Five (EP)
Encyclopedia
Five is the second mini-album
by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki
. It was released on 31 August 2011, in three editions: CD+DVD, CD-Only and a limited CD-Only edition. A Blu-ray version of the mini-album will be released at 9 November 2011. This will be the world's first album to be released in Blu-ray. This is her 18th album to top the Oricon charts, her first album to top the Oricon charts for two consecutive weeks since (Miss)Understood in 2006, also her first album to top the Oricon Monthly Chart since Next Level in 2009.
The album has failed to certified platinum by Recording Industry Association of Japan
.
, which was released in 2003. This is Hamasaki first album not to have any singles. Its five songs had commercial endorsements prior to the release of the album: "Progress" was used as theme song of the PlayStation 3
videogame Tales of Xillia; "Another Song" was used as theme song of the TV show SweetTV of channel BeeTV; "Why..." was used in TV commercials of Taiwan campaigns of travel agency H.I.S.
, as well as in commercials for RecoChoku; "Beloved" was used as the theme song of August of NTV
show Sukkiri!!; and "Brillante" was used in TV commercials of Music.jp.
The limited CD includes an access card to download a character costume for the Playstation 3 game Tales of Xillia. Also, first pressings of the CD+DVD edition included a serial number to access a special website broadcasting making-of material of Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2010-2011 A: Do It Again.
Many netizens have wondered why this mini-album was named Five just because it have 5 songs. On the Sweet interview, Hamasaki hinted that there is a hidden word in the title of the mini-album, which is actually 'H♡PE' which was figured out by her fans. They predicted that Five was released not only because it have 5 songs, it was also 5 months away from the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan
in March. For the first time, Hamasaki undertook the artwork of the font design herself.
G-Music DVD Chart (Taiwan)
|-
!Country
!Provider
!Certification
|-
|Japan
| style="text-align:center;"|RIAJ
| style="text-align:center;"|Gold
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
. It was released on 31 August 2011, in three editions: CD+DVD, CD-Only and a limited CD-Only edition. A Blu-ray version of the mini-album will be released at 9 November 2011. This will be the world's first album to be released in Blu-ray. This is her 18th album to top the Oricon charts, her first album to top the Oricon charts for two consecutive weeks since (Miss)Understood in 2006, also her first album to top the Oricon Monthly Chart since Next Level in 2009.
The album has failed to certified platinum by Recording Industry Association of Japan
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...
.
Information
Five is Hamasaki's first mini-album since Memorial addressMemorial Address
Memorial Address is an EP by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki. It is the best-selling mini-album by a Japanese female, selling over a million copies in Japan. It is available in 2 formats, CD or CD+DVD package. It was released on December 17, 2003...
, which was released in 2003. This is Hamasaki first album not to have any singles. Its five songs had commercial endorsements prior to the release of the album: "Progress" was used as theme song of the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
videogame Tales of Xillia; "Another Song" was used as theme song of the TV show SweetTV of channel BeeTV; "Why..." was used in TV commercials of Taiwan campaigns of travel agency H.I.S.
H.I.S.
is a travel agency based in the Shinjuku Oak Tower in Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, specializing in low-cost package tours to various countries. The company was founded as International Tours Co., Ltd. in 1980 by Hideo Sawada, born in 1951, and renamed "H.I.S." in 1990.Within Japan H.I.S...
, as well as in commercials for RecoChoku; "Beloved" was used as the theme song of August of NTV
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
show Sukkiri!!; and "Brillante" was used in TV commercials of Music.jp.
The limited CD includes an access card to download a character costume for the Playstation 3 game Tales of Xillia. Also, first pressings of the CD+DVD edition included a serial number to access a special website broadcasting making-of material of Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2010-2011 A: Do It Again.
Many netizens have wondered why this mini-album was named Five just because it have 5 songs. On the Sweet interview, Hamasaki hinted that there is a hidden word in the title of the mini-album, which is actually 'H♡PE' which was figured out by her fans. They predicted that Five was released not only because it have 5 songs, it was also 5 months away from the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in March. For the first time, Hamasaki undertook the artwork of the font design herself.
Tracklisting
Charts
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)| Release | Chart | Peak position | First Week Sales | Sales total | Chart run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 31, 2011 | Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 1 | |||
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 1 | 127,024 | 209,666 | 13 weeks | |
| Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | 1 | 189,551 | |||
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | |||||
G-Music DVD Chart (Taiwan)
| Release | Chart | Peak Position | Percentage Sales | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combo Chart | 7 | 1.58% | 2 Weeks | |
| Japanese Chart | 2 | 17.73% | 6 Weeks |
Certifications
{|class="wikitable"|-
!Country
!Provider
!Certification
|-
|Japan
| style="text-align:center;"|RIAJ
| style="text-align:center;"|Gold
External links
- Oricon Profile CD+DVD | CD-Only | CD-Only Limited Press