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Ito

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  1. LOLOL
    Ito reacted to IGM_Oficial in Worst Jrock CD Cover   
    Pretty ugly, "imo"
  2. Like
    Ito reacted to YuyoDrift in Earphones/Headphones   
    Who else here ordered the Massdrop HD58X Headphones?
    Mine just came in after more than 1/2 a year haha. Gonna break them in with some light listening tonight.
  3. Like
    Ito got a reaction from plastic_rainbow in Show Yourself (again)   
    Here's a selfie with everyone that was still around for the very end of my Jrock panel at Acen this year.
     

  4. Like
    Ito reacted to 123Sandman321 in What video games are you currently playing?   
    I mustered the courage the finish NieR:Automata's ending E, after nearly 2 months...needless to say, I was emotionally wrecked. The whole game was downright the best gaming experience I ever had.
     
    And Final Fantasy XV finally got mod support, so that is definitely gonna add to my 100 hours of playtime  
  5. Like
    Ito reacted to Jigsaw9 in Show Yourself (again)   
    gots me some new eye-windows 👓
  6. LOLOL
    Ito reacted to suji in Worst Jrock CD Cover   
    Zerogumi had postponed the release of this single because of production issues, but I think they also had trouble finding a decent artist for the covers...
     


     
    good ol' comic sans
  7. LOLOL
    Ito reacted to Alkaloid in Worst Jrock CD Cover   
    Drastic Will - Counterfeit

     
    The fact that the title was clearly made in WordArt is hilarious.
  8. Like
    Ito got a reaction from Paraph in Worst Jrock CD Cover   
    I forgot how terrible the cover was for Rentrer en Soi's Amongst Foolish Enemies

  9. Like
    Ito got a reaction from AwesomeNyappy in Show Yourself (again)   
    Here's a selfie with everyone that was still around for the very end of my Jrock panel at Acen this year.
     

  10. Like
    Ito got a reaction from chemicalpictures in Show Yourself (again)   
    Here's a selfie with everyone that was still around for the very end of my Jrock panel at Acen this year.
     

  11. Like
    Ito got a reaction from ghost in Show Yourself (again)   
    Here's a selfie with everyone that was still around for the very end of my Jrock panel at Acen this year.
     

  12. Like
    Ito reacted to Peace Heavy mk II in The Upcoming Video Game Discussion Topic   
    I'm going to E3 this year and I am excited to hear the Smash Bros lineup~
  13. Like
    Ito got a reaction from plastic_rainbow in Live Report: Last Wish (envy, downy, HELLBENT, heaven in her arms)   
    Sounds like a killer show - having seen Envy live before, I can't imagine them without Tetsuya and I'm so glad to hear that he's back.
  14. Like
    Ito reacted to plastic_rainbow in Live Report: Last Wish (envy, downy, HELLBENT, heaven in her arms)   
    On April 1st, 2016 the news of Tetsuya's departure from the influential hardcore, screamo, and post-rock band envy brought great despair to many fans. He was the heart of the band that evoked intense feelings through his raw and emotive vocals. Fans lost hope in envy's future once Tetsuya left. Still, envy continued on without him and after being quiet for two years they finally announced a live performance with a new line-up for April 1st, 2018. Strangely enough, the live performance took place exactly two years after Tetsuya's departure. And even more strange is that both occurrences took place on April 1st which, as we all know, is the day of jokes and pranks. Back in 2016 we all hoped that Tetsuya's departure was an April Fools joke, but after not hearing anything we all accepted that it was the truth. So naturally, when envy announced a new line-up this year for April 1st as well, none of us speculated that it was a joke either. However, when the day arrived everything became clear.
     
    The live show was titled 'Last Wish', after the name of envy's single released back in 2000, and took place at Daikanyama UNIT. I must thank @qotka for navigating to the live venue, which sits just south of Shibuya. Inside the live venue there is a floor level for lockers and merchandise, and once you go down another level you will find the live hall. The size of the hall was quite average with a capacity of 600 people. Given that most people were only here for envy not many people showed up at the beginning, but it gradually grew more packed after each band until we were shoulder to shoulder.
     
    heaven in her arms was the first band to play, which I could already tell based on the white butterfly logo placed on the back of the stage. I had forgotten what the band looked like, but when the vocalist walked on stage with a black cap on I could clearly see the envy worship. I'm not well-versed in their discography so I couldn't recognize most of the songs they played but I do know that they played a few songs from their recent album 白暈 (White Halo). I'm certain they played "終焉の眩しさ" because I remember the opening with solemn crystal bells and pianos that later led to a burst of guitar riffs and drums. The live hall felt so still in that moment with the dark blue lighting, and feeling that transition from a stillness to a violent beat was a cool way to start the performance. The vocalist put a lot of emotion into his screams, but the spoken word sections were a little quiet and hard to hear from the blasting instruments. It was not as clear as it was on CD. Also, maybe it's because everything usually sounds louder during lives but I had trouble picking out the metal sound of heaven in her arms and I had the impression that they sounded a lot like envy, as I did when I first listened to them. In any case, they were amazing live and I would like to see them again. 
     
    The next band that played was HELLBENT, which I thought was some band from the US when I quickly googled the name. Turns out that they're actually a really underground Japanese psychobilly band. I can't give a good review of them because I lost my spot during the intermission while taking a short bathroom break and did not have a good view of the stage when I came back. Their performance was quite intense though and the vocalist would pick up the mic stand every so often and swing it around on stage, at least from what I could see. They had a video playing in the background with mostly visuals of old vhs-looking forests, for some odd reason. For such a chaotic performance, I thought the visuals were not very fitting and it was just kind of strange.
     
    I got my spot back closer to the stage once downy came on. It's unfortunate that I did not get to see them with Yutaka Aoki, who sadly recently passed away. It seems like they got a support guitarist for the remaining live shows that were scheduled this year, though I'm not sure who it is. I'm still fairly new to downy so I can't speak much for how much of an effect this has on their performance, but they were quite stellar nevertheless. Their performance felt much longer than the previous two bands as they played about 8 songs. Most of the songs they played were fast and maybe only one song was really slow. Robin Aoki sings just as good as he does on CD and the bass is super thick live! I didn't realize how killer the basslines were until I heard "曦ヲ見ヨ!" live. Such incredible skill and technique. During their whole performance they had abstract visuals playing in the background. A fiery red was used for intense and fast songs while tranquil blues or black and white were used for slower songs/sections. If you've seen any of their music videos, the live encapsulates the very same kind of mood, except that you're now physically standing in that dimension and taking in their dingy world. Outstanding performance.
     
    At last, the curtain rose for envy. While standing in the darkness, I thought about their new line-up and kept on wondering what they would sound like without Tetsuya. Then, when the lights lit up and envy started playing, Tetsuya was standing right there on stage giving out his screams. The crowd instantly went wild and pushed everyone to the front. People were cheering all around and punching their fists to the air, you could feel the ecstasy and excitement everywhere. Out of all the non-VK lives I've seen this was the most energy I've seen from a crowd, but this is mostly speaking for the J-indie scene only as I'm sure some bigger Jrock bands have wild crowds as well, or maybe not I don't know. The pushing stopped after 2 minutes or so, but there were still a number of people cheering with their fists. When they performed "Footsteps in the Distance" Tetsuya cleverly declared his return during the spoken word section with the last few words being 'ただ一つ救えがあるなら僕はここに戻るよ' (If there is one way to be saved, I'll return here). At first I thought it was a message Tetsuya specifically had for the fans, but listening to the song again it's actually part of the song, therefore the cleverness in his return. Hearing him say that and knowing that he was really back was the highlight of the experience, and now as I listen to "Footsteps in the Distance" I will recall this memory every time. envy just isn't envy without Tetsuya after all. I couldn't get a view of all the members (including the new members) since the people who got pushed to the front blocked some of my view, but I did not feel that envy's sound changed much. Perhaps they'll bring in new ideas for the band in the future. I'd seen envy two times before, but I was absolutely stunned by the energy and emotion of this performance, even after I left the live venue.
  15. Like
    Ito got a reaction from platy in Distant Worlds - Music from Final Fantasy   
    Any one else been to one of these concerts?
    I just attended one in Chicago this last Sunday at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra...it was just pure awesomeness.
    Admittedly, it has been a fair amount of time since the last time I have seen a live symphony of any kind, but that probably only added to the experience. I was sitting very close to the center on the third floor (first floor was too expensive and second floor was boxes), I made sure when getting my ticket to pick somewhere that would be in the sweet spot.
    For those of you who haven't gone to one before, an Orchestra plays the music of final fantasy and video is played on a projector screen over head of Final Fantasy footage. Frankly, while the video added to a few songs (like the Chocobo Medley), I could have done with out it and I found that I spent a good deal of the show just closing my eyes and listening, trying extra hard to take it all in.
    While I am by no means a classical fan (though I do enjoy it), there is something very different about going to a live of an orchestra vs listening to it on headphones...Something far more than any more musical genre...This is something only enhanced by the fact that most of the pieces that they played have found there way close to my heart already by the hours I have spent playing final fantasy. And while you can argue that while this isn't pure classical, and maybe not as impressive Korsakov, Beethoven, or Chopin, some on Nobuo Uematsu's work has a way of working its way under your skin and really touching you.
    The first half of the concert was alright in comparison to the second half. Susan Calloway screwed up pretty bad in the beginning Suteki da ne, but the rest was good (though I can't say I care for her voice). The piano version of Those Who Fight was awesome...and of course the Chocobo Medley. But the second half....fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. We started of with Dark World from VI, one I have never played, but damn if this song didn't haunt me...it was incredible. Maria and Draco was a pretty fun song, the opera was a bit different but just made it kind of playful...and I hate to sound stereotypical, but One Winged Angel was fucking awesome. They used the song for the encore and used the entire crowd (around 2,500 people is my guess) to sing the Latin in the song, it was Brilliant.
    Any other experiences?
  16. Like
    Ito reacted to suji in X JAPAN playing Coachella 2018   
    Pretty sure it's mainly because we can all agree with the fact that Yoshiki is an egotistical dickwad who only cares about playing celebrity instead of actually doing his job.
  17. Like
    Ito reacted to suji in Post your "UNPOPULAR" music opinions!   
    the god and death stars >>> gibkiy x3
  18. Like
    Ito got a reaction from Anne Claire in Worst Jrock CD Cover   
    I forgot how terrible the cover was for Rentrer en Soi's Amongst Foolish Enemies

  19. LOLOL
    Ito reacted to herpes in X JAPAN playing Coachella 2018   
    Sad news, Taiji’s hologram was arrested for assaulting a female hologram, he will not be joining the band for the show.
  20. Like
    Ito got a reaction from IGM_Oficial in Worst Jrock CD Cover   
    One can only hope that cover was approved after his death, because lord it's awful.
  21. Like
    Ito got a reaction from suji in New hide tribute album 『hide TRIBUTE IMPULSE』 (HISASHI, T.M.Revolution, MIYAVI, etc)   
    Tribute impulse? More like they need impulse control.
    Still, this looks far more interesting than the last handful of hide tribute albums.
  22. Like
    Ito reacted to Original Saku in ANIME TRASH TALK THREAD   
    man your words cut deep.
     
    It's cool though FLCL is definitely not for everyone, I have noticed people who never seen it back in the day are more likely to not really enjoy the show from my experiences. Obviously as great deal of nostalgia comes into play as well with this show. I recently urged a friend who had never seen it to check it out in preparation for the 2nd and 3rd seasons later this year... and yeah he pretty much stopped after the second or third episodes and couldn't continue, broke my heart, but I understand what can be off putting about the series.
     
    I still rank FLCL in my top 10 of all time shows though. It's just the perfect OVA  nothing has gotten close to the level of satisfaction and compactness and just overall quality since imo.
  23. wow
    Ito reacted to Lestat in ANIME TRASH TALK THREAD   
    I am quite sure I am about to offend @YuyoDrift with this, but I absolutely loathed FLCL. If one anime was ever the cause for anxiety attacks due to sensory overload, it would be this one. What a nonsensical, ugly and ill-conceived piece of garbage. Whoever today still claims this to be a 'coming-of-age' masterpiece needs to straighten themselves out; there is absolutely no story, no plot and no secretive and underlying hidden meaning in this whatsoever.
  24. Like
    Ito got a reaction from togz in Stuff by Togz or something.   
    Looks legit to me.
  25. Like
    Ito reacted to EzraEroguro in New hide tribute album 『hide TRIBUTE IMPULSE』 (HISASHI, T.M.Revolution, MIYAVI, etc)   
    Yeo, T.M. Where the fuck is new Abingdon boys school?
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