maybe shu-ya pointed with a wrong finger or maybe a fan made insult to him or someone else with a sign or something, I find it funny though, or maybe someone yelled out something to try and throw him off but other than that its, he probably get a talking too by ayu/staff or Maybe Manuel was in the audience and shu-ya gave him the bird lol :P but it does look like he just stumbled and I guess someone laugh or made some type at fun at it and shu-ya didn't like it but its very unprofessional if he did

and the BRILLANTE performance was the best with the wind machine, cant wait to see that on DVD

It looked like he was looking at something, got distracted, tripped and then flipped someone off. He also looked like he was sorta laughing/smiling. Besides that, I don't see why it should even appear in the press, he's just a dancer, not the star of the show or whatever. XD This isn't the first time we see him flipping the bird anyway. XD

Finally someone GIF'ed this. I lol'ed so hard. And I keep lol'ing everytime I watch it. It's really funny actually.

^^ it's not?:laugh first time for me. I wonder what happened there but I think it's funny:P

Even though it isn't as insulting in Asia/wherever else, I can't help but feel like Shu-ya is probably aware of Western culture enough to know what it means...

His body language during the whole thing is also not very 'joking' in nature, I think.

LOL I found it funny. But still, Shuya can't be like that in when performing :shrug

I remember some sort of scandal in Japan when a japanese boxer (?) gave middle finger to his opponent and audience. So I guess it's still offensive.

If japanese people doesn't seen to be offended, don't know why we should be... :P

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a joking thing to a staff member.

I remember when Ayu mentioned being teased by Yo-chan "You'll forget the lyrics today for sure!" and stuff like that. And sure enough, that day she forgot the lyrics to Trauma and in her usual way laughed it off, but pointed at him accusingly. Much like she does now when she catches him laughing at her forgetting something or making a mistake.

For all we know, a staff member joked with him about that part of the revolving stage. All the dancers and staff have been saying that the stage as it is now can make you dizzy and lose your balance.

We can't see Shu-ya's face so I guess that's the reason we can't really judge this properly. But then again, I don't think it's THAT big of a deal. You get tired, **** happens, you feel even worse and you do things you regret.

It isn't a big deal really, but it's just something during the concert that caught me off guard for sure, lol. I remember seeing it when the concert was streaming and I was like "Did this just happen?" for a while afterward.

still kinda demeaning of Shu-ya, makes him look like an uneducated person, not sure that's the right word but... you should know the time and place for stuff like that.

Though shuya is just a dancer. But as a public figure he shouldn't do anything like it.
Obviously it's not normal for anyone who is on stage to flip someone else.

Come on, kuu flipped to the whole crowd in her 2005 live tour, I doubt anyone in Japan cares. =P

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/2...ewtsthumbs.jpg
http://www.mediafire.com/?b1jg4tdja8pkoa7

Thanks for the rip!

i really don't see any problem with what Shu-ya doing...what are you guys discussing about?! i don't get it

this concert is totally EPIC! didn't know she could do somethin different and fresh after RnRC tour. the setlist, arrangement, outfits and stage. love it!!!
Personal favs:
1) BRILLANTE is PURE EPIC. didn adore her voice her. but her dress and the wind machine works wonder!!! even better than the PV imo.
2) love M arrangement so muchh. and the stage lighting for decision is soo nice.
3) best arrangement of the nite - Bold & Delicious - haven't realli been a fan of this song. but this new arrangement totally change things for mi. love love love the song esp the ending. SO CUTE!!!!

And she done it again on 2010 or 2009 A-Nation...

As a Madonna fan, I find it hard to get shocked or offended by something like that, as I already saw far worst :P

^ lol really? XD Why did she do that though?

Koda, I believe, did that as a part of her "edgy" image... Like, the bold girl... She was smiling and all...

Madonna is always flipping her finger and calling her audience "mother*********s" on concerts...

In the end of the day, the "rules" of behavior on concerts are different from a TV show or PVs... the artist has more freedom cuz they are being watched by fans, not by the general public...

Oh Shuya, I love you so much more now. :laugh

I thought so as well. I listen and watch some western bands' live who are pretty liberal with f-bombs and such so I didn't get why this'd be a big deal. Again, he's NOT the star, pretty sure everyone else forgot about it already, it's just us here trying to overanalyze it :laugh It would be hilarious if they decided to keep it for the DVD version!





To the main act that has been overshadowed by a simple finger gesture by a backup dancer, I REALLY LOVE MIRRORCLE WORLD'S NEW ARRANGEMENT. LIKE I WANNA HAVE ITS BABIES AND ALL.

Giving someone the middle finger basically has no meaning in Japan.

Because it doesn't really mean anything here, it's just like gesturing with any other finger basically.

^ oh i just knew that.
then again Shuya isn't the star of the show so i guess it doesn't rly matter.. unless it's Ayu who did that haha XDD

I've been listening to forgiveness for the past few days. I can't wait for the DVD version. It is just too epic. When I watch it I just get so many chills near the end of it. My gosh.

I think I'm going to wait for the blu ray to watch POM... I want to view it in the best quality possible on our new TV... I wonder if she'll do 3D blu ray concerts!!! :O

Well she's done it for A3D, so I expect the same to happen at least for A3D II(since that one is edited in 3D anyways, why not release it?) and IF she recorded PoM in 3D, which is likely, then she will probably release that, too, just some time later. She seems to only release 3D-blurays AFTER the 3D theatrical run, which is after the normal DVD/Bluray release usually.

^ Oh yeah I totally forgot she released 3D before! Didn't it come with a shorter setlist?

Yeah unfortunately it was shortened to be roughly 90 minutes lenght. I could think of 3 reasons for that:
1) It was her first 3D concert so they were pretty much testing out
2) It ran in cinemas and 90 minutes is a typical movie lenght(people could get bored with a 2,5-3 hour concert in a cinema, especially if they are no big fans)
3) longer concert = more expensive
I don't know if A3D II(Rock n Roll Circus Tour) was shortened as well.

Well... I hope they don't shorten it if they decide to release another concert 3D blu ray, otherwise I'll just get the regular blu ray.

I have to admit, her voice was grating most of the time.

I absolutely most of the new arrangements though, as well as a live orchestra... how amazing. :)

no more BLUE BIRD and monochrome :no

A3D II had some parts removed as well. I think the concerts are a bit long for movies so they edit down for time.

Really tra-shy of you Shu-ya.

For Godsake can we stop speak about this ******* finger at the end ?!
It's nothing but pointless to me.

Yes, he did it.
No consequences for the moment.
OK, move on now.

^Well I don't see why do people have to stop talking about it, everyone has their right to express their opìnion. The matter is not there are no consequence, the matter is the lack of respect towards the audience and people who were watching it online, and furthermore, to ayu and the crew who did their best in the performance.

Maybe people do find it funny or whatever, but I definitely don't.

^ You can't really expect Shu-ya to adhere to foreign fans' sensitivity to jesters that mean nothing in Japan.

Why should Shuya care that western fans are oversensitive and take every small thing(that is absolutely meaningless in their culture) as being "respectless"?

Because he is part of Ayu's team, therefore a reflection of her?

If japanese fans want to raise an uproar because ayu couldn't make it back to japan to record a live I think western fans can get bothered by something just as rediculous.

ayu had a picture of her pointing middle finger at the press during red carpet at the mtv asia awards'02 but nobody cares too ^^ (she's smiling happily =D )

Well I thought the middle finger was just funny. It doesn't take a great deal of common sense to realize that he didn't mean "**** you, audience." It's not a big deal.

It would've been trashy if he pulled an R.Kelly.

To those of you who knows what I'm talking about, hi5 :lech

I like this concert
it's so refreshing with new arrangment but one thing i hate bout it is how they shoot this concert..
They shoot it from far away n make it like a fan cam..n rarely close it up..

^ I think the reason for that is that far-away angles are more "safe" for live broadcasts. You know you ALWAYS show what's going on, with many close-ups you can easily miss something important and cutting can be more tricky.


Because some japanese people are stupid we can be stupid, too? OK, I guess arguing with you doesn't make sense.

Fact is: It is only offensive in some(not even all, it's only really offensive in the US afaik, but EVERYTHING is offensive in the US, we just laugh about it here) western cultures, the concert did not happen in a western country, it happened in a place where it means nothing. It was done by a person that grew up in a culture it means nothing in. If YOU decide to be offended that's your own fault for either being oversensitive or simply not understanding that cultures differ. Why should someone in Japan care if a handful Americans(not even all of them) are offended when everybody else pretty much isn't? The 6.7 billion people that are not American don't give a ****.

The way I and some others take his behavior, if its stupid, shouldn't matter to you then.
We're just a bunch of retarded americans according to you right?

Oh I see, you can over-generalize, too :)
I said that it's only really offensive in American culture, not that all Americans are idiots. My boyfriend is American so don't act like I'm some racist.
I do find it stupid to get offended by something that was clearly not meant to offend anyone though and that's just what I see in this thread from a handful of people. Just because it is offensive in your culture does not mean it's anything offensive in itself. Someone from a country far away doesn't have to care if less than 5% of the world's population, less than 5% that aren't even the main audience, might or might not be offended.
If an American did it on American television it would have been different(though even then reactions would have probably become overdramatic), but this was a Japanese doing it in a Japanese concert that was streamed over the internet - NOT exclusively to the USA, but to everybody who wanted to watch it. And the gesture was directed not at the people watching it over the internet, but either someone on stage or the audience. If anything, they should be offended - but have you heard of any drama about it? No?
If sitting down on a chair was offensive in say....I don't know....some random country far away, should I only be allowed to sit on the ground because someone from there might see it and get offended? Come on.
I'm German, so should any Nazi symbolism - like in Ladies Night for example - offend me? No, because I know it's not meant to be offensive and it's not offensive in that part of the world.

Hey, there are other westerners than just "retarded americans" around. And it's very offensive in other countries than just North America. If I recall correctly, someone was shot because he showed someone the underside of his shoe by accident -apparently that is like showing people your middle finger in some countries. Arabic, I think?

And isn't this just a matter of how you (regardless of where you are from) choose to overlook these little things.

You two are taking things too far and too seriously anyway. Japan has a knack for doing insane and very offensive things, that makes flicking someone off in the middle of a concert seem like nothing at all. You'll just have to deal with it.

Why do people act like I brought up "retarded americans", the american brought that up, not me. I never generalized all Americans. And you really can't count non-industrial countries when talking about what is offensive or not - acceptable or not when you compare to first world countries. There's still a few countries that hang homosexuals for example. And no, I am not being racist by saying this. It's a fact. And it's not because I think people are any worse there than in other countries, it's just that in history progress and wealth always came first and those countries didn't have that yet mostly(or are in the first stages of it).
And while it still may be offensive in other countries I have yet to see another country that makes a big fuss around it. I don't think another first world country for example censors middle fingers on TV. If anything it is a personal insult in other countries, something the person it is directed at can get offended about, not others.

And I'm not overlooking it, I see it as what it is and that is nothing to get offended over. It wasn't even DIRECTED AT US. It was a middle finger directed at a japanese audience(or japanese staff members on stage) by a japanese person. Note: japanese. A culture in which, as explained by both Japanese and westerners living in Japan, it is not offensive. We don't even know if it was meant to offend someone or jokingly.

^
Wait hold it and slow down. Why would anyone accuse you of being "racist" for mentioning that some countries apply the death penalty to people who're homosexual?

And I can read, thank you. I know it was "the american" (ComatoseBunnySnatcher is his username btw) who mentioned that. I was half kidding, but you seem to be way too much into this discussion to realize that.

I don't think an entire country made a fuss about it, did they? Just a few people thought it was off. And that is not the fault of a landmass, but a lack of common sense in those that do. I think most AHS'ers thought it was kinda funny and was surprised.

And I don't think at all it was meant to offend anyone. I don't think anyone with moderate amounts of common sense think that he purposedly did it to offend.

Are you guys STILL talking about this?

Damn.

Well the media hasn't said anything about it yet, and they'll do anything to discredit Ayu in any way...so, obviously, it wasn't some kind of hugely offensive thing.


And wow, some of you...I've lost some respect for you, not that you guys probably care...but...You know, this is a forum for people all around the world. As such, it would be a good idea to leave some of your preconceived notions about other cultures, out of your posts.

There's a time and place for trying to talk about the "truth" you know? And there's also a way to go about it.

I would just, advise that some of you use more caution. Just a suggestion.

^ I was thinking the same thing...
Still... come on!

We don't even know the context in how it happened... We have something like a six second clip of the man tripping and then pointing his middle finger out into the crowd... THAT tells us nothing!!
You know how many people point with that finger??? most likely millions of people, even Americans do it!
Get over it!

Besides that... the concert was rather great, can't wait for the DVD :luv2

Am I the only one who thinks it's hilarious?! :D
I keep on looking at that gif and it makes me laugh everytime. I love it. :heart

And OMG yes! I can't wait for the Blu-ray to release! It will be epic!

People, get over it. Move on. Why do you guys even bother arguing over the Internet? You don't know these people. Who cares. I get your point, isthisLOL?, but please just drop it before you say anymore potentially misunderstood statements. I admit I got a good laugh out of this discussion but seriously, people, shut up, move on, and discuss something worth discussing.

Thank you.

By now Shuya has to be the biggest troll ever :laugh He trolled you guys lolol :P

the situation was probably like, Shu-ya was dancing and he slipped/missed a step. maybe someone Maro/whoever, or a stage member or someone laughed at him (as in someone he actually knew) and he flipped it for fun... that's what I do all the time -_-

^
:laugh same here. And I think it happens what you have said, I don't really think Shu-ya meant to be disprecteful to the audience.
But there's enough drama about this here :/ and I still don't get WHY, seriously.

BTW I finally got some time to watch PoM streaming's rip (thanks to Kinix :heart) and I was stunned.
Her voice were great, maybe sometimes she was screaming instead of singing :laugh but I really love it. M, forgiveness and Mirrorcle World new arrangements was amazing.
Cannot wait for the DVD release :luv2 and I'm still hoping for an album release of PoM.

Everyone has their right of expressing themselves and it's definitely not about you finding it pointless that people still speak about it, no one cares if you find it pointless, at least I don't. :)

Another stereotype, hello there!

edit; to stay OT:
I like the new arrangement M got, It really turned M from a "Cold" song to a Rock kind of song. I dislike the other changes she has made ex. the trumpets replacing the strings / violins. progress was a song I looked for to be sung live for a very long time. I never could be anymore disappointed.
It's so strange that lately she sounds so "different" (aka bad) when performing live as compared to a few years back. I always keep telling people that ayumi hamasaki sounds the same live as she does on the studio mix version of the song, but now It doesn't even seem like she is even able to do so.
However, I liked the epic intro (It was forgiveness if I'm right).

It would be awesome if she released a live CD for this tour. I would buy it in a heartbeat!

Ayu was never able to sound like her album recordings live... Unless you are talking about her DVDs, that always had over-edited vocals...

What means she will sound a lot better when this DVD come out...

She's always had issues with 'live' vocals I think.

I feel like people see CDLs' TV versions nowadays and all that... yet they forget it's been like this for a while now. CDL04-05 and CDL05-06's TV versions were not exactly liked at the time when they came out because her vocals were 'horrible'.

"Western fans" can have 2 meanings in that sentence. One being a collective term for all western fans, the other one describing, that the ones that are pissed off are western, not that all western fans are oversensitive, but that the oversensitive ones, at least in this thread, are western. At least I haven't seen a single non-western one. Now think about which meaning it probably has in this sentence.
In this sentence it purely meant that Shuya doesn't have to care if western fans are oversensitive, because that is not the culture the concert happens in. When japanese fans are oversensitive he has to care.

Also, I think we are listening to different concerts. This is the first time since 2005 that Ayumi has sounded really good live. :innocent In this unedited, low quality and badly mixed recording of her singing some of her hardest songs she sings better than in some DVD-released(therefore properly mixed, edited and high quality) versions of concerts full of easy songs.
She also has learned how to actually sing with the correct technique, which is the reason progress sounds so rough in the studio version before her recent vocal lessons(the opening part is earsplattering) but not nearly as rough in the concert, even when it probably was the worst vocal performance of the whole show in terms of pitch. But that will all be fixed for the DVD/Bluray and it will probably end up being her best-sounding tour. And it's completely free of playback, which probably can't be said about any of the tours between 2002 and 2009 :innocent Except for TA Live Tour, but we don't have the full thing.

And not even the editing saved some vocals she had before 03....

No, she sometimes did sound like her album recordings live....

And another thing to note is that she puts on this "strong" voice, which I find to be too harsh and not fitting for what she is delivering now. She didn't do that a few years ago; ex. when you compare a Mirrorcle World live to the MW life she recently performed you'll know what I mean. Sure, she sounds nice at times but then she overdoes it.. It's not pleasant listening to her live 'vocals' anymore, imo.

Actually, there are people who doubt that the concert was 100% live for whatever reason.

The thing about Mirrorcle World... at least it's not like the first two(?) performances in April of 2008. Those were SO BAD.

This MW live is edited, we can't know how it sounded on the actual live...

You missed my point, In that post I was talking about how she tends to overdo her 'strong' voice in this song. But while you are bringing it up again, I think that the sound effects / filters that were applied to ayu's vocal output in PoM are more exaggerated than the Mirrorcle World performance she did in 2008.

Imo, none of her performances at PoM came close to the performances she did in 2008. She doesn't sounds as she used to sound like (obviously) but still, it seems that with each year she keeps getting worse and worse (performing live that is). And it comes to the point where editing cannot save anything.

But with this voice I would like to hear how she would perform Rule, it should be average - good. :)

OMG! Now I hate Ayu, she has no respect for western fans!

Really? And you can tell that by comparing a low quality LIVE stream to a high quality, edited TV/DVD-release for which they had all the time in the world to apply unnoticable changes? The Mirrorcle World performance you think is so amazing isn't even one performance, at least two different dates were cut together for the video, where is your proof that the same didn't happen for the audio? They could easily take the best parts of 2,3 4 or even more dates and cut them together, then put a slight autotuner on, run it through a compressor and get to perfect vocals. All not as possible with a live broadcast(actually, the sound proves there are neither autotuners nor compressors(the two main electronic tricks to make voices sound better) on PoM, because their effects are simply not there, while, considering the level of Ayu's vocals in 2008 and the MW performances she did live on TV, those were both most certainly used on a-nation 2008).
Or do you think the reverb was a vocal effect? That probably is a result of the way the audience sound was mixed in and simply the sound dynamics of the arena.

I thought that after hitting a relatively low point in 2007/2008, she slowly started improving since then.

Is not that she only improves or only gets worse, it's a bit of both Worlds tbh.

She has had some horrible live performances since... ever? And at the same time she keeps creating and having awesome performances as well.

She sounded amazing last year when she sang count down and Memorial Address, particularly for this last one, it was like a step back in time, it was amazing.

My god, this person comes with "where is your proof". Are you serious???!

I said I THINK, I never made any statements....

Come on now, mods are probably pulling their hair out by now.
And yes, we're all allowed to have a discussion and an opinion and bla bla, but within the lines of being on topic and non-ridiculous.

And I should probably stay on the topic myself, so!

Was anyone besides me positively surprised over that setlist? Now that I think of it, it has a lot of powerful and motivational songs instead of a whole lot of sad ballads, at least on the limited edition setlist.

I can't believe how she can keep track of it all, must mean one heck of a lot of rehearal and good memory. But nothing new there, she's been going at it for about 11 years now :laugh

She does mess up lyrics every few shows though. It's kind of a d'oh moment when it happens since she tends to switch choruses.

I wonder if that's stress or the fact that she's got sooo many songs to keep track of.

Sorry for derailing the thread like this, but this person just annoys me with his attitude and the "oh, but it's only an opinion" way of backing out of what he said while basically completely ignoring the content of other people's responses and overlooking everything he has no response for.

Every expressed thought is a statement, but saying "I think" and then saying something that is simply not subjective just to back out of explaining how you got to that conclusion by saying it's "just a thought" is stupid.
So basically you are saying your thoughts have no essence, since you have no reasoning to them(or are not willing to share your reasoning with us)?
You brought your thought up in a discussion, thereby you turned it into an argument as to why the a-nation 2008 performance was better or worse than the PoM performance. If you bring up an argument be prepared to defend it or don't bring it up at all.

It's like saying "I think she was lipsynching" when a performance was obviously live(happened on AHS before, performances full of off notes, even with mistakes in the lyrics, were accused of being lipsynched). If it's "just a thought" and you can't prove it, even worse you don't even have any evidence for it, no reasoning that makes sense, there is no reason to bring it up in the first place, it will only piss people off and in the end it won't get anyone anywhere because well.."it's just a thought". It's a devaluing statement made seemingly less offensive and important by an "I think" placed in front of it. So the poster feels noone can attack it because "it's just a thought!" and everybody is free to think whatever they want to think, right? ;)

Keep your thoughts to things that either are subjective or you have reasoning for. You can be subjective on how you like an Ayu release, think as much as you want about that, post as many of those thoughts as you want to, no matter if good or bad, and I won't mind because it's a very subjective thing. But this is just you trying to feel untouchable because it's simply not a thing of opinion. Either you have reasoning or you don't. If you have that's good, if you don't there's no reason to even comment on it.

It's funny, because I listened to the recorded live (the fanmade one) last night and I also thought some performances were pretty impressive as regards her vocals (MA sounded almost like the cd version).
She could still sing with that feminine and gentle voice (I love) and I wished she could sing more like that in PoM.
There is both good and bad vocals in PoM. Overall it's a bit raw, off-tune and forced. Ok, it may also be a bad day. But she has so many bad days... She is improving for sure, but it's a long way to go.

BTW, I also think she could sound really close to the CD version when she was performing live, and without any struggle. Even if she isn't a good singer to some people (who seem to know what they are talking about), I've always been proud and impressed by her vocals.

As regards PoM in itself, the arrangements are just amazing. I'm really happy that a big popstar like her can do this sort of thing. I'm just a bit disappointed with the dancers and so on. I'd rather have something really different, no dancers, simple clothes and so on. But hey, it's ayu after all.

^ I thought she was an amazing live singer when I first watched CDL 04-05 and AT05. I thought, "My God, this chick is unstoppable! She can't go wrong! Just like the CD!" and I didn't notice her vocal quality getting to the point where I did not enjoy it until around AT09. Yes, count down and Mem. Address on AT10 were amazing I have to say though.

Did you watch the live TV version of that concert?

Sorry guys, this is the last time that I go off topic.

i verrrrry loveee her loooks n make up on this era...
she's so damn pretty back to those days..
why she doesnt put it on this kind of make up now...

i missed her past era looks tooo...
but I heard that women once reach a certain age, they don't suit to have long hair anymore...

I don't believe in this, as we can see here

http://ahsforum.com/forum/showpost.p...&postcount=401


Seiko Matsuda looks stunning with long hair, even though she's much older than ayu :)

I prefer Ayu with long hair too...Sometimes she doesn't do the right style though.

I guess from like, that style she had up there...that's like, that typical magazine young girl with long hair style...so maybe for older women it looks kinda silly?

Maybe thats what they mean by it...idk lol

if i remember correctly ayu herself ever explain it that she's now more comfortable with mature looks make up...

She said she might go for dark hair soon so hopefully that is REAL soon.

I think her makeup changed and all that because the guy who was her hair-make person (Keizo Kuroda) left and was replaced. If you see other artists who have an "Ayu look" to them, they probably are using her old staff members. It's happened a few times, lol.

is kuroda keizo that dark skin guy who often appears on ayu making of during my story-missunderstood era...?

Lol, no. CDL 04-05 DVD was the first ever performance I saw from Ayu and I was so touched. AT05 was DVD obviously and when I watched CDL 05-06 (TV version) I hated it. I don't think it was the vocals though - it was just the energy didn't seem as "hyped" as CDL 04-05. It was quite boring IMO.

I think Ayu's looks have improved majorly over the years. She was a little too scraggly and alien looking back in the I am... era. Still cute, but sometimes her skin was a little too tight and sometimes she looked a bit cross-eyed. I think her true beauty started in 04. She looked amazing with long hair up until she cut it all off. If anything, I think short hair AGES Ayu and makes her looks worse (especially this current cut). But I will say her hair during the GUILTY era was fan-effing-tastic. CDL 07-08 for the WIN!

Dark hair era coming soon, yesss! She looks GORGEOUS in dark brown hair.

CDL05-06 is probably the golden gem of all CDLs for most fans I think. She looked hot, she sounded great in the DVD, epic performances... etc. She was at the top of her game in 2005/2006 when it came to tours/style.

And the dark hair thing came from an interview she just did [translated by Misa-chan]:
If you remember a Japanese man with his stomach showing in off my way / on my way, that is him. He was also in a lot of making-ofs like you said.

I'm surprised you guys like her makeup there, she looks pale and sick.

do you have mtv asia award 2002 redcarpet where ayu was in ur pictures....
i only have her video singing M live but never seen her red carpet video...

So true, haha.

You know what's really offensive in Japan? walking and eating at the same time. It's just not done, it's really rude. So is pointing. But you can bet I do both when I'm anywhere else, but I'll never do it in Japan. So it's just different cultures, and people should respect that. :yes

^Haha yeah. But yet they still point at you when you come walking on the streets. "GAIJIN!" xD Also, they stare like maniacs.
They also used to paint married womens teeth black (so everyone would know that she was "taken") until the late 1900th century before the western cultures taught them it was kind of freaky. Funny culture thingy.

Anyway...

I for one loved her ST'02/RAINBOW PV hair style. It was so simple yet very nice looking. She would probably loose some age with that hair style instead of gaining age like with her current hair style. She did good in short hair before, I'm not loving it anymore though.

But OMG yes, longer darker hair! :heart
She actually had very lovely hair during CDL 09-10. It was kind of a mix between ST'02 and (m)u era. :heart

^ I pointed at a few things in Shibuya and got some death glares from a few Japanese. XD But most of them stared at me anyway, because I acted like a total GAIJIN in every sense of the word. XD

YES, I loved her cdl09/10 hair!! I'd really hoped she'd keep that hair for the rest of 2010, and then she cut it again, and I had a big sad. :(

But if you think that, then you are being very ethnocentric. As I already stated, using your middle finger in Japan has no negative connotation to it. All cultures are different. I teach at elementary school in Tokyo and have seen kids gesture with their middle fingers that could be construed in America as flipping someone the bird, but do the teachers here get upset about it? No of course not because it is not something derogatory in the culture of Japan - they may as well be using their index finger.

I once did a 'thumbs down' sign in class and the students practically lost their minds. "Ohhh you can't do that! That's very bad!!" - in Japan a thumbs down means basically to tell someone to die. If Shu-ya had done that in the concert, then you would see a controversy.

I guess all the people in Japan should stop flashing inward facing peace signs in photos because that could be considered offensive in England. :roll eyes

For a board that is dedicated to the music of a foreign country, there are sure some closed minded people about cultural differences on this board....

Edit: And now I realize that this subject got squashed about a page back. :)

^Or should we stop all the kissing in public cuz in Japan is rude to kiss someone in public? :P

i wan ayu with long black hair =)