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『A BALLADS 2』on sale 2021.04.08 [II]
The second installment in the Ballads Best series, 18 years after A BALLADS. The main release consists of two discs with 30 songs total (subject to change), remastered from their original master tapes. Other versions will include blu-ray discs and goods (40 page photobook).
As per the TA store, the album will only include songs released after the first A BALLADS. No rearrangements or re-recordings have been mentioned in the announcement text. === EDITIONS ======== [2CD＋2DVD＋GOODS＋Sumapura Music] ¥11,400 (AVZ1-96674～5) https://i.imgur.com/KRSyvykt.jpg ✦ TeamAyu / mu-mo shop limited edition ✦ Luxury BOX specification ✦ Digipak specification ✦ Goods: Special book (40 pages) ✦ Goods: T-shirt with jacket photo print ✦ Other jacket card included ‣ DISC-1 - CD ‣ DISC-2 - CD ‣ DISC-3 - DVD ‣ DISC-4 - DVD [2CD＋2Blu-ray＋GOODS＋Sumapura Music] ¥12,400 (AVZ1-96676～7) https://i.imgur.com/KRSyvykt.jpg ✦ TeamAyu / mu-mo shop limited edition ✦ Luxury BOX specification ✦ Digipak specification ✦ Goods: Special book (40 pages) ✦ Goods: T-shirt with jacket photo print ✦ Other jacket card included ‣ DISC-1 - CD ‣ DISC-2 - CD ‣ DISC-3 - Blu-ray ‣ DISC-4 - Blu-ray [2CD＋DVD＋Sumapura Music] ¥4,800 (AVCD-96668～9) https://i.imgur.com/cjmHh6Tt.jpg ✦ sleeve packaging ‣ DISC-1 - CD ‣ DISC-2 - CD ‣ DISC-3 - DVD [2CD＋Blu-ray＋Sumapura Music] ¥5,200 (AVCD-96670～71) https://i.imgur.com/cjmHh6Tt.jpg ✦ sleeve packaging ‣ DISC-1 - CD ‣ DISC-2 - CD ‣ DISC-3 - Blu-ray [2CD+Sumapura Music] ¥3,200 (AVCD-96672～3) https://i.imgur.com/j8tuUhYt.jpg ‣ DISC-1 - CD ‣ DISC-2 - CD === CD CONTENT ======= Spoiler:
=== DVD/BD CONTENT ==== Spoiler:
=== COVERS =========== Spoiler:
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Tracklist preview
Cover photo by Kazutaka Nakamura https://i.imgur.com/C1L52HY.jpg Video(?) by Kazuyoshi Shimomura https://i.imgur.com/Zt2almH.jpg |
Still not over how gorgeous she looks in that photo!
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I love the cover and I'm so excited for the new MV (?) she always looks amazing wearing kimonos!
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I'm glad color theme is not peach/pink
Is it ayu in kimono? I can't recognize her |
I can't. She looks soooo stunning at the cover. Love it.
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The original A BALLADS was soft and gentle somehow, despite the glamour. Difficult to put into words, bet it felt personal and real. This doesn’t feel honest.
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It’s certainly not inspiring but she and the colors are lovely.
I wonder how many versions we’ll get. Personally I’d love something like MY STORY, which had a great variety (IMO). |
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Well it's the easy way out. You don't need a concept, nor art director, you just do a magazine photoshoot and use it for everything. It's a nice photo, but yeah, we've had a million of those by now as covers for singles and albums.
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Beauty shot, which was expected in my opinion and executed fairly well this time. I wish the title text is not translucent though - solid white would appear much more confident!
In terms of cover arts with concept, in my opinion those really started at Duty and peaked at A BALLADS. Ever since Memorial Address, which was beautiful, the cover arts have become more or less beauty shots most of the time with a big face on it... |
I like it.
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I really like it. It gives me an impression of her being in her thoughts during/before shooting a video or maybe a concert. That's why I see it as something more than a beauty shot :) It will look amazing on the box.
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Cover looks nice and I do like the color tone.
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I’m so curious what the kimono video is about though! Can’t imagine that’s for Pray for you ... but still anything can happen
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She looks stunning at the cover.
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Well, it's pretty
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Okay... So I'll say a terrible thing that I'm used to saying by now as regards with her releases, I wasn't expecting anything and so I'm not disappointed.
From all the information we have by now everything feels lazy. Another easy release with little effort. Unless they change their plan and add something amazing. I don't understand the live compilation. It seems really random and just a second thought to make the release more pricey with not effort. Doesn't fit the A BALLADS brand either to me. I know it can evolve but I don't know... I would be way more happy with just one cd, a few tracks rearranged, a GORGEOUS concept that's following the first one and that's it. This release feels like a mix of random things (tied by the ballad genre) put together hastily just for the sake of releasing something. Using an old brand just to make people excited and create some buzz. Even the cover is totally bland and does not express a thing. Love the lilac tone, that's it. Could either be an ad for sticky lipsticks or creepy lenses. You know what I would be happy with? A BEST 3. I don't expect anything more than an awesome compilation of all the "best" songs since B&D / Pride with a cover in the lines of the original and the second one. Put PVs on the discs if you want (don't care) and call it a day. I would be really happy to buy it and listen to it. Resurrecting A BALLADS for this... There is no point. Put out another Spotify playlist. I'm not mad or extremely disappointed at all because as I said I had no expectation. I'm just bored by so little creativity and commitment. One more thing : why the font has to be translucent and WHY ON EARTH it's not the same as the original one T_T ? |
Is it just me, it goes she look like she's annoyed and has a headache?
She looks beautiful though. |
I like it! Was hoping there'd be a play on the twin/ayu-with-herself concept of the first A BALLADS but I think it still compliments the original album art nicely.
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Well...
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Personally I have no problem with this being completely different from A BALLADS I mean, they are two different products, I don't remember people being mad when she releseaded A BEST 2 and she wasn't crying in either cover lol
I'll admit the lenses bug me out, I miss her natural eyes, but still it's a nice shot, no pinkish and looks like there's actual background behind her, maybe another cover could show her full body in a different pose like in MY STORY that would be cool! The DVD/BR content it's not really exciting tbh but there are about 20 tracks left to be announced so who knows, maybe there are some surprises but if not, I'm still pretty excited for Pray for You and the potential PV :yes |
I understand people wanting and expecting more from her as we used to get a new album every year and this release is boring release BUT... people are a bit responsible for their own disappointment on this release as it has been advertised since the beginning as the greatest hits with remastered tracks. Even if they called it ''A Ballads 2'' the description they gave us was exactly ''A Summer Best ~Winter Version~''.
Now for the cover... well, this is how she looks now, she is a Diva in her 40's who had a lot of plastic surgery, but she still looks stunning in my opinion. When she was younger and in her prime, she could try edgy stuff and break trends, but in the past years, we all witnessed that every time she tried to get out of the mold she has been conceived, she gets bad press and harsh critique. I am pretty sure if she had tried to re-create the Original A Ballad concept where she poses caressing herself, the Japanese would have called her too old to do that and it backfired her. This covers looks pretty much like all those aging Japanese singers who release greatest hits (Classic and elegant beauty shots) And I think her team knows that it is what the Japanese people want to see of her now. So, yeah, they could have re-recorded the songs, make new arrangements, include unreleased concerts, but it was never intended that way. people created hope and dreams and got upset because they realized they are not the reality. |
I love the cover! If only it was for selling color lenses and not for an album :laugh
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This reminds me of TROUBLE covers somehow. The CD versions were beauty shots or sort of but the TeamAyu one shows the "TROUBLE" theme with Max grabbing her boobs. Maybe she's reserving the "real" concept or "pose" for the TA edition.
I don't know... I have the impression this cover was rushed because of the negative feedback she received about the contents in the DVD. I think I'm going for the 2CD+DVD just because of the sleeve. |
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Oddly enough, i'm probably the only one who doesn't have an issue with her using contact lenses in a lot of the shots. |
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^well then maybe we'll get something other than a close-up on her face.
I have to say though, one thing i've been loving from her for the past few years is the lack of heavy eye-make-up. The whole gyaru look was really getting old and creepy. She's such a natural beauty. Although i see the 2008-2010 lips coming back... |
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As for me, I didn't had any hopes. Ayu told us, we'll get a compilation album called A BALLADS 2. Arranged with 30 tracks in total. I wasn't expecting much. I just hoped for my faves songs. So 9 of 10 were really good tracks. Can't wait for the other tracks. And for the cover, I don't really thought about it. Why? Because with her pregnant belly ayu wouldn't shoot a whole body shoot. I was expecting a beauty shoot like this. The colours are perfect. Most of the fans are forgetting, that ayu grew up. She isn't in her 20s anymore where she could do things like A BALLADS. She's a grown up woman after all. She is a mother of 2 (maybe baby #2 is there maybe not). And she's not Kumi to try crazy things. |
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I did some research and he worked with Namie for a very long time. And avex is keeping the budget to their K-Pop acts and SnowMan. Maybe Urata's and Nissy comebacks. |
^^ you two nailed thinking like Japanese lol
Ayu has left the "I care what people say" train long ago, plus she hasn't had any interest from general public for YEARS now, otherwise she wouldn't have done stuff that she did. I don't think the "image" is the problem here, i mean it just makes sense to do something simple, cuz it's easy, plus majority of them don't even get printed nowadays. To add to that just because she hit 40, doesn't mean she can't have creative covers anymore. You can be mature and still do it cleverly. Just because she "grew up" doesn't mean she needs to get borring. Do people forget her dancing like a sex kitten on stage like a year or two ago? Being a mom doesn't kill the fact that you are a woman and can have a classy sex appeal...She doesn't need to be Kumi (although i don't know what's wrong with her being the way she is and being a mom), she's doing pretty well being a mature woman and having a pretty healthy and nicely portrayed sex appeal where it works. I personally didn't even think about the whole twin thing for this, i forgot about it, but it can be done in SO many ways to play tribute to the original cover if she wanted to do it. My point is it's all just speculation why she doesn't do things that we think she could do, it's just putting our own perspective and thinking on her. We are never going to. For all we know it could just be Avex saving up on money due to the whole virus thing and not wanting to do anything flashy that's not gonna pay off later, or just putting money into other stuff instead. |
^ I agree and I won't be surprised at all if this cover revealed is for the standard 2CD version targeting the japanese public overall to buy her compilation.
I have a feeling we can have better poses since we have 4 more covers to go and that this was shoot probably from june 2020. The Namie "photographer" thing got me triggered though... Maybe japanese public liked what he did with Namie's? |
That photographer did the whole Twin thing for one of the Namie's magazine shots from years ago. I checked his instagram, when i saw the post from ayu, and it was on there. It's actually one of my favourite magazine shots of hers. But i only saw a couple of post featuring Namie on there....The guy seems to have a lot of beauty shots, and magazine stuff, or so it looks from what he's got on instagram, so i'm not surprised by the cover image. It's clean and polished - ready for the magazine cover. These sort of photos are a staple in Japan's music visuals as well as magazine covers.
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As I said earlier, I wasn't expecting the twins concept happening, but the picture itself isn't that interesting imo. It looks like it's in between poses, with no concept besides a pretty picture. She can do good with pretty picture and cool concept, like Zutto's cover, but oh well. She also could had the "twins" idea using mirrors, it looked very nice on A BEST 2, and it would look less like she's recreating the original, but instead a nod to it. |
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To me, personally this translates as general public and not much fans. Ayu imagery nowadays is pretty much attached to brands and even cosmetics if we take a deeper look at her instagram. CDs Grotesque (2014) TSUKI (2014) Magazines SCawaii! (December 2007) SCawaii! (April 2008) GLAMOROUS (September 2008) GLAMOROUS (January 2010) Sweet (January 2010) ViVi (January 2010) Sweet (August 2010) Sweet (April 2011) GLAMOROUS (May 2011) Sweet (August 2011) Sweet (September 2011) SCawaii! (December 2011) GISELe (January 2011) Sweet (April 2012) GISELe (July 2012) Sweet July 2012) mina (August 2012) Steady (August 2012) Jelly (September 2012) Sweet (December 2012) Sweet (June 2013) InRed (July 2013) mina (July 2013) SCawaii! (July 2013) Sweet (July 2013) GISELe (August 2013) Numéro Tokyo (August 2013) Steady (August 2013) with (September 2013) Sweet (February 2014) SCawaii! (March 2014) InRed (July 2014) SCawaii! (July 2014) Steady (July 2014) Sweet (July 2014) GISELe (August 2014) Otona MUSE (January 2015) Gina (March 2015) SCawaii! (March 2015) Sweet (March 2015) Gina (July 2015) InRed (July 2015) Steady (July 2015) Sweet (July 2015) Steady (July 2016) Sweet (July 2016) andGIRL (August 2016) andGIRL (August 2018) Steady (September 2018) Sweet (October 2018) Advertising campaigns KOSÉ ESPRIQUE (mid-summer 2012) KOSÉ ESPRIQUE (mid-autumn 2012) KOSÉ OLEO D’OR (Summer 2015) |
OMG, covers for BALLADS 2 look amazing :O
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Being a grown up and a mother should never be an excuse to not be creative (sexy or whatever). You don't have to stuck to a particular mold because you're a mother. Are dads also expected to stuck to a mold? This is just the way she is for some time now and it's hard to accept. The flame is gone (or her team is gone haha...). As regards the cover she doesn't have to recreate the original cover at all (I would personally find it a bit awkward), just come up with... SOMETHING! (as @kaled kalil I also thought about the mirrors. There is so many possibilities! An infinity! You don't have to be an engineer to come up with just an idea. And there she is looking dead, lips half closed on a couch trying not to snooze haha). This plus the lack of new stuff to chew on is quite... I don't know how to put it. Another release, another "ok next *yawn*". And as I read on the previous post I believe this is really the thing that's hurting her career the most. She's living on her fanbase for some time now. And this kind of lazy release won't hold their attention for too long. She can still release music because there is still demand. I don't expect her to do an album a year and 5 singles. Even right now with the release pattern I could be happy if those were really good ones. Or at least if I could feel commitment and creativity. Nothing is worse than safety and the lack of creativity for an artistic career to me. Above all when it's been that long. So... "ok next"... |
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So no, people weren't mad, on the contrary. But we are disappointed this time because we know that she can do so much better. |
Kazuyoshi has already worked with Ayu for single/album shoots. He was behind NEXT LEVEL (directed also Sparkle PV), A COMPLETE ~ALL SINGLES~, I think Mirrorcle World and GREEN/Days (and others) but although I like the cover, it just the same boring thing as Ohia no Ki. But she loooks so beautiful ; - ; <3
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He really does beauty shots and advertising campaigns. Probably avex made some marketing research and are implementing it. |
Lovely album cover. The "twin" ayu in A BALLADS are the "past" and "present" ayu. We knew that ayu has come to terms with her past hence the "past" ayu disappeared (RAINBOW music video). A BALLADS 2 has the "present" ayu from A BALLADS so hopefully we get to learn more about the message conveyed in pray for you music video.
The live compilation dvd content is a disappointment though. But with ayu spending time in the recording studio, who knows we may have a few re-recording and mix for some songs in this compilation. |
^I really like your take about "present Ayu" it makes sense somehow :yes
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Do we really need to find a concept/story/secret message to enjoy a release now? :no
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I myself was very disappointed at first that it was a 2 CDs compilation instead of 1 CD, filling this compilation with quantity instead of focusing on quality, and I do understand the disappointment as I love the original A BALLADS as well, I know what she's capable of as I follow her since 2004, but the ayu that created that album in 2003 is from the past now and we have to accept it as it is. Remember how TROUBLE was such a huge let-down back in 2018 (advertised as an album, 5 "single quality" songs over 2 years of wait) ? And yet people are still in denial, expecting that visionary-ayu to come back 3 years later just to get disappointed again... This girl will retire someday, let's try to move on from the disappointment and enjoy her activity while we can ;) (plus, there's still time for small surprises, who knows!) |
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In my opinion, 2003 and A BALLADS can be considered the artistic peak for ayu. RAINBOW the song is so unique in every way, and the A Song for XX (A BALLADS Version) is out of the world -- who else has the audacity to remake the song that launched your success, into a rock version, and use that to build the crescendo of a Ballads compilation album? It was just so perfect. I understand people's anticipation for conceptual edge given the perfection and uniqueness of the original A BALLADS - I just listened that album from start to finish and oh man it was so good. But personally I will definitely adjust my own expectations and look forward to what is left to be revealed. |
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I think she's going to be like Seiko Matsuda and MADONNA - She's never going to retire. If she doesn't completely lose her hearing, I think she would work till she's 60. |
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https://i.ibb.co/9vZcHpZ/o0600030514033262652.jpg |
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I hope it’s another song other than Pray for you, although if she actually does the unholy union, I won’t be that surprised :tipsy |
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It's a nice cover, but it looks like she has a unibrow due to the shadow falling across her face.
It does lack a concept, though. |
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i'm curious about the video
its the only thing |
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Reading through all the chatter has been so interesting. I love that ayu fans are still so passionate and dedicated even in disagreements.
The cover is nice (take a look at that sleeve, we need more photos of what she's wearing!), and I love the purple overtone. Works really well with her darker hair. After all the discussion I'd die laughing if this release turned out to be one compilation disc and one original ballad album or something crazy like that. AHAHA totally not going to happen, but it'd be a massive left hook to the fan base. |
Mehh not feeling it :/, the shot is a typical, generic portrait and she looks a bit confused ...unless she's trying to communicate something that will make sense when the
full info is released? Guess Avex doesn't want to spend a big budget on her anymore, eh? Also, since this is a best album with repertoire of her best ballads, I think it's such a waste that they didn't put more effort and stays on-brand with the conceptual AND iconic A BALLADS. Knowing visual has always been one of the tours de force of the 'ayumi hamasaki' brand... Oh well. That's just my opinion. : ) Thankful she still release a follow-up. |
While Moments performance was mostly fantastic, AVEX had some balls to include that pitchy performance of Jewel. It's so strange to see them release videos without pitch-correction. I guess they didn't have source audio to work with.
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New profil picture on facebook
https://zupimages.net/up/21/08/phxp.jpg |
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLlyH7gBzjJ/
The serve of this. Now, THIS is a beauty shot that looks different and exciting. Wonder what this is for. |
THAT KIMONO BEAUTY SHOT IS VERY POTENT <3 I hope its for a new song!
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Absolutely gorgeous. Whether if it's for the booklet or a PV, this album is SERVING on the visual field.
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^AGREED! :heart
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Amazing, love it !!! :)
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OMG. This is a shot by Masayuki Kamo from a video shoot by Shimoko.
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She's breathtaking in that picture :luv2:luv2:luv2
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This kimono pic is so far the only exciting thing about this release for me... :(
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The new photo is gorgeous. Wow. :weep
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Gorgeous! And so elaborate, I love her traditional looks.
Looking forward to more details and visuals. |
I always like seeing Ayu in kimono. I wonder what the video, should one exist, will be like though considering it’s very similar to the colour palette in “part of Me”.
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Awwww yeah, now THIS i like!
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That kimono shot is so flawless!! It reminds of part of me. Maybe that's her thing, releasing compilations and getting full japanese historic culture traditions on a new PV lol Love it! |
Idk, might be Ayu with a kimono has some kind of supernatural powers or something, but a cover like that would justify me buying the album just for the sake of decorating my shelve.
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But people, remember, the photo is just an offshoot of a video shoot - and from what we know, the director of the video (KS) does have a talent of making gorgeous things look silly in motion (Mirrorcle World..... for example ) XD |
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I think she looks gorgeous, I’m just confused with the various seemingly unrelated correlation between everything so far lol. What I thought would be a very straightforward release has somehow become very random feeling lol.
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Ayu looks beautiful on the cover. I like it. Although, I do see where some fans are coming from when they say this is just another beauty shot. I would like to see some sort of creative concept similar to the original A BALLADS =/
I bought a poster of the A BALLADS cover at a convention awhile back. My dad thought it was two lesbians about to kiss (LOL). Even so, at least the concept was there! haha Quick question- what is a "goods book"? |
Goods as in like "items / goodies" and the book is a photobook, 40 pages slated. This was also what A COMPLETE had with the box having a 40 page photobook as 'goods'.
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But then again, like the rest of your post says, it was never advertised as anything else than this! I guess I was hoping for a bit more, but at least we are getting a new song. |
I'm still...
amazed.. |
The theme for this album is ...
Modern ayu vs Traditional ayu? Love the pictures and cover. |
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It just occurs to me, do you guys think maybe the kimono PV is for a previously released song that did not get a PV? Like Will or Ivy etc?
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It would be odd to release a new song and make a PV for an old song.
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I think it's likelier to be a new song considering most other tracks have at least one live to use.
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I love the kimono shot, it's gorgeous and she looks wonderful.
It doesn't scream "ballad" to me visually. Of course part of Me exists but when I think of a visual for Ayu's ballads think a more western look. Would be amazing if we got a kind of part 2 of part of Me in this release. I'm hoping for 2 new tracks, even hidden ones? |
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Next announcement this Saturday right? |
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I can't imagine that there would be more new songs on A BALLADS 2 to be honest, but I'm still hoping she'll have something planned for a couple of months later, even if it is just another single? Quote:
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Movie director / Art director
Kazuyoshi Shimomura Haute couture Masataka Kato Making photographer Masayuki Kamo https://i.imgur.com/TpkQIQil.jpg https://i.imgur.com/T9DAiE6l.jpg |
I am speechless :luv2
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I am DEAD these are so nice!!!! She looks fantastic!
And YES at least two different shots in the PV! |
Holly f*ck. I’m in love. Hope she makes ~a party queen~ and changes the covers last minute because THIS NEEDS TO BE THE COVER OMFG.
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Any chance this kind of photos to be at the book?
I actually made cover Spoiler:
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