AwesomeNyappy

1) AnCafe

2) Dir en Grey

3) Girugämesh

4) Merry

5) Versailles

6) abington Boys School

7 ) Miyavi

8 ) -Oz-

9) Rentrer en soi

10 ) Luna Sea 

That sounds amazing! I go into mosh pits occasionally, so I hope there will be one at their concert

Thinking about going to see them live in Cologne. Does anyone here have any experience with how they are live? I rally like their sound and there are not many VK concerts around anymore.

Hi nyappy

I'm planning on visiting Japan again in the fall, and I was wondering if you guys had any tips for good accomodations in Tokyo. I used to rent airbnb, but since it was banned in Japan, I now need to dive into the Tokyo hostel scene A good friend of mine lives in Tokyo, but is currently looking for a small flat (now living in a share house), and is not sure if said flat could accomodate two people, so I will probably have to stay at a hostel with a friend of mine.

Price range: 20-30 euros  per night per person (40-60 euros for a small double room)

Must have: clean, shared bathroom that you can lock (privacy), all female dormitory, located somewhere in one of the main districts, walking distance to 7/11 and a metro station, storage for big suitcase that you can lock.

Would be nice to have: small room for ourselves to sleep in OR shared room with up to 6 people, good connection to narita airport, nice staff.

I saw a dorm with 25 people and one bathroom....people are probably going to line up in the morning. We only spend a couple of days in Japan, and the friend I'm travelling with has never been, so efficiency in the mroning would be great. We also need to store big suitcases because we want to spend two weeks in Seoul and Busan before travelling to Tokyo.

I know our budget is not that high, but I'm sure we can find something that does meet our criteria we don't really mind noise or people stumbling into our room at night, but we really want to have a private shower and cleanliness. 

I'm looking forward to your recommendations

On 10/9/2019 at 11:10 AM, astra☆ said:

It's easy looking at vk bands to assume that French culture is really popular in Japan, but they're actually really into Germany over there. They admire many aspects of German culture and more or less view German people as their western counterparts. They were also military allies of Germany, so their admiration + history with them may lead to some WW2 fetishism. Of course, yes, there is probably an element of provocativeness there as well as that's a core part of early vk.

Which is insane because Japan was an ally during WWII. They should feel ashamed using that imagery. Imagine a German band using the Japanese imperial flag. Of course I don’t assume that most Japanese bands know what this means to other people, they just want to provoke or use it as “fashion”. But I would strongly urge people to not tolerate such imagery, just because people don’t know better. They need to know. If they admire German culture, they should know that German people would despise them for this.

3 minutes ago, psychonnect_rozen said:

I thought they were cool. Except the fact they had Tax Frauding Pedo in the band for a while

I....didn't even know about that, wtf.

Yeah, I draw the line as nazi imagery. I don't know what is a bout vk bands and just using nazi symbols like they are some kind of joke. It's what I mean when I said they just want to provoke. They just seemed like boys who just used shokcing material for sake of being shocking, and that I just find meh.

On 5/23/2019 at 3:28 AM, secret_no_03 said:

Acid Black Cherry, 黒夢 (Black Dream), ∀NTI FEMINISM, plastic tree, DĂLLE, DatuRΛ, COЯE THE CHILD, dieS, Dio - distraught overload-, Dokusatsu TERRORIST (I thought they were so cool back in the day.), D'espairsRay, FxxK'THE N★MAL LIFE, THE DEAD P☆P STARS. 

Anti Feminism were such a not-so-okay band. Everything about them screamed provocation for the sake of provocation. Or they really just admired Hitler, who knows.

On 9/23/2019 at 11:29 PM, psychonnect_rozen said:

How would you guys rank Diru's albums?

 

1. Withering to death

2. Vulgar

3. Gauze

4. Uroboros

5. Macabre

6. Dum spiro spero

7. Arche

8. Kisou

9. The marrow of a bone

Vulgar and withering to death keep changing places, I can just never decide which one I find best. Kisou has some amazing songs on it, but in general the sound is just....too much? If I liste to the whole album, I usually get a headache. Embryo, Mushi or undecided are great songs (and Zomboid is super fun), but in general I would put it last with the marrow of a bone (which had the same problem, basically.) Arche and dum siro spero are very well put together albums imo, I can just listen to them while relaxing on the train, the beginning and endings of songs are seamless. However, some of their older albums such as WTD had more highlights for me.

18 hours ago, Chell said:

That's literally me every day lol. Except I recently went to a k-pop concert and am feeling like a teenager this week, but generally I am just like "let the old grandma reminisce the 2000s" . Everything is so different now but in a way I am feeling that the youth being too exposed to imagery sees aesthetic for what it is, somehow, not as groundbreaking or revolutionary as maybe past generations would. And visual styles are kind of just that, maybe. The trend in fashion industry really seems to be more about people worldwide dressing similarly ordinarily. Even five years ago it was easier for me to do my extra gyaru antics with fast fashion clothing than nowadays where everyone is rolled-up jeans and cropped sweatshirts lol.

I miss the extreme visual styles too, or uh when dressing to express something wasn't really seen as uncool smh? But I guess it's healthier to realize clothing is just that lol.

I feel you! Oh, I once went to a BTS live film in cinemas, and let me just say that my friend and I were like the grandmas there 🤣 I felt super triggered when all of the youngsters there cheered only for V and Jungkook because Yoongi  and Jin are my age and they also deserves some love, okay??! Anyways....😂

Yeah, it has really changed. I also feel that fashion is not so much inspired by musical styles anymore, but more by what people but out on instagram etc. I feel bad for all of the punk and gothic stores closing down....I miss shopping there. It's great that people like you re not letting the early 2000s spirit die

Huh, this sounds very interesting. I can imagine that being the case. And yes, I also thought most fans were into decora 😂 Oh boy, was I wrong....

I still remember people buying sex pot revenge in online shops 🤣 Seems like such a long time ago. 

The style of sub cultures in general is in such a decline....15 years ago there were a lot of punks and goths around, nowadays people still enjoy the music, but the stores are all closing up because people don't tend to dress to such an extreme. Ahhh, the good old 90s/early 2000s...I feel like such a grandma now.

Actually, I was wondering the same thing only a few days ago! I was watching an An cafe live from around 2016, and suddenly I was noticing how normal everyone was dressed. I didn't see people dressing in oshare kei or anything. I however remember that at older lives from around 2006, people were still more dressed up. 

Also, while the vk scene here in Germany is maybe now a bit more toned down (some fans are now older), the styles of people going to vk concerts here is still pretty wild and "2007"  Then I was wondering why bangya in Japan don't like to dress like their favourite bands so much. I mean obviously most of them like the style, so why do most people not dress up for concerts anymore? The vk scene in Japan is also an underground scene, so it can't be connected to that. 

Does anyone have any suspicions?

On 11/24/2018 at 7:56 PM, monkeybanana4 said:

 A funny presentation on procrastination. I need to do this less for my papers 😅

I came here to talk about my problem with procrastination, and found this video! For me, the problem is that since last year the panic monster just stays quiet, and I am honestly worrying about my future. Because it is not that I don’t care about my studies, I am actually quite motivated. I am just tired of pulling all nighters. I procrastinate on many things in life.

please wish me kuck or my last two papers  that are due soon! 

On 9/15/2019 at 7:06 PM, CAT5 said:

 

You're not wrong, but I do think that there's something to be said about Kpop being "different" and "special", but the difference doesn't lie in the music, it lies in the culture.

 

The reason that VK fans can so easily transition to Kpop is that the fan cultures surrounding them are so very similar, despite the music being so different. On the inverse - take "Black" American pop music for example: Musically, "Black" American pop/r&b/rap is like the mother of Kpop, as it directly inspires Kpop and sets the trends and standards for a lot of Kpop, yet you don't see a gang of Kpop fans praising too many "black" artists. Now the music from these two scenes are VERY similar, so you'd think that Kpop fans would also be naturally interested in both (and to be fair, some are, but i don't see this to be the case in general). But the cultures surrounding both scenes are so different that you don't really see a lot of cross pollination between the fanbases, despite the music being so similar.

 

So I do think that kpop fans genuinely enjoy the music, it's just that the music comes secondary to the culture. I think it's the culture that attracts most ppl first, and then the music is something people actually find enjoyable after. But not often the other way around. Now obviously there are ppl who are open-minded enough not to give a fuck about the cultures and will listen to anything that they like, but the impact of culture can actually be pretty profound, because culture often gives a context in which to perceive the music. And you'd be surprised how much context can influence one's taste.

 

I agree with you. However, I think the argument remains the same: music is not the main motivator. Which is fine by me. It’s just that most KPOP fans first fall in love with the visuals, the member’s personality etc.

For me it was completely different with visual kei. Back in early 2007, I got a vk mix tape from a friend of mine and fell in love with the music. I was already a metal fan, so bands such as Dir en grey fit my bill. I didn’t even like the vk style, tbh. 

Kpop and J-Rock culture is similar, that we agree on. Context matters, I also agree with you. It’s just that I often role my eyes at KPOP fans saying KPOP music is so much better or they are 100 % in it for the music. Which is obviously not true, but that is okay.

On 5/17/2019 at 6:17 PM, Komorebi said:

I see no much difference in the Kpop and VK scenes besides the musical genre.
They both have a similar marketing, cater to a similar demographic, both scenes have some sort of sexual exploitation behind a pretty facade, similar arguably repetitive sounds (even choreo) and both have performers posing as musicians playing/singing and dancing to songs they didn't write, although VK does have a lot more performers actually writing their music.

I agree. I've wondered why so many people who used to be into J-Rock are now into K-Pop and after some thinking, this was my answer. Ultimately, the marketing and demographic are similar. VK fangirls having a favourite member or buying checkies, supporting new bands by buying their records and a lot of merch...it's the same as K-pop. Liking a band, for most people in both scenes, is not only about the music, but also about the visuals and the personality of the band members, which is a great marketing stragedy. Like, if I only like the music, I might buy their album (or maybe not, I might download it illegally), but if I feel close to the band members I might just buy all of their stuff to support them, might try and advertise them to others by streaming their videos or posting on social media. While visual kei is more underground and secluded, it still works in similar ways. I'm also thinking about all the special editions you can buy (although this could be a thing of the Asian market in general.)

I know a lot of people who used to like visual kei and are now into K-pop. I see a young generation in the manga and anime scene who is predominantely into kpop and not into Japanese Rock and Metal (how it used to be around 10 years back.) This honestly makes me wonder how many people are actually in it for the music, tbh. I also have the feeling that a lot of people in the manga and anime scene are listening to kpop because it's "special" and "different" although the music is just, well, pop. You could as well listen to a western band. So that leads me to the conclusion that they listen to kpop because of the visuals and bandmembers. Which is absolutely okay. I just cannot stand people who'll tell you that BTS's lyrics are super profound (some lyricss are great, others are cringe) or that they are musical geniuses. I have nothing against their music, I like many of their songs. It's just that some kpop fans put them on a pedastal, saying that the music is soooo much different from western pop and that everything is sooo deep. When in reality kpop companies also hire western song writers...

Now for me personally I enjoy some kpop bands and songs. At first, I hated them when my friends first started listening to them back in 2008. They also used to listen to Japanese rock and then were sucked into kpop. However a few years later I started listening to some kpop occasionally (mostly big bang), but I still didn't much care for it. I had a few songs on my ipod and that's it. Nowadays, I like 2NE1's concept, and I enjoy listening to BTS and Big bang (and that one mamamoo song haha.). It takes some getting used to for me since I'm more into rock and metal, but since I also like rap music, so bts fits the bill. Mostly, I get easily sucked into kpop because I LOVE variety shows. In my teenage years I started listening to the J-pop band kat-tun simply because I liked their show. I also enjoy watching bts videos or run bts. I enjoy their on screen personalities and I have fun being in a fandom that has the best inside jokes known to man. Do I listen to all of their songs or swoon over their music video? Not at all. I don't even like most of their videos because I'm not a fan of the visuals. But I love their dancing and I enjoy their entertainment formats. 

The song itself is very cute, however Kanon is just not a vocalist. He's great for back vocals, and there are singers that are way worse of course, but I don't think he is good enough to go solo. 

This might sound a bit mean, but I couldn't help imagining Miku singing this song, and that it would be way better this way. Or any other singer.

Apart from the singing, this is exactly my style, I really like it!

Is the An Cafe bag still available?

I also live in Germany, so shipping should be no problem.

8 hours ago, spockitty said:

Haha hello fellow elder!

With the response I'm getting I'm starting to wonder if the vk fandom is a dying breed, or the young innocents are just too embarrassed to be seen with us ^^;

Ah, sadly I think the vk scene is dying on us. I mean, there are some youngsters, sure, but they are not enough. And a lot of old vk fans stop listening to it. I’ve also had breaks in between where I’d been less interested, but overall I still enjoyed the music, so there’s that.

I’d say that anyone over 25 can be considered a granny in the vk scene 😄

I relate on you on so many levels, it’s not even funny anymore.

just went with friends to a gazette concert and we called each other vk grannies, so there is that. Also discovered vk when I was 13.

Welcome to the forum!

I honestly was a tiny bit disappointed by the album. The songs sure are catchy, but for me, some sounded like Metal Schlager (international fans might not mean what I mean by Schlager...but German fans will know, and they will curse me for saying this.)

Deutschland is a great song, love the atmosphere, the lyrics (although I first was bit irritated by all the random pronouns used in the verses.)

For me personally, the album is a bit too soft. On top of that I feel as if most of these topics have been done by them before...but their counterparts are way better.

It's still a good album, I just exspected a bit more depth in some places (lyric wise), and an overall heavier sound.

Puppe was my personal highlight, btw!

Welcome!

Living in rural areas in Germany is hell for VK fans, I know that from experience ;D 

I hope you will get the chance to see gazette live this weekend. I'll be at the show in Cologne. If you want to meet there, just PM me!

Our stories are very similar! The age we discovered Ancafe, how we both loved Bou.

I feel you about not seeing bands live because you’re not living in a big city. I live in a city now, so I have more opportunities (although I still have to travel for vk concerts), but growing up, I couldn’t do much. However, I was able to see ancafe in my teenage years because my parents wanted to visit my aunt and uncle, and they lived near Cologne. Since the concert was on a Friday, my parents agreed to take my friend and I to the location. It was bound to a condition that I had to fulfill, but that was okay. A year later a friend’s mother took us to Cologne to see a Miyavi concert. So I had some opportunities, but they were scarce.

But I think seeing a band live, does not make you more of a fan. As cheesy as that sounds, but it’s more about what’s in your heart.

I think this band meant a lot to us when we were growing up, and it still does. 

Just listening to summer dive on my way to university, and it’s gonna be a great day just because of that 🥰

I mean, it might change the scene a bit. I quite enjoyed going to vk stores in shinjuku, it's always nice to look at a physical collection of CDs, but that is just the 90s kid in me. However, the rest is basically going to stay the same, I guess. People are just going to download the music.

However, I think this'll take some time. You talked about the west, saying that record stores are a rarity there. I can honestly not say the same about Europe. While sales of physical CDs have been declining, there are still huge record stores here. And since Japan loves places such as book of or twoer records, they will continue buying it + I think companies in Japan have their ways of attracting people to buy physical albums.

Take k-pop for instance: in Europe, people often download the songs illegally, and then buy the physical CD. Simply because they like the design/want to support the band/want the special features. VK is the same in that respect.

Anyone here attending the show in Cologne?

1. Red (em)

2. Toguro

3. Kodou

4. Namamekashiki....(unplugged)

5. Myaku

6. Yokan

7. Merciless cult

8. Umbrella

9. Marmalade chainsaw

10. R to the core

11. Bugaboo

12. Tousei

13. Sajo no uta

14. Unconceived sorrow

15. Tsumi no batsu

16. C

17. Zomboid

18. Embryo

19. Mr Newsman

20. The fatal believer

To all of you lovely people here,

this is the chance to introduce yourself! You don't need to get personal, you can just post who you are, maybe your hobbies, and what you like about AnCafe/when you started listening to them and why?

My name is AwesomeNyappy. I started listening to Ancafe when I was 13. Bou was still in the band (haha, I'm old), and he used to be my favourite member. I absolutely adored his style and used to print out pictures of the band that I would keep in a folder or pin to my wall. A friend of mine once have me a mix CD with Japanese music that an older friend of hers compiled (she was big into visual kei and cosplay.) I'd already been a fan of manga and anime for many years, so this wasn't quite of stretch. At first I thought the music sounded a bi weird, but then I got really into it. AnCafe was my first and will probably be my favourite visual kei band forever. Their sound used to be light, full of hope and yet there was a hint of melancholy and sadness about it too. I have fond memories of listening to the band when I was on holiday as a young teenager.

They were also my first concert. I had just turned 16, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Managed to again see them in 2014 in Berlin, and am very thankful for that.

When they disbanded, it felt as if an era in my life had come to an end/as if I had lost a part of myself, as cheesy as that sounds.

I really wanted to get their last live DVD as well, but i missed the deadline to order it by a day (I know...but I was very stressed at that time, and I wasn't even sure if I should get it for 120 euros are a lot of money.) I still try not to regret not taking the last chance to get their autographs because of how much they meant to me. I wanted this last DVD to say goodbye to them, but I guess there is nothing I can do about it now. At the same time, imagine it would've gotten lost in the mail....I would've been even sadder. Still, I now feel weird listening to them because that missed chance is on my mind (as weird as that sounds.) I don't want this regret to overshadow my love for their music.

However, they meant a lot to me growing up, and while I'm not the type of person to be too bumbed my disbandments (because honestly, there are worse things in life), I'm still a bit sad that I won't see them live again.

What about you?