'オヒアの木' PV (short ver.) out on YouTube
 

Part 1 of the reveals for today!

Full version is planned to be out on 7/30 at 12:00 noon.

Shimoko directed this PV! (GREEN, Mirrorcle World, Sparkle)

Instagram story with production info:

Nah.

This is really bad. I'll forget this song has a music video

It's so pretty and fits the song so well! I love the way she looks and the vibes its giving - makes me feel really warm and cozy. I am looking forward to seeing the full version.
https://images.tinypic.pl/i/01010/qcnu395wof6f.jpg

The staff also addressed being late in the tweet, lol.

It looks so sweet and heartfelt! At least so far, it seems very tastefully done. :yes

I can barely even recognize her face anymore here. At least she’s happy but man, I’m sorry to say but she really is doing a number on her beautiful face :(

I often wonder how and why she became so bad at lip syncing over the years. Like she genuinely over exaggerates every mouth movement to the point where it’s distracting and when I watch this video that’s literally all I see

I don't think her face is all that different here, but the hair is very different and even the texture of it.

Based on the director...well, I don't think his team edits well, and that's why she looks bad lining up her words in his videos.

And she looks about the same she has for the past year or so. Aging, motherhood, makeup... I'm going through it all myself, it does change you.

I am enjoying the PV so far! I do have a soft spot for the song in general. I wonder if it'll change into color as it progresses (like "beloved"), I am very curious where the PV will head.

https://i.imgur.com/GI19fdl.png

This is the best shot of the PV so far. Stunning.

Hair/makeup team is all different from her usual staff. Stylist and costume design have done stuff for her before though! Kei Ito is normally her stylist.

She looks gorgeous, but man, all that camera movement left me dizzy

i REALLY LOVED THIS
its really a mv shooted in the pandemic
its simple
its cute
and she has a little buddy, not so skinny
thats why i think the people see the difference in her face

The PV makes me smile :) she looks so pretty
will her baby make an appearance later??

Watching the morning news, it's about the Ohia PV!

Man this is... not good. Won't help me enjoy this song more.
The camera work is terrible as well as the editing. Don't get the set up either with that cheap white backdrop in the middle of the garden.
Just glad to see ayu in the open air and not in a studio for once.

Maybe the rest of the PV will surprise me or will be different but not counting on that.

she looks gorgeous. that makes the PV enjoyable for me lol.

I think they just wanted to keep it as raw and simple as possible, but still make it look like they made an effort. A lot of artists are ditching studio and big production right now, due to all the mess with the pandemic, so no wonder she's doing this, too. It sort of makes me think of Britney's "Someday".

It kinda reminds me of Kylie Minogue's Flower video

I hope so!!! Not because I feel one way or the other about her revealing the baby, but because I LOVE baby pics / videos <3

It’s so simple and yet beautiful. I’m glad she made a PV for it <3

I love it so far, I wonder if it'll become colorful by the end like Beloved, that would be cool :yes

This was disappointing. A lot.

https://twitter.com/Kll_/status/1286419057839759360

Morning show coverage!

I find it to be a lil cheesy... Still, the camera gives it an interesting voyeuristic vibe.

It's great to have something new from Ayu...

But I can't believe this is the same director from GREEN or Mirrorcle World for that matter. IMO, it kinda killed the song. I strongly dislike the unsteady cam (bruh, just get a tripod for heaven's sake) and her being over-the-hills-and-mountain-top, exaggerated lip-syncing to the sweet lyrics. I hope the full version has something good to add to the PV but doubt it.

No matter what, I can't wait for the second reveal.
Keep going Ayu!

LMAO at Japanese TV always adding age next to the person's name. Didn't realize that she's 41!

Yeah just how it is for Japanese TV, lol. Seeing the 41 on Nagase is weird too.

Imagine when it's Hamasaki Ayumi (50)....

Oh this is her Someday (I Will Understand)

The video suits the song..

It's cute. :-)

Short ver. of PV but i already feel the full one

I know right. Granted, I feel this is the result of the loss of budget in Japanese pop and Ayu's music, not necessarily his loss of skill. Covid limitations as well.

Nice pv, not amazing but it matches the song and I'm glad she's releasing something.

A cheesy mv for a cheesy song. I actually kinda liked it, made me a little dizzy and the lipsynching too haha but it's nice

She looks beautiful and happy. The shot of the baby shoes :love

I didn't really like all the effects at the beginning, I could barely see her face.
Other than that, it's a simple yet sweet video. Nothing special but I'll take it.

What's up with some of the comments here? embarrassing.


This video is pretty well done and it suits the song. She looks gorgeous as always. I can't stop similing because it's been so long since she released a video.

its great to see her again honestly :D
i think the camerawork was a little overdone...felt like it was moving too much for a while.

i honestly dont get where the lipsynch is off..and she seemed pretty toned down compared to what she did in other songs

LOL yessss

I didn't love it, found it a little cheesy and kinda forgettable to be honest, but guys... some of you are a freaking pain in the *ss, jeez. I didn't see any of exaggerated lip sync or her being unrecognizable in this video. You're tripping lol

Sorry if I'm being too b*tchy, but sometimes Ayu fandom is extra and annoying, I can't help myself.

Well, despite all of that, I'm looking forward to the rest of the slowing-being-coloured-by-the-grace-of-having-my-lovely-child-beloved-part-2-yadda-yadda PV.

Does this director have ADD? He can't hold the camera well? I am dizzy to watch this PV.

:P Actually i like the B&W.

Initially I really loved the video. I thought everything was gorgeous. But as the video went on it became boring. I know it's only the short version but so far nothing happens in the video. It's just glamour shots from many different angles. I know it's difficult to film music videos right now but I wish they did a bit more.
Something that popped up in my head while watching was that it feels like FLOWER but with a delicate wholesome theme instead.:think

If it's any indicator though, whatever is being revealed later seems like it's the edgier of the two reveals for today.

Or it’s just the second part of the PV. I really hoped they’d had stopped with the Short versions...2 hrs to go!

Also it’s very hard to love or hate anything about the video. It just seems like an offshot/behind the scenes of the cover photo shoot.

Full PV is scheduled for next week on 7/30, so it's not that. This PV seems to be mainly "monochrome simple" but the other reveal is where the TK and the jeweled necktie are from.

https://i.imgur.com/Pkj8Ql8.png

I cannot see this tease being part of the Ohia no Ki PV.

I really hope she can make appearance with her baby!

Hoping to wake up to a bop! Please woman feed us gays!

Nope. I am pretty sure she will stay away from exposing the kid.

I think at best we'd see his leg or his hand.

I really hope he's not. But the way ayu smile at the end makes me think she's looking at someone precious to her, so I afraid in the next frame will be baby sitting next to her

In all honesty I don't think the baby is old enough to sit...

I asked my friends. They said baby can sit from 6 months

I hope she doesn't show him. I love how Japanese celebrities tend to keep their kids under wraps. Unlike western celebs who whore their children out from the moment they are a fetus.

I think he’s 8 months old if you calculate from last year november (almost 9 months)

They also only filmed the PV like ten days ago.

I like it being low key. Its not a grandiose song so it fits the sentiment well.

Nice pv. Nothing happens, it's a very contemplative video but I like how the camera shows furtively the trees and an Ayu who is waiting. As she chose a tree to represent her child, I bet the sheet'll fall at the end of the pv because it looks like a separation between her and the trees. If it happens its fall will represent his birth. Of course, it's just a supposition.

Couldn't agree more. :yes

They should add more color to PV. Full PV will not bring anything special.

I'm grateful she is active now...

but c'mon AVEX! don't be so cheap to her...

this is just behind the cover shoot...just really cheap, the camera movement give me headache...

if they remove that backdrop...it would be so much better. that backdrop thing can't be treated as a fabric...no movement at all...

I kind of picture the end of the PV turning from monochrome to full colour and maybe we'll see bub's hand holding her finger or his feet? I figure since she kept him hidden for this long that she will probably only drop small hints.

I liked the preview but I don't know if it's something I'll come back to watch deliberately. It'll be nice to play randomly from a playlist though. When the camera allowed it, she looked gorgeous.

Seems like the video will stay in black and white, based on the little snippet Ayu uploaded on her instagram story. Unless it transitions to colour for a pretty small amount of time towards the very end.

They uploaded it on twitter, too!
https://twitter.com/ayu_19980408/sta...299625985?s=19

beloved was B&W till the very end, this one could be similar, or full B&W like HEAVEN

The "monochrome simple world view" from the main description for it seems to imply it'd stay the same but I do wonder if there's something special at the end or more peeks of her son's things like shoes, lol.

Beloved was in colour for the last minute and a half. With Ohia No Ki there's less than a minute left. Of course, beloved is longer but I kinda doubt Ohia no Ki will end in colour. Happy to be proven wrong, though.

Preety sure we will see a beautiful Ohia tree behind the curtain at the end of the MV :) looking forward to see this beautiful heritage for her boy. Dispite the critics, we have to remember that video is special for Ayu and is more a message for her son.

It does end in colour! Happy I was wrong! It's a pretty video.

Is she holding her baby from afar at the end? Lol.

I thought it might have been the case, but looking at it on my PC with full screen mode, no... she seems to be holding the fabric XD
I'd have prefered if that screen wasn't behind her and a more stable camera work, but overall it was an ok MV

I love the video~ very nice to have something to associate with the song and she looks so happy in it too!

Dreamed a Dream is up next tonight though, yessss.

I loved it :luv2

Ayu knows she’s wrong for not putting the baby in this video. That’s the only reason I watched it!!! ������

She's stunning, really pretty [end of possible comments about the full video].

It's a glorified beauty shoot that moms usually do, but without the baby lol Despite of that, it's not bad, just OK.

The video really isn’t much more than a beauty shoot, but I still love it. I’m glad it stayed simple without any flashiness.

Regardless my previous harsh comment (damn I can get bitter when I feel sick) it is a good PV and the beauty poses are pretty. But still I think the camera is too shaky and blurry.
... also I still stand my ground about what I said about her lipsync, however I want to take back the harsh tone.
I wish there was more variation in the PV, that's what I meant earlier when I couldn't believe it was from the same director as GREEN, Sparkle or Mirrorcle World. I understand there is not a lot possible due the pandemic, but... meh.
Kudo's for Ayu for doing what she loves and creating this, all for her son.

It's a pretty PV, they could've done more with the green scenery instead of only the sheet, but hey it's nice. Still don't care for the song, but I don't want children so I can't relate to the lyrics at all lol.

I'm generally just happy with the sudden and pleasantly surprising influx of new content she's producing so far. I love how sweet and meaningful オヒアの木 and I have high hopes for Dreamed a Dream to be the Sparkle-like banger it so deserves to be :yes

that said, this new PV does leave a lot to be desired :laugh I do appreciate the simplicity she's going for, but the execution is disappointing—and this very much has to do with the director, whose overall style I really dislike. from what I've observed so far, his direction has a knack of making otherwise-beautiful things look cheap :( I like the slo-mo and the B&W, but, as others have pointed out, the shaky camera seems to speak more to amateurism than directional style to me.

oh and I also thought she's holding her baby in the two wide shots we get in the video, but that might just be the fabric of her gown :laugh

I hope Dreamed a Dream gets a (more superior) PV :luv2

I think that the mv would have worked better without all those shaky and blurry scenes. Maybe they wanted to bring a warm vibe to match the song, but I don't think that it looks very good. Still, as someone else said, it's nice to have some visual to the track even if I don't really care for either right now lol.
So excited for Dreamed a dream!!

So...long time lurker, few time poster here (I think the last time I posted was in 2012!). Feeling compelled to post because the timings for Ohia no ki are so crazy for me. It's an OK song but I think it will hold a unique place in my heart. Basically my mum passed away a year ago today and for Ayu to drop what is essentially a love letter to her child on what would have been my mum's birthday (July 5th) and then the full PV today is weird but pretty comforting. It makes me love her even more, though admittedly I'm more excited about Dreamed a Dream.

It's a shame the video is pretty much just a beauty shoot but I haven't been excited about her music since Made in Japan so I'll take anything at this point!

1 min of it and you’ve seen it all. At least I expected it would be this way. Color and all. This touching song has been a waste as regards arrangements and PV. Simple doesn’t mean amateurish and lackluster.

Maybe the blur is supposed to simulate how her child sees her as his eyes adjust to the new world around him? Lol. Born into all white (hospital) til Ayu brings him home (color).

my condolences! I'm glad you find the song meaningful to you because of the messages it contains :luv2

I was thinking something similar. Babies can't see color and their focus is off for a while, so the cinematography does showcase that very well.

I think that's exactly why the PV is filmed that way

it's blurry and black and white because new born can't see clearly and can't see colors

it's swinging and unsteady just like a baby

it's showing Ayu on white bed sheets just like how the baby sees it

towards the end it starts to show colors because as the baby grows can finally see color

^ (and also crediting @polka-dot-jewel and Zeke for their ideas) That makes great sense!

It's a bit literal, and the execution still looks mwah, esthetically. But thanks to your perspectives, the idea comes through. I have watched the PV again after reading your comments and enjoyed it a lot more.

its a grower song and so the video.. takes time to enjoy

I haven't checked this site in a while so I was not expecting this when I logged in! I love it! Finally a new song!

Don't forget to check out Dreamed a Dream too!