I kinda agree with ayu_ready?, I think she used to put more love into what she did & she tried more to promote her work. Media really make a difference.

I'd much rather have a new single than A COMPLETE, so so so soon after A BEST 2, it's almost ridiculous..

But I believe that Ayu does what she thinks is best.. I'm not really disappointed, but.. I guess it could have been better. :) I'm pretty sure she'll surprise us yet though. And I wouldn't be surprised if she quits next year.

Bad mood, I guess? :/

Well, some people love to nitpick, and some people are just worried to death about Ayu. lol.

No, just the truth that needs to be said :laugh


who knows...maybe Ayu just wanted us all to suffer lol. Watch in ten years, we're gonna find out that she's evil or something.

I'm getting a little annoyed with people who jump in here and say "there's no point complaining, just get a life". If we were sitting and talking around a table, sure it's impolite to insist on rambling about a certain topic but this is a forum with thousands of threads and their various topics. If this thread doesn't interest you or gives you negative feelings, just join another 'conversation'. It's perfectly legit. In addition, we are people with our mood swings. One day we feel on cloud 9 with ayu, other days we just want MORE MORE MORE of her. Personally, what is most important to me about ayu are her songs. I just want decent songs with meaningful lyrics and quality instrumentation. Concerts and promotion are secondary. Songs were the reason i loved ayu in the first place.

I don't think so. There is a discussion here and then panda87 randomly posts here something like "stop already".. Pretty childish if you ask me. ;) It's hard to change the world. =P

Totally yes.

I kind of like it like this.
I would rather her have some time to think about her future and how far she's come in contrast to an aniversary thats jammed packed with promotions and releases.

we're like on page 21. and i'm not childish. i think it's childish to just to never know when to close a discussion and don't know where to find the conclusion or settle with a compromise after loooooooooong posts and repeated hypothesis' and theories and so on and on and on and on... and... i think everything altogether: ayu's reaching the 3-0, that age most celebs get nervous of, but she's giving what she can in her position, in her state, in her pumps.

and i wasn't in a bad mood.

^ Well, you can't expect almost 17000 members to know where to close a discussion. :) People are here to discuss whatever they want, and I thought your post was pretty unnecessary. :shrug

It's ok Panda. While I don't necessarily agree with you, I think you're entitled to your own opinions too. :yes I'm a heinous over-analyzer and even I don't think about this topic so much. However, it's fine if people want to discuss it as different topics hold different levels of importance to the wide range of Initiates here.

*breaks into song*

Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends? :laugh

Ayu is going to do what ayu wants to do. If you don't like go listen to someone else. Ofcourse most of you will just *****, and whine, and buy her releases anyway.

Technically, isn't her tenth anniversary year April 2008-April 2009? So does she not have 8 more months to pacify some of her fans?

She still has time, and she seems like she'll deliver in the time that she does have.

However, as for the first half or so of the anniversary.. not really loving it.

[I think Ayu sorta counts her anniversary as having started when 2008 started, which is why she sorta themed CDL after the anniversary and so on.. but.. eh. It's possible that she may continue it after December 2008..]

ALSO: It will be fun if we get to see her release her 10th original album during her 10th anniversary year.. [Memorial address counts as a mini-album to like, everyone but a few people.]

I didn't read through all the pages and what I'll write was probably written a bazillion times already, but I have to agree that the 10th Aniversary is somewhat disappointing. I can cope with the lack of a summer single or the lack of TV and magazine appearances, but what I can't understand is the release of "A (UN)COMPLETE". That's probably one of the dumbest and cleverest moves from avex so far. When I first read about it I thought "What a bad rumour". Wished it would have been just a rumour... If it wasn't for the unreleased covers, the DVD content and other possible extras: Who would buy that thing? We have 3(4) BESTs already! That thing is called "A COMPLETE", but isn't even complete. And what makes me upset is that for some people it might put ayu into a bad light. Not like "avex releases", but "ayu releases". The money that went into that thing could have been invested so much better. For a re-mastered "A Song for XX" or for the production of a new studio album or even for a new pair of shoes for ayu...

no you're right...however...so many new people, who...don't seem to be getting it. but anyway, it is a mix of all things. And, Ayu can always be expected to handle a situation, not only very well, but in style, as you pointed out with style. She'll come around.

and, yeah, personal assumptions about members = always a disaster, especially when you don't know anything about them.

eh....Ayu was discovered at 15 by Columbia and givin' a [short-lived] record contract. =/ So she is in the category with them.

That joke of a record contract really doesn't fit in. How does a dinky recording contract that places her in a strange music genre put her in the same category as them? I mean, they probably barely attempted to promote it and it flopped terribly. I don't think that a song like NOTHING FROM NOTHING counts as having any ambition to succeed in the music business.

Also, she was 17 when she released it, so she was probably scouted around the same time. Oh, and I don't think anyone ever refers back to that period of time since it was so gross and "I DO NOT WANT TO REMEMBER THIS" [other than overseas fans of course..]...

^...It's STILL a record contract... The album may have been horrid, but it was still an album >.>...

She should do another mini-album. Memorial address came out during her fifth anniversary year right? So I see it makes sense that the 10th would have one as well.

Yes, and it totally means that Ayu was totally into music at the time with such a release! Obviously, this record contract wasn't just an attempt to put an idol into the world of music... obviously.

I don't see the need to have to explain everything with "But it's still a...".. it's still WRONG. Same goes for the TW... counting as a single. It's not true and never will be.

^I never said that. I said that it still counts as an album and a record contract, I never said that she liked it, or that she wanted to do it. All I'm saying is, we can't pretend it didn't exist because it did exist....

LOL I could pay ayu 50$ for making an album and it will be same as NOTHING FROM NOTHING, that's pretty much what columbia records did with her, they invested in her 0% and didn't even promote her. Just let her record an amature hip-hop mini album album that no japanese knows :P

truehappiness - She was 15-16. (it was 1995 or 1996).

She was discovered for her skills just 2 years afterwards anyway by max and oh he did his best choice ever bringing her to avex :yes
ayu's the only one that was been discovered from the big divas that's what I think truehappiness meant, she didn't go to any audition or have any musical background (or singer in her family) or anything like that.

I'm still waiting for a new single announcement!

I never said that it didn't exist. Basically I was saying that a lot of artists WANTED to become artists and did things in order to do so [they performed in contests, went to music school, learned how to play instruments and wrote their own songs..] That album basically doesn't count for diddly if you think about that. That was the argument and it somehow got twisted into: "Oh, Ayu had a CD when she was 17 shouldn't she be counted with them too?"

And also, Ayu was born on October 2nd, 1978.. so.. unless for some reason you guys think she was born in 1980.. yeah.

Right I forgot that there was a gap of 2 years between the discovering and her debut :P lol

True, I agree that it wasn't a really an attempt that Ayu was into and all, but it still counts for something, it even charted (INCREDIBLY horribly, but it DID chart).

LOL Just imagined of an anniversary version of NFN XD!

Could someone please back the claim up that the two NOTHING FROM NOTHINGs charted? I've seen articles at Wikipedia and the like, but they are without any sources.

but...her short-lived contract with Columbia has nothing to do with true's point comparing Ayu and the other artists.

Ayu still is considered to have no background in music, unlike many other artists.

i think stating that fact that this discussion in particular is dragging on is just as necessary as those who found it necessary to state it wasn't. like i ever ask for and want any drama--it's that last thing i want when i come here (AHS forum) as i come here to relax and share thoughts about Ayu and others in the off-topic forums.

it seems we're mostly in a panic here with all these explanations and complaints about Ayu and its obvious that we are. and now we're talking about her previous releases before PokerFace? my gawd.
if we do love Ayu, appreciate what she has done already for her anniversary and bear with her. plus, let her chose for herself. this is HER accomplishment and special personal occasion anyways. she does what she wants. all she probably wanted to do was have a cup of champaign, listen to all her music for a day and reflect. *shrugs* so what? go suck your thumb and cry in your pillow if that bugs you.

My goodness, nobody shackled you onto this thread. If you feel the need to be an ayu avenger, there's no need to be so rude about it. "If we do love ayu... and reflect" would have been enough. We get the point but we don't have to accept it.

There's a good point being brought up about how technically, her 10th anniversary is from 4/8/2008-3/8/2009. In which case, she started with a bang with MW, a fantastic japan tour, a fantastic asia tour in the future, a 10th anniversary compilation and more to come! That's a whole new way looking at it for me. Anyway, i don't think many japanese artistes do TONS of stuff for their special anniversaries. Mostly just compilations. Perhaps because it's ayu, more's expected but in context, it's actually quite fine.

i'm just getting the image after looking through page after page... with these long posts... it makes me think of a nursery filled with crying kids. it's amazing how her 10th anniversary could bring up such controversy (on when her debut was) and complaints (when, how, who, why). it's rude of me, but it's always unwanted to realize its good to have people like me in discussions like this to put a wake up call to everyone that we got to slow down. we're about 80 posts away from closing this forum. i really don't want to see a "disappointing anniversary thread II".

people who haven't had their say yet better hurry before then. and conclusions should be made and settled with as well. a second thread should NOT be needed for this subject, really.

^Yeah, i agree we don't need a second thread for this. But i think some really good points have been made and i'm glad for this thread. My own opinion may not be the best and certain posts have made me feel better about ayu's progress this year. It's also heartening to know that so many people will continue supporting our queen through thick and thin (although it seems TO ME to be a kinda thin period because of declining sales blah blah). So from now until her 11th anniversary, i look upon the remaining period has a continuation of her 10th anniversary celebration.

A lot of people mention how 2001 was a "great year" etc. - a great year for fans because of all the material and exposure but if you remember it was actually quite a tough and horrible year for her. Fans naturally want as much of their idol as possible yet have to balance it with remembering their idol is a human. Its tricky.

I agree with GRACE.

Together When... was a single. NOTHING FROM NOTHING was an album. Fact. (Though I personally wouldn't call NFN an album, but more a mini-album, but still.)

Together When... wasn't sold through physical copies, so it doesn't count for her single spree (I don't even know if it reached #1, which I always follow).

NOTHING FROM NOTHING wasn't from avex trax etc., thus it doesn't count for her #1 single thing.

I'd also hardly call NOTHING FROM NOTHING a production of love for music. It sounds more like it was recorded in a karaoke bar when everyone was drunk.

FYI, Together When... was Ayu's first number one on the monthly Chaku-Uta charts. Surprising imo.

Exactly, just because it's not something she wanted, not something that's good or not something that's physical doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It still happened, it's still there, it's still counted for something.

With A COMPLETE, and the new single on the horizon, it's not really a disappoinment anymore, plus, when we finally get to see AT08, it'll all feel better =D

I hope AT08 DVD will be released before her 11th anniversary. That would keep the 10th anniversary spirit going =) I don't know how crappy NFN is but it's like a precious collector's item now lol! I think people discount it from her no.1 streak because the label's different and more likely, new fans don't know it exist. It's not that important to me. If it was under avex, maybe it would be a different story.

NOTHING FROM NOTHING was such a desperate attempt to cash off the recent success of EAST END x YURI lol. Poor Ayu.

2001 was a painful year for her in my oppinion.They forced her to do DT 2001 with an injured leg,pressured to do NEVER EVER...


I agree with panda a bit,because I don't want a second thread of this.

Uh, I don't think anyone does. tbh though, it did generate some good conversation (and a lot of meaningless bickering..) Best advice is to just let this thread die.

And about DT01.. Ayu was the one who wanted to do it. They wanted to postpone it, since it was already late and stuff.

Yeah it would be cool. But hard. Hard if they want to have the asia leg in it anayway. :P

This thread is the precursor to the 15th anniversary.
Oh we all know how the 15th anniversary went.....

Its only in the 2nd month!