The Koda Kumi Rate PART I: The End. Onto the next part we go

You know she's the top diva
Most beautiful, powerful, and talented girl on the planet...
Are you ready for her?? Let's GO!!​

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14 STUDIO ALBUMS
7 COMPILATIONS
9 REMIX ALBUMS
2 COVER ALBUMS
60 SINGLES
15 MILLION RECORDS SOLD



THE KODA KUMI RATE
PART I

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The year was 2005. It was a cold December and nothing could warm my little 15 year old heart that one day... Not even sweet crooning of Hamasaki Ayumi who I've discovered that past August. The routine web search for new JPop music proved fruitless until I stumbled upon a peculiar ballad titled "you". Never in my life until that moment an artist grasped my attention with a ballad. It was a beginning of my budding love for the one of the best women in music.

Yes, people, this is finally happening. I've been dreaming of this rate ever since I took part in my first one and here we are! For 17 years this amazing woman has been gracing the Japanese stage and us with her charm, uniqueness, nerve and talent. She has brought so much joy with her upbeat bops and reduced us to tears with her ballads so many times that we just have to commemorate her impact on Japanese pop music.

I know I can't put my thoughts to words as eloquently as someone like @beyoncésweave who did an astonishing job with Sugababes rate (I am still to fully appreciate it's magnificence), still I would try my best to conjure up something palpable for each elimination.

RULES
01 Please rate every single song from 0 to 10 (simple decimals are allowed).
02 You can give one song and one song only the coveted 11.
03 Provide commentary to the songs if you like or feel like it.
04 Submit your results via PM to me, @evilsin!​

Here we have a list of all Kumi's songs up until her first best album (sadly exluding some really great intros and interludes), which is a hefty 75 songs. I believe this is a perfect amount of songs for the PART I so that people who are not that acquainted with her could participate as well. Thank god almost the whole discography is on Spotify. I also provided links to music videos. Feel free to PM me about any tracks you can't find, I'll try to help you in searching. You can also check this blog by amazing @otenkiame if you want to look up the translations for the songs.

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST​

01 Trust Your Love
02 Go Together
03 Your Song
04 feel me
05 COLOR OF SOUL
06 My Dream
07 So Into You
08 Till Morning Comes feat. VERBAL (m-flo)
09 come back
10 TAKE BACK
11 Can't Lose
12 walk

13 STILL IN LOVE
14 It's too late



15 real Emotion
16 BOY FRIEND?
17 Your only one
18 one
19 One night romance
20 1000 no Kotoba (Original Mix) (1000の言葉; 1000 Words)
21 S.O.S ～sound of silence～
22 m・a・z・e
23 Ranhansha (乱反射; Diffused Reflection)
24 Pearl Moon
25 Nasty girl
26 To be one
27 love across the ocean

28 Every-After-Party -Rather Unique & Koda Kumi-
29 BELIEVE feat. Koda Kumi / DJ YUKATA



30 Break it down
31 Crazy 4 U
32 Rock Your Body
33 Rain
34 Without Your Love
35 Talk to you
36 Hana (華; Flower)
37 Get Out The Way
38 Sweet love...
39 Gentle Words
40 magic
41 COME WITH ME

42 Saigo no Ame (最後の雨; Last Rain) (Original: Nakanishi Yasushi)
43 Yume With You / Yume With You (R. Yamaki's Groove Mix) (夢 With You) (Original: Kubota Toshinobu)
44 SWITCH feat. Koda Kumi & Heartsdales / LISA



45 Cutie Honey (キューティーハニー) (Original: Maekawa Yoko)
46 Hot Stuff feat. KM MARKIT
47 Selfish
48 hands
49 Hearty...
50 SHAKE IT
51 Kiseki (奇跡; Miracle)
52 Trust you
53 Chase
54 LOVE HOLIC
55 24
56 Let's party
57 Believe
58 Through the sky

59 It's a small world feat. Heartsdales
60 The Theme of Sister Jill / The Theme of Sister Jill ～Love & Honey Version～
61 Yogiri no Honey (夜霧のハニー; Honey's Foggy Night) (Original: Maekawa Yoko)
62 Into your heart
63 Heat feat. MEGARYU
64 life
65 Just Go feat. Koda Kumi / JHETT aka YAKKO for AQUARIUS
66 Rainy Day feat. Koda Kumi / KM-MARKIT
67 Super Sonic -Koda Kumi & Daisuke "D.I" Imai-



68 NO TRICKS
69 Butterfly
70 flower
71 Promise
72 Star
73 the meaning of peace / the meaning of peace with BoA

74 Your Sunshine
75 Taisetsu na Kimi he (大切な君へ; To You, My Precious)

THE RATE IS COMPLETED

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Spoiler: PM-able list

01 Trust Your Love -
02 Go Together -
03 Your Song -
04 feel me -

Spoiler: PM-able list

05 COLOR OF SOUL -
06 My Dream -
07 So Into You -
08 Till Morning Comes -
09 come back -
10 TAKE BACK -
11 Can't Lose -
12 walk -

13 STILL IN LOVE -
14 It's too late -

15 real Emotion -
16 BOY FRIEND? -
17 Your only one -
18 one -
19 One night romance -
20 1000 no Kotoba -
21 S.O.S ~sound of silence~ -
22 m.a.z.e -
23 Ranhansha -
24 Pearl Moon -
25 Nasty girl -
26 To be one -
27 love across the ocean -

28 Every-After-Party -
29 BELIEVE -

30 Break it down -
31 Crazy 4 U -
32 Rock Your Body -
33 Rain -
34 Without Your Love -
35 Talk to you -
36 Hana -
37 Get Out The Way -
38 Sweet love... -
39 Gentle Words -
40 magic -
41 COME WITH ME -

42 Saigo no Ame -
43 Yume With You -
44 SWITCH -

45 Cutie Honey -
46 Hot Stuff -
47 Selfish -
48 hands -
49 Hearty... -
50 SHAKE IT -
51 Kiseki -
52 Trust you -
53 Chase -
54 LOVE HOLIC -
55 24 -
56 Let's party -
57 Believe -
58 Through the sky -

59 It's a small world -
60 The Theme of Sister Jill -
61 Yogiri no Honey -
62 Into your heart -
63 Heat -
64 life -
65 Just Go -
66 Rainy Day -
67 Super Sonic -

68 NO TRICKS -
69 Butterfly -
70 flower -
71 Promise -
72 Star -
73 the meaning of peace -

74 Your Sunshine -
75 Taisetsu na Kimi he -

 

The list of those who voted:

Spoiler

GhettoPrincess
send photo
Monkey0
Ceir
Eskiath
Sprockrooster
mi|lkshake
BoomBoX
lalaclairi_
RUNAWAY
Weslicious
ThisIsRouge
Remorque

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Album summeries/write-ups:
affection
grow into one
feel my mind
secret
Best ～first things～​

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The countdown:

75 It's a small world feat. Heartsdales
74 The Theme of Sister Jill ~LOVE & HONEY version~
73 Your Song
72 Every-After-Party / RATHER UNIQUE feat. Koda Kumi
71 come back
68 Your only one
68 Rainy Day / KM-MARKIT feat. Koda Kumi
68 It's too late
67 STILL IN LOVE
66 Yogiri no Honey
64 Saigo no Ame
64 Ranhansha
63 Through the sky
61 Believe
61 Yume With You
59 Sweet love...
59 BELIEVE / DJ YUKATA feat. Koda Kumi
58 My Dream
57 Hearty...
56 S.O.S. ～sound of silence～
55 Till Morning Comes feat. VERBAL (m-flo)
53 Can't Lose
53 Super Sonic / Koda Kumi & D.I.
50 Go Together
50 24
50 Pearl Moon
49 Rain
48 Your Sunshine
46 Talk to you
46 COLOR OF SOUL
45 feel me
44 Kiseki
43 Into your heart
40 Hana
40 life
40 Nasty girl
39 One night romance
38 So Into You
35 flower
35 Rock Your Body
35 magic
31 Get Out The Way
31 LOVE HOLIC
31 m.a.z.e
31 Taisetsu na Kimi he
29 Break it down
29 Let's Party
28 one
27 Just Go / JHETT aka YAKKO for AQUARIUS feat. Koda Kumi
25 Without your love
25 Promise
24 walk
22 BOY FRIEND?
22 To be one
21 Gentle Words
19 hands
19 Trust Your Love
18 Heat feat. MEGARYU
17 COME WITH ME
16 the meaning of peace with BoA
12 Hot Stuff feat. KM-MARKIT
12 Trust you
12 SWITCH feat. Koda Kumi & Heartsdales / LISA
12 love across the ocean
10 Star
10 TAKE BACK
9 1000 no Kotoba
8 Chase
7 Butterfly
6 Crazy 4 U
5 SHAKE IT
3 real Emotion
3 Selfish
2 RUNNER-UP
1 WINNER

​

 

reserved just in case.

 

I may make time to actually commit to doing commentary for the Queen of Live, Empress of Kyoto, Tsarina of Ero-Kakkoii and all-round Kuueen of our hearts.

 

Yes, can't wait to get into this! With the Hikaru rate ending I'm glad we have and this and the Ayu rate still going!

 

I'm in! Remind me when the deadline is approaching!

 

I'll definitely try to do this. I like most of her singles but I've never dived into her albums.

 

Let me return the favour for @evilsin and be part of this. Do not expect me to do commentary for every song cause I do not have the range.

Oh and to everyone: I only know that song from the PJ favourites rate, which is lovely. So I have no idea what is considered a fan favourite.

 

You hateful wench of a person... loving the concept though.

We can't ignore the queen of so many thing, can we? Carly dare?

YAS. You can already start rating, you know?

I surely will, hun! Glad you're on board.

She has some really awesome album tracks.

Aren't you a sweetheart? Which song was added to PJ favorites? Boom Boom Boys? It's a long way until we get to put it in a rate (PART IV apparently).

 

I might do this after taking part in the Ayumi rate. We'll see though as I have never heard a Koda Kumi song before....

 

I'll make sure to get my votes in before my amniotic fluid rots.

 

I'm actually not familiar with any of Kuu's stuff so let me ruin your rate with flop taste and low scores for fan favourites.

At least @GhettoPrincess and @Sprockrooster won't feel so bad then.

 

Please do! She surely does have quite a handful of bops.

Do you... do you even have those? This rate is going to be plagued with that awful joke about the amniotic fluids, isn't it?

Says the one with a broken hip...

I'm... shooketh. Now you guys will just have to take part, there is no other way. And the deadline is my birthday, have I mentioned that? I want presents and your scores will do.

 

I also need to tell you how I discovered what a stan I was back in the day. I couldn't find the covers for all the albums in decent quality to use in the OP, so I decided to have a look at my folder titled "Koda Kumi" and, boy, did I find everything I needed and more! Praise the Koddess.

 

I've listened to all the YouTube linked songs and I'm actually pleasantly surprised. I'll definitely try and finish this asap with my own rate coming up because I'm enjoying the majority of what I'm listening to. Watch me rate her fan fave song a low score and be the rate villain though.