Some Musical Respite

I saw some kids playing with some small fireworks, or "hanabi", 花火--"flower fire"--on Saturday. It's a traditional summer activity in Japan. This was outside a curry restaurant where I went to help some kids study. There's another big test coming up this week, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I talked to a girl yesterday who seemed exhausted as she told me that, after school, she was going first to cram school, then to supper, then to another cram school. There's no lack of effort on the part of these poor kids but people have still find themselves wondering why Japan lags behind other countries in English. I heard one guy opine that it was because Japan is too focused on testing. I think that may be true but it only scratches the surface. I think there's just a deeply ingrained belief that it's more important that things should be done a certain way than that they should be done at all. Which isn't necessarily as bad as it sounds--it can mean the ends don't justify the means.

Yesterday, I also listened to kids present their essays on songs they like. One girl from art club, who usually produces some of the more interesting, stranger drawings, shared this song:

The title means something like "The Saturated Summer". I suppose it's hardly a surprise so many of the songs the kids like are big, cathartic releases of emotion.

A lot of songs are from anime series and a lot of the songs sound like they're from anime series even if they aren't.

That one was released in February of this year and already has over 56 million views.

I was happy to see a few kids like the theme from the new Evangelion movie:

Twitter Sonnet #1455

The easy short was long and long again.
Discovered air rebounds led to blanks.
The golden collar marks the genie train.
A tiny flask replaced the lion tanks.
The spirits green and red were pale at dusk.
Beside the ghost a table fell and broke.
The em'rald bed's a merely fluffy husk.
Beyond the glass a guest has lately spoke.
Adventures hid in cases understood.
Revealing names were parsed in diff'rent tongues.
Authentic faces fell behind the wood.
The pulpit bow was climbed by knotted rungs.
Eternal mornings bring the lightning back.
In darkness, flowers cut the green and black.