Maybe I Love You

"Maybe I Love You"
Single by Ai Otsuka
Language	Japanese
Released	May 31, 2023 (2023-05-31)
Genre	J-pop
Length	3:28
Label	Avex Trax
Songwriter(s)	Aio
Ai Otsuka singles chronology
"Smily 2" (2022) "Maybe I Love You" (2023) "Vanity" (2023)
Music video
"Maybe I Love You" on YouTube

"Maybe I Love You" is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Ai Otsuka, released as a digital single on May 31, 2023, through Avex Trax. ^[1]

Background and release

The song was first announced and performed live at Otsuka's Love Is Born: 19th Anniversary 2022 concert, held on September 11, 2022, at the Hibiya Park Outdoor Concert Hall in Tokyo. During the concert, Otsuka introduced "Maybe I Love You" as a previously unreleased song, inviting guitarists Simon Isogai and Yohei Makabe to join her on stage. Noting the song's origins in the spring, she described it as having a "gentle, spring-like scent." ^[2] Upon the airing of the concert on Wowow in November 2022, Otsuka tweeted that the song had "no plans for release or streaming." ^[3]

In May 2023, however, it was announced that the song had been commissioned as a collaboration song with Chikako Mitsuhashi's long-running manga series Chiisa-na Koi no Monogatari. ^{[4] [5]} An animated video featuring the song was published on YouTube on June 10, 2023. ^[5] Both the video and the digital cover artwork for the single features a collaboration with Chiisa-na Koi no Monogatari, incorporating visuals inspired by the manga's iconic aesthetic. ^[4] The live version from Love Is Born was subsequently also uploaded to YouTube on June 17, 2023. ^[6]

The Love Is Born: 19th Anniversary 2022 live album was released on the same day. Apart from including the live recording of the song in said concert, its limited edition includes a bonus CD which includes the studio version of "Maybe I Love You". ^[6]

Composition and themes

"Maybe I Love You" is a medium-tempo ballad which showcases "[Otsuka's] delicate vocals and a bittersweet yet warm atmosphere [...] with lyrics about love that anyone can easily relate to emotionally." ^{[4] [5]} The song's arrangements, handled by Shin Sakiura, were described as "rich and layered", resulting in a track "with an emotional melody line and a striking rhythm." ^[4]

Track listing

Maybe I Love You - Digital release

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Maybe I Love You"	Aio	3:28

References

1. "Ai Otsuka - Maybe I Love You". Avex Portal (in Japanese). Avex Entertainment. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
2. "【大塚 愛】祝福と歓喜に満ち溢れたアニバーサリー＆バースデーライブ『LOVE IS BORN ～19th Anniversary 2022～』を開催！". Avex Portal (in Japanese). Avex. September 14, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
3. Otsuka, Ai [@ai_otsuka99] (November 30, 2022). "「maybe I love you」 リリースも配信もそんな予定もない曲です。" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
4. "大塚 愛の新曲「maybe I love you」が5/31（水）より各サイトにて配信スタート！さらに漫画「小さな恋のものがたり」のコラボソングに決定。". Ai Otsuka Official Website (in Japanese). Avex. May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
5. "大塚愛「小さな恋のものがたり」とコラボしたアニメーションビデオ公開". Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha Inc. June 6, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
6. "大塚 愛、新曲「maybe I love you」ライブ映像公開". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). June 18, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2025.