ayu's twitter/weibo thread ~part 24~
 

This thread is for discussion of Ayu on Twitter and Weibo social networking sites (SNS) ONLY, NOT TeamAyu blogs. Do NOT repost TA blogs (from Misa-chan, TA site and/or somewhere else) here.

And PLEASE BE CIVIL with the discussions.

twitter
http://twitter.com/ayu_19980408

weibo
http://weibo.com/2291250415

Other twitter accounts related to ayu


Did anybody say NEW THREAD???

Just wanted to say..the new photos with long hair are gorgeous!!!! :D
its honestly been 2 years since the last long hair look omgosh..

im loving the new long hair, although it looks thinner...
It might just be the photoshop that makes it look thicker.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...e=1&permPage=1

This is the Queen :luv2

her hair :love and wow at the crowd waiting for her

well yes, I am, I'm even scared to see HQ, my eyes will bleed over the layers and blur used by Leslie, I can feel it already

Wait, are you actually talking about a picture probably taken with a mobile phone of a picture of the scan? ... LMAO. I suddenly understand you a lot better, emi (:. And I prefer not talking about koda fans (It would be disrespectful towards myself If I'd allow myself to waste time for that).

As usual you fail to see that it isn't about me not willing to accept negativity towards the picture. Though I like how you say that you'll wait for the HQ scan to fully judge. People should make notes for that. (:

Sure you do.

wow her nails are huge :D

The more I look to the picture, the more I think of:
http://i2.listal.com/image/1650686/500full.jpg

And the more I start to dream that the YOU & ME videoclip will be 'forgiveness under the sea'

If she still had her pink hair she would be like Ariel~ ♥

Ariel! :heart It would be great to get a Ayu-mermaid-theme. Really..it has to happen. Anyway. Looking forward to the BIG BANG collab if it's going to happen. I would love an Ayu album where she collabs with male artists only. I know most people would hate that, but I think it would be awesome.

^ Do you want this place to blow up in flames? Lol

Kind of....haha. :evillaugh

she's very fond of her collabs with males it seems :P

I'm not complaining, as long as it isn't URATA again

I dont see the Little Mermaid at all.
As for the picture, I do agree that I hate those nails, lol
they look like claws.

Then... maybe she's not our Little Mermaid.. but our Prince Eric?
And Timmy is about to sing her awake

Overall, I really like the picture. Its the first thing she's done in a while that I really really like. I agree that she looks a little dead, but it kinda fits to me. When I look at the picture I see someone washed ashore, so in my mind it makes sense that she looks a little out of it. The colours are really dark, at least from the quality we have, so that's the vibe I get.

But, what's with all the pages of arguing? Why can't people respect other people's opinions? Not everyone has to like everything Ayu does. Not everyone has to like Koda Kumi, but that's no reason to act like somehow that makes one above Koda Kumi fans. Its about respect. Agree to disagree.

And I would love for her to do a collab with Big Bang. I would like Ayu to try new things, even if it doesn't always work out. I like a good balance of sticking to the staples that makes me love her so much and trying new things out, too.

Seems like Ayu and Leslie will shoot something again, i wonder for what?

ayumi hamasaki ‏@ayu_19980408
MEEE;) RT @lesliekeesuper: Goodbye Milan,Paris,Dublin..Going to our next destination for another summer shooting with...?

I guess new magazine shoots? Or hopefully a photobook that comes with the new summer best :innocent

Hope for magazine shoots though.
We're lacking of them sigh.

heh where are they going now? it's kinda not surprise anymore,otherwise Leslie would do something great and fabulous this time

THAT WOULD BE MY DREAM COME TRUE!!!! :luv2

Hmm filming of the video?

I don't mind collab album if she does it fully with BIG BANG and no one else tro-lo-lo :D

apparently the only good Ayu mermaid theme was the KOSE CM back in the great days

I don't mind collab if it's not with Timmy :D

It already said in the announcement that it was filmed overseas, didn't it?

Timmy was with her in Bali when she made recording ) So we can expect that he wrote and sang another song )

as for shooting, she need some magazines for promotion

Another possible Timmy collaboration? Lord... He makes nice compositions and thats it.

He's here to stay. Somehow, I just don't see it as another phase anymore, it's been going on for too long now, she's not going to dismiss him. He is part of the Ayu experience now, as much as some of us might hate it. It's done.




Damn, here I was having Ayuel fantasies and you guys start with Timmy......

I was just trying to say that I'm OK with the Bigbang collab and even URATA.

A BIG BANG collab would be really, really cool, because they are the height of cool, atm. This would be great for Ayu. And I think it will happen, if she talks about it like this. I also really like Nao and even prefer AAA's current music to Ayu's. I'm aware I'm absolute in a minority here, though. I don't like Timmys' work with Ayu, so I can understand when people that don't like the male collabs, get frustrated and say "not another one". But sometimes I wonder...why do they act so offended, when Ayu does collabs? I'm happy that she's opened herself up for this kind of thing. She's been doing so many solo-songs for most of her career - it's great to see her work with other people - creating songs she might not have done stylistically if there wasn't another voice....or voices if BIG BANG happens.

If timmy did write it I hope its more like HBYR and not that jazz stuff...
I still can barely listen to it. :*(

omg here we go again..

I think that Timmy opinions have all been expressed by now x_x (unless we get more material to talk about)

Who do you think the "You" is in the You and Me song? Probably Mannie? Do you think she will write anything about that strange fiasco he did on Twitter about saying they weren't divorced? Probably not, and I personally don't want him in Ayu-related news anymore... what do you all think?

Can there be a separate Timmy vs AHS topic because it's seriously exhausting reading through so much negativity about one person who has simply been asked to do the jobs asked by his employer (Ayu).

Without any lyrics for the song You and Me.
The You could be the fans in general??

^
^
I got a question are you just being sarcastic or being honest, because a lot of times I have not ever read a post without you being sarcastic... XD

Ayu's playing the "guess the next destination" game! lol

Am I the only know who find it easy to notice when Exodus is being serious or sarcastic? :P

^Some where exotic, I would imagine.. That or Hawaii! lol

Busy taking vacations. Lol JK. I know she works hard.

i wanna see her passport pic inside!!! hahahahaha :D:D:D


ps: anyway,i dont want want another Timmy or Urata collabs but ohhhh wht to do it's her choice,guess i have to bear with it nowadays :o

she gave teh hint of Bali last week, probably she'll get there

Newsflash ~ forum is a place for people to share their opinions.. I just mentioned Timmy I did not bash or anything! Lord, why some people always just see red in everything what other people say.. ?
I won't talk about him anymore if it's so offensive.

Anywayy I love how Ayu plays riddles with us! I'm eager to find out where she is x). Maybe in Bali?

I'm being serious, it's embarrassing how even Tim had to go on facebook to address it. I'm sure Ayu is embarrassed by it too.

+1 :yes

And I see no reason to censor yourself and not talk about him here in this thread. Ayu tweets with Timmy on twitter so nobody here has a right to tell others what to write/not write about. Don't like it - ignore it. It's not that hard.

Ahah, yes, you're correct. I don't know why that slipped my mind. :P

Lol who said you were bashing timmy? I think someone mentioned people expressing negativity towards timmy which is true...soooo yeah lol. Also, I believe people can express their opinions on what others say too anyway. That's what we do half the time anyway, like now.


Anyway, I'm very excited to see what exactly ayu is doing. Gotta know.

Ayu's teasing us again? Haha :D I really loved those bags in her photo. So pretty <3

^They actually are quite pretty haha~

she posted a few pics with Leslie and other staffs on the set,looked like they shot for some magazines for this summer,

Maro is with her too! interesting ^^

here are the links to the pics!

http://t.co/rpUa8aur

http://t.co/lu2tVTB8

http://t.co/6MNAzXUq

she looks so pretty on 3rd pic..
i think they're shooting for PV for You & Me
and really wondering where are they now...

OMG TIMMY IS HERE-
nah just joking, i'm not a timmy hater, but if they were actually shooting You & Me pv, you can expect him to be in it, and i know it won't please some people ;)
Yup she's so beautiful in the third pic tho!

ayu is somewhere to shoot her new PV and taking some Magazine photoshoots, it seems~
there's Maro as well.. is he teaching ayu a choreo.. or be the PV/Magazines Model... Timmy.. he might also be the PV model or just following around helping coz he's part of ayu's staff too~

really curious of where is she now... Bali? Guam? Hawaii?

^

LOL please, i saw Maro so if they are really shooting for new PV i bet Maro as the male actor

Hawaii or US or British Islands? You can see in the background of the 1st pic "Today" on an english advertisement for some kind of beachy drink!!!

WTF does Leslie have to shoot everything now?

we can see people who deserve strong punishment for letting ayu make creepy photos

before that she worked with Shimoura a lot... now it's her time to be obsessed with Leslie

Well we were all before like OMG Shimoko again when is she gonna hire Leslie XD
So,I guess he will be there a while,and i don't mind him being ayu's photographer what I DO MIND is those who are responsible for photoshop overuse :-//

honestly, after the shimoko disasters, I feel like I'm in no place to complain about leslie...it's like, cause I know, it could be soo much worse :laugh

Both of them have such a distinct style...I can see how people wouldn't like them, or get tired of them...I AM a little tired of Leslie and his portraits...I call them "portraits"...idk.


I personally just prefer diversity. But it's probably so much easier for her this way....to just have someone she knows she likes, and knows can read her well to deliver the things she wants.

okay, for a period of time I complained about Shimoko, and wanted Leslie back. my prayers were heard, but I didn't ask for these ugly things we got, really. now I don't want Leslie. I want old simple less photoshop Ayu. I will pray for ND Chow or someone else. because I can't look anymore at the photoshop monstaa Ayu. with Shimoko we had bad photoshop too, but I guess it's her weird faces & lips that put me off. now in addition to this we get the photoshop burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn, I just can't, a facepalm

it is maybe simplier to keep that one person, as you don't have to constantly look for someone else. that cuts the time & expenses, I believe

Leslie simply doesn't make interesting music videos and lately I started to doubt his abilities to make interesting photos as well. Just knowing that it could be worse doesn't really justify anything. Besides I think Shimoko did a fine job with GREEN if nothing else.

Well they say between the two evils choose the lesser one XD
I think that the guy who did 1LOVE,is this LOVE,MOON,Don't look back does the job quite well :-)

^^No, it doesn't justify anything lol It just helps me, personally, care a lot less :shrug

hmm are we not grateful enough? idk,im getting tired of Leslie,after one and another photobook had been released,and then what we got for the crappy PVs , and Ayu tend to give a full trust to her the person who works with her aka her Best Friend Forever,how can she says "hey Leslie you work isnt achieving my standard"

She looks sooooo skinny in the third pic!

she put that awful new A SUMMER BEST cover as her default twitter userpic. oh-my-God :no

^ +1

proof that she really loves that pic :o

Look at Maro's V line! :lech

More Leslie stuff.... yyar.... boring.
Never cared for him and never really saw all the good stuff he brought.
His covers so far have been bland to boring.

LOL. I remember when everyone was all

"AYU, PLEASE GO BACK TO LESLIE!!!"
"OMG, I HOPE LESLIE SHOOTS THE COVERS!!!!"
"LESLIE IS A GOD"

and now everyone is sick of him.

Same thing happened with a certain someone who's name starts with a T and ends with a Y... After only having one piece of work from him, everyone thought he was the new God and now it's the same case with him...

^ and your own opinions are... ? :P

Lol, mine are the same about Timmy and Leslie but I never thought either one of them was a super-being.

Problem I see with Leslies works is that I can barely call his pictures "photography", I would more likely tend to call them "computer graphics" cause that's basically what they are.

Well, when you see or hear something very great at that point, of course you secretly wish: I would see more of that. But I guess that's some kind of relief she's doing something different or unexpected, like BRILLANTE. Sadly an overload just kills the magic. And besides that, I think: when you do an overload of this or that, it can only turn out worse + people get sick of that and wonder why there was no one else who could take the photograph instead.

I still prefer Leslie's photography over shimoko's...its just lately with the summer best covers, land of eden ad, etc. pics are way over photoshopped. I really don't think its necessary to photoshop to that extent.

... I'm so confused right now. She looked amazing in her previous userpic ):

her tan looks gross. and in that photo where she's at the beach with her stafff... she looks like she just came out from a real bad tan salon, and wearing a maternity dress.

yeah, really :thud
I just can't.
and I don't understand


oh no, I wasn't craving for him from the start :P

It is already time for her to hire an art director, a professional, someone with a little sense of good taste to work with her. That girl NEEDS SOME HELP. :yes

Yeah, honestly, I dont know why people try to blame photographers and crap...even when they have their distinct styles.

She's the one sitting there posing, screwing up the picture :P

^ I don't think it's fair to blame the model. The photographer was the one snapping the picture. Maybe she looked awesome but they felt like they needed to photoshop the living crap out of her. And really, this is the first picture by Leslie that I kinda like to be honest. :)

i actually think an art director would be a great idea for her, they would glue everything up. Rigt now it kinda looks like everyone's just doing their own thing without thinking about the whole picture. TEAM WORK is in a big need, i think someone like art director would kind of make that happen.


I think in fashion industry, at least i had heard it a few times, a photographer needs inspiration from the subject...if a model can bring it, it's great, if not, even a photographer can't do much. But what surprises me with latest Ayu's pics is that it looks like Leslie just doesn't know her body & face in terms of taking photos. He always gets those weird awkward angles now and Ayu seems to like them *shrugs* I just don't get it...

The photographer snaps hundreds of pictures.

I don't think it's the photoshop that ruins Ayu's photos most of the time...at least lately. It's usually her expressions :shrug


I think we can blame the photographer for things like lighting, angles, composition, etc, because those are things that as photographers, they should be paying attention to, not the model.


I personally never give that much validity to complaints about photoshopping, unless it's a complete photoshop fail, because EVERYTHING is overly photoshopped. That's just how the industry works.


And...I think she does have art directors for the different releases?

Ayu seems to go in so many different directions it's hard for me to keep track. But the fact I know she's capable of brilliant photos in recent years (ex. FIVE, Love songs) shows me she hasn't lost her touch. She's not consistent. I think that's the main problem. But that could also be intentional. I don't think the covers of ASB, for example, were suppose to be serious. Because, let's be honest, love it or hate it this best isn't that big of a deal. And Party Queen had a concept that made the low level quality clearly intentional. So putting these two aside, other photo shoots such as SUPER AYU (color photos), FIVE, and Love songs show she can take gorgeous photos when that's what she's going for. For this best, I don't think that's what she's trying to portrait. So I think the blame for "bad photos" rest on ayu since she approves them. But at the same time I don't think they're "bad" because she has no direction. I think people consider them bad because what ayu wants and what (western fans) want aren't the same. They have NEVER been the same, in my opinion. It's just a matter of liking the photo or not. All comes down to taste.

Having worked in this particular field, the photographer can be the one to even screw up the model's expression. The model generally just does what the photographer or even the art director tells them to do. I'll be the first to admit that I and the photographer that I used to work for have made a model accidently look awful. However, the photographs are deleted pretty quickly so the art director or client can't say it's perfect and that's the shot they want.

However in defense of Leslie, he may have taken better shots but possibly didn't like some of the shots that were chosen but Ayu did and when it's a case like this you have to be very careful with what you say so you don't lose that nice paycheck that comes your way.

As for the photoshopping, depending on how big the studio the photographer owns or works for is to determine who does the photoshopping. Some photographers will do the editing themselves (Which if this case it's Leslie...I will refrain from commenting as a fellow photographer) or they have interns or people specifically hired to do the editing which if that's the case they need to have a talking to and re-taught to if that doesn't work they need to be let go.

I've also seen and experienced where a client will just want the pictures taken and they already have someone to edit the photographs. Which is something I absolutely hate because it comes back mostly as a reflection of your work when the untouched image may look better than the final product that they put out.

I'm not trying to excuse either Leslie or Ayu but it really falls into a huge grey area that until we have first hand experience inside one of their shoots we can't fully blame either one or just keep shifting blame. Sorry about my rambling. I fully respect everyones opinion positive and negative but I just wanted to give a little insight to how things a lot of the time work in this field as I've experienced it first hand.

I kinda wish that Leslie and Ayu could see some of the constructive negative comments and learn from them. I've always like getting feed back, both positive and especially negative (as long as it doesn't go to the point of being rude because there is a polite way of writing negative comments) because I think it makes you a better artist. I will say that I have seen some amazing photoshop skills on this forum and if my money comes through to open my own studio there are definitely some people I would hire in a heartbeat.

^No I think you're right. To relate it back to ayu...sometimes we see in the making ofs, how the photographers push her, and I think that sometimes it has a lot to do with what they get out of her.

I think a lot of people started hating on Shimoko after we saw him in the sparkle making of lol

but then...I also think that, this is not like a fashion shoot either.

How many shots are they shooting? How long are they shooting for? How well do Ayu and Leslie know each other. Ayu isn't a random fashion model either. She's Ayu, and Leslie is trying to pull from her a concept that SHE created (I'm assuming, that could be totally false).


I just think it's interesting, like you said, how people shift blame. I think Ayu knows that at the end of the day, it all falls on her. I also think that if people were to tell her "hey you need a new person to do this" She would defend to the death the people she's chosen around her, and would take the blame herself. idk. I think that's the right thing to do. That's what *I'd* do.


I kinda wish Ayu would do another big NTV interview for this era...random.

Still. The photographer is the one who foresees the 'final picture'. It's not like ayu's posing in front of the mirror where she can watch her exact facial expressions or something. The photographer should be the one who delivers the best final output if you ask me. Ayu is smiling way too wide in that picture, the photographer; Leslie sure could have redone that shot, they had the time for it. Perhaps ayu wasn't aware her mouth was that big and her head so misplaced lol. I don't know, or Leslie just finds those pictures hot and appealing or something.

I disagree, as photographer you definitely should pay attention to the model. It's not like he stands there to catch the best light and angles. I believe that he should navigate the model, not force her to pose on his way, but just instruction giving and such... You know, work together. Maybe that's what ayu and Leslie did, but it's not appealing to a lot of other people I guess.

We still have to see the large CD+DVD cover which was the most promising one! I wonder how she looks on that in high resolution. (tbh I fell for that picture, I found it superior and stunning, but after focusing much about it; I feel like she looks very old in that picture.

But I do like how you described this era for ayu, & era in the other thread. Until now I still thought the sad lonely Party Queen era was lingering, glad to have it gone from my thoughts tho. It was a not my fave era.

^Actually, sorry, I meant the photographer, not the model, should be paying attention to the lighting, etc. Not that he shouldn't pay attention to the model.

But idk...I don't think she was smiling too wide...If that's her natural smile lol But yeah, I'm sure they have other shots and stuff.

I do think he should have paid more attention to her head angle. It's not easy for models to understand sometimes what body positions will look like at different angles from the camera.


Random, but I brought this up earlier when jesscat was talking about ayu's laugh lines, the model lena fujii, who I totally love, but whenever she smiles like really naturally...it's not really that pleasant looking :laugh So usually shots of her are not like that...

but should that mean that she never smiles like that? idk lol It's hard to say.

LOL I only saw one picture of ayu where we could spot her laugh lines, it was a Ultra HQ one. I thought something from FIVE (era)? It felt nice seeing that she is human after all, and not a robot clone from avex™ cloning factory (which I've heard a lot of story's about). Oh to be honest I agree, I don't think it's that wide. I said that because I think the majority of people think she is smiling too wide; as far as the negative reactions are. One comment was about that in some time only her mouth will be visible on her face ASFGHJKL.

emi♡: I think you're right, I think Ayu would take the blame and in a sense fall on her own sword. I will always love and respect Ayu but I just hope she realizes that if she wants to use the same people (composing for her, photographing her, directing her PVs, ect.) the work will need to be on a continuously "perfect" level, granted errors are always going to happen when deciding to go to the next level but they would all need to be capable of seeing those errors and learn from them and try again to do better and succeed or realize it isn't working and start again from the last point of "perfect" and start again.

From what I know fashion photo shoots can last a while, I was on one that went from 12pm until 10pm before but there are some that go pretty quickly. However I've yet to be part of one that hasn't been less than 3 hours so I would suspect that there's run just as long. It really all depends on the styling and wardrobe changes because all of that, wardrobe, hair, make up, nails all go on at the actual set. A good chuck of the time the photographer is already at the set and ready, I think sometimes the problem is that Leslie and Shimoko forget that Ayu isn't a model so there for a look that a model can pull off Ayu may not necessarily be able to pull of with the same effect.

also think that Ayu sometimes Ayu creates these probably awesome but very detailed concepts that the photographer or director instead of giving a more simplified suggest try to bring it all to life which can sometimes be a huge mess

We've also seen in the behind the scenes and making ofs that Ayu looks absolutely naturally beautiful and doesn't need a super ton of photoshop. Like I've said previously when you really REALLY photoshop a person who doesn't need much it can be a very bad thing.

I think it is a good idea for Ayu to work with new people but still be able to work with people she has previously worked with. She could also use the new people she is currently using or will use in the future and have them work with the people she has worked with in the past. I think it could result in something amazing or not. But at least some could feel Ayu was trying some truly different again. Just my own personal opinion.

In my opinion there is nothing wrong with a bad photo, song, composition, fashion style every now and again. It's going to happen, it would be delusion to think it wouldn't. I think its how she should grow as an artist. I personally feel like Ayu has taken some missteps but she's slowly getting back to where she needs to be. It will take a bit but she'll get there. Once again that's just my personal opinion. Also a part of me wonders if her marriage and divorce have any part in some of her recent decisions because one came pretty suddenly where she could have been so happy that she had her mind on other things and then being in a whole different place know her marriage had fallen apart and she seems to have admitted she was to blame for most it in her lyrics and not really have her heart in much right now. I could be completely wrong.

I kinda wish I could tell her all this on twitter but I think it might sound a little rude and I really don't want to come across that way. Sorry if this all seems off topic.

RayJason: You are absolutely right, the photographer has to notice everything down the tiniest detail. When it comes down to the new covers on the 2CD Leslie might have taken a better shot that flattered Ayu more but she might have liked this one better, which in any case no matter how you look at it you have to give the client what they want (However if that's the case, it should have been heavily suggest that they reshoot it to perfect it because I do agree with some of things about the photo that bother people). I am excited to see a large version of 2CD + DVD but it looks really nice so far.

I think you're right in that fact that the sad lonely queen era may be passing and I think the covers kinda prove it. I just hope Ayu gets back to her normal self (but then again who am I to say she hasn't gotten to that point already). Sorry again if this is all off topic.

Oh, I soooo want her to switch up the people she works with. idk I just feel, especially when you're creating visual things, that the more different kinds of people you work with, the more you grow and realise the different things you can pull out of yourself that maybe weren't possible with only the insight from certain people.


The photoshop is meh for me, but I do agree that she doesn't need it that much. We always always see the offshots or the video, and she always looks so great. It's so frustrating lol

That could really be it :/ You'd think after working together for so long, they'd really know her by now lol Or...maybe they do and they're trying to make the best of it, to give out the best product.


Someone else was talking about, how it seems like ayu (and her team) has lost their perfectionist ways lately. idk...I'm not sure how I feel about that.

i thought this page would be filled with tweets but it's just people being off-topic and discussing the same thing all the time, surprise surprise

How ironic! This would have made sense if this came from any other person than you. :)

this post is kinda *****y tbh

Please provide examples where I have been off-topic or withdraw your libel.

Here you go, at least 2 validate posts that have absolutely nothing to do with ayu's tweets / O/T. (: You just have to accept that people can't stay on topic forever especially when there is no news from her twitter, the base of this thread is basically a mix between discussions about Timmy and the covers.

I like her lifeless expression in that A SUMMER BEST poster. Also, her body is a piece of work.

LOL, love this thread and all the randomness!
Personally I think the photographer is to blame because he/she should of slapped Ayumi upside the head and told her to stop making those faces!
lol.