing to do with shopping indecision, and nothing like Awadama Fever (but some people will tell you they are the same). Yava!!

Thanks for another inciteful analysis. Please have a safe and enjoyable holiday season. I hope to see you on the other side.🦊

Thank you for this, as always, excellent evaluation. Yava has been one of my top three Babymetal songs. I agree with your take on this song 100%. I always felt it was very dramatic and talked about some sort of conflict, and the choreography communicates that very well. Please keep them coming!

I have to admit, I almost skipped this video. Not because I didn't think I'd like it, but because I spent the last two days working on a project for this song, so I've listened to it more than 30 times in the last 48 hours. However, I can't resist your analysis of the songs, and I'm so glad I watched it. Once again, I got a better understanding of the song, and see it in a different way, thanks to you. You may not realize what an asset you are to us, but your videos are always highly anticipated on the BM Discord server, and as soon as they go up we generally flock over here as soon as possible.

Thank you for all your BabyMetal videos so far. They've made 2020 a bit better :)

YAVA really grew on me during quarantine. Seeing your analysis on it put a smile on my face. Love the vid!

Insightful as always. Enhanced my perspective . I’m impressed with how much the choreography tells the story Thanks again for great interpretation Food for thought

Thank you for this interesting analysis. One of my favourite songs and choreo from the band. So it's, kinda like, Moa and Yui saying: " You wrong, you wrong!!! Be like us! " and Su responding: "But You're all the same. I don't get it ?!". Meaning that you need to be yourself not as everybody. This is my interpritation, hope it makes sence. Also, we all need some Blu-ray commentary at somepoint - where girls will explain some dance moves and how they impact the song lyrics.

Really interesting analysis, I hope you will continue next year with the rest of the album.

The point about the importance of the visual element and the role of the choreography in telling the story really lends itself to the idea that the visual element is absolutely integral to experiencing Babymetal. I realized very early on in becoming a Babymetal fan that listening to the studio albums is probably the absolute worst way to experience their music and goes a long way to explaining why KZfaq has been such an integral part of them blowing up internationally (despite Amuse's best effort to discourage reactors). The videos of their insane stadium concert performance with all the sets, lighting, and pyro, along with the choreography, the songs , and the crowd interaction allowed people who had never seen them or who had kind of heard of them, to get an insight into what there were really all about. Babymetal isn't just a band whose songs you listen to, they are a whole theatrical stage performance that has to be SEEN (ideally live) to be fully experienced.

I hope you continue doing these videos. They're among the few (not-really-a-) reaction videos I like.

Great analysis. I've always been struck by the expressions of Yui/Moa in the chore, sometimes a shocked looked, other times like denial and the use of their arms covering the face, the twirling of the hands at the side of their heads (like, you're crazy). I think the song is about what Babymetal is to the greater music industry, we're going to do something that's never been done before and not conform to what you want us to, so suck it!

bloody excellent content professor, I knew this song had to be deeper than first thought, lol, bloody brilliant analysis, mate, I also believe that the band intros for both this song and Awadama, also further highlight the differences between the two. can't wait for the next one.

This song gave me a sense of "we're in trouble! something is wrong, something is off, and it can't get out of my head" but not that stressful

I think YAVA is about Babymetal themselves. They are different from other idol groups and metal bands and doing things that might not be immediately appreciated in Japan or in the world of conventional metal music, but they are nevertheless good things for the people involved in Babymetal and their fans.

Great analysis Professor (probably I like it so much because I have similiar reading of the song). Once I learned that "chigau" means both "wrong" and "different" (also "other one" I belive) the whole idea was stuck in my head. I read it less on the internal level and more on the social level, something like "they say: all the girls are similar" or "all Japanese people are similar" etc. but SU's character notices small difference among people and refuses to bend to the social pressure, keeping her own world view/opinion/individuality and so on. This is so unlikely to stereotypical japanese view as one can get. And I love this message :) Also choreo is awesome and music + visual fit so great. One of My favourite songs for sure.

Ah, awesome. One of my favourites. The way that ska is used to amp up the anxious feeling is really interesting to me given that most of the time ska forces an upbeat feeling. I like your interpretation. It rings true to me, and factoring in the choreography is an important angle that most people seem to skip. I noticed that Yui and Moa sing "Yava!" in response to Su's confidence in her perspective increasing. I think their characters are reacting to feeling more and more compelled by her, and then by the end of the song they stop shouting her down and sync up with her choreography and now they're on her side. If she brings them over to her side by her persistence and confidence in her own belief that difference is good, this puts the song in line with the most common Babymetal themes.

Alright! Just did a deep dive on this song for the first time and of course planned on watching this! See without this kind of context and thoughtful exploration I would not have gotten into Babymetal as much I have. I have no knowledge of Japanese language or culture really, so with your videos not only do I learn a bit about that, but getting an understanding of the messaging Babymetal is trying to convey just adds that much more love for the group from me. Talk about a song ahead of its time! This interpretation makes me think of our current social situation, especially in America. Everything is so extremely politicized. You're either far left or far right. There's a disconnect like I've never seen. It's impossible to have logical discussion, and there is no gray area allowed ANYwhere. For whatever reason we have been trained to hate "the other" and not allow for any reasoning. It's really sad. This song to me feels like that frustration with not being able to have an opinion on anything without being thrown into a box. All the while ..Su is reminding us that the entire world and life is indeed, a gray area...... Thank you, again and again, for this work Professor! ❤

Your holistic aproach, looking at the song through lyrics, music/tonality and choreography, is pretty impressive. You claimed at the start to not have any definite insight, but the result of your analysis makes sense on all three levels. While applying it to the band itself seems possible, I agree that it has probably a more general meaning, and the connection to the development of Japanese culture after WW2 totally fits into that. I've learned something about Japan and about this song. As always, professor, thank you for educating me.

Thank you so much for this latest analysis (and on my birthday, no less!). To be honest, I had never considered Yava! to be a thoughtful song, but you have certainly given me quite a bit a to consider regarding this song. Thanks again for the continuing series. I hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday season, and I am looking forward to more analysis videos next year.

Happy Birthday Su Metaaaaalllll

Nicely done, professor keep em coming.

You just extremely eloquently described most of my interpretations of this song which have churning and changing in my mind since the earliest exposures of the song in audio clips/fan cam footage from way before release of it's formal naming - I always thought of it as "Chigau, Chigau"... I too had this overriding feeling of a general anxiousness about the uncomfortableness of being different. I was always reminded of that saying about the nail that sticks out of the board more than the others is the one that gets hammered out of chigau-ness. At the earliest onset I had this idea about boys all being the same (a la Sis. Anger - I chuckled when I first heard this song much later on) but maybe some are different and that it's so stressful to weed them out.. Over the years I gradually moved to a more general concept in my head but had never formally put it into words as you have. Well done. I have watched a few other BM vids of yours but not all so I have some to look forward to spread out over the Xmas break. Be safe and have a wonderful holiday season from Canada.

Thank you so much, once again. Yava! is such an awesome song, and for sure in of my favourites on the Metal Galaxy album.

Thanks for sharing this link in your other thread. It’s really awesome that you comment to almost everyone who posts! I like your take on this song, however, I read another fans take on the lyrics. She interpreted the song to be a battle between a musical artist and everyone else. She implies the lyrics are Su’s inner monologue about the song not being right in terms of pitch, or delivery, or something- but everyone around her is saying it’s amazing, but she knows she can be better at really bringing about the best representation of the song. I was wondering if that thought changes how you view the song. Also...thanks for putting out really intelligible thoughts behind the lyrics. Also I’m happy with your stance on Kuwai. Some of the fans of Babymetal worry me.

Wonderful again sir, one of my faves musically and the choreography, always felt it had a darker side which plays with my favourite Babymetal songs. Have a wonderful Christmas Andrew and I’m looking forward to seeing you in the new year, all the best!

And of course the concept that you should not just give in to the conformity being forced on you by society, but instead embrace the differences in everybody, that's just about as heavy metal as it gets :) It's a cool reading ... they never specify the subject of what they are arguing about because it is the argument itself, the existence of the argument, that matters... I really like that, it seems like a very interesting perspective!

Thank you for the inside, the song makes more sense now. Happy holidays!

I'm glad I saved your new analysis for the end of the year since the message of the song, as you explained it is really an uplifting one and something that we all need at the end of 2020. Great analysis again, I very much enjoyed it. And I'm impressed that BABYMETAL obviously go against the grain with a lot of what they're doing and saying in their songs (against idol culture, against the "normal" metal culture, against japanese cultural expectations etc.). I like that. "Yava!" is on of my favourite tracks by them (even before I learned what it's all abaout :-).

Excellent! I have always wondered what this song was about. Same with the hand gestures. I always learn something from your videos whether it is the song meaning or cultural things and I appreciate your effort. Thank you Professor-metal! I hope you enjoy the holidays and Santa Kobametal is good to you! Kitsune Up! 🤘🦊🤘

Sorry as always I am delayed on your videos, although they are still great, thanks for them. Oh, and was nice to listen to you on the podcast. My take on YAVA!, the meaning of the song is a question that raises quickly. As it is not defined through the lyrics we get lured into wondering. I had a first thought the first time i put attention to its meaning and actually my guess on YAVA! has not changed much since then. It seems pretty clear they are speaking about a difference that's wrong and that worries them so much. My doubts on this matter has always been if they are approaching it in an abstract way or there is a targeted meaning that goes deeper. If that was the case, I have thought they might be speaking of the doubts they had at that point in time on their careers: "do we really want to commit our lifes to this? It is not what we wanted to be and no one else has done it, idols don't do metal". But that's a speculation that will never be resolved as there is nothing in the song that relates to that thought. But that's not the hypotheses that has the biggest weight in my thoughts, the most probable scenario is that they are just speaking about the doubts on being different in an abstract way, and as they always have said, they address their songs to young ladies, so it might just be a message to the young girls that listen to them and are worried on their teenage years. "Hey don't worry, it is ok to be like your are". Yep, that's very Babymetal.

You always set a high bar to pass with each video, Professor - but this may be your best one yet! Quite fitting for the final class of the semester! If there's anything that might help compel you to continue with another semester of wonderful classes, I'd say that this comment section is proof enough that you've been doing something quite valuable and unique - I've rarely see such great discussion on KZfaq, and that's a credit to both Babymetal and yourself.

Really appreciate this one, professor. I believe that "YAVA!" is highly underrated and it's actually one of my favorites (easily on my top 10). It's catchy, the choreo is great and that breakdown! Have a great Holidays, stay safe and my best wishes for the next year!

I find it interesting that we can use the choreography as an interpretive guide as if it were a gloss provided by the lyricists. It is well known that Mikiko uses the lyrics of a piece as a guide in creating the choreography and it is in many ways then "interpretive dance." But which way to interpret then came from Mikiko not necessarily from Nakametal, Mk-metal, Kxbxmetal. And the music by Norimetal gives it a bit of a frantic feel. (Still debating my word choice there.) As AJ has mentioned, once a piece is published, the writer loses control of interpretation. I have to wonder if there are bits of that with this song. Team Babymetal produces truly wonderful things. Fascinating analysis and glad I did not miss it.

Who's on first. What's on second. :p Glad to see this one. Might be my favorite BM choreography. Thank you, as always. :) Looking forward to more whenever you get around to it.

Oh please continue to analyze these songs i love it ,just to see a adult who loves Babymetal as much ss i do . Your last breakdown of Awadama Fever we were in agreement about the song ,well sort of but i truly think you should continue because the general fan doesn't understand the big picture of the storyline with BM i might think i understand it but i think fans don't understand the order in which the songs should be viewed. Anyway Yava , Awadama Fever, Megitsune, Syncopation,Distortion, The Trilogy of Lights are in my top five . Keep up the good work TY

I think your on the right track. I heard Yui say in an interview one of the things she liked about america is we put more emphasis on being individual where as in japan there is much more pressure to all be the same. At least tha'ts what i think there addressing in this song

As usual, I fully agree with your analysis, especially with the part that this song is NOT about some mundane situation like a girl trying to decide on what to buy or wear. Subject and object of CHIGAU have been intentionally left blank in order to make you think about what is wrong (chigau) with being different (chigau). I'm not 100% sold that it's about embracing difference for its own sake, though, and I draw that from my own translation of CHIGAI-SUGITE KOMARU: to me, this means 'it's too different (chigai-sugite) [to a degree that] it troubles me (komaru)', or, 'it's just too much for my taste'. But of course that is only one reading of it, one that assumes KOMARU is referring to the speaker. To my knowledge it can just as well mean, 'if you deviate too much you can cause people grief'. Whatever, this is one of the things I love about the Japanese language, as it allows for staying vague and inoffensive while clearly (well, maybe clearly is the wrong word, let's say, obviously) voicing dissent. On the topic of 'difference is wrong': it gets even worse. Consider KAWARU, 'to change' - it's not necessarily carrying the same positive connotation as its English counterpart. KAWATTA HITO, literally 'a person that's changed', means a crazy person. I still hope, however, that Japanese people on the whole don't subconsciously consider change a bad thing. But it's not exactly surprising that Japanese history (in this case, of national isolation and seclusion) has found its way into the language. Completely unrelated, I was hoping in vain that you could pinpoint the guitar melody at the beginning of the breakdown (like you did in your IINE video), as it sounds awfully familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. I'm sure they are referencing another traditional (or famous hit) song there. I was hearing some 'Misirlou' in there at first, but it's not that.

Wow,so interesting channel!Very diferent from other reaction videos...This song is one of my most fevorite songs.

i rlly agree with your interpretation of the song! it's amazing how much you can get out of a song with lyrics that seem so ambiguous. as ridiculous as the "girl who can't decide which sweater to buy" take sounded, i think there's still something that can be taken away from that gendered line of thinking. when i first heard this song, what i took away from it was the sense that the female singer's emotions/opinions is being downplayed. mostly because since i've lived as a woman, i know this feeling all too well, and all the stuff that's thrown at Su throughout the song triggered some specific emotional reaction in me. we all know how women are "crazy" for claiming this shade of pink is completely different from that shade of pink. women are just too "sensitive" and think about things too much. meanwhile the entire song is about Su thinking about something for 4 minutes and standing by her belief in the end. my favorite line is 気にすんなって、 いいでしょ？like, what's wrong if i do think about it, or feel strongly about it? who cares, it's a good thing even! thanks for the analysis professor AJ metal, i'm hoping to catch up with all your classes soon :)

i enjoy your video very much thank you. i hope you will continue. everytime i watch your video i brush my hair. if i met you in izakaya, i could talk with you about babymetal songs for hours !

🍅🍅🍅 🤘🏼🦊🤘🏼 Like always

Very interesting interpretation as usual! My only gripes are that musically it feels like a pretty happy sound to me. I think Ska is usually perceived like that, so it would be a strange choice for a song about negative pressure and anxiety. On the other hand, that quick, syncopated rhythm does feel a little hectic and "invasive" (sorry, lacking the appropriate English vocabulary here) , so perhaps that's where it makes sense.

This is my favourite song. So complicated, even before hearing your explanation of it. I saw a translation of it too. Its not a simple thing to do. But fascinating. It is also the cutest dance ever. It just is. We are all the same. But we are all different. I don't think this is a cultural thing. We are all just the same. And we are all different. And maybe this song relates to that.

Non-Japanese speakers who get into Babymetal beyond the Kawaii, or the spectacle, or the “that rift is dirty”, an example being myself, get glimpses that the lyrical content goes beyond the pleasing or trite sentiment. Sometimes looking around wider Japanese popular music, both in English captions and MV visuals there is sometimes a concentration on death and trauma that from a Western perspective simply shouldn’t be there. Some of our first clues regarding Babymetal come in the declared themes of the bigger concerts that some performance nights concern the darkness and others the light - a clear reference to Eastern dualism - Yin and Yang, and all of that. There is a duality in the meshing of metal and pop forms that might be generally reviled by metal heads. Shintoism is clearly referenced there was a Shinto blessing ceremony for Megitsume, and it was filmed in a shrine (reused as a film location for at least two other acts since I note). There is, perhaps, a cod mythology built up around a music that was formatted in the English industrial midlands (and not to forget that Rob Halford was already the Metal god) and its existence as a force of the light across the Cosmos. Away from the girls’ saviour status there are a sweep of songs worthy of textual analysis and contextual explanation, and there is plenty of the personal, cultural, and issue addressing to look at. Thank you for this project Professor. I still wonder who is writing the lyrics with Babymetal in mind, and how Su, Moa, and formerly Yui, relate and embrace them. Is there a reason that a particular song gets a death or a djent treatment, and why a form of metal melds with ska, EDM or lounge jazz. Looking forward to more analysis in the New Year, and the reactions to other bands could be a good break. Many of us out there fast forward the cursory reactions that are little more than head nods and a “I liked that .. goodbye, and remember to press the like button and subscribe”.

I've always thought that this song, musically, is 100% a homage to the band Maximum the Hormone. People have described it as 'ska-metal', but I don't know of any precedent for that kind of genre fusion, it's not a pre-existing thing. However, there has for many decades now been continual crossover between ska music and the punk scene. MtH rose to popularity when they developed a frenetic, 'heavy' sound, but they are not a metal band, their roots are in the Japanese punk scene, and they have kept all the musical attributes that you would expect from punk as it was in the eighties and nineties, including regular diversions into ska-type rhythms. The frenzied pace and dynamic shifts of this song sound, to me, very MtH-like. I can't think of any particular way to connect this thought with your analysis, other than to note that a good part of the MtH recipe for success in Japan was based on 'shock', and they probably got hit with charges of being 'different' and 'wrong' at the moment of breakthrough. They do sort of stand as a precursor for Babymetal in the way of incorporating some elements of 'idol' performance into a genre framework where many would have argued it didn't belong. For example, kzfaq.info/get/bejne/isqnh5h70a6cl4E.html

この動画についてのコメントでなく申し訳ありませんが、以前紹介したPictures,Noise and Wordsさんの動画ですが、諸事情により現在削除されているようです。しかしJunichiさんのチャンネルに日本語字幕付き版が転載されております。こちらはPictures,Noise and Wordsさんの許可を得ているとの事です。お勧めは、長いですがTails of Destiny/The Oneのリアクションをやられた回です。お暇とご興味があったらどうぞ。他に連絡手段がないので、ここに書かせていただきました。失礼しました。教授の動画は他にこのようなアプローチをされてる方はいないので、もっと見られてもいいんじゃないかと思うんですけどね？私は好きですし、楽しみにしてます。

Thank you very much for doing this. I think, this wrong/different can also bei found in western culture, when students graduated from school/college start to work, and all of their newest learned things about teamwork or environmental issues for example don't fit with the company rules, so the older staff shape them in order to fit in.

Totally agree, indeed I put YAVA! on the "dark" side, no surprise it was played on the second day of Legend - Metal Galaxy (the only one out of place is PAPAYA, Megitsune would have been a better choice, but I understand how they needed to balance their setlists for both nights). 🤘🦊⚡

The ending pose is a thinking pose insn't... Fast paced with heavy breakdown, and even faster towards the end, the song does convey confusion and stress behind the lyric and choreo. Maybe 4 is not so bad (Yon No Uta), maybe different is good (Yava), maybe it's okay to be bubblegum (Awadama Fever), again and again we see Babymetal challange an established idea in a subtle and fun way. How metal is that, and how can we not love them. ^^

Once again, I would like to give you high 5 to your analysis. The word "chigau" contains two meanings as you mentioned. 1) different 2) not correct and actually the word may be stays in the middle. In old Japanese culture, people believed to be same with others, makes you more confortable, and correct, and people was taught to be like that, which means being different is almost like "wrong". I think the song is telling the young girl of the new generation cought in middle of the confusion. You may be experienced before, when you ask some question to Japanese in English, they regulary be very quiet not only because they are shy, but the same time they think "what am I gonna do if I make a wrong answer not like others?" and they freezes. These days young Japanese are more encouraged to have your own statements or ideas and starting to express themselves, but it is on its way.

Interesting analysis, you're correct of course, one of the modern conflicts in Japanese society is this view of sameness and how even the language is structured in such a way that enforces this idea. Those who go against this tide are unfortunately often pushed to the outside. However their is also a great feeling of comfort in solidarity and sameness in being part of group. So I guess internally there is always this conflict between the two ways. As you noted Japanese is full of words with double meanings, which if you translate from a western viewpoint you get confusion. Yet if you approach with a Japanese mindset they become much clearer.

Fascinating. I do think that 違うmeaning both different and wrong is interesting and something that Duane-Metal did not hit upon (as you state in early comments). To be fair, it again shows how important the choreography is to the song interpretation (Duane had seen Yava live, but may not have seen the choreography enough to make the jump you did). I do agree with your general thesis and have always thought that there was definitive tension in the song. What it is exactly about is largely irrelevant... it's the fact that other people can't see the difference is driving the mood. This analysis is interesting because the lyrics are simple in so far as there is a lot of repetition of the words. This is different, that is different, etc., etc., etc. And, yet, it is extremely complex... there is a lot of room for interpretation. I do think there is a lot to say that this song may have been the impetus to create (I believe) similarly themed songs on Metal Galaxy... specifically Distortion (which clearly feels like an internal battle (The "power" being fought is not external)) and Elevator Girl (Going Up, Going Down, Going to Hell, Yeah).

Hi I'm japanese. pa-rira pa-rira pa-rirarira pa-rira pa-rira hooooo These are not Japanese language. But I can feel some condition. 脳が働けない状態、混乱している状態 をイメージできます。 頭がパーになるという表現を使いますし、 パーリーピーポー（party people）は頭が悪いという先入観もありますし、 古い日本のコメディアンがハラホロヒレハレというギャグ（全身の力が抜けて崩れ落ちる）をやっていたり、 古いアニメで頭を打って意識がないときに頭の回りを小鳥がピヨピヨ飛んだ描写を使います。 このような経験からくるものだと思います。

I remember some version of Yava! had a sound of people laughing in the background. What version of that?

Clearly this song is about the anxiety she is feeling about being told things are the same when she sees them is different, the lyrics and the choreography both convey that, but what is different or the same is left purposely ambiguous in my opinion, they do this in other songs as well such as Starlight and Shine so as to allow the listener to apply this to their own life. I also think you maybe under estimate the importance of fashion in a young Japanese females life (some males too)and over emphasis the importance of conformity, this pressure does still exist in the workplace and with parents etc. but not so much amongst peers where having a unique style is more important