Secondhand Setlists

In the book she released a decade after her debut, Kumi Koda revealed the immense pressure she faced from both her label and herself during the first few years of her career. Avex made constant comments about her weight, threatening to pull the plug any minute simply over her appearance. For her part, Koda seemed just as hard on herself. Songs like “Real Emotion” and “Crazy 4 U” charted and charted well, but when ensuing singles failed to reach the same heights, she fell into periods of doubt. To boost her confidence, she would sing Jennifer Lopez songs to herself. Learning that Kumi Koda drew strength and inspiration from JLo was like hearing the villain of Rupaul’s Drag Race Season 10 describe her runway look as “heavy metal and reflective” – things just clicked.

I am not the first to notice parallels between Kumi Koda and the recently-former Mrs. Affleck. Random J-pop, one of the most insightful, hilarious, and longstanding blogs out there, has brought up Koda and Lopez together on more than one occasion. After watching over 10 hours of Kumi Koda’s videos, I too detected some overlapping qualities. Aesthetically, both are committed to certain stylistic choices. Lopez typically sports the following: caramel brown hair, a nude lip, a turtleneck, that Versace dress, or two or more of the above at a time. Koda, meanwhile, loves black-and-blonde streaked hair, nail art, cross-shaped jewelry, and a sleeveless fur vest. Artistically, each is well-rounded; they boast singing, dancing, and songwriting credits to their names. In certain, specific roles, they adapt quickly and easily. For Lopez, that may be a dance break, a romcom, or getting married; for Koda, it’s a ballad, a tour, or overdoing it.

However, neither is defined by (nor has defined for themselves) a particular genre or craft. Instead, they excel at being themselves. Succinctly put by Hunter Harris: “Lopez is not exceptional at singing or dancing or acting, but she is very exceptional at being Jennifer Lopez, and that is a separate, unique talent.” Kumi Koda, too, thrives at being Kumi Koda. She does a number of things from decently to adeptly: singing, smiling, sensuality, and showmanship, to name some predominant traits. Yet none serve as the defining factor in who she is. When I initially began this project, I admittedly thought the Scorpio/sexy angle made sense, as most of the videos I knew of fell in that vein. Now, I’m realizing that A. I love sexy songs, and B. sexiness is far from the only thing that Koda’s putting in her videos.

If one thing sets Koda apart from the Ayus, Namies, and Hikkis of the J-Pop world, it’s her passion. She simply wants this more than anyone else and is willing to put herself out there, and through it, to do so. In 2006, she released 12 different singles and accompanying videos in just under three months. No thru-line exists between these singles sans their physical covers, where Koda is dressed up as a different culture in each’s artwork. It’s as wild as it sounds; three different singles are represented by America, Hawaii, Alaska, while there’s just one catch-all cover named “Africa.” Here, Koda demonstrates that the draw, the gimmick, the appeal is adopting of varying influences and putting them under her own umbrella. Clearly, it worked, with her Best ~ Second Session~ becoming one of her best-selling projects overall.

This interview with Anime News Network sort of gets to the heart of who she is during the ’05-’09 years. For one, she says that she’s inspired by fighting games (see the many fight scenes/combative choreo in “You”/”With Your Smile”), and that her pre-show warm up includes getting in tune with her dancers (she’s also very adamant that dancing is a sport, spoken like a real pop star). Most importantly, when asked to name her favorite costumes from her videos, she nebulously replies “They’re all my favorites at the time.” This non-response tells you everything you need to know about how we ended up with a 175-count videography. At its purest form, her identity is that of a performer, and a performer adjusts their identity based on what they think the audience wants from them.

Take for example, the Black Cherry Tour from 2007. For one, the concert DVD opens with a staged cutscene where a sort of clown-witch hybrid stands over a comatose Koda while stabbing flaming swords into the ground around her head; this scene is followed by her live at the tour, where she emerges from a pool of water and leads a team of pirates in a search for booty (the pirate kind) and booty (the contemporary kind). Narratively I have no idea where we are or where we’re going. We get a sensual, lounge jazz rendition of the iconic “Cutie Honey,” at odds with nautical theme as well as a rather underwhelming version of one of her most iconic songs. Even stranger, “Crazy 4 U,” “the song that will symbolize Kumi Koda,” is nowhere to be found in the 20+ song setlist. What would make her lave such a song off the setlist? And yet, despite missing on of her defining songs, it is considered one of her most iconic tours, which means two things: Kuu, after seven years, had enough bangers to make her fans forget about one of the classics, or her showmanship is so that good that the setlist is superfluous.

The latter point reveals another quality shares with Lopez – being a consummate performer. Watching the Black Cherry tour, you see her holding her breath underwater, leading 10+ dancers, singing her ass off, mixing and pouring 8 drinks at once, and genuinely enjoying it all (see 54:22 to see how much she loves performing). You believe her when she bites her lip, sports a huge grin, weeps in the snow, whatever scenario she’s decided to adopt for herself. In this tour alone, I see Madonna (the flowery, pastel dresses and parasols), Gwen Stefani, (sexy pirates/Rich Girl), Panic! at the Disco (Victorian/circus-themed cutscenes), and Fergie (unnecessary front flips, singing like her life depends on it).

Stacy Ferguson is another artist who shares a few qualities and parallels with Koda. They boast dancing skills that veer into acrobatics, their mics are always on (for worse or worser, sometimes), will perform through bloody knees (Koda) and pissed pants (Ferguson), and have immensely popular careers despite not having distinctive sounds of their own. Perhaps it makes sense then, that Fergie appears in one of the J-pop icon’s videos. Ironically, as far as both are concerned, it’s a relatively tame video compared to their usual fare.

During this stage of her career, Kumi Koda was peaking, releasing material at a breakneck speed as evidenced by the 61 videos you’ll find below. Her career hit a snag in 2008 when, at a radio interview, she said she wanted to have children before 35 because after that women’s amniotic fluid “goes rotten.” This comment in 2024, in America at least, would probably get you an appearance on Joe Rogan and a cabinet position. In 2008, it meant a complete suspension of promotion for Kingdom, an album seen as Koda staking her claim as one of Japan’s biggest artists of the time. Many see this as a beginning of a decline for Koda, who began to see lesser returns on her sales as we entered the 2010s.

Yet she perseveres to this day, a true show girl dedicated to her craft, which is giving you as much Kumi Koda as she can. Regardless of whether or not it’s all good, there’s more than enough of it that, if you can’t find something you enjoy, that’s a you problem.

2005-2009

18. “Hands” (Morita)

• Hairclips in a front-facing camera situation. She’s a star, but she’s unhappy
• Crying with her digital camera is a very millennial thing to do
• The gold eagle necklace (or owl)! She can’t hlep but imagine her team making fun of her, so she flees into a neon green bathroom.
• She’s wearing Christmas boots (one red one green)
• She remembers a guy from her past – she also separates from herself and dances in the bathroom. Other pop stars aren’t doing this
• OK, did she drive him away or did he die? Because his presence just ‘tapped’ her. I don’t get it

19. “Trust You” (Kubo)

• They walk into the room where they shot the opening scenes of “Bad Romance.” There’s a lungfish swimming in front of the TV, which they turn on using a Wii-mote
• This outfit is soooo Final Fantasy
• “pleasure’s mine… once again” >>>>
• This kick drum could level buildings
• She gets her own pimp outfit with a pink, copped to the side fedora
• This is so “Goodies” in the beat
• Breaking through the TV to give the voyeurs a real show is how you do it

20. “Just Go” (Masaki õkita)

• Another Misteeq beat
• The Black and White is an interesting Sin City touch
• Again, the synth drones through the production just like “Goodies”
• She’s part of a biker gang. And Jhett has braids that look very glued on his head via a wig cap
• The crunk era got over to Japan pretty quickly

21. “Hot Stuff” (Kubo)

• This is “Get Right” with the cropped, fur-lined hood, red leather jacket. Cheer hat
• The choreo is great and slutty. She opens a guy’s fly but then pushes him off
• The flashlight moment is kinda inspired – it makes her look extremely cool
• She looks in his boxers and laughs – something Jordan Peterson would cry over

22. “Butterfly” (Kubo)

• Maybe her first relatable apartment
• We’re revisiting the retro vibes of “Cutie Honey” in terms of sound
• The blue butterfly winds are remarkable for the time
• She was horny taking out that lipgloss – Scorpio antics
• The red glasses look invented Office Siren
• Is she supposed to be the teacher leading the students in dance??
• Mama, your phone’s too close to the bathtub
• The wet garage fantasy scene >>>>>
• She looks incredible in the siren look

23. “Promise” (Tadokoro)

• A runaway bride, a widow?
• Why are her nails are the same in the flashback?
• The mourning look is a slay, the big pearl on her finger is a hilarious detail
• She’s in front of her mirror, she’s at the pulpit – she’s been hurt goddamit.

24. “Star” (Tadokoro)

So she’s just siting in a window with some purple stars in the sky, the window pillar directly between her legs, of course. This is commonly referred to as the “short version” despite the fact that a long version does not exist.

25. “You” (Kubo)

• An actor from Battle Royale (Takashi Tsukamoto) is in this, along with an actor from the sequel (Shugo Oshinari) and Shogen. The bar they’re at looks like the one from “Juicy,” the Coyote Ugly-looking video, etc.
• Finally we’re getting the more complete blonde bangs and layered hair look
• She’s out in the snow in nothing but her sleeveless fur coat and knit cap, as is her custom
• The silk sheets going from green to yellow to blue to black >>>>>
• Her little turquoise green robe is giving famous Versace JLo dress
• She actually ugly cries in this
• The drama of the flip phone
• And he just misses her! And she lets their photos fly into the wind
• This video is the first, though not chronologically the first, of a trilogy

26. “Birthday Eve” (Sunaga)

• She’s got that fur cap from the video before
• This sterile pastel room and her being a “pink” presence feels like a Kyary precursor
• This is a big band house number. Great breakdown with a good guitar solo, and then a bridge
• So sehe’s living her entire life in this tiny room – now she’s cooking!
• There’s a wrestler on a treadmill/elliptical in the room next door, not sure of his purpose
• The blue outfit with the “off the shoulder” sleeve does not match and the sleeve doesn’t look like it’s being worn right.
• Material girl reference with the pink dress and “suitors”
• Poor sad wrestler and his unwanted flowers at the end – *Another thing we will learn is that Kumi Koda can be very casually rude and cruel in her videos.*

27. “D.D.D” ft Soulhead (Ryuji Seki)

• All three artists are three gems. Literally, they’re represented by three gems like the goddesses from Ocarina of Time
• Her dancing in a vaguely Native American look in front of a prison of horny, hot men <<<<<
• They’re in a torture chamber – 100 Days of Koda
• The flogger room with the sailor hat is a cunty look.
• “I do what I wanna do” – yes they are. They’re the Salo girls in charge of this Silent Hill sex chamber.
• Key change

28. “Shake It Up” (Tadokoro)

• She’s at the textile mill? I mean she does keep busy in a way that suggests there’s no oversight…
• Trapped by her arm to a rope from the ceiling (“But” does this later)
• She’s watching herself, with herself, from another room. The vibe in the room is Magenta + Columbia
• The just black hair looks wonderful on her, it’s a shame she prefers to skunk it up
• Now another ‘her’ is looking at ‘her’ in a clock
• She herself is made of string – le gasp
• Now the voyeur girls are watching themselves, led by string-Kumi in dance. Is this set the same as “Cutie Honey”?

29. “Lies” (Kubo)

• Part two of the saga that started with “You”
• The new love interest in a knife-thrower
• The velvet magenta room is very Queen of Hip Pop, revealed to be part of a club. She is putting on a show for even her fake audiences
• The harpsichord returns again
• She looks incredible with bangs and a little collared outfit
• Many of these scenes are told through glass shards – motif sighting!
• She cuts herself in the shower – the second cut after the initial knife throw
• Are those the other suitors’ photos above their bed? I love recurring motifs
• Ridiculous makeup line on her face in the shower
• She handcuffs him to her shelves – very Kelly Rowland of her – and she throws the knife between his legs
• Puts her zebra cardigan on and dips out

30. “Feel” (Kubo)

• And we have Part 3, which I think is the real part three (“Lies” is part 1, despite coming second)
• Lounge singer moment, perfect for a brassy gal like Fergie Kumi
• The red of her dress does not match her maroon fedora
• She’s dancing against a big, acrylic, cursive statue of the word ‘Feel.’ I love how extra she is
• The synth keys in this give it a little chill that I enjoy
• Are those tears or sweat on her hands when she’s in bed with him – it’s definitely sweat over her belly-button piercing
• Who is the frumpy girl at the end? Was she the singer all along?

31. “Candy ft Mr. Blistah” (Kubo)

• “Princess in a kingdom of clouds” hello, Tove Lo!
• This Where the Wild Things Are-looking dragon…
• Okay we’re getting a Bollywood-themed number again. Except this dance number is taking place in a hotel atrium
• The “no, no” choreography while v-voguing the vagina is a mixed signal
• The hair is downright skunk in this
• More pop stars with swords would improve things – glad we have FKA twigs taking that up at least.
• The blue Nordstrom number while her gals are in black bras and Indian-style pant is so weird – we get it, you stick out in this culture you’re appropriating
• Why does the dragon have a ‘Rum’ necklace?
• Omg is Princess Kumi the girl in the previous trilogy?

32. “No Regret” (Mutō, Hidetaka Tahara)

• DnB number!
• This Cruella DeVille coat that she’s wearing to the sewer rave… and she has time to change into a dress with pants soon after arrival
• The leather boots are JLo. Even the frizzy curls are a bit Jenny
• 1:30 great shot
• The jean shorts underneath the pink skirt, over the black tights – it’s really the mid-aughts and all their layers.
• She’s fighting these guys like Mei from House of Flying Daggers with her flow-y sleeves

33. “Ima Sugu Hoshii” / “I Want It Now” (Shūichi Tan)

• That red “glove” that just looks like electrical tape
• The man with the dragon tattoo – the hands on the hips is a little *orders dessert*
• She’s in another feather headpiece…
• This setting of her in red with flashing lights on the walls is giving Budget “Hot Honey Rag”
• He’s with a man! Okay gag
• One of her first real raps in a video. “S-E-X”
• “Lick me/Take me from the bottom” ..!
• “big guy/It guy” is a great line, if that’s what I heard
• And so she’s admiring these suitors with a grandmother and two children?

34. Soulhead – “XXX” (Seki)

• We’re back in the 120 Days of J-Pop chamber
• The guitar on this is a bit more enjoyable.
• 2:17 perfect shot

35. “Kamen” ft. Tatsuya Ishii / “Mask”(Seki)

• She’s in love with the Phantom of the Opera
• The chorus starts out like Celine’s “All Coming Back To Me Now”
• This entire video is like a Ferrero Roche(?) commercial, color scheme-wise, except for the blue on the side of her hair – why she has it is anyone’s guess
• Oh she gets her own mask too. It’s a choice to have the mask’s handle look very flagella-like
• She had to show off the nails at 3:55
• LMFAO they cover their faces with the mask to “kiss.” It’s a bit ironic to have a kiss of all things be hidden in a Kumi Koda video
• The first video we get with a full set of credits

36. “Wind” (Kubo)

• Her little doggy returns!
• She’s in what looks like a comic book scene. First a school chem lab, then the park with her dog
• She found a seed and planted it. What grows out of it? A Piranha plant
• Okay so she’s trying to go to space – now she has jetboots.
• In her attempts, she has
  • shrunk herself
  • made her dog huge
  • shot a holographic whale into the sky
• Key earrings – are they both different keys too?

37. “Someday” (Kubo)

• The “You” saga continues. Now from a yellow convertible in the fields of Kansas.
• We’re getting an alternate ending to “You” – now she sees him in the air as she throws away the photos.
• So it turns out she goes back to all of them. Or so we think…

38. “Koi no Tsubomi” / “Love Buds” (Seki)

• This blue star number is giving Rosalia (Mario series, not Vila-Tobella)
• Lee Hyori would steal this color scheme for “U Go Girl” a few years later
• Great little skittering beat and piano melody
• Their “dolls” are alive, Tinkerbell-style. And she grants their wish by making their outfits *beautiful* (*Sexy)
• Disco strings come mid-way for a little more fun
• 3:08 Look at the reflection to her left – is there an extra or production worker off to the side of the room where the Rosalia-looking Kumi is? Is that an accident?

39. “Nigyo-Hime” / “Two Fish Princesses” (Tadakoro)

• The spiky ‘do is brand new, as is the horror concept for her. The Uncle Fester-looking scientist looks like he’s doing Frankenstein type shit
• At :44, is Uncle Fester holding a wall dildo?
• Kumi is somehow trapped in a salon chair while cameras film her. There were restraints on her legs, but that wasn’t really clear before
• There’s a masked character dress in white that feels a bit Cirque Du Soleil / Gaga “Paparazzi” at the VMAs
• Fester is eating fire, so maybe the circus comparison is apt
• 3:01 The curtain bangs with the wavy frame on the side is a great look
• This video is feverish because it draws from “Toxic” (see: 3:20) but visually feels like a precursor to “Disturbia.”
• Both the circus angel and Fester are now being serenaded by spiky Kumi
• She turns into sand, or maybe salt? She could be Lot’s Wife. There’s a split second where a babydoll is seen lying on the floor, but that also disappears. This woman is not taken seriously enough as an adherent of absurdism

40. “Juicy” (Kubo)

• The peach, the bottle, the dickprint, the peace patch on the bucket hat.
• I showed this to a friend once, and after a few minutes they went “This is Xtina.”
• Another big Chaos Emerald-looking gem, this time the guy’s holding it
• The guys eat the choreo for a little bit. Honestly everyone’s serving here
• The boots are another thing that JLo would wear
• The bed scenes are so random
• Okay the scenes where she’s illuminated in the doorway surrounded by her men is something to behold
• When she changes to the blonde it doesn’t quite make sense but she looks good so, who cares
• This choreo goes one step above suggestive to demand-ive.
• And she robs them!

41. “With Your Smile” (Kubo)

• Picking up where “Juicy” left off. She sets of in her Mad Max wagon.
• The little braids with the ski goggles – a throwback to Rikku from the FFX video.
• This song is a dance song, a rock number, and a big band feature – it’s wonderful, can’t believe I’ve overlooked this one all these years. When she’s feeling the beat sitting on her car in her little hat, I felt that
• A new cutscene to a beach – how she got here we don’t know. But she keeps smiling with those two pieces of the map/treasure
• Fighting off the other treasure hunters with a whip is very Kumiana Jones of her
• “To Be Continued” in the Kumi cinematic universe

42. “I’ll Be There” (Kubo)

• A beautiful water shot, great nails, cute fit. One of her best opening visuals
• Another mid-tempo R&Ballad
• Her ankle-deep in this little lagoon area is so good, Kubo ate with this one
• The evening headband is a little surprise, not a great one
• 3:17 Someone else is at the beach!
• There was a book lying in the water, I bet it gives her magical powers – a Kumi Koda sorcery video would snap

43. “Yume no Uta” / “Dream Song” (Kensuke Kawamura)

• Reporting to you live from the European Beer Terrace, Spibble
• My kingdom for the chance to T9 text my boo on my flip phone.
• She stares down the camera for a good 10 seconds, phone in-hand. Performer. The lip bite!
• She can’t recognize the person she sees in the reflection of a car, quelle tragique
• The color saturation in the flashback is so bad, the shapes just bleed into each other
• Don’t run into oncoming traffic! She caused a huge accident, two cars are totaled, she’s dead, and her man is crying over her dead body. Scorpio antics!
• Her ghost walking off in her felt fur jacket, more antics *upon further research this is not her ghost*

44. “Futari de…” / “Two People…” (Kawamura)

• This more or less being the video from before confused me for a solid 5 minutes
• The hair extensions don’t blend with the little pixie cut she has going
• My roommate’s girlfriend just walked in and said “It’s giving JLo.” She’s not beating the allegations
• So this lucky that this Kumi manages to dodge the traffic
• Why are they sitting at the front of a restaurant delivery garage? And why two Kumis? Didn’t the other one die?

45. Exile & Kumi Koda – “Won’t Be Long” (Ishii)

• Blingy coins to start the show?
• Another great great horn number
• Her hair looks awesome here. Exile has a surprisingly musical theater voice (vibrato) for the vibe he’s projecting
• Something about this set reminds me of so many K-pop vids to come – the light stage is giving “Amoled,” “Fire,” and “Lollipop,” while the bar area is reminding me of “Vari2ty.” Even some of the choreo is giving “I Am The Best”
• The dancer in the beanie has great footwork and footwear
• The rainbow harem pants, not sure about those though.

46. “Unmei” / “Destiny” (Tomoo Noda)

• Player piano and Latin guitar – it’s about to get serious
• Shoutout the salt lamp – ahead of her time
• Who is the blonde girl? Who’s the vampire? These children? Their smiles are unsettling
• I’m guessing these are just supposed to be weird figurines that Kumi collects, like statues your grandma collects that only she thinks are cute
• Okay we’re introducing some heavy metal instrumentation to this ballad. And the vampire lady is crying
• Just realized Kumi’s wearing a cross necklace, motif recurs again
• Her arms have a lot to say about whatever is happening here
• Broken glass finishes the video – another motif motif-ing

47. “Twinkle feat. Show” (Yasuhiro Aoki)

• This is a mane of hair. This beat is sweet
• I love this explosive collage of visuals. It takes me back to Kid Pix Deluxe
• Prechorus is perfect with her just holding her face stationary in front of the camera
• This is a great simple visual that does exactly what it needs for this song. The breakdown where they become all pastel-esque is quite lovely

48. “Cherry Girl” (Shuka Takahata)

• Is that a Delorean? I do not know cars at all
• Coyote Ugly is really an easy, fun concept for music videos that artists could take more advantage of. But this is more than just one early aughts chick flick – she’s also the leader of her own Charlie’s Angels
• She absolutely love wearing that military hat
• There’s what sounds like a whiplash on the offbeat, it’s a slinky effect that works for a Kumi Koda song (because it’s sensual)
• We’ve not gotten a full body shot of this black-top number
• 2:41 Grapes. She actually makes eating them look really hot
• 3:30 The Jameson bottle is the MVP of this whole video
• Is this a go kart or a smart car?

49. Show Lo ft. Kumi Koda – “Twinkle” Solo Version (Electronik)

More or less the same as the previous “Twinkle” video. There does feel like there’s a lacking to it, like the man’s presence is missed. But the silhouettes of her dancing solo in the bridge are effective.

50. “Get Up & Move!!” (Kawamura)

• The budget evaporated for this video. Avex said “You’ve made 30 music videos in 2 years. You can use these two sets and this costume trunk”
• The top hat is so funny, it’s very 2000s. Maybe she was paying attention to Panic! At the Disco. The raccoon tail on the back of it is even funnier
• The little fixed camera moments where they overlay CGI effects on her and the dancers is so much more engaging that the switching between the basic black and white sets. The night set honestly looks low budget

Dance break – “Crazy 4 U,” “Juicy,” “So Into,” “Selfish,” “Candy”

I won’t really get into these because they’re more or less the other videos, just choreo-heavy. That said, the dancing in “Crazy 4 U” and “Juicy” are both so good that I would recommend watching them for this at least.

The “Selfish” video is not quite just a dance video. She’s now a vampire, a storyline that’s told much more clearly in what’s supposed to be the ‘dance’ version. She eventually bites into one of her masked concubines.

She and her dancers are like sexy Power Rangers.

Wow, she does a front walkover, in boots no less.

51. “But” (Tadokoro)

• As in “Shake It Up,” she once again is trapped by a cable hanging from the ceiling
• The beat on this is wonderful until it gets to the chorus and then it lumbers and lurches.
• The turquoise pleather jacket is a great look with this hair. She also has her own disco stick, and it’s rainbow – Gaga could have taken note.
• Truly out of pocket having her attendants alternate by white person, black person… she’s out of her mind
• The breakdown from 2:34 to 2:54 is absolutely perfect, with a shot at 2:49 that captures the essence of what Kumi Koda is – overwhelmed and overstimulated by the music, which is something I relate to
• Oh her attendants almost kiss! She really was letting the people know that gays exist back in 2007

52. “Aisho” / “Favorite Book” (Noda)

• Seems we’re going for a more traditional Japanese setting here. The nails maybe aren’t quite on theme in that sense
• The parrot turning its head to the beat of a guitar riff – that’s cinema.
• She’s wearing three layers of kimonos – gotta be sweltering under all that
• She’s smoking something – opium?
• This vaguely real bird flying off into an Edo-style art scene begins a bit corny but it transforms into nice to look at

53. “Freaky” (Tadokoro)

• Not the Faye Musk hair
• She appears to be getting interrogated by the three Amigos
• Somehow she teleports away from them. Inexplicably they find her, but it turns out that the amigos are actually her friends, who join her for some dancing down a castle courtyard
• A few throwbacks to her old work – butterfly makeup on her eyes, the front handspring from the “Selfish” video
• This is how you get freaky: dancing around abandoned mansions with your gender-bending friends in your mid-aughts P!nk haircut

54. “Run For You Life” (Kubo)

• Another more “Twinkle” esque video .
• She looks like she’s in LA, the Spanish style houses, the palm trees, diverse friend group
• These shorter, more angular blonde haircuts make her look much older
• The aquamarine dress needs to lose the blue band at the waist and it would be a knockout
• She concludes this video by going off with a guy who has a lip piercing

55. “Ai No Uta” / “Love Song” (Noda)

• ‘Tear Drops’ shop, in a black and white setting
• The giant teardrop chandelier, the teardrop dangle nails, a bit on the nose, but alright
• There’s this weird, digitized arpeggio at the end of each 8-count that sticks out in a strange way against this otherwise very standard adult contemporary ballad
• This woman is always outside when it’s precipitating

56. “Last Angel” ft. Tohoshinki (Morita)

• Her Sin City moment
• This ponytail from behind straight down her back – not beating the JLo allegations. The sunnies are cool in a geometric way, especially with the ring light being reflected in them.
• The doorknock beat at the end of the chorus is a nice effect to this dance number
• The last dance break makes her look amazing – the cut-off white tank
• *Kumi’s K-pop crossover blows Namie’s out of the water. Not that the latter cares about that or about anything regarding her music career anymore.*

57. “Anytime” (Kubo)

• This little bob with bangs offers a cute framing of her face
• Something about this video also screams LA
• Don’t love these yellow overalls, or that green and magenta cardigan
• Kumi Koda loves a kitchen. I would absolutely devoir that French toast and ice cream
• 2:00 Not the bedhead and the PJs – that hand she puts through her hair says it all…
• The bleepy melodies that pour out of the second chorus are very pretty, more of those please
• You know, she’s almost a complete contrast to Namie Amuro in the sense that Namie looks miserable in every video (except for like, one frame in “Can’t Sleep, Can’t Eat”) while Kumi couldn’t be happier to perform for you

58. “Introduction for Kingdom” (Yoshiya Okoyama)

• I’ve liked quite a few of her animated videos so let’s see how this one goes
• Mariah whistle note at the beginning, wonder if that’s actually Kumi
• So we’re just getting visuals of her sleeping
• This felt more like a commercial rather than a music visual

59. “Anytime” (Kubo)

• Really unsure why this needed to be recut, even if there are two “different versions”
• Her backing away on that diving board, scissors in hand, is giving me anxiety
• She sniffed this sweater and nearly started crying… can’t really place why that would be
• Dressing up in a bunny suit and running around with a bottle of liquor – that is one way to do indie sleaze

60. “Under” (Hirotaka Takada)

• The hooded yellow jumpsuit is something Kylie would wear the fuck out of. The way she’s laying on that spinning circle is also very Minogian
• This lurching, screeching beat is terrific
• Oh the splits! Okay mama!
• Her hair is is a bit of a mullet when you see if from the side
• We just got a shot of a panther with flesh in it’s mouth?? *2:34 my bad, the lighting and it’s saliva made it look more like gore that I realized at first watch
• I admire that she made “a tacit understanding” one of her English lyrics
• I get it, she’s supposed to be the panther, got it, got it

61. “Koi no Mahō” / “Magic of Love” (Tadokoro)

• She’s on a great date, good for her, after all she’s been through in the past 7 years
• They have her shopping at Williams and Sonoma, I assume
• This video only has her in some pretty tame nails
• Is she some sort of street vendor in this asymmetrical black hat?
• That parrot decoration looked like a fish rather than a bird. Would love to meet who’s actually shopping here
• Really not sure who the faceless man is supposed to be

62. “Himitsu” / “Secret” (Tadokoro)

• We’re back to black and white
• So it’s an inversion of “Koi no Mahō.” She’s at dinner but the photo umbrellas suggest she’s filming, not enjoying this meal
• She’s got feelings for the service worker – a benevolent pop star
• This Josephine Baker headpiece and dress
• What’s the server hushing her for? For leaving without paying?
• Oh she’s back home and she caught a man doing something, not sure what though
• Now she’s alone in a crowd – been there girl
• But she makes it back to the restaurant, where the server gives her some chunky, ugly earrings. Happily ever after

63. “More” (Yoshiya Okoyama)

• The fiery intro font made me think this would be a bit steamier
• She’s in the Shadow Temple in couture. That’s one way to win the Legend of Zelda
• Woah, that hair is frizzy!
• She gets shot with a rose that turns her into a phoenix. So the fire in the opening title card was meant to be literal
• This animation is like an old PC game
• Okay but the scene of her floating, that was gaggy

64. “Amai Wana” / “Sweet Trap” (Tadokoro)

• Fabulous beat, great skittering tempo, strong kickdrum, and vaguely middle eastern strings
• The way she just pushes that other girl out of the way to talk to that man!? Rudi Koda!
• She heads to another room to hide from this guy, who is incapable of opening a swinging door.
• “Tell me, why are you talking to that girl whom you were talking to before I butted in??”
• This outfit is simultaneously granny (the colors, the feathers) and 17-years-old (costume jewelry, enormous belt)
• This song is so much better than the video
• For some reason something glass shatters at the end, presumably her necklace, but the glass shards are all we see so who can be sure *god she loves shattered glass*

65. “Anata ga Shite Kureta Koto”/”The Things You Did for Me” (Tadokoro)

• Now entering, the panopticon
• So this is part of the “Himitsu” storyline
• A very strong pre-chorus on this song. And the syncopated beat that comes in on the chorus is sick
• This book looks like it supposed to be a novel but the figures in it look like Almanac figures. When the book blows up, she’s much less distressed than I would be
• The machinery of this panopticon is bizarre. We’re shown a big sign that says: “Warning: When abnormality occurred to a memory machine, this lamp turn on”
• The book comes back, and something else shatters, lord knows what or why
• This spiky, slick-backed hair with the red nails and red dress is a strong look

66. “Wonderland” (Natsuki Kida)

• Another animated video, this time much closer to Super Mario Bros, mushrooms and venus flytraps and all.
• These church bells over this bubbly production is a genius way to add some joy to this song. And when they descend chromatically? >>>>
• The candy house is a precursor to “California Gurls”
• The mushrooms are grooving too, they can’t resist this holy beat* (*church bells)!
• She keeps pointing to things off screen, and it’s never clear if her target is the white rabbit or the freaky eyed elephant. Naturally she never catches either so we’re left wondering what would have happened had she done so

67. “Moon Crying” (Tadokoro)

• We find our heroine once again in bed. But she has plain nails! So the production team left her some Essies on the bed to get herself dolled up – no budget for makeup this time!
• She should be wearing this little angular bob more. With the leather jacket, YG entertainment saw this and said “We’re gonna base an entire 2NE1 member around this look.”
• I believe her tears. She must be devastated – I mean her nails are just a plain matte black
• Her man is hot. I’d be gutted too
• Her moving outfit: H&M scarf, extra long vest, cropped golf shorts
• She really ate up in this gold dress and putting some curls in her bob
• His little shit-eating grin looking at her through the fishtank. She’s acting her ass off here
• You have to give it to Kumi, she is a showgirl

68. “That Ain’t Cool” ft. Fergie (Fatima Robinson)

• “Featuring Feagie”
• It’s wild that Fatima Robinson directed this
• Another whole video that takes place in a parking garage. The friends spying is a bit “girl” by Destiny’s Child
• Fergie will take any opportunity to lay down and stretch her leg out
• The friend dragging the baton across the guardrail – it’s going down in the parking lot
• The Fergie heel grab! Something Shakira would do in the “She Wolf” video
• It’s kinda fucked up that Fergie gets to hang in the control room while Kumi is just, in the front seat of a car, from what I can tell
• This could be a Real Housewives single – it could be any of them
• 2:05, that shot of Kumi in the car is perfect
• 3:14, Ladies and gentlemen, Jojo Siwa and Minzy

69. “Taboo” (Tadokoro)

• The fancy Victorian vibes are great for this video
• I love the way her hair is pushed over the side, with her little star earring like she’s Liv from Skins
• I would love to club in this bathroom
• 1:20, classic Kumi Koda move (fanning the face to the side and then snapping back to face the camera)
• 1:23 I’ve always thought this bathroom extra looked like Tyra Banks
• The pleather girl scout outfit in the Target room. This is an iconic scene
• I also would love it if someone licked my leg
• 2:00, this is how you match a video to a song
• Scandal! it’s two boys!
• The “Can’t stop how I feel” before the final chorus- what a moment
• Another round of excellent choreo and hairography
• Still so good 15 yeas later…

70. “Stay With Me” (Tadokoro)

• Okay love this room, love the hair, this is a set you can get into
• I would love to have a lilac Krzr in 2024 *looks at my iPhone with disdain
• Clearly the Krzr or whatever brand of phone we’re seeing here is sponsoring this video
• 1:37 that lean into the bedframe looked painful
• A classic scene – Kumi Koda in the snow, wearing a fluffy/furry fit, without sleeves
• Saaang mama
• Well, he’s not on the metro train, so it’s time to go somewhere else to film this video
• That ending is slightly creepy, could you not be so sneaky around her, Mr. love interest?

71. “Show Girl” (Tadokoro)

• Ah a silent film throwback
• The tears effect was cool, it’s fun and visually appealing, and isn’t just shattering glass
• If you stood in front of a speaker, this synth could slap you on the ass
• Another fur
• This song feels like her thesis statement: furs, old school classic sounds given a contemporary flourish, On Being a Performer
• This purple silk robe with all her backup dancers feels very “New Rules“
• Oh no, Mr. Man, she’s too famous for you.
• These fake magazines, I would like to see more of them rather than just a passing glance. If only to giggle at them
• The offbeat snare drum is great
• She practically ripped her top off to put on that weird necklace
• There’s something a little “Heartbreaker” about the whole thing – the shimmering glamour, the theater color scheme, Kumi simply being amazed by everything happening to her without instigating much. And once again, she’s being kinda rude (see “Amai Wana”) and getting rewarded for it – a diva!
• The way she gets a film credit for every single thing. Gotta respect it

72. “Just the Way You Are” (Seki)

• Another great beat, the muffled instrumental over the slapping percussion is an interesting effect
• This mime sweater is cool, but the necklace is meh
• Is this the first time we’ve seen her in ponytails?
• Those swinging chair rides are so nauseating – I tried riding one five years ago and thought I was gonna hurl over the whole park.
• People in videos, shows, movies, always win a big bear at the amusement park
• It’s refreshing for her to do a video more focused on friendship, switches things up from the usual romance

73. Kumi Koda x Misono “It’s All Love” (Tadokoro)

• A first, with her sister
• This is their “Scream.” Grey color scheme, aggressive sound, the dual dancing scenes (even kneeling choreo)
• 1:04 “Which Choose” – “Vs Room” – this TV screen is just spouting nonsense
• What is this wig they’ve put Misono in the multicolored room? What are all the wigs this poor girl has to wear in this video? Her top braid is what I would consider the opposite of a rat-tail.
• The hairdryers as weapons reminds me of Totally Spies, they’re even putting them to their own heads like they’re guns
• This song has gone through so many genres before it gets to this 3:30 breakdown
• Saying “damn,” then proceeds to give the most lukewarm dance break – once again, Kumi Koda always knows how to keep us asking ourselves “why would you do that?”

74. “Faraway” (Hirotaka Takada)

• The softness of this song is odd with this angular metal structure in what appears to be the nighttime. The music is adult contemporary but the setting is abandoned town
• They really needed to sharpen up this floating-above-the-water nonsense, whatever cable she’s hanging from is not stable
• Is ocean Kumi singing to Silent Hill Kumi? Because they’re “so far away?”
• She does the flying thing better in “More”
• They ran out of budget for this video based on the number of repeat shots of her “flying”

75. “Lick Me” (Kubo)

• This pastel color scheme fits wonderfully with the song. And all her dresses up through the first chorus have been cute. The color striped socks where the colors wind up the leg are different, not sure I’ve seen anything like that before
• The heavy guitar that comes in post-chorus – Japan’s been doing hyperpop for years
• 2:00 Bitter Chocolate Girl looks like she listens to Jewel

76. “Ecstasy” (Inoue)

• Chaise lounge that looks like a gravy pourer. ‘Tis the season to be thinking about such things
• This is one of my favorite Kumi Koda songs. The siren that plays just underneath all the rest of the song >>>>>
• The avant-garde fashion shoot reminded me that Gaga was indeed taking over at this time in pop culture
• The white goo is something only Kumi Koda would ever do. And doing it in mullet no less
• She finds a gun in the goo because of course she does. And then a flower
• 2:57, she finally shows us what it looks like to run your fingers through the goo. We’d been wondering
• 3:14 – perfect visual to song pairing

77. “Hashire” / “Run” (Seki)

• We seem to have gone back to the late ’90s, early 2000s Vengabus/S Club Seven visuals
• 1:20 She looks so tan. This look is notably more late aughts, “Just Dance,” LMFAO core – neon, big sunnies
• This bridge is really nice, I wish they worked that restraint into more of the song
• The background of this BBall scene is way too fake. And the outfits aren’t good either, they look like PJs, or the scrubs that a nurse would wear
• Why is the basketball net red, white, and blue?

78. “Alive” (Noda)

• Nature, the universe, a pan flute – things are getting real deep
• The way she’s in the Serengeti and simultaneously under the northern lights. A woman of the world
• The lack of dancers and visibly fake scenes again suggesting that the budget is a bit dryer than before
• 1:55 Another cool tear effect, a bit prettier than the “Show Girl” tears
• 2:38 these roots are way too ominous for how sad this song sounds. I don’t trust these little pink bulbs blossoming up
• This was an objectively not good video

79. “Physical Thing” (Seki)

• This Blackout beat >>>>>> *DJ Masa made a great mashup of this with “3”
• The looks in this are so dated but I do think she looks good in all of them.
• Even the style of the video, once again a very “Just Dance” vibe – simple visuals,
• 2:14 those grapes looked like a turd and she’s just shoving them in her mouth
• “Is that Mariah Carey” -my roommate’s girlfriend walking into the living room just now.

Final Thoughts

Well, I’ve spent a long time trying to categorize who Kumi Koda is in the above essay, and while I’ve picked up on some motifs and interests in her videography, these 61(!) videos reveal an artist who’s not looking to be boxed in. Perhaps that is to her detriment – by 2009, we really have no definitive idea of who she is. But who among us can say who we really truly are? The person we think ourselves to be is often way different than how the world perceives us. I, for one, consider myself a friendly, open book, but I’ve had more than one person tell me that I’m intimidating and hard to read; maybe we Scorpios, Koda and I, must bear this cross.

That said, writer Danielle Chelosky’s essay on Tumblr and the impossibility of categorizing yourself might be applicable here. Kumi Koda cannot be confined to a single definition, and in an age of categories, cliques, and brands, maybe her resistance is an artistic statement in and of itself.

My 10 Favorites

1. “Taboo” (everything, the music, the outfits, the choreo, the coochie, is tight on this one. It’s hard to overstate how much this video impacted me at age 15)
2. “Ecstasy” (honestly, see the above)
3. “Show Girl (her thesis statement, who she is at this point: a girl who loves performing. Sometimes that’s all a musician needs to be)
4. “Butterfly” (as with “Taboo”/”Ecstasy,” looks and moves are on-point; she really does give office siren. Secondly, it reinforces that morpho blue butterflies are to Kumi Koda what Jaguars are to Victoria Monet: integral)
5. “Twinkle” (simply one of her better animated videos, which are always a pleasant switch up from her walking around in the snow or staring wistfully out a window of one of her many apartments)
6. “I’ll Be There” (Truly lovely opening shot. She’s got so many lackluster-looking “natural” settings that the water scene just stands out for how pretty it is)
7. “Hot Stuff” (simple and effective – you get some good moves and dramatic lighting and bam, you have a visual)
8. “Last Angel” (see #7 – when the music is good and the visual is simple, magic can happen)
9. “Moon Crying” (as ridiculous as it may come across, she’s still giving us more emotion than most pop stars will bother to give us even in a live performance. I believe her when she cries!)
10. “Juicy” (despite everything I’ve written above, if you really did want to convey the essence of Kumi Koda in a video to someone unfamiliar with her, you could get awfully close by showing them this)