Addendum
1. Ayu Ready ?
I'd like to add some more lines and end up my article on her.
"Ayu Ready ?" ended in March 2004. Though it was broadcasted late at night, this variety show got amazing program ratings over 8 percent almost every time. Why? -- Because many fans of hers watched this program? Because the guests were attractive? Because we could listen to the duet songs by the guests and her? -- There would have been such reasons of course. But here I'd like to point out two other reasons which were seldom pointed out. One is because she was just suitable as a hostess. The other is because she welcomed the guests heartily.
Many fans are possesed with the idea that she is poor at talking, as she herself says so. But observing cooly and objectively, I think she is considerably good at conversation. She pronounces words clearly without any peculiarities, and her occasional ignorance and natural misunderstandings can cause a pleasant atmosphere. And especially I think she has good abilities of going along with a guest and extracting words from him/her. (Please imagine whether or not other young female singers could do better than her as a hostess.) And the ability required to a host most is not that of chattering fluently nor cracking one joke after another, which is many people's misunderstanding, but this "ability to hear". I think she is a good listener.
And did you notice that the guests looked more pleasantly on the whole than when they appeared on other programs? The reason is that she welcomed them heartily. Such persons as Akashiya Sanma, Beat Takeshi, Downtown, Tunnels are generally thought as the most capable as a host today. But I think it's wrong and regrettable tendency, because they often make fun of a guest and make a stinging joke. Though there may be many viewers who like their jokes, there should be not a few ones who feel disagreeable with them like me. I suppose another reason why "Ayu Ready ?" got high program ratings is that it met such potential needs of the people who like to have the sounder fun. I'd like to add that she always used respect language to her elders, which I think right manner and felt comfortable.
2. Super TV
Several new facts in her musical career were revealed in the program "Super TV", broadcasted on April 12, 2004. Though it made me think of various things, here I'd like to focus on two points and give my impressions.
One is about "A Best". According to her words, when she was told of the release plan of this best album suddenly in the beginning of 2001, she was made to realize "I'm not a human, Hamasaki Ayumi, but a part of the organization and a product of avex" and thought "So I'll live as a human here and fight against this organization to the last." My supposition that she had been unwilling to the release proved to be true here. But I had rather complicated feelings, hearing these words. Because I think this determination, though straight and fine just like her, brought the result which gladdened the management of avex most after all.
I think there were two other alternatives to her then. -- 1. To rest from work for several months. 2. To accept she is a product in a pragmatical way and make songs and PVs, comfortable and not venturous. In the case of 1, no money goes to avex of course. And in the case of 2, perhaps her works would have gotten into a rut and her popularity would have gradually declined. Just because she determined to live as a human, not as a product, she uncommonly re-recorded four songs, which became the added value in the end and helped "A Best" to achieve the largest sales. Just because she determined to fight against the organization, she made three PVs with "restraint and freedom" as the theme, which became the marvelous works and elevated her popularity. She tried to fight against the organization, and made a maximum contribution to it as a result.
The other is about the Dome Tour. I was surprised to know it had been only two hours before the concert that she fell from the stage, as I had thought it would have been earlier than that. But what was more shocking was that her left ear had caused hearing impairment in the middle of the rehearsal. She held the concert in spite of those troubles after all, and after the Dome Tour, she lost her hearing in the left ear almost completely. (What a painful story !) -- Then how is it going now? On the day after the TV program, she wrote on the BBS of Team Ayu as below.
Honestly speaking, I'm not in a negative mood regarding this matter. Because all of you listen to my song in place of my left ear, don't you? (Team Ayu BBS April 13, 2004)
This is an indirect expression. But if we interprete this most naturally, it will be that it's impossible (or almost impossible) for her to hear in the left ear now. What impressions did you have after knowing these new facts?
Firstly I think that the plan of the Dome Tour itself should be put in question. Why Dome first of all? Maybe because it could hold the largest number of audience and was the most profitable. But just because of this, she had to prepare a great many of things, she was under terrible pressure, and her ears were exposed to megavolume sounds. And the next year was also a question. As I had written before, 2002 was the year she did a great amount of work more than any other year, including 41 tour concerts. Why did the management of avex made her hold such a lot of concerts in spite of her trouble in the left ear? These deeds may not be legal crimes. But I think they are clearly against morality.
In the last few years, the management of avex has repeated that they would lessen the dependence on Hamasaki Ayumi in order to soften the complaint of shareholders. But it's the official line. In reality, they have made her earn nearly half of the profit all the same, because such a singer as match her in popularity hasn't yet appeared. (Though I think it will not be easy.) Supposing she complains of a bad condition in the right ear in the middle of the tour next time, what will they do? Horrible to imagine such a situation. But I think it's so highly likely that they will make her continue the tour. I'll clearly write here lastly what I've only alluded to in my past articles. -- I hope she will move to some other record company.
3. The Unification by Hamasaki Ayumi
・Ayu and Hamasaki Ayumi
・An idol and an artist
・A singer and her fans
・Adults and children
・Men and women
・Japanese and foreigners
・Individuals and society
(End)
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