Licio123

I did, and intend to watch it again! On first viewing it was quite good imo. I liked how they went in a different direction than the original, both story-wise and visually. Ofc the old one is a classic but this is a really strong movie in its own right. I was very much pleased with it.

I agree. He took a deplorable route, instead of discussing it beforehand with you. But you're right, gotta make the best out of it!

It was his dog too, but you are right, it is unacceptable. Especially because I think you don't just vanish after almost 9 years without giving a proper explanation.
 
We have talked it out though and I am letting him keep the dog. My family and friends encouraged me to get another dog for just myself, because it would help me to feel better and in about three weeks I am going to adopt a Shiba Inu puppy.
 
I have to admit though, that I do miss my other dog a lot and I am still disappointed, since I don't think anyone deserves a break up like that. But life goes on and I will just make the best out of the situation!

Oh boy, he can't just TAKE your dog @Koumori. That's unnacceptable. I don't know how law works, but I'm pretty sure he can't just "steal" the dog like that.
 
I would be pretty devastated if someone did that to me...

Wow does this take me back. I went through something quite similar two years ago.
 
......
 
You seem to be handling this better than I did...
and you've gotten further than I did
 
When the guy in my story stopped texting me, I got angry-sad about it, and whenever he'd come back, I'd think I'd have forgiven him, but then I'd get angry again, for the first year I had no idea how I felt about him as an individual, I totally flip-flopped. At the end of the year, I wanted to meet up with him and try to reconnect like you did, but then I saw a new guy in his Snapchat story, and it looked like they were being all cutesy and shit, which really bothered me. A week goes by, I stop kicking the air, delete him on social media, and declare hatred. Another year later, today, that hatred completely fizzles out into "I don't know her"
 
Enough of my rant, yes it's okay to ask if he's seeing someone else. As for continuing a relationship with him, definitely do not pursue dating this guy any further. Just don't! If you think you can be platonic friends with him, not resent him for being out of touch, and most importantly, stomach the sight of him being serious with someone else, go for it. And if you ever have the opportunity to, tell him about your feelings, at least for the sake of clearing the air. Be honest with him. However, if you have even the slightest problem with a strictly platonic friendship, drop his ass. If he can't make time for you, he doesn't deserve you. Plain and simple!

@Ultra Silvam Hi! I see that you are fairly new to MH, and so firstly, I'd like to greet you and officially welcome you to the site. Thank you for joining us here on MH, and furthermore, I appreciate you being open enough to share your experience with us.
 
To answer your question in general - no, there's absolutely nothing wrong with asking that question. That's generally something you'd want to establish prior to embarking on a relationship with anyone.
 
Now to address your situation. I'm going to be straight-up with you. I won't presume to give you any advice, but I will relay to you the truth as I see it, based on the information that you've provided. I apologize in advance if my comments seem harsh or insensitive, but I assure that is not my intention. I empathize with you because I've also been in similar circumstances before, and I know how it feels. So with that in mind, it's my hope that something I say will help you to avoid unnecessary heartache in the future.
 
There's no easy way to say this, but this guy is not looking for the same thing you're looking for. He said so from the jump:
 
This is all code for "I'm going to waste your fucking time". Two things to look at here.  #1: He said he "didn't mind" - not "I want to" - showing that he doesn't really care either way. That's NEVER a good basis by which to approach an intimate relationship. If he's not intentional, it's very likely that he's on some bullshit. #2: He said he "wasn't looking for anything serious". What does this mean? What's the point of entertaining a relationship if you're not going to be serious about it? He's basically telling you in so many words, "yeah, I don't mind hanging out and having sex with you, but don't expect me to commit to you". aka. He's going to waste your fucking time.
 
If your heart is important to you, it's absolutely worth guarding. It's not something that should just be handed out to anyone. You want to be with someone who is intentional and serious about guarding it. Not someone like "i don't really care either way", ya feel me?
 
Some more things to look at:
Words are something else, right? The right ones will make you feel all giddy inside and send you over the moon. Here's a general rule of thumb about people: Listen to them intently. Most people will tell you who they are without even realizing it. But words can also be deceptive. So more importantly than listening to people, you also have to observe their actions and see if they line up with their words.
 
Check this out. He tells you "he likes you" and reiterates the fact that "he isn't looking for anything serious", but then he proceeds to have "unexpected" sex with you? Many unexpected things happen in life, but sex is never one of them (unless it's rape).  Conventional wisdom won't tell you this, but contrary to popular belief - sex is actually quite serious. Let's examine your own words again:
This world will quickly sale you on the idea of 'casual sex', but I don't believe there is such a thing. And just because it's "the norm" doesn't mean it's functional. Here's why: Sex cannot be divorced from emotion, or family, or responsibility, or respect, or children, or love and so on. The idea of 'casual sex' would have you believe that it's just some standalone act done for fun and pleasure, but sex itself is innately intertwined to too many other critical components of life for that to be so. Your own emotions are a witness to this truth. So it's no wonder that you've developed such feelings for this guy as a result. You've engaged with him in a deeply intimate manner. But it's all good, don't beat yourself up about it. Just know that these things are bound to happen when being intimate with others. So you have to exercise due caution in this area. If a guy is willing to have sex with you, but is not willing to commit to you - what does that say about this guy? And what does it say about you that you'd allow such a guy to have sex with you? There's absolutely NOTHING wrong with having standards. In this world you'll need them.
 
Let's continue:
If I had to guess, "busy" is one of the biggest bullshit excuses ever used. Some people do get genuinely busy, but even if they do, they'll let you know that they're busy. You won't have to guess. Likewise, If someone is truly into you, you won't have to guess. Trust what your gut is telling you. You probably already know what the deal is, but whether you want to believe it or not is another story.
 
A bit more:
I'm going to address the text that I highlighted here:
 
It seems to be me that you're giving this guy way too much leeway to walk over you. If he can't be arsed to communicate with you regularly, what makes you think it will get any better down the road if you WERE to enter a relationship with this guy?
 
"I'll hang out with you, but I don't know when" - Damn, this guy must be the BUSIEST GUY IN THE WORLD HOLY SHIT!!!! His schedule is just THAT jammed pack that he doesn't know when he'll be able to kick it with you? Fuck outta here bro. This guys is on bullshit and is just stringing you along.
 
If a guy really likes you - he's going to MAKE time for you. It's as simple as that.
 
 
I'm really sorry that you're going through this, and you'll have to excuse my bluntness, but I think the real questions you should be asking is "why am I allowing myself to be treated like this?". "Why am I fawning after someone who has clearly demonstrated that they don't value me?". Seeking the answer to these questions will likely yield you better results. I believe you already know the answers to the questions you want to ask.
 
Now obviously what you choose to do is completely up to you. There's no harm in expressing your feelings to this guy, but based off of what you've told me so far, he seems highly unlikely to truly reciprocate.
 
Personally, I think you'd be setting yourself up for undue heartache and should just leave this guy alone before incurring further damage.  He's already made it clear where he stands - and several times at that. Furthermore, his actions have solidified that stance. Take heed to yourself, because I know from experience that we often get lost in the clouds and make the mistake of projecting our own needs, desires, and fantasies on to other people instead of looking directly at what's in front us, and facing reality. In doing so, we often break our own hearts.
 
Once again, I apologize if I was a bit too coarse with my words, but I do hope you can glean something from this. And if not, that's fine too. Whatever the case, I hope that you're able to learn from the situation - whatever the outcome - and move forward in a good direction.

VIP-limited edition : 5000 yen + taxes
CD : 
01. 壊れたピアノ(Kowareta piano) 
02. サイコ(Psycho) 
03. アイリス(Iris) 
04. ヴァンパイア(Vampire)
05. In the shadows
06. 積想(Seki sou)
07. 百合と翼(Yuri to tsubasa)
08. カウントダウン(Countdown)
09. Living Dead
+ Special booklet ( live pictures from their tour 『壊れたピアノとリビングデッド』(Kowareta piano to living dead) and  『壊れたピアノとリビング デッド feat. 殺シノ調ベ』(Kowareta piano to living dead feat koroshi no shirabe)
 
Regular edition : 3000 yen + taxes
CD : 
01. 壊れたピアノ(Kowareta piano) 
02. サイコ(Psycho) 
03. アイリス(Iris) 
04. ヴァンパイア(Vampire)
05. In the shadows
06. 積想(Seki sou)
07. 百合と翼(Yuri to tsubasa)
08. カウントダウン(Countdown)
09. Living Dead

Another chapter has been written and filed away into the ever growing library of visual kei history, so we resume our customary annual review of all of the great albums that saw the light of day in 2018. Unlike previous years, we elected to wait until the middle of January so the stragglers of the year had their fair chance to weigh in. This list is also not in any specific order, although DIMLIM's CHEDOARA deserves a mention for getting the most votes internally and therefore kicks the list off with a bang. Even in our most challenging years, there's always something fresh and new around the corner waiting to be discovered. Like always, this isn't an exhaustive list and plenty of the hidden gems slip through the cracks, so if you have anything to add to the list tack it on at the end so the entire community can find something new to enjoy. 

Without further ado, here are some great J-Rock albums of 2018.

DIMLIM -- CHEDOARA

@The Reverend
@emmny
 
@helcchi

 
 
 
Sigh - Heir to Despair

@The Reverend
 
@helcchi


Dir en grey - The Insulated World

@emmny
 
 
emmurée - lightless

@The Reverend
 
 
キズ - 「傷痕」

 
@platy
 
 
 

Mass of the Fermenting Dregs - No New World

@The Reverend
 
@Zeus
 
 

陰陽座 (Onmyo-Za) - 覇道明王 (Hadou Myouou)

@Zeus
 
 

The GazettE - NINTH

 
@Zeus
 
 
 
 
 
グリモア - プシュコマキア

@platy
 
 

DADAROMA - dadaism#4


@helcchi
 
 
@platy
 
 


lynch. - XIII
 

 
@YuyoDrift


Thanks for reading!

My feelings are honestly a bit of a mess.
its hard to put anything into words.
 
its sad that it has ended this way, but in a way it’s not surprising...it’s kinda hard to explain really. 
 
I remember a convo from many many years ago when we were talking about someone we knew who was quitting the scene to become “a normal person” 
i remember thinking at that time, that’s never going to be you...I just always kinda assumed he would continue working his own pace well into old age...
 
regardless, he was not famous or a big name that many would recognize, but he was a chill guy who made music that mattered to the people who listened to it and to him, I thought that was enough to make him happy.
 
so all I can really hope for as a old friend is that he can finally rest and find true happiness.......

Ack, this thread existed? I think I'll be in this club for a while *pulls up a chair and sits down*
 
Still single and probably will be for a while. Currently, I'm focusing on school and would like to wait until I feel my life is steadier (if a relationship happens). A friend of mine asked me if I ever planned to date and/or get married, and it got me thinking that whatever happens will happen. If it happens, then that's great. If it doesn't, then that's fine with me (personally). I've never had any serious relationships. I almost had one a long time ago, but it fell through due to complicated reasons as usual ^^; 
 
I think the mentality of "you have to be dating someone" is a bit odd. Each individual has the choice of whether they want to be in a relationship with someone or not. No one else has that right to tell you (in general, no one in particular) that "you should be dating someone" since you are the one who will be experiencing the relationship, not anyone else.
 
Also, I don't want to be in a relationship with someone to validate my existence. I feel quite content with who I am and I don't want someone else telling me about myself. I'm up for changing into being a better person or compromising with other people to make things work, but I think you should stick true to who you are and not morph into someone else completely different that makes you feel unhappy/uncomfortable. I've seen people be in a relationship and completely change themselves because of their partner. It makes me sad to see this because I believe people in a relationship are equals, not subservient to their partner. (I'm speaking in general terms and not about any specific circumstances/situations.) 
 
(Yikes, this post was longer than I intended 😅 I apologize if I didn't make any sense. It's almost three am over here, and I'm somewhat tired, but I wanted to respond, lol.)

Their new album 『壊れたピアノとリビングデッド』(Kowareta piano to living dead) will be released on 2019.02.13. Vip members will be able to pre-order the album which will come out in two types.
 

 
 

A9 has revealed that Gt.Tora has had heart surgery after experiencing minor chest pains, which were later deemed to be a minor heart attack, and fortunately, he's recovering smoothly. Because of his health, the band has postponed their VIP Salon and Dice Nine programs for this month, but they'll still perform through their current live schedule regardless.
 
English translation of the band's announcement:
http://shattered-tranquility.net/index.php/11/22/a9-reveals-tora-in-recovery-from-heart-surgery/

| Dir en grey's tenth album is something special indeed.
 
Few artists can bring the scene together and elicit responses from everyone the way that Dir en grey can. They can make you pause your habitual listening routines to check out their newest single or album, even if you don't like them. This is because Dir en grey is one of the few bands where we can sense the progression and self-improvement from release to release. I don't think that Dir en grey aspires to impress anyone but themselves from three years ago, and now more than ever I see and feel a band that has graduated from copying trends to setting them. As a concept, and after listening to the album several times, I believe The Insulated World refers directly to them, their view on the world, and the inspiration for where the music they wish to create comes from.
 
The Insulated World feels like a journey into oneself, and the album feels separated into two parts. The first half of the album feels like a turbulent descent into madness, while the second half feels like the madness has yielded to tranquility as the listener floats towards personal understanding. I prefer the second half to the first half. This is a far cry from literally every other album of theirs, where tracks were arranged haphazardly and the experience suffers for it. I can hear various influences from each of their previous eras and albums - some more than others - but one of the most redeeming points about The Insulated World is that it doesn't sound like anything in particular.
 
In the past, I've felt that Dir en grey bit off more than they could chew, and failed to deliver on their own expectations. I felt this most when listening to DUM SPIRO SPERO, where the band used progressive elements for the sake of being progressive. The Insulated World has the progressive elements applied more sensibly, similar to ARCHE. Songs morph and change direction on a whim, but there are hooks and motifs that the band returns to that gives each song coherency. Vocalist Kyo reminds us once again that he's the king of vocal manipulation - just in case you had doubts - but he's embraced his mid range more. Focusing on the extremes of his vocal techniques leaves an immediate and lasting impression at the expense of it sounding very binary. I prefer the vocal extremes for specific emotional climaxes and using other vocal techniques for specific feelings at the appropriate times. "Values of Madness" is the best example of what I am describing, where we get screeching, rapping, singing, and more in a compact four minutes. The re-recording of "The Deeper Vileness" is another great example, and also highlights how well some of the ideas they explored in The Marrow of a Bone translate into their new style ten years later.
 
Complaints about the terrible production job for the singles "Utafumi" and "Ningen wo kaburu" were founded and make more sense in hindsight, with the new versions sounding less congested. Die and Kaoru no longer compete with Toshiya for total control of the low end frequency, Shinya's drum kit sounds less robotic, Kyo doesn't feel tacked on top of the mix, and there's plenty of room left for the guitar distortion techniques and electronic samples to breathe. For the most part, I like the tone chosen for the guitar and the way everything comes together in each song, and I would rank this among both their best and least obnoxiously mixed albums to date. I wish they could get their singles to this quality.
 
The Insulated World is not a perfect release. "Devote My Life" is not listenable due to the piercing, unrelenting tone of the guitar. Sticking it in the second slot does a lot to turn away people who only have once chance to give Dir en grey. They should have gone with a guitar tone closer to "Downfall". "Ranunculus", while a great song and a good note to end the album on, has an atmosphere which doesn't fit with the album. I get the impression this track was conceived either very early or very late in the production cycle, because it stands well on its own. I also am unable to find the hook in the album opus, "絶縁体" (Zetsusentai), which I find difficult to wrap my head around. They've done this style of track more effectively with "Vinushka" and even "Diabolos", and it doesn't hold a candle to the pure atmosphere of "MACABRE". Speaking of Macabre, I also find the new version of "理由" (Riyuu) slightly inferior to the original version. The cover of the song does justice to the original by not straying too much from the melody, but they reined in the emotion of the song and the guitar solo with only a cleaner sound to compensate,  and the original version of the song sold itself on its emotion. They didn't ruin it, but they didn't improve it much. The new version of "鬼眼" (Kigan) falls into the same camp, but the much better production values edges it out ahead in the end. For the record, I much rather these safe reinterpretations than ones that butcher the song beyond recognition.
 
These interpretations are subject to change as I spend more time with The Insulated World, and perhaps catch them live one day to experience these songs in person. Even a month later, I still think I wrote this review prematurely, as there are songs still growing on me and others that I am unsure if I like or not. I am pleased overall with how this album turned out, and I can see myself listening to this album in a few years without the songs wearing thin. Dir en grey did well, and this is an album I can recommend to both long time fans and the curious, but if ARCHE did nothing for you then this won't either.
 
 
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http://dueljewel.jp/pc/zepp.html
 
Duel Jewel announced their return live on March 1st, 2019, at Zepp Tokyo.
Hayato has apparently made a full recovery from the variety of conditions (functional dysphonia, vocal dystonia, vocal yips) that caused them to disband.

I'm listening to Deluhi right now, something new would be soooooo fakin awesome

One of the songs from the album has leaked.
 
 

It seems they'll have more announcements at a later date...
 

They revived like a year ago and all they did was get red hair extensions. In theory, they've been practicing and building their repertoire, but who knows with Kon.

Time passes faster when you are old.  How much I wish for a new release by them.

queens of doing absolutely nothing minus getting new weaves

Yeah, I almost forgot about this

No news of a single, or mini? Nothing?

| Old scars never fade, old habits die hard
 
Throw those DECADE-compilations out and replace them with this.
 
Let me be clear about one thing: those compilations were trash. The covers were ugly as sin and the track selection, despite sharing many similarities to Vestige of Scratches, gave the impression that the band spent a week figuring out the details because they forgot about their anniversary. They literally scraped the bottom of the barrel to come up with enough content - the fact that "audrey", a butchered version of "Deity", "Repetition of Hatred", and "Jealous -Reverse-" are on it is telling enough - and most of them felt like copy-paste jobs trying to hide the lack of effort. Most of all, it didn't highlight DIR EN GREY at their best and did the band disservice as a 'best-of'. It seems like the band agrees with me, because Vestige of Scratches is everything those DECADE albums wish they could be.
 
Before the hype train leaves the station, this compilation is far from perfect. Like much of DIR EN GREY's career, Vestige of Scratches is defined by its peculiar choices. Some are baffling, while others are smart. They come together in a frustrating combination that is uniquely DIR EN GREY. Let's start with the tracks that were chosen; we have at our disposal the single version of "脈" (Myaku); "罪と規制" (Tsumi to Kisei), the censored version of the remake of "蜜と唾" (Tsumi to Batsu); the version of "腐海" (Fukai) they've been playing live for some time (interesting); a new version of "THE IIID EMPIRE"; the reinterpretations of "羅刹国" (Rasetsukoku) [ew], "OBSCURE" [no], "かすみ" (Kasumi) [sure], "THE FINAL" [ok], "残" (Zan) [eh], and "霧と繭" (Kiri to Mayu) [ugh...]; the single version of "CLEVER SLEAZOID" [good!]; the choice to end the album on a reworked version of "Beautiful Dirt" out of all 200+ songs in their discography [wtf why]; the exclusion of "GARDEN" [what a tragedy]; and then minor adjustments to most other post-VULGAR tracks featured which work for the most part. We can already see this isn't the standard cash-grab version of a best album and that a proper sitting would be very rewarding, so I can only suggest you do that and start from "-I'll-".
 
Controversial opinion coming in hot here, but the production job is fantastic across all three discs. Some may disagree, but I find that I need time to adjust to a new production job before I can assess if I like the changes. There have been many albums I panned for 'inferior production values' that I eventually came to prefer. Sloppy production has always been one of DIR EN GREY's weaknesses, especially for the visual-era stuff which hasn't held up over time, so some of the older tracks have a second lease on life. GAUZE has never sounded so clean, there's a 12-string in "脈" that I've never heard, and some of the tracks from DUM SPIRO SPERO are actually listenable now that the bass isn't obnoxious. I'd pay good money to have all their albums past and future worked like this.

The way the album is structured is frustrating to describe. What at first seems like a chronological trek through their eras turns into anything but by the third disc. The first disc is an ode to their entire visual history, featuring songs from pre-GAUZE to 鬼葬 (Kisou), plus a bonus in "腐海 2018". New "腐海" sounds good, and I like it's inclusion as a way to preserve it. I'd spin it a few times, but it won't replace the original version for me. Every other song on this disc was just remastered. I'm surprised at the inclusion of "太陽の蒼" (Taiyou no Ao), since I thought Kyo hated that song, but like a few other inclusions it's here because its a single. The second disc dips back into 鬼葬 with "JESSICA", nods at six Ugly with "umbrella," and then focuses mostly on VULGAR through UROBOROS. Nothing from the disastrous UROBOROS [Remastered & Expanded] makes an appearance, which is a blessing. Personally speaking, I would have dropped "CHILD PREY" for "AMBER," "朔-saku-" for "Machiavellism," and thrown in the reinterpretation of "undecided". Disc 2 ends with a new version of "THE IIID EMPIRE" which is pretty lit and one of their more successful retakes.

Disc 3 is where most of the meat lies and unfortunately most of it is displeasing to my ears. It's packed with most of their earlier reinterpretations, many hit or miss, most of which I'd have left on the table if it were solely my choice. This is where my lack of frustration with the exclusion of "undecided" comes from, as I would have rotated out "羅刹国" (Rasetsukoku), "OBSCURE", or "霧と繭" (Kiri to Mayu) for it, the PV version of "OBSCURE", and the version of "Bottom of the death valley" from THE UNRAVELING. I would have also killed for a reinterpretation of "秒｢｣深" (Byou ｢｣ Shin) from six Ugly, or a proper version of "Hydra -666-" with more gutturals and less screaming. After comes the salvageable parts of DUM SPIRO SPERO, including a version of "激しさと、この胸の中で絡み付いた灼熱の闇" (Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami) superior to the album version, but not quite what the original single sounded like, a condensed serving of ARCHE, "詩踏み" (Utafumi), and then ends on a very random note with "Beautiful Dirt". Not quite sure why they set it up this way.

Maybe the unfinished feeling to Vestige of Scratches is intentional, but either way DIR EN GREY have collated a collection album worth the shelf space for any serious fan. It may not be perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than I expected it to be. At the very least, I can argue that it's a better alternative than importing GAUZE if you don't already own it. If DIR EN GREY attack 2018 the way MUCC took 2017, we may have an interesting year ahead of us.
 
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