[Charts & Rankings] Days/GREEN ORICON SALES THREAD - Page 16

SunshineSlayer · #**301** 22nd December 2008, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasjasss

maybe its a sign that people doesnt like her dancers in the music video !!! eg, SHuya
she should go back to white ppl again

ayu n shuya reminds me of britney n kevin
n look wat happened ! HAHA

I think that is possibly part of it, before her career was much more focused just on her and her lyrics and the music. She had the band with enrique and Yoshio but maybe now everything is just a bit "much." You know? I also think that with each year she has been kind of distancing herself from the general public and taking on a more divaish kind of persona and that just doesn't really fly in Japan like it does here - humility is much more prized. I just watched her Domoto Kyoudai from last year (Together When) when she said that a) she didn't know what Passmo was and B) that the entire floor of her apartment is covered in a pillow type material (meaning you sink down when you walk on it, like a cushion). Now, I'm sure many people here don't know what Passmo is either, but in Tokyo it's an absolutely basic life essential as you need it to use the subway, buses, and other forms of public transportation - the fact that she didn't even know what it was, I'm sure makes her seem so "far away" so to speak. It's just some little things like that that I think exemplify maybe what part of the problem is regarding this steadily progressing popularity slump.

tokyoxjapanxfan · #**302** 22nd December 2008, 07:17 AM

^ ew she said that about pasmo? i thought everyone in japan knew what that was...that or suica

but i completely agree with you. i've had so many people tell me (after i tell them that I like ayu) that she has a "bad personality" or "she's too full of herself"--the latter being in different words, but that's the general meaning.

she's definitely lost her grasp on the everyday people of japan, which is what she used to have going for her xD

HOWEVER, that being said, she is still one of the most respected female artists in japan, and that's definitely reflected in the japanese society.
----
oh and on a side note, i think ayu's musical style is something that is a bit old...she doesn't really evolve with the times lately.

danceable music and hip hop is really popular in japan right now (putting aside the always popular ballads). ayu does not do this type of music and thus there's a large portion of people she does not appeal to anymore, as opposed to when pop music in the 90's and early 2000's appealed to the mass majority (morning musume is a prime example...their fandom has practically kicked the bucket).

female "rock music" is also not really popular...and generally speaking, female artists arent very popular (sales wise).
yes, there are a lot of them, but when compared to the male artists (whether it's groups or solo acts they just don't generally compete well). Except for of course namie, hikki, ayu and kuu. or so i've observed.

even the packaging of ayu's cd's is kind of irrelevant. she still puts "original mix" after her track titles...not that this would affect her sales, it's just sort of strange how she continues to do it, haha.

but anyway...these are just general observations/opinions i've made since i've been in japan...agree or disagree with them haha

lfe. · #**303** 22nd December 2008, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marekcarey

omg this is one of most finniest things ive ever heard

Concerts are fan service. The only people who keep up with the tour schedule are people planning to go, not people who don't even like ayu much.

And she kinda does this every year, if you haven't noticed.

Has she done a lot of TV/magazine appearances until after the tour ended?

I don't get whats so funny.

SunshineSlayer · #**304** 22nd December 2008, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

^ ew she said that about pasmo? i thought everyone in japan knew what that was...that or suica

but i completely agree with you. i've had so many people tell me (after i tell them that I like ayu) that she has a "bad personality" or "she's too full of herself"--the latter being in different words, but that's the general meaning.

she's definitely lost her grasp on the everyday people of japan, which is what she used to have going for her xD

HOWEVER, that being said, she is still one of the most respected female artists in japan, and that's definitely reflected in the japanese society.

Yep, I just watched the segment again now and am still kind of shocked that she didn't know what it was. She then said that she thinks she saw one in the hallway. To be funny, the hosts asked her to draw what she thinks Pasmo is and she draws like a little stuffed animal figurine.

They then show her an actual Pasmo card and explain to her what it is used for. And this is all being done by the Kinki Kids - two guys that arguably have as much money and fame as Ayu, yet they knew what the card was and even had one with them.

SURREAL__RAINBOW · #**305** 22nd December 2008, 07:41 AM

people started the long comments already? lol

jimex289 · #**306** 22nd December 2008, 07:52 AM

Bah I know we're going off topic but I feel a need to comment on all this haha.

So PASMO is basically the equivalent of a metrocard here in New York if I'm to understand right...maybe she doesn't take mass transit much though. There could be a plethora of reasons as to why she doesn't know what it is. Was PASMO something that was introduced just recently? I mean a big star like her probably does not travel alone or without guides to protect her from crowds of people. She probably has a personal car or plane she uses to get around no? Also, she might know what it is...just not what it's called. Dunno...just trying to come up with some ideas.

Lol @ her whole floor being covered in a pillow-type material. I wonder how the hell she cleans it =0. And yesh, it is kind of depressing she's been distancing herself. I kind of feel the same way with her. 2008 was like...the year of diva Ayu or something. A lot of her pictures were shot all glamorous-like; could have been to coincide with her 10th anniversary but yes I agree, humility is prized.

NintendoHTF1242 · #**307** 22nd December 2008, 08:09 AM

So what if she is losing popularity and having sales declines. She's still making music, that's enough for me :B

Luv ~Venus~ · #**308** 22nd December 2008, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

Yes, hun that's what I was saying, that Hikki's physical singles haven't really been an eye-candy for the fans lately. It seems that you enjoy quoting me

How can you say that giving the time when they were released? DDD: There's like a few reasons why those two singles sold the way they sold some of which I said a couple of posts ago. You're trying to compare MW+D/G to HS/SG+POL but you really can't compare the two.

Quote:

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

And that's once again exactly what I was saying hun - Ku rarely breaks 100k in a week (and that's called STRUGGLING as she takes at least 2-3 weeks), and besides FREAKY she didn't have any other single to break 100 k mark during the first week the last 2 years. And MOST OF YUI's singles sold more than 100k...so I don't know where did u get that..

I don't think it's AVEX's intention to get Kuu to sell over a 100k her first week with her singles. =/ Maybe with her 2 - 4 a-side singles but mostly not with her 1 a-side singles. She's not struggling at all as she's selling at her normal rate not Ayu's rate. =/

As for YUI, you said that YUI struggles to get 100k her 1st week. YUI has never gotten 100k her first week. I never said she's never sold 100k with most of her singles.

And lol. No I don't like quoting you but sometimes you seem to give misguided information hun.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melrose

Oh that reminded me of something

Spoiler:

Umm correction:

Spoiler:

But if you want to take it there:

Spoiler:

Anything else Melrose?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayumisrael

^And don't forget that ayu can do that without drama/anime tie-ins which throws 1000 versions to trash =P
Also without the drama tie-ins/anime hikki's sales would be cracked. Tops her singles (FoL, BW/K&C) would do exatly like her singles in 2006 or even less.

There's no denying that the tie-ins that Hikki has had influenced her sales but don't make it seem like that's all she's been depended upon. I don't think I have to go into detail with you about some of her single sales without huge tie-ins selling very well since you pretty much know a lot about Hikki.

SunshineSlayer · #**309** 22nd December 2008, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimex289

Bah I know we're going off topic but I feel a need to comment on all this haha.

So PASMO is basically the equivalent of a metrocard here in New York if I'm to understand right...maybe she doesn't take mass transit much though. There could be a plethora of reasons as to why she doesn't know what it is. Was PASMO something that was introduced just recently? I mean a big star like her probably does not travel alone or without guides to protect her from crowds of people. She probably has a personal car or plane she uses to get around no? Also, she might know what it is...just not what it's called. Dunno...just trying to come up with some ideas.

I guess it would be similar to a metro card yes, except that it can also be used for buses and even taxi's I believe. It can also be used in vending machines. But yes, its obvious that Ayu isn't going to be doing much mass transit, but this is really such a basic thing that even I who don't live in Japan had a negative reaction to her not knowing. It was like a wow, 'is she really that far removed from reality?' type of feeling. As I mentioned, even the Kinki Kids had Pasmo cards on the show. (actually its kind of famously rumored that many Johnny's still take the train - usually incognito. That's just johnny-sans way of squeezing out even more profit I suppose.^_^) I doubt there are very many Japanese celebs that don't know and/or use Pasmo, just like I'm sure most, if not all, celebs that live in New York know what a metrocard is.

jbrat2219 · #**310** 22nd December 2008, 08:50 AM

I think it's a shame that Ayu seems so distant from the public. I think if everyone knew her as we know her from her TA messages and stuff, they would maybe feel more connected? But only die hard fans get that connection I guess.

But question...? Even with these kind of sales, she's still doing much better than other female artists right? (minus Hikki, Namie and Kumi because they're kind of on the same level). It's really the boy bands and male artists who are soaking up all the sales?

I mean what is Ayu's REAL downfall here? Is it her diva status? Her music? Her gender? Or all the above? She's obviously still popular, but what is keeping the casual listener from falling in love with her again? Does she need to put on a t and jeans, get a PASSCO, sing R&B and look like a tomboy?

I would never want Ayu to conform to what the public thinks she should be just to increase sales

(I don't even really think that Ayu cares about that kind of stuff really... I could be wrong though). I want Ayu to be Ayu, and if that's a diva who worked hard for ten years to get where she is, then so be it! I mean it's not like she's a ***** or something, she may not be "humble," but she's a sweetheart ^^;

I'm just typing while thinking..... haha

music_* · #**311** 22nd December 2008, 09:25 AM

AYU!
You're gorgeous now, but most people just prefer the girl-next-door... ):
They're accessible. Look at YUI!
She's nothing like the current you, but Japan loves her!
Right now, you are like a lighthouse - bright, all the way at the top and seen and heard all around. But no ships go near lighthouses, right? Distancing yourself is lonely.
And after so much to get here, you're kinda back to Square 1. WE DON'T WANT THAT! D:
Is that why you sang ASFXX?
......
AHA! I BET IT'S THAT CRAZY PHOTOGRAPHER OF YOURS THAT'S MAKING YOU PUT ON THIS CRAZY ACT!
Always taking weird pictures with weird expressions and making un-understandable PVs. JUST FIRE HIM ALREADY! D:<
You're great in those TA Messages! Japan's not seeing that side of you BECAUSE OF HIM!!
WEIRD DELUDED GUY WHO THINKS HE'S OH-SO-ARTISTIC: Stop making Ayu your poor scapegoat just cos no one else wants to! MEANIE! Artistic? More like abstract art no one understands. YOU RUINED GREEN FOR ME YA NOE!?
Where's Leslie Kee?! He's great!
I say: fire that guy, compose a awesomely great song, wear some plain o' tee and jeans to Kouhaku to grab ppl's attention and adopt a baby! It's really popular now. 8D
-flies off into a deluded rant-

Spoiler:

Melon Panda · #**312** 22nd December 2008, 09:25 AM

I think it's just a time issue - no one stays on top forever. Male bands seem to have greater longevity, but even they fall sooner or later.

njanjayrp · #**313** 22nd December 2008, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luv ~Venus~

How can you say that giving the time when they were released? DDD: There's like a few reasons why those two singles sold the way they sold some of which I said a couple of posts ago. You're trying to compare MW+D/G to HS/SG+POL but you really can't compare the two.

I don't think it's AVEX's intention to get Kuu to sell over a 100k her first week with her singles. =/ Maybe with her 2 - 4 a-side singles but mostly not with her 1 a-side singles. She's not struggling at all as she's selling at her normal rate not Ayu's rate. =/

As for YUI, you said that YUI struggles to get 100k her 1st week. YUI has never gotten 100k her first week. I never said she's never sold 100k with most of her singles.

And lol. No I don't like quoting you but sometimes you seem to give misguided information hun.

Umm correction:

Spoiler:

But if you want to take it there:

Spoiler:

Anything else Melrose?

There's no denying that the tie-ins that Hikki has had influenced her sales but don't make it seem like that's all she's been depended upon. I don't think I have to go into detail with you about some of her single sales without huge tie-ins selling very well since you pretty much know a lot about Hikki.

I am pretty sure that AVEX wants as to sell as much as possible..And I think you're being over protective when it comes to Hikki. Be My Last and Passion for example were released back when the sales were quite decent in general, yet they simply didn't sell well (which is quite obvious). I could go on but no point in arguing on this

And yeah I know pretty much all about Hikki's sales and over all Hikki is a huge tie-in girl (I mean even Final Distance which was dedicated to a dead girl had a tie-in, which was really pathetic in a way..) Oh and while we still at the tie-in thingy - not all of them are equally effective ^^ so you can't really compare them like that.

As for Ayu losing the touch with people - I would never want her to change her music in order to appeal to wider audience, this works fine for me.

Raleigh · #**314** 22nd December 2008, 09:45 AM

Well this is certainly interesting. I enjoyed reading about Ayu's connection to her fans. To be honest, lately Ayu seems to cater only for her fanbase, leaving little space for new fans. I mean most of the fans I see here have been her fans for years and her teenage following seems to be fading.

Also the fact that she gets this diva atmosphere around her isn't so good..I know she has worked so hard to get where she is but she seems to have gone to an extreme where she looks unreachable. Fans used to love imitating her with her shippo tail or badges but now she just wears these super expensive gowns and has this luxurious lifestyle. Dunno.. makes her feel so disconnected and out there. I'd rather see Ayu in a Days outfit rather than all those glamorous ones in magazines.

bluegie · #**315** 22nd December 2008, 09:45 AM

@Luv: LOL I love how you bring out facts. I was gonna write some true facts regarding hikki's release but I deleted my message in the end. It's pointless to argue that in an ayu thread.

@Sunshine: The closing spot is not determined by the current popularity. I think it's more about the artists' statues in the industry. If the value of getting closing position based on the popularity, I'm sure that ayu would have been kicked out already. Let's face the fact that her popularity has been started declining since 2003. And I really think she is not the top selling female artist anymore after 2005 (the time she released (m)u). I really think it's her statue + the no. 1 streaks keeping her from kicking off the hill. Now her album no. 1 streak is broken. It's just a matter of fact the single streak being chopped anytime soon. Once her last streak is gone.. Then I guess people will knock ayu off from the closing position.

About the pasmo (which I dunno what it is since I dun live in Japan). I assume it should be a really common thing in Japan (since you can use it for transit, taxi, vending machine etc... It reminds me the octopus card in HK). I believe that she doesn't need to use public transports.. The thing is, whenever a new service for public is invented, it should have been covered by news (on tv and other media), newspapers, magazines, etc. You generally can't avoid being informed. I just read on wiki. Pasmo was introduced in April 2007. I assumed the media would talk about that earlier before the release.. Ayu attend DK around December, and she still didn't know what that was. This kinda show she belongs to the group who does not really read newspapers (at least local section)... Ahh we can't make excuse like, "she's busy / she was touring outside Japan / etc.." because not matter how busy she is, she should at least search around what's going on in her country.

@jbrat: Yes of course we want ayu to be what she wants. But it's quite obvious that her diva-ish image creates a wall between herself and the general public. I believe back then the teenagers wanted to copy ayu, such as whatever she wore, whatever she applied on her face, her nails, etc. Selling 500,000 mascara (or lipstick..?? I forgot. lol) after the VISEE cm was out (Naturally as background music). This is a proof of how ayu had common with the general public back then. What she wore in magazines were not EXPENSIVE stuff, and they were things that girls could find in stores.

Now, how can a typical teenage girl afford a $500 USD dress? Even this time she can spend $500 on one dress. It doesn't mean she can spend another $500 on another one. Most of the time we see ayu as glamorous diva on magazines. People just can't copy her anymore. They dun have anything common with ayu.

Also, she's been in the industry for too long. It's normal (and logical) that general people follow another fresh artist, or artists who reinvented herself (e.g., Namie). I don't really know if the "diva" image really pushes ayu to the corner. I mean, being a diva means you gotta be glamorous almost every single time.

I guess it is time for ayu to reinvent herself as well.

Edit:

@melon: I really think the Japan industry has been creating illusions somehow. Obviously B'z, Mr. Children, KinKi Kids, ayu, NEWS, etc having no. 1 streaks with something behind. Whenever they release new stuff, they (or thier companies) prefer to find a date that GUARANTEE them getting no. 1. That is why B'z is having the longest no. 1 streak has this moment, and why KK's no. 1 streak becomes world record. It's easy to see once a powerful unknown appeared, their no. 1 streaks will be gone. ayu's MW sets a perfect example. Let's see it was B'z instead to release a single that week, I'm sure they would fall into the same fate.

@Demure: LOL we practically talk about the same thing

.

@njanjayrp: Almost 95% of releases have tie in. You can't avoid it. It's just a matter of fact whether the tie ins are huge or small. And.. that FINAL DISTANCE tie in you said... It's not really a tie in. In fact, she's just dedicating the song to that little girl... Back then hikki was huge and she didn't need to purposely use that as a tactic to gain media attention.

Raleigh · #**316** 22nd December 2008, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluegie

I guess it is time for ayu to reinvent herself as well.

Yes I think it's about time she does that or otherwise she'll just have to deal with being less and less popular every year. Unless the audience she wants to cater to is women in their 20's/30's who are rich and single.

She's actually lucky that she still has so much control over her career and is the only one who can really change the course of her career. Hopefully the new dragonball tie-in will give her the chance to go on a less mature note. I can totally see her sporting jeans in a style similar to her "H" era.

I also think she must ditch all her backups team and use them only for her concerts. They have really become annoying to the point that people think of Peco or Shuya when someone mentions Ayu.

@bluegie: haha we actually do. I felt like we were on the same wavelength about this.

music_* · #**317** 22nd December 2008, 10:12 AM

Also, can someone refer me to a dl link for that Domoto Kyoudai episode? Thanks! ^^

roanmy · #**318** 22nd December 2008, 10:22 AM

Comparing Ayu to Mr. Children or EXILE is a little... Strange? I mean, everything Mr. Children releases sells like crazy, right? And EXILE are at their peak, like Ayu was a few years back. There are many popular acts today that have sold less and less, like B'z, Seiko Matsuda and until recently, Namie's sales were pretty low.

SunshineSlayer · #**319** 22nd December 2008, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluegie

@Luv: LOL I love how you bring out facts. I was gonna write some true facts regarding hikki's release but I deleted my message in the end. It's pointless to argue that in an ayu thread.

@Sunshine: The closing spot is not determined by the current popularity. I think it's more about the artists' statues in the industry. If the value of getting closing position based on the popularity, I'm sure that ayu would have been kicked out already. Let's face the fact that her popularity has been started declining since 2003. And I really think she is not the top selling female artist anymore after 2005 (the time she released (m)u). I really think it's her statue + the no. 1 streaks keeping her from kicking off the hill. Now her album no. 1 streak is broken. It's just a matter of fact the single streak being chopped anytime soon. Once her last streak is gone.. Then I guess people will knock ayu off from the closing position.

Yes, that is pretty much exactly what I meant.

But, popularity does also play a key role. There are many artists out there that have a high respect status in the industry, but do not get the closing spot. So, when you take status + current popularity - if you are going to be fair - the closing spot should go to either Mr. Children, B'z, Southern (if they didn't go on hiatus), SMAP (which it did at FNS, even though they weren't there), Namie, and I would now put Arashi on that list too (around for 9 years now, 1 and 2 single of the year, quickly becoming the next SMAP imo). Avex still has the magic though to pull off the closing slots for Ayu it seems. I agree though that once the #1 single status is broken, that probably won't be happening anymore.

bluegie · #**320** 22nd December 2008, 11:02 AM

Yeah I agree. If the role popularity is ignored, Seiko can fight for the the closing position as well LOL. But anywayz so far it seems like B'z or Mr. Children don't really care about the closing position. SMAP has closing positions on other things (e.g., kouhaku and FNS?). I dunno about Namie. At this moment she's not like "I'm here so get outta my way." (I'm not saying ayu has that attitude btw

). Also, it really depends on her popularity in next year. That is, whether or not she can bring over the BEST FICTION hotness to the next year

. I dunno about Arashi tho. They are popular rite now (just like EXILE. I still have no idea why the heck the girls love the new guy so much...), but they are not that legendary. To me, B'z, Mr. Children, and SMAP (to a certain extend) are those legendary male artists, while ayu and hikki belongs to the female category. However, I do feel that Arashi is getting close to there. I would not predict they would be here a few years ago.

and tbh.. I really wish for a backlash for EXILE next year. I'm just sick of them.

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