@sunshine: I know, but I just want you to think positive. Just be happy ayu getting another no. 1 (if things go alright this time). I'm pretty sure her no. 1 streak will be gone in dignity probly next few years or so.

Do they really ban concert sales or sales from handshaking event? Hmmmn weird thought :P. They probly should ban multiple covers as well lol.

They will count 30% of those sales, or something like that. [all sales? Not just handshake/concert/whatever.]

There was news from Oricon a few months ago that sales from events would be banned because there is no way for Oricon to accurately count them or maybe it is only 30% like truehappiness said; really unclear about the whole thing. Apparently Oricon had basically just been taking record companies words for the sales numbers from those events for years now. :thud However we never exactly got a clear translation of whether this would include concert sales as well (which also can't be accurately counted by Oricon).

This could help explain why Morning Musume experienced such a massive drop in sales with their most recent single compared to their one from a few months ago.

my GOD I haven't seen the forum in a while that I didn't know the covers are here and the release date's postponed! so annoying!
have we had excerpts from any of the songs?

I love the covers!!

It seems like I will buy this single because of the covers only...

(somehow reminds me "Together When") :D:D

Man... I'm really disappointed in the date change. :\ I was looking forward to the competition! :( And I hate whenever labels make the artists run... But really, Fukuyama isn't nearly as big a threat as a Johnny's. I actually think she could've easily beaten Fukuyama. And considering Kanjani8 isn't super-huge, I think that she *would've* been pretty safe there, too.....But the limited edition + three singles thing really scares me. Sometimes they just say it's limited, when it's not completely true. -__-' What if that's the case? If it were just a regular single, this wouldn't be a problem I don't think, but all this...? :headache Not only that, but the double week issue--gawd, what an annoying move avex has made. -.-

About the "validity" of her streak... I agree that if an artist avoids competition all the time, a record really means nothing. But Ayu doesn't usually do that. And I don't think we can consider that option for this single, because of both the two week issue and the Kanjani8 issue. But whatever... I think that Ayu deserves this record more than anybody else right now, because in general, she has earned every bit of it. So I'll be rooting on her continued success. :yes

And good God, guys. Stop comparing the freakin' covers to Queen Forehead. Ugh. Like some people said, blue background and feathers isn't exactly a Namie original. >_<' (One word: WHATEVER.)

Only some lyrics on the first post, and that's it.

We should get a snippet in a news clip though since the news just leaked today. I wonder which song though. You were... probably...

i guess theres no way ayu can beat kanjani8...3 singles in a row....with a double week countin towards the sales

I agree with you baby :yes

You know, I honestly didn't think of Namie when I saw that picture. I thought of her Olympic promo picture where she was some sort of angel :laugh

How random is that lol.

oh...
i hate when avex do something like this...postponed?! (avex, kiss my a**)!!!!
but anyway, it's a really beautiful cover, beautiful face, no more weird fish lips, great outfit, and AWESOME hair!!!
Ayu, you're ROCK (now)...
LOL

We largely agree. :) But except that Kanjani8's single is scheduled to come out the week before Ayu's is. So unless they are going to be in the double week together, there will not be any competition for her again. And I just can't imagine Avex moving the date if they knew she would be in direct competition with a Johnny's group. It will most likely be the week after hers that gets counted as the double week since the whole first week of January is usually off time in Japan. Or they just won't have a double week this year. In the past she may have beaten Kanjani, but lately they have been gaining sales. First week sales of their last few singles: 271,516, 347,735, 194,304. There is no way that Ayu would beat that for the weekly number one unless these "limited editions" are limited to like 50,000 copies each which is probably unlikely. :) She would have been much better off against Fukuyama, but its probably being ensured that she won't go up against either of them.

the feathers are so randomly placed @@
but the covers are gorgeous!

Aa, so she'll be after..? I was confused. That shouldn't be bad, then.... ......
....
Ya know what..? I'm just gonna forget about all this competing and double week and crap nonsense, lol. I'm just gonna pray for the best and wait patiently for the results. :D

One comment doesn't need to create such a fuss. Anyway, I'm really looking to this single; I'm a sucker for ballads. <3

I hate how the release date was changed but i love the covers

from what i know Koda Kumi single was released on 12/24 and it was counted in the double week period...so therefor i assume ayu and K8 will be counted together in the double week:shakehead

To quote bluegie:
Last year, the last Wednesday of December was December 24th.