Like the May-June shoot. But that's all. The rest of the pictures aren't that wonderful.

i love this calendar! my most favorites are the may-june & july-august pictures. :heart

I like everything except the first and last picture, those two are cheesy.

Finally <3 I actually love it *o* except from nov-dec all of the pictures are great imo.. Maan really have to order it this year too haha :'D

I think both 2003 and 2012 has some bad pics and good pics. So I don't think one is better then the other.
For example
Ayu did a better pose in May-June 2012 then the May-June 2003.
The outfit she had in Nov-Dec 2003 compare to the one she wore in Nov-Dec 2012.

2012 win 4 photos 2011 one win 2 so it's 2012 for me :) glad i'm getting it.

She looks great in all shots except for the last one. I don't like her figure in that one.

So glad my birthday is in April right about now. I love her softer pictures. The others all look over worked and over stylised. Ayu doesn't need all that much to look flawless. I prefer the much more natural and relatable Ayu to be on my wall. 2011 calendar was boom ting though.

I really like it! :heart

Gorgeous.

Love this calendar :luv2 it's a great tribute to the 2003 one!
I don't have a favorite month, because she's gorgeous in all of the pics.

I prefer the old one, because it's more natural (I especially love the one in the fur coat). What strikes me the most is that although Ayu hasn't changed drastically over the years, the difference in her face is not the age, but the make up, which is so obvious that it tells you its purpose for being there is to make her look younger.

It doesn't.

It makes her look like someone who's trying to look young, which I believe she would if she wore less. I like to see people age, as it gives them more character. I also believe it's possible to look a lot younger than you are--my mother is the living proof of that. But I don't like it when people do all sorts of things to look younger and get the opposite effect, and for that reason, appear desperate.

From an aesthetic point of view--she's pretty. But she lacks character, especially when you compare these two calendars.

To be honest, I don't see this natural thing in the 2003 calendar as other people do :shrug.
The previous one looks pretty fake-plastic-colorful as well lol but I think it's done on purpose. And that's why I like them both.
If I'd call natural a calendar I'd pick the 2004 or 2006 ones.

I think her most natural calendars were probably 2001/2002, and then maybe the one set in Hawaii.

All of the other ones are pretty much glam!Ayu with crazyretouching. The way she had her makeup done by Keizo Kuroda back then is also rather different compared to the way that the new makeup artist does it imo. You can see the change in her general style after he and her old stylist were replaced post-(miss)understood.

I don't blame the make up I blame the photoshop.
She looks normal in real life and not plastic.
Yeah same concept but different.

They both are unique in their own way so I can't compare them.
I can't say I like this one better than this because of this blah blah.

July-Aug is the best!^^
thanks for sharing

^ that is exactly on my mind when i saw the last nov-dec pic haha XD

The Mar-Apr and and Sept-Oct ones are beautiful, and I'm curious how the rest will look in HQ. The last one made me lol and the first one would be better without the red Statue of Liberty-text. "Ooh! Tell me, who is that beautiful, beautiful woman who has her hand raised, in this picture?" "Well, you must be talking about The Statue of Liberty!"

I agree with this 100% just because in the 2003 calendar, you can tell she used to be such an effortless icon, while now it's pretty obvious that she's trying really hard to keep that kind of image.

@kazeyomi and truehappiness: Personally, I'd say the natural thing comes from the fact that she isn't trying nearly as hard in the 2003 one. Yeah, there's a ton of makeup, but it's still don't pretty effortlessly and naturally... She doesn't at all look like she's trying hard to look good, and more importantly, her poses are really natural and unforced, as if she's not really even trying to pose. In the 2012 one, she is posing to the extreme and obviously trying really hard to look younger than she is, which makes her look older. @_@