AOA Like a Cat [Japanese Ver.] Single Review - Limited Edition Type B CD+PHOTOBOOK
Felt like posting another music review after my Orange Caramel one. I have quite a backlog to get through so it is worth posting another one! This one is about AOA's Japanese single Like a Cat which is one of my favourite songs from the group. I always love rewatching that episode of Slam Dunk where Kim Sook dances to the song. It always makes me laugh! Let's get to it then!
Like a Cat is AOA's second Japanese single and is the Japanese version of their hit Korean song 사뿐사뿐 Sappeun Sappeun. The single was released on the 25th of February 2015 and came in nine editions: Limited Edition Type A CD+DVD, Limited Edition Type B CD+PHOTOBOOK and seven limited CD Only member plate editions. I brought my Limited Edition Type B copy from Yahoo Auctions and it was in excellent condition. It came with the following contents:
CD - 6 track single
Media book style case
Photobook
You can probably guess what the concept for this single is. Of course it is cats! The girls are sporting some bold cat-inspired outfits, some even look like catsuits. The front and back covers have different photos and they are quite large! I appreciate the effort put in this edition as you get some high quality photos. The back cover also contains the track listing of course along with production information. I always write that about the back covers, but I do find it interesting to read these and see how many companies are involved in the production.
On the inside of the single, the CD is tucked into a plastic insert and the photobook is just there. Hanging out with nothing holding it in place. Ugh not a fan of this design and a little pocket to insert it into would be nice. It just always scares me when I open an album and baam out pops the photobook that was just floating around in the packaging. Luckily it wasn't damaged at all and at least it matches the photobook design of their other Japanese single 胸キュン Mune Kyun which I've reviewed before with the Cutie and Sexy versions.
The CD has a lovely design on it with the same font from the front cover. Takes up most space on the disc which is nice as no dead space. There are some production credits listed on there as well. Can we please notice the little icon in the bottom right hand corner! How cute is the little kitty?!?! This is the most adorable little touch and I know this single is meant to be sexy, but I just find it cute.
Limited Edition Type B was the edition I mainly wanted to get first as it had the glorious photobook! It's not the biggest photobook compared to other artists but it can be tricky to find good Japanese releases that actually have them. The front page features a new photo of the group who are sporting masks now. Each member of AOA gets three photos in the photobook to showcase all three concept outfits from the single. Even though the photobook is thin, you get a ton of content and no repeats of images. The few pages contain the lyrics and production credits.
This single usually comes with a photocard (22 types to collect) but the listing I brought had it omitted. Japanese AOA releases can be difficult to find and I had to search for this one for a long time. Eventually I found a listing of this edition which was the one I was after. The member plates are easier to find but you don't get much with them.
Both Limited Edition Type A and B have the same track listing and all the tracks are just Japanese versions of the group's Korean songs. Once I brought this single, I actually came to love ELVIS [Japanese Ver.] over the title track. I hadn't heard the original version much and I fell in love with the song. I prefer the Japanese one personally and listened to it so much when I first found it. AOA Japanese singles have karaoke tracks rather than instrumentals and they have a slight vocal track to them. Honestly I prefer straight instrumentals and would rather have a voiceless audio track. The track listing for Limited Edition Type B contains the following tracks:
Like a Cat [Japanese Ver.]
ELVIS [Japanese Ver.]
Just the two of us [Japanese Ver.]
Like a Cat [Japanese Ver.] (Karaoke Ver.]
ELVIS [Japanese Ver.] (Karaoke Ver.)
Just the two of us [Japanese Ver.] (Karaoke Ver.)
The single comes with in eight other editions and I'm quite fond of the member plate designs. AOA always had amazing member plate editions for their Japanese releases and I see them around online quite often. More than I see Type A or B! I pulled this image from Generasia that shows the member plates and I cannot honestly pick my favourite! Choa was always my bias so I might go with her. There is a digital cover as well but it's literally the same image as the cover of Type B so I didn't post it.
Limited Edition Type A CD+DVD
Limited Edition CD Only Member Plates
Was anyone else a fan of AOA back in the day? I got into them quite late, maybe around when they released Good Luck and was hooked once I discovered their discography. I'm quite fond of their Japanese releases over their Korean ones and the group always had top tier album designs. I'm not actively looking to collect anymore releases from them as their Japanese stuff can be impossible to find. Like trying to find their first Japanese album for a decent price is rather difficult. I shall leave now with the MV as usual! Enjoy!
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