You can still compare the fact that they are both artists.

I feel that Ayu used to always be at the forefront of music in Japan. Her genre styles almost always seemed to usher in a new era or time for music, always sounding fresh. She was a very modern artist. But lately, she has been doing more of a "throw-back" sound... which is just so strange knowing the type of artist she has been in the past.

Kumi on the other hand, has embraced a more modern sound, while still sounding original. There are a ton of Kumi songs I love, but I could never imagine Ayu singing them.

DVD special is "sold out"
Blu-ray special have 20 copies left yet ^^

I love both Kuu and Ayu, but I like more Ayu than Kuu. For me they're complementary :)

The DVD sold out fast...
Get dat m$ney Ayuma!

A++ :yes

Overall I prefer Ayu, but there are songs that I adore by Kumi that I would never want Ayu to sing :dead2
I think they're very different, not only in the music they put out, but in their image, personality, ideas...
100% agree with comparing Ayu with Utada and Kuu with Namie. I think that makes a much better discussion :P

...back to LOVE again...how are they gonna handle the cm?? there's only one new pv and its not for a new song, oops :tired

^ the CM has already been shown so its only a matter of time before we find out lol

How long do you think it will take to know what the 5th release is?

I guess everybody want to know this. But hopefully it will be somewhere soon, I think maybe start of next week :)

LOVE announced in September 25th
cover on October 10th

again announced in October 23rd
cover on November 16th

A CLASSICAL announced in November 22nd
cover on December 10th

LOVE again announced in December 21st
cover and tracklists on December 26th


based on the pattern, it always announced between 21-25 each month. I assume we'll get announcement in 2 weeks or less.

so we are looking at the 20th range for the nexxt release?!

Yeah, so after about a week or two, we'll know.

NICE!! Thanks a lot!

So day 20 is AYU day... XD

Oh wow thanks for the breakdown.
Hopefully the pattern keeps on going.

I am 90% sure that the 5th release will be ARENA TOUR 2012 DVD rsrsrs

We can start to preorder LOVE again through TAshop from 1pm Japan time tomorrow 12th of January!

I hope we get nice TA gifts at least.

There's also going to be a PLAYBUTTON version!

I was about to read your post properly but my eyes went to your ava and then to the words "hot dogs".....I dunno why but now it looks like timmy is omnomnom'in for hot dogs and I can't unsee it.

But yes, a secret couples photobook would actually be awesome in its own way hahaha

Man, since there's so little content to talk about, it feels like forever since we got something interesting about the project. I hope that any previews will at least have new songs on them to tide us over til the release.

Message board for PLAYBUTTON and big clip for the rest of the versions through mu-mo?

The most amazing cover!
http://img.shop.mu-mo.net/images/C/A...=300&sr.dh=300

OH MY ****ING GOD

I NEED THAT NOW LOL

WHYYYYY PLAYBUTTONS are too small for such an amazing cover :cry :cry

not really...
i like full body shots the most. (curse me having to have the blu-ray!) lol

From official website
http://i.imgur.com/E2clW.png

That's it I'm getting it lol

ITS SO PRETTY!!!

edit: (miss)understood's heart hahaha

I will if I can afford it. Kind spent all my money in Japan. :innocent

OMG she is so pretttyyyy *O* love it so much..but i won't be getting the playbutton though

Wow, she looks divine! <3 Considering getting the playbutton just for that cover!

ah too pretty! :luv2

This girl has very beautiful eyes :love

aww i like that cover the most! cute design too!
it's unfortunate it's so small lol...

Love it so much :)

:luv2
It looks much better than the cd+bluray :<

The cover looks great *_*
Gonna buy it^^

^How are you gonna buy it??

Love it ayu looks so pretty.

^WOWWWW

The play button cover is cute :P

omg i want it ;_;

So pretty!!!!

so nice!!! cant wait to see whats in the photo book!

Anyone in Singapore interested to buy the PLAYBUTTON from mu-mo?
Can share the UPS fees >.<

...and I know which cover I will be using for my iTunes version of LOVE again. :yes

Through TA shop^^
Hope it won´t be sold out so fast, 1pm Japan time is 5am my time, so I won´t be awake xD

I wish the playbutton cover is for CD+DVD edition.
It is genuinely angelic!

Super beautiful and natural. Had this been the CD cover it would have just allured everyone passing by cd stands to come and buy it! :P

Playbutton cover is so beautiful :heart
Aww the heart and her nails are so cute!!

nice cover for playbutton but not as good as the cd & cd+dvd ones.

I still think the cd+dvd is the best!
although I do love the little heart on the playbutton.

best cover for a small button....
I want that T__T

Of course. The most useless format gets the best looking cover.

My favorite is still the CD Only one but this one is gorgeous too!! I like the fact she made a special cover for the PB, I thought she was gonna use one that was already released.
It almost makes me want to buy it but... I probably won't ever use it, so whatever!

wow, this is lovely, I love how she look at us.

btw, but this one looks like someone smart blured her too much :P

Honestly, if I weren't so bothered by the sound quality (I've never had one, but I've heard reports of the sound being pretty bad), there's a good chance I'd buy the playbutton version of this. The cover is soooooo pretty!!

Do you how much the UPS fees will be??

Here's what the ordering announcement says on TA, in case anyone wants the details.

Start of Sales
-----------------------------------------
Pre-ordering begins Jan 12, 2013 at 1:00 PM
*Sales of limited quanities will be terminated early if supply is exhausted.

Special Contents
------------------------------------------
1. TeamAyu Original Bonus: Notebook with Original Cover
2. TeamAyu/mu-mo shop Shared Bonus: Original Big Clip
3. Playbutton Restricted Bonus (TeamAyu/mu-mo shop Shared Bonus): Car Message Board (?)

Regarding 1 and 2
-----------------------------------------
14th NEW ALBUM "LOVE again" slated for release on February 8, 2013
[CD+DVD+ayupan figure+PHOTO BOOK] AVCD-38705/B 5040 yen (tax incl.)
*Limited Production Quantity / ayupan figure included (1 ea.) / PHOTO BOOK (24p)
[CD+Blu-ray+ayupan figure+PHOTO BOOK] AVCD-38706/B 5460 yen (tax incl.)
*Limited Production Quantity / ayupan figure included (1 ea.) / PHOTO BOOK (24p)
[CD+DVD] AVCD-38707/B 3990 yen (tax incl.)
[CD+Blu-ray] AVCD-38708/B 4410 yen (tax incl.)
[CD] AVCD-38709 3150 yen (tax incl.)

Regarding 3
-----------------------------------------
14th NEW ALBUM "LOVE again" slated for release on February 8, 2013
[PLAYBUTTON]AQZ1-50856 2100 yen (tax incl)
*Limited to TeamAyu Official Shop/mu-mo Shop event site

Regarding Delivery
-----------------------------------------
Orders placed before 1/21 will be delivered on the release date. Any order placed after that will be delivered the next day.

Please Note
-----------------------------------------
*If quantities of the limited items are exhausted, the ordering will end early.
*At the time the sale begins, the site may become flooded. Please understand this in advance.
*Advance reservations by phone are unavailable.
*The sale begins at the same time for overseas buyers.
*Please direct questions regarding sales, purchasing, shipping, etc. to the shop.
*When the design of the bonuses is finalized, information will be posted on this site.
*[PLAYBUTTON]AQZ1-50856 2100 yen (tax incl) "Special Bonus: Access Card with serial number" is NOT included.

Purchasing Site
-----------------------------------------
TeamAyu Official Shop:
http://shop.mu-mo.net/st/fc/HAYU.html
TeamAyu Official Shop (Overseas Buyers, click here):
http://shop.mu-mo.net/st/fc/TAK.html
mu-mo Shop:
http://shop.mu-mo.net/list1/?artist_id=HAMAS
mu-mo Shop (Overseas Buyers, click here):
http://shop.mu-mo.net/avx/sv/list1?j...&categ_id=5634

Ugh! The best cover for the playbutton??! whyyyyyyyy.

I'm struggling over whether I want to collect these Play Buttons, especially when they'd only be for show.

still like the DVD cover the most.

Beautiful. Need to add that to the first post now. We also know the photobook is 24 pages now.

The 'car message board' bonus, is like those signs they stick onto windows that say "Baby on Board!" or something.

She looks so beautiful in the playbutton more than the other covers!

A little bigger

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/519/aqz150856.jpg

http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/5814/aqz1508562.jpg

:love

That playbutton cover is really pretty! I think it's my favorite too :heart

That cover... T-T <3
Now it's my favorite too.

Wow that cover looks gorgeous for the playbutton... I love her expression

I can help u lar~~~ but my middleman holidaying till Tuesday! T.T~ worrying for my LE box set now -.-"

shes look stunning.. but im hopping for more glamour shoot on her next album

cant wait to see the booklet pics.
all gorgeous pics ala love songs <3

24 page booklet is kinda small, just like a lyrics booklet....so I hope the pictures are really, especially nice for you guys :)

Depending on the outcome I will look for a 2nd hand copy when I go to Japan myself hahaha

24 sounds like it'll be about the same size as GUILTY's mini booklet.

I'm looking forward to "LOVE again". I'm excited with it more than LOVE SONGS. Can't wait to listen to the whole album. Please Ayu...

So happy :heart

Playbutton is ordered ^_^

Agree with you, It's my favorite too ♥

It seems that some Japanese fans think that there's a possibility that a calendar of some sort is the bonus that you will receive if you buy all five releases. However, a calendar 3 months into a new year is a bit strange.

Other brought up possibilities:
- CDL12-13 DVD
- downloadables like chaku-uta/wallpapers/etc
- Kishidan Banpaku footage/DVD
- T-shirt like the FIVE Blu-ray bonus

^ A calendar wouldn't be too impossible though I remember back in 2008 ELT released an album in March that gave out a first press calendar from March '08 - March '09. I think Koda Kumi also had sth like that for Dejavu but yeah still weird lol

we are getting closer to finding out what it is... which is nice!
I just wish I had my cdjapan order in!

i'm so happy proud because this era in Ayu's career is the one i've mostly participated to.
I really can't wait for Love again!!!

i am realli excited n hyped by LOVE again =) can't wait for the album

I kinda like the play button ~

that's pretty :) i really like the tripped down make-up. She no longer looks strange or off. She looks like Ayu I first saw on my screen years ago. I hope she'll keep this kind of clean look for the rest of her carrer lol

^ Amen. she looks so much younger and well, human.

I beg to differ, BRILLANTE was, Brilliant. I loved that PV. So much power and she just looked amazing. And it had that deep emotion, that dark side of Ayu.

I would love that, but like others have said, it would kill the already set release of her new album.

^to be fair, since half of LOVE again's tracklist is already known and for sale i can't imagine people not wanting to buy at least the cd-only version of a fresh new studio album with unheard of stuff before.

but i'm a lunatic so~

What's left over for the last one would be a digital single.

Someone mentioned the idea that it could be her first physical single since, what, L? That might be a really good thing to do for her 15th anniversary, and it isn't exactly taking the attention off of LOVE again.

As much as I don't want to believe it, the 5th release may be A BEST 3

If it is, then you have my word right here and now I will not listen to another Ayu song for six months lol. That's just so pfft. Releasing it later this year, sure, but not on the anniversary itself pls ;-;

The anniversary happens after the fifth release, btw.

Last release - March 8th
Anniversary - April 8th

I couldn't really care less about semantics tbh I still think it's lame lol But knowing me I'd get over it within a day because who cares, it's Ayu~

it kinda puzzles me why she wont be releasing anything on her anniversary as well LOL

me too
my semantics course is so boring XD

i remember getting so bored of this chick
then i just started listening to her in a week again.

I really believe in the release of A Best 3 as the last of the releases. It wouldn't surprise me and I actually think it's time for another one.

What about Arena Tour DVD then? I guess it's more appropriate to release it instead.

AT12 will probably come around the same time but not be the 5th release since everything has been music so far.

The arena tour could potentially be bonus dvd/blu-ray content.

CDL is way more likely to be an A BEST 3 bonus, but it's not too common to get CDL before the tour.

Maybe it'll be a Live Album from HOTEL Love songs and there will be a CD+2DVD version with the actual concert? I'd like to see that tbh

A BEST 3 is coming. Bit of an anti-climax if the last release after an album was a DVD. Plus, she could have delayed the album until March and had more time to prepare it if a DVD was next, kept the best release until last. The only explanation is something bigger than a new album is coming.

Single IS a possibility but I can't see how that would follow an album - she could have just included those songs on the album. I think the fact she hasn't released a single for 2.5 years is not worth of commemoration. We all know the reason why she hasn't released a single.

However she could have recorded a new song for the best compilation.

A BEST 3 is very likely. It's an anniversary celebration and best-ofs are typical of that type of celebration. Plus we got A COMPLETE for the 10th anniversary. The album being the 4th release instead of the 5th. 6 years since A BEST 2 (and a 6 year gap between A BEST and A BEST 2). All signs point to it.

With all this talk of A BEST 3 being released and the belief that someone related to Slavex lurks around here, it will most likely come...

A best 3 is going to happen this year... its her 15 anny!
Is it going to be the 5th release or not, I dont know.

Really, there's a rumour that somebody related to Avex lurks in the shadows of AHS?

Well. That explains A SUMMER BEST. xD