I only translated the sections relevant to ayu.
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China netizens on ayu’s marriage: “She was obviously cheated by the Westerner”
A happily smiling Hamasaki Ayumi and Manuel Schwarz at Narita Airport, Chiba.
2011 New Year’s Day. With regards to popular Japanese news, it would have been singer Hamasaki Ayumi’s sudden marriage announcement. China’s fans, like Japanese fans, were shocked at this development, and there were some who were ambivalent about the decision. Aside from the honest congratulatory comments like “Ayumi’s lifestyle is indeed cool”, “I hope she will be happy”, there was also dissatisfaction. There were comments like “Why was she taken by an Austrian? What are Japanese men doing?” and “she was obviously cheated by the Westerner”.
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Hamasaki Ayumi is the only Japanese artist who has a large presence in China, just like how Yamaguchi Momoe was many years ago. Of note was an interview conducted last April in a hidden location in Tibet, 3,000m up in the mountains. When young Tibetans there were asked “Where would you most like to go?”, the answer was “Hamasaki Ayumi’s concert”. In the town’s old CD shop, among the many CDs teaching Buddhist scriptures, pirated Hamasaki Ayumi CDs could also be found.
In China, a survey was conducted in 2008 online, regarding “The most popular Japanese artist in China”. Hamasaki Ayumi received nearly 5% of total votes in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, achieving first place. Second and third were occupied by Utada Hikaru and Namie Amuro respectively.
Hamasaki Ayumi’s charm can be discerned from Chinese fan blogs. “She is always full of confidence”, “She doesn’t waver, and walks her own path”. Comments like “She works so hard” were also common. Just like in Japan, there seems to be more female than male fans. To understand Hamasaki Ayumi’s songs, many Chinese girls start to learn the Japanese language.
“Like Yamaguchi Momoe, Japanese women tend to stop working when they get married, I want ayu not to marry just because of that.” Many Chinese fans are worried about the marriage because they fear not being able to hear new songs. Some wanted her to “give Asian women more power and charisma after getting married”. There were also many comments from male fans, such as “I don’t understand why so many great Japanese women marry Western men”, “She only knew him for 5 months, I’ve been her fan for years…” and “That husband has no reputation of his own. If he is using this marriage to exploit ayu’s fame, I will never forgive him”.
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From: Yahoo Japan News
Thanks to AyUmIXx@AHS
