All of her tours are published on DVD, having friends that went makes no difference.

Speaking of Dome Tour, it was just as gimmicky, theatric and glamorous. Huge stage, coming out of a globe, huge dress for M that has a freaking blinking cross on it, being raised up into the air on top of a giant disco ball and an illusion trick with her on the bike.

Tour of Secret was broadway style. People complained it was too much like her other concerts, but you think it's a switch? And CDL 05 06 was great? People said it was too simple. It seems like as ayu's stuff gets older, it becomes good. When it's new, it's trash. "PRAISE THE OLD AYU STUFF".

The point I want to make is, we're Ayu fans. We aren't the casual listener, and who gives a crap whether the casual listener buys her albums or not. If they don't does that mean we won't(or, in the case of people who are unable too, won't listen to the music)? Does it really matter whether or not she's not a perfect studio recording live? We all know, as much as people want to say "Oh, no, that can't be it" that being deaf in one ear is a serious issue for a singer, but she's trying. Isn't that good enough =/?

Ayu has become so much of a diva, that her photoshopped face and generic pop songs just don't cut it anymore, I think. Her songs have become so monotonous; personally, I'm sick of hearing about how she's lost wings. And to be honest, the fact that she's released three best albums in the span of a year is REALLY annoying.

There are many different songs from what I understand than what are on A Best, especially A Best had a lost of remixes and rerecordings. Plus that was 8 years ago. I'm sure there are several people that wanted to buy those old hits again for various reasons.

As for Dome Tour 2001, I would agree that it had a lot of theatrics, but I also think that it wasn't so in your face as today. I still feel a big connection between Ayu and the audience in that show, despite everything. For me, the perfect combination was in the 03/04 tour. It was like 50% performance, 50% theatrics and Ayu's performance was so powerful in that show imo. Now I do think that the theatrics waaay overpower the performance and for me I always prefer it to be the other way around or at least 50/50.

btw, nice debate that we are having in this thread. It's interesting. :)

Just 4 re-recordings.
AC is actually the one who has 15 songs that weren't on both A BEST and most are not old.
Several people can't be 700,000. It's too much.

Erm, on GUILTY besides glitter and MY ALL what exactly was generic pop? :x and Mirrorcle World also ...

In saying sadness, I'm saying in that way, A song for XX the song itself.. not the album, is a sad, and a song about confusion. Of course, it's not happy.

and to address the other comments about how she's a diva by someone~

Mirrorcle World is the biggest diva song she ever did, even look at her stage movements. LOL
It's not a bad thing at all.. I won't say that..
But I can understand the walls told by the japanese 2chanel people~~

Oh well~~ I guess we can just wait, and see what happens in the next tv performance so soon.

And~~ I still want to see AT-08, even if it;s so theatrical!!!
It seems exciting~~ uuu~~ ahaha.

A COMPLETE is not a best, it's a 10th anniversary collection. Get your facts straight first of all =/... Second, I doubt she wakes up and decides to make a best album. Avex probably says "Hmm... we want money" and then a best album is pumped out, Koda Kumi, EXILE, Namie anyone?

Bold and Delicious is the biggest diva song she did IMO.

Yeah all of avex popular artists release thousands of bests in 1 or 2 years span.

Also B'z for that matter which are not on avex for example.

ELT also has like 6-7 compilations (they ar on avex).

With compilations ayu really isn't the one to blame (or every avex artist for that matter).

4 rerecordings is quite a bit though and that is what I mean about AC having more songs than the A Bests did. It's a good deal for people to buy, especially if they want to have all of Ayu's past hits in one place. Ayu's core fan base is the number of people who bought Mirrocle World. Her core fan base + semi casual fanbase are the ones who buy her albums like Guilty. The people who buy AC are the core fan base plus all casual fans that either didn't buy A Best or want a new copy to replace their A Best with. Of course AC is going to sell more. It would be exceedingly bad if it hadn't.

I would agree with that, though Mirrorcle World is pretty divaish too. And notice how turned off Japan was by B&D? Japan is not really that big on Diva attitude, they are more big on humility.

I said it because, as you said, the DVD is still there... like, being able to watch,
Yet it's still said the first tours were theatrical...
Where you can clearly see the DVD... Edit: I should say, you can clearly see, not as theatrical as now.
and as my friends say, they say it got more theatrical every year, in their own experience


As I said. It's not as glamourous as these days.
Yeah, she was glamourous in those days, but obviously, not so glamourous as now.

I didn't say it was a switch.. I said it's the best example of theatric.
And I don't know about you, but when I think of Las Vegas, I think of the costumes she used in Boys and Girls... and the stage with the heart too.
I feel like the french costumes, and those stage shows are Las Vegas, not Broadway... Oh well.

Countdown 2005 - 2006 was simple, but one of her best vocals. Although I'd like to have the extension catwalk, I feel that, it wasn't about theatrics but her vocals.

I wanna make it clear, that it's not a bad thing that it's theatrics.
But, I can understand why people cannot connect to her, when thinking about it.
Oh well... what can you do, right?~


I retract my statements... Mirrorcle world is #2. LOL
you're so right about Bold and Delicious... and not many people liked it either, right?
Although I really love gospel corus~ ahaha

Well, I doubt they buy the whole collection for just the 1st or 2nd CDs =\ (specially when they have most of the songs on previous bests).
The people who buy it must like at least some songs of the 3rd CD.

Also most of the songs that aren't on the previous bests are newer songs and not old.
I actually think that a lot of people who never bought anything of ayu bought it, and also new fans (along with the fanbase).

Well, they are sure connected enough to fill her big arenas every year.

When it first came out, yes, no one liked it, now that it's old, people love it. zoomzoom had a point with stuff that's old is loved and stuff that's new is trash in the eyes of fans. A year or two from now, everyone will be "I miss GUILTY and Mirrorcle World style music, Ayu do more!"

I don't care what others think. Her singing now compared to before is not great but its bearable...and I'm fine with it. She is still singing and that's all I care about. As a huge fan of ayu, I just can't help but feel a bit distant from her...I dunno maybe its the lack of new songs? Although the songs from Secret and Guilty are good, I do wish she'll do something different for her next album. All her previous albums sound different from each other besides Secret and Guilty. Those 2 albums are the most alike...its like part 1 and part 2 album. (ayu did say something like that) Hopefully her next album will not be a part 3.

Why not? The cost of a one cd collection by other artists is about the same cost as AC, so why not fork over the money for just the first two discs? Now of course it's entirely possible that they could like some stuff on the third disc after listening, but what I'm saying is that their reason for buying is likely not the third disc.

If someone hasn't bought something from Ayu in the 10 years that she has absolutely pervaded every part of the Japanese Entertainment industry, I doubt they will start now unless she does something like drastically change her music style which would appeal to a new group of listeners that didn't care about her at all before. Of course there are probably a few individual cases, but I doubt that people en masse just decided they would go pick up Ayumi's album for the first time.

And as I said, so do other artists that are waaay out of the spotlight every year. It would be more impressive to say that Ayu was able to fill open air stadiums solo every year like back in 2002.

Only on English speaking message boards. And for the record, I've never loved that song. :)

time to put this debate on hold for now, since now I'm off to watch the presidential debate instead. :)

But you did say Tour of Secret was a switch, which is why I made that comment. Tour of Secret was very musical like, with hints to Moulin Rouge.

If anything, AT02 made the switch to theatrical, with the evolution dancers, Asian theme for I am and all that stuff.

That's what I don't get, because her tours were already over the top when she was way more popular.

EXACTLY.

How do you know =/? Maybe someone hated her way at the beginning when she had the nasal voice, and avoided her till now and then realized she's amazing, and decided to give her a try from the beginning, and bam A COMPLETE.

Being glam and stuffs are just ways to attract more people to attend her concerts, and i guess ayu wanted to do more stuffs as a way to do something in return for their support.

And even being a new fan of her's, after listening to her current and previous works, i can really tell differences between them; her current songs carry heavy mood/feel to it and lyrics wise, her old works really provided more insight and they're more meaningful, and make you think more after listening to them but i feel that her present songs are more direct, the dark feelings and the overpowering rock element...all these totaled up may really turn casual off easily (plus the fact that someone had mentioned that she can't really handle rock songs that well). And and regarding to casual listeners, we can't just keep ayu to us right?...we have to at least care about her career because casual listeners affect her career to a considerable extent too.

The reason for touring more often this year is probably ayu's intention to thanks all her fans?..thus although i really want new works from her, i can't complain much =) Maybe 2009, which unofficially marks the end of her tenth anniversary celebration and stuffs, when we will be able to gauge more clearly of whhat direction ayu is heading for, from her future works and schedule =s

We are talking about ayu though not other artists.
ayu still fill big arenas and the people who go actually pay for the tickets to enjoy the show. Well that's how it usually goes. People who like her, like her music, like her concerts and yeah also perhaps her singing which is a major thing in the live, since they don't come with ear phones on their ears or covering them, neither the eyes.
Maybe the others artists are less popular but still they give good performances and ayu also.

To be honest, I don't feel disconnected with Ayu at all, a lot of her [recent] songs still appeal to me! Lyrically and composition wise. Take (don't) leave me alone for example, I totally understood where she was coming from because I've felt the same exact way myself! Sometimes you get sick of people but you still don't want them out of your life. Also untitled ~for her~ touched my heart because someone who was a major part of my life has also passed away a few months before the song came out. I personally STILL feel a connection to Ayu. So I guess it's really a matter of taste and personal relavence.

Also, I don't understand why people don't like her all-out concerts. I love the fact that it's theatrical and over-done xD; She obviously puts a lot of effort into them. Plus, who wants to watch someone just stand there and sing <_<;;; Maybe it's because I haven't seen her older ones, but I don't think Ayu does "simple" concerts (anymore...) because she's not a "simple" artist. She's AYU hahahaha

And even though I know her vocals aren't the most spectacular right now, I love her for trying. I love her for continuing to go on because if I were in her position, I don't think I could do it! A lot of my Japanese friends think she's strong and admire her because she continues to sing, she continues to give us more. She's obviously giving us all she's got still, and it's not like she can't improve. I just don't think there's been enough time for her to adjust really... It's like, "Okay, I'm deaf in my left ear" and then it's CDL 07-08, a few TV appearances, AT08, a-nation, CDTV, recording new song, AT08 AGAIN.... I know she loves to work, but I think when she finds time to adjust, she'll sound better. I won't give up on her :)