Very good points, everyone! :yes

I agree with all of you; a lot of you made very good points that made interesting reads!

I personaly dislike artists that get stucked on a era or image... So, if Ayu keeps changing and trying to keep herself fresh, I will respect her even if i'm not found of whatever she is releasing

For me, She is better than other years before.

in my opinion, I think there's not a definite straight up and down path here. I think her music has had it's highs and it's lows throughout her career. She's had times where she wasn't great, and she's had times where she was wonderful. I think she's presently in a down time that started with NEXT LEVEL, which, by the sound of the preview, You were.../BALLAD will be bringing back up again

Well, I think Ayu is getting better, IMO. The reason why people bash things or people they hate is because it makes them feel good, yet they don't accomplish anything....lol. They're just wasting their time being losers.

Well, if a review was always positive, that would be kinda weird. Why review if reviews are always positive? :)

But it somewhat hurts to hear someone bashed her. I think she keeps evolving, and the way she re-invents herself and inspires others never ceases to amaze me. It is true that a lot of her greatest hits that people remember are in her past, but I don't really think she gets worse -at all. Her music is, to me, equally and fresh and interesting as it was 6 years ago, when I first discovered her.

Is Ayu getting better? Of course.
She's evolved than before, like every artist in the world (ehm..oh well most of them :innocent).
I mean.. every album of her has a common factor: a theme. That makes her evolved as an artist, NEXT LEVEL for example is 'I'm more strong than before' even if her previous album GUILTY was 'I'm so sad, Nagase you ********'. She wants to talk about something, then she do it. That makes her pretty different from other pop artist that talks about i'msoosexyyou'resexytoo!Baawcomebackbabyhoneyohoho dancewithme EVERYTIME for over9000 albums. I do not talk as a fangirl but as a music lover.
Her voice maybe is worse than before, but that's all because of her disease, I think. I know she has a ear device but it's different from a human ear , guys. But in You were... her voice isn't so terrible so her voice is gettin better too :D yay! (lol)

So I still enjoy her music, sometimes that sucks but who cares? She's still my favourite singer :heart