@ Demure_Dusk: Just gotta say sorry. The only people I ever pick a discussion with have seriously valid points, and I totally see where your coming from. It's just that reading through some of the posts, my Kumi fan-side takes offence to the idea that people don't find her as attractive as Ayu. The only people who ever respond to my long argumentative post's have good view's and aren't as 'Hit and run' as certain poster's (This thread isn't as bad as usual. No one's come in just to say 'Kumi is ugly', but that seriously does happen too often in other thread's)

So yes, Ayu probably does have what it takes to be the best Kosé spokesperson. My 'defend Kumi' radar was a bit too highly tuned :laugh

Haha it's okay :P I understand how you feel because sometimes I get annoyed too. I like Kumi too, though I'm not huge on her as other artists. Thus I don't like Kumi-bashing myself.

In the end yes you're right. I seriously believe Kumi is pretty in her own way but her asset is definitely her body, while Ayu's is her face. Which is why I think Kose was dumb not to renew their contract with Ayu.

The fact that ayu's stopped being with VISEE in 2004 was simply because of her age. VISEE's target market is young women under 25. And in 2004 ayu was already 26.

Plus, they used her for 4 years; the brand needed change to keep the appeal.

Was there any non avex spokesperson from the past? I can't think of anyone from avex to be the next kose spokesperson...as much as I like Ai, I don't think she fit as one. Non avex...I think leah or erika would be good.

you're right ^^

Because some people say something in the direction of negative about kumi and then the kumi fans' "defend ku" radar goes ballistic. Happens in all the forums, very annoying, while Kumi wasn't even bashed. People said Kumi doesn't have the face for Kose, and about Ayu someone said she's so small you could step on her if you don't look where you going. Well, do ayu fans go ballistic over that? No. Koda fans need to lay off and stop being so paranoid. >_< imo.

:yes I loved that CM. Amazing and Ayu was the ultimate hottness in that picture. I always wished I was that guy in the CM with her, haha.

I'm not sure it was really becouse of her age, but perhaps... I think the fact she was just too expensive to renew the contract was a strong reason too.

I was just about to suggest this too. I think we all realize she can't have the contract forever, but Kosé seriously downgraded from Ayu, the most well-known face of j-pop, to Beni Arashiro, a debuting nobody (she's still a nobody lol). I'm sure Beni Arashiro's contract with Kosé is worth a mere fraction of the price of Ayu's deal.

It could also have been an avex decision since they wanted to promote Beni...

Professionaly, I have to say that Koda Kumi is a good model. at least most of the shoots seemed to have gone pretty well. But she strikes me as one of those people that need so much make-up, editing and retries before there's any result, because Koda wasn't really blessed with good looks.

At any rate, if I remember correctly. Ayu designed the last visé/kosé-CM herself, using 'moments' as just a CM-song. But because her fanbase at TeamAyu told her they loved the song, she turned it into a single; making the single-version significantly different from its original CM-version.

Her photoshoots generally nowadays probably have good photographers.

Back then in Koda's beginnings.. oi. COME WITH ME = worst cover ever O_O

no wonder she seems *****y.. those 'good' photographers are somehow always SUCH asses! > < "

^ lots of singers have good photographers.. and they don't do the whole overtly sexy image that Kuu portrays, its just Avex wanting to make Kuu the leader of a new fad so they market her as being *****y.. if that makes sense lool

lol. That's funny. :/

I was simply expressing that the better the photographer, the more of an ass he seems to be, and thus the crankier you get... Trust me, it's hard sometimes not to kick the photographers great behind:headache

Koda's part in Visee compaign is just fine, that's all. I heard the whole 1 million (or was it half a million?) units of a lipstick sold after the mermaid Ayu CM went on air, that's something... I don't think any such thing happened when Koda started her Kose gig. Although Koda is the 'it' thing now, she isn't and probably will never be as big as Ayu used to be and thus the compaign starring her won't be much of a big deal, despite still quite recognizable, I guess.

I have to admit I don't quite get why Kose switched from Ayu to Beni, becouse just like Halla said, she was barely recognizable. It seemed more like they were trying to promote Beni by attaching her face to the cosmetics, instead of other way round. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Avex actually paid Kose to make Beni their new spokesperson...

I think it was 500,000. A million seems like it'd be way too many units, and I remember the number having six-digits..

You mean her paycheck?
Wasn't there some thread/article detailing certain idols' earnings?...

If they signed her in 2001, which was her top year I believe, then I guess they had to be near 1 million USD, at least 700,000, for a few years deal.

Nope, I believe 500,000 LIPSTICKS were sold after that mermaid CM :P