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This question is interesting to me because years ago My Story was seen as the start of Ayu's "downhill" to me. Then Party Queen happened and it became the new down turn.
If you had asked me this question back before 2012, I would say that What Ayu was releasing during Secret - Love Songs was the best. I used to feel like Ayu was only getting better back in the late 2000s early 2010s. I loved songs like JEWEL, decision, talkin 2 myself, GREEN, Days, Next Level, Sparkle, Mirrorcle World, Sunrise, Last Angel, progress, just to name a few. I would say that Ayu's tours had only become more extravagant and her new deeper voice and style of singing was an improvement over her early years.
But in 2018 I think I would say that Party Queen is when things took a turn for the worst. It was the first thing that Ayu did that actually disappointed me. Before this there were albums I liked more than others but I genuinely loved all her albums. When I look back now I overreacted when Party Queen was released. I was ready to give up on Ayu. I was like, what is THIS? what happened to Ayu!?? These days it is still my least liked album but I have formed an appreciation for it.
As for the public in Japan, I believe that Rainbow was the "beginning of the end". I think international Ayu fans will claim that Guilty or Party Queen is when things went downhill for Ayu.
As of right now I love 1998-2002 Ayu the most. I consider her output during these years as the most creative and high quality. Rainbow being my favorite album.
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