come on ayu is trying new stuff everytime... cant u all sense that?? lolx... relax... the entire album isnt out yet.. u all is like giving so many opinions.. dont u think is kinda like too early?? :D i'm sure everyone here does love AYU!! ayu is everchanging and everyone knows that right, and why the overreaction? LoLx... u all just so funny... but some bad comments/opinions is not a bad thing... but at least appreciate the fact and the effort that ayu is trying.. i'm sure she has done all her best thus far... its just a matter u appreciate it or not... dun like it then dun buy it, its just so simple.. no one can force u :)

but one thing for sure: if ayu is releasing similar songs like she did previously, like TRAUMA and all that.. there is one thing for sure people who will condemn her for recycling her old stuff... but now it seems like people thinks she is recycling too.. but i think its just a little bit... mostly these stuff sounds new to me... but come on think of it, can u find another jpop singer who has the similar style to hers? i doubt so.. even if she is recycling her old songs, her works are still unique, even her rock songs does not sound similar to any other rock bands or rock singers, even her ballads also dun sound so much like ANY other singers (though CAROLS sounds a bit like normal)...
relax... :)

[edit: oh yeh...you also mentioned something which I think is strange...Ayu wasn't exactly a good composer and 'I am...' imo had the worst melodies out of her discography. Yet it is still so popular.[/QUOTE]

actually, ayu is not a very good composer except M, the ranks of songs are from a famous AYU fans site Ayu!Love!Ayu!, I think it may represent the real thounght of japanese fans.

As for the popular, ayu's popluarity was boosted most at DUTY and A best, and i am... is the continue of the popluarity(that means although the album songs are not so good, the fans still go to buy due to ayu's high popular after A best), not to mean there are no good song, such as M and evolution are good enough , but some such as never ever and endless sorrow are really not so good. those single were out at her prime, although some songs are not so good, people still buy.Because AYU was really really very popluar after a best's released. a best sells 260,0000 at the first week, over 100,0000 at the first day.

Due to this, fans of AYU even queue overnight outside the CD store to buy the album I am...

lf you look for reasons why she is popular ,it mainly due to her lyric, many teens in japan swear ayu changed their whole life.

you know, avex in japan originally not going to promote her that much after the bad sell of trust, depend on you etc. but the lyric in a song for xx make a song for xx become 5 weeks oricon number 1 after only sold 60000 to 100000 per single.
actually, i don't think my story's music is not good. this is after surreal,M, momennts, I love the song immediate(esp. walking prond). as for I am..., i really don't like it at first, but after listen to it many times, i get used its strange melody(you konw, ayu is only a singer, although she is composed not well, fans will forgive her)also, the lyric in i am... make me continue to hear such like never ever.

IMO i agree LOVEppears is the best album so far... :)

i'm disappointed as welll
juz for the fact that MOST of her songs in this new album r gonna b like ROCKISH aka fast songs...
n like.. i dun realli appreciate that cuz her voice sounds WAY better n more enjoyable in slow songs
also i donno i do agree that her voice is going BAD where NO1 can answer that except AYU herself
altho i havent been a REAL long ayu fan.. the best song i've heard would b Moments.. which is the first song i've heard her sing n started being her fan.. and past ones would b Voyage and A song is Born..
i donno like i think MY name's WOMEN and ABOUT YOU is EXACTLY like GAME but w/ diff words..
seriously... she should go baq to her old styles.... and her PVs r alwayz weird n everything.........
but seriously.. juz wait till her album comes out n that u've listened to ALL of her songs in there.. then decide if u should quit being her fan n deleting all her songs from ur hard drive

do you know why she recycle the old style? if you look at the hmv comment on my story, all customer said that she is back to the old ayu that they like most and they are very happy with this(esp. the lyric)

In recently year, ayu is dropping her popluarity (i think it is mainly due to her over appear in tv, japanese tired of her. japan is a extrmely harsh environment for artist to stay popluar long(ayu can do this) , there are extrmely amout of new singer coming out each year, only one or two(or no) can really stay in the entainerment field . Also, japan is famous for its ever changed trend, not only to clothes, also to artists. there are many example of some new singer sells a millions for singer but 100,000 in next single, then people just forget he/her, this is really harsh. :(

As for ayu, as you guys knows ,almost no one like her newer stuff, you all want some stuff like before,like when she is 20 or 21. so, she finally turn back to her past style and hope it can once again accepted by fans. but it seems no one like her to release something like the past, it is really sad for her. If you notice, in the interview around the release of INSPIRE, she said she is holding the same mind such as A song for XX to work this album out,so, i am not suprised by this songs are similar to her past song(of cause not exactly the same, if it is all of you will not like it, so add so new stuff like reock song).

I realised that she put her ever most efforts to work this album out, i am really sad when see all your comment on this album.
i don't know is it just me or ... I feel this album have some special meaning for her, but she said in the recently girl pop, she had so much the freedom she never imagined before this time for this album, and it is her most self-assurance album. and actually MY STORY is really my story, it is album about ayu's story, a summarise for her in this seven years the road she had walked.

I personly think something will happen after this album. as she had already quit all prizes from now on, i afraid some big thing will happan. around this time, many people said she will retire after this year. also, the name "MY STORY' make me have sence of dangerous that she will gone( i hope it is not true) because some japan's great artist had retired around after 7-8 years, like 20 years ago the old j-pop queen do.

i think ayu really tried hard to give the best she can do(she even step back to the past), but as she said in girlpop, she know she could never reture back to A song for xx time, she is different now.

So, i think if your really don't like the melody of song this album, try to look at the lyrics, then you will find that MY STORY must have the best lyric.

Ayu's memorial address (because she forgive her past)is the good-bye to her past, moments(which talk about what she want to told to the ayu at seasons time) is the new start for her, so, can we just wait to see what will happen?

I've never seen anyone fight so much over an album.

Some hate it, some love it, some are nuetral. I don't like it, and if someone else like it or doesn't, then I'll let them. It's not like the people that hate it force everyone else to hate it or the people who love it force everyone else to. How many times have people said we have freedom of speech to say whatever we think of this album? I think it's fair that Ayumi gets honest critics so she won't just have everyone loving her. It's nice to always have something to work for and it's good that Ayumi can work to try to appeal to more people. :)

Why is everyone so fired up?? Aah! Its like, @_@. Reading all these comments and talking about ayu as if she has to live up to our expectations.. It makes me kind of sick that her "fans" would do such things and fight when there's nothing to really be fought about. Its like, Ayu is trying her best and we're giving her crap. I would think to say, "Could you do better?" Because if you can, then by all means, do. If you have the talent or ability to write your own songs and get them noticed, then do so. But if you can't, I don't see why you can talk about ayu like this. >( [now i feel mean :(]

Zeo

I agree,there are a lot of rubbish artist around the world, if you live in Hong Kong then you will know what i mean. Ayu is doing better than the artist here at least 100 times( if not, how can she still be popluar untill today ;) )

Thank you for the well thought out posts, Yamogi.

I think we should wait for the full album to be released before passing any serious judgement. We should also wait for the lyrics to be released. Looking at the lyrics for About You and Walking Proud so far, it seems like her great lyrical ability hasn't diminished at all.

Here we go again. Sigh.

No one's flaming.

You're serious? Not everyone's opinions are determined by the status quo. It's a fact of life - live with it. On top of that, we all still love Ayu. If you'd read around for a while, you'd known.

Thank you for making sense!

It's not harsh.

Correction - we have heard a large part of it.

If one thinks it actually is her most horrible album ever - which I do - that doesn't mean I'm flaming. You seriously need to stop generalising and calling everybody with negative comments bashers. I made a whole thread on it. Go. Read.

So... nobody should be saying they love the album either? That's jumping to conclusions, too.

Couldn'tve said it better.

Definitely. Good thing we're all stating opinions. Stop saying we're bashing!


Word.

I actually think Memorial Address has some BRILLIANT songs.

You... honestly... just... didn't... read... the... thread... right?

It's not like Ayu became a popstar back then because she could write some good songs.

Furthermore - everyone seems to be fired up indeed. Everybody is just saying what they're thinking about the new album - and those who didn't like it are immediately referred to as bashers. I've told this a thousand times by now, and it just doesn't seem to get through.

By that you have given your sentence to MY STORY, which I respect. It is an opinion right but it makes me wonder if you're actually listening to each one of the songs and giving your opinion to each or if you have stuck to a label and that won't change no matter what, be the other tracks you haven't listened to great or horrible. While I've liked most of the MY STORY tracks I still can't have an opinion if it's a good or horrible album. I've listened to bad quality previews of all the songs, and the songs I've listened so far were bad quality files and I never used that to describe the whole album so far as some people are doing (I've seem people who sentenced the album just because of the previews :laugh). I don't like pointing names but I feel like giving an example of what I consider good criticism, take ~K+ for example, he wasn't too fond of the previews but he has been listening to each one of the songs and giving his honest opinions. Ok the previews do make you have an idea and ~K+ probably has his own idea as to how the album will turn out but at least he's not jumping to conclusions even if the conclusion seem obvious to some.

Ayu's came out with so many songs some are good some are bad whoope doo. Everyone's tastes are different songs that are good other's may think it's bad; vice versa. You can't expect an artist to not change in style after so many years. Yeah she's gone a little rock lately, so? She doesn't look bad in leather ^_^

Thanks. Not. I have given all the tracks a chance. Hell, I'm an Ayu fan - I was hoping to like them. In the end, it turned out I didn't. I think some songs are worse than others. I don't deem every track on My Story unlistenable - it's just that what I've heard is something I really dislike.

Have you even read what I wrote about the new songs? Sorry, but you're being awfully offensive here. I wrote LONG, LONG posts about why exactly disliked things - pretty much as good it gets. I've listened to all the songs as well, I've given honest opinions as well - thank you Impact, for deeming me incapable of giving proper opinions.

I have be reading each of your reviews on every song but I just find it abrupt to label the album so quickly. I'm not saying your criticism is bad I think it's actually very well thought out but I find it rushed to say the album is horrible while most of the tracks are still horrible quality tracks and while even if most of it has been made available not all of it is out there to judge the album as a whole.

*yawn* you guys sick. Get a life and don't just say your own opinions in here. Every albums should have some good songs and bad songs. Even though most of you guys think "I am..." ,"Duty",and "Loveppears" are great, some songs are not great in these album. On the other hand, it just a personal taste and what kind of music you like.


PS. Dont quote my posts and say your own words about my posts or write an essay about it. I won't waste my time to see.

I've said it before - those who think the album is/will be the worst yet, are 'jumping to conclusions', those who love it/deem it to be the best yet, are (apparently) not. There's seriously something wrong there. Twelve out of seventeen songs have been released now if I'm not mistaken. I honestly believe this should give us a rather nice idea of what's it going to be like. That said - and having said the following before - I still believe Ayu can bring us the goods and I'm still hoping for it, too. Maybe the five songs not yet released will be the best yet. I seriously hope so. However - up until now, I just can't seem to like My Story as a 12/17th whole.

Furthermore, if you've read my comments (and I believe you have), you may have noticed I took the low quality of the MP3s into account. I haven't judged the songs on their technical issues - concerning bad sound, I mean. I find the songs as whole - melody, instrumentation (once again, not the quality of the instrumentation), composition, style - to be lacking.

Just what we needed - another mindless reply! 'You guys sick' - 'get a life''- 'don't say your own opinions in here'. You've missed out on everything, I suppose. And indeed, don't read this. Just don't. I wouldn't want to see you replying again.

People who say MY STORY is the best album evAAAA! Are indeed jumping to conclusions.:yes However if you listen to a bad quality track and like it, it is most possible you will like the better quality file. If you listen to a bad quality track and it doesn't do much, there's a chance of: you disliking the better quality track, or actually loving it. I'm saying these things because the first time I listened to Free&Easy it was a bad quality track. I thought the song was horrible and it didn't really do much for me. When I listened to the CD track I was hooked as to how the song had so much emotion to it. Ever since I've been not trying to make judgements out of bad quality stuff. I saw you using the bad quality as a matter to distinguish tracks though. Maybe my words were harsh on a few posts before, it's just because it seemed you were jumping to a conclusion something i don't expect of you, but it was most probably(99%) a mistake of mine so sorry.

The way the initial post in the thread was phrased was asking for flames.

We obviously haven't gotten much good out of this thread and everybody obviously have their very own opinions as good and bad is obviously very subjective.

In fear of more unnecessary responses fueling arguments we've been through and resolved.

Can I ask for a lockie lock lock? :)

I say yes, please!

i absolutely agree that she's always changing her style...look at Rainbow,she dare to experiment on something she's nvr gone to b4...it turned out bad,but what the heck?if she nvr tried,she wouldn't know...all i know is Ayu is always coming up with things to please her fans...that includes her experimental songs/albums.though it hurts her popularity...but she is trying for the fans u know..

if she hits the right style...we'll love it.then she goes for the wrong style,so we should turn our backs on her??of course not...that's why we're still here sharing our thoughts of Ayu because a true fan will not change that easily..

i have stuck with her for such a long time...there r reasons for that so even Rainbow didn't turn me off entirely..i still have faith in Ayu.

i quite like the songs personally and i can't wait to get the CD, i hav been an Ayu fan for about 5 or 6 years now, i think Ayu unlike most artists, she comes up with something different in every album !

I have closed it to avoid more trouble. Let's just forget the bad things that have been said to each other, we're obviously not here to be getting angry but to have some enjoyable moments.