The Twenty-Second Book Worth of Photos: The Semi-Realistic Dream

Well, if it's a dream, might as well go full-on about it, yes? I won't go as far as that dream I had though, that might be too far even for this girl hehe

I don't know if this counts as Valentine's Day gift or my birthday gift (to myself lol), but heck remember when I said a couple of years ago I don't even care about Ogura Yui? Guess that didn't age well. *laughs* And since my hesitation to make this arrive on the former occasion, I guess I shall spend my birthday *giggles* talking about a new photobook! This must be the most trippy thing I did in years since she isn't even in my list of favourite idols lol, but this can't be worse than real life so might as well!! *laughs* I didn't expect to ever give someone a photobook review outside of my own list of idols, but we are running out of firsts to give (lol), so maybe this is the year I actually walk out of my comfort zone.

So let's!

THE REVIEW

Ogura Yui Photobook "Yuitabi"
[Available on Gamers]

THE ORIGIN

Shout out to when I took a dump on Ogura Yui about 2 years ago while explaining who she is to my friend and choosing between her and Kitou Akari:

I know right, this is how far I have come. *giggles*

But yes, my decision to talk about this photobook is not just about what this book is based on, but more of giving chance to Yui-chan here as I seem fit. With retrospect, I have never bought a Toyota Moe photobook (yet) it's as if they stopped releasing photobooks, and I followed Moeshi for a longer period of time too. Okay coming back, I have known of Yui-chan from Anime and her solo artist career for years even going as far back as 2017, she sings great not going to lie it's always dependent on the song for me. I did take a fancy to her even all those years ago, but seeing a new generation of female voice actresses appearing in Japan and not exactly being enticed by them (mostly due to lack of Anime credit, nowadays it's more of idolism lifting their mobile game-oriented voice acting careers now), somehow it made me take a step back and care about people I knew from Anime, from Sakura Ayane to Takao Kanon, people who have actually been in Anime more often than the majority. At this point, even reaching towards Ishihara Kaori in recent years with me missing her roles in Anime and her songs, I might as well give all the members of StylipS at this point, signalling more of a renaissance of liking them more as they grow older. And this is a sign I've seen in my own tastes so far as I get older too.

As to how all this started though, I was definitely not impressed when she did her new single last November even with a livestream I did watch because of YouTube algorithms, but shortly after that, she announced a new photobook which I wasn't too keen on it (since she did release a bunch of them when she... was... younger lol), until I saw that this time almost 3 years since her previous photobook, she is doing this while taking a trip to Singapore!

We should be familiar of the city state in the Southeast Asia region and if you don't I might as well give a summary as a loyal citizen I am *dabs*, because *reads propaganda* our strategic location as a trade hub, global financial district and in recent years a tourist destination, definitely helped shape how many people see us on the world stage, even attracting Anime events to be hosted in this very place, with most infamous Marina Bay Sands located in the newly developed city area where it's bringing in ALL the idols. From Uesaka Sumire last year for an Anime festival and eating laksa in the high-end district which probably costed more than my usual lunch and dinner (OOF), to Kitou Akari's recent tour for Anime "Kimetsu no Yaiba" walking around the largest indoor garden with maintenance so high you need to pay to go in? Knowing that Yui-chan is up and around last year is not likely going to get me to hunt her down (lol), but it's at least comforting to know that they have been closer to me than ever before. Distance, I meant physical distance, I don't get chicks and we all know that. *silence*

I did go through quite a process and hesitated quite a lot in order to make this purchase, seeing all that I have going for likely is just talking about my home country, but also on all the store-specific free bromide photos that I've always chased even after all these years, this was no exception. I initially wanted to bundle this photobook with the new voice actress magazine which featured Takahashi Rie and Yomiya Hina in which the latter can reinforce my talk about walking out of my usual list of idols too, but as time went by and stock went out, it was harder to make such a decision considering that the latter has been leaked online already showing rather lack of content (I will still buy on digital though), so I knew to change my plans. I also ended up not buying from TSUTAYA ONLINE or Rakuten Books due to how hard it is to sign up to buy from them (ie. you need a Japanese phone number verification), and ended up choosing Gamers as my accomplice (lol) because they are still running a free shipping campaign with minimum purchase... which will be hit if I buy something else with it so be sure to check out last Friday's post on what you have missed. *giggles*

At this point, I honestly don't know what to expect of this book or how far Yui-chan here will go to show her slender body (hehe how do I even know), so we shall see what's up! I mean, it's going to be Singapore talk, amirite fellas?? She's just secondary. *laughs* Ok ok let's open her up. *dabs*

Sorry to keep you waiting~

Oh hell yeah *smiles*

Oh, not wrapped in a sleeve, just all naked?
Haha that's what I wanna see from her body-

写真集 Ogura Yui Photobook "Yuitabi"

Feels naked but not so naked?
No trust me, I removed the extra binder, it's the same.
*giggles*

What we think a good emotional music video looks like
(lol)

Hey remember our dear buddy, the product replacement slip?
Oh also just to show the book without it's cover haha *it's naked*

Hello, Arab Street shophouses, long time no see.

Suffice it to say this is a travel photobook, specifically of my home country Singapore (don't ask which town, no one knows anything outside the city area) where everything's a bustling, the place is really colourful because heritage is something we care more than our population racial disparity lmao, and I will never figure out which Marina Bay Sands hotel she lived in. *giggles* All this will make sense in a bit, and we will have captions long enough to do write-ups, but I will try to be concise and show off what Singapore has to offer in views! Yeah, views of Yui-chan included hehe

She just gotta pose for this, nice.
*thumbs up*

Oh this is easy, unlike the ones to the southern small islands, this is the Singapore River boat ride.
Never sat on them though tbh

Kawaii hehe oh hey Merlion's son.
Don't think we'll see your dad again in Sentosa which was big enough to climb into so *shrugs*

Okay this is uber cute I'll give you that.
Also what I think I like about Yui-chan in a photo

How have you out-cuted this lion-cat... mascot thing haha, I will never know
*giggles*

I want to be the Merlion.
*laughs*

*speechless*
I have never seen this before.
I say that for both of them.
*giggles*

This is likely one of the few ice cream sticks you get to eat here, with the most common folk ones being Potong sticks, which most famously featured iced local desserts

Shout out to the middle of the road supermarket brand "Giant" over here, Yui-chan doing the right thing bringing her own bag lest she pay for disposable plastic ones.
*taps brain*

Don't recognize the road sign though haha, but this is along the Joo Chiat area, featuring plenty of Peranakan shophouses as early settlers built them as far back as the 1920s

Featuring our largest (in Asia?) indoor garden, Gardens by the Bay!
You have to pay to go into this park, by the way.

You might be familiar with the building in the background, not gonna elaborate on that.
(Yui-chan looks beautiful in this angle though ngl)

This is very pink even by my standards- Kawaii~!!
*giggles*

Yay
(Haha)

She looks kinda different from this angle though?
Or maybe this is Heaven or something lol

The guy on the left is how I feel if I get to take photos of her
(Hehe "lai lai take photo liao")

Still Arab Street if I'm not wrong, they did NOT censor the car license plates lmao
(So I'm doing it, not gonna get them doxxed)

POV: You dating with Yui-chan right now and she's bored.
("Thanks girl but I can never be more interesting than you" lol)

Gotta give that cheeky face once in a while, but damn, I'm soaking it all in

This is from a Turkish shophouse?
Don't think that's representative of our European minority races but there are a lot of those immigrants in recent years.
(Yui-chan, you want to move in? *giggles*)

Almost mistook her for Hidaka Rina for a second hehe
(Come on, she is married, this one hasn't though isn't she reaching 30...?)

Looks like Little India because not many places hang lightings on the streets
(See images below for my argument for when these were taken, and why I may be wrong)

Just some Yui-chan goodness just in case you got bored of me talking about landmarks lol
*thumbs up*

For starters, this is definitely south-facing sea because we border our north-facing neighbour Malaysia, and knowing the east coast now has sand barges, this is likely on the beaches of tourist island Sentosa

Really a fan of these close-up shots spanning two pages, really nice

Oh hell yes obligatory bed scene! Haha
(Ask my desktop wallpaper if I'm still excited over this)

Like seriously, with just this level of bed scenes?

Alright Yui-chan you win hehe

Bed must have something weird for her to sit on the ground lol
(Oh, it's because of me? Sorry I'll move away haha)

This might be too close I can barely see the rest of her??
(Nope, not licking my book haha ah)

My girl when I didn't pay extra for the Presidential suite
(lol)

*speechless*
Sugoi haha

I feel like her staring into my soul is hurting me more than it hurts her
(Yeah no shit this is a book it's not even real her lol)

SHE IS SO WET LET'S GOOOOOOO
(Haha)

With shame!!
Okay I think we have reached the best part of the book

Can confirm the shape of my boner is also like this right now-

Can also confirm this isn't the Infinity Pool Uesaka Sumire was on just because Yui-chan is not as front eligible compared to- *dabs*

This level of wetness is very unforeseen ngl
(Also because the others were already half naked at this point haha gottem)

I... I...
Why can I see more though?
(lol)

Not enough to cover her up, don't you say?

Okay she's acting cute but top left is the country flag which also means this is likely taken in August where for the month residents are allowed to hang the flag

So yeah, unlikely it's Little India on the above just now, because the only time of the year there will be city lights over there is during Deepavali which is November last year so... my knowledge of Singapore sucks what can I say? *laughs*

Not joking, this is quite random for a shot between this and the next page.
Still beautiful though
(Yeah, you think this was also their thought process? Alright)

Okay I LEGIT do not know where this is since we have street graffiti everywhere downtown so

*chu*
Oh, coconut.
*laughs*

Oh wow those folding tables to expand hawker centres outwards, somehow every household has one of these
(Yeah you have them just in case you need to do some rituals)
(No I am NOT joking praying to the gods is a very Chinese thing)

Yui-chan thinking of whether iced Tea Tarik is better in smell compared to Bandung (pink) lol

No, no evidence that is Tea Tarik, but if you are in Singapore and have never seen some hawker stall owner "pull" some drinks using socked cups, you have not seen local culture enough. *giggles* And I don't drink Bandung it tastes weird. *laughs*

This is likely Chinatown, most famous of them hawker centres is in People's Park Centre

I wished I can have those buns IF YOU KNOW WHAT I'm SAYIN'
(Which ones? Yes HAHA *dabs*)
(And the only drink that yellow on the left is likely piss- beer lime juice)

Why pay money to go to Gardens by the Bay when we have this beautiful flower?
*giggles*

Okay I compared her to something worse- There is nothing cuter than you, my dear
(Good enough? Okay we good)

I'm pretty sure the ribbons were on her shoulders so what do you think happened?
(She took it off-)

I am SERIOUSLY trying to recall where this might be, I promise
(Likely still the same place?)

Yui-chan I'm also lost can we just go to my place now?
*giggles*

Oh, her (very short) travel diary!
Okay now we can see it's Arab Street with the infamous mosque on the left
(Of which was shown on its social media account and not in here?)

This is A LOT to take in just in one photo haha
(Local buses, left-side driving, I forgot what that building at the background is... lol)
(Oh it's Hill Street Police Station, known for its gradient window colours)

If you can read the top left in the captions that's "Arab Street" alright

Here too, starting with "Chinatown" haha
(Damn, they serve desserts like this? Where's the Chendol or chilled beancurd?)

Singapore isn't known for its beaches but they are clean, I'll tell you that much.

*dies in Singapore*
(Haha I most likely will)
(Just, uh, not here perhaps? *cringe*)

Her face at this angle is definitely not... the... best hehe *sshh*

Okay, definitely not the best book in my list, some of them out there literally just show themselves half-naked anyways. *giggles* Tasteful? Is probably the best way to describe this, and if you are a fan of her than this is technically fanservice though I would argue she does that all the time so this is just supplementary material. I'm just here because I'm just curious. Curious what she visited at my hometown which I know lesser than her now since I don't leave the house. *silence* Curious about her being in familiar places I know of, even if it isn't exactly close to home. But ironically, even the social media posts promoting the photobook had more content to show in comparison, so I can't but help noticing that this is still just a book to cash in more fanservice just because.

Then again, this is pretty much just a travel photobook without interviews and Q&As or whatever, so even if the story isn't coherent and we have some random shots here and there lol, it's still alright. My feels are somewhat close to Koko-chan level, to be honest. I've also grown so accustomed to seeing (Okinawa) (lmao and) a more complete story and/or more extreme shots to make sure you know it's worth the purchase. Not this year though. *laughs*

Somehow this book is still weaker than the dream I had in the alleys of Bugis Street, huh. AND WE DIDN'T EVEN GO THERE!! *laughs* Well sadly it's just a dream, I am wide awake now in case you think I wasn't daydreaming lol I am... so yeah, don't take too much of this into account not even in the dream with her half-naked and with my pants down. *giggles* Also, just to note, this is NOT the birthday gift I got for myself I already planned for this months ago this book was also released start of this month... which also means NEXT UP!! *giggles* Yes, Kanno Mai is going to grace us with her trip to Okinawa (Not again!) so let's see if she will make me love her even more. Spoiler alert, even without the book, the answer is a yes hehe *dabs*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, ME!!! 🎉🎉🎉🥳

(Haha yeah that's how you spell 31)

P.S. Because I spent yesterday making this in preparation for a future post in the Fanfiction series, here's a scenario I wrote sleeping with chatting at night with a girl called "Yui":

(*If the below is just text, then I have not animated it yet lol)

(**Translated from what was initially written in Japanese)

Yui: I'm tired

Me: Good night then lol

Yui: No wait a moment

I still want to talk

Me: Okay

Yui: But I'm tired

Me: Haha

So how?

We can talk anytime

Sleep is important

Yui: Good night then

Love you

Me: 🥰

💗

Yui: 💗