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| · Ayu's Official Site · Ayu's twitter · Ayu's YouTube · masa's translations · Misa-chan's translations · |
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#21
3rd August 2011, 04:31 AM
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#22
3rd August 2011, 04:42 AM
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When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?
I see Ayumi Hamasaki before I see Ayu. As much as she talk to fans on Twitter, we'll never actually be her friend, but we'll always be her fan. The side she shows us on Twitter is only one part of her, so we've always seen 'Ayumi Hamasaki' more than 'Ayu'. How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her? I don't really want anything from her. I would love great songs all the time, but I'll accept the bad songs too. Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her? It has pros and cons. The pro is that we get to see more of her personality and it's an amazing thing when you become closer to your idol, but that's also the downside. Ayu has always been a mysterious person to me...The queen of Jpop, but now she's just Ayu on Twitter lol. It does ruin the mystery a bit and I do find it annoying with some of her tweets. I cried a bit when she first replied to me, but then with each reply, it's like..."ok, what next?" I've built up my view of her over the years and that view just came crumbling down. I'm thankful that she interacts with fans, but I'm sad that she's so easily reached now. How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu? I don't really care at all. If they love her, then great...we can chat about it. If they don't, then still great...I can find something else to chat about. Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions? I guess I am, but since I'm more of a passive person, so I won't fight with anyone over what they think. I still hold onto my opinion, but I'll just keep it to myself. I also find it hard to communicate with Ayu fans because if I don't like something or disagrees, then I become a 'hater'.
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Last edited by pommy48; 3rd August 2011 at 04:44 AM.
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#23
3rd August 2011, 05:37 AM
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When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?
Well, IMO it's all a grey area... Ayu doesn't reveal much of herself, as expected for a jpop star... I'm totally aware that what we see on interviews, twitter, tv shows and etc is pretty much a "character". On the other side, her music, her lyrics, her concerts and her videos shows a lot of the real person there... IMO that's why she sometimes repeats herself so much, cuz it's the same person behind what was done back in 1998 and now. I would never love an entertainer if I couldn't see the person behind it anyway, as I already try to follow artists that I feel that really express themselves though their works. How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her? Well... what I really want is that she keeps it true to herself... A lot of her releases, being it live, music or pvs showed that she knows exactly who she is and what she is in the business... I don't like all of her releases, I don't like all of her music, but I understand that sometimes she needs to try something I won't like in order to do something really wonderful. IMO, even with the summer song, winter song and concert ending song that almost all of her albums (yeah, even the old ones) have, that are generally more mainstream atempts, she is always trying something new, and I get that we need some Blue Birds in order to have some Mirrorcle Worlds, cuz the girl is a pop act after all, and can't snob the mainstream. So, if she does something, I know that it was what she felt was more apropriate... I try to enjoy it for what it is, not for what I think it should be (sunrise was never meant to be deep and revolutionary, just fun, for example) and if I can't like it, I just let it be and wait for her next release. Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her? I'm not close to her, I'm not her friend, I don't believe she really shows herself through social media, I mean, come'on... look at her lyrics, videos, pvs, it doesn't fits someone who farts glitter and rainbows like Ayu does on twitter. I actually find her Twitter persona to be as annoying as some of her fans who keep all day long trying to get some twitter attention from her... How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu? Most of the time, I don't mind, even if I do like when people who dislike her recognize her importance to japanese mass culture. But there are some stuff I find to be kinda odd... I like haters, cuz most of the time their jokes are in and they tend to be funny, but I hate obsessed fans, cuz they tend to have the bad habbit of acting like Ayu is the supreme god of the universe, until they get dissapointed by her, when she becomes the worst artist to ever breath on earth... Nobody MUST love Ayu if they don't like her works anymore, I myself abandoned tons of artists I loved once... But it gets annoying when some people (very few people, BTW, like, 2 or 3) starts comparing present Ayu to their perfect idealized old Ayu that never really existed outside their mind. I also believe that some (very few) people can't see the difference between the artist they are following and their idealized idol on their minds, what means they are both annoying when they LOVES what she did, and when they HATE what she did... Ayu is no spiritual guide to anyone, she is no best friend, she is no mother, she is no god... She is just a talented pop entertainer. Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions? A little, but most of the time I keep discussing is just that I really enjoy discussing xD Some people I had some big fights and disagree the most over here are among my most tresaured people of the forum, like Sunshine Slayer for example...
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#24
3rd August 2011, 05:46 AM
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When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?
I see the Entertainer. Like pommy said, as close as we get to her, we'll never know the true her. I don't even really know if her dancers/staff know the true her. I'm sure that side is reserved for Mannie and a select few, though I could be totally wrong. Plus all of her tweets are about projects she's working on, so it's nothing really substantial. I still think she is super sweet and loveable though. How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her? Honestly, I want more from her in terms of musical creativity, but for the most part I'm usually dissappointed so I don't set my expectations too high anymore. It's gotten to the point where I only like 1 or 2 songs on her albums, which is kind of frustrating. This is partially why I've recently been seeking out new artists so I can experience new styles of music. Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her? It used to, because I used to think 'Ahh we're so much closer to her!  !" then I realized I wasn't any closer to her haha. How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu? Honestly when people criticize her music, I find myself agreeing with them more than defending Ayu's music. Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions? Oh absolutely, but it only really happens with the artists I love more than Ayu or if people try to make Ayu out to be some sort of a god. I don't think she is, so I get a little annoyed when some people do. I'm definitely a stan (sometimes) when it comes to other artists though, so I can't really talk.
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#25
3rd August 2011, 03:09 PM
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 I mean FIVE is mostly ballads yet the covers would have suited a Microphone single.Quote:
 I mean, I know that I don't hesitate to voice my disappoint over anything she releases, but if anything I think that just goes to show that I hold her up to a higher standard than other artists because I really expect more from her.When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area? Honestly, I used to see her as an entertainer who was so good at what she did because she was so human. Even when she was performing, it just felt so real, because you could tell she was pouring her heart into every word she sang. Nowadays, it seems like everything is about putting on an entertaining show, which I find is just a lot less... well, entertaining. For example, her old performances of ASFXX still make me cry! But I can't even bear to watch that '08(?) a-nation performance of ASFXX because every single move was rehearsed. Basically, I view her more as an entertainer now because I feel like, in the past few years, she's forgotten how to put real emotion into her performances and everything is dramatized now. How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her? Right now, I just want her to put out quality music with good covers and PVs. Her covers since NEXT LEVEL have been (in my opinion, of course) really cheap, poorly planned, lacking concept, and ruined by bad, bad facial expressions, font placement, and background choices. If I didn't know who she was and I saw most of these covers, I would hardly be able to believe she was Ayumi Hamasaki, queen/empress/awesome legendary person in j-pop. Anyways, I've given up even trying to watch her concerts nowadays since I am not at all entertained by the over-dramatized performances. So I don't expect much from her as far as concerts go. ^^; Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her? Yes, and I don't even use Twitter or try to contact her. Like someone else said, I dislike how it takes away the mysterious veil around her (and other stars). I also don't like how she occasionally gets into the middle of the drama. In fact, I feel like I relate to Ayu a lot less now that she uses Twitter. How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu? I love seeing people praise her, even if I don't agree with it or think she deserves it for a particularly release.  It really hurts my feelings when people hate her though. I can totally take it when her fans make fun of her, but not when actual haters bash her. It really offends me personally, which might sound weird or stupid, but whatever.Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions? Oh yes. My opinion is right 95% of the time. The good thing is, my opinion is very easily swayed.  And while I apparently come off as a hater/troll/whatever, if you actually took the time to talk to me one on one, you'd see that my opinions aren't really that rigid or nasty and that I love Ayu like I love no one else.
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#27
3rd August 2011, 04:00 PM
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I'm deleting the tags in here. Please don't abuse them. We can track who's making them.
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#28
3rd August 2011, 05:58 PM
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#29
3rd August 2011, 06:56 PM
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#30
3rd August 2011, 07:39 PM
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So far, there has been a concept behind EVER album and single Ayu released! Why should it be different for "FIVE"?! Only because you can't see the concept right away doesn't mean it's not there! Maybe the concept will come out after reading the lyrics to the songs...or watching the PVs...or maybe FIVE is short for something. I actually like to use my own fantasy, when it comes to such things.
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*i had a dream that you were gone* Last edited by Midori-chan; 3rd August 2011 at 07:43 PM.
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#31
3rd August 2011, 07:50 PM
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#32
3rd August 2011, 08:02 PM
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When you look at Ayumi Hamasaki, do you see Ayu, the human being, or do you see Ayumi Hamasaki the Entertainer? Is there a grey area?
Mostly as an entertainer. There is a grey area though, nothing is just black and white, and every artist puts a part of her/his own personality in her/his work, cause there wouldn't be something like art in the world without it. I believe no artist should reveal too much of the own personality and feelings and keep a distance though. So in the last years Ayu got more and more a human being for me, cause she also more and more communicates about it. Probably also because she already wrote about everything she was troubled with and experienced and likes to share her happy times. I also feel she has somehwat lost inspiration for her work and is waving more and more her not so deep feelings in her work, cause she hasn't really something to write about. But I will go on with that on another question. How do you think that affects what you want from what she does? What do you want from her? What do I want from her? Good music, to put it simple. And PVs and concerts, cause it's a big part of the way she portrays her music. Does it effect me that I see her more like a human being now than earlier? Of course, it irritaes me like others mentioned already. And I don't want her to cross that mark about private life and her career - like she sadly does with most of her concerts lately. a-nation is just one negative point there for me. R'nR'C tour is another example, Ayu never being alone on stage, sharing her place as an entertainer with her friends and people who seems to be closer to her. That's too much for me, I wanna see her as an entertainer, as an solo artist she actually is. Not to mention that it can be dangerous if she let affect the opinions about her work and her decisions for work her emotions. Her music is her life. But she has to keep a distance for her own health. On a contradicting note, I dislike how she acts dramatic or puts the performances in a too dramatic way. Like BALLAD from last years tour, was already mentioned. That's how I mostly feel about Ayu nowadays - contradicting. MOstly because of that gap private matters - show from the entertainer Ayu. Do you think that being so close to Ayu with social media affects your view of her? Yeah, it does, cause I get to know more things about her, just like I stated in the question before. I don't want to know that much, cause I'm not her friend, I don't know her personally - it is irritating cause you never know how she is in real life. Guess I have not to read too much of her twitter etc. But she posts infos about her works, so I'm always curious. And in the TA posts she share so much of her insights etc. Sometimes I really don't wanna know, feeling like a stalker. How do you feel about the way other people see Ayu? It's troubling me sometimes, lol. I don't like people praising an artist like " a goddess, not from this world" etc. Or loving ever single songs, pic ... That's just weird! XD Not only with Ayu but with any artist. I'm a big, big fan of other artists, too, but I would never praise them, cause they're all human beings and there are naturally enough things, enough works, I dislike. I almost lost my connection to Ayu's music, I don't know, I just don't feel the same for her newer stuff than her older and middle works. For example progress. I don't feel anything listening to it. Absolutely nothing. And others are like "oh wow, this is the best she ever made!!" and I'm feeling like sticking out like a soar thumb. XD It's great others like it, I don't have anything against it. It just feels weird. Which leads me to another point - the expressions most fans seem to use. I feel like it's going in extremes - always the best or the worst. Or heavy words to describe why you dislike or like something or being defensive - almost like bashing. Are you a little pig-headed about your opinions? Yes, I sometimes am, but I'm just that kind of person. I'm pretty stubborn sometimes, so it might be that I'm trying to convice somebody if I get heated up. Lol, I'm sadly not somebody who don't care about other opinions. I wrote so much, might be pretty confusing. Even for me. XD But overall I just can agree with most people who already posted in here.
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Last edited by Corvina; 3rd August 2011 at 08:10 PM.
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#33
3rd August 2011, 08:06 PM
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#34
3rd August 2011, 09:03 PM
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Another good example is crossroad. A ballad A-side with covers where Ayu is wearing a cool outfit and looking nice with a white background. @_@ Kind of the same (but not nearly to the same extent) is MOON/blossom, with the songs being ballad-y or mid-tempo and the cover is just her wearing a dress and making a cute face with a pink/yellow/orange background. Like, if you looked at her older singles like Endless sorrow or evolution, the concept is REALLY obvious and the covers, PVs, songs, and themes all match up really well. Whereas nowadays, it's like... a song which generally matches the PV, and then a totally random cover that doesn't really have anything to do with either of them. And then throw in the fact that most of her covers are just a picture of her in front of a solid color background...  Anyways, this is all just my opinion, of course.  But I really don't think she puts as much effort into planning a cohesive release as she used to.
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#36
3rd August 2011, 09:22 PM
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For example, Sunrise/Sunset etc. There was a concept for that one but it wasn't executed as great as it could have been. The covers were the worst in her career but the PVs weren't that bad but the music is great (in my opinion of course) so I love the single. And maybe you're right, maybe she isn't putting as much effort in planning cohesive single releases anymore. But the music (again in my opinion) has not suffered and her albums are flawless. Isn't that what it's really about?
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#37
3rd August 2011, 10:02 PM
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So... maybe I should stop caring and if she releases an amazing PV like "Don't look back" once in a while, fine. The real question is, why can't she give every song she makes a PV for the same creative energy?
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#38
3rd August 2011, 10:17 PM
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I think it's important to keep in mind that at the rate Ayu releases music we're bound to get some duds in one category or another. Even in the past we've gotten boring PVs like daybreak or disastrous covers like (miss)understood. I think the reason she can't give every song the same creative energy is because at some point it becomes too much so we don't get everything at its full potential.
Now the other alternative is that she slows down her release pattern and only releases music when she's truly inspired to make something incredible. This is a great idea in theory but I think Ayu fans would jump off a 10 story building if they had to wait for music like Utada fans for example. We all know Ayu rarely takes her time with things, it's in her nature to keep going and going and going and yes sometimes her creativity suffers. But if it's getting to the point that you cannot enjoy her music anymore then and it seems like she's constantly disappointing you, as much as people hate it when others say this, it's time to move on. Let her go for a while or permanently. Or just accept the good with the bad. She's not perfect and everything she does won't be perfect that's why I prefer to see her as a human being and not an entertainer because I don't feel the disappointment of what could have been or what should have been for things like covers and PVs. As long as her music is good, I'm good.
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#39
4th August 2011, 12:57 AM
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On the topic of concepts I have something to add.
I tend to find that her concepts are more based around the image and album tracks. For example Rock'n'Roll Circus - the album tracks and imagery fit the overall theme here very well. The singles? They work on the album but they don't add to the overall concept like Microphone or Sexy little things do. Or even BLUE BIRD on Secret. Or that it's a reverse concept, with RAINBOW I always get the impression she made this all over the place album and thought... RAINBOWS!! That's my take on it though. This is a majority of her albums though, not just her newer ones. I'd pull out... Love Songs, I am..., Duty and (miss)understood as the exceptions maybe. (miss)understood didn't have much of a concept beyond fun Ayu album though imo. ^ if Ayu slowed down her release schedule and we always got the inspiring music you speak of, I'd welcome it. But then again, some of Ayu's most inspired tracks I've liked the least, so I don't know if that would solve any issues, people would just get more angry as they'd have to wait longer for her next single/album.
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#40
4th August 2011, 01:09 AM
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- It's a album about being a girl and the feelings that surround it (read that she said that somewhere) - Borrows heavy influence from 70s and 80s music on most of it's tracks... This was also seen in the album art (that strange hearts, the filter and light on the photos, her outfits, etc), and on the tour... I would say her only albums that really seen to lack a totally closed concept are Secret and Guilty... In Jpop, the singles have the "problem" of being recorded and released before the album, sometimes months before or even a year, so, in the end, jpop albums tend to have no closed concept... Ayu actually is one of the very fell mainstream acts who try to make everything really flow together... (Utada, who IMO is a much superior musician only started doing that on Heart Station, for example)
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