^
You're right! Ayu is alreadly a legend in J-pop history, no one is gonna change it. Fact is a fact, what she had done along the way becoming the queen of J-pop will not be erased. Her name "hamasaki ayumi" will doubtless be written on the music history of japan.

Gawd... Lower than "LOVE COOK"...
I still think "(miss)understood" was a little more powerful that "Secret". :yes
But "Secret" does not deserve SUCH low sales... What's going on in this world? :innocent *patpats & huggles Ayu*

no#7 today in oricon today.
It is great!!

no.7?! YAY IT ROSE..cool Ayu

lol thats awful

I think she could be like #5 this week on the weekly chart, but since L'Arc~en~Ciel released new editions of their previous albums and both are, I think, their best ones, she'll probably be #7 or #8. Oh well. Still in the top 10. Hopefully, her total sale by nest week will be 600,000 or 550,000.

she is just not promoting it in the right way there need to be more lives showcasing the songs and some awesome dancing in 1Love!!

It doesn't matter about promotion. If people like it, they'll buy it; if people hate it, they'll pass it by.

Yeah I notice everyone blame it on "the promotion", on why she's only performing JEWEL.

Guys, the reason ayu is performing JEWEL is because people in Japan actually PREFER that song. It was number one in itunes download. The fact most of you are way more into rockish songs does not reflect what the majority of the japanese people want to be listening to.
I think you guys put way too much expectation on Secret and start making lame excuses to blame the poor sales. I didn't find Secret much different from her latest albums to be very honest. I was listening to ayu (and HAL) songs all over again. I love ayu and her songs, be them recycled or not, so I did love the album. Maybe japanese people are just sick? I liked everything but the album WASN'T as fresh as some people make it sound like. Just because it has more guitars than (miss)understood won't make this album much better to the japanese audience. For instance people in this forum seem to love Startin' and hate BLUE BIRD and Beautiful Fighters and demand that such songs had been out of the new album, however which single sold more? Startin'/BTB or BLUE BIRD/Beautiful Fighters?

I rest my case.

yeah i understand what you are saying. "Jewel" to me sounds boring it's almost like "Carols" with no build up but "Carols" was so much better. I have received my album/dvd today with the poster and still no new impressions i wasn't even excited i simply just opened the package and left it on my shelf and trying to frame the poster. I never felt that way about an Ayu CD like the feeling its just there i am just waiting for a new single around February time to see if she changes her style. It just sucked that "STARTIN" was not on (Miss) understood along with "Rainy Day" those two songs would have flowed so well together. Like i say once again everyone is just waiting for Kumi Koda's "Black Cherry" album since she is in demand right now i am more excited about that album than "Secret" and i love Ayu to death in a way i wish i just bought the "Startin" single......

But how can people judge if they love it or hate it if they haven't listened to it? Well, except if they download it... But then again, if you download it, you most likely won't buy it.

I agree to some extent. I think there needs to be some promotion of the album like having people know it exists. But yeah I do agree that if people like it they'll buy it, if they don't, they won't buy it.

excluding you.. and a few others on this forum.

I should have put it easier.

an album is bound to get some sort of promotion. whoring the album to the point that everyone knows every word to every song won't make it sell.

if this is what the album has already sold as .. its not going to blow up and sell a lot more later on.

also the majority of people here are not in the japanese pop culture the way they'd love to be. its hard for them to grasp that these people like other artists more and some don't like ayumi at all.

OT: I just had a dream about Ayu's next single but it was being released in Jan and it was like a cross between STEP you and Ladies Night! Sounded amazing - very robotic and technical with sweet beats!

That would be sweet :luv2

Today she's at #6!!!!!!!

Up again!!!! :lech

Whoa!..rising rising rising..go to #4 i hope haha...

and 1 LOVE has begun airing in Japan btw

Yay!
If Secret still being that consistent it's possible to sell more than (m)u!

yeah~ #6 today!!
pls climb up and sell steady.......
I don't want to see 72% decline again

Great timing, I hope it helps the sales!