[koumori]

This is a moved discussion from the A BALLADS 2 thread. Moving it isn't to stop the chat, it's more so it doesn't bury any news that might pop up about AB2 in the next few weeks and giving it a chance to continue.

I think it's really interesting that we can now look back at a whole decade of Ayu's work from 2010 onwards and pinpoint definitive moments that affected her image heavily, and all that is entangled with that going forward, and how it may still be affecting her image and work today. I'd personally love to see more perspectives from other ayu fans on this.

As a note - while it has been said that Ayumi Hamasaki is the product, Ayu is a person, and the 2010s is where that line blurred ever more. Please keep in mind that she is a human being who lived out her successes and failures (whatever you perceive them to be) in public, and ultimately is just another person who is trying to figure out their life. It is absolutely fair to critique her professional decisions and work but I hope we can keep to the level of fairness we have seen in the posts so far in regards to respecting her as an individual.