ayu is ayu. age is pointless. her music is amazing and she's a good person.

@bluegie @Mai82Go
Die old people! Die! :P
Nah... I'm 22 and I find it strange to image someone my age married... Also do if the person is 25... Eveyone at their own pace^^

We have a saying here in Brazil: "Panela velha é que faz comida boa", that would be translated +- like "old pans make the best food" xD

I almost thought it's "old pans make the best BoA!" j/k xD
But yeah Japanese culture is special and as long as you are a female you are "better" younger.

The reason AKB48 is doing so well on Oricon, is because the fans buy so many copies of the CDs, because the number of CDs you have means the amount of handshakes or autographs you can get at AKB48's meet-and-greet events they have so many times. The marketing strategy of AKB is really good, so they sell really well on Oricon, but they are not popular with everyone. Mostly just Akibakei and some young girls. But of course, they are making more money than Ayu in cd sales, so we cannot say much against them. Now, we can really notice a renewed Korean Wave in Japan, so I think Korean groups are getting popular once again.

This... and still, Matsutoya never acted like a bachan cuz she got old... She still holds energetic lives, releases creative and modern music... She accepts she aged, but never stopped to evolve as an artist... I personally don't mind a older woman having a sexy image or showing energy... But I do have problems with a 40 years old woman acting like she a member of Morning Musume x_x And even worst (IMO), the older she gets, the higher she sings and the fluffier she dresses >_<

ITS FALLING IN RANK BUT SALES SEEM REALLY CONSISTENT. :)

AKB48 needs the high sales.. I mean there're like 48 of them lol

$20 handshakes, lol... Kind of gross.

haha, the secret of AKB48's sales is out~ God that's a soulless marketing strategy. I don't know why I'm so surprised that the label'd pull a stunt like that, though. Faith in people has once again been ruined.

WHAT THE!? :thud

Okay, so it seems not only Arashi is playing some unfair competition, but also AKB48 as well... I did not even know about that... $20 for a handshake!? That's just NOT a good value for me...

^Female idol groups have been doing handshake events in Japan since forever, so its not really something new. As far as I know, Johnny's groups don't do them though.

As much as I don't like them, they ARE popular outside of Akibakei and 'some young girls'. They are everywhere in Japan. Elementary and junior high school kids of both genders in general love them right now. I know because in my job I have to put up with the AKB fever on a day to day basis. :) I do think that now female idols do have a chance to make a comeback more so than over the past couple of years, I just wish it wasn't AKB leading the way.

^I have a feeling that it may take a few more years to see this coming...

Ooohooooh... you're brave :thumbsup. I did compare her with the momosu, but just before I posted, I deleted that line LOL. She is trying SO HARD to hold on the golden youth as long as possible... :P.

^ Whats interesting is how so many people in Japan actually like that. I know several 40 something women here who act and dress like they are still in their 20s. By western standards that's weird, but in Japan it seems fairly normal and accepted.

I personally don't see anything too wrong with it. Unless you're talking like, micro mini skirts or something:p
I don't think you should have to start wearing 'old lady' clothes just because you're getting older.

Which is ALSO a problem in Japan as several idols (noticeably in Hello!Project) who have hit 20+ start to wear old lady clothes because they are now "adult." (i.e. Aya Matsuura. Poor girl, what happened to her? ;~; )

I'm not just talking about the clothes they wear, but their entire demeanor in general. They put on a very cutesy demeanor and voice (ala Seiko Matsuda), even though it doesn't really suit their age. And yes, sometimes a micro mini accompanies it. :)

Well, I'm a Madonna fan... I have no problem with older women wearing mini skirts, or even less...

But I do find it weird to see someone older than 12 wearing this:


Maybe this is just me being biased towards western culture... And I don't wanna offend any of Seiko fans... But I do find it strange... not only the outfit... but the way she is singing, her body language, etc. I know Ayu, Koda, Otsuka and (rarely) Namie does those kind of stuff... But usually u have a cute look and a sexy choreography, or a song filled with innuendos (mainly Otsuka), etc... For 2, 3 songs of a concert, not all the concerts for 30 years @_@

No I want female artists that are more talent than AKB48 or momosu. Just like back in 2000 - 2003: ayu, hikki, ringo, misia, aiko, etc.

I think nowadays people are more interested in listening to slick and catchy music, with some cool dance moves, more than anything else. Not just in Japan, but everywhere. That's what I've been noticing the past couple of years.