I blame Kei for this.
He got a copy of the anime version of this old RPG “Tales of the Abyss” for me a week ago when I craving for an anime marathon. I watched it over the weekend and completely fell in love with the anime. I liked it so much to the point of wanting to play the game. It’s a story about a guy named Luke von Fabre who was destined to bring prosperity to Auldrant, as prophesized by the great Yulia in the planet’s Score. But an RPG wouldn’t be complete without some group trying to stop this from happening or the protagonist’s group of friends (or reluctant comrade in arms) to support him. Tales of the Abyss completely blew me away. The anime was well-paced, has a good mix of humor, beautifully rendered fight scenes and very memorable characters. *sob*
Aside from its engaging story, it has an equally beautiful soundtrack. Its opening song was sung by Bump of Chicken (“K“, “Tentai Kenzouko”) called Karma (or KARUMA) and the lyrics couldn’t have been more apt for the anime. I’ve been listening to it for days already and trying (helplessly) to sing along with it. Just hearing its opening strains in the anime gives me the goosebumps.
Karma by Bump of Chicken – Opening Song in the Anime:
Garasudama hitotsu otosareta oikakete mou hitotsu okkochita
Hitotsubun no hidamari ni hitotsu dake nokotteru
I dropped a marble; when I chased after it, I dropped another
Only one remains in a single sunny spot
Shinzou ga hajimatta toki iya demo hito ha basho wo toru
Ubawarenai you ni mamoritsudzuketeru
The moment their hearts begin to beat, like it or not, people claim their own place
They keep protecting it so that it isn’t snatched away
Yogosazu ni tamotte kita te demo yogorete mieta
Kioku wo utagau mae ni kioku ni utagawareteru
Though I kept my hands clean, they look dirty
Before I doubt my memory, my memory will doubt me
Kanarazu bokura wa deau darou onaji kodou no oto wo mejirushi ni shite
Koko ni iru yo itsudatte yonderu kara
Kutabireta riyuu ga kasanatte yureru toki
Umareta imi wo shiru
We’ll meet each other for sure, making our identical heartbeats into our landmarks
I am here, because I’m always calling
When our worn-out motives overlap and tremble,
I’ll know the meaning of my birth
Sonzai ga tsudzuku kagiri shikata nai kara basho wo toru
Hitotsubun no hidamari ni futatsu ha chotto hairenai
So long as we continue to exist, we can’t help but claim our own place
It’s impossible for two to enter a single sunny spot
Garasudama hitotsu otosareta ochita toki nanika hajikedashita
Ubaitotta basho de hikari wo abita
I dropped a marble; when it fell, something split open
It bathed in light at the place where I plundered it
Kazoeta ashiato nado kidzukeba suuji de shika nai
Shiranakya ikenai koto ha douyara ichi to zero no aida
When you think about it, the footsteps you’ve counted are nothing but numbers
Somehow, what I have to know is somewhere between “one” and “zero”
Hajimete bokura wa deau darou onaji himei no hata wo mejirushi ni shite
Wasurenaide itsudatte yonderu kara
Kasaneta riyuu wo futari de umeru toki
Yakusoku ga kawasareru
We’ll meet each other for the first time, making our same scream’s flags into our landmarks
Don’t forget, because I’m always calling
When we bury our collective motives together,
We will exchange a promise
Kagami nanda bokura tagai ni
Sorezore no karuma wo utsusu tame no
Yogoreta te to te de sawariatte
Katachi ga wakaru
We are mirrors, each of us meant
To reflect every bit of the other’s karma
We will touch each other’s dirtied hands
And grasp their shape
Koko ni iru yo tashika ni sawareru yo
Hitoribun no hidamari ni bokura ha iru
I am here, I can definitely feel you
We are here in the same sunny spot
Wasurenaide itsudatte yonderu kara onaji garasudama no uchigawa no hou kara
Sou sa kanarazu bokura ha deau darou shizumeta riyuu ni juujika wo tateru toki
Yakusoku wa hatasareru
Bokura wa hitotsu ni naru
Don’t forget, because I’m always calling from inside the same marble
That’s right, we’ll meet each other for sure; when we build a cross on our submerged motives
We will fulfill our promise
We will become one
