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

[xLuna&1LOVE]

No, I enjoy following Ayu. However, I find it hard to communicate on AHS. Therefore the bashful things towards Ayu or other members do scare me off sometimes. But that has nothing to do with me liking her.

[Kazeyomi]

I do agree that her quality has dropped a bit and her golden era is gone. She made some mistakes, sometimes she looked unprofessional to me either.
But it didn't affected me so much to stops to like her. She's still my favorite singer. As others said, different opinions are good as long as they're not just comments made for the sake of bashing.

The sad thing is, most of the criticisms are from her fans.
Reading people complaining about everything she does it's exhausting sometimes. Thank goodness there's a part of good people to compensate

[douggn]

I just love her attitude to life, nothing has swayed my bashing and hatemongering but I dont love everything song she does. But I like her energy and outlook in life. And she is what I like and not one other persons remarks or options will every make me give up on what I like and love And that her songs are her own words But ayu has been my main artist I listen too for years now. I cant think a day I haven't listen to a song. Her music is like its my emotional outlet. I usually say she has a song for every mood to my friends. And with how many songs she has, I dont need much more. Im not some ear slut lol, I don't just let any wannabe artist trample their music through my ears I guess they say everyone has one thing they have to wind own and is their pleasure. Some people smoke, some drink beer, I listen to ayumi and two dvds a year with a new album, I think thats well more than enough especially after how longs shes been at it Like she says, she cant imagine a life without music, and I agree with that Shes just a good inspirational person in my opinion. I don't judge her personal life

[Surreal17]

Now of course not. But when I was starting to know her (during PQ era) I made the mistake to come here and read the comments (80 percent bad ones) and that kinda put me off before I started to discover for myself. And because many comments from that era were stated as facts, I used to think ayu was some kind of lost case x.x

Ayu's fandom can be very confusing for new fans.

[ayumisrael]

No.

People can talk about issues or stuff like mixing for example as much as they want, my mind wouldn't enjoy the songs any less, regardless if the whole mixing thing is true or not and they are proffessionals on the subject (or not).

[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.

[oaristos]

No. I don't give a damn about what people say, especially because it seems it's their hobby to bash her all the time.

[NintendoHTF1242]

I love to hate on Ayu though... But in actuality, I preserve my own opinions on Ayu. I don't really read the topics focused solely on Ayu anyway so I don't notice the bashing. Like Delerium said, criticism is good if written intelligently. But straight up bashing is a no-no. But if you see me dragging Ayu, it's all out of fun tbh. Story is one of the best songs of this year from all my faves so...

[mi|kshake]

No, Ayu's one of my favourite singers and I always enjoy coming to AHS to read everyone's opinions.

I figure people might be hating on a new cover, song etc initially but once some time has passed they have time to appreciate it properly.

Is it partly to do with Internet lingo and fandoms nowadays? When new media is released regarding a fandom it's like the reactions have to immediately be either "SLLAAAAY" or "FLOP"! (Preferably the flop comments should include some pun on aforementioned singer's etc names)

[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.

[Andrenekoi]

I feel like part of the negativity comes from the fact that some of her recent material needs some time to sink in and to understand where is she coming from... And when people listen/watch to the material and don't love it on the very first instant, for some reason mistake "I don't know if I like it" for "I hate it". But this is something I've been seeing to be pretty common on the last 2 or 3 years, and not only here.

[melissalove]

I love ayu to bits but she's not perfect. Yet who is?? I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinions positive or negative. It's difficult for me to believe that one would trash ayu deliberately Unless there's a reason. I personally have a real problem with fans that think ayu can see no Wrong, hear no Wrong, say no Wrong and do no Wrong. Yet that doesn't change my love for her.

[BlackSilence]

Originally Posted by pimenta

The typography issues is just insane. Ayu can't release ANY type of cover without people going crazy over the fonts used, while for most of other artists people don't even mention the writing on the covers, not even to say if they like it or not, nothing. lol

LAWL, well that apllies to me, i'm a detail freak and Ayu is my favourite, but in the end music takes over the mater.
Some complain about music she does, some complain about fonts, and some complain about music videos, and then there are those who complain about people complaining. In the end we all are complaining lol

I really don't give a single ....... what others think, if i love it, i love it lol I can throw a freaking patty all by myself if i am excited with something she does and others dislike it xD

BUT people who can't get over someone's opinions... well lets just say me having a different view on the music of one other of my faves now make, made me leave the fandom of his completely, because of crap they'd give to you, like it would turn to ridiculous pointless arguments and name calling. They just couldn't handle a little bit of "dislike" from a fellow fan, cuz their king is a musician that cannot have a single song disliked by a fellow fan. but this place is a bit more friendly i think people here are...individuals with strong opinions xD

[Cahz-]

Im just tired of the Namie Amuro comparisons, aside of that I don't really care

[hsienko]

No. But it makes me avoid the forum hardcore.


The only reason to even come here anymore is for downloads . I've been a member here for almost ten years, I grew up on this forum and I can tell you the hatemongering towards Ayu always comes from the same group of about 10 people/stans and they've been doing it since I've joined. (See this thread for a list of names of the people I'm referring to) They hate on everything that Ayu does - spamming up every thread and forum with why her current project sucks, an essay on why it isn't as good as [x]'s current project, how she can't sell, etc. But most of these people have no taste (Exhibit A) nor class (Exhibit B). I mean literally, if you don't believe me go through even just 5 threads and you will see only the same 10 names pop up over and over. I just think its hiliarious how the only place you get shelter from them is the artist and groups threads and one of the weepo stans will pop in and say "I was playing FFX-2 today. Real Emotion is such a goooooooooood soong I wish Kumi-sama would release more good stuff like that like she used to when she was relevant and I would listen to her more" LULZ wtf kind of reference is that? You're still listening to a 15 year old song playing a 20 year old video game. But after all, these are the same people who are committed to not growing up. They don't get that when you get older you don't like the same things you did when you were younger and that includes music. Eventually, you move on and get new interests you don't join a forum 15 years ago, stop liking the artist 14 years ago, but spent the last 14 years trolling the forum running off anyone new to fandom. No fresh air is ever getting breathed into this place and I would shoot myself than participate in another one of Pieces_of_SEVEN stupid threads on how to arrange his Ayupan collection in his apartment that has no furniture in it or another of Surreal 17's stupid "Everyone Let's make a list of old Ayu songs" threads. Shit is so stupid. But then again what do you expect? these are the same people that blow shit loads of money on leggos, multiple copies of the frozen soundtrack, magazines, stuff animals, every last thing ayu has ever release no matter how much they hate her, they're clearly not well mentally.

[Ryusei]

Originally Posted by Cahz-

Im just tired of the Namie Amuro comparisons, aside of that I don't really care

This!! It's AHS after all not NAS

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

It ALMOST, kind of has, in a way. Sometimes it can't be helped. But I always subconsciously shake it off and decide how I feel about things on my own. Usually songs that people talk the most crap about, I love so much.

[Tomoyo]

it doesn't impact my fandom in the least. I'll admit that A ONE was the first time I have been really excited about an ayu release since Love Songs (and it was actually a let down for me) but i will always love ayu. She was my first jpop artist that I really fell in love with and so i don't think i will ever stop being a fan of her.

[JackieRos]

Originally Posted by Ryusei

This!! It's AHS after all not NAS

Is not Kumi Koda forum either and people like to compare her with ayu as well.

There are sections for other music as well, this is not strictly an ayumi forum either.

[owlflight]

No it doesn't though it occasionally saddens me that some are never satisfied with her work. I don't love everything Ayu has released (I am still not a fan of the album Rainbow though the song Rainbow is amazing) and there are things I love that others may not. I don't expect others to share my opinion and I won't force my opinion on them. We are free to like/dislike whatever we want.