Himeaimichu

Here's the only full pic of Arutema I could find 

IDK if K is wearing a mask or not, and IDK which is Ya or Koyomi. 

I found this old picture of Mei in his old band with Koyomi and K before Memento Mori. Even before Jigsaw infact. For some reason, their other Guitarist isn't Kuro, but is someone who was in a band called "Verth" and is named either "Ya", "Nari", or "Mata". Also, their drummer is some guy named Hide. The band was called "Arutema" (アルテマ)

If anyone is interested in reading further, here's the website it's from http://blog.livedoor.jp/soundproduction/archives/51002459.html

Speaking of Koyomi, I found something interesting recently. Turns out, the vocalist of Dezert (Chiaki) used to play in the same band with Koyomi. They both were in Yukilein. Also, their support guitarist was also the guitarist for Mei's old band, Rose Valley. The ex guitarist of Rose Valley is now in Smile Berry. I always wondered why Kuroyuri and Dezert seemed to have the same influences, and turns out, it's because the members know eachother. I wonder what Koyomi's personal music influences are though. His twitter is gone, so I can't see who he followed. 

I know that they all obviously listened to a lot of Nu Metal. Kuro and K both like Limp Bizkit (I hope they only like them for the guitars, since Fred Durst is a horrible rapper xD. I know a lot of people though who listen to Limp Bizkit for the guitars though. And I can see that since they have a pretty creative guitarist). Also, Kuro is a fan of Kuroyume. Also, K posted on instagram that he listened to 50 cent xD (It's no surprise he listens to rap, tbh. He looks like the kind of person who would). Mei also personally listens to Caligari and Korn. (I'm basing most of this on what they follow on Twitter and Instagram) And of course they all follow Dir En Grey on twitter. 

Back when Kuroyuri was Memento Mori, they also got to play with Inugami Circus Dan once (Below is a picture of Mei with Kyouko.) and it's obvious the members love EroguroKei. I mean, Kuro and Koyomi's riffing has a LOT of Mucc influence, and commonly reference the art of Suehiro Maruo. I also noticed some Ningen Isu influence, but it's very slight and is mostly in their stuff as Memento Mori, which had quite a bit of doom metal influence at times (Especially Joroya). Also, a lot of Kuroyuri's songs definitely have a Korn influence and even Funk in general. So maybe sometimes the Kuroyuri boys are jamming out to James Brown and George Clinton Pariliament Funkadelic xD. Ok, I'm kidding there but I do think that maybe they do listen to a little bit of real funk. 

Does anyone remember who Koyomi followed on Twitter? Is there a way to see a deleted twitter account? xD. 

Or do any of you know any other influences on Kuroyuri To Kage? I like delving into a band's influence so I can deconstruct their music and look at it in a different light. 

If only I could speak Japanese, then I'd call the number and say "SHINJI! GET IN THE GIANT ROBOT NOW!" (I've been watching way too many abridged anime xD)

What if someone treated it like one of those sex hotlines? xD. 

I am DARING anyone who speaks Japanese to prank call the number. Honestly, they're asking for a prank call xD

I'm tempted to call that number, and if answered, will act like I'm ordering a Pizza xD. Be like "I want a large pepperoni pizza with a topping of Karma"

Let's just all prank call the number and see the response xD

They look quite interesting. Hopefully they'll be really good.

That calligraphy though xD. 

I mean, I've done calligraphy with markers before, but they live in Japan. You'd think they'd have access to something other than a sharpie xD

2 hours ago, SadMoomin said:

I tried to cosplay Wajow from THE GALLO yesterday, lol.

 

 

 

 

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You're so cute!! 

10 hours ago, patientZERO said:

So they announced their "names" ...

So their names are just 1-5 in kanji, but phonetically pronounced differently (with the exception of Dr. Go).

Yeah, most seem to be the first syllable of the Kun reading of Japanese numbers (Hito, Futa, Mi, etc.)

Though I wonder why Go's name is the On reading. I guess because "I" sounded weird? IDK xD

I have a ton of mental issues and a few physical issues. 

One, I am underweight and there is little I can do to help it, because I have such a high metabolism, and it's in my genetics. I eat all the time, and I especially get protein, but yet nothing changes. I've only gained 4 pounds since August, and I'm currently 102 pounds. My mother used to smoke and drink but she didn't smoke or drink while pregnant. Still, they removed me through C-section because I could have been born the wrong way. I was also a very lightweight baby compared to others. 

Secondly, I have MANY mental issues. Asperger's/Schizotypal (It's quite ambiguous to which it is), Depression, Anxiety, etc. It all worsened by the fact that I'm prone to being used by others.

Also, I don't know if this counts, but I have gender dysphoria, but I can't really transition yet, because my parents do not know I am transgender. I've been trying not to raise my testosterone levels too high, and eat foods that help the body produce estrogen, so I can sort of start transitioning toward female slowly. Once I become a full adult, then I'll look into actual medication.

Oh wow. These guys seem interesting. I like their use of a Shakuhachi and a Hichiriki in the beginning. Hopefully their non-SE songs will use instruments like those~

What if this turns out to be a Hawthorne Heights style "Slit my wrists and black my eyes, because you kill me" band? xD. I mean, their flyer looks like scars from self harm and the name literally means Scar, so, it's definitely possible.

Then again, AvelCain was sort of like that too. 

3 hours ago, Serox said:

I do not know about you but I think that this band could be anything except a return of Karma in the scene.. and I don't say it maliciously, Karma is quite a character (even though I do not like his music and his voice out of tune) I hope that if one day he wants to return, it takes a good singing lesson.

Karma isn't necessarily a BAD singer (But he still could use a LOT of work). I suspect during AvelCain's last two lives, he was getting progressively more drunk and wasted. I mean, by the time "Iro ha ni hoheto" came up, he could barely finish the poem in the beginning, and pronounced it very slurred. He sounds way better during the Cyber Circus volume one. Though, he did have more help of backup vocals, and Kaede did have pre-recorded backup guitar. I don't mind backup vocals, but Kaede is not a bad guitarist, so IDK why he had the backup guitar. In fact, after Kasumi and Sou left, AvelCain used drum samples Kaede recorded two guitar parts (Even after Byou joined), which makes me suspect Shimizuya kicked out the members so they'll have less money to spend on recording.

Anyway, I'm ok with this band not being an AvelCain return, but I think it'd be cool if it was. Perhaps a return with a full band.

BTW, is anyone getting any Ains vibes from this? Perhaps some Yamikakumei vibes? Like, the flyer design is very similar to the designs Kuroyuri To Kage used to use. Maybe this will be an Ains band? 

What if this is secretly AvelCain's return? xD

I mean, the whole set up seems Emo (Gah using that term to describe this makes me cringe... I'm gonna need to go on a Sunny Day Real Estate spree after this) enough to be like that xD

I rarely hear about D anymore, even though they're still active. Though, it is worth mentioning they did have sort of drop after leaving the evil that is Avex. Nightmare is also losing popularity, and it's going to go down from there because of the hiatus. 

I remember I used to hear from Caligari more often, even though they never really were popular. Though, ever since Japanese Major Record labels began blocking music in the US, I stopped hearing from them. And their label still hasn't let up the blocks. Neither has other labels, like Sony (Gosh I hate Sony with a passion). 

Why is Caligari even on a major label? Isn't EroguroKei for the most part supposed to be an Indie/Underground movement? I mean, there are many Eroguro Bands that come to mind that aren't exactly underground (Kuroyuri comes to mind. But, they own their own record label now, even if it does have help from Yukika, so in a way they are indie? MERRY also comes to mind, but they're indie now) but even most of the non Indie ones are signed to Minor Labels. 

Also, I don't think The GazettE will ever be less popular. Even though they are running out of creativity in my opinion, Sony still promotes the hell outta that sh*t. Though there is probably a slight dip since Sony started the whole *ssholeish idea of blocking music in the US (Again, I hate Sony with a passion). 

Grieva also seems to be dipping, which is odd since they're more creative (Yes, actually creative, as in they don't do Diru covers anymore) than they've ever been. GossiP seems to also be rising more and more, which is good because I was afraid Yukika would abandon them. But then again, I doubt he would abandon the one band that is authentically influenced by his older stuff. 

Kiryu is also showing a slight dip, especially since their biggest competitor, Wagakki Band, is rising fast. I don't see how Wagakki Band hasn't had a dip yet. Like, they pulled an MCR and changed sound and image from heavy to soft even before their first album. Kiryu's never full on pulled an MCR, their change in sound is more of a progress, and they still have all that 90's Vkei influence, especially that Gauze Era Dir En Grey influence. The change is really natural, and doesn't feel like a drop in quality, rather the quality is consistent. Though like their change in music, their popularity was progressive. They didn't have a sudden jump in popularity. Rather they slowly rose, plateaued, rose higher after playing Budokan, played Budokan again and rose higher, and are slowly dropping. (BTW, I'm basing this on how much I hear about them.)

And finally, the band I practically devote my life to: Kuroyuri to Kage. They slowly rose, and plateaued and are quite consistent in popularity. They never really have been popular, and even when they were officially signed to Ains, they treated themselves like an Indie band. Heck, there were times where they even didn't treat themselves like a Vkei band, Kuro, K, Koyomi and Mutsuki at times wearing casual clothes to lives, while Mei always wears some kind of outfit xD. 

I notice recently Diaura has been going with more military themed stuff. My Resistance was amazing and I hope this is just as amazing~

My friend recently got to see this band at a concert. For those who don't know (Though it has been shared here once, but there are still those who may not), this is Drab Majesty. They're an amazing Dark Wave duo that definitely hits the 80's sound and aesthetic. The lead vocalist/guitarist, Deb DeMure, plays a "genderless cult leader alien" persona. A friend of mine got to met him at a concert and got a picture with him. She was going to ask if they were Vkei influenced, but she didn't have enough time. Though, I guess you could you look at his makeup in this video and say "Yeah, this guy probably listens to some 90's Vkei" xD

Don't let the Visual Aesthetic turn you off, for these guys are also amazingly creative. 

That Greek sigma at the end though xD. I thought it was going to be pronounced like "Grease" and not "Greem".

Either way, it's nice to see the Meteoroid members back in the scene. 

Also, "Despair's Ray" xD. I'm gonna guess that's gonna be a tribute song

I used to be a huge weeaboo and only found Japanese girls attractive, and even then, it was only the pale ones xD.

I'm way more open now, but I'm still drawn toward pale people. Language, I don't really care as long as they can speak English xD. I don't do southern accents. (No, seriously, I live in the Southern US and omg the accent is annoying and IDK how I don't have it because 99% of people here have it. Then again, I was raised by someone who's native language was Vietnamese, and spend time watching youtubers from all over the world instead of having friends like a normal kid, so).

I think it's totally fine if someone has racial preferences. I mean, whatever floats your boat and makes you happy. As long as it's consensual, within legal age range, and both sides are happy, then go for it

I'm not telling my age, but I'm going to be a Senior next August, and the only thing keeping me from not being a virgin is the fact I am single AF. I don't believe one has to lose their virginity for any sort of "Acceptance" in this world. I think sex is a quite beautiful thing (In more ways than one xD. I'm kidding) that is the utmost form of affection and should be reserved for those you keep closest. That's why if I am to have a friend with benefits, I'm making sure that person is my best friend, and that I can completely trust her. There is honestly nothing keeping from being virgin in a sense though, except for the fact I'm single and have never even had my first kiss on the lips. xD

I want to experience my first time though, for the simple experience of it. The first time I'll be able to explore my fetishes (Trust me, there are ton of them), being able to feel the passion between me and my partner. I honestly want it to be special, and not like "Oh yeah, I lost my virginity at a party while drunk.". I don't want it to be a regrettable experience. 

So maybe I will have to wait until I'm in a place where I have more options, but hopefully it'll be worth the wait. 

My relationship history is WEIRD. Any girlfriend I've had was online, only one was real, the other two were catfishing me, by the same person. 

The closest I've ever had to a real life relationship is this wonderful girl I met last year, she and I became best friends and I fell for her, hard. She wasn't really into girls, but she let me be her kitty (S/D stuff. We both were really into that). She even became my first kiss (If being kissed on the forehead counts), which I still remember dearly to this day. But the happiness didn't last long because I wanted so much affection and was kinda clingy which stressed her out. It didn't help she was also dealing with a complicated situation with another guy who honestly was only using her for attention (and later, sex) and it honestly got toxic between them. He kept hurting her and I was in the middle of it. I promised them both I'd stay neutral, until one day, she came to me between classes crying intensely, and I tried to comfort her and a friend of the guy and another girl noticed what was going on and helped me try to help her feel better, and they told us their past with the guy, which... I can just say he disgusts me now. She eventually decided not to have any more to do with him, and eventually found a guy who treated her right, which both made me happy, but at the same time, I was wishing so badly it was me in her arms because I was still in love with her. But she still hugged me occasionally, just much less. 

She now lives in Canada and she and I still talk very often though. And even though last year was stressful, it wasn't as dramatic as this year, which my god I am disgusted at how I spent a whole semester this year fawning over a girl who only wanted me for attention, and quickly abandoned me when she found someone who was easier to control.

The story with that, well there was this girl who became a best friend of mine, she had a boyfriend but said she'd date me in a heartbeat. Throughout the months, she and I were sort of almost in a relationship, but not exactly. The most we did is hug, cuddle and say "I love you". I didn't kiss her, nor did she kiss me because I didn't want her to cheat on her boyfriend (In hindsight, she was really already cheating, but I was so infatuated with her, that I threw logic to the ground.) Anyway, another friend of ours had a crush on her and she also said she had a thing for him. He and I promised not to let her get in between us, but she tried to turn me against him. She'd also try to make herself look more attractive personality-wise to me, often mentioning how she was dom, and was into Japanese rock (She even could name a few bands, such as Dir En Grey). Anyway, she told me how her boyfriend was being an asshole to her, and I got disgusted. Then, one day, he breaks up with her. She came crying to me and I hugged her close. At the end of the day, she even kissed me cheek and I almost fainted on the spot. Then the next day, she decides to get with another guy, who was even more submissive than I am. I spend the rest of the semester being hurt, the pain getting worse as I hung out with her, and she always had her boyfriend with her and PDA'd in front of me, and she'd go on about the kinky sex she had. That both not only made me feel a little disgusted, but also lonelier, even to the point of suicide. Then, suddenly, she said she got pregnant and I got extremely worried about her. Then a little later, she said she got an abortion. Then later on, I found out she was only using me for attention, and that she in essence was a whore, and abusive. I sometimes saw her using her scars (From self harm) to threaten her boyfriend, and according to a friend of mine who was also used by her, she said the girl claimed to have a miscarriage, which proved she was lying about being pregnant in the first place for attention. Also, I then realised about all those times she bragged about how much sex she's had with different people, and I even found out she cheated on her current boyfriend. By then, I decided to cut that b*tch off and tell her off. So I went to her, and told her that I knew I was her tool for attention, and that I will not just let her make me feel lonely and suicidal, and that she doesn't have to deal with me anymore. She then smarted me off so I told her I knew she was cheating on her boyfriend, and both told me "So?". 

Now, I don't even mention her name if she comes up in a conversation. I just refer to her as "The Succubus", but honestly, that isn't even a good way to describe her, because Succubi are usually sexy xD. She just started looking uglier on the outside the more I realised how ugly she was on the inside. She actually does completely look different now, because she stopped dressing alternative and started wearing more normie makeup and clothing.  

The worst part about this though is that I spend the entire semester, being put into drama that you'd expect to be from underclassmen, being used by an underclassman. To put things in prespective, I'll be a Senior next August. I'm a junior, and yet I spent my entire first semester this year being used by a person younger than me, being brought into drama with people younger than me (She dragged me into drama with so many people... so many equally ugly on the inside people that she had drama with.) when I'm supposed to be more mature and adult in nature. I am a young adult and I let myself get used by a girl who was still stuck in her middle school scene phase.

So here I am now. I've grown from both experiences. IDK what my future holds for me relationship-wise, because, well, and I'm not downing myself when I say this, all the girls I find attractive at the moment won't date me. I live in a small town, and there are very few people who fit my needs in a relationship, so girls my type are very rare. The ones who are, well, I've had my chances with them. And honestly, people view me as the weird weeb kid who listens to only traditional Japanese music (AKA the person I was in middle school...) It would be nice to have a good, mature relationship, but that's not going to be for a long time.  But, I have more to life ahead of me than that. I'm on my way to become an adult, and I should enjoy life as a teenager while I still can

4 hours ago, emmny said:

that yamikakumei thing has already been discussed on the ktk news/band threads but most likely yes thats the case as @Takadanobabaalienwould attest to. visual kei and all its scams, LOL.

 

the shimizuya stuff makes no sense tho, sibire aren't at all close to the ktk guys, i have no clue where you're getting this from but a few 2man dates doesn't equate to bff status. you won't know whats happening with them unless you've read stuff on tanu (which we all know how accurate it is), and as shimizuya is continuing to promote them, there's no reason to assume they'll call it quits OR that they'll instantly be wanted by ains. i don't think you get how labels work in the indies scene, these two labels aren't all that relevant in the greater scheme of things. if anything i'd see them on terakoya but that's talk for later

indie bands copy each other all the time it has little to do with labels, its like saying any band who has done anything similar to avelcain's menhera act is copying them and thus they will come back magically and sign with their label. for example Timely has xaa xaa and since they wore red and had a razor in the video while moaning about despair then suddenly they'll sign with them.  pretty much every band does that now, lol, gossip aren't unique in that regard and i doubt they give a rats ass as to what avelcain are doing, they've been in bands longer than karma or zen.

and also, shimizuya probably isn't as evil as everyone probably makes them out to be...there's always two sides to a story and while its really easy to claim that they're awful because lycaon and avelcain were alleged to have left them because of being overworked or whatever but that happens all across the scene. its just that lycaon were probably too old to keep dealing with it, and now they get to go at their own pace.

just my two cents

Actually, Sibilebashir and Kuroyuri preform together a lot and there are a lot more backstage pictures of them compared to that of Grieva and GossiP. Just look through any of Kuroyuri's backstage photos and you'll see them with Izumi, Yuto, Marya, and Jin. If that's not close, idk what is. But I get your point there and it's pretty valid. 

So here is something I've speculated about Kuroyuri to Kage. My hypothesis is perhaps that while Yamikakumei is technically owned by Kuroyuri, the production and distribution and such is handled by Ains. Now why would it be like this? Well, probably because it's way better than leaving them up completely to their own devices. Yukika can still make whatever money he can off them, but doesn't have to deal with the tax stuff, whereas Kuroyuri can do it's own thing, but still have help from Ains. In this case, both parties benefit. In basic terms, Yamikakumei is both it's own label, and a secret sublabel. IDK, this hypothesis needs a lot of work and has a LOT of holes in it. But perhaps someone who knows more can expand on this possibility. Kuroyuri was always the black sheep of the Ains bands, treating themselves like an indie band. I mean, GossiP still acts as if they were indie in terms of release schemes, but they obviously take advantage of the fact they're on a label. 

Now, here is another hypothesis that has less holes, and involves Shimizuya records. So we all know how truly EVIL Shimizuya are, right? Just ask Lycaon and AvelCain. 

Anyways, their most successful band atm, Sibilebashir, is really close to Kuroyuri. AvelCain is also somwhat close to Kuroyuri, in that they did a collaborative concert together once, but that doesn't make them like best friends, but still an amount to consider. Lycaon so far is the only band to successfully escape Shimizuya and still continue. And let's face the truth, Sibilebashir is going to disband soon. It's inevitable. Knowing how close Sibile and Kuroyuri are though, and knowing how Lycaon set an example for other Shimizuya bands (All to Shimizuya's dismay), it's obvious if Sibilebashir does return from the evil that is Shimizuya, they will either sign to an Ains sublabel, or sign to Yamikakumei themselves. The chances of this are even more likely if AvelCain comes back, in which, knowing their style and all, I think it'd obvious they'd sign to an Ains label. There is a slight chance of them joining Yamikakumei, but it's not very likely. In fact, I think they're more likely to join Madwink. Now, if you notice, GossiP's new live-distro single, Rinne, looks very similar to AvelCain in terms of cover art and stuff. I think this could possibly be subtle hint dropping of what is in the works at the moment. (Also, AvelCain's last single had a song called Rinne Tensei/Tenshou? I've seen different romanisations.) Either that or the members of GossiP happen to really like AvelCain (It is worth mentioning the look they took on during the Tokyo Scandal single looked a lot like AvelCain's old look, back when they had a drummer and two guitarists). Now yes, Kaede from AvelCain is retired, though VKei history has shown that its not impossible for him to pull a Kisaki and come out of retirement. Though I wouldn't hold your breath on it. While waiting for a possible return and see what fate they have, let's focus on Karma and Zen, for their fate on whether they return or not, will help determine Sibilebashir's chances of coming back if they disband (Which they will. Like, I love them, but let's face it. Shimizuya is EVIL)

I got into CrowXClass around 2014, when they still were a thing, and not only did it get me into VisualKei, but it also got me into metal in general. I then came across Memento Mori once in like mid 2014, while they were still active, but I never got into them until 2015, which is when I found out they reformed into Kuroyuri To Kage, which today is one of my favourites. I also got into Kiryu in 2015 with their song Amaterasu, and I fell in love instantly. And to this day, Kiryu is still a favourite of mine. 

Some other bands I came across in 2014-2015 were OZ, ACE, Deluhi, Kagerou and Guruguru Eigakan (though I didn't really get into the latter until 2016)

A lot of my favourites I've known for some time, such as Cuartet, which I've known since 2015, but never got much into until last year.

My entrance into the scene is much more recent compared to other people, and I pretty much only got out of my newb phase just recently, so I don't have too many stories to tell. Other than that pretty much Memento Mori's albums really had a huge effect on my taste in VisualKei. 

By influenced by Nignen Isu, in Kuroyuri's case I mostly meant lyrically and concept wise, since both make references to Eroguro Art and Literature in their music. Though I will say that Ningen Isu is more influenced by Edogawa Rampo, whereas Kuroyuri takes more influence from Suehiro Maruo. 

Though, I will say that Memento Mori, Kuroyuri's old band, is definitely influenced by Ningen Isu soundwise.  

Though it's not a prominent influence, it's a subtle influence that if it had not existed, would change the band immensely. I believe all influences, no matter how subtle, are important. It's one of the reasons why early Dir En Grey isn't a complete Kuroyume clone. 

32 minutes ago, Zalemu said:

Onmyouza is my shiiiiit. I wish they were more popular.

Same. Along with Ningen Isu too. They're both truly amazing bands and have been very influential on the Vkei scene itself, even though only the latter is technically Vkei, and even then, Nignen Isu is not widely thought of as Vkei, even though they fit the definition. 

I think Ningen Isu should be more represented in the Vkei community, having influenced Inugami Circus Dan, Kuroyuri To Kage and Caligari, and they definitely are visual. It's just that their sound has led them to be more associated with Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, etc. As most early Vkei bands were doing styles from New Wave British Heavy Metal, Ningen Isu was inspired mostly by older Metal bands, like Sabbath, Priest, and Deep Purple