Straight to video - an ode to Kumi Koda, Part 3 (2010-'14)

To provide an idea of the immensity of Kumi Koda’s videography, it took me 6+ hours just to get through her 2000s output; it took nearly double that to watch it in its entirety. That, coupled with the time it’s taken me to write each of these installments, is the most time I’ve perhaps spent with any one artist for a journalistic piece. Much to think about…

The bulk of Koda’s videography came out between ’05 and ’09, an era that feels like its sweet spot. It’s a bit of a shame in the ensuing years how few things stick out like her previous videos. Looking back, what makes this all the more frustrating was that Koda, by 2010 a music video veteran, seemed ideally situated to use visual mediums to bring herself to wider audiences, and maybe give fans a few more memorable songs.

By 2008, the second Hallyu, or Korean Wave, was underway, and the States lay in its path. BoA entered the studio with Sean Garrett and performed at SF Pride, SNSD and ShinEE picked up songs written by Kesha and Bebe Rexha, and Wonder Girls opened for the Jonas Brothers. Pop music from Asia was making strides towards the US market, and YouTube played a major roll in its success. Back then, YouTube recommendations were worth a damn. Watch a J-pop video, and you could be introduced to BoA or Mandopop singer Jolin Tsai. Fans would also stitched together these artists’ videos and set them to Justin Timberlake and Nadia Oh. I learned about countless different acts thanks to these fanmade wonders, including the artifact below.

_{This video was uploaded to YouTube 17 YEARS AGO. Put it in the Smithsonian.}

YouTube’s influence on musical tastes in the 2000s is immeasurable, and K-pop was well-suited for the platform. The genre’s videos weave together basic choreography, some of the most beautiful faces you’ve ever seen, and even advertisements to appeal to fans. The colorful thumbnails and synthetic, glossy sounds enraptured me during formative years, so much so that I’ll never forget the dance moves to “Step.” It was like the perfect time for a visual force like Koda to bulldoze her way into Americans’ minds via the democratized world of video sharing.

Yet, that didn’t happen. A few things can account for this. One, Japan is not known for prioritizing digital media. Koda’s labelmate, fellow J-pop titan Ayumi Hamasaki, only just had her complete videos put on YouTube in 2019 despite debuting at the same time as Koda. Koda’s team, too, only put her own videos “officially” on their platform within this same time period. This means that for many years, fans lacked access to these videos, seriously limiting their potential reach.

Personally, I believe Koda’d have had better luck with more straightforward, formulaic dancing videos. Listeners love a built-in choreography (Macarena, Cha Cha Slide, Hot 2 Go) and K-pop, using coordinated, simple dance moves, adopted this to great results. Conversely, Koda often uses more intricate movements and different sequences for each chorus. In that way, her music lacked the ease-of-access of a video like “Gee.” The videos that kept me up past my bedtime at that time sought out the highs of a flashmob or an episode of Skins, and I don’t doubt many people sought the same simple, communal thrills. Meanwhile, Koda, the ultimate individual, would give us the splits in front of the fakest looking landscape you’d ever seen – in other words, many of her videos had a lot going on but nothing tightening those aspects together. Whatever the reason, no Kumi Koda video ever really went viral Stateside.

Not that it mattered. By 2010, Koda was already a card-carrying J-Pop icon, albeit one still seemingly thirsty to prove something. Two years later, she became a wife and mother, new roles she spoke of with great joy. Her husband actually sounds like an extremely supportive guy, and she herself resists the detractors around her to embrace a family. Yet as is the case with Koda, the specter of her career lay in the wings. Her statement just after giving birth promised her return to the stage within just four months. Only three later, she topped the Oricon charts for the 8th time. Even then, she spoke of how exciting motherhood and marriage were, but also hints at anxieties over how they might affect her career. Imagine, topping the charts over a decade in the biz, igniting an entire, liberating fashion trend, just to be worried your choice to have a family could disrupt it. Koda’s always expressed pressure to deliver for her fans and label, and her music could reflect that as well; “Inside a fishbowl/Growing old” is a hell of a lyric, and a hell of a way to feel. Taking that sentiment to mind, her drive often seemed motivated by unfair (see: sexist) or unfounded concerns, and it’s upsetting to think such a successful woman is worried her weight, family, age, or absence might derail it all. She’s not just a Scorpio because she’s sexy; she’s also one because she overthinks. While it can register a little desperate at times, it absolutely never feels like it restrains her in any way. Koda never simmers, she acts.

It’s why she made 80 videos just 10 years into her career. For reference, Madonna has about 80 videos over 40 years. In this installment, we’re covering another 47. To her credit and detriment, Koda considers every avenue available to her and usually ends up taking them all.

Now, taking every route to your destination will be long and tedious, but you’ll also learn a whole bunch of new and different ways to get there. Koda’s goal happens to be performing and entertaining a lot of people, which requires her to be quite famous and, as a product, very present. The question is not ‘Would Kumi Koda do this’ but rather ‘Why hasn’t Kumi Koda done this already?‘ Perhaps I’m hammering things home, but there’s literally a Twitter account called Kumi Koda Doing Things. The below is her doing it all.

_{The disco ball, the glittering handcuff, a small army of dancers, her enormous smile – who else is doing it like this?}

Your faves are not doing this because they won’t, or can’t. Koda does, and that deserves praise where it’s due. An American pop star of comparable popularity making a video as openly gay as “KO-SO-KO-SO” would still turn heads and piss off conservatives today. Even for songs that aren’t hers, she gives us 110%. In the first half of the 2010s, she put out two full covers albums, with like “Be My Baby” and “Pink Spider” receiving the Koda video treatment as well. The contrast between the quality of those covers and her original tracks can be drastic. Take the aforementioned covers and compare them to her own “Boom Boom Boys”; given this choice, anyone would go with the covers. That said, I’d go so far as to choose said covers over the originals, apologies to hide.

Retreading a bit, a third factor inhibiting Koda’s reach at this time was a dip in her music. Sadly, there were just fewer songs that jumped out at me from this time. Plus, some that did leave an impression, like the strangely prescient “Show Me Your Holla,” are mostly indefensible, and I’m at peace with knowing they’re just for me. Overall, it’s a bummer, because “Pop Diva,” “Crank Tha Bass,” and “Inside Fishbowl” rip while reminding me of what she’s capable of. Furthermore, this era of her videography was also where a lot of the videos begin to blend together. There are only so many apartments, fur vests, cheap backdrops, and glass-shattering motifs a fan can individually register before they all blur into one. It may have served her to scale things back a bit – then again, if she scaled back, she wouldn’t be Kumi Koda.

Just from a cataloguing perspective, it’s interesting the very first video is not featured on her official channel (at least not that I could find). As mentioned, Avex never cared up until a few years ago about maintaining their artists’ digital media, resulting in many videos getting lost to the ether or being forced to live on Dailymotion or Facebook videos, the latter a platform every Namie Amuro fan knows too well.

2010-2014

80. “Can We Go Back” (Seki)

She looks fierce in this opening number. Too bad she’s locked up. But maybe that’s why she’s restrained – she’s simply too fierce
It may be a new decade but musically we’re firmly in 2005
1:49 The revolutionary moment is giving Les Mis
This dance scene might be a lot cooler if she wasn’t dressed like a mom at a ski resort
These little head nods look ridiculous. Instead of giving imposing military, it’s giving high school cheer, or like, Camp Rock
3:21 I had forgotten this was an alt rock song
I was gonna guess what it was she might be fighting for but to be honest that video didn’t really give any sort of indication

81. “SUPERSTAR” (Hiroaki Higashi)

This little Kumi went to Skyloft – honestly, much more timely than the previous video. Oh nevermind, it’s actually surrounded by water – Skyloft statement retracted
I really don’t care for this type of video where everything “glows”
1:20 more of her videos could use descriptors like that
1:30 Ugly glasses
1:43 “Oh you think I look amazing here? Oh shucks”
1:57 so she is a superhero – that could have used an in-video descriptor
2:27 You could buy this whole outfit at H&M at one point. The key change makes this song a little more bearable to hear
3:12 This all looks like a city in a Sonic game from the decade previous
Okay, acapella!

82. “You’re So Beautiful” (Tadokoro)

Wow she looks incredible and also so outrageous. The nails, the Carmen Miranda hair, the ring with a singular, dangling blue feather. Surrounded by the flowers in the shop, it’s all Kod-appropriate
1:24 Thank god she also makes sure her baddie side gets the beauty treatment. This girl is wearing a variation on the B’day hair
1:50 Maybe the first time we’ve seen her go underwater. That’s actually a great looking pool, I’d get rich to have that
She looks unrecognizable in this brown curtain bangs number

83. “Lollipop” (Seki)

She is killing it a decade into her career. You can’t tell her shit – great instrumental, hot bod
1:49 She’s a cowboy, gangster, beachgoer, and baddie all at once in this outfit – feminism
2:10 these fan guys suck, and so do their fans
2:35 More videos should employ this skipping effect
3:20 It’s giving Lee Hyori with the hair
What are we pulling here exactly?

84. “Inside Fishbowl” (Higashi)

She looks like Snooki if she was instead a British electropop star from this era
The whininess of the verses is actually a bratty musical choice
She’s just by herself and she’s holding it down for this video
‘For Rent’ sign for what reason

85. “Outside Fishbowl” (Tadokoro)

This is the classic rock version of the previous
So the member of her glam becomes a zombie from the stress of her running out of their session
“Inside a fishbowl, growing old” that’s a better line than many first-language English speakers could come up with
1:40 Sorry, dude, it’s her video, her wine. Also her rude dismissal of him after drinking his beverage is not really cool either *once again we see her being rude in videos*
2:14 Outrageous but effective syncing of the song and the video as her dress is pulled off to reveal a much cooler outfit while the live instrumentation slips away to make way for some digital takes on the melody
2:10 Melanie Martinez?
3:12 Bad Romance hands. There’s something stilted about this choreography, it’s not unimpressive in terms of movements, it just doesn’t fit what I want with the song
The bloodspatter effect is a choice

86. “Suki de, Suki de, Suki de” / “I Like You” (Noda)

This is known for being in a shampoo commercial. Of course it is
Another sleeve-less fur vest
This messy bob aged her 7 years
I wonder what she was reading in her little book
I respect that she’s always giving service workers a chance
1:54 Well that was forward, sir. Although she seemed to like it
2:26 She got so jealous seeing him with his coworker – so what if he cupped her face in his hands? he just patted you on the head after knowing you 45 minutes
3:06 He looks very surprised that she brought him back his kerchief
I presume they’re in Paris
3:40 Really not sure what’s happening here – why is she crying, what did she hand him, why is he upset?
Oh no, not a shattered glass… in a Kumi Koda video
4:31 perched on the edge of the Griffith Observatory in her finest nightgown
I would need a synopsis of this to understand it

87. “Anata Dake ga” / “Only You” (Noda)

Where we left off on “Suki de…”
Anything more pointless than a lace winter hat?
This is such a Mariah song
Wonder who these two strangers are? I don’t know if we’ve gotten any other perspectives like this before
2:04 Kumi, you did this woman wrong with this visor outfit. All her outfits, really
3:44 taking off that hat improved that outfit immensely
What an extra engagement ring
Why exactly is she singing in a protestant church?
I once again don’t think I follow what happened here
5:07 Kumi, you even gave her shitty nails…

88. “Walk (To the Future)” (Noda)

This girl is dressed like she’s headed to a Used show and yet she’s hiking down some dirt path
0:46 she looks great on the beach in these mom clothes
I must say she’s committed to this bit because that beach looks freezing
2:41 I imagined her getting down in the sand like Mitski in the “Geyser” video
3:08 does her shirt say “Gothic Club”? Too on-the-nose
The puppy!
And she’s back at Griffith
4:10 They should hold hands, this should be gayer
4:19 They should have had her in this wind more
Her beloved waiter has returned from the ~~war~~ nightshift!

89. “Megumi no Hito” / “Person of Grace” (Higashi)

Step ball change, step ball change, step ball change…
“Be my girl” is this kinda gay?
She’s feeling herself in this 2004 Lindsay Lohan hair.
They needed to switch up the choreo or something for the third time they do the chorus.
This song slaps much more than I remember, but those screams at the end of each measure of the chorus, and the end of the song, make it a bit juvenile for what is otherwise a sophisticated song.

90. “Be My Baby” (Higashi)

Anytime Kumi Koda licks something, it’s about to get very serious
The little body wind back-and-forth to the chromatic synth line is genius
This is a very simple concept and style and it works; make room to let the beat switch things up. Although the floor spelling out the chorus the second time around was a bit corny. The hanging pieces that make up a cross, also a fun optical effect as they move up and down the stage
This finger pointing at the end goes on a bit too long

91. “Passing By” (Higashi)

Have no idea if this is a skyline that’s modeled after a real one or if it is fake
0:28 Another lost ring
0:45 This hair got into a fight with a food processor and lost big time
1:10 That Jay Sean sound, voice and beat, came on so strong, my roommate’s dog looked up from her nap to see what the ruckus was
1:42 I love it when artists say something to the effect of “I wanna feel these feelings.” Very deep.
2:02 Awful, unflattering dress.
“And pass her BY!” I love the note jump the final time he sings this on the chorus.
4:20 More thing shattered. Even her diamond ring that she dropped from her building shattered. Shattering is one of the most common through lines in the Koda-verse.

92. “Bambi” (Higashi)”

Instantly looks like Cher from behind. Or Sissy Spacek.
0:25 It’s about time she went for Shania Twain. Given this is a Shania that live in SoHo
1:16 S/o the awkward gay backup dancer
The start of the second verse just turns this into a commercial for like 5 seconds
2:05 her American business fit is ugly and not just because I hate America
So her gay dancer was actually the Ansel Elgort she was looking for all along
She loves a random braid or two in her otherwise free hair like she’s Rikku

93. “POP DIVA” (Seki)

This “Like a G6” synth is fab for her, she rocks an “edgier/darker” song
0:40 this blue light is kinda vulva-looking
Some of the books on that shelf are: Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, World Book, Science, Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Systems, Principles of Enzymology for the Food Sciences. She picks up The Confessions of Saint Augustine
Cross earrings. She loves a cross
So this is all happening in her head. Dodging lasers, visiting a massive library, all in her head
She looks great hanging from this Bat-copter or whatever. Until it blows up that is
Very cunty to land from the explosion not only looking still hot but in a whole new fit
I wonder what she learned in that dream. Another mystery lost to the Kumi Cinematic Universe

94. “KO-SO-KO-SO” (Higashi)

GAY! And ass-cheek photos above the headboard
This is what I would call a “lush” instrumental in the chorus
1:24 Fab bedhead
She’s allowed to queerbait if she wants
Effective and simple. Has she ever done a video this intense with a man?

95. “V.I.P feat. T-Pain” (Higashi)

Her hat says “Dolksmarine” and all I can pull up are results for “German military regalia”… I guess it says “we’re soldiers” but for what side?
1:20 Hooking up with gay men again, I see
1:36 Evan Peters lookalike
All of her backup dancers look like different pop stars
1:44 if my back looked like that… sigh
These lyrics are wonderfully random. “Getting dirty on me… “Got no, take it, feel weak.”
No T-Pain cameo in the video 🙁
2:50 we really were wearing our blazers and scarves to the club 10 years ago
3:00 She’s startin‘ (fights, that is)
Gay finale!

96. “Poppin’ Love Cocktail feat. TEEDA” (Higashi)

I know it’s fake but I do feel like their cars are moving that fast
“La poppin’ coochie” –> “Poppin’ Love Cocktail”
Turning your car wheel drastically to the side seems bad for a drag race
This train scene could be a reference to Spider Man 2, to me that is
He falls off the train just to be immediately back on the next cut. Why.
Her ass is not driving
This is the hyperspeed train America is afraid of building

97. “You Are Not Alone” (Okazaki)

“We Will Rock You” meets “I’m Yours”
More cross earrings
This turquoise colored ponytail is a choice
The audience looks underwhelmed to be in the presence of a J-Pop icon. At least some of the faces they’re cutting to
3:43 Crying girl! Good for her, crying at a concert is wonderful, you can cry amongst people and no one’s looking at you because they’re focused on the stage
The organ keys in this song along with the big white auditorium and cross earrings – it’s giving gospel

98. “Ai o Tomenaide” (Seki)

We’ve seen this woman living in at least 30 different apartments
Imagine assembling all your candles in a circle just to cry in the center of them – could be me!
Budget so light they can’t even show the face of the love interest, just 25 percent of the torso
She should lick his nipples – we haven’t seen her do that yet. <—– Said this and then not five seconds later she does – she knows what the people (me) want
Something was bound to burst into flames with all those candles, and emotions
TFW your man is made of glitter, the herpes of craft supplies

99. “Love Me Back” (Higashi)

911, it’s an emergency. These are the only types of cops I support
The chromatic descent in the chorus reminds me of “Piranha” by CSJH The Grace
Missed opportunity to not make the inmates do the choreo too
Very uncertain of their motives. So far, they’ve kidnapped a pedestrian, impersonated some nurses, and been sexy
The man they rescue is hot, sorry if he’s evil
That poor chump getting swapped into the mob boss’s place. I just watched the Sopranos for the first time and something like this (bystander made collateral damage by the mob) would happen. Although Carmela could never be this tough

100. “All For you” (Yu-ya HARA)

Another Jason Mraz moment
I dunno if this should have been live, Ms Koda…
Girls were wearing this exact look in the early 2010s to go to the desert to see Tupac’s hologram and Rihanna smoking blunts
There’s nothing on those sheets of paper
^I stand corrected.
There’s nearly 5 minutes of credits for this video where nothing happens. This woman is keeping me on my toes.
The moment she looked down in surprise I knew it would be a cake
Jesus, there’s still two minutes in these credits?

101. “Love Technique” (Seki)

PC Music precursor. It is funny when people act like that sound came out of nowhere
The rap breakdowns in the verses me think she’s been taking some cues from K-Pop, Sistar’s Bora for one
One of her steps in in the love technique is “how to control boyfriend?” Don’t let the incels see this
This is an otherwise cute video and plays to her strengths – Kumi would be a great talkshow host

102. “Lay Down” (HARA)

This is so “From Miami 2 Ibiza.”
“Lay down, and I’ll lay down the law” once again showing up native English speakers.
Groped another man, only to push him away. Feminism!
“Like a dolls” s/o the dolls
Her dress looks like Fruity Pebbles (a terrible cereal)
She actually works that scaffolding. She’s made an attempt to really monkeybar around it

103. “No Man’s Land” (Seki)

Why are we making 3 Days Grace songs again? To be fair I like that band but this throwback is odd
How do we think this post-apocalyptic land came to be? Also if there’s no one around, how did she get locked up?
Utterly shocked she has no water
It took me half the video to realize she’s got a fully ponytail back there
Not really sure how she gets to the enlightened outfit/ setting with the triangle earrings.
How many times are gonna see her feet trudging along with that chain?
Absolutely nothing happened here

104. “Escalate” (Seki)

The Queen’s Gambit (2020) if it slayed and was also made in 2012
Whoville hair
I love a marching band pop song (“Hollaback Girl,” “BANG!”)
“Show me your love!” sounds brilliant
1:54 In so many Kumi videos a common hairstyle for other women, usually not her, is long, flowing hair with a clump of it tied, braided, glued to the top of their head (see: Fergie, Misono, now this girl)
Sorry to the home team, but I think the white team’s outfits are better.
3:02 “I win… you lose! Ha ha ha ha!”

105. “Everyday” (Higashi)

The jump from “Escalate” to this is quite a shift
Tomboy Koda! Uncertain if this is her first “masc” look in a video so far
The animation to this feels like something thy’d put in an ad for like, Best Buy, back in 2010
Once again, I think she really shines in these animated features

106. “Brave” (HARA)

The heavy-handed clock room, complete with a fountain and a tree
I have listened to more ballads this past week than I’ve ever listened to in my entire life
None of these clocks are on time, that’s why she’s so stressed out – as the clock shop owner, she’s the one who has to set them all to the correct time

107. “Slow feat. Omarion” (Higashi)

We’re back in Gotham City (the setting from the “POP DIVA” video)
S/o to the Victory at Samothrace getting a feature in this video
Please, these apocalypse scenes of people “running!” While they’re getting married? Lars Von Trier set this up with Melancholia
This woman on her knees pulling on her man’s pants? Why is this included?
Omarion might’ve been the first to cuss in a Kumi Koda video
Wait this really is Melancholia

108. “Boom Boom Boys” (Seki)

Another ugly apartment
“Drunker hacker” I need to look up this lyric
She stole someone’s drink – this is the real Kumi Koda *see: very rude
And she stole from some queer person? Not a likable protagonist in this one **again, see: RUDE
So far this video has taken her to: an apartment, a stairway, a train station(?), the club, an amusement part
New drug alert, a USB you plug into your temple. Very Liminal Disk
This might be the first vid where she smokes a cigarette – many of us were smoking in 2012 (I went to school in Boston at that time, so I certainly was)

109. “So Nice feat. Mistah Blistah” (Higashi)

The type of carrying on that she did in her earlier videos. It’s nice to have that back
These green screen moments in front of what I think are words, they’re giving Housewives transitional frame

110. “Whatchu Waiting On?” (Higashi)

I love the autotune effect on her voice
I like her little shoulder, polygon dancers
The frenetic energy of the visuals is great for this hyper little song
Gonna use that “Don’t feel good” shot as a reaction image
1:54 she’s using all her usual hand and face choreo
What does it mean that the lips lose all their color? Probably nothing, why am I asking this is a better question

111. “Go To the Top” (Nakano)

Anime videoooo
Not even the steady hand of an animator could save that girl’s dancing at the beginning
I’m gripped – the racing is cool and quick paced
I imagine this is a sport where you crash you could very well die
Getting in your motorcycle seems less than ideal
How did she go backwards? And what about the obese mobster pulling the strings? Yet more unanswered questions in the Kumiverse

112. “Koishikute” (Seki)

Another fur accessory (this hat??)
- The nude lip – also very JLo
Why are bystanders becoming symphony players in front of her eyes on the metro platform? Again, the Twin Peaks universe is better at answering questions than the Kumiverse
This little shift (key and lighting) in the final third. Now it all works (it still doesn’t make sense though)
Alone on the platform as everyone brushed past her?
- I get it – she missed her train. Been there, mama

113. “Shake Hip!” (Seki)

The Kumi “Dolls” collection.
Two things about the ‘Sexy Pop’ doll: 1. she looks like Back to Basics Xtina, 2. sexy pop is the best kind of pop
0:32 “She solves every case in an instant!”
1:36 Sexy Pop “charmed all men and women,” bisexual queen
Oh she’s rolling those r’s. The second verse of this song is enough on it’s own
2:24 perfect sound to visual moment
2:55 “Supple curve fits perfectly in your hand.” That’s right, top notch craftsmanship

114. “Pink Spider” (Mika Ninagawa)

This is a hide cover
Visually this is top notch – the cage is gorge, the cowboy/parasol mashup is something Meg thee Stallion would do today, and the studs watching the entrance to the saloon are both handsome
What a slapper. More of her music should be like this?
Is the blonde girl a True Romance reference?
It sounds like she’s saying “Inspired!” and you know what? This is inspired!
Kill Bill came out around this year. Not that one, this one
Maybe the first time we’ve seen abuse in a Kumi Koda video?
The Native headdress is outrageous. That little girl in the audience is in tears, and not in a good way
Does the audience girl get to join Kumi’s hot posse? Well we don’t see how it ends, so…. who can say

115. Lovely” (Robinson)

It’s important to note – I believe Kumi Koda when she’s being super cutesy; I also believe her when she’s being a badass; I also believe her when she’s being sexy; and I still believe her when she’s sad. “I’m a show girl” indeed
This is what happens when you get a good song and a good visual together – the result is often greater than the sum of its parts
Does she have a fanbase with kids the way someone like Katy Perry does? I could see it

116. “TOUCH DOWN” (Robinson)

She’s watched a CL video before (derogatory)
The googly eye dress eats, though
“Go through the motion in slow motion” a good argument for foreplay, something a Scorpio like her surely understands

117. “LALALALALA” (Robinson)

Venice Beach, baby! And for a ska song, it’s appropriate
Running into Kumi Koda on Venice Beach sounds entirely right
Her blonde BFF in this looks like Jessica Simpson
Her neon green bikini poking through the top of her jean shorts – it’s the little things

118. “Dreaming Now!” (Seki)

Her “Run the World (Girls)” moment, visually at least. Sonically this is Eurodance, Ibiza-dance really
Really unclear where they’re dancing from – the back of a shipping liner? A carnival? A farm?
This “jumping up” section just improved the song by a huge margin. The rest is trash
It sounds like she’s saying “Getting Weiner cut“
What is this ending, where are they going?

119. “SHOW ME YOUR HOLLA” (Seki)

*show me your hole
More B2b Xtina. This time it’s “Candyman.”
1:07 Too much eyeliner. Sorry, ma’am.
This makes me want to dance in spite of myself.
I wonder if Ariana Grande heard this before recording “Problem.” Both the songs and the videos are quite similar *this came out 2 months before “Problem”*
Sonically this also reminds me of “WoWa“

120. “LOL”

Another video where someone’s brain is being examined
This laughing… They should have offered her the role of Harley Quinn
She has her own Jabawockeez in this video
The prechorus deserves to be in a better song
“Now i command. the. freaks. to dance“
She loves a chromatic descent in her music (“ha ha ha!“)

121. “Money in My Bag”

“Mens”
“I want that thing thing thicker than thin“
This video is awfully CL
If you’re going to have a secondary location at this bridge in the daylight, something needs to happen there. A dance break, a love interest, a CGI created explosion – anything
She can still do the splits. Can your fave?

122. “So Fever“

This video is not in fact on YouTube, but you can watch it the way many of us watch Namie Amuro videos – via Facebook.

Never seen anything like this lace mask? Undercut? I hesitate to call it either, but it fits the spider motif
The android voice saying “Lemme see ur body” >>>>
Kind of a freaky beat
Love this blonde bundles, red lingerie look in the fountain
The wet tights look awesome on her
Fake fire! She does love a CGI flame
So she turns into a butterfly – throwback!

123. “HOTEL (Kanji Sudo)

Wonder where this hotel is supposed to be? For the beach, I would at least consider going here
“Sexy magic 1,2,3“
Never her of Appletiser but it looks delicious
The hotel shirts are laughably heavy-handed, like “SUR Restaurant” level
2:26 That hair swept over to one side just screams “I’m the one in charge around here.” She looks like Petra from Jane the Virgin, who also, coincidentally, ran a hotel
This choreography sucks

124. “Never Give It Up”

Another disco stick! This first outfit is giving “Can’t Hold Us Down”
Her bangs are major throwback to her mid-aughts streaks
Bold of her to be a shitty magician, but not out of character
Believe it or not this is the second Kumi Koda video with knife-throwing. I wore a white tophat in 8th grade exactly like the one she’s wearing
2:30 gyagyagyagyagaygaygaygaygaygay…
Cute but the song was pretty lackluster

125. “Kimo Omoi”

What are you smiling at?
~~Emily~~ Kumi in Paris.
Yes, a businesswoman. Surprised we don’t see more of that in her videos – she is an entire business
Do love her black and white work look
Wait is her office just in their downstairs? How did he leave without her noticing?
Is this the first time she’s disappointed a man in a video? Usually they pull away without any discernible reason why
“In case you couldn’t see the moon from our ridiculous Parisian apartment, here’s an iPhone 4 pic of it too!”
This magenta skirt and fur coat is something Emily (de pear–eee) would wear…
Just the fakest moon you’ve ever seen

126. “Crank Tha Bass”

Okay, this sounds like that Paul Oakenfold/Brittany Murphy song (positive).
Did she say she has molly??
There’s a noticeable increase in her rapping in the new decade
They ran out of budget for this one – it’s just screens. A shame because this does bang a little
She’s dressed in a way that I would say is still sexy, but there is a greater emphasis on the outfits also looking fashionable. The Hallyu Wave was really shaking things up

127. “Dance In The Rain” (YKBX)

Lady Gaga wore very similar sunglasses for the “Dance in the Dark” single art
This is another one of her apocalyptic videos. So expect a lot of footage of her trudging, aerial shots, looking to the sky, etc
This jazz hands choreography – you’re better than this, Kumi
I am a bit agog at the Kesh-looking tower just because I knew and dated a lot of people who worked at American Apparel at this very point in time
2:30 How would you describe this look? I suppose also Coachella-core
And the apple means..?

In Conclusion

It’s unfortunate at this point to see the video, and generally musical, quality begin to slide with Koda in the 2010s. Longtime artistic partners like Shigeaki Kubo (“Juicy,” “Show Girl”), Takashi Tadokoro (“Taboo,” “But”), and Inoue (“Crazy 4 U,” “Cutie Honey”) more or less leave the fold, with only Ryuji Seki (“DDD”) sticking around in the new decade. Seeing as Seki landed a lot of videos in my 10 favorites of the ’10-’14 bunch, Koda maybe should have kept some old faces around. As I say that though, I realize it would not make sense: she’s Kumi Koda, and the primary constant with her is to never limit yourself, restraint be damned.

My 10 Favorites

“Pink Spider” (instead of “PINK SPIDER!” it sounds like she’s saying “INSPIRED!”, which is what this cover is)
“Lovely” (greater than the sum of its parts)
“Go To The Top” (I’m glad she has her own anime video a la “One More Time” or “Dr.”)
“Inside Fishbowl” (proof that Kumi Koda by her lonesome can do a lot of damage [positive])
“Escalate” (Hot song, sick dancing, strong looks – if only this cohesion was so easy)
“Anata Dake Ga” (simply because this is some familiar dramatics from Koda and it’s so rude – the one time you have a fleshed out other couple in your video and you put them in those clothes, lmao!)
“KO-SO-KO-SO” (really gay shit always gets a yas from me)
“Shake Hip!” (good song, hilarious video, and some excellent song-to-visual moments)
“Love Technique” (shows off a bit of her humor, which I think we’d all benefit seeing more from)
“Fever” (she’s having party at a rich dude’s house and looks good while doing it – a double win)