a brief analysis of snh48 team nii’s 时之卷 (scroll of time) gongyan, the story told through its songs and lyrics, and how it relates to the story of team nii.

as explained in the opening song 雪之国, 时之卷 is set in a desolate kingdom blanketed by frost. it is a paradise for the brave, the bed of dreams and thoughts, and treasures and stories alike are buried deeply beneath the snow.

the kingdom itself is compared to a phoenix multiple times— a bird associated with the sun and can regenerate itself, rising from the ashes of its predecessor. the song mentions that snow on the trees is beginning to melt. spring is coming.

there are six clans that sprung from the remnants of that once-majestic kingdom, whose treasures and legends lay buried underneath all of the snow:

the phoenix (凤) clan, led by zhao yue in the song 画, who possess divine virtue and value music and beauty over all.

the tiger (虎) clan, led by lu ting in the song 一体同心, who are warlike and isolate themselves from the rest of the clans.

the crow (鸦) clan, led by feng xinduo in the song 暗羽, who are intelligent and bide their time in battle with clever techniques.

the thrush (鸫) clan, led by zhang yuxin in the song 传颂之歌, whose guqin playing resonates through the land.

the lotus (莲) clan, led by yi jiaai in the song 观自在, who keep watch over the country from high above in the mountains.

the chrysanthemum (菊) clan, led by huang tingting in the song 信念箭羽, who protect those they hold dear with bows and arrows.

these factions are at war with one another, a far cry from the unified front the kingdom had once presented. but spring draws near, and the sun melts the frost and drives the cold away. it’s been ten years since winter fell on the kingdom.

the first flowers in ten years bloom, and life returns to the land. fish reappear in the rivers, and birds return to the skies overhead. the question is asked in 春日: “can you say out loud the name of that flower?” it’s a new beginning.

花之祭 heralds the dawn of a new age: the clans put aside their differences, and hand in hand, they welcome the spring. “let’s gather at this moment, side by side. we can determine the meaning of our existence and our path to the future.”

they move forward, unwilling to back down despite adversity, and continue heading towards the roads ahead. they journey to distant seas and look to a future sky together, with infinite possibilities stretching out before them.

the first line of the encore song 未来天空 (future sky) is the same as the first line of the opening song 雪之国 (snow country): “in the snow, the sun sets and the clouds linger. i don’t know how long i’ve been absorbed in them.”

but the songs paint different pictures: in 雪之国, the snow covers all of the hopes and dreams they once had; in 未来天空, the snow is a blank canvas, and who knows what kinds of dazzling futures can be painted into that sky?

the story of 时之卷 is one of departures and meetings, of wins and losses: a kingdom, once beautiful and majestic, lays in tatters as its people are spread into different clans, but springtime brings them together again, and they move on, hand in hand.

it mirrors the story of team nii: at the beginning, they were nobodies. they often spoke of having to hand out flyers on the street to entice passersby to come watch, but audiences with fewer than two rows were, unfortunately, common.

something changed, and they rose through the ranks, and at the pinnacle of team nii’s brilliance, they swept the top seven spots in the fourth election: 屠榜了神七, slaughtered the god seven. but the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

everyone knows what happened, i’m sure. team nii are called but a shadow of their former shelves, and, in whispers, a laughingstock of what had once been. the members have left, one by one, but those who remain can always begin again and forge a new name for themselves.

the final song of the set, 远方的海 (distant sea), remarks that someday, someone will return to that brilliant kingdom and begin to write a new story, to create a new future. who knows? spring is coming, and the flowers will bloom again.

thanks for reading! i hope you enjoyed this little write-up~ if you want to, please check out the inaugural performance of 时之卷, it's honestly so stunning https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1r4411Y7AS