I’ve been neglecting the Eastern world for some time, so in celebration of Utada‘s release of her next single from HEART STATION, I present the full PV of “Prisoner of Love,” directed by Takeishi Wataru. He’s responsible for many of Hikki’s older videos including “Wait & See” and “Addicted To You,” as well as videos for other icons like Miss Hamasaki.

The video’s pretty simple and clean (HA!), featuring a newly pixified and androgonized Utada recording and playing instruments as she does in real life! I wonder if she was producing an actual song as this was filmed? Quite possible.

You know, I sort of forgot how beautiful this song was until I stumbled upon the video recently. I never actually reviewed the album when it was released weeks ago, and I guess that alone speaks volumes for my feelings on the matter. I love Hikaru to death. She’s one of my top three entertainers of all time. Yet overall, the album seemed to sail by my subconscious quite quickly after its release. It’s melodic and warmly soothing thanks to the many synth-heavy mid tempo tracks, though altogether it lacks any truly addictive songs, barring “Take 5.” Nevertheless, HEART STATION is one immensely soothing concoction. See the picture to the right? That’s essentially the mood of the album, captured in one frame. Enjoy the video!