1. forgiveness
This song starts off with some piano and Ayu singing her typical "whoa-oh-oh." It's very soft and delicate, and the orchestral strings are a nice touch. However, when Ayumi begins the first verse, something feels off. It's the melody... the notes feel almost random. It's very disconcerting. The bridge is better and builds in intensity, but it becomes almost melodramatic. The chorus is less cheesy, and has a few nice moments, but overall this song feels like a mish-mash of elements. All of them could have been good on their own, but together they just don't work. Plus, Ayu's voice isn't as good as it's been on her past few releases. Overall, it's not her best work, and probably isn't worth buying.
Rating: 5

2. ourselves "Kentaro Taizawa Mix"
I've not been keeping up with all of Ayumi's releases, so I don't think I've heard the original version of this song. Oh well. It starts with a filtered Ayu-voice (boy, that's popular lately), then adds some loud, annoying percussion that doesn't feel like it's on the same beat as Ayu. This is all worked out when the verses actually start, but the repeated lyrics are really grating. The song keeps changing tone and mood, so I'm not really sure what it was trying to accomplish. The chorus is relatively enjoyable, but it can't save the song. Plus, at almost 6 minutes, it's way too long. Hopefully, the original was better than this.
Rating: 5

3. HANABI~episode II~ HAL'S MIX 2003
I was a big fan of the original "HANABI" and "HANABI II" was pretty good too. So naturally, I had high expectations for this remix. It starts with some ethnic percussion, orchestra and chimes. Very nice, very relaxing. Ayu's vocals are very restrained and much better quality here. There's actually a coherent melody! Somehow, the instrumentation makes this song also seem a little over-dramatic, but it's tolerable here. I guess my impression is that while this is a good track, it's too little too late. This single was so underwhelming, nothing can save it. Plus, I absolutely HATE those backup singers in the chorus/bridge. They need to stop ruining this song.
Rating: 7

Overall Rating: 6 out of 10