Kayo Aiko's Tenth Single...

was released on August 23, 2006.  The title is '☆HOME MADE STAR☆ ～嘉陽愛子のテーマ～', the Japanese portion is pronounced 'Kayo Aiko no teemu' and can be translated as 'Kayo Aiko's Theme'.  The c/w is 'Orange road'.

Limited edition cover

Regular edition cover

Aiko's first album "Dolce" (really more of a collection of singles as both of her "albums" have been) was released in March of 2006 and with the only exception being the B-side of "Little Planets," they basically drained the well of all of her past material.  Which must have pissed off a few hardcore fans who'd been there since the beginning, having to buy a whole album for just 3 new songs.  Frankly, for fans like me who were just discovering her, "Dolce" was a godsend.  It featured all of the A-sides of her first nine singles so it saved me the task of having to track down all nine cd's at a time when I knew little (if any) Japanese and YouTube was still less than a year old so there were only 7 Aiko videos up for quite a long time.  (I still remember the shock of seeing that a new video had been uploaded one day, very much out of the blue.  It happened a couple of times as the site got more popular.  But whoever did that, thank you!)

So the summer came and was nearly over when HOME MADE STAR came out and it sort of was a resetting point as far as her music goes.  I wasn't really sure what to expect but once I hit play my stereo was going bonkers and I was just loving this song like crazy.  I couldn't wait to get it playing in the car and blast the crap out of it so that everyone could hear.  "Hey everyone!" I would say, "this is brand-fucking-new!"

The basic instrumentation of this song is a glossy, busy synth-bass, overlaid with horns (synth) and some wacka-ja-wacka guitar, topped with 15 layers of Aiko + the way-into-it backup singers (HAAAAAAAAA!) vocal tracks.  For being a Japanese idol pseudo-disco track it's actually pretty funky and really just a very unique and catchy song.

'Orange road' is a fairly mellow track about fall colors and just has a nice breezy mood about it.  Aiko's singing is rarely more earnest than her performance on this song, as she displays a strong grasp of some more difficult intervals and yet at some points nearly comes to a whisper.  There is an interesting vinyl crackling going on throughout the song and it's got touches of Magical Mystery Tour here and there as well.

I skipped over this single in my original reviews and it's taken nearly five years for me to come back and write this overview, but it's not from a lack of interest by any means.  This remains one of my most favorite Aiko singles after so many years and I loved it to death when I first listened to it way back when.  Not much has changed.  The A-side has so much power and the B-side is so contrastingly beautiful that I could probably go on for days and still have plenty to say about it.  I probably wanted to write a million words about this in the first place but was exhausted by the time I had written about all of the others to get to this point that I just gave up, thinking I had said everything possible about how great Aiko is and how much of a joy it is to listen to her music.

The downside of this release is that it was the first of her singles to not have an accompanying PV and that really kind of stung me.  It was a time of uncertainty -- I wondered, would this be her last single?  And other questions that were eventually answered as time went on.  No, this would not be her last recording, I have come to find out.  There was still a surprise or two to be revealed.

Classic Post! #9

(Part One) Kayo Aiko's Ninth Single

...was released on January 25, 2006. The title is 'Hold on to love' [capitalization intentional], and the c/w is 'Callin'～ぼくを呼ぶ声～', the Japanese portion is pronounced 'Boku wo Yobu Koe', and can be translated as 'The Voice that Calls Me'.

This song came out about a month before I started listening to Aiko's music, and was the first Japanese song I ever learned, therefore it contains the first Japanese words I knew (besides 'ohayo', 'domo', and 'yume'). It also is slated to hold the distinction of 'the song I sang to Tsunku'. (It's payback for breaking my girl's heart, you big, ingeniously talented meanie!)

I'll just start by discussing the song itself, as the video will take some time to talk about, and I wanna make sure I do it justice. I'm fairly sure that there are some religious implications in that video, you'll see what I'm talking about, next time.

One of the stipulations for choosing a song to sing to Tsunku is that the song has to be from either an anime or a video game. Well, I'm in luck... 'Hold on to love' was in fact featured as the image song for Emil Chronicle Online, or ECO, a role-playing game of sorts which I don't know much about. I did some prodding around a while back and discovered (via a Spanish-language source) that somehow in the game, you can unlock Aiko's hat from the video, an 'I (heart) Aiko' t-shirt, and what looks to be a special move with Aiko connections (see, the energy coming off the character's hand is heart-shaped). They also give an honor to Aiko's dachshund Cocoa, the dog she holds atop her current blog.

Aiko and I will probably have another thing in common after the Anime Expo is said and done: we'd both have been overlooked by Tsunku in some capacity. (I've got REAL talent Simon, I mean... Tsunku; you don't know what you're talking about! I'm gonna get a record deal and be bigger than all these people! My mom says I'm a star!) Other things that I have in common with Aiko is that we are both humans, we both sing but don't dance very well, and we've both been depressed at some point simply because we can't join Morning Musume. I mean, seriously, it really got me down.*

Anyway, the song is a moody but upbeat rock ballad that doesn't exactly fit Aiko's genre, if she has one. If you consider Aiko's genre to be 'Jpop', a word with an intentionally wide meaning, then it's equivalent to admitting that her songs span quite a spectrum and there's not a 'typical' Aiko sound except that all her songs sound good. Typical...

It's almost as if Weezer did the backing track for this song, so melodic and power-chordy; if Rivers Cuomo did a vocal track over the instrumental it wouldn't sound out of place. For a time I even wondered if Rivers and Aiko were romantically involved, as he does have a thing for Japanese girls and in truth married a gal named Kyoko Ito just a few months after this was released. I don't think that Aiko's main lyricist Kenn Kato (more info about this guy, please...) is a pseudonym for Mr. Cuomo, but this song does sound a lot like old-school Weezer. 

So where am I going with this? I don't know, really. There's so much in the video to talk about, so I might have a few more cohesive thoughts at that time. Until then, do some research and find this song and we'll discuss it in just a little while.

The c/w, a bit more upbeat -- a bit more 'typical' of Ms. Kayo's musical library -- shouldn't be forgotten. Rock-y, with plenty of synth sound, and marking the return of the really-into-it backup singers (last appearance: 'ring!Ring!!RING!!!'). In my opinion, not the best Aiko song ever, but adds a nice 5 minutes to her catalog. Typical...

[Original post date: 2009-Jun-14]

Postscript: I never got the chance to sing to Tsunku as he was not one of the judges in the initial round.  I wrote a post about this event so I won't go into great detail here.

*Really, I mean it.  For like a month I was beside myself with a bout of depression that this would never happen.

(Part Two) Kayo Aiko's Ninth Single

Let's get to unravelling the mysteries of this video, shall we? I believe that many answers to the meaning of life are buried within. Click on a frame to see a larger, better picture (but you already knew that...).

Begin the video with, appropriately enough, some cloud art with the name of our star. Although the correct romanization of her name is either Kayou or Kayō, I've always preferred the 4x4 'Aiko Kayo'. It's really a matter of opinion, I suppose, but then again, Avex never used anything different.

Aiko comes out from behind a tree and a man in a stuffed bear costume (arm visible here) onto the waiting stage.

Aiko proceeds to rock you house, while the timid bear hides in the background.

Closeup of Aiko, where she mostly stares into the camera, except for one moment (shown above) where something distracts her. Maybe the caterer had just arrived, I don't know. Far from being disappointed with the fact that the editors left this 'error' in the final version, I just think it's awful cute, for whatever reason.

Aiko runs back to the bear and says, 'hey, we're filming a video, stop being shy and get your happy ass out here!'

Inexplicably, out come the cheerleaders (I mean, thanks, but why?) and the first one actually knocks the 'Kayo Aiko' sign about with her pom-poms. I don't think that was supposed to happen, but they left it in the video, nonetheless. If you think of the sign as the 'real' Aiko Kayo, then in reality, Aiko is being assaulted by a cheerleading squad, and now (understandably) your psychiatrist is seeing dollar signs.

The second verse is omitted from most youTube versions but this portion of the video *does* exist. For anyone who's only the seen the streaming version, here's another reason to buy the DVD versions of either 'Hold on to love' or 'Dolce'.

Two characters sit on a bench which wasn't there just a minute ago. For some reason she begins to assault him, going so far as to beat on him with his own hat. My research indicates that these two have a radio show in real life, but their names and the show are as yet unknown to me. But if you lived in Japan, you might have heard of them.

Aiko catches wind of the situation after singing for another minute while the beating goes on (thank goodness that lady doesn't have a knife) and runs over to chastise them in song.

Aiko is successful in getting the two to put aside their differences, and the hat resumes its use as a hat. Aiko looks more than a little proud of herself as she thinks about enrolling in a police program for abuse intervention.

Pure pandemonium as the cheerleaders, the bench couple, the dancing bear, and Aiko continue with the song.

Then, the bench guy reaches down to grab his hat which had been absent since the start of the chorus. Another thing that they probably just left in for no reason, but we never see why it fell off. Last we knew it was back on his head, but as he's reaching for it we're thinking 'that's right, he *was* wearing a hat...' Shows you the power of the hat lobbyists; they made sure it got adequate screen time. Kudos to Aiko's outfit, btw.

Night falls and Aiko is alone as the song winds down for the bridge. This is where the youTube videos cut to instead of showing the second verse.

Although they haven't yet become important to the video as of yet, here's the first appearance of a set-wrangler without his veil, and they dress in all-black, cover their faces, move the set around, and generally look like beekeepers. They will play on this similarity in just a moment. For now, my advice: whatever this guy says, do *not* go behind the tree with him. Your life will never be the same.

The 'beekeepers' come out and start moving every part of the stage around, even going so far as moving the bench while the couple still sits on it.

Yes, they may be set-wranglers but they look like beekeepers, and they know it. One of them does a single clap along with the beat, pretending to kill a fly (or perhaps a rabid bee).

So again, a scene of pandemonium. The cheerleaders, the beekeepers, the couple on the bench, the dancing bear, and Aiko, who's a-beboppin' and scattin' out the song's chorus.

High kicks and twirls from the cheerleaders, so we can get a few panty shots in this video. You're welcome, boys and girls.

As the song comes to a close, all of us, as brothers and sisters, dance together... the bench couple, the cheerleaders, Aiko, the dancing bear, and the 'beekeepers'.

Not usually shown in the youTube versions, Aiko mouths a distinctive 'arigatou gozaimashita' at the end. You're welcome, Ms. Kayo... I should say, 'de nada' so she can understand me in her native tongue.

And for whatever reason, this shot of the set as a whole to conclude the video, for about a second. Now go play Emil Chronicle Online (often shortened to ECO), ya jerks...

It's easy (and probably the most likely explanation) to write this off as a short film of random characters smashed together on a stage, done as amateurly (if that's a word) as possible. But come on, this video is random FTW. Let's see if it gets any deeper than that.

For starters, it seems that Aiko Kayo (in cloud form) is the 'real' Aiko Kayo, not the girl in the funny hat who sings. Constantly, omnipotently, it stalwartly looks down upon us and loves us for who we are.

The bear, in actuality a character from ECO, is us... it represents what most of us would do if our lives were confronted with a sexy singing pink witch, a couple fighting on a bench, cheerleaders, and beekeepers. We'd totally hide behind the tree, in this sense; but in a real sense, they're made out of cardboard, so no real protection at all.

The cheerleaders, in my opinion, represent morality, for they continue on despite adversity. People moving your cardboard set around? 'Yeah, keep going despite all!'

The couple on the bench, well, we've all been there before. Some woman hits you with your own hat, and eventually a sexy Japanese girl will tell her to stop, and you shall continue the possession of your hat as a hat, and not as a blunt object, even if it falls off inexplicably and you must pick it up from the ground.

The 'beekeepers', well, they're just a-damn moving everything in sight for their own pleasure. It's not a stretch of the imagination to envision them as the adverse forces in our lives. If/when they stop to kill a bee-gone-wrong, move your set-pieces back to their original location, it's not hard. After all, they're not portrayed as the smart ones in this video.

Lastly, it's Aiko herself (all-woman, I don't need further research) whose role is shrouded in mystery. If the 'cloud art' is indeed the 'real' Aiko Kayo, then who is this before us? She merely sings the song, looks hotter than your girlfriend (sorry, y'all), dances, and breaks up fights, but only when necessary. How does this fit into your life? She's a sexy pink witch. She's an anamoly. Don't hurt yourself too much thinking about it, but whoever she is, she makes the world a better place, but only when she's there. I imagine that the bench/hat guy would be dead of blunt force trauma if she hadn't intervened. The bench-girl is someone you don't mess with.

There's some... (thinking...)

There's a religious message behind all of this. What could it be?

[Original post date: 2009-Jun-23]

Classic Post! #8

Kayo Aiko's Eighth Single

...was released on July 27, 2005. The title is 彼女はゴキゲンななめ, which is pronounced 'Kanojo wa Gokigen Naname' and can be translated as 'She's in a Bad Mood'. The c/w is さすらいの天使, which is pronounced 'Sasurai no Tenshi', and can be translated as 'Wandering Angel'.

So it was back to the upbeat A-side for Ms. Kayo, and she has not since released a slow single. While it seems that "Little Planets" gained her a lot of exposure, or at least was the most expensive video she'd ever made, why the powers-that-be decided to go in a completely different direction for this next song is not clear.

Between singles, the DVD "Aiko Kayohaku" was released, which featured all seven of her videos thus far, and newly-produced interludes that featured Aiko in all sorts of 'fetish gear', a cutsie apron during the cooking segment, a tennis dress and a golf outfit for the sports segment (think Arnold Palmer, not Payne Stewart), a Minnie-Mouse-ish dress with a polka-dot hair bow for the discography. And, as a bonus for us boys, there's the added luxury of seeing Aiko in a short dress with thigh-high boots, as she gives the introduction and, as well, for the send-off.

"Aiko Kakohaku" is still a must-have for anyone who wants to be a member of the S.P.A.K.A., so here, let me show you where it's at, oh, where's that link, hang on... here it is, sorry about that. [There used to be a link on the original post to CDJapan but I don't feel like re-linking.  You can find it really easily.]

There are a few exclusives on the disc, not the least of which is a series of photographs of Aiko from age 0-19, and she was never *not* cute, by the way.

So, speaking of Aiko being cute, the PV for 'Kanojo wa Gokigen Naname' was one of the first videos I saw, and definitely the first one I played over and over and over. Lots of closeup shots of Aiko's facial features, none of which could even be remotely described as 'disturbing' or 'not pretty'... those eyes, those lips, those... nose!

The female Japanese Ramones rock out in the lava-lamp infested background. N-squares and split-screens abound.

Aiko wears three different outfits in the duration of this video: one, an aqua Galsville t-shirt and white spring skirt, another, a purple corset-inspired top with a black ruffled skirt and thigh-high boots (yum), and a third pink pleather dress with the most outlandish hair bow ever made. All three outfits are flattering, to say the least, and I'd like to take Aiko shopping someday, just to see her try on anything she wants. She switches between outfits by jumping in and out of a 'bar' of outfits. She lets out a frustrated scream. I'll describe no further, you will see for yourself...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcYXE2goucg

The c/w 'Sasurai no Tenshi' is probably my least favorite Aiko song, because it's just kind of 'there' rather than totally awesome. The music is upbeat, but doesn't really go anywhere. It's the least likely to be chosen as *the* song to represent Aiko, and whenever I get in the mood to listen to Aiko, this isn't my first choice. Still, it's Aiko, so I've got to give it that.

Although 'Kanojo' is a spectacular song with a very well-suited video, the single probably isn't for the casual fan. In fact, it's the only Aiko single I haven't got, since both songs were later included with her first album 'Dolce', the first Aiko CD I bought. This should change in the near future, as the DVD that comes with the single has a 'making of' that I've never seen. After all, the word 'anything' is part of the acronym 'S.P.A.K.A.' I really need to follow my own rules here...

[Original post date 2009-May-25]

Postscript: I now own the DVD version of this single but haven't ever opened it because the cover indicates only that the PV is included with the DVD and no Making video apparently exists.  Maybe some day I'll check for real, just for fun.

Classic Post! #7

Kayo Aiko's Seventh single...

was released on May 25, 2005. The title is 'こころの惑星 ～Little planets～', with the Japanese portion of the title pronounced 'Kokoro no Wakusei', which could be translated as: 'Planet of the Heart'. The c/w is 'STEP BACK IN TIME', which is a cover of a song originally performed by Kylie Minogue.

It had been roughly half a year since Aiko released a single, having promoted four singles in one month the prior November. It was apparently time for a change, as the publicity for the song seemed to present her in a more mature fashion than anything released up to this point. Interestingly enough, this -- one of the most beautiful Kayo Aiko songs ever -- was paired up with one of her quirkiest songs. 'STEP BACK IN TIME' has yet to be included on any other release; ergo, if you want Aiko's entire catalog, you'll have to hook yourself up with this single.

I've never seen Aiko attempt to sing either song live, and I'm okay with that. Somehow the whole thing came together for one-time-only and the result was arguably the pinnacle of Aiko's career in music so far (I *am* keeping my hopes up). 'Little Planets' is such an exhilarating song. Only Kayo Aiko could sing a slow song like this - one that speaks of finding hope beyond all hope, bringing us to the point where all hope is lost, and then bring us back to where all is right with the world. *Only* Kayo Aiko can do this. Don't try and offer suggestions that anyone could do it better, because I'm just not listening to you.

According to Aiko herself, the video was shot in Guam. Guam this, and Guam that, she says, and if I'm incorrect, then I not only can't understand Japanese, but I also can't understand *anything* because she says it fifty times in the span of a couple minutes on the Aiko Kayohaku DVD 'discography' clip.

Forgetting all other past and possible future endeavors, I'll just say this: if you wanna say something bad about Ms. Kayo Aiko, think about this before you say anything at all... have *you* ever been flown to Guam for a video shoot? And when you got there, did *you* outshine the scenery?

The video, in terms of plot, isn't much to talk about. She hangs out in a field near the ocean, by some rusted bleachers (baseball bleachers, I'm assuming), and the video's producers have set up an easel and a wooden chair in the vicinity. She hangs out there, looking sullen, then sings along, then eventually sings the remainder of the song in a cathedral-type set. 

While in the 'cathedral', Aiko might not look her cutest, nor is it the most 'I must have her now' moment of her career, but it's hard to imagine that any human being could possibly have been any more gorgeous than this. If there's better, I'd really like to see it. Really.

All in all, if you must force yourself to buy only *one* Kayo Aiko single, I'd say this is it. You'll get one of her best slow songs up front and one of her peppiest songs on the reverse side.

As a post-note, this song (Little Planets) was used for the first ending to the anime "Law of Ueki", which I understand has a reasonably good following. To tell you the truth, I'll let someone who knows about this series fill you in on it, I'm too busy enjoying the music.

[Original post date 2009-May-9]


Postscript:  If it's not too objectionable with whomever I tie the knot, I HONEST TO GOD want this song played for our "first dance" at our wedding.  It's not a deal breaker or anything.  Another good choice would be Wink's "愛してる～Never Stopped Loving You～".

Also, in the years since this post was written I've become a big fan of Kylie Minogue.  Hearing Kylie "cover" an Aiko song is sheer awesomeness… yeah, I know Kylie did it first but that's not the way I experienced things.

Classic Post! #6

Kayo Aiko's Sixth single...

was released on December 8, 2004.  The title is 'traveller'.  There is no c/w.

This was last of the once-a-week singles, and the song was featured as "Ongaku Senshi MUSIC FIGHTER's NAVI POWER PLAY" song for November. Somebody want to tell me what that's all about?

The PV is also the last of the 'hotel' videos, with Aiko playing a separate character in each PV.  If you've been watching closely, you've noticed that every time one of the characters walks through the hotel lobby, there is a flock of camera people gathered in one spot, with flashbulbs going off at a frightening rate.  Previously unseen was the person those cameramen were cornering.  Enter 'Rock Star Aiko'.

Sure, she remembers all the 'little people' she knew before she got famous.  But there's no time for that now.  Gotta get to the makeup room, gotta sign autographs, gotta get to the video set where the three-piece band backs her up.  And they're just a rockin' away, while Rock Star Aiko struts her stuff.  And, of course, there's the obligatory closeup shots.

Not much to say about this otherwise, just a good straightforward rock song, and some good shots of Aiko with some lucky makeup-pro who paints her lips, lengthens her eyelashes, and makes her look like the doll that she is.  At the end of the video, the on-screen producer yells, 'Katto!', which is Japanese for 'Cut!'  and so it ends.  And it's on to bigger and better things.

The video ends with Aiko blowing a kiss to the camera, which turns into a gold (CGI) heart.  I wonder if that happens every time she does that?

[Original post date 2009-Feb-7]

Classic Post! #5

Kayo Aiko's Fifth single...

was released on December 1st, 2004. The title is 'ring!Ring!!RING!!!'. There is no c/w.

The single continued the tradition of a new single each week, starting with 'Fantasy', and there's one more after this. The song was used as an image song for Sanrio Co., Ltd. and if you don't believe me, here's Aiko rockin' out with a couple of Hello Kitty characters:

The PV continues the story from the previous two PV's. Aiko's been out partying, broke up with her boyfriend, and now she gets to go shopping! She heads to a MercuryDuo store and tries on a bunch of outfits, and we see lots of snapshots, along with shots of Aiko rummaging around, presumably saying, 'sugoi!' every two seconds.

Not that it's unusual, but she looks really damned good in this video. We also get a lip-sync shot of her wearing a red feather boa, which emanates CG sparkles as she waves it around to the beat. It should be noted that this is a Christmas song, and Aiko uses the phrase 'ring and jingle bells' several times.

This is the first appearance of the really-into-it-backup-singers who go 'HAAAAAAAA!' a lot. Prior to this, Aiko was her own backup; her voice sounds especially good when there are several layers to it, and this effect will return. But I'm not sure why they decided on backup singers at this point, maybe just to speed up production. They make prominent appearances in songs to come, like Orange Road, Yuuki no Chikara, and Runaway Girl, to name a couple. Aiko might be in there somewhere, but you'll never know... they're so LOUD!

[Original post date 2009-Feb-2]

Classic Post! #4

Kayo Aiko's Fourth single...

was released on November 24, 2004. The title is いえないコトバ. It is pronounced 'Ienai Kotoba' and can be translated as 'The Words I Can't Say'. There is no c/w.

This single was released a week after her previous single. The song is a ballad and has the distinction of being Aiko's third-longest recording (5:32). The song was featured as the ending song of the anime 'Samurai Gun'.

The PV puts Aiko at the end of a once-promising relationship with a guy who wears a flannel shirt. We only see the guy from behind; Aiko stares up at him from a park bench at a gorgeous seaside location. He turns and walks away from her. She goes back to her hotel room, where the party people from 'Fantasy' live it up in the next room. Lonely, pouty Aiko gets upset and bangs on the wall (a shot stolen from the previous PV) as if to say, 'hey, some of us are trying to break up with our boyfriends here!'.

She calls 'flannel man' with her cell-phone and he says 'it's over', and she sheds some acting tears as she hangs up the phone. Look, flannel man, it's your loss.

Aiko slumps down in her hotel room which is HUGE by Japan standards, and it probably cost 100,000 yen for one night, so I hope flannel man's paying. Cut to him and he's on a dock, closing his phone, so now he'll probably help Nacchan write a song or something. He walks away and crosses paths with a familiar-looking girl wearing a pink overcoat, tied at the waist, carrying a stack of gifts so tall that she can barely see where she's going.

The guy can't even leave the video without seeing his old girlfriend... wait, wasn't she just on the phone a second ago? Nope, this 'new' Aiko is the third character in the video set, who will be maxing out every credit card she can find in the next PV.

[Original post date 2009-Jan-20]

Classic Post! #3

Kayo Aiko's Third single...

was released on November 17, 2004. The title is 'Fantasy'. There is no c/w.

This single was the first of four singles she released in four consecutive weeks. The covers for all four singles feature a red rope that winds from left to right, and when the covers are placed side-by-side, the rope continues from one cover to the next.

Similarly, the PV's for all four songs are intertwined with vignettes of four different stories, centered around a large hotel.

In the first video, for Fantasy, Aiko plays a club girl who goes out with a gang of friends, male and female. They have a toast with flute-glasses at a table (but Aiko was 18 when this was filmed, so presume these drinks are non-alcoholic).  They toss a balloon around their hotel suite and blow off 'champagne-popper' noisemakers.  They participate in a giant dance sequence which features what I've always referred to as the 'oh my god, I stuck my hand in the fryer!' dance. See the PV and you'll know what I mean.

This Aiko character is cool, she's happy, and she's out having a good time. But apparently the ruckus that's coming from her hotel suite is bothering another guest. Another Aiko character bangs on the common wall and is trying to say, 'keep it down over there!' We'll find out what that's all about in the next PV.

Fantasy was featured as the ending theme for the TV Tokyo show GAME JOCKEY. I don't know what this show is about, so help me, if you can.

The song itself is a bit of a departure from Aiko's usual style (if she has one), the longest song she's ever recorded (5:38), and even if it wasn't intentional, it's an homage to Avex's early days, awash in Eurobeat.

The original version was recorded by Virginelle, and I've already pointed out where to find the song, but you can find it here. Besides the Eurobeat and the melody of the song, it's very different from the original, much more modern. Aiko starts the song with a run-through of the English-language chorus:

Carry on too many times for love / I only played as ever with your heart

I don't know, it's like a Fantasy / You're only mine, oh what a melody.

The PV is best in full-quality (buy the Aiko Kayohaku DVD!), where the rainbowed lens flares can show up in perfect focus, and you can see all the sparkle in Aiko's eyes.  I'd take her to any club she wanted to go to, but over here she'd get a little turned off by all the bump-n'-grind that goes on at our clubs.  So, it's back to the hotel room...

[Original post date 2009-Jan-17]

Classic Post! #2

Kayo Aiko's Second single...

was released on April 14, 2004. The title is 愛してねもっと. It's pronounced 'Aishite ne Motto', and can be translated as 'Love Me More'. The c/w track is 'Eyes'.

The PV simulates what it might be like to go on a date with Aiko. She takes you to the record store, then out for some pasta, where she stuffs some spaghetti in your face using a fork (!); then, as a waitress passes by, the camera follows, leaving Aiko with a surprised look as she goes out of frame. When we look back at Aiko, she's mad at us. Very clever concept and a very cute girl. Meanwhile, she fan-dances in front of a red tunnel with two backup dancers who appear in a total of three shots.

The single was featured as the ending song for the anime 'Tenjou Tenge'. The c/w was featured as the ending track of the drama 'Eko Eko Azarak ~Me~', in which Aiko plays the character Misuzu Kurahashi. I've tried numerous times to find an episode of this show but it's not very popular, I hate to say. In particular there are two DVD items on the market, the first being The Director's Cut box set of the whole series, long out of print and at a cost of some $300 USD, if you can find it. The other is 'The Short Story of Eko Eko Azarak ~Me~' which features a behind-the-scenes of the series with a featurette on each of the show's five lead actresses, including Aiko and fellow fetching Kanagawa native Sayuri Anzu.

I rewatched the 'Short Story' DVD the other night and Aiko spends a lot of time with Anzu. Everybody dresses alike (it's a school setting) so it's hard to identify who's who sometimes. Aiko doesn't appear in any of the occult moments with the robes, magic words, and talismans; in fact, one scene shows Aiko popping around a corner to say 'hi' to Anzu just as an apparition disappears. Being oblivious to whatever just happened, Aiko says to Anzu something like, 'did I scare you?' In another scene, Anzu sees a figure on a wall, and Aiko's like, 'what the hell are you talking about?' So it seems she's unaware of the backstory, a kind of giddy character along for the ride. When people get killed, she sees that, so she'll figure it out eventually.

The Aiko footage also shows her recording the vocals for 'Eyes'; although it may be staged, it's being done in the same studio shown on the 'POP' covers. It's the one with the huge mixing board and wall-mounted monitors, probably where she recorded all of her other songs. This footage is one of two occasions that I've seen Aiko's recording sessions; the other is the 'Girl's Box TV' disc from the 'Natsumatsuri' concert DVD, where Kingyo records 'Lover's High' in a much smaller studio.

If anyone can help me out with this series I'd be very appreciative. I found the opening sequence on Stage6 when it still existed, and Aiko has only a quick shot there. I'm not big into drama shows but this is one I'd watch, because Aiko's in it, of course.

I have the original trilogy of Eko Eko Azarak movies and here's the quick story: Kuroi Misa is a new girl in town, everyone says she's a witch, then everyone gets brutally murdered and Misa somehow talks the evil into going away. There's some lesbian scenes, complete with toplessness, so add another lesbian motif to Aiko's legacy. The other two movies -- same thing, mostly, except no more nudity. Guess which one I consider to be my favorite?

Story-wise, the films aren't outstanding. Visually, and as thriller movies, they work. But Kuroi Misa is usually a disappointing protagonist; she finally opens up a can of whup-ass an hour into the third film and it doesn't last for very long. I'm hoping the series is a little more exciting. But my research tells me that it's about Kuroi Misa, and little else. If she ever shows up at your school, house, or workplace, run like hell! Everyone will soon be dead, except for her, and when she fights the evil that's killed everyone else, she'll treat it as some sort of victory. Um, everybody's dead... that's no victory!

[Original post date 2009-Jan-17]  When I was reading this earlier today, the line, "If [Kuroi Misa] ever shows up at your school, house, or workplace, run like hell!" made me laugh like a crazy person.

Classic Post! #1

Kayo Aiko's First single...

was released on December 10, 2003.  The title is 瞳の中の迷宮. It's pronounced 'Hitomi no Naka no Meikyuu', and can be translated as 'The Maze in Your Eyes'. The c/w track is titled 'solitude'.

The PV is a making-of style, featuring shots of Aiko messing around backstage, carrying an umbrella in the rain, being made-up on the set, and a closeup shot of her lip-synching the song.  Some of the shots are professional but others show a candid side of her which of course is very, very cute.  She was 17 when this was filmed.

I believe that her parents are shown in the video;  one shot shows a woman carrying some items a few steps behind her, backstage.  Another very quick shot shows what appears to be that same woman on one side of Aiko, and a really handsome guy on the other side (which could be her father *or* older brother, I don't know for sure).  They look like proud family members, they bear a resemblance to Aiko, and why would the video include a closeup shot of random people at this important moment unless they were proud family members?

The single was featured as the opening theme of the anime 'Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito' (Yami, Hat, and Traveller's Book). Aiko voiced the character 'Reira', some sources I've seen refer to her as 'Layla Mars'. I can't confirm this from the show; Aiko's character is only referred to as 'Reira'.  According to the translator's notes, the Reira character was not in the video game but was created specifically for the TV series.

Aiko's character appears in episodes 10 and 11 of the 13-episode series.   A synopsis of this series follows:

Hatsumi is a mysterious and flawlessly beautiful young blond librarian who has the power to 'travel through' books. She can live in a book's 'world' with that book's characters, but whenever she has a 16th birthday, she disappears and leaves the characters behind.

One of the characters left behind was Hatsuki, who fell in love with her and now is obsessively trying to track her down, but is always one step behind.

When Hatsuki arrives in a new book, the characters will always give some clue as to what Hatsumi (the one being chased) was doing while she lived in that book. Because she is so beautiful and because there are always mysterious circumstances surrounding her arrival and sudden departure, Hatsumi becomes a legend in every world she visits.

In one of the stories, Hatsumi suddenly arrives as 'Rurau' on a giant spaceship which is full of children travelling on a 200-year journey towards a new home planet. She then leaves just as suddenly, floating out into space all by herself.

Some years later, Reira (Aiko) is a child travelling on that spaceship as it reaches the new home planet. She admires Rurau's legend and wonders what it would be like to float off into the loneliness of space like Rurau once did.

The ship is controlled by an omnipotent computer which acts as the parental figure of Reira and all the children on the ship. The adults on the ship all died a decade ago but remain in their beds, decaying, while the ship's computer simulates their voices.

An emergency is called and Reira bravely volunteers to fix a CO2 tank outside the ship. However, she accidentally severs the tether line and floats off just like Rurau. 

Instead of disappearing or dying a horrible death, her boy-crush Ramuro uses a jet-pack to save her and they fly back to the ship together. There they are readying shuttles which will land on the new planet, called 'Rurau', a name picked by Reira.

As a housewarming gift, Reira gets vials of DNA taken from Earth animals, so that they can be recreated on the new planet. 

I've suspended my disbelief about everything else, but I have a hard time believing that Aiko could clone animals. You never know, I guess.

Subtitled videos of this series, including the opening which uses the single, are available at youTube and probably elsewhere.

The series has a decidedly mature tone and is centered around a lesbian relationship. It's not violent but there are some conflicts. Throughout, there are many shots of ideally-drawn women's bodies with the least amount of clothing possible. 

Even Aiko's character lays in bed with a sheet barely draped over her. I won't give away how the series ends, and I haven't watched it recently enough to be confident in teling you about it anyway. But if Hatsuki finally succeeds in finding Hatsumi, you'd really want to watch what happens next, in excruciating detail. They don't show it to you, but after 7 hours of this series, you can imagine it.

[Original post date 2009-Jan-11] Yes, I wrote this 5 years ago.