2nd W by W

2nd W is the second album by the Hello! Project duo W and their first album recorded and released after its members, Ai Kago and Nozomi Tsuji, "graduated" from Morning Musume in August 2004. Unlike their first album, Duo U&U, which was all cover material, 2nd W contains a mix of originals (composed by mentor and Hello! Project founder Tsunku) and covers of classic Shōwa period female pop duo songs. Three of the songs, the Tsunku originals "Ai Ii na!" and "Robo Kiss" and a cover of The Peanuts's "Koi No Fuga", were released as singles in the months prior to the album; the latter selection was also the single released in advance of the album. Many of the songs on the album, both originals and covers, center around the topic of becoming, or about to no longer be, the age of seventeen. At the time of the album's release, Ai Kago had turned 17 a month prior, while Nozomi Tsuji would turn 18 that June. Another track, "Da-bu-ru-yuu Joshi Koutou Gakkou Kouka", is the mock-theme song for the fictional "Dabaruyuu Girls Senior School" (The nonsense word "Dabaruyuu" being a corruption of the duo's name) and ties in with the album cover concept depicting Kago and Tsuji at a school ceremony. The duo would release one more single while retaining their earlier cute image, "Ai no Imi wo Oshiete!". Their following single, "Miss Love Tantei", would see the pair utilizing a more mature look and sound. The first press of the album comes with three photo cards and comes in special packaging.