Non-Japanese Visual Bands

[ficsci 50]

(I dunno if there has been a thread about this. If there was, sorry that I couldn't find it, and please merge this with the older thread.)

I always find it kind of weird when people outside Japan are forming Visual bands. I mean, what I find weird is not the fact that they look or sound like a Visual band (I think "VK", or just the whole tradition of dressing up outrageously/theatrically in a musical performance is a pretty universal concept. And of course I'm not bothered with international bands having their sound influenced by VK bands, because hey we all have influences). Rather, I'm puzzled when they have Japanese stage names/band name/ lyrics etc. Maybe I shouldn't think that's weird, because perhaps back then it's also weird for bands outside an English-speaking country do the same thing in English, but now it's a common thing. Maybe I personally just don't really see the point why they don't just use whatever they're most fluent in, and despite growing up in foreign countries, I'm unreasonably uncomfortable about people being really really too into foreign stuff.

Although I've been thinking about this for a long time, the reason why I suddenly want to make this thread is because I was watching VijuLoveCafe, and noticed that they have been having international visual bands as guests. In episode 13, I was surprised to discover that the international guest is an Indonesian band called Chocoretto. (My nationality is Indonesian, although I'm not fluent in Indonesian anymore because I've lived abroad for 11 years. Maybe that's why I was surprised, I have zero idea on what's currently happening with music scene, youth culture, and effects of globalization back there). And of course my first reaction is "darn, another visual-inspired non-Japanese band with Japanese stage names", although their lyrics are in pretty understandable in Engrish.

Anyways, that's my honest reaction/opinion. What do you all think?

[Nyasagi 259]

Some people are just weeaboos. Enough said.

[Zeus 7997]

Nyasagi hit the nail on the head.

What I find more hilarious is how a band from Japan can be visual and popular but a band from Sweden can try to do the same thing and get roasted for it until Hell freezes over. Now that is something I just don't get.

[ficsci 50]

Nyasagi hit the nail on the head.

What I find more hilarious is how a band from Japan can be visual and popular but a band from Sweden can try to do the same thing and get roasted for it until Hell freezes over. Now that is something I just don't get.

Roasted? Well shit, what band is this?

[Zeus 7997]

Why it's everyone's favorite band Seremedy!

[ficsci 50]

Why it's everyone's favorite band Seremedy!

Oh lol them, ok

Well I don't mind if they're getting roasted for being weaboo (if they get roasted for being girly, now that's a different topic). And you can't compare that part to a Japanese band because Japanese can't be weaboo themselves (unless they can?)

[greeeeen 49]

What Nyasagi said is true. And I dunno... As far as I'm concerned, there are plenty of bands like that in Indonesia, visual or not - most prominently in Yogyakarta, Central and East Java (West Java has a few, but it's nothing compared to those three provinces, though I might be wrong). Some do have Japanese stage names and sing in that language, some only have their music infused with typical Japanese bands' sounds, and some take it to the other level by performing in dresses - it's still a common thing to be found considering a lot of Japanese bands are still ridiculously hyped here. They mostly only appear in local festivals and rarely make it big... The industry as a whole doesn't seem to take them pretty seriously.

[Guest]

It can be done. But it hasn't been done RIGHT.

1. Native language only - no Japanese names, etc.

2. Don't market themselves as a "VK" band. Nobody in the real world is going to know what that is. And VK fans will just mock you.

3. No cliches. No lolita. No stupid belly-shirts. It looks terrible on Japanese people and even worse on everyone else. If I was going to form a VK band, I'd look for inspiration from couture/high-fashion first.

4. For fuck's sakes, learn how to DRESS. Every foreign "VK" band I've ever seen has had nerds in horrible Hot-Topic esque shit (ARM-WARMERS), horrible makeup, or both. Dress for your body. Drag queens are your friend. Even the most busted faces can turn it out with the proper contouring.

5. Make good music. Have a theme. VK is all about themes.

Here's proof it can be done. Behold, a white person looking fabulous in VK.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8cot ... o1_500.jpg

See also: Jimi.

EDIT: And for the record, Seremedy look fucking terrible. YOHIO is the only one who has got it right. The rest can go.

[Champ213 1858]

Nobody cares about a german/swedish/brazilian etc. band singing in english and having an english name. A finnish band singing in Swedish doesn't even raise an eyebrow (see Finntroll). A german band singing in French would be considered curious, but they wouldn't get hated for it. An english band singing in Kiswahili would be considered exotic, but they wouldn't be hated for it.

Only the japanese language is considered so sacrosanct by fans that it may never me used in lyrics by any gaijin band. Ever.

[Guest]

I don't know. Maybe they could sing in Japanese can pull it off. I'm just going from what I've heard from foreign bands so far.

Usually their pronunciation is off and the lyrics are awful (like, more than typical VK awful). Plus, there's the whole issue with appropriation and whatever.

[hyura 465]

I often wish there was something like a visual band scene in my city. Not fantastic musicians who look like they stepped from magazines, but just generally some people who enjoy playing and attending that kind of live show. I'm pretty sure that once something like that exists the music will evolve by itself, become interesting and more than just a cheap weeaboo-copy of the original.

For almost any other genre things work like that naturally. When british punk became popular in the 70s suddenly fans all over the world formed bands who tried to be like the sex pistols or whoever and in the beginnig they were propably not as good. they played anyway because it was fun.

Just v-rock is different and somehow that is really sad. There are lots of international fans and many of them idolize some bandguy, many dress up 'visual' and actually look good, many even play an instrument... but only very, very few people go and form a band or at least support others who do so.

And that is because the fans themselves suddenly have unrealistic standards when it comes to judging bands from their own country.

Why shouldn't they sing in whatever language they want? Of course it's best if you actually understand what you're singing and in the end you won't get popular when your lyrics suck but... I've often heard people cover songs from another country and it sounded really good. or cute/funny when it wasn't so good.

Same about the styling.

Non-japanese people can look just as cool in this type of make-up/costume if they find the right style and develop the skills. But most people (especially guys of course) need some time to learn these things. Especially when there is no established scene in their country and they just can't go and ask a friend, like japanese bandmen starting out propably can.

And about the nickname.. who cares, really.

Sorry for the rant but damn. Where is the love and peace in music when it comes to this fandom.

[Gizorz 24]

I personally don't find vk any more ridiculous on non-Japanese than on Japanese, as long as they pull it off well. I didn't even know there were any significant ones besides that Swedish band tbh?

As for the language aspect, it really bothers me when one tries to sing in a language they hardly speak. There was this French band once and the girls vocals were decent but her thick thick accent just really bothered me, likewise I'm also really bothered by Japanese (vk) bands singing in English while they don't speak the language. Just stick to a language you actually speak...

[Number Girl 48]

I don't care for them, mostly because I don't care much for the style of visual kei they usually attempt to imitate in the first place. However, I'm not bothered by them although I find the super "weeaboo" bands a bit amusing. Then again, I'm probably being a little hypocritical considering there are quite a few J-metal bands I like that dub themselves with English names (Roger, Annie, George, for example) and write all their stuff in English.

[Seiji 156]

I'm getting sick of all that "non-Japanese bands mustn't have Japanese lyrics" and so on. That's just racist.

Singing in Japanese is fun, so why shouldn't they do it? I mean Japanese bands suck at English, too, but it's already so common, that nobody gives a fuck.

Also the name thing - why should you be careful not to choose a Japanese name when there are bands like Schwarz Stein or Versailles?

[Gizorz 24]

If you don't speak a language, don't sing in it imo. And yes I also find it very obnoxious when a Japanese band makes songs in terrible English.

[Seiji 156]

it just doesn't matter. music isn't about knowledge ...

every musician or band should do what they want.

[Gizorz 24]

Hey it's just my opinion. But I think it's also about conveying a message, which is pretty impossible if your lyrics are gibberish because you can't speak the language you're trying to sing in. They can do whatever they want but I don't have to like it.

[Champ213 1858]

I would say that 95% of western vk fans only have a rudimentary grasp of japanese themselves. All the more hilarious that they complain about western vk bands not writing lyrics in impeccable japanese.

Also, I doubt it's really about the language. From what I know a band like Seremedy mostly writes in english, not in japanese. Still they get a funny amount of hate - not for writing lyrics in a language that's not their native tongue (English), but for loosely emulating a visual style that for some weird reason is considered untouchable for westerners by a large portion of the fandom.

That being said, I don't care at all for Seremedy, the few songs I heard were mediocre at best. As a matter of fact, many western vk bands I heard were pretty mediocre, which isn't all surprising, considering they're usually a bunch of young guys that probably just learned to play their instruments. However, a lot of equally mediocre japanese vk bands seem to get a lot of love.

Thus I tend to believe that a band like Seremedy would be received very differently by the fandom if they were ethnic japanese, even if the music was the same. As cute, dressed-up japanese boys they would probably even get away with singing in english/engrish.

[miyuu 40]

eh it's not the same, english is supposed to be (an easy) global dominant language /every country almost uses as international language.

japanese is not

my personal opinion very few people outside japan can dress vkei and look good. blame biological features.most chances are you are gonna look ridiculous.

also people outside japan don't know vkei/it doesn't exist. they will just think you are emo and that is LOL & bleh. unless you can pass for goth or punk dude

i don't like Seremedy but some of them do look japanese so much

once i knew a guy who was acting so ridiculous in parties. but people said to me that he said

"i don't care if i look ridiculous or what people think about me, i am having fun."

edit: outside japan they are just gonna label you something else, not vkei.random now i am thinking i bet lynch trying to

be like all these post hardcore metalcore screamo etc bands OMFG :/

[Number Girl 48]

That being said, I don't care at all for Seremedy, the few songs I heard were mediocre at best. As a matter of fact, many western vk bands I heard were pretty mediocre, which isn't all surprising, considering they're usually a bunch of young guys that probably just learned to play their instruments. However, a lot of equally mediocre japanese vk bands seem to get a lot of love.

Honestly this is the main reason why I don't really like these kind of bands. It's not really that they are Western/Wapanese, it's just because they aren't all that appealing/great musically imho.

[Champ213 1858]

eh it's not the same, english is supposed to be (an easy) global dominant language /every country almost uses as international language.

For a supposedly easy, global dominant language, japanese singers butcher the english language quite a lot. Maybe it's not so easy after all?

So yeah, I really don't get why it's ok for japanese bands to litter their songs with meaningless, badly pronounced english phrases, but if a non-japanese band does so much as get japanese-sounding stage names, they're a bunch of detestable weeabos.

[miyuu 40]

em because english supposed to be international language like i said ? that everyone understands.

so it's not the same if you try to sing something because you want everyone to be able to understand you, compared to just singing a language noones knows because you like it

other than that if you are not a Professional singer i believe you can sing whatever you want for fun

edit: but ok i get your point though

[Mei 276]

eh it's not the same, english is supposed to be (an easy) global dominant language /every country almost uses as international language.

For a supposedly easy, global dominant language, japanese singers butcher the english language quite a lot. Maybe it's not so easy after all?

So yeah, I really don't get why it's ok for japanese bands to litter their songs with meaningless, badly pronounced english phrases, but if a non-japanese band does so much as get japanese-sounding stage names, they're a bunch of detestable weeabos.

yeah. i enjoy japanese visual kei the way it is, even with the meaningles and bad pronounced english (which doesnt mean it actually has a meaning). but foreigner bands like seremdy or such just eew, i dislike them, they dont sound the same imho

[Nyasagi 259]

I wouldn't say these bands sound mediocre... they sound like the crappiest vk indie bands everyone makes fun of... I wouldn't care about their bad appearance, if the music was good, but it seems they try to be more weaboo, instead of practicing. Japanese musicians practice a lot (I heard of a Japanese band renting a practice studio for the whole night, to practice there), that's why they sound better. People forget that music is the most important, it's easier to get nice, body fitting costumes, than make good music, but these bands have neither good music and appearance.

[Mei 276]

^idky but i like u ^^ XP