Quote:
Originally Posted by Chibi-Chan
Personally I don't think the public needs to "miss" her and I actually think she can release whatever music she wants, it woudn't change how the public feels about her. I just held a presentation about Ayu in my Japanese society class at a uni in Tokyo. What basically every Japanese student there said about her was that they really liked Ayu when she wasn't as diva like and didn't look as fake. I'm hearing this from Japanese people again and again. Their reactions to pics of her A BEST to RAINBOW era where very kind and they were making a lot of positive comments. That drastically changed when I showed pics from MY STORY onwards. They don't like her pink princess like dresses during TV lives, they don't like her overall style and doll like makeup whenever she appears in public, because they think it looks fake. Ayu's style and image from the last 15 years simply isn't what made her famous in the first place and they don't like it. The Ayu from back then with the darker eye makeup but not much else and the more "casual" style is what they liked. Her more casual and therefore mature style and image was working perfectly well with her lyrics. It made the public believe what she sang and they were able to relate.
But they can't relate when Ayu is wearing a princess like dress with a doll like makeup, she simply doesn't appear as sincere as back then anymore, no matter the content of her lyrics.
The best song in the world isn't going to change that. As long as the public don't get the Ayu they fell in love with back image wise, I don't think they will ever like her again. It's not so much a specific sound they want from Ayu, but the feeling they had when hearing someone who kind of looked like the girl next door sings about struggles they were able to relate to.
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I agree with what you said. I find that the Japanese public really liked her when she had that girl-next-door, simple looking japanese girl image between 1998-2000 especially when you look at the positive youtube comments and likes from videos of the ASFXX-I am era. I feel that in order for her to become "likable" she has to start dressing more casually on television (no more big dresses and sparkles and glitter), no backup singers in outrageous outfits and get rid of the blonde gyaru princess doll image she still has. The japanese love ayu, but unfortunately the ayu they love is long gone.