japanese vs western views on ayu

[truehappiness]

Well, sometimes there are people on top who are like that... but many of the people who are on top made it there because they worked their butts off to get there.

[ayuuk]

I think people in Japan are exposed to her for a long while, so they tend to become less addicted. (That said, I know a Japanese fan who is crazy about her. He has always bought two copies of all versions Ayu's releases--one for use, the other for collection.)

Overseas fans like me have to fly all the way to Japan (or Asia, in 2007 and 2008) to see her live, and we overseas fans cannot buy her goodies as conveniently as people in Japan do (we always have to pay a lot of fees in order to buy stuff from mu-mo, Amazon, YAJ etc). Hence I guess overseas fans "cherish" her and her goodies much more. So maybe this means "distance is beauty" holds true?

[toniayu]

Originally Posted by ayuuk

So maybe this means "distance is beauty" holds true?

[relmy]

I only see news about Ayu that the fandom wants to post, we don't get to see all this negative media that Japan is exposed to. I listen to Ayu when I want to, I'm exposed to her when I want to.

I imagine if I lived in Japan with no choice in my Ayu exposure I'd probably have a more negative attitude towards her. Although, while I do adore Ayu, there have been plenty of times I've seen this diva attitude that she gets criticised for, and criticised her myself.

[Aditmi Krisnasaki ~II~]

well yes, I've met and talked with a Japanese couple (but they lived in US) and they asked who my biggest idol was, and I replied "Ayu" and they were like "OMG, she's so... (forgot what the said.. )" but certainly it's something negative~~ T__T and they said that they preferred Hikki than Ayu.

well yes, Hikki has a better vocal, but she's just a singer-songwriter and that's it! Ayu's an icon, a very influential one, influenced people's life, fashion and whatever at her career's peak...

It's just very annoying to hear them speaking bad about ayu... :'(

[njanjayrp]

Originally Posted by Aditmi Krisnasaki ~II~

well yes, Hikki has a better vocal, but she's just a singer-songwriter and that's it! Ayu's an icon, a very influential one, influenced people's life, fashion and whatever at her career's peak...

Out of all those things songwriting is the thing I respect the most, I couldn't care less if she's influential or not or that people used to like her sense of fashion. In other words, just because Utada isn't a fashion icon that doesn't mean she's worth less. She composes and arranges most of her songs, so imo that's a bigger plus.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Sandy

I wouldn't use the word "admire" in my case, but it makes me proud somehow. If Ayu and Pocahontas can be without an education so can I! I'm most likely gonna drop out of school at the end of this year (12 years of school is enough, thank you ) and it makes me feel not-that-terrible when I watch Ayu. Not saying that I'm gonna become a singer, but education might be overrated.

Just to clarify, Ayu isn't considered a drop out the same way that we would consider it in America. In Japan, a student only needs to finish Junior High School to be considered successfully graduated and able to join the work force; which I'm pretty sure Ayu did. (Junior High is the equivalent of finishing 10th grade in the US.) Ayu went to a performing arts senior high school briefly, but High Schools in Japan are actually optional. Of course going to high school though will give you better job options.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Aditmi Krisnasaki ~II~

well yes, I've met and talked with a Japanese couple (but they lived in US) and they asked who my biggest idol was, and I replied "Ayu" and they were like "OMG, she's so... (forgot what the said.. )" but certainly it's something negative~~ T__T and they said that they preferred Hikki than Ayu.

well yes, Hikki has a better vocal, but she's just a singer-songwriter and that's it! Ayu's an icon, a very influential one, influenced people's life, fashion and whatever at her career's peak...

It's just very annoying to hear them speaking bad about ayu... :'(

Well... Hikki is an icon to japanese too, even if she dress like a homeless person...

While Ayu position as an icon also has more to do with her songs than some people like to credit...

[Sandy]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Just to clarify, Ayu isn't considered a drop out the same way that we would consider it in America. In Japan, a student only needs to finish Junior High School to be considered successfully graduated and able to join the work force; which I'm pretty sure Ayu did. (Junior High is the equivalent of finishing 10th grade in the US.) Ayu went to a performing arts senior high school briefly, but High Schools in Japan are actually optional. Of course going to high school though will give you better job options.

Okay I have no idea what you said since I am not from America and do not know their school system xD ^^ wow I really feel dumb right now, but you understood the point I was trying to say earlier, right? Oh and do you remember how Ayu once tweeted (??) about her "dropping out from school" when she got criticized about "not being taken seriously" or something?

[njanjayrp]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Just to clarify, Ayu isn't considered a drop out the same way that we would consider it in America. In Japan, a student only needs to finish Junior High School to be considered successfully graduated and able to join the work force; which I'm pretty sure Ayu did. (Junior High is the equivalent of finishing 10th grade in the US.) Ayu went to a performing arts senior high school briefly, but High Schools in Japan are actually optional. Of course going to high school though will give you better job options.

10 grades are alright I guess. Here the elementary school is 8 years long, after that everything is pretty much optional, though getting a job, even with high school (4 years) is pretty hard. Though if I had any talents I'd prolly try pursuing a career that doesn't involve studying, so who can really blame her.

[shizukanaotoko]

My personal experience with Japanese people (and I've interacted with like a hundred college-aged friends) is that most people think she's cute or pretty and has catchy, albeit easy, songs to sing. They love the songs "Voyage" and "SEASONS" most often and the most recent song they enjoy is "BLUE BIRD". "JEWEL" is also pretty popular and so is "Days". Nothing after that has EVER been mentioned. Even my Ayu fan Japanese friends RARELY mention liking anything after Days. In general, they seem to have a neutral to positive opinion of her. I have noticed that, out of my friends, more guys like Ayu than girls! Same with Koda Kumi.

In California, my non-Asian friends who don't know anything about Japanese pop culture think she's pretty-looking but don't care much for her music though a lot of the non-Asian friends who like Asian pop culture tend to think she looks strange and unnatural like a doll or an alien (these people tend to prefer the more 'Asian'-looking celebrities like Shiina Ringo, Koyuki etc.) I think it is just that Ayu looks very Caucasian-ish and it's not typical of Asians to look the way she does and her look is also more "common" in America.

My non-Japanese Asian friends tend to be polarized in that they either think she's gorgeous or think she looks like an alien haha. It's funny because a lot of my girl friends love how Ayu looks but guys tend to have more mixed feelings. I think it is the negative association we have here with dolls that makes a lot of males not care much for her sometimes overly cutesy looks.

[lightningrod]

I don't give it a crap about other people's opinions