The largest Ayu fandom meltdowns~

[Andrenekoi]

^^How beautiful you are has the same certification as You & Me...

And Ayumi was never really seen as a "down to earth" sweet girl after the peaked (maybe not even before she peaked), she is usually refered as a demanding ambitious bitchy diva with a delinquent past...

[November4]

Oh yeah, that ballad might get sung again in a CDL encore.

I did include diva haha. But party queen branding... eh. Wait since when has she been branded as a bitchy needy diva? Diva okay, yes to strong and empowering, but bitchy?

Now -Madonna- is someone who is branded as a bitchy diva. <3

[Coelacanth]

^ I remember that NTV documentary during A BEST era.

Footage showed her scolding her staff.

[November4]

You need to divide personality and branding here. She might be a bitchy party queen diva in real life (which I highly doubt), but her branding has always been entirely different. Like Avril Lavigne. Her branding is snobby, bitchy and fun, but actually she's a pretty shy person who loves writing mature music. That's why her albums recently kinda flop, they're different from her branding with the exception of 3-4 singles.

Thanks about mentioning the documentary, gonna watch that.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by November4

You need to divide personality and branding here. She might be a bitchy party queen diva in real life (which I highly doubt), but her branding has always been entirely different. Like Avril Lavigne. Her branding is snobby, bitchy and fun, but actually she's a pretty shy person who loves writing mature music. That's why her albums recently kinda flop, they're different from her branding with the exception of 3-4 singles.

Thanks about mentioning the documentary, gonna watch that.

I never said she was branded like that, but she for sure is seemed that way
edit: Also, I don't think she ever was branded as the kawaii diva people tend to believe among her western fandom... I read more than once her tendence of being almost (or totally naked) on almost all of her album covers until 2002 made her a somewhat controversial popstar, and the fact that her material was rather dark and that she always touched darker subjects was never overlooked either. There were also a lot of interviews exploring her "delinquent" past during the first phase of her career and she relied on shock value when producing her videos at least since LOVEppears...

[truehappiness]

Even if Ayu isn't branded as such, I think the general public still sees her as a bit of a diva bitch.

[Delirium-Zer0]

Ayu used to mention her drinking on TA often, and on TV she's mentioned having a mini-fridge just for beer... I guess if you really followed her alot, you knew she drank too much, but it was never really part of her image in a big way. The Party Queen album wasn't out of left field for me. I think the image didn't work because she never looks unhappy in the booklet. She has her big happy doe-eyes, smiles, etc. all through it. There's no darkness there - it just looks like "Whoo, she had a wild party last night!" And opportunities for the PVs to show the dark side of a partying lifestyle were lost - the NaNaNa video should have been her accompanying an OD'ing friend in an ambulance. The Shake It<3 video should have emphasized the low self-esteem ayu was really singing about. There should have been a Party Queen PV that showed a wild party, a depressed ayu cleaning up & taking headache meds & seeing an embarrassing photo of herself on an internet tabloid the next morning, but then drinking & partying again the next night anyway.

She tried to juxtapose fun & disaster, partying & loneliness on that album and she & her team simply did a bad job of it. It wasn't as much an ayu branding issue as it was a lack of direction.

[ayu-michan]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

Ayu used to mention her drinking on TA often, and on TV she's mentioned having a mini-fridge just for beer... I guess if you really followed her alot, you knew she drank too much, but it was never really part of her image in a big way. The Party Queen album wasn't out of left field for me. I think the image didn't work because she never looks unhappy in the booklet. She has her big happy doe-eyes, smiles, etc. all through it. There's no darkness there - it just looks like "Whoo, she had a wild party last night!" And opportunities for the PVs to show the dark side of a partying lifestyle were lost - the NaNaNa video should have been her accompanying an OD'ing friend in an ambulance. The Shake It<3 video should have emphasized the low self-esteem ayu was really singing about. There should have been a Party Queen PV that showed a wild party, a depressed ayu cleaning up & taking headache meds & seeing an embarrassing photo of herself on an internet tabloid the next morning, but then drinking & partying again the next night anyway.

She tried to juxtapose fun & disaster, partying & loneliness on that album and she & her team simply did a bad job of it. It wasn't as much an ayu branding issue as it was a lack of direction.

It really was, I agree with you. But ever since I actually got the message she was trying to send (about depression, loneliness, etc.), I don't mind the PVs anymore. Now I think of them as perhaps some sort of sweet illusion/outside cover, like um, a cake that looks really nice and sweet, but when you actually take a bite, it tastes very bitter.

And I've always thought Ayu was a drinker, ever since back then, but you're right it didn't seem to affect her image much until she did PQ.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

Ayu used to mention her drinking on TA often, and on TV she's mentioned having a mini-fridge just for beer... I guess if you really followed her alot, you knew she drank too much, but it was never really part of her image in a big way. The Party Queen album wasn't out of left field for me. I think the image didn't work because she never looks unhappy in the booklet. She has her big happy doe-eyes, smiles, etc. all through it. There's no darkness there - it just looks like "Whoo, she had a wild party last night!" And opportunities for the PVs to show the dark side of a partying lifestyle were lost - the NaNaNa video should have been her accompanying an OD'ing friend in an ambulance. The Shake It<3 video should have emphasized the low self-esteem ayu was really singing about. There should have been a Party Queen PV that showed a wild party, a depressed ayu cleaning up & taking headache meds & seeing an embarrassing photo of herself on an internet tabloid the next morning, but then drinking & partying again the next night anyway.

She tried to juxtapose fun & disaster, partying & loneliness on that album and she & her team simply did a bad job of it. It wasn't as much an ayu branding issue as it was a lack of direction.

I don't think it has to be obvious in order to be well worked.... Having a art direction whose interpretation changes after you pair them with the song was pretty clever IMO. People went for the album thinking they would get a superficial party and got a deep analysis of the loneliness of the party queen

[November4]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

Ayu used to mention her drinking on TA often, and on TV she's mentioned having a mini-fridge just for beer... I guess if you really followed her alot, you knew she drank too much, but it was never really part of her image in a big way. The Party Queen album wasn't out of left field for me. I think the image didn't work because she never looks unhappy in the booklet. She has her big happy doe-eyes, smiles, etc. all through it. There's no darkness there - it just looks like "Whoo, she had a wild party last night!" And opportunities for the PVs to show the dark side of a partying lifestyle were lost - the NaNaNa video should have been her accompanying an OD'ing friend in an ambulance. The Shake It<3 video should have emphasized the low self-esteem ayu was really singing about. There should have been a Party Queen PV that showed a wild party, a depressed ayu cleaning up & taking headache meds & seeing an embarrassing photo of herself on an internet tabloid the next morning, but then drinking & partying again the next night anyway.

She tried to juxtapose fun & disaster, partying & loneliness on that album and she & her team simply did a bad job of it. It wasn't as much an ayu branding issue as it was a lack of direction.

I love your ideas! I should be able to relate to the theme, I used to be 100% like that, but it just falls completely flat. And that "I'm a lonely queen, I'm a lonely queen" from the concert, so shallow and contrived, ugh.

Do you know the song "Chandelier" by Sia? It's about the same thing but completely nails it. Hell, the PV of "Sweet Season" does the idea better and it's about a bloody kids party.

Though to be fair, most of us here are hardcore fans, we'd know about her drinking, smoking and partying habits. The general audience might not? I don't know, I never asked about that when I was in Japan lol.

[Delirium-Zer0]

Originally Posted by November4

I love your ideas! I should be able to relate to the theme, I used to be 100% like that, but it just falls completely flat. And that "I'm a lonely queen, I'm a lonely queen" from the concert, so shallow and contrived, ugh.

Do you know the song "Chandelier" by Sia? It's about the same thing but completely nails it. Hell, the PV of "Sweet Season" does the idea better and it's about a bloody kids party.

Though to be fair, most of us here are hardcore fans, we'd know about her drinking, smoking and partying habits. The general audience might not? I don't know, I never asked about that when I was in Japan lol.

omg Chandelier blows my mind with its awesomeness. I'm not a fan of voices like Sia's in general but that's a great song and holy crap the video.

But I agree - the "I'm a lonely queen" break felt like ayu screaming DO YOU GUYS GET IT NOW? IT'S NOT REALLY A HAPPY SONG and it felt shoehorned in and cheesy. It didn't work at all. The "This isn't really a happy song" thing should have been subtly woven into the album's entire framework.

[November4]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

ayu screaming DO YOU GUYS GET IT NOW? IT'S NOT REALLY A HAPPY SONG

LOL you made me spit out my coffee XD

Can we have someone post the gif of Ayu getting kicked out of the car here plz

[TeamAyu2004]

when I was living in japan i found it odd that the older generation would laugh when I said I was a fan and I would ask why.
They would tell me she was old and didnt act her age. She was also just BAM in your face and thats not the way people her age should act...
I felt so sad. lol

[Delirium-Zer0]

Originally Posted by TeamAyu2004

when I was living in japan i found it odd that the older generation would laugh when I said I was a fan and I would ask why.
They would tell me she was old and didnt act her age. She was also just BAM in your face and thats not the way people her age should act...
I felt so sad. lol

That's the older generation for you though. Pop music is, by definition, subversive to older Japanese, ayu's music doubly so because of its frank subject matter. That was a selling point for her back in the day though. Teenagers LOVED that a pop star was finally singing about the stresses and anxieties they felt. The industry effect wasn't lasting though...

It always shocks me when japanese fans are like "Blah, why is she married to another gaijin?!" because I mean... look at how she's perceived to most Japanese people. Of COURSE she'd feel more comfortable in the USA and marry a gaijin. Most Japanese men, at her age especially, probably wouldn't be a good match for her values.

Originally Posted by ayu-michan

But ever since I actually got the message she was trying to send (about depression, loneliness, etc.), I don't mind the PVs anymore. Now I think of them as perhaps some sort of sweet illusion/outside cover, like um, a cake that looks really nice and sweet, but when you actually take a bite, it tastes very bitter.

And I think that's EXACTLY what she thought she was doing - I just don't think she showed us enough of the bitterness inside, so it didn't really work.

[channy]

Telling others how to behave isn't any better and certainly not mature, either.

I don't know of any consensus on how contemporaries are meant to "act". You should have asked "those people" to hand out short behavioural manuals or something, so others can learn from them and become more sociable, at least in the mature point of view of the authors xD

[Delirium-Zer0]

I think considering how many overseas fans she has, an English translation insert would have probably helped a lot of foreign fans "get it." =\ The only clue non-japanophones got that there was anything more to it than "woo crazy party!" was probably the date on the mirror.

[ayupan90]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

I think considering how many overseas fans she has, an English translation insert would have probably helped a lot of foreign fans "get it." =\ The only clue non-japanophones got that there was anything more to it than "woo crazy party!" was probably the date on the mirror.

I'd forgotten about the date on the mirror. What was it??

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by ayupan90

I'd forgotten about the date on the mirror. What was it??

We know for sure it refers to the date of her Aneki's passing. It's also the same day that Keiko (Tetsuya Komuro's wife and Ayu's duet partner for a song is born) was announced to have a brain hemorrhage/stroke.

[ayupan90]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

We know for sure it refers to the date of her Aneki's passing. It's also the same day that Keiko (Tetsuya Komuro's wife and Ayu's duet partner for a song is born) was announced to have a brain hemorrhage/stroke.

Oh right, thanks! Ayu seems to know a lot of people who have passed, poor girl. Is Aneki the friend that committed suicide? Or am I confusing that with someone else?

[Coelacanth]

There was a lot of missed opportunity with Party Queen to get really gritty and dark with the visuals.

It's as if her vision was only executed 40% of the way...

Still, Party Queen is probably the closest she has to a true concept album.