Ayu made it pretty clear in that NTV interview that SHE didn't know if it was gonna be her last album or not (which is why she did so many photo shoots - she wasn't sure if she'd get the chance ever again).

I don't think avex really intended it to be her final release, but I think it very well COULD have been if she hadn't been selling as well as she was.

Max Matsuura did say on a radio interview in late 2000 that he thought that "Duty" was gonna be ayu's peak... alot of fans took that to mean that she could very well be retiring after A BEST, but someone here mentioned that avex could have been deliberately spreading rumors & dropping tiny "hints" of retirement to boost sales.

wow i didnt know about that! but there's A BALLAD and NEVER EVER pic too, are them involved with this case too?

yeah I just recommend to watch the 2004 interview to get the full story.
It even explains the tear, which I just recently watched.
It says that the tear was the "greatest act of defiance" or so.
That she wanted to make an a best album when she were ready, and on what terms.
But Avex did this to her. and rest is the history

i remember watching her one interview in 2004 and how she said it was to be her final album but before it's release, they decided not to let it be and use it to be the rival album to Utada's distance and let Ayu continue with her music career against her. *shrugs* and she hated that idea... but she continued anyways for her fans and b/c she loved it. *shrugs* got to watch it again... but i lost it. kuso!

I believe that's true, that "NEVER EVER" and "A BALLADS" were both released against Ayu's will/opinion/choice.

I didn't know A BALLADS was beyond her will as well, I thought it was just A BEST and NEVER EVER, which is why there was crying in A BEST, and the whole prisoner theme in the NEVER EVER promotional clip (I love how symbolic that clip may be),

^ I'm actually not quite sure if A BALLADS was against her will (I should've stated that in my post), but maybe it (the cover of A BALLADS in the "ourselves" PV) was symbolizing "regret" because of its low sales. :shrug

^A BALLADS cover wasn't in the ourselves PV, A BEST's cover was.

I always though, based off of the fact that the RAINBOW PV had the dual Ayu's and it was used to promote the album, that the A BALLADS cover represented self-forgiveness.

A BALLADS cover was in the ourselves PV alongside with the A BEST , NEVER EVER covers

you see -> http://eneabba.net/ayu/video/videocl...urselves52.jpg

NEVER EVER - http://eneabba.net/ayu/video/videocl...urselves23.jpg

^So maybe A BALLADS was released outside of her will o_o...? If NEVER EVER and A BEST where, and they're there, then A BALLDS must be too right? Where there any other singles/albums in ourselves?

I don't know about the whole release of A BALLADS against her will issue .

& I only managed to spot the covers of A BEST , NEVER EVER & A BALLADS in the ourselves PV .

NEVER EVER appeared 1st followed by A BALLADS assuming if you exclude the covers of A BEST in the video

^yeah it was such a pity NEVER EVER doesnt come out with a PV

i dont understand why they make a short clip for the song though

If I remember correctly, the cover of the first ayu-mi-x appeared in the "ourselves" PV as well. At least, that's what I thought and remembered. (I tried to get a shot of the video, but "ourselves" is, unfortunately, one of the lower quality PVs I have.)

EDIT (from ayu-vogue.net):

The ourselves PV really was a BOLD move on her part, I'm surprised avex let it be released.

And for NEVER EVER, I quite like the clip the way it is, it's LOADED with symbolism.

hmm the ourselves pv have a lot of ayu releases lol, i think it would be cool if ayu did a ballad for her 10th anni, and the pv is of her visiting a museum of all the music she did~

i would have loved for NEVER EVER to have a pv~ well at least they had a short clip....but i think talkin 2 myself is a sequel to NEVER EVER, the bars, military looking clothes, dirt on her face~

NEVER EVER did in a minute what a lot of full PVs can't do. Hearing she was forced to release it makes the whole prisoner angle make lots of sense, along with the dog.

OMG!Read what's under the NEVER EVER,A Ballads an ayu-mi-x!The golden signs!

what does it say? 1999 Mary? @_@..poor eyesight

1999 Mars-The release year and month for ayu-mi-x!

I think March is Mars in french!

Me neither too!!!
I just heard about her protest to the company!