jaymee

Added some more! ^__^

Every time I think Kisaki has reached peak shitty person level, he sets the bar a little higher. This time, much higher ugh.
 
Also re: having this woman list CDs/merch for him, could she have been the one selling behind that Yahoo!Auction acct that was selling rarez from his previous bands re: that whole conspiracy thing?

I hate to be that person but I’m guessing if every accusation is indeed 100% true, she’s probably not the first person he’s taken advantage of/victimized re: gouging auctions and abuse/sexual assault 😕

I hate to be that person but I’m guessing if every accusation is indeed 100% true, she’s probably not the first person he’s taken advantage of/victimized re: gouging auctions and abuse/sexual assault 😕

I want to start out with two key points.
 
Firstly, I don't 'support' piracy, but without it there is no doubt that I wouldn't be this involved in the visual kei scene (and possibly probably not even where I am in my life right now, since listening to Japanese music back in JHS is what eventually led to me formally studying the language and now living and working in Japan, but that's a long story for another thread).
 
Secondly, I voted that piracy is instrumental in keeping the scene alive, but I only believe that to be the case in the international fandom. I would argue that it has little to no impact whatsoever on the actual living scene here in Japan, at least in my experience so far.
 
With that said, I'd like to go into a little more detail. Obviously piracy has been existent since the early days of home media - my uncle used to buy pirated VHS tapes of new movies when I was a kid, for example. With the arrival of the internet, and subsequent developments that have drastically improved our capacity to both upload and download data, it has increased the ability and reach of piracy to a global scale. And despite the cherry-picking of various studies to pin the blame for unsuccessful media on the illegal file-sharing community, the evidence shows that for the most part there is little to no impact whatsoever on sales as a result of piracy.
 
The reason that I think piracy is essential for the international visual kei community is simply a matter of exposure. With communities like MH which share the latest news the moment it leaves the artist's mouth at a concert, or the second it's posted on social media or their official website, even the newest and smallest indie visual bands instantly get tens, hundreds, maybe even thousands more people's attention than they expected. But even with that awareness of band activity, there's no promise that the international community will put their money where their ears are and pick up their releases. With inflation increasing the sales price of CDs over the last few years in Japan, and the fact that many small VK bands release music only in independent record stores or even exclusively at concerts, simply buying the music you're interested in from half way around the world becomes a tall order. This is only compounded by the fact that on top of the costs of buying and shipping the item to you, it's likely that you have no prior way of determining whether you will really enjoy a release or get your money's worth. Hence, piracy becomes a method for fans who are willing to shell out for their favourite artists to sample and sift through the latest music to choose exactly what they put their hard-earned money towards.
 
However, this is speaking from a purely international standpoint. The truth of the matter is, domestic artists in Japan are not expecting to rely on international sales to any extent, regardless of the genre. This is particularly true for indies visual kei, which is far more concerned with gathering a dedicated fan base on their home turf who will repeatedly spend money on tickets and goods, where they make a lot more money than the pitiful cut they get on CD sales. Even bands that are aware of their popularity overseas will very rarely have the opportunity or financial security to consider promoting or performing there, especially on an indie label. For anyone short of a major record deal, purchases from abroad are probably like an unexpected bonus, and nothing more.
 
But the main reason I think piracy has little to no effect on the visual kei scene within Japan is simply that I don't think it's as common. In theory Japan has quite strict laws on illegal file-sharing, and the truth of the matter is that VK is not very big even in its home country. The scene was at its peak years ago when the philosophy of the frontrunners was more relevant, and media exposure was higher. Even if someone were to upload a new release, I just don't think there would be that many people to download it. The hardcore gya will jump on the latest release from their favourite artist, and anyone else is probably just not interested.
 
That's not to say that the scene is necessarily dying out though; if anything, the spread of the pre-owned market to online sales and auction sites (looking at you in particular, Mercari and Yahoo, with simple transactions and free accounts) provides a mecca for domestic and international fans alike. In particular rare items like live-distributed singles and signed goods can sell for tens of thousands of yen if the right buyer is on the lookout. It's easier than ever to get hold of VK music, and while the artists themselves don't see any financial benefit from second-hand sales, they do see an increase in exposure. In addition, devoted fans shell out time and again for not only multiple versions of releases, but also goods from clothing and towels to cheki, which are virtually like trading cards to the hardcore bangya. I would argue that the live scene and sale of goods is what really keeps the VK scene afloat, especially at the indie level. If no-one attends a new band's lives, it's far more damaging for them both financially and in terms of reputation than not selling out a 500-copy press of their first single (ignoring recording and production costs, of course).
 
I realise that this post has gone on for far too long now, but in summary: piracy is a necessary evil for the international community, but largely irrelevant to the success of the artists themselves and the scene in Japan.

All the photos prove (granted by my own interpretation) is 1. the woman definitely knew and had some sort of relationship with Kisaki thatw ent wrong, 2. that the woman was definitely injured, 3. that Kisaki at the very least doesn't know how to handle a child/respect a child's physical boundaries, 4. that Riku doesn't trust Kisaki, and 5. that Kisaki ran some kind of Y!JA price-boosting scam. Many of these reflect really poorly on him anyway: 4 and 5 completely match his known behaviors, and the 3rd one is a big ass red flag that would seriously worry me even if the other allegations were somehow proven 100% false tomorrow. But there is still room for being critical of the claims as they've been presented without assuming that anyone doing so is caping for Kisaki/bandmen everywhere so try to keep your heads screwed on when it comes to throwing around words like 'innocence'.

I know there's a difference in the quality and detail of evidence provided. I also know that Kisaki is a proven dickhead with a literal rap sheet and that people will understandably weigh that into their judgments. But there are translated assault/rape allegations ostensibly from multiple people against Kyo & Daisuke in this same subforum that have been treated with kid gloves comparatively. I have my own assumptions about Kisaki's guilt like anyone else but it's been annoying me to see not strictly MH members, but off-site people who have jumped on this story as undeniable fact but also decrying tanuki/anonymous sources when it comes to bandmen they actually like because ???.

Unless this manifests as an arrest or court case, I'm leaning towards thinking the woman deleted the account because of tanuki scrutiny or regret for posting the pictures of the child. A lot of the posts I read were quite harsh on the mother for taking pictures of her kid looking distressed, and for posting them on social media. I'd also seen some throwaway accounts reply to to her last tweet about deleting the pictures of the kid and criticizing her for originally only deleting a portion.

^^ @Chi I was just searching and a user posted a DM convo they had with the account OP who said that multiple people supposedly helped report him and also said she believes it will lead to an arrest. I hope she's right and that it does go to a court...

Pulling this quote out for emphasis.
 
 
Something like what is described in this thread, as well as the various other ones mentioned above, are horrible and should be treated with the same amount of outrage regardless of who did it. It's unfortunate that a scene that could allow for so much creativity and expression, both visually and audibly, attracts all sorts of scummy people because the target audience is vulnerable and impressionable. 

Never truth was truer, unfortunately.

Every time I think Kisaki has reached peak shitty person level, he sets the bar a little higher. This time, much higher ugh.
 
Also re: having this woman list CDs/merch for him, could she have been the one selling behind that Yahoo!Auction acct that was selling rarez from his previous bands re: that whole conspiracy thing?

This. THIS.
 
I know it's an impopular opinion but I feel the same.

Every time I think Kisaki has reached peak shitty person level, he sets the bar a little higher. This time, much higher ugh.
 
Also re: having this woman list CDs/merch for him, could she have been the one selling behind that Yahoo!Auction acct that was selling rarez from his previous bands re: that whole conspiracy thing?

Every time I think Kisaki has reached peak shitty person level, he sets the bar a little higher. This time, much higher ugh.
 
Also re: having this woman list CDs/merch for him, could she have been the one selling behind that Yahoo!Auction acct that was selling rarez from his previous bands re: that whole conspiracy thing?

(Thank you to @ricchubunny for posting about this in a status, which led to @Chi linking it to me!)
 
An account on Twitter, @KISAKI54175241, has begun to make some fairly serious claims against Kisaki, so here we are in the rumors section yet again. At the time of this posting the account has 66 tweets and multiple images. I saved an archive of the page at it is at this moment in case anything happens to it, so please let me know and I will post that somewhere.

Disclaimer: What follows is a translation of allegations made by twitter user KISAKI54175241. I neither endorse nor deny any of the claims made below, and I made a conscious effort to avoid sensationalizing anything in my translations... If you have any questions or feedback in that regard please let me know.

More importantly some of the content below is disturbing. There are mentions of domestic violence and child sexual abuse. Please read at your own discretion or skip to the summary below if you would like to know what happened without getting into explicit detail.

KISAKI54175241's posts (oldest to newest, although sometimes self-retweets that reordered her twitter timeline will cause discrepancies)
 
The translation as the account stands at 2:28 PM -6:00 GMT is complete.

This picture provided by @colorfuljinsei (originally from Kisaki's official twitter?) can serve as a tattoo placement/design reference if you would like to do any comparisons.


In summary, Kisaki has been accused of:
-Inappropriate sexual contact with a young child
-Domestic violence
-Being a habitual benzo seeker/user
-Being suicidal and using this as a manipulation tactic
-Astroturfing tanuki, working to have critical articles and twitters suspended
Allegedly, these matters have been brought to police.

This, so much this. Most Chileans complain about going to lives in Japan and how everyone is so "boring" and they can't "just run to the front", and they never understand why I don't like going to gigs in my country anymore.

Yes! 
 
A while back a friend sent me a couple of videos from a Radiohead concert back home and all I could hear was the audience. The whole thing sounded like a karaoke night at the local pub. Which means fun, but wouldn't pay for it as much as I would pay to see a band I actually care about. 
 
Just a couple of days ago I took a friend of mine to see a band she's been a fan of for nearly a decade, and I thought she'd be excited. She was just confused by the audience participation, the furi seemed 'fake' to her, the stage props and theatricality seemed to really put her off and all she could say by the end of the live was 'well that was... interesting'. Instead of getting defensive it made me think about how this live culture is unique and beautiful and yes, outsiders might just not get it and it's fine. It emphasized for me the dissonance people might feel when they don't just listen to the music, but for the first time experience the visual and 'performative'(?) aspects of the scene, and this is one of the things I love so much about vkei.  
 
 

Which member it was?
Sorry I don't know, but one of my live acquaintances is friends with one of the members so I could try and ask her who it was?
 
This is the flyer they gave out (link)
If anyone in Japan wants the invitation ticket I could mail the flyer/ticket.

Kind of related/unrelated, one of the members was handing out flyers outside of MALICE's 25th anniversary live the first day. It was cute. (Possibly the second day, too, but I didn't go.)

The first one  「PINKY PUNKY PARTY!!」 will be available on 2018.10.17.
Thse second  one 「ジグザグザ」(Zig-zag za) will be available on 2018.11.14
The third one 「鎮む森に降る慈しみの雨」(Chin mu-mori ni furu itsukushimi no ame) will be available on 2018.12.12.
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

Zutto Suki Deshita (I've Always Loved You)
Lyrics & Music: AYA
 
This is my own translation. If sharing, please link back to this post instead of reposting elsewhere, thanks! 
 
Romaji
 
English
 

@Yukii_NishimuraKinda late, but in case anyone else wanted a translation of this:
 
Hentai, hentai!
Suddenly we’re in the minority now
Hentai, hentai!
That’s right, you’re also in the minority now
Hentai, hentai!
Suddenly we’re in the minority now
Hentai, hentai!
Sooner or later you’ll be in the minority, too
 
Not letting anyone break me down, without getting hurt, nobody can save me from the future where I’ll sing it out
Even if it feels like people are walking over me, or that they think I’d be better off dead, I’ll keep on surviving
It’s the only true way
It’s okay if it’s all a lie, right now I’ll shout it out, “Hentai!”
 
Hentai, hentai!
Suddenly we’re in the minority now
Hentai, hentai!
That’s right, you’re also in the minority now
Hentai, hentai!
Sooner or later you’ll be in the minority, too
 
So no one can break you down, so you don’t get hurt, I want to protect you
Are you still standing there, not moving forward any?
You should say it, like this, and do whatever you want until you die
It’s the only true way
It’s okay if you’re lying, just like this, shout it out, “Hentai!”
 
Even if it’s a lie that spreads across the whole world, I won’t let it phase me, and stand up on this stage
Even if they’re spewing enough venom to want to kill me, I’ll forgive them, and stand up on this stage
Where’s that long shot of a miracle?
I won’t accept anything less
I’d rather suffer many times more
 
Look, here it comes again, the sound of those pointless promotions
Are you going to keep dancing in filth like that?
 
Without letting them break you down, without getting hurt, in order to protect yourselves you ought to give them a piece of your mind
You should say something, just like this, and do whatever you want until you die
It’s the only true way
A liar like you should embrace this anthem for liars, just like this
So all of us liars out there, come on, and dare to shout it out, “Hentai!
 
Hentai, hentai!
Suddenly we’re in the minority now
Hentai, hentai!
Sooner or later you’ll be in the minority, too
 
Notes:
I took a few poetic liberties with this song which I thought would capture the feel of it better. This included leaving "hentai" as is. Although most people probably know that often this word means "(sexually) perverted", it can also mean mental perversion, which I feel like the song is likely getting at instead.
 
 Especially in (but not limited to) Japan where often any idea or opinion that differs from the group mentality can get you bullied, pushed away, seen as strange, etc. people may have their own opinions that would put them in the minority if spoken aloud, so they might lie to themselves and everyone else to maintain the status quo. I think that what this song is getting at is that, in reality, they're already in the minority just for having these unspoken opinions, so they might as well be true to themselves and embrace their "mental perversion".
 

I figured it would be cool to have a thread like this for people just starting out going to lives, or maybe even some of you veterans out there that are always trying to make the most of your time and/or maximize efficiency getting in and out.
 
Hack #1: Getting Good Ticket Numbers
 

Hack #2: Getting a Locker
 
 
Hack #3: Have Everything Ready
 

Hack #4: How to Bring Your Own Drink/Keep It Out of the Way
 
 
Hack #5: Buying Goods
 
 
Hack #6: Trying to See Better if You’re Short
 
 
Hack #7: Showing Your Spirit
 
 
Hack #8: Making gya friends
 
 
Hack #9: Saving Money on Transportation Costs
 
 
Hack #10: Finding Cheap/Close Accommodation
 
 
Hack #11: Buying Tickets
 
 
Hack #12: Bringing/Giving a Gift
 
 
If you know of more tricks, please add to the list by replying! 
 
EDITED 5/23/2018 with suggestions from the replies  Also, thanks mod @platyfor the sticky!

I figured most people are familiar with this song, and it's a song I thought deserved a better translation than some I've seen, so I decided hey, why not?
 

 
*Disclaimer* Just to cover any bases, I'm putting this here because this song isn't really suitable for people who are underage, but then again the first one that@plastic_rainbowposted probably wasn't either.
 
Now that that's out of the way...
 
Japanese:
 
 
English:
 
 
PV:
 
 
Some things to possibly consider:
 
The ILLUMINATI believe that enlightenment, manifestation, or a God-like awareness can be achieved through orgasm.
  In the PV, the women in tanks and the members of the band are separated, but then seem to appear together in some simulated sexual fantasy. Is this some manifestation of each member's (or their character's) sexual desires where they are they are acting as members of the Illuminati, or is it some kind of sexual/mind experiment being performed by the Illuminati? You'll notice than in their alternate costumes for this concept, the band is dressed as doctors.


  At the end of the PV, all of the women die from violent causes. Is this carried out as they climax/orgasm, or has the enlightenment through orgasm theme been replaced with BDSM and violence instead? (Possibly for shock value?) Or are the women being sacrificed like Isaac? (Thanks@Peace Heavy mk II)
  Is this MALICE MIZER's retelling of biblical canon plus some kind of Illuminati sex ceremony, or what? Is there some way all of this imagery intersects with each other?  
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the matter!

I figured it would be cool to have a thread like this for people just starting out going to lives, or maybe even some of you veterans out there that are always trying to make the most of your time and/or maximize efficiency getting in and out.
 
Hack #1: Getting Good Ticket Numbers
 

Hack #2: Getting a Locker
 
 
Hack #3: Have Everything Ready
 

Hack #4: How to Bring Your Own Drink/Keep It Out of the Way
 
 
Hack #5: Buying Goods
 
 
Hack #6: Trying to See Better if You’re Short
 
 
Hack #7: Showing Your Spirit
 
 
Hack #8: Making gya friends
 
 
Hack #9: Saving Money on Transportation Costs
 
 
Hack #10: Finding Cheap/Close Accommodation
 
 
Hack #11: Buying Tickets
 
 
Hack #12: Bringing/Giving a Gift
 
 
If you know of more tricks, please add to the list by replying! 
 
EDITED 5/23/2018 with suggestions from the replies  Also, thanks mod @platyfor the sticky!

I think Laputa is just one of those bands that will always be appreciated more in the Japanese VK scene than the overseas one, and there's not too many VK shows I've seen in Nagoya where the band didn't mention them at some point while joking/MCing.
 
My fave songs by them are "Yurenagara..." and "Eve ~last eve for you~". But for the latter, it sounds nicer on the album with the piano intro imho.
 
Aki has one of those really unique voices in VK, so if you're feeling it, might be worth checking out his solo work after Laputa disbanded.
 
 
 

1.) Fandom cattiness
There are some artists I've actually stopped seeing live because their fans just totally ruin the atmosphere, especially fans that have their eyes set so badly on one member, that they actively go out of their way to be passive aggressive or bully fans of that same member.
 
2.) Multiple type singles
Honestly just a huge cash grab to save a dying CD industry. I didn't mind as much in the past, but now it's so common that bands are really lazy about the content you get with each release/price point. I just bought the first press of PLC's new CD for like 15,000-something yen and I definitely did not feel like the content in any way warranted that kind of price. But it's ubiquitous in the Japanese VK/idol industry and I doubt it's going to change any time soon.
 
3.) Miscellaneous concert ticket/attendance fees
So you buy the ticket, but you also have to pay a service and/or shipping charge, on top of a drink fee. Just include everything in the damn price and be done with it. Rakuten Ticket is the absolute worse about not bundling ticket purchases together and making you pay a separate 900+ yen service/shipping fee for each ticket, even though all your separate tickets are just going to arrive at the same time anyway. Ugh. As for the drink thing, it feels like a cheap move when they're already pocketing off of live house rental cost, especially if the drink ticket is over 500 yen.
 
4.) Venue-limited only goods
Having to attend/find someone to attend and line-up for goods at every concert just to complete a set of things or get something special is a monumental pain in the ass. Just sell the things online and be done with it. I don't think I've ever known anyone to specifically attend a concert just for the goods, unless it's a live distribution only CD or something. Every now and then live-limited only goods are fine. Having live-only limited goods at all or almost every stop on your tour is a bit much imho.
 
5.) The general direction VK is going
It's just not my thing. There are newer artists I appreciate and listen to, but it's few and far between compared to how many older bands I love. The scene has definitely become more formulaic that it used to be, and although VK has always sold on looks, sometimes it's a bit much now.
 
I had to kind of struggle to come up with 5 things, tbh. Most are just mildly aggravating and not something I hate enough to rant about.