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Best Fiction

Best Fiction is the third greatest hits album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on July 30, 2008, by Avex Trax and features seventeen singles released between 2002-2008, which included five new songs, three of which were released as a triple A-side single called "60s 70s 80s." Furthermore, the album tracks "Do Me More" and "Sexy Girl" were released as digital singles.

Music critics praised Best Fiction for featuring prominent songs from Amuro's music catalogue, as well as her evolution from a Japanese idol performer. However, some publications dismissed certain material for its lasting impression. Despite minor criticism, Best Fiction and its content have received numerous awards and recognition. The album was a major commercial success in Japan, debuting at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart and becoming her first album to sell a million copies since 181920 (1998). To promote the album, Amuro embarked on her Best Fiction Tour that traveled across Japan, China, and Taiwan, which received a live release the following year.

Background and content

In June 2007, Amuro released her seventh studio album, Play. The album was a critical and commercial success in Japan, peaking at number one on the charts and selling over 500,000 copies. Its commercial success, combined with a string of successful singles, relaunched Amuro's career, which had stalled during the early 2000s. In 2007, Amuro wrapped up her Play promotion with a tour throughout Japan and Taiwan. After finishing her Play Tour, it was announced in early July 2008 that she would release a greatest hits album titled Best Fiction.

Best Fiction is her third compilation album, after Love Enhanced Single Collection (2002) and 181920 (1998). The album features twelve singles released between "Wishing on the Same Star" and her most recent release, "60s 70s 80s" in 2008. "Do Me More," "New Look," "Rock Steady," "What a Feeling," and "Sexy Girl" are among the five new songs on the album. "New Look", "Rock Steady" and "What a Feeling" are influenced by the music decades of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and sample tracks from each era, those being The Supremes's "Baby Love" (1964), Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady" (1971) and Irene Cara's "What A Feeling" (1983), respectively.

Promotion

Avex Trax promoted the album with "60s 70s 80s" on March 12, 2008. It is a triple A-side featuring the album tracks "New Look," "Rock Steady," and "What a Feeling," with instrumental versions and music videos included on the physical release. Additionally, the songs were featured in commercials promoting Vidal Sassoon throughout Japan. It received positive reviews from music critics and peaked at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, her first number-one single in nine years. The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) certified it platinum for shipping over 250,000 units.

The album tracks "Do Me More" and "Sexy Girl" were released as promotional singles in Japan. Both songs received music videos, which were included on the album's DVD formats. "Sexy Girl" was the theme song for the NHK Japanese television drama series Otome no Punch, which aired on June 19, while "Do Me More" was used as a campaigned track to Vidal Sassoon promotions in the country. Only "Do Me More" had chart success in Japan, peaking at 14 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. However, both songs received RIAJ certifications: "Do Me More" was certified double platinum for ringtone downloads exceeding 500,000 units, as well as platinum for digital sales, whereas "Sexy Girl" was certified gold for more than 100,000 music downloads.

On July 26, 2008, Amuro participated at the 2008 A-nation music concert; an estimated 25,000 people attended her performance. This was the first time she was invited to perform in seven years. On October 25, 2008, Amuro began her Best Fiction Tour, which traveled through Japan, China, and Taiwan for 60 dates. The tour ended on July 12, 2009, and broke attendance records for a female Japanese singer, with nearly 500,000 people between three countries. On September 9, 2009, a live DVD and blu-ray were released to commemorate the tour, and it was a commercial success, selling over 250,000 units in the country and earning a platinum certification by the RIAJ. After the success of the tour's parent album, NHK invited Amuro to perform at the 59th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, but Amuro declined.

Release and critical reception

Avex Trax released Best Fiction on July 30, 2008. The album artworks were revealed on Oricon, and both covers feature Amuro heavily airbrushed. In Japan, the album was released on CD, with a bonus DVD containing all of the music videos from the parent album. Avex Trax later released both versions of the album in various Asian markets, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. In 2012, Avex Trax reissued the album in two formats: a second limited edition CD commemorating Amuro's 20th career anniversary, and a memory stick packaged in a small box.

Music critics gave Best Fiction positive feedback, with Adam Greenberg of AllMusic rating the album three and a half stars. He praised Amuro's versatility on several tracks, including her energy ("Do Me More"), vocals ("Wishing on the Same Star"), and diverse sound ("Alarm", "Want Me, Want Me"). Although he thought the album was "covered in full detail," he was disappointed with the rest of the material, writing, "There's some standard fare along the way -- items that are sure to hit the charts but leave less lasting impressions." Nonetheless, he concluded that "there's a lot of range covered here, and it all performed quite well." The Japanese magazine CDJournal praised the album's overall sound, citing "Do Me More" and "Sexy Girl" as standouts.

Best Fiction and its content received numerous awards and nominations. At the MTV Video Music Awards Japan, "New Look" was nominated for Video of the Year but won Best Female Video. Additionally, "Sexy Girl" won Best R&B Video. Best Fiction was named one of the top ten albums of 2008 by the Japan Gold Disc Awards, and it also received the Excellence Award. At the 50th Japan Record Awards, Best Fiction won Best Album.

Commercial performance

Commercially, Best Fiction was extremely successful in Japan. The album debuted atop the Oricon Albums Chart, selling 681,187 copies in its first week, becoming her second number-one compilation after 181920. In its third week, Best Fiction accumulated sales of 1.092 million copies, making Amuro the only artist to have at least one million-selling album in their teens, twenties, and thirties. Best Fiction eventually spent six consecutive weeks at number one, becoming the first album to do so in over 14 years, dating back to Dreams Come True's 1993 release Magic.

By the end of 2008, it ranked second on the Oricon Year-end Chart with 1,447,149 units sold, trailing behind Exile Love by Japanese band Exile, and had spent 94 weeks on the chart. In addition, it was the second best-selling digital album by a Japanese artist on the iTunes Japan year-end charts behind Hikaru Utada's Heart Station. Best Fiction sold an additional 92,939 copies in 2009, becoming the 95th best-selling album of that year. The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) certified the album million for sales exceeding one million units, with Oricon reporting a total of 1,554,654 copies sold in the region. Since Oricon began tracking digital downloads in November 2016, Best Fiction peaked at number two on the Digital Albums chart. According to Oricon Style, Best Fiction is Amuro's sixth best-selling album overall.