Guys, calm down about the recycling thing. These pictures were never used in any official release, we just saw the CD+DVD in one TA entry.
I think the covers are nice but would like to see bigger versions to judge completely. They could have removed the mirror on the CD+3DVD edition though... otherwise, it's a change and a fresh concept and I don't see anything wrong with them.
The 13th album sticker and the font kind of make it look like a magazine kind of thing, it's cool imo!
I thought the CD+DVD would be the cover for her LIFE STYLE book though so I wonder what will happen to the book.

Yeah!!

I think I'll like CD+DVD+DVD cover only when I get drunk XD we need special party mood for this cover! I hope that with PVs and the booklet we'll feel the mood of it... I really hope so!

I think she looks sexy..
but definitely i can't import it to my country, they will said that this is porn movie...
i need to buy it directly when i'm going somewhere

my fav is CD+DVD cover...i really love the smile...

not her best..but everything is ok...

sorry to say to lady *a*a fans..but for me the worst cover is born this way....
everything looks so much better compare to that cover...

oooh,thank u~ At least the goods are nice??

don't worry :) And,please,call me HE xD I'm a boy :D

en serio??Ay dios...con lo que mi madre odia a Ayu/Japon/"La música de las chinas" hahaha.He visto un trozito de la caja,parece que ha salido de un prostíbulo +__+ Al menos parece de alto ~standing~ Pero bueno,es Ayu y por una vez...pasa

I think you guys are missing one big point.
I don't say, that my idea is a right one, but I really like it myself.

When I saw these covers for the first time, I instantly started to think about gossip magazines. These covers are like one big parody of 'em.

The big colorful fonts are shouting "PARTY QUEEN, AYUMI HAMASAKI" like it was the tittle of the magazine. "13TH ALBUM" like it was some scandalous detail of her life. Then, well, some of these pics do seem kinda unprofessional and casual, like taken in secret. This fits especially well with the Cd Only-cover.

When thinking about this, I began to like these covers even more. Of course it's only little idea of mine and nothing official, but still, I don't see anything too bad in these covers. I think these are clever.

My oh my! I can't take the CD+DVD+DVD.

Although, the pics are old, I would like the CD only and the CD+DVD version.

What's happening?

WOW i like your opinion about it!

that's what i thought when i saw this mess!! XD
i am disappointed with this trashiness, i always thought ayu is above that.
is she really that desperate that she has to show her ass on the cover like that?? i'm sorry, but i would be really embarrassed if i was her. it is alright for a sexy magazine spread, but an album cover?? really??

waiting for avex to proclaim: U'VE BEEN TROLLED LOLOLOL XD

gaah. worst covers ever. poses, text placement, everything = :irked
well, whatever. haha /endrant

Given annother idea, how would you have pictured the cover?
I mean with a title like Party Queen, all I can think of is a photoshoot in a club.

well she could be a bit more serious with CD+DVD+DVD cover.

she really wants to gain public attention! don't you, girl?

lol

I hope the tendency won't continue as her stuff gets more and more unprofessional.

how I wish it was 2001 now or 2005 or 2009............. what's happened, ayu?

I really like your reasoning here. After some time, I started thinking of a gossip or tabloid magazine when I saw the covers. Just like the tracklist, it appears that these covers will take a bit for me to appreciate them.

Leslie Kee (the one who made these photos) is an awesome professional photographer actually. xD

Me neither...can't wait to make a dartboard out of them.

thanks for this. they do appear to be that and well...i guess its a reason i can use to appreciate the covers :P

Finally! I'm _alright_ with the CD & CD+DVD+DVD covers, but the CD+DVD image is old :( I was expecting all new shots. Oh well. So my prediction of the ViVi-like tackiness came true :'D

I like them =) but they are too heavy
I can hide all covers and show you the box

when I saw the CD+DVD+DVD cover my first thought was "oh, she's no better than Mannie with his SUPER MANUEL" :laugh :laugh :laugh because I always thought that book is so trashy, it's not worth ayu-chan.

now I think I've changed my mind.

ROFL This.

:heart

I don't hate the concept, but the execution is just poor. I'd much prefer to see these pics in a photobook like GUILTY - have it come with a "magazine" exposing the life of the "Party Queen" etc...but as the actual CD cover? Nowai.

I don't think anyone object to her taking "sexy pictures", but they were taken poorly. I mean, wtf is all that junk in the background? It's not MY STORY-esque, it's just a mess of crap on the floor. Plus, the rose petals make me think of the Super Manuel book - why would Leslie use the concept again for her album cover? This is how she's representing herself to the public...

We know she DGAF about the media, but the covers could be in much better taste. She can wear lingere and still look alluring - she can be NAKED and look beautiful, but right now, this is a hot mess. A dishevelled wreck of a cover.

LOVEppears, Duty, RAINBOW, MY STORY, even NEXT LEVEL were chokka block full of naked and near-naked poses, but they didn't manage to look this bad. Even with Rule/SPARKLE she looked more fierce than trashy.

Again, I like the concept - she's used similar themes in the abovementioned covers, but this time it's so poorly executed that I hope they're changed last minute or are slipcovers. Someone mentioned that S/S was better than this? I agree with that! xD

Not trying to hate on your comment - I totally see what you're looking at, I just think it could be, well, so much more than kneeling on a bench with your butt against a mirror, or ROTFLing with a shoe or eating a tissue/napkin...Ayu can take way better quality candid-style shoots than this.

If you don't like the photos, tweet to Leslie Kee :) haha

Will you marry me? :luv2 You just said everything I wanted to say but couldn't because I'm frozen in some sort of RAGE!!1!!! state.

mte!!!!! :yes :yes :yes

the only reason I see in this cover is that she tries to break her eternal image of AYU VIRGIN GODDESS :laugh

IMAGINATION? LOL those covers have zero of imagination, it's pure stereotypical cheap sexyness. I wouldn't call it trashy because of how much she's wearing it's about how it's portrayed: they did a crappy job with set it totally looks like some cheap AV modeling studio, i don't even know where to actually settle my eyes on. Not even mentioning the compossition and design itself IMO and with that leopard print it's like the tackyest part of it all! Let alone those hooker heels & that pose.... it's like... i don't even wanna start explaining that....

Thanks kendelle for puting it out just like my mind is thinking! :yes

Am I the only one disappointed about ONLY 4 PVS?!?!?

LOOOOOL

Heh I love them. Go ayu~!

:thanks:

Not a fan of these, especially since they're old shots, and well, the design, poses and everything just are really cheap and tacky. It looks like the shots people post on facebook when they're having fun and not really professionally-shot at all. There have been other albums in the past where I didn't like the covers but liked the content, so I'm hoping PQ might be like that. For the first time, I think I'm getting nervous that I really won't like an Ayu album, but I'll wait until the leaks are out to see.

The DVD's tracklist is not finalized yet as it says

+ only 14 tracks :(

EDIT:

Oh? I suppose that's some consolation.

These are... Unexplainable.
I'm literally gob smacked....

OMG really??? You made my day

in ayus official site, there is something abouut an ayupan in cd+dvd version?? can someone translate it please? :D

Ayu, you go girl!
show off your stuff for once. :)

Oh woah, they used the New York shoot!

it's ayupan AR

*remain speechless with jaws opened

no pink color on her hair in album cover? i'm gonna cry T^T
some pics of this set was used in Vivi magazine, Cry Cry Cry Leslie killed me
Am i have been wait for long time to see looks a like previous stuff???OMG

memory card in leslie's camera can contain a ton of pics, give us more and more PLEASE!!

I did xD

Uh, I don't know where you're getting that, but that's not what it says. It essentially says there will be 8 tracks total, and 8 tracks are listed in the info release, so it looks finalized from where I'm standing. :rolleyes

I love the parody of gossip magazine idea, I see it now, it really fits!
it reminds me of most-famous polish gossip site
http://www.pudelek.pl/ they had a banner with poddle and the pink leopard print back then ^^

thank you :)

But it's not an april fools joke ?
Like, seriously ? Oh my god these have to be her worst covers to date.
I'm so disappointed, this is just... horrible. I'm sorry but there's nothing great about them, they're just totally horrible, they look like covers for a porn DVD...

[DVD] Whenever I look at this picture I get lost. Like artcika said you just don't know where to settle your view on :no. Then the cheap background and the god awful leopard print (again). The flash in the mirror is the worst part. THEN WE HAVE ayu in some kind of doggy-style position, what the hell was the photographer on? The same kind of drugs ayu was on during the shoot? (I can see people photoshopping a nude man in there O.O CANNOT UNSEE)

[CD+DVD] It's a good thing YOUR FACE is on the middlepoint now, ayu. I hate the background. Again the leopard. And whats up with the mischievous items in the bucket. And why the shoe in your hand? Planning on walking on your hands? I also don't like the way the cell-phone camera's flash whitened your face.

[CD] I like this one! I hate the font and the sticker. But you look so adorable ayu! I wonder what you're holding in your hands.

^ LeeLeeNeko yeah, and you have signature with caps from one of the most controversial ayu pv's.
just sayin ;d

Hmm, the design is very website-y if that makes sense.

Like your take of it! :D :D

On the other hand though, I hope Ayu would use other photographer soon!! Leslie is kinda over-rated, and I think his work pre-Secret is better. His recent ones are... mediocre.

hihi okay Ayu

ayumi hamasaki ‏ @ayu_19980408

U need the reason now? Plz wait till u get them then u'll c n feel ! sweetie;))) RT @Mdionayu: @ayu_19980408 why this choice for the covers?

How can you even compare the masterpiece that was "Because of You" to this ?
Seriously. There was a message behind BoY's PV, and these covers are pure ****.

Is that I am the only one who LOVE those covers...
It's way better than LOVE SONGS...

hahaha!! waiting for it to get photoshoped! :laugh :roflmao

She's trolling.

And btw Ayu. I do NOT wanna feel anything!

...
You're 32 years old, Ayu. Not 13

These covers kind of have a MY STORY vibe with less clothing/lingerie.

ayumi hamasaki ‏ @ayu_19980408

Really??? 2 me, She looks very sad that is why I love them☆RT @A_Tal_Segal: @ayu_19980408 Covers are so party queen hahaha =D


what what? Does she see other covers than we do? XD

OMG!!!!! so horrible i can't even...
After that beautiful digital single cover they offer this for the album???? is this a joke? April Fool Day comes early this year???

huh?

IS THIS FOR REAL????

Something tells me that this might end up like Love songs and we'll get a slipcase or something. I mean, what else will we "see" when we get it?

I wonder what Ayu means with her tweet...

Huh? What's up with that last tweet?

I lol'd

Sad? Hmmm, very interesting, i can already see a hidden meaning behind those covers

She must be smoking crack. Or she's trolling everyone. I don't even know, at this point.

She could've represented the theme in a better way.
I'm really disappointed in her covers.

Mysterious tweets.

Absolutely LOVE these covers! The CD+DVD one is my favorite, love her expression in it.

Seriously, what's your problem? Who do you think you are to say someone posts are idiotic? Please understand this is a forum and you need to learn to respect other people's opinion. You need to stop acting like you own the whole truth of the universe and relax :laugh

Btw, i don't really think it's a parody of a tabloid. It should have headlines like "scandal!" Or any other message that goes along with these kind of press.

TOTALLY UNEXPECTED! O_O
But I loved it!! *O*

I can't believe this. MUST be a joke.. If it's not.. ......

I wonder if Ayu is laughing right now, bahahaha.

Sometimes you don't just say things directly ;3

.

She's 33, so she's old enough to do this. This is NOT the same Ayu as we saw some 5-10 years ago. (But I do miss her younger days...)

She kind of looks HOT with her full body... (almost that lower back tattoo was shown...so close)

But especially the fact that (not including the "how beautiful you are" digital single) this is her first studio album WITHOUT any physical singles contained here (just about "clean sheet")...

I mean, this cover is just way over the top here! Especially the fact that I just woke up and right there on the very first minute I checked my computer/Twitter all of a sudden the album covers just came out, after saying that "I'm patient" and the fact that I am NOT rushing for the covers to come out, unlike some of you guys who want the cover "NOW"...

I was referring to those people who don't think the Duty covers are "trashy."

I see everyone's point about the covers, I really do. It's the people that act like Ayu doesn't sell sex that I find to be annoying and contradicting. Have y'all seen her "idol" pictures before she started singing? They're much more sexually explicit than these photos merely because of the symbolism and the suggestive nature of the photos. People act shocked every time Ayu does something "new", but this is really nothing new. She's been doing this for years... just with different executions. Ayu's image is more Madonna than Tori Amos... always has been. These photos aren't even on the level of Kesha... more like a FHM/Maxim shoot. Big deal.

O.O" ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....?!??!

*takes Namie's 'Go Round' photoshoot and places it far far away from PQ photoshoot*

Well at least I possibly have a Namie album cover to look forward to in the near future.

KOKO OMG YOU GOT A REPLY!!!

... this day is getting weirder and weirder, what is Ayu trying to hint us?

So I guess what Ayu's trying to say is that the covers aren't supposed to be straight up trashy to be trashy, they're trashy because they're supposed to portray a party queen who is sad and doesn't want to live that kind of life anymore. Or something.

That kind of explains them, actually. In the CD+DVD cover, she's smiling, but the room is trashed like she got upset and threw everything all over the place. In the CD only cover, she's smiling, but she's holding a tissue as if she were crying into it or something.

That explains why the album was called a concept album, and why it looks like it starts off with only a few party songs and then heads into a ******** of rockish songs. It's probably somewhat a story about a girl who is a party queen and then changes or something lol.

looool I'm so glad she's replying to us again! %))))

and she's so smart omg! now I don't feel that shocked about the covers

Well let's look at the bright side...

Atleast theres no fish lips

Even though I wasn't surprised, my reaction was:
http://s55.radikal.ru/i147/1202/20/3aa4938ecf89.gif

...

I think the entire concept of "Party Queen" was probably born when she decided to release the LIFE STYLE BOOK at the same time. Remember that shoot she did with Leslie and we saw one of the photos on the cover of ViVi a few months ago?

They seem to be connected and I'm not trying to grasp at straws here. I wonder what she means though!

This is my biggest Ayu-disappointment..

Her tweets are confirming what i was thinking, i don't know, even though i haven't listened to this album i already feel like Party Queen is gonna be my favourite ayu era haha.

She looks gorgeous on the PoM DVD cover, although the text makes it look cheap I suppose. The CDL cover is gross, and the only album cover that I like is the CD ONLY! She looks gorgeous there. But they do look kind of amateur for album covers. And she's still doing that damn leopard print thing? What in the Hell. Lol. Oh well, I actually really do like the CD only!

LOL @ people who are trying to justify her trashy covers. Don't be silly.

Her fish lips are basically being reflected in the mirror on the CD+2DVD.

These explanations she's giving about a "lonely / sad party queen" sound made up to me.
I mean, there's a better way to express this message than with covers like this.

People aren't trying to... she's tweeting that there's more to them. I think we should reserve judgement until we have the album.

:spew

Lol, I just remembered all the talk of the possibility of Ayu being a real "glamorous" queen on the cover. What a far cry that was!

Am I the only one who liked the CD+DVD+DVD cover the most? I totally loved it <3

I honestly don't see anything MORE to them. I guess they're supposed to be fun... some people will like them, the others will find them trashy, and the fact that Ayu herself is saying that there's sth more to them is ridiculous lol

While the covers are ugly as hell, if there is an actual concept and meaning behind them it's alright. I'd always pick that over a beauty shot. The FIVE covers seemed plain and boring until I read about containing the word HOPE.

She actually did say at some point that she shot album covers in London so I wonder what happened to those.

This is going to be an interesting release.

If you don't see it, too bad for you, really. If you've been reading what Ayu's saying they're not exactly meant to be fun.

Junkie-Ayu xD

Imagine Ayu with a big fat joint on her lips selecting photos for a cover "Mhhhh, gaaa, like dat one, dat, dat and dat one, gal".

That would explain everything :tired

I want to know, what is she tweeting now :D but i dont understand them -.-"..someone to translate it?? *_* :)

She's talking about loneliness in her tweets. So.. it would make perfect sense then.
This reminds me Sweet Season PV ending though.