FandL Theory: Lyrics Edition ① "Idol Anthem"

Preface

I have been steadily writing the lyrics edition of the FandL theory for some time now.

However, because I spent so much time polishing it to improve its quality, I kept missing the timing to release it just when it was one step away from completion.
Therefore, the current situation is that the lyric critique has not yet been released.
The critique of "Road of Future," which I wanted to release first, was structured to focus heavily on the role of Miharu Tano (hereinafter "Miharu") as a culmination of FandL's first year of activities.
But before that text could be released to the world, Miharu suspended her activities and then graduated.
There is no doubt that this regret is what is making me rush to write this current critique.

Idol Anthem has only been performed a few times since it was unveiled.
If you ask why I decided to write a critique at this premature stage, it is purely a "matter of timing."
This song belongs to the time of the current four members.
That is why I am writing it now.

FandL's songs generally take the form of cheering songs.
Many of them encourage us who live with feelings of dissatisfaction and anxiety, and give us the courage to take the next step by putting their arms around our shoulders and moving forward together.
Of course, there are exceptions (such as "Love Song," "FloCan!," "Chinchiro Fever," and "Nice to Meet You, Love").
I feel that in recent years, FandL has had an increasing number of autobiographical songs.
The first time I felt that was with "Road of Future."
This song sings about their bright future.
It is a song that summarizes the first year they ran through, while also expressing their determination to move forward with their companions.
In contrast, "Idol Anthem" feels like it is singing about "the sense of crisis and impatience that they have right here, right now."

This is the latest song, "Idol Anthem," which was released the day after Miharu's last live concert (12/17). Please listen to the song from the link below.

Everything written from here on is the author's personal opinion.
I intend to clearly distinguish between facts and speculation to avoid any misunderstandings, but if I end up confusing the reader due to the momentum of my writing, you may consider it entirely my responsibility.
However, I feel that I must write this at this very moment. I will reveal the reason for this in due course.

1) Organizing the Timeline

I personally think this critique is quite difficult.
This is because, as I imagine, the process of how this song came to be is very complex.
Let's summarize the argument while comparing it with the current situation in which the group FandL is placed.

Here, I will present the timeline as verifiable facts, separate from the interpretation of the song.

I note that the following content, which I will write based on this information, is purely the author's imagination.

2) The Chaos Inherent in "Idol Anthem"

The first thing I thought when I listened to "Idol Anthem" posted on YouTube was,
(That's a chaos unlike FandL)
That is what I thought. Though that's a poor choice of words.

The day after this MV was posted, the management dropped this post.

Reading this, it made some sense.
On the first day I listened to it while reading the poem, I saw words like "GRAVITY," "Sai," "Kudaranee," "Timelapse," and "Chiru Hanataba," and I thought,
(Oh, is this like a culmination of past songs?)
That makes sense. If all 14 songs are packed into it, it's only natural that it would be chaotic.

3) The Mystery Hidden in the Credits

Looking at the song credits for "Idol Anthem," for the first time in 15 songs, the producer "Murasaki" is listed as a lyricist. It is a joint name with the youngest member, Mira Tsunaga (hereinafter "Mira").
Here, it makes sense again.
The chaos that this song possesses might be rooted in the overlapping layers caused by having two lyricists.

4) The Discomfort That Still Remains

I understood that "Idol Anthem" is a mosaic painting based on motifs from 14 past songs.
But what is the meaning of creating this song now?
If it were a song as a final settlement, there is "Road of Future," the 10th song in total, which was performed at the 1st anniversary one-man live in July.
While feeling a slight sense of discomfort, I attended the "OTONOVA2026 Semi-Final" (@Shinjuku Live Freak) held on December 27th.
I would have my heart struck by "Idol Anthem" heard live from the floor. (There is a link to the live video at the end of the text.)

5) "Idol Anthem" is Rock

There is no other song whose evaluation changed so much before and after experiencing it live.
When I watched the MV online, the "inconsistency of the lyrics" and the "feeling of being ungrounded" coexisted uncomfortably.
However, this song as seen live was something completely different.
The members' words pierced my chest directly.
Throughout the entire song, each word stimulates memories by riding on the recollections of past songs. At the same time, I felt a sense of urgency from all the members.
It is not just the cry of pain in the C-melody.
Even the parts in the A-melody and B-melody—the broken voices, the trembling voices, the singing without raising their voices—made my heart tremble.
What is this?
I kept thinking about it while at work, and it finally dawned on me.
This is "unmistakable rock".

Why was my heart so shaken?
The lyrics are not organized.
The music cannot be called easy to understand either.
Even so, live, my emotions were inevitably grabbed.

When I thought about the reason, I arrived at the words that Japanese rock has spoken repeatedly.
It was not a story about technique or structure, but a question of "are you telling the truth?"

Kiyoshiro Imawano (RC Succession) has repeatedly said something to this effect:"Rock isn't about being good or bad. It's about whether you're telling the truth.".
Also, Hiroto Komoto (THE BLUE HEARTS) often says, "Rock and roll is a cry of the heart."

The 14 songs of FandL so far have been full of consistency (even "Furokyan!" and "Chinchiro Fever" have a completed worldview), and it seems they were sung using a methodology of how the members express the strength of the songs.
But "Idol Anthem" is different.
What appeared to be a world viewed from a bird's-eye view, a world that comforted the audience and ran alongside them with arms around their shoulders, this time feels like the members themselves are expressing their own pain in their own words.
Even putting aside whether it is good or bad, it sounds like they are prioritizing expressing their current emotions without lies or falsehoods.
That is precisely why I felt a kind of emotion I had never felt before.

Then, what kind of "current emotions" are the members holding?
From here on is where my delusions grow even larger.

6) The synchronicity I feel in "Idol Anthem"

As presented in Chapter 1, there is an unforeseen situation that occurred in the process of this song's creation. That is Miharu's graduation following her hiatus.
In the first place, a song is not something that can be made overnight. Especially since FandL has a deep refinement of their songs, this is even more true.
If it were a group where the producer handles everything from lyrics, composition, arrangement, direction to members, recording, and mastering, it might be different, but that is not the case for a group with a division of labor.
"Idol Anthem" is likely no exception.
Production must have started on the premise of singing in a 5-member formation.
The loss of a member occurred in the middle of that process.
If there was a concept for this song of creating it by refining past songs, then a change in direction due to the loss of a member was inevitable.
There is a history of another song being aborted due to Miharu's absence before.
Even so, there must be a reason for releasing "Idol Anthem" to the world now.

The reason I felt for releasing "Idol Anthem" at this timing.
It is that "this song is absolutely necessary to summarize the 14 songs from the era when Miharu was there and to move forward."

Criticism is mostly the author's personal opinion.
No matter how objectively one writes, it is inevitable that it will be governed to some extent by the information and prejudices the writer possesses.
In my case, I am writing from the position of having supported the graduated Miharu.
Therefore, if the production team (especially Mira who wrote the lyrics and Purple P) says, "What kind of nonsense are you writing?", I have no words to return.
But isn't that what criticism is?

So, from here on, without fear of misunderstanding, I will write what I felt from this song.

What is the common point of the 14 songs so far?
It is that they are "songs by the initial 5 members".
Some may think, "That's obvious," but it's not that simple.
In the general theory of FandL (Lyrics Edition) that I intended to write on another occasion, I plan to explain, referring to examples, that there is no other group that is so particular about song assignment (lyric assignment).
There was indeed a world of songs that could only be expressed by the five of them.

7) The reason I am rushing to write this theory

There were other important keywords in the post from management regarding the new song.

"The first and last song of the 4-member FandL formation"

In the jacket (?) illustration of "Idol Anthem", a microphone case is drawn.
There are 4 microphones in a case that holds 6, and each microphone has a color at the base. These are the member colors of the current 4 FandL members.
The blank space for the remaining 2 microphones and the words "I NEED YOU" written on the tape stuck there.
This can be over-interpreted in any way, but I suspect that the new FandL system (the addition of new members) is imminent. It is just an inference based on circumstantial evidence, though.

FandL has an unusually fast supply of new songs compared to other groups.
And "Idol Anthem" is labeled as (the first and last song of the 4-member formation).
In other words, when the next song comes out, it will not be the current formation.
I have immense trust in the producer.
A person who keeps their word.
Not someone who posts words that affect the future of the group with half-hearted feelings.
That is precisely why I wanted to write about this song in the present tense before it becomes "the past."

What is "the past"?
It is the current 4-member formation seen from the future.
Whether members increase or decrease (though I don't think that will happen), it is not hard to imagine that the current 4-member formation will not last long.
In the current transitional period, if it is a song that I want to leave as the first and last, I think the conceivable concept for the song is "settling the past for the new system" and "making the members speak of the pain that only they can feel now."
In other words, it is a "summary of the initial member era."

If that is correct, this song will only be established by being sung by the current 4 members.
I think that "Idol Anthem" after new members join will feel like it is out of its original context, at least to me.
Because it cannot accurately trace and express the context of "the pain of losing Miharu."
That is why I wanted to write and publish this theory here and now, while it is a 4-member formation.

8) Two layers that can be read from the lyrics

As mentioned above, this song has two lyricists.
・Mira Sunaga (Member)
・Purple (Producer)
I think there is no doubt that this two-person system creates the inconsistency in the lyrics, but as a result, I feel it succeeds in creating an unprecedented sense of urgency.
Here, I will fantasize about the division of roles in this song.
Of course, I cannot prove the division of lyrics, so it is just an inference from the difference in standing between the producer and the member.

Purple Producer was responsible for presenting the concept, bundling the past 14 songs to give them consistency, and establishing it as an FandL song.

Wasn't Mira responsible for the "lyrics that I absolutely want to convey here and now"?
Below are the parts where I felt the "flesh-and-blood Mira."

"God, can you hear me? I feel like I'm being left behind in the changing days"
"Even though I should have hidden it in the corner of my memory, I was trembling, saying 'Don't end'"
"You can become stronger for the amount you've wavered"
"Even before God knows, everything is continuing to change"
"Time is cruelly moving forward, I don't want to miss even a single moment"

FandL has continued to question the importance of "living in the now," but perhaps by losing a companion, they have come to feel more closely that "being here now" is not a given.
It is cruel, but sometimes people can grow by losing things.

And finally, the last part.
“Until the day the idol dies / Hey music, please don't stop”

The members of FandL have come to know that the day an idol "dies" will truly come.
Idols will eventually leave the stage.
I feel that this earnest pain of the members can, as a result, be sublimated through the singing of "Idol Anthem."

9) The Transformation of Mira Sunaga

I will expand here on the content I was writing in an unpublished FandL theory.
It concerns Mira Sunaga (hereinafter "Mira"), who is also the lyricist for this song.
There is so much I want to say about the other members as well, but I am bringing her up here because I feel that Mira is the one who has changed the most following Miharu's absence.

In the previous FandL theory, I defined Miharu Tano as the "narrator," but I will try to evolve that a little here.
Miharu Tano is a "translator of pain."
Let me explain.
The "translator" I am referring to here is not someone who speaks on behalf of someone else's pain. Much less is she an entity that prettifies stories.
She is an entity that converts her own weaknesses and hesitations into a form that the audience can receive and presents them.
Many FandL songs are structured to sing about "pain."
Unfulfilled days, a self that feels gloomy while being aware of its own weaknesses, but still, I have to change. I want to change.
These conflicts are built up in the A-melody and B-melody, and in the C-melody after the chorus, she shouts, "But I still have this kind of weakness inside me!"
When returning to her true self here, Miharu's "ordinariness" is effective.
The pain that visits at the initial moment of trying to become strong from a weak self, of trying to look forward and take a step forward.
Miharu was shouting that as the representative of the members in the C-melody.

Just before the four-member system officially began.
During the period when Miharu was on hiatus, Mira was in charge of that C-melody as a substitute.
To give a concrete example, "Lord of Future" is notable, but the feeling I had when I actually heard it during that time was that "the scenery the song holds has changed."
It is amazing how much the image changes depending on the singer.
I was shaken once again by the greatness of FandL.
And I once again let my thoughts wander to the magnitude of the role Miharu had been fulfilling.

Even now, after Miharu has graduated and the group has started moving as a four-member system, Mira is still in charge of the C-melody of "Lord of Future."
In the first place, I had an image of the idol Mira Sunaga as someone fighting a lonely battle within the group FandL.
An idol who keeps being sharp to attract attention and has the ambition to "become famous" and "become a big presence."
Now that Miharu is gone, the image I have of Mira has changed to something like aJoan of Arc.
An explanation is probably necessary.
The "Joan of Arc" I am referring to here is not an image of a hero or a heroine, but rather,
She does not want to stand at the very front herself.
But she understands that if someone doesn't hold the flag, the formation will collapse.
She takes on the role of raising her voice even while harboring fear and hesitation.
That is what I mean.

Mira must have understood the importance of the C-melody that Miharu carried better than anyone else.
Calling it Miharu's curse might be too strong a word.
But as they continue to sing existing songs in the future, this curse must be broken.
In that sense, I feel that "Idol Anthem" has the role of liberation from that curse.

As I mentioned earlier, the point that moved me when I heard this song live was not just the C-melody.
I can perceive "pain" from all the members.
"Pain" is omnipresent not just in the C-melody, but throughout the lyrics.
In other words, I feel that for this song, a "translator of pain" is no longer needed.
They will continue to sing this song until the next system begins, and all four will grow as "messengers of pain." That is my prediction.

10) "Idol Anthem" is a Redistribution of Pain

"Idol Anthem" is a song that redistributes the "pain" that tended to be concentrated in the C-melody to the voices of the four members.

As I have been stating at length, I feel that "Idol Anthem" is constructed in a way that draws a line from FandL's songs up to this point.
It is likely inseparable from the fact that it is a mosaic structure scattered with motifs from 14 songs.
As I wrote in the previous chapter, the points where "pain" is placed in the song are not the centralized type as before, but the omnipresent type.
Now that the translator of pain is absent, it was necessary to reorganize the translation itself into everyone's role.

As I stated in Chapter 5, rock is a cry of the heart.
It might be the sadness of missing Miharu.
It might be the anxiety of not seeing the future.
It might be the fear of constantly continuing to challenge oneself.
But by shouting with all four members, that afterimage brings continuity to the "un-edited pain."
Perhaps the audience sees the future of FandL there.

I harbored such a fantasy.

Bonus) "Idol Anthem" Live Video

The video at the link below is the footage from when I first saw "Idol Anthem" live. I want you to experience the actual atmosphere.

Full Lyrics

Afterword

I got the inspiration right after watching the live performance mentioned above.
I really wanted to finish writing it within the year, so I made a promise to the P, the members, and the Finders (FandL's fan name) and put myself in a desperate situation.
Since then, four days.
I managed to complete it before hearing the New Year's Eve bells.
It might be a critique that lacks balance, but I think it turned out to be worth reading.
A group worth critiquing even if it's difficult, that is FandL.
If anyone who read this critique became interested, please go to a live show. If that is difficult, you can listen to all the songs on subscription services, so please do that (only the latest song, "Idol Anthem," has not been distributed yet).

2025, the year I met FandL, is about to end.
Well then, everyone, have a happy New Year!