The 3:54 - 4:58 mark in BALLAD is still giving me chills. Absolutely epic. :heart

4:42 - 4:58 is just the most gorgeous though. Her voice is absolutely haunting. The emotion is so raw and genuine. :heart :heart :heart

I liked the PV for You were...mainly because it was smth fresh and new and unusual for ballad
it had concept, and some atmosphere. I don't like the song tho, because it's typical/boringm but the PV is very very good, imo

BALLAD sounds like Will, and I luv such songs, actually. they have that ethnic & powerful feeling. or epic. whatever, BALLAD better had been the title track, I mean, the main, not You were. probably it wasn't done so because it would resemble alan. buuuut Ayu is much..well, I won't compare :)

previously,the title for the tracklist was re-take version.so,we assume she re-record that song again

I absolutely adore You were... and BALLAD! They are so wintery and ballad-y, and they just really get me in the holiday mood :D

The pv for You were... was kind of weirdish, but I still liked it, and OHMIGOSH I can't wait for my copy of the CD to come! :D

I like both You were... and BALLAD, but they aren't my favorite Ayu songs/ballads. They both lack a little... oomf.

Loving You were 100%

and BALLAD is AMAZING...

at last a single that i love...

Ok, here I go:

I really don't like this single.

Days was absolutely astounding. People moan and complain that the melody was so "generic" and "boring". I thought it was a perfect song. Really easy to listen to and addicting. Very catchy.

You were... just seems so... forced. It's one of those song that COULD HAVE BEEN really good, but failed. And an "ok song that could-have-been-amazing" is much worse than just an "ok song". The verses are nice, but the chorus seems very (excuse me for using this word again) forced. It just doesn't blend well. All of a sudden, Ayu's belting out and SHOUTING (as I have heard other people describe it too). I do love the ending and that part after the bridge when the instrumentation goes soft and Ayu's voice is left before it kicks in again. But honestly, I prefer "Close to you" over this.

BALLAD is somewhat boring as well. It sounds like the theme for a movie, but not really something I would listen to a lot. Too "dramatic" yet leading nowhere.

I am not one of those people who put-down everything Ayu releases. I always have the best expectations, while trying not to expect too much. Seriously, I wasn't expecting something TOO amazing as I figured that'd be almost impossible considering how much of a God-send Days was to me last year. Like the perfect Ayu song I had been waiting for. But "You were.../BALLAD" seems like they tried too hard. If it wasn't Ayu, I wouldn't think twice about the songs.

Sorry Ayu! You're still so HOT and I love you forever! Lol.

Here's to hopes for a good album at least...

I don't get the whole "oh Days is great and one of Ayu best ballads" because, actually, I think she reached the limit, how I can call it otherwise, of good ballads, seriously,probably in 2005 and MY STORY was the last album with good, quality ballads

then goes Pride (but it's by GEO) and surely HEAVEN but that's all...

I think Days & You were...are basically the same in terms of...well, both boring/typical, but has great PVs. I only maybe liked them a bit because of the PVs, and the PVs somehow make the songs memorable, otherwise, I would just skip them

just watched the preview CM. mmm, I like BALLAD more & more & more
haven't seen such a PV in long time. reminds forgiveness for a while :)

so I prefer BALLAD. better arrangement and music and even more beatiful PV

anyways, it's a nice single. not best/epic but nice. better then Sunrise in terms of PVs & covers for sure, but kinda still on the same level of music. I'd rather go for smth..."innovative"? oh, I don't know. I just want more complicated music or whatever

^Well, considering that Secret, Together When, Green, Pride, Rainy Day and Curtains Call are some of her best ballads IMO, I disagree xD

But considering that IMO Carols and No Way to Say are boring as hell and sound pretty much alike, maybe I just should be ignored xD

This!! In HQ it will be even better, I'll probably cry. :(

Yep and it seems like some people have forgotten about RED LINE too :laugh. There's still those + the orchestra version of Sunset to look forward to (oh yeah, and the alternate covers for the single too). This single has so much new stuff, I love it.

After seeing the clip of the BALLAD PV in the CM, I think I'm really going to love it. It looks a million times better than the atrocious You were... PV.

i believe this is because we all love her darker side of songs rather the one she's producing-Days,You were...
The feeling when i'm listening to pride,heaven and so on the you've mentioned always make me very sad and in anger while Days and you were... make me feel sad BUT calm,not as emotional as pride,heaven etc.
she's know found the 'light' and came out from the 'dark',so,i don't really expect her to go back to the dark anymore :no

^I don't love her dark side at all... I'm happy if she is releasing what she feels like to... even if I dislike it

I just watched BALLAD's PV.

OMG EPICAKJGAKLJSD AMAZING ASKDJGAKLSDJGKLA BEST PV EVERRRRRR.

Seriously, that was like the best thing she's done since JEWEL. ;___; I thought I would never think any of her PVs were GOD again but this is just like the bestttttttttt. <333333 It was absolutely perfect! It even made me like the song. It waksdgjakjg! :D:D:D

Seriously I'm so impressed with Ayu, I even love the song now <3

BALLAD totally feels like it belongs in a musical as a huge act closing number, and I LOVE that about it

I WANNA MARRY THE BALLAD PV!!!!!!


srsly, the best Ayu PV since like.... Part of ME/Marionette

Okay, one... the cats? Really? You make a set THAT beautiful and and then have Ayu and Shu-ya risking their lives for cartoon cats?

Two: anyone else think that the whole mailbox thing is a rip off of Heaven's Postman?

Other than that, OMG IT'S GORGEOUS!

The setting`s in Ballad`s PV are absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everything looks so darn beautiful!!!
I love it...
sure the plot is over used but the execution was wonderful!!!! Reminds me of her interlude videos from the concert tours!
Definitely one of my favourite Ayu PVs!!!

It's nice, and she looks nice...

but it's just generic to me...so I don't like it, both the song and the PV, and I think she should be beyond that. It's like something alan would do, and reminds me of something like Shin Sen ~Red Cliff~, except alan did it better.

But it does seem nice, just not for me, at all. I think I expect too much of her. Oh well.

The big plus is, she actually looked great in it.