This CD is pretty much light fluffy j-pop. The song selection is nothing special, evenly distributed between slow songs and some that are a little faster. Also, the singing doesn't sound like Hekiru. She sings really high in a lot of songs, not really badly but not well either.
While this CD is typical j-pop, and doesn't really sound like Hekiru, I like it. The songs I listen to are all the odd numbered tracks. Also, it makes a nice contrast to Hekiru's latest stuff; I think it's fun to see where she started. What I did hate were the photos in the booklet. Hekiru is caked in makeup and her hair has been curled and plaited. I can't stand to see her that way.

I think this is the weakest of Hekiru's albums. Most of the songs are very energetic, but corny as all hell. The style is a little stronger and harder than before, but the song selection just isn't very good. Even worse is Hekiru's singing. She switched to a new singing style, trying to learn how to sing properly with more power. While the effort is appreciated, the result certainly isn't. The only things to recommend this album are "Koi no Race Queen" and the name of the album itself. ^^
Despite these drawbacks, after many listens most of the songs have grown on me. Since I know Hekiru does get better, I can have fun with it knowing that she managed to rise above this.

A vast improvement over No Make Girl. Not only is the singing significantly better, the song selection is also very good. In addition to fast songs that are closer to pop-rock, it also has some soft ballads.
While the the ballads don't do much for me, they are not bad songs. My favourite songs on this CD would be tracks 6, 7, 8, and 11 in particular. I think enjoyment of this CD is very much increased if you have seen the Starting Legend '97 ~with a will~ concert LD. The CD itself I like a lot, because it has a nice picture of Hekiru printed on it.

(2000/4/7 appendum: Several ballads on this CD have since become favourites. Maybe it's because I've started liking ballads general...)

Definitely overall Hekiru's best CD to date. Hekiru herself is extremely pleased with it. She had a very large involvement in its creation, and the songs are mostly pop-rock with a hard sound that the strong electric guitar emphasis contributes to. The singing quality is excellent, though not as consistent as I had hoped. Still, it is very obvious that Hekiru put in great effort in recording this.
Except for track 6, I really like every song on this album; "Infinity" is probably my favourite Hekiru song. A must-get!

Note: The first press CD comes in a special case with the name of the CD and a blue rectangle etched into the plastic.

Note: The first press CD comes in a special three-sided digipack, which is a thick glossy-paper case that unfolds out.

God, what an awesome cover though!

The first press CD has a different cover (shown left) and includes an illustration card of Hekiru.

Hekiru's 8th album featuring six songs composed by Hekiru herself, with all arrangements by Akashi Masao. The most impressive thing about this album is probably its diversity and variety. There are no fillers here; each song possesses its own distinct sound courtesy of Akashi's imaginative arrangements. In fact, it can be argued that the original songs are more interesting than the singles because of their unconventional instrumentals. Hekiru's compositions themselves run the gamut from painfully cheery pop to true hard rock, so your actual mileage may vary depending on your musical tastes. Unlike Hekiru's previous album, however, PRECIOUS GARDEN has a unity provided by a surprisingly strong undercurrent of rock 'n' roll, so aside from the dearth of singles (5 out of 11 tracks), it is a high quality album that no fan should overlook.
The first press CD comes with "another jacket". There are two versions, but only one is included per CD.   WHITE GREEN