Your Relationship with Ayumi Hamasaki
 

Alright. That's it. This is going on way too long, and we're all gonna get to the bottom of it. I think the a-nation thread is the biggest piece of evidence that, we need some people to evaluate and accept all the different ways that they and other people love Ayu.

So, the question is:

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?


How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

We are all dying to know. Come on, bring on the drama~


I think, for me, there was a time when I saw Ayu, the artist, a person who was fueled so much by who she was, I fell in love with Ayu the human being...but that never detracted with my love for what I consider good music.

That being said, I don't think I ever thought that Ayu being a product, and foremost a Pop Star, had that much affect on her work....but these days, Im not so sure. The level of control Ayu's had over her decisions has always been substantial, but never more so than now. And well, tbh, I don't like her recent music that much at all. I don't think it's bad, but I don't see it up to the standard of her classic and biggest hits.

I think it always came down to the fact that, as unhappy as I might be, I decided to love Ayu and support her. I might joke around here and there, but no one should make the mistake to think that I don't love her. So, even though I think her crap sucks...I just go and pay attention to someone else.



But I don't think that it should be "the norm" that people who have negative opinions to just, hide away and not say anything. As a community, we need to be able to have discussions without people getting offended with another person's opinions, because, like I said, everyone has a different relationship with her, as a fan, and we all have to understand that.

Whether you like it or not. And it would benefit everyone to see this from other people's points of views anyway.

Accept the challenge that other people think your views are crap. How strong are you and your beliefs?

honestly i'm not any bit obsessive. there are things i wish could be done in moderation because it wasn't good the first time aka her uraya duet for this mini album. but honestly i can be mad but who cares LOL
all i hope is when i hear it it's a good song. in the end i just need good music so i can say she hasn't lost it. love songs had some pretty decent songs, and love song itself was amazing. so i'm content.
i'd hate to put myself on a pedestal, but reading some of the hot headed opinions here is hilarious. i can't believe how offended some people can get.

to be honest i'm just glad this is just a forum. imagine you woke up to this oh god LOL

buuuut honestly we need to give people credit? there are some dedicated fans and that's definitely not all bad. as much as you hate something you can love something too!

Ooooo, interesting thread. I'll participate.

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

Primarily an artist/entertainer. Of course, I think that her experiences as a human being have a great deal of influence on her music/performances. So, part of her appeal is that people can relate to her life experiences and emotions as a human being. It's a hard question to answer.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

I don't exactly know what I want from her music. I know what I don't want. The problem is that I (and I'm sure many others) believe that the first half of her career was unbelievably brilliant - the music, PV's, photoshoots, live vocals, etc. She's released some excellent material recently, and I enjoy almost all of her music regardless of whether or not it matches up to previous works. I can't deny though, that I feel she's been a bit lazy with the actual material. For me, many of her recent albums lack concept, direction, and have no distinct "atmosphere" to them. She's recycling themes and using the same arrangers. Too many of her songs tend to borrow from previous ones in structure, sound, and theme and it's making the songs that came first, in a sense, lose their worth. I guess you can say I'm concerned with the "legacy" of Ayumi Hamasaki. She always seems to work on deadlines. Art needs to time to bake, time to fall into place naturally. She needs influence to inspire creativity. Sometimes, the best thing for creativity is to take some time for yourself and experience life.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?

Yes, I don't think celebrities should use Twitter. It humanizes them too much. Takes away the veil of mysteriousness. And honestly, I don't think people wanna see that. I like my celebrities larger-than-life, not down-to-earth. American celebrities are especially bad on Twitter because they say stupid things all the time, and you realize just how unintelligent, ignorant, and basic they are as human beings.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

I feel that some fans have this strange relationship with her. It's almost like they think she's reading the forums, and they're trying to gain her approval as a supportive fan. A lot of people want Ayu to be a happy person and will stand by her no matter what. Really, bless you guys for that. I honestly could care less about whether or not she's happy. She seems to have an excellent support system from her staff and current fans, already. I have my own people, in real life, that I need to support and be there for. To be fair, she doesn't have to deal with some things that many other celebrities have to deal with (drug/alcohol addictions/being stalked by paparazzi/being accused of crimes they did or did not commit). Fans of these kinds of artists have a lot to protect and I can understand the relationship between these kinds of artists and their fans. Ayu... not so much. She's just a brilliant entertainer living a relatively dull life, tbh.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

Perhaps. I can see a bit of validity in everyone's opinions, though. I never think of anyone as being completely wrong, ever.

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?
-The entertainer and pretty much that only, since it's about all she really shows us.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?
-Coelacanth summed up my thoughts pretty perfectly, but: I think it makes me want her to take risks and do things that will actually entertain me, rather than the same type of songs she seems to be comfortable with. And I want just that: for her to get out of her comfort zone and change it up. An entertainer isn't that entertaining if they continually do the same things over and over. It might just be me, but I really don't think she's been surprising us. That just isn't cutting it for me.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her?
-I don't feel close to her at all. I used to see her tweets all the time, but her English annoyed me so I stopped following her. Regardless, I feel as far away in the world from her as she actually is. Reading her tweets did actually make me like her less though. If it did humanize her at all, it made me find her a bit irritating (rather than the cute but still somewhat mysterious woman she appeared to be before).

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?
-I honestly couldn't care less. And by that I mean that it doesn't affect me either way.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?
-(I'm assuming this means in relation to Ayu...) I wouldn't say so. With certain things, such as politics, I find it somewhat difficult to hear opinions that differ drastically from my own. But when it comes to Ayu, I really don't think that's the case.

lol at the tags, this is the most lulz worthy message board.

Relationship with ayu....? :laugh :laugh :laugh

^yeah...uh you guys are all at an Ayu forum.

Sorry, but no matter how much people want to say they just "like" Ayu's music...actually coming here and posting for long periods of time says different.

Do you have a better word for it? I'd be delighted to hear it.

Mmm gurl I love your attitude, keep it up sistah! (not trolling btw)

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?
idk how to word my answer. She's a human being to me, but still an entertainer, ya know? She uses her personal experiences/friends' experiences to write her own personal lyrics. She took control of a lot of her career too. But idk where I'm going with this LOL

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?
It's really hard to define what made pre-Secret Ayu so well-defined and wonderful. Something about all the albums from A Song for XX-(miss)understood are just instantly classics. But ever since then, none of her albums had that "power" and like one member said, the atmosphere just felt kind-of off. Her releasing has become repetitive (winter ballad -> summer ballad -> album, rinse and repeat). idk how to answer the first question though XD I'm so clueless

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?
It doesn't affect me in anyway, imo. idk. The only celebrity that tweets and makes me love her even more is Rihanna. Effin' fierce *****.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?
Her stans are so annoying, to be hella blunt *puts up flame shield* But for other fans, it's aight. Like you, emiko, you're a nice gal.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?
No. If I don't like a song, I'll state that I don't like a song. I think Love songs is her worse release and I let my voice be known lol

Sorry but just because I like some of her music doesn't mean I have a "relationship" with ayu. I just feel like relationship is the wrong term to use. That's just me though, sorry if you don't get what I mean.

^no, I mean, I don't mean it like "relationship" like, a romantic relationship...

I mean like...here, the google definition:

:shrug I didn't think it was a big deal, I just thought it made sense.

If you don't feel that, then whatever lol I'd be really curious as to why you were at the forum though lol

And guys, the questions don't have to have like, word for word answers, just, how do you feel connected to Ayu, and how do you think that affects how you perceive her work, basically.

I was gonna say about the social media question though....Ayu on twitter actually annoys me lol And then her fans started to annoy me with all their "ayu bad engrish" talk...but I don't want to rain on their parade if they're happy with Ayu there...so meh.

^Not everyone is at this forum because they love Ayu, as odd as that may sound. A lot of people are here because they loved Ayu enough to join at one point, but like the community and therefore want to stay (even if they don't care much for who she is/what she does now). I think that's the case with a surprising amount of users here, and there are certainly enough non-Ayu topics to please those people.

@emiko: oh I knew what you meant lol I just meant that for me personally, I don't feel like there's any type of relationship between ayu and I. I guess it could be because I just don't like her anymore :shrug
And I'm at the forum because I DID like ayu and still do like her older music. Just because I don't worship her every move and don't like her current music doesn't mean I can't still post here. I've made friends here so why would I leave?

@bondingo: that's true. I think that's why I stayed so long. All you have to do is say that lol

It still means you have some kind of relationship...everything has a relationship to something else, even if it's...one that ended...or a hateful one lol

@MA: oh okay, cool. I think that's interesting~

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

I see a woman who became an entertainer. I saw how raw she was back when A Song For XX was released. I watched her grow. Watched her budget go up. Saw her face look less scary. I say that because now she knows where the light hits her and how to control her posture to look good. Another would for it would be polished.

Well she went scary in a new direction with the fish mouth and the deer-headlights eyes but at least in better clothes.

I think that the woman comes out here and there. I don't think she's as raw with emotion as she used to be. She has written all of the stories that she's lived through and it is hard to rewrite them well enough to be different.


How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

Like I said she's written so much and gone through enough that she is almost flat in a sense. I think that listening to a lot of songs that are new sound like repeats because she's not as fresh. It is so bashed on this forum to say that you don't like the new works or that they sound just like extensions of previous works but it really comes down to the fact that I believe she is just not inspired.

She may have bursts of inspiration but I don't feel the passion anymore. I just hear a lot of heavy harmonies and computerized instruments. There have been songs here and there that really do seem like the Artist Ayumi Hamasaki rather than the Pop Star Ayumi Hamasaki.

I want her to take a few years off. She has been working an insane life for over a decade. I would like for her to really throw herself into new music. She has been dabbled and such but she hasn't really reincarnated herself in a long time. I miss the risks she used to take with herself.

She is such a massive star that taking a risk now isn't going to hurt her career. It would make me respect her more.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?


I'm not close to her. I don't follow her twitter. I don't attempt to make contact with her. She isn't my friend and the only true relationship I feel to her is through her lyrics. I'd rather not tarnish the ideas I came to know through her music by knowing a woman who could explain the meaning of a song to be something different than I imagined. I hope that makes sense?

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?


This will probably make the topic get closed. LOL emiko~

I really think that it is honestly a great and wide spectrum throughout the world. That said, I think that there is a large concentration of condescending and rude members here that overpower those who maintain objective opinions and provide some sort of constructive criticism.

I've seen people post "I LOVE IT" time and time again. That is fine but you really provide nothing new to your words and eventually it makes the way you type about every release seem as if you are brain washed.

I really do enjoy reading people who write out WHY they like something. It shows that their opinion is thought out because of specific things and not only because its a release by "^ o ^ Ayu-chan~" (dramatization)

I actually stopped posting here because whenever I posted a comment about something in particular that I didn't like I'm told to leave, I'm told to go listen to her old works, I'm told that I'm not a fan, I'm told that I always post the same thing when I rarely post here anymore, I'm told I'm a "hater".

I really think people should learn what the word hate means. Not loving does not mean hating. The world is not black and white.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

No, I'm not. I don't tell people they need to leave because they love things too much. I don't think their idiots for having an opinion. Sometimes, I admit, I think that there are people too consumed and worship her as if she doesn't take a dump that is brown and stank.

I think that Ayumi has taught a lot of fans to love and deal with grief in ways that make her stans a lot easier to tolerate than Lady Gaga for instance (bringing her up because of the opinion stuff). I've seen Lady Gaga fans completely shred people with words and horrible hateful comments; all that while Lady Gaga always preaches that people should love and not hate lol. I haven't out right seen any Ayumi fans bash, trash, threaten, or any of the like. That's a good thing I suppose. Just don't tell people to leave because you can't handle opinions that don't match your own.

Opinions are not facts just because they're yours.

I'd love to type more but this subject has long been in my head whenever I come here. It is almost as if I have too many words to type.

omg I know how you feel >.>; I hate it when people are like "how sweets~~" or whatever she kept doing that became an inside joke. idk I don't find it cute lol

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

I believe there is a grey area. I'm unsure where I lie now though. I used to view Ayu as a human, and I praised her for being so humane and down to earth in her music and image. I thought this was unique to her. But it isn't. I think I see her more as an entertainer now, but I don't expect her to do everything to please her fans. But that said - I do feel that there needs to be some recognition that if you don't please the fans, you don't have fans. And what is "Ayumi Hamasaki" without fans? Ayumi Hamasaki isn't a brand, an entertainer, or a person able to share her views and feelings any more.

I think the best way to put it is... she puts a lot of her person into her music, but we never see anything but that aspect of her, because she's never really been or done anything else. She doesn't have anything else to show us without it crossing over into us knowing EVERYTHING about her life, and that's not right.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

The only expectation I have from Ayu now is "good" songs I can enjoy. No more than I expect from anybody I listen too. I guess because I used to see her as my best friend or someone I needed - I used to expect music that I could relate to and be moved by. I don't expect that any more, partly because I just see her as making music and whether I feel moved or not is up to me, not her. This is mixed with her taking her music in directions that don't fit with my musical taste.

The focus on being "moved" comes from the fact that Ayu was the first artist to get that reaction from me.

I guess... I view her older eras as superior because I could take all the material and find the songs I loved and the treasures. They were there for me to explore and I could ignore all the songs I disliked because the magic ones were there. When waiting for that next magic song from her I have to wait for her to release all these "disappointing" songs until she hits that magic for me again.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her?

Oh yes, 100%. Negatively too. Part of Ayu's charm was this mix of being so mysterious but having lyrics that were so easy to relate too. Now she isn't so mysterious and I don't relate as much.

It's like... I don't know. I cried my eyes out when I met her. I cried for weeks. I'd pretty much accepted I'd never get to see her live, but to meet her in my country?! Why did I want to meet her? I thanked her for her music and the support it had given me. After those weeks in London she got Twitter and was closer to her fanbase than ever.

And Ayu wasn't who I'd built her up to be in my mind I guess. We were able to see her reactions so much more than before, and I guess I just disagreed with her a lot on a personal level - like you disagree with a friend or acquaintance. I'd disagreed with her before, but Twitter took it to a whole new level.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

I don't really care what people think, but I do care about how they express it. Honestly, it put me off integrating into the Ayu fandom. Look at my join date and my post count (I did a looot of lurking).

I guess in the Ayu fandom the extremes really really overshadow the middle ground. Those who love something get viewed as stans who love everything she puts out and should stop following her and go outside. Those who dislike something are told they should stop wanting her to go back to her peak days because she's evolved and they should get over it/not listen. Even outside the Ayu fandom, this is how onlookers look in.

I like that people view her differently, I think that's what makes her interesting and entertaining. I like to see why someone views her the way they do, or why they dislike something, and I think at times that's lacking a lot in the Ayu fandom. It's also what makes the fandom so volatile though, all these different views and perspectives.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

Oh yeah, but that's not exclusive to Ayu. It's just the way I am. I sometimes push views I don't even agree with just to get people to think or just because I want something to talk about. I'm not pig headed in a "I LOVE IT WHY DON'T YOU?" sense, I'm more of a "I hate it, why do you love it, please explain to me~" kind of sense and then debating why I agree/disagree.

I usually refrain from posting my opinions as I come across as more aggressive than I intend too. I wouldn't have bothered with this if I hadn't felt so strongly about all the issues a-nation brought up and shared my views more than I usually do. I mean, I very rarely post anyway, so why would anyone care what I think?

As sort of a note, reading the posts above. Why am I here? I used to lurk here to follow Ayu, now it's that and that this place is surprisingly convenient for non-Ayu news also. I think I participate in Ayu discussions because I'm sort of in a state of... I still care, but not as much as I used too. I never posted when I adored her, and I joined here late into that, and if I did post when I did... I may have come across as deluded, and I was aware of that so never bothered. Or is that I just enjoy posting criticism of her more than praise? I am a very pessimistic person haha

longest post ever. I could write an essay on ~how I feel about Ayu~

Not even a page in and we already got snarky posts that don't even attempt to answer the question and condescending tags, lol. I love you guyz.

I feel the same way. The way I felt so connected to her music was unexplainable. She opened me up to so many other genres too, because she helped me to view music as a universal language. She taught me that I didn't need to understand lyrics to connect with music.

Interesting last paragraph. I've never thought about it that way. I became a fan around Memorial address era, so a lot of wonderful material was already there before me.

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?


I see Ayu the human being. I've been listening to Ayu since I was in middle school and I've always had a connection with her music. I hadn't seen a concert of hers until CDL 05-06 almost 4 years after becoming a fan. So I never really saw her as Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer. It was always her music that kept me coming back. My interest in artists as entertainers is very flimsy. I don't invest as much in them nor follow them as closely as I do Ayu.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

I think that makes me a lot more comfortable with her music direction. I'm not looking to be entertained as much. If I don't like something, I'm on to the next one but there's rarely anything I don't like from her. All I want from her is for her to follow her judgement, if she takes other ideas or influences or criticisms into consideration, cool. But I don't want her to be come the kind of artist whose sole purpose is to please for a pay check. I'd like her to keep her artistic integrity.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?

I'm not close to her social media to be honest. I was when she first got a twitter account but not so much any more. It doesn't affect my view of her.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

Mostly, I don't care. But when they have views that tend to objectify her or are largely very negative about her, I tend to either ignore it or get defensive.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

I try not to be. If I come off that way it's not personal. Sometimes it takes a while to understand the other point of view when it's so different from your own.

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

When I like someone, anyone, I always look at them as a human. I seriously couldn't be a fan of someone if I felt they were a horrible person. There are some people or singers who I listen to only a few songs, so I don't really care either way. But if it's someone who I call myself a fan of, then yes I view them as a human, because I get to know them before I call myself a fan of their's. And by that I mean, you know, interviews and crap, etc.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

I really don't care what she does because I don't even listen to ayu anymore.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?

I definitely think it affects the view of anyone. Twitter is great with connecting with people you'd never think you'd get to talk to. Unless, the person turns out to be a huge ass.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

I can honestly say I don't care.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

With Ayu? No. As above, I don't care what anyone thinks of her. In general, I would say no. If I have an opinion I'll say it, often. But... if someone can provide me with a great explanation of their side, I won't keep stating my opinion, because I'll see where they're coming from.


And I agree with Bondingo and MemAdd. I actually find ayu incredibly irritating now, so I just stay out of this section most of the time. It's a large forum, there are many things to talk about.

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

I see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer because she always presents herself that way. I know there is Ayumi Hamasaki the human beneath that exterior, but it seems so rare to catch glimpses of it. I can only imagine who she really is as a person.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

I don't desire anything from her other than the wonderful music she gives us already. She indulges us enough as it is. I would be content if she made music at her own pace rather than under the pressure of her fans and her company though.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her?

Not really. The social media seems to be another tool she uses that exposes the entertainer side of her. Sometimes we see some of the real Ayu, I'm sure, but it seems most of the time we do not.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

I don't feel anything for them except in extreme cases of stans and anti-fans. Then I feel disdain.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

I try not to be. I'm often gray about many of my opinions.

I'm sure I was guilty of this back in the day when I was a young stan. I joined here when I was 13, so some of my old posts probably reek of angst and immaturity. It's funny, I think it wasn't until I started forming negative opinions of my own is when I started to understand and start to become more accepting of other people's opinions. Some individuals (including myself) can always be a little stubborn about their own opinions and defend that position until the end.

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?
I see Ayumi Hamasaki before I see Ayu. As much as she talk to fans on Twitter, we'll never actually be her friend, but we'll always be her fan. The side she shows us on Twitter is only one part of her, so we've always seen 'Ayumi Hamasaki' more than 'Ayu'.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?
I don't really want anything from her. I would love great songs all the time, but I'll accept the bad songs too.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?
It has pros and cons. The pro is that we get to see more of her personality and it's an amazing thing when you become closer to your idol, but that's also the downside. Ayu has always been a mysterious person to me...The queen of Jpop, but now she's just Ayu on Twitter lol. It does ruin the mystery a bit and I do find it annoying with some of her tweets. I cried a bit when she first replied to me, but then with each reply, it's like..."ok, what next?" I've built up my view of her over the years and that view just came crumbling down. I'm thankful that she interacts with fans, but I'm sad that she's so easily reached now.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?
I don't really care at all. If they love her, then great...we can chat about it. If they don't, then still great...I can find something else to chat about.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?
I guess I am, but since I'm more of a passive person, so I won't fight with anyone over what they think. I still hold onto my opinion, but I'll just keep it to myself. I also find it hard to communicate with Ayu fans because if I don't like something or disagrees, then I become a 'hater'.

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

Well, IMO it's all a grey area... Ayu doesn't reveal much of herself, as expected for a jpop star... I'm totally aware that what we see on interviews, twitter, tv shows and etc is pretty much a "character". On the other side, her music, her lyrics, her concerts and her videos shows a lot of the real person there... IMO that's why she sometimes repeats herself so much, cuz it's the same person behind what was done back in 1998 and now. I would never love an entertainer if I couldn't see the person behind it anyway, as I already try to follow artists that I feel that really express themselves though their works.


How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

Well... what I really want is that she keeps it true to herself... A lot of her releases, being it live, music or pvs showed that she knows exactly who she is and what she is in the business... I don't like all of her releases, I don't like all of her music, but I understand that sometimes she needs to try something I won't like in order to do something really wonderful. IMO, even with the summer song, winter song and concert ending song that almost all of her albums (yeah, even the old ones) have, that are generally more mainstream atempts, she is always trying something new, and I get that we need some Blue Birds in order to have some Mirrorcle Worlds, cuz the girl is a pop act after all, and can't snob the mainstream. So, if she does something, I know that it was what she felt was more apropriate... I try to enjoy it for what it is, not for what I think it should be (sunrise was never meant to be deep and revolutionary, just fun, for example) and if I can't like it, I just let it be and wait for her next release.


Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her?

I'm not close to her, I'm not her friend, I don't believe she really shows herself through social media, I mean, come'on... look at her lyrics, videos, pvs, it doesn't fits someone who farts glitter and rainbows like Ayu does on twitter. I actually find her Twitter persona to be as annoying as some of her fans who keep all day long trying to get some twitter attention from her...


How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?
Most of the time, I don't mind, even if I do like when people who dislike her recognize her importance to japanese mass culture. But there are some stuff I find to be kinda odd... I like haters, cuz most of the time their jokes are in and they tend to be funny, but I hate obsessed fans, cuz they tend to have the bad habbit of acting like Ayu is the supreme god of the universe, until they get dissapointed by her, when she becomes the worst artist to ever breath on earth... Nobody MUST love Ayu if they don't like her works anymore, I myself abandoned tons of artists I loved once... But it gets annoying when some people (very few people, BTW, like, 2 or 3) starts comparing present Ayu to their perfect idealized old Ayu that never really existed outside their mind. I also believe that some (very few) people can't see the difference between the artist they are following and their idealized idol on their minds, what means they are both annoying when they LOVES what she did, and when they HATE what she did... Ayu is no spiritual guide to anyone, she is no best friend, she is no mother, she is no god... She is just a talented pop entertainer.


Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

A little, but most of the time I keep discussing is just that I really enjoy discussing xD Some people I had some big fights and disagree the most over here are among my most tresaured people of the forum, like Sunshine Slayer for example...

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

I see the Entertainer. Like pommy said, as close as we get to her, we'll never know the true her. I don't even really know if her dancers/staff know the true her. I'm sure that side is reserved for Mannie and a select few, though I could be totally wrong.

Plus all of her tweets are about projects she's working on, so it's nothing really substantial. I still think she is super sweet and loveable though.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

Honestly, I want more from her in terms of musical creativity, but for the most part I'm usually dissappointed so I don't set my expectations too high anymore. It's gotten to the point where I only like 1 or 2 songs on her albums, which is kind of frustrating. This is partially why I've recently been seeking out new artists so I can experience new styles of music.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?

It used to, because I used to think 'Ahh we're so much closer to her! :D!" then I realized I wasn't any closer to her haha.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

Honestly when people criticize her music, I find myself agreeing with them more than defending Ayu's music.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

Oh absolutely, but it only really happens with the artists I love more than Ayu or if people try to make Ayu out to be some sort of a god. I don't think she is, so I get a little annoyed when some people do. I'm definitely a stan (sometimes) when it comes to other artists though, so I can't really talk.

I just mentioned this in the FIVE thread, but I totally agree with this. :yes I mean FIVE is mostly ballads yet the covers would have suited a Microphone single.

This, too. I've even gotten a PM asking if I was "posting mean thing about Ayu just to get a rise out of fans." :( I mean, I know that I don't hesitate to voice my disappoint over anything she releases, but if anything I think that just goes to show that I hold her up to a higher standard than other artists because I really expect more from her.


When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?
Honestly, I used to see her as an entertainer who was so good at what she did because she was so human. Even when she was performing, it just felt so real, because you could tell she was pouring her heart into every word she sang. Nowadays, it seems like everything is about putting on an entertaining show, which I find is just a lot less... well, entertaining. For example, her old performances of ASFXX still make me cry! But I can't even bear to watch that '08(?) a-nation performance of ASFXX because every single move was rehearsed. Basically, I view her more as an entertainer now because I feel like, in the past few years, she's forgotten how to put real emotion into her performances and everything is dramatized now.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?
Right now, I just want her to put out quality music with good covers and PVs. Her covers since NEXT LEVEL have been (in my opinion, of course) really cheap, poorly planned, lacking concept, and ruined by bad, bad facial expressions, font placement, and background choices. If I didn't know who she was and I saw most of these covers, I would hardly be able to believe she was Ayumi Hamasaki, queen/empress/awesome legendary person in j-pop.

Anyways, I've given up even trying to watch her concerts nowadays since I am not at all entertained by the over-dramatized performances. So I don't expect much from her as far as concerts go. ^^;

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her?
Yes, and I don't even use Twitter or try to contact her. Like someone else said, I dislike how it takes away the mysterious veil around her (and other stars). I also don't like how she occasionally gets into the middle of the drama. In fact, I feel like I relate to Ayu a lot less now that she uses Twitter. :(

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?
I love seeing people praise her, even if I don't agree with it or think she deserves it for a particularly release. :P It really hurts my feelings when people hate her though. I can totally take it when her fans make fun of her, but not when actual haters bash her. It really offends me personally, which might sound weird or stupid, but whatever.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?
Oh yes. My opinion is right 95% of the time. The good thing is, my opinion is very easily swayed. :laugh And while I apparently come off as a hater/troll/whatever, if you actually took the time to talk to me one on one, you'd see that my opinions aren't really that rigid or nasty and that I love Ayu like I love no one else. :P

If Ayu was to die, I would die too..I can't imagine my world without Ayu

I'm deleting the tags in here. Please don't abuse them. We can track who's making them.

That's a little scary. Besides don't you have her CDs anyway? I think you'll manage.

Yeah. BALLAD from AT10 is a good example. It was well-executed and entertaining... but completely contrived and overdone.

Like FIVE, for instance. First, it's called FIVE presumably because there's five songs on the mini-album. That's lazy... And like you said, the album is full of ballads and has this "fierce" glam-rock cover. It's obvious so far that there's no concept whatsoever.

I'm just going to copy this from another thread: Today on twitter Ayu said there are many meanings behind the title "FIVE".

So far, there has been a concept behind EVER album and single Ayu released! Why should it be different for "FIVE"?!
Only because you can't see the concept right away doesn't mean it's not there!

Maybe the concept will come out after reading the lyrics to the songs...or watching the PVs...or maybe FIVE is short for something. I actually like to use my own fantasy, when it comes to such things.

I could name a possible concept for any Ayu album post-(miss)understood. The notion that she has absolutely no concept for her albums anymore is something I'll never understand. It's one thing if you don't find the concept incredibly deep or profound but to say there's none is ridiculous.

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

Mostly as an entertainer. There is a grey area though, nothing is just black and white, and every artist puts a part of her/his own personality in her/his work, cause there wouldn't be something like art in the world without it. I believe no artist should reveal too much of the own personality and feelings and keep a distance though. So in the last years Ayu got more and more a human being for me, cause she also more and more communicates about it. Probably also because she already wrote about everything she was troubled with and experienced and likes to share her happy times.
I also feel she has somehwat lost inspiration for her work and is waving more and more her not so deep feelings in her work, cause she hasn't really something to write about. But I will go on with that on another question.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

What do I want from her? Good music, to put it simple. And PVs and concerts, cause it's a big part of the way she portrays her music. Does it effect me that I see her more like a human being now than earlier? Of course, it irritaes me like others mentioned already.
And I don't want her to cross that mark about private life and her career - like she sadly does with most of her concerts lately. a-nation is just one negative point there for me. R'nR'C tour is another example, Ayu never being alone on stage, sharing her place as an entertainer with her friends and people who seems to be closer to her. That's too much for me, I wanna see her as an entertainer, as an solo artist she actually is.
Not to mention that it can be dangerous if she let affect the opinions about her work and her decisions for work her emotions. Her music is her life. But she has to keep a distance for her own health.
On a contradicting note, I dislike how she acts dramatic or puts the performances in a too dramatic way. Like BALLAD from last years tour, was already mentioned.
That's how I mostly feel about Ayu nowadays - contradicting. MOstly because of that gap private matters - show from the entertainer Ayu.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?

Yeah, it does, cause I get to know more things about her, just like I stated in the question before. I don't want to know that much, cause I'm not her friend, I don't know her personally - it is irritating cause you never know how she is in real life.
Guess I have not to read too much of her twitter etc. But she posts infos about her works, so I'm always curious.
And in the TA posts she share so much of her insights etc. Sometimes I really don't wanna know, feeling like a stalker.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

It's troubling me sometimes, lol.
I don't like people praising an artist like " a goddess, not from this world" etc. Or loving ever single songs, pic ... That's just weird! XD
Not only with Ayu but with any artist. I'm a big, big fan of other artists, too, but I would never praise them, cause they're all human beings and there are naturally enough things, enough works, I dislike.
I almost lost my connection to Ayu's music, I don't know, I just don't feel the same for her newer stuff than her older and middle works.
For example progress.
I don't feel anything listening to it.
Absolutely nothing.
And others are like "oh wow, this is the best she ever made!!" and I'm feeling like sticking out like a soar thumb. XD It's great others like it, I don't have anything against it. It just feels weird. Which leads me to another point - the expressions most fans seem to use. I feel like it's going in extremes - always the best or the worst. Or heavy words to describe why you dislike or like something or being defensive - almost like bashing.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

Yes, I sometimes am, but I'm just that kind of person. :laugh
I'm pretty stubborn sometimes, so it might be that I'm trying to convice somebody if I get heated up. Lol, I'm sadly not somebody who don't care about other opinions.

I wrote so much, might be pretty confusing.
Even for me. XD
But overall I just can agree with most people who already posted in here.

Half of those were me, sorry. I was just joking around I promise :weep :shughug

Her albums have concepts for sure, but tbh a lot of her singles seem pretty concept-less. That or the concept is "this is the 50th single!" and "this mini album has 5 songs on it!" Which, for me personally, might as well not be a concept at all, because it has nothing to do with the actual music.

Another good example is crossroad. A ballad A-side with covers where Ayu is wearing a cool outfit and looking nice with a white background. @_@ Kind of the same (but not nearly to the same extent) is MOON/blossom, with the songs being ballad-y or mid-tempo and the cover is just her wearing a dress and making a cute face with a pink/yellow/orange background.

Like, if you looked at her older singles like Endless sorrow or evolution, the concept is REALLY obvious and the covers, PVs, songs, and themes all match up really well. Whereas nowadays, it's like... a song which generally matches the PV, and then a totally random cover that doesn't really have anything to do with either of them. And then throw in the fact that most of her covers are just a picture of her in front of a solid color background... :innocent

Anyways, this is all just my opinion, of course. :) But I really don't think she puts as much effort into planning a cohesive release as she used to.

The album is called five because Ayu plans to retire in five years.

I feel ya. I wasn't thrilled about how the 48/49/50th singles were released either. But in my opinion, that's trivial compared to the their musical contents. I've noticed that a lot of fans here are about the total package where as I'm only about the music. Do I praise her when her concepts work out excellently, yes. Do I criticize her when they don't, not really. I've never understood why it was all such a big deal to the point people would be disastrously disappointed in an entire single when the music is great.

For example, Sunrise/Sunset etc. There was a concept for that one but it wasn't executed as great as it could have been. The covers were the worst in her career but the PVs weren't that bad but the music is great (in my opinion of course) so I love the single.

And maybe you're right, maybe she isn't putting as much effort in planning cohesive single releases anymore. But the music (again in my opinion) has not suffered and her albums are flawless. Isn't that what it's really about?

Well, I agree to an extent. I don't think she releases many truly "bad" songs. I really tried to just focus on the songs she releases individually and tried to ignore her PV's, covers, and overall lack of cohesiveness. That doesn't work, though. It's hard to ignore that there was a time in her career where seemingly everything worked and fit together.

So... maybe I should stop caring and if she releases an amazing PV like "Don't look back" once in a while, fine. The real question is, why can't she give every song she makes a PV for the same creative energy?

I think it's important to keep in mind that at the rate Ayu releases music we're bound to get some duds in one category or another. Even in the past we've gotten boring PVs like daybreak or disastrous covers like (miss)understood. I think the reason she can't give every song the same creative energy is because at some point it becomes too much so we don't get everything at its full potential.

Now the other alternative is that she slows down her release pattern and only releases music when she's truly inspired to make something incredible. This is a great idea in theory but I think Ayu fans would jump off a 10 story building if they had to wait for music like Utada fans for example. :laugh We all know Ayu rarely takes her time with things, it's in her nature to keep going and going and going and yes sometimes her creativity suffers. But if it's getting to the point that you cannot enjoy her music anymore then and it seems like she's constantly disappointing you, as much as people hate it when others say this, it's time to move on. Let her go for a while or permanently. Or just accept the good with the bad. She's not perfect and everything she does won't be perfect that's why I prefer to see her as a human being and not an entertainer because I don't feel the disappointment of what could have been or what should have been for things like covers and PVs. As long as her music is good, I'm good.

On the topic of concepts I have something to add.

I tend to find that her concepts are more based around the image and album tracks. For example Rock'n'Roll Circus - the album tracks and imagery fit the overall theme here very well. The singles? They work on the album but they don't add to the overall concept like Microphone or Sexy little things do. Or even BLUE BIRD on Secret. Or that it's a reverse concept, with RAINBOW I always get the impression she made this all over the place album and thought... RAINBOWS!! That's my take on it though.

This is a majority of her albums though, not just her newer ones. I'd pull out... Love Songs, I am..., Duty and (miss)understood as the exceptions maybe. (miss)understood didn't have much of a concept beyond fun Ayu album though imo.

^ if Ayu slowed down her release schedule and we always got the inspiring music you speak of, I'd welcome it. But then again, some of Ayu's most inspired tracks I've liked the least, so I don't know if that would solve any issues, people would just get more angry as they'd have to wait longer for her next single/album.

(miss)understood ties two ideas:
- It's a album about being a girl and the feelings that surround it (read that she said that somewhere)
- Borrows heavy influence from 70s and 80s music on most of it's tracks... This was also seen in the album art (that strange hearts, the filter and light on the photos, her outfits, etc), and on the tour...

I would say her only albums that really seen to lack a totally closed concept are Secret and Guilty...

In Jpop, the singles have the "problem" of being recorded and released before the album, sometimes months before or even a year, so, in the end, jpop albums tend to have no closed concept... Ayu actually is one of the very fell mainstream acts who try to make everything really flow together... (Utada, who IMO is a much superior musician only started doing that on Heart Station, for example)

^ Oh I know about the first one, I've read the interviews. I just don't think it's a theme that's prominent past the first 6 or so songs.

I agree on GUILTY, I just didn't single it out in my post as it's my least favourite album and my feelings over the lack of concept stems more from me disliking the album.

I like how Guilty tries mixing melodic metal with jpop and dance... It could be a great album if she gave it time... But I think (considering she does seen to release albums when she doesn't feel like it) that Ayu's Avex contract asks for 1 new album every year... I don't feel like she was all that into her work while doing Guilty (she herself said something about it), and Secret just felt rushed... Well, half of it's tracks where rushed anyway xD

We are alway too off-topic... What about a concept discussion thread?

^Go make it :P

I think it's really funny that a lot of people are annoyed with her on twitter, cause I really thought I was the only one lol At first it was so cool and great...but after seeing her interact with everyone...god, someone kill me. I still love and appreciate her as a person...but I think...ignoring her as really helped me not be so annoyed with her lol Especially after all her conversations with Leslie Kee. Thought I was gonna have to unfollow the both of them.


I can't respond to everyone...cause...whatever, but I was gonna say, back in the day, with her concepts, for me, it seemed like every song on an album contributed something to the entire album, and changed the feel of the album. I also felt like, all the different songs showed off a part of who she is...although these days, I'm not so sure.

I think sometimes Ayu herself also gets caught up in "Ayu the Entertainer". I think it's absolutely true that when she was younger she had a lot more raw emotion, and these days she doesnt.

One of my friends once said that, it's because she's gotten so much older, people at these different stages in their lives express themselves and their emotions differently...and maybe that's why a lot of us can't really relate anymore.

I think for me though, it was just something I accepted. These days, I don't look for emotion in Ayu's music anymore, cause I expect it to be there. From Ayu, I want a musical powerhouse.

I want her to be in line with those great artists who put so much emotion into their music, but also put out music that is technically great, or unique. This is why these days I like to compare her so much to hikki...which probably isn't great...but I really want her to hold her own, like she used to.



I really agree with the comment about her performances being contrived and over-dramatized, except that, I think it also applies to the music she's churning out...and I think the reason the songs are decent, is because she's working with talented musicians :shrug

I think she does need to find some time to find herself as an artist...but, then again, if she doesn't want to be an artist...if she just wants to be the Entertainer...I mean, we all have to accept that right? Maybe not lol

Long posts :/

^ emiko, I agree with your friend. Ayu is definitely in a different place now and I feel a lot of fans are stuck in the past because they're emotionally stuck in the past and can only relate to the former Ayu. Now a days she's not that lost young woman trying to find her way anymore, she's found herself I think. But that doesn't mean she doesn't put emotion into her music anymore, maybe not the kind of emotion that everyone is use to but that doesn't mean it's not there. However, whether or not we can tune into that emotion or relate to it depends on the individual.

For example, a lot of people disliked GUILTY (and some still do) because Ayu said she didn't have much inspiration for the album, so that's how they view it. But for me, personally, I think it's probably her most emotional album since A song for XX. There's just so much in there I can relate to myself that I can feel all the emotion she portrayed even if she didn't mean to.

And then we get NEXT LEVEL - after the dark cloud that is GUILTY - which was an album she made for pure fun. You can tell from that album she was in a better place and just wanted to let loose and let her hair down. Isn't happiness an emotion? Sure none of the songs were masterpieces and people would claim that the songs are not that good at all but that's personal opinion which no one can argue with.

In Rock'n'Roll Circus, Ayu shows us she still has statements to make with tracks like count down, Don't look back and Sexy Little Things. Songs that portrayed her thoughts and feelings in TOTALLY different ways. I believe RnRC was just a mix bag of songs all with different atmospheres and different things she wanted to express. Yes, there is the generic fan songs like Sunrise and You were... But as I say all the time, Ayu's gems are rarely in her singles (particularly the A-sides). The real music in my opinion are in the albums.

A musician doesn't make music only for the fans, they make music to express themselves. I feel Ayu still does that but it's just not in the format we're all use to. I don't think anything Ayu does is just to please fans (obviously, look at the FIVE fiasco lol) I think she still puts a lot of her views, her opinions, her feelings, her message, her statements and herself in her music. The real Ayu isn't on Twitter or TA, it's in her music.

And I'm not saying you don't see that, I don't know if you do or don't, but I think a majority of her fans (particularly here) do not see that. And I believe it's because they just simply lost their connection to Ayu. And to wish for one thing or the other is silly in my opinion because with Ayu you're rarely going to get it because she expresses herself the way she wants regardless of what we want. I respect her for that. I respect her for not backing down, no matter how stubborn it seems. I don't think she's the type of person who doesn't take criticism when it's maturely presented to her but I think she's the type of person who follows her intuition above all.

As far as her performances, I typically enjoy them. I know a lot of people are frustrated with her over-dramatizing and getting carried away and they want raw-emotional Ayu back but like I said before, I'm not looking to be entertained by her so I don't care. :shrug When she does have a really emotional performance I feel it like everyone else but I won't complain if it's not there. But that's everyone's right and prerogative to be disappointed especially if they're paying for it (concert, dvd or otherwise). So I won't debate with you on that front.

But musically, I'm extremely satisfied with Ayu. I understand if people are not but what I don't understand is that if you're unsatisfied with any musician for a long period of time, why stick around? :shrug There are other talented, wonderful artists out there, one that can provide whatever Ayu is not giving you or ones you don't need whatever Ayu is not giving you. Ayu's my favorite but she's certainly not my only. In the event I'm not feeling her music I simply jam to others. Come back when you're ready and if you don't want to that's okay, too.

Sorry for the novel omg xD;.......

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

I have a hard time seeing Ayu as a normal human being at times (not saying she isn't ofc :laugh), just because she seems so flawless in her public appearances. I mean, I don't personally know her & am not familiar with her as a person, but more so as an entertainer. BUT as others have said, I do see her music as reflections of her life experiences & emotions, which I can relate to very well. Also, when I have seen her make mistakes while performing, such as falling & forgetting her lyrics, I am reminded of her being a human being even after all the fame & glam lol.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

One other thing I didn't mention in my previous answer was that the fact that she got married makes her seem more human. I've come to realize that as much as I want MORE music from her constantly (just because I'm hooked on her releases like crack :laugh), I do want Ayu to take some time off & live a little. I enjoy getting spoiled with releases each year, but I just hope that doesn't eventually mean she must choose between personal life & her career. She has already accomplished so much throughout her 12 year stretch as a musician, so why not take a little break? Plus, if she took some time off, maybe it'd give her some fresh ideas to bring to her music (maybe even revive CREA :weep). This is what I would like to see from Ayu...

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?

I don't personally use Twitter, but I think if I did I would see Ayu as more of a normal human being than I do now. From the comments I've seen, Ayu seems to be a little different on Twitter...but at least she sounds friendly :). I've actually had dreams about Ayu being a ***** once I came face to face with her :o, so I think if I were to communicate with her, it would assuage some of my worries from before lol. Honestly though, I don't totally have a formulated opinion on this.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

I admit that I sometimes feel a little defensive on the inside when I see scaving remarks on Ayu, but I think that's natural because I adore Ayu. I wouldn't consider myself a stan, but I do try to appreciate all of her releases. I rarely say anything to anybody though when they remark negatively on Ayu because over all I just try to not let it bother me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions & as others have said, what they think has no effect on the way I see Ayu or feel about her.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

Um, I'm not going to lie I can be at times. But I think it's important to stick by what you believe, think, or feel...it's not always a good thing to be easily swayed.


Geez I typed a lot more than I thought :thud

Awesome discussion points, emiko! It's nice to have a fair discussion without too much bloodshed :P Just what I needed to ramble on with after work today :innocent:innocent:innocent

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?
Initially, I only saw the entertainer. When I first got into her music about 2004 I didn't know anything about her and only had her albums RAINBOW and Ayu Trance 2. RAINBOW spoke to me in its own way but I didn't really begin to see Ayu as anything more until late 2005 after I came here and learned more about her. These days I see Ayu as a human being (and a close friend), which extends beyond her and to all artists I support. Getting close to Ayu's emotions and thought process through this forum has really opened my eyes to how other artist undoubtedly feel at one point or another.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?
I just want her to be happy. I guess that means I push my psuedo-friendship onto her in that way - I want to support her and ensure she can reach her dreams like a friend or family member would....?

Naturally I don't agree with everything she does (lol Sunrise/Sunset and the like) but for these times too, I'll still support her decision. I was pretty upset when she suddenly announced engagement+marriage to Mannie because from my view it was too fast for her but after the initial shock passed I felt more secure about it.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her?
Fo' sho'! Although for the better? I don't know...

Because she's so often on Twitter she feels so close, and its exciting for me as a fan to know she's "there", although on an iPhone 21 hours flight away :thud I think it's the best and quickest way for her to communicate ideas and thoughts to fans and really heightens her appeal as approachable and caring.

Now if only she'd tweet me again sometime, dammit! :innocent That's the negative side, it feels more personal when you don't get a reply for that same reason xD Ayu you're like right theeeeeeeeeeeere!!! TWEET ME BACK ZOMG! :grumpy

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?
I hate, hate, HATE when people throw their demands and wishes onto her expecting her to fulfil them. Like all this "omgAyucantcollabwiththatguyhesucks" discussion or "ohmanIwishAyuwoulddoanothersongjustlikethisonebut notquitethesameohnosheborrowedtheguitarsoloandalin efromthatoldsongImgoingtostoplisteningbecauseshesn owsooooooooooounogirinaldesu" wank whenever she does something new.

Ayu's got a bank of over 230 songs under her belt. You don't have to love them all. In fact, if you did love them all I'd question just how much you really paid attention and whether you were listening through rose-coated earphones :mischief

Ayu is her own person and while yes, she has chosen to live a life entertaining others it's not an excuse to force her to be unhappy within herself. If she's not allowed to try new things or branch out when she feels the time is right, she'll never develop as an artist and then be criticised for bring lazy. Ayu is not lazy by any definition.

I wish more of her fans would see her as a person and not a wish-fulfilment product. I also wish that people wouldn't call every new song either "epic masterpiece" or "emotionless tripe" (paraphrased). There's got to be something in the middle of these two, yeah? What's so bad/scary about saying "I like Ayu's vocals in progress but I'm not feeling the melody yet".....why does it always have to be I LOVE IT FOREVER AGREE WITH ME OR I STAB YOU IN FACE WITH BROKEN AVEX CD CASE vs I HATE IT AND YOU SHOULD HATE IT TOO OMG I STAB YOU IN NOT FACE BUT SOMEWHERE THAT HURTS.........?

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?
If I wasn't I wouldn't be able to call them "my opinions", rather "what so-and-so wants me to think at this given point" lol. I am pretty hard headed but I think I try and see alternative viewpoints, too~


jbrat - nice discussion on the albums, I think you're right and a lot of us are kind of "stuck" with past Ayu, when she's no longer lost. A nice interpretation and timeline I'll keep in mind when I next have a thorough listen to her albums right through :3

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

I have always seen Ayu as a leader. Whenever I feel down, sad, depressed I just need to listen to her songs to make me feel more motivated. If I were to answer to your question, I think I see her as both human being and the Entertainer that really influences our thinking. Ayu always makes me realise (through her songs) the small little things in life that I seldom notice, and her songs, voice, and the emotions sang in the songs, always made me felt that we have a connection. Something like Ayu and I think alike, we have the same perspective when it comes to certain things.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

Other than the fact that I want to be as beautiful as her, nothing else really affects me. Just like what Ayu believes in: I am always be me. You will always be you. I really want Ayu to sing more songs and perform overseas. Sometimes, I really wanted to see Ayu live in concert, but I am not living near Japan and I don't really have the amount of $$ to travel to Japan to see concert.. :(

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her?

I think it does affects my view of her to a certain level. It makes me more possessive of Ayu, like keep on want to know what she is doing now, where is she, etc....


How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?
Sometimes, I felt really sad when there are negative opinions about Ayu. But as times goes by, I began to slowly accept them. We can't force them, don't we?

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

:eviltongu

Hmm I see Ayu as an Entertainer/Artist.. I could really care less what she does in her personal, "human" life because that's not what I love about her. She could be killing puppies every other week and I wouldn't care as long as I like the music she makes :shrug

What I want from Ayu now is music that I like. It doesn't have to be amazing or masterpieces every other single and album as long as I like it or feel something for it. I was going off her after NEXT LEVEL but she won me straight back with You were... and R'n'RC right after. Things like her photoshoots, covers etc I've learnt not to have high expectations for. I'll either not like most of them or like some of them.

The twitter thing was cool at first.. but then it turned annoying, especially with Leslie Kee :| but I like when she tweets about her work and gives us sneak-peak pics of upcoming stuff

I have to say, I'm more critical of her then I am of Kumi, my favourite artist, but then I'm less critical of Ayu compared to any other artist I listen to.

well she doesn't reply to me on Twitter so our relationship is through! /JK

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

I hate to see her as the Entertainer, because it's been such a long time since I've become her fan. She is just like a friend for me, I've grown up with her.

But in 2007-2009 I saw only the Entertainer, that time I lost interest in her, cause she was releasing new things very quickly, they seem to be rushed and etc. I don't ever remember which tracks are on GUILTY and Secret albums.

I think I'm one of those fans who stuck in the past. It's always hard for me to accept her new releases. Since BLUE BIRD, all her new stuff needs time to grow on me. This is really sad, but it's true.

idk I don't know Ayumi personally, I've never even seen her, I can't judge. I hope she won't dissappoint me when I see her live.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

I want her to produce more unique music as she used to with her I am... album, for example. All the songs on this album are true, beautiful and very well-made.

People say she does everything what she wants, she doesn't care about pleasing her fans and etc. But I want to say how I was dissappointed when she released Greatful days (or how was this song called?). She looked so fake on PV, poorly acting all this fun stuff. And the song is so annoying! This was the first time when I felt that Ayumi was kinda forced to release a basic summer song, that she's a mainstream artist and she has to do something whether she wants it or not.

I want her to remember how great she used to be... Of course she's still great, but being a big fan of her, I can't even remember how some her recent songs sound! This is the thing that scares me.

And also I want her to improve her vocals. I couldn't enjoy her past works because of her terrible voice.... It's still good to watch her lives though. It seems like she doesn't put so much effort on album recording.

Anyways, I don't care that much about present Ayu. If I'm annoyed by her recent works I can still put on her old stuff and enjoy :D

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?

No, not that much. I want her to reply me on Twitter, of course, but it's nothing special. Social media just made me feel closer to her, but I'm not sure it's really true.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

idk I don't care. I think some people just idealize her too much.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

I'm lazy to google what "pig-headed" means :P

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

I see empress of jpop, pop idol, queen of pop, the best pop singer ever etc. Its hard for me to see her just as a singer or as human being because her work is flawless, especially if you compare it to someone else's. Maybe Im just a hardcore fan, I dont know but I really see ayu very unique on mainstream scene, and not just japanese one. When you hear ayu you know its her, no one can replace her, her music is really her's no matter how many influences there are. Only human thing I feel about her is her human feelings in her songs, but the way she potrays them is 'larger than life'. I truly admire her.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

I dont have 'wishes' because I know she will amaze me with something, be it song, instrumental, cover, or her reason for doing so. There are some songs or albums I needed time to truly enjoy but I never seriously bashed her work 'cause I know she evolves as a person and as an artist and she's not just pop machine, her songs are mirrors of what her current place is, so if she feels something I do not at the moment, its not her fault nor mine, its just 'we agree to disagree' or in this context Im not in that place right now so I will listen to something I feel at the moment. Her discography is huge thank god.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?

I dont use twitter, nor read ayu tweets, I think Ive readed two times maybe, so her social network dont affect me at all.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

I would be honest, I dont care. No one is right nor wrong, if you dont feel her music you are just not in that state to feel it, so go feel something else. Music we choose to listen depends of person we are and life we live, so its impossible that everyone likes everything. I couldnt care less what other people think.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

what does that mean lol.
is that like stubborn about your opinion? No, I think Im not. And when fans fight with each other which album is better or which album sucks its funny to me lol.

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?
The first song I heard by Ayu about nine years ago was "Endless sorrow" and after reading the lyrics to this song it was impossible for me not to see her as a human being.
I was in secondary school back then and was bullied by my schoolmates on a daily basis. I had no friends and neither my teachers nor my parents cared about what I was going through.
In Ayu I found a person who understood my pain. I became addicted to her music and her lyrics, because it felt like she wrote about my life. Her music was also very different from the music I had known so far. This girl didn't only write about love and sweet things, but about pain and hate and loss. But I could also hear hope in her words and the power not to give up.
Ayu gave me a reason to walk on. She told me that it's okay to believe in my dreams. That it's no childish to wish never to grow up.

I know that a lot of fans think that Ayu's lyrics have changed...and of course they have, because Ayu has changed!
She went through a lot, but she became stronger and learned how to deal with things.
I also have the feeling that her lyrics became more happier and positive (but not less meaningful). It's NOT a bad thing to be happy and to enjoy life. People need to understand that!

But I'm also aware that Ayu is an entertainer too. And I love her concerts, PVs and live performances.
But in the end I'll always see the human being Hamasaki Ayumi before I see the "Queen of JPop" Ayu.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?
As silly as this might sound, but I want Ayu to be happy. I know that a lot of fans think that Ayu writes her best lyrics when she is sad and depressed. But what kind of fan - what kind of human being - would I be, when I wish for her to be sad and depressed all the time only so that she can give us "good music"?!
I think that Ayu is a very independent person, who takes her work seriously (sometimes too seriously, because we all know that she is a workaholic). She does things her own way and not always plays it safe. That's one of the reasons why I love her, because I'm like this too.
And she cares about people, especially her fans. Some people might argue now that this is only show, but I really don't think so. I think Ayu really wants people to be happy and to accept each other.

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her?
Not really.
I'm not online much. I get all news about Ayu from this site. I don't have Twitter or Weibo (well, I do have a Twitter account, but I don't use it), so social media doesn't affect me much, because I rarely come in touch with it.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?
To be honest, I don't really care. I read what other people think about Ayu on the net (mostly here on AHS), but I'm not a fan, who starts arguments with people who don't like Ayu. Most of them have already made up their minds about not liking Ayu and there is no way that you can change the way these people think (at least in my experience).

What I don't like is people who bash Ayu! Saying things like: "Oh, she is so ugly!" or "She is a ****." (like some so-called fans did after Ayu's "Naked shooting" in ViVi!) is just mean. These people really need to shut up!
There was a time when I would spend hours arguing with such people on the internet, but I grew tired of it. Like I've said, most of them have already made up their minds about Ayu and I don't feel like spending my time and energy on useless and hate-filled discussions.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?
No, I don't think so. I know perfectly well that at the end of the day Ayu is also "only" a human being like all of us. She is not a flawless queen. She makes mistakes and wrong decisions.
As much as I love her, I don't see her as a goddess or some kind of ubermensch.
But no matter how hard I think, Ayu has never given me a reason to doubt or hate her. It might sound crazy, but I trust this woman.
I've known her for more than nice years and I have gone through the good and the bad times with her (her and my good and bad times!).
It's not always easy to accept everything she does, but I guess that's what "relationships" are all about - accepting the other person no matter in what mood he/she might be in (as Ayu also always tells us so nicely in her lyrics!).

I will read your posts later. Thanks emiko for making this thread. It does sound really interesting.

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

I see Ayu as the role-model I admired my teenage years, but the things she did or she is doing now have no direct impact on me anymore. But, I say with honest that I had more interest in whatever she did for her career than the decisions she made in personal life. But I knew that those decisions would inspire her for songs. I see her as the diva who dares to express her true feelings in a song and put it in an act to entertain us, without releasing 'lied' songs. That's why I am fan of her . In my early teenage years it was about her music plus her glamour and glitter, now it's just the music.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

I want her to be true to her songs. I like Ayu's honesty and I would like to see that. But some over-the-top performances are too much for me. The focus is no longer Ayu's talent for singing, but her producers talent for giving us a memoriable show. Perhaps she is still true to her lyrics, but not to herself. Also with representing herself: maybe it's Japanese tradition to photoshop models into babydolls, but Ayu is growing up as well. I sometimes think that she or her managers want us to believe that Ayu will be young forever. But she is not. The young Ayu wasn't able to sing the songs she released recently. The matured Ayu is not able to write the songs she released earlier in her career. Her thoughts, morals and believings have changed; and so did her appearance. Ayu seems to like presenting herself in different ways like fierce, cute or classy. Who is Ayu really?

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of
her?

It's great that Ayu wants to be close(r) with her fans and use social media to do that. But I can remember that she once called us her 'babies' or something? Well, I dislike that sort of things, as if she is looking down on us. But yeah, I think she does that to 'connect' us more with her. And that is good.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

There is always someone I can identify my thoughts with. I do not care how other people see Ayu, but I do ask people to give specific reasons why and how come when they say nasty stuff about her. With hope I can change their mind of course :D

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

I try not to be. I have my opinion, but I do not mind when people disagree. And I hope that people don''t mind when I disagree with their opinions. I respect their opinions and I ask the same of them. That's all.

It was cool to read your honest opinions :) I don't really see the thread getting closed because of what you said in that line (unless there's someone truly immature enough here to make a fuss out of something inoffensive LOL)

When I look at Ayu i see an empowering woman. I have mad respect for her and everything she does for her fans and as an entertainer. Her music and image has also been a huge inspiration for my art work and stories. To put it short, she is one of my many artistic muses. If she were to die tomorrow, it would be a significant loss to me.

Of course shes a human being, and she has normal things to do like any of us, such as getting groceries for herself. If she were to die tomorrow, it would be a significant loss to me.

I think the media is just a bunch of money hungry morons exploiting people. Jerks.

I get angry when people mock or make fun of her cause she either sings in something "They dont understand"...I dont know 100% of what shes saying, but I still get the emotions she puts across. Also, i get annoyed when people say her name and make up something that sounds japanese for her last name, knowing full well thats not her name. It just comes off racist to me.

I try not to force my opinion down peoples throats, if it comes off that way i apologize. I respect others opinions, if they are just and know what they're saying.

bah stupid copy paste...sorry a couple things got repeated in there.

When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?

I think when I first got into Ayu, I was just really overwhelmed cos she's the very first artist whom could be so real, yet kinda obviously she IS a "product". I was amazed, impressed and I thought, "this is someone I respect."

Moreover, I think she really moved me along a period of my life when I had a ton of unrequited crushes and stuff... and her songs really helped me (I'll never forget the impact Days had on my life... it was ****ing epic.)

That just helped me to see her more and more as a human. Maybe to an extent where, if I knew she pickpocketed something in the past I'd be devastated lol.

But now, growing older, I think I lost that "angst" that I could relate to her songs back then. Now, Ayu's Ayu & she still inspires me a great deal and entertains me a hell lot, but I think I'm beginning to see her more as an entertainer.

How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her?

Nothing, to be honest. I've never expected anything from Ayu; I just get shocked time to time when I see herself just not.. trying at all (S/S covers, Kazuyoshi spree, etc). It almost comes across as a disappointment, cos I'm not upset because I want quality from her. I'm upset because I know she can do so much more & it's as if she's just wasting it away...

Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her?

Haha. I was never close to her on Twitter (got 2 replies I guess), maybe cos i don't have that much time :P

But i think social media really helped to bring about a new perspective of Ayu, regardless if anyone likes it or not.

It's only through social media, that we can see her connecting publicly with other celebrities... and I suppose it gives a glimpse of how Ayu'd be like in private; friendly, sociable, funny, caring etc...

We even saw her giving *****y remarks and stuff to bad tweets, that's why I never believed the Twitter account was staged to get more fans lol.

How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu?

Hmm. It depends. Most of the time, I really can't be bothered with what other people think or feel about Ayu but sometimes it gets annoying. Really annoying.

I mean, there's a difference between being a fan of Ayu, being inspired, feeling close, wanting to get closer, wanting to know her more, to get her attention and behaving as if she's your real-life friend.

Let me give an example. If you find yourself tweeting to Ayu for "advice" cos you failed your exams/parents died/broke up with ur bf instead of being real and finding your friends to talk to, then it comes across as being stupid.

I think I didn't realize this when she first started Twitter, but really, whatever that happens, there's no way any of us can be a "true blue friend" of Ayu, because she has her life too, and she has her friends, her family, her LIFE. It's just disgusting, for anyone to expect her to open up a space for one fan, just because you're a fan and you spend 10 hours a day on Twitter trying to suck up to her.

I don't know if I'm gonna get banned, but I'll say it. I think Jorge was a fine example. Everyone thought it was cool how he got a mention in the AT 10 concert or something. Yes it was cool, it was a nice gesture from Ayu to mention him.

But then it went haywire when he started suspecting Mannie and her marriage, and other personal stuff of her life... I mean it's like, we've to realize we're fans, not friends.

And the truth is, there's only THAT MUCH of her life that Ayu can give to a fan/fans, and expecting so much that you wanna have a meal with her or be her bff... I think if Ayu sincerely wants to be your friend to an extent of her and Peco for example, she'd have DM-ed you on Twitter already.

Unfortunately, I think even Ayu gets blurred and is overwhelmed by this. I mean, I think when she first started with Twitter, she probably was overwhelmed by the surprise and I can bet you, she had no idea on how to react.

That's why we get her awkwardly coming into quarrels about Jaejoong, Max, etc... because it's her personality to care I suppose, but she didn't know how to react on a social media platform.

And I think, based on her personality, she's SO NICE, she's that kind and even stupid to a certain extent that she doesn't know how to draw a line between fans and friends.

I can understand when fans go gaga and really desperately wanna be your friend, but I really think Ayu doesn't know how to handle such a response, even till now.

And that's sick.

Because nowadays, it feels like many of her music/stuff are "for the fans", which is bleh.

Ayu. In her haydays, she doesn't give a **** about her fans and made songs her way, that she wanted.

When I heard "beloved"'s PV was made for the fans, I kinda face-palmed, cos I thought Ayu was just... giving in way too much.

She's a Libra I know, and they tend to lose themselves by compromising too much in a relationship, but I feel that, if it's so obvious that her quality of music IS going downhill ever since her exposure globally, then maybe she should restrain herself a little.

Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions?

Yes. You can try to reason with me. If I feel that you're not rude and not stupidly blinded, I will listen. And I don't think I say things for spite's sake, or I'm a "hater"... bleh whatever I've said what I felt.