[DA1SUK1DAY01691]

I REALLY wanna stress what Chibi_Venus said earlier!

Originally Posted by Chibi_Venus

We've had an album at the beginning of 2008. Okay, so it didn't hit the number one spot like her other albums. So? Big deal. A lot of people seemed to like it anyway.

Which is TOTALLY true. Together When... is still one of my ringtones. I thought that album was truly something that only Ayu can pull off (sure, some songs may have been weaker than it should have been, but think about it. She put A LOT more time and effort than Secret, so it must have much more feeling in it, too.)

She's released two (TWO!) remix albums after a whopping six years! In my opinion, a lot of people were very impressed with them (even with the bad "Greatful days" remix! XD).

Again, TOTALLY true. Every year for six years, countless people complain that they wanted more remixes. Then when she finally releases them, those same people (that are loud enough) COMPLAIN about them. I mean, give her (and her remixers) a break! She put out top-notch material (aren't they the highest charting remix albums in a while?), so suck it up and deal with it.

The ASIA TOUR 2007 package was finally released after practically a year. This tour was filled with amazing performances and tons of behind-the-scenes footage that was just incredible to see.

My ONLY complaint would be the inability to view the concert, then view the documentary. The concert loses steam with the clips shoved inbetween, so an option to remove/insert it would have been nice, along with an option to view the documentary seperately in its entirety. But other than that, the concert was AMAZING (the 1 LOVE, until that Day..., and Boys & Girls performances were stuck in my head for the longest time), and it was refreshing to see her boundless energy mirror the energy given from her crowds (not to mention seeing her dance!).

She released the extended version of the miraculous "Mirror" into "Mirrorcle World" (no pun intended) exactly ten years after the release of "poker face." Sure, I've heard both positive and negative reviews, but a majority seem to love this song.

Mirrorcle World is the PERFECT song for her 10th anniversary. The lyrics match PERFECTLY with the theme of her career: sorrow. Just think about it, that last part of the song. IT'S FREAKIN' PERFECT.

She's holding a SECOND ASIA TOUR; not only that, but it's extended throughout the year with Japan in the spring/summer and the rest of Asia in the fall. I'm sure a lot of people in Asia (outside of Japan) are thrilled. Not only that, but the tracklist, the costumes, the set, all of it seems to be getting high and positive reviews.

AND TO THOSE THAT COMPLAIN THAT SHE'S ONLY FOCUSING ON HER TOUR: remember that she was based solely in Japan. She caters to her loyal Japanese fans because that's where she is, that's where 99% of her important sales come from. Only recently has she spread herself (on her terms, basically) into other regions of the world, so she's putting an importance to her expansion. She knows about us other countries, but she doesn't feel ready to cater to us yet.

As for magazines, she's appeared in not only regular issues, but ones such as VoCE and Kodokawa (after three years!). She had a photoshoot in two issues of Bea's Up, Cawaii, SCawaii, Sweet, and two issues of ViVi!

I never really cared about magazines myself unless she's on the cover. Ahaha, then I'll buy it. But without much to promote, it's amazing that she's doing this much at all. Right?

Think that was enough? Our dear Ayu even squeezed in a date for a-nation '08 even when she wasn't initially going to perform!

Which is AMAZING, considering she would need to make more costumes and may be even routines.

And Ayumi_lover reminded me of another thing by mentioning WACOAL promotion. That was such a huge (well, big) step of something new from Ayu. I must say I admire her bravery yet pride in her beauty.

I think that it really was a big step in her career to do the WACOAL promotion. Of course, it's for "Mama", so she would do it to start with, but to do it internationally will really jettison her into the spotlight around the world. She's not gonna be one of those models that try to sing or do other things; SHE ALREADY DID IT. It's really good that she's doing this, since she can pull off a Madonna and start taking over the world.

Chibi_Venus' comment was one of the most level-headed posts I've seen in my three years here, since it was based on many different factors, not just releases and other physical stuff. Thanks for your insight, it brought a lot of stuff to my attention, and made me think more as if I was in Japan, compared to if I really was in Hawaii; it made me realize that Ayu must be ALL OVER Japan right now.