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I used to buy her albums/singles when they were released, and a lot of the time because I was broke I had to buy the OS version. Yup. I've been a fan for about....12 years now?
I have magazines, posters, VHS tapes, etc etc blah blah and I always wanted to support Ayu because it was important and her music was an important part of my life. When my grandmother passed away, I listened to "I Am..." nonstop and to me that album is perfect.
So I will always love Ayu even if I don't buy her albums with such a passion the way I did before. But, I will say this, this release does disappoint me but I am not surprised at all. I knew Avex would do this because that's just how they are, they are a record label and record labels are not known for being people with big hearts. They see fans as consumers. Artists see fans differently.
In that approach, fans as consumers, this is a really silly move. This is all leading up to her 15th anniversary and what is Avex and her team doing? Going in circles.
As fans, I think we are allowed to be critical of our faves and not be called lesser fans just for pointing out something. You can be critical of something and still love it. I think Ayu is in a creative block because no one is being critical around her and no one is pushing her to make better, or challenging music. The idea seems to be: Put out more music regardless of it's quality.
I liked some of the singles from the minis~singles, but I didn't buy them because I had a hunch that they would show up again. I might buy this album but there's a good chance that I will not. Does that make me less of a fan? I don't think so, maybe some would say it does. I want Ayu to do well, I really do. I think she needs a break. If this doesn't sell well, maybe she will take a break. Maybe she has to re-invent herself or something. I mean she went through a marriage and a divorce and a new relationship plus recording and working, with little to zero time for actual reflection. Girl needs to slow down and process stuff. But it's obvious now, her creative work is suffering and something has to change.
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