I purchased my copy of STAR from CD Japan and the EMS shipment was delivered on 10/08/2026, which was a little after the official release date of 05/08/2026 and not bad for an international delivery.
When I initially placed my order for the special edition bundle I was a little disappointed that it had an abstract illustration on the cover and not a picture of Avu-chan, or the Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia (Tenmaku No Jaadugar) artwork used on the anime edition. I had to go for the special edition, though; a full Blu-ray of concert footage and another new track as a coupling song was too tempting to ignore!
The packaging ended up being a lot prettier than I'd expected, though. The shiny gold design is an outer paper cover which wraps around an ethereal photograph matching the theme of the music video. That internal cover (attached to the thick card CD/BD tray) is embossed with silver stars which peek through the outer cover thanks to an intricate design in cut paper. I've tried to show what I mean in the next photograph; it's beautiful in person, with silver foil stars glittering beneath the gold foil designs on the surface.
Inside, the packaging folds out (digipak-style) to reveal the CD and Blu-ray discs. My copy came with a first press bonus of a tiny 'smartphone-sized' photograph of Avu-chan, the same picture used for the digital version of the single. There was also the usual information sheet about the fan club and upcoming tour. There were shop-specific purchase bonuses with the first press of this single, ranging from an A2 poster (live venues), jacket artwork (Amazon Japan), a keychain (Rakuten Books), a can badge (Seven Net), a large bromide (Animate), a different sticker (Tower Records) and the sticker I received (everywhere else).
The box is a little large for my shelves but it matches the packaging for the band's other recent singles. It's less sturdy than the box used for PERSONAL due to the delicate papercut design so I'll try to avoid handling it too often. If I had somewhere to display my singles this is definitely a candidate for one of the prettiest in my collection.
Next to the discs is a square photograph book featuring the band members posing in the space-themed photo shoot used for the title track's music video. It's another nice bonus.
The bundled Blu-ray disc features 13 songs from the National Hall Tour 2026: PERSONAL DISTANCE, specifically the Saitama date at Omiya Sonic City Great Hall on 05/05/2026. The BD is presented in Linear PCM/Stereo format (48KHz/24bit) and the video is 16:9 (1920x1080) native.
I was impressed by the quality of the concert footage on this release. The camera work was fun and the clips sounded great. It helped that a number of my very favourite live tracks (BL, FLAT, Mephisto) made it onto the setlist, and it was also the first time I'd seen PERSONAL performed in concert. The Blu-ray tracklist is as follows:
2. 雛市 (Hinaichi / Doll Market)
3. 火炎 (Fire / Kaen)
4. 金星 (Kinsei / Planet Venus)
5. デスコ (Desco)
6. ヴィーナス (Venus)
7. BL
8. SAILOR
9. バイオレンス (VIOLENCE)
10. FLAT
11. HELTZ
12. メフィスト (Mephisto)
13. Serenade
Moving on to the actual CD, the single includes two new songs, STAR and SUSPENSE, together with their off vocal (karaoke) versions.
For more information about the contents of the discs (and the other versions), you can check the entry for STAR in my QUEEN BEE Discography. Both songs have lyrics and composition credited to Barazono Avu with arrangement by QUEEN BEE and Tsukada Koji, who also handled the musical programming. There are no unexpected guest artists credited, just the band members (Avu-chan, Yashi-chan, Hibari-kun) and the recording/mixing staff. Avu-chan is credited as the overall executive producer of the single.
My personal impression of the music is that it's an interesting, atypical release for QUEEN BEE. Their previous single PERSONAL was also a calmer, thoughtful song and STAR - despite sounding very different - has a similarly poignant, sad-yet-hopeful narrative. It serves as a beautiful outro for the Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia (Tenmaku No Jaadugar) anime, where the anime staff accompany it with soft visuals resembling a painting the help the viewer decompress after the harrowing events of each episode.
Like the opening theme (Stella by SEKAI NO OWARI), the song was named for the main character who is originally introduced as 'Sitara', from the Persian word for 'star'. The band have leaned into that theme for the visual elements of this single and the music video (below), and Avu-chan's lyrics are - as usual - written with the themes of the anime in mind, describing pride and determination in the face of hopelessness and grief, wrapped up in a gentle tone just like the deceptively simplistic art style of Jaadugar. Avu-chan has described the theme of the song as 'the desire for revenge'.
It feels as though Avu-chan tapped into their own emotions to find where they resonated most strongly with Sitara's story, and both influences shine through strongly each time I listen. The melody is pleasant as well, to the extent that I also enjoy listening to the instrumental version.
Meanwhile, SUSPENSE is a bouncy, more upbeat track which feels more like a throwback to the band's older, wilder songs, albeit with a more mature tempering. It conjures up imagery of disarray and passion; a couple who share a complicated, difficult relationship. The sense of the storm which features in the lyrics also comes through in the music itself. It's a great coupling track since it contrasts heavily with the emotions in the title song.
I translated the full song for this post then decided to re-listen on Apple Music before posting, only to find that an official translation had been included with the lyrics there! So I've stuck to the official lyrics below as it's more likely to carry the band's intentions. The lyrics aren't overly complicated this time with only a little of Avu-chan's dialect slipping in; given how much wordplay some of QUEEN BEE's songs incorporate, though, these ones are relatively straightforward.
Music video for 星 (STAR):
Lyrics for 星 (STAR)
眠れないままでここにおいでよ
いまといまがいまはいつだって
巡り回ってここに来たんでしょう
それでもどうにも失くせないね
その心の形を忘れないで
胸を満たしたあの日々も
思いもがけずに潰えたから
永遠なんてどこにもない
わたしはわたしに戻れないまま
何も知らずに生きていられたら
どこかきっとラクだったでしょう
眠れないままでここにおいでよ
いまといまがいまはいつだって
巡り回ってここに来たんでしょう
それでもどうにも失くせないね
その心の形を忘れないで
あまねく星空よ
光よこの身に降り注ぎ
涙枯れ果てたこの目に輝きを宿せ
Come here while sleep won't come
Now and now and now is always now
All your wandering around led you here
And still, somehow, you can't let go
Don't forget the shape of that heart
Those days that filled my chest
Were unexpectedly crushed away
Eternity is nowhere to be found
I still can't find my way back to myself
If I could have lived knowing nothing
It surely would have been easier somehow
Come here while sleep won't come
Now and now and now is always now
All your wandering around led you here
And still, somehow, you can't let go
Don't forget the shape of that heart
O boundless starry sky
Light, pour down upon this body
Let these eyes, long dried of tears, hold their shine once more
遠く過去がひらめきを見せる
手を伸ばして「届かなくてもいいから」
絶対あげない
ひとつも奪わせたりしない
分かち合っても渡さない
これでよかったと思いたい
眠れないままでここにおいでよ
いまといまがいまはいつだって
巡り回ってここに来たんでしょう
それでもどうにも失くせないね
その心の形を忘れないで
手を繋いだままでどこまで行こう
いつかいつもいつしかひとりになって
巡り回ってここに来るんでしょう
それこそどうにも失くせないね
その心の形を忘れないで
永遠なんてどこにもない
それでもわたしは求めるから
The distant past flashes with inspiration
Reach out your hand, "Even if you can't reach"
I'll never give it away
I won't let anyone take a single piece
Even if I share it, I won't surrender it
I want to believe this was right
Come here while sleep won't come
Now and now and now is always now
All your wandering around led you here
And still, somehow, you can't let go
Don't forget the shape of that heart
How far can we go hand in hand?
One day. As always. We find ourselves alone.
And all the wandering around will bring you here
That, more than anything, is what cannot be lost
Don't forget the shape of that heart
Eternity is nowhere to be found
And still, I search for it
Source: Official lyrics + translation posted to Instagram
Lyrics for サスペンス (SUSPENSE)
足んないから溢れ出した
期待してるのどのみち
変わんないまんま様変わりした
あなたの鼓動を
ああ稲妻が
空を打つから
もうすぐ会えるかな
いつまでも探り合い
いつまでも巡り合い
土砂降りで抱き合い
ぐしゃぐしゃだわ
熱を帯びた頬に張り付いた
髪さえ踊り出す
こんな瞬間を求めてた
ああ今更か
どうかはまだ
いつかは会えるかな
いつまでも探り合い
いつまでも巡り合い
自分勝手にもなりたい
謎解きは気分次第
壮大なサスペンス
ひとりで観るには
すこし勿体なくって
あなただけにサスペンス
怯えてくれてもいいけど、でも
いつまでも探り合い
いつまでも巡り合い
自分勝手にもなりたい
謎解きは気分次第
土砂降りで抱き合い
It wasn't enough, so it overflowed
I'm expecting it either way
It transformed while staying the same
Your heartbeat
Ah, the lightning
Strikes the sky
I wonder if we'll meet soon
Always testing each other
Always happening upon each other
Embracing in the downpour
I'm a mess
Stuck to my feverish cheeks
Even my hair starts to dance
I was looking for a moment like this
Ah, too late now
Or not, I'm not sure yet
I wonder if we'll meet someday
Always testing each other
Always happening upon each other
I want to be selfish too
Solving the mystery depends on my mood
A grand suspense
To watch it alone
Is a bit of a waste
Suspense just for you
You can be scared, but
Always testing each other
Always happening upon each other
I want to be selfish too
Solving the mystery depends on my mood
Embracing in the downpour
Source: Official lyrics + translation posted to Instagram and Apple Music
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