I agree with just about everything here; the live-limited releases, the multitype releases, the downloads, the fan jealousy, the conditional disbandments, ...everything. It's pretty different than being into general bandom back in the day. A lot of shit like this has been sitting in my head for a while, so I'm just gonna spill it here, so excuse the sloppiness...
I will admit tho, I'm quite guilty of being jealous of certain people, because I can't afford a trip to Japan just to see my faves, nor do I have any friends who are just as passionate as I am about my faves. I don't know when, or if, that day will come, but I always couldn't help getting pissed off when other people talk about the lives they attended, the shit they got, and interacting with other fans or my faves, while I sit here on my fatass doing nothing but moping (like I am right now ;w; ). VK isn't even hot in the states (and all we get is shit bands at fucking anime cons), and I fucking hate how I have to go to another country, learn to speak another language, and face potential culture shock just to enjoy my faves...it's fucking ridiculous. It makes me feel less as a fan and more of just a outsider, which is why I even dread being in this ass fandom sometimes. (can I also mention how I can't fucking read tanuki and enjoy the shitslinging of various bands, unless I have to visit a blog run by an ELITIST BITCH who barely does jackshit??? fuck that cunt btw)
Even worse, when there's live-limited shit that I can't get, it sucks because the song(s) in question could (1) take ages to be rereleased in a regular release, and I'd have to waste time searching auctions for at least a year, or (2) be lost forever or be sold for like 9000 yen on mercari (and prob end up sounding like taking a shit in the sewer)...it especially sucks when I've amassed most of a band's discography, only to be lacking their live-limited cds and it's so nervewracking for a perfectionist like me.
As for other shit, I'd say keeping certain things private or vague, like how a member is dismissed from a band, the REAL reason why a band broke up from outta nowhere, label drama, etc., is what kinda annoys me about visual kei. As a drama-loving gal, I'd like to see a LOT of spillT tea, and read even more about these bands other than their general history. Who is the shittiest kusoman of them all? What "deplorable acts" did this shithead commit to get kicked out of the band?! Whatever the fuck happened to Hisui/Klaha/Karma, etc...? It is a mystery...
The multitype bullshit is probably one of the worst things to come out of this genre alone. What's the point of spending an extra 1500+ yen for a release with a different song/discs/purchase bonuses, etc.?! Why can't yall just sell that extra shit individually, or put the songs all together (that'd usually be enough for a FUCKING ALBUM, HELLER??????) None of the bands I care about have really done this much, except for Sui's solo project which is shilling its mini-album with 2 types with different tracklists, AND another edition coming up via webshop only....which I can see having both tracklists combined to add to its uniqueness and basically make it a cashgrab. That also brings me to distributing songs as bonuses if tickets are purchased, which is exactly what David is doing, and I can't help but roll my mo'fuckin eyes..........like what is even the point besides getting asses in seats??? At least it's better than getting 5 tickets to all the tour lives in order to UNLOCK the Grand Prize of TEN THOUSAND DOLLA---a one-coin CD...??? Just another unreasonable cashgrab, which makes me wanna collect even less from this project.
Adding onto buying 50 types of the same release, buying shit when you're in the US, and poor as fuck btw, is fucking expensive, especially when it comes to shipping. HOLY HELL. Usually I have to pay an extra ~$13 or so to have my shit shipped out within a week (and that fucking sucks when the item I buy is initially like, 1 yen). What I keep forgetting however, is when I buy more than just one CD (like mags, posters, etc.), and the shipping price fucking skyrockets to about the same price I'd pay for EMS...not to mention having to pay extra fees like item weight, domestic, service fees, packaging, breathing...it never ends. I'm not good at math, so that just makes it even more stressful just buying shit. But I still love it though 😭😭😭............idc about my wallet's feelings :)))
I may add more later, there's just so much shit about vk that frustrates me....
