Black Cherry (Koda Kumi album)
Black Cherry is Koda Kumi's fifth studio album and first original album since secret (2005). It charted at No. 1 on Oricon, continuing the artist's streak and staying at No. 1 for one month. It remained on the charts for sixty weeks. It was released in CD, CD+DVD and CD+2DVD, with the latter being a limited edition that carried her movie debut Cherry Girl.[1] The entire film's score was from the album.[2]
| Black Cherry | ||||
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| Studio album by Kumi Koda | ||||
| Released | December 20, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2005–2006 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Rhythm Zone RZCD-45506/B~C (Japan, CD+2DVD) RZCD-45507/B (Japan, CD+DVD) RZCD-45508 (Japan, CD) | |||
| Producer | Kumi Koda | |||
| Kumi Koda chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Black Cherry | ||||
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Information
Black Cherry is Japanese singer-songwriter Koda Kumi's fifth studio album and eighth album overall. While it was only a year since her last studio album, secret, two compilation albums and a remix album were released between secret and Black Cherry: Best ~first things~ (2005), Best ~second session~ (2006) and the limited digital album Koda Kumi Remix Album (2006). The album became her third consecutive album to chart at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Charts, where it remained for one full month, charted for sixty-seven consecutive weeks.[3]
It was released in CD, CD+DVD and a limited CD+2DVD. Each version contained different album artwork with Kumi donning different classical outfits on each cover. First press editions of the album carried three bonus tracks: an English solo version of "Twinkle" (the original version was on the Amazing Nuts! soundtrack – Taiwanese singer Show Lo also carried an English version featuring Kumi on his album Speshow), the 2006 theme for the Crayon Shin-chan film "GO WAY!!", and two solo renditions of "Won't Be Long", which Kumi had originally collaborated for with EXILE).[4][5] The limited editions also contained an access code to Koda Kumi's playroom, a chance to win album goods and a bonus behind-the-scenes making of the music videos on the DVD.
The limited CD+2DVD editions held the short film Cherry Girl, which was Koda Kumi's debut acting role. The film was produced by the same team who created the drama Busu no Hitomi ni Koishiteru (ブスの瞳に恋してる / In Love with the Eyes of an Ugly Girl), which Koda Kumi had performed the theme "Koi no Tsubomi" (2006).
The track "Milk Tea" (ミルクティー / Miruku Tii) was the first time Kumi wrote and composed a song that was featured on an album. The album's introduction was later given a full version on her 2008 studio album, Kingdom.
Packaging
Black Cherry was released in three editions, with each edition containing different cover art: CD, CD+DVD and a limited CD+2DVD edition.
The standard editions all contained fifteen tracks on the CD portion, including the a-sides from her singles 4 Hot Wave and Cherry Girl/Unmei. Despite being a promotional track, the song "futari de..." from Yume no Uta/Futari de... failed to make it to the album, while "Yume no Uta" was placed as track No. 4. The DVD housed every music video released after her compilation album Best ~second session~ up until Black Cherry, sans "futari de...", which was omitted.
The second DVD, which was only available as a limited edition, housed the film Cherry Girl, which was Kumi's debut acting role. The film was heavily inspired by Charlie's Angels.
Limited editions of all versions contained three bonus tracks on the CD: an English version of "Twinkle", the song "Go Way!!" (stylized as GO WAY!!) from the Crayon Shin-chan film, and an alternate version of "Won't Be Long". The limited DVD editions carried the making videos for all of the music videos, along with the music video for the English version of "Twinkle", which Kumi performed with Taiwanese singer SHOW.
Promotional advertisements
To help promote the album, several songs were utilized as promotional tracks.
"Get Up & Move!!" was used for a Suzuki Chevrolet commercial.[6] A music video to this song was later released on her third compilation album, Best ~Bounce & Lovers~. "Tsuki to Taiyou" was used to advertise the jewellery store GemCerey.[7] While Koda Kumi was their spokesperson for a few years, she lost the position after her 2008 controversy.
The song "Puppy" was used for KOSE's Rush Escalation under their Viseé line[8], while "Candle Light" was used to advertise Morinaga's Weider protein bar.[9] "Go Way!!" was used as the ending theme song for the 2006 Crayon Shin-chan film.[10]
Cherry Girl Movie
| Cherry Girl | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Shuta Takahata |
| Produced by | Max Matsuura Chiba Ryuhei Araki Takashi Hayashi Shinji Nagata Yoshihisa |
| Written by | Osamu Suzuki |
| Starring | Kumi Koda MEGUMI Yuko Ito |
| Music by | Kumi Koda |
| Distributed by | Rhythm Zone Avex Entertainment |
Release date |
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| Language | Japanese |
Cherry Girl is a Japanese action/drama film featuring Koda Kumi and actresses MEGUMI and Yuko Ito. The film was scored by Koda Kumi's album Black Cherry and the score was featured on the second DVD of the album.[11]
The film was inspired by Charlie's Angels, which could be seen with its action scenes and with the three women given orders by via telephone.[12]
Koda Kumi, the main focus of the film, released a music video centered around the film's theme on her Cherry Girl/Unmei single.[13]
Plot
Cherry Girl centers around three female bartenders, who use the bar to run a private detective agency. Kumi (Koda Kumi), Meg (MEGUMI) and Yu (Yuko Ito) play agents who work as private investigators for an unseen man named Goro (Goro Inagaki). He contacts the three women via Vodafone cell phone to give them job orders.
The film opens with a bar scene of the women serving their customers, alongside a conversation Kumi, Yu and Meg are having, talking about past love interests. Kumi tells them that during one of her relationships, she had found a hair in the man's bed, which did not belong to her, and broke up with the man a week later. The scene is played back-to-back with the bar scene and an action scene of the trio. Meg alerts the other two of a suspicious character entering the bar, who they find had a pocket knife.
Later, as the women are getting massages, Goro gives the trio a job order by a woman named Mari, played by Mari Hoshino, who believes her fiance, M. Hotta (Jai West), is having affairs with multiple people, and wants the women to get him to stop the affairs before they are married. She says how she is mainly suspicious of Hotta's secretary, Rie (Ishida Hiroyasu).
Kumi watches Hotta and Rie exit an office building, relaying the information to Meg and Yu. She sends a picture via cellphone as Hotta sits in the back seat and Rie takes a seat in the front. She takes on several disguises as she follows the duo, failing to come up with evidence of him cheating. Failing to gain any information over the course of a week, the trio discusses the case, now believing Hotta to be "perfect." Still wanting to please their customer, the trio decide to crash a party Hotta will be attending, which hosts many celebrities.
Kumi and Yu stake out the event and see Hotta enter with Rie. Kumi begins a conversation with Hotta, during which Yu bumps into him and drops her hand bag. As she and Hotta exchange apologies, she takes the opportunity to swipe his cell phone and his wallet. Afterwards, Kumi meets Takeda (Shinji Takeda). Once the trio return to the bar, Kumi tells Meg and Yu that it was "love at first sight" and he gave her a token to remember him. The other women are skeptical, but Kumi defends her feelings. Goro then calls, asking if there has been any success with Mari's investigation, to which they admit they have not found anything. Before he hangs up, Kumi asks him what he thinks about true love, where he tells her that a meeting is controlled by destiny. It is then revealed that Kumi had met Goro when she had an private investigator (Lou Oshiba) investigate a past love interest. When the P.I rejected her, not believing her boyfriend to be having an affair, Goro overheard and offered her information and a job opportunity.
Afterwards, Kumi sees Mari and Takeda out in public together and Meg is curious as to why Takeda, Hotta's vice president, would take Mari to Hotta's office. After the trio discover Mari and Takeda are trying take over the company, they talk to Hotta, who asks them to find the truth to save his company. When they break into Hotta's office, they find Takeda and Mari. Mari tries to escape, but Yu stops her and mocks the fact that Mari thought her manipulation would work. The trio fight Takeda and, after he falls, Mari places herself over him to protect him. She explains that, as Hotta's company grew, Takeda was pushed off to the side, so she tried to frame Hotta as having multiple lovers so he would have to give up the company due to bad publicity. Kumi tells her that, by manipulating both Hotta and Takeda, she is hurting Takeda and it would be best to tell the truth.
The trio returns to running their bar and Goro congratulates them on a job well done. After they say goodbye, the trio talk about the job and Goro. As they talk, a scene is shown where Rie runs into Goro, with him only recognizing her after she has walked away. It is learned that Hotta knew the girls were following him and of the tracking devices they were using to target him due to his secretary relaying the information to him each time. As it had turned out, everyone, sans the trio and Goro, was in the scheme. The girls had been set up and while they were in Hotta's office, an explosive was placed in their vehicle, which exploded as they approached.[14][15]
Cast
- Koda Kumi as Kumi, one of the investigators who works for Goro. She tends to make judgements based on how she feels, rather than logic.
- MEGUMI as Meg, one of the investigators who works for Goro. She is usually the one to give Kumi the hard truth, rather than allow her to live in naïveté.
- Yuko Ito as Yu, one of the investigators who works for Goro. She is quiet, but also the most technologically advanced of the trio, being able to hack multiple types of systems.
- Goro Inagaki as Goro, the boss. He is the one who gives Kumi, Meg and Yu orders and the one who accepts the clients the trip investigate.
- Mari Hoshino as Mari, the client Goro accepts and the fiancé of Hotta, the CEO of the Roppungi company.
- Jai West as Hotta, the CEO of the Roppungi company and the fiancé of Mari.
- Ishida Hiroyasu as Rie, M. Hotta's secretary and the woman Mari believes he is having an affair with.
- Shinji Takeda as Takeda, the vice president to Hotta's company and the love interest of Kumi.
- Lou Oshiba as the debt collector.
- Mari Hamada as Hamada.
Soundtrack
The film was scored by Koda Kumi's sixth studio album, Black Cherry. The film was released on the second DVD to the album. Kumi worked alongside arrangers and producers Daisuke "D.I" Imai, h-wonder, Octopussy (who most notably worked with Soulhead), alongside others.[16]
Some of the a-sides used in the album were "Juicy", "Cherry Girl" and "Won't Be Long."
Release
The film made its debut on Kumi's album Black Cherry around the holiday season on December 20, 2006. It never received a television or theatrical release. The total sales reached over one million, however.
Music videos
Though new material was placed on the album, there was only one new music video: the English version of "Twinkle," which featured Taiwanese singer/actor Show Lo. The CD, however, carried Kumi's solo version of the song, also performed in English.
The music video was originally on Show Lo's album Speshow, in which he featured Kumi (November 17, 2006). The Japanese version was released on the Amazing Nuts! album three weeks prior to Black Cherry on December 6, 2006.[17] Two years later, Koda Kumi would release a solo version of the music video on her two DVD set for her Live Tour 2007 ~Black Cherry~ Special Final in Tokyo Dome.
The music video for "Koi no Tsubomi" was inspired by Koda Kumi's younger sister's, misono, video "Kojin Jugyō" (個人授業 / Private Lessons), which was also a different take on the classic fairy tale Cinderella. The videos' similarities start with both sisters having their own little fairy, who is able to transform their appearance. However, where "Kojin Jugyo" ends with the spell wearing off and returning misono to her original state, "Koi no Tsubomi" ends with the transformations staying and each girl affected to thank the fairy.
The music videos from 4 hot wave entertwined and were all placed on the album. "Juicy" was the first video in the story, showing Kumi with her crew seducing a group of men in a bar, who have a treasure map. In the end of the video, the men realize the women stole the map. "With your smile" has Kumi trying to outrun the men. The music video shows a race through the desert. "I'll be there" is the video showing where the map led. In the video, Kumi is seen on a beach in Morocco, relaxing while enjoying the weather. The video ends with her finding the treasure. "Ningyo-hime" shows what the treasure led to. Its theme has Kumi being controlled by a doctor, who is notorious for fusing parts of dolls together. While "ningyo hime" can translate to "mermaid princess," it can also translate to "doll princess," which is what the music video depicts.
"Yume no Uta" was a story of a woman, played by Kumi, walking downtown to meet up with her lover. While walking, she thinks about their happy moments. When she sees her lover across the street, she runs towards him, but is hit by an oncoming vehicle. While her lover holds her, another woman, also played by Kumi, sees the scene before walking off. The music video for "Cherry Girl" was composed of scenes from Kumi's film of the same name, along with her singing while wearing her initial outfit worn in the film's opening scene. "Unmei" carried a theme of love, telling the story of two people separated by fate. "Twinkle" was an upbeat video with a green screen backdrop.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introduction" | Daisuke "D.I" Imai | Daisuke "D.I" Imai | Daisuke "D.I" Imai | 1:24 |
| 2. | "Get Up & Move!!" | Daisuke "D.I" Imai | Daisuke "D.I" Imai • Ice Mike | Daisuke "D.I" Imai | 3:22 |
| 3. | "Ningyo-Hime" | Kumi Koda | Miki Watanabe | Miki Watanabe | 4:25 |
| 4. | "Yume no Uta" | Kumi Koda | Hiroo Yamaguchi | Tohru Watanabe | 4:43 |
| 5. | "Tsuki to Taiyou (月と太陽/Moon and Sun)" | Kumi Koda • Yoko Kuzuya | Octopussy • Yoko Kuzuya | Octopussy | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Puppy" | Kumi Koda | Miki Watanabe | Miki Watanabe | 4:03 |
| 7. | "Koi no Tsubomi" | Kumi Koda | Yusuke Kato | Yusuke Kato | 4:06 |
| 8. | "WON'T BE LONG [Black Cherry Version]" | Bro. Korn | Bro. Korn | h-wonder | 4:29 |
| 9. | "JUICY" | Yo Taira | STY | STY | 4:29 |
| 10. | "Candle Light" | Kumi Koda | Yoko Kuzuya | Tohru Watanabe | 3:16 |
| 11. | "Cherry Girl" | Kumi Koda | Curtis A.Richardson • Charlene Gilliam • Andreao "Fanatic" Heard & Sherrod Barnes | Andreao "Fanatic" Heard • The Conglomerate | 3:55 |
| 12. | "I'll Be There" | Kumi Koda | Shintaro Hagiwara | tasuku | 4:15 |
| 13. | "Unmei" | Kumi Koda | Hirofumi Hibino | Masaki Iehara | 4:21 |
| 14. | "With your smile" | Kumi Koda | Tohru Watanabe | Tohru Watanabe | 4:15 |
| 15. | "Milk Tea (ミルクティー)" | Kumi Koda | Kumi Koda | h-wonder | 2:35 |
| 16. | "Twinkle [English Version]" | Kumi Koda • Sachi Bennett | h-wonder | h-wonder | 3:52 |
| 17. | "GO WAY!!" | Kumi Koda | Hiroshi Komatsu | Hiroshi Komatsu | 4:30 |
| 18. | "WON'T BE LONG [Red Cherry Version]" | Bro. Korn | Bro. Korn | h-wonder | 5:11 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Koi no Tsubomi" (Music Video) | |
| 2. | "JUICY" (Music Video) | |
| 3. | "With your smile" (Music Video) | |
| 4. | "I'll be there" (Music Video) | |
| 5. | "Ningyo-Hime" (Music Video) | |
| 6. | "Yume no Uta" (Music Video) | |
| 7. | "Cherry Girl" (Music Video) | |
| 8. | "Unmei" (Music Video) | |
| 9. | "Twinkle feat. SHOW [English Version]" (Music Video) | |
| 10. | "Premium Making Video" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cherry Girl" (Movie) |
Charts
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release | Chart | Peak position | First week sales | Sales total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 20, 2006 | Oricon Daily Charts | 1 | ||
| Oricon Weekly Charts | 1 | 502,426 | 1,031,408 | |
| Oricon Monthly Charts | 1 | |||
| Oricon Yearly Charts | 2 | 1,031,408 |
| Date | Title | Peak position | Weeks | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2005 | "恋のつぼみ" | 2 | 20 weeks | 273,060 |
| July 26, 2006 | "4 Hot Wave" | 2 | 16 weeks | 390,685 |
| October 18, 2006 | "Yume no Uta/Futari de..." | 1 | 16 weeks | 301,169 |
| December 6, 2006 | "Cherry Girl/Unmei" | 3 | 10 weeks | 100,275 |
Alternate versions
Twinkle
- Twinkle feat. Koda Kumi [English Version]: Found on Show Lo album Speshow (2006)
- Twinkle [English Version]: Found on the album (2006)
- Twinkle: Found on Amazing Nuts! (2006)[18]
- Twinkle [R-midwest Remix]: Found on Beach Mix (2012)
References
- "Black Cherry (ALBUM+2DVD)(Japan Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- "Cherry Girl (Drama)(Spanish Subtitle)". DailyMotion. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- "Black Cherry / KODA KUMI / ORICON STYLE". Oricon. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- "Amazing Nuts! (ALBUM+DVD)(Japan Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- "Black Cherry (First Press Limited Edition)(Hong Kong Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- "Get Up & Move!! MV-CM". KASI TIME. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- "GemCerey月と太陽". DailyMotion. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- "Viseé Kose". DailyMotion. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- "MORINAGA". DailyMotion. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- "【Crayon☆Movie ★ Surging！Dance！Friends！】 GO WAY！". Retrieved January 29, 2016 – via YouTube.
- "Black Cherry (ALBUM+2DVD)(Japan Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- "Cherry Girl (2006) (V)". IMDb. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- "Cherry Girl/Unmei (SINGLE+DVD)(Japan Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- "KODA KUMI – Cherry Girl [Eng Sub]". Retrieved May 3, 2016 – via YouTube.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Koda Kumi – Black Cherry (CD, Album)". discogs. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
- "RAM RIDER, Koda Kumi, mink m-flo loves DOPING PANDA, m-flo loves DOPING PANDA, mink: Amazing Nuts! (with DVD)". Amazon Japan. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- "Amazing Nuts! (ALBUM+DVD)". YesAsia. Retrieved February 18, 2016.