Sparrow

I'm not comfortable with sharing the full details of what Nero said about the police because I couldn't catch every single word. But if you are willing to go along with my understanding, it is that he said something like this to the police officers: "Don't judge people by their looks! I know how this works, I've seen it on TV! Go arrest someone else! " LOL
 
My Japanese listening is not always that great but I am more than happy to translate Merry related stuff if there's anything anyone might want help with. Just PM me or send me an url.
 
Continuing my recent Merry binge, I'm currently reading "Gara Karute" ('Gara's Medical Record'). It is unexpectedly... funny! Would anyone care to read some translated excerpts? 

I forgot to post these, so here's what I got last week! More stuff coming~
 
@Seimeisen @Sparrow i gave in!! 💦
 

 

If I really want to buy something, I will buy it, doesn't matter if I've already illegally downloaded it or not.
How many acts of piracy are actual "lost sales"? IMO a lot of people weren't going to buy in the first place. Some others prob download to see if they will like it or not and maybe buy it - that could count as a lost sale. Making your discography avaiable on itunes and spotify might help with the whole foreigners pirating thing since it will be less expensive for us. Regarding the last question, I voted that things would stay the same because people would share things somewhere else. We always find a way. We have always found a way.

The vkei facebook groups are full of white knights who feel they are above piracy from a moral standpoint, and listen to their music through YouTube while completely disregarding the irony that the vast majority of vkei on that platform in fact comes from piracy (and to add on another level of irony, said music most likely stems from this board).
 
I have a lot of thoughts on the subject that I'm having trouble putting together, but most of it boils down to "Westerners don't buy CDs + can't go to a gig in Japan, and the Japanese don't like streaming + have no interest in playing here, so unless one side gives no one is going to be happy."
 
That being said, vkei has a lot of novelty tax associated with it because no one actually buys it, so they're trying to make as much money off of each sale as they can. Pressing 400,000 copies of a U2 album is probably a lot more cost efficient for everyone involved than pressing 100 copies of the next Datura single.
 
I also get that music isn't free, it costs money to produce it, you're being entitled, Ayn Rand was a good writer, etc etc etc but for as much as people come across as entitled, the counter argument is hard to not interpret as rabid gate-keeping.
 
 
 
As an aside, here is an article a friend shared on facebook regarding Streaming:
https://pitchfork.com/features/oped/how-to-be-a-responsible-music-fan-in-the-age-of-streaming/
 
Basically, streaming doesn't yield a lot of money to bands either, and the author's proposed resolution is pretty interesting.
 
 
 

I just watched the 10th Anniversary New Legends of High Color 6 Days dvd with the commentary turned on. The band made some interesting comments at various points, would anyone care to read a little write up on them? If so, where shall I post it? I will try and be brief but it might still be a bit long and I don't have a blog to link to.

This reminds me! I recently found these pictures on my old photobucket account of my hand sewn Merry shirts. It was impossible for me to get legit merch in America back then (around 2007) so I finally decided to just make my own.
 
Attempt 1 Front and back design:  
 
Yeah, not great f(^^;) I do really like how the umbrella came out though! I am much more pleased with the second one, which is cross stitch (I am way more confident with cross stitch than embroidery) and I drafted the pattern by hand over the course of a month. The long blood drip in the logo has gotten a little crooked over the years so I think I'll redo that part when I go back to the US next week.
 

This reminds me! I recently found these pictures on my old photobucket account of my hand sewn Merry shirts. It was impossible for me to get legit merch in America back then (around 2007) so I finally decided to just make my own.
 
Attempt 1 Front and back design:  
 
Yeah, not great f(^^;) I do really like how the umbrella came out though! I am much more pleased with the second one, which is cross stitch (I am way more confident with cross stitch than embroidery) and I drafted the pattern by hand over the course of a month. The long blood drip in the logo has gotten a little crooked over the years so I think I'll redo that part when I go back to the US next week.
 

Catching the towel at CANIVAL's birthday live for Kosuke and Luvia was the first time I'd ever caught anything at any concert! I actually suspect it was thrown to me specifically because I had recently been at the Xaa Xaa live where no one responded when Kazuki asked if people were having fun and saw how devastated he looked. When Kosuke asked the same question, I waited but no one did anything at first and I got worried so I started cheering (once I started, everyone else started). After that, I caught him smiling at me a few times during the set and then he threw it where only I could catch it. I might be imagining it though!

 
So many Nero ones! At the M-ology CORE listening event, I got to meet them wearing my Nero shirt and he hugged me! Then at an instore the following week, he remembered me! Unlike a lot of foreigners in Japan, I don't stand out very much because I have black hair/eyes so I'm always surprised when people remember me, let alone a bandman who I met for like 10-15 seconds. Then, at the signing before the Shizuoka show a few months later, I was really convinced he wouldn't remember me because I had cut off all my hair. I should have had more faith in Nero because he still knew it was me right away and this time he asked my name so he could sign it to me. He misspelled it but I don't care; I felt really special.
 
Getting to meet You from Gosan...I know a lot of people don't like him but he was so nice and really wanted to talk to me and ask questions. I mean, the guy doing the chekis was gone for some reason and I didn't want to be presumptuous so I was patiently waiting for him to come back but You called out to me and started a conversation. When I've met other bandmen, sometimes it's kinda awkward and I don't know what to say to them but he was easy to talk to. When we took the cheki, both of us immediately did the Zombie's Love Letter claws, and it was the perfect final experience before I left Japan.

Yep. The red one has the song Sakashima End Roll which completes the maxi single of that name (if you've ever wondered why that single didn't have a song with that name...that's why XD)
 

I think one of the major standouts recently is Xaa Xaa theyve been extremely active and have released some super stellar stuff definetly worth cheking out
 
 
+more
 

2006 Dir en Grey (Family Values Tour Dallas)
2017-3-17 MERRY/sukekiyo/犬神サーカス團 (Misono Universe)
2017-4-30 ザアザア (Osaka Muse)
2017-5-5 MERRY (日比谷野外音楽堂)
2017-5-14 摩天楼オペラ (神戸VARIT)
2017-5-24 ゴア/素晴らしき日々。/アザナ/ゼログミ/一輪は瓦礫の隙間から/チャイルドプレイ (心斎橋FANJ)
2017-6-7 0.1gの誤差/ザアザア/SCAPEGOAT/Chanty/Neverland (高田馬場AREA)
2017-7-21 0.1gの誤差 (新宿RUIDO K4)
2017-8-7 ゴア／素晴らしき日々。/SCAPEGOAT/REIGN/HOLYCLOCK/KilloneX (大阪RUIDO)
2017-8-19 exist trace (恵比寿club aim)
2017-8-26 MERRY 渋谷www
2017-9-8 ゴア／グリーヴァ／グリモア/REIGN/ THE BLACK SWAN/GREEM (池袋EDGE)
2017-9-16 ザアザア/DADAROMA (HOLIDAY NEXT NAGOYA)
2017-9-18 ゴア/CANIVAL/BabyKingdom/シェルミィ/ビバラッシュ(梅田ZEELA)
2017-9-24 MERRY (静岡Sunash)
2017-9-27 0.1gの誤差／甘い暴力／REIGN/MORRIGAN (池袋EDGE)
2017-10-7 0.1gの誤差 (池袋CYBER)
 

Dude, you forgot the most unexpected VK christmas cover ever (and from your favorite band too):
 
(the first song)
 
The original
 
Also the song every Merry fan hates for some reason (yes, it's *A BIT* out of place on Under-world but it is cute nonetheless)
 
 

Have you guys listened to MERRY's version of 家路 yet? And if you did, did you like it?
 
Personally, I really liked it. It's one of the highlights of the MUCC tribute album for me. That got me thinking that with all the stuff MERRY released in 2017, we finally have enough material for an entire MERRY album of covers from other artists. 
 
(chronologically)
2002 - Strength Beyond Strength
2007 - PRECIOUS...
2009 - 伊勢佐木町ブルース
2009 - 学生街の喫茶店
2010 - 皆殺しのメロディ
2010 - 新宿ナナ
2010 - オデッセイ・1985・SEX
2011 - Schweinの椅子
2012 - 悪の華
2017 - SO...
2017 - 家路
 
That's quite a lot! I think only MUCC got them beat for "official" studio version covers. At least as far as V系 bands go. There's also the debatable inclusion of シャ乱Q's 上・京・物・語, but that one doesn't count, right?
 
Anyway, which one is your favorite cover version? Which ones do you dislike?
 
Personally, I think it's reallyyyy hard to beat 伊勢佐木町ブルース, but I love 新宿ナナ and オデッセイ・1985・SEX.
 
The ones I'm not really hot about are Strength Beyond Strength and Schweinの椅子, and I think that's about it. MERRY usually does really well performing other people's songs. I kinda wish they did even more covers, MERRY almost always leave their personal mark and that's pretty cool. The next single could use a brand new b-side and another old-school cover.

This reminds me! I recently found these pictures on my old photobucket account of my hand sewn Merry shirts. It was impossible for me to get legit merch in America back then (around 2007) so I finally decided to just make my own.
 
Attempt 1 Front and back design:  
 
Yeah, not great f(^^;) I do really like how the umbrella came out though! I am much more pleased with the second one, which is cross stitch (I am way more confident with cross stitch than embroidery) and I drafted the pattern by hand over the course of a month. The long blood drip in the logo has gotten a little crooked over the years so I think I'll redo that part when I go back to the US next week.
 

This reminds me! I recently found these pictures on my old photobucket account of my hand sewn Merry shirts. It was impossible for me to get legit merch in America back then (around 2007) so I finally decided to just make my own.
 
Attempt 1 Front and back design:  
 
Yeah, not great f(^^;) I do really like how the umbrella came out though! I am much more pleased with the second one, which is cross stitch (I am way more confident with cross stitch than embroidery) and I drafted the pattern by hand over the course of a month. The long blood drip in the logo has gotten a little crooked over the years so I think I'll redo that part when I go back to the US next week.
 

I guess it was because two big ego clash between Mana and GACKT.
 

Gackt was just one of three different singers Malice Mizer had, he had nothing to do with their breakup.
 
Never heard that rumor before; 100% started by a western fan who was pulling stuff out of her ass. Anyone with a musical ear can tell that Mana and Kozi had no hand in writing Gackt's solo material. Apples and Oranges.
 
Gackt was likely not at Kamis funeral for the reason listed in my reply below. 
 
 
I don't know what official statements Gackt, Mana, or Kozi have made because we don't really need to, ya know? None of them will tell you what occam's razor will, because it's not flattering to either party.
 
Nippon Columbia decided that Malice Mizer were small potatoes and Gackt was the star. And they were right! Gackt wrote the highest charting single on Mervilles, Le Ciel, which also happened to be the most commercial song on the album. Gackt had the great voice, incredible looks, a legion of female fans and he wrote the biggest hit on the album. He was poised for stardom, Malice Mizer could hold him back. 
 
So Nippon Columbia put their money on Gackt solo and ditched the band, and their gamble paid off in spades. People tend to gloss over/forget, possibly due to Kamis death, that not only did Malice Mizer's label give Gackt a solo deal, but they dropped Malice Mizer. That wasn't a coincidence.
 
It is what it is. I hate Gackt solo, but wouldn't trade Bara no Seidou or the Klaha singles for anything. I just wish we'd get one more album out of MM.... instrumental, with Klaha, a new singer... I don't care.

I thought it was more in the line of "What do you mean [insert vk indie band] has already disbanded?? They only released 4 promo pictures and announced they were formed, who does that??"

Canival towel-This is the first item I've ever caught at a concert! Plus, it was at the Luvia and Kosuke birthday live!
 
Merry Koseiha Blend~tasogare~
This is, hands down, my favorite cover art on any album
 

Signed: Merry Calling single (Nero, Yuu, Gara)
I got this signed at my first ever instore last month. If I had my entire collection with me, I would have gotten something else signed, but Calling has always been one of my favorite songs of theirs so I'm still very happy.
 

Signed: Merry M-ology (Nero, Tetsu)
I got this signed before the show in Shizuoka last weekend and Nero actually asked for my name and signed it to me!
 

Signed: Gore Hoozuki-kun
I went to their live right before I moved to Tokyo so they made an exception for me and signed this at the show, since I wouldn't be able to go to any instores
 
Merry CORE Limited M-ology--I was at the Hibiya Democratic live, so I love getting to relive the show with the bonus DVD&CD
Merry SCI FI DVD--This is my favorite Merry DVD and I bought it when it came out, right before my study abroad ended
Merry History books with CD+DVD--No particular reason besides these being very difficult to get my hands on
All three Hyde 'coffin singles'--Really cool packaging and amazing ballads? Yes please!
Pierrot Dramatic Neo Anniversary+Yuuyami Suicide--During my initial high school exchange, I discovered Vkei for the first time. In Shizuoka City in 2005, there were no stores that specialized in the genre or even had a dedicated vkei section. I mainly  depended on Sumiya and Virgin's Jrock sections to have the the newest releases by the biggest bands mixed in with the normal bands. Besides those places, I regularly went to Book Off and hoped for good luck. That is what happened with Pierrot's DNA, I found the single for 100 yen and thought, "this looks like it might be Visual," and bought it. I really liked it and got lucky again with Yuuyami Suicide a few years later. I'm really happy to have stumbled onto this band!
 
 
Non-Vkei Stuff:
Alice Cooper Hey Stoopid on Vinyl (original release)
Alice Cooper The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper The Last Temptation comics (all 3 issues)
Labyrinth OST on Vinyl

from yesterday’s concert at 甲府. I will post the other videos soon. MERRY is awesome. Thank you so much for the great memories. I’ll be back next year to see them, that’s for sure.

This look should be posted in their new single thread @The Piass
It's because they're re-releasing their single 有害メンヘラドール, so they made a new similar version of the first look for this single

So far, nu chemical rhetoric is my favourite album. I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but I thought that while modern Garde is a great album, Gara’s voice had not yet been that refined. M.E.R.R.Y is an okay album, under-world is pretty good (human farm is an awesome song), Nonsense Market has a couple of great songs, but it seems a bit bland next to other merry albums. Still have to listen to peep show

This is a question for anyone who is living or has lived in Japan and gone to lives here. Have you found yourself listening to songs for the first time and heard some part of the music that makes you think you know which common furitsuke movement happens there? Just today I was listening to an old Gazette B-side and thought at one point, "this part feels like oritatami." It's been happening a lot in the past couple of weeks for bands I've never even seen live before and I'm curious if others have experienced it.