Butter-Fly – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: angela, オーイシマサヨシ, 奥井雅美, TrySail, FLOW

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into "Butter-Fly," the legendary opening theme of *Digimon Adventure*, originally performed by Kōji Wada. This powerful and emotional rock anthem offers a fantastic opportunity to engage with Japanese through its universally inspiring message of hope, courage, and perseverance. Its iconic status and memorable lyrics make it a perfect entry point for understanding Japanese culture and language through song, as it captures the spirit of adventure and growth beloved by generations worldwide.

[English]

Nice to meet you

Wow, we’ve made it, THE FIRST TAKE

I’m looking forward to it

Excited?

Yeah

Aren’t you nervous?

The fact that we can sing this song means…

Ah, I see, I see

And I was looking forward to delivering it with this wonderful lineup on ANISAMA FRIENDS

Yeah

Then, that anthem song…

Yes

Shall we do it?

Yeah, yeah

Let’s go

1, 2, 3

In a world that’s empty after an infinite dream,

That’s right, even dear feelings can seem like they’re about to give up,

Even with unreliable wings full of lingering images,

We can surely fly

On My Love

This is ANISAMA FRIENDS

Alright, let’s get pumped up with THE FIRST TAKE

Become a cheerful butterfly, riding the sparkling wind

Right now, let’s go meet you

It’s better to forget unnecessary things

There’s no time to be stylish any longer

What? WOW WOW～

I wonder if it reaches the sky

But WOW WOW～

I don’t even know tomorrow’s plans

In a world that’s empty after an infinite dream,

That’s right, even dear feelings can seem like they’re about to lose,

Even with unreliable wings full of lingering images,

We can surely fly

On My Love

Become a soaring butterfly, riding a single‑minded wind

Let’s go meet you anywhere

Ambiguous words are surprisingly handy

While shouting and listening to a hit song

What? WOW WOW～

It probably echoes through this town

But WOW WOW～

There’s no point in expecting

In a bleak world after an infinite dream,

That’s right, being unconventional might not be bad

Even awkward wings dyed with images that tend to stay,

We can surely fly

On My Love

Alright, is ANISAMA FRIENDS getting excited?

Come on, you watching, let’s get even more pumped!

Together!

In a world that’s empty after an infinite dream,

That’s right, even dear feelings can seem like they’re about to give up,

Even with unreliable wings full of lingering images,

We can surely fly

Oh yeah～

In a bleak world after an infinite dream,

That’s right, being unconventional might not be bad

Even awkward wings dyed with images that tend to stay,

We can surely fly

On My Love

Thank you!

So high!

Nice voice

It was fun

That was the best!

We were doing a live performance, right?

No, it’s fun

It was good

Fun

[Japanese]

よろしくお願いします

いやー　来ましたね　THE FIRST TAKE

楽しみだなぁ

楽しみ？

うん

緊張とかしないんですか？

この曲歌えるっていうことはもう

あーなるほどなるほど

そしてこのね素晴らしいメンツでANISAMA FRIENDSでお届けできるということで楽 しみにしてました

うん

じゃああのアンセム曲

はい

やりますかね

うんうん

いこ

1, 2, 3

無限大な夢のあとの　何もない世の中じゃ

そうさ愛しい　想いも負けそうになるけど

Stayしがちなイメージだらけの　頼りない翼でも

きっと飛べるさ

On My Love

ANISAMA FRIENDSです

さあTHE FIRST TAKE 盛り上がっていきましょう

ゴキゲンな蝶になって　きらめく風に乗って

今すぐ　キミに会いに行こう

余計な事なんて　忘れた方がマシさ

これ以上　シャレてる時間はない

何が　WOW WOW～

この空に届くのだろう

だけど　WOW WOW～

明日(あした）の予定もわからない

無限大な夢のあとの　何もない世の中じゃ

そうさ愛しい　想いも負けそうになるけど

Stayしがちなイメージだらけの　頼りない翼でも

きっと飛べるさ

On My Love

ウカレタ蝶になって　一途な風に乗って

どこまでも　キミに会いに行こう

曖昧な言葉って　意外に便利だって

叫んでる　ヒットソング聴きながら

何が　WOW WOW～

この街に響くのだろう

だけど　WOW WOW～

期待してても仕方ない

無限大な夢のあとの　やるせない世の中じゃ

そうさ常識　はずれも悪くはないかな

Stayしそうなイメージを染めた　ぎこちない翼でも

きっと飛べるさ

On My Love

さあANISAMA FRIENDS盛り上がっていますか？

さあ見ているあなたももっともっと盛り上がっていこうぜ！

一緒に！

無限大な夢のあとの　何もない世の中じゃ

そうさ愛しい　想いも負けそうになるけど

Stayしがちなイメージだらけの　頼りない翼でも

きっと飛べるさ

Oh Yeah～

無限大な夢のあとの　やるせない世の中じゃ

そうさ常識　はずれも悪くはないかな

Stayしそうなイメージを染めた　ぎこちない翼でも

きっと飛べるさ

On My Love

サンキュー！

たかっ！

良い声

楽しかった

最高じゃん

ライブしてましたね

いや、 楽しい

良かった

楽しい

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
夢 (yume) /jume/ A2	noun - dream
愛しい (itoshī) /itoʃiː/ B1	adjective - beloved, dear
飛べる (toberu) /tobeɾɯ/ B1	verb - to fly
翼 (tsubasa) /tsɯbasa/ B1	noun - wing
風 (kaze) /kaze/ A2	noun - wind
蝶 (chō) /t͡ɕoː/ B1	noun - butterfly
響く (hibiku) /hibi̥kɯ/ B2	verb - to echo, resound
世界 (sekai) /sekai/ B1	noun - world
忘れる (wasureru) /wasɯɾeɾɯ/ B1	verb - to forget
時間 (jikan) /d͡ʑikan/ A2	noun - time
言葉 (kotoba) /kotoba/ B1	noun - word, language
叫ぶ (saku) /saku/ B1	verb - to shout, yell
期待 (kitai) /kitai/ B2	noun - expectation
常識 (joushiki) /d͡ʑoːʃiki/ B2	noun - common sense
染める (someru) /someɾɯ/ B2	verb - to dye, stain
ぎこちない (gikochinai) /ɡiko̞t͡ɕinai/ B2	adjective - awkward, clumsy

Key Grammar Structures

• 緊張とかしないんですか？

  ➔ ～んですか (explanatory question)

  ➔ The particle "んですか" adds an explanatory nuance to the question, implying the speaker is seeking a reason or confirmation: "Are you *not* getting nervous?"

• この曲歌えるっていうことはもう

  ➔ ～っていうこと (nominalizer, “the fact that …”)

  ➔ The phrase "っていうこと" turns the preceding clause into a noun phrase: "the fact that we can sing this song".

• 無限大な夢のあと の　何もない世の中じゃ

  ➔ ～じゃ (colloquial copula, short for だ/です)

  ➔ The ending "じゃ" is a casual form of the copula "だ/です", often used in spoken Japanese to state a condition or description: "... is a world with nothing after an infinite dream".

• そうさ愛しい　想いも負けそうになるけど

  ➔ ～そうになる (to seem about to … / to become likely to …)

  ➔ The pattern "そうになる" expresses that something is about to happen or looks likely to happen. Here, "負けそうになる" means "it looks like (the love) will be lost".

• 頼りない翼でも きっと飛べるさ

  ➔ でも (even if/although)

  ➔ "でも" after a noun means “even though it is …”. Here it says “Even a weak wing can surely fly.”

• 余計な事なんて　忘れた方がマシさ

  ➔ 〜方がマシ (better to … than …)

  ➔ "忘れた方がマシ" literally means “it’s better to have forgotten”. The pattern "～方がマシ" compares two options, indicating the former is the preferable one.

• 明日の予定もわからない

  ➔ も (also/even) used with nouns for emphasis

  ➔ The particle "も" after "予定" adds the nuance of “even the schedule for tomorrow”. It emphasizes the total lack of knowledge.

• 常識　はずれも悪くはないかな

  ➔ ～も (even ... also) + 悪くはない (not bad)

  ➔ "はずれも悪くはないかな" uses "も" to include “even being off‑beat” and the negative adjective "悪くはない" meaning “not bad”. The speaker is tentatively saying “Even being unconventional isn’t necessarily bad”.

• さあ見ているあなたももっともっと盛り上がっていこうぜ！

  ➔ ～ても (even if) + いこう (volitional)

  ➔ "あなたももっともっと盛り上がっていこうぜ" uses the volitional "いこう" meaning “let’s go” or “let’s get more excited”. The preceding "も" includes the listener as part of the action.