*4 hot wave* Thoughts and Reviews thread

[ayu_fan929]

Originally Posted by freedreamer

I think her next single will be a ballad with GO WAY!!(silly song) and the PVs might change our impression a whole lot who noes

I hope they just keep it ballad and please just let GO WAY!! stay as a digital single.

[Startin92]

All songs 5/5

I'm a die-hard Kuu fan So I'm going to preorder the CD+DVD and MAROC too. Still I don't like the covers... I wish she would change them.. To something nicer.

[happytoadstool]

Love the new single! Some of the songs should have been released as their own A-side, instead of some of the 12 singles (Lies and Boys Girls were just horrible). Ningyo would be my least favorite, but it's still a nice song, though i dont like rock with kumi. Juicy and I'll be there are equal for me, and my clear favorite would be with your smile. love the song!

[hallelujah_united]

I thought the single showcased Kuu's abilities very well as the different genres she normally does are well represented here. I have to say that Ningyo-hime was a real breath of fresh air though, maybe she can consider trying out more rock-ish stuff in future too. Together with With your smile, they're the tracks that click for me on this single.

[realize_!]

Ningyo-hime 3/5
JUICY 4/5
I'll be there 5/5
With your smile 2.5/5

I just don't like kuu's voice in a rock song. The music was awesome though, I just didn't think it suited her voice. JUICY was just like her hip hop songs, so naturally it would sound good. I'll be there is my favourite song. Like I said, it has a nice beat, her voice is cute and the song is sweet, and with your smile was just horrible.

[Mirai Noah]

I have a hard time rating with numbers, so I'll just review the songs.

Ningyo-Hime - Very different for Ku, and I like it.
I'll be there - It's simple, nice easy listening.
JUICY - I actually don't really like this one.
With your smile - Kind of average.

[Calico]

I like all the songs about equally, although I'll Be There is really nice. Ningyo hime was a nice surprise. I don't want Kumi to continue in that direction, but this once was a good try for her.

My least favorite song is probably With Your Smile. Her "disco" songs are never a big hit with me.

[greggerz189]

Ningyou-hime - 7/10 (best song on the whole single. however, nothing extremely earthshattering.)
I'll be there - 3/10 (ick. this song was really plain and her live of it really sucked.)
JUICY - 6/10 (not bad. I expected better, though. I wish she would just stick to this XXX-style of music -- it suits her more. She should stick to her promiscuous self that made her popular.)
With your smile - 6/10 (not bad either. Most like what Koda Kumi was like before she was popular. Liked that style better, IMO.)

Single - 22/40 hm. just okay for me. guess that means it's going to sell 1 million, then. V_V

[PSYCHEDELICOdust]

I like Ningyo-hime is a little more irreverant than any of the Rock!Ayu songs I've heard. She does a lot of breaks in her voice in an attempt to add a bit of 'rough' to it. In terms of rock-pop for her, it's good but Selfish is still better. The chorus is just wonderful though.

I'll be there is nice just for the fact she hasn't a song too much like this, and her voice sounds the least messed with her. Pretty as hell arrangement.

The beginning of JUICY screams Trust you. In fact the entire song does. But it's okay.

With your smile makes me think FFX-2 more than real Emotion does. That or CCS.

[DerrickRocks]

Originally Posted by freedreamer

Ningyo-Hime: 3.5/5 - the preview is so noisy and difficult to hear Ku's voice in there...I still like it nonetheless, its not wad she does everytime

I'l Be There: 3/5 - I would have to say i really didnt like this song when the CM first came out...But now its a bit better...

JUICY: 4.5/5 - I really LOVE this song...the beats and tune and voice everything...But the chorus sounds like a separate identity to me sometimes...as in, if the chorus was alone, i think it still can make a nice song..

With your smile: 4/5 - Its a great song, happy and all..but can get a bit tired of it sometimes..

Overall: 15/20 - still acceptable for me...

I think her next single will be a ballad with GO WAY!!(silly song) and the PVs might change our impression a whole lot who noes

i agree with your views the most the single wasnt bad!!!!! at all it was diverse alot i love Kuu i am going to buy both and photo book the single isnt bad at all!!! i bet u the japanese love JUICY!!! lol and it sounds like "I'll Be There" was composed by D.A.I

[shadow*puppet]

Originally Posted by mishidabo

have you ever heard real j-rock by a female.. ?

i think you havent

Cheers-

Neither have you if you think ningyo hime is actually "raw"... haha, i don't think so.

aikawa nanase, cocco, that's raw. In my opinion, ayu's able to pull off rock-ish songs because her voice is perfect for the material... kumi is more r&b-friendly and should stick to that kind of music.

sorry kumi fans, but i think it's "pathetic" for kumi to release a "rock" song in a major single when her musical style is clearly pop r&b and has always been heading in that direction. she should stay true to herself with stuff like "i'll be there" and "juicy" and quit the "rock" stuff...

my review:

ningyo-hime - If i heard this song and didn't know who sang it, then i probably would have liked it more. sorry, knowing that kumi koda sang this, i just can't reconcile the song with her image... this style is not for her, and the song doesn't come across as authentic, looking back at all the music she has released so far... I think she should have waited until her music progressed toward a more rock style to release this single and not just allow avex to dictate what kind of music she should release. you can't expect people to believe you're in charge of the direction your music takes if you go from the 12 weeks of xmas singles to koi no tsubomi to ningyo-hime. what the f...?

score 2/5 (should be 4/5 but i subtracted for the above reasons...)

i'll be there - perfect song for kumi. best song in the single, in my opinion... this is the kind of music kumi should be making. j-pop at its best. this song also has the best verse and arrangement in the single. the bit before the chorus with someone singing "i'll be there for you" in the background is the best piece of music kumi has ever made.

score 5/5

juicy - sounds too much like candy to convince me... but this is the kind of music kumi does best... even though it's a music style i don't like. it is in these kinds of songs that she is able to use her voice the best...but as an R&B-type song, it's pretty generic. she has better R&B-type songs than this, like D.D.D.

score 2.5/5 (trying to be as objective as possible)

with your smile - a really fun, light-as-a-feather song, would have been more fun if not for the horrible "smile me" bit. this song has the best chorus in the single. and, like "i'll be there", this is the perfect style for kumi...

score 5/5

overall, i hate the inclusion of ningyo-hime in this single... and it had to be the first song! unfortunately, it makes it seem as if kumi is just a puppet in the strings of avex, no offense. She should stay true to the kind of music she wants to make (she mentions how she's been heavily influenced by R&B), and not just allow avex to dictate how her career goes... this would have been an excellent single without ningyo-hime, and I might have begun to respect kumi more, but as it is...

overall: 14.5/20 = C

[shadow*puppet]

Originally Posted by anime_fanatic21

Which real JROCK female singers are there? I have tried and tried Mika but only liked Glamorous Sky. On the other hand, I have listened to alot of male JROCK - Moi Dix Mois, Malice Mizer, Gackt, D, GAZETTE, the Trax and love them to death.

Mika is not JROCK! try cocco. best j-rock female singer out there, in my opinion... if you want someone less "hard", try amano tsukiko or shiina ringo (pre-tokyo jihen)... if you want j-rock everyone can get into (i.e. j-rock as pop), try aikawa nanase (her early songs are still the best)...

[elepop]

Ningyo-Hime: I really like the beat of this "rock" song. Although I'm starting to think that it's not really rock anymore. It doesn't have an edge like "alterna". And as I once said, Kuu's voice does NOT suit rock songs. Her voice comes off scratchy. Not "good" scratchy (Memorial address) but rather annoying. She's forcing her voice too much. And I'm not quite sure she even likes rock music. Overall, it's okay. Nice beat, but there's something missing. Maybe Kuu shouldn't sing rock song... She can't really pull it off.

I'll be there: Now, that's a song I like. Real instruments, soothing beat.

JUICY: It's a good hip-hop song. Not her best, but still good. The problem in this song is the way too many different noises that comes in the song in the same time. And there's way too many annoying "ahhhhh..." and such.

With your smile: Love this song, so cute.


OVERALL: 7.5/10 (Have the hear the CD quality + interludes!)


@ mishidabo >> Pathetic Ayumi "rock" songs? Essh. Did you even heard "alterna"?

And... Sorry, but "Ningyo-Hime" is far from coming off like a real "raw" rock song. I'm even starting to hear the dance/pop side of the song and I'm starting to get why they can even dance to this song.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by shadow*puppet

i'll be there - perfect song for kumi. best song in the single, in my opinion... this is the kind of music kumi should be making. j-pop at its best. this song also has the best verse and arrangement in the single. the bit before the chorus with someone singing "i'll be there for you" in the background is the best piece of music kumi has ever made.

score 5/5

Im glad you feel the same about this song. Basically everyone else hates it but I love it alot - very relaxed feel to it and I just love it. I am listening to it right now and have been for the past half hour, lol...

[evolution105]

I'll be there - 5/5
JUICY 4.5/5
Ningyo-hime 3/5
With your smile 3.5/5

I was really looking forward to Ningyo-hime what a dissapointment, but overall, still a pretty good single.