[EndOfTheWorld]

To be honest, I really felt alienated by that. Of course, people would attach different memories to the works I create, and feel nostalgia or joy. Hearing about that makes me really happy, and I am glad to be the Hamasaki Ayumi who created those songs. However, there is another side of me... When everyone is reminiscing warmly about how a song makes them remember how much they used to love someone, I was at my lowest, coldest point. I'm the type who seldom writes about happy things, and coupled with the fact that I always remember exactly what state of mind I was in when I wrote each song, the few days before and after the re-release of "A BEST" was emotionally void for me. I wanted it all gone... I knew that I musn't return to how I was then. There are things I need to do now, so I need to move on. I am living in the present, and I don't want to be dragged back 15 years to the past.

What a revealing reply!
This quote of her's really adds to the Made In Japan era and helps tie everything together. I think this shows that Ayu is going through a rebirth afterall. We should support her! Not wish for the past. It isn't what she wants.