[Scans] TokyoNoise - September 2008

[kirei_ayumi]

Originally Posted by Demure_Dusk

Thanks. I'm glad this article is written in a language I can understand

Would you be able to translate for us?

[Raleigh]

Originally Posted by kirei_ayumi

Would you be able to translate for us?

I can do a rough translation. The article doesn't really talk about anything new though. It discusses why she released a new best after releasing a best collection a year ago.

Some are saying that she released the best to compete with Namie. Mostly it talks about sales and the competition with other artists. The new song is also briefly mentioned too.

[Aderianu]

thanks )

[MissElin_]

Oooh coolies. Thx.

[Linoa62]

It's useless to translate it all so I'll do a quick resume :

Page 1 : (Why a new best-of?)
-They say that 2007 & 2008 are best-of years between Kumi, Namie EXILE or B'z. They do a little Ayu presentation : her singles & albums always rank first on the first day and she stays 4th in global sales with 47M CD's... They say too that the A COMPLETE is about to be released on 10th September (six years and a month after A BEST and one year & a half after A BEST 2). They describe A BEST 2 a little, its sales (1,4 M copies) and its four editions (a best 2 white CD, CD+2DVD, a best 2 black CD, CD+2DVD).
- They notice that Japanese like best of very much and they sell very well (blue square on the top)
- (blue right square) They say that Kumi is Best-of Queen with her three best-of released in 2005-2006-2007, and EXILE sold a lot of best in a few time, and B'z are the most famous with 75M copies sold.

Page 2 :

They say Ayu did a little break after GUILTY to focus on her tour, they wonder why release this A COMPLETE, they say that she's considered as the Queen of J-Pop, and that she fully controls her career (they refer to Secret which was meant to be a mini-album, and then Ayu decided at the last minute that it will be a full album). They say she's not fond of best-of, they tell A BEST story. People criticized Ayu, they said that she's releasing A COMPLETE to compete with Namie for Best Selling Album of the year.

Page 3 :
- blue square below on the left : they present Avex trax, saying it's one of the most famous record company in Japan with Toshiba EMI, Sony Music and GIZA. They talk about the subgroups like Rhythm Zone, where Kumi, EXILE are...

-blue square on the top right : they say that a-nation is the year event made by Avex Trax where their most famous artists sing.

-They say Ayu compete with Namie who has 3 more years of career than her. They say that hardcore fans were pleased by the announce of the release of A COMPLETE, the DVD with unpublished lives can make people buy it. They say that she has not released anything for 5 months, so this best is a way to be implicated again. They speak too about TA where Ayu announced the recording of GREEN. It's cheap, so collectors will buy all the editions. They say that covers did not pleased all fans because of its resemblance with A BEST 2 WHITE booklet, and the colors refer to GUILTY. Fans hoped that songs were resung but they were only remastered like for A BEST 2, so people maybe won't buy something they bought one year and a half ago.

Page 4 :

-They say ranking was predictable, 1st on the 1st day and then lower sales, and they speak about competition with B'z best-of. Ayu sells very high on the first days but after it's falling but she's able to stay on the run, and they add that they hope it will sell as much as A BEST 2.

Square on the top on the left : they talk about A BEST 2, which sold 3 800 000 copies in Asia.

- They recommend 3 Ayu albums :
I am... : best Ayu album. Contains rock songs (evolution SURREAL (huge mistake it's in Duty XD) and UNITE!), dance (Connected) and pop (M, Dearest, no more words) They say you can't get tired of it.

MY STORY : They say it's in the same kind as I am... except some songs are not on the same level. Rock songs (about you, GAME, catcher in the light) which are the most attractive in the album. Ayu put a subject in each song, and she improved her melodies which are incredible.

(miss)understood : most entertaining 2006 album, with pop songs (ladies night, step you) which have a lively and provocative rhythm, and more sensitive songs like fairyland or HEAVEN. A good vocal demo.

Over! I'm sorry if I made mistakes in english

[Lee_Hamasaki]

this is written in italian^^
the translate of luna is really good

[Linoa62]

Originally Posted by Lee_Hamasaki

this is written in italian^^
the translate of luna is really good

Thank you *^_^* Actually I'm quite good at english, and italian, and spanish too ^^ This mag was some kind of training for me since I didn't do italian for some time *^_^* And you're italian! The compliment is even more valuable!!!!!!!! *happy* XD

[BoBo]

she looks nice on this magazine ^^

[Lee_Hamasaki]

ye and u also find the mistake!!! surreal is in duty true

[4ever*ayu]

thx..

..err..no new photos..

[TITANIC]

thanks for the scan and the translation

[alternarist]

thanks!

[lfe.]

Hmm Italian magazine covering Japanese related stuff. Dunno how well that will do, hopefully Ayu being the first issue front cover will help that!

[SolarAngel]

Italy has a magazine devoted to all things japanese? That's so cool. I must say ayu is arguably the most famous japanese outside japan.

[AyuHamasaki01]

thanks for the scans!

[Lee_Hamasaki]

Originally Posted by SolarAngel

Italy has a magazine devoted to all things japanese? That's so cool. I must say ayu is arguably the most famous japanese outside japan.

it is the first number

[Kazeyomi]

tokyo noise magazine its a webzine, not a phisically magazine. We are really a way back with japanese music countries like France, Spain and Germany are really advanced on it.
Anyway they did a great job.
I always visited the site of TokyoNoise, and they're really professional, I hope this webzine would be a magazine.

[Linoa62]

Here's their site you can download the webzine : http://www.tokyonoise.net/Magazine_01.html

[C+R+E+AYUMI]

hello guys! here under the whole translation. Please have fun


Cover Story: Ayumi Hamsaki, why another Best album?

1) Year 2007 and 2008 are called the years of the best album because artists such as Koda Kumi, EXILE, B’z and Namie Amuro decided to release one.
It’s her “BEST FICTION”, the most awaited from fans and from critic, which can’t wait to confirm or deny a probable turning back to the Golden Age of Amuro’s sales.
A few days before the releasing of this album, on the web there was a suspecting spoiler: another Ayumi Hamsaki Best album.
Ayumi Hamsaki is one of the most famous pop singer in Japanese pop music world.
Her albums and singles reach always the first positions of the official national billboard and Ayumi is still classed fourth in global sales with 47 millions albums sold.
Tokyonoise.net has soon reported the news of the release of “A COMPLETE -ALL SINGLES-“ of Ayumi for the 10th September, highlighting the strangeness of the sudden issue.
1 year and half ago was infact issuing “A BEST 2 –BLACK & WHITE” including the last songs most beloved and successful of the artiste.
The release, 6 years and 1 month after the first “A BEST”, it seemed pretty coherent.
The fault of this second best was the choice of editing 4 different album versions (perfect for the collectionists) much expensive and visually not so interesting.
The album didn’t reach the spectacular sales of the first Best, which eventhough the hard challenge with Hikaru Utada’s “Distance”, reached almost 1400000 copies sold.
After the issue of her 9th album in December 2007 titled “GUILTY” Ayumi seemed to want to take a little break from new issues in order to concentrate herself totally to concerts and tours.
After a long silence lasted a lot of months the unbelievable news come unexpected in the end of July. Why she made this choice? We know well that who is considered the queen of J-Pop has the total control on her musical career (we can notice that in the little deed to turn at last second “Secret” from mini to complete album). We do know too that even Ayumi had a huge promotion for her releases (pretty about 1 issue per year) she isn’t a fan of best albums.
“A BEST” was released in 2001 the same day of the issue of Utada’s second album; the first sold 4295000 disks, the second 4469000. Ayumi told that the tear of the cover meant her refusing the issue in the same Utada’s day.
After reaching a great result rising up her success a declaration matched her fans’ hearts: “ Next Best album will mean the end of my career”.
There wasn’t like that. Ayumi continued producing new songs even after.
All these elements underline the importance of these collections for one of the strongest Japanese singer and so also the strangeness of this issue with such a short distance from “A BEST 2”.
This certainly reminds “A BALLADS” in 2003, which is different from a common best because includes some singles within a peculiar theme. There are various guesses that try to give a reason to this sudden release, some bolder some more concrete. A part of audience criticize Ayumi assumpting that Ayumi wants to challenge Amuro for the album of the year.
“BEST FICTION” infact take over a million of copies after only 2 weeks,sales that the artiste didn’t reach since 1998. Exit from competition one of the most dangerous rival as Utada Hikaru, Ayumi confirms her success starting from that year, but now she’s finding herself competing with a singer with more experience (Namie works with Avex Trax since 1995, Ayumi since 1998). Is it truly the battle to crown the queen of Hip-Pop? Truly Hamasaki wants to concentrate the attention on her to shadow Namie? The gooddest fans were happy after the announcement of the new best, just to make bigger their collection. Moreover the DVD contains some never edited live of concerts and a-nation exhibitions helping sales; and because she doesn’t announce any new release since 5 months the best seems to be a good starting point. Moreover Ayumi updated 2 times her official blog talking about a new song that makes her apparently proud. Her activities seem now clearer. Indeed the 3CD+DVD version is so cheap (almost 30 euros) is surely a good help: infact lot of fas are buying both versions.
Despite this the choosen covers don’t attract much the fans’ spirit: covers have been crtiticized though they seemed too much to A BEST 2 BLACK & WHITE booklets’covers; moreover the atmosphere of colours remind to much GUILTY. Lot of people thought songs were re-sung instead they were only re-recorded; someone had just bought A BEST 2 and with its cost they don’t even think to buy another simile album.
The promotion began lot of time before the issue so everybody was waiting to see how 2008 will change. As a result the album had great sales the first days followed by a big down. “A COMPLETE ALL SINGLES” sold the first day 198000 CDs, went down the second day to 119000 and arrived the 3rd day at 54000 copies.
The path seems the same as B’z’ BEST Ultra pleasure that saw stopping its sales at 900000 copies. Ayumi confirms herself as the great first days seller but not the queen in long times.
Many ask what was going to happen if Ayumi didn’t create her A BEST 2…most probably A COMPLETE SINGLES was going to be an unrepeated success.

[ownsarai]

Nice to see Ayu getting more attention outside of Japan! Thanks for the scans.