A post pregnancy hitomi has announced via her live concert and various news sources a May 20th release for her new single which will include “WORLD! WIDE! LOVE!” and the previously released (in a ringtone only version) “Kokoro no Sougen.” The WORLD! WIDE! LOVE! single will be followed up by her first album in nearly 3 years titled LOVE LIFE 2 on June 10th.

Are hitomi’s best years behind her? I’m filled with mixed emotions here. On the one hand LOVE LIFE, the um, first has some of my absolute favorite hitomi songs on it. On the other hand, since when do post pregnancy Jpop stars ever live up to their former glories? Here’s hoping hitomi can buck the trend.