Gackt on the decline?

[Winter]

Since the dastardly failure of 'Moon Child', has Gackt's popularity lowered?

I was watching Music Champ a while back, and noticed that he made yet another appearance on the show, with little, to no fan reaction.

It just looks like the public are a bit 'Gackt'ed-out'. Anyone else notice this?

 

[Illaparatzo-sama]

I have no idea how Gackt's popularity is in Japan, since I don't have an opportunity to watch any music shows or anything like that.

He certainly is a shadow of his former popularity in 2000-2001. He had tons of commercials then, singles all over the place, he was on the cover of every magazine. He seems to have gone out a little bit, with only one new commercial in recent months and not releasing much music (which is kind of a good thing, I need space between the current crap he's putting out). He's had a very long career compared to current jpop standards, but then again most of them are female idols who are gone within a year or so, if even that long. For some reason, males stay around longer than females seem to.

Perhaps... just perhaps, and I think I might be a little sad to see him go, but maybe Gackt's career is in its twilight phase? I'm sure he won't be gone for a while yet, but his music is just getting more and more... run of the mill, and not as beautiful and interesting as it used to be. He does release some good ones every so often, such as Birdcage and Kimi ga Matteiru Kara, but the trash like Kimi ga Oikaketa Yume and most of the songs on Crescent make it somewhat not worth digging through to find those gems.

Crescent is the most disappointing album yet, but hopefully he will be like a phoenix and rise with better music again. =)

Dir en grey seemed like that with the releases of their singles before Vulgar, but Vulgar was a very pleasing album, as was the single released a little bit ago, The Final. I like the different direction they are taking, and I hope it will go even further with the release of Saku on July 14th.

Back to Gackt: He is probably just changing from what I liked about him, and that may not necessarily mean he's going down, and as I said before I have no idea on the current scene with him in Japan. He hasn't released anything since Crescent, right? That album was number one on Oricon, and stayed high even though Hyde's 666 was released about the same time, and seemed to be competing for Crescent's spot.

Lydia

 

[Twisted]

Actually, i believe it was 666 from Hyde that hit the #1 spot right away. It kind of surprised me. But that was only the first day of release. I didn't check the weekly chart.

 

[Honey Vanity]

I think Gackt hit everyones high expectations with his break out solo album, but after drilling it into the ground it just doesnt have the same effect anymore. After awhile all the music beggins to sound the same.

My biggest point for being "gacked out" is that the man is a shameless promotion *****. Promoting everything he can get his little hands on. It just makes me sick of looking a the man all the time. I think the public is begging to sense this and would rather focus on an artiste that has more passion for what they do.

 

[Kaine]

huh im not saying i dont like gackt or anything... i gotta thank him caz without him.. i dont think i would have discovered jrock... but anyways... i agree with hide.. its just that gackt seriously is all over the place and it does get a lil sickening... hes not ugly... hes pretty hot and stuff?? but just seeing him everywhere is kinda "okay time to stop posting pix or appearing on commercials" anyway... i think its like... a big burden to keep that whole popularity up... so its not really on a decline? maybe hes just gonna go hide out for awhile? who noes -_- we all know that man has way too much money... he doesnt need to make another penny to live the rest of his and probably a few decendents lives' in luxury

 

[Honey Vanity]

No, I don't think hiding ot would be the answer. He did that twords the end of his Malice Mizer areer and ended up regretting it like no other. I think he just needs to stop doing everything he can but sit down and focus on his music. Yeah, youve achieved virtual diety status gackt, we know. Now sit you rbutt down and write an album thats not remixes of your old songs. And stop putting your face on every product immaginable to man, my god when I eat pasta i want to eat spaghetti o's not gackt o's.

 

[Kinsao]

It seems like the feeling of being 'Gackted out' is not uncommon.

I can say, I've felt the approachings of the same, at times.

I have to admit, I don't have much of his music. Apart from Diabolos album, and the song Redemption, I only have about 8 of his songs. I don't like all of them, but I find them to be very diverse (some I love, some I hate), which I can admire. And I also respect that Gackt has a good musical ability, with talents to play various instruments.

I don't understand the sheer amount and intensity of 'Gackt worship' that goes on. However, I do agree that although he isn't my favourite looker he has a lot of pretty pictures, and his music is nice. Most of it isn't quite rocky enough for my taste, but I wouldn't turn songs from Diabolos off if they came around on my playlist.

Also, not living in Japan, I haven't suffered from an overload of Gackt commercials and marketing.

For a short while, I almost felt fed up with Gackt because of the sheer volume of infos and the - to me unjustifiable - intensity of the fans. But then I thought: to hell with all the peripheral stuff that's out there; do I or do I not like his music? And the answer was 'quite', and 'well, I can appreciate he's a good musician even if I don't always like the style so much'. So I decided to ignore all the other stuff. I saw comments in various places about whether Gackt had 'over-commercialised' himself or 'sold out', etc. etc. But I thought I would just ignore that aspect and concentrate on the music. Whatever is his strategy, I don't care.

However, I do agree with you that he would be better off focusing on his music rather than the other stuff. Although of course music needs publicitys, but I think he mightily has enough of those now!

 

[-rika- shinya`]

huh im not saying i dont like gackt or anything... i gotta thank him caz without him.. i dont think i would have discovered jrock...

same here.🙂 and malice mizer too

whoa reviving an old thread. the man IS everywhere in japan. well i still like his works and music now but i don't obsess over him anymore as i used to few years ago

 

[Honey Vanity]

I used to get kind of annoyed with the gackdom worship as wel, but I think its kind of humorous now, so I let it slip on by.

Dont get me wrong, both cresent and mars are on my playlists and I bop along with every song, but there's only so much you can take of the man. And thats what he is: a man. Not a diety. Not a comercial tool.

He needs to realise that.

Also I think its the natural progression of things to a certain degree. I mean look at X Japan. Lord knows I love Yoshiki to death but hes no longer THE shiznits and he knows it. Notto say this diminshes him in any way. Just there will eventually be a time when gackt will have to realise that someone else is going to replace him. Trying to hang on to is postition wont help and it seems to me that's what he's rying to do.

 

[Kinsao]

Mind you, there was a rumour that Gackt was going to retire in 2007. I have no idea of the truth of that, though...!

 

[Honey Vanity]

Hmm, it would be nice if he did and stopped struggling to produce album after album. But then again that means we have another book to look foreword to detailing Gackts weird sexual hang ups yet again. Le sigh.....

 

[-rika- shinya`]

Mind you, there was a rumour that Gackt was going to retire in 2007.

well you said it's not possible when i said that

and i don't think he is "struggling" to produce an album either.

 

[Kinsao]

Did I say it's not possible?!?! 😲
Of course it's 'possible'. How can I know what Gackt will choose?
It seems unlikely, but if he's decided it...
And I don't know where the rumour came from, either. If I saw it written in a magazine interview of him, or heard him speak it in an interview, I would at least do him the credit of believing him.

 

[Honey Vanity]

Opps! Sorry! What I ment was sometimes when an artist gets really poppular they tend to produce albums rather quickly and sometimes a little bit gets lost in the hasty production. It seems to me that when Gackt is on the down lo he pops out another album. I was speculating if this wasn't him trying to get back on top. Not a bad way to do it mind you.....

(Whoa. Sppoky Forum delay.)

 

[-rika- shinya`]

oh sorry i forgot who was it who said that i didn't know how it started either and i forgot where it's from. another thing is that gackt wrote 1973-2007 in his gravestone. if the rumor came from it then maybe that's nonsense because gackt has another gravestone

 

[Kinsao]

Woah, he has 2 grave stones already?!
Maybe he thinks he's gonna die in 2007, then.

 

[Anchyyy]

He's not going to die next year i'm sure about it. He is a healthy man, healthier than many of casual people.

 

[-rika- shinya`]

he has a gravestone on the rebirth tour.

Edit : and just like anchyyy said

 

[Honey Vanity]

Plus he's got this wierd thing where, while never being under the knife or any altering surgeries what so ever, I'm always given the imprssion that the man is filled with plastic. That alone should preserve him to the brink of dawn.

 

[Anchyyy]

I'm quite sure he has never been at the plastic surgery. Maybe a little nose fixing But well most of the people (famous or not famous) today get plastic surgeries. I guess people just invented those rumors. I admit he looks like a plastic doll on some pictures, but it's probably because of make up.

 

[Honey Vanity]

No no no! I don not think under any circum stances hes been under the knife. I just think he looks plastic all on his own. Freakishly so. Like, that in its self will be anough to preserve him. Maybe its something he produces all on his own? His body could have a gland that makes it naturally maybe? :?

 

[Anchyyy]

I have no idea. Maybe is just some extra super good make up

 

[Honey Vanity]

Heck, if my theory is right he may very well *be* several hundred years old and we would never know it. lol 😊

Oh well, personally I am looking foreword to an old Gackt. It gives me somethin to look foreword to lusting after when I'm an old lady.

 

[despairsrayfan~polly]

i think his popularity hasnt really changed much its just that every album he trys to grasp different audiences. he can still sell out huge concert halls. so that should tell you something right there. He still has tons of fans in Japan and right now he's on many many TV shows promoting "Redemption".

 

[-rika- shinya`]

yeah, i don't think it has changed too. just remember that the thread is made like one year ago