Ayu's messed up

[den4]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fd20030202tc.htm

And I thought the american divas had an attitude....

[gomichild]

Bit dizzy with fame 'n' all I see... there's no excuse for rudeness...

[Steve Bildermann]

That's ok in J-pop it 15 minutes of fame and then it's 'pinkladyville'

BTW how's puffy doing in the US

[Taro Toporific]

That's ok in J-pop it 15 minutes of fame and then it's 'pinkladyville'
BTW how's puffy doing in the US

Please, that's Puffy AmiYumi(tm), aka Friend Yummy(AmiYumi), to make sure American listeners didn't confuse them with the hip-hop mogul Puppy Combs. Refer to the AmiYumi site...
Puffy AmiYumi haven't toured since last August because ...

GLAY lead vocalist TERU(31) and wife, Onuki Ami (29) of PUFFY have announced Ami's pregnancy on September 28th. Ami is 3 months pregnant. The two met back in 1998 through a television program and in February 1999, a tabloid shot a photo of the two together. At that time, TERU was married with children. In the following year, TERU divorced his wife and afterwards, rumors were rampant that Ami moved to a nearby complex in the same area that TERU lives. Last April (28th) it was announced that the two entered their name in the family register and were married.
Ami's music partner, Yoshimura Yumi (27) divorced TM Revolution Nishikawa Takanori (32) in July.

[Maciamo]

I am pleased to see that Hamasaki hasn't kneeled in front of the princess. I wouldn't (except under threat of being arrested, tortured, etc). If you do, you implicitly accept that the royal person is your master/mistress, thus that you are not free. A Japanese doesn't have to pledge allegiance to a Thai monarch. Democracy shouldn't have monarchy at all. Anyway, is Thailand a democracy ? You can get arrested if you walk on a coin showing the king's face or by tearing a newspaper that justly happen to have a royal picture inside. This is tyranny and Ayumi did very well not to let herself in this game. It probably wasn't polite not to show up, I admit.

[kamome]

I am pleased to see that Hamasaki hasn't kneeled in front of the princess. I wouldn't (except under threat of being arrested, tortured, etc). If you do, you implicitly accept that the royal person is your master/mistress, thus that you are not free.

I disagree with you here. Bowing to the princess would have been nothing more than a polite gesture in conformity with local custom. Ayu was being a spoiled brat and just reinforced negative stereotypes about Japanese insularity. You can bet her music won't sell well over there anymore.

[den4]

Because of Ayu's lack of consideration for other countries' culture, there will most likely be a backlash in popularity in other countries...but oh well...she can't ride a bicycle, lacks common sense in foreign countries....perhaps it's time for the slide back to becoming a commoner again....what goes up does come back down....

no excuse for rude behavior...

[Maciamo]

Because of Ayu's lack of consideration for other countries' culture ...
no excuse for rude behavior...

I don't think its a lack of consideration for other cultures as monarchy has been a part of most cultures in the world or still is. Japan has it and absolute monarchy with the same reverence as in Thailand now. Ayu would probably not bow in front of the Japanese emperor, so why would she have to in front of another royal family ? 1) She is not a subject of the Thai monarchy and 2) it is as respectable for an anti-monarchist (i.e. somebody who believe in equality, liberty and democracy) not to take part to such rituals. It's not rude, it's courageous and praiseworthy. I am very surprised that a girl such as Ayu would be intelligent enough to do something like that. I hope this will actually set an example for other young stars.

[gaijinzilla]

Somehow I DON'T see this as a courageous stand against monarchy. Just being rude, stupid and a brat with way too much time and money on her hands and little, if any, common sense and courtesy. In other words, your typical Japanese 20 year old (or in this case in her 2Os).

[kamome]

Ayu would probably not bow in front of the Japanese emperor, so why would she have to in front of another royal family ? 1) She is not a subject of the Thai monarchy and 2) it is as respectable for an anti-monarchist (i.e. somebody who believe in equality, liberty and democracy) not to take part to such rituals. It's not rude, it's courageous and praiseworthy. I am very surprised that a girl such as Ayu would be intelligent enough to do something like that. I hope this will actually set an example for other young stars.

Oh lord, now THIS is some twisted logic. There is no evidence that Ayu was trying to make some grandiose statement about the negatives of monarchy. You're attributing way too much intelligence to her. She simply felt too "put out" about being forced by her record company to go to Thailand, and threw a temper tantrum in protest.

That is the worst kind of example to set for other Japanese pop stars, especially when they are gaining popularity throughout Asia.

[Big Booger]

Ayu is just another J-Bimbo fad without a future.. She represents all the whorish retardness that a young Japanese girl aspires to become.
BB

[den4]

Love the assumptions.....dunno where people come up with them, but they are funny...

with a lot of wishful thinking....

[GuyJean]

[Maciamo]

Yes, of course, I also agree with the previous comments by GuyJean and others. She is spoiled and bigheaded, but that might just be the condition to find one's guts to treat a royal like shit. Most people wouldn't dare because they don't have the assurance of fortune and celebrity. I don't see an average Japanese girl doing the same.

[Kurofune]

If she didn't want to deal with the etiquette, she shouldn't have conceded to go on the trip. But I wonder if her managers told her everything. Maybe they omitted certain things they knew she wouldn't like, then sprung them on her at the last minute. Just a thought, not trying to defend her.

Then again, the teddy bear in the airplane seat says a lot.

[American Oyaji]

I wouldnt BOW a certain way.

I would show respect, but dont think I'd before ANY human.

As for this trip, I can probably imagine the whole thing.

Government wants her to go.
Record company gets pressed to send her.
She REALLY doesn't want to go especially because of government interest.
Record company does some underhanded shit to get her to go.
Being young, she digs her heels in the whole way.
Record company doesn't tell her EVERYTHING.
She gets there and doens't do what they didnt tell her up front before she left.
What are they gonna do? They didnt tell her, there was no written agreement.
She was perfectly within her rights to refuse if they didnt tell her up front.

I wouldnt have probably turned around and booked my own flight out once I found what was up.

It is not good to press certain people past a certain point that they dont want to go. She may be Japanese, but she isn't the traditional dutybound Japanese woman and her managers have chawamushi on their collective faces.