me too.i thought it is something like that. :(

didn't hikki say in a tweet that she was gonna work full force as utada hikaru till the end of 2011? so far, it doesn't seem like she's done that. the new 5 songs are all amazing. but besides that we get a hikki-less album cover, a cheap, black (not even full color), paper cut out kuma charm, a nice and nostalgic, but still low quality and cheap and probably filmed in one take music video, and a poster that looks dreadful with two unlike photos slapped side by side.

Sorry, but this is turning into such a cheap farewell album. She could have atleast given us a dvd with all the pvs of the songs on disk 1. that'd be nice for a change.

AND we aren't even getting in the flesh on dvd. they're probably going to release it on itunes or some other interent way.

She is still going to do that live performance, isn't she? Wild Life or something. Maybe she's busy with that.

I'm wondering when we'll get In The Flesh news. They said we'd have it by the end of the year and it's almost December.

LOL....she probably procrastinated....and was like....*****, forgot about a first press bonus. *grabs a stack of black construction paper and traces out Kuma shapes.

Some clips of her radio interview

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI2jFYR_efI)

She talks about wanting to normal things. She doesn't want to end up like some old woman who can't do anything without her manager.

LOL The Kuma charm sucks.
I felt so bad for not buying the album but now I'm thankful I didn't.

This explain why she decided to make charms herself xD

Today sales: 26,843 (from jpm)

Still no.1 :)

I wonder if the weekend will boost her sales a bit.

Show Me Love (Not A Dream) and Goodbye Happiness translations are up at my LJ (here)

Hmm, I still haven't listened to the new songs :0 I haven't had enough time to do that. -.- But I have to since it's Hikki. <3

Thank you.

I cried when reading the lyrics to Show Me Love. I can really relate to them.

Beautiful, Hikki is goddess.

I must confess i find it funny when people get pissed at releases as they were forced to buy them or something o.o

As Blugie said, she always was like this, so, really, I can't understand the surprise nor the disapointment...

Guess artists hype up their crap all the time.

Why SHOULD we be surprised.

^^idk why, but I certainly am.

I agree with you on the first point, but not on the second. Why is it so weird that people are surprised that their "awesome packaging" is just bland normal packaging, and that their first press kuma charm is a cardboard cut-out that we could've all made ourselves?

It never said phone strap or anything, right?
If anything, it was lost in translation and people just anticipated the wrong thing.

As for the packaging, Utada was the only one who said it was amazing. No artist is going to be like "Yeah...the packaging is awful, so don't expect much." And maybe she really does think it's amazing. I mean, she did make a video of herself washing dishes... :P

but she can choose to not comment on the packaging when the cover was announced.
and,about the charm,maybe its me who has high expectation after seeing the kuu charm months ago.i thought it would be at LEAST something like this :
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j3...2deb14d751.jpg

I swear it said it was a cellphone strap. Maybe I read it wrong, or someone translated it wrong.

It has always been Kuma charm. The first thing I thought was cellphone strap too.

lol

I guess the whole "charm" thing was too vague for us over-imaginative-spoiled-by-ayu-and-koda peoples.

omg don't say that! if that happens I will probably just resell this album. haha. except for the songs, there's basically nothing more I like about this album. the region lock would just be the icing on the cake for me to sell it.

I'm going to get my parcel at the post office, hopefully that kuma charm will not scare me away :P. I've already heard about the paper + printed in black ink kuma charm. I told my brother about that and he couldn't stop laughing at all. I always thought the charm would be something made in cloth with a kuma sewed on the front. I guess they're too busy to make one like this :laugh.

I'm totally speechless with the packaging...
After 1 day kept the CD on the shelves, I decided to open it, and I think I regretted it.
Because after I open the square-sized-paper-in-covered-in-black-star, now I want to kill Utada (or maybe the 'good design company' whom participated in Design, Art Direction and Photo). It's all black and very cheap. When open the Kuma Charm... I'm totally speechless, especially when I open the fold-able slipcase, the two CDs fall easily...
Ah well, after all, I bought her music, not the package...
*try to be calm*

fall easily?it is suppose to be inside the 'side' of the 'digipak' thingy.mine didn't fall at all

there's writing on the back of the kuma charm.. has anyone translated what it says yet?

Well I prepared myself before carefully cutting the plastic bag, and it didn't turn out as ugly as I thought :P (those the booklet was kinda meh...). I didn't open the kuma charm cuz I didn't wanna break the seal of the envelope (:heart a charm that hikki made for me yeah lol). I can see the point if people dun wanna buy the cd because of the packaging. It's actually less "dignified" than SC1 :P.

I just quickly listened to the news songs for a few mins. I must say, her voice is still haunting :D (what a relief haha). And I really liked what I heard so far except probly Arashi no Megami. Then again, I've just heard each song for a min so I can't t really judge.

I truly hope the album can pass... well, 500K in the end..

looking at hikki sales figure...it's like a waking up call and reality check for me...that the music generation is already shifting quiet a lot...

there is? well...I guess that's something...

there is some wording on the charm but i couldn't see it properly.don't know 'onegai' what what :S

I think someone mentioned somewhere that it says something lame like "Oh! You've opened me" -_-

^wow. That's just the cherry on top, isnt it.

:roflmao

Oh, Hikki...

I don't think the DVD will be region locked. I remember seeing pics of the DVD and it had the region all logo on it!

Speaking of which I've yet to even receive my copy :(

I Love you.

What does the booklet look like btw? Just black with lyrics on them or something?


I translated her Oricon Style and Tower Records interviews. (They're on my LJ)

^yeap, just plain glossy black with white fonts :P.

Anywayz, it's no. 1 again with another 20K.

11.22 - 22052
11.23 - 57600
11.24 - 40742
11.25 - 26843
11.26 - 22375
11.27 - 22727

so far: 192339. That means it will break 200K (with tomorrow's sales) in the first week. But then, it has an extra day. So I think if it was released on a normal non-chaotic week, it might not be able to break 200K. Still, the sales are steady for the last few days, which is a good sign :).

Those last two numbers are quite similar - I like the consistency here. :)

Thanks again!! Will read those! :)

And just to prove again she's not retiring:

^ from Tenshi no hane's translation

and LOL to what she says about the kuma charm

it broke the 100k mark now people want 200k -.-
come on guys!!!! it's doing good

no.1 woot!

This just has to be the best thing hikki's ever released, isn't it? >>;

I just opened my copy of the CD...

...this is literally the worst packaging of any release I have ever owned. EVER.

These new tracks better be damn well worth it.

Omg! Is it really that bad? I was hoping someone who actually got it would tell use what Hikki thought was so great about it...

I dunno what she thought was so great about it....cause its pretty plain looking. I do like how glossy everything is....all black is actually pretty cool. Plus, the material its packaged in is really good quality. Still, no pictures, lacklaster kuma charm...and the CDs....lol. The CDs. I was like....WTF are the CDs?? They're not in here....but they're actually tucked away inside the folds of the digipack. Its actually kind of cool and different but I would have sooooo preferred standard trays.

Regardless, I paid for the amazing music on disc 2 (and disc 1 too but I already have those). The packaging is unique and people probably hate it but w/e, she's a musician not a walking advertising campaign. Plus, weren't there people here who 2 months ago were all like, "I dont give a crap if this came in a jewel case with no cover....I'd still buy it, blablabla" :rolleyes

actually the packaging isn't really that bad.i quite like the packaging.as i said earlier,i am satisfy with everything except the kuma charm.
i'm still jamming show me love since the day i receive my cd XDXDXD

is it still the same photo glossy paper like first love, distance, deep river?
and was TITO and Heart Station photo glossy paper?

I love that paper but is a pain putting back in the cd case, my distance one has a little rip -.-

Yeah. Super glossy. You won't have that problem though...there's nothing to slide the booklet into =/

The one really horrible thing about the packaging is that its unusually large....and it won't fit into my resealable CD plastics x_x

Where do you put the booklet?

The booklet literally falls out when you open up the trifold.

FREAKING AWFUL, I HATE THIS SO MUCH

Right in the middle of the digipack. You fold the sides over it. It doesn't fall out when the sides are folded but it slips out really easily when you open it up. The booklet and the kuma charm.

just like the first press version of namie's past<future. it's a digipack, and I have to keep in the plastic (which I don't do with my cds 'gasp!') because if I don't, there is nothing holding the booklet in place, it so effortlessly slides out.

couldn't they atleast made a little pouch to put the booklet in geez

kuma charm my ass, kuma cardboard paper more like it

You know what I think... The envelope could be part of the charm as well. Isn't that people pray and write their wish on a piece of something, fold it or put it inside an envelope. Then they give the whole thing to the person they pray for..

so are we supposed to break the seal of the charm...?

The package overall is not that bad. It's hikki after all. Can't ask for something too fancy like something from ayu or kuu or ai chan or whatever..

^I think its sort of like those paper charms yeah. I kept one all year long in my backpack in 11th grade :)

My mom said I could open it @_@....and she got it from a temple.

I don't really care about offending the God.....of the....kuma(?)

I guess that makes it more "different" from what other people do...so...that's cool...I guess.

That's what I can't remember well.. Oh well since I'm not a Japanese so I dunno the custom of Japanese charms. Sometimes people say you can open it, sometimes you can't.. I decide not to open the kuma charm since its shadow looks cute inside the envelope.

I feel like you should open it for the sake of having it. I know it's a charm, but artists wouldn't release a poster and say "don't hang it up". There would be no point in the poster then.

Of course some collectors that never take their cds out of the plastic will beg to differ from me.

Oh man i just saw utada hikaru on my TV and i jumped but it was kingdom hearts birth by sleep.

Simple and clean -_-

sorry for the large image.the whole packaging is so glossy

can you spot the booklet???!!! :P

^ No! That cover is such a ninja lol j/k.

11.22 - 22052
11.23 - 57600
11.24 - 40742
11.25 - 26843
11.26 - 22375
11.27 - 22727
11.28 - 23796

Estimate: 216135.

Great! I'm glad her sales are staying consistent! :yes

Perhaps they'll more of a boost after the WILD LIFE performances, they will surely generate a lot of publicity and news coverage.

Worse than expected, but not that bad....

it's below the album. it's laying on top of your ayumi hamasaki singles blanket. it's covering "STEP you/is this LOVE?"

Wow....I knew physical CD sales were plummeting but DAMN! I thought Hikki was the queen of unexpected high sales. Well, I guess that went straight to hell. :(

Talk about underwhelming.

Do you know what's the saddest part? If this were anyone BUT Hikki we'd all be applauding the sales. Just goes to show that the higher people think you are, the lower you can fall : /

^You are right, but like someone said, the music industry is shifting. Hikki is not on the top every year. It is sad but we have to accept the fact.

She's just set the bar so high that 'sort of good for the time we're at' sales are mediocre for who she is and what she's done.

Plus how sparsely she releases music, and the fact that she won't be coming back for a while. That gimmick worked for ayaka last year. Idk...

Wow, it seems the packing is not as great as she made us believe. Thank god I didn't buy the Japanese press. I'll just wait for a Korean or HK press. Its really the music I want thankfully.

The new Pepsi Nex CM featuting Can'T Wait Till Christmas starts airing on 12/4, according to Oricon.

http://i53.tinypic.com/qz3qc1.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/2hf4877.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/33madg1.jpg

Article: http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/movie/8...ull/?cat_id=tw

:heart

awww she's so cuuute!!!

awwwwwwwwww so cute but those furry leg warmers has got to go

PEPSI NEX CM is now on Pepsi's website. Go look. She looks cute.

News clip

It's so weird seeing her in a skirt idk why.

She looks so gorgeous

So that's the x'mas filming she (or her father?) was talking about.

I wish she would do a full pv instead. She looks so gorgeous in the cm... :heart

The CM is cuuute

"That gimmick worked for ayaka last year. Idk... "

Probably wrong in saying this, but wasn't the economy a little stronger when ayaka released hers? I'm not saying that's the reason why, but the market is weaker for physical sales, and the people that are spending money are spending it on boy and girl groups.

To be honest, that was exactly the same case last year. Remember? Arashi monopolized the album chart, the DVD chart and the top 3 and no. 5 on the singles chart. It just looks so much worse now with AKB48, but it's not as if the market had suddenly imploded since then.

ayaka was just on a releasing high. She's had some digital hits before the album's release (Anata to, Yume wo Mikata ni, Minna Sora no Shita) and I'm guessing she was much more in the public's eye: frequent TV appearances, her marriage with that actor.

Oricon announced that the sales of SC2 is around 231K. It is ~14K higher than the estimate (216135). :)

I think the sales number're alright ! nothing to worry since her albums always stay on the chart for a very long time !^^!

She looks cute in that CM!

I don't mean this in a negative way but with Hikki's sales finally at par with everyone else it's kind of a relief! I wouldn't know of course but I would imagine that constantly being at the top for someone like her is kind of why she wanted to go on this hiatus....

I was extremely bored yesterday and I decided to calculate what percentage of Utada's discography are ballads, mid-tempos, and up-tempos (I know it's super lame lol). I only used album tracks.

Ballads
18%

Mid-Tempo
60%

Up-Tempo
22%

that CM is cute!!

Just received my order.

Does anyone want to see pictures of Utada The Best? I'm probably like the only one stupid enough to have bought it :laugh

^yes and yes.

Utada needs more ballads. :dead2

A cute cm!! Can't wait till Christmas sounds so beautiful! Can't wait to hear the whole thing!!

Behold the reward for my stupidity.

OKAY Imageshack doesn't cooperate. Including the files as attachments here in this post so you have to clickkk somewhere down I think.

Utada The Best
- Disc: quite nice, the "logo" seems to be that weird circle thingy, you can also see it on the booklet's pages.
- Standard Booklet: full-color, includes full information of all songs. Producers etc, as well as lyrics. Also full information on all remixes. NO pictures. But hey what did you expect.
- Japan-only Booklet: ugly black & white, just the lyrics and Japanese translation.

^ My sentiments exactly ;)