For me, as a fan who is never planning to read the book, the drama itself was very interesting. It's a pity it couldn't have ended more smoothly due to COVID19 pandemic but I really appreciate everyone's effort put into this work.

Also I have this other bittersweet feeling about Avex new artists and groups lacking their own seal and charisma. I can't help but wonder where it all started going the wrong way... despite all the economic efforts put into Karen Anzai it seems she is nowhere near to success and I'm praying her Music Station appareance to pay off, she is really getting better but very slowly. Looking back at Ayu's poker face it impressed me how much Ayu can deliver at such an early era.

Comparing new artists to people like Ayu, Namie, Utada, etc is complicated because they were already very out of the norm during their debuts. Artists with this kind of potential as very, very rare anywhere in the world.

I would say that in each decades and in all over the world there are always some singers that stand out thanks to their charisma & distinctive style or whatever but in my opinion it tend to be less and less the case in today’s music tbh I’ve difficulties to name someone really standing above others. It probably has to do with recording companies not investing much on artists like before and because of the evolution of the way of consuming music since the end of the 00’s. It's a global things.

Yeah, I'm sure there are many, many reasons for this and I'm sure someone could write a really long detailed analysis if they had the time. But I too find it a bit sad. Very few people are actually enjoyable to watch these days and most of them are people who are still around from the previous era.

I would say the tide started turning about 2008-ish? Avex also had Otsuka Ai, who was doing fantastically. Koda Kumi as well. And BoA was also a success for them in the early - mid 2000s. Then they gave Girl Next Door a good push, but failed. Since then who have they really backed strongly?

They've really backed FAKY a lot when you consider how everything they've released has flopped, if it was the late nineties or early 2000s, they would have been dropped already.

they turned to groups mostly. e-girls, AAA and their members, lol, faky... they seem to be trying to balance everything promoting more solo artists nowadays though

AAA is probably the cinderella story of avex at the moment, they're basically doing their third dome tour still at the end of the year before their disbandment.

I do think there are some pretty good newer performers that didn't hit it big yet... Vickeblanka and Reol come easily to mind.

TBH, I really think that 22 year old Ayu is more outstanding than Kalen Anzai. After seeing Kalen is M, boys&girls concert/PV outfits and hairstyles.

If kalen anzai was in fact the rising star back in year 2000, do you think she would have make it as big as Ayu?

Not bashing Kalen Anzai. But I was drawing a comparison since she plays as a rising star 22 year old Ayu.

I'm not up to date with the series but I don't remember if it was mentioned: was AXELS group and the whole Rukawa plot just made up for the series?

The drama had all of that added. It probably would have been rather stale without the additions.

Based on the Drama, I would say she doesn't stand a chance. But after watching her first tv performance, I actually found it to be pretty ok. Not amazing, but there are people doing that for longer with worst results.

I think this might be interesting for whoever is interesed in M drama and don't want to watch it fully ^_^ I made it

I like what you did there with transitions :) Good job!

Has anyone got the real life persormance of the appears song that Ayu sings and Kalen lipsynchs at the end of episode 7? I mean Ayu's TV performance, where she skips a lot of the song .

Yep, 100%.

Love how she leans on Yo-chan for support! :luv2

;)
https://media.giphy.com/media/ibX65m...SZa2/giphy.gif

I really miss Yocchan more after watching the original live again, if the drama was longer it would've been nice to have had that dynamic build up in her team. If the show ended up with a 12-15 episode run then it would've ended up better representing her story imo

Kalen's acting did improve over time which is why it sucks that it got cut short. I was really enjoying it even though it was corny!

I liked the mix of real life clips, and the bit where you synched Reika on the cymbals was hilarious :D Good job on it!