karai · ebi

Was out late tonight but I didn't forget.
convenience store spiders.

Damn, really? Didn't really know what to say so, thank you
Tonight's post is... old self portraits


 

Tonight's post is...My very first 'official' painting after I quit my soul sucking job. Ft Gashadokuro

Tonight's post is...Bloodborne fanart. I'm not really a fanart kind of person  but the game inspired me enough to.
The Snatcher

The Orphan of Kos growing up, and Mother Kos (I like those blacklight fuzz boards)

Also, just after one day of different / positive interaction I've already made arrangements with my cousin that I will do a variant cover for a comic for his friend. One step forward two steps forward 

tonight's post is...
expression prompt and the joy of hypnagogia

Was out late tonight but I didn't forget.
convenience store spiders.

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.

Prepare for trouble
 
M A K E  I T  D O U B L E 
 
I will be so sad if there's not other members called Jessie, James, Butch, Cassidy and/or Giovanni 

Damn, really? Didn't really know what to say so, thank you
Tonight's post is... old self portraits


 

My cheki of Mei came in today, definitely a few more sets I want to get, and I'll update the album when I do.
Full album:  https://sta.sh/21j561tvuh6l?edit=1
Some favs

thank you for sharing 

New album 「弔」 (Tomurai) initially scheduled for 2018.03.04 is postponed, and will sold in advance at their live on 2018.03.23.
Regular release is planned on early april and will cost 3500 yens.
 
[tracklist]
01. Blame me (SE)
02. INVISIBLE INDIVIDUAL
03. basket case
04. 深閑ガラス (Shinkan Glass)
05. 黒猫は斯く語りき (Kuroneko wa kaku katariki)
06. 裸体荒れ果てた標 (Ratai arehateta hyou)
07. DIRGE OF INFECTION
08. HIRAETH
09. INVICTA
10. Mist
11. DEEP SIX
12. 聖者の行進 (Seija no Koushin)
13. 観覧車は徒花と (Kanransha wa adabana to)
14. 遺書 (Isho)

The song "basket case" will be distributed at their oneman on 2018.03.04.
 
 
 

My cheki of Mei came in today, definitely a few more sets I want to get, and I'll update the album when I do.
Full album:  https://sta.sh/21j561tvuh6l?edit=1
Some favs

Tonight's post is...My very first 'official' painting after I quit my soul sucking job. Ft Gashadokuro

Tonight's post is...Bloodborne fanart. I'm not really a fanart kind of person  but the game inspired me enough to.
The Snatcher

The Orphan of Kos growing up, and Mother Kos (I like those blacklight fuzz boards)

Also, just after one day of different / positive interaction I've already made arrangements with my cousin that I will do a variant cover for a comic for his friend. One step forward two steps forward 

I've been very uninspired for a number of years now, and I really struggle to feel any emotion anymore. Loud music and a whole bloody lot of caffeine are about the only thing that allow me to work, albeit very sterile and not on stuff I enjoy.
Getting back into some sort of community...and getting back to VK instead of listening to the same old music I always do, I hope this can propel me in a more positive direction.
Already I've finally been able to pick up a brush again (or I guess in this case, a paint bottle lid lol) thanks to listening to Sukekiyo so I will start my thread with it, though it is unfinished I am just happy to have done something. 

Another canvas I've had sitting under a sheet for almost a year. I hope to actually complete

Something from last August. Gold red black and mossy greens are my main love.

I usually do stuff digitally because it's way more efficient and my wrist nerve is fucked up...but it's way harder to get exposure digitally so I've had to move to paint.

ink thing from a couple years back

I guess I'll just post one thing per day from now on to not be too spammy. Maybe it will revitalize me further and then I can post new things.
 

Their first live will be on 2018.04.01 at 大久保HOT SHOT. Their first mini album 「walpurgis act:1」 will be released via Itunes on 2018.04.01. On the same day, they will publish the MV of 「arthma」.
 
Members :
Vo. Ren
Gt.u
Ba.Rin
Dr.Yora
 

 
 
Website : https://sigruplaw.wixsite.com/walpurgis
Twitter : https://twitter.com/walpurgis_jp
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/sigruplaw/

ファントムペイン...lmao 

 

Ah, thank you ( : I will do my best...I actually read all these messages in the morning and it motivated me a bit. lol sweet, I loved that game and I'm pretty sure I still have some very shoddy pencil drawings of the Water Dragon, Orochi and Ninetails somewhere.
Thanks!
Thanks, both my grandma's had a lot of furniture / paintings / snuff bottles around the house with Bunjinga art on them, but it's not something I ever attempted to do myself. Maybe it influenced me subconsciously over time? haha.
Nah, but it may stem from that I used exclusively ink and pens only for a long period of my life I guess. I don't usually think about anything before I begin something personal. (Unless it's a pre-imagined scene, 2nd pic was one of those. but took a year before I even bought a canvas for it lol.)
Thank you. Ha it's really interesting that people see that in my art, I've really never thought of it to be that way. Maybe it's the colors I use? Being that red with gold accenting is my favorite scheme with pretty much anything + bold black maybe it's unavoidable
My favorite artists are Wayne Barlowe, Denis Forkas Kostromitin, Francis Bacon, Suehiro Maruo and such. I'll magnetize to anyone who makes or sees things in the same vein as me lol
 

Ah, thank you ( : I will do my best...I actually read all these messages in the morning and it motivated me a bit. lol sweet, I loved that game and I'm pretty sure I still have some very shoddy pencil drawings of the Water Dragon, Orochi and Ninetails somewhere.
Thanks!
Thanks, both my grandma's had a lot of furniture / paintings / snuff bottles around the house with Bunjinga art on them, but it's not something I ever attempted to do myself. Maybe it influenced me subconsciously over time? haha.
Nah, but it may stem from that I used exclusively ink and pens only for a long period of my life I guess. I don't usually think about anything before I begin something personal. (Unless it's a pre-imagined scene, 2nd pic was one of those. but took a year before I even bought a canvas for it lol.)
Thank you. Ha it's really interesting that people see that in my art, I've really never thought of it to be that way. Maybe it's the colors I use? Being that red with gold accenting is my favorite scheme with pretty much anything + bold black maybe it's unavoidable
My favorite artists are Wayne Barlowe, Denis Forkas Kostromitin, Francis Bacon, Suehiro Maruo and such. I'll magnetize to anyone who makes or sees things in the same vein as me lol
 

Ah, thank you ( : I will do my best...I actually read all these messages in the morning and it motivated me a bit. lol sweet, I loved that game and I'm pretty sure I still have some very shoddy pencil drawings of the Water Dragon, Orochi and Ninetails somewhere.
Thanks!
Thanks, both my grandma's had a lot of furniture / paintings / snuff bottles around the house with Bunjinga art on them, but it's not something I ever attempted to do myself. Maybe it influenced me subconsciously over time? haha.
Nah, but it may stem from that I used exclusively ink and pens only for a long period of my life I guess. I don't usually think about anything before I begin something personal. (Unless it's a pre-imagined scene, 2nd pic was one of those. but took a year before I even bought a canvas for it lol.)
Thank you. Ha it's really interesting that people see that in my art, I've really never thought of it to be that way. Maybe it's the colors I use? Being that red with gold accenting is my favorite scheme with pretty much anything + bold black maybe it's unavoidable
My favorite artists are Wayne Barlowe, Denis Forkas Kostromitin, Francis Bacon, Suehiro Maruo and such. I'll magnetize to anyone who makes or sees things in the same vein as me lol
 

I've been very uninspired for a number of years now, and I really struggle to feel any emotion anymore. Loud music and a whole bloody lot of caffeine are about the only thing that allow me to work, albeit very sterile and not on stuff I enjoy.
Getting back into some sort of community...and getting back to VK instead of listening to the same old music I always do, I hope this can propel me in a more positive direction.
Already I've finally been able to pick up a brush again (or I guess in this case, a paint bottle lid lol) thanks to listening to Sukekiyo so I will start my thread with it, though it is unfinished I am just happy to have done something. 

Another canvas I've had sitting under a sheet for almost a year. I hope to actually complete

Something from last August. Gold red black and mossy greens are my main love.

I usually do stuff digitally because it's way more efficient and my wrist nerve is fucked up...but it's way harder to get exposure digitally so I've had to move to paint.

ink thing from a couple years back

I guess I'll just post one thing per day from now on to not be too spammy. Maybe it will revitalize me further and then I can post new things.
 

Listening to the sample again, it just sounds like they're trying so hard to make the song catchy. Then the yelling after about a minute in is just a complete turn off and makes the song worse. MASTURBATION was catchy, but this one? Not feelin' it. I'm definitely not pre-ordering nor getting the one with the DVD.
 
I was really disappointed after dadaism#3 (I only liked MASTURBATION, sadly, wish it were a single) and Pornograph. Pornograph actually wasn't bad, but wasn't really the kinda sound I liked either. But then ii kusuri to warui kusuri really revived my hopes for their sound to go back in the direction I liked. I've listened the shit out of that release and it was my first DDRM purchase. Fingers crossed the other songs save this release.
 
EDIT: Just listened to the samples that are up on their youtube channel now. I'm completely disappointed. I'll give it a listen after release, but it looks like it's a huge pass for me. Only sample I liked was KIDS WAR and it doesn't even sound like it fits on this mini-album IMO.