[Uemarasan]

True, the reviews are much too short, but I think they're good reviews because he actually described the musical process WITH ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF MUSIC instead of going "oh I like this song because it touched my heart" or "I remember this song because it reminds me of when my kitty died that's why it's the best" or "I like the song because it is lively and it sounds great!". That's like 90% of the reviews of J-pop I find online. They're always based on extremely subjective experiences. Why not show us an actual grasp of musical knowledge? I have yet to read someone identify the instruments used in Ayu's music and explain how they work and WHY they work and make for a pleasant listening experience. And a review doesn't always have to be clearly positive or negative or pass judgment. It can be merely descriptive, or refuse to pass judgment.

I must say, I don't know how anyone can say they are poorly written. You can argue content, but he uses complete sentences, correct punctuation, grammar, and spelling, and develops his point well throughout. Maybe it's because people have been brainwashed by the shortcuts of Internet-speak? Also, he describes Roxette in a couple of sentences, as a point of comparison! Last I heard, it's perfectly acceptable when trying to put a point across.

He's not a fan of Ayu at all and I disagree with him A LOT of times (I do think Rainbow is one of Ayu's worst albums, though, not in terms of content but the way it's constructed), but going over his site you can't deny that he writes more intelligently about music than most of the mainstream publications out there (or most anyone, for that matter). Most people write about music like children evaluating their food (good! bad! sucks! rocks! pretty! ugh! hot! not! wah!). It's always very black or white, "I like" or "not like". There is no nuance or subtlety. He writes with the same passion and conviction as Christgau and like an actual ADULT. He actually stands for something.

On the other hand, every review on J-fan sounds like it was written by people who obviously haven't found their calling in life.

Pommy, thanks for the correction, I missed that! I've always disagreed with his comparisons between Ayu/Britney and Hikki/Christina. Pretty short-sighted and Western-blind.

That review of Exodus is the best ever written about it (even if I still hate the album). Everything else I've read about it pales in comparison.