“MISSA” is ゼラ (Zera)’s 11th single in their discography so far, released on the 4th of September 2024. Following the single “Octavius” which was released on February 28 of the same year, the band returns to the stage with a new, completely white look and a different sound than what they brought with “Octavius”, but if there is one thing I’ve learned from this group so far is that you can never predict what theme they’ll go for next. Regardless of that being visually or sound, it’s always a bit of a surprise.
And if you’ve read our deep dive into the single “Octavius”, you know exactly why I am quite thrilled that I get to cover ゼラ (Zera)’s work again so quickly.
Since I already introduced the band in the previous installment of “Marionette Parade”, I will skip that introduction this time. No changes have been made to their lineup, after all. Instead, we’ll dive right into the information about the single: the physical release is limited to only one version containing three tracks, namely: “MISSA”, “Antagonist” and “Parasite”.
For this review we’ll of course be looking into all three tracks, but also the music video for the title song.
As much as I would like to make a comparison to the previous single “Octavius”, it’s not going to be possible for this review. Since “Octavius” took inspiration from a legend, while “MISSA” is an original work (at least, for as far as I can tell). Comparing the two is similar to comparing apples with pears: they’re both fruits, and depending on your taste they can both be delicious (or not), but there are two many differences between them to make sense of a comparison.
Are you ready? Then, let’s dive into “MISSA”!
If I close my eyes, I can see the false peace of the world
Starting with the title song, “MISSA” opens with an almost ominous piano intro, followed by a guitar with a similar ominous vibe. It quickly becomes apparent that this is more of a ballad-style song (my nemesis, if you will), but rather than the most commonly used love-lyrics, ゼラ (Zera) opted for a different kind of emotion this time: loss. Using “loss” as a description might be a bit of a stretch, since the lyrics indirectly speak of the loss of the world.
I have mentioned this in the review for “Octavius” before, but one of the things that keeps attracting me to ゼラ (Zera)’s work are their rhythms, something the group makes excellent use of in this song. The emotion expressed in the lyrics, which are sung entirely in Japanese, is paired perfectly with the instruments which not only match 水翠 (Hisui)’s words, but also put emphasis on the “world” they are trying to create within the song. There is a certain emotion that 水翠 (Hisui) manages to convey with his voice, while at the same time he can turn his voice around and produce something completely void of this emotion, which is very fitting for these sad, yet poetic lyrics.
There’s no storyteller, there’s no real event being described, but yet the story of “MISSA” is quite clear from its lyrics alone. It’s just very difficult to put this story into one word, or even a sentence… “In the silent praise of blessing, the flowers fall and sink into the desolate place.”
The music video for the song is far more simple than their previous one, but also more complex – since how exactly does one translate these lyrics into a visual format? There are small hints here and there, but non-Japanese speakers really need a translation to be able to see the ‘story’ of the video itself.
Opening with shots of a lit candle as well as a high traffic area in a dimly lit area of a big city before the members are shown in their fully white costumes, standing in a white room with some gold accents, you’re probably wondering where this is going exactly. (This is why I mentioned this video really struggles with portraying its lyrics in a visual format.) Throughout the video shots of war and the pain such an event causes are shown, and this is probably the most visual hint you’re going to get. While “MISSA” isn’t about the destruction itself per se, it’s far more about the results of said destruction. “Claw marks engraved on this vast earth.”
Does the music video add to the song? Yes, absolutely. It just takes a lot of reading between the lines if you’re really looking for the story being told here.
Next up is “Antagonist”, which is also sung in Japanese – with the exception of “Endless barren time” in the first verse, and a “Timeless” and “Endless” near the bridge area of the song. Lyrically speaking “Antagonist” is as vague and up for interpretation as the previous track “MISSA” was (while it does live up to its name), but it does pick up the pace and gives 水翠 (Hisui) the space to use more of his collection of voices (he puts down a great antagonist-like voice, for example). Where “MISSA” seems to be the result, “Antagonist” seems to be the process to get to the world of “MISSA”. Again, “Antagonist’ doesn’t exactly have a storyteller either, but seems to follow an … antagonist … instead. “Judgment on the cowards with unfamiliar faces.”
It picks up the pace to a more familiar speed for ゼラ (Zera)’s music, but also the theatrical style of their lyrics. While there is no visual representation as there is for “MISSA”, you can’t help but to form the visuals in your head yourself. The first verse also gives 流 (Ryu)’s bass a moment to come through more, since throughout the rest of the song you’ll hear Aqui’s and ミナギ (Minagi)’s guitars mixing a lot more with the crazy chaos created by 水翠 (Hisui)’s vocals.
Closing the single is “Parasite”, and if you thought “Antagonist” before it was a great playground for these guys, well… Then you haven’t heard “Parasite” yet.
While sung mostly in Japanese, this is also the track with the most English in its lyrics, namely “Get rid of the parasites”, “A fool can only chase a foolish dream. Look, your position is far away.” and “You know” in one of the last lines of the lyrics. “Parasite” also has the most theatrical introduction of all three songs, putting emphasis on the drums (and if you remember that I told you ゼラ (Zera) doesn’t have a drummer in their lineup, you’d be as surprised as I am to see them make this emphasis) before the guitars take over and 水翠 (Hisui) joins in. “Antagonist” already gave him some room to use his collection of different voices, but “Parasite” allows him to use his deep growls and the deep voice we also heard a lot on the “Octavius” single before. The lyrics are quite direct, and for a lack of a better description, flat out unkind – which is very fitting for everything else you hear. “You turn into a maggot crawling on the floor. A spineless idiot who only gets by in the moment.”
The single really seems to have built up the tension a little bit with each song, with “Parasite” being the heaviest song at the end of the line, mixing the theatrical with the power of the listener’s imagination to create something that – in my opinion – comes shockingly close to what “Octavius” was as a whole.
Conclusion
In the introduction I said that comparing “Octavius” with “MISSA” is similar to comparing apples to pears – they’re both similar (in this case they’re made by the same artist with the same lineup, of course you’ll have similarities based on that alone), yet too different to properly compare to one another. At least, in content. Because the themes of “Octavius” and “MISSA” can’t possibly be compared, but the execution of both themes can.
While “Octavius” was very direct and easy to piece together from a lyrical standpoint, and with the legend of The Ship of Ice as very clear reference material, there wasn’t much left to imagination. With “MISSA” this is the complete opposite. Especially the title track leaves a lot of gaps for the listener to fill in with their own ideas, while “Antagonist” and “Parasite” are far more direct in their lyrics and don’t leave too much room for interpretation, but do make it a lot easier to piece together the theme. Are all three songs connected in a similar way like the previous single was? In my opinion yes, absolutely. They might just be in the wrong order timeline wise, but I completely understand while “MISSA” was chosen as the title song for this release.
The language barrier isn’t broken anywhere near as much as the previous release did, but 水翠 (Hisui), Aqui, ミナギ (Minagi) and 流 (Ryu) have once again managed to create a very theatrical performance with “MISSA” as a whole. And I am very, very much looking forward to what chaos these guys will create next!
This release is available for streaming via Spotify, but if you’d rather have a physical copy of the CD (because yes, there is only one version), then we’ve go you covered too. We’ve listed all the information you need below:
 PCM-323 // ¥1,500 |
02. Antagonist 03. Parasite MISSA (MV) |
2024.09.24 Shop: CDJapan |
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 (Hisui)  |    |  (Minagi) |  (Ryu) |
雪 (Yuki) is the owner and driving force behind Arlequin.
She originally started the project in 2009 as a photographer under the name of Arlequin Photography, but developed an interest in journalism and translation ever since. Because of these interests interviews and reviews were added to the project, until it eventually hit the limits as a "photographer" in 2021, and Arlequin Magazine was added to the mix.
雪 (Yuki) is a native Dutch speaker with a graphic design degree, which means she is also the main person behind Arlequin Creations.
After all these years she is still the main person who does interviews the interviews and live photos that you see on Arlequin, but also a large chunk of the reviews and behind-the-scenes work and communication goes through her.
She speaks Dutch and English on a native level, but also understands Japanese and German.