<figure id="attachment_404664" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2482px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-404664"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f7af6e6b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/3f8e0488cf8fa64ce8e54d7980705554.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-404664" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kumi Koda walking down a nighttime street while making a phone call. Who was she speaking to? (July 11, 2008 issue).</span></figcaption></figure>
<h2><b>Kumi Koda established her style with the theme song of “Cutie Honey”.</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Singer Kumi Koda (42) marked her 25th anniversary in the industry and appeared at the &#8220;KODA KUMI 25th Anniversary Documentary Film walk Screening&#8221; event in Tokyo on December 6.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Walk&#8221; is a documentary film that chronicles Koda&#8217;s journey of overcoming struggles throughout her career, and it was screened for a limited two-day release. Upon hearing the cheers from her fans, Koda wiped away tears, saying, &#8220;I can&#8217;t stop crying,&#8221; while smiling brightly.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Koda won the semi-grand prize in the 1999 &#8220;avex dream 2000&#8221; audition organized by Avex, which led to an exclusive contract with the company. However, due to the company&#8217;s policy of not allowing her to appear on television, she spent years building her career by performing at clubs and other venues. In 2004, her 11th single &#8220;LOVE &amp; HONEY&#8221; entered the top 10, and its cover of the &#8220;Cutie Honey&#8221; theme song became a massive hit.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her unique sexy-cool style was solidified, and between 2005 and 2006, she achieved the remarkable feat of releasing 12 consecutive singles, with three of them simultaneously charting in the top 10— a first for a female artist. Her album &#8220;BEST second session&#8221; featuring 12 tracks sold 1.8 million copies. (Music magazine editor)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;FRIDAY&#8221; began following Koda&#8217;s rise to popularity around 2006, during her &#8220;sexy-cool&#8221; phase. The magazine covered her bold outfits at the &#8220;Best Jeanist 2006&#8221; award ceremony and her eye-catching blue dress, which outshone even the Blue Man. One of the most memorable moments reported was Koda&#8217;s appearance at an after-party following a live performance during the 2008 Avex shareholder meeting. This was featured in the July 11, 2008 issue, and we look back on that article.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Pitfalls that marred a smooth-sailing career"></div>
<h2><b>Even in plain clothes, she is erotically cool!</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On June 22, 2008, in Nishiazabu, Tokyo (Minato Ward), Kumi Koda appeared wearing a black dress as she emerged from a popular Thai and Vietnamese restaurant at 10 p.m. on a Sunday night.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On this day, the &#8220;Avex&#8221; shareholder meeting took place at the Saitama Super Arena, and Koda performed live. Her tearful, passionate singing in front of 15,000 people became a major topic of discussion.</span></p>
<p><b>&#8220;On January 29, 2008, Koda made a controversial statement during a special radio program &#8216;Koda Kumi&#8217;s All Night Nippon,&#8217; where she said, &#8216;When you turn 35, your mother&#8217;s amniotic fluid starts to rot.&#8217; She was forced to apologize and, as a result, took a break from her entertainment activities and stayed at home in self-imposed confinement. She resumed her activities on May 30 of the same year. At that time, she likely shed tears, feeling the deep gratitude of being able to perform in front of a large audience.&#8221;</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Music magazine reporter)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After leaving the restaurant, Koda was seen walking while occasionally smiling as she spoke on the phone.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On December 6, Koda released the single &#8220;This Weekend&#8221; to celebrate her 25th anniversary. During the earlier screening event, she touched upon this release, saying, </span><b>&#8220;At 42, dancing in high heels is one of the great things about Kumi Koda, and I think it&#8217;s something only I can do. As long as my fans continue to support me, I&#8217;ll keep going.&#8221;</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It seems that Koda&#8217;s sexy-cool image will continue to evolve without slowing down.</span></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Raimi Koda's &quot;erotic cool&quot; image collection"></div>
<figure id="attachment_404665" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1977px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-404665"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a4d8e749"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/afe121b9380cf15c7b8bdc898b1e8dc2.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-404665" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kumi Koda with Kazuya Kamenashi in a two-shot at the 23rd Best Jeanist 2006 (September 22, 2006 issue)</span></figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1977px;"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="fd84adc0"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/16bacd643163977504cd6068e7145c5a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kumi Koda&#8217;s &#8220;sexy-cool&#8221; style standing out more than jeans at the 23rd Best Jeanist 2006 (September 22, 2006 issue)</span></figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<figure id="attachment_404667" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2743px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-404667"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="0c74118f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/4d192daca464c0dac62260712da16372.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-404667" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kumi Koda in a blue dress, standing out more than the Blue Man (December 21, 2007 issue)</span></figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Raimi Koda's &quot;erotic cool&quot; image collection"></div>
<figure id="attachment_404668" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2482px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-404668"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1677f45c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/b7fce7d31666766ec937b878ba0469b3.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-404668" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kumi Koda leaving a restaurant after an after-party following a live performance (July 11, 2008 issue)</span></figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<figure id="attachment_404676" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1930px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-404676"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5cd9f469"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/6ecdfae888c751779a4829da24e2e21c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-404676" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kumi Koda with Kazuya Kamenashi, who won his third consecutive Best Jeanist Award in 2008, with Koda looking somewhat upset (September 19, 2008 issue)</span></figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<figure id="attachment_404677" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2151px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-404677"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="65fb739a"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/591488a1eb40862fed90fc73e5484624.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-404677" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kumi Koda performing at the &#8220;Misora Hibari Memorial Concert&#8221; (December 30, 2011 issue)</span></figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_404679" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 800px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-404679"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d170d3eb"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/e446774a44d67f834b7deb1912848e6a-3.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-404679" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kumi Koda showcasing a bold outfit at the music festival &#8220;a-nation&#8221; (September 13, 2013 issue)</span></figcaption></figure>


 Shu Nishihara (1st and 5th), Kazuhiko Nakamura (4th and 8th), Sota Shima (7th)

 Kumi Koda celebrated the 25th anniversary since her debut as a singer. She established her "erotic cool" style with the theme song of "Cutie Honey" and dominated the '00s. We take a look back at her history with these images.

Kumi Koda Reflects on 25th Anniversary Reveals Post-Live Phone Call and Maintains Sexy-Cool Image

Access Ranking