I will never understand the hype behind "Japonesque". It came across as a "Kingdom 2.0"/watered down compilation album. :shrug

Overall "Japonesque" represented Kumi "closing the door" to that part of her career and "Bon Voyage" seems like a transitioning album of her mature sound if anything. I guarantee her next studio album will be more refined and please a wider audience. :yes

And a few of those temperamental and pretentious Kuu fans over at JPC need to get off their high horses and stop being so condescending towards their own members and the members here as well. It's so childish. If people don't like what they hear so far from Kuu's new album then let it be. No crime was committed and It's just music for pete's sake. The opinions of others shouldn't deter you from enjoying anything in life. :grumpy

I like JAPONESQUE so much because it's one of the only album of Koda Kumi that I like as a cohesive thing (with UNIVERSE). I didn't like any of her previous album as a whole, only a few tracks here and there.

1) I LOVE Japonesque and All For You has NEVER felt like a filler track. Actually, Ayu had AUDIENCE & Namie had I Wanna Show You My Love as the songs that were for their fans specifically, both of which I REALLY enjoy. However, I LOVED how Kuu did All For You with the In-Studio Acoustic thing much more. It makes it feel far more personal towards the fans this way. I was very touched by this. :heart

2) As for Bon Voyage, I've been listening to the previews more and more. SMYH is greatly growing on me. Btw, wasn't the full PV to that posted? Winner Girls is also really growing on myself. Imagine I think I need to hear more of it to make up my mind, and slowly as I listen to that preview of LOL more and more, the "hahahaha laughing out loud" is starting to irritate me less and less. I really think I'll grow to like it. As for the singles, Touchdown, I've always liked it. Just never loved it... I think mostly cause whenever I hear it I see that guy that was in the PV with that random bad dancing that to me seemed just sooo out of place. Then there's Koishikute which I STILL think is one of her weakest ballads EVER. I don't hate it, but I don't overly like it either. I don't remember the PV very well either, but I'm that way with A LOT of her ballad PVs. SO MANY have a similar formula that there's not a lot that really stick out in my mind. I think the ones for KISEKI & feel probably stand out the most. The PV for LALALALALA has been in my head for awhile. It's a lot of fun and it's a pretty good song. It's just not exactly her best summer song. The song GTTT I love. As for the PV, I'm not sure if I've ever even watched the entire thing. I really should.

@Heavenly Btw, I love your ava and siggy set. Those are AWESOME :blove

Seriously I really really don't understand how we can considered this album like something more mature at least from the previews we have got :shrug
From what I've heard there is nothing new, LOL and Winner Girls are far from what I could define like mature songs ... but it's just my thought !
I still check her new releases because I quite like her but since some time she is so predictable musically since "déjà vu" maybe before it's always the same formula : one pop rock songs, one or two ballads, two or three electro songs, one or two r&b/hip hop songs, one song where she really tries something new ... and of course the cute one ! Sometime I'm surprised by some songs but yeah since Déjà vu less and less ...

I know a lot of people will not be happy about what I think but it's just what I feel with Kumi since some time !

Is there another preview of LOL anywhere? All the vids I can find are private :(

It's on this Fan Page on Facebook >>> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=527057397403371

Me, too. JAPONESQUE isn't cohesive itself really, but it feels like a cohesive, completed project, and I really appreciate how much effort she put into picking out songs that would for the most part all hold their own against the other tracks. I find most of her other albums hit or miss, and they never really satisfy on the level of a complete "album" for me, so I tend to listen to songs from Kingdom, BEST ~second session~, TRICK, etc. shuffled together. JAPONESQUE just feels like the total package for me in the same sense that Black Cherry feels like the total package. Nothing's missing at all, and the songs are all some of the better ones she's delivered from their respective genres. :heart Plus... the songs that I consider filler from JAPONESQUE are the ones that I know Japan would eat up, so I forgive her for them (Brave lol).

It's not that I think her other albums are bad really... They just never feel like true albums to me so much as compilations of some songs that I like and some that I don't really care for.

Her releases have been sooo formulaic since all the way back to Black Cherry lbr. I feel like it'd help if she mixed up her release pattern. There's nothing wrong with sticking to the sounds that work well for her, but when they're always released in the same exact pattern... it becomes too expected. :shrug And it really makes it obvious when Formulaic Summer Single #800 for example isn't as strong as the past ones.

I feel like JAPONESQUE might not have had the best music, but everything was just produced so well. Like, I didn't like a lot of the pure melodies of the songs, but I appreciated the work, and her vocals. I appreciated all of the PVs, and then of course, the amazingness of the physical product.

Love Technique is also, the greatest thing ever, so that brought the music up a little :P

I feel like Japonesque is a total package, and that's how it's cohesive.


I do feel like she's formulaic, but I like it. I feel like she really understands these dance/hip hop, etc styles really well, and she consistently impresses me, so I don't mind so much that all of her albums have the same types of songs. I WANT those songs from her.

I want my 3 dance songs, and then two ballads, and then maybe an acoustic, and then a rock song. It's great for her live shows, and she works hard at it.


Like what Deviance said up there, I'm excited for what she has for the next album.

Here here! I can't wait for the full version!

And previews of the rest of the tracklist! :luv2

Does anyone have any VERY LARGE Bon Voyage promo images that are textless?

I love Japonesque! It had good Kumi memories for me - so many PVs and songs to listen to!! Am I the only one who likes Poppin Love Cocktail?

I don't expect to rate Bon Voyage as highly as Japonesque but I'm OK with that - it's hard to top!

Agreed! Like with Ayumi, I like having different styles of music on her albums. Japonesque to me was her doing what she does best. (Similar to (miss)understood being a good example of all the styles of music Ayumi does). The ballads on Japonesque are my favourite from her, but it's still a great album!

I wasnt nuts over PLC at first, but I've grown to love to it. :heart "Lean back my lady. You look like a horny..." :laugh

that lighstick is giving me life! why are her tour goods always so great. it's like she has a lot of crazy good ideas in her head

I need Bon Voyage in my life like noooooooow-

Some of the lyrics are out:

1.Introduction ~Bon Voyage~
2.SHOW ME YOUR HOLLA [link]
3.LOADED feat. Sean Paul [link]
4.Winner Girls [link]
5.Imagine [link]
6.恋しくて
7.LALALALALA
8.Let's show tonight [link]
9.Interlude ~Bon Voyage~ [link]
10.TOUCH DOWN
11.CRANK THA BASS feat.OVDS [link]
12.LOL [link]
13.Go to the top
14.Dreaming Now!
15.On Your Side [link]
16.U KNOW [link]

I totally agree.

I liked JAPONESQUE much better than Dejavu (which, for me, it's her weakest from later years), so at the time it felt like a good improvement, but still for me it's not nearly as good as UNIVERSE or Black Cherry, or even Second Session (I tend to consider it as an album), Secret or TRICK... I think JAPONESQUE is better than Kingdom though, because I always though that at least half of Kingdom's tracks are forgetful...

Anyway, I have good hopes for Bon Voyage, even if I skip GTTT every single time it starts playing... At least I'm happy IS THIS TRAP? is not in the album, I'll never understand the love for this song, I really don't like its verses...

I completely agree with you. In regard to her "mature sound" I was just merely repeating what Kumi herself described her new album as in a recent interview as she stated she wants to go toward a new mature/cool sound and image. I personally don't find anything "mature" about the album but I could care less at this point.

I'm just glad she did away with her usual crowd pleasing cutesy songs and collection of sappy ballads. :P

Oh my god what an album this is turning out to be. I am in love with every song I've heard so far.

so much english :I

Omg she's becoming Namie with her songs. =\

And honestly, I'm surprised to see people change their views on JAPONESQUE. It was so highly praised when it was released, and was continually praised for a long while afterwards. I still listen to it every few days, which is huge for me. What exactly do people not like about it, or what changed your views? Kuu has never had an album that was as consistent as JAPONESQUE. The singles were great, the album tracks were even better. People are talking about her being "more mature," but even the cuter songs like Everyday weren't sugar gumdrop explosions like that disgusting song, Melting. It's easily her best album post secret.

I do have to agree that her releases have become quite predictable, however. There is always a song like No Way. There is always a song like BUT. There is always a song like Ai wo Tomenaide. There is always a song like Super Star. I could go on forever. In that aspect, Bon Voyage has been different for the most part. I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Thanks for the heads up, kaled kalil. I guess releasing lyrics before the album is becoming a new trend. They did the same with Miliyah Kato. Not that I mind~

edit: I translated LOL's chorus~

Tonight the beat is hypnotizing. That's right
Ha ha ha ha ha
Right. Leave if you want, I'm not going to stop you
Go with the sound. Shake your head
Tonight the beat is hypnotizing. That's right
Ha ha ha ha ha
Right. You can look if you want
Go with the sound. Louder

edit: omg LOADED's lyrics are hilarious. "F for Fuzzy Navel" wtf!? I've been informed it's a drink :laugh