genre: *sweating* umm GULP! rock? [crowd boos] uh… metal?😅 [tomatoes fly towards me at breakneck speeds]
special notes: not really sure how to explain this but it sounds so much like a fantasy rpg/shounen anime opening. very sparkly while still being heavy OOOHH I LOVE IT SO MUCH GRRAAHHHgg
tw: self-harm (central to lyrics and visuals) description: not gorey, include a person repeatedly swinging a knife towards an arm with a spotless gauze on it; blood splatters sometimes appear on screen, but not anywhere near the arm or knife
Music that ended up evolving A LOT in the age of social media Special: "The World of Visual-kei bands"
(I'll be just doing the main points of the program)
They start with introducing Fujitani Chiaki (藤谷千明) who's been following v-kei world as a fan and a column writer for 25 years now ('a former Self Defense Force member who came to love over 100 bands in 25 years').
The slogan on the screen that accompanies this is 'The great pick up of ultimate bands starting from legends to evolving styles (kei)'.
Chiaki's life changed after she saw LUNA SEA's "ROSIER" in junior high. When she was 18 Kuroyume announced they're stopping activities and shocked she decided to enter Jieitai (but it was also because there were very few employment chances in her hometown).
A message Chiaki wants to convey the most in the program: "I'm fed up with realistic times, let's experience the extraordinary more".
Matsuko commented that she also thought that the entertainment in Japan is very plain/reserved, that's why she thought about visual kei, she brought up Sawada Kenji (ジュリー). They talked about using make up talking about Kpop as well, that v-kei is so different.
Next came teaser "tremendously popular in the 90s" - "the word 'Visual Kei' became established overseas" (as background here they showed dir's footage and some foreign fans wearing vkei style).
Chiaki: nowadays Japanese people have an image of Visual-kei as 'old', 'scary', 'behind the times' and they both talk about tylhe extraordinary being important.
Next part "after 22 years the time has come when Visual-kei is necessary!" They talk about the chronology board prepared by Chiaki, she also explained that the genre was born in 89 with X and the term visual came from X's PSYCHEDELIC VIOLENCE CRIME OF VISUAL SHOCK.
1994 faced restructuring and unemployment crisis, they showed LUNA SEA's TRUE BLUE and commented how popular it got. 'how did Visual-kei fare in such difficult times?'
Matsuko brought up SHAZNA - everyone was shocked then how cute the vocalist was.
Then they talked about 1999 and Nostradamus and end of century, Chiaki sees 1999 as a peak of visual-kei. They talked about GLAY's legendary show at Makuhari with 200,000 people (they also show their best album sales, about 4,870,000 (the top 3rd in Japan)) and how much media attention it got.
Another legendary show that was held that year was LUNA SEA's 10th anniversary with a stage that costed hundred millions of yen. That stage got destroyed just 3 days before the concert due to a typhoon but band decided to go on with plan and held the concert as planned.
(haha I can totally see Chiaki's sparkling when she talks about LUNA SEA😆)
"Totally necessary for these times! Introduction of the legendary bands immersed in the extraordinary":
🌙MALICE MIZER: 'immersed in extraordinary with super extravagant costumes! ultimate visuals with extreme beauty'
Matsuko commented that performance (from merveilles~終焉と 帰趨~l'espace) looks like Takarazuka. Chiaki said that for the sake of worldview they don't play instruments on stage and that Sho Kiryuuin from Golden Bomber was very influenced by them.
Matsuko said that fans of course want to see the artist perform, but also are happy to see them dance, that visual-kei is infinite.
Matsuko also compared Mana to Marie Antoinette.
🌹Chiaki then introduced Versailles as a band that still pursues such worldview. They are dressed as French aristocrats, are very popular abroad especially in France.
💀DIR EN GREY: 'extraordinary performance going to the very end'
Matsuko knows dir, Chiaki explained for the audience about their major debut with 3 singles produced by YOSHIKI, that they are popular overseas as well as in Japan. They express 'human pain' and 'the darkness of the heart', the peak of extraordinary. Chiaki talked about the situation with M Stage program when the tv got complains from parents after their kids cried seeing dir on tv, Mstage was on tv just before Crayon Shin-chan and many ended up seeing one of dir's songs (I love how someone burst out laughing in the studio here😂). Matsuko asked what kind of performance was it:
"The following footage contains material not suitable for all audiences"🤣🤣🤣
and of course it's 残-ZAN-
Chiaki: The shock received in your own living room...
Matsuko: certainly, suddenly seeing this kind of deathmetal
Matsuko: something that Tamori (Kazuyoshi Morita, tv celebrity/presenter/comedian) could suddenly introduce
the commentary: 'and even in recent performances' (they proceed to show dir's live footage from DSS in Nippon Budokan)
Chiaki comments that as dir's lyrics are about the pain and extraordinary, and how cathartic can be a very intense show, and she really loves how 'we love the extraordinary in order to deal with the ordinary life' (yes😭❤️)
Matsuko: ... really? But they have songs so deathmetal like. Ok, I guess I'll check them out.
Chiaki: I just heard from the staff that dir's vocalist, Kyo, is a fan of this program and is watching every week.
Matsuko: who's here connected with the band?? (asking the studio people)
Staff (from behind camera): when getting permission [to show dir's footage] I was told that.
Matsuko: so in a sense I'm deathmetal too. Ok, I think that's it.
Next the program moves on to "a mystery hot pot eaten in the dark of performance incorporating all trends and fashion"
Matsuko: is 'Yaminabe performance' a band's name? Ah, ok, no, we're changing the topic!
Chiaki explains that it's difficult to explain what visual-kei bands are like now because there are so many elements.
They show the Raid (manga style) and Kiryuu (Japanese horror) as examples of the 2nd generation of evolving visual style, and what elements entered visual-kei: rap, dance, underground idols, Japanese kimono, ???
Matsuko: is the bottom right visual-kei??
Chiaki: has common elements (くくり)
●they show NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST and talk about their image and Hiro, the vocalist. the ??? gets changed into 'muscles', they comment on change in the expectation that musicians are very skinny.
Matsuko comments she personally likes the look of the 'underground idols', like what are they actually doing there?
●They show 0.1gの誤算 performance and Chaki explained anything can happen there. They also showed their recent show where fans prerecorded their shouts and member calling on their phones to play them when loud response is not allowed due to covid.
●Alice9 represents 'dance' element.
●CHOKE represents 'rap'
●Mogamigawa Tsukasa for 'kimono', the drummer in THE MICRO HEAD 4N'S who's singing enka.
The 2nd half of the program introduced humanbeatbox topic (very cool to watch but no report from that part😅)
Interview with Sena and bo_ya (the Raid.): Resilient ambition in a year of uncertainty
This interview was originally published by “club Zy.” in Japanese. JROCK NEWS is partnering with club Zy. and Vijuttoke with the aim to popularize Japanese visual kei globally. Learn more about our partnership here. “Other bands may think ‘huh?’ about the Raid. who continue on with vigor, but the band will try its best to…
Interview with Sena and bo_ya (the Raid.): Resilient ambition in a year of uncertainty
Here I am with a new band review in “Focusing on”! Today’s subject is a visual kei band, which always distinguished by a great mix of colors and sound. We’re talking about the Raid., formed on 2011 and composed by Sena (vo.), Bo-ya (gt.), Yuuha (gt.), former member of NeXuS and lilt, who replaced Yuta on 2012, Tenshi (ba.), former member of Plus Magic, who replaced Iori on 2016 and Kazhi (dr.). Their band name has not a precise meaning, but the word is a synonym of attack, where each song is like a challenge, making them not having a definite concept. Their genre is rock, with really energetic notes and roots from oshare kei, without neglecting maturer compositions. Their debut occurred on October 2011 with the first single Starry Heaven.
The lead-track, named Zero ~0~, features an energetic and really electronic sound, with pleasant vocals and a catchy rhythm; the song is about overcoming any limit, at any cost. It has been followed by the singles My Dear/Blue and Tsubasa (Wings), the first mini-album Feathers, the singles Ketsuraku Lover (Missing lover), Snow pledge, Judgement and Moment.
The title-track sees a more positive and melodic sound, along with electronic notes and a paced rhythm; the song is about stopping our lives to a meaningful moment. It has been followed by the second mini-album Alice. and the singles Raison d’etre, Period and Rebellion.
The title-track exalts more the extreme component of their sound, even with screamed parts, without changing it completely; the song is about a dream of revolution and change. It has been followed by the first album Ray, the singles Junketsu Piranha (Pure-blood piranha), Kurobara rondo (Black rose rondo), Shirayuki no saku koro ni (When the white lilies bloom), Yowamushi Monster (Wimp monster) and Mercari (reviewed here), the compilation Coupling Best -Yuuha and Bo-ya side-, the singles Yanderu kimi ni okuru uta (Song for you sick) and Re:born, the third mini-album Mikan (Unfinished), the singles Dead Xmas Party, Gomennasai (Sorry), Urameshiya (I curse you) and Seisan curry (Hydrocyanic acid curry), the fourth mini-album Omen, the singles Go Diva (False diva), Kagiana (Keyhole), Kago onna uta (Song of woman in cage), Otogiri kusa (Younger brother cuts the grass), Boku wa kaibutsu (I am a monster), Anomaly, Kabukichou rainy, Kamisama nande!? (Why God!?), Watashi kirei? (Am I beautiful?), Koroshitaru naru hodo dareka o aishita koto wa arimasu ka? (Have you loved someone enough to kill you?) and One night kareshi (Boyfriend for one night).
The title-track has a nostalgical style, fitting with the cheerful melody and the simple rhythm, for a quite pleasant ballad; the song is about a love-story lasting only one night.
In the visual kei scene most bands rely on the positive vibes and the strong colors, and the Raid. joins this group, even if they get something unpredictable along with them. Each song carries up a new side of them, going from extreme to light in a single hit, adding electronic notes for making the melody more flowing and listenable to everybody and nice vocals, not fearing to be heavier when needed. the Raid. is the kind of band which you don’t hear much about, but they are still a relevant presence in the visual kei scene, making it even less boring, thanks to wide choice of songs in their repertory. If you are a fan of their world, you will look forward for their next work, the single Kimipuri (You prince), coming out this July, which makes this summer even more colorful than expected.
Who might enjoy: who loves colorful and energetic bands, made of fun and positive vibes.
Recommended songs: Zero ~0~, Tsubasa, Moment, Period, Rebellion, Mercari and One night kareshi.
That’s all folks! See you on Wednesday for a new review in “Let’s Listen to”!
