The NEXT LEVEL era concepts analysis thread!

[Andrenekoi]

^She has a rich and consistent use of symbolism that only work for her releases... The one winged angel and the road are pretty frequent on her lyrics... And visually I noticed she tends to link deserts with freedom.

Talking about her symbolism with TVs some years ago with Noidea, he pointed to me that it could be a contemporary take on vanitas. Being it a take on vanitas or not, the rooten fruits/flowers, clocks, etc. she likes to use really fits this art concept.^^

BTW, gotta love the yellow boobgrab from NL booklet! xD

About the sexy image over the booklets, I think Sparkle video can have some take on this... People always say it was a parody of western 90's music videos, what I find very strange considering the video wasn't meant to be funny, and I would like to believe Ayu isn't that prude that criticize women for showing sexuality... Besides, she is a Madonna fan herself.

Considering the way the video works, it always felt to me like a comentary on Japanese ideal women, and idols in general. Outside they are all fluffy and innocent, virginal, and this is the only way for them to be (the Seiko inspired part that starts and ends the video). Once we get on the BDSM inspired part of the video (the outfits were actually bought from a fetish webstore, I remember findind them for sale xD), it's all that repressed sexuality those women can't show to archieve a certain standart on that society. Even if that part is sex-charged, she still is stucked on a psychiatric ward-like room, only red, and even the BDSM stuff while indicates sex, also indicates she is tied.