Koi no Tsubomi

"Koi no Tsubomi" 恋のつぼみ"
Single by Koda Kumi
from the album Black Cherry
Released	May 24, 2006
Format	CD CD + DVD
Genre	Pop electropop synthpop bubblegum pop
Label	Rhythm Zone
Certification	1x Platinum
Koda Kumi singles chronology
Get It On (2006) 恋のつぼみ (2006) 4 Hot Wave (2006)

"Koi no Tsubomi" (恋のつぼみ / Bud of Love) is Koda Kumi's 31st solo under the Rhythm Zone label. It was the first single to bring in the new era after BEST ~second session~. The single was released in CD and CD+DVD and charted at #2 on Oricon, selling over 140,000 copies in its first week and staying on the charts for twenty-one weeks.^[1] It became the highest selling song debut for a female artist, until Ayumi Hamasaki surpassed it with her single Blue Bird, which came out a month later on June 21.^[2]

Information

Koi no Tsubomi is Japanese singer-songwriter Kumi Koda's thirtieth single under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone and first to kick off her Black Cherry era. The single charted #2 on the Oricon Weekly charts and remained on the charts for twenty-one weeks. The song managed to sell over one million copies in digital downloads, according to RIAJ.^[3]

Koi no Tsubomi became the highest selling song debut for a female artist, until Ayumi Hamasaki surpassed it with her single Blue Bird. However, Kumi would later reclaim the spot with her release of her next single, 4 hot wave.

The song was used as the theme song to the Japanese drama Busu no Hitomi no Koishiteru (ブスの瞳に恋してる / In Love with the Eyes of an Ugly Girl), which starred SMAP's Goro Inagaki.^[4][5] The song was also used for the television commercial of the 2006 Pixar film Cars.^[6]

Music video

The music video for Koi no Tsubomi was inspired by Koda Kumi's younger sister's, misono, video Kojin Jugyō (個人授業 / Private Lessons), which was also a new take on the classic fairy tale Cinderella. The videos' similarities start with both sisters having their own little fairy, who is able to transform their appearance. However, where Kojin Jugyo ends with the spell wearing off and returning misono to her original state, Koi no Tsubomi ends with the transformations staying and each girl affected to thank the fairy.

Track listing

CD

CD
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Koi no Tsubomi (恋のつぼみ)"	Koda Kumi	Kato Yusuke	4:14
2.	"Koi no Tsubomi" (A Cup of Milk Tea Bossa Nova Version)	Koda Kumi	Kato Yusuke	4:13
3.	"Koi no Tsubomi" (Instrumental)		Kato Yusuke	4:12

DVD

DVD
No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Koi no Tsubomi" (Music Video)
2.	"Koi no Tsubomi" (Making Video)

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

Release	Chart	Peak position	First week sales	Sales total
May 24, 2006	Oricon Daily Charts	2
	Oricon Weekly Charts	2	140,269	273,060
	Oricon Monthly Charts	3
	Oricon Yearly Charts	28

Alternate versions

Koi no Tsubomi

1. Koi no Tsubomi: Found on the single and corresponding album Black Cherry (2006)
2. Koi no Tsubomi [A Cup of Milk Tea Bossa Nova Version]: Found on the single (2006)
3. Koi no Tsubomi [Instrumental]: Found on the single (2006)
4. Koi no Tsubomi [Shohei Matsumoto Remix]: Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's (2009)

References

1. "Koi no Tsubomi / KODA KUMI / ORICON STYLE". Oricon. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
2. "Koda Kumi in July, a collection of new songs and release of photos!". Oricon. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
3. "Koda Kumi's new single "Koi no Tsubomi" tops at 1 million downloads!". Oricon. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
4. ""Koi no Tsubomi / Koda Kumi" Song Details". Gafuku. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
5. "Busu no Hitomi ni Koishiteru DVD-BOX". Amazon Japan. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
6. "Koda Kumi "Koi no Tsubomi" DVD". Amazon Japan. Retrieved January 21, 2016.