Kazuyoshi Shimomura hates Ayu.

[JackieRos]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

Spoiler:

those are horrible but
does he chooses the hair style and the clothes?

i don't know whats all the fuss about
if ayu hasn't kicked him to the curb then
that means she likes him duh

i can see why most of you hate the covers
i don't like the CD/DVD cover she looks awkard
but these are not her worst IMO

i see more arguing coming goddess help us

[pommy48]

^ I don't think he's involved with what Ayu wears, that's why there are credits for ayu's hair and outfit in her albums/dvds booklet

[jbrat2219]

When you put his pictures side by side with other photographers, it just makes his photos look even more like ****... Those other pictures by Leslie and such are AMAZING....

[emi♡]

^that's interesting...

um well at first I was gonna say, that maybe all the things Kazu wants, Ayu just isn't really a natural at, like, it's just not really her.

I mean, Ayu's always been sexy in her own way, and never really in the ways that everyone else deems as sexy...which some have come to say means she's not "trashy".


But I don't know. Maybe they're just picking the wrong pictures...maybe Ayu isn't the one picking them...I mean, they are his shoots. And she does actually look really great in all the TA shots...seriously...

I don't know what's happening...I'm sure something is kinda fishy...but...we'll never know I guess.

[JackieRos]

i think his best were mirrocle world pics

well idk what else he has done

[octolina]

Originally Posted by identity

i'm sorry but the 3 splash pictures are disgusting. i don't think he's an amazing photographer but he has his moments. he's definitely no Leslie Kee or ND CHOW at all. he has shot some of my favorite photos of ayu, but he's probably a miss more than a hit. these photos that were shot by him are just gorgeous imo:

Spoiler:

also i loved T2M photos & the GUILTY photo book that were both shot by him as well i'm pretty sure.

wow now that i saw those, i think he's okay. he's actually been around for a long time... it's not just recent. whoo! cool. Aw man I don't hate him... I wish others don't hate him too. Blame Ayu. I think Ayu chose the cover pics because she has a thing for looking fish-like and immature (she's trying to appear young).

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

You should let me rant more! I rarely rant about Ayu or anything about her, so...

j/k!

Well, it's really the way he (or at least had a part of) made Ayu go from beautiful woman to... some hot mess that she is today. You can not accept it, but you can't disagree that her shots ARE getting worse over the years.

Ayu has always been doing great works... I really don't complain about her, but with the covers for Sunrise/Sunset, I just feel that something has gone wrong somewhere... something too overboard, that I'm baffled, and saddened about as well, so...

Actually, I can... IMO some shots are good and some shots are bad, just as aways... I never liked EVERTTHING she released, so, I still not liking everything she releases and that's fine.

[ayumisrael]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

2) What he wants from his models don't fit all of his models. Like what some of you have mentioned, Kuu CAN pull the fish lips, but Ayu can't. That's a fact. Though I wonder why Kuu still can have emotions on her face in the 3 SPLASH covers, while Ayu just looks dead and emotionless in the Sunrise/Sunset covers...

I agree with that specifically because it fits more for kuu's image since she is supposed to be sexy and the fish mouth is supposed to convey sexy while ayu has a different image and she is expected to bring more meaningful expressions rather then just "dead" sexy.

I am sticking to what I said earlier that at least on the CD only cover her expression made me think of innocence rather than mindless (and she looks sexy too though most of us don't look only at how she generally looks).

I really don't think he hates her, when she entered the room in Sparkle PV's making-off he seemed like he literally c**med in his pants.
I think he's doing his best for her but sometimes it doesn't seem to work for her. At least maybe not the best they can.

[foxhana]

I love leslie kee. He's really gooood!

Oh just so you know, the "lost" Look or expression you guys are talking about is extremely popular in chinese population. There is this giirl who got "BAMM" up to popularity because of her boobs and her lost expression. And now everyone is goign after this "lost" expression of hers (a trend) when taking photo with friends or even mroe so, when taking photos of themselves.

[zyoeru]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

As we know, ever since Kazuyoshi Shimomura literally monopolized Ayu's whole photography and videography section since 2007, her quality in photos especially have gone down hill.

I have to disagree, completely.

[Well, before she had Kazu take photos and film PVs for her, her photoshoots were gorgeous, her single/album covers were emotive, her PVs had no wtf-mouth movements.

No, Ayu's PVs are actually still emotive and all of her previous PVs and photoshoots have seen her doing the "wtf-mouth movements".

Kazuyoshi Shimomura takes photos of other people as well, and on example is Kuu.

For Kuu, he has taken photos of the Kingdom covers/booklets and 3 SPLASH covers/booklets.

Excuse me, but Kumi is far worse in the wtf-mouth movements department. For example on the 3 SPLASH she's doing the fishlips. And slightly so for Kingdom also.

Kuu shots by Kazuyoshi Shimomura:

Spoiler:

Yep, perfect examples of Kumi doing fishlips. Well done for making yourself look silly. LOL

Other -good- pics of Ayu under good photographers like Leslie Kee/ND Chow:

Spoiler:

I removed all of the photos in which Ayu isn't doing fishlips.

[emi♡]

^why don't you just put him on your ignore list.

Anyway, does Kazu have a website like Leslie Kee does?

What does he do for other artists? Because...so far...it seems like he's only ruining Ayu's career with bad photos.

[zyoeru]

^ Because I actually like waterballoon, I'm just sick of the constant *****ing about Kazuyoshi and him being brought up in ever section of this forum.

Also, he takes photos for Kumi, but obviously it's okay when Kumi does "fishlips" but not ayu.

[Uemarasan]

Kazuyoshi crybabies. I agree. I'm with Andrenokoi and Pink Shinigami on this.

I think fishlips should be renamed as the Megan Fox fishlips. That girl has no other facial expression on the red carpet.

[Kingdom]

he is really hit or miss.. i love his green / days covers but the pics you posted for his "worst" for ayu are so bad.. especially the one where she has a bow in her hair. i like his kingdom shoot for kuu, but he kinda crapped out with 3splash. kuu looks good, but the text placement and blank background is kinda empty.

leslie kee on the other hand... he always makes ayu look gorgeous and not overly photoshopped.

[emi♡]

Originally Posted by Furashubakku

^ Because I actually like waterballoon, I'm just sick of the constant *****ing about Kazuyoshi and him being brought up in ever section of this forum.

Also, he takes photos for Kumi, but obviously it's okay when Kumi does "fishlips" but not ayu.

Seriously? Koda just does it better.

Her bad pictures, are the ones where her mouth is all hanging open, not her fishlip ones.

On Ayu...she has some good ones...but a ton of bad ones.

there are good fish lip poses...example:

Spoiler:

I know this is a banner, but I didnt want to look for scans.

THIS is AWESOME and SEXY. What the fish lips are supposed to be:


and a bad bad bad fishlip pose, which is just gross and not sexy:

On Ayu...I don't know...to me, her lips don't ruin it. I've always liked the "fish lip" pose, as the prudes call it...to me...other things about the pictures ruin them more.

Like the "deer-in-the-headlights" eyes. That's what ruins his pictures for me.

[emi♡]

I see what you mean.

I don't know...I guess it's a little more acceptable since he is doing nearly all of Ayu's stuff...everything that's out now that she's been doing recently...and this is a place to discuss her and her work...

I mean it's gonna come up...and more than just incidences here and there because he does have some degree of control over the things she's putting out.

Although I do agree about the Max Matsuura thread.

[ImpactBreaker]

ayu's to blame too. If she really has the independence she claims to have over her material, it's sad to see her approve such bad quality material. IMO a disrespect to fans.

[naxxo.licious™]

Originally Posted by octolina

Has anyone stopped to think that maybe Ayu hires Kazu time after time again because he delivers what Ayu wants? Maybe Ayu wants to appear more Diva-ish, more flamboyant? Maybe he likes the way Kazu coaches her. Maybe she's unsatisfied with Leslie and ND Chow's work?


also, i don't know about what it's like working with Kazu, but when Ayu works with other photographers, she chooses her the image that she wants to use for the cover. I read that in Time Magazine. It was during the I am... era, so I don't know if she changed.

Thank u <3. At the end of the day it's ayu's career and ayu's choice to work with him. I think it's also HER choice to look more "plastic" nowadays. It's a new ayu "era" after all. Perhaps she's just trying to leave her cute image behind and have a more sexy, grown up one.

I love how some of u say ayu's ruining her career just because of some covers/photoshoots rofl . I think only fans care about these things, and if u are a true fan (as in care about ayu's MUSIC) u will buy her stuff anyway.

Brit's covers have always been hideous, and that doesn't stop her from selling millions of albums lol.

I'm all for a more natural looking ayu, but if this is what she wants to convey in this era, then so be it. She must have a reason.

I feel sad for some of u guys lol. U're never satisfied.

@identity: those pics u posted are GORGEOUS <3

[emi♡]

It's not like he's ruining her career.

But I mean...in our eyes maybe. I personally only say it for drama. Because...ew...kinda ruins my faith in her.

But yeah...nope not satisfied. Not with crap anyway.

And I think that there is no such thing as a true fan. Because for example, if I went against my inhibitions, and bought this single anyway, just because I love Ayu, then I'm not really being true to myself, and therefore, I'm just sort of being a blind fan.

[murasakinohana]

Honestly, i prefer Leslie Kee to do her photoshoots and all. Proud of my fellow Singaporean!!