[njanjayrp]

Originally Posted by maikaru

I know it's really really difficult to understand why I'm saying these things, like it's a cultural thing, etc.

And before I go further, I wanna point out that in no way in my last post did I say that she's exploiting this relationship. I have revised my thinking from before because clearly this relationship isn't giving her any bonus points in her professional life, so yeah.

However, there comes a point where some things are just too insensitive to the public. First and foremost, she is a public figure. She has said many times before that she has a responsibility to be Hamasaki Ayumi at all times, for her fans. That she has a responsibility to portray and perform the role of Hamasaki Ayumi. Unlike overseas fans, Japanese fans really become very fanatical about their favourite fans. Sorry to say, but it's the truth. Every single thing the artist does, we react to personally, whether it be very very good, or very very bad. There are some people who even commit suicide over their favourite artist' actions. She has continuously said that even if only one person listens to her, she will continue to sing. That means that she actually cares about what her fans are thinking, feeling.

She isn't some mad artist who wants to experiment and doesn't care about the feelings of her fans. We all know this.

Before I say anything I just wanna state that I am against music videos such as You & Me, Love song, Last angel and the latest two featuring Maro. Now being fanatical isn't an excuse and the whole thing sounds like a treat. I mean what people are going to commit suicide because Ayu featured a man she is dating in her music video? They might as well do. While I understand Ayu has an image and whatever is left of her reputation to maintain catering to a mentally damaged fan base isn't something worth considering. I'd like her to keep her private life separate from her professional life as much as possible, but if she doesn't want to do so, I'll just ignore the things I don't like. For instance I won't even bother watching the whole PVs for Wake me up and snowy kiss. It might be the cultural thing, but some things are inexcusable. Yet it's Ayu's problem to deal with things like that.

Originally Posted by maikaru

It would definitely not be a problem if we hadn't known, because the circumstances have changed. There is another factor in the equation that seems to be swaying what she's thinking and what she does. Like I said before, this equation is the relationship between both of them. No one knows for sure what's happening behind the scenes, but we only know what's happening on the surface. And it appears like it's causing Maro to get preferential treatment, and not even Mannie was on the front cover of any of her albums. Or in the booklets.

What I'm trying to say is, what may or may not be, the way it appears is the way I describe. And like many other of her fans over in here, I just can't accept that everything was a coincidence that she chose Maro randomly.

And whether you guys may hate this kind of thinking, the truth is that Japan right now has the exact same thinking... everyone you talk to about Hamasaki Ayumi says "Oh she's gone so crazy. I loved when she was younger, but now she's just trying to hard. She's over."

And looking at Again sales, it's true. This scandal has hit her very, very hard.

I don't believe a single person can speak for everyone, but I guess that's the way the Japanese public has felt about her for a while. People change and the Japanese public should too. Shuya had a preferential treatment and no one complained really...