[Utada Hikaru] Volume XLVIII: The Return of the Queen

[ahtka-chan]

I prefer the antidote remix of FoL rather than the other versions...

[Lady~Deviance]

I guess I'll jump in too...

My favorite version of "Flavor of Life" is the '-Antidote Mix-' as well. My second fave would be the 'Ballad Version'.

[NintendoHTF1242]

I don't prefer any mix of Flavor of Life but I guess I choose the original. Ballad version is too boring.

[KremlinChaos]

I love both versions but the Ballad version seems much more natural.

[Zeke.]

Reading these opinions and preferences is angering me inside... Lol.

If anything the ballad version is what sounds watered down to me. The original has much more "flavor", and the way the arrangement and composition progresses as the first real chorus kicks in is pure bliss. I don't think it sounds cheap at all, it just sounds a little more light-hearted and charming.

I feel the ballad version is so dreadful, probably because it takes away everything that I love about the original so there is nothing left for me to like. It really is like a 180 degree turnaround. Plus, as a stand-alone ballad I really don't think it's that good. She has had much better ballads and of course Ayu has stronger ones as well. If I wanted to listen to a good ballad by her I'd listen to Be My Last which has a great arrangement as well (I find it exudes the same feelings that RAINBOW by Ayumi exudes). Or even Deep River or Simple and Clean are much better candidates for top-notch ballads. For me, the ballad version seems un-natural; as if they just took a song that was perfected in it's vision and tried to turn it into something it wasn't naturally meant to be. That's just how I feel when listening to it (more like immediately when it starts 'cause I turn that crap off).

[Delicious n Bold]

Where can I get my hands on mp3 versions of Wild Life's songs.

[RikkuK]

this one made me laugh because they literally did the look away, eye roll, shrug thing at the same time after the song. so funny

Can anyone roughly translate what theyre saying right then? KON something... ahahah

[Zahara]

^All I remember at the end is basically she's mocking Utada when she talks in concerts. She had this particular way of talking and sometimes saying the wrong word, so she's bringing that up. The other part is how Utada would give directions to somebody, but I forgot what context was... I think something about Keep Tryin'?

I really need to get around to learning Japanese...

[Delicious n Bold]

Apparently utada's mom committed suicide.
Rest in peace.

[hayasaki]

Yeah. Just saw some news on my newsfeed earlier. I hope hikki will be fine

[emi♡]

wat O_o omg

[bluegie]

omg... Apparently she jumped off a building.

May she rest in peace, and I hope hikki will be ok.

[hayasaki]

Apparently all tv stations talk about her death at this moment since noon. but they still aren't showing anything about her funeral. I hope hikki would appear anytime soon.

EDIT: Some tv reporters are waiting outside Hikki's house right now and up 'till this moment, no move or any words from Hikki yet.

[pommy48]

Geez, can't they just give her some privacy for now?

RIP

[BlackSilence]

why do people expect her to show up? i really don't get society sometimes..... especially in times like this....

[tenshi no hane]

Rest in peace.

According to this news report, it's not confirmed she committed suicide. However, because she fell from the 13th story without any signs of struggle, the police suspects it was a suicide.

[CoriKaru]

Oh my god we ain't ever getting music now.

Utada's gone her whole life without controversy and now this.

I hope this doesn't tarnish her image. I don't know how the Japanese public reacts to this sort of thing.

Did Namie suffer any backlash when her mother got that head chopped?

[~StarCatcher~]

That's so shocking=(

My heart is with Hikki...I hope those stupid paparazzi will let her alone and give her space=(

Hopefully it was no suicide, because I think that is way more difficult to handle as a daughter than a natural death....

[hayasaki]

^no new updated yet at this time. But according to the news, Keiko Fuji was apparently in the apartment of some 30-year old man when the incident happened. They guy is being interviewed in shinjuku police station right now. And reporters are still waiting for hikki outside her house. Ughhh

[Yumsushi]

This is the same mom that was trying to smuggle hundreds of thousands of $$ in a few years ago right? she seemed shady to me but rest in peace either way.