1. 真実とは眼に写らぬもの いつも秘密の中にある

Romaji: Shinjitsu to wa me ni utsuranu mono itsumo himitsu no naka ni aru

Cultural Nuance: Truth does not appear in a form visible to the eye. It is always hidden behind the veil of a secret.

🗣 Japanese Insight: The choice of the kanji "写る" (utsuru) here is highly suggestive. Generally, when light reflects off a mirror or a scene is reflected, the kanji "映る" is used. However, "写る" emphasizes a "photographic" visual phenomenon where an image is fixed on the retina and recognized by the brain. Much like a camera "captures" (utsusu) the truth, it highlights the contrast between the objective image captured by the eye and the subjective "truth" lying beneath it.

Furthermore, the negative particle "~nu" is an archaic form that sounds more sophisticated and formal than the modern "~nai." By using "utsuranu," the lyrics take on a weight similar to a timeless fable or maxim, instantly drawing the listener into a mysterious world.

2. つまんないイミテーションに疲れたわ

Romaji: Tsumannai imiteeshon ni tsukareta wa

Cultural Nuance: I'm fed up with this world overflowing with boring, cheap imitations.

🗣 Japanese Insight: "Tsumannai" is a colloquial (spoken) version of "tsumaranai" (boring/worthless), but it carries more emotional weight, emphasizing a sense of disgust or a dismissive attitude. The sentence ending "~wa" traditionally has a feminine nuance, but in modern J-pop, it functions as a cool accent to express strength or a cold "disconnection."

This short phrase mixes the nobility of a phantom thief seeking the "real deal" with a cynical critique of a modern society filled only with superficial glamour.

3. 往来する法螺吹の生花 真実 of 造花

Romaji: Ourai suru horafuki no seika shinjitsu no zouka

Cultural Nuance: Real flowers decorated by the liars who come and go. And artificial flowers made to tell the truth.

🗣 Japanese Insight: A "horafuki" (法螺吹) is someone who tells tall tales or exaggerates themselves. Here, a vivid contrast is placed between "seika" (生花 / real flowers) and "zouka" (造花 / artificial flowers). The real flowers held by a liar versus the fake flowers meant to represent the truth. This beautiful parallel highlights a chaotic world, much like a casino, where the boundary between what is real and what is fake has completely melted away.

4. 仕舞いにゃあ総て奪うわ！Ah

Romaji: Shimai nyaa subete ubau wa! Ah

Cultural Nuance: In the end, I will vividly steal away everything you hold dear. Meow!

🗣 Japanese Insight: This line contains several clever layers. First, the etymology of "shimai" (仕舞い) originates from the "shimai" (仕舞) of Noh theater, referring to the "final dance" or "tidying up beautifully"—a uniquely Japanese aesthetic of closing things with elegance.

The highlight here is the sound "nyaa." This is a deliberate play on words, mimicking the meow of a cat—the iconic symbol of Cat's Eye. Throughout the song, feline sounds like "myaa" and "nyaa" are frequently woven into the lyrics. By merging the elegant term "shimai" with the charming meow "nyaa," Ado captures both the fearlessness and the playful allure of the phantom thief. Additionally, writing words usually in hiragana, like "仕舞い" and "総て" (subete), in kanji adds a visual "secret code" density to the lyrics.

5. 如何様猫 空き腹にベノム

Romaji: Ikasama neko sukibara ni benomu

Cultural Nuance: The swindler cat will swallow even poison (venom) just to satisfy its dry hunger.

🗣 Japanese Insight: "Ikasama" (如何様) originally meant "indeed" or "certainly," but it evolved to refer to "something that looks real but is fake" or "cheating in gambling." There are various theories regarding its origin, such as a scam utilizing the property of squid ink (ika-sumi) fading over time, or the formal nodding of a samurai—words that carry the shadow of history.

This is followed by "sukibara" (空き腹), which is a gritty expression representing a desperate hunger for survival rather than just "being hungry." The contrast between the sophisticated "cat" (phantom thief) and the raw "starving stomach" swallowing the modern, katakana word "venom" (poison) is precisely what brings out the "toxicity" in Ado’s vocal performance.

6. 気儘で結構 わたしのフェノメノン

Romaji: Kimama de kekkou watashi no fenomenon

Cultural Nuance: I don't care if my ways are thought of as selfish. Because this is the one-and-only phenomenon I create.

🗣 Japanese Insight: "Kimama" (気儘) refers to a carefree, self-indulgent way of behaving, while "kekkou" (結構) signifies a strong self-affirmation, meaning "it is sufficient" or "I have no complaints."

In this part, a brilliant rhyme scheme utilizing the resonance of the Japanese language is deployed. By persistently repeating the heavy "o" sound in words like "Kesho" (makeup), "Enogu" (paint), "Sejo" (locking), "Zekkyo" (shouting), and "Kekko" (fine), it creates a rhythm that shakes the listener's brain and induces a trance-like state. There is a "pleasure of sound" here that transcends mere meaning.

7. 種も仕掛けも秘密のファンタジ (ファンタジ)

Romaji: Tane mo shikake mo himitsu no fantaji

Cultural Nuance: The secrets of the trick, the mechanism behind it—it is all an undisclosed fantasy.

🗣 Japanese Insight: The phrase "Tane mo shikake mo nai" (No tricks, no gimmicks) is a cliché used by Japanese magicians right before a performance to prove there is no foul play.

However, these lyrics boldly state, "Tane mo shikake mo himitsu" (The tricks and gimmicks are a secret). Instead of exposing magic as a mere trick, it presents a paradoxical aesthetic: "The fact that it is a secret is the most beautiful magic (fantasy) of all." The ending with the vocal abruptly stopping on "fantaji" cuts off 

the lingering sound and traps the listener in an eternal mystery.

🎤 Emotional Summary

Ado's "MAGIC" is a track that embodies the "magic of music" that turns lies into truth and fakes into the real thing, where ancient Japanese etymologies and modern pop sensibilities intersect.

Words with the weight of history, such as "shimai" and "ikasama," are breathed new life within Tsumiki’s hyper-rhythms and released like sharp knives by Ado’s voice. When a Japanese learner encounters this song, every time they notice the "tricks and gimmicks" hidden in the choice of kanji and the origins of the words—including the playful feline meows—they will experience an intellectual excitement, as if watching a world-class magic show from the very front row.