a-nation 10th anniversary for Life information thread [I]

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by maikaru

Except thats not quite true. When you buy a product from the store, and something isnt to your satisfaction, lets take shampoo for example, we are able to take it back for a full refund. Unfortunately to say, Ayus music albums, concert tickets and all items which bear the A mark are PRODUCTS. We are not buying the PERSON.

Ayu has had the same Anation format for forever. And that format is to sing ALONE. If ayu had said before anation that it was going to be different, then thats fine. You can choose not to buy the tickets if you wish. However, changing your format drastically without announcing it first leaves the consumer of the product in a bad situation. The consuner can take it well,but most repeat consumers would like relatively the same format with different variables, those being the songs and costumes, etc. If the consumer has already been to the Ehime live and they were not satisfied with this drastic change, what can they do? They cannot receive their money back, even though the product they were expecting was not what they were sold.

And we cannot say, if you were an AYU fan, you wouldnt say that. I am an APPLE fan, but when my computer did not come with the programs i expected, i didnt simply say "ohh well, im an apple fan so i just should accept it." Thats insane. And its the same with the Ayumi Hamasaki brand.

I'm behind you and your argument 100%~ You have intelligent logic and back up a good argument.

[emi♡]

I find this conversation interesting because, you know, it's not all about just a-nation.

It really comes down to Ayu's evolution as an artist, a person, and a product, and the relationship between the three, and how it affects her work.

And imo, the lines between all those have never been more ambiguous than now, ESPECIALLY when everything she does is so public, and all her feelings are so public.

One day, all fans (like us) have to decide what their relationship with their artist is, and work hard to better understand that relationship.

I think it's very interesting to see all the different reasons why people love Ayu, which parts of her work, image and personality they love, and what things they expect from someone they look up to so much.

It's a part of the true relationship between the artist and their audience. The psychology of art is mesmerizing.

[Yumsushi]

Originally Posted by maikaru

Anyways, the point of my entire thing is I understand why people are complaining about the concert, especially the ticket holders. If the tickets were 99cents, then I would be like "Ok, well..." but we all know that A-nation tickets are so expensive! Can you imagine paying so much money for something, and be VERY disappointed in the end? I want people to understand this, because I hate the tunnel vision that is always apparent on this board, even myself included sometimes. This time, A-nation was very much promoted under false advertisement. It said "Hamasaki Ayumi." Not, as I said before, "Hamasaki Ayumi and Friends." It's as simple as that.

Ayu herself has already stated that the name "Hamasaki Ayumi" is a business and product. If a company doesn't listen to the customers and patrons of their business, what else does a business have left? What kind of music and concerts that the business side of Hamasaki Ayumi creates is not connected to the feelings we have with the personal side of Hamasaki Ayumi, because we must separate our personal feelings for the artist from the goods that we are buying. If something is bad, or disappointing, then you must call a spade a spade. If someone says "I am very disappointed with this concert," it doesn't translate to someone saying "I hate Ayu." And I think that's the reasonings many people on this board resort to in the end. That statement ACTUALLY translates to "I paid money for this concert ticket, and I am not satisfied with the product that I have received."

And what many of you guys don't seem to understand, but I'm gonna give the benefit of the doubt that you do, in Japan, your customer is God. You MUST please them, because that's your duty to do that. They are paying their hard earned money for your service and your entertainment, so you must produce entertainment that is entertaining for your customers, to fulfill your duty for them paying you. If you do not produce this, and you do not at least listen to what your customers want, then you are not an entertainer, and you might as well stop entertaining. Ayu saying "I think you will understand why I did this" is not a good enough reason for someone to not be upset or disappointed. It doesn't matter if we understand or don't understand, what matters is if we are entertained. It sounds harsh and cold to say it like this, but it's the truth. And that's why I hate when people bash on the people who have gone to the performance and don't like it. "You shouldn't have gone." "You shouldn't go see it." "If you don't like it, don't watch it." What a stupid and childish response to have. In the end we are all Ayu fans, and we enjoy the format and content and quality we are used to having, and we want to continue to enjoy said format and content in the fashion that we are accustomed to. Why should we simply look away and turn our eyes if something is disappointing in our opinion? If she is what we have invested a lot of time and money in, should we not continue that patronage and offer feedback and criticism to her? Edit: If you were a business, wouldn't you want to know when your most loyal customers are unsatisfied? That would mean you are doing something that doesn't work, and you need to fix it. Saying you shouldn't watch something is counterproductive to this logic.

And I don't think Ayu herself would even want to build a world where no one offers their opinion and criticism about her work, because there would be no need to grow or evolve. In the end, this criticism will help her build a product that will satisfy everyone's entertainment levels, including her own, in her own way. But I think Ayu, above everyone else, already understand herself that she has built a product, and she needs to entertain her loyal fans, because that is the job that she chose for herself.

This board is notorious for its "tunnel vision" as you have called it. Anytime anyone complains about a release or something substantially below expectations there is always mindless backlash. We all know Ayumi doesn't cater to our individual needs, but as fans we have opinions; good or bad.

Ayu has built a product and she of all people should know what is expected of her. You can't just dismiss the fans and their expectations (so long as they aren't outrageous). Look at Shiina Ringo, the fans asked her not to write any new songs on the new Tokyo Jihen album, and she complied (and the album sucked as a result) but that kind of receptiveness to fans isn't something to be taken lightly.

I'm not really sure why this guy had to sing every single song; its almost like a "take your child to work day" gone wrong. As an avid concert goer, I know for sure that if I went to a bad show, an expensive bad show, it would definitely influence how loyally I would support that artist/band in the future. This seems like a costly move on her part.

[c_zou1987]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Nobody said people should accept, just that is not Ayu's function or duty to do what her fans want her to, but what SHE wants to...

If u dislike it, don't watch it...

And using your own thoughts... watching the first date of a tour because u like an artist is the same as buying a product u know nothing about cuz u like the brand... On both situations you have a big chance of getting a bad surprise...

I'm not really all into the decision of doing duets for all the songs, but really? It's just a concert... nobody will die because of it, and as hard as is it for some people to notice, there's more in life than Ayu's career...

It's easy to say if you haven't prepared weeks in advance to see her. No one is going to buy my tickets at this point, and I also bought them at a higher price point. I don't want my first Ayumi Hamasaki concert to be something like this nonsense, so yes I don't want to watch it but I'm not wasting all that money by letting the tickets go to waste. At least now I can go there and boo as loud as I can from my A-block seats every time that guy's face pops up.

If I was at home back in Canada, I could care less what she sings at a-nation - I'm not there at the concert. I can just forward all his parts (which seems like it's pretty much all of it).

[YuriChan]

What is with the hate towards this set list? Seriously... It's childish. =__=; Sure, it's not up to her usual par, but it's not disappointing either. She's just broadening her horizons and I give her kudos for doing that!

[truehappiness]

I think more than anything, the disappointment is over the fact that Urata is heavily featured than the setlist being subpar. I'm sure people would not be as disappointed if a few songs were switched out (the duet songs + WOW WAR TONIGHT) and if it were simply Ayu. It'd just be business as usual with "Oh, that's how a-nation is this year." or something.

I personally feel like she's been upping her game with every a-nation since around '04 with maybe '07 as a sole exception. I want to see this before I make any judgments about the show.

[Glamorous_Sky]

I'm not sure why everyone is so upset over this. So Urata is featured, big deal? This is definitely a case of making a molehill into a mountain, so to speak.

[pop909]

Next thing you know Urata is going to be all over her next album..... oh shi*

[SURREAL__RAINBOW]

Originally Posted by pop909

Next thing you know Urata is going to be all over her next album..... oh shi*

he's getting there lol FIVE is like, 1/5 his

[floweri19]

I really love this setlist. I also love Urata & AAA, so for me it's a dream come true

I've been an Ayu fan since 2007 and I've never hated anything what she has done so far... (the collab. with Naoya, boring songs, overuse of B&G at every concert, Sunrise-Sunset, marriage with Manny etc. )

I really don't understand the hate (yes-yes, I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion )

I just accept and love Ayu the way she is. There is nothing I'd change about her (music-wise and person-wise) 'cause then she wouldn't be the Ayumi Hamasaki I love, respect and admire.

Peace!!

[NintendoHTF1242]

Originally Posted by pop909

Next thing you know Urata is going to be all over her next album..... oh shi*

"ANother album

浜崎あゆみ×URATA NAOYA

16 songs, all featuring URATA NAOYA

Comes with 15 PV's featuring URATA NAOYA

All 5 editions feature URATA NAOYA

USB edition comes with USB designed by URATA NAOYA

Photobook concept thought of by URATA NAOYA

In stores, soon."

Sounds like it could happen. Minus the 15 PV's XD

[PoetGirl]

we can all laugh here but over there for whoever paid their ticket is not so fun.
I would be sad to pay not such a cheap ticket to see ayu and see there ayu singing with naoya every song.

I mean, lets be real.

I just hope she wont lose more japanaese fans over this. its such an unresponsible behavior.

[(AYU)Marionette]

can’t wait for photos

[maikaru]

Originally Posted by relmy

^ I really like your comparison to Apple. It works well because Ayu has the same principle.

A certain standard you expect, a formula you know that is part of the norm. Both Ayu and Apple are allow to change - but they can't be sprung upon customers/listeners.

It also works in reverse - you can argue that you're really paying for the Apple brand when you buy a product, not the content. Likewise, people can argue that going to see Ayu at a-nation is paying for Ayu the person, not whatever she sings or how she does it.

I guess it all comes down to which you prefer - the fact that it IS Ayu or the fact that it's irrelevant when you don't like the content - the set list in this context.

Exactly, and I do understand that there are a lot of people who just buy the iPhone or iPod or macbook just because it's Apple.

This is the same thing with Ayu. A lot of people just buy everything because it has the name "Hamasaki Ayumi" on it. And when other people can't do the same, and start offering criticism about it, they go berserk. But I think in this context, the thing is that they paid to see AAA in a separate stage, and Hamasaki Ayumi on a separate stage, and not Urata Naoya in both sets. If you think about it, he actually has the most face time in the entire A-Nation concert, which is a bit much. I don't really understand the logic behind featuring him in every song, especially ones that are just Ayu's. Of course, there are AAA fans on this board, but for those AAA fans... imagine those people who don't even know who this guy is, and there are many of them in Japan, and they seem him come on stage and sing with Ayu, which wasn't even advertised... I would be pretty darned pissed. "Who is this guy?" LOL.

And I sympathize with those who say "Oh well, it's Ayu so let's watch it anyways." It's loyal, and it's nice, but I can't do that and neither can many other fans... it seems like a waste of my time, since I don't really enjoy his voice. But also know that because she has very little public exposure now, it's kind of disappointing to know that the little public exposure that she does do is something I feel is a waste of time. And that makes me sad, because I want to like it.

Well, let's see what kind of changes she brings next time. Maybe it will be totally different, with fillers from previous concerts, etc. Will that be better? I don't know... but I feel it might be.

Originally Posted by NintendoHTF1242

"ANother album

浜崎あゆみ×URATA NAOYA

16 songs, all featuring URATA NAOYA

Comes with 15 PV's featuring URATA NAOYA

All 5 editions feature URATA NAOYA

USB edition comes with USB designed by URATA NAOYA

Photobook concept thought of by URATA NAOYA

In stores, soon."

Sounds like it could happen. Minus the 15 PV's XD

Omg... I thought I was having a nightmare there. I was scrolling down slowly, so I thought... OMG... what?! Hahahaha.

[Kazeyomi]

I really don't know if it's an avex or Ayu's fault though. But this a-nation turned into a totally mess and that's pretty sad ugh.

[maikaru]

Originally Posted by Kazeyomi

I really don't know if it's an avex or Ayu's fault though. But this a-nation turned into a totally mess and that's pretty sad ugh.

*Pat pat.* We can watch last year's A-Nation DVD and pretend she just did it all over again this year. Which is kind of true with the summer medley. LOL

Edit: On a side note, I want to share something that I felt was funny. Some guy wrote in mixi "Wow so many Collabs. I didn't know we spelt Hamasaki Ayumi with the letters Miliyah Kato." LOL. I laughed, not gonna lie.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by PoetGirl

we can all laugh here but over there for whoever paid their ticket is not so fun.
I would be sad to pay not such a cheap ticket to see ayu and see there ayu singing with naoya every song.

I mean, lets be real.

I just hope she wont lose more japanaese fans over this. its such an unresponsible behavior.

Well to me going to a-nation to see Ayu seems like a waste of time anyway. I'd much rather go to her tour. So going to a-nation for the sole purpose of seeing Ayu's segment is ridiculous. Regardless, I don't like the way it was handled this year either.

[ayumimylove]

no outfit pictures yet?

[se7entheaven]

Well don't worry about the clothes, she will most likely wear the tour tee the whole set, or some recycle PoM outfit in different colour and tour tee for last 2 songs aka encore. Well done ayu

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by se7entheaven

Well don't worry about the clothes, she will most likely wear the tour tee the whole set, or some recycle PoM outfit in different colour and tour tee for last 2 songs aka encore. Well done ayu

Ehhh? There's no reason for her to do that...

I should look for some descriptions.