Kazunari Ninomiya sings ‘Pretender,’ a song from his album ‘Marumaru to Ninomiya to.’ The songwriter 藤原聡 writes the lyrics and composes the tune. The track follows a man wrestling with a love that’s ended before it truly began.
Released: June 17, 2022
Pretender
Kazunari Ninomiya • From “Marumaru to Ninomiya to”
Pretender Lyrics Translation – Marumaru to Ninomiya to Soundtrack
The lyrics describe a one-sided love, with lines like ‘I’m just a member of the audience.’ Ninomiya sings about wishing for a different reality where the relationship could thrive. The narrator admits the pain of holding on, even as he knows it’s time to say goodbye.
Kimi to no love storyOur love story,
Sore wa yosou dooriit’s turned out exactly as I expected.
Iza hajimareba hitori shibai daNow that it’s started, it’s just a one-man show.
Zutto soba ni itatteEven though I’ve stayed right by your side,
Kekkyoku tada no kankyaku dain the end, I’m just a member of the audience.
Kanjou no nai I’m sorryAn emotionless ‘I’m sorry’,
Sore wa itsumo doorithat’s just how things usually go.
Narete shimaeba waruku wa nai kedoI’ve gotten used to it, so it’s not all bad, but
Kimi to no romance wa jinsei garabecause of the way my life is, I’ve realized
Tsuzuki wa shinai koto o shittathat a romance with you will never continue.
Motto chigau settei de motto chigau kankei deWith a different setting and a different relationship,
Deaeru sekaisen erabetara yokattaI wish I could’ve chosen a world-line where we’d meet.
Motto chigau seikaku de motto chigau kachikan deWith a different personality and different values,
Ai o tsutaeraretara ii na sou negattemo muda dakarait’d be nice if I could tell you I love you, but wishing is useless.
GoodbyeGoodbye.
Kimi no unmei no hito wa boku janaiI’m not the one destined for you.
Tsurai kedo inamenai demo hanare gatai no saIt’s painful and undeniable, yet I find it so hard to leave.
Sono kami ni fureta dake de itai ya iya demoJust touching your hair hurts me, no, I can’t take it, but
Amai na iya iyait’s so sweet, no, no.
GoodbyeGoodbye.
Sore ja boku ni totte kimi wa naniThen, what exactly are you to me?
Kotae wa wakaranai wakaritaku mo nai no saI don’t know the answer, and I don’t even want to know.
Tatta hitotsu tashika na koto ga aru to suru no narabaIf there’s only one thing I can be sure of,
Kimi wa kirei dait’s that you’re beautiful.
Dareka ga erasou niSomeone talks so confidently
Kataru renai no ryouriabout the recipe for romance,
Nani hitotsu to shite pin to konakutebut not a single part of it makes sense to me.
Hikouki no mado kara mioroshitaIt’s like looking down from an airplane window;
Shiranai machi no yakei mitai dait’s like the night lights of a city I don’t know.
Motto chigau settei de motto chigau kankei deWith a different setting and a different relationship,
Deaeru sekaisen erabetara yokattaI wish I could’ve chosen a world-line where we’d meet.
Itatte jun na kokoro de kanatta koi o dakishimeteWith a perfectly pure heart, holding onto a love that came true,
Suki da toka mu-sekinin ni ietara ii nait’d be nice if I could recklessly say ‘I love you’.
Sou negattemo munashii no saEven if I wish for that, it’s just empty.
GoodbyeGoodbye.
Tsunagida te no mukou ni end lineBeyond our held hands lies the finish line.
Hikinobasu tabi ni uzukidasu mirai ni waEvery time I try to stall, my heart aches for the future,
Kimi wa inai sono jijitsu ni cryand I cry because of the fact that you aren’t there.
Sorya kurushii yo naOf course, that’s painful.
Sore mo kore mo romance no sadame nara waruku nai yo naIf all of this is just the fate of romance, I guess it’s not so bad.
Eien mo yakusoku mo nai keredoThere are no eternities or promises,
Totemo kirei dabut you’re truly beautiful.
Pretender Music Video
What does ‘Pretender’ mean? The lyrics talk about the heartbreak of unfulfilled love, delivered in Ninomiya’s warm voice.