What the... Nishimoto, from the other picture that he shared where Kyo was leaning his head on his shoulder, just posted a series of purikura photos with Kyo in which Kyo's face was "cutifyed", but you can tell that those were Kyo's original expressions.
It's always interesting to analyze one year's picks, but when you add a second to the mix, the statistics are exponential!
Here are the graphics first:
2020
You can see that, back in 2020, Die was perhaps the most evenly spread out, along with Shinya to an extent, but neither chose their latest release, The World of Mercy. Kyo and Karu had focused the most on recent albums. Toshiya had completely snubbed THE MARROW OF A BONE, ARCHE and Gauze.
2026
Kaoru went literally beyond their first album release, in a category that I had't defined or anticipated and had to squish into Gauze. Kaoru's setlist was the one that covered most of their discography, especially with the inclusion of The World of Mercy, the mini-album six ugly and the pre-Gauze songs. Just missing whatever Unraveling was.
The novelty for 2026 is that video footage was used whenever available. Most of them limited themselves to no earlier than 2016, with Shinya stepping one toe into 2014. The Kaoru smashed that by breaking all barriers.
Toshiya seemingly realized that he had shunned their mid-career album in 2020 and made up for it this year, but Withering to death. surpasses them all as his favourite album. No contest there.
Comparing the two years' setlists aso brings about interesting discoveries not only for each member, but among all of them too.
Songs that the members selected both in their 2020 setlist and in 2026, possibly their favourite or their staples:
Kyo: Karasu, Keibetsu Hajimari, Reiketsu Nariseba
Kaoru: The World of Mercy, Ranunculus, Utafumi
Die: Mr. NEWSMAN
Toshiya: C, Vinushka, dead tree, GARBAGE, THE FINAL
Although, of course, in Die's case, it could be argued that he might have too many favourites to choose from.
I don't know for you, but knowing the above list will change how I take in a live show a bit, because now if Gyakujou tannou Keloid Milk comes up, I will think: "Oh! Maybe Shinya had a role in the inclusion of this song. Let's see if I can notice him enjoying the song particularly more than the rest of the band."
When it comes connexions between the members:
In 2020, both Toshiya and Kyo selected Vinushka and dead tree. Die and Kyo had a soft spot for AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS. Kaoru and Shinya chose different versions of Namamekashiki ansoku, tamerai ni hohoemi. Toshiya and Shinya both liked INCONVENIENT IDEAL, Zakuro and umbrella. Kaoru and Kyo were the only ones to focus on The World of Mercy and Followers. Die and Toshiya shared DOZING GREEN. Shinya and Die both tapped into Kaishun. Kaoru and Toshiya used different versions of Macabre, but it counts, and they had Child Prey as well. And finally, Die and Kaoru both took Ranunculus.
In 2026, MOBS intersected between Kaoru and Kyo, C and Vinushka between Toshiya and Kaoru, Unknown...Despair...A Lost, Ranunculus and INCONVENIENT IDEAL between Shinya and Kaoru, and Mr. NEWSMAN for Die and Kaoru.
If there wasn't a concerted effort not to select the same songs twice or more in 2026, the lack of intersections would be due to how few live performances released on DVD for each song since 2014 (era which most of them stuck to), therefore of course they couldn't take Glass Skin twice, for example.
I'm still personally shocked that two of the members outright ignored their latest album. Not surprised whatsoever that Kyo relied on it the most. The lot of them gave no love to THE MARROW OF A BONE except Toshiya.
Each 2026 video mixing had very nice aspects, with things like the inclusion of the audience's cheers, the transitions, etc. The setlists themselves, I would have to go through them all over again a few times to pick a favourite, but video-wise, Kaoru takes the palm for the audacity, the nostalgia and the equitability. And the humour, even. Besides Die, they all did some shenanigan either this year or in 2020, and I love that they are so unserious.
Back in 2020 though, Kyo's was definitely the best in my opinion because of the unexpected use of live and unusual versions.
I am so curious to know if the order of thelivestreams was pre-determined, or if the management decided the order of play after seeing what the members' final products were.
I apologise to Shinya that it took me so long to shift my focus away from the repetitiveness of this song and onto the uniqueness of his drums.
On this one, you can distinguish the kind of rhythms that make his compositions so singular. I absolutely love his overuse of the bass drum pedal that keeps his arm movements epurated and majestic, as well as those fleeting superfluous little hits on the cymbals like what he does at 1:08.
Again, most drummers would have half the number of beats and the segments would be a lot more homogeneous than what Shinya comes up with.
(I don’t post about all of Yuchi's publications because he is super active, a bit like Shinya, but do check his Instagram out if you're not already following him!)
HD scans of the printed autographed cards that were randomly handed out at the Tower Records x Dir en grey -Mortal Downer- collab café earlier this year. I couldn't buy each, but every member had two different pictures, technically.
Here's what each says:
Kyo: [self-explanatory, but with a Ki katakana to confirm that it's a self-portrait]
Kaoru: あとはツアーで第六感を ["After the tour, I'm channeling my sixth sense" (a Dragon Ball reference)]
Die: "今日はなんとなくハンバーガーな気分です" ["Today, for some reason, I feel like eating a hamburger"]
You Masuda, the man who has interviewed Dir en grey the most across the years, posted a picture of two people eating hot dogs, fries and onion rings with him at a place called Pink's from 2006.
By the hand tattoos, I'm quite sure that’s Kyo reaching for a hot dog.
Somewhere in stolen hours,
tinted by the wind,
I stand motionless
and ask myself who I am.
I come undone
in the spaces
where old words wear thin.
This place I return to -
I wonder where it even is.
My passion is stained with darkness. (1)
Cutting off my own breath
would have been
the easy way out.
And yet I long
to hold onto you,
just a little longer -
so tell me, will you let me live? (2)
One bright morning,
I opened my eyes,
and for the first time,
I felt that my tears
made sense. (3)
I don't know why,
but when you’re beside me,
all I feel is sadness -
why can’t we just become one?
Whatever words I’m holding onto are fragile,
but maybe just one is enough.
Hand me something
sharp enough,
for me to pierce my heart
through my chest.
That is the price of this moment -
brief as it is.
Something in me is ripening, (4)
because I am darkness…
Dusk rises with a ringing cry,
and on that bright morning,
I opened my eyes,
and for the first time,
I felt that my tears
made sense.
(repeat chorus)
Can you really change
just by forgetting?
No. Not even if memory fades,
not even if I do change,
not even if
the you in me fades away. (5)
(repeat chorus)
Even righteous things
can cut deep. (6)
So I’ll claim this moment as mine,
let it become my voice,
and walk the road to tomorrow.
(repeat chorus)
Such is the testament
that goes by the name of life… (7)
--
(1) The original word in this verse is “will” (意志), not “passion”. 意志 is used in Japanese to refer to a variety of concepts in the semantic field of intent. I used “passion” because later in the poem the narrator expresses their longing for a loved one. It's more of an educated guess than a literal translation.
(2) It’s interesting that this line is almost identical to the ones in Higeki wa mabuta (...), Conceived Sorrow and Vinushka. Kyo often repeats this theme in his lyrics: his narrators often want to leave, die, disappear or some variation of that, yet they long to stay tethered a little bit longer. I think it’s a beautiful metaphor for hope and a beautiful way to portray survival on the edge. And it’s really interesting to see the recurring themes used by a lyricist.
(3) The metaphor used here is so beautiful, but it read really awkward in English so I used words that made more sense. In case you're wondering, the original reads 涙が初めて意味に触れられた気がしたんだ - "I felt that for the first time, my tears touched something meaningful".
(4) This line is very cryptic, so I used some creative freedom to make it understandable. The original reads: 代償の儚さ 熟れていき ただ闇とて…, which literally translates as “the transience of the price I paid / as it ripens / I become darkness”. It sounds absolutely beautiful in Japanese and sadly I couldn’t find a way to preserve its flow in English.
(5) Another recurring theme in Dir en Grey’s lyrics: becoming the other person/their lover. Love between two people is portrayed as the process of two people becoming so intertwined they no longer know who is who - which often turns to heartbreak. Love will tear us apart, dixit Joy Division.
(6) The adjective here is 冷酷, which translates more literally as "cruel" or "ruthless". I paraphrased a little because it conveyed the meaning a little more clearerly - plus the poem uses the same kind of imagery.
(7) Another recurring theme: things that prove that one is alive. Most notably in The Final, the narrator says that unal*ving on*self is the proof that they lived. In Vinushka, it is the memories of the past. In this poem, they seem to imply that their heartbreak and their darkness are the proof that they’re alive.
--
Translator's notes:
This is one of my favourite Dir songs. Sorry if I keep tearing the official translators a new one - told you I was a pretentious motherfucker. Jewels works really hard on their gobbledygook in general, but they outdid themselves with this one. Not one damn line was salvageable. In their defense, the poem is cryptic as per usual, and Japanese being a high-context language, transposing meaning requires a number of shots in the dark. I tried my best, but who knows, maybe my rendition sucks just as bad. File your complaints to the author himself - he’ll love that ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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