The death of VK

[insane_pink_tiger]

It all started when MM broke up in 2000 (was that really four years ago?). Then Gackt started dressing normally and making music that keeps getting worse, Plastic Tree made a bunch of boring ballads and toned themselves down, now Diru's latest single (to be released in March) is titled 'The Final' or something to that effect. Even street fashion in Japan is calming down, the looks in Fruits magazine are all the same, brown, black, grey, white, layered, and dull. What gives? Why does Gackt suck so much as of late? Where are all the up-and-comming indies bands? When did Deg start wearing suits? When did they stop being so energetic? Has anyone else noticed this slow, painful disintigration of a cool genre?

 

[zombiepanda]

Eh, lots of visual bands get less visual after a while. X, Glay, Luna Sea**, etc. But there's still Psycho le Cemu, Pierrot, and a bunch of visual indies bands so it's not as if they're non-existant.

I don't think just because it's called "The Final" that it's for surely their final song.

I dunno what's up with the street fashion dying down. I'm sure they're still wild street-dressing kids out there that just aren't featured in magazines.

I heard Gackt was starting to target his music more towards people around his age now, ne.


But anyway, it's not the end of the world. As the guitarist from Medical Trance Peach said about visuals: "Play visual until you are about 25, then take off the makeup for good." Some of them just don't feel "mature" enough with visuals I guess.


**I'm not big on Glay or LS so correct me if I'm wrong in thinking they used to be VK.

 

[silver_ash86]

I heard Gackt was starting to target his music more towards people around his age now, ne.
err... does that mean 400+ year old people???
LOL~~
*laugh until got cheek cramps*

 

[kiki]

Gackt is not getting worse in his music, i'm sure. He's improving in many ways, also retaining most of his initial appeals, such as experimenting wif different instruments and stuff.

There are also other indies band out there that's visual kei!! There's Moi Dix Mois, Schwarz Stein, Kagrra...etc.
Oh, suits can be visual kei too, just a softer version.

Well, it can't be disintegrating, coz there are still many new bands around i haven't heard of, that are in the vk genre..

 

[zombiepanda]

Gackt: I care for my fellow old-people. They love me and buy my coffee.



~Just because the bands you know are dropping visual, there'll probably always be VK bands out there. Even if it gets less publisized.

 

[Shidenkai]

Gackt is a plastic lie

 

[Winter]

VK will never die out. If it does anything, it will continue to fall out of the limelight, leaving only the truly dedicated VK artist to thrive in the underground populace of it, while the casual VK musician will see no point to it, and go the way of the 1st amendment.

Oh, thats a satirical joke, for those who didnt catch it.

 

[Lo~ki]

VK seems to be most prominent on the Independent scene. Just as X-Japan brought around the VK movement, after going Major, they started fading out of the VK (except for hide) and adorned a more 'average' look, so have these other bands followed suit. MM was an exception. I think Shazna was another... not sure about their story at all. DeG looked to be too, for a short while.
Anyways, as I was saying, look towards Indie artists/bands for VK. Moi dix Mois, Kagrra, Psycho le Cemu, Schwarz Stein, Kageru, and others people may have mentioned are all Indie. After all, when in the independent pool, one wants to attract attention to make themselves stand out from the others. And to my memory, Malice Mizer ended up returning to their independent label after 1999. And they broke up December 2001.

 

[Illaparatzo-sama]

insane_pink_tiger: All of your statements are totally subjective.

Adding to that, Malice Mizer broke up just over three years ago.

I love Deg still, others don't. It's all subjective. I think they still kick butt.

Plastic Tree has always sucked.

Gackt is lovely. He was VK only with MM - after he left them he wasn't, at all, quite obviously. I love Crescent, and it's definitely better than Moon, so he's gone a step up.

Dir en grey hasn't been VK for quite a while now - why are you just noticing?

If you want an informative "eulogy of VK", and in case you haven't seen it yet - check Kuraikat's site. It's pretty good.

There are many good indies bands, why haven't you found them?
You not seeing something doesn't mean it's dead.
Psycho le Cemu is VK, and they're awesome.

Lydia

 

[suzu]

I feel very sad that alot of the VK bands are not around. The thing that makes me feel the worst (besides hide's death) is that deg has calmed down with their looks.

 

[Illaparatzo-sama]

Lo~ki:

Psycho le Cemu is major, as of August 2002. =)

 

[Lo~ki]

Ah... Funny, but they're still promoted and followed on the webpage of their Indie label then Oh wells, I'll take your word for it.

 

[DarkDreams]

VK will continue to go on, just not in the way we're used to, I believe. I don't really think Diru's newest maxi single "The Final" will really be the final one. I mean, other bands have done things like that, and it wasn't their final album/song.

 

[Illaparatzo-sama]

Genesis World was their label, no? I think it's like a partnership. That is, if Genesis World was their label. Sweet Heart (current label) has some sort of deal with them. Which is probably why they were able to release the Prism minialbum as indies first, about a month before they went major, then rerelease it later, major. VK isn't dead, but ero-kei and that other kind I can't remember what it's called, will probably be bigger. Cause they seem a lot more interesting as it is now.

Lydia
(not as uninspired, more original?)

 

[BlackExodus]

my time to talk

now that i'm here for a while, it's time to comment.

Visual Kei will not die for a long while. Just the thought of it is absurd. It shouldn't even be brought up.

Shidenkai: if you don't already have one, get an LJ and go join the 'Gacktarded' community. You'll find it the perfect place to rant about how Gackt is a plastic lie.

Gackt's music doesn't suck; never has. Just his personality. I personally believe Crescent was his worst. While it had some nice songs, MOON had a lot more new content when it came to the album in full. Plus, I liked that sound better.

It is not DeG's final single. That's another absurd thing for someone to even think. If you recall, everyone thought the first new Laruku single was going to be titled 'Remember', which made everyone think "OMG, they're breaking up!?!". But now they have 2 new singles and an album on the way.

And on the whole toning down thing with Visual Kei, VK is still VK even if it isn't as ~searching for a good word~ (can hear voices of past Gacktard conversations in the distance). ummmm....pretty? It's really hard to concentrate when those conversations attack my brain. I own the new GLAY concert DVD. Jiro does his hair white, and hisashi always puts on makeup. He simply wouldn't be hisashi if he didn't put on the make up.

Let it be known, that the knowledge of their looks in no way affects my love for GLAY. I fell in love with their music by listening to it, not by drooling over pics of them like quite a few people here.

Oh well, that's all for now. Maybe it'll be time to speak my mind again sometime in the near future.

 

[Illaparatzo-sama]

I personally think the members of GLAY are the ugliest ones I've seen in a while. =P

The music is still good though, and I actually didn't see any pictures of them (except on/in cds) until I had already bought two of their CDs.

Lydia

 

[BlackExodus]

GLAY tis not ugly, GLAY is beautiful!!

I won't be any more opinionated than that on their looks. It's good that you liked their music before seeing photos. That's an admirable trait, and one that more people should have.

 

[Yoshiyaa]

I don't think that this is the end of VK. There ara many "new" Bands like Naitomea (Nightmare)...

I think, Dir en Grey ara getting more older... so thats why they change their Look... And the Single "The Final" isn't the end of the Band. Trust me.

Do you know, that in Japan just a few person know "Vk"?

 

[zombiepanda]

^ It's kinda obvious it's not majorly popular, seeing as most VK bands are indies. I heard Malice Mizer wasn't too well know in Japan, even though they are huge in overseas J-rock scene.

 

[Illaparatzo-sama]

MM was big when they were major - 1997 - mid-1999. Once they lost Gackt, they lost a huge chunk of their fans.

 

[Jhopesstrawberry]

Welp i mean its 2021 and Hisashi from Buck Tick is still wearing his Mohawk so vkei aint dead yet!