^ ew she said that about pasmo? i thought everyone in japan knew what that was...that or suica
but i completely agree with you. i've had so many people tell me (after i tell them that I like ayu) that she has a "bad personality" or "she's too full of herself"--the latter being in different words, but that's the general meaning.
she's definitely lost her grasp on the everyday people of japan, which is what she used to have going for her xD
HOWEVER, that being said, she is still one of the most respected female artists in japan, and that's definitely reflected in the japanese society.
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oh and on a side note, i think ayu's musical style is something that is a bit old...she doesn't really evolve with the times lately.
danceable music and hip hop is really popular in japan right now (putting aside the always popular ballads). ayu does not do this type of music and thus there's a large portion of people she does not appeal to anymore, as opposed to when pop music in the 90's and early 2000's appealed to the mass majority (morning musume is a prime example...their fandom has practically kicked the bucket).
female "rock music" is also not really popular...and generally speaking, female artists arent very popular (sales wise).
yes, there are a lot of them, but when compared to the male artists (whether it's groups or solo acts they just don't generally compete well). Except for of course namie, hikki, ayu and kuu. or so i've observed.
even the packaging of ayu's cd's is kind of irrelevant. she still puts "original mix" after her track titles...not that this would affect her sales, it's just sort of strange how she continues to do it, haha.
but anyway...these are just general observations/opinions i've made since i've been in japan...agree or disagree with them haha