Bondingo, you're a kindred soul!
Looking back at my list, I think I was trying too hard to be relatively objective. If I had a subjective list, Ayu and Ringo Shiina would definitely be at the top. If only Hikki didn't release that damn Exodus $#@&, she would have been at the top too. And I probably would have included "smaller" (and more recent) acts like Chihiro Onitsuka, Chitose Hajime, Hitomi Yaida, hitomi, Janne D'Arc, Tsukiko Amano, Cocco, Depapepe, the brilliant green, Gackt, and such. And Every Little Thing would be higher. WAY higher.
Oh Ringo, just quit Tokyo Jihen!