peffy

Agitato GRIMOIRE new ver.
 

I'M NOT RACIST BUT
 
I am Asian (as in, "Oriental") and I prefer people who are Asian too. Ideally, someone who speaks a good amount of English and Cantonese and Japanese.
I just find it easier to relate, on a cultural level. 
 
I have had a crush on one white guy before... all others have been Asian.
 
 
Side note: my mother has said that if I ever dated someone with dark skin she'll have a heart attack/chain me up/murder the poor dude. =/

saku voice too sexy
 
must get credit card out

I previously only mentioned the VK-related bands I miss... so here's a bunch of non-VK disbanded/inactive favourites.. Sorry if my description of their genres sucks. I'm not very good at distinguishing genres.
 
 
(The Old) Hamasaki Ayumi - The last album of hers that I really liked was NEXT LEVEL (2009). Since then her voice has kind of changed and it's not really to my liking anymore. It's kind of sad because she's basically THE reason I got into Japanese music back in 2003. I really obsessively loved her albums LOVEppears, Duty, I am..., RAINBOW, Memorial Address, and MY STORY. Such classics.
 
ATTACK HAUS - I'd be surprised if anyone here has heard of them. This band made some kind of awesome mix of rock/rap/electronic music. I am still obsessed with their albums ATTACK HAUS (2004), W8 (2005), and Life (2006).
 
fra-foa - If you ever wanted to hear a raw-voiced female singing/yelling as though she was in deep emotional pain, this was the band for you. Vocalist Mikami Chisako, at times, gave no fucks if she was on key or on time. Their album Chuu no Fuchi (2001) remains near the top of my all-time favourites list.
 
(The Old) BUGY CRAXONE - Long one of my favourites, this band has gone through many different phases, but the current one is not really appealing to me. They began as a heavily-produced alternative rock band back in 1999, themed around emo feelings. Then they progressed to a more stripped-down garage-punk band aesthetic in 2002, themed around sounding pissed off. Then they became a fairly mellow folksy band in 2012, themed around being super happy. I don't generally like folksy happy music, but I still buy their albums out of habit.
 
Aya (亜矢) - A very hard-hitting female rocker with a great voice. She was apparently heavily inspired by Kurt Cobain? Her last album was released in 2004. As I understand it, she did not like working with record companies and just ended up wandering around Japan playing random gigs.
 
D[di:] - This girl was terrible at singing, but that added to her charm. I think she was actually a "mixed media artist". She released two hard rock/punk albums (2003 & 2004) with a bunch of really cool artwork that she drew.
 
REDЯUM - They initially started out as "trip-hop". They had a pretty mellow, hypnotic style, and had a female vocalist that fit that style perfectly. Later became more of a conventional rock-ish band and therefore less good. Sadly disbanded in 2008.
 
school food punishment - Well, actually I never got super into this band. They had a few songs that I really liked. Great female vocalist, and a pretty cool keyboard-heavy style.
 
 
Plus, a long list of female pop/R&B singers that I really liked, but they only released like one or two albums before disappearing (as far as I know):
 
Hinouchi Emi
akane
SHY
mini
Kuriyama Chiaki (well, she's still acting, I think)
Shono Juli
Nobuchika Eri
SNoW

First off, I just want to clarify that I'm not going to try and make any claims about which era of vk is objectively "better." I got into it in the early 2000's, so for me, that time period will always be rosy and nostalgic and I have an attachment for it that I will probably never have for anything else. Due le quartz was my first love and has stayed with me stronger than anyone else, not because I think other bands' music isn't comparable in quality, but because I fell for them before others.
 
So with that disclaimer aside, I definitely don't feel the same way (on average) about modern vk. I'm not saying there aren't good bands - there are some brilliant ones out there - but if I look at the fraction of popular 2000's bands I was a fairly strong fan of, vs the fraction of today's bands that I'm a strong fan of, the latter is definitely smaller. Whether that's because there are more shitty bands, or just fewer bands whose style appeals to me personally, I don't know. The overall spirit and mood has certainly changed somewhat, and if you like it, that's totally great for you! But I'm not obligated to feel the same way. My interest definitely plummeted around the end of the last decade when a lot of the active bands that were closest to my heart disbanded (like D'espairsRay and Rentrer en Soi), and after that happened, I always felt like I had a hard time finding other bands that I felt were anywhere close to their level. There were popular rising stars like Lycaon that everybody else seemed to love, and I just thought they were okay and didn't feel the same hype about them that others did.
 
I also think it's telling that most of my favorite modern bands are revival/cover bands like Gossip and Grieva, bands comprised of older musicians like Lin, or at least bands whose music I find in some way reminiscent of a decade ago. I'm not doing this on purpose; it's not like I say to myself "I'm only going to like old sounding bands!", but those end up being the ones I'm most attracted to. If they weren't here, I'd still be listening to vk in general (there are bands like Mejibray and Codomo Dragon that aren't old-school at all that I also really like), but probably not with the same overall enthusiasm.
 
tl;dr the scene changes, my tastes don't change so much, and I'm grateful there are still bands around that play music that's up my alley.

I like the preview.
But I'm disappointed that Type C's bonus track is just a remix of a not-that-great song, which I already paid way too much money to get.. oh well, I hope it's a good remix.

SECRET KISS
 
music: コウ、eiki
lyrics: コウ
programming: eiki
 
 
Secret... 匂わせてフレイヴァー
Gotta you 乗り込むこの2シーター
Take me now,Fake love
Tell me my true self...
鮮やかに咲いたFlowers
背徳の美しさ故に毒
 
Cry...I die for you
Reach out to me
探るように伝う指先
曇るウインドウ
手探りのナイトドライヴ
Cry...I die for you
Reach out to me
“愛”ならタイムレス
感じてるエンディング
曖昧な関係 Baby let me break it down!!
 
Cry...I die for you
Reach out to me
want to forget SECRET KISS
 
Stop!! KISS＆KISS
その手止めて
深い闇に堕ちてゆく前に
KISS＆KISS
絡む舌に また許してしまいそうになる
Stop!! KISS＆KISS
くちびる止めて
これ以上溶け合うことが出来ないなら
せめて美しく散りたい
 
Secret... 匂わせてフレイヴァー
Gotta you 乗り込むこの2シーター
Take me now,Fake love
Tell me my true self...
鮮やかに咲いたFlowers
背徳の美しさ故に毒
 
Cry...I die for you
Reach out to me
Take me now,Fake love...
どうすればいい？ Baby let me break it down!!
 
Cry...I die for you
Reach out to me
want to forget SECRET KISS
 
Stop!! KISS＆KISS
その手止めて
深い闇に堕ちてゆく前に
KISS＆KISS
絡む舌に また許してしまいそうになる
Stop!! KISS＆KISS
くちびる止めて
これ以上溶け合うことが出来ないなら
せめて美しく...
 
Stop!! KISS＆KISS
触れた 刹那
後悔と裏腹 燃え上がる
KISS＆KISS
何も 見えない
この時に身を委ねてしまう
Stop!! KISS＆KISS
くちびる止めて
これ以上溶け合うことが出来ないなら
せめて美しく散りたい

I like the preview.
But I'm disappointed that Type C's bonus track is just a remix of a not-that-great song, which I already paid way too much money to get.. oh well, I hope it's a good remix.

I played and got the platinum trophy for Taco Master on Vita. It's basically a phone game, but it was on sale for half price ($2.99 -> $1.49). You do a lot of swiping to build the tacos people order. It was kind of fun, mildly challenging, and good for a bunch of quick trophies. Only noticed this game because Greg Miller (of Kinda Funny Games) kept insisting it's the greatest game on Vita (lol). 
 
I spent most of the weekend binge-playing The WItcher 3. I pissed off Yennefer on purpose, because I'm on Team Triss, and the result was pretty funny. A moment that stood out in one of the most depressing settings I've ever seen in a game. 

REIGN is definitely a mixed bag, I find them to be very hit-or-miss. They probably need to recruit a new member who's a good songwriter.
 
I'm sticking with them, though, because I have an irrational love for Ikuma. 

REIGN is definitely a mixed bag, I find them to be very hit-or-miss. They probably need to recruit a new member who's a good songwriter.
 
I'm sticking with them, though, because I have an irrational love for Ikuma. 

This talk of Gackt reminds me that I miss old Gackt. (unlike other people, I could not stand Malice Mizer but I was a big fan of Gackt solo)
 
My favourite Gackt album was MOON, released back in 2002. The last music of his that I actually liked was from RE:BORN (2009). Nothing he's released since then has stuck with me..... except I really loved his version of Episode.0, but he didn't write that one.

REIGN is definitely a mixed bag, I find them to be very hit-or-miss. They probably need to recruit a new member who's a good songwriter.
 
I'm sticking with them, though, because I have an irrational love for Ikuma. 

Two more singles? Sweet! I'm just happy to see these three still release music, I've had this bad feeling that they were going to split or something. >.> As for the album, it had some of their best songs, along with their worst. Speaking of their debut as a whole, it's overly average. I'm honestly a huge fan of their b-sides/bonus songs (just like And&), so the singles are more for me.

I've only been really into VK since 2010, and I still really love it. I am not likely to "burn out" because I don't listen to songs/albums on repeat, and I still listen to non-VK artists. I also lack the time/willingness to seek out new bands to listen to, so maybe I'm not as exposed to "shitty" bands as others are.. I have a bunch that I like and I tend to stick with them. Even within the limited group of bands I listen to, there are bands with interesting ideas, or great lyrics, or vocalists with really nice/intriguing voices, etc.
 
 
I cannot stand 80s/90s VK though. I haven't liked anything I've heard (full disclosure: I haven't heard very much). A big part of it might be the production values (or, lack of good-quality rips). Modern VK just sounds so much better to me, from a technical quality standpoint.. (and I don't even care if the vocalist has been auto-tuned like hell, as long as it makes them *sound* pleasant enough to my ear.) I also really hate the look of old school VK bands.. the makeup and hair just look bad to me (plus, lack of photoshop). 
 
 
I use too many brackets.

I've only been really into VK since 2010, and I still really love it. I am not likely to "burn out" because I don't listen to songs/albums on repeat, and I still listen to non-VK artists. I also lack the time/willingness to seek out new bands to listen to, so maybe I'm not as exposed to "shitty" bands as others are.. I have a bunch that I like and I tend to stick with them. Even within the limited group of bands I listen to, there are bands with interesting ideas, or great lyrics, or vocalists with really nice/intriguing voices, etc.
 
 
I cannot stand 80s/90s VK though. I haven't liked anything I've heard (full disclosure: I haven't heard very much). A big part of it might be the production values (or, lack of good-quality rips). Modern VK just sounds so much better to me, from a technical quality standpoint.. (and I don't even care if the vocalist has been auto-tuned like hell, as long as it makes them *sound* pleasant enough to my ear.) I also really hate the look of old school VK bands.. the makeup and hair just look bad to me (plus, lack of photoshop). 
 
 
I use too many brackets.

Trailer was removed because of some controversy. A framed photo/painting in the trailer was revealed to be original concept art "stolen" from Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag.
 
Here's the slightly modified trailer:

 
 
There is a lot to be said for dedicated hardware. PCs can pack a lot of power, but I think the problem is optimization? When there are pretty much infinite combinations of hardware components, it can be difficult to optimize. Also, PCs are not dedicated - they have to reserve power/memory for other programs & background processes.
 
When a game developer has hardware with set specifications, especially in the case of Naughty Dog which is owned by that hardware's manufacturer and probably has a gigantic budget, they can accomplish a lot more than you'd think is possible.
 
(I based all of that on forum chatter I've read over the years, I don't really know a lot about it.)
 
I have never played an Uncharted game, though I 'own' Uncharted 3 & Golden Abyss via PlayStation Plus. Actually, I did play a demo of the first game but the gun fight it gave me was very off-putting. I don't really like guns in games.... 

In case you missed it before, this is not the first Otome dating sim Mahiro has been in.
 
"Boku wa anata ni koisuru" (Falling in love with you) was released 3 years ago, and featured 6 VK vocalists.
 
Aoi (Aoi-168-)
Yugiri (DaizyStripper)
Mahiro (Kiryu)
Mitsu (ν[NEU])
yo-ka (DIAURA)
Subaru (Royz)
 
That's the only one I know of.
I actually downloaded it to my phone, but didn't want to pay $3.99 for each dude so I never played it.

More info: http://www.4gamer.net/games/335/G033503/20160225088/
 
"Bakumatsu Meiji ~Koisuru Ryujinsama~" 
 
Platforms: iOS 6.0+ / Android 2.3.3+ (it specifies docomo/au/Softbank, not sure if that means it's limited to those carriers?)
 

 
Plot intro (please excuse my quick and possibly inaccurate translation):
 
You were on a vacation with your friends, but suddenly got dizzy and traveled through time to the Meiji era. A mysterious group of 5 people found you.
"Why is there a person here??" says Kurosaki Mahiro, mercilessly pointing a sword at you.
 
These men are Ryujin (dragon gods/spirits) called "Kiryu" who were forced to take human form by Amaterasu (the Shinto sun goddess). To return to the Palace of the Dragon King, they have a mission to defeat an evil god, and somehow you are forced to help them ?!?! On top of that, your duty is to work in the red-light district as an Oiran (courtesan) to extract info about the evil god from soldiers.
 
While working to complete the mission and return to your own world, love is born..........
Which Ryujin will you fall in love with?

More info: http://www.4gamer.net/games/335/G033503/20160225088/
 
"Bakumatsu Meiji ~Koisuru Ryujinsama~" 
 
Platforms: iOS 6.0+ / Android 2.3.3+ (it specifies docomo/au/Softbank, not sure if that means it's limited to those carriers?)
 

 
Plot intro (please excuse my quick and possibly inaccurate translation):
 
You were on a vacation with your friends, but suddenly got dizzy and traveled through time to the Meiji era. A mysterious group of 5 people found you.
"Why is there a person here??" says Kurosaki Mahiro, mercilessly pointing a sword at you.
 
These men are Ryujin (dragon gods/spirits) called "Kiryu" who were forced to take human form by Amaterasu (the Shinto sun goddess). To return to the Palace of the Dragon King, they have a mission to defeat an evil god, and somehow you are forced to help them ?!?! On top of that, your duty is to work in the red-light district as an Oiran (courtesan) to extract info about the evil god from soldiers.
 
While working to complete the mission and return to your own world, love is born..........
Which Ryujin will you fall in love with?

Kamijo should be the opening act for Queen Kaya.
 
Really hope Kaya releases more solo music.

Kamijo should be the opening act for Queen Kaya.
 
Really hope Kaya releases more solo music.

All this is missing is some yuri.

I'm sold, I don't care if it's only got one star. That didn't stop me with Dumb and Dumber To. XD