My ranking:

Deep River
Fantome
Ultra Blue
Exodus
Distance
Heart Station
First Love
This Is The One

OMG I can't believe we finally have the Kingdom Hearts song!!

I feel the same way. I was a little disappointed, maybe the longer version will be epic

Great song. Completely different feel from the last two songs. Her voice sounds much fuller than the Hikari and Passion. Hikari was very pop. Passion was very theatrical. Oath sounds much mature and emotional. Can't wait to hear the full version. I love the evolution of the KH theme songs.

^ yeah! I felt the same way. Personally loved the preview in both languages and it really evolved as a trilogy of songs along with the three main games: the first one was fun and colorful and pop, the second one was still a lil bit frantic, but more realized and cautious, slowing coming to a climax, and this last one really sounds like one lost its faith, and it's recovering little by little, as the song moves to its climax, just like KHIII promises to be, right? (the closing, I guess. At least of Sora's arc)

I'm really looking forward to listen to it whole, and finally play the effing game hahaha

I think there is also something to be said about her fanbase, and her overall personality here. She was (and is) allowed to exist as both an insider and and outsider in Japan, since she was raised in the US. She was foreign enough to be interesting, while still being Japanese (and, as mentioned, coming from good lineage). Hikki's overall approach/personality has never been "celebrity" - I think she is seen as more of a famous, talent singer than a personality or celebrity (funny enough, I think this is exactly what Namie wanted to be).

But I digress. :) Hikki did marry a man older than her, and ultimately divorce him. She has now re-married, had a kid, and lives abroad. These are very similar things to what Ayu did that caused her fanbase (and the general public) to abandon her. Is it because with Ayu it was a foreigner? It is because Ayu is more "celebrity" and therefore a bigger target? Is it because Ayu is Japanese born and raised? Who knows, but I do think it also highlights the difference in their respective images and fan-bases.

Finally, it's over. The new KH themes are here.:laugh
I feel pretty much the same towards this song as the last few releases. It's good and enjoyable but doesn't have any special impact on me. It's a good quality dramatic ballad.
But nothing matters really. The KH fan base will freak out and praise the song to high heaven.:tipsy
I'll be surprised if the reception is less than sensational.

I do think their parents connections and know how had a huge influence on her longevity. Not to dismiss her talent or hard work, but a lot of what make a popstar career is meeting te right people and doing the right moves, and she had experient people to make sure she would do it right. Her music being fucking good didn't hurt either, so she had the artistic and the business side of her stuff done right

About Ayu... I do think her ballsy choices is an integral part of her charm, and this may be a unpopular opinion, but I do think this lead her to have a kind of cultural impact none of her peers did. IMO Ayu"s presence will be way more felt on the jpop world through other artists than Namie's for example. I still feel in the end of the day the girls are still kinda trying to sound like Hikki, but also to look like Ayu.

I also believe people go hard on her because she is too compared to Hikki or Namie who have completely strange runs during their careers. For someone who peaked more than 15 years ago in the jpop world she actually sells pretty well, has a back catalogue that keeps her selling digital songs yearly and has a impressive ability to sell concert tickets.

Thirteen years too long for KH3 to come out but damn I love that song preview!

I think it may didn't backfire as much as with ayu, but at the time Utada released an statement about her wedding to a foreigner there was plenty of commentaries about how the guy she was going to marry was aiming at her money and how he was less successful as she was and all - maybe because Japanese media/society still doesn't see in good eyes a woman being the one who sustains a family? But she never made her life the center of the stage at any point, she was always very reserved, less opened than ayu, but that's what gave Japanese media the feeling they could diss ayu more than Utada? I don't know haha

I really dislike the piano in the track. It just leads nowhere. I'm hoping the actual song changes it up.

I really dislike the song. Such a disappointment.

Yeah, don't like the song either :/

I don't know how I feel about KH3 song. It's not bad, but not what I imagine a KH song would be :P. I kinda expected it could be something similar to her current style (raw, stripped down arrangement, etc :yes).

I think other artists have experienced people around as well. What makes hikki different is that having a parent as her manager means she has 100% power to control what she wants to do. Of course if her dad was an a**hole and just used hikki as a milking machine, her career would have ended already. Luckily her dad is not a**hole, and I gotta admit that Teruzane does an excellent job as hikki's manager.

I'm glad that ayu has a back catalogue to support her financially (?), at the same time I'm sad that the current ayu is not relevant at all. When she was at her peak, I prayed that she would not end up as Seiko no. 2, but I kinda think she ends up worse. At least Seiko bounced back a bit when she's older (like, after she's 50?). I don't really know if one day ayu will bounce back again, but right now I really can't see her having a second peak like namie (when she released 60s70s80s and BEST FICTION), or having a constant success like hikki.

Yeah I remember those commentaries, but it wasn't that bad when she wedded. They were more negative about two years later or so, when they said that her husband didn't have job (or lost his job?), and that she was the financial support of the family. Hikki even commented once during that period (which is considered rare). I agree that hikki is more reserved about her private life, so the public only knows that she has two boyfriends after the divorcing Kiriya (and one became her husband eventually). Also, hikki's life style is not glamorous compared to ayu's. I believe Japanese think ayu is living like a diva, which is so distant from normal people's life styles.

Agreed. But I also thought the same thing about Sanctuary. It'll grow on me the same way, I'm sure. As just another song, I enjoy it. Just dunno if it's theme material. At least not to me.

@bluegie The difference between your parent maneging your career and a total stranger it's the commitment when things get hard. As a father Teruzane most likely wished for Hikki to be around since the begining, while a stranger is most likely ok in leaving the boat once the shelf life of the artist is gone.

About Ayu, I wouldn't call her totally irrelevant as she still able to sell tickets and shit she does hits the news. Even having haters as vicious as hers are a proof she isn't dead.

I don't know if she can put off a Namie-like 2nd peak, but I'm shure she will have stuff getting on the radar from times to times, as she still does.

Out of all the 3 songs (still to early to judge Oath), Oath is much more grounded and has this humanistic emotional feel. If this is the direction she is going for, I am quite impressed with her capacity to evolve and change not just as an artist but also as an person. The piano totally reminds me of that broken toy piano she used in "Keep Tryin'". It adds a great effect and reminds me that not every song has to be so epic and grandeur.

But I mean who defines what a KH theme song is supposed to be?

I liked the song... Hikari and Passion sound nothing alike too.

The preview sounds nice. I may like the song more as a theme than something to listen to by itself. But it depends on the direction it takes in full as well as how the franchise will use it.

It definitely wasn't what I was expecting but in the end, I think it's interesting and can still work well with the series in a different way. It's hard to put into words

I quite didn’t like the preview at first but when i tried to listen to it using my earphones i liked it. It sounds really sad for me specially the strings in the intro.

The song could definitely fit in Fantôme.
I did not like it at first but i had it in mind on my sleep. I woke up by liking it.
As for Passion/Sanctuary, the japanese version is much better IMO.

I can't wait to play the game.