Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - View Single Post - The Party Queen era concepts analysis thread!
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Old 8th July 2014, 01:32 AM
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Also, the settings of the album covers for Duty, GUILTY, and Party Queen.

Duty - cage.
GUILTY - desert.
Party Queen - apartment.

Duty and Party Queen's are quite explicit. A cage is pretty obvious in the sense that it presents both incarceration and isolation, whilst apartments further represent claustrophobia and due to this are often utilised in such a way in certain genres (thriller, horror, etc).
I think also, you can argue that the desert in GUILTY also represents a form of encasement, but also that of a continuing journey (and I think this is supported by songs such as decision).
Furthermore, I think it accurately displays her emphasis on retrospect that we would see on NEXT LEVEL and Rock 'n' Roll Circus (You were..., Don't look back).
Continuing onto my main point however, Duty and Party Queen both have Ayu being stationery and compounded in claustrophobic environments - she's overwhelmed by her issues and cannot move freely. Moreover, the only way in which she can develop and move on is through confronting said issues (SURREAL/letter/call lyrics). In short, to leave the cages she produced herself, she has to dismantle them herself - definitely in the case of Party Queen, the final song, how beautiful you are. I think this embodies freedom as it presents acceptance of herself (which feeds into the self-esteem theory that others have espoused here too).

Duty too is interesting, as the tracks primarily deal with isolation and a lack of understanding by others, and the final song girlish is based upon her having fun with her friends? Hm.
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