Thank you for the translations!

I'm hoping both songs appear on UK iTunes tomorrow!

Midsummer Rain is so sad i just cant

I realized how Hanataba wo Kimi ni fits well after WINGS.

Does anyone have the flac version of both songs from mora?

Holy shit! Both songs are fucking gorgeous!

They have this very 70's jpop ballad feel to them, but her singing has some hints of r&b here and there and they sound so full and complete!

Welcome back Hikki! Show those basic popstars how it's done!

Now the songs are out i don't wanna wait for another 5 or even just a year for her full length new album

I'm on my phone right now so I won't leave as detailed of a review as I'd like but the short version is: oh my God I freaking can't. I love these songs so much. The music has such atmosphere, the lyrics, the singing. God, I love these songs.

Both songs are absolutely beautiful & so, so amazing...even more so after reading they're translations (thank you, tenshi no hane! :)) and they've really moved & made such a huge impact on me. :luv2 While I love the sweetness of "Hanataba wo Kimi ni", I still just can't get enough of "Manatsu no Tooriame"...It's so powerful and I can listen to it non-stop, seriously! :P I love it! I love both songs & still couldn't be happier to have Utada back. :D

These songs are so divine, but I'm definitely favoring Manatsu more than Hanataba. They're both so bitter sweet and powerful. Oh man, I'm slayed.

Hanataba's lyrics has a pinch of sadness too i must admit

I cried watching the Midsummer Rain video. I'm extremely emotional at the moment and the video with the full song did not help lol

You're welcome, everyone~

I really love both songs. They have a delicateness to them. And Manatsu's ending is chilling. I'm trying not to overplay them, but it's hard :laugh

I got goosebumps upon listening to Manatsu for the first time. It's too gorgeous. This album is gonna be fantastic.

I was reminding of Sakura Drops listening to each song once. The last lines of Manatsu reminded me of the last lines of Sakura, and her breath at 0:24 in Hanataba sounds just like the breathing in Sakura.

Lyrics are great, but I think both songs are pretty basic musically (and quite repetetive to be honest).
I'm just a very casual listener of Hikki to begin with though, so I guess nostalgia doesn't work for me.

I've followed hikki for years but I totally agree with the songs being basic. However, I appreciate them for their simplicity, and still find them beautiful for that reason. I like these two songs so much better than Sakura Nagashi.

This!

I guess the lyrics of these two new songs can be related to the lyrics of SAKURA Drops, if you interpret it not as a romantic relationship but a loving relationship in general

And oh my, the songs are so sad :( Thank you so much tenshi no hane for the translations!

I like Manatsu no Toori Ame I think songs like this and Sakura Nagashi are a good direction for her musically it's more mature than her past songs !
I'm still not amazed by the Hanataba song it's really basic a loooot of J-pop singers (especially songwriters) have songs like this one better or worse.

Both songs sound simple indeed, but I fell instantly in love with both melodies. I can picture myself listening to both 花束を君に and 真夏の通り雨 passively while doing something else, which is how I usually listen to Utada--in a good way. Anyway, they're both very relaxing and I missed her voice.

I agree that Sakura Nagashi and Manatsu are a beautiful direction for Utada. It's actually fresh, even as simple compositions. However, I do hope for Utada to explore more upbeat work a-la This Is Love or Keep Tryin', or even just good old R&B like Automatic and In My Room.

Between Miliyah Kato and Utada, this year is already going well for Japanese Pop. It feels like the first year since the late 00's that people are trying to make music a memorable experience again. Now, if Ayu can pull out her best album since RnRC, I'll have a lot more faith.

Zzzzz.... why is she not singing about the Tippy Toe Tippy Toe

Seens like pop trends are going in the direction of melody-based songs, with the arrangment and production highlighting the melody instead of being the selling points like it was during the EDM fever... Adele is a obvious name on the list of popstars doing that, but even A One and Rebel Heart for example have far more melody focused songs than Ayu or Madonna usually have.

Also, I would say Can't wait until christmas was her first step on that direction, and not Sakura Nagashi