FLOWER & Mad World (Short ver. MVs on YouTube)

[Refix]

I would rather MAD WORLD to be like a mix of Do it again and 1 LOVE. Her as a Queen of the post apocalyptic world, strolling in the street watching people gone mad, ocult organization everywhere offers salvation and many others stuff.

About Flower... well rather than a now days actress, I would choose she became a traditional artist, Geisha, just like that Geisha movie. Doesn't mind when she's geting breakdown like in the video, decent acting for me.

[DonkeyKongRemix]

The thing I find fascinating about these PVs is the concept of sincerity and raw emotions. There's something about it in these PVs that almost feels forced, but I don't hate it. It's just so Ayu and it feels like she just so badly wants to scream at us how she feels. It almost makes me think of a caged animal.

To me, a truly sincere and raw music video of hers that never felt a bit forced to me was Daybreak. It's the reason why it's still my favorite of hers. Her style is so strange and there's something very surreal about the entire thing, but none of it feels fake to me. Contrasting that kind of realness of emotions with her acting in Mad World and FLOWER is interesting to me.

I just keep churning in my head how I feel about these new PVs. I like them because they make me wonder.

[waterballoon]

do you guys think that FLOWER might end with Ayu naked or maybe in lingerie, just laid out unconscious on the streets?

I noticed she seems to present herself as a flower in the video, and it seems like cutting her hair and ripping off parts of her clothing could represent a flower scattering its petals and/or withering, which are concepts she has sung before like in "Moments".

right before the cut she seems to be running out of a hotel room, maybe possibly into the streets? i think it'd be cool if she lost more and more of her "petals" and finally died off

[jyujiw]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Looking at the contrast between the two, I wonder if diva Ayu will make a return for the 20th anniversary or perhaps even next year... the difference between her recent set of looks and the ones from the mid to late 2000s is very striking, lol.

I don't know, the message in Mad World PV seems to me just like the opposite. Like, the natural and "true" Ayu being forced to be the Ayumi Diva Hamasaki, changing her image to what she built and retain for so many years...

I like the way she hints to look back at her "past" (the screen) but she doesn't really. The ink coming at her while being diva may be a interpretation for being polluted or a sort of thing. Let's wait for the full thing

[truehappiness]

We saw a bit of the later part of the FLOWER PV in the making.

She's drenched in the shower later on and it looks like the Tell All photobook.

Originally Posted by jyujiw

I don't know, the message in Mad World PV seems to me just like the opposite. Like, the natural and "true" Ayu being forced to be the Ayumi Diva Hamasaki, changing her image to what she built and retain for so many years...

I like the way she hints to look back at her "past" (the screen) but she doesn't really. The ink coming at her while being diva may be a interpretation to being polluted or a sort of thing. Let's wait for the full thing

I am a bit sad if "diva" Ayu is gone for good because she always looked so glamorous... however, if it makes Ayu happiest to be this way, there's no reason for her to go back to the way things were.

[jyujiw]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

I am a bit sad if "diva" Ayu is gone for good, because she always looked so glamorous... however, if it makes Ayu happiest to be this way, there's no reason for her to go back to the way things were.

Well, I would miss it too. That's why I was so happy at the Colours era with all that booklet and photoshop beauty hahaha

Let's see what the future holds, but both PVs seems to rely on a message of not doing what people expect from me anymore and this is how I feel about it.

FLOWER: "You expected from me to be a beautiful geisha, doing some poses (like she does in the beginning) but there you have it, I'm thrashing everything"
Mad World: "You want me to be a diva or the perfect girl of my peak, but I changed and I don't feel any happinness in being pushed to return to who I was back then"

And it really wraps with the album theme: Made in Japan. That's probably how she feels about living there nowadays...

[truehappiness]

Misa-chan's translation of her Numero article mentioned the reasoning for the title:

These words came from a reflection after putting 18 years of effort into her songs and concerts. With that, we asked her what she envisioned herself to be like as an artiste, back when she first debuted.
Now that I think about it, I never had any idea what kind of artiste I wanted to be, or what kind of songs I wanted to sing… Rather than writing lyrics, it felt like I was penning down letters or a diary entry. My latest album is titled “MADE IN JAPAN”, which refers to myself, as well as the fact that this is where I am proud to be, where I love, where my everything is… So rather than how I wanted to be, it’s about how I can change what I have become. But when I was creating the album, what was on my mind were the things which cannot be changed. So it can’t be helped if it’s a little dark. (laugh)

[jyujiw]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Misa-chan's translation of her Numero article mentioned the reasoning for the title:

That's pretty, thanks!
However the last sentence of hers ("But when I was creating the album, what was on my mind were the things which cannot be changed. So it can’t be helped if it’s a little dark.") makes me still wonder.

Since the album cover, I can't really believe that she isn't criticizing some points of living in Japan and the pressures of it. hahaha
I think she would never say that openly, after all, she would sure receive some major backlash imo ^_^"

[//ABEST]

Originally Posted by Aderianu

Ignore list rules. I don't want to read all this shit from "fans" who kill all joy every time, and it helps a lot. My list grew after this thread.

I just don't understand why you guys keep arguing. It is pointless here

One site has very nice comments rating system - all posts with "-" karma become more and more transparent. Too pity we can't make it here. I prefer to see half blank page than this

i have only one person on ignore list since i don't remember how to add people there

Originally Posted by truehappiness

I am a bit sad if "diva" Ayu is gone for good because she always looked so glamorous... however, if it makes Ayu happiest to be this way, there's no reason for her to go back to the way things were.

me too! i became fan when she was the biggest diva (2008) and god i miss those days, she looked so unreal and fabulous like she didn't give a flying fck what people say about her

i really miss those days

[ayu-michan]

Originally Posted by jyujiw

That's pretty, thanks!
However the last sentence of hers ("But when I was creating the album, what was on my mind were the things which cannot be changed. So it can’t be helped if it’s a little dark.") makes me still wonder.

Since the album cover, I can't really believe that she isn't criticizing some points of living in Japan and the pressures of it. hahaha
I think she would never say that openly, after all, she would sure receive some major backlash imo ^_^"

I like how MIJ tour appeals to Japanese audience through "celebrate and appreciate our country together" but she's also lowkey criticizing it through the album lyrics. I love this because it's like a hidden message of some sort, almost similar to PQ.

[JinHamasaki]

Originally Posted by ayu-michan

I like how MIJ tour appeals to Japanese audience through "celebrate and appreciate our country together" but she's also lowkey criticizing it through the album lyrics. I love this because it's like a hidden message of some sort, almost similar to PQ.

I don't think it's that hidden. The beginning 3 songs of the album talk about the negatives of Japan, and then "Survivor" starts and the album changes its mood to talk about the greatness of her experiences in Japan.

Reminds me of her quote about RAINBOW where she said without sadness you can't appreciate happiness (no rain, no rainbow).

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by JinHamasaki

I don't think it's that hidden. The beginning 3 songs of the album talk about the negatives of Japan, and then "Survivor" starts and the album changes its mood to talk about the greatness of her experiences in Japan.

Reminds me of her quote about RAINBOW where she said without sadness you can't appreciate happiness (no rain, no rainbow).

It's funny and ironic that the first three are the best of the bunch. They're literally I listen to from this album, aside from the bonus track.

[Corvina]

I agree, her criticising Japan is pretty direct in the lyrics and in the PVs.

[waterballoon]

i thought the only song that was really obvious in criticizing Japan was SURVIVOR..

[voltron]

The beginning of Mad World gives me such nostalgia for the Free & Easy video. I keep expecting that she's going to walk over some grapes.

[yamadashun]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

do you guys think that FLOWER might end with Ayu naked or maybe in lingerie, just laid out unconscious on the streets?

I noticed she seems to present herself as a flower in the video, and it seems like cutting her hair and ripping off parts of her clothing could represent a flower scattering its petals and/or withering, which are concepts she has sung before like in "Moments".

right before the cut she seems to be running out of a hotel room, maybe possibly into the streets? i think it'd be cool if she lost more and more of her "petals" and finally died off

From what I remember of the news clips previously, she might run into the bathroom and started wiping off the makeup on her face with bare hands and then getting soaked by the shower.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by js_surrealism

For those of you who enjoyed the low budget look and feel of these videos and the album cover shoot, I'm happy for you, you got exactly what you asked for.

For those of you (like me) who held on to the tiniest glimmer of hope that she would do something interesting for a change (since the music on the album was so promising) -- well, tough luck. Maybe on her 20th anniversary >.>

Really? These are simple, but I think they look like her best music videos in quite some time.

[Anna.L]

What i understood from Mad World's pv it is: she doesn't want to be a diva, look at the image on the screen behind her, she just wanna do music, no be an image

When I read the lyrics and watch the pv, i know that can be that way

[ExodusUK]

I swear you guys could find meaning and write theories and a thesis about Ayu's choice of earrings in a PV. Sugoi...y'all are so deep thinking and considerate..

[truehappiness]

Well, she has said she has reasons for just about everything she does, so it's not too out there to think certain things have meaning here.