[Utada Hikaru] Midsummer Rain Shower ♪٩(✿′ᗜ‵✿)۶♪ the 53rd thread

[Polyrhythm]

[DeepRiver]

The cover and her new profile photos were shot by famous French photographer Julien Mignot ...

I really love his work ...

https://www.instagram.com/julien_mignot/

[Next_Level29]

awesome! Ehm .. ok! Where are the previews? :-)

[sora-kara]

love everything!

i thought of her mother instantly too.
the photographer's work is really atmospheric, moody, very something Hikki would seem to be drawn too. oh damn. the booklet could be stunning too. (* O*)
can't wait for everything else to come!!!

[Zeke.]

The cover is fantastic; I like that it's different and evokes more of a feeling than her other covers. It's not something I've ever really seen before - a blurred image. And it works with the mysterious feel and eerieness of it all.

And I think people are disappointed in the titles being Japanese cause having English titles on Japanese tracks makes them sound a bit more ominous. There's like a mystery and dual communication going on between what the artist is conveying and the summary of the track.

[chocopockymaster]

YES @ THAT COVER
YES @ THE TITLE
YES @ THOSE PROMO PICS

I am actually speechless omfg

[js_surrealism]

lol the cover looks positively fanmade. but who cares? she could put a pile of turd on the cover and i'd still buy it. excited for the new music!

[visionfactory]

What's with that blurry cover? doesn't the photographer know how to take sharp photos?

Isn't that a pre-designed Photoshop filter?

Why are all titles on japanese?

Why are the promo shoots so much better than the cover?

So many questions, such a downgrade from the glorious ULTRA BLUE...

[hayasaki]

Originally Posted by visionfactory

Why are all titles on japanese?
So many questions, such a downgrade from the glorious ULTRA BLUE...

The titles being all in Japanese "might" probably have something to do with the album being presumably a tribute to her mom who was an enka singer. It might sound senseless but I hava a strong feeling about this.

And yeah, its too early to say that this album is such a downgrade from Ultra Blue. Are you saying this cover-wise?

[jean-baptiste]

Originally Posted by hayasaki

The titles being all in Japanese "might" probably have something to do with the album being presumably a tribute to her mom who was an enka singer. It might sound senseless but I hava a strong feeling about this.

Definitely agree.

I like the promo pics better than the pic used for the cover, but still liking everything so far. So excited!

[SayukiChoco]

Originally Posted by hayasaki

The titles being all in Japanese "might" probably have something to do with the album being presumably a tribute to her mom who was an enka singer. It might sound senseless but I hava a strong feeling about this.

And yeah, its too early to say that this album is such a downgrade from Ultra Blue. Are you saying this cover-wise?

Never been a fan of her but I do agree that the whole release seems to be a tribute for her late mother. And I love that so much about her that I'm going to buy that album. Fan or not but this needs support.

And I love the Japanese titles. There should be more of them in the J-pop world.

[EndOfTheWorld]

I could see how japanese titles could be inconvenient if you can't read or understand japanese but I don't think it is wrong of her to do that.
This is japanese music afterall. It's the music that is important anyway.
But it is somewhat strange that for her entire career almost every song has had an english title but suddenly this whole album is all in japanese. But it isn't a big deal. At least for me it isn't.

[Zahara]

Originally Posted by visionfactory

What's with that blurry cover? doesn't the photographer know how to take sharp photos?

Isn't that a pre-designed Photoshop filter?

Why are all titles on japanese?

Why are the promo shoots so much better than the cover?

So many questions, such a downgrade from the glorious ULTRA BLUE...

[bluegie]

^The blurriness might have to do with the theme of the album. The title means ghost, and she made herself like her mother in the cover, so that could be the reason.

And I really think the titles in Japanese do not downgrade the album at all...

[terra]

I love everything about the new album, and the whole theory about it represent the memories of her mother. It's so neat and atmospheric, I love those kind of stuffs.

I can't wait to hear the new tracks!

[Ryusei]

What's bad about japanese titles? There are translations and romanizations all over the internet already and if that isn't enough learn japanese...

[Chibi-Chan]

To be honest I never was impressed by a Hikki cover before, but this one looks really great! And I love that she's using Japanese titles. It's such a great language, it's a shame so many artists use English for titles 90% of the time.

[JackieRos]

I'm sorry did we forget that she's a Japanese Singer?
I have no idea why people are complaining about the Japanese tittles.

[jean-baptiste]

Originally Posted by JackieRos

I'm sorry did we forget that she's a Japanese Singer?
I have no idea why people are complaining about the Japanese tittles.

Seriously, it makes no sense to me.

Originally Posted by Zeke.

And I think people are disappointed in the titles being Japanese cause having English titles on Japanese tracks makes them sound a bit more ominous. There's like a mystery and dual communication going on between what the artist is conveying and the summary of the track.

Idk, Japanese titles are capable of doing the same as well. I actually get quite excited when I'm looking at a tracklist in general and see that one song or two written in kanji. For me, because it's so much more common for Japanese artists to title songs in English, I always feel like there's a specific reason for and meaning behind abstaining from English. So seeing Utada's entire tracklist in Japanese is a bit unconventional (for mainstream pop artists that I know at least) and gives me good vibes.

[bluegie]

Originally Posted by JackieRos

I'm sorry did we forget that she's a Japanese Singer?
I have no idea why people are complaining about the Japanese tittles.

There was just one (or maybe two?) complaining, but it was a strong complaint so it feels like there are many people complaining lol .
Those Japanese titles actually make the album more cohesive, and some of them excite me so much, especially 荒野の狼, 忘却, and 人生最高の日.