Ayumi Hamasaki shows out for tradition and the gays in "Haru yo, Koi"

When the teaser for Ayumi Hamasaki's "Haru yo, Koi" was released, I was surprised, because Ayumi Hamasaki's voice sounded so different...but in a good way. She was giving me tone and improved technique. But having now heard the full version of this song, that tone and technique was only momentary. Maybe even a fluke. Because she's back on her regular bullshit for most of this song.

Ayumi Hamasaki doesn't sound bad. But it is a shame that whatever she tapped into for that snippet wasn't exercised for the entire song.

The music video looked nice. And Ayu's dancers (most of whom are male) pairing up to dance hand in hand was a nice touch, and a reminder than Ayumi Hamasaki has always been a supporter of the queer community over the years, despite Pride not being as widely celebrated and as accepted in Japan as other parts of the world. And the juxtaposition of men dancing together in a setting that is so evocative  of Japan was a powerful, but understated moment. But on the whole this was one of those music videos that I will never watch again, because it was just so boring.

Do y'all remember when Ayumi Hamasaki's music videos used to be events? She used to be giving narratives, spectacles, memorable moments and MONEY in her music videos in a way that few in J-Pop were at the time. Ayu's music videos were more on par with the level of production we were seeing in R&B and Hip-Hop in the US during the late 90s and early 2000s. And now her shit looks budget as hell, with zero creative direction and no real story being told.

Ayumi Hamasaki looks pretty damn pregnant in this video, which is probably why she's wearing big ass kimonos. But pregnancy is no excuse for such a boring music video. So much more could have been done with the cinematography to make it at least look better and more interesting, but no.

It really would be amazing to see a J-Pop star actually embrace and show off their pregnancy in performances and music videos, rather than constantly hide it. Ayu doesn't have the pull that she once had, but she is still Ayumi Hama-fucking-saki. I completely respect her choice. It's her life and her body. But I do wonder how much of her hiding her baby bump is her conforming to what is the cultural norm in Japan for women, versus her personal preference - especially given that she announced that she was expecting a second child. It would have been a huge statement if she had shown her baby bump in this video, in a declaration that pregnancy isn't something that women in Japan should have to or be made to hide. 

For a song which fans have been waiting to get a studio recorded version of for so long, Ayu coulda done better than this, and y'all know it. Even she knows it.

Ayumi Hamasaki's second ballad compilation A Ballads 2 releases physically and on all digital / streaming platforms on April 8, 2021.

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