Hakoniwa

Por mim ficaria sem a seção de downloads por mais tempo, quem sabe assim ficam aqui só as pessoas que estão interessadas no fórum enquanto fórum mesmo. Eu acho isso ÓTIMO, quero ver mais choro e desespero sim XD
E sinceramente, eu mal visito a seção de downloads. Não é pra isso que eu tô aqui :v

If I can be frank for a second, I'm disappointed how easily distracted people are.
 
It's only been two days and there are already countless arguments about the merits and harms of file sharing. That doesn't address the real point of why we are currently in the situation we are in right now. Our hand was played and the staff was not happy. One member who goes by the name of @Kawaii_Minpha decided it would be cute to troll the staff and the website by threatening to report us to the RIAJ unless we gave in to her demands, which among other things called for banning members she does not like. If you read the messages sent to us, it turns from funny to sad in an instant. What pisses me off personally is how someone would try to ruin what we have going here for kicks. Even threatening to do so is worthy of an instant ban and I should not have to explain why.
 
As an aside, I don't really care how you feel about file sharing - facts are that if you are here, you are guilty by association - but these last few days have proven that without Monochrome Heaven there's nowhere for anyone to go. Downloads can always find a new home but to find another place where you can have mature, constructive discussions about Japanese music in an open environment will be much harder. And that place could never exist without free music so people can talk about it, because the barrier for entry is too high. We have to recognize the role that piracy plays in all our lives. That's why saying "buy music to support your favorite artists" is not the be all, end all answer. It's a good answer, but it's more complicated than that. No one here woke up one day and decided to buy Dir en grey albums on a whim. Japanese bands became our favorite bands because we pirated music long enough to become devoted enough to pay for it. Some people are at different stages of their fandom. This website has found the perfect balance of both piracy and discussion while also managing to be inclusive of all styles of Japanese music and there's nowhere else on the internet that even comes close to this. That's awesome.
 
That's why this situation has the staff thinking about what we exist for. This website may not mean much to many members here beyond downloads but the staff has poured countless hours of time and energy into investing in the website and the community. Are we harming the scene? Yeah, no doubt. But we probably do a lot of good as well. With the countless messages I've gotten over the last few days about "where all the free music went" I'm not convinced we can do good without doing some harm as well. The tools are not in place to promote visual kei globally without piracy, and I doubt there ever will be. The scene wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for all of us here. We either take the good with the bad or abstain entirely.
 
There is more to this website than just downloads and the constant activity over the last few days proves that this community is strong. Stronger than even we may have realized ourselves. This is awesome, keep up the good work! Having said that, I've thought a lot about Kevin from Batsu and how he freaked out and deleted the download section when he thought the feds were coming for him. His approach was blunt, but I understand how he felt. He figured Batsu could weather the storm and would be better for it...and that unfortunately did not work out. If push came to shove we would make a similar decision, and that's why for the last two years we have been working hard to provide other reasons for people to come back here. While the download section is offline I implore you all to go check out the News, Rumors, Review, and General sections to start. There's enough tea there to keep you sipping until things are finalized.
 
The staff is still ironing out the details so expect more information soon. I can confidently say that the news will come as a shock to everyone but some people will not notice and others will.
 
Consider this an early morning rant.

Hmm, I get your point, but why is that a bad thing? A "lame" excuse can also be turned into a reason for drawing daily and it becomes motivation. I can't see how that can be bad in any way. You're right that drawing doesn't require monthly challenges or even requests from others, it's something to do constantly and because you want to. Because you like to draw, because you need to draw, because you know how practicing is important if you want to improve. All that.
 
Monthly challenges such as Inktober are not "nothing" though, they are a way to share the same experiences with a large group of people, during the same period of time, some who may not find their motivation so easily. It's a way to challenge yourself. And while I'd like to believe that loving to draw is enough motivation, life sometimes gets in the way and it can make you stop doing things you once though as important as breathing. I can tell, I've been there. Extra motivation is never a bad thing. It encourages them not to only draw and ink it, but also to share their experiences online - and that changes things a lot imo. In this case, aside from being a way to motivate people to draw, it directs them to something else than pencil sketches or digital art, the latter being something a lot of people are focusing on right now. Inktober is all about the ink itself, so digital art wouldn't work here. Of course people can continue practicing doodles, digital art or not, or whatever else they wish, nothing changes there. It's not a matter of needing the challenge or not, but being part of a global event that involves doing something you love. And that's fun.
It's my first time participating in Inktober, but it's not my first time watching people do it, and I only saw good things come from their experience. It's a win-win situation really. That said, each person participates in it for different reasons, but whatever the reasons are, the important thing is to have fun (always).

"I want to be educated! Not just hairy!"
The Peanut Butter Solution (1985)

My writing can change depending on my mood/energy level and what kind of pen/pencil I'm using.
This is my quick scribble writing. (also, fuck lines)

I've been practicing a little in recent years, but I haven't been studying at all. Though practicing helps, I know I should study some too... >_>
As already mentioned above, I also use weblio & rikaichan/kun.
 
I started learning hiragana/katakana in high school (over 10 years ago) but I try to at least practice at times... I still don't know that many kanji though, mainly because I haven't been studying as I should. For character recognition (katakana, hiragana, kanji) and practicing, android's app Obenkyo works pretty well! I also try writing stuff from class in katakana/hiragana for practicing. But you see, if you're at this stage... PRACTICE A LOT. Like, write a lot, really, even if you have to spend 1 week on each row (a-i-u-e-o / ka-ki-ku-ke-ko / sa-shi-su-se-so / etc.). Practicing everyday, even if only five minutes, is very important. I started off with katakana and moved to hiragana when I finished it... but kept practicing it along with hiragana. Apps like Obenkyo help with memorizing and general recognition, but you have to write them in order to really learn them. Same with kanji.
 
For dictionaries, I use android's JED - Japanese-English Dictionary along with japanese-japanese dictionaries online and rikaichan. Plus google when looking for examples, of course. There's also this amazing website I found recently: http://chigai-allguide.com/
It helps you understand the nuances and differences between kanji that read the same way and seemily have the same meaning. It's also for japanese expressions. it's intended for japanese people, but having a somewhat good knowledge of the language helps you around it! You can look for specific words/expressions and find their definitions. Here's an example: http://chigai-allguide.com/怖いと恐いと強い/
Those two are read the same way, they have the same dictionary meaning and yet... they're not the same. This kind of thing helps learners a lot, since you can't easily find and understand it on your own.
 
Recently I've also been using an app to practice, it's called HelloTalk. It's not anything new, but the results were better than expected! It works like some kind of social media, one that you teach one (or more) language(s) and learn one (or more) languages in exchange. I'm teaching English and learning Japanese. You can see a timeline with posts from Japanese speakers who are learning English, be it in Japanese or English, and you can like, comment and... correct them. There's a special tool for that, and believe it or not, that very tool helps A LOT. There are also built-in translators, romanizators, you can even hear how things are supposed to be pronounced. You can also post your own stuff about your local culture and language, or anything you want, and interact with people... those interactions help you talk to people through the chat (they often initiate the conversation, but you can do it, too), that also allows corrections, readings, translations, romaji, etc., plus voice messages. I think even video messages are used, but I haven't done that. Anyway, it's pretty useful... it helps you practice everyday through conversation and you can actually ask for help without it feeling too awkward -- people are there for the same purpose as you afterall, that is learning & teaching. That's why you can also correct them, they are expecting to be corrected, as you also should. The key for using this is not being afraid to make mistakes and ask people to correct you when you're wrong, talking to them in japanese everyday is surprisingly effective... it makes thinking, understanding, reasoning and creating phrases in japanese a lot easier. Also be aware that japanese people will often compliment your Japanese even if it's not very good, it's just this cultural thing... apparently. Also they'll say "Wow, your japanese is so good!!" and think "(...for a foreigner)" lol.
 
I'm someone who has a hard time studying but prefers learning things through action, it makes things a little difficult at times. Still, studying makes it better, so it's good if you can do it too. If I remember something else, I'll post it here!
Anyway, let's practice together here too~~~! よろしく！m(_ _)m

I use a digital dictionary, except those things can be expensive, depending on what kind you buy. I see a lot of Japanese native speakers carry it though so it seems rather reliable. I think there's a guide somewhere online telling you what kind of digital dictionary you should buy depending on your needs, but I can't remember where I found it. I'm sure there are some phone apps for J>J dictionaries too, but I don't know much about it sorry.....
 
@Hakoniwa that chigai website is damn handy. i always wonder about the differences in some words. thanks for sharing! ^^
 
Some more handy links that I remembered:
http://kanji.sljfaq.org/draw.html
For looking up kanji by handwriting it down. I use it for reading manga or books that have no furigana.
 
http://jisho.org/
I think this website is pretty well-known. It's basically a J>E dictionary and vice versa, but I also like how you can look up unknown kanjis by radicals.
 
http://thejadednetwork.com/sfx/
This one is for all the Japanese sound effects out there. Mainly for reading manga usage.
 
http://anime-manga.jp/CharacterExpressions/
One of my Japanese professors showed my class this website. It basically contains stereotypical Japanese expressions that you hear often in anime and manga. They also have audio samples so that you can hear how they sound like. It's just a fun website to poke around at. And if you watch a lot of anime you'll probably recognize some of these.

| From Beehives to Water Lillies 
 
 

 
illion, is the solo project of RADWIMPS' Yojiro Noda, released his first album Ubu on February 25th 2013 in the UK through Warner Brothers Records. Since the debut of illion, the 2nd awaited album finally surfaced nearly three years later on October 12th 2016. Three years is a lot of time for a musician to grow and learn about their taste when it comes to musical composition. P.Y.L reflects change while staying true to the sound illion represents. 
 
This album resembles remnants of Ubu.  "Told U So" falls along the same feeling as "BEEHIVE", though that doesn't go to say it doesn't sound new and unique, they're two completely different songs. Both offer complex rhythms (clapping, synths etc), but "Told U So" contains more depth with electronics which makes it feel emotionally heavier. "Water Lily", which was released prior to P.Y.L as a single, has a completely fresh sound. Drifting, or floating is the best word to describe what "Water Lily"  should physically feel like. There's a special type of contrast between the echoing synths, the light strum of guitar, and distorted base that carries Yojiro's flowing vocals. The bar was set high for P.Y.L with such a teaser. There is an interactive site here with vibrant and abstract visuals to compliment the aura of this song, where viewers have the opportunity to manipulate the fade in and outs of the song while utilizing the colors and images spread out through the screen.
 
"Highlight (feat. 5lack)" has to be the strangest addition. The beginning sounds extremely relevant to the flow of the album and sticks to the sound illion promotes but it shifts about halfway through when a rap lays over a very sluggish instrumental. This track was also released before the full album just after "Water Lily", but it sounds disjointed from the overall picture P.Y.L should create. A change in musical direction really shines in "85", "P.Y.L", and "Wander Lust". All three introduce unpredictable synth techniques that wouldn't be expected from Yojiro. "85" essentially sounds like something right out of Tron or Outer Space. The combination of soft vocals, an 8-bit bass line, and an 80's synth drum beat makes this the most unique track on the entire album. "P.Y.L" and "Wander Lust" are very similar in a sense that they have distorted synths that sound broken,  like when something goes in and out of frequency causing an echo and static. Both have powerful vocal melodies to accompany their peculiar usage of distortion. 
 
"Miracle" deserves it's own category for having a very smooth and jazzy vocal melody with a very waltz-y piano instrumental. It's the first of eleven songs and works not only as a great opener but a smooth transition from illion's previous album UBU. There's a singer-songwriter section to this release as well. "Dream Play Sick", "Ace", and "Strobo" use orchestral instruments and progress with a very melancholic feel. "Strobo" combines harp in a circular pattern while the piano reinforces the beat with a few chords here and there making the vocal melody the center of attention. The most emotionally heavy is "Ace" which is prominently piano. It's a very simple track, but the whisper-y vocals are chilling and almost haunting. "Dream Play Sick" is a little more playful with phrase pauses and is mainly guitar and vocals for the most part in the beginning (give or take a few claps, static, disjointed violin and layered choppy vocals that resemble some of the techniques used in "MAHOROBA" from UBU). 
 
Overall this album went above and beyond new material. Yojiro Noda really explored and reached a new level with this release even if a few tracks didn't hit home. "Highlight (feat 5lack)" is the weakest but it's forgivable with songs like "85", "P.Y.L", "Water Lily", and "Told U So" that just hit the ball in to a whole other ball park. 
 
 
Support the artist!
 
CDJapan | iTunes (USA)

I've been practicing a little in recent years, but I haven't been studying at all. Though practicing helps, I know I should study some too... >_>
As already mentioned above, I also use weblio & rikaichan/kun.
 
I started learning hiragana/katakana in high school (over 10 years ago) but I try to at least practice at times... I still don't know that many kanji though, mainly because I haven't been studying as I should. For character recognition (katakana, hiragana, kanji) and practicing, android's app Obenkyo works pretty well! I also try writing stuff from class in katakana/hiragana for practicing. But you see, if you're at this stage... PRACTICE A LOT. Like, write a lot, really, even if you have to spend 1 week on each row (a-i-u-e-o / ka-ki-ku-ke-ko / sa-shi-su-se-so / etc.). Practicing everyday, even if only five minutes, is very important. I started off with katakana and moved to hiragana when I finished it... but kept practicing it along with hiragana. Apps like Obenkyo help with memorizing and general recognition, but you have to write them in order to really learn them. Same with kanji.
 
For dictionaries, I use android's JED - Japanese-English Dictionary along with japanese-japanese dictionaries online and rikaichan. Plus google when looking for examples, of course. There's also this amazing website I found recently: http://chigai-allguide.com/
It helps you understand the nuances and differences between kanji that read the same way and seemily have the same meaning. It's also for japanese expressions. it's intended for japanese people, but having a somewhat good knowledge of the language helps you around it! You can look for specific words/expressions and find their definitions. Here's an example: http://chigai-allguide.com/怖いと恐いと強い/
Those two are read the same way, they have the same dictionary meaning and yet... they're not the same. This kind of thing helps learners a lot, since you can't easily find and understand it on your own.
 
Recently I've also been using an app to practice, it's called HelloTalk. It's not anything new, but the results were better than expected! It works like some kind of social media, one that you teach one (or more) language(s) and learn one (or more) languages in exchange. I'm teaching English and learning Japanese. You can see a timeline with posts from Japanese speakers who are learning English, be it in Japanese or English, and you can like, comment and... correct them. There's a special tool for that, and believe it or not, that very tool helps A LOT. There are also built-in translators, romanizators, you can even hear how things are supposed to be pronounced. You can also post your own stuff about your local culture and language, or anything you want, and interact with people... those interactions help you talk to people through the chat (they often initiate the conversation, but you can do it, too), that also allows corrections, readings, translations, romaji, etc., plus voice messages. I think even video messages are used, but I haven't done that. Anyway, it's pretty useful... it helps you practice everyday through conversation and you can actually ask for help without it feeling too awkward -- people are there for the same purpose as you afterall, that is learning & teaching. That's why you can also correct them, they are expecting to be corrected, as you also should. The key for using this is not being afraid to make mistakes and ask people to correct you when you're wrong, talking to them in japanese everyday is surprisingly effective... it makes thinking, understanding, reasoning and creating phrases in japanese a lot easier. Also be aware that japanese people will often compliment your Japanese even if it's not very good, it's just this cultural thing... apparently. Also they'll say "Wow, your japanese is so good!!" and think "(...for a foreigner)" lol.
 
I'm someone who has a hard time studying but prefers learning things through action, it makes things a little difficult at times. Still, studying makes it better, so it's good if you can do it too. If I remember something else, I'll post it here!
Anyway, let's practice together here too~~~! よろしく！m(_ _)m

Damien Rice - I Remember
 
I could probably list Damien Rice for days, but I think this is his most impactful live performance for me.
 
All the VK songs I want to show don't seem to be on YouTube, but I'll list them here for those who may have means to see them.
 
— Girugamesh – 壊れていく世界
The way Satoshi keeps screaming at the climax of the song gives me shivers ...
— SCISSOR – from住人toイロ off of FINAL CUT
This was SCISSOR's first real song and is actually a rather poppy-sounding song, but it was also the last song they played together (except for their reunion). At one point, MIKI has to turn his back on the audience to keep from crying.
— DELUHI – Orion once again (live) off of FLASH:B[L]ACK DVD
The obligatory "sing-along" live portion, but this was when DELUHI was really starting to blow up. Juri has to face the back of the stage as he covers his face to avoid crying to hard, but you can see his shoulders shaking. Leda also is shown with tears streaming down his face.
— Dir en grey – 悲劇は目蓋を下ろした優しき鬱 (pretty much every time)
I have seen this song live many times and personally have cried each time. Kyo is a master of showing emotion on stage and I could probably list tons of Dir en grey songs, but higeki ha ... is the most emotional for me.

God damn that DAI and 9GBO videos are beautiful!
 
I love Ruvie's good day, good night:
 
 
Temari giving every little bit of himself after  30 songs is simply beautiful
 
I couldn't find kannivalism's complete performance of "love" on youtube, but small world is a beauty too:
 
 
This performance of Rainy is a fuckin classic, but they have other renditions of Rainy equally beautiful too:
 
 
Non VK:
 
 
This one is particularly good to me because I'm part of its story. TDCC were nobodies back in the days. they were doing one of their first concerts out of Ireland, and there's a site known as 'queremos', which basically crowdfunds concerts when there's demand for a band, but no money. the crowdfunding was a success and they came to Rio. it was fucking WILD. Alex (the vocalist) reaction in this video is priceless, he said in a MC they had no idea we knew them, even less that they would have that kind of welcoming. they played their entire album, some unreleased songs, and even a strokes cover just for the sake of it, when they went down to mosh with the public, called everyone to go on stage and mosh jump.... it was the best fuckin concert I've ever attended to, in the end was a freaking party... few years later, in a interview to an UK magazine I believe, they said it was the best freaking concert of their lives. Unforgettable for us too!

The album will be released on 2016.11.30. 
 
Tracklist :
01.迦陵頻伽(karyo binga)
02.鸞(ran)
03.熾天の隻翼(shiten no sekiyoku)
04.刃(yaiba)
05.廿弐匹目は毒蝮(nijunihikime wa dokuhami)
06.御前の瞳に羞いの砂(omae no hitomi ni hajirai no suna)
07.飛頭蛮(rokurokubi)
08.氷牙忍法帖(hyoga ninpocho)
09.人魚の檻(ningyo no ori)
10.素戔嗚(susanoo)
11.絡新婦(jorogumo)
12.愛する者よ、死に候え(aisuru mono yo, shini sorae)
13.風人を憐れむ歌(fujin wo awaremu uta)

陰陽座(Onmyo-za) new album "迦陵頻伽(karyoubinga)" (i.e. kalavinka) will be released in 2016, although details have not yet been announced

i just saw this thread in the recent activity box so let me drop a few of my favorite links
 
http://ejje.weblio.jp/sentence/
weblio's example translation corpus is highly underrated and i use it all the time for professional translation work because it has examples from daily conversation, business emails, novels, history books, contracts and law, etc etc. you can input English or Japanese, so if you need to know how something is expressed in Japanese or don't understand the meaning of a Japanese construction, try pasting it here and see how it's been translated by others. i started using this when i did shitty 12012 blog translations and i never looked back

http://jn2et.com/JLPT.html
if you're studying at an intermediate+ level you might find that Japanese explanations of grammar constructions are much more useful for understanding the minutiae between similar constructions, i used this one a fair bit in conjunction with jgram.org & japanesetest4you.com.
 
http://nihongo-e-na.com/jpn/
http://nihongo-e-na.com/eng/
a good ass portal site for Japanese learner resources

to close and as a semi-introduction, hi, i do freelance jp>en translation and i just completed a "high level" japanese course at Nagoya University.
i'm definitely not a master and still have plenty to learn myself but if there's questions feel free to post them there and i'll see if any texts i have can provide a satisfying answer -- i'm sure other learners will happily pool their resources too.
i'm pretty good at バンギャ用語 too if you're trying to read naughty messages about bandmen in forbidden message boards, so if you have questions about that i'm happy to help here or via PM lol
9月に名古屋大学でいわゆる上級日本語コースを修了したのですが、
ご質問などありましたらそのコースの資料などを使って答えるように頑張ります♪

The Japanese Language Learning/Support Thread!

 
 
I was talking with @itsukoii and @togz, and we all agreed that it would be beneficial to have a thread like this on MH. I'm not personally studying the language at the moment, but  I know many of the users here are, or at least have an interest in doing so.  So I figured we could all pull together as a community and help support each other in this common goal! So if you have any Japanese language learning resources or recommendations that you'd like to share, please post them here and I'll add them to this first post. Feel free to use this thread for questions and discussion related to Japanese language learning as well. However, DO NOT use this thread for translation requests.  Also if you'd like to team up with your fellow Monochromians to form a study group or something along those lines, that's also welcome! Let's support each other. Yoroshiku!
 
(just gonna tag a few people. Maybe you guys can provide some resources or words for people just learning the language or who've already begun their journey? Just to kinda get this thread off the ground. Every little bit helps!  @hiroki, @Hakoniwa, @plastic_rainbow, @doombox, @Peace Heavy mk II, @WhirlingBlack.

Since I'm late, I've been doing at least 3 whenever I find the time... so I did 3 more last night. I didn't get to do all days, but that's okay, it sure was fun! : 3
 
 

Yaaaay, Moon Jumper!! This was inspired by Uchuu Kyoudai manga <3
 

 

Buster-kun from the pillows!
 
This guy:
 
 

About MUCC's Kuchiki no Tou, didn't they say they're never playing that song live again? The studio version is already very emotional and this... this is just... ugh. ç_ç
I get why they'd choose not to play it again... and also, like you said: TATSUROU.
 
 
THIS. :'(
 
 
Do As Infinity - Fukai Mori
This live of Fukai Mori has a lot of meaning to the band and the fans in general. I remember how I felt the first time I watched this, even though I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. There were a lot of theories around, but in reality she talks about how this song is important to her and to the band and how she felt the first time she listened to the demo tape. And now they're doing that live. That was not long after the band was formed and they felt overwhelmed by all that's been happening. That song was a huge success and it's an emotional song by itself. And then she starts crying and.... ç_ç
 
 
And... this.
 
MUCC - Akatsuki Yami
It helps that I love that song and that it's an emotional song by itself, but the way he sings it there is also overwheming... the lyrics to that song make it even stronger. But even if they lyrics aren't clear to the one who's listening, you can clearly feel he's pouring his emotions into it.

Yep! I used acrylic for the stars and silver colored india ink for the "Inktober" and signature/date.
 
I decided not to go on once October was over, but I'll keep doing it outside of Inktober though! Many sketches couldn't be inked and I want to ink them, but I'm happy with what I got this time
My last two ones were these:
 

 

 
So... that. I still plan on coloring Link though :'D

Successfully finished the Inktober challenge!!
 
Inktober Day 23: "Shattered Tears"

 
Inktober Day 24: "Droop"

 
Inktober Day 25: "Zephyr"

 
Inktober Day 26: "Falling Apart"

 
Inktober Day 27: "Curse"

 
Inktober Day 28: "Trap"

 
Inktober Day 29: "Relief"

 
Inktober Day 30: "Creature"

 
Inktober Day 31: "Farewell"

 
Phewww, that took a toll on me. I'm gonna need a little break before the next time I draw. There were days when I'd rather not draw, but knowing that I couldn't skip a day, and me not wanting to either, helped me in picking up the pens and brushes more easily. Tbqh though I want to trash some of these lol. But on a positive outlook, it taught me how to not be such a perfectionist with my drawings, like I always am. And I think that's one very important aspect of these daily challenges with a limited time. It was a great experience, but I'm not sure if I'd do it again next year. Maybe I'll do something else~

I like the first one! Do you have white ink that you use? And aww, buster-kun~ <3
 
I finished the challenge but didn't have time to post it until now. See here~
 
Good luck to @Hakoniwa if you decide to still continue it! ^^/