I'm pretty sure Ayu and her staff knew exactly what they were doing when they decided to release on the 8th of every month, regardless of the day of the week. They also knew the competition she'd be up against. Honestly, I think her fans are more worried about sales than she is.
In my opinion, breaking away from always having a #1 spot is a good move. The pressure is gone. She can experiment more if she wants to. She can release what she wants to release without worrying how the public in general will react. And as showing by these 5 mini-albums in 5 months, she can focus more on her hardcore fans than casual listeners
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