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For those following Ayu on Twitter, you probably wouldn't be all that surprised to her about her wedding with Austrian actor Manual Schwarz.  But apparently, the news headlines in Japan made it seem like a big deal as if Hiroshima and Nagasaki were re-invoked (tasteless joke, yes, I know. But hey, I'm Japanese-American, so I'll make 'em as I please!)

Naturally, after the little secret chicken was hatched, the typical net trolls had their debates on how long it would last, whether or not it's Dekichatta Kekkon (shotgun marriage), if she loves him, etc.  My own interpretation is that in a way it's just Ayu being Ayu.  She's doing things her own way and being a leader in living life how she wants.  It makes you wonder who popped the question first between the two. 

A deeper interpretation from my side is that Ayu is sending a huge "FUCK YOU!" to the Japanese entertainment industry and perhaps most of traditional Japan by marrying this guy.  Her marriage definitely isn't a middle finger towards her fans because she truly values them.  Go read her Twitter to find out just how much she does care about her fans and how frequently she responds to the members of Team Ayu.  However, to the Japanese entertainment industry, she's being defiant, imo.

Why? Well, she's a huge star marrying a virtual unknown.  More than an unknown but a non-Japanese unknown.  This situation isn't like Norika Fujiwara marrying that loser from Kobe.  This is situation is just way out of the blue.  Probably, one of her more famous relationships involved the lead vocalist from TOKIO, which in the end didn't work out (albeit both remaining friends supposedly).  But perhaps in her experience with the typical Japanese playboy, she never had found someone satisfying.

Beyond that, having read Murakami's "Dance, Dance, Dance", my impression of the entertainment industry is that the whole thing is a massive setup.  It's kinda like this road you take that specifies exactly what your life span would look like.  Everything is just pre-planned.  I wouldn't doubt that marriage isn't part of that plan where some high rise executive oyaji gets first bids on the top talents. Then when you look at the free spirit known as Ayu, you can get a sense that the situation just wasn't her style.

Also, the fact that her company, Avex, has progressively pushed her out as newer stars like Koda Kumi and Ai Otsuka emerged along with a resurgent Namie Amuro probably didn't leave such a great taste in her mouth.  But in reading her Twitters while she was in LA, one thing that amazed me about her was her interaction with her fans out here as well as her short time recording here.  It felt as though she was happier and more content.  I don't know if that's the case in tiny, little Japan that has her repetitively doing the same old circle every year.  Could it be that she might want to just settle down out here eventually and focus on her international fans?

All I can say is good luck to her.  If she does decide to settle down in LA, I hope she buys my neighbor's home and kicks out the noisy dog.  Then definitely the marriage was worth it (for me at least).