From Grief to Growth: The Transformative Power of Fujii Kaze’s “満ちてゆく (Michi Teyu Ku/Overflowing)”
Impermanence as Liberation, Overflowing as The Essence of Being
What would you do if you had the chance to meet someone who had left your life long ago? What words would echo in the vast chasm left by their absence, and could your heart reconcile the relentless rhythm of time against its own stagnant ache? These feelings lingered like dissonant notes as I listened to Fuji Kaze’s new song “Overflowing.” (満ちてゆく/Michi Teyu Ku). Fujii Kaze’s voice filled my earphones, words echoing the hollow ache in my chest. “Letting go, feeling lighter, and becoming filled…” Nah.. It was a lie, a pretty song for a love that had never felt so heavy. It was a beautiful falsehood, notes “too sweet” for a wound that still throbbed with a dull, insistent pain.
Like the restless wind, the music pierced my heart, both stirring and soothing. Thank you, Kaze for this bittersweet awakening, this recognition of my sorrow. Yes, it’s tragic to love only to be loved in return. Yet, the longing persists. Will surrender bring the fullness Kaze sings of? The thought alone brought tears, a torrent mirroring the relentless tides of my heart.
Overflowing — 満ちてゆく(Michi Teyu Ku)
The song was written by Fujii Kaze 藤井 風 for director Tomokazu Yamada’s upcoming film on March 22 April 2023, ‘April Come She Will,’ as the theme and shared the cover art for the track. It beautifully encapsulates the bittersweet essence of love and its fleeting moments, inevitable endings, and the grace we seek in our hearts. Fujii Kaze’s introspective lyrics resonate with the subtle complexity of human emotions and relationships. The song is filled with the preciousness of the cycle of life, the fragility of life’s time, and the invisible gratitude and love. The sound and flow of the music will touch the heart of anyone who hears it.
Fujii Kaze — Michi Teyu Ku (Overflowing) / Official Video — YouTube
The choice of the word “Overflowing” instead of “Full/Fulfilling” in the title of the song is impressive. The feeling of being ‘full’ does not arise when you acquire something, but rather when you let go of it. It is only after you have lost something that you realize its true value, and the experience can be painful. However, accepting the loss and letting go of it can alleviate anxiety, make you feel lighter, and fill your heart. It reminds me of his other song entitled ‘Kaerou’ which was previously released in 2020 with an afterlife perspective, while ‘Michi Teyu Ku/Overflowing’ provides a deeper perspective of people left behind on earth saying a final goodbye to their loved ones. These two songs may be interconnected, as Fujii Kaze’s music often touches on life and death as part of the human life cycle.
A Continuous Cycle of Giving and Receiving that Enriches Our Souls
Fujii Kaze’s “Overflowing” offers a unique perspective on love and loss if we imagine it through the lens of the afterlife. While steeped in melancholy, the song also carries a strange sense of serenity, a tranquility born from recognizing the inevitable end and its role in life’s profound beauty. It paints a poignant yet empowering picture of the cycle of love, life, and acceptance. The song acknowledges the harsh reality that even the strongest feelings of love must eventually face change and, sometimes, even come to an end. Despite the seemingly meaningless cycle of life, we still find joy in simply existing.
Although the cycle of quarrels may be destined to repeat itself and we may destroy each other, it is important to remember the things that brought us happiness while we were in this life. Kaze emphasizes the beauty in the process of loving and being loved, which is a continuous cycle of give and take that enriches our souls. Kaze acknowledges the inevitability of change that awaits all things, whether it be the end of a romantic relationship or a fleeting moment of joy. This acceptance is not driven by pessimism, but by an understanding that the essence of life lies in its constant change.
Breaking Down the Lyrics
The first verse of the song portrays the changing sky, from dawn to dusk, from sunny to stormy. This passage reflects the ebb and flow of love and life, both in their brightest moments and their darkest. While exploring an afterlife perspective, the lines ‘afternoons on the way’ and ‘glitter’ fading away depict memories that blur and eventually fade. What remains is an existence that once burned brightly and now only emits a soft glow in eternity.
In the following verse of the lyrics, if seen from the other side, love is less about the tangible moments “The sparkle once we shared” and more about the lingering resonance. Instead of despairing, Kaze chooses to accept with “And it’s okay, that’s fine”. Yet this is not about submitting to fate but recognizing and transcending the physical world’s limitations. Implying the acceptance that the physical manifestation of love will fade, but its essence remains forever. It gives rise to a temporary feeling of wanting to let go, but the feeling is the result of a heavy emotional struggle that has built up after mounting worries and wanting to let go. Nevertheless, at the moment we know that love is an eternal echo.
The chorus highlights the transformative power of love. Despite its fleeting nature, love leaves a lasting impact. Releasing the physical aspect of life can bring a sense of ‘lightness’ and fullness. This can be interpreted as moving beyond the boundaries of the body, letting go of the burdens of physicality, and opening up to a fuller form of spiritual existence. The idea of ‘letting go’ and ‘feeling lighter’ suggests a sense of movement and release. As we let go, we become ‘lighter’, freeing ourselves from attachments and allowing for something new to fill that space.
The ephemeral nature of joy is a bittersweet truth, echoed in Fujii Kaze’s lyrics, “The moment we get the pleasure, it’s gone. But that’s almost all we’ve been chasing for.” This reminds me of the characters in Hanya Yanagihara’s “A Little Life,” desperately seeking fleeting moments of respite in a world marked by suffering. Though scarred by trauma and shadowed by despair, her characters cling fiercely to fleeting moments of joy and connection. Yet, amidst life’s relentless torrent, there remains a quiet resilience in choosing happiness, even when arguments and pain threaten to repeat and destroy.
From the perspective of the afterlife, perhaps Kaze’s concept of “letting go” extends beyond relationships. It becomes an embrace of the essential impermanence of experience — a liberation from the constant pursuit of what cannot be sustained. In death, the ultimate endpoint, we can find liberation from the longings that define our mortal experience or an escape from unrelenting desire, a release from the desires that define so much of earthly existence. And in line with “A Little Life”, perhaps their lives remind us that even in inevitable suffering and loss, the search for meaning and the capacity for love makes our existence still beautiful.
In the bridge chorus, Kaze portrays hope by saying, ‘Opening our hearts to shine… In time, we will be connected beyond life and death.’ This idea suggests that death does not prevent love, but rather transforms the way it is experienced. According to Kaze, love transcends the limitations of death. At the beginning of the lyrics we find death as a transformation, by the end of the song we find that love transcends death, it becomes eternal energy, a connecting force that bridges between dimensions.
Tears were OVERFLOWING my face slowly when I saw the music video, evoked memories and feelings we couldn’t tell in the past…
I applaud Director Tomokazu Yamada for his success in evoking the story behind the role, and Kaze for portraying the character so perfectly that it moved me deeply. The MV implies a relationship that goes beyond mere friendship or love, using the mother as a symbol of love which turns into a mindset of eternal love and friendship.
It appears to evoke feelings of nostalgia, suggesting that other times and places were simpler and filled with more moments of happiness than the present. However, this nostalgia can also bring sadness when we remember a time and place where we felt a strong connection to someone. This feeling of connection can be difficult to replicate in the present.
In the scenes where Kaze feels devastated and sees the shadows of his memories with his deceased mother, and then at the end of his life, the shadows of eternal love are still present, covering him with infinite love, taking him to the river of the afterlife in peace when his time comes. As I reflected on the scene, memories resonated with me, and I realized that time had passed, causing my eyes to fill with tears. No matter how mature you are, you are still someone’s child with a bare heart, right?
The lyrics ‘loving for the sake of being loved is a tragedy’ with the scene stuck in my head, to the point where I cried. It’s a tragedy to love only to be loved in return, yet isn’t the ache a testament that I loved at all? If I let go, will the emptiness finally be sated? The tears fell harder, a tempestuous release echoing the storm in my chest. Although painful, listening to this song made me want to do my best tomorrow. Thank you, Kaze for this haunting melody, for forcing open my eyes, for revealing the beauty of this cleansing pain.
Being “Connected Beyond Life and Death”
From birth, individuals are aware that they will experience a range of emotions throughout their lives, both positive and negative, including love, tears, joy, and sorrow. Difficulties are inevitable, and people will encounter new individuals who may naturally distance themselves.
Fujii Kaze’s “Overflowing” explores the notion that to truly move forward, sometimes we need to release burdens and step outside our familiar boundaries. Do we all have those moments where we long to be unburdened, to feel lighter and more at peace? These fleeting desires often arise from the weight of accumulated worries, a desperate need to simply let go.
There are times when we might give in to this urge for release, finding a brief sense of freedom. However, moving forward can remain a struggle. Yet, these difficulties will likely fade with time. This introspection leads me to a profound question: Will our lives be long or short, forever marked by a bittersweet mix of love and lingering regrets? In this age where a 100-year lifespan is envisioned, none of us knows our fate, or whether such longevity is a blessing or foreshadows deeper sorrows. Despite this, we persevere, believing that tomorrow holds new moments of joy, new reasons that will finally allow us to fully, genuinely “let go”.
“Overflowing” implies that death and separation are natural, inevitable parts of life. Although they bring sadness and grief, they also fill us with energy to go on living and to remember and cherish all the wonderful memories and things we have learned and experienced. Beyond dimensions, beyond limitations. Our connections transcend the boundaries of time and space, through eternity.
Letting go of something or someone we love is very difficult, especially when we need them. But in the end, we learn that accepting their departure is more calming than lingering in sadness, even though it takes time. Perhaps this processing is what we refer to as the ‘adult’ phase.
However, this is just a part of life. It also reminds us to grow beautifully like a flower and bloom when the time comes. As Kaze says in the lyrics, ‘In time we will be connected beyond life and death.’ We both let go and felt lighter. My heart is also filled with the love of my deceased mother, which will last forever. I am already filled with the love of my mother who will always be there, forever, tangible.
Fujii Kaze’s idea of love as something we inherently possess and outwardly express seems even more relevant as a reminder of the cycle of life. In this perspective, the act of loving makes our spiritual essence more “filled,” even when the object of our affection is no longer present. Impermanence as liberation, Overflowing as the essence of being.
