Yes, I have a kotatsu. And yes, I have tatami mats in... California.
I usually take the blankets out from the kotatsu between June and September.
The shelves on my wall are the only things on my wall, and they weren't too expensive. Got them from Amazon!
Got everything for my closet from Easy Track. Still gotta rip off the carpeting, though.
No idea who 智弘 (Tomohiro?) is, but they wrote stuff like: "Thank you for everything up till now", "Lets go together to the promised place" (or something like that, means: "let's reach our dream together"), "till now, and from now on"
Things they would say to fans who support them, so that they continue throwing money at the band
My last purchase were some stupid "classical music for *insert zodiac sign*" CDs
「ワルの華」 Vo.樹威(jui) (GOTCHAROCKA) Gt.aie (the god and death stars, highfashionparalyze, THE MADCAP LAUGHS) Gt.夢時(yumeji) (eStrial, HOLLOWGRAM, Angels) Ba.Tsunehito (D) Dr.川内亨(kawauchi tooru) (12012)
十夜(touya) session Vo.Ice (Black Gene For the Next Scene) Gt.椿(tsubaki) (Blitz) Gt.十夜(touya) (GOTCHAROCKA) Ba.小雪(koyuki) (REDRUM) Dr.U-YA (ex-landz.)
it is announced at D live tour final one-man live at Maihama Amphitheater at 2014/12/13 that their LIVE DVD (title not yet finalized) will be released, which will include complete scene of that one-man live at 2014/12/13
SET-LIST at 2014/12/13:
01.月の杯 02.Der könig der Dunkelheit 03.Another Kingdom 04.無垢なる薔薇の祈り 05.In the name of justice 06.DARK WINGS 07.Mother Doll 08.メテオ～夢寐の刻～ 09.鬨の声 10.Night-ship"D" 11.Bon Voyage! 12.血に濡れた一角 13.断罪の銃士 14.SECRET HANGAR アネクネメ～drums solo～rhythm session 15.猿王の腰掛け 16.風に嫁いだバイラオーラ 17.夜の眼と吟遊詩人 18.Dragon Princess 19.微熱～雨の幻想曲～ 20.黒薔薇の騎士 21.Blood Moon 22.Dearest you 23.EDEN 24.Rosenstrauss 25.終焉～宇宙への回帰～
their live-distributed single "Dandelion" will be released at their live tour final at Maihama Amphitheater at 2014/12/13, which will include CD (1 song)+SNS「VAMPIRE SAGA-薔薇の宝冠-」rare card "吟遊詩人・ゼファー" and for which sample could be listened to in their OHP
That is definitely an unpopular opinion here, and he doesn't seem to agree with it.
Anyway, back on topic, I actually really like Theatrical Blue-black, I was totally psyched for that song when the video was first posted, I even enjoyed the apathetic BI"name"JIKA to an extent, but was not fond of HATE.
I also LOVE RAVEN, I think Echo is a pretty nice song, and those previews posted were pretty cool. I'm not expecting this album to be groundbreaking, at the very least I am expecting this album to be decent, if not really cool! Though I'm not expecting ground to be broken, I am still very much looking forward to this album because I think MEJIBRAY is long overdue for a second album. They've released enough singles since 2012 for a double album (b-sides included), and as someone who is not really into singles, that annoyed me! Even just the singles since MESSIAH.bat alone could have been a full album.
And for the sake of comparing this album release to GANGSTA: As mentioned, MEJIBRAY has been due for a new full-length album for quite some time. Sadie, on the other hand, should take a break from releasing full-length albums.
Let's begin with a simple concept: Illegal downloading is illegal. This is not a moral statement, this is just a fact. More importantly, those who host copywritten materials are actually breaking more laws than those who download songs. This is not a debatable fact. Now, are the current modes of selling CDs and other music outdated? Yes, they are. Are there issues with a international-based way of purchasing music? Yes, that's undeniable. But is it illegal at this moment to take music that you did not create? Yes.
So, legally, Nocturnal Bloodlust does have a right to state that it is wrong for people to illegally download their music. So, they do have a right to say what they want, even if we disagree with it. Can they sue? Yeah, they can. Will they? Probably not, because I'm pretty sure they wanted to prove a point more than anything. Should they? Honestly, I don't think so, but it would definitely help bring changes to the way we see illegal downloading. Bands going after illegal downloading doesn't happen very much... and for a Japanese visual kei band to go against a foreign fanbase? Pretty much unheard of.
Now we get into the rest... like moral dilemmas.
But before we get there, it's important to cover what a CD sale (or MP3 sale) actually means.
You're correct to assume that a CD sale does not go to the artist directly. Typically, the money goes to the label, and a portion of that income goes the the musician themselves. The label typically pays for the production of music (time at the studio, audio and visual equipment, artwork, mixing, raw production materials like CDs, jacket covers, etc.), the purchase of raw materials for the band itself (make up, costumes, equipment vans, sometimes actual equipment, etc.) the production of memorabilia and other goods, travel, food, airfare, payment of their staff (I'm not sure, but last time I saw Nocturnal Bloodlust they had three permanent staff. Their roadie, and two people from management) as well as payment for space at lives.
In regards to the 'lives' payment, visual kei venues require you pay at the end of the night, after performing. It's not unheard of for small/medium venues to cost between ¥150000-¥500000 ($1500-5000) and you damn well better prepare to have that money on hand. At Taibans, yeah. It's split between the acts, but even then, that means you need to sell a lot of tickets. Why do you think a lot of band members sell at their own tables? Fans are far more willing to pay money to their favorite member than to a staff member... who'd have to be paid as well.
I once saw an indies band back in 2012 at EDGE and then accidentally met their guitarist at Ikebukuro Station. He was actually debating on whether he should eat a bowl of ramen or walk the 4 kilometers home, because they were short that night and he had to give all the money he had in his wallet except for a ¥500 coin. I bought the guy a ramen cup because it was just so depressing. Bad nights happen, and if you don't have the money, don't be surprised if you have to actually dig it out of your own funds.
Then again, I lived across the street from 7-11 where a super indies bandman worked nights. Because most indies band members have to have two, sometimes three jobs. Hell, Natsu of Nocturnal Bloodlust worked in a 7-11 for a long time to pay for his band activities.
Being in a visual kei band is expensive. So, while sales don't go straight into the member's pockets, you can bet that they're just as important for the band to survive. A band can't make or sell music if they don't have the money to play or even record.
I'll also put here that there is always complaining when a band disbands on here-- I've seen it time and time again people saying it isn't fair that an indies band disbanded, that they were such a huge fan of the music. But it never seems that we actually talk about why they disbanded. "They're not selling tickets or cds" is a good reason. In fact, one of the first comments on here was about how bands just conditionally disband if they're not doing well. We think that's stupid (or at least I do) but then when a band takes it into their own hands to say something about why people shouldn't illegally download their music, people throw a hissyfit. I don't understand the logic. If you want a band to survive, you buy the music. Because supporting the band you enjoy doesn't mean you make a few gifs and put them on tumblr, or draw fanart. We live in a time where, for musicians to thrive and actually continue with their activities, they need money.
Then you have to factor in the importance of selling CDs in a less understood way. Every time a sale of a cd is made, it shows the interest in the band. In Japan, charts are still important to knowing where a band stands. The better your sales doesn't just mean how many cds you sold, it directly effects how much advertising your next single or album receives. It can mean the difference between your video getting played on repeat on the tvs in Tower Records or getting shoved in with all the other releases. It directly reflects how many interviews the band receives offers from, how many spots they get on television, how many radio stations play the songs. We're not going to get into super big details in regards to marketing of visual kei, but it is extremely temperamental to the wants of the market.
And here's where things get interesting: Visual kei isn't as popular as you would think. This is still a niche market not with an unlimited amount of funds, space, or attention. In an industry like that, you have to understand what it means for a band to lose out on a 'sale'. Even a handful of sales abroad DO matter to a band that's fighting for recognition.
Let's also talk about people requesting that a band travel abroad to play lives for foreign audiences. I don't think msot of you realize how expensive that is-- it's obscene. Let's talk about a 'normal' tour (like Dir en Grey, or D'espairsray for a second.)
If a band wants to play in the US, they actually have to compete for visas. They have to prove the worth of their music and show that they are not going to affect the American music industry negatively. To get an entertainment or artist visa in the US, it's piles and piles and piles of paperwork, because the US goes out of its way to protect their music industry. The fees for getting a band to tour art astronomical on their own, but to tour the US? It's horrifying. That's actually why a lot of bands skip over the US and play in Europe. The visa requirements are far less stringent and it's cheaper.
This is why a lot of bands end up playing at conventions. It's typically cheaper for the band, because the convention has people who know the laws and are willing to pay the fees required. However, it isn't unheard of for bands to play on the promise of being paid when they arrive... and never getting paid. Or, not making the money they expected and being unable to recoup that money. And, during that time they're abroad, they aren't playing for their core audience, meaning... they're missing out on that much money.
It's amazing how many times I've gone onto official youtube channels and seen the requests for a band to go abroad... and then see those same names pop up in filesharing places. Because guess what? The band sees that, too. They're tech savvy. They know where they're selling cds. They know where they're not selling cds. So, by looking at that, they can tell that they aren't selling enough in Europe, in the states, or wherever they are getting requests for lives from. And you know what that does? That influences the band against going abroad. They see that their cds aren't selling in that area, so they don't believe they would be able to recoup the money they spent on going abroad. They don't believe enough fans exist to pay for their visits.
Illegal downloading is directly affecting who you get to see go on tour abroad.
So while we can debate over how big of an asshole Masa is for saying that illegal downloading is wrong, you have to understand where they're coming from. It isn't unheard of for labels to drop bands for not making sales, no matter how great the music is or how talented the band is.
I'm also stunned by the sheer amount of self-righteousness and entitlement going on in this thread. No one is entitled to free music.
There are 'needs' and 'wants'. Needs are things like water, food, shelter. Wants are internet, computers, music made by men who are wearing ten pounds of makeup and are waving around guitars.
You want the music. You will survive without it. I'm not sure of the ages of anyone on this board, but I will say this: I had that same opinion until I actually had to pay for my own bills.
Before I became an adult.
Now, let's talk about Nocturnal Bloodlust themselves for a second.
This is the closest thing foreign fans have gotten to an internationally-minded band in a very long time. They make sure their music is available for fans abroad, two of the members are fluent in English and regularly converse with fans, and they have been going out of their way to bring foreign fans into the fold. They even made it so foreign fans could become members of their fanclub. They want to go abroad. And let's remember how a band can find it viable to go abro--oh. Right CD sales in foreign countries, not the number of requests a band receives.
In addition... they run their label pretty much on their own. All of the costs? They pay for them. Iris and Crisis is Nocturnal Bloodlust's label. They have connections to Raiz Entertainment (their old label) which has connections through the industry... but for the most part, they're the people who have to pay for everything. We can debate on if they should have gotten into visual kei until the cows come home, but the fact of the matter is: Shit is expensive.
'Fans' are also pissed off because they got called out on it. The band knows people are illegally downloading, and brought it up. They want to talk about the problem. It isn't even the first time the band's done this--they did it last year, and the year before that when they released Ivy. Now, rather than having a discussion about illegal downloading and what the foreign fans want... people railed against him. They said he was overbearing and an asshole, and that he didn't have a right to speak out about illegal downloading. That's not the conversation they need.
If you want to have a conversation with the band about how to better market themselves to foreign fans, do it! I think it would be a good idea if they opened an international webstore where fans could buy goods and CDs. A way of buying songs off their website that are bundled with lossless versions and photos. Add special goodies for people who buy mp3 versions. It's cheaper to buy the versions of all their releases off itunes in USD than it is for Japan (example, their newest single costs ¥250 a song but in USD is only $1.29.) This is also a band that makes sure the cds are available within a week of their release in Japan, because they understand that once the cd is out there... they're not going to sell as many copies. But even a few matter.
I think it would be great if they tried to use more English and worked to try and make themselves more internationally minded. Rather than getting angry that the band is mad at foreign fans for illegally downloading, make it so the band knows what you want. And you'll buy.
There will be people who continue to illegally download. That won't change. People who think they somehow deserve music and the work of other people. People who think they're entitled to music (the reason I can't even begin to imagine.) And there's nothing any of us can do about that. But buying a cd or MP3 will at least show the band where fans are, and will make your voice heard.
And this isn't just for this one band. This is for any band with a huge foreign following. Most bands are ignorant of how popular they are in foreign countries, because they just don't sell many cds in those areas, so they don't know. What you have to do, as fans of a band, is be loud about your love for a band. Otherwise... this will just happen time and time again.
- Log horizon (I have a thing for game(mmo)-based stories)
- Outbreak Company (this one is the funniest anime I've seen in years XD)
- Diabolik Lovers (not sure, might drop it - was just curious how far they will go in terms of tormenting the heroine compared to the game XD)
finished:
Btooom!! (wish there would be a second season...)
Makai Ouji (prefer the manga....but was still enjoyable)
My my, it's the question of the decade. The holy grail to answering all of life's dilemmas.
The answer to your question is inconclusive because you've already decided your stance on the issue. No matter what anyone says or how anyone approaches your question, you will not concede defeat or agree to disagree. You came to pick a fight on a forum of visual kei fans knowing everyone will react, hoping to incite a flame war. Maybe you like having your jimmies rustled. Maybe you just like sowing discord. Maybe I'm completely wrong and your brusque attitude is just masking a wish to truly understand. But in order to avoid pages full of drama with no concrete resolution, I had to lock this topic. I will not allow the users of Monochrome Heaven to fall to the stereotype of the average Japanese weeaboo. We are better than that.
But I will answer your question, because I feel compelled to leave you with something to think about no matter what your reasons for coming here was.
It is clear to you that visual kei does not offer you what you are looking for. Not all genres of music are for everyone. If you feel that you don't need Japanese men in frilly dresses playing obnoxious power metal, good on you. Continue to listen to whatever floats your boat.
But judging visual kei on the merits of a few bands causes you to miss the larger picture. You can never understand a genre by trying out just a few artists. I'd venture to say that you'll never completely understand a genre if you listen to it for as long as you live. What changes is your perception of what's there - how things you've hated you've come to enjoy and vice versa. Growth and maturity is at the heart of listening to music no matter what it is.
That is why Monochrome Heaven, the center of visual kei and Japanese rock on the internet, can be home to so many people with completely different music tastes from completely different walks of life. We see and accept each others differences even if we can't understand why others like what they do.
But of course you would not know this. I would not expect you to.
Now no one's twisted your arm into coming here and sampling what we have. No one is forcing you to listen to the music that we like to listen to. If you don't like visual kei, you don't like visual kei. We won't hold that against you here. If you have come here to open your mind, or at least try something new before you make a decision, you are more than welcome here. But if you have come to this forum to get off over drama stemming from contrived differences in musical opinions, I can tell you that you'll be better off saving face and leaving. I don't take kindly to people that exist to cause problems.
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