MOD EDIT:
Quote:
Originally Posted by koumori
This is a moved discussion from the A BALLADS 2 thread. Moving it isn't to stop the chat, it's more so it doesn't bury any news that might pop up about AB2 in the next few weeks and giving it a chance to continue.
I think it's really interesting that we can now look back at a whole decade of Ayu's work from 2010 onwards and pinpoint definitive moments that affected her image heavily, and all that is entangled with that going forward, and how it may still be affecting her image and work today. I'd personally love to see more perspectives from other ayu fans on this.
As a note - while it has been said that Ayumi Hamasaki is the product, Ayu is a person, and the 2010s is where that line blurred ever more. Please keep in mind that she is a human being who lived out her successes and failures (whatever you perceive them to be) in public, and ultimately is just another person who is trying to figure out their life. It is absolutely fair to critique her professional decisions and work but I hope we can keep to the level of fairness we have seen in the posts so far in regards to respecting her as an individual.
|
ORIGINAL POST:
I think we should just accept the fact that Utada is still largely popular and ayu isn't. I meet a lot of Japanese in Vancouver and the fact are, the average modern Japanese people will say that they like Utada Hikaru but Ayu is a bit of a shameful thing to like.
My thoughts are, Utada style has always been a bit bland, safe and more accessible. Ayu went on a more controversial path, especially with her LGBT advocacy (a bit like Lady Gaga did, although, we all know that most Japanese are more conservative and introspected about their image). People associate her a lot with LGBT and the Gyaru trend. My roomate (from osaka) explained me that today, the perception of the stereotyped Ayu fans are party people and trouble makers. On the other hand, being a fan of Utada doesn't come with specific labels.