LOVE FANTASTIC – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: 大塚 愛
• Album: LOVE FANTASTIC

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the nuanced expressions of Japanese through Ai Otsuka's "LOVE FANTASTIC". This song is a great way to learn more subtle and emotive language, such as the phrase 「なんとなく」 (nantonaku), which conveys a sense of "somehow" or "for no particular reason." The song's sophisticated pop melody and heartfelt lyrics about the unpredictable nature of love make it a special and engaging piece for any Japanese language learner.

[English]

Somehow, it just flowed away

Somehow, I decided on a whim

Somehow, I think I believed in it... It's nonsense.

Somehow, I found out what happiness is

Somehow, I discovered what unhappiness is

Somehow, I was imagining it

On a gentle curve (somehow, *****)

On a gentle slope (somehow, *****)

The beginning is always an unexpected trap

Somehow, I acted like I didn’t know

Somehow, I was doubtful

Somehow, I was bouncing around... nonsense♡

Somehow, I used a straw

Somehow, I stopped halfway

Somehow, I went down and came back up

Crushed caterpillar (somehow, *****)

Moisture spreading out (somehow, *****)

It's because of the late night of the deserted family restaurant!

Transparent love is plain to see, you know

Brave love gets a perfect score, you know

Secret love is full of dreams, you know

I’ll start chanting! Let’s gaze at each other! 1, 2, 3, step!

Take off your lethargy (somehow, this is love)

Take off your hesitation (somehow, this is love)

I won’t think about anything, because somehow, this is love.

Transparent love is plain to see, you know

Brave love gets a perfect score, you know

True love is beautiful, you know

Let’s gaze at each other! Let’s start chanting! 1, 2, 3, step!

[Japanese]

なんとなく　流れてった

なんとなく　決めてみた

なんとなく　想ってたんだろう・・・・デタラメ。

なんとなく　幸福を知った

なんとなく　不幸を知った

なんとなく　描いていたんだろう

ゆるいカーブで　（なんとなく　×××××）

ゆるいスロープで　（なんとなく　×××××）

始まりは　いつだって予期せぬ　トラップだ

なんとなく　知らん顔した

なんとなく　疑ってた

なんとなく　飛び跳ねてた・・・・デタラメ♡

なんとなく　ストローを使った

なんとなく　途中で止めた

なんとなく　下がって上がった

くしゃくしゃケムシ　（なんとなく　×××××）

潤い伸ばし　（なんとなく　×××××）

人のいない真夜中のファミレスのせいだ！

透明な恋は　まるみえだね

勇敢な恋は　花まるだね

秘密の恋は　夢があるね

唱えだすぜ！　見つめあうぜ！　1. ２. ３ Step！

けだるい脱いで　（なんとなく　これは恋だ）

ぼやぼや脱いで　（なんとなく　これは恋だ）

何も考えませんよ、だってなんとなく　これは恋だ。

透明な恋は　まるみえだね

勇敢な恋は　花まるだね

真実の恋は　美しいね

見つめあうぜ！　唱えだすぜ！　1. ２. ３ Step！

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
流れる /ながれる/ B1	verb - to flow
決める /きめる/ B1	verb - to decide
幸福 /こうふく/ B2	noun - happiness
不幸 /ふこう/ B2	noun - unhappiness
描く /えがく/ B1	verb - to draw or depict
トラップ /とらっぷ/ B2	noun - trap
疑う /うたがう/ B1	verb - to doubt
飛び跳ねる /とびはねる/ B1	verb - to jump or hop
ストロー /すとろー/ A2	noun - straw
途中 /とちゅう/ B1	noun - on the way
真夜中 /まよなか/ B2	noun - midnight
恋 /こい/ A2	noun - love
秘密 /ひみつ/ B2	noun - secret
美しい /うつくしい/ B2	adjective - beautiful
見つめる /みつめる/ B1	verb - to gaze or stare
唱える /となえる/ B2	verb - to chant or recite

Key Grammar Structures

• なんとなく　流れてった

  ➔ used with 'なんとなく' + verb in past tense to express an action that happened vaguely or unintentionally

  ➔ 'なんとなく' means 'somehow' or 'vaguely', and combining it with past tense verbs indicates actions done without specific intent or clarity.

• なんとなく　想ってたんだろう・・

  ➔ using 'なんとなく' with past tense + だろう to express speculation or assumption about an unclear feeling or thought

  ➔ 'なんとなく' indicates a vague or non-specific feeling or thought, and 'だろう' expresses supposition or guess about that feeling.

• 始まりは　いつだって予期せぬ　トラップだ

  ➔ using 'いつだって' (always) + adverbial phrase to emphasize that the beginning is always unexpected

  ➔ 'いつだって' means 'at any time' or 'always', emphasizing that certain situations or qualities are constant.

• ゆるいカーブで　（なんとなく　×××××）

  ➔ using 'で' as a particle to indicate the means or manner of the action (a gentle curve), with omitted content representing a feeling or state

  ➔ 'で' is a particle that indicates the means, manner, or condition of the action, and the omitted content suggests a feeling or atmosphere.

• 人のいない真夜中のファミレスのせいだ！

  ➔ using 'の' as a possessive or descriptive particle to specify 'midnight family restaurant' and 'のせいだ' to indicate cause or reason

  ➔ 'の' connects nouns to show possession or description, and 'のせいだ' means 'because of' or 'due to', indicating causality.

• 見つめあうぜ！　唱えだすぜ！

  ➔ using 'あう' as a verb to indicate mutual action (look at each other), and 'ぜ' as a masculine casual ending particle to emphasize the statement

  ➔ 'あう' is a verb suffix indicating mutual or reciprocal action, often attached to the verb stem, and 'ぜ' adds a masculine, casual emphasis to the statement.