Moonlight (月光) - Kitani Tatsuya x Harumaki Gohan Analysis

An Analysis by Summer

……… Hi. Sorry we kind of collectively died, we all got busy with summer programs and stuff and we forgot this blog existed. Also, from now on, during summer, we will only be releasing one blog piece a week. Sorry, but we no longer have as much time. 

And with that out of the way, let’s get to the song analysis! This time, the song I’ll be talking about is called Moonlight (月光), It was produced as a collaboration between two decently well-known producers, Kitani Tatsuya and Harumaki Gohan. In addition, it was written for a game known as “Project Sekai: Colorful Stage!”, or commonly abbreviated to ProSeka. There are 3 versions of this song: the Vocaloid version (with Kagamine Rin and Hatsune Miku), the ProSeka version (with the members of the in-game group Vivid BAD SQUAD), and the Producer self-cover version. I’ve linked the self-cover version because I like it the best (and also because it actually has an MV I can analyze unlike the ProSeka version *cough*).

First off, the summary of what the song is about. There are two main characters, represented by the two characters in the MV. Both of them have known each other for a while (“To remember the words your voice taught me, I still write them down over and over again”), and also shared the same dream (“An innovative emotion like a boy,” meaning the emotion is innocent and a child-like dream, which probably first began when they were younger). In addition, this dream also appeared to be inspired off of someone else’s work or creation, as their creations are labeled as a bad replica (“A replica in a hideous shape” “Just tracing someone else”) of the original several times throughout the song.

However, as the two of them began independently chasing their shared dream, both of them felt that the other was ahead and felt a need to catch up to them (“I’ll never be like you, like chasing that moon”). This is shown by how in both perspectives, the other person’s creation is shown on each “moon,” meaning that said creation is viewed as ideal and in comparison, their own creation appears inferior. In addition, the ripping of each creation during the second chorus while the moon displaces the other’s art proves this. It is plausible that each person views their own creation as something that simply copies the work that inspired them, while believing the other created something more original and unique.

Finally, the two of them realize their feelings, and instead of working separately and trying to catch up to the other, they work together instead (both of them having their hands on the same canvas). This work turns out better than any that they have created alone (wings sprouting from the canvas). And finally, at the end, the wall behind the moon breaks, allowing both characters to see behind it. This symbolizes how they have finally realized that in order to achieve their dream, they should work together instead of working separately and comparing themselves to each other. And with that, the music video ends.

Now, I’m going to talk about the ProSeka event associated with this song, “THE POWER OF UNITY” (emphasis on the all-caps), which centers around the character Shinonome Akito. During this event, Vivid BAD SQUAD (abbreviated to VBS) holds a live event as a first step on trying to surpass RAD WEEKEND, a legendary street event of the past. In order to do this, they invite several characters who have been featured in the unit’s stories before, either as competitors or sideline characters. This parallels with the song’s meaning, both in terms of having a dream based on a past creation and also working together as a way to achieve said dream. In addition, in most past VBS events, the focus is on their separate members working to improve themselves in fear of falling behind everyone else. And more specifically, in Akito’s previous event, he loses an impromptu competition with Arata and starts taking on a lot of solo work as a means to improve, due to believing he is the only “talentless” member in VBS. This once again parallels the song’s story of attempting to catch up with others and viewing yourself as inferior to others with the same dream. In the end, I think Moonlight is meant to briefly summarize what has happened in the VBS story so far, since in the end, the song was written specifically for this event.

Thank you for reading my rambling on this song (I was listening to the producer self-cover version on loop for at least a week after it was released, and now I’ve been listening to it on loop again since I have to write this… LOL). I hope you’ve enjoyed this, and if you have any differing theories, please leave a comment below~