My article stems from a place of sincere empathy for her; this woman used to be a person I looked up to a lot. Maybe it’s just that I’ve grown up and gotten crankier, but it’s hard not to step back and judge a bit more critically. As an idol, yes, Ayumi definitely stands out from the rest with her ability to craft meaningful stories through her songs and videos, a reason I always wince when I type the word “idol” in reference to her in terms of the Japanese meaning of the word. She’s not an idol: she’s an artist. I still look forward to her new releases, and I still listen to and enjoy her music with the same wide-eyed wonder I did as a kid, but looking up to someone who is unaware of real-world issues is impossible when I’m bombarded by them now more than ever.

(As a side note, I don’t necessarily think she peaked with I am…. In the context of this article, I use it more as a representation of the last album she wasn’t wholly consumed by her role as an idol, though it is a great album, and certainly one of her best).

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond. I appreciate the comments and compliments and can’t wait to read your upcoming work!

I really do believe that you miss the point here, though. Call me naive, but for about two decades (I can’t say I paid attention to music that much before I was ten years old) I’ve been searching for a star with the dedication to her audience that Ayumi has. I don’t think she’s delusional, I just believe that she finds a connection to her audience that she cannot find in her real relationships. Love her or hate her, anyone would be hard-pressed to say that she doesn’t give it her all in performance, promotion, and enthusiasm.

Her role as an idol is not to cater to our fears and talk about issues (although when she touches on issues, it is lightly and accessibly i.e. ‘My Name’s WOMEN’, ‘Beautiful Fighters’, and I do believe the music video for ‘Because of You’, which seems to me more of a feminist statement than one about fame), it is to provide an escape. Is that what she wants to be doing? Who knows. But the fact is, she’s blessed and cursed to have fallen into this role, and to do it well. It’s also a cultural phenomenon – how many stars in Japan really do address hot-button issues in their ‘escapist’ entertainment?

I just can’t abide by the multitudes of people who love Ayumi but claim she peaked with ‘I am…’. Everything is subjective, and everyone should be left to draw their own conclusion. But in the world of Ayumi Hamasaki, it seems that nothing is worthy of anything but scrutiny beyond that album. It makes me almost resent the album, even if it was brilliant.

I digress. I could write scads more on the topic. But I want to point out that, with the exception of wota and boy-band devotees, the Japanese public has never been the most dedicated over the long term. We may pore over the minutae of the numbers and sales game now, but most artists experience lapses in public favor as they become older and “uncool”. Let’s hope Namie Amuro can effectively slay that dragon of misconception with her forthcoming album.

To her credit, at least Ayumi moves forward with her styles and tries to reinvent herself. I’d have gotten sick of five albums that sounded exactly like ‘I am…’ by now.

As always, your writing astounds me, though. Loved it.

It’s the quiet life for me, for sure.