[Charts & Rankings] The Official Oricon Thread ~Party Queen~

[Minttulatte]

^I thought those pics would actually make her male fans go buy her album. ;3

[Bigtop]

Originally Posted by orbitalaspect

I expected a drop. I seriously, seriously did not expect PQ to sell less in two days than FIVE, a mini-album, did in one day. I think this says very different things about how fans are actually responding to this album than some here are saying.

That said, I knew when I saw the covers this would not be a #1 album. I have had zero doubt this is not a #1 record since I started hearing clips and this Timmy guy is literally **everywhere**. He is in the PVs, the production, the singing, etc. There is so little focus on Ayumi with this record. I think, like most people, we're wondering whether Ayumi Hamasaki is a musician or a group now? And FIVE was very similar to this, but I think people bought into the idea because FIVE is a mini-album and her collaborations (NAOYA and JUNO) weren't masquerading as unknown, unnamed people.

A lot of talk was going on before that Naoya and Juno were using Ayumi to jumpstart their solo careers. I think it should be even clearer that Timmy is *everywhere* on this album and the PVs, and he genuinely behaves as if he is (talent- and fame-wise) Ayumi's equal... and does this **on Ayumi's own record**.

There are literally times during NaNaNa and Shake It<3 that the focus of the video is not on Ayumi being the musician, but on Ayumi and Timmy being the musicians/dancers/kawaii. It's confusing. His antics on camera, the pouty gay face and awkward dancing are distracting. I am only thankful he was not in Return Road's PV, but still disappointed that he is a presence in some way in every song or video chosen to promote this album.

Timothy's presence is the first major downfall. He adds a sprinkle of excitement here and there, but this isn't a sprinkle. If this record were an ice cream cone, it would be equal parts ice cream and sprinkles, and as you tried to enjoy the ice cream, you'd find poop-flavored sprinkles hidden in the ice cream. That's what Timmy does to the record: He distracts, in good and bad ways, but after some time you aren't sure you're even listening to an Ayumi Hamasaki record anymore.

The second major downfall is the lack of a preceding single. This is Ayumi's first album in over a year (not counting FIVE). Between then and now, she could have released a single. There are songs on PQ, such as Return Road, that people like myself are wondering *why* they were not singles. She may lose her #1 streak if she puts out a crappy single, but she's guaranteed to lose it if she waits to put out a single at all.

Third, the covers. I feel inappropriate looking at them. I have been uncomfortable with some album covers in the past. Misono had her "Me" cover, Seiko Matsuda had her album "Sunshine" (look http://www.generasia.com/wiki/File:Sunshine.jpg ... I need to wash my eyes out after seeing that cover.) But Misono and Matsuda are expected to do crazy things like that. Misono IS crazy, and Matsuda IS grasping at straws to sell records. Ayumi has been classfully topless in prior album covers, but this was bad. Very bad. She looks like a ****. That's all I can say. I expect this out of Koda Kumi, but the fact that I thoroughly enjoy JAPONESQUE covers and not Party Queen covers is... well, a sign for me that Ayumi is trying to fix a career that isn't actually broken.

Last, I'm used to bad songs and interludes that suck, but this is her third record to contain a boring classical interlude that has no feeling in it. Interludes went from GUILTY and NEXT LEVEL sounding cool and challenging to sounding cheap and uninspired. I would have found new people to do interludes before Love songs. And the bad songs are really bad songs now. I thought Thank you was ridiculous. Letter and the next LOVE and maybe even Eyes, Smoke, Magic trumped that song easily.

If I were in Ayumi's shoes, I would cancel the tour and record a new album over the next several months for release before the end of the year. This album was really, really disappointing. We have a few gems and jewels in here, but this is overall nothing that we should have been given as fans.

It's just miles away from what "quality" has been for Ayumi's career until now.

Originally Posted by everlastingRAINBOW

Glad it got #2, it is not a #1 album. Maybe next time she'll step up her game.

I agree with both.

You see, over the past releases we even cared about her getting #1 because it was her specialty - trying to be on top. But now she's 33, and what we've been seeing - it's just all too much. In fact, I don't even care if she gets #1 or not - but what I'm surprised about is on Acid Black Cherry's sales!!!

Originally Posted by hagan_massey

If I remember correctly, ayaka didn't release any singles before her new album. She just promoted it a ton and it was her first release since the forced break. I'm guessing that Ayu is not as relevant in Japan as the idol groups but she is still a legend. I'm actually happy with the numbers because maybe it will decrease the pressure of always getting #1. I'll still be her fan and buy her music regardless.

Agreed with that as well.

[TeamAyu2004]

lol.. cancel tour because being number 2 for two days... wow...
the number one had a heavy drop.. ayumi not so much...
she could still pull a number one if the drops stay the same.

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by RayJason

Is Janne Da Arc the person who sung 'WILD FANG'? If so, how weird that I meet up with this singer again. All this time I was like, omfg gtfo out of 1st place, while I adore his work.

yeah JDA is the artiste that sung WILD FANG . It's just that yasu serves as the lead vocalist for both in JDA & also now for the past 5 years in ABC since JDA went on indefinite hiatus

Before he embarked on his solo project , he wanted to use his own name but hyde (yes hyde of all people) suggested to yasu to come up with a name that allows yasu to get his friends onboard to play with him

which's why in ABC's PVs & also in the credits of his/their songs , a lot of yasu's famous friends are on , such as LUNA SEA's guitarist SUGIZO , SIAM SHADE's drummer Jun-Ji , ex La'cryma Christi's bassist SHUSE , BREAKERZ's guitarist AKIHIDE & BREAKERZ's backup drummer MAKOTO x)

[Bad Wolf]

Originally Posted by sanzo2011

Actually i just don't care as her #1 album streak gone! I just hope she can get a good sales in the long run!

Yeah, it's been gone since GUILTY. For the most part I don't mind, because those numbers don't mean jackshit. Sales count, I guess -- if you work at avex lol but Ayu's been pretty steady for ages now that even a lackluster opening week album isn't much of a problem. She sells nicely in the DVD department, too.

Originally Posted by Kazeyomi

Actually #2 is really good for a female solo singer after 14 years career and she's not in her peak anymore.

I don't get why people should whining like that :/ just because you don't like that album, doesn't mean it's crap and it don't deserve to be #1. I don't want to complain about people who don't like it though, just for who made a huge drama about it.
It seems, she should release I am... copycats for the rest of her life .

QFT DISAGREERS CAN SIT THE HELL DOWN

[yatsudamf]

Originally Posted by Bigtop

You see, over the past releases we even cared about her getting #1 because it was her specialty - trying to be on top. But now she's 33, and what we've been seeing - it's just all too much. In fact, I don't even care if she gets #1 or not - but what I'm surprised about is on Acid Black Cherry's sales!!!

I totally agree!!!

I don't care how much she sells, she can do whatever she wants without caring about what the media or her own fans say. I really LOVE the album, and that's enough for me.

[channy]

Best part of this is that I've never heard of "Acid Black Cherry" before xD

[Yumsushi]

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

I believe this was the way they wanted the covers to be. Over the top and tacky. Yes the execution does seem like it totally failed, but do tabloid magazines and paparazzi pics really look any better? Do dead drunk party queens look like princesses when in fact they are sad and depressed? No.

That wasn't really my point at all. My point was that not liking the covers doesn't make you shallow and that to assume otherwise is a grossly inaccurate generalization, especially when it's not really all that obvious that Ayumi is sad and depressed on said covers. My personal opinion is the covers don't look like a tabloid, or at least it doesn't look like anything I've seen on the cover of Star,people's or any of those gossip papers. Maybe tabloids in Japan are different but this is what a sad and lonely party queen looks like in the tabloids here. (Sorry I don't have a larger image)

[adantatu2]

Reasons for bad sales (according to what i see in the forum):

-No tv performances
-Divorce
-Cover albums
-Only 4 pvs (fans on strike)
-Only 2 tie-ins
-Her fans are sick of Timmy, is ayu a solo singer or she is part of a group?
-ABC's album has good promo and is a really good album

I don't care about the peak, is just, that i don't wanna see ayu dropping with her sales

[zellyx]

Originally Posted by SpiceSquad!

let this be a lesson for her management..

1st ugly cover
2nd so-so video
3rd no promotion

and last one

try to hear WHAT we as FANS want..

they just don't listen

So darn true... avex needs to stop taking ayu's name for granted. Stop being lazy. They used to promote the heck out of her back during her "golden sales age", then they said "oh she had golden sales! It'll stay forever!" then walked away..

no..
they need to reign in on the pretty great music she's been producing (as a whole) and promote the darn thing. Magazines aren't enough to do it.
Good thing she's got all those tv things planned...are they performances & an interview kinda thing?!

[Larisa-chan]

My list that refers to reasons the sales are so low:

1) ALBUM COVERS The reasons have already been stated as to why this would be a turn off to fans.
2) Album title
3) Party Queen as a title + ****ty album covers give people the wrong impression as to what this album is all about. Seeing song titles such as "NaNaNa" and "Shake It <3" may also potentially turn people away.
4) Ayu's recent divorce
5) Ayu not attending Music Station due to her not being able to get a flight back to Japan in time Fall 2011
6) Lack of singles to promote an upcoming album (which sucks, because I think it's actually cool how many new songs we got to listen to; it's a double-edged sword)
7) Awful PVs of NaNaNA & Shake It

I feel like there's more, but I'm forgetting.. but... there are many, many reasons as to why sales are so low (which have already been listed but whatever). Too bad, I've said this before, but even if I don't particularly like some of Ayu's albums/singles, I still like her hitting #1

[kinix]

YA is temporary out of stock for the CD only version is the CD only version... from ships within 1-2 days become 7 days =( is it available in japan?

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by TeamAyu2004

i like this album a lot... but I don't know.. i just think a lot of ayumi's fans are spoiled...
like, going on strike and not buying an album because of only 4 pv's... really?
And the covers... just get over it.
If you don't buy the album and call yourself a fan because of the covers... get over yourself.
I mean forget about the actually content (which is good to the most part), but the picture isnt pretty enough so im just going to pass.

I don't think that's really fair. Fan or not, if you don't like something, then you are under no obligation to buy it. The artist is selling their product to us and its up to us, the consumer, to judge whether it is worth buying or not. Even for me, I don't buy blindly from my various favorite artists; I just buy the products that I like the most and feel are worth the price tag - its up to the artist/record company to make me believe that they are. Record companies don't make PVs and covers just for the hell of it, they do it in the hopes that it will appeal to the consumers and they can make their money back + extra; that's why they need to make sure that what they are expecting people to pay for is actually something appealing to the audience. Sometimes they hit and sometimes they miss.
Albums and especially albums + dvd + 2dvds are expensive. I don't think only 4 pvs is necessarily the problem, but more so the quality of the pvs. Had they been 4 high quality pvs, I think more people would shell out their money.

[Maxker]

Originally Posted by Tom Punks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf3w9CVa1go&t=02m11s

This is obviously the reason it's not selling. =D

Hahahahaha! That's hilarious! XD

[v_gil2410]

I can't really understand why people keep saying they don't care about her #1 streak, since it's gone with GUILTY album...
because as far as i know she can still break the record of most #1albums in a row...
what i mean is that she lost her streak with GUILTY being #2, but she started a new one with Next Level being again #1...
If PQ would get weekly #1, then it would make 4 #1 albums in a row, right?
Then in three/four years time she could be again close to breaking the 8 #1 albums in a row record...

[Jason]

People actually still care about how much she's selling?

Anyway, I'm not surprised at the low sales. As much as I love PQ and all (and believe me, I think it's a fantastic album), I expected it. I mean, with the lack of promotion, the whole risqué presentation and the fact that this isn't a generic pop idol group album; Why would anyone be surprised?

[TeamAyu2004]

^^^ i understand if you do not like the content of the album or you think the quality is something less. But to flat out not buy it because of the covers is just stupid.
So for people who think the sales are down because the covers are "bad" are delusion.

[Amuro_Ray]

If get #2 finally, I just afraid one thing........It is A Best 3 in this year..

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by TeamAyu2004

^^^ i understand if you do not like the content of the album or you think the quality is something less. But to flat out not buy it because of the covers is just stupid.
So for people who think the sales are down because the covers are "bad" are delusion.

But the covers are a big part of what can help or hurt sales. Of course hard core Ayumi fans will look for deeper meanings and try to see a larger concept. But look at it from the perspective of casual fans or someone just browsing through the record store. A good or bad cover makes or breaks the purchase from those consumers.

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by Amuro_Ray

If get #2 finally, I just afraid one thing........It is A Best 3 in this year..

Well, it has been a little over 5 years since A BEST 2....

However, I think they may wait for the 15th anniversary for A BEST 3.

I think that if this gets #2, we'll just get a new album at the VERY end of this Oricon year?