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Video linked was removed, replaced it with a new one.
Changed line(s) 6 (click to see context) from:
** Their rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" for ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad2EvbAYfsk It's fantabulous]].
to:
** Their rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" for ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad2EvbAYfsk com/watch?v=-0zcc8CNcLc It's fantabulous]].
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None
Changed line(s) 55 (click to see context) from:
I love you more than you'll ever know."\\
to:
I love you more than you'll ever know."\\"
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Added DiffLines:
** "One Last Kiss" is a gut punch: the wistful tone paired with lyrics about losing someone very dear and just wanting one last bit of love from them before saying goodbye forever really cut deep.
-->"Oh, I really do understand.\\
That even til' the end of time,\\
That even when I grow old,\\
There's someone I won't be able to forget.\\
Someone I can't forget, someone I can't forget.\\
Someone I can't forget.\\
I love you more than you'll ever know."\\
-->"Oh, I really do understand.\\
That even til' the end of time,\\
That even when I grow old,\\
There's someone I won't be able to forget.\\
Someone I can't forget, someone I can't forget.\\
Someone I can't forget.\\
I love you more than you'll ever know."\\
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Now Flame Bait
Changed line(s) 39 (click to see context) from:
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFWQpe3P1_g "Be My Last" music video]] suffers from this [[spoiler:in the car crash scene]] due to a SpecialEffectsFailure, becoming inadvertently hilarious despite the dark tone of the rest of the video and song. There's also fact that [[FridgeLogic for some reason]] [[spoiler:Hikaru stands in the middle of the road for several seconds, [[WhatAnIdiot basically letting the car hit them]]]]. Of course, [[RuleOfSymbolism this could be interpreted metaphorically]], but that doesn't make it any less hilariously weird.
to:
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFWQpe3P1_g "Be My Last" music video]] suffers from this [[spoiler:in the car crash scene]] due to a SpecialEffectsFailure, becoming inadvertently hilarious despite the dark tone of the rest of the video and song. There's also fact that [[FridgeLogic for some reason]] [[spoiler:Hikaru stands in the middle of the road for several seconds, [[WhatAnIdiot basically letting the car hit them]]]].them]]. Of course, [[RuleOfSymbolism this could be interpreted metaphorically]], but that doesn't make it any less hilariously weird.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Dork Age was renamed
* AudienceAlienatingEra: Arguably, ''This is the One''. While neither of their English albums tend to be noted as high-points of their career, ''Exodus'' has received more appreciation from fans and critics [[VindicatedByHistory in the years following its release]] and was at least a big success in Japan despite flopping internationally. Conversely, ''This is the One'' received a lot of criticism for a perceived [[FollowTheLeader watering-down]] of Utada's sound and [[HotterAndSexier attempts at fanservice]], and did even worse sales-wise than Exodus, not even making much impact even in Japan. Some people attribute their hiatus in the years following its release, as well as their English albums [[CanonDiscontinuity often being excluded from their discography]] to its failure.
Deleted line(s) 10 (click to see context) :
* DorkAge: Arguably, ''This is the One''. While neither of their English albums tend to be noted as high-points of their career, ''Exodus'' has received more appreciation from fans and critics [[VindicatedByHistory in the years following its release]] and was at least a big success in Japan despite flopping internationally. Conversely, ''This is the One'' received a lot of criticism for a perceived [[FollowTheLeader watering-down]] of Utada's sound and [[HotterAndSexier attempts at fanservice]], and did even worse sales-wise than Exodus, not even making much impact even in Japan. Some people attribute their hiatus in the years following its release, as well as their English albums [[CanonDiscontinuity often being excluded from their discography]] to its failure.
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None
Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
* LesYay: The video for "Nijikan Dake No Vacance" has them and Music/ShiinaRingo holding each other rather intimately.
to:
* LesYay: [[HoYay Les Yay]]: The video for "Nijikan Dake No Vacance" has them and Music/ShiinaRingo holding each other rather intimately.
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Uncanny Valley is IUEO now and the subjective version has been split; cleaning up misuse and ZCE in the process
Deleted line(s) 50 (click to see context) :
* UncannyValley: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuyZ9f6mHZk "Travelling" music video]] definitely qualifies, with the horde of strange-looking HumanoidAliens, [[DerangedAnimation unsettling stop-motion animated sequences]], [[DutchAngle Dutch Angles]], and some strange arm movements from Hikaru themself. It feels like a bit of a DisneyAcidSequence even compared to their other lavish, Kiriya-directed music videos.
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Added DiffLines:
* AccidentalInnuendo: The otherwise somber BreakupSong "This One (Crying Like a Child)" has this:
-->You are all the shelter that I need [[DoubleEntendre above me]]
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** The ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' theme songs and "Beautiful World". Also, anything that ever gets remixed by [=PLANITb=].
** Their rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" for ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad2EvbAYfsk It's fantabulous]].
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: "Boku wa Kuma" from ''Heart Station'' can definitely be considered one. It's a cutesy children's song about their teddy bear... [[MoodWhiplash which comes directly after "Take 5", a song with dark, poetic lyrics about leaving one's body]]. The lyrics are completely unrelated to the rest of the album which is mostly about relationships and dealing with life's difficulties. The former song [[NoEnding ends abruptly]] which makes the transition even more jarring.
* BrokenBase: Mostly in relation to their English albums. There's a camp that feels ''Exodus'' was a daring and innovative work while ''This is the One'' was a cheap attempt at mainstream success by [[FollowTheLeader chasing trends]], while others feel ''This is the One'' is a more mature and accessible work while dismissing ''Exodus'' as a clumsy attempt at "avant-garde" music, citing [[{{Narm}} narmtastic lyrics]] in "Easy Breezy" and "Let Me Give You My Love." There's also fans who like both albums, and those who think both albums are lacking and wish they would just stick to Japanese music altogether.
* CanonDiscontinuity: Their English albums have seemingly become this. Utada's offical website lists ''Fantôme'' as their 6th album and their first album in 8 years.[[note]]Counting their English albums, it's their 9th and their first in 7 years.[[/note]]
* CreatorWorship: You'll have a fine time searching for a hint of criticism over the praise they get from fans, although admittedly this is [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic not that unjustifiable]].
* DorkAge: Arguably, ''This is the One''. While neither of their English albums tend to be noted as high-points of their career, ''Exodus'' has received more appreciation from fans and critics [[VindicatedByHistory in the years following its release]] and was at least a big success in Japan despite flopping internationally. Conversely, ''This is the One'' received a lot of criticism for a perceived [[FollowTheLeader watering-down]] of Utada's sound and [[HotterAndSexier attempts at fanservice]], and did even worse sales-wise than Exodus, not even making much impact even in Japan. Some people attribute their hiatus in the years following its release, as well as their English albums [[CanonDiscontinuity often being excluded from their discography]] to its failure.
* FirstInstallmentWins: Their debut album ''First Love''[[note]]technically their second if you count ''Precious'' released as Cubic U, though it's still their first Japanese album[[/note]] is their highest selling album and the highest-selling album in Japanese history. Some fans also consider it their best album.
* GrowingTheBeard: ''Deep River'' can be seen as one. It marks the beginning of their GenreShift away from R&B to a more [[NewSoundAlbum eclectic and electronic style]], and is the first album where they were involved in arranging the majority of the songs. Many fans consider it their best work.
* HarsherInHindsight:
** "Wonder 'Bout" is about leaving a bad relationship, but after their mother's suicide in 2013 some of the lyrics can now sound like a metaphor for their mother's death and mental health issues:
--->Living in a house of pain
--->Ran away and I'm glad that I ran away
--->Rather be out in the rain
--->''Now I understand why my mother ran away''[[note]]This line was originally in reference to their parents' divorce.[[/note]]
*** Further, following this metaphor would also imply Utada is talking about themself committing suicide as well.
** "Sakura Nagashi" released a year before their mother's suicide, is about life and death, with lyrics about a lost love who is implied to be dead, and a newborn child implied to be theirs with their lover. The song was originally written for ''[[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo]]'', but after their mother's death and the birth of their son it sounds ''much'' more personal. They later included the song on ''Fantôme'' which is dedicated to their dead mother. Doubles as LifeImitatesArt.
* LesYay: The video for "Nijikan Dake No Vacance" has them and Music/ShiinaRingo holding each other rather intimately.
* MemeticMutation: From "[[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Sakura Nagashi]]" we get "Everybody finds love, in the end".
* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome:
** As heavily implied on the main page, they are very, ''very'' good at ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}. So much so that they participated in a tournament and cleaned house. Creator/{{Nintendo}} sent in two of their '[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Nintendo Assassins]],' (gamers who essentially get paid to be awesome at gaming) to beat them. They beat one of them and came close to beating the second, with a smile on their face the entire time.
** They also holds the record for fastest selling album ever in Japan for ''Distance'', which sold ''3 million'' copies in its first week. (It was also the fastest selling album in the world, until Music/{{Adele}} released ''25''.)
** After a six year hiatus, they released ''Fantôme'' which instantly shot to number 1. It stayed as number 1 for four weeks, breaking their previous personal best, First Love, which was number 1 for two weeks. More impressive is that it charted in the top ten in non-Japanese iTunes Stores where their album was not promoted ''at all.''
* {{Narm}}:
** Their English albums have these in abundance:
*** The transition from "A child just died next door to me" to IntercourseWithYou within the space of ''one line'' in "Let Me Give You My Love" is [[FetishRetardant a bit of a mood-killer]].
---->What a day, young boy next door passed away\\
Oh, it makes me want to say, I don't wanna waste another day\\
[[UnusualEuphemism Could you and I start mixing gene pools...]]
*** The weird LyricalShoehorn in the otherwise serious "This One (Crying Like a Child)":
---->We should get back on the road\\
Like Music/SimonAndGarfunkel\\
Let's get married\\
You are all the shelter that I need [[AccidentalInnuendo above me]]
*** "Easy Breezy" has the [[SarcasmMode classic gem]] "You're easy breezy / And I'm Japanese-y". Why was this the song they chose to introduce themself to an English audience?
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFWQpe3P1_g "Be My Last" music video]] suffers from this [[spoiler:in the car crash scene]] due to a SpecialEffectsFailure, becoming inadvertently hilarious despite the dark tone of the rest of the video and song. There's also fact that [[FridgeLogic for some reason]] [[spoiler:Hikaru stands in the middle of the road for several seconds, [[WhatAnIdiot basically letting the car hit them]]]]. Of course, [[RuleOfSymbolism this could be interpreted metaphorically]], but that doesn't make it any less hilariously weird.
* NarmCharm: The infamous "You're easy breezy and I'm Japanese-y" line from "Easy Breezy", while bizarre and cringe-worthy to some, is also pretty hilarious, and showcases Utada's unique sense of humour ([[IntendedAudienceReaction which was apparently their intention]]).
* SignatureSong: All of their ''Kingdom Hearts'' themes, but "Hikari" (and its international counterpart, "Simple and Clean") in particular. They call the song "Hikaru Junior" due to their name using the same kanji (光).
* TearJerker:
** "Final Distance", given the story behind it: It's an orchestral ballad version of a cute little tune that appeared on their second album, rearranged to honor the memory of 6-year-old schoolgirl Rena Yamashita who was killed in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osaka_school_massacre Osaka school massacre]]. Prior to her tragic death, she had won an essay competition with her writing about wanting to be a singer just like Utada.
** The deeply wistful "Passion".
** Another notable mention would be "Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro", the theme song to their director ex-husband's movie ''Film/{{Casshern}}''. One critic remarked that he didn't understand the movie until he heard the theme song. Then apparently it just clicked.
** Utada appears to purposefully invoke this with "This One (Crying Like A Child)". Somber acoustic guitar backing emotionally charged lyrics, especially the chorus.
** Several songs on ''Fantôme'' could count, seeing as the album was written after their mother's death, but "Ningyo" and "Manatsu no Tooriame" in particular are both heartbreakingly somber.
* ToughActToFollow: A notable aversion in their early career. ''First Love'' is the #1 best-selling studio album in Japan... the runner-up? Their sophomore album ''Distance'', with their third ''Deep River'' being #4.[[note]]In terms of overall rankings, they place #1, #4 and #8, but that's counting compilation albums[[/note]]. ''Exodus'' is a more straight example, as it sold 1.1 million copies in Japan compared to ''Deep River's'' 3.6 million and attracted some backlash for its [[NewSoundAlbum experimental style]] and [[HotterAndSexier sexual content]].
** Utada themself apparently feels this way about ''Fantôme''. They've said they won't be able to make an album like it again.
* UncannyValley: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuyZ9f6mHZk "Travelling" music video]] definitely qualifies, with the horde of strange-looking HumanoidAliens, [[DerangedAnimation unsettling stop-motion animated sequences]], [[DutchAngle Dutch Angles]], and some strange arm movements from Hikaru themself. It feels like a bit of a DisneyAcidSequence even compared to their other lavish, Kiriya-directed music videos.
----
-->You are all the shelter that I need [[DoubleEntendre above me]]
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** The ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' theme songs and "Beautiful World". Also, anything that ever gets remixed by [=PLANITb=].
** Their rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" for ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad2EvbAYfsk It's fantabulous]].
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: "Boku wa Kuma" from ''Heart Station'' can definitely be considered one. It's a cutesy children's song about their teddy bear... [[MoodWhiplash which comes directly after "Take 5", a song with dark, poetic lyrics about leaving one's body]]. The lyrics are completely unrelated to the rest of the album which is mostly about relationships and dealing with life's difficulties. The former song [[NoEnding ends abruptly]] which makes the transition even more jarring.
* BrokenBase: Mostly in relation to their English albums. There's a camp that feels ''Exodus'' was a daring and innovative work while ''This is the One'' was a cheap attempt at mainstream success by [[FollowTheLeader chasing trends]], while others feel ''This is the One'' is a more mature and accessible work while dismissing ''Exodus'' as a clumsy attempt at "avant-garde" music, citing [[{{Narm}} narmtastic lyrics]] in "Easy Breezy" and "Let Me Give You My Love." There's also fans who like both albums, and those who think both albums are lacking and wish they would just stick to Japanese music altogether.
* CanonDiscontinuity: Their English albums have seemingly become this. Utada's offical website lists ''Fantôme'' as their 6th album and their first album in 8 years.[[note]]Counting their English albums, it's their 9th and their first in 7 years.[[/note]]
* CreatorWorship: You'll have a fine time searching for a hint of criticism over the praise they get from fans, although admittedly this is [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic not that unjustifiable]].
* DorkAge: Arguably, ''This is the One''. While neither of their English albums tend to be noted as high-points of their career, ''Exodus'' has received more appreciation from fans and critics [[VindicatedByHistory in the years following its release]] and was at least a big success in Japan despite flopping internationally. Conversely, ''This is the One'' received a lot of criticism for a perceived [[FollowTheLeader watering-down]] of Utada's sound and [[HotterAndSexier attempts at fanservice]], and did even worse sales-wise than Exodus, not even making much impact even in Japan. Some people attribute their hiatus in the years following its release, as well as their English albums [[CanonDiscontinuity often being excluded from their discography]] to its failure.
* FirstInstallmentWins: Their debut album ''First Love''[[note]]technically their second if you count ''Precious'' released as Cubic U, though it's still their first Japanese album[[/note]] is their highest selling album and the highest-selling album in Japanese history. Some fans also consider it their best album.
* GrowingTheBeard: ''Deep River'' can be seen as one. It marks the beginning of their GenreShift away from R&B to a more [[NewSoundAlbum eclectic and electronic style]], and is the first album where they were involved in arranging the majority of the songs. Many fans consider it their best work.
* HarsherInHindsight:
** "Wonder 'Bout" is about leaving a bad relationship, but after their mother's suicide in 2013 some of the lyrics can now sound like a metaphor for their mother's death and mental health issues:
--->Living in a house of pain
--->Ran away and I'm glad that I ran away
--->Rather be out in the rain
--->''Now I understand why my mother ran away''[[note]]This line was originally in reference to their parents' divorce.[[/note]]
*** Further, following this metaphor would also imply Utada is talking about themself committing suicide as well.
** "Sakura Nagashi" released a year before their mother's suicide, is about life and death, with lyrics about a lost love who is implied to be dead, and a newborn child implied to be theirs with their lover. The song was originally written for ''[[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo]]'', but after their mother's death and the birth of their son it sounds ''much'' more personal. They later included the song on ''Fantôme'' which is dedicated to their dead mother. Doubles as LifeImitatesArt.
* LesYay: The video for "Nijikan Dake No Vacance" has them and Music/ShiinaRingo holding each other rather intimately.
* MemeticMutation: From "[[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Sakura Nagashi]]" we get "Everybody finds love, in the end".
* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome:
** As heavily implied on the main page, they are very, ''very'' good at ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}. So much so that they participated in a tournament and cleaned house. Creator/{{Nintendo}} sent in two of their '[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Nintendo Assassins]],' (gamers who essentially get paid to be awesome at gaming) to beat them. They beat one of them and came close to beating the second, with a smile on their face the entire time.
** They also holds the record for fastest selling album ever in Japan for ''Distance'', which sold ''3 million'' copies in its first week. (It was also the fastest selling album in the world, until Music/{{Adele}} released ''25''.)
** After a six year hiatus, they released ''Fantôme'' which instantly shot to number 1. It stayed as number 1 for four weeks, breaking their previous personal best, First Love, which was number 1 for two weeks. More impressive is that it charted in the top ten in non-Japanese iTunes Stores where their album was not promoted ''at all.''
* {{Narm}}:
** Their English albums have these in abundance:
*** The transition from "A child just died next door to me" to IntercourseWithYou within the space of ''one line'' in "Let Me Give You My Love" is [[FetishRetardant a bit of a mood-killer]].
---->What a day, young boy next door passed away\\
Oh, it makes me want to say, I don't wanna waste another day\\
[[UnusualEuphemism Could you and I start mixing gene pools...]]
*** The weird LyricalShoehorn in the otherwise serious "This One (Crying Like a Child)":
---->We should get back on the road\\
Like Music/SimonAndGarfunkel\\
Let's get married\\
You are all the shelter that I need [[AccidentalInnuendo above me]]
*** "Easy Breezy" has the [[SarcasmMode classic gem]] "You're easy breezy / And I'm Japanese-y". Why was this the song they chose to introduce themself to an English audience?
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFWQpe3P1_g "Be My Last" music video]] suffers from this [[spoiler:in the car crash scene]] due to a SpecialEffectsFailure, becoming inadvertently hilarious despite the dark tone of the rest of the video and song. There's also fact that [[FridgeLogic for some reason]] [[spoiler:Hikaru stands in the middle of the road for several seconds, [[WhatAnIdiot basically letting the car hit them]]]]. Of course, [[RuleOfSymbolism this could be interpreted metaphorically]], but that doesn't make it any less hilariously weird.
* NarmCharm: The infamous "You're easy breezy and I'm Japanese-y" line from "Easy Breezy", while bizarre and cringe-worthy to some, is also pretty hilarious, and showcases Utada's unique sense of humour ([[IntendedAudienceReaction which was apparently their intention]]).
* SignatureSong: All of their ''Kingdom Hearts'' themes, but "Hikari" (and its international counterpart, "Simple and Clean") in particular. They call the song "Hikaru Junior" due to their name using the same kanji (光).
* TearJerker:
** "Final Distance", given the story behind it: It's an orchestral ballad version of a cute little tune that appeared on their second album, rearranged to honor the memory of 6-year-old schoolgirl Rena Yamashita who was killed in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osaka_school_massacre Osaka school massacre]]. Prior to her tragic death, she had won an essay competition with her writing about wanting to be a singer just like Utada.
** The deeply wistful "Passion".
** Another notable mention would be "Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro", the theme song to their director ex-husband's movie ''Film/{{Casshern}}''. One critic remarked that he didn't understand the movie until he heard the theme song. Then apparently it just clicked.
** Utada appears to purposefully invoke this with "This One (Crying Like A Child)". Somber acoustic guitar backing emotionally charged lyrics, especially the chorus.
** Several songs on ''Fantôme'' could count, seeing as the album was written after their mother's death, but "Ningyo" and "Manatsu no Tooriame" in particular are both heartbreakingly somber.
* ToughActToFollow: A notable aversion in their early career. ''First Love'' is the #1 best-selling studio album in Japan... the runner-up? Their sophomore album ''Distance'', with their third ''Deep River'' being #4.[[note]]In terms of overall rankings, they place #1, #4 and #8, but that's counting compilation albums[[/note]]. ''Exodus'' is a more straight example, as it sold 1.1 million copies in Japan compared to ''Deep River's'' 3.6 million and attracted some backlash for its [[NewSoundAlbum experimental style]] and [[HotterAndSexier sexual content]].
** Utada themself apparently feels this way about ''Fantôme''. They've said they won't be able to make an album like it again.
* UncannyValley: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuyZ9f6mHZk "Travelling" music video]] definitely qualifies, with the horde of strange-looking HumanoidAliens, [[DerangedAnimation unsettling stop-motion animated sequences]], [[DutchAngle Dutch Angles]], and some strange arm movements from Hikaru themself. It feels like a bit of a DisneyAcidSequence even compared to their other lavish, Kiriya-directed music videos.
----
