"Shukipi" Lyrics and MV Breakdown (=LOVE)
Shukipi
On the surface, "Shukipi" seems like one of those ultra cutesy songs, which made it such a viral hit in 2020. However, as you'll see, there's no way Sashihara would have had =LOVE simply release an inane Tiktok song with trendy phrases.
It was released as a coupling song to the sentimental 8th single "Seishun 'Subliminal'". The MV was directed by Sashihara's good friend and former AKB48 member Minegishi Minami. Sashihara had referred to this MV as "The Heavy Rotation of Reiwa Era", "Heavy Rotation" of course being one of the most famous idol songs of its time.
The title "Shukipi" is a cute way of saying "sukipi", which was a trendy abbreviation of the phrase "suki na people". This phrase means "person I love", and can be used for all kinds of loved ones including romantic partners and best friends. The term "sukipi" was especially popular among young girls at the time. This song hops on that trend, but in a self-aware and subversive way.
The Lyrics: Independent Cinderella
The pronoun "私" is used, which tends to indicate a female protagonist, so I'll use she/her pronouns. Based on the themes, the love interest is likely male, so I'll use he/him pronouns.
We are “Sweetie pie”♡
シャー 行かない
「だって行っちゃたら
もう帰って来ないかもしれないよね？(T－T)
あとちょっと一緒にいよ？(T－T)」
We are "Sweetie pie"💗
Hisss! You're not going
"Since if you end up leaving
"You might not return home anymore right?😭
"Stay with me a bit longer?😭"
From the first verse, we're reminded of two past =LOVE singles, which I think are absolutely crucial in framing these lyrics. These are the previous single "CAMEO", and the 4th single "Want you! Want you!".
In "CAMEO", the phrase "Sweetie pie" was used to subtly refer to =LOVE themselves. In that song, "Sweetie pie" also represented a cute act that the protagonist resentfully put on to seduce a man. In this song, the phrase appears in the very first line in quotes, almost like it's directly quoting the past lyrics. Interestingly, there's the pronoun "we". Of course, as =LOVE sing the line, the "we" refers to =LOVE themselves, but it doesn't quite make sense within the narrative of the lyrics. Perhaps it's the protagonist alluding to different versions of herself, or perhaps she's referring to all girls and women in general.
In "Want you! Want you!", you'll remember the overuse of emojis, just like in this single. There, the protagonist was a young teen girl swept up in fantasy novels and magazine trends. We'll see that our protagonist here has some similarities. Of course, the song "Shukipi" itself is also like one of those popular magazine trends. That means that in singing this song, =LOVE is both following a popular trend, and enacting a protagonist that follows popular trends.
In terms of the narrative so far, we see that the protagonist is desperate for the attention of her love interest, just like in "Want you! Want you!". The "hisss" is a cat's hiss. She's trying to act cute to get him to stay with her. She's afraid that if he leaves, he'll never come back. Strangely, she uses the phrase "return home", as if they both live together. Maybe she's exposing a bit of her fantasy here.
「量産型」言わないで
わたしなりのカワイイを そう
ずっと極めているんです
keep out でしょ（入っちゃダメ）
Don't say "mass-produced"
My very own "kawaii", yeah
I've always been refining it
Keep out, okay? (Don't enter)
The next verse explores the theme of trends. This girl rejects the idea of being "mass-produced", which is a phrase commonly used in Japanese to refer to people who follow trends. You might see it in the =LOVE fandom, where people say "Mass-Produced Mirinya" (Otani Emiri) or "Mass-Produced Kiara" (Saito Kiara), referring to girls who copy the members' fashion and makeup.
Our protagonist is adamant that her version of "kawaii" is unique. There is one problem, which is that the love interest has entered her life. She's in the same situation as the protagonist of "CAMEO", where in order to pursue love, she feels forced to comply with societal expectations. As we saw in the previous verse, when the love interest enters, she loses her individual "kawaii", turning into a cliche. She turns into the protagonist of "Want you! Want you!". There's a parallel meta layer with =LOVE themselves. In order to appeal to mainstream audiences, they feel forced to abandon their classics and to sing this song instead, which includes all the latest trends.
（なのに あなたに）乱されてる
（だけど あなたは）ドライなフルーツ
（そんな あなたに）惹かれてるの
メルト CHU（どろどろりん）
(Although, for you) I'm in disarray
(However, you) You're dry fruit
(Someone like you) I'm drawn to you
Melt CHU (Muddy)
Because of the feelings from the previous verse, she's thrown into disarray. Like "Want you! Want you!" though, the love interest seems disinterested. He's a "dry fruit", seemingly emotionally distant but still sweet.
In the last line, "CHU" is the sound of a kiss, which causes her to melt into a messy muddy pool of emotions. However, many fans believe there's a hidden meaning. "Melt" is written in katakana (メルト), which is the name of a digital publisher that specializes in "adult" romance manga for teen girls and young women. Like the protagonist of "Want you! Want you!", she might be engrossed in a fictional world.
アイスミルクちゃん わたし
少しのエスプレッソ(あなた)で
ぐるぐる 色が変わって行く
ファイボーワイパー
ねえー！
Miss Ice Milk, me
With a bit of espresso (you)
Twirling; The color starts to change
Fibo Wiper, Hey!
As we saw in the 3rd single "Teokure Caution" as well as many later =LOVE songs, love is again represented as a mixture of color, and in particular, a staining of whiteness. Continuing from the previous verse, ice milk, when combined with hot espresso, melts into something muddy brown and bittersweet.
"Fibo Wiper" is a fan call that was trendy within AKB48 groups, particularly HKT48 during Sashihara's time as a member. Sashihara has said in a tweet that her favorite moment ever is in HKT48's song "Wink wa 3-kai", where she does a weird pose (see below) as the fans yell out "Fibo Wiper". The words are just nonsense, but it's likely loosely derived from the classic wotagei call: "Tiger, Fire, Cyber, Fiber, Diver, Viber, Jyaa jyaa!!"
すきなの すきなの すきすきすきぴ（すきぴ♡）
染まりたいのは あなただけ（染めて！）
ねぇ すきぴ すきぴ 2人合わせて（すきぴ♡）
アイスラテの出来上がり（どおぞ！）
It's love, it's love, Iove love my love (Sukipi♥️)
I want to be stained by only you (Stain me!)
Hey, my love, my love, both of us together (Sukipi♥️)
The ice latte is complete (Enjoy!)
わがままじゃないよ いい子プリンセスで
（だからギューってしてよね）
こっち見て(＞_＜) 会いに来て(＞_＜)
言えない！言いたい！
ハァー･･･「すき」
It's not self-indulgent to be a good girl princess
(So hug me tight)
Look at me😣 Come see me😣
I can't say it! I want to say it!
Ahh… "I love you"
We reach the chorus, where she has fully taken on the cliche cute word "sukipi", which I translate as "my love". She's losing her individuality as she gets taken over by these feelings. The ice milk and espresso is completely transformed into an ice latte.
The "good girl princess" is the "mass-produced" trend-following girl that she originally rejected. She can't help but indulge herself and become that girl. The line in brackets, which we'll see come up again, is probably her subconscious thoughts. It's what she wants to say but can't because it would be too forward. She has to be the "good girl" after all.
We are “Sweetie pie”♡
イコラブちゃんです
We are "Sweetie pie"💗
We are =LOVE
なんであの子に いいねするの？
言えないけれど 見ちゃってます
もう見慣れた君のID
名前＋誕生日（かわいすぎる）
Why did you give a "like" to that girl?
I can't ask, but I did see it
I'm already used to seeing your ID
Name + Birthday (It's so cute)
（ちょっと待ってよ）このモデルちゃん
（ちょっと知らない）いつフォローしたの？
（ちょっとショックで）こんな人が
タイプなの？（ぴぴぴ ぴえん）
(Wait a moment) This model girl
(I don't really know) When did you follow her?
(I'm a bit shocked) This kind of person
Is she your type? (s-s-s-sobs)
In these verses, she's looking at social media to see everything that he "liked". "ID" here refers to his username, which is his name and his birthday. It seems like quite a mundane username, but she is just that obsessed about him.
It seem like he is quite distant from her if she's asking these questions to herself though. It makes you wonder if he was really with her in the first verse or if that was a "melt" fantasy.
In the end, she sobs, which is translated from the Japanese "pien". This was another super trendy word at the time of this song.
わたしだって
Ah 好きな服 好きな色で
狙い撃ちしたかったな バッキューン
ファイボーワイパー もおー！
As for me
Ah, your favorite clothes and favorite colors
I wanted to give it a shot; Bang
Fibo Wiper, Enough!
In this pre-chorus, she is figuratively stained by his colors. Like the "Mass-Produced Mirinya" and "Mass-Produced Kiara" fans, she takes on his fashion and becomes mass-produced in this way as well. Her unique "kawaii" is nowhere to be found now.
すきなの すきなの すきすきすきぴ（わかる！）
本当は 振り回したいよ（らぶゆー）
はぁ･･･たまらん たまらん たまらんすぎる（わかる！）
純度も湿度も100％（100％）
It's love, it's love, love love my love (I know!)
The truth is I want to weaponize it (luv u)
Ah… irresistible, irresistible, too irresistible (I know!)
Both purity and humidity at 100% (100%)
お姫様として 扱ってよ ダーリン
（ドレス脱がせていいよ）
何してる？(＞_＜) 電話して(＞_＜)
言えない！言いたいけど
重いのは嫌！
Treat me like a princess, darling
(You can take off my dress)
What are you doing?😣 Give me a call😣
I can't say it! But I want to say it
I hate clinginess!
These feelings is just too strong for her to resist becoming a cliche. The last line shows how she really doesn't want to be this way, but she can't stop it. She can only wish she could weaponize it like the protagonist of "CAMEO".
Purity at 100% conveys this mask of cuteness that she's compelled to put on, and humidity at 100% conveys the heat and sweat from her passion (or maybe anxiety). Her subconscious thoughts are kicked up a notch as well. Before, it was just a hug but now, she wishes for him to undress her.
「もしもし･･･今何してる？
あー･･･付き合いだもんね わかった」
好きって言ってくれたら切るのにー！
"Hello… What are you doing right now?
"Ah… We are dating, right? Yeah"
If you said you loved me, I would have hung up!
As the bridge of the song starts, she's on a phone call with him. She tries to confirm if they are dating, but she wishes that she didn't have to make the call. She depends on him to put her anxiety at ease.
お願い聞いてね
もしもわたし 永遠に
（永遠に）目が覚めずに
このまま眠ってたら
（君は）キスより先に
Please listen
If I were to forever
(Forever) Never open my eyes
If I stay asleep like this
(You) You would go beyond a kiss
優しい言葉をかけて
このまま ずっと
魔法はとかないで
しかばね越えずに
「ずーっと見てて♡」
あ゛ー！
You would say kind words
Like this, forever
Keep me under the spell
Nothing more than a corpse
"Look at me forever♥️"
Aggh!
With the bridge comes a turning point in her feelings. She seems to have now realized that the reality she wishes for might be an impossible fantasy.
Princesses and magic spells make a reappearance as frequent motifs in =LOVE songs, ever since "Want you! Want you!". Here, it's a reversal of Snow White's story. While Snow White was kissed by the prince to go on living happily ever after, she wishes that the prince not kiss her so she can continue her fantasy forever. These feelings would be further explored in the single "Anoko Complex" through a darker narrative.
しゅきなの しゅきなの しゅきしゅきしゅきぴ（しゅきぴ♡）
なんでこんなに興味ない？
ねぇ しゅきぴ しゅきぴ しゅきしゅきしゅきぴ（しゅきぴ♡）
ライト級vs(たい)ヘビー級
It's luv, it's luv, luv luv my luv (Shukipi♥️)
Why are you so uninterested?
Hey, my luv, my luv, luv luv my luv (Shukipi♥️)
Lightweight vs. heavyweight
The final chorus starts, and we see "Sukipi" has devolved into "Shukipi". I translated this as "love" being corrupted into "luv". The corruption is perhaps driven by a sense of insecurity in the one-sided relationship. Part of this insecurity also drives a compulsion to be consumed by trends of cuteness and other societal expectations of women.
She describes interacting with him as "lightweight vs. heavyweight". The "clinginess" described in a previous verse was expressed in Japanese as "heavy". She is thus the heavyweight going against him, the lightweight. Light and heavy are also words used in Japanese to describe the hardcore-ness of fans. This introduces another layer to the song, where all of the lyrics could describe the relationship between a fan and an idol. The mix of fantasy and reality in the fan-idol relationship would also be explored in the later single "Zettai Idol Yamenaide".
もう しゅきなの しゅきなの しゅきしゅきしゅきぴ（しゅきぴ♡）
不安で今日も眠れない
ほら しゅきぴ しゅきぴ しゅきしゅきしゅきぴ（しゅきぴ♡）
気付けば「めざまし」始まる
Already, it's luv, it's luv, luv luv my luv (Shukipi♥️)
I'm so anxious I can't sleep today either
Look, my luv, my luv, luv luv my luv (Shukipi♥️)
Before I knew it, "Mezamashi" started
自立シンデレラ このままじゃ終われない
（早く探し出してよ）
何してる？どこにいる？
電話出て！もうダメだよね これ以上しつこく
あ゛ぁーっ！！！
An independent Cinderella; it can't end like this
(Quickly go find me)
What are you doing? Where are you?
Pick up the phone! It's no use anymore to insist further
Aggh ah!!!
The anxiety stops her from sleeping. "Mezamashi" is a famous morning TV news show, indicating she really was kept awake all night by this feeling of "luv". In the end, she is forced to face reality. Her love interest has stopped picking up her phone calls.
Some fans theorize that the love interest never existed in the first place. That makes all of these phone calls and conversations a fantasy. It's perhaps her fantasy extension of the "melt" manga that she's reading.
We saw before, a reversal of Snow White. Now, we see a reversal of Cinderella with the phrase "Independent Cinderella". If we recall the first few verses, the protagonist had described herself as independent with a not "mass-produced" image. This is in contrast to Cinderella, who is a "mass-produced" Disney princess. It's also in direct contrast to what Cinderella represents, best characterized by the Cinderella Complex, which is a fear of independence that many women suffer from. Sashihara herself has tweeted about this phrase. She describes it as an inner conflict where she feels the desire to be rescued and loved like Cinderella, but at the same time she feels like she can live independently.
This inner conflict could also be framed through the concept of the "sweetie pie" self. In "CAMEO", the protagonist finds empowerment through the "sweetie pie", but there's an underlying feeling of resentment towards society. In "Shukipi", the resentment is directed inward as self-judgment for becoming "mass-produced". The solution might comes from giving up on the "sweetie pie", but that comes with risks. Would anyone love her independent non-"sweetie pie" self? Would anyone love an =LOVE that is not the ultra-cutesy trendy "Shukipi" idol?
The MV: Snow White's Dream
The MV opens to a sight that is probably jarring to =LOVE fans. It's a man's bedroom, with men's clothing.
There are men's books on the shelves. All of them are fake books. This is a generic fictional men's bedroom.
Maika walks into the room, and creepily sniffs one of the shirts. She's obsessed with the man, just as how the protagonist of the lyrics is obsessed with her love interest.
This is actually a reversal of AKB48's "Heavy Rotation" MV (Youtube). "Heavy Rotation" depicted the fantasy girl's bedroom from a teen boy's perspective. "Shukipi" depicts the fantasy male bedroom from an obsessed girl's perspective.
We cut to an overhead shot of =LOVE asleep, like the snow white of the lyrics. The events of the MV are probably a dream. The girls are all wearing men's clothing, just like how the protagonist wears the love interest's favorite clothes and is figuratively "stained" by his colors.
There are several shots of them playing with all the stereotypically male things. They ransack the fridge, and find a package of instant microwavable rice. The stereotypical man doesn't cook properly after all. The rice is called "Ito no Gohan", which is a parody of the real brand "Sato no Gohan". It's an Easter egg reference to Ito Taro, a senior executive at Yoyogi Animation Academy, the management company of =LOVE. He was also also referenced in "Sagase Diamond Lily".
We have a shot of coffee mixed with milk, just like in the lyrics of course.
Today's Date Agenda
10:00 I come to see you!
10:30 Drive 🚗
20:00 Kiss 💋 chu
And as part of this fantasy, Sanatsun (Morohashi Sana) plans the ideal date!
As the lyrics get more and more cutesy, with the transformation of "Sukipi" into "Shukipi", the bedroom gets more and more girly. Now, it's full of cakes, fluffy pillows, girly toys and magic wands. The girls, still fast asleep, are wearing cute pink costumes and twintails. Purity is at 100%.
This look is especially abnormal for Sasaki Maika, the center, who typically presents a more introspective image. It's just further emphasis that this is a dream.
The protagonist of the lyrics realizes that the relationship with the man is unrealistic, and all that's left of her are these stupid cute things. In frustration, the members try to destroy everything. Sasaki Maika's girly makeup and the cute cake is ruined as the MV ends. For the fans, they're at a crossroad: to be snow white forever asleep in this dream, or to wake up to the not-ultra-cutesy =LOVE.
