these 5 songs aren't that bad. they have potential! So I hope this album sells well too! :D

Hmm I think even this aim is rather hopeful. I am gonna say in between 20k~25k. I even think this may be too high. 18k at least!

I’m in no rush to put this mini album on my phone, which is a first for me when it comes to her releases.

that's how it looks in reality?

https://i.imgur.com/nz4Mxf2l.jpg
https://twitter.com/Kll_/status/1027121551320133633

Then again maybe these are all that is best for ayu to work on with her condition. She cant ignore her ear problem and we know it has gotten worse. Maybe for her health, this is whats best, shes still releasing, just in a way thats best for her health. We want more but that would mean her to continue doing whats causing her hearing to be affected

I gave TROUBLE quite a few tries now, and I can tell that I won't be listening to this as a full album like I do for so many other ones.

I have nothing against aeternal, but I don't find it great, the way I am is sweet but again I don't think I'll overplay it, and we are the queens is better than I remembered but still not amazing imo, I'll still probably play from times to times.

For me, WORDS is the weak link of this release. I just find it so bland, I was hoping the HQ version would convince me but I can't say it did...

However, I'll be forever grateful for the hot mess that W is, can't wait to see what she does with it in live!

Her touring schedule probably doesn't help either but she doesn't let up with that.

I’m very pleased with this release. I rather get 3 new songs than having A Best 3.

^
Me too! Not another best-of album...

Why people act like we got tons of compilations from her every other year? She has released less compilations than Namie Amuro and Koda Kumi while having released way more music than both and actually being around longer than Koda.

honestly id much rather get a HD remastered a best 3 than new material from her if it's all going to sound like this mini album...

Because all the songs on the mini sound alike :shakehead

This album is ok, but forgettable. I had high hopes since I always love her mini albums, but this is very underwhelming.

agreed. 40k seems unlikely these days.

In not gonna quote your whole post because it was quite long. But...

I agree to many points in your post. Now I don't have to write it out myself, thank you.

TROUBLE is just another late era Ayu release for me. These days, I generally think I will not be very interested but maybe a track or two will turn into a happy surprise. Me and Ayu go way back (not way, way back like from the start, but from 2002) and somehow the latest 7 years I've gotten used to not feel the same as I did before. Many reasons behind that, not Ayu's fault. She developed as an artist and in the same time I also grew up from being an youngster to just an adult. Also music industry changed and J-pop lost it's golden era.

I will always love love love the nostalgic songs Ayu made, my heavens they mean so much to me. This newer stuff generally doesn't attract me but a little now and then she hit it off in my taste buds. I have to admit that realizing that me and Ayu didn't click as good anymore was though for a hard core fan like me. But I got used to it and I respect her and her new music even if it's not to my liking. If this is her style now that's totally fine, I will forever cherish the music I already got.

However I will always feel bothered with her over acting on stage lately, I've been to so many lives and POW 20th was close to horrendous.

Don't you think that it may be her last release?

^ Uhhh, no. >_>

Whew, a best-seller.

^^No.

^^^Doesn't it end with a song openly saying she is not planning on retiring?

I haven’t looked at the lyrics yet (from what I can hear in the songs, they sound like they have potential?). I enjoyed aeternal and the way I am (despite the light hearted generic type of songs they are, her voice makes it more emotional :/ ). Everything else is just meh to me, another release similar to sixxxxxx - few good songs but very forgettable and kind of bland.