Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2018 ～POWER of MUSIC 20th Anniversary ～

Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai (http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/index.php)

- Ayu Music News (http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=2)

- - ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2018 ～POWER of MUSIC 20th Anniversary ～ (http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123934)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi (Post 3263301)

The thing is, it's not "a couple of pics and videos".

Ayu releases that either show nudity or fetish clothing or caused some level of controverse for being "too sexy":

Album covers:
Loveppears
Duty
I Am...
RAINBOW
My STORY
Party Queen

(some people did complain Sixxxxxx and A One covers were too sexy over here. MIJ actually can be understood as referencing fetish)

Single covers with nudity, fetisg wear/bikini shots:
Boys & Girls
appears
kanariya
H
Step you
Mirrorcle World

(but pretty much every summer single over is a shot of Ayu invitingly looking at the camera wearing swin wear)

PVs that references sexual behavior or shows her in underwear/fetish wear:
SURREAL
Because of You
STEP you
my name's WOMEN
Ladies Night
1LOVE
Mirrorcle World
Rule
Sparkle (this one actually is visually based on a bdsm porn movie)
XOXO
Warning
Sayonara

Tours with pole dancing or Ayu in fetish wear or underwear or sexual choreo:
TA Limited
AT05
AT07
AT08
AT09
AT10
AT12
PSC
AT15
JTB

(I'm not counting CDLs, A-Nations or TV because I can't remember them all. I'm also ignoring outfits that pretty much just showed lots of legs, boobs or belly, what would had made me include pretty much every concert she ever had).

I'm not counting her photoshots for magazines or photobooks, were you can actually find more bikini shots, more bdsm inspired looks, etc.

Ayu shows lots of skin. Much more than Hikki, Ai Otsuka, Namie Amuro, even if they sing openly about sex and Ayu doesn't. Her live performances also goes on a more sugestive route far more often.

She also most likely references BDSM and fetish as much as she references Circuses. Most of her "kawaii" performances are actually the ones she wears the less clothes and the sexy version of some innocent character. The kawaii performances from AT06, AT08, AT09, AT10, AT12 have Ayu pretty much dressed as a character from a hentai manga.

I'm sorry, but her image is VERY sexual, and it was since Loveppears. The reason she isn't western-popstarish sexy is because the fetishes and how a desireble woman is perceived in both cultures is largely different. What doesn't make it any less sexual.

Wearing less clothing and taking nude pictures do not make someone’s image hugely sexualized. Imo it’s a very shallow way of thinking. Especially if someone thinks that just because her hands are tied with ropes it has something to do with a fetish while it actually might represent many different things related to the album title. I also cannot see why would anyone think that the I am... cover is about her being sexy lol The same goes for sixxxxxx. I am just not seeing it.

I’ll agree that a lot of performances and videos are. My standard for hugely sexualized is Koda Kumi who has passed the point of what I would call “good taste” a long time ago. On the other hand Otsuka and Hikki image wise fall into the category of “good Japanese girls” so I don’t really think they could even pull it off 🤣

Leslie Kee is back for this tour. On Ayu’s Ig Story looked like they are shooting for something and that gives me vibes of Arena Tour 2002 theme with all those dancers, ayu wearing the same kimono in the Just The Beginning Tour which also reminds me Ayu-mix cover theme

Blah I was happy when Leslie was gone.
I really don't like his vibes.

I wonder if this tour will be Japanese themed again? Or completely unrelated?

Maybe they're just shooting the cover for the DVD release?
Looks like that to me.

People will be delighted to see Timmy in his costume posing there as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan (Post 3263333)

Blah I was happy when Leslie was gone.
I really don't like his vibes.

I wonder if this tour will be Japanese themed again? Or completely unrelated?

yea I dont like Leslie because he reminds me of the drama with Mannie and most of his gay photoshoots with Ayu with all those male models during Party Queen era, thought they were ont in a good terms after that but then Ayu started using him again since 2015/2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvina (Post 3263334)

Maybe they're just shooting the cover for the DVD release?
Looks like that to me.

I thought the same! Looks like DVD cover or booklet.
I really like Leslie's work!

Quote:

Originally Posted by njanjayrp (Post 3263327)

I agree.
I don't think there is anything sexual about covers like LOVEppears, I am... or RAINBOW and I never thought of the ropes as a symbol for a fetish. There definetely are examples of Ayu being sexualised but a cover like RAINBOW or I am...? Nudity doesn't necessarily means "sexy" and imo sexualising bodies per se is kind of... strange?

Quote:

Originally Posted by attractive nausea (Post 3263271)

^ I think japanese fans like Timmy already

AHS fans, lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chibi-Chan (Post 3263348)

I agree to both comments related to this.

Some of her looks have been shocking, but LOVEppears was not sexualized it was just a bold move. I think a number of the examples listed of her having a sexualized image are quite a stretch, and honestly a bit immature sounding.

Yes, culturally things are quite different. Ayu is also no Koda Kumi, literally dry humping a girl's arm in her PV (no shade to KK, you do you). But this is also the same culture that frequently has idol photo books of teenage girls in bikinis and doing suggestive things - these are positioned as "cute" by are obviously also attracting older men in a not so innocent way. And yet, while these girl group members are sexualized by fans and dirty old men, almost nobody would say that their image is explicitly sexual.

All of that to say that yes, Ayu DOES do things that are sexualized or draw from fetish imagery, usually in the context of performance. But it's hardly the base of her image, and she's hardly over-sexualized as compared to most of her peers.

Ok them... I guess u guys know more than Jolin Tsai what could be considered too much skin for an Asian stsr to show on an album cover. :P

^ That's not what they're saying, what people are saying is that showing skin ≠ sexualization

All these posts are gonna be deleted soon because they're way out of topic, you guys better go on the Anything Goes thread if u want to keep this conversation going.

I think the problem is that Ayu is sexualized by other people, even if that is not her intention. The Loveppears photo is not sexual but the viewer sexualizes it because Ayu is a woman showing skin.

^^Usually she shows skin while playing the kawaii cheerleader/kitten maid/sexy bunny/school girl. Aside from the girls from AKB48 being way younger (what makes it creepy af) they are pretty much playing the sam3 troopes. Either that or she shows in lingerie whipping people.

^Why are you so sure she wasn't sexualizing it herself? Also, I believe she herself commented on the Duty outfit.

And I'm not saying that to point "how shameful" Ayu is or whatever. I just don't get people complaining about Timmy's outfits (that are picked up by Ayu) for showing skin or being "unclassy" when Timmy usually isn't on a level of undress Ayu doesn't put off frequently.

ayu's latest ig story seems to be JTB cover or 15th Anniversary style goods with dancers on them - i really hope it's for the JTB cover

If you guys don't see fetish in plenty of ayu's costumes and themes, gosh, you need to access xvideos more often.
---
I was wondering something, and only you guys who have been to a concert in Japan can answer me haaha: do people sing along every song like we do in America/Europe? Or do we have to behave? Cause I wanna go, and wanna go crazy singing to every single word of it, and I don't want to be taken out by the security hahaha

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baco__ (Post 3263380)

If you guys don't see fetish in plenty of ayu's costumes and themes, gosh, you need to access xvideos more often.

Perhaps it's others who need to access xvideos LESS often.:rolleyes

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baco__ (Post 3263380)

When I went last year, people only sang in the parts that they were invited to sing by Ayu. Pretty much Evolution & Boys & Girls lol. However, I was surrounded by Chinese fans who were singing during the other upbeat songs too. But the Japanese weren’t impressed haha

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baco__ (Post 3263380)

Well after all you're free to do what you want. But if you care about japanese fans' "well being" and perception of foreigners, you should refrain yourself from singing unless Ayu asks the audience to lol There have been cases of japanese fans complaining online about foreigners singing along and thus bothering them. Personally i was bothered by how some Tokyo fans looked so cold and bored during her concert lmao

Quote:

Originally Posted by EndOfTheWorld (Post 3263383)

Perhaps it's others who need to access xvideos LESS often.:rolleyes

HAHAHAHAHAHHHHHHHAHAA guess I'm guilty.

About the concert: I really won't give a damn. As long as they don't take me out of the venue, I'm okay with passing a loud foreigner image. Hahaha