This page is about the song. For the character, see Aster (character). For the location, see Aster (location).
Aster (アスター) is a song by Harumaki Gohan originally released on August 6, 2018. It was later rereleased on December 13, 2018 as part of the Neo Dream Traveler album.
Background[]
Aster is the 5th song in Neo Dream Traveler, and one of 8 that were released as singles before the album's conception.
Story[]
Warning
This section contains spoilers. Proceed with caution.Aster takes place in the Aster World, a virtual reality game that was once extremely popular. However, over time, players slowly stopped playing the game, until its only inhabitants were NPCs. The protagonist of the MV is a nameless NPC who was created to be a virtual child that players could adopt and raise. She was adopted by an unnamed couple who she addressed as Mama and Papa, before they eventually stopped playing the game and abandoned her.
At some point after being abandoned, the game became infested with viruses that destroyed areas and killed NPCs. A group of NPCs known as the Doctor came in to existence to fight the viruses. However, after the protagonist's best friend, who does not appear in the MV, is killed by a virus, she decides to shoot everyone affiliated with the Doctor, dooming the world to be destroyed by viruses, before committing suicide.
The MV takes place during the protagonist's final night in the Aster World. She is seen consuming a neon pink liquid, which is poison, while roaming the city for the last time. At the end of the MV, she dies from the poison.
Lyrics[]
English lyrics provided by Tick.
| Japanese | English |
| (Aster, Aster, My Lover, and Death, "PINK KISS" in my heart) | (Aster, Aster, My Lover, and Death, "PINK KISS" in my heart) |
| 「…309へ集合…」 | “...Gather at 309...” |
| ドクターが撃たれたんだ | The Doctor has been shot |
| アンチトロイの契約なんて遂行されちゃいなかった | This Anti-Trojan agreement didn’t accomplish anything |
| 100年前のシティ・ポップがネオン街のテーマソング | The city pop of 100 years ago is this neon town’s theme song |
| すっかりNPCと私たちだけになった | It’s become just the NPC’s and us |
| ネオン管の夢色 | The dreamy color of the neon tubes |
| パパとママに気付いてほしくて | I want Papa and Mama to notice it |
| 心配ないよアスター | There’s no need to worry, Aster |
| 私元気なセブンティーンさ | I’m a healthy seventeen year old |
| この街に囚われたネオン | A neon captured by this town |
| つまりはファンタジー おとぎの話 | In other words, a fantasy A fairy tale |
| ノンフィクションなのがたまにキズさ | It being nonfiction is its only flaw |
| まぼろしのファンタジー 飽きたらおしまい | A phantom fantasy Once you get tired of it, it’s the end |
| 夢の見過ぎに御注意を | Be careful of dreaming too much |
| (Aster, Aster, My Lover, and Death, "PINK KISS" in my heart) | (Aster, Aster, My Lover, and Death, "PINK KISS" in my heart) |
| 作り物のワイヤーフレーム | An artificially created wire frame |
| 特別なプレゼンテイション | A special presentation |
| 永遠の甘い夢 | An eternal sweet dream |
| 人は何にも見えなくなった | People became unable to see anything |
| 仕事を持ってママと出会ってお家を買って心を買って | Having a job, meeting Mama, buying a house, buying a heart |
| 真っ白な身体に植え付けられただけ | I’ve only been transplanted into a pure white body |
| 不安定な瞳は | My uneasy eyes |
| パパとママの笑顔も忘れる | Forget even Papa and Mama’s smiles |
| 幻想だったアスター | It was an illusion, Aster |
| 全部どうやら紛い物だ | It all was somehow just an imitation |
| 誰一人息を呑むネオン | A neon that takes everyone’s breath away |
| ひとりのファンタジー 涙はいらない | A solitary fantasy I don’t need tears |
| センセーションだけが私なのだ | I am sensation alone |
| 夢色のファンタジー パパは気付けない | A dream-colored fantasy Papa can’t notice it |
| これで最後の夜になる | With this, this will be my final night |
| 壊れたファンタジー | A broken fantasy |
| 壊れたファンタジー | A broken fantasy |
| さよならファンタジー 孤独な夢も | Goodbye fantasy, goodbye to this solitary dream |
| ノンフィクションだから寂しくなる | Because it’s nonfiction, I get lonely |
| 夢もケも同じようで偽物 | Dreams and spirit are the same, just counterfeits |
| 黄泉の国まで御注意を | Until the next world, be careful |
| (Aster, Aster, My Lover, and Death, "PINK KISS" in my heart) | (Aster, Aster, My Lover, and Death, "PINK KISS" in my heart) |
Trivia[]
- The liquid that the protagonist consumes throughout the MV was only revealed to be poison in the Neo Dream Traveler artbook, which was released 4 months after Aster.
- In the Neo Dream Traveler artbook, the protagonist is described as an NPC, although the line "It's become just the NPCs and us" implies that she does not think of herself as one.
- The lyrics that are sung during instrumental sections, 'My Lover, and Death, "PINK KISS" in my heart', are not shown in the official English subtitles on YouTube.
- The neon signs in the windows of shops reference older Harumaki Gohan songs, such as Ginga Roku (Referenced as "Galaxy Record") and an umbrella referencing Tender Rain.