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A promotional image which was linked with Yumekui.

Artist: Ai Otsuka ISBN: AVCD-31021 Release date: 2006.08.02 Debut Ranking: #4 First Press: Special Packaging Label: avex trax

After four months of inactivity, Ai Otsuka returned to the music scene by releasing her twelfth single. Her highly anticipated single, “Yumekui” was announced to be released on the second of August, close to the release of “Tokyo Friends The Movie” in theatres. This single was specifically made by Ai-chin to fit the theme of “Tokyo Friends” and consequently it is no surprise that both songs within this single were featured within the series and the movie.

Ai Otsuka radically changed her image from her “Frienger” one where Ai was frequently featured in short hair and cute outfits, suggesting a fun-loving attitude. In August, Ai is seen with longer hair and a more feminine, simple and mature image. Ai is frequently featured in various photoshoots with curly long hair and wearing classy and feminine dresses and skirts.

Unlike most of her other releases, the cover for this single did not feature Ai. Instead both versions of this single featured a surrealistic illustration with a baku, a boy and a purple background. Many of her fans were disappointed with this decision since the cover is quite plain, unpolished and simplistic. However I do feel that it really fits the theme of this single perfectly and gives it an indies feel, which in the end was what Sabakan was. Interesting enough to note that the painting textures within the cover are drawn in a manner which look three dimensional. Following the tradition of releasing a first press extra with most of her singles, “Yumekui” has a special packaging. The special first press packaging was a digipack.

“Yumekui” ranked in the fourth place on the first day of sales on the Oricon charts. In the first week she managed to secure the fifth place and sell 63,428 copies. This was quite a step backwards from most of her previously released singles which usually rank higher and sell more on the first week. However I still feel it ranked quite well, when taking into account that there were a lot of popular artists and bands releasing on the same day.

Yumekui

Ai-chin has this tendency to create interesting and innovative titles for her singles and “Yumekui” was no exception. Although the title is written in Katakana, it is not a transcription of words from foreign language. “yume” can be written as “夢” (means “dream”) while “kui” can be written as “食い” (means “eating”). This basically means “Dream Eater” or “Dream Taster”. Since the drama’s strongest theme is that of the main characters who strive for their dreams, it’s quite a fitting title for the theme song of such a movie.

This song wasn’t exactly new since one could listen to “Yumekui” since the release of the drama series, “Tokyo Friends” in 2005, where it was performed by Sabakan. Ai Otsuka was requested to create a song during the filming of this series and thus many of her fans were extremely anxious to hear the full version of this release along with other songs she performed as the vocalist of Sabakan during the drama. However only “Yumekui” and “tears” got released as a single. The rest of the songs shall be released in the Original Soundtrack (OST) of the movie, which are scheduled to be released on August 23, 2006.

The lyrics seem to have the same trademark simplicity of Ai. They are quite easy to understand and yet they manage to be rather meaningful. It’s quite interesting to note that this song takes a masculine outlook rather than a feminine one. As Ai mentioned in the CUTiE August 2006 interview this is her proposal song which shows how she thinks a man would acknowledge a woman. The message Ai wants to convey is that no matter how old you become, you will always continue to have your dreams and move on. Ai-chin wanted to create a positive song for her listeners and encourage them to move on rather than getting stuck onto the failures of life.

The song starts quite slowly with Ai’s mellow vocals accompanied by a soft guitar creating a surreal atmosphere, as if you’re waking up at dawn, making this song sound extremely soothing to listen to. The melody is extremely beautiful and carries a hopeful and magical feel to it. Personally I find this song really relaxing after a tiring long day. The chorus has a touching tone to it. You can almost feel from her vocals the feeling of hope and dreams that she wants to convey in this song. In the end one cannot help but feel refreshed and cleansed after listening to this song.

iPod version (31.6 MB)

Ai preferred the clip to be animated and she ended up designing the characters and storyline herself. The promotional video for “Yumekui” is quite bizarre. It’s animated like “Kataomoi Dial” and “Daisukidayo ~LOVE ver.~”. However the style is quite different and Ai is also featured as an animated character. This has stirred up a lot of discussion among the fans. An interesting thing to note is that this promotional clip was connected to her previous promotional videos which was discussed in detail by an observant member zyzzyva.The tapir and baku seen in the pv is a mythical dream-eating creature originated from Asian mythology. They eat the old, worn out dreams of people. This relieves them of these older dreams, allowing them to move forward in life and giving them more courage. Personally I feel that this is a very positive concept expressed by Ai.

Rating:

tears

This song starts off really slowly with a piano and Ai’s soothing and mature vocals. This really brings out her vocals, which are clearly portrayed in contrast of the really soft instrumentals used in this song. Simply with the use of the accompaniment of piano and strings, this song manages to capture a lot of emotion within it. In an interview Ai mentioned that “tears” was arranged just like like her debut single, “Momo no Hanabira”, keeping the same mellowness. It is another version of Momo no Hanabira. Momo no Hanabira is in the perception of a woman, while “tears” is in a man’s. They are two different songs but share the same story.

“tears” has a totally different mood from “Yumekui”. It’s more feminine and the vocals are more mature and soothing. The tone is slower and quite sad. I do believe this song does create a sense of finality. The lyrics speak from a girl’s perspective who sings about the person she loves whom she does not want to forget. Despite of its simplicity, “tears” is a beautiful song with an enchanting melody. Personally it’s my favourite b-side song from Ai’s single.

Rating:

Conclusion

Despite not selling as much as her fans anticipated, “Yumekui” was certainly one of Ai’s best releases. Both songs were quite strong and had a lot of quality and it was clear to notice that Ai-chin gave a lot of attention and care to every single detail of this single even though she was busy with filming “Tokyo Friends The Movie“. Even if this single didn’t have the fresh quality the other singles would have, it’s definitely a single any Ai-chin or ballad fan should purchase.

I personally do believe that this single fits the end of summer perfectly due the fact that both songs create an atmosphere of serenity and completeness. While listening to this single I really feel like anticipating autumn and what it will bring along with it. While listening to this single I can literally feel the emotions which were conveyed within it. This single will subconsciously cleanse your body and leave you purified, something only heart-warming ballads can do.

Overall Rating:

1. Yumekui
2. tears
3. Yumekui (Instrumental)
4. tears (Instrumental)

Purchase this item: YesAsia US | YesAsia Global

On a final note I wish to dedicate this review to Celsius005 from Channel-Ai, who has translated countless articles related to the release of “Yumekui”. These translations have led me to understand and appreciate this single so much more. Also I thank eyn for ‘Ai’s Taiwan Official Site News’ translations. Thank you for your hard work.