'again' mini album covers

[TeamAyu2004]

^ you also have to understand that the covers were taken last week or two weeks ago...

i dont think normal is the right world...
Down to Earth... she was never really over the top in terms of promoting.
She might have HUGE ties in, but its not flashy.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by TeamAyu2004

^ you also have to understand that the covers were taken last week or two weeks ago...

i dont think normal is the right world...
Down to Earth... she was never really over the top in terms of promoting.
She might have HUGE ties in, but its not flashy.

Yes which makes it worse to me. The whole thing came about "tomorrow an article will be published about Maro and I in a weekly magazine! I want you guys to be the first to know" and it was made out to sound like Ayu wanted to make the announcement before some tabloid did without her consent. Then here she was all along planning to hawk this relationship as part of some spectacle in her career. I'm just getting tired of it - she's making a drama / reality show-type thing out of her life / career...

[ayuPanda]

OMG I'm so in love with them *-*

[TeamAyu2004]

I dont think so.
Maro is nothing new to her career... she has used him before in shoots, lives, PV's, and concerts...

the only difference this time is that she publicly said that she is now in love with him.
thats the only difference.
As for the TA... I get what she was doing... She is so open about things with her fans she probably thought that some would be hurt that they read it in a magazine before she told them. And she is soooo last minute, so they most likely knew about the article for a bit before finally announcing it.

[relmy]

Exactly, Shu-ya was annoying, but it was all acting.

We all thought You & I was Maro filling that role, but it clearly wasn't. These covers are clearly related to it. How long as she been planning this? It all fits too well for a coincidence. Was it all going to be the same, but she wasn't going to tell us? I find that hard to believe with the timings of the news and the amount of images we suddenly have of them.

[TeamAyu2004]

She hasnt really used him in a lot of projects though.
She used him before they were dating, but after the fact we have seen just 1..
the cover.

before that its nothing but speculation.

[Andrenekoi]

Well... People using significant others on their videos/concerts/songs is not that rare... Madonna, Britney, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Ai Otsuka, Koda Kumi, all of them did that recently.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Well... People using significant others on their videos/concerts/songs is not that rare... Madonna, Britney, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Ai Otsuka, Koda Kumi, all of them did that recently.

But Ayu's significant other - his job is to be with Ayu, regardless of if they are dating. So he will ALWAYS be there. It's like his paying job now to play that part on, and OFF, stage. A collaboration between lovers is different.

And do not use Britney as a credible source on this - that was the clear start of her tragic story / era and proves how much of a terrible decision that was for her.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

But Ayu's significant other - his job is to be with Ayu, regardless of if they are dating. So he will ALWAYS be there. It's like his paying job now to play that part on, and OFF, stage. A collaboration between lovers is different.

And do not use Britney as a credible source on this - that was the clear start of her tragic story / era and proves how much of a terrible decision that was for her.

Let me introduce you to Britney's actual fiance, her manager:




Madonna and J-Lo are also dating her dancers:




And really, it's even "worst" (as I don't really see anything wrong on doing that) to have your lover collab with you if he doesn't work for you.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Let me introduce you to Britney's actual fiance, her manager:




Madonna and J-Lo are also dating her dancers:




And really, it's even "worst" (as I don't really see anything wrong on doing that) to have your lover collab with you if he doesn't work for you.

What this person said:

Originally Posted by ExodusUK

Except Ayu has explicitly repeatedly stated her private life and working life are two different things yet continues to contradict herself.

I know of Britney's man, and I know of the other celebrities dating dancers. But it isn't as "in-your-face" as Ayu and her man. I mean, a freaking album cover. The whole way things came about is what looks so strange here. To the general public, you have to understand how bad this looks. For people saying Japan is just "tired" of Ayu, this really won't change their minds and will probably bring accusations of "stunts" to light in Japan if it already is bringing such accusations by FANS here on AHS. Tamoya was in no way a part of the "Hamasaki Ayumi" image when they were dating (correct me if I'm wrong)...

Just thinking about watching Ayu videos with friends:
*watch Love Songs PVs*
"You know, that became her real life husband in real life"
*watch Return Road PV*
"You know, that became her real life ex-husband in real life"
*watch You & Me PV*
"You know, that dancer became her real life boyfriend in real life"
*looks at again covers*
"You know, that man is her dancer and boyfriend from the You & Me music video"

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

What this person said:

I know of Britney's man, and I know of the other celebrities dating dancers. But it isn't as "in-your-face" as Ayu and her man. I mean, a freaking album cover. The whole way things came about is what looks so strange here. To the general public, you have to understand how bad this looks. For people saying Japan is just "tired" of Ayu, this really won't change their minds and will probably bring accusations of "stunts" to light in Japan if it already is bringing such accusations by FANS here on AHS. Tamoya was in no way a part of the "Hamasaki Ayumi" image when they were dating (correct me if I'm wrong)...

Just thinking about watching Ayu videos with friends:
*watch Love Songs PVs*
"You know, that became her real life husband in real life"
*watch Return Road PV*
"You know, that became her real life ex-husband in real life"
*watch You & Me PV*
"You know, that dancer became her real life boyfriend in real life"
*looks at again covers*
"You know, that man is her dancer and boyfriend from the You & Me music video"

We only know it's Maro on the cover because we are a bunch of obsessive freaks that recognize her dancers by their hair xD His face is is covered either by the light or by Ayu on both photos... For someone who doesn't care enough about her to know who her dancers are or look like, this cover goes easily unoticed as a stunt.

And really... She is a celebrity whose money comes from the capacity people have to relate to her personal feelings or the image they make of her personal life, so, using her love life (on the same way she used her career delusions, her relationship with her parents, the death of beloved people, her deafness, etc) as a creative fuel to her projects is just natural. And it's also natural to all the other ladies I pointed, whose relationships we also know nothing about aside the fact they exist. It's not like ANY of them makes more money by appearing on tabloids than they do by releasing music and performing.

Originally Posted by Mirrorcle Monster

Am I the only human being along with ayu who constantly changes his opinion and vision of life constantly?? Everything ayu has told the oublic about her private life has been through the art: lyrics, PVs, album and single covers, photobooks...

Pretty much this... How do people expect her to release personal music and videos (that is what brought a good part of her fanbase to her) without puting a little (almost nothing actually) of her personal life on it?

[pepper]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Let me introduce you to Britney's actual fiance, her manager:
Madonna and J-Lo are also dating her dancers:


And really, it's even "worst" (as I don't really see anything wrong on doing that) to have your lover collab with you if he doesn't work for you.

there is nothing wrong with dating dancer/model etc lol it's not the point
and also ayumi is not madonna/britney/j.lo~~ just because they puts their relationships onto carrier, it doesn't mean it's a good thing. (mixing private with showbiz, NOT dating dancer)

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

http://blog.jpopdb.org/media/ayumi-n...vel-2cddvd.jpg

Simple? xD

i meant after NEXT LEVEL I don't consider RnRC as fancy photoshoot, (only her clothes were fancy)

[isthisLOL?]

Kylie Minogue had her boyfriend nearly naked on her tour video in 2011, too. And it was hot.

[TeamAyu2004]

You can even look at Maro collaborating with Ayumi via his danceing...
He's been in her You and Me PV and now the covers...
hes not really everywhere.
I think after these 5 release we can get a better judgement of how its going to be...
but its nothing really new... Ayumi gets someone that she likes and STAYS with it till she finds something new...
the only difference this time is that its her boy-toy.

[jyujiw]

I just hate her hair like this. Omg.

I was still expecting something different. But oh well, they're some pretty covers. Reminds H

[ExodusUK]

Except Ayu has explicitly repeatedly stated her private life and working life are two different things yet continues to contradict herself.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by ExodusUK

Except Ayu has explicitly repeatedly stated her private life and working life are two different things yet continues to contradict herself.

We know nothing about their relationship aside it's existance... You guys are talking as if she was using honeymoon photos as album booklets and bloging/twitting about their sex lifes.

And really, her personal life is the main fuel of her creative outputs since day one... Remember the song rumoured to be about the death of her beloved grandma ended all of her concerts (either by her performing it or playing the recorded version) for most of her career.

[Mirrorcle Monster]

Originally Posted by ExodusUK

Except Ayu has explicitly repeatedly stated her private life and working life are two different things yet continues to contradict herself.

Am I the only human being along with ayu who constantly changes his opinion and vision of life constantly?? Everything ayu has told the oublic about her private life has been through the art: lyrics, PVs, album and single covers, photobooks...

[LEOyumi]

Aren't we getting a little too out of hand here?
She said her personal life is separated from her works, but we all know this isn't completely true. A song for XX, teddy bear, Memorial address, they're all songs for her father, a personal matter for her, and I never saw someone complaining about them because they're songs about her personal life. Same thing happened with untitled ~for her~ and probably lots of other songs we don't even know, but are about a personal matter for her.
The only different thing is about her love relationships, until Tomoya she kept them away from the public eye, and we can actually say the same about Mannie. Yes, he was featured in her PVs, but it was before they actually got married. I don't really follow her news outside the music scene, but I think their relationship was kinda out of the public eye too? I didn't really see much, excluding the marriage and the divorce announcement, of course.
I don't really see a problem with Maro being featured in 'again' cover because we can't really see him, it could be anyone there in his place. The only strange thing about the relationship are the pictures of her with him in Paris, it's like she's doing it to show everyone they're together. lol not that I see a problem with that, she could even have sex with him in public if that's her fetish or something, I just see how people could see it as the wrong thing.

[TeamAyu2004]

yep.
She still has her personal life.. all she did was tell us that she is dating..
We dont know anything else about it.