I don't know if it's positive or negative, but at least Ayu seems to have no fucks to give lol.

I think what Ayu needs right now is someone who will tell her straight what's wrong and what she needs to improve. And probably someone who is brave enough to slap her and wake her up if she refuses to listen. lol

Watch it in HD...it's not that bad..

but yeah not up to her 2005-2007 era

True. Honestly I don't think ayu has any true friends. They're all afraid of her obviously, a true friend would've put her in check a long time ago.

Seems like people tend to forget girl is half (maybe more than half nowadays) deaf...

^
Don't know what that article says, but I can't believe Ayu is already 38!!! She looks so flawless and gorgeous! *_*

You are talking as if she was a Japanese Justin Bieber, arrested, caught with drugs or something like that lol Ayumi has to be one of the most hard-working women in pop, only last year she put out an album and had two nation-wide tours. Last year she had two tours, an album and an EP... She sounds good sometimes, she sounds bad sometimes, but let's not forget that the woman has a physical discapacity that is especially damaging for singers, yet she has chosen to go on. For every tour she rehearses like a pro to offer a great show to her fans. She sounds bad sometimes, her makeup is bad sometimes, her outfits are ugly sometimes. But let's not turn this into something bigger than it is, we have to accept that ever since she lost her audition her performances are going to be good sometimes, bad other times. And i don't get why you are so concerned about what the japanese audiences think, Ayu is so far from their ideal pop girl, she is not a 17 year old idol.

but where is max matsuura :eyebrow

she'd listen to him

he's busy posting awkward selfies on instagram with whoever is currently avex's flavor-of-the-week popstar

yes I'm worried about what Japanese fans think, ayu is a JAPANAESE ARTIST. I'm worried about how she sounds like these days and Where her carrier is heading. Why?? Is it a problem to worry about ayu, do you get to decide what I get worried about?. Yes I think she doesn't have honest people around her, and yes I agree with With what hayasaki said. :rolleyes

@Mirrorcle Monster : I agree so much with what you've said.

Omg hilarious and true

I don't know. I've asked a lot of native Japanese what they thought about her just over the years, even recently, and the response is always something between "she's too commercial" or that they flat out just don't like her at all.

Whenever I've asked Japanese people about it, it was like... "Oh, she still releases stuff?" or "I really liked BLUE BIRD!" or something. Nowadays however, I can see things getting more negative when you ask normal people since all they'd have seen about her lately is divorce news.

Actually, it is. There is nothing factual you can prove using math about her performance. I'm sure some people thought she sounded okay. Other may have thought differently.

1+ 1 = 2 is a fact.

Ayumi Hamasaki sounding good in this performance is subjective.

^To be fair you can avaliate Ayu's vocal on a objective way if you take only technique and notes in consideration... But honestly I never met someone with vocal technique background that ever found her a good singer at any point on her career, even among those who actually liked her music. She was consistently bad at singing from the begining even if she was bad on different ways at different moments.

But I do guess most people around here are basing their opinion on her singing on subjective points, so I kinda agree with you.

(TBH if someome was that worried about how people sing, they most likely shouldn't be listening to jpop)

ps. It's not like I was ever that found of Ayu on tv anyway... Save from the Music Fair she sang covers, the Virgin Road at kouhaku and some Ayuready here and there, she always feels restrained, cold and lacking personality when singing on TV for me. A far cry from the monster performer she shows to be on her own stage.

Man, I can't tell you how many times people have said the same exact thing to me when I mention I like her.

I suppose pitch, notes, etc can be measured, but even then whose to say that singing certain songs out of pitch sounds terrible? I'm sure there is at least one person who would say Ayu sounded good no matter what. I could even see some vocal coaches having a discussion and debate over her singing.

Like, even when Mariah Carey wasn't tragic I knew people who didn't like her voice. "Too mainstream". Then they would say that the girls from AKB sounded amazing. And I can appreciate that. I've always liked JPop for the interesting vocalists it produces.

Avex must be watching this board or something, because the very next day the channel got shut down, lol.