Unfortunately I'm really not! You have no idea how high the rate of (undetectable) HIV-infected gay guys in sex clubs like that is, and those who don't have it take PREP to be able to have unprotected sex anyway. "Anti-drug rules" get avoided anyway by taking it with you in your underwear or whatever and then taking them quickly in closed rooms etc. and that shit can make you stop worrying about STDs and agree to do crap you'll regret later, hence the "dancing" ban Japan did on 2-chome.

Of course not. If she wanted to specifically show a leather-clad club (which is bad taste imo) she sorta got it, but to me it seems more like she wanted to make it clear it was a gay club so she dressed everyone up in leather and drag haha. Which is kinda stereotyping as the majority of gay clubs have people dressed normally but, again, I'm not bothered by it.
We all know Ayu has a fetish for leather (see: every concert of hers since 2005 lol) If I want to watch a PV that handles the subject in the opposite way I'll watch how beautiful you are.

Time for me to stop talking about the subject lol. It's just a videoclip with bad execution like Feel the love haha. ^^b Meltdowns in a topic about meltdowns, woo! (jk jk)

The director of this MV is gay himself so... of course it's stereotyped but I don't blame Ayumi for this in the making of you can see that's the idea of the director !

Out of curiosity, Kazuyoshi is the director? Isn't that the perv who did Super Mannie and made Ayu look like a blowfish in photoshoots for 2 years or am I confused? If so that explains loads LOL. He's like an Asian Terry Richardson.

He's probably just poo pooing because ayu found and has a working marrage with an american husband :P , but he is the one who seems to post to her and tease about his past relationship

wait what?

Party Queen. As I've mentioned before in another post, this album did not at all feel like it belonged to Ayu. Not every song was bad; the ones I liked, I listened to on a loop. But the overall feel of the album as well as the cover art I found really off- putting. I get what she was going for with this album, and the art kind of gives off an Edie Sedgwick vibe, but in my opinion, Ayu looked like she was crazy uncomfortable. I was a little upset with Avex trying to market her like that. Everyone knows that she's not sleazy; that's one of the main reasons I'm such a die- hard fan, and frankly, I think the whole "suggestive poses in her undies" look is something that was utterly unnecessary and insulting to Ayu's persona in general. There's a difference between being flirty and playful and being trashy. I don't know why they decided to go the latter route with this one.

Party Queen.
First marriage.
Maro.

Timmy.

I wonder if it was more of a move on her own part since we know Party Queen had a different shoot that became SUPER Ayu (and probably was for the most part going to be a part of that Party Queen photobook that never got released). I also am thinking that maybe Leslie had something to do with the cover art tbh.

Maybe she got into drugs. <_< The album certainly sounds like it.

It's not because she takes focus over a particular crowd of people. It's how the video overfocus mainly on that theme: gay people, party and leather. Anything else may happen in the video but it absolutely has no relevance because the video direction does not lead you to pay attention to other details, maybe everyone else wasn't even in leather, I don't even remember, but what lingers in the end is leather=gay people=party. Even ayu loses her shine in the PV because the rest is too flashy. I don't care what she says in her lyrics, the PV says otherwise (from the lyrics) for the title:yes doesn't matter if it's judging a book by the cover, maybe that was intentional like making something bittersweet for provoking? I'd bet on the easier route though: lousy PV with lousy direction. It's just like gay parades that are supposed to promote diversity but focus on showing steroid built shirtless men, a lot of colorful stuff, in a huge party with electronic music; at least the ones that happen here only reinforce stereotypes even though the goal is supposed to be the opposite.

ayu loved the Party Queen cover art and strongly defended it when people misunderstood it and claimed she was using sex to sell. She was never uncomfortable with it, she's far too powerful to agree to something she doesnt believe in.

^

That doesn't take away the fact that she looks uncomfortable. Plus the whole concept seems contrived. The "I'm a lonely queen" crap. She's always been singing about stuff like that, but in a more mature, better way. Proclaiming yourself as a "lonely party queen"... She never even was a party queen. How can you make an album around the idea of having a "fake party queen mask" when you don't have one? The album would've made more sense coming from Kumi or Namie. The covers just look like she's a prostitution queen, not a party queen. (No problem with slutty covers, I love Kuu, but just sayin' the concept was very poorly executed. IMO. Well, not even just imo; it was the general consensus...)

+1000000

Perfect reply. *applauds* The gay prides here are terrible, too. They're like an ironic confirmation of the existing stereotype of gay guys. Those prides always irk me.

Actually what IS the song about anyway? The translations are terrible and make no sense to me.

I've always assumed that the lyrics to Lady Dynamite were about individualism and refuting the the majority; being the person you want to be in spite of outside pressures.

...who even are you.

But no, Kazu did not shoot Super Mannie.


This thread is officially a trainwreck.

LOL agreed.

Leslie Kee made Super Mannie. There was a big drama about it.

That was the first thing that came to mind, probably because the covers still don't have a single redeeming quality and they show up more frequently than references to real world messes or chart placements, so I can't even forget them like bad boyfriends or drama about sales.

About ayu being a party queen, November4, ayu can actually be quite the partier. At least that is what I can imply from what I know of her. And then there are times when she really is. And I really don't think she's uncomfortable, whether or not people like the covers. Just like I don't think she's uncomfortable with her Facebook profile picture being her ass.

To say that it would fit kuu and namie more just seems like a way to brand them based off their general image.

And idk what you're even talking about regarding gay stereotypes. Well, I think I do. But I'm not about to discuss people being irked by others fulfilling a stereotype on the forum for ayu.

Ironically I was just looking for "funny Ayu pics" and ran across those old photos of her partying, drinking and smoking. So yeah she might be a "party queen" in real life, but I don't think she's ever been branded as one. She was always branded more as a down-to-earth girl or flashy diva with ballads and happy tracks, right? Whereas Kumi and Namie have been branded as "party queens".

You're right about personality, that might be completely different from the branding. But because of the branding, I think the Party Queen concept kinda failed... About the ass pic: lol! Okay maybe just the -pose- looks uncomfortable then, with the missing arm/leg and such. :P OR does it look intentionally uncomfortable to go with the theme? ;D

Anyhow I think that whole era was just confusing and off-putting for fans because of how she has always been "branded". Not to mention it doesn't really have a hit song on it. At least LOVE again has You & Me and sorta Wake me up. Party Queen has... Well it has good tracks but I don't think she'll be playing any of them in 10 years.

And yeah I lost track of the conversation on that subject halfway as well. s_s

omg. So what if she actually is a psycho and used domestic violence against mannie and then maro?! that would explain the whole violence mess on snowy kiss and at12.

LOL just jkin but it could make sense XD

^^How beautiful you are has the same certification as You & Me...

And Ayumi was never really seen as a "down to earth" sweet girl after the peaked (maybe not even before she peaked), she is usually refered as a demanding ambitious bitchy diva with a delinquent past...

Oh yeah, that ballad might get sung again in a CDL encore. :)

I did include diva haha. But party queen branding... eh. Wait since when has she been branded as a bitchy needy diva? Diva okay, yes to strong and empowering, but bitchy?

Now -Madonna- is someone who is branded as a bitchy diva. <3

^ I remember that NTV documentary during A BEST era.

Footage showed her scolding her staff.

You need to divide personality and branding here. She might be a bitchy party queen diva in real life (which I highly doubt), but her branding has always been entirely different. Like Avril Lavigne. Her branding is snobby, bitchy and fun, but actually she's a pretty shy person who loves writing mature music. That's why her albums recently kinda flop, they're different from her branding with the exception of 3-4 singles.

Thanks about mentioning the documentary, gonna watch that.

Even if Ayu isn't branded as such, I think the general public still sees her as a bit of a diva bitch.

I never said she was branded like that, but she for sure is seemed that way
edit: Also, I don't think she ever was branded as the kawaii diva people tend to believe among her western fandom... I read more than once her tendence of being almost (or totally naked) on almost all of her album covers until 2002 made her a somewhat controversial popstar, and the fact that her material was rather dark and that she always touched darker subjects was never overlooked either. There were also a lot of interviews exploring her "delinquent" past during the first phase of her career and she relied on shock value when producing her videos at least since LOVEppears...

Ayu used to mention her drinking on TA often, and on TV she's mentioned having a mini-fridge just for beer... I guess if you really followed her alot, you knew she drank too much, but it was never really part of her image in a big way. The Party Queen album wasn't out of left field for me. I think the image didn't work because she never looks unhappy in the booklet. She has her big happy doe-eyes, smiles, etc. all through it. There's no darkness there - it just looks like "Whoo, she had a wild party last night!" And opportunities for the PVs to show the dark side of a partying lifestyle were lost - the NaNaNa video should have been her accompanying an OD'ing friend in an ambulance. The Shake It<3 video should have emphasized the low self-esteem ayu was really singing about. There should have been a Party Queen PV that showed a wild party, a depressed ayu cleaning up & taking headache meds & seeing an embarrassing photo of herself on an internet tabloid the next morning, but then drinking & partying again the next night anyway.

She tried to juxtapose fun & disaster, partying & loneliness on that album and she & her team simply did a bad job of it. It wasn't as much an ayu branding issue as it was a lack of direction.

It really was, I agree with you. But ever since I actually got the message she was trying to send (about depression, loneliness, etc.), I don't mind the PVs anymore. Now I think of them as perhaps some sort of sweet illusion/outside cover, like um, a cake that looks really nice and sweet, but when you actually take a bite, it tastes very bitter.

And I've always thought Ayu was a drinker, ever since back then, but you're right it didn't seem to affect her image much until she did PQ.

when I was living in japan i found it odd that the older generation would laugh when I said I was a fan and I would ask why.
They would tell me she was old and didnt act her age. She was also just BAM in your face and thats not the way people her age should act...
I felt so sad. lol

Telling others how to behave isn't any better and certainly not mature, either.

I don't know of any consensus on how contemporaries are meant to "act". You should have asked "those people" to hand out short behavioural manuals or something, so others can learn from them and become more sociable, at least in the mature point of view of the authors xD

That's the older generation for you though. Pop music is, by definition, subversive to older Japanese, ayu's music doubly so because of its frank subject matter. That was a selling point for her back in the day though. Teenagers LOVED that a pop star was finally singing about the stresses and anxieties they felt. The industry effect wasn't lasting though... :(

It always shocks me when japanese fans are like "Blah, why is she married to another gaijin?!" because I mean... look at how she's perceived to most Japanese people. Of COURSE she'd feel more comfortable in the USA and marry a gaijin. Most Japanese men, at her age especially, probably wouldn't be a good match for her values.

And I think that's EXACTLY what she thought she was doing - I just don't think she showed us enough of the bitterness inside, so it didn't really work.

I don't think it has to be obvious in order to be well worked.... Having a art direction whose interpretation changes after you pair them with the song was pretty clever IMO. People went for the album thinking they would get a superficial party and got a deep analysis of the loneliness of the party queen

I think considering how many overseas fans she has, an English translation insert would have probably helped a lot of foreign fans "get it." =\ The only clue non-japanophones got that there was anything more to it than "woo crazy party!" was probably the date on the mirror.

There was a lot of missed opportunity with Party Queen to get really gritty and dark with the visuals.

It's as if her vision was only executed 40% of the way...

Still, Party Queen is probably the closest she has to a true concept album.

She could have gotten Love Songs to be more of a concept album if the packaging and things were better produced.


All of her everything just always seems to half-assed in hindsight :laugh Meh.

I love your ideas! I should be able to relate to the theme, I used to be 100% like that, but it just falls completely flat. And that "I'm a lonely queen, I'm a lonely queen" from the concert, so shallow and contrived, ugh.

Do you know the song "Chandelier" by Sia? It's about the same thing but completely nails it. Hell, the PV of "Sweet Season" does the idea better and it's about a bloody kids party.

Though to be fair, most of us here are hardcore fans, we'd know about her drinking, smoking and partying habits. The general audience might not? I don't know, I never asked about that when I was in Japan lol.

omg Chandelier blows my mind with its awesomeness. I'm not a fan of voices like Sia's in general but that's a great song and holy crap the video.

But I agree - the "I'm a lonely queen" break felt like ayu screaming DO YOU GUYS GET IT NOW? IT'S NOT REALLY A HAPPY SONG and it felt shoehorned in and cheesy. It didn't work at all. The "This isn't really a happy song" thing should have been subtly woven into the album's entire framework.

I think in party queen, she was trying not to make it too obvious. Which is good. But hard to do. Ideas like making facades and making a subtle hidden messages are always great until you actually have to do them and it's not all that easy. And she didn't really make her albums that way in the past.

I like the fact that the cover and booklet makes her seem glamorous, like what she is supposed to be. Had they put any image of her looking depressed and shit, it would have seemed too obvious to me. And others would think she just wants pity. I like that the whole aspect is left to the music. I think it shows well in the lyrics of the songs tbh. That's why I stan for songs like eyes, smoke, magic lol. I like lyrics that don't quite go with the music.

But the most obvious thing was just the shift in style. Like, parties over, and when it starts again, it's still kinda not happy.

I wish they had done more with music videos. Though image is something to be careful with. Like, especially when it comes to sincerity. Otherwise, it will look ridiculous and awkward like the snowy kiss PV.

Anyway, everyone could have different opinions on how they think it should've been executed whether or not it would have been easy to do so.

I don't know how people didn't get it. Honestly, there would have been a meltdown regardless of how that album was executes because it is ayu and because of that concept.

LOL you made me spit out my coffee XD

Can we have someone post the gif of Ayu getting kicked out of the car here plz

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5...v03go1_500.png

I'd forgotten about the date on the mirror. What was it??

Yeap, I love how Party Queen isn't all dark, on the same way I love how Ayu usually isn't all dark or all light... Even her most straightfoward music tend to be on a gray area emotional-wise that IMO make them more complex than your everyday popstar, and more realistic too. Partying in order to ignore your problems isn't just a dark situation and isn't only made of sadness, tears and depression.

But yeah, the PVs sucks.

We know for sure it refers to the date of her Aneki's passing. It's also the same day that Keiko (Tetsuya Komuro's wife and Ayu's duet partner for a song is born) was announced to have a brain hemorrhage/stroke.

Oh right, thanks! Ayu seems to know a lot of people who have passed, poor girl. Is Aneki the friend that committed suicide? Or am I confusing that with someone else?

Aneki is the friend that we believe committed suicide and was the subject of untitled ~for her~, I believe.

Ah thanks for the info :)

Truehappiness, the date on the Memorial Address mirror? Then 6 years later she writes a song about her suicide? I thought the date and the suicidal chick was something else entirely...

Yeah, Party Queen isn't all dark at all. There's 3 dance songs about loneliness, a bunch of tracks about her divorce, 2 musical tracks about her parents' divorce and an emotional ballad. Super fun!

No, Party Queen's booklet has Ayu writing 1025 XOXO on the mirror. I have a feeling that what happened to Keiko in 2011 gave her a few more unwanted memories associated with that date.

Memorial address' was 0630, which we only really have vague guesses for unless people have found out the truth behind that one. It was assumed to have something to do with her dad.

I think Andrenekoi means that the three upbeat dance songs (Party queen, NaNaNa, Shake It <3) seem fairly benign when listened to out of the context of the album. Therefore, they're a little ambiguous in that way. I interpret 'Party queen' the song to be primarily about escapism—which I think can be interpreted as both a good thing and certainly a bad thing as well.

Hehe, I know. I just thought it was ironic that she is first praising the album for being really dark instead of "party girl!" and then praises it for not being all dark. :P I'm just being silly.

She's right about the grayness of Ayu music, though. Her "happy sounding" songs like BLUE BIRD are more emotional for me than ballads like HOPE or PAIN lmao.

Thanks for the explanation, Truehap~.

Nops, I meant the way you feel about situations isn't all dark and all light. Unless you are depressed (and not on a "I didn't like this popstar single :<" way but medical way) you won't feel all bad or all good about anything, feelings are far more complex and "grayer" than that. Ayu songs rarely are all the way sad or all the way happy and you usually get more feelings mixed in. Life is far more ambiguous (borrowing the word from Coelacanth) than "I'm sad because I just divorced", and IMO Party Queen represents the ambiguity of Ayu's life at that time pretty well... Or at least, far better than she on a party dress looking sad.

I feel you, girl.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11v4q5c.gif

And oh, I'm not a girl, and have no plans of becoming a woman either....

1. When Ayu mentioned in an interview that she thought her career was over because she was making her best album which in Japan, best albums are usually the end of a career. Her fans believed it.
2. Manny engagement
3. LOVE and again becoming LOVE again
4. Party Queen covers
5. Shake it PV
6. Those who hated Eyes, Smoke, Magic
7. The fact that Love Songs has basically the same theme for the whole album
8. That short wig in the Love Song PV
9. Her adding people in her PVs she has a PV or real relationship with
10. All the interludes in NEXT LEVEL
11. How short the NEXT LEVEL album is
12. How Together When... wasn't going to be a physical CD single
13. The guy in his underwear in Born To Be... PV
14. The covers of (miss)understood
15. Most of the MY STORY album (some fans, not saying all)
16. How NEVER EVER and UNITE! didn't get full sized PVs
17. How Ayu was barely in the Endless Sorrow PV
18. The lack of PVs and/or good PVs for the Duty album