She posted an Instagram story from her dancer.. lyrics to a song... is it an old song or?

It's not any song of hers (that we've heard), it might not even be lyrics. ZIN references this song by THE BLUE HERB at the end but I don't think the words are from there either. Japanese-proficient members over on the discord say it might just be him being in his feelings.

We are 8 days away from the release. Is there any promo going on in japan? Any CM (if this is still a thing) or etc?

I totally forgot Shape of Love ! :luv2 I love it so much

She posted super excited for today. I hope it’s some good music news for us ahhahaah

Do you guys think she will release the album earlier digitally? Both TROUBLE and LOVEppears 20th Anniversary were iirc.

MADE IN JAPAN was also released earlier on AWA, right? I wouldn't mind an early digital release. :tipsy

I hope that IG story means she plans on releasing something new soon. It's been too long since we got a studio album. It's good to see she's excited.

I checked first press bonuses on mu-mo and it says
・ Inlay & booklet jacket random (1 out of 2)
What is it?

It´s like with original A Ballads, inner cover

Can't wait to see pictures of actual packaging

Do mumo/team ayu usually charge your card when they send it? I don't remember if they do it straight away or not... ^_^;;

They charged my card one or two weeks ago, don't remember when exactly, but it was early

They charged me around that time as well :) I was surprised lol

Both limited 2CD+2DVD and 2CD+2BD are sold out at mu-mo

I wonder if they are from two cards shown at picture with LE packaging or ayu with roses

I am pretty sure it are the ones on the cards

They did a pre-authorization on my card around 2-3 weeks ago as well but it's disappeared, so I haven't actually been charged yet. Just wondering if they'll charge me on the 8th or later on.

same here, mu-mo is so starnge sometimes with credit card charges xD sometimes they also tell me they don´t accept my card and I have to use Paypal, and the next time it works again

Does anyone know if the album should be in stores from tomorrow or will it be for sale in stores from April 8th (Thursday) because of the special date?

I'm considering to go to Shibuya tomorrow to check if there are any advertisements around the station (probably not :P) or at least to see if they put something in TSUTAYA.

so, no TV commercials or any ad whatsoever for this...?

I'm so jelly u can just got to Shibuya tbqh

I am wondering about this too, I often see albums and singles release a day early and ranked in the oricon chart on Tuesday, so will we be seeing that in oricon tomorrow?

Gurl is teasing us again...

"24 more hours to go"

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNVCNsynbV4/

New MV ? CM ?
(Or maybe they filmed that part just for the tease ? xD)

Wow I dk what to say... that bloody red lips like what ... I am scared but I hope it’s for new music

hidden track??? surprise bonus??? new EP??? I'm excited!!

I'm almost 100% convinced this is for new music, perhaps delusionally so, because I really don't want another anniversary being commemorated with another announcement of four more years of concerts.

I only saw someone psoting those typical record stores posters (You know, the covers and the "In stores (date)" format, the only promo I saw online lol

I'm so excited for this, whatever it is, the black hat and red lips look so good!

You’re welcome to join haha
I live in Japan now so it makes it easier I guess :P

That’s why i’m not sure if to go tomorrow or on Thursday and since im not really close to there (closer to north Tokyo/Ikebukuro) so that’s why I wondered if I should go tomorrow or the 8th.

I wish that I would just go there and ayu will be all over the place but I guess that we are not in the 1998-2010 anymore :P
Anyway I hope for something when I go.

Btw I really hope that the instagram thing is a new song for a new album!! From the shot it looks cool!!

@ayumisrael
Post pics of every snippet you find xD

So will this new release be charted tomorrow?

She is obviously talking about the release. Only she knows what was that horrendious outfit styling for lol

Could it be “A” Lipstick?

Hopefully there will be something xD hoping for at least an in store advertisement.

Not sure actually, that’s why I asked too xD

Who would release a new song/album at the same time with a compilation XD. Hope she surprises us and defies convention.

I can see that coming.

Hmmm what is the time when oricon will be updated? I miss checking that chart back in 2005-2010, hahaha but I can’t remember the specific timing when the chart is updated

mother of all plot twists: turns out it's for æternal quatre-vingt-dix-sept

Koda Kumi best third universe
Michael Jackson HIStory


Although I don't expect a new album

I don't think it had something to do with A Ballads release. She may refer to debut anniversary

I’m kinda surprised she hasn’t announced a 20 year anniversary remaster of A Song for XX or a re-recorded version of Poker Face. Here’s hoping she’ll release something next to A Ballads 2.

I really think more promotion is needed. The album is charting quite badly on Amazon. (The highest ranking it got is #30 in Japanese music, as far as I'm concerned) It's great that two deluxe versions were sold out on mumo, but the compilation should not only target her hardcore fans...

Could it be... A BEST -BOUNCE & LOVERS-?

lol

I was honestly hoping she would re-record the whole A Song for XX album during her 10th after Mirrorcle World was released with YOU and Depend on you. Those new version were great in my opinion.

Hmm ok didn’t see her album on today’s chart

Actually I was in Tower records in Ikebukuro today and they still didn’t have A BALLADS 2 there so I’m guessing that it will probably be in stores from tomorrow and will try to go to Shibuya after work if I can. Except for in store stand I’m not sure if there will be anything else though.

did anyone already listen to it?

Unboxing from CdJapan:
https://youtu.be/wsvFZ2xpe6M

The inner cover is so much better imo. -_-

:grumpy it really is!!

Unboxing from CDJapan:

2CD+Blu ray

https://youtu.be/wsvFZ2xpe6M

Also it’s on Spotify (probably on Apple Music as well).

^ only in countrys where it is the 8th already (because it isn't in germany yet)
how are the rearrangements?

First press is sold out on CD japan for 2CD+Bluray, are the TA shop versions still first press? I want to wait till my next paycheck and be a responsible person :p.

^they’re sold out already. I honestly thought they’d end up like the trouble’s limited ones that are still available after 3 years, but nope. Either they’re really limited or the sales are amazing, we’ll discover soon.

fuuuuuck why didn't they announce the inner cover as a different image? it would have made more sense if each different version has a distinct cover photo :(

Specifications/Enclosed benefits
・ Inlay & booklet jacket random (1 out of 2)
・ Three-sided case specifications

does anyome knows what inlay & booklet jacket random is for?

If you’re asking what they are, the inlay is the picture inside the jewel case that shows through to the outside so you can see what the album is. Usually the inlay is the booklet. The booklet jacket is the front page of the booklet in this case it is the same as the inlay, they are randomizing it between two photos. If you watch the cd Japan unboxing they had a really nice inlay and booklet photo. It is different from the photo of the cardboard digipack and slipcover.

I did but the slipcover is only for first press right?

You can hear the previews here:
https://music.apple.com/jp/album/a-ballads-2/1559845742

You can hear previews on Mora's website too
https://mora.jp/package/43000002/ANTCD-A0000004003_F/

Wow I do think the difference is notable!

I only listened to SAKURA preview so far and yess, the difference is really visible!

I think so, but the preview on her website shows skip covers and digipack in the TA version photo

thank you for sharing the link. I compared these remasters and their original mixes and they do seem to be different—they're 'cleaner', but I think they could have been better.

songs like beloved, æternal, SAKURA, and how beautiful you are, for instance, sound better but they're still jarringly set in a much higher volume than the rest of the album.

meanwhile, JEWEL and Love song sound better but their volumes are lowered, stripping some of the 'kick' in their original mixes.

the standouts are MOON, walking proud, Days, Moments, rainy day (holy shit rainy day), and HOPE or PAIN (so so good).

You also have to consider that the snippets from the website are probably not CD quality either. I do not know Mora, but Apple Music does not play CD quality.

It's such a beautiful photo of her, i totally agree! Somehow it's also less claustrophobic when it's not such a tight portrait shot, just makes everything look a bit less awkward (the text).

whoa, OK I didn't know this.

either way, the difference is noticeable in the remasters. I do hope they sound better in the actual album.

for your information: apple music plays at 256 kbps on wifi and 128 kbps on data. I am not sure about the wired internet data. in comparison, a CD has a bitrate of 1411 kbps. So at loud volume, it is normal that a file on apple music sounds compressed (at least compared to a CD).

Just collected mine, I got different cover from YT unbox person

https://i.ibb.co/fqYF0Qd/2021-04-08-8-15-39.png

Very nice!

omg the inside cover is gorgeous!

I use my phone to scan the cover

here you go

I love that photo so much.
Thank you for the scan.

omg!!! thank you legend

I hate the tag they've chosen for spotify lol it's going to mess up her plays sooo much! But oh well, I guess they're remastered, etc.

The pics look so lovely! Trying to avoid them until I get my copy lol but can't resist :P

Funny detail :
The actual release of A BALLADS 2 brought up an edited version of the "main" cover. The original one we had (which is also the one printed) is different. Her left hand was less edited (more wrinkles, more natural) unlike the new version.

THANK GOD they fixing SAKURA. I love the song but never able to stand the ear-piercing mixing when the chorus came in. This is soo much nicer.

I noticed that too, and they similarly de-emphasized the very highest frequencies in the vocal track of æternal, which sounds so much smoother now.

From Instagram
https://i.imgur.com/HmID2EEl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/AicSLd8l.jpg

Does it say remaster? That’s how I have A VEST and LOVEppears listed since these are different versions.

So I got to go to Shibuya today.
Except for 1 stand in Tsutaya and half a stand (shared with ketsumeishi) in tower records. I didn't see any other advertisements or posters as promotion for A BALLADS 2.
I guess that avex/ayu prefer to use tours, digital downloads, goods and online promo for ayu nowadays :P
Of course I didn't expect her to be on Shibuya 109, but at least a poster at the entrance of Tsutaya or something haha.
Anyway I took pics!

Shibuya Tsutaya

https://i.postimg.cc/QFsGNNDR/File-000.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/K46hVrHc/File-001.jpg

Shibuya Tower Records

https://i.postimg.cc/KRthyk6P/File-002.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/NK4hKhfL/File-003.jpg

But why no GREEN?

Ok she’s top on 7 April but 6k copies.. that’s low
https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/d/2021-04-07/

^

I’m not surprised. She seems to have no appetite to promote right now. And who can blame her when she’s been working like a pig for 20 of the 23 years.

She's number 3 on Billboard Japan with 7594 for the period of 4/5 - 4/7.

http://www.billboard-japan.com/d_news/detail/98804/2

But the album supposedly went on sale on 4/8 midnight and the day isn't over in Japan, so how can they have already the numbers?

^ early release or they counted the pre orders

Well, I wasn’t even expecting some big numbers in sales. Even A BALLADS, at a time when she was at her peak, had not sold more than a million. I hope that she will at least sell 50k. I’m kind of sad when I look at these low numbers from someone who used to sell millions.

CDJAPAN shipped my order today, can't wait to have it !

25k tops.

These are most likely sales from the stores that started selling the album early (i.e. flying get). It seems like most stores didn't put it on sale early (at least according to some people from this thread), so we'll probably see higher numbers tomorrow

Don't think we are going to see better sales, If I'm not wrong, if Japanese fans buy the album from TA they don't count on oricon.

^They do.
I don’t think the sales are bad at all. Of course they’re not high, but no promotion + barely new content doesn’t make this release really interesting in the first place... Not to mention physical sales are low nowadays. I think they are aware of it, since first press is sold out at some places already, meaning they kept that in mind for the production. I think it will reach 15-20k at most which is a pretty decent amount. But having a number one on Oricon again is great.

listening to the album right now and I think my opinion about the remastering stands: good, but could've been better.

forgiveness, though .........is still pathetic :laugh

I mean, sure, the remaster is leagues better than the original mix (especially the awful white noise during the intro), but it doesn't sound better than the A COMPLETE version.

Mine too *.*

Maybe they are the pre-orders?

https://i.imgur.com/Gj5kHDdl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GNJ71Trl.jpg

Just for comparison, first days sales/position of:

M(A)DE IN JAPAN: 19,898 / #2
TROUBLE: 18,360 / #2

Low first day of sales and her team released it on thursday, so 1 day less of counting. Anyway, there's no promotion at all, a top 5 will be great.

I don't understand why Avex isn't giving this album a decent amount of promotion. It still means something for an artist like Ayu to release a compilation album, and Avex should be able to gain more profit from this project than any other regular project that Ayu is going to release (such as another Mini album like trouble). It just seems to me that Avex is wasting a good chance for no reason.

The top album for 7/4/2021 (normal Wednesday release) was 24k. If ayu released on a wed, she would not get first so I guess we should be happy that she is getting one more number 1.

Maybe because they expect only the fans to buy it