How to get into Ai Otsuka's world WELL?

The first Otsuka Ai song I heard was "Happy Days" when it came out. I loved the promo photos, so I checked out her website and listened to the clip. I nearly died; I thought she was a 1-girl Mini Moni.

But then I was in Tokyo when "Daisuki Da Yo." came out, and I fell in love with the song. Her voice sounded completely different. When I found out she writes and composes all her stuff, too, I respected her a lot more and looked deeper into her music. Her uptempo songs do tend to be too cutesy and crazy for me most of the time, but I can still appreciate them. Her ballads, though, are wonderful. "Daisuki Da Yo.", "Kingyo Hanabi", "Sensu", and "Cherish" are all great.

I think you just need to listen to a variety of her stuff (as with any artist) to really appreciate them. Ultimately, she just might not be for you, but you'll at least know from experience rather than writing her off.