Jiriki Hongan Revolution

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1. There are English words inserted into the lyrics - even when they have been written out in katakana, I've kept their English spelling. This was a personal preference.

2. 'Arise' is perhaps better translated as 'stand'/'stand up', but it fit the meter better. This translation aims to be the best of both worlds (literal and flowing) but no matter what, you get subtleties that are lost in another language, so...

3. That 'all' in 'as long as we all try' is largely a filler word. But as 'we' already implies the senses of 'everyone here'/'all the people involved', it has no effect on the meaning.

4. I am confident that it is 'kanousei wa afureta', not 'half-and-half' as some translations out there have claimed.

5. 'Ikiteru... tte kanji' has been translated out of word order. Literally it should be 'we're alive... that [kind of] feeling', but that doesn't read well. Really, my translation is full of those moments, but that one is particularly notable due to the paragraph break, so I mention it here.

7. Likewise, I've inserted a '... kind of?' while translating 'hibi ga iki wo fukikaesu... kanji?'. This is filler. The whole line can stop with 'that feeling of recovering every day', but it neither fits the meter nor conveys the adequate sense of hesitation sung by the students.

8. Some explanation needs to be given as to what 'jiriki hongan' really means. I've translated it only as 'our strength' and 'our desire' in the context of the lyrics - I don't really see how else I could have done it - but it's a lot more complicated than that. For one, I don't even think that there are English equivalents to this notion.

"Jiriki hongan" is, broadly speaking, the Buddhist concept of self-salvation/enlightenment through self-strength and reliance - that is, no one but you can save yourself in the end. Nobody else can. This is in contrast with the above-mentioned 'tairiki hongan' - the belief that reliance on a greater power, namely the Buddha in religious context, is the only thing that can enlighten you. Namely, that you need to be taught to be saved.

Those two concepts aren't just name-dropped in the song for no reason. A significant theme in Assassination Classroom being that the students must not rely on Korosensei forever, this is actually a more profound song than it seems at first glance. It's an anthem from the students' perspective that both thanks and professes independence from Korosensei in downright revelatory terms!

Translated and transliterated by kimbk

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