Fight (For) Your Dreams

It's no secret that I like the J-pop group Perfume. And actually "like" may be too mild a word. Love? Obsess over? Would die for? Well, let's not go that far.

My interest in them started innocently enough while studying in Japan in 2008 but by the time I had come back home in early 2009, I was hooked. At first I played them all the time because I could actually hear them in my car. The super-compressed production was ideal for cutting through the road noise. But then something changed.



"Dream Fighter," a 2008 single, became something of an anthem for me. As with a lot of Japanese pop songs, the lyrics are all about doing your best in the face of adversity. It's amazing how many of these kinds of songs there are in Japan. When I first realized this I laughed. But when I sat down and translated the lyrics to "Dream Fighter," I was struck.

Here's my sloppy but earnest translation:

Dream Fighter

You wish for the best, and this never-ending trip is
Definitely our proof of living so
Actually, even if it seems we'll be beaten and knocked down
We'll definitely look ahead and walk, Dream Fighter.

Hey, the "normal" you speak of,
You say this and that, but the truth is it's probably
Not just mediocre; your ideal is near.
"Usual" just won't cut it.

Until the moment you think, I can finally stay this way—
It's a far, far away place.

You wish for the best, and this never-ending trip is
Definitely our proof of living so
Even if a painful thing happens
You'll never give up.
We have the strength so we can continue to run
And every one of your overflowing tears is a precious thing.
Actually, even if it seems we'll be beaten and knocked down
Definitely we'll look ahead and walk, Dream Fighter

Hey, the future you speak of,
You say this and that, but the truth is probably that
It's not pitch black; the light shines out.
"Usual" just won't cut it

Until the moment you think, I can finally stay this way—
It's a far, far away place.

You wish for the best, and this never-ending trip is
Definitely our proof of living so
Even if a painful thing happens
You'll never give up.
We have the strength so we can continue to run,
And every one of our overflowing tears is a precious thing.
Actually, even if it seems we'll be beaten and knocked down
We'll definitely look ahead and walk, Dream Fighter.

Until translating this, I never knew I needed a cheerleader. See, us Americans are supposed to do it all on our own. It's part of our pioneer spirit. But hearing this silly song, I broke down and cried. "This song is about me!" I sobbed. "That's me hoping for the best and never giving up." And of course: "And that far-away place is Japan!" It was too perfect.

I played this song the night I graduated. And I played it on the way to the job interview with JET. And I'm sure I'll play it many times more until the moment I can say, "I can finally stay this way."