[Charts & Rankings] The Official Oricon Thread of ~You were.../BALLAD~ II - Page 8

jbrat2219 · #**141** 27th January 2010, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Actually, it's rather easy to dislike Utada Hikaru... easier than you might think.

Your reasons don't really explain the unexplainable X-factor that she seems to have with the Japanese public. It's like... a lot of artists can go a few years without releasing anything in Japan, yeah. A lot of artists are likable, yeah. A lot of artists aren't shoved in your face, yeah. There are also other artists who compose their own music and people are able to relate to it well, yeah.

I guess I've just come to feel that Utada Hikaru's popularity was built upon some massive luck (debuting any later than she did... would she have done as well?) and some sort of infinite source of hype. She makes some good songs here and there, but ultimately, I think she's very overrated... perhaps even more so than Ayu. I feel this pretentious "holier than thou, forever until the end of time" air from her and her fans and it's very discomforting imo. You see it from her in interviews, and when Utada gets some achievement, you then see it from her fans. She makes some great music, but her personality/attitude towards her career grates on my nerves sometimes... I imagine that it's hard for most Utada fans to see it, but looking from the outside in, it's really obvious imo.

LOL And I thought it was just me who felt this way.

SunshineSlayer · #**142** 27th January 2010, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Not last year's list, right? I mean, BEST FICTION was on that one after all...

Last year as in 2009. Best Fiction was 2008. 2009 Namie just had 1 single and 1 dvd; had Past Future come out a couple of weeks earlier she would be much much higher on the list. Mr. Children also just 1 dvd and 1 original album - It's like god Mr. Chiru, you are not supposed to sell this much anymore! lol. The chances of Ayu ever passing them in the overall sales ranking (career) is getting extremely slim.

Quote:

Originally Posted by truehappiness

I feel this pretentious "holier than thou, forever until the end of time" air from her and her fans and it's very discomforting imo. You see it from her in interviews, and when Utada gets some achievement, you then see it from her fans. She makes some great music, but her personality/attitude towards her career grates on my nerves sometimes... I imagine that it's hard for most Utada fans to see it, but looking from the outside in, it's really obvious imo.

You know, many people looking from the outside in say the same thing about Ayumi's fans.

Or I guess the same can be true of any fandom. Utada fans do often take it to the very extreme though.

But yeah, Utada......she's got some kind of magic trick that's been going on from the start of her career. I mean seriously, how does someone in their first appearance on Music Station get the shows 2nd highest ratings in history? That's not supposed to happen to a relative unknown.

truehappiness · #**143** 27th January 2010, 06:51 AM

Quote:

You know, many people looking from the outside in say the same thing about Ayumi's fans. Or I guess the same can be true of any fandom. Utada fans do often take it to the very extreme though.

It's pretty much a given for anyone's fans really. Especially the following imo: Beyonce, Lady GaGa, Britney Spears, Utada Hikaru, any K-Pop group, Tohoshinki (800,000 - 1 million strong international / Korean fan club). I would say that as a whole, the Ayu fandom is a lot less "YAY YAY AYU DESERVES EVERYTHING SHE IS A GODDESS YAY YAY" and is becoming increasingly more critical of her work, which is a good thing. Though at the same time, it's as though to be critical of Ayu, people have stripped themselves of their love for Ayu or something...

Point is, a lot of fans have this " X can do no wrong" when it comes to their favorite artists, but I think that when it comes to Ayu, fans generally are aware that she has taken a step back when it comes to a lot of her "signature" works like PVs and concerts. I haven't really seen many fans with that sort of blind (ferocious?) love that I've seen when it comes to some of the artists I listed above.

SunshineSlayer · #**144** 27th January 2010, 06:54 AM

^ I still have my love for Ayu, but she constantly tests it, haha. btw, Tohoshinki fans are scary...

truehappiness · #**145** 27th January 2010, 06:57 AM

Quote:

btw, Tohoshinki fans are scary...

Never ever say that the members aren't good looking. You will get eaten alive.

I would say that Ayu fans used to be very... blind/spoiled in a way. And then slowly, the rose-colored glasses started coming off and people started to act more "real" about her. ("Real" meaning... they were no longer regarding her as this goddess or something... even if she does kind of come close.... haha.) But some fans went beyond acting "real" and simply went on an Ayu-hating spree, dismissing 100% of the works done after 200X. She's not perfect, but no artist is. Not even Hikki or Mr. Children, haha. (Arguably, Utada is not very reliable when it comes to new material, and Mr. Children has a problem with getting overseas fans with their very... similar sound throughout their works.) It's depressing that a large percentage of the Ayu fandom have such disdain for her recent works (2005 onward) but... I guess some people's tastes change as they grow up.

njanjayrp · #**146** 27th January 2010, 08:37 AM

I wasn't being serious ^^

Anyways when it comes to Hikki, besides the fact that her songs are poppy and that the tunes combined with catchy English phrases can very easily get stuck in your head, I think that it's her simplicity and playfulness that people like about her. While Ayu mostly sings about stuff like freedom, different sorts of love, faith, inner strength and her feelings as far as I noticed Utada sings about little things in life, like watching TV, reading shounen manga etc. (of course she as well has a number of songs I'd say are very poetic like TAKE5), she seems to be more easy going and "relaxed". The fact that people barely knew who she was when Automatic was released made the hype back then I guess and the fact that she was Americanized helped her a lot at that moment, cuz she had a different story to her ^^ At least that's what I think

truehappiness · #**147** 27th January 2010, 09:10 AM

Remove that first sentence. I don't think it's appropriate, and I've never said it here. (And what happened afterward at another forum had nothing to do with their fans really... seemed more like a lot of people getting into a boy band fight, and I was blamed for starting that.)

Huaka · #**148** 27th January 2010, 09:21 AM

^ Seriously! I don't think you have to say names of other groups/artists. Nobody else was making fun of the other artists they were discussing. Jeeze.

**ayumisrael** · #**149** 27th January 2010, 09:27 AM

Let's stay on topic guys and refrain from fan military bases discussions please =D

truehappiness · #**150** 27th January 2010, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayumisrael

Let's stay on topic guys and refrain from fan military bases discussions please =D

Yeah, it did kind of veer off, but at least it started from sales discussions... I think.

I wonder if this single will end up lasting at least 10 weeks in the chart... if it does, it could possible edge past 120k... only slightly, haha.

**ayumisrael** · #**151** 27th January 2010, 09:44 AM

I would give it 3-4 more weeks unfortunately.
Hopefully it won't drop off the top 50 today/this week yet. xD

truehappiness · #**152** 27th January 2010, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayumisrael

I would give it 3-4 more weeks unfortunately.
Hopefully it won't drop off the top 50 today/this week yet. xD

Sunrise/Sunset was able to hang by a thread until the very last week (#200 on its 10th week) so... perhaps this single might be able to as well, haha. At least up until just before the new album is announced... or something.

waterballoon · #**153** 27th January 2010, 09:56 AM

If Ayu is still selling pretty stable, then I don't see what's the point in mentioning Tohoshinki or Utada Hikaru, it's not like any point is gonna be made if you mention them, like ... the point is?

**ayumisrael** · #**154** 27th January 2010, 10:58 AM

Well it's out of the top 50 today. =P

Most of the top 50 are new releases. XD

njanjayrp · #**155** 27th January 2010, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Remove that first sentence. I don't think it's appropriate, and I've never said it here. (And what happened afterward at another forum had nothing to do with their fans really... seemed more like a lot of people getting into a boy band fight, and I was blamed for starting that.)

god I was just kidding, it was a joke...don't take it seriously >.<

None of us tried to bash DBSK nor Utada we were simply discussing sales...to be honest I am actually hoping that DBSK will end arashi's reign~

Quote:

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Sunrise/Sunset was able to hang by a thread until the very last week (#200 on its 10th week) so... perhaps this single might be able to as well, haha. At least up until just before the new album is announced... or something.

the album announcement and cms might actually even help the single stay on charts a bit longer.

Maemi · #**156** 27th January 2010, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Never ever say that the members aren't good looking. You will get eaten alive.

What? I didn't get eaten alive

Maybe their fans are crazy, but they just made their single selling more than 160k in a first day

Anyway, I think that 111k is still great. For me, everything above 100k is nice lol

love in music · #**157** 27th January 2010, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crystal_Ageha

5.) She is, in generally, very likable. I mean, it's hard to truly hate Hikki. >_> As a matter of fact, I've never, ever heard a single person say they hate her. Very amazing...

You obviously haven't been to many places on the internet lol. I honestly dislike her personality, but love some of her music. I cannot watch interviews with her because she is just so rude, it sickens me :/

Yumsushi · #**158** 27th January 2010, 01:32 PM

I too think she's arrogant.
Anyhow, as much as I'd like it this single probably isn't going to sell more than 115 because it seems to be doing well download wise. I long for the day (if and) when Ayu conquers both physical CD and download charts.

Andrenekoi · #**159** 27th January 2010, 04:28 PM

Just my 2 cents as a Hikaru fan xD:
For some reason, her songs apeals to a larger public than Ayu... Ayumi was aways kinda young female audience oriented (I'm not saying she only has fans on this group), while Hikki doesn't have problem on reaching males and females from all ages... but something o noticed is that a lot of japanese people still notice Ayu as a random idol... And even if she already released some of the most iconic japanese music ever and gained the respect from music critics, a part of the audience see her as a "dumb talentless pretty girl", what is kinda her fault for using (and sometimes even joking around with) her idol image... Hikaru on the other way, destroyed her own idol image as soon as possible to become something like a "strange talented musician" on audience eyes...

IMO they both are pretty much anti-idols, or anti-divas... But Hikaru is openly like that, while Ayu is an anti-idol on a more sarcastic way, she dress herself up as a idol, but act on the total oposite way idols act... And the problem with sarcasm is... not everyone gets it

primavera♥ · #**160** 27th January 2010, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Just my 2 cents as a Hikaru fan xD:
For some reason, her songs apeals to a larger public than Ayu... Ayumi was aways kinda young female audience oriented (I'm not saying she only has fans on this group), while Hikki doesn't have problem on reaching males and females from all ages... but something o noticed is that a lot of japanese people still notice Ayu as a random idol... And even if she already released some of the most iconic japanese music ever and gained the respect from music critics, a part of the audience see her as a "dumb talentless pretty girl", what is kinda her fault for using (and sometimes even joking around with) her idol image... Hikaru on the other way, destroyed her own idol image as soon as possible to become something like a "strange talented musician" on audience eyes...

IMO they both are pretty much anti-idols, or anti-divas... But Hikaru is openly like that, while Ayu is an anti-idol on a more sarcastic way, she dress herself up as a idol, but act on the total oposite way idols act... And the problem with sarcasm is... not everyone gets it

yeah ive been a major hikki fan for a while now. . .for a long while i liked her so much more than ayu. then i came to the place i am now. i like them equally. although lately i tend to lean towards ayu as more of a role model and such. and her songs are more appealing to me

lyrically and emotionally. it seems hikki just goes on without trying,. just so easily. she is in this world where her career is so major. and really ill never understand First Love and its success. i think maybe it was just the style of back then. i like her more experimental types. less mainstream. reason i always love ayu. compared to otehr artists on charts, her music stands out. . .and yeah ayu is not so much a diva at heart. i remember her saying in time how she didnt even think her career was going to last long at all really.

(more on topic) this single really should have done better. but its expected. and im still very happy with its current sales. even 111 k is pretty nice for ayu ^_____^