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.
