Firstly, congrats once more on finishing this site and finally releasing it!
I know how intimidating it is to create something so immense for something you dearly love, and continuously pushing through the self-doubt to realize your vision is no small feat. What's even more admirable to me, however, is not just how long this site has been in the making, but that you have kept
so much of what has piled up over the years: the physical notes, the content of those notes as you transferred them to the site, the layout, and, most of all, your memories and your feelings - of Ayu, of music, of Ayu's music, of yourself. I find it quite difficult to build on something I've started creating years ago rather than starting over from scratch; while I don't know how much editing was involved here, I think the site is all the more meaningful because it's been stitched together by efforts made across many years. My Story may have taken a long time to come into being, but that long time is reflected in the site itself, and without all those years of
wanting to make this, I doubt the site would be as it is now.
I love your layout so much: the serene elegance in all of it, the small decorative details, the wood pattern - but especially the forest theme and the colours. I associate sepia tones with memories and nostalgia; in conjunction with the site title, that's such a great setting for all the things you go on to convey. I love that songs of hers run throughout the site as navigation links; it really captures your love and care for the subject matter. <3
Let me preface the following with this: I hope that for future projects, you won't doubt your own abilities with regard to music anymore! It's amazing that you've started learning music theory, and if technical aspects are something you'd enjoy talking about, that's great! But I don't think those things, along with music vocabulary, are essential in conveying how much you love a musical piece, or essential in making a fansite about music. Your love for music shows in so many different sites of yours, even those not primarily dedicated to music, so you've got nothing to feel inadequate about! "What's going on" in a song is different for each person, and if you enjoy it, you enjoy it, even without technical knowledge.
Something that really stands out to me in both "My Story" and "Memorial Address" is the passage of time. I've mentioned it above already, but it's really interesting to see how any one page isn't just about your feelings at one point in your life - it's across a period of time. It's obvious how many years you've spent with Ayu and her songs, and to see you being introduced to new elements, how your opinions change over time or how you piece things together as you revisit songs and albums is very enjoyable (first album bought, first PV, first concert, discovering your fondness for remixes, relistening to certain songs and albums in the context of Ayu's entire career, comparing albums to preceding and subsequent albums, and so on). I really like that several of the lyrics and images you included on the pages aren't so much your favourites, but cornerstones of your experience - on the PV page in particular! Or the fact that you group thematically/visually similar PVs and songs in various places to familiarize the reader with them - that's really something that shows how deeply you've plunged into all of it over the years.
All in all, the "My Story" part of the site is a great - and personal! - introduction to Ayu: not just as a snapshot of her person, but as an overview of her career and her accomplishments over the years. As a music noob, I think it's also a lovely introduction to the world of music itself, and the many elements that make up a singer's output. (I also didn't know what PVs stood for despite having seen it so many times, or that singles are released before albums in Japan). It conveys so much more to me than the usual informative article on sites like Wikipedia!
ALSO I LOVE THE ALBUM COVER PAGE SO MUCH and it's so neat that it doesn't just show off your favourite covers, but emphasizes what you say about Ayu's changing image. It's a very specialized gallery and visual introduction.
OKAY SO. THE ALBUM SECTION. Since I don't really know Ayu and don't even listen to J-Pop, I didn't know whether this section was something that'd be enjoyable to read! I've sometimes googled album reviews of various things before, and most of the time, I didn't think they were that enjoyable -
specifically because they were so heavy on the technical details mentioned above. It often felt as though they were written for fellow music enthusiasts, and not at all for the casual listener. Which is fine, but then they can't serve so well as introductions.
What
you do, however, is so so so so enjoyable. I love seeing which tracks are your favourite, because it means I can start there (aside from what is pointed out in the "My Story" section) with listening. But it's amazing that the album reviews aren't just about whether the albums are "good" or "bad" and how much you like them - these album reviews are incredibly informative. They tell me about a specific period in Ayu's life
and career, and sometimes also provide context about events that transpired in a particular year (the two reaction albums "I am..." and "FIVE"). They tell me about what was experimented with in a particular album, or how an album came to be. It's very convincing from the first page, because I doubt that people would, just by listening, know many of these things: that the first album was made just to collect various songs, rather than being conceptualized as a whole; that an album was made while Ayu was going through a difficult time, and other snippets like that. Again, I very much enjoy that it's not strictly chronological in the sense that you don't hesitate to include ex-post musings about the albums, and judge them in comparison with all other albums you've listened to.
Honestly, I think "GUILTY" and "Party Queen" were some of the most interesting pages to read (and the content seems very similar). They're not just about the music or the career, they talk about Ayu's life and how those experiences inevitably made their way into the albums. "Party Queen" in particular is striking because it shows your... evolution as a fan, I think? That you listened to it and didn't like it, then eventually learned about the events behind it, and how your opinions on it, however slightly, may change over time.
ok so I have no idea how to wrap up this wall of text BUT YEAH. THIS IS SO AMAZING. YOU'RE SO AMAZING. I LOVE YOU AND ALL YOUR FANSITES. I LOVE YOUR PERSONAL SITES A LOT. YOU'RE SO COOL AND THIS IS SO COOL AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING WITH US!!
Your Ayu fanlistings are super lovely too!! And they totally distracted me when I first visited the site hahaha. ALL THE LINKS, ALL THE PRETTY LAYOUTS.
