jduv86

Well, I've got a good amount. 16, to be exact.
 
 
Kasutera (カステラ) - "Tori (鳥)" (1990):

 
The title literally translates to "bird", so there you go, a cover centered on... a bird. And not just any bird, but an emu. Alright..... interesting choice?
 
 
STRAWBERRY - coming all the way E.P. (2000)


Okay, I've seen a few hideous drawings as covers, but this takes the cake. The girl literally looks like a sick, teenage Barbara Streisand, with her body looking twisted and contorted like she was fighting off death. It's just... nasty.
 
 
Kome Kome CLUB (米米CLUB) - Phi II (1994):

 
Okay, I see what they're trying to do with the whole Washington, D.C. theme, but it just doesn't work. The coloring of the background and the lack of stripes on the structures they're supposed to represent just makes them look like PEZ dispensers.
 
 
Flipper's Guitar - CAMERA TALK (1990):

 
"Camera talk"? Well now, it sure as hell covers that theme. You have some old foreign dude on the left, with the floating hands on the main part of the cover representing his hands, I presume? I don't know. It's quite an eyesore though, and the scribbles don't help.
 
 
ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK - SLAYER's BAY BLUES (2000):


The guys in ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK have a damn good sense of humor which I appreciate (I've been a fan of Bloodhound Gang since I was in middle school, for example), but the comically poor photoshopping of the singer wailing on one of the members just makes it a bizarre spectacle.
 
 
UNICORN (ユニコーン) - Hattori (服部) (1989):

 
One of the most legendary Japanese rock albums of its era, the cover still bewilders many to this day. Apparently the guy is some dude named Fukutaro Nakamura (中村福太郎), who supposedly had some connection to the band? Whatever it may be, it definitely remains one of the most memorable Japanese album covers to date for its weirdness and maintains a legacy of sorts today.
 
 
KEMURI - waiting for the rain (2005):

 
Soooo a schoolbus is broken down which holds the bandmates of KEMURI, and one of the kids on the bus got out and took an extreme closeup of her with the band wandering in the background while a giant fountain sprays simultaneously? ... Makes sense.
 
 
KUSU KUSU - cajon (1991):

 
Seriously, this cover just gives me the creeps. They look like the kind of guys who sneak into your bedroom and just watch you sleep. Those damn colorful freaks.
 
 
THE FOOLS - Weed War (1984)

 
Well now, for a drug war, that is the happiest person I've ever seen involved. I guess she may be a huge drug pin that the government just can't take down? Un...touchable.
 
 
YUKI - Melanchorinista (メランコリニスタ) (2006):

 
It's no secret, but I have a huuuuuuuuuuuge crush on YUKI. I can't even listen to JUDY AND MARY a lot without swooning like a schoolgirl. So when I heard that she did a "nude" cover of sorts, I immediately jumped on it and Googled it in a heartbeat. Needless to say, I was disappointed. Seriously, this looks like a woodsy Sapporo dude's fantasy come to life. Not cool.
 
 
SPIRAL LIFE - FLOURISH (1995):

 
What the hell?! I guess this is a close view on the Tokyo perv of the mid 90's? But where the hell is the bottom half?! You know what... I guess I don't want to know.
 
 
SUPERCAR - OOYeah!! (1999):

 
Now don't get me wrong, I love me some SUPERCAR, especially pre-"HIGHVISION", but what the fuck is this?! A collage of the band members's noses?
 
 
THE ZIP GUNS - THIS IS YOUR LIFE (1997):

 
Something about this cover feels exploitive and makes me uncomfortable.
 
 
RC SUCCESSION (RCサクセション)  - FEEL SO BAD (1984):

 
Ahh... ohh... umm... no comment.
 
 
TRICERATOPS - KING OF THE JUNGLE (2001):

 
Homoerotic Japanese Tarzan, anybody? Speaking of...
 
 
Skip Cows (スキップカウズ) - The Great Hunting (ザ・グレート・ハンティング) (2001):

 
Yeah... sometimes covers can speak for themselves.

It seems that the design was made by a member of the band (I think it's Ko-ki?)
 
This thread is funny but in my opinion, there are definitely more horrible covers than beautiful ones hahaha 
 
Here is my selection:
 
ALiBi – ЯOCK★STAR (2009)
 

 
Anli Pollicino – Fahrenheit 31 (2009)
 

 
Awake – ★Heavy★Decorationz★Party★ (2012)
 

 
BORN – オルタナティヴ・タランチュラ (2015)
 

 
DOG inThePWO – ミラクルSUPER超DX (2012)
 

 
Kra – Life～Today is a very good day to Die～ (2009)
 

 
SCREW – Brilliant (2016)
 

 
カメレオ (Kameleo) – KAMENICATION！(2016)
 

 
You're welcome...

There must be a duplicate thread, because I know these have been posted before. Anyway, my "fave" worst CD covers:

Dear L'Novel - 罪と罰(Tsumi to Batsu) 

 
ViViD - Message
 

Dear L'Novel's is one of the few albums that I truly enjoy but refuse to buy, because the album art would haunt me. And yet, the ViViD one is somehow worse, because they were actually a major band. Can you imagine who designed these covers and thought "Yup, these are good to go!"

YOU CAN'T BEAT SMILE ANW XDD
 

 
Every time I take my album with me....I cry a bit. xD
It's the first hideous thing that came in my mind, there are surely others.. xD

*listens to ICP once*
 

im actually enjoying this debate all sides are spilling tea and is probably one of the smarter quarrels i've heard on here in a while
 
ps the oricon sales were surprising...how did messiah and sabato flop when they're meji's best songs but shitatrical blue black was....shite
 
also @filth_ywho are these ghost writing bands you are discussing plz open our minds

When the discussion gets strung out too far and everyone sounds like a bunch of

lmao you're literally sitting here implying people's opinions aren't credible because they aren't ~part of the scene~ and you don't seem to understand why they're getting salty with you?
 
Here's the thing YOU seem confused about. You seem to be confusing "your consumption and interaction with the band are financially irrelevant" to "your opinion is irrelevant and no one should care about it." Let's, for a moment, humor whoever it was in this thread who said vk is "art." Here's the thing about art - once it's produced and released into the world, in whatever form it may be in, it's out of the artists' hands, and it becomes a matter of opinion and interpretation for whoever is consuming it in whatever manner they see fit. You don't get to sit here and tell people the ~correct~ way to consume it (i.e. attending lives in Japan) and you don't get to sit here and tell them their opinions are invalid because they're not consuming it in the way it was "intended" or in the way that is most financially profitable for the band. If Miley Cyrus owns literally thousands of hip hop CDs then I imagine she has her reasons for having her opinions, and while obviously no one is obligated to take her opinion seriously, that doesn't mean it's baseless. In fact, let's rework that last sentence in the context of this thread and see what happens:

"It's kind of like [a foreign visual kei fan] wanting people to care about her opinion on [visual kei]. She's free to do so, but nobody's going to giving it much weight, irrelevant of how much she may or may not be a fan of [visual kei], how many CDs she owns, etc. because it's not based on anything credible."

 

@jduv86
Actually, they're not VK!  
I think Mr. Merry said something about how he made the MV himself. And once again it's not for $"Casper but for him doing the opening act at Shiki's birthday
 

I'm happy Mejibray is taking a break. I really agree with the fact that they haven't really put out anything too great for awhile now and it could do their music wonders. Think about the Gazette. Whether you hated or love their Dogma project, it was a HUGE refreshment from what they were putting out prior. That almost 2 year gap between releases helped them tremendously. 
 
 
----- that's all I have to say  opinion wise on the matter. If you want to continue reading after this, I just jumped into the most recent debate for a quick spell. Nothing serious. ----
 
To say that the opinion of a fan who buys their products, but doesn't see their lives is unimportant is wrong though. Whether buying their ticket and seeing them live or buying their stuff, that money IS what keeps the band going.  I don't think the band really would care if 5 people didn't show up to a show, but 5 people bought their DVD, CDs, posters, etc. at the same value as the ticket.  Also, some people aren't able to make it out to a show (small venue, tickes sold out. Work schedule conflicts, etc, etc) or can't even get to be in Japan to see these bands. Their opinion might not matter to you, but it does matter. But I'm sure you've seen EVERY band live before you decided to criticize them or like them, right?
 
 
I agree with this statement, except the studio album part. With the technology available to sound engineers, you can take someone who sounds as nasally and flat as Sakito (ex. Duel e Quartz) and make him sound as godly as Asagi from D. You can take anything from the "CRAPPY songs to cure people from rare indies bands obsession" thread and make it sound like L'arc en CIel or Dir en Grey gold. It has no indicate of the skill.
 
In conclusion, all of your opinions are valid to a degree because that is what keeps the band alive. Buying tickets, buying products, and SPREADING THE WORD about the band whether good or band KEEPS THE BAND ALIVE because it all leads to monetary value for the band to continue.
 
Sorry to go on and on and on. lol.
 

well as a useless baka gaijin I guess I'd better quit listening to vk and following vk bands and buying vk bands' CDs and merch and just giving a shit about vk at all then, if I can't go to lives ever, even though this is 2017 we're living in and everything gets consumed internationally these days through this magical invention called the Internet

I'm happy Mejibray is taking a break. I really agree with the fact that they haven't really put out anything too great for awhile now and it could do their music wonders. Think about the Gazette. Whether you hated or love their Dogma project, it was a HUGE refreshment from what they were putting out prior. That almost 2 year gap between releases helped them tremendously. 
 
 
----- that's all I have to say  opinion wise on the matter. If you want to continue reading after this, I just jumped into the most recent debate for a quick spell. Nothing serious. ----
 
To say that the opinion of a fan who buys their products, but doesn't see their lives is unimportant is wrong though. Whether buying their ticket and seeing them live or buying their stuff, that money IS what keeps the band going.  I don't think the band really would care if 5 people didn't show up to a show, but 5 people bought their DVD, CDs, posters, etc. at the same value as the ticket.  Also, some people aren't able to make it out to a show (small venue, tickes sold out. Work schedule conflicts, etc, etc) or can't even get to be in Japan to see these bands. Their opinion might not matter to you, but it does matter. But I'm sure you've seen EVERY band live before you decided to criticize them or like them, right?
 
 
I agree with this statement, except the studio album part. With the technology available to sound engineers, you can take someone who sounds as nasally and flat as Sakito (ex. Duel e Quartz) and make him sound as godly as Asagi from D. You can take anything from the "CRAPPY songs to cure people from rare indies bands obsession" thread and make it sound like L'arc en CIel or Dir en Grey gold. It has no indicate of the skill.
 
In conclusion, all of your opinions are valid to a degree because that is what keeps the band alive. Buying tickets, buying products, and SPREADING THE WORD about the band whether good or band KEEPS THE BAND ALIVE because it all leads to monetary value for the band to continue.
 
Sorry to go on and on and on. lol.
 

Most of my VK experiences come from anime conventions. lol. I know lame.
 
L'arc en Ciel/VAMP - Otakon 04' and Otakon 13'? - In 04', L' arc en Ciel ripped it up and that's when I started falling in love with Japanese music. Hyde tried to ask us if we ate "crabs", but it came out sounding like "crap" XD . I was also in the DVD that they shot (during "Driver's High" the camera rolls pass my friends and I)!! . When Hyde came back for Vamp, he once again tried to ask us about "crabs", but failed again. lol It was funny, but really awesome show.
 
MUCC - Otakon 06' - Tatsurou had an obsession with flipping us off which caused a lot of the crowd to flip him off too. lol All in good humor. Mosh pits and headbanging ensued.   

I'm happy Mejibray is taking a break. I really agree with the fact that they haven't really put out anything too great for awhile now and it could do their music wonders. Think about the Gazette. Whether you hated or love their Dogma project, it was a HUGE refreshment from what they were putting out prior. That almost 2 year gap between releases helped them tremendously. 
 
 
----- that's all I have to say  opinion wise on the matter. If you want to continue reading after this, I just jumped into the most recent debate for a quick spell. Nothing serious. ----
 
To say that the opinion of a fan who buys their products, but doesn't see their lives is unimportant is wrong though. Whether buying their ticket and seeing them live or buying their stuff, that money IS what keeps the band going.  I don't think the band really would care if 5 people didn't show up to a show, but 5 people bought their DVD, CDs, posters, etc. at the same value as the ticket.  Also, some people aren't able to make it out to a show (small venue, tickes sold out. Work schedule conflicts, etc, etc) or can't even get to be in Japan to see these bands. Their opinion might not matter to you, but it does matter. But I'm sure you've seen EVERY band live before you decided to criticize them or like them, right?
 
 
I agree with this statement, except the studio album part. With the technology available to sound engineers, you can take someone who sounds as nasally and flat as Sakito (ex. Duel e Quartz) and make him sound as godly as Asagi from D. You can take anything from the "CRAPPY songs to cure people from rare indies bands obsession" thread and make it sound like L'arc en CIel or Dir en Grey gold. It has no indicate of the skill.
 
In conclusion, all of your opinions are valid to a degree because that is what keeps the band alive. Buying tickets, buying products, and SPREADING THE WORD about the band whether good or band KEEPS THE BAND ALIVE because it all leads to monetary value for the band to continue.
 
Sorry to go on and on and on. lol.
 

Overrated:
Tsuzuku
Yuuki
Kamijo
Gackt
Kyo
Karma
 
Underrated:
Jui
yo-ka
L
 
I'm actually surprised that L hasn't been mentioned here yet! Or maybe I just have strange taste lol. I had to mention 2/3 of the Tohoku brothers since I am on the rocks about Asagi. He definitely has some nice/unique vocals but I feel a good amount of people who have listened to D recognize that. However, no one really cares about D anymore it seems so I had no idea where to place him in these categories.
 
I think my overrated section is quite predictable. Some of the people I mention have awful vocals to me or I can't bear to listen to them for an extended amount of time. 
 

I'm happy Mejibray is taking a break. I really agree with the fact that they haven't really put out anything too great for awhile now and it could do their music wonders. Think about the Gazette. Whether you hated or love their Dogma project, it was a HUGE refreshment from what they were putting out prior. That almost 2 year gap between releases helped them tremendously. 
 
 
----- that's all I have to say  opinion wise on the matter. If you want to continue reading after this, I just jumped into the most recent debate for a quick spell. Nothing serious. ----
 
To say that the opinion of a fan who buys their products, but doesn't see their lives is unimportant is wrong though. Whether buying their ticket and seeing them live or buying their stuff, that money IS what keeps the band going.  I don't think the band really would care if 5 people didn't show up to a show, but 5 people bought their DVD, CDs, posters, etc. at the same value as the ticket.  Also, some people aren't able to make it out to a show (small venue, tickes sold out. Work schedule conflicts, etc, etc) or can't even get to be in Japan to see these bands. Their opinion might not matter to you, but it does matter. But I'm sure you've seen EVERY band live before you decided to criticize them or like them, right?
 
 
I agree with this statement, except the studio album part. With the technology available to sound engineers, you can take someone who sounds as nasally and flat as Sakito (ex. Duel e Quartz) and make him sound as godly as Asagi from D. You can take anything from the "CRAPPY songs to cure people from rare indies bands obsession" thread and make it sound like L'arc en CIel or Dir en Grey gold. It has no indicate of the skill.
 
In conclusion, all of your opinions are valid to a degree because that is what keeps the band alive. Buying tickets, buying products, and SPREADING THE WORD about the band whether good or band KEEPS THE BAND ALIVE because it all leads to monetary value for the band to continue.
 
Sorry to go on and on and on. lol.
 

Because 'visual kei' and 'quality control' are mutually incompatible 

It's the shortsightedness of the non-Japanese VK fan where they think if their close knit internet community is aware, then all of Japan must be. That's not the case. The average Japanese person has no clue most of the bands we discuss even exist. 

I'm saying just because you haven't see a band perform live, it doesn't mean you can't criticize them. Studio albums are indicative of an artist's musical skill and songwriting capabilities. If a band has five albums and I only like one of them, I think it's fair to say that I don't like the band's music. Seeing them live won't change anything. 

About time. Everything after 420 did not interest me, and seemed to be rapid fire releases in order to keep their popularity up and running.
 
I do believe this is the break they truly deserve. I have hope that whenever they do come back, it'll be something great and different.

Note that Malice Mizer is also on hiatus.