Has the anti-Ayumi Hamasaki sentiment on AHS impacted your fandom?

[ExodusUK]

No, I refuse to join in with the Ayu bashing in certain other artist topics.

[Delicious n Bold]

No
I make my own choice to be excited about her music when a new album comes out and come to the realization a few months afterward that some or most songs aren't as good as I had thought and that there's just one or two songs that sleigh hard.

However it doesn't mean she's free from being dragged lol. No one is safe anymore. Queen better glue her wig to her head if her new mini album sucks. Praying for that red one track. Xoxo part 2.

[Andrenekoi]

Nops... But considering stuff some people told me around the forum, I must be a biased blind fan...

[No_Doubt]

Not really. I think people are overly critical of her, especially her more recent output. The decline in the quality of her music is nowhere near as dramatic as folks on the internet would like you to believe.

[susiowong]

Not at all. I've been with Ayu for a long time and I have my own opinions about what she does, says, makes. If I were a newcomer, it might be different, but oftentimes I don't read what others have to say until I have my own opinion. I feel like I stay more true to myself that way.

Just to clarify, there are things about Ayu I've disliked, but I don't believe that means I'm "anti-Ayumi".

[visionfactory]

No, I hate these so called fans that the only thing they do in the forum is blame ayu for everything from her vocals to the most irreverent things as the fonts that she uses on the covers

It's like if you love Kana Nishino so much then go to Kana Nishino international forums if there are any and stop wasting your time trying to criticize ayu

[tbarnes10]

No (and I'm guessing everyone will say the same), but Ayu has by far been my favorite singer since 2006, and I don't see anyone replacing her anytime soon.

I LOVE Namie's new album, and she's been the biggest rival to Ayu for me recently, but Ayu is still unquestionably my favorite singer

[luna7996]

Not at all. If anything, it makes me sad how harshly people critizise her in this forum sometimes. That why i stayed away for a few years and just recently started visiting this website again. We are suppose to be her fans. Even if sometimes she releases a song or two we don't like we should support her anyways right? She will always be my favorite artist no matter what!

[Bigtop]

Not really. Why do people criticize on Ayu so much??? All because of the past track record??? That just simply really hurts the dedicated Ayu fans. But, to be honest, the real reason why I haven't been much on the groove on Ayu recently is the age factor...

[Ryusei]

No, despite being told not to listen to her bla bla. I always check out stuff myself and don't just listen to other people's opinions and take them as my own. It really annoys me when you can obviously see that a person has no idea what they're talking about and just says whatever they've seen online. It's really sad how a lot of people hold such prejudice against ayu when her music is awesome and she really seems to be a sweetheart.

[OyTony]

No, I love her. <3 Don't care about the negative stuff people say. If I don't like an album or single I will take a break and listen to her other stuff but I'm always here if she releases something new.

[primavera♥]

Nah.

Ayu is the type of artist that people can naturally hate. And tear down as soon as she falls off. And there will always be fans that worship her every move.


I usually can tell when someone's opinion is stan-ish or hater-ish and I don't pay them much mind
It's like this chick on YouTube that always went around saying ayumi should kill herself and had pictures of ayu doing that. Foolishness.

I have my own opinions. If I actually took seriously all of the crap I hear about certain artists, I wouldn't be listening to much music lol. And on the other side of I just listened to the artists people most adamantly stan for, I'd be listening to a lot of music that isn't for me.

I can choose my music for myself and decide what is good or not for myself and I think it's nice for people to be able to do that.

But I understand being put off from an artist when people hate them. Because then you can feel embarrassed to be one that likes them or a song or whatever.

And the same goes for just formulating general opinions about something on the forum.

[Uknow!]

No... The thing I can't understand is why if Ayu did something that people don't like, she receives all the criticism but if this thing is done by Namie, Koda Kumi, Kana, Utada etc they don't receive criticism and are praised.
Is a generalization, I know. I can't explain good, is not a big problem that Ayu did and others divas did too but they are not criticized. Are little things like fonts, simple pv and the most stupid thing that some people in his forums is trying to find to criticize Ayu.

[tenshi no hane]

It hasn't impacted how much I love Ayu. It has somewhat impacted my fandom in the sense that I'm not sharing translations left and right anymore. It's frustrating spending time on a translation if people are just going to bitch.

[jbrat2219]

The negativity makes being a fan unpleasant but it doesn't change the way I feel about ayu. She's still my favorite artist, hands down. I still think her music is miles better than anyone in her league (including Namie... Especially Namie) and her quality is consistent. Even if I don't like a song that doesn't mean I think the song is crap. It can be "technically" good but just not my taste.

[JackieRos]

No, I always thought that her career downhill after NEXT LEVEL but then
I fell in love with A ONE.

I haven't noticed people complaining about her recently.

[ストロボ・EdGE]

Yes. Things get pointed out I would've never noticed on my own that make me loose respect for Ayu, such as mixing quality. Then I can't help but comparing the old Ayu with the current. Not that she was perfect before... But she's not the same artist. The sort of constant negative milieu spotlights the fact.

[Machiko]

Does 'your fandom' mean my opinion on her or my opinion on the fandom? On Ayu, absolutely not. Except now whenever she does something new (song, cover, photoshoot, yada yada), the first things in my mind is that 'oh, god, they're gonna complain about every detail again, I bet', lol. I've always just rolled my eyes at people who feel the need to whine about everything: don't like one song or a music video? Flop! Career over! Where's old Ayu where's old Ayu! Ayu gives a song that reminds you of her old songs? 'Wow, repetitive much? Be original and fresh for a change!', she's just never doing enough and the constant crying really gets on nerves. You don't need to like everything she does and makes, someone else's gonna love that song/video/photoshoot you don't really care about. What happened to "I don't like this but that's fine"? Just move on.

[attractive nausea]

Originally Posted by ストロボ・EdGE

Yes. Things get pointed out I would've never noticed on my own that make me loose respect for Ayu, such as mixing quality. Then I can't help but comparing the old Ayu with the current. Not that she was perfect before... But she's not the same artist. The sort of constant negative milieu spotlights the fact.

I think you expressed my feelings here, i really appreciate some songs and then people come and point out all the mixing/whatever stuff and then it's like i'm reconsidering and asking myself questions "wait, it does sound messy, her older songs did sound more polished" and sometimes when i listen to older stuff i'm kinda telling myself things like "why can't she do such quality production anymore", it's like i'm becoming like these people and it drives me mad ! Because prior reading their comments i'd just blindly love her songs and move on with my life but now it's like their "negativity" is impacting the way i see her recent work and i can't help it.

I'm in love with about 99% of the things she releases though, but it's true that sometimes when a preview comes out for instance and i get super hyped about it, the moment i see people telling things like "i hate it" "this is a (insert a song name here) rip off but even worse" "why can't she innovate" "it sounds dated" i don't feel that excited anymore, it's not that i don't like the song anymore, but it's hard to be excited about something if there is a lot of negativity.

[Uknow!]

I'm in love with about 99% of the things she releases though, but it's true that sometimes when a preview comes out for instance and i get super hyped about it, the moment i see people telling things like "i hate it" "this is a (insert a song name here) rip off but even worse" "why can't she innovate" "it sounds dated" i don't feel that excited anymore, it's not that i don't like the song anymore, but it's hard to be excited about something if there is a lot of negativity.

I feel this way always. When I read all the bad comments is like "Oh... Ok...". Ayu releasing songs like Walk or WARNING shows this negativity can reach her and how it affect her... The sadness during WALK perfomance... but people seems not going to change.