[nmskalmn]

Thank you again and again masa. I am always amazed when I read your analyses.

I have a few questions and comments.

O (Onozato): Do you do what you like and feel easy in your work?
A (Ayumi): I do what I like but feel hard. Because what I dislike is what I feel easy. (Q24)

I'm not sure if I understand this question or Ayu's response. What do you mean by "feel easy" and "feel hard"?

The two lines also sounded to me the concise objection to Matsutouya Yumi who had been spoiling Japanese women from the 1980's to the 1990's.

Are you able to briefly explain this statement? I don't know much about Yumi Matsutoya and I never read translations of her lyrics.

On the other hand, how is her English lyrics? I think it's considerably good, though I don't like to admit it so much.
　　　　a woman could be having fun
　　　　a woman could be like a nun
　　　　in order to survive

I don't consider the english lyrics in "Real me" skillful, particularly the lines quoted above, and I think most native speakers of american english would agree with me. I'll use another quote from your site to explain why:

even if a common Japanese who has only used Japanese in his daily life from the childhood tries to write a lyrics in English, it will be common that he can only write ones on the level of a junior high school student.

The rhyming english lines in "Real me" strike me as child-like.

One more complaint of mine is the word, "heartplace", which doesn't exist in English and incomprehensible.

This word "heartplace" seems very natural and comprehensible to me. I don't know if it is good or not, but coining of such words is very common in english. Ayu is not the first person to use "heartplace" (examples).

Though she can write the first-rate lyrics in Japanese, why does she need to write ones in English on the lower level? I don't say now she should not use English at all, as I thought the two songs out of three with English lyrics in this album were not bad.

I hope to hear your opinion of the english lyrics in "forgiveness". I know most of the initiates here don't agree, but I think the english lines at the of "forgiveness" are quite tolerable and a big improvement over the ones in "Real me".

Thank you again. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into writing and translating your essays.