Make a Wish for the Little One

I had intended on saving this topic for as long as I could before discussing it, but now is a good time as any. Nearly three weeks ago, I performed a neat and special Pokémon song as part of a singing competition. Its title is "Chiisaki Mono", and it serves as the ending theme of the sixth Pokémon feature film or movie, which is titled "Jirachi: Wishmaker" in English. Also as I've noted, the special quality of the song extends to the language aspect as well, because this song has two versions, in Japanese and English. It's a song that transcends the language boundaries, or rather straddles it, as will soon become clear. It is nevertheless a unique song in that regard.

In Japanese, the title is as mentioned, and it is sung by Asuca Hayashi. The title actually means "The Little One"; the song in general is a reminiscence of days gone by, specifically the days when one was so young and so naive. These feelings are most evident in the verses, while the choruses are rather expectant in feelings. It's a slow and subdued song, though the choruses are rather uplifting and hopeful. The part that perhaps means the most is the bridge, which I've also explained in the previous post with the connotations that it may entail.

If the Japanese version is neat, the English version is just as neat, in further respects as well. In English, the title is "Make a Wish", and it is sung by Cindy Mizelle. As such, it becomes clear that the title of this post is a concatenation of the titles of both versions. Remarkably, the entire song isn't in English, as only the first verse, the first chorus, and the bridge are. The second verse and the following double chorus remain in Japanese, while the final double chorus, which in Japanese consists of the second chorus plus the first chorus, becomes the Japanese second chorus plus the English chorus, with some English vocal accents in the former. It might seem rather strange, but it is admittedly unique - this is why I said the song "straddles" the two languages.

The English version also has different sentiments than the Japanese version. The half-English lyrics tie into the song as it is described as a lullaby, earlier in the movie or feature film; it is also more hopeful and pleasant in its connotations. In my personal view, the song being half-and-half may be because of the "exotic" quality of the Japanese language, at least for people not used to be around it. I grew up with the English dub of the Pokémon anime, so even with what I know about Japanese, I still feel it to be rather exotic. There is some incongruity to this, to be sure, but I'm apt to ignore it for the feelings that the song evokes.

And that's probably what's the most important part of the song: the feelings. To this day, I still get "tingly" when I listen to the song, with either of the versions in question. In either case, I no longer mind the language of the song, only the sentiments of the song. Whether I'm reminiscing about "the little one" or "making a wish" to the stars, I'm happy to do it prompted by Pokémon and the storyline of the related movie or feature film. Perhaps Jirachi as the "star" Pokémon of the film might just be tempted to agree.

One year ago: The Amazing Pokémon Race
Two years ago: Thankfulness