At 8:43 pm, on October 31, 2024, I saw a video titled “Mili - Hero [Limbus Company]”

“peak

give a listen

even if it’s only once”

Is what my friend told me when I asked about that random song that popped up in my recommended page – so I did. I had no clue how much of an impact it would have in the future as I innocently plugged in my headphones and hit play with an open mind.

Since then, I’ve been sucked into a  rabbit hole, listening to newly discovered songs on repeat for weeks. So, I want to share their music and list five of my favorites, along with my rudimentary interpretations.

To provide some background: Mili is an indie music group. They are quite talented, especially the singer/songwriter, Cassie Wei. Being an indie group, their musical style is very diverse and the instrument choice is sometimes unexpected. They compose a lot of songs for video games and anime. You may have heard them in Goblin Slayer, Library of Ruina, or Limbus Company. While songs made for them might have context already, I won’t base the interpretation on that.

Hero 

“One, two

One, two, three, four

We're swaying on horseback, the hills are green

And the birdies sing, and roses are pink

Experience I never had, I'm so happy

Happy to just be part of your story ”

Initially this song sounds childish. The music sounds like something out of a fairy tale, with maybe some combat-like drums in the background, indicating the true nature of this song.  The lyrics describe something out of a children's book. The narrator expresses their adoration for their “hero” and all the adventures they took them on. Then it starts counting again and the second verse starts.

“I fall down the horseback with my cripple legs

And then it starts to rain, showing me it's all fake

Raindrops wash down the facade hills are painted

Birdies are robotic, roses are made of clay”

All the childish joyfulness is gone. It’s now dreary and disillusioned. The narrator starts rejecting everything they once knew: the excitement they once had and their hero, who is no longer real. They start to doubt who they are, before going into denial, becoming desperate. The second verse ends and the countdown happens again, signaling the start of the third and final verse. 

“Stand up, gallop on

Nothing can be done by feeling so sorry for myself

Hero on a plastic horse

Fighting like it's real with a cardboard sword”

This time, the song takes on a determined tone. The narrator has fully moved on from lamenting the loss of innocence and acknowledges how unfair the world is. They are held together by one thing: they finally know themself. With this new wisdom, they confront their original hero, attempting to prove “my version of justice is more just than yours.” The song ends with the repeating assurance:

“I am my biggest fan

I am my biggest fan

I am my enemy and my friend”

Overall, the song is quite simple. It’s about growing up and leaving that dreamlike childhood into the harsh, heroless world. It hurts greatly at first – learning that everything was a lie and falling into confusion. But in the end, the narrator  grows up, develops their own identity and motivations, and starts fighting in what they believe in – even against their former hero.

This song holds a special place in my heart, since it mirrored so closely to what I was going through around the time I heard it. I realized that my close friend wasn’t actually a great person, the world isn’t actually fair and equal to everyone, and my original aspirations of becoming a soldier or weapons engineer were put into serious question as I developed an empathetic heart. Listening to this song constantly helped me cope with all these new developments in life until I got used to them. I have still yet to get past the third part of the song in my own personal story.

 String Theocracy

You like jazz? This song was made for the Library of Ruina. It’s the opening theme for the game, which makes me really enticed to get it.

“Open the curtains

Lights on

Don't miss a moment

Of this experiment

Oh, the book is strange

Like clockwork orange

Keep your eyes buttered till the end"

This was the second song I heard and another memorable one. Don’t worry, I’m not going to list every single song I heard.  I’m also not going to quote a whole third of the song this time either. This song is yet another relatable one, albeit not a positive relation. I see this song as a commentary on society and the hopelessness a person feels against it. There's a constant theme of conforming to society, such as the lines:

 “Cut it off, cut down your loss

All that stubborn loyalty is gonna get you killed

In a world built on convenient theories” 

and 

“Cut it off, you've already lost

All that precious bravery is gonna get you hurt

In a world that feeds on the minority”

There are also other themes as well, such as loss of humanity and identity. But, no amount of contextless explanation can do it good, so I recommend listening to it and coming up with your own interpretation, rather than relying on the word of someone else. Thought that does not render this section pointless, as it’s still a general pointer and jumping point. Down, down, and down you go.

Sleep Talk Metropolis

Finally, something that is not related to Limbus Company or Library of Ruina! Although there are still strings attached; this song was preinstalled in the Sony Xperia 5 V, a phone that flopped(it does not flip). But what more does an overworked japanese salaryman want than a song about overwork and existential dread complimentary with his corporate product?

The meaning of this is as blatant as the line:

”I wish to be hired

To pay off my student loans”

And the chorus:

“We're living in a dream, living in a dream

Spilling our time on repeat, on repeat

Filling in the empty space

Beyond the yellow lines

We're living for the dream, living for the dream

Tiny mice looked right at me, right at me

Is it a sign that it's time to slow down?

I am in a race of one”

Now, what’s most hard to define is what “beyond the yellow lines” means. I was stuck pondering this for a while. It seems so obvious at first,  but giving an exact meaning is hard. My first assumption is that the yellow line is the fabled double yellow line that you should definitely never cross. But that doesn’t make sense; I still have no clue. I guess I’m still trying to fill that empty space with meaning.

While the line about paying off student loans hits hard, there are many other aspects that make me dread the future. The song mentions wanting to purchase a house, saving up for travels, and not having time to date, start a family, or even to rest on a sunny afternoon. 

Despite this being another “relatable” and abjectly dreary song, the music slaps. It’s so energetic and punchy. The juxtaposition of the lively melody and lifeless lyrics about corporate slavery is what makes this song novel. We just have to push forward to live for that dream – whatever it may be.

I Am a Fluff

No more video game references! No more existential dread! Here is a nice fluffy song. In fact, it's sort of a birthday song. How nice that they released it on the same month as my birthday.

Now, a unique feature of this song for audiophiles or the astute listener: this song revolves around you – literally. The sounds slowly move between your left and right ear. That's because this song was made to promote Sony 360 Reality Audio. THAT'S RIGHT, YOU CAN'T ESCAPE THE CORPORATE SPONSORS! Ahem, back to the main point.

The 360 audio is meant to provide a spiritual, dreamlike experience when listening, and considering the topic of the song, there couldn't be any better song to use this on. The “fluffy song” was a lie in a sense, in that this song is about aging, death, reincarnation, and eternal bonds. This is best shown by the verses:

“Don't ask me where I'll be in thirty years

If truth be told

My O2 level is already low

Uh oh”

and

“I was watching

As my frontal lobe replayed every single piece of my earthly memories

I can't help but notice

You were always the subject”

As much as I want to explain more, I am at a loss of comprehension. Unlike the previous songs mentioned, this is less grounded, and significantly more abstract and spiritual. So, I will leave it up to you to interpret the exact meanings of each line. Or don’t. I’m not going to force you to write an AP Lit analysis essay. But do give it a listen, even if it's only once.

Ga1ahad and Scientific Witchery

This song is straightforward. There's no hidden meaning. No metaphors, no social commentaries, and no video game lore. It’s a nice simple story based roughly around the Arthurian figure Galahad, with a twist of scientific fantasy. The song is sung in a duet, with one representing Ga1ahad and the other his lady, which revives and modifies him. I recommend listening to this via the Youtube video because it shows the lyrics from each side.

Ga1ahad was once a knight who went out vanquishing witches and monsters. Eventually he dies, and his lady, Tellulu does witchcraft and revives him. But he’s not just a basic undead monster. She used technology to greatly modify him, giving him laser eyes, stronger bones, cloud-backed brain, and artificial skin to hide the fact that he is undead. She even throws a “poisoned” tea party, typical of witches, just to reveal at the end that nothing was poisoned and that she totally was not a witch. Ga1ahad then goes on more quests, until eventually Tellulu commands him to do something and reveals all the modifications she did to him. They get into a bit of a disagreement, Ga1ahad claiming “Someday, I'll conquer the land and have you slayed… I appreciate your thoughts | But you've given me too much to tolerate” and Tellulu warning “Don't be like Lance10t, you are the new upgrade… I've done so much for you | But you treat me this way”. Eventually they resolve their conflict, and acknowledge that things can never go back to the way they were before. “There’s no undo and there’s no repeat” But this song can be played on repeat for a whole hour, or as long as your sanity lasts. Mine lasted just long enough to finish this.

Honorable Mentions:

world.execute (me) ; - Beautiful extended metaphor about love, albeit a bit geeky.

Painful Death for the Lactose Intolerant - What a funny and silly song, I sure hope this is not an allegory for a cult or something.

Children of The City - String Theocracy for kids.

Compass and Through Patches Of Violet - More Limbus Company advertisement. Really high emotional climax though.

Gunners in the Rain - Yet another social commentary.

RTRT - A tragic story about a mad scientist, a jiangshi(zombie), and food.