[2007] This really convinced me! Utada is THE best!

[bulmasman]

Nobody is THE best, it's all down to personal opinion really. Technically Utada does have a better voice than Ayumi, but when it comes to giving a really good performance (though that Kremlin Dusk one is absolutely fantastic and blew me away when i watched the concert) you need more than just technical perfection. You need more emotion and something of a uniqeness, (doubt that's a real word but i'll go with it anyway), to your voice imo. For other singers who i personally think can better Utada both technically and emotionally... Onistuka Chihiro for sure definitely. Rimi Natsukawa (not jpop per se, but absolutely amazing) and Angela Aki live is truly a marvel.

And ddd, to say Hikki has the "best voice in Japanese music, hands down" is nothing short of a complete lie.