New song 'We are the QUEENS' scheduled for September 30th release
 

Composed by Kazuhiro Hara.

Btw, where does the info about October release date come from? I've seen it on Twitter as well, but then here (in both the tweet and the video) it says that they're planning to release it on September 30th.

Damn, how I missed her with long, blonde hair. This look >>>>>>

Maybe it's a September 30 / October 1st deal? Like the night of Sept 30th / morning of October 1st release so it could be either? Let me link to this as well just to cover our bases.

^ If it's going to be released in any of these dates, I can see it and/or Real me as the opening song for the TA tour.

Yeah, some people are thinking it will be We are the QUEENS -> Beautiful Fighters -> Real me perhaps with all the hinting she's been doing.

She looks gorgeous! And the song sounds amazing so far.

The outfit with the flag is from where? A new
video or a cm?

Damnnnnnnnnn

It's just sort of a joke in the CM where Ayu appears as two types of queens. "Race Queen. Clash of Queen... Race Queen... Clash of Queen... Clash of Race Queen!"

Not really for anything in particular.

Ayu's "Race Queen" look was so freakin' sexy! :luv2 and the whole "Queen" look is just too darn fierce - plus, I'm really liking that little snippet of the song too! :heart I wouldn't mind it being a digital or physical single release, so I'm totally looking forward to October, now. :D

She looks AMAZING! :luv2:love:yes

OMGAAAAAAAAAAAD SHE LOOKS SO GOOD

OMGG what a surprise in the morning!
she looks super fierce! she definitely looks so amazing with this new song.
can't wait for the whole thing.

The concept for this advert is ridiculous, lmao. It doesn't make any sense. Race Queen vs. Clash of Queen? It would make more sense if it was Race Queen vs. (Another Type of) Queen = Clash of Queens. I study advertising and I'm wondering what the process was for them to develop such a concept...

Anyways, the song doesn't sound bad but I don't like when she used English so predominantly in her songs - it always brings the song down a notch or two. Her voice does not suit singing in the english language.

Japanese advertising agencies tend to go with kind of outlandish concepts.

I agree.

Outlandish is one thing, but utterly nonsensical is another.

I hope the actual song and the actual video are as glorious as what we have in the CM.

That's how most of Japanese CMs arw though...

It's not nonsensical, they're related by the word queen. It's just not the most...obvious choice. Unless this was a series of cm's. Dancing queen, race queen, prom queen, drag queen, actual queen. But I doubt that's the case.

It's a weak connection, but it's more sensical than if she were dressed as, iunno, a teacher. That'd be nonsensical lol.

It's just tongue in cheek.

I see what Zeke is saying.
It makes sense to me,sort of.:laugh
Two kinds of queens. The kind from the game and a queen of racing. But it just isn't at all obvious. Maybe it is because we do not live in Japan so we don't get it. At least the visuals are nicely done.:thumbsup

This CM is just PERFECT and stunning!

For someone living in Japan (as I am) it makes sense... I mean a commercial playing on the "nonsense" of the scènes which makes it fun. There even oneof the soldier saying "Hey, that sounds wrong!" lol

Since her English has improved so much I don't mind her using the odd line of English anymore... It used to make me wince, but still I don't really see the point.

The advert is a bit of fun, it works fine.

TBH, I was confused when I first watched the CM, wondering whether ayu is endorsing 2 games at the same time: a racing game and that of COQ and then both have a cross-over collaboration lol

I can't think this is a renewed vision for Ayu with her career, but it's so wonderful to see her not only doing a CM, but promoting a new song through a CM, and clearly enjoying her work on a CM for the first time in years.

I have missed this side of Ayu:

The meaning behind the Race Queen is simple. They're calling to people to play and to become quickly the true queen of the game. As if it was a race. Who will be the best(= first place on the podium) Queen of the game?
Race Queen appears in the medieval setting and the speaker is saying "Clash of the Race Queen". That's why your assumption "Race of Queen vs Clash of Queens" that is based only on the first part of the ad, is wrong Zeke. It's not an opposition but the same Queen. ;)

Ayuangel tweeted the 15sec CM, I'm surprised it hasn't shown up on this thread! (I might have missed it!)

I'm not impressed at all with the song so far, not that it's bad, but it's nothing special to me. But then again, that's what I thought about Wake me up when we first got the CM and it turned out to be my favourite song on LOVE again!

These types of songs are never really my favorite, but it is nice. Glad we're getting new material. And it's nice to see her in an elaborate commercial again~

~

The lyrics, if anyone's interested:

Yes, we are the queens
倒れたなら
強く立ち上げればいい

Yes, we are the queens,
if we fall down,
we should just get back up, strongly

There's an even longer CM in the "Clash of Queens" thread in the "Ayu Celebrity News" forum :)

But I think it'd be nice to add it to the first post because it has the song preview, so it's quite relevant.

OT but where did they use Wake me up? i can't remember!!

I'm feeling this.

I don't get what will be on 9/30. Digital song, video or what?

(2012.11.17) Ever Life sports (Wake me up)

My bad I missed that, I only checked the thread dedicated to the song!

After listening to the CM once more, I found the transition between the Japanese sentence and the second "Yes, we are the queens" quite rough, could it be that they copy-pasted the chorus?

30-second CM with a longer preview of the song:



The lady in the TV report said "The new song is planned to be released on 9/30"

She looks great and I love this CM.

i have to stop repeating the cm ...

^
^
Wow that is so soon!
I like it a bit better now, I do like my "Wowows" in an Ayu song :p

I must admit that it feels good to discover a song in a CM, reminds me of so many singles!

I got T.M Revolution vibes from this song :-D
Love it and CM as well

The CGI is niceeee!! Reminds me of Namie's Hero PV HAHA!
Looking forward to the song :)

I'm feeling the look and preview so far! I think Ayu looks fab!!

Oh man I'm already dreading Timmy in the live though lmfaoooooo

Oh, I thought the video would suffice since it had the CM at the end.

I'll add the longer preview one.

My dream has come true.

It has been confirmed on her official website that the song will be released as a digital single on 9/30!

Source: http://avex.jp/ayu/news/detail.php?id=1040571

The preview is catchy!

Nice! Is it the cover on that page though? It's pretty cheap to use the picture from the promotion if so, but I guess it's only a digital single and it's coherent for anyone who would want to find the song after seeing the commercial.

EDIT: just read above the picture that it IS the cover.

^ Yes, it's the cover

i think it's nice that they keep the theme on this digital single

I want this CM to be a full length PV.

30s CM


Edit: Ah! It was posted, sorry :)

Meh. Even tho I like the picture, I am kinda disappointed that it is an official cover. Well unless she is not planning to put We are the QUEENS on an upcoming album and this release is only to promote the game.

I'm SO EXCITED with all of this!! :luv2

I'm pretty sure it's gonna be released just as a digital single and maybe in a future album. But I don't think that she will shoot a PV for this, don't know why but I'm having this feeling. Maybe when the album get released...

Also, there's special Ayu features in the game, like this castle and some items. So cute! <3

http://i.imgur.com/5oVd7wn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KdIto5i.jpg

And Ayu ~Clash of Queens Version~
http://i.imgur.com/JHXOsD9.png

Source: http://clashofqueens.jp/

The cover of the digital single is better than a plain A symbol cover.

Ayu ~Clash of Queens Version~ :luv2

Can't wait to hear the finished product!

I want this PV base on this CM, it will be amazing! She looks so stunning.

I guess I don't really see the ad as being very clever. The best ads go out on a limb, but in a way that makes you go "ah!" or something to that effect. If I presented this concept to my advertising portfolio development class, I know I would not get high remarks by anyone. To me, it doesn't communicate the message very effectively. The message of the brand or the benefit of using the product should be easily understood.

I'm loving the song! 'We are the QUEENS' has a very classic J-Pop sound. I can imagine it getting a good response during concerts.

I'm also glad companies in Japan are willing to use ayu for campaigns again. It seemed like for a few years there she was blacklisted because of her negative public image. She's done a lot of work in trying to change that in the past year or so. But I have a feeling that the Clash of Queens people are kind of kicking themselves that this was released around the same time as she announced her split with Tyson. And I don't doubt some Japanese netizens will start the usual comparison of "she uses her love life to promote herself".

You have no idea about Japanese commercials.
I was in Japan last July and there was this advertisement going on, showing people literally facing off with one another. There was also a scene of two elderly men playing chess. And as the commercial progressed, all their 'fights' got more intense and dramatic (in a Japanese way) and then it ended off with an app promotion (I think Clash of Clans?). I was literally stunned and how random they can possibly be.

Ayu's CM at least even bothers using her as a figure of a Queen LOL

She looks AMAZING ... but she is a pretty girl so blaaaah, it's hard for her to look bad ...

but i'm not feeling this shitty song ...

OMG. I am soooo in love with these CMs, the outfit, the attitude, and the song is so catchy! Bring it on ayu <3

WOW, I can imagine ayu using one of those castles on a tour XD

She looks so hot!
I've always wished for Ayu as a Warrior Queen in an MV. I can't wait to hear the whole song.

I pray hard that avex will make a PV for this song. An extended version of the CM.

big cover for digital single

http://i.imgur.com/Va4G7xZ.jpg

Lol well at least the cm you are referring to communicates that Clash of Clans (or whatever) is a game that involves intense skill, and being on the edge of your seat while trying to anticipate your opponents next move so you can outwit them (like chess).

Mixed feelings about the song. The chorus is nice but the instrumental is just meh and the "wow"s are nothing special. I wonder who composed/arranged it.

Of Course you live in Wisconsin... Same thing would happen in the opposite case. I don't get the commercial either... like I don't get most of Japanese commercials, cause it is a different market and culture. But after all... I don't care about the concept of the add... It isn't like Ayu did the marketing plan for the game, she was just picked to figure on the commercial. It gave us a flawless photoshoot and promising new music... I really don't care about not understanding the commercial.

EDIT : i just read myself and realized my message might sound a bit aggressive but I am not ahah! I just have 6 post here but I have been visiting the forum and reading it for yeaaaars and I like the critical aspects you bring into it (even if I don't agree all the time... ahaha but i do sometimes!).

Most advertising doen't really work on a different culture.

She looks great and the commercial's bizarrely fun. Not so sure about the song, but it'll grow on me. No petty complaints from me!

It's definitly the most interesting collaboration she has done since years.... it's well done, she looks great and fierce so as the song ! I assume the MV will be a continuation of the CM and tbh I waited for yearrrrrs for something that cool ! GO AYU =)

Sounds like any other Ayu song lol it does nothing for me. Cool concept though, in regards to the art direction with the CM.

I mean heck, most of Ayu's D-snap advertisements were mostly odd concepts. Fighting with an mp3 player rod? The camera ones at least showed off the anti-shake blur feature.

I've studied Japanese advertising campaigns from in preparation for an interview with Ogilvy & Mather JP. They had many that inspired me and that were easily graspable.

Or you could take Dentsu for example, Japan's very own #1 award-winning advertising agency. Their campaigns are world-renowned and employ the best practices.

Good advertising is universal. The thing is, there's not a whole lot of good advertising, lol.

And again, the problem isn't outlandish advertising, I think it's just a weird language thing. By definition I took Clash of Queens to mean a coming together of various and multiple powers in a battle for supremacy. Communicating that as "Race Queen (a type of queen)" vs "Clash of Queen (multiple queens in battle, or the games concept itself, )" is a fail in my opinion.

Anyways, this isn't a critique on Ayu (she looks phenomenal in the CM and as mentioned the art direction is on point), but as someone whose been studying advertising for the past 4 years I can't help but analyze the idea itself and critique whether or not I feel the message is being delivered in the best possible way, as well as make an attempt to follow the logic. This is especially important considering my end goal is to work at an advertising agency in Japan. I guess it's good to know that you don't have to come up with particularly smart ideas to do it. Lol.

Or some advertising agencies just want to become the hot topic with a meme-like commercial and that works too. I love how Japan works so out of the box when it comes to advertisements. This concept was not that hard to grasp tbh if you know how Japan works with their "wordplay" or thought string logic at times.

If anything, it is a lack of understanding on your part and not really an issue with the ad itself.

I'm happy with the cover - glad they're keeping the theme. Love the whole look of the CM and can't wait to hear/see more.

I'm also kinda hoping for a remix looping the "Yes, we are the queens" line too!

I hope the PV, if that ever happen, will have an epic battle scene, the Lord of the Ring type of battle scene. Not some dull battle thingy in Song 4 U... I want Ayu who can literally slay and kick ass.

A NEXT LEVEL-ish album would be neat featuring this.

That would be so good, but it will never happen.

I agree with you, I think Japanese advertisements don't work the same way as American or European and that's a known fact. The advertisement is funny because we all know that it's for a "clash of clans game" they've been promoting it quite a lot in Japan or at least Tokyo recently, and then it's funny because it makes ayu look a bit funny stupid like she got things mixed up so easily. The ads in Japan aren't necessarily made to convey to product etc etc it's more to make the audience giggle, be intrigued and remember it. You'll remember super easily the add where ayu got race queen and clash of Queen mixed up. Pop culture in Japan works that way. You remember songs because you heard them in a CM once or because there was something weird about a CM you check out a product. Albeit not the most "intellectual" form of advertisement it's memorable, and funny and it creates awareness for the video game.

They had a completely different team working on this CM but who knows maybe they'll do a PV too~ A lot of freelance people.

I think it's logic based humor

For example

Bacon is food
Food is necessary to live
Bacon is necessary to live


Clash of queens
Race queen is queen
Clash of race queens

Logically it works. It's just not true.

Also it's a self aware ad. The soldier at the end -literally- says "something's not right *awkward smile*"

It's a humor based commercial with no intention of being literal. Nor is it supposed to show gameplay and express what happens in the game. Thats more or less what the queens song version is for.

I think everyone has a valid point here.
I think that to many people, what makes an advertisement good is if it clearly conveys the product. What it is, what it does, when it is available, how it works, while also making the commercial interesting enough to make you pay attention and remember the ad and product.
For me personally, This ad told me that it is a mobile game called Clash Of Queens, I didn't really learn what it does or how to play but I am just not familiar with these clash games, it gave the release date, and I did find it memorable despite not knowing Japanese or the joke.
From what I understand, the humor is that Ayu shows up to a clash of queens kind of war but she arrives as a racing queen. This is funny because that is a goofy mistake to do? Part of the humor is that it doesn't make sense?
If Zeke has been studying advertising for years then I think there must be some truth to what he says, he might be a better authority on what makes good advertisement.
Overall I don't think it's worth getting mad over. All we wanted was to see Ayu anyway and that they did perfectly.:laugh

Is it possible to have the romanji lyrics of the 30s cm please ?

Has anyone translated the second part of the song snippet yet? Before the wows?

I don't think so. Maybe within a day or so?

Let me correct the 2nd part here below:

Yes, We are the QUEENS
Taoreta nara
Tsuyoku tachi agereba ii

Yes, We are the QUEENS
Kowareta nara
Mata tsukuri naoseba ii


====
Yes, We are the QUEENS
倒れたなら
強く立ち上げればいい


Yes We are the QUEENS
壊れたなら
また作りなおせばいい

The second part means Something like "If it gets destroyed (comes to pièces) then let's rebuild (remake) it again"

Wow. I was actually a lot closer than I thought I was! Thank you!

As others pointed out, it's japanese humour. It works for someone who is part of the culture and it doesn't for someone who isn't. In the same way there are tons of really iconic brazilian ads that wouldn't work everywhere else because they are heavily centered around our culture, and that a lot of american ads don't do much for a brazilian. It's a simple matter of comunication, every culture will have its own signs, contexts, culture, aesthetic, humour and subjects. Not to say this is a awards winning level ad, but as someone who isn't part of htheir culture it's very hard to judge how well it was done.

In the end of the day, the goal of a good ad is selling a product (in this case, both the game and Ayu's song, one getting some boost with the image of the other), not having a global appeal. If that was the case multinational companies wouldn't hire a new agency for every country they where in. It would be far cheaper just using the same ads everywhere.

This is the least of her ridiculous ads. Does no one remember her BOSS ads? Omg lol.

Omg I can't believe it. I dont like how she looks, don't like her attitude in the CM and the song sounds ridiculous so far. I'll give it another try when everything is released fully, but now I'm disappointed. Can't like everything what she does, I guess :no

Most people feel the opposite way. :-P

^ Haha yes, I noticed. Maybe she wins me over when song and PV/cm are fully released. If not, well.. I think it's okay to not like a song from her every once in while, isn't it? ;)

I suggest you to watch this video and then you'll see how Japanese Ads works haha (not all of it but the majority is pretty nonsense and just eyecatching)

haha I do most predominately the version with Ayu as Santa Claus. Omg I loved those commercials.

A lot of these made complete sense, lol.

I don't know how many times I have to say that the absurdity of the commercial is not what I was critiquing. Had it been "Race Queen" vs. "Medieval Queen" it would have made been appropriate (given the idea of various types of queens clashing). But "Clash of Queen" as opposed to "Race Queen" is not a 'type' of queen. It's like saying "apple vs. fruits" as opposed to "apple vs. orange." I think the copy could use some tweaking, that is all.

Is there a HQ version of this?

I don't understand why some people are using a literal and rational lens to evaluate an ad that is clearly meant to be irreverent lol.

:)

^ thanks, but I still need it bigger than that :D I guess I'll have to wait...

I don't understand why people care about the publicity... I wouldn't mind if she sat and sipped coconut water on that Royal chair for 30 seconds with that song and that look.

I'm not fond over what she's promoting the song for, however she looks amazing...

Ayu, Warrior Princess. She'd give Xena a run for her money XD