Koi no Hajimari / 恋のはじまり

Koi no Hajimari / 恋のはじまり: “The Start of Romance”

koi / 恋(こい)

“Love”, “puppy love”, “romantic love”. Contrast ai / 愛 (“true love”)

no / の

A particle indicating that the previous noun modifies the following noun.

hajimari / はじまり

“start”, “beginning”

Valentine’s Day is long over, but let’s have a song about love anyway.

“Koi no Hajimari” is track 2 on Oku Hanako’s 2017 album, Haruka Tooku ni Mieteita Kyou / 遥か遠くに見えていた今日. At just over two minutes in length (2:03), this song is the shortest on the album. It’s actually the third-shortest in my collection, beat out only by Hataraku Neko / 働くネコ (1:43) and an earlier radio cover of Mikazuki / 三日月 (1:59), although that may change as I slowly add more of her radio covers.

Koi No Hajimari – Hanako Oku [Zing]

Today we have a translation by Edward. Be sure to read his translation notes.

I wish I could have a disproportionately long post for such a short song, but I don’t really have much to say about it. I could do a comparison with her other songs, but I can’t pinpoint any particular one that compares well. I will say that the song almost feels like an “upgraded” radio original, partly because of its short length. It might also be because her voice doesn’t seem to have a full sound; have a listen to the third stanza, which is about halfway through the song.

All in all, though, it’s a song I’ve come to expect from Oku Hanako. No complaints, really.

Haruka Tooku ni Mieteita Kyou released!

Oku Hanako’s ninth album, titled Haruka Tooku ni Mieteita Kyou / 遥か遠くに見えていた今日 (“Today When I Could See Far in the Distance”), has been released! I missed posting all the status updates in the past month, so I’ll cover everything here.

The album comes in two editions: the regular edition and the limited edition. The limited edition comes with a DVD.

Here are the album covers:

Album art (CD+DVD)

Album art (CD only)

The final track list:

1. Rainy day
2. Koi no Hajimari / 恋のはじまり (“Beginning of Love”)
3. Ai to Iu Takaramono / 愛という宝物 (“A Treasure Called Love”)
4. Propose / PUROPŌZU / プロポーズ
5. Kanojo / 彼女 (“Her”)
6. 365 Nichi no Hanataba / ３６５日の花束 (“365-Day Bouquet”)
7. Kimi no Hana / キミの花 (“Your Flower”)
8. Honobono Ikou / ほのぼの行こう (“Let’s Go Warm the Heart”)
9. Omoide ni Nare / 思い出になれ (“Become a Memory”)
10. Saigo no Kiss / 最後のキス (“Last Kiss”)
11. Mail
12. Ice Cream / AISU KURĪMU / アイスクリーム
13. Stamp Rally / SUTANPU RARĪ / スタンプラリー
14. Haruka Tooki ni / 遥か遠くに (“Towards the Distance”)

Already released in previous singles were “Ai to Iu Takaramono“, “Kimi no Hana“, “Omoide ni Nare”, and “Saigo no Kiss”. “Honobono Ikou” were previously released online. “Rainy Day” is a re-arrangement of her 2003 indies song. “Propose” is the CM song for a December 2016 MAST commercial.

New album announced: Haruka Tooku ni Mieteita Kyou / 遥か遠くに見えていた今日

【奥華子☆大事なお知らせ】
アルバムが5月に出ます‼︎
『遥か遠くに見えていた今日』
今まさにレコーディングしてます！
いいアルバムにしたい☆ https://t.co/L9WONV15yd

— 奥華子 (@okuhanako) March 10, 2017

Pony Canyon announced today that Oku Hanako will be releasing a new album on May 17. Its title is Haruka Tooku ni Mieteita Kyou / 遥か遠くに見えていた今日 (“Today When I Could See Far in the Distance”). This will be her ninth album.

The album will have a total of 14 songs. These are the ones announced so far:

• Kimi no Hana / キミの花
• Saigo no Kiss / 最後のキス
• Omoide ni Nare / 思い出になれ
• Ai to Iu Takaramono / 愛という宝物
• Propose / プロポーズ
• Rainy day

The first four of these are the A-sides of her most recent double A-side singles. “Propose” is a new CM song for MAST, which I expect to be distinct from the MAST jingle that she’s already known for. “Rainy Day” is one of her indies songs from 2003. Based on the article, I expect to hear an interesting arrangement, possibly with layered voices, but I really hope it doesn’t turn out like the new arrangement of Tsumiki / 積木.

In addition, the first orders will also have an accompanying DVD with music video clips for Kimi no Hana, Saigo no Kiss, “and others”.