Ayumi's reputation in Japan

[MissElin_]

It's not like her vocals been bad all the time since AT07. In terms of vocal performances have ppl already forgot her amazing parts in R'n'RC tour? I mean count down and Memorial Address was to die for. So so soooo good. count down sounded way better than the studio version even.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by MissElin_

It's not like her vocals been bad all the time since AT07. In terms of vocal performances have ppl already forgot her amazing parts in R'n'RC tour? I mean count down and Memorial Address was to die for. So so soooo good. count down sounded way better than the studio version even.

[isthisLOL?]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

And people completely forget her vocals in PoM which probably were her best vocals of any Ayu concert we got to see live(= unedited) and possibly her best tour vocals.

[ayu_ready?]

Originally Posted by MissElin_

It's not like her vocals been bad all the time since AT07. In terms of vocal performances have ppl already forgot her amazing parts in R'n'RC tour? I mean count down and Memorial Address was to die for. So so soooo good. count down sounded way better than the studio version even.

Japanese have never much appreciated her vocals, it's rather style & lyrics
& apperance. but even the last is always too controversial

[mizuki-7]

when she was in her peak 2000/2001 no one said that his voice was ugly everyone thought she had talent especially when she began composing after that ...

[Andrenekoi]

^One of the reasons why people found it easy relating to her was her bad vocals... They saw her as a normal girl that made it big, and this gave people a "everyone can get there" feeling... I read it in more than one article about Ayu written during her peak

[MissElin_]

^^Yeah. I just answered on someone here who said her vocals haven't been good since AT2007.

[Tony G]

What exactly happened at CDL 01 - 02?

[SunshineSlayer]

^ During the MC portion, she said to some people sitting in the front row "People in the front don't sit down. Look! They are sitting right now even though they are in the front row. That ruins the atmosphere." Avex cut the MC out of the dvd release, but it was in the live tv broadcast.

Somehow it was said that the people that were sitting were disabled and that was why they were sitting. Avex then said later that the people belonged to the company and that was why.

The truth? Who knows. The point though is that the version most of the public heard was that they were disabled and therefore Ayu looked very insensitive.

[Andrenekoi]

^Now, that's something that would hurt her image even in the west...

[Zeke.]

Well how could she know, right? I remember when I was at AT08 and I saw people sitting it made me so mad. I'm like "STAND THE **** UP PEOPLE! THIS IS AYUMI HAMA-****ING-SAKI! SHOW SOME DAMN RESPECT!" Lol.

[SunshineSlayer]

^ Well, on her part it just wasn't a very smart thing to say. She had no way of knowing, but if someone is sitting down, its best to assume there is some reason for it.

Also, handicapped or not, there are people who enjoy concerts in a different way.

Anyways, it would have been better to think before speaking a bit in this case. I'm sure afterwards Ayu was probably like "man, why'd I have to go and say that?"

[Eewyi]

^ yeah, I'm okay if people sit, they just enjoy their concert in a different way. Not everyone want to shout,sing along, jump around etc. But it really makes me sad when 50% of the audience is doing it at the same time :/ This happened to me in Britney's latest concert, like 80% of those who had sitting positions just sat there blandly, doing absolutely nothing. Sometimes it felt like the whole audience which was sitting did this expect some + me and my sis. I thought like "come on people you are in a concert, do something!!" I feel always bad for the artist when this happens : (

[MissElin_]

I also heard that media tried to force Ayu to make an apology but she refuced because she knew she didn't need to to that. (Rumor says she actually knew the ones sitting there, they were her friends, and she was just kidding around). Also I heard that this is why she wrote Free & Easy afterwards. She wanted to find an easy way to be free in. Like, she knew to herself that she didn't do anything wrong, still they(media+public) tried to force her to make an apology for it. And she got punished for it too. With that, both the Jeanne d'arc theme and the lyrics makes alot of sence actually. But yes, not a smooth move right in front of media who feeds on scandals...

[aura~]

I wanted to share something my Japanese ayu fan friend explained to me while I was in London now, and that really shocked me... because, at least me, didn't know that.

She told me that japanese criticize Ayu's body, saying it doesn't give a good image. And what shocked me: that her head was smaller than most japanese (like talking about bone structure) and looking head+body, even being her so tiny, her head looked big. That, for example, Namie amuro has better body propotion.

I was like... seriously? it's her body, the one she was born with, not some self made doll she can modify... how can they be so harsh with sth like that?


What do you guys think about it? Did anyone else know about that?

[Yumsushi]

Wow, so they're hating on her cause God made her with a head that was too small now....And I thought I had high expectations. It just shows that the public doesnt care for someone who writes their music or lyrics but prefers a perfectly proportioned dancing robot instead. How extremly superficial.

[Tom Punks]

Ngl, Ayu does have a huuuuuuge head.

[aura~]

Haha, well, of course that doesn't mean everyone thinks that, and media and anti-fans can be really cruel... I guess it's just one more thing to add to the list of things that have been said about her... But it really surprised me she's been criticized on her body proportion too lol

Also... my friend lives with other japanese girls, and I talked with one of them, who was really surprised to know I was a fan too. She started talking "like" ayu, years ago xD that high-pitched nasal voice she used to do saying cute silly things, and started singing evolution with the same voice...

I was thinking... she is not like that now O.o But that's the image of ayu that girl knows and remembers XD

I explained my friend how different is being a foreign ayufan... we take in everything, every news, live performance, sales, charts, pictures, gossip, tweet, TA post... I think most foreign ayu fans are really hardcore fans thinking of that... xD Even if for us is just normal, or even a must! Maybe it's because of that, we use to think she is still super popular... or is a bit difficult at first to "accept" that Ayu is not popular in Japan anymore...

I guess for japanese society in general, Ayu is known, not popular.

[Kazeyomi]

^
for me it's better to be known than popular though.
At least people will not forget you at all lol. Anyway I'm quite shocked at the big-head comment.. seriously what? D:

[emi♡]

Ayu has HUGE hands too

I gotta tell you, I mean, no offense, and I know this is way overgeneralizing...but Asian people freakin notice things about people and their looks that I would never even think about.

Head to body proportion? Ayu's long Eyelids? idkwtf.

I only noticed her hands cause she kept having like, pictures where her hands and her head was cropped together. Like the love and hope one.