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The story
Singer Ayumi Hamasaki announced on Instagram on September 30 that she had turned 48. “I’ve reached Lv48! Sorry for being such an immature adult,” she wrote, striking her usual defiantly quirky pose. On 5ch’s Entertainment/Sports News+ board, the thread filled with nostalgic comments grouping her together with Hikaru Utada, Ringo Shiina, and aiko — all of whom made their major-label debut that same year, 1998, a lineup often called a “miracle year” — alongside reflections on time passing like “She was still Lv16 when I first saw her.” But plenty of posters also brought up her lack of recent hits, where her career stands now, and changes in her appearance, leaving her standing as a reigning diva up for debate.
Ayumi Hamasaki: “I’ve Reached Lv48!” — Birthday Announcement Sparks a Wave of Well-Wishes: “My Eternal Idol,” “Grateful to Be Alive in the Same Era as Her”
Singer Ayumi Hamasaki (48) updated her Instagram on the 30th to announce her birthday.
“I’ve reached Lv48! Sorry for being such an immature adult (lol),” Hamasaki began. “Please forgive me for continuing to live as this oddly quirky, fun-loving weirdo,” she wrote.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here
What people said
Well I'm not even a 5ch regular myself, so there, lol
She's never really been that big a hit with guys anyway
Life really is short
Makes you wish you could live, like, 100,000 years (´・ω・`)
All made their major-label debut in that same year, 1998
A miracle year
If you covered up the name, I wouldn't even guess that was Hama-san
She deserves credit for basically driving the tanned "gal" look to near-extinction
(´・ω・`)
At that point she's basically an enka singer (enka = traditional Japanese ballads, a genre associated with veteran singers who tour without chart hits)
she takes it to heart and keeps right on with her
endless remodeling maintenance routine
Same goes for Namie Amuro. Probably gets less spotlight these days because she's just seen as one member among idol groups now
Is that Megumi Okina on the left?
Wait, is this seriously the same person? That's a different person, right?
Would facial recognition even still work on her?
I genuinely don't get why she was so popular
Sure, her face is flashy and well put together, and she's not a bad singer
If we're just talking "different strokes for different folks" and she sold decently, fine, I could understand that much
But to the public she's treated as a "diva," basically an artist who supposedly hit the peak and defined an era
If that's the case, I feel like there should be some universal appeal that makes people feel that way, but I just don't get it at all
If I had to pick one, I guess "SEASONS" is a song I can at least listen to
I'm from the same generation and never really got what was so great about her either, but her very first album, from back when she was dating that avex "rat guy" (nickname for her former producer/boyfriend, said to resemble a mouse), seemed to be the good one
That's the impression I got listening on YouTube
Her face has also started looking more like that avex "rat guy," with that stretched philtrum look
Guess it's true that couples end up resembling each other
A goldfish scooped up at a festival stall, maybe?
Full-on delinquent gyaru energy
Background and Key Points of the Discussion
Ayumi Hamasaki made her major-label debut in 1998 with “poker FACE,” and is often discussed as part of the “miracle year” generation alongside fellow 1998 debutantes Hikaru Utada, Ringo Shiina, and aiko. In the thread, opinions split along lines of comparison with these peers and whether she’s still landing hits, with posters disagreeing on where her career currently stands. Her choice to describe her birthday as reaching “Lv48” is a self-deprecating way of framing her age like a video-game level — a style of self-expression Hamasaki has used before. The comments about cosmetic surgery and changes in her appearance that stood out in the thread weren’t really reactions to the content of her post itself, but appearance judgments drawn from comparisons with old photos — worth noting there’s some distance between the “birthday announcement” the article reports and the points readers are actually reacting to.
*This article is composed as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Ayumi Hamasaki Announces Her 48th Birthday: “I’ve Reached Lv48!” — Wave of Well-Wishes: “My Eternal Idol,” “Grateful to Live in the Same Era as Her”.”
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