It could be a great dance-rock-ish tour... could be... *well if she's not prego :scry*
I miss her already :scry Can't wait until November!!
Hope she keeps updating about her pregnancy and stuff

Thank so much, the downloads wouldn't work for me at all.

The previews sound AMAZING!!! :luv2

The previews are so good, I only don't like Everyday, Slow and Brave

Everyday and Brave are least popular as expected :laugh The lyrics are cute so I think they're alright.

I'm loving all the previews :heart Must. Resist. Repeating. Nonstop. :thud

i'm actually pretty good about not repeating the previews... at this point i'd have the previews on my iPhone playing nonstop.

Ah this all is so DAMN exciting isn't it?

I decided to wait until I get my copy not listening to anything new since LMB:D

Well for me Brave is one of my favorite , my friend thinks it's the the best :laugh

my least favorite are Everyday , Love Technique

Thanks for the previews :D

Sounds like it may be her best album to date from previews alone. The only one that sounds fillery is Everyday (Very cutesy B-Side a la good Day, Come Over).
But with 17 full tracks I'll be more than happy with just 1 song that doesn't sound too brill.
Impressed with Slow. Was expecting Passing by part II but it's got oomph and a decent use of autotune. Even Brave sounds somewhat promising. Not a cut and paste Kumi big ballad ... more Futari De than Yume No Uta.
And yay for Rock Kuu back on No Mans Land. Missed her since UNIVERSE.

So avex HQ must now be closing for the day which means (as we got the previews illicitly LOL) it's 2 weeks until release and so far nothing. Hmmmm.

seriously... what's up with avex???
I know if kuu wasn't pregnant we already had some live performances for So nice, Slow, even lay down, brave, boom boom boys, ESCALATE (god, already all the songs could be promoted!!!!!! what an amazing album is coming to us :D)
But damn, if she's pregnant there are other ways to promote the album... (show PV's on tv, any cm with a mix of all the clips, radio interviews, ANYTHING!!!) kuu is missing the oportunity of making a big succes with this album, I really think this album have potential to become a boom, and I'm sure the inversion with Japonesque is huge!!

*joke* - kuu should get pregnant during the promo for Trick, if I have to choose one album to destroy it's promotion xD hahaha

I think the album will sell very way, a pregnancy is a great way of promotion (NOT SAYING THAT SHE DID IT FOR PROMO) Media loves talkin about it

Me too, all tracks sound very promising!

These are Brave lyrics? Amazing! I loved it from the preview. This time I won't be playing previews non-stop and will just wait for my copies to arrive.

Lovely previews! Now I must go and order this album!

Exactly two weeks and nothing from avex, this thing is getting worse everytime... It's so sad see one more awesome album being thrown out a window again.

I really think it's weird , that's not avex at all , 4 editions ! 17 videos ! epic songs ! , do you think avex will let that album go ? they know Kuu can sell until now ! so we have to be ready that we are going to expect a BOMB ! . Well that's what I'm thinking :P

^ I hope so :(

Rolling Stone Japan gave 3 (out of 5) stars for JAPONESQUE: http://www.rollingstonejapan.com/rev...ve/japonesque/

:yes:(

I'm sure they're planning something as we speak. Let's not get too worried yet. :) Besides, this might also be a new way to promote JAPONESQUE too. :D

//But like Lee^Chan, I already miss Kuu too much :'(

nah knowing avex and how they screw up, lol they ruined half my biases careers I am being doubtful they will promote this album and will just hope the extras get them sales
look at Ayu's FIVE only on M'station live was all the promo that album got plus her video game tie-in

as for the songs, I feel like only one not really impressed by So Nice but everything is great, the fast songs didn't sound that dynamic so imma wait for the full

but No Mans Land is amazing

I'm absolutely loving the previews so far, i can already tell it's gonna kick Deja Vu into the nearest kitchen sink.

ESCALATE, Lay Down, No Mans Land & Slow was the songs that caught my attention the most, even though ESCALATE sound like POP DIVA without that extra UMF!

VERY Excited for this album!

And for me that's the problem I had with POP DIVA to begin with. It was missing umf and sounds annoying. So if ESCALATE is going to be worse, help me now.

Slightly off from the current convo, but has anyone a HQ scan of the back of the UNIVERSE booklet. As in the reverse of this booklet, where her eyes are looking to the left:
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/2...iverse4002.png

Re-sorting my itunes and want to use it as the coverart.

well the preview for ESCALATE is the beginning, well it sounds like it would be and stops right when it picks up

did we get the credits to each song yet? curious to know who made some of them...

Lay Down beat reminded me of At The Weekend so got to googling ... ATW co written by Allan Eshuijs, who works for Alstar Music who's other writers wrote Lay Down aka Lay Down Co-written by Matt Tishler, Adam Royce and Kat Lucas. Which makes sense as Matt Tishler helped write Love Me Back.

Although why the beat sounds like At The Weekend is beyond me unless one of them has a pen name.

Just been on the PhasedDifferently website whilst conducting this 'research' ... anyone got the Eng Demo of ATW as an mp3 :P

...Why does that Rolling Stone review mention Pretty Fly by the Offspring?

Google translate:

Rolling Stones Japan Review for Japonesque

賑Waseta a public announcement, but her pregnancy and marriage rainy day, a new release that was determined before that. Show such a wide perspective, but I threw away, enjoy the real charm of this album. The Offspring "Pretty Fly" opens the curtain on our comfortable and lightweight rock songs such as mixtures, in order to make the R & B songs echoing synth bass strings crisp, Rage Against The Machine-worthy Rock music and aggressive, dynamic, full of Ageage denouement dance songs and Kumi taste. Japanese-made mixture Korezo! A name.

Well, the translation it's chaotic as always. hahahah, but we can take an idea of what they are saying...

So Kuu will give birth when it's raining with The Offspring opening the curtains whilst Rage Against The Machine plays and Kuu eats dance songs. The baby will be called something beginning with A. The real charm of the album is there is no charm as it's been thrown away. Fab!

I love google translate LOL.

I didn't understand a bit :P

Why does So nice sound like Get it on? I thought I would HATE Love technique based on the pic but it sounds really interesting. Really like No Man's land and Slow too.

^I didn't think I was going to like Love Technique based on the cutesy review, but I actually really liked the preview...and I think I might like it more than Brave, which kinda bored me.

But we'll see what happens.


And lol Rage Against the Machine? Really? I heard nothing of the sort from those previews.

Koda Kumi is pregnant by a Korean panda who also feasted on the remains of Henry VIII once upon a time who by chance listen to JAPONESQUE by chance and really enjoyed it who also rated Girls' Day okay bye

PLEASE DON'T SHARE THIS TRANSLATION WITHOUT CREDIT

I think even Kuu realised she couldn't beat 'lalala Melting Chocolate' for cuteness induced vomiting.
The cute songs seem to be on hold this album :D

Oh god, why did you remind me that of that horrible song's existence ugh

And where did Rage against the Machine and Offspring come from? What the hell? One guitar riff and wham, a completely impossible comparison. Next a piano ballad will become Beethoven lol

It's ingrained on my mind. The awesomeness of At The Weekend, then the best interlude of her career, then ... those God awful words.

Does anyone else think Busted with Poppin' Love Cocktail, not The Offspring?

BTW, anyone that UNIVERSE cover/AT THE WEEKEND demo :innocent

I love Melting~

Melting is the most annoying cute song of her career. It's the poor man's Good Day.

Lady Go!! > Good Day >>>>>>>>>> Melting.

Other cute songs like Lick Me, WIND, etc. I love and aren't as similar but Melting is clearly trying to be Good Day and failing horribly at it.

Good Day >>>>>>>>>> every cute song :P

Good day + Melting > Lady Go!!

I also like girls and Twinkle.

^ HOW DARE YOU!! Lol.

I love Lady Go!! It's so fresh and it was the first of it's kind. I love the synths. I love the magic to it. I love the auto-tune so brilliantly used. It's one of the songs my mom likes too!

Woaah, hacking Kuu's official site to get the previews, you're evil! XD :laugh

Can't listen to the previews, cause my computer is currently repaired and they don't play here at work.
So I have to wait to listen to them, meh, I normally love doing it. :(
And I'm so impatient, lol.
It's interesting to read some comments though.
I'm really curious to hear No Man's Land, Love Technique and Slow now!

Awww thanks . :roflmao

Good day has the bear :yes

Previews are out on her website (with You are not alone and All for you) http://www.rhythmzone.net/koda/sp/japonesque/trial.html

All for you sounds good but is SO LQ o_o, seems like a demo.
You are not alone seems like is live, but I'm not sure.

Lady Go!! FTW Such a catchy track. Melting isn't bad, I like it, it's just not her best cute song. Anyway anything is better than Passing By and Once Again. Though it's not Kumi's fault that these tracks are far from great IMO, but writers that B Howard guy and Pushim (whatever her/his name was).

OMG finally this version of You are not alone! Love it!
I agree with kaled kalil All for you does sound like a demo, weird.

I don't think there is HQ scan of that image, I had scan (can't find it) but the quality was quite poor.

I wish one or two songs would be released earlier as promo as avex usually does..

I can usually be patient but I want No Man's Land & ESCALATE in full so bad :thud

please, help me...

where i can get kuu's album & single cover with a large size?

sankyuu~

Koi no Tsubomi >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all thank you


All for you seems to be just the rip from the live recording... We know how its PV looks like

^ THIS. lol seriously i love her cutie songs , but Koi no Tsubomi is the best cutie song ever existed ! :luv2

OMG seriously I'm happy for Kuu and her new life . But it's sad I really want to see her tour songs like these deserve a LOT ! :heart

All for you sounds like a studio live song, similar to girlish from ayu. Sounds cool.

This YANA version is muuuuuuch better, can't wait for the full thing :D

Was hoping for a preview for the Intro and Interlude, I'm curious about them haha

All for you is so different!!! wow..its really a raw song

All For You kinda reminds me of Kaela Kimura's pv for Chocolate, but not really since their is a guitar
but I LOVE it

yah I hope they air some pvs on SSTV or something soon

I hope Kuu will be at the 01.20 and 01.27 episodes of MSTA as well as Coming Soon on 01.23. We need some promo announcement soon. :(

Yes, this song is the best cute song she's ever released imo. :yes

You are not alone and All for you previews were both nice. I like All for you's acoustic guitar arrangement. I really can't wait to hear the whole album. <3

I feel like the only person in whole universe who doesn't like Koi no Tsubomi T__T

Don't worry i'll try my creepy scanner and scan it for you :luv2

EDIT : ^ lol I think so XD , Well i supposed to hate Koi no Tsubomi because month ago I twisted my ankle because of that song "I Was dancing XD" , the pain killed me. But oh well it's not Kumi's fault to making that catchy song ! :P

I don't like either. It's her most boring single imo. :( Puppy >> Koi no tsubomi.

@~Sunrise~:

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...universe01.jpg http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...universe02.jpg
Click to see bigger.

Credits: KumiLoves

The only bordeline cutsey song I really like is To be one.

I think I've never seen that UNIVERSE pic she looks to the side before. o.O Or maybe I've just forgotten it exists because UNIVERSE was so epic XD

I used to hate Kuu's cute songs really much because I wasn't into those things at the time. When I read Kuu's lyrics for her cute songs I noticed I could relate to some of them, Koi no Tsubomi being one of them. :) It just makes me so happy I could cry because of that bloody song~ XD

Didn't mean to spark a discussion on Ku's cute songs. Just that Melting is such a desperate version of Good Day. If we're talking cute songs in general... I love most all of them. Although Puppy was mentioned, that song is sick. Lol. Along with Bambi which is also kinda boring but tolerable.

my two cents,I love Koi No Tsubomi the reason I became a fan,lol first time I heard of her was through Busu no w/e drama (one of my faves of all time) and she sang the theme

anyway I love her cute songs,I usually listen to them more than her fast songs, I really wish she did a cute song for a drama theme again,it would be sure hit tbh
I am sure will go on M'station, wonder which song she will promote...

Thankyou very much :D

http://i42.tinypic.com/244b338.jpg

*_* :heart

LOL! No problem.

I should mention that I do like Lady Go!! And Koi no Tsubomi. Just not as much as Good day. I even like to listen to Superstar from time to time.

I want it right now :love

my favorite cutie song is Superstar by far!
I love that song, and the whole PV! (she looks awesome!)

so some people have the full album already?

^I think so :P GOSH I WANT IT SO BAD NOW!!!

^^do we think it might leak soon?

unless those photos are taken by the person packing...ahhaha..then hopefully we hear even something soon.

can't wait to get my hand on it. looks so amazing.:thud

okay we got previews, So Nice, what about tie-ins? At least one album track should have a tie-in.

That picture is from FC, I think. No one have the album yet.

WoW that picture in the middle looks hot! :D

It sounds like we have some dirty Kuu on this album :lech...

I'm loving the previews for So Nice, Boom Boom Boys, Slow, ESCALATE, Lay Down, & Love Technique. Sounds very promising :yes...

her staff wrote so many things on twitter.. it would be so interesting if someone could translate something :P
btw, now I'm pretty anxious for the release! I want to see all the PV's - listen to all songs right now! :D Japonesque is getting so good comments around all kuu fans, and one thing seems pretty clear: so much people have the feeling that this album is going to be at least as good as Kingdom, including me!

^^For me, Second Session is the album to beat. I know it was a 'BEST' but I still see it as a stand alone album. 14 original songs (taking Get It On into account), 12 PV's, each song with a different style ... and JAPONESQUE seems to follow that style. Kingdom did get a PV for each song but some were not worthy of PV treatment (as in they'd have never been singles).

Can't believe not one of the new PV's has had a pre-release airing yet. Even if Kumi can't perform those video's are ready to go. It's close to the stage of it being too late to think avex are going to do anything to promote.
I'm still hoping plans where in place before the release date was moved up a week and they agreed with TV stations what PV's they could play 2 weeks before the original Feb 2nd release, so maybe we'll have one or two next Wednesday.

Brand new wallpaper :D (yep, she's naked lol):

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx...eokpo1_500.jpg
1680x1050 / 1440x900 / 1280x1024 / 1280x960

Me too, I think this album is almost like a "new Second Session" like she did last year with singles that remind the Black Cherry era. And I'm saying this as a huge fan of Second Session.

I agree with you with wanting Kuu to release something similar but more advanced than [Best~Second Session]. That album (minus a couple of songs) was amazing. I somewhat enjoyed [Kingdom] and this album definitely gives me a [Kingdom 2.0] vibe. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. It's too soon for me to tell.

^:yes

I can't stand Melting for the life of me. That song is garbage. 'Twinkle (Japanese ver.)' and 'Koi no Tsubomi' are my all time favorite sugar-pop Kuu songs. ;)

^OMG that wallie Kaled!! :heart Thank you!

I have the eng demo for AT THE WEEKEND, sunset! :) http://www.box.com/files#/files/0/f/0/1/f_551472726
It's only 2mins long though. It's also on page 14 of Phased Differently's music list.

Kuu kept a lot of the same lyrics, just changed the meaning to a cheating guy instead of working. :D

Kumi's Official FB are now also holding a poll asking fans 'What's your favourite JAPONESQUE tune?'
https://www.facebook.com/questions/314807281897413/

It could just be for fun, although it would be interesting to think that maybe they are asking fan's for a different reason? Like, maybe the song that gets the most votes will be performed live or the PV will be aired on TV first...Or something. XD I think that's just me wishful thinking.

Amazing wallpaper :heart

Thank you, but that link is totally not working for me. It keeps showing up my own .box account with 'add a description' :/
Yeah, I heard it on PD's site, but had no way of ripping it lol.

Me neither... it's so sad to see how an amazing album with a lot of potential and material to promote is going to make a very discret chart performance just because avex are the most stupid and incompetent people on the planet... :no I would be pretty satisfied if they at least made a CM with 5 seconds of every PV, just the necessary to show japanese audience how much material they'll get if they buy Japonesque!

yeah... I think it's more a wish than a reality xD I thought the same when I saw the poll hahaha

I'm trading my copy of 4 TIMES for Japanese candy tomorrow, lol. Its my favorite kind of candy too. My friend works at the supermarket where it is sold and is getting it for me, since I would have to take the bus over to her work to get it for myself, which is a pain. She's gonna buy me a TON of candy to equal the price of the CD. Yay for me! Gonna use the money I saved on bus fare and buying it for myself to buy a Miliyah Kato CD, plus something else Kuu related. Dunno if I wanna get Japonesque, which is kinda expensive, but I want the First Press CD+2DVD version with digipak (anyone know if YesAsia still stocks it?) or if I wanna get Love Me Back single, because of the alternate PV, as well as the bonus mini concert. Its cheaper, but it only there is no First Press bonus, so there is a little pressure to get Japonesque first. I've been stuck on this decision forever, lol! I dunno what way to go...

Was it CD & DVD? That's like £20 of Candy :luv2

Get Japonesque. I missed first press (I think. Got Trick and Love Songs first press a week before release after CDJapan said it was sold out).

A 17 PV DVD is not to be sniffed at. And a hard case is far better than a digipack for me.

CDJapan has First Press, but I don't like to order from them. Prices aren't as low as YesAsia on some things, no free shipping, no free toys, etc. I don't know if its sold out at YesAsia and I can't find a way to contact them. I might not end up getting it if I can't buy it from YesAsia.

Those yesasia free toys are a bit naff :innocent

If your gonna buy it anyway I'd say risk it from yesasia. I mean, if you buy it in the future it won't be first press. At this stage they base it on what they know their gonna get first press, but people cancel all the time so you may still get the first press.

~Most time's I've ever said 'first press' in a sentence~

Is anyone else fighting the urge to check this thread for news/leaks every 2 seconds or is it just me? :laugh

^ Same here LOL

^ Same here LOL [2]

^
me too guys... xD

I have never been so excited for a Koda release, when it leaks i will put it on my iPod and go to the forest walking endlessly

SAME HERE!!! probably her biggest release anticipation ever...

CDJapan has added a clearfile external bonus for the regular (CD Only, CD+DVD, and CD+2DVD) editions of "JAPONESQUE". :)

when ninki numbers are usually out? It's just to get an idea if japanese audience is having the same anticipation as us xD

They are usually out Fridays I think. We should have JAPONESQUE's Ninki on the 20th. I'm really hoping Kuu can pull off 100k first week that would be nice.

Not until next friday, i think

second session is my top favorite Kuu's album of all time (Kingdom is at #2). Even KAMEN is amazing. :D

and wow she's really naked. lol great job as always, thanks. btw can u make 1920x1080 version?

Thank you guys!

@Alucard from Hellsing: Here ^^ http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...l1920x1080.jpg

Schedule update:

It's not really interesting, but at least it's something.

I really hope that is not the only promo JAPONESQUE will be getting......
Kuu won't be at the 1/20 episode of MSTA. I really wanted her to be there. :(

well... 100k is the least I hope she can sell... (I'm still thinking this album with a good promo could reach the 400k mark without any problem, really)