Destiny Line – Ai no Matador -

Ito Yuna’s 2nd single, entitled Faith / Pureyes, was released on 03.01.06. While Faith was used as the ending theme for the dorama UNFAIR, Pureyes was used as a promotional song for BIOCLEN ZERO contact lenses.

Faith is the sorrowful love ballad. The song begins with a melancholy instrumental that strikes the listener’s heart right away. Then Yuna comes in and as she sings the first verse, the listener can really feel the emotion in her voice and it comes across as believable and real. On the chorus, she maintains her strong vocals and the instrumentation becomes more diverse. Somehow the instrumentation takes on an even prettier tone while still portraying the emotions so the listener really falls into its sound. Near the end, she does some great vocalizing that really catches the listener’s ear. Faith is a great song and it suits Yuna’s voice better than previous A-side, ENDLESS STORY.

Pureyes, the second B-side, is the upbeat A-side. The song opens up very quickly with Yuna speaking in English as she sings “What you gonna do? Touch me baby” and immediately, the listener becomes intrigued by this combination of sweetness and flirtation. After the chorus ends, the instrumentation becomes more fun and happy, which really goes perfectly with Yuna’s voice. On the verses, there is a nice relaxing feeling and Yuna continues to give sweet and alluring vocals that support the atmosphere of the song perfectly. That pure instrumental section is so addictive and fun that the listener can’t help but love it. Pureyes is an insanely catchy number and one of Yuna’s best efforts thus far so it’s definitely worth the listen.

In order to promote the single, a PV for Faith was made. In fitting with the sorrowful atmosphere of the song, the video features Yuna all alone without love. There are scenes of her dressed in dark clothing against a dark background as well as scenes of her all alone in the city. It’s a very good representation of the song and Yuna looks great.

Single Ranking: A

Faith / Pureyes is a huge stepup from Yuna’s first single since we get the opportunity to see two sides of her. Faith gives us the emotional Yuna who is so good at delivering the emotions for the listener while Pureyes gives us the fun and sweet Yuna with a hint of flirtation. Both songs make this one unforgettable song.

Ito Yuna’s debut single, entitled ENDLESS STORY, was released on 09.07.05. The title track was used in the movie, Nana, which Yuna starred in herself [thus the reason the single was released as Reira starring Ito Yuna].

ENDLESS STORY is a heart-touching ballad packed with emotions. The song begins with the piano, giving a very grandiose and powerful emotional atmosphere for the listener to sink into. Following is the first verse and Yuna’s vocals are very pretty here, portraying the emotions of her character very well. It’s also nice to have those English phrases such as “If you haven’t changed your mind” because they really pop around the rest of the Japanese lyrics. On the chorus, there is a more grand feeling as the instrumentation becomes more diverse and involved and Yuna’s vocals become stronger. The pure instrumental section is fantastic, allowing the guitars to really shine and open up another layer of emotions before the chorus returns.

Journey, a driving midtempo number, is the single’s B-side. An almost eerie instrumental opens up with the album before the song’s true beat comes in. When the music comes in full effect, it sounds a little cheesy and predictable but it’s nice to hear something upbeat from her. On the verses, Yuna’s vocals are enjoyable and go very nicely with the very natural atmosphere of the instrumental. It really evokes the feeling of taking a drive, which works with the whole theme of the song. The chorus isn’t as enjoyable since her vocals sound a little nasal so it comes off as awkward sounding. Unfortunately, this song doesn’t come even close to the level of the title track and it doesn’t really compliment ENDLESS STORY.

In order to promote the single, a PV for ENDLESS STORY was made. The video primarily features Yuna performing the song live but there are also scenes of Yuna looking absolutely gorgeous in front of a dreamy pink background. There are a few too many close-up shots but it’s a pretty enjoyable video.

Single Ranking: B +

ENDLESS STORY was a pretty good song to debut with since it shows Yuna’s ability to bring emotions to the listener’s ears. Journey wasn’t a very memorable song but on the other hand, it’s nice to hear something upbeat.