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I think this is the first time ever in ages that Ayu has lost her number one daily position to something released a week before on oricon. Comparing songs..Dive beats Sunrise/Sunset though imo.
I think I'm one of the few people that agree with SunshineSlayer...this single should've blown Rule/Sparkle out of the water. There's quite a few reasons it should sell better too...Prepare for a long post!
Rule/Sparkle did get first press versions with a CD drawing (that some didn't like), but one extra version with different remixes shouldn't affect sales that much. Sunrise/Sunset's one remix is way better than all of Rule/Sparkle's remixes.
Rule/Sparkle had way better covers than Sunrise/Sunset.
Rule/Sparkle had 4 magazines, while Sunrise/Sunset has 3.
Rule/Sparkle was released a month before NL and didn't have the Sparkle PV on it. Ayu's upcoming album is probably next year and this single has two music videos. Why bother buying Rule/Sparkle when you can wait a month for Sparkle's music video.
Upbeat songs and ballad songs are better received in Japan than rock and experimental songs like Sparkle. Sparkle also had a massive difference in Ayu's typical lyrics (subjective as to good/bad for the single).
There was one performance of Rule (a month after) which was really promotion for the album and not the single. Sunrise/Sunset is going to have 6 TV performances. It also is being performed at a-nation along with Rule, but Rule/Sparkle is no longer charting. There's even Sunrise/Sunset smoothies!
Sunrise/Sunset has 4 tie-ins. Rule had the DB movie (Rule probably promoted the movie better than the other way around) and Sparkle had the Honda Spark commercial/Ayu cardboad stands/clearfiles. Technically Lumix hasn't been released yet, but there'll be commercials and Ayu stands in stores. Sunrise is on Dandy Daddy. There's the two online download sites for Sunrise/Sunset promotion. It's hard to tell which tie-ins do a better job though.
Sunrise/Sunset buyers get a free poster at mu-mo, and TA members get flip-flops. Rule/Sparkle got a memo pad, and maybe something else I'm forgetting. I'd prefer the sunrise/sunset prizes myself. There's also that mobile ayupan available for download that's modeled after Sunrise/Sunset.
Billboard promotion is probably similar between the two singles. No Shibuya 101 for you two!
There's reasons why Rule/Sparkle sold the way it did, but there's really no reason why Sunrise/Sunset is selling the way it is other than its ugly cover and lack of meaningful lyrics (which I don't think Rule/Sparkle had either). We get that Ayu's popularity is declining (I think SunshineSlayer understands that better than half the people on these forums), but a drop in sales, especially compared to Rule/Sparkle is disappointing. It's just that this single had higher expectations since there was way more hype in this single.
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