CDTV reveals cover for 'M(A)DE IN JAPAN'
 

Ayu's hands bound with rope. I am guessing this is CD+DVD. Text is average.

http://i.imgur.com/BAywW6f.png


https://twitter.com/team_ayu52ct/sta...32555115433986

A comparison with previous covers -


LOVE it. We'll probably get the other versions later this week.

oh wow...I thought we will get oriental concept..but we got this...I wonder the meaning behind it

I was like, I should check the forum for news about the cover before I go run errands. Such perfect timing. I can't wait to really see it in detail. I'm bout it.

looks very interesting!

love it!! she looks amazing even in this low quality picture

thank god it's not beauty shot :yes

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEoNndFJPpR/?taken-by=a.you

So this was definitely for the album shoot. I had a feeling!

http://i.imgur.com/xTpgoeD.jpg

5 weeks ago.

Now for PV shoots!

Free & easy feeling

oh, damn

I'm going to wait until we get a HQ reveal, cus I feel the fish lips are back. If it's not the case however, I'm really liking what I see.

And GTG at "M(A)DE", ugh.

I don't think we have the weird lips. This photographer seemed to discourage that if it's the same guy I'm thinking.

Interesting - was not expecting this.

I suppose you could look at "(A)" in terms of being enclosed within a primarily defined space.
She was made as Ayu and she is forever linked to that image, as she is primarily defined by the public and fans, continually being compared to herself and the image/icon that was built from it. People don't see the person, people see the product, and expect her to eternally live up to that.

This is probably her edgiest and perhaps most conceptual cover in a while aside from Party Queen since... the early 2000s?

Interesting.

http://i2.ifrm.com/16162/173/emo/Suz...a_-_duvida.gif

This cover is so iconic.

-sparkly eyes-

Wow I adore it! :heart Thanks for sharing

Looks like a strong symbolic cover instead of weak symbolic with lots of fashion / filter / stylish image cover.

We haven't seen this kind of cover from ayu for a while, tho?

CDL must have really impacted her to inspire this and the lyrics.

I wonder if we'll get a version that's not a close-up.

I'm in love with this. Looking forward to a HQ version~

I think CD only could be further away. That or perhaps TA versions?

I hope it, I am tired of close-ups, though this cover rly rocks!

Awesome!

That's unexpected and the cover seems to be very... strong.

Very cool concept. I like it.

Interesting image. Wasn't expecting that. Simple isn't always bad.

MY BODY IS READY

:yes

this is exactly what I was thinking.

I love what I've seen so far. The concept behind this album is really strong.

Her eyes look like something out of a Japanese horror movie.

She looks so un-ayuish on that cover somehow o.o
like an alternate self of her

I really love it!

I need to listen to this album again right now

It looks like she's been through a lot with this cover.

Like this is how the 'mad world' makes her feel.

Somehow this styling is very Ai Otsuka though.

Thanks for the better pic, Aderianu~ I loooove the look in her eyes. She's channeling the first half of the album's lyrics.

Everything would have been awesome if it wasn't for those lips.......
Typical cover.

I love the cover! It represents very well the concept and social critic of the album.

Well, at least her lips don't look like sixxxxxx's and A ONE's.

I like it.

I..... LOVE..... IT.... O.....M...G... HER... EYES.... e_e

That is a really interesting cover! The font isn't awesome but the imagery is so interesting!
I think it really represents a lot of the lyrics of the album :)

Hm...

Okay, at this point, people are saying that she has "those lips" when they are just her lips. They exist. We can't shave her lips off.

^omg what a scary image come to my mind

I really like this concept. The cover makes me think of NEVER EVER.

omg it's her best cover since maybe Mirrorcle World :love

Holy hell, I am in :luv2 with the cover! Ayu's direct eye contact creates a piercing confrontation that is intensified with her hands tied by rope, held up against her or in front of her face. Her expression appears to be filled with resentment and anger, but because the position of her hands, held as fists and the cropping of the image, it looks as if she is eager to retaliate and fight those or the person that is tying her up/holding her back.

I could be reading too much into it though. But it is what I first thought of.

I won't lie, there is some expectation growing for the P/Vs, I'm really excited!

I definitely agree, I like where you are going with the idea that she is trapped in the image she was made in, yet I feel that it could extend beyond her too; be representative of perhaps societal trappings perhaps? For example, most people I know or come across (like in Japanese/J-civilization/history classes) that love Japanese culture only really know (maybe care to know?) the positive aspects or the silly things that come from Japan, see it as a beautiful, harmonious and overall peaceful country, but there are negatives like any other culture/society that are often overlooked.. I suppose the outlook of Japan from other countries (very generalized here!), probably doesn't match the full perception of Japan and how its people perceive their country/culture/society/etc. Maybe Ayu is referencing such things with this image or again I'm reading too much into it from my initial impression.

Regardless its nice to have a meaningful concept for this album.

Meh... so Step by step.
So... Goodbye to traditional Japanese theme I've been hope for.

I think we all knew she was never going to do that, lol.

I absolutelly love it. Funny how much a rope and a strong gaze can do to a really really simplistic picture. It's dark. It immediately made me think of someone held in captivity but not ready to give up, confronting the captor face to face. I guess she is somewhat held in the captivity of her own image and by the people, by those who want to make her into what they would want her to be. Man this is strong. I'm seriously impressed, it's the first time i'm actually impressed with the image they chose. I don't even care about the oriental theme to be honest, this is so much more.
As i said before, to get a great cover it doesn't have to be over the top, details can make a huge difference.

BUT..yeah i cannot leave that without the "but" lol I just wish the text wasn't so huge, it's a bit distracting.

Oh my goooosh. I LOVE it!!

I love how we got a classic Ayu headshot but with a twist. The rope works so well to change the whole feel of the image.

you're so right

The disheveled hair + rope = perfection.

As far as marketing goes, I think it's a good size. Can't imagine it being too big or too small since visibility is key with design for covers, and while tiny text has been done before, I feel like Ayu has always gone for medium sized over too big or too small.

ALSO!!

This album has a 'sleeve' bonus going for it, so the text could be on a clear plastic sleeve or there could be something else under.

^I guess. Maybe it's not the size but the placing of it. maybe more at the bottom of it wouldn't feel so distracting for me. I dunno it just throw off my attention to the wrong thing lol but i guess it's the right kind of place for those who don't know her just by looking at the pic.
EDIT: YOU'RE RIGHT! I hope that's the case, because if it is, I might be just getting my very first PHYSICAL copy of Ayu's releases.


I'm gonna be pointlessly hoping we will get this and others in HQ and textless.

Oh no, the sleeve bonus is TA Tour version only!

I'm scared it's gonna be Party Queen sleeve part 2, lol.

http://i.imgur.com/SkO1ecL.png

I'm loving the cover!

By the way, apparently the sleeve case only comes with the TA edition

Edit: Oops, truehappiness already mentioned it while I was typing haha But yeah, seems like it's gonna be like Party queen, because it says it's the way of packaging the bonuses or something. It doesn't say "sleeve case", it say something like "sleeve way"

oh well. i guess i'll skip. Probably.

Tears tbh. But I suppose the Love songs sleeve was a surprise when we got it iirc.

nothing wrong with the lips...the image is so powerful...loving it..imagine it will be displaying for promotion your eyes going to look at it without a doubt

^i also don't get what's wrong with her lips, they look fine to me.
I do hope they'll use this one for promotion cuz the image itself is very attention garbing, kind of wants you to know more about what's behind it.

I think they'll use this for promo. Or an offshot perhaps.

Wonder just how deep into this theme the shoot will go.

Damn, wish I could get the TA version haha.

I'm excited to see how the covers will vary.

The cover is refreshing! Her gaze is really captivating.

It's OK.

I'll reserve judgement until seeing the full booklet to see if theres an ongoing concept. At the moment I don't think a bit of rope makes it seem any less of a fashion shoot.

http://i.imgur.com/BAywW6f.png

I love the look in her eyes...

I think combined with the lyrics and gaze, there's a concept going on here. She's not just being pretty.

OH MY GOD I LOVE IT

The cover is so... Baby's First Art Concept. Not an interesting photo at all (personally), and adding a rope doesn't really make it super conceptual or all that intriguing. It's nice that it isn't totally a glamor shot, but the only thing that really separates this from A ONE is that she looks a little angsty and she's bound in rope. If you take the rope out, it's just another magazine outtake.

Her covers have never really been great, but I just find this one very... flavorless and without identity. I definitely won't remember it down the road, as with A ONE.

A comparison.

Iconic imo and a different vibe completely from all covers before it.



She's never looked more vulnerable minus say, A BEST, but even that has the "A PERFECTION" thing going for the hair and general look.

It's really a rebirth of sorts IMO for her.

This looks sooooooo amazing!! Love the meaning behind it like what Zeke. mentioned. Its so clever they used the cased-A with symbolic intention. Good job A-team!!

I like it, but I also don't like it? The photos we have seen of Ayu recently have her looking very mature, but this album cover seems quite youthful, as if she has made a time machine and plucked the Ayu of 2001 to sit a photoshoot for her haha? She doesn't really look like her 2016 self. I like the concept, but I wish that there were more album tracks that also supported this theme, as it feels like only half the album actually does. It's a shame that she hasn't added extra tracks to the physical release.

Will wait for the other covers though before making a proper judgement though. It is nice to see a shoot that doesn't scream 'fashion'.

Where's RAINBOW at (?!)

Shh... we all know what it looks like. It must have been in a row that I covered, lol.

I wonder if they bothered to adjust the colour tone of the cover, what feels would it exude.

On another note, she could name the album S(A)VE ME lol!

lol mess

RIGHT? LOL.

The cover's great. The songs are great. This album is great.

It's certainly a good cover, but I'm curious as to how far the concept will go. IE the booklet photos, videos, etc.

Will there be a connection?

The one caveat I have with the cover is the text placement. They're covering the most interesting part haha. I with it was moved down, or much smaller? Like GHV2 by Madonna. The micro text in her eye haha.

Where is 8th album Secret image...

I may have placed stuff over these albums when I was pasting since I was doing two other things at once, hm...

I actually didn't have any expectations for the album's cover, so I had no idea what it would look like, but now that I do - I LOVE IT! :heart I love how ayu gives off such a powerful/strong vibe, especially with those ropes tied around her hands. Plus, I love her look in general so much as well! I'm glad this was for the album shoot instead of a magazine cover, like we've previously speculated from that "behind the scenes" photo from last month. :) I can't wait to see the other covers now! :luv2

I love it. That look she gives you. It's haunting.

I identify with these sentiments very much so. It's a wonderful cover but I have to admit that when I first saw it my heart sunk a little cause I just feel like it's a glam shot trying to be something else. Like the rope doesn't even look constricting and her top looks similar to the one on A ONE.

But minor details aside, looking at the positives, it's very true that there is a totally different vibe going on here compared to her previous album covers. Her her facial expression, the look in her eyes...probably her most powerful. Even the way she's centered on the cover in this way, it's epic. And there's a lot to be said about the rope and disheveled hair. Although I can totally see why one would call it lazy, at least there's a message.

Overall, although I'm so accustomed to sticking to the negatives, I'm trying to enjoy the positives since I feel like this is definitely a different direction for ayu compared to what we've gotten for a long, long while.

The thing with the rope is it looks like they just took it out of its wrapper lol. Like there no dirt or anything on it, and it doesn't look like she's struggled at all. So the setup is just a bit unbelievable.

Very disappointed. Nothing special at all.
Fan made cover that she's using on Facebook/Twitter is so much better.

I think if she wanted to equate it to technology and how this current world sickened her, she'd have used old wires or something to wrap around her hands.

However, this is pretty much her first conceptual cover in a while after years and years of beauty shots (plus Party Queen) so I'm happy with the idea regardless.

Hm...it's a nice cover overall.
Can't see a figting spirit in her expression though, actually I get the feeling of the complete opposite, hopeless or apathetic.
It's so dark, but so clean and in one colour tone again. She really doesn't like colour anymore it seems, lol.
Can't wait to see, what they will do with the theme!
(Hopefully not again the topic with her being a product against the human Ayu, as she used that so much already).

I agree!! It's what I thought when I saw the cover....
Didn't recognize Ayu at first xD

Yeah I see no fight in her eyes. To me she has a very numb expression. Like she has given up/given in, and she has become numb to the pain and the reality.

It's kinda like when anime characters lose their souls and their eyes just become blank.

That fan made cover is beyond tacky.

So much my thoughts. I couldn't have expressed it better. I'm also a little disappointed but at least there is some kind of concept going on. I'm still looking forward to booklet pictures though!

im surprised. i did not expect to see covers like these are. I love them! Allthough they are not my favorite foto(s), i love how she is playing with the meaning and what had happened to her and her career.
I'm so excited how the way will continue, since it seems she is on the right way again. Keep that charisma Ayu!

that would have been a good idea!
however, I'm glad that there is at least a tiny bit of concept in this picture and not just *another* plain photo of her face. I stopped expecting visual concepts from ayu a looong time ago; I'll take whatever I can get.

video from CDTV http://weibo.com/p/230444a9264c7b0d1...e1f21503e57c7b

The picture did not do much for me, but I am glad it is not a beauty shot.
Besides, I am happy that the cover fits the concept.

omg AHS is reaching again with these high concept theories lmao

i thought it would be traditional japan theme, coz of Made in Japan album title.
i like the cover though, it's pretty cool.
hope to see the other versions.

I keep wanting to like it but I don't. There's just... something. I can't put my finger on it. Oh well, no biggie. I personally enjoy and have gotten used to the one that was included in the files I downloaded from here. I'll keep that one instead.

I love it!! finally something with concept. rather than the beauty shots we have been getting for the past few album covers

it is indeed quite half-assed, unfortunately :grumpy

I like the picture. Don't really like the font and the placement it looks like a watermark rather than an actual font

When I first saw the font I thought its an watermark. Other than this, I'm satisfied.