Atarashii Gakko's "Koi Gebba": a deep dive with AJ Hartley (Atarashii Gakko chat #6)
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- Опубликовано: 17 авг 2022
- One of my favorite AG songs broken down. Hope you like it.
AJ's website: www.ajhartley.net
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though it's quite a dark song, i'm glad a song like this exists in a sea of other songs that romanticize student-teacher relationships. minors feeling like they're "mature for their age", or wanting to grow up faster and seeking "love" and validation from adults often stems from neglect/abuse/trauma etc as a child. i've heard many sexual abuse survivors tell such terrible stories. koi geba really shows the angst and inner turmoil that might go through a high school girl's head for her to resort to seeking love from an adult/teacher. i know a survivor who once said "i had a "rebellious phase" when i was a teen, which means i intentionally did bad things in hopes that i would get someone's attention so that they realize i'm broken. it was a cry for help." so when i hear the word "geba" or "rebel" in this song that's what comes to mind for me...
what i also think is incredible about this song is the choreography. i find myself tensing up whenever i watch it. it doesn't matter which performance you watch, if you look closely at all the members you can see they all have such painful expressions dancing this song.
the first time i saw the part of the choreography where Suzuka strikes Kanon in the gut repeatedly i couldn't stop thinking about it for days.
i think during that part, Suzuka represents the painful (abusive) reality of the relationship, or at least the part of the girl that acknowledges it. in the music video, Mizyu and Rin are just standing at the back doing nothing, but in recent years AG have updated the choreography so that now Mizyu and Rin cover their eyes, as if they pretend they don't see the abuse happening right in front of them. maybe they represent other people who don't do anything about this student-teacher relationship, maybe they represent the part of the girl who pretends to not care. either way all Kanon does is take the pain. since Kanon doesn't tie her hair up or anything her face is often obscured, but i saw one performance where you could see a bit of Kanon's face during this part and she really acts it out as if she's in physical pain from Suzuka's punches, it's insane. then Kanon finally punches Suzuka back as if to shut her up because in the end she chooses to commit to the relationship anyway, and right back into the song they go...
sorry for such a dark comment, i really enjoyed the video though, thank you for the discussion!
Thanks for this. Very interesting and compelling. As I said to someone else, I think the lyric of the song and the video are a little different, in that the song itself only indulges in a fantasy which hasn't happened yet, while the video shows what happens when the fantasy is actually lived out. It is, as you say, much darker. Without the video I tend to read the choreography as more about the inner conflict of wanting something forbidden rather than symbolizing the real harm of an actual high school girl/Teacher relationship, but I take your point. Thanks for the comment.
I love how overqualified you are to do these videos. You bring so much wisdom to it. After I dicovered your analysis, I really started to feel like everyone needs to watch it to trully understand the band and the songs. I least us westerners.
Ha! Thanks :) Other folks are, of course, more qualified than me in certain areas, but I do my best and really appreciate the support. Cheers!
Thank you so much for this discussion. I am happy to see you are taking a different approach compared to many of the 'Koi Geba' intepreations by (teen?)-Western fans I have seen. I think many Western fans take a very Western-centric standpoint and desperately want the Leaders to take the side of opposition to the extremely common teacher/student-relationship trope found in Japanese media.
However, I think we should be aware that the girls are very VERY much anchored in Japanese culture, also because of them having grown up in the heart of Harajuku (with their Adobisystem practise studio being on Cat Street, literally the heart of Japanese youth culture, since they were 13).
Of course many of the Leaders' songs have a feminist undertone. And their entire message is very progressive, even having performed at Pride events in Japan.
But still we shouldn't forget that the girls (and their producers) have grown up in Heisei Japan, which is when it comes to gender equality, similar to early 1960 USA.
I also follow Kpop group TWICE and I see the same thing happening in the Western fandom of that group. Western fans desperately want their idols to conform to western standards and criticise the wrongs of the native Korean/Japanese cultures. I think this is extremely ignorant towards the culture in which they grew up in, and doesn't reflect the true meaning of lyrics. You did a much better job.
It's certainly a more common trope in Japan, and I agree that people sometimes misread foreign cultures in fandom, either exorcizing them or--as you say--subjecting them to critiques which are culturally specific. And I think the song is expressly about a fantasy, a desire which is tied to notions of adulthood (like Otona Buru), rather than celebrating the fantasy as an actual act. That's a very different thing.
love this song i've known the translation for awhile , thank you for giving me a more detailed understanding . love your videos on atarashii gokko sometimes just knowing the translation isn't enough . keep it up ! 😊
I'm glad you like it. Thanks for the comment!
Thank you for the review! I came from your Coachella review and just discovered this video. This is exactly what I've always been thinking about the song but not able to verbalize it the way you do 😂. Don't know what intention Matsunaga Tenma (who's also a poet) had when he wrote the lyrics (which I love), but for me the choreography and the music video indeed are revealing the deepness of the song.
When AG are asked what the song is about in interviews, they normally only answer "it's about a school girl who falls in love with the teacher", but it has to be a lot more than that, otherwise they won't make the choreo and MV this way. Sometimes I think the political acts behind the song are actually more obvious for people with non-Japanese background.
I also love the "if it's a crime" part of the lyrics, that it's purposely questioned in a childish way, cause as decent adults we know how wrong and creepy it can be (but maybe that's another topic).
Thanks! Yes, interviews of them rarely get under the surface and tend to slide into prearranged talking points or generalized praise, a familiar symptom of Japanese entertainment feature spots. I'd love to see them field some more probing inquiries into creative composition and process issues. I think it would be fascinating.
That moment where Suzuka licks the heart is so brilliantly creepy. The action itself seems to reference some sort of sexual act, but the suddenness of her exaggerated happy expression and the way she dramatically drags out that movement evoke a manic sort of anger. It's especially scary since the other girls all have their heads down. Also the moment right after where Suzuka drags Kanon out by the hair and punches her, specifically in the area of the lower stomach where the uterus sits, feels like a clear reference to sexual abuse. The way Kanon's face is hidden behind her hair and the other girls are covering their faces, it all feels very deliberate. Such brilliantly viceral choreography.
My personal interpretation is that this song is about the fetishisation of female students, the sexual abuse they (sadly way too often) face, and the way it's often perpretrated by male educators in a position of power. That's what the revolt is about, for me.
That works for me.
Great analysis and context explanation! Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Great analysis as always. Please, continue with A.G.
Thanks & will do
This is really interesting because my interpretation of the music video (knowing none of the language) was kind of the opposite, it almost seems like a condemnation of that kind of relationship, the way that it's hidden and especially the running away part. I really appreciate your breakdowns, I only recently discovered AG and have watched all 6our videos on the subject
Actually, I think we're both right. The song and video are doing (interestingly) different things. The song is all about desire and anticipation, while the video is about he after effect of meeting that desire. It doesn't show the sexual act, of course, but the messy, dysfunctional fall out after the fact. I wish I'd thought to say that in the video since it's pretty cool and offers a nice if bitter dose of reality to the student's fantasy. Thanks for the comment and your support!
@WeisenheimerJack : I agree with your initial interpretation. In fact my translation of “Geba” is “resist (this kind of love)”, rather than “revolt”. It’s a cautionary tale. “Geba” does have political overtones, and the “revolt” interpretation is supported by the lyrics. But Atarashii Gakko’s attitude is about personal--not political--action, and resistance at a personal level is their message. This is consonant with their theme of individuality and freedom, which has been a constant. As Prof. Hartley has said, they’re so smart.
What great timing.
ATARASHII GAKKO! just had their first headlining show in the USA last night in San Francisco.
I'm driving up to L.A. to see them tonight.
Yes, I've been anting to promote them more and more since they are doing US shows (albeit all California). I am beyond jealous that you are seeing them in person. Have a great time!
@@AndrewHartley Happy to report that 'Koi Geba' was on the setlist last night at the Roxy in LA.
As far as I could tell, it was the whole version.
And the song length is the same in RUclips footage uploaded of that song from last night, as it is in the music video.
I think the biggest surprise was 'Koi no Shadanki' (Love Breaker), which included the short Suzuka/Mizyu skit setting up the song.
Sadly no 'Amayo no seppun' (Kisses on a rainy night), but you can't always have everything. : )
Like you, I really like the new songs, but that Acid Jazz fusion on the earlier stuff was really unique.
They'll probably always be my favorites.
@@rickwagner- Sounds awesome. How was the show? Did they seem comfortable in the venue and with a non Japanese audience? Were the audience fans or casual/curious? Inquiring minds want to know... :)
@@AndrewHartley They seemed very comfortable. Of course this was their second headliner in the USA, so everyone was there specifically to see them.
Suzuka seemed very happy that everyone quickly learned the little bits of Japanese she wanted them to chant back during some songs.
The fans seemed super dedicated.
I was talking to one guy in line before the show who flew in from New York.
He saw them at San Diego Comic-Con, Crunchy Roll Expo in San Jose, and both the San Francisco and L.A. headliners.
His next stop was the 88rising 'Head in the Clouds Festival' in Pasadena, which he also caught last year.
That's every AG! show in the USA so far.
A lot of folks seemed to know all of the song lyrics in Japanese, which is well beyond my abilities.
A young woman behind me was even more thrilled to get 'Koi no Shadanki' than I was, which is saying a lot.
There were maybe half a dozen young women, and two or three young men in full AG! cosplay.
The members seemed to really appreciate that.
Their energy level is unreal. I've seen the choreography on video, but it's even more insane to witness it in person.
They go hard, and not unlike BABYMETAL, the dancing really helps convey the mood and meaning of the songs.
That could really help them internationally.
The sold out LA show at the Roxy was packed, and from what they said on Twitter, the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco was nearly, if not completely sold out.
If they're testing the waters, the demand is high. And 88rising does have an East Coast office.
Full disclosure: I could have done without the hour long DJ set, although "Ginger Root" did include some AG! samples.
It seemed to go over better with the young people in the crowd, who honestly were the vast majority present.
BTW, loved the 'Koi Geba' deep dive.
There's a lot I'd missed from some of the online translations that you really clarified.
It's the uncomfortable friction of competing thoughts that makes their best songs so interesting.
One of my favorites, and the music video is pretty brilliant.
Of course, so is the full choreo. We really need both.
On a completely unrelated note, have you heard 'Witches' from Taiwanese math rockers Elephant Gym?
The lyrics are from "The Scottish play". : )
It seemed like something you might appreciate.
'Witches' link: ruclips.net/video/bvB4r-hJmGQ/видео.html
I did not know about this band. The song sounds really good! And thanks to you, I know what it is about. Thank you for the great analysis!
Thanks!
Thanks Professor for breaking this song down for us. I have heard Koi Gebba before but have never understood more than one or two words from it; I mostly enjoyed the music.
I am struck by the different theme here from Babymetal songs, where there is almost no sexual context and very few adult relationship references. I never really viewed AG as a group that ventured there. Atarashii Gakko always feel (in my mind) quirky, yet somewhat wholesome.
I think an AG cocktail video might be fun as well. It would be a perfect opportunity for you to develop your cosplay game, especially with the obvious links between AGs school uniform and your educational background. It's a shame you cut your hair, you could have made pigtails too.
As always, thanks for gifting us such insightful analysis.
Yes, while there are some overlaps between BM and AG they are very different, of course, and approach issues of identity, youth, gender, self empowerment etc. in radically different ways (though I see some slender lines of commonality between them). AG is, of course, not invested in the epic myth-making fantasy which defines BM so there's more earthiness and contemporaneity in what they sing about. Personally, I think they compliment each other well. Thanks--as ever-- for the comment!
@@AndrewHartley I like that description of babymetal, "epic myth-making fantasy" haha
日本の1960年代から1970年初めにかけて「ゲバゲバ90分!」というコメディー番組が放送されていました 日本古来のお笑い番組ではなく、欧米のコメディーに近い当時としては斬新的な番組でした
全く関係ないかもしれませんが、「ゲバ！ゲバ！」の連呼で思い出してしまいました…
USでのパフォーマンス成功以来、SNS等でもAGは話題になりつつありますね! 教授の先見性には感服いたします😉
それは面白いですね。ありがとうございます！（笑 テレビ番組のことは知りませんでした。
Thanks for the analysis. I understand and appreciate the lyrics and choreography much better.
I don't think you mention this about the music but besides the acid rock, metal, and jazz, this whole song is enka. I grew up with my mom listening to enka. You can really hear it in how Suzuka sings the verses but it's throughout. Not just the vocal melody but the entire musical orchestration. Thanks!
Yeah, I don't know much about enka, to be honest, but I know they associate with it, and with Showa pop/rock. Thanks for the observation.
great analysis of a great song, thank you!!
iirc the AG girls do their own choreography, right? they're geniuses, seriously.
Agreed!
Thanks again for another great video.
You said a little bit about the word 'seito' (pupil). I think it is worth pointing out the subtle difference between 'seito' and 'gakusei' (student). 'Student' describes a relationship with a subject matter, whereas 'pupil' describes a relationship with a teacher, or school. You could be a student of Japanese language but a pupil of Mr. whoever. So 'seito' is definitely a mot juste chosen by the lyricist given the context of the song.
Quite a bit of early AG has been showing up in my RUclips feed recently. I particularly love 恋の遮断機. Perhaps one for a future video. And once again, thank you.
Thanks. I didn't know the distinction. Appreciate the note.
Prof. Hartley, it has been a while, Sensei. I have been watching BABYMETAL, my love, reaction videos as my own main source of the entertainment, but due to my own illness and other problems since the winter, I have recently almost lost my own stamina to watch videos for longer than about 10 minutes... Please forgive me. But for once, I can't be so naive of mine, haha. AG is the artists group that I listened to so much that I forgot about BM for a while. Their second album, 'Wakage ga itaru (若気ガ、イタル)' is a masterpiece. I guess the album title is a pun on the idiom, 'Wakage no itari (若気の至り, Youthful indiscretion)', and it means 'Youthful has already coming to indiscretion'. And moreover, this 'Koi Geba' is my favorite in the album. But all the songs on the album are great. The lyrics of all songs are great too and I would love to have the Sensei explain them to us. I next request ' Tomei Boy, (透明ボーイ, Invisible Boy)'
As for the word, 'geba (gebba)', that is right as Sensei said, it is a Japanese old slang word. This word is a Japanese post-war leftist term derived from the German word, 'gewalt'. It seems to mean originally 'violence', but means in Japan's leftist term, 'rebellion', 'alert', and so on. We have a term called, 'Uchi geba (内ゲバ, internal fights)', which refers to brawls between left-wing students sects. And we have also a film by legendary film director, Koji Wakamatsu (若松孝二), who was also the symbol of the left, called, 'Shojo gaba geba (処女ゲバゲバ, Virgin geba geba)', haha. Oh, by the way, I am totally not a communist, ha.
The lyrics were written by Tenma Matsunaga (松永天馬), a crazy poet and vocalist of a crazy band called, ’Urbangarde (アーバンギャルド)', as introduced by Sensei. Of course I knew him after I found AG out. The song is about a forbidden love between a teacher and a girl student, and I guess the title of the song is a metaphor for the meaning of 'Rebellion of love', 'love alarm', or 'dangerous love' so to speak. It makes sense the song tittle and the theme connect with the words, 'barricade (バリケード)', or 'dynamite (ダイナマイト)' in the second verse. By the way, this is just my own estimation, but he graduated from Doshisha University(同志社大学) in Kyoto. Doshisha, along with Ritsumeikan University (立命館大学) in Kyoto and Hosei University (法政大学) in the east, is a leading private university that is still said to have leftist students. Incidentally, among national universities, Kyoto University. So Kyoto seems to attract leftist students, haha. Well, I confess that when I was young, I was also sympathetic to left-wing ideology as if I was carried away by a fever, even though for a very short time. But as the album title or the second lyric says like, 'it was like a blue spring storm' for me...
Sorry it's been so long. I'm off to get some dinner. Let me still write...
I finished my dinner.
At 4:21, I guess the word, 'jo seito(女生徒)' might actually be a word that is not used very often, usually used for 'joshi seito (女子生徒)' or simply 'joshi (女子)'. I believe it's like a general term for girls in about junior high to high school (I believe it could also include college students). I guess that they did it this way for the sake of the word, but it gives a sense of, 'I'm no longer a naive girl who doesn't know anything anymore!', or as Sensei said about 'Hana no (花の, like flowers)', means 'I have become a matured lady!, not girl!' Well, what can I say, haha, Sensei is right, it gives a sense of urgency that is not just a sweet love song.
At 8:52, 'Haru no arashi (春の嵐, a storm in spring)' is a seasonal term in Haiku in Japan as '春嵐 (haru arashi)'. In Japan, it usually rains at the change of seasons, especially when winter ends and spring comes, when somewhat strong rain falls and wind blows. Spring is a joyous season, but the spring storms are short but intense. Perhaps it is a metaphor for the forbidden love between a teacher and a girl student, which, like spring storms, is raging for a time, but then turns out to be wonderful... Furthermore, ’ame ga asufaruto nurashi (雨がアスファルト濡らし, rain soaks the asphalt)' is a metaphor for how rain moistens the inorganic asphalt, and it means... as it is, haha. And I suppose 'akai hana wo sakashi (赤い花を咲かし, let the red flowers bloom)' might mean the adult love after the rain. The word 'nurashi (濡らし, wetting)' is also very sensual, though I don't want to say it too much, haha..
At 10:23, about '告る', we can read it as 'tsugeru' as sensei said, but here, Suzuka has sung 'kokuru'. This word is also a slang one of young generation's that is short for 'kokuhaku suru (告白する, confess)'. And it means 'confessing my love to you'.
At 14:40, Sensei also liked the favorite part, the four Japanese novelists, I liked them too, I read them when I was in my own high school days. Well, I'm not that much of a reader, so I haven't read them all, haha. Dazai was a soft and weak social outcast, but for some reason he was popular with women, and in the end, he and a woman had committed suicide by drowning themselves in the Tamagawa-josui River...
As for Ango Sakaguchi, the lyrics in the second verse, 'ikite ochiruno, ochite ikiruno (生きて堕ちるの、堕ちて生きるの, Live and fall, fall and live)' is a quote from Ango's most famous essay, '堕落論 (Daraku ron, The Fallen theory)' in which his famously saying, '生きよ、堕ちよ(ikiyo, ochiyo, live and fall in!)'. This book was my favorite reading as a university student. Ango was a Philopon (methamphetamine) addict,... I guess it would be a double-meaning here in the lyrics, such as 'live in forbidden love and dare to fall in forbidden love'.
At 23:39, about Suzuka around here, I have read an interview with them, and according to her, she seems to be a fairy that watches over those men and women, lol. But I guess it expresses Suzuka's 'love and hate' for the forbidden love. It is her desire to watch over them, and her somewhat unfulfilled anger. It is funny that Suzuka doesn't hit Kanon unilaterally, but she hits Suzuka back at the end (there are similar jokes in other MVs as well).
At 26:35, about the word, '青い (aoi)', this word seems to be unique to Japan and does not literally mean 'blue in color', but rather 'still young', 'not yet mature', or 'inexperienced youth' referring to the difference between the way grasses and trees are still green, or the way rice plants grow from their green state to bear golden ears. So this part of the lyrics is like, 'My love may simply be like an immature spring storm. But does that make it a crime if I confess my love to you?' It is green in color, but we express it as 'blue'.
According to an other article about AG, Suzuka is fascinated by the Japanese avant-garde Buto(舞踏, dancing) group, 'Sankai Juku (山海塾)'. I can feel some elements of it in the choreography of this part, and excuse me, I can't help but laugh.
The composition of the MV is very interesting, as if we are peeping through a surveillance camera. And the cheap scenery of a Japanese urban hotel area (in Japan's big cities, there are hotel areas where men and women mainly enjoy meeting). They sing the theme with those footages in an Enka-like rock style (Enka, 演歌、Japanese ballad songs), with a jazz in the interludes. I, even a Japanese, think so too, they are weird!, and great, haha. Suzuka sings in a very serious way, but it is not a serious song, comical song, or I think it's very cynical and radical, I love it.
By the way, I have grown to love AG, and I recently went to a live concert in Nagano city, Japan by H ZETTRIO, the pianist H ZETT M, who was their producer up to this album. I am not a metalhead by nature, but just a Japanese jazz fusion lover, and I have seen a live jazz show in a long time, and it was their show. As a surprise, they played my favorite, Naoya Matsuoka (he was a great Latin pianist in Japan)'s 'Mi Amore' which I was very impressed with.
Thank you from Japan.
Thank you so much for this comment and for then extra information which is really helpful and interesting. When I make these videos I often feel a little anxious as a foreigner who no longer lives in Japan, because I know I may be missing the nuances of certain Japanese words, slang terms, or cultural associations. Most of the Japanese people I know are older, so if I ask them for help understanding a particular phrase, they often cannot help because they belong to a different generation. So it is helpful for me to have Japanese people confirm my instincts: thank you! If you would be prepared to be a sounding board for difficult words/phrases from time to time, please email me! Best wishes, AJH
This provides tremendous additional context to Professor Hartley's discussion points. I have no Japanese language skills so I truly appreciate all the extra information I can get on songs. Thankyou so much for not just the lyrical context, but for the cultural and political context as well. Sometimes nuance is everything.
@@AndrewHartley Finally, I have finished my long and boring text. Sorry for any self-satisfaction, haha... But it was fun. If you don't mind, I will e-mail to you. Thank you so much Prof. Hartley.
One more thing, please add English subtitles.😉
@@lencooke944 Thank you too. My long writings were finished. Please read it if you like it. The another 'Suzuka' from big Osaka, and AG are absolutely great!
Thanks. Yes, I look forward to hearing from you by email. The auto subtitles should automatically appear in a day or so. It takes time for RUclips's system to build them.
It has already been said in this comment section that Gebba comes from German "Gewalt" = violence. I'd like to add that Gewalt can have another meaning in German: The power or authority to do something.
"Ich habe dich in meiner Gewalt" = I have you in my power (in a physical sense, or maybe because you love me and will do as I say)
"Gewaltenteilung" = power sharing, usually as in a democracy between legislative, executive and jurisdiction
The political dimension of the term would have been more common a hundred years ago when Japan and Germany had closer ties and when this word probably was imported. In a way the Japanese meaning of Gebba as a violent political process is a nice synthesis of both meanings in German.
As always, professor, thanks a lot for breaking this down.
Good observation. Thanks!
rin and mizyu have their eyes closed an heads down a little in the music video the stage show they cover their faces with hand during the kanon gut punches . any ideas about that ?
Good question. I'm always a little unsure of the violence in their choreo, never sure how seriously to take it. I think there's a;possible idea about the way people avert their gaze from mistreatment (of others or self), but maybe I'm over reading. Not sure.
I don't know if there is nothing to it, or if it is very straightforward, but I was curious if there was any relationship or reason to compare and contrast Toumei Girl and Toumei Boy.
Had a couple requests for one or both of those. Will think.
Koi bumi by atarashii gakko is also a great song I recommend checking it out
Yes, that's a great one too.
I'm wondering about the German origin of "Gebba". I've been think about that for the whole video and no German word with this meaning that sounds even remotely similar comes to mind. (I'll probably do the Suzuka/Kanon routine (24:30) as soon as somebody points it out 😉)
My German is non existent, but my brother is fluent. I'll ask. I assume the word is modified like other Japanese imports from German (like 'arbaito'). Will report back.
But now I'm wondering if you are a native speaker, in which case, you'd know better than my brother! I'll poke around anyway :)
Ok, so 'gebba' is a reduction of 'gebaruto' which is derived from the German 'gewalt', meaning 'violence.' Not that close to the original German, but that's typical of foreign words than get Japanized.
@@AndrewHartley Thanks. Yes, I can see the connection. My best guess was actually "Gewehr" meaning gun, but I thought this was too far fetched. (and yes, German is my native language)
😕lastima que no tengas subtitulos para entender lo que dices... al menos para leerlo en ingles. Me gustan sus videos.... gracias por el trabajo.
saludos
Sorry about the subtitles. I've added automatic subtitles but they might take a day or two to appear. Hope they help. Thanks!
@@AndrewHartley Thank you for adding value to the culture... saludos desde Chile =)