[Koda Kumi] The 195th Thread - ANⱭDNA

[Corvina]

Originally Posted by lovethatkuu&ayu

Interesting wording about the tours being connected. If that is the case, then maybe we will get the Tokyo AND recording in a combo package.

The controller light stick is cool. If the storyline for this tour is Kumi as an android, then it makes perfect sense. I think there will be a 2nd batch released midway through. I wouldn't mind having the t-shirt and towel.

It's possible, but I wouldn't expect it.
They don't mention those being the first batch of goods and they usually do that.
Plus as I said it's a short tour and they're advertising the goods with selling everything together at the venues with AND and a-nation.

[jiarongisme]

Originally Posted by Corvina

Sure, can do that, but in a different post some time later if you don't mind, so that I can collect my thoughts about it properly.

Awesome, sure thing!

Loving the tour goods, it's so Ready Player One.

[lovethatkuu&ayu]

@ Corvina, yeah it probably won't happen. I was still hoping that there would be a poster of some sort later on.

[KarenPang]

Posted on Twitter



https://twitter.com/KODAKUMINET/stat...38661533548550

Kuu is wearing the DNA tour shirt in that photo

[Uknow!]

I was listening Silly Ho from TLC and Break it down sounds a lot like this song.

[Corvina]

Ok, so here you go, jiarongisme and everybody interested in it.
Long post, beware, so I put it under a spoiler.
Hope you can follow my thoughts.

Spoiler:

TRICK was released in January 2009, about a year after the incident.
If you look at it as a whole, you'd just say it's an album about delivering a show and it's her trick to gain all the attention, just like she's singing in the intro of the album and like the main promotion song show girl suggests.
Like she wants to deviate from what happened the year before, just doing her job, going on with her life.

I took it like that at first as well and in a sense it also is like that, though it always did strike me a bit odd, that she did a magic show as release event, where things are an illusion of how they really are. Or how the visuals are done with one part her being a clown and the other herself, being dressed for a show/circus/vaudeville show, where trick doesn't fit.
Now after Gubsi mentioning to me, how you can feel her struggle in the album, it suddenly struck me.
If you take a closer look at the lyrics and how the songs are placed, you can take it as a statement about the scandal and her feelings in it.

After the intro it goes on with TABOO, where she's inviting you "to things you've never seen before", showing things and sides that are taboo and can only be showed at night - or as part of a show on stage, cause it's not real.
She's even asking, it it's a mistake or an illusion and which side you like in the song. It's about discovering.
It goes on with show girl, a song about Kuu being the show girl.
You wouldn't expect it, but the lyrics are quite deep.
The important point is, that she's singing about being a "rumoured show girl" with all those "rumoured methods" she uses to capture the audience.
When she's putting on a show, she's the show girl, the confident woman, but there's a "secret behind her veil" and "If you extend your hands, it'll feel like you can reach it, but you can't", cause it's just an illusion.
And an ever on-going struggle.
The show girl is just an illusion, cause that's not all she is.
If you meet Kuu outside of her show, she's standing before you as a normal person, not as the show girl. And the public, the audience thinks they know, who she is, but in reality, they don't know, that's why she is the "rumoured show girl".
In the next songs she's singing about "abusings of the pasts" (Your Love) and the first time in the album about things she regrets having done (stay with me).
Then there comes This is not a love song, a song about that she "can't heal yet", "no matter how much she sings". It is a song about the love to a man, but the words she uses are strikingly fitting for her situation at that time. And compared to the songs before and after very aggressive in tone. Driving next is about heading to an unknown destination, just starting to move and she's asking the passenger (us!) to just go with her.
Sitting here in the middle of the album at that point gives it a really pleading character, quite strong! She wants to go on, but she doesn't know where it's going to lead or where to go, just that she's not sitting alone in her career car.
Then there are the two collabos lumped together. I don't really see a correlation in the lyrics - they're collabos and I guess she is grateful for the support (That Ain't Cool was a birthday present from Fergie after all), so she put them on the album and just put them together in the middle.
But that does mean you can directly go from Driving to Hurry Up!.
A song about being betrayed by someone you don't know well, but had a good time together. She's directly singing "her efforts came to nothing" and being impatient about how to go on.
Moon Crying after that was the first single, the first release, after the scandal. A heart-wrenching ballad as a main song for a summer sinlge! And it's another song about remorse, about regretting doing something. On first glance it's a song about love, but you can interpret the you she's talking to as the audience. Or maybe even her old self? And it's another song where she's directly singing about, well, singing. It's very present in the whole album.
JTWYA now being about her best friends, she accepts as they are and who are always on her side. She even had her real female friends in the PV for it. So her real friends, who supported her all through that bad time after the scandal, are the topic of the song. At this point it could also mean she's accepting that side of her, who made that reckless remark, too. Like she concludes the song with "I should just walk as myself" and before mentioning "Yeah, today I'll turn forward".
And only now, after all that up and down of feelings through the whole album, we have her first very typical happy and uplifting "be yourself" Kuu pop song!
One line gets back to the show girl theme again:
"Bluffing, yeah, isn't a bad thing
Everyone gets stronger that way".
It's her stage she can be confident on, the illusion she was able to take on for that hard time, forgetting that there was the scandal present around her every time she stepped down the stage.
But also the illusion that she just can be who she is in public.
The album finishes with a good feeling, with her words of love.
"I'll sing the words of love"... "to a tomorrow overflowing with joy".
So she's ending with hope that it will change again.

I seriously had my problems with the album. I still have honestly, it feels pretty disconnected and scattered to me, but that's because it is. All those different feelings scrammed together without a proper direction (she could have lumped together all ballads and all aggressive rockier songs e.g.).
She pretty much always did that with her albums, which is why I didn't thought too much about it first. But when Gubis mentioned, how conflicted he felt she still was in the album, just then I was able to see it. I mean I expected it with the first singles, but not a year after with the full album.
Like she starts with in show girl: "Up & down emotion, they won't stop".
For the night you attend the show.
For the time you listen to the album.
For Kuu at that time.

The visuals fit to that. Kuu is depicted one person doing the whole circus/the show. I mean, she is a solo artist and you can take it just as a symbol for that, but they could have easily shown some audience or other artists in the album shoot. Or real animals.
They didn't. She is all alone.
The clown costume is just a cover. The make up has a tear on one side for symbolizing both sides of life like usual for a clown and most probably also that sadness was part of her daily life back then.
So there's the illusion, the trick, capturing the attention, but not giving everyhing and also not receiving everything there is.
Cause it never is the whole reality and it is an illusion to think it is.

[lovethatkuu&ayu]

Very detailed and interesting analysis of one of her best overall albums.

It's sad she couldn't enjoy 2009 in hindsight. TRICK was a 2 week chart topper, all her singles charted top 2, and the arena tour was a success. She also started regaining major contracts too. A shame that she didn't have the chance to really rest and process such a traumatic experience.

[jiarongisme]

Originally Posted by Corvina

Ok, so here you go, jiarongisme and everybody interested in it.
Long post, beware, so I put it under a spoiler.
Hope you can follow my thoughts.

Spoiler:

TRICK was released in January 2009, about a year after the incident.
If you look at it as a whole, you'd just say it's an album about delivering a show and it's her trick to gain all the attention, just like she's singing in the intro of the album and like the main promotion song show girl suggests.
Like she wants to deviate from what happened the year before, just doing her job, going on with her life.

I took it like that at first as well and in a sense it also is like that, though it always did strike me a bit odd, that she did a magic show as release event, where things are an illusion of how they really are. Or how the visuals are done with one part her being a clown and the other herself, being dressed for a show/circus/vaudeville show, where trick doesn't fit.
Now after Gubsi mentioning to me, how you can feel her struggle in the album, it suddenly struck me.
If you take a closer look at the lyrics and how the songs are placed, you can take it as a statement about the scandal and her feelings in it.

After the intro it goes on with TABOO, where she's inviting you "to things you've never seen before", showing things and sides that are taboo and can only be showed at night - or as part of a show on stage, cause it's not real.
She's even asking, it it's a mistake or an illusion and which side you like in the song. It's about discovering.
It goes on with show girl, a song about Kuu being the show girl.
You wouldn't expect it, but the lyrics are quite deep.
The important point is, that she's singing about being a "rumoured show girl" with all those "rumoured methods" she uses to capture the audience.
When she's putting on a show, she's the show girl, the confident woman, but there's a "secret behind her veil" and "If you extend your hands, it'll feel like you can reach it, but you can't", cause it's just an illusion.
And an ever on-going struggle.
The show girl is just an illusion, cause that's not all she is.
If you meet Kuu outside of her show, she's standing before you as a normal person, not as the show girl. And the public, the audience thinks they know, who she is, but in reality, they don't know, that's why she is the "rumoured show girl".
In the next songs she's singing about "abusings of the pasts" (Your Love) and the first time in the album about things she regrets having done (stay with me).
Then there comes This is not a love song, a song about that she "can't heal yet", "no matter how much she sings". It is a song about the love to a man, but the words she uses are strikingly fitting for her situation at that time. And compared to the songs before and after very aggressive in tone. Driving next is about heading to an unknown destination, just starting to move and she's asking the passenger (us!) to just go with her.
Sitting here in the middle of the album at that point gives it a really pleading character, quite strong! She wants to go on, but she doesn't know where it's going to lead or where to go, just that she's not sitting alone in her career car.
Then there are the two collabos lumped together. I don't really see a correlation in the lyrics - they're collabos and I guess she is grateful for the support (That Ain't Cool was a birthday present from Fergie after all), so she put them on the album and just put them together in the middle.
But that does mean you can directly go from Driving to Hurry Up!.
A song about being betrayed by someone you don't know well, but had a good time together. She's directly singing "her efforts came to nothing" and being impatient about how to go on.
Moon Crying after that was the first single, the first release, after the scandal. A heart-wrenching ballad as a main song for a summer sinlge! And it's another song about remorse, about regretting doing something. On first glance it's a song about love, but you can interpret the you she's talking to as the audience. Or maybe even her old self? And it's another song where she's directly singing about, well, singing. It's very present in the whole album.
JTWYA now being about her best friends, she accepts as they are and who are always on her side. She even had her real female friends in the PV for it. So her real friends, who supported her all through that bad time after the scandal, are the topic of the song. At this point it could also mean she's accepting that side of her, who made that reckless remark, too. Like she concludes the song with "I should just walk as myself" and before mentioning "Yeah, today I'll turn forward".
And only now, after all that up and down of feelings through the whole album, we have her first very typical happy and uplifting "be yourself" Kuu pop song!
One line gets back to the show girl theme again:
"Bluffing, yeah, isn't a bad thing
Everyone gets stronger that way".
It's her stage she can be confident on, the illusion she was able to take on for that hard time, forgetting that there was the scandal present around her every time she stepped down the stage.
But also the illusion that she just can be who she is in public.
The album finishes with a good feeling, with her words of love.
"I'll sing the words of love"... "to a tomorrow overflowing with joy".
So she's ending with hope that it will change again.

I seriously had my problems with the album. I still have honestly, it feels pretty disconnected and scattered to me, but that's because it is. All those different feelings scrammed together without a proper direction (she could have lumped together all ballads and all aggressive rockier songs e.g.).
She pretty much always did that with her albums, which is why I didn't thought too much about it first. But when Gubis mentioned, how conflicted he felt she still was in the album, just then I was able to see it. I mean I expected it with the first singles, but not a year after with the full album.
Like she starts with in show girl: "Up & down emotion, they won't stop".
For the night you attend the show.
For the time you listen to the album.
For Kuu at that time.

The visuals fit to that. Kuu is depicted one person doing the whole circus/the show. I mean, she is a solo artist and you can take it just as a symbol for that, but they could have easily shown some audience or other artists in the album shoot. Or real animals.
They didn't. She is all alone.
The clown costume is just a cover. The make up has a tear on one side for symbolizing both sides of life like usual for a clown and most probably also that sadness was part of her daily life back then.
So there's the illusion, the trick, capturing the attention, but not giving everyhing and also not receiving everything there is.
Cause it never is the whole reality and it is an illusion to think it is.

Wow, what a detailed analysis. Thank you for that! To date, I never really looked into the lyrics of the album and just felt that the album and tour was just... Alright. But this got me really interested! I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that she was still deeply hurt during this era. I guess I didn't think about it much, thinking that she bounced back straight after Kingdom but based on your analysis, it felt like a cry for help almost. Damn Kuu, I'm so glad you're better now.

[Gustavopc]

I share some similar feelings towards TRICK... As much as I some tracks on it are among my all time fav songs of hers, the whole thing just feels all over the place. I had already linked the TRICK theme to a performer persona vs her original self, mainly cause I went on reading about pierrots around the time, but didn't take it too deep other than the album shooting and the first couple of tracks. Thanks a lot for sharing these insights, Corvina!

One thing that always bugged me regarding that era is the first act of the tour. She comes out in the stage in a white outfit, and after the intro, TABOO starts. But despise it being such a powerful song to dance to, the choreo is really different and it has a theme of a dictatorship? Or controlling robots? The dancers are all faceless and dance rather "stiffy" and emotionless. There's also a video of her in the screen in a room that looks like a futuristic headquarters. Now I'm starting to see it more related to the lyrics of TABOO than the music itself... But still I can't connect that to the undressing scene before show girl At the time it felt to me like a theme she had for the tour way earlier than the album became complete (that outfit was already shown at the end of the Kingdom Tour) and she changed the tour theme but kept that opening act I'll give it another watch to see if I can fit that into her feelings from that time.

[Xianghua]

That's really interesting. I never would have guessed it affected her as long and as much as it did. At that time I thought it just blew over by the time of the next album. I've always loved most songs on TRICK but for some reason did not have the same feeling for the album as a whole and never could explain why. Maybe it was that disconnect that I never caught on to. And after reading this I see the songs in a new light.

Speaking of TRICK, I was wondering about this: I have the CD+2DVD overseas version, and included in the packaging was a duplicate of disc 1 in a small envelope, stuck outside of the jewel case. It has every song except the bonus track, Venus.

I always thought it was strange and I don't understand the point of it. So I'm wondering if this was also the case for the Japanese version and if anyone knows why. This is it:

[KarenPang]

^ Is your copy of TRICK made in Hong Kong or Taiwan ?

My copy of TRICK was made in Hong Kong and Venus is included in the main CD . But I did not receive a duplicate disc like yourself

I'm not sure if back then avex Taiwan had production issues with TRICK though

[Xianghua]

^ hm it's Taiwan version. It says the publisher is avex asia limited? Back then I bought it from yesasia and I just logged back into my account but the item page doesn't mention anything about this extra disc. The main CD has the bonus track, but the 2nd copy doesn't.

Yesasia link > https://www.yesasia.com/us/101436557...0-en/info.html

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by Xianghua

^ hm it's Taiwan version. It says the publisher is avex asia limited? Back then I bought it from yesasia and I just logged back into my account but the item page doesn't mention anything about this extra disc. The main CD has the bonus track, but the 2nd copy doesn't.

Yesasia link > https://www.yesasia.com/us/101436557...0-en/info.html

YesAsia is misleading cos not necessary everything they listed on their website are all made in Taiwan

Especially since YesAsia is based in Hong Kong & Avex Hong Kong was still in existence until it shut down in 2014

Anyway I think your copy of TRICK is made in Hong Kong , not Taiwan . Avex Asia Limited is the old company name used before its name changed to Avex Hong Kong Limited in 2008

Another way to check is the catalogue number found on the side of your TRICK album . My Hong Kong press of TRICK catalogue number is AAJCD20029DE

If it's AVJCD10379/A , then it's made in Taiwan

Avex Taiwan kept the 1st press aspect of TRICK intact so for your case it probably was a manufacturer issue

[Xianghua]

Ooh I just checked the number and yep, it's made in Hong Kong.
So many different presses it gets confusing. :O I guess it really is some weird manufacture issue.
Thanks, Karen!

[KarenPang]

^ No problem glad to be of help in anyway I can possible

DNA 3rd week position / sales - #65 ; 754
Total 3 week sales - 18,073

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/5876317994

[ayumi_croatia]

HAIRCUT is now one of my favorite songs from her

[takamioda]

Hello everyone, I have a plan to go to Japan this December to join Ayu's TROUBLE tour (I've got the tickets).

I also want to join Kuuchan's DNA tour - just 1 day right after Ayu's performances but I missed the 「Koda Kumi Fanclub Tour ～DNA～」advanced ticket reservation.

From Kuuchan's official website I found: https://l-tike.com/st1/kodakumi-dnaticket/sitetop
but it requires Japan phone number for SMS authentication... I'm outside Japan .

Admin of Welcome to Koda Kumi World just shows me this link:
https://www.viagogo.com/Concert-Tick...i-Koda-Tickets

Have anyone ever bought ticket in this website before? Is it safe for me to buy tickets? Or someone could you please show me how to buy Kuuchan's DNA tickets??

Thanks in advance so much!!

[Corvina]

Originally Posted by takamioda

Hello everyone, I have a plan to go to Japan this December to join Ayu's TROUBLE tour (I've got the tickets).

I also want to join Kuuchan's DNA tour - just 1 day right after Ayu's performances but I missed the 「Koda Kumi Fanclub Tour ～DNA～」advanced ticket reservation.

From Kuuchan's official website I found: https://l-tike.com/st1/kodakumi-dnaticket/sitetop
but it requires Japan phone number for SMS authentication... I'm outside Japan .

Admin of Welcome to Koda Kumi World just shows me this link:
https://www.viagogo.com/Concert-Tick...i-Koda-Tickets

Have anyone ever bought ticket in this website before? Is it safe for me to buy tickets? Or someone could you please show me how to buy Kuuchan's DNA tickets??

Thanks in advance so much!!

The first link from her official site is the official regular ticket sale. But you need a Japanese phone number and a Japanese creditcard or access to a Japanese Lawson to pay the ticket.

With viagogo I have no idea if it is trustworthy, sorry.
Would say no, cause as I said the only official way to buy tickets is the link from her official site.

There aren't many tickets left altogether (viagogo says just 1%, sounds about right). So you might want to check out reseller shops or auction in Japan.
Hope you can make it, but you guys should really check earlier for tickets, if you really wanna go.

[KarenPang]

Want to add on that for Lawson , if your ticket balloting is successful , you have to go to any physical Lawson conbini stores and request the staff to help you print the concert tickets

Not only that , you have to pay a fee for that to get done

And like what Corvina said , I also don't trust Viagogo too . Another alternative is to check auction sites or official ticket sites if they still have Kuu concert tickets

Another is to go to the concert venue itself and buy last minute issued tickets . That's risky cos not all the time this happen but if you're willing to take a gamble , then this might work but I wouldn't recommend

[takamioda]

Originally Posted by Corvina

The first link from her official site is the official regular ticket sale. But you need a Japanese phone number and a Japanese creditcard or access to a Japanese Lawson to pay the ticket.

With viagogo I have no idea if it is trustworthy, sorry.
Would say no, cause as I said the only official way to buy tickets is the link from her official site.

There aren't many tickets left altogether (viagogo says just 1%, sounds about right). So you might want to check out reseller shops or auction in Japan.
Hope you can make it, but you guys should really check earlier for tickets, if you really wanna go.

Thank you!
I've been searching for the tickets from May, after missed the 1st advanced booking of Global Kogadumi and there's no no 2nd advanced booking

Originally Posted by KarenPang

Want to add on that for Lawson , if your ticket balloting is successful , you have to go to any physical Lawson conbini stores and request the staff to help you print the concert tickets

Not only that , you have to pay a fee for that to get done

And like what Corvina said , I also don't trust Viagogo too . Another alternative is to check auction sites or official ticket sites if they still have Kuu concert tickets

Another is to go to the concert venue itself and buy last minute issued tickets . That's risky cos not all the time this happen but if you're willing to take a gamble , then this might work but I wouldn't recommend

Thank you for the info. So https://l-tike.com/st1/kodakumi-dnaticket/sitetop is a lottery ticket as Kodagumi tickets :|