×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Sound Decision - Ayumi Hamasaki




Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Shiki MSHTS



Joined: 10 Jul 2003
Posts: 738
Location: NoVA
PostPosted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 2:33 am Reply with quote
Acctually, I can't help but feel bad for her either, seeing the turns in her career. But the things that I dread the most is the all to common pratice when a good singer/band makes the decision to become a complete product of the media. It's just kinda... sad really.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address MSN Messenger My Anime My Manga
v1cious



Joined: 31 Dec 2002
Posts: 6202
Location: Houston, TX
PostPosted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 10:02 am Reply with quote
what is Ayumi Hamasaki's background exactly? she doesn't look japanese at all.

Last edited by v1cious on Thu Apr 28, 2005 12:28 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Laruto



Joined: 25 Dec 2004
Posts: 287
PostPosted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 11:00 am Reply with quote
Shiki MSHTS wrote:
Acctually, I can't help but feel bad for her either, seeing the turns in her career. But the things that I dread the most is the all to common pratice when a good singer/band makes the decision to become a complete product of the media. It's just kinda... sad really.


What is this thread about? Because Ayumi Hamasaki is my fav japanese female singer and no other female can turrn out hits like her. Now tell me is this a bad or good news discussion thread?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Zoe



Joined: 05 Jul 2003
Posts: 898
Location: Austin
PostPosted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 10:41 pm Reply with quote
v1cious wrote:
what is Ayumi Hamasaki's background exactly? she doesn't look japanese at all.


She's full Japanese. Of course there are rumors that she (along with half of the Asian entertainment industry) has had work on her eyes to make them wider.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Erufu



Joined: 06 Jul 2004
Posts: 191
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 10:59 am Reply with quote
Well, I went to the site of the girl that's taking her place as spokesmodel and wasn't impressed at all with the song that was playing on the site. The range just wasn't there.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
Tenchi



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 4469
Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer.
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:59 am Reply with quote
Oh, man, Ayumi's getting too old for Japanese endorsement deals?

Quote:
And now, she's at the twilight of her center-stage career. The industry current is beginning to turn against the 26-year-old Hamasaki. Exhibit A: cosmetic giant Kose, the company for which Hamasaki has been the main poster girl for years, recently dumped her for eighteen-year-old (and fellow Avex artist) Beni Arashiro. Factor in that Hamasaki's success owes more to her status than her music, and losing Kose becomes a very ominious sign.


Considering that Ayumi Hamasaki was born exactly four years to the day after I was (me: Oct. 2nd, 1974, Ayu: Oct. 2nd, 1978), all of the sudden, if she's considered "old", I feel like a senior citizen.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
linlinchan



Joined: 05 Nov 2004
Posts: 286
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 12:24 pm Reply with quote
Zoe wrote:
v1cious wrote:
what is Ayumi Hamasaki's background exactly? she doesn't look japanese at all.


She's full Japanese. Of course there are rumors that she (along with half of the Asian entertainment industry) has had work on her eyes to make them wider.


It's not a rumor in her case. She's had extensive work done on her entire face, something that's quite widely known in Japan.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Erufu



Joined: 06 Jul 2004
Posts: 191
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 5:20 pm Reply with quote
Tenchi wrote:
Oh, man, Ayumi's getting too old for Japanese endorsement deals?

Quote:
And now, she's at the twilight of her center-stage career. The industry current is beginning to turn against the 26-year-old Hamasaki. Exhibit A: cosmetic giant Kose, the company for which Hamasaki has been the main poster girl for years, recently dumped her for eighteen-year-old (and fellow Avex artist) Beni Arashiro. Factor in that Hamasaki's success owes more to her status than her music, and losing Kose becomes a very ominious sign.


Considering that Ayumi Hamasaki was born exactly four years to the day after I was (me: Oct. 2nd, 1974, Ayu: Oct. 2nd, 1978), all of the sudden, if she's considered "old", I feel like a senior citizen.


You better get your rocker ready. Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
Zoe



Joined: 05 Jul 2003
Posts: 898
Location: Austin
PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 12:29 am Reply with quote
linlinchan wrote:
Zoe wrote:
She's full Japanese. Of course there are rumors that she (along with half of the Asian entertainment industry) has had work on her eyes to make them wider.


It's not a rumor in her case. She's had extensive work done on her entire face, something that's quite widely known in Japan.


Haha, I dare you to go onto any J-pop forum and repeat that Razz
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
linlinchan



Joined: 05 Nov 2004
Posts: 286
PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 2:04 pm Reply with quote
Zoe wrote:
linlinchan wrote:
Zoe wrote:
She's full Japanese. Of course there are rumors that she (along with half of the Asian entertainment industry) has had work on her eyes to make them wider.


It's not a rumor in her case. She's had extensive work done on her entire face, something that's quite widely known in Japan.


Haha, I dare you to go onto any J-pop forum and repeat that Razz


I tell you only what my Japanese friends are always telling me. I don't give a shit what overly obsessed American fans think about the truth.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Tivome



Joined: 04 Apr 2005
Posts: 15
Location: Seattle, WA
PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2005 2:58 am Reply with quote
I must say that this is one of the best, most indepth English review of a JPOP album I've read outside of the English section of Japanese newspapers. The reviewer knew his or her JPOP history and went deep into the lyrics and the singer's background. Very well done.

I'm beginning to think that there maybe a true JPOP fandom in the US after all.

To the poster who comments on Beni-chan's voice not up to par: Idols are not judged on their voice talent; but more for beauty (or cuteness) and personality. They are supposed to be trendsetters for the almight Japanese school girls more than anything else. There are plenty of true talents in JPOP/JROCK, and the great majority of them are not going to get cosmetic company CM contracts.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jmays
ANN Associate Editor


Joined: 29 Jul 2002
Posts: 1390
Location: St. Louis, MO
PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2005 3:02 pm Reply with quote
Thanks for the kind words.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail AIM Address
SunshineSlayer



Joined: 06 May 2005
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2005 6:02 pm Reply with quote
Quote:

It's not a rumor in her case. She's had extensive work done on her entire face, something that's quite widely known in Japan.


Ummm...no. There has never been any proof of that, only speculation and this is coming from someone who has lived in Japan.

Many Japanese people(not just stars) have surgery on their eyes to widen them because of the look and also because in old age it can become a problem. But, I don't believe Ayumi ever has had eye surgery because if you look at pictures of her as a child, she always had wide eyes.

Unless she herself admits to "having work done on her entire face", it's just rumor. Because judging by pictures it is really too difficult to tell and in addition to that, professionally applied makeup can change the look of a persons face a lot.

But really what does it matter anyways? All that matters is that she is an amazing songwriter.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
SunshineSlayer



Joined: 06 May 2005
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2005 6:04 pm Reply with quote
Shiki MSHTS wrote:
Acctually, I can't help but feel bad for her either, seeing the turns in her career. But the things that I dread the most is the all to common pratice when a good singer/band makes the decision to become a complete product of the media. It's just kinda... sad really.


That's true of just about all Japanese artists though. Most have various kinds of endorsement deals and it is considered completely normal in Japan, whereas in the US it is considered selling out.

I also want to thank John Mays for the well written review. It's difficult to find well though out english reviews of Japanese albums since usually peoples knowledge of Japanese music doesn't go beyond anime.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group