I want to talk about the Nya-Nya List - Part 1
In the liner notes for all the songs released on the delivery date (2025.07.25) of the 3rd EP "koko²" by Odoro, Hajimechika-san mentioned that when producing Nya-Nya, Nekota-san sent over and listened to songs she liked.
(Reference: Music Communication OTO-TSU Article)
What kind of music does Nekota-san like? (There were a lot of dark ones, apparently...)
What kind of inspiration did Hajimechika-san get from those songs to produce that Nya-Nya?
As an otaku, I'm naturally curious about that!
Over the three months since then, while getting hints from Nekota-san, I have been working steadily to complete that song list (the Nya-Nya List), and I have finally managed to get to the point where only one song is left to complete it.
The last song seems to be by Hikaru Utada, but I couldn't guess it at all, so I give up!
I decided to ask for the answer directly in a letter using my bonus points (lol).
I'll write about the songs on that Nya-Nya List another time, but this time I want to talk about the songs I thought were 'this must be it!' but were wrong.
Why would you do that, right...
Yeah, but while I was searching for and listening to songs, I felt a spark of something that connected to the worldview of Nya-Nya as I interpreted it, thinking 'It has to be this song!'...
You know, as an otaku, you just want to talk about things like that.
I made it into an Apple Music playlist, so I'd be happy if you could listen to it while reading when you have some free time.
👉 List of songs that didn't make it to the Nya-Nya List
🐈⬛ Nya-Nya (feat. Nekota Ren) / Odoro
First, about Nya-Nya sung by Nekota-san.
According to Hajimechika-san, the lyrics are 'abstract' and there are few words (which is typical of Nekota-san, if you ask me), so it was quite difficult to decipher, but
I interpret it as a song that depicts the small sense of discomfort and inferiority = complex that the protagonist has always had inside, finally acknowledging and accepting it as an adult, and the movement of the protagonist's heart as they try to change.
With its abstract lyrics, the guitar arpeggio that continues throughout, and the atmosphere that becomes increasingly shoegaze-like toward the end,
I have an image of a warm light shining in the core of the heart, like a gentle ray of hope in a cold-colored world that is the polar opposite of bright and happy.
My search for songs began with the idea that the Nya-Nya List must contain lyrics and musical styles that connect to this worldview.
① Toketa, Natsu / yonige
This is the prologue to the story.
While blaming the environment and others for sadness and heartache, in the end, one blames oneself.
In that 'loop of blaming others and self-loathing', one finally begins to focus on the small sense of discomfort = complex deep in the heart that 'something is wrong.'
Trying to look at the heartache that has been blamed on someone else as 'something inside oneself' little by little.
Like ice melting in the summer heat, the paralysis of emotion loosens, and emotions that are not yet words are about to start moving; it is a song that depicts such inner conflict.
https://youtu.be/ybOF6c6XYT4
② Chiisana Koro kara / JUDY AND MARY
This is a song about the first movement of light shining into the darkness.
It depicts the moment one finally tries to face the 'young self' that one has kept inside without ever changing.
'That little spell'—in those words, the pain of self-denial and the light of hope coexist.
The courage to not erase past wounds, but to acknowledge and accept that pain as 'part of oneself' = a complex.
In a dim, hazy field of vision, it is a song where you can feel the small light of hope lit deep in your heart.
③ Endroll / CY8ER
This is the story of 'me' who cannot die in a broken world = my own heart.
'With one button'—a trivial thing became the trigger, and daily life collapsed.
The never-ending 'winter of the heart' that began from there is depicted.
While living, emotions freeze, and in a time where the same loneliness is repeated thousands of times, the protagonist remembers 'your song' from the past.
That 'you' might be someone in a memory colored with warm colors, or perhaps a symbol of one's own past self that can no longer return.
The melody remembered in a world where ash falls is a memory of lost warmth and kindness, the only light remaining deep in a broken heart.
In that voice that quietly mutters, 'It's perfect for the end credits,' there is not despair, but the sound of slight forgiveness and acceptance.
This song is not a song mourning an end.
It is a story of a heart that could not end, quietly drawing the curtain on its own 'winter of the heart' and trying to breathe life back into itself once more—
It is such a fantastical and gentle tale of rebirth.
https://youtu.be/8Z0bJm8XDCw
④ Heaven is Still Far Away / Lovely Summer-chan
This is a song that depicts quiet hope and the lingering resonance of 'life'.
At 60 BPM, the guitar arpeggio rings out like a calm heartbeat.
That steady rhythm symbolizes the 'heartbeat of trying to live' while carrying hesitation and pain, even as one continues to waver.Because this song has few lyrics, the blurring of the sounds speaks directly to the listener's heart.
The shoegaze-like sound that expands toward the end leaves behind a
feeling where the past and present, light and shadow, melt together.'Heaven is still far away'—that is not despair, but perhaps a song conveying a
gentle message from a future filled with hope..https://youtu.be/C2W_Ne-NUXc
So, what do you think?
I made a playlist with Meow Meow as the final 5th song, and I've convinced myself that it creates a flow where you can sink deeply into the world.
(It's not actually in the Meow Meow List!)
I'll talk about the completed Meow Meow List next time.
I want to release it once the final song is determined.
See you later 🙇♂️
#Tags
#Odoro #Ren Nekota #MeowMeow #CY8ER #HajimeChika #JUDYANDMARY #yonige #LovelySummerChan #MusicEssay #Playlist #Idol #Oshikatsu