Koi no Hajimari / 恋のはじまり: “The Start of Romance”
- koi / 恋
- “Love”, “puppy love”, “romantic love”. Contrast ai / 愛 (“true love”)
- no / の
- A particle indicating that the previous noun modifies the following noun.
- hajimari / はじまり
- “start”, “beginning”
Valentine’s Day is long over, but let’s have a song about love anyway.
“Koi no Hajimari” is track 2 on Oku Hanako’s 2017 album, Haruka Tooku ni Mieteita Kyou / 遥か遠くに見えていた今日. At just over two minutes in length (2:03), this song is the shortest on the album. It’s actually the third-shortest in my collection, beat out only by Hataraku Neko / 働くネコ (1:43) and an earlier radio cover of Mikazuki / 三日月 (1:59), although that may change as I slowly add more of her radio covers.
Koi No Hajimari – Hanako Oku [Zing]
Today we have a translation by Edward. Be sure to read his translation notes.
I wish I could have a disproportionately long post for such a short song, but I don’t really have much to say about it. I could do a comparison with her other songs, but I can’t pinpoint any particular one that compares well. I will say that the song almost feels like an “upgraded” radio original, partly because of its short length. It might also be because her voice doesn’t seem to have a full sound; have a listen to the third stanza, which is about halfway through the song.
All in all, though, it’s a song I’ve come to expect from Oku Hanako. No complaints, really.
Thoughts on Oku Hanako 