Thank you Maxker!
You, SunshineSlayer & truehappiness have made really good points in the past few pages... and I THINK this might be true after all.
Kazuyoshi Shimomura is based in France yes... this might also be why she traveled to Paris to film Mirrorcle World. Coincidentally, Mirrorcle World was Shimomura's first Ayu PV.
Just one thing though - if she were to really focus in the West, I hope she wouldn't release albums in English - seeing as how her English is comprehensive... but a full album in English seems really hard for her...
And also, I think Ayu's album music style is gonna be a little too new and fresh for the west. Very few mainstream American singers actually have interludes in their albums... I'm really afraid and worried that if she focuses on the west, she's gonna fall very hard...
And about the retiring - if she really has a secret boyfriend... I don't know. She dated Tomoya Nagase for 7 years, and she only got ready for marriage like on the 6th year or so. Assuming she's faithful and knew this secret boyfriend after her break-up, then it seems kinda unlike her to jump into marriage, barely a year after knowing this guy.
I'm on the fence on this whole issue, so we'll see how things go.
Thank you again, Maxker. I love the news you post around here!