violetchain

Can finally cross Tiger Army off the list of bands I've wanted to see since I was 15. It was kind of shocking to see just how little Nick 13 has changed physically since I first watched one of their YouTube videos back in like 2005. He looks and sounds almost exactly the same, and I can't tell if it's just that he always used to look much older than his actual age in his 20s or if he looks incredible for 40-something. Probably a bit of both. I'm a sucker for retro rock, so the sound of the new album is right up my alley too. Didn't even recognize Mike Fasano drumming for them until he introduced the band members. Hearing that name totally brought me back to my Metal Sludge reading days too. Was like warping 13 years back in time.

Maybe JPU Records, but I think the only VK band they release stuff from is the GazettE and, well, there's a pretty big difference in popularity between them and DIMLIM.

Since Jack Caper have been kind enough to add big, colourful subtitles (and even pictures!) for most of the dialogue in their new YouTube videos like variety shows, I decided to try to translate this video. It's from a series of interviews where the members all answer the same 20 or so questions to introduce themselves to the fans. For whatever reason, Riku added some extra questions in at the beginning for Hiro that none of the others answered, so those aren't numbered. My Japanese is atrocious, so even with the subtitles there are some bits I didn't understand, which I've highlighted in red and marked with "**". If anyone wants to help fill those in, please feel free. Any corrections are very welcome. Riku: Question time! Hiro: YAAAAAAAAYYYYY!!! Riku: The reverberation (“yoin”) is really long (laughs) Hiro: Isn’t the reverberation still good?** ^(This is some sort of bad joke - he says “Yoin wa mou yoi n?”) What would you want to be if you were reborn? Hiro: I think I’d like to be myself again. What do you think of when someone says ‘summer’? Hiro: If it’s summer…TUBE! And Kuwata Keisuke. Riku: And if we’re talking about songs representative of TUBE? Hiro: Ah~ natsu yasumi~! Riku: As expected, that’s correct! 1. What is your part (his role in the band)? Hiro: The cash register at the supermarket! 2. What made you want to do that part? Hiro: I wanted money! 3. What is your blood type? Hiro: Sakuran joutai Type-A…B (AB) Riku: What’s that supposed to mean? Hiro: It’s from a DIR EN GREY song! There’s one where the lyrics go “Sakuran joutai TYPE-A” ^(he means “myaku”) Riku: (part I didn’t catch) Hiro: Kuwagata (Stag beetle). (More stuff I didn’t catch) 4. Where are you from? Hiro: Adachi City, Tokyo! 5. What are your hobbies? Hiro: Spearfishing. 6. What are your special skills? Hiro: Finding peoples’ faults. It’s the worst, isn’t it? Riku: The worst. 7. Favourite food? Hiro: Sweet things. 8. Things you hate?* (*When he reads the question, Riku omits the “tabe” part of “tabemono” that specifies it’s about food) Hiro: Riku. Riku: That’s wrong! Foods you hate! Even so, that was a shock. (laughs) Hiro: Liver. Riku: Do you have to do that for each one? Hiro: Ireba! (Dentures!) Riku: Do you need to move like that though? Hiro: (laughs) My body’s just moving on its own. I can’t just be quiet and answer! Riku: Well, I wish you’d calm down a bit (laughs) 9. Favourite artists? Hiro: Southern All Stars, Nakajima Miyuki and Sada Masashi Riku: What do you like about them? Hiro: -- (didn’t get this part)** 12. Type of girl you like? Hiro: A slave. Someone that will faithfully listen to what I say. Someone who will go “Yes!” even if I say “I’m good, but you’re not.” Riku: Which kind of slave is that? Hiro: (laughs) 10. What do you like about yourself? Hiro: Generally, I’m pretty smart. 11. Things you hate about yourself? Hiro: I’m too good of a person. I’m always sacrificing myself because I want to make the people around me happy. Riku: (snort of disbelief) Hiro: What? Is something weird about that? Riku: I’m just thinking “He’s saying that with a straight face” Hiro: (laughs) It’s true! Riku: Quit acting.** (laughs) 13. How you spend your days off? Hiro: Messing around with my bike. 14. If you had to share a room with a member of the band for a month, who would be good and who would be bad? Hiro: I’d like to try sharing a room with all of the members. All: Ohh Hiro: But Riku would be bad. (laughs) Riku: Everyone has been saying I’d be bad! (laughs) Hiro: Because you’re messy! Riku: What’s so bad about that~?** 15. What do you want to do with Jack Caper? Hiro: I’d like to live together on a deserted island for a month! Choco: I can’t deal with bugs~! Hiro: You can eat the bugs! 16. Prefecture in Japan you want to go to? Hiro: Oita Prefecture! Riku: Why? Hiro: Because I’ve always wanted to try being a fisherman in Oita. Riku: Oh, to scope it out** Hiro: Recently I’m also interested in the Ogasawara Islands. I was researching some of the world’s picturesque views yesterday as well, and since the Ogasawara Islands were mentioned— Choco: Which prefecture are the islands in? Hiro: Tokyo. If you put the boat and accommodation together, the cheapest trip there is around 70 000 yen. (About $700)** All: So expensive! Hiro: If you go on the fastest boat, it’s 24 hours. The second fastest is 25.5 hours. One-way trip. Riku: (didn’t get this line - some joke about giants?)** 17. Most recent YouTube video you watched? Hiro: Probably something like Game Center Mikado’s KOF (King of Fighters) tournament. 18. If you weren’t in a band, what would you be doing? Hiro: Fisherman. 19. What’s something that you’re glad you bought recently? Hiro: A bicycle! Well, I didn’t buy it, it was bought for me. I haven’t really bought much myself recently, but water – I bought water recently. I thought I’d try drinking mineral water. The water in Tokyo always tastes so chlorinated.** Riku: It’s not that water that’s supposed to boost your power, is it? Hiro: Chikara mizu! (laughs) Recently, I buy water at regular intervals.** ^"Chikara Mizu", or "Power Water", is the name of the product Riku: Like some sort of secret agent. (laughs) Hiro: I won’t say the name of the product. 20. A message to yourself after one year. Hiro: Are you still a genius? 21. A message to yourself after ten years. Hiro: Is Riku still alive? (laughs) Riku: Don’t kill me~ Seriously. Hiro: Are bikes flying in the sky? Riku: A message to yourself! (laughs) Hiro: To myself in ten years? Shuma: It became a message to the time period (laughs) Hiro: When you felt you had to persist, it wasn't a mistake!** Riku: I feel like I’ve heard that before… Hiro: Myself in ten years, huh… Are you getting married? (laughs) Riku: You’re doing It seriously, huh? (laughs) Hiro: Are you a fisherman now? Are you a bandman? Or have you even become a man that relies on women for money like Riku? Riku: Hey! Shut up (#^w^) (laughs) Don’t say that. Hiro: No matter which path you walk, all you can think is that you’re a success. In this life, can you still think that way about yourself? (blows kiss) Riku: You kissed yourself? Hiro: In my life, I don’t think I’ve failed much. No matter what kind of life I live, I think it’ll be a success. Riku: That’s all the questions. Hiro: Well, we’re going out like this. Finally, this shitty guy (Riku) is going to answer some questions, so- ^Riku's video is going to be the last one in the series Riku: Cut it out! (laughs) Hiro: Enjoy! See you!

I kind of wish they'd filmed some scenes outdoors, since that's more the image I had in my head when I read the lyrics, but it's a pretty MV. Great colours. They all look good, but man, Zuu looks surprisingly cool with the dark hair and more subdued styling.

I think 01 might be "Covert Aggression"

I’ve only watched the Pokémon anime up to the orange islands, and I’m several generations behind with the games. Didn’t realize they modeled one after VK singers.

God, he's so cute.

I saw this on the Twitter feed of a band I follow, and now I feel like I'm missing out on some quality laughs by not listening to NAZARE. Gotta get around to checking them out.

Do they save all the chic looks for the cheki or something? Would be a totally plausible business model for a VK band, tbh.

Just saw MAN WITH A MISSION tonight in Toronto. Was genuinely shocked by how many people they drew. They even seemed surprised by how packed the place was. I'm not really all that familiar with them, but my friend wanted to go and I like the 5 or so songs of theirs I know, so I figured I might as well take a shot. Definitely worth it. I had a lot of fun. The fans around me in the line and during the show were also some of the friendliest I've ever encountered at a concert. Would 100% go again.

Daisuke is the vocalist from THE SOUND BEE HD, and he was the singer for the band media youth back in the 90s.

I was just thinking the other day that Farfetch'd should really have an evolution by now, and this came up in my Twitter feed. It's actually perfect, and now I'm frustrated it doesn't exist in the old games I own.

Since their bass player announced that he's leaving soon they've been posting quite a few live videos of this track, so I thought I'd finally get around to translating it. さよなら / Goodbye Music and Lyrics: Shinoyama Kosei I was living to save you, but I wasn’t the one you wanted to be with Since that day, I’ve lost my reason to live You say you’ve found meaning in your life That’s great I dreamed of the future I abandoned when I was 15, And when I tried to look back to it, it floated to the surface and disappeared again* I don’t have anything precious to me anymore But when I close my eyes and think back, I’m enveloped by a gentle warmth Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Please be gentle with me, it’d be great if you could Please stay connected with me, even if it’s just for now Please love someone, it’s fine even if it's not me Please live on, it’s fine even if it’s just until you die I don’t have anything precious to me anymore But when I close my eyes and think back, I’m enveloped by a gentle warmth Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Be happy, okay? Live peacefully, okay? Although, from this point on, I’ll never forgive you** I don’t have anything precious to me anymore But when I close my eyes and think back, I’m enveloped by a gentle warmth Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Goodbye, goodbye I don’t have anything precious to me anymore Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Morning is coming Morning is coming Notes: *Not really sure about this line **I think this is the only way it makes sense, but the “de” at the end is making me kind of worried that I’m reading this wrong さよなら / Sayonara Anata o sukuu tame ni ikite ita kedo Anata o sukuu mono wa boku ja nakatta Ano hi kara ikiru imi o boku wa ushinatta Anata wa ikiru imi o mitsukete itta Yokatta Juu-go-sai de houki shita mirai o yume miru koto o Furikaetta you ni mata ukande wa kieru Taisetsu na mono nante boku ni wa mou nakatta yo Me o tojite omoidasu yawaraka na nukumori o Sayonara sayonara sayonara sayonara Sayonara sayonara sayonara sayonara Yasashikute kudasai dekireba de ii kara Tsunaide ite kudasai ima dake de ii kara Aishite ite kudasai boku ja nakute ii kara Ikite ite kudasai shinu made de ii kara Taisetsu na mono nante boku ni wa mou nakatta yo Me o tojite omoidasu yawaraka na nukumori o Sayonara sayonara sayonara sayonara Sayonara sayonara sayonara sayonara Shiawase ni natte ne Odayaka ni ikite ne Kore kara mo eien ni yurusanaide yo Taisetsu na mono nante boku ni wa mou nakatta yo Me o tojite omoidasu yawaraka na nukumori o Sayonara sayonara sayonara sayonara Sayonara sayonara sayonara sayonara Taisetsu na mono nante boku ni wa mou nakatta yo Sayonara sayonara sayonara Asa ga kuru yo Asa ga kuru yo Kanji: http://j-lyric.net/artist/a05cc31/l040944.html I also translated this Twitter exchange as an added bonus, because I thought it was pretty sweet (especially given the current circumstances). It's about Shinoyama, but I think it captures a lot of what I love about this band. Fuyukan Chie is a singer-songwriter that has been working with the band on various things - she featured on one of their songs, made a video for them, etc. Fuyukan Chie: I want to know why Shinoyama Kosei is loved, so people that like Shinoyama-san, won’t you tell me what is it that’s good about him? I just genuinely want to know what parts of him are charming. Suda Yuuki: His songs, his voice, his words, his height, his sensitivity. He’s also a king of random trivia. And, around when I joined Suck a Stew Dry, he said “You’re a good bassist.” Shinoyama Kosei: You’re a good bassist. (Now as well) Fuyukan: His height… ! lol lol Overall, these reasons are very like you, so they’re good. Thanks for telling me!

Jesus, I'm crying. That lyme disease line alone.

Not liking Kiyoharu is perfectly fine. His voice and style are definitely polarizing. It's just saying things like "if I met him I'd want to vomit" and "he should do the world a favour and put a bag over his head" feels a bit like overkill for a lighthearted discussion on an internet forum. I mean, it's not like he's going to read it, but that is a human being you're talking about.

Eh, that's a bit one-sided. My Japanese is not very good, so I might be wrong, but I think Asty's message mentioned that, in addition to harassing fans that he felt weren't participating enough in Kaitou's set, Masato also insulted Asty directly onstage, saying things like "a shitty band like Asty". It also specifies that when they confronted him about it and said "If doing things like that is just part of your act, you should get the other band's consent", he was like "Aren't you an independent band? Since you're not backed by anyone, there's no need to ask for something like permission", which is pretty disrespectful. It might be a bit of an overreaction to say they won't play any taibans together in the future, but I don't think they're wrong to not want to deal with someone that both openly disrespects them and irritates their fans. As far as I can tell, Asty just posted that message from Kinoko because Masato said they didn't tell Kaitou they were going to make this taiban announcement on their Twitter? Asty's Twitter says that they sent a message to a member they had been communicating with (Kinoko) and he apologized for the situation and gave them the ok to post it. The DM screenshot clearly shows this interaction. Idk, I thought they were pretty cordial in the Tweet. They said it's an easy time for such misunderstandings to occur due to missed messages/the limitations of the style of communication.