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Forgot to post this, Happy late Valentines 💝

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Just gonna drop this sketch of preggo Aki w/ his obsessed husband. Y? Cause it was supposed to be for mother’s day 😭

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Back roads.

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04/08

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Lissandra by ShenZe YANG

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Kami (Malice Mizer) Maetel Cosplay (Galaxy Express 999)

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🏠 Home Sweet Home 🏠

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What Happened To Visual Kei?

This is for especially the younger fans who came to the fandoms late- the youngest Millennials and Gen Z especially.

We often hear statements online that Visual Kei is “dead”, but there’s not much solid discussion about what actually happened, and when.

First off, I’d like to distinguish between the foreign consumption of the music vs. its Japanese market counterparts. This focus is primarily on the foreign side, only touching lightly on the Japanese side of things. I also don’t distinguish between micro sub genres (i.e. Nagoya Kei).

In Japan, the 1990s are considered the golden era of Visual Kei, and it ended roughly with the death of hide from X JAPAN.

The musical genre at that time was in a state of both over saturation of bands, especially middling and small time artists, that were increasingly not very unique or particularly good (more interested in looking wild and getting laid than being artistic), and we experienced beginnings of the generational change of guards, heralding a much heavier style shift. There was a schism too, of lighter, not so dark branching off sub genre taking off in another direction such as Oshare Kei, which didn’t catch on quite so well.

For foreigners however, the music really didn’t start coming over in any significant quantities until that second generation. Much of this had to do with access to the Internet, the ability to upload files of any usable size without sitting for half a day with a single song, and the advent of YouTube. Napster wasn’t really much of a resource for foreigners- you have to know something existed to go look for it. There was no exposure unless you had a friend on the inside, living in Japan, or with connections to people in Japan.

Anime and Manga hit boom years with Millennials in the 2000s, with soundtracks of mostly Anisong, but occasionally getting Visual Kei theme songs. Of course, Yaoi manga became huge too, which created a hunger for MxM flirtation amongst readers who got that itch scratched with the clips of Visual Kei they found on YouTube, as well as many of these consumers nursing the inherent desire for something different than the western music industry offered, and the genre took off. I consider that decade the golden era of Visual Kei in the foreign market.

So what happened?

It was a double pronged event: the pursuit of piracy by the music industry and movie industry, and bands adamantly divorcing themselves from the image and reputation of Visual Kei. Several of the bigger bands/artists changed their grooming and clothing style, and adamantly swore they were no longer Visual Kei.

RIAJ, the Japanese recording industry, got some pretty scary anti piracy laws passed, as well as labels introducing anti scalping measures.

I consider that the golden era of foreign Visual Kei fandom ended in January 2012, with the government crackdowns on illegal file sharing taking out MegaUpload.

File hosting services, notably MegaUpload simultaneously got nuked… and that’s where the fans were storing all their video footage and album rips. LiveJournal, the primary core location of Visual Kei fandoms of the west, became a ghost town overnight as downloadable content dried up.

This, along with the crackdown on fan scanlations of manga (especially Yaoi), and fansubbed anime, drastically cut into the exposure and access to the subcultures and music overseas. Japanese labels were harsh online, yanking down fan YouTube, DailyMotion, etc. uploads, and refusing to create official channels to continue to keep the artists from vanishing from visibility. Those rare ones that were on YouTube had useless short untranslated artist talk clips, and zero music. Post January 2012 began a dark period for the future of Visual Kei outside of Japan.

Foreign fans became blamed for the bulk of piracy, and the recording industry took measures to eliminate it.

As labels started to relent to fans demanding official YouTube artist presence, they distrusted foreign fans so much, they put Japan-only regional blocks on the paltry 15 second ad spots for new releases, essentially cutting the western world off, with the exception of actual tangible sales… but that too happened off an on for a few years, until about 2016- there were a few outrages where selective retailers refused to allow foreigners to either see retail listings via regional blocks, refused to fulfill preorders, or banned purchases outside of Japan. Music to a great extent wasn’t available for purchase digitally either, and old school record labels tried to force consumers to purchase tangible discs, not trusting digital sales or the then fledgling legit streaming services.

The “we’re not Visual Kei!” image shift that bands/artists began- which thankfully ultimately proved to be temporary- robbed the visual pop and even shifted the genre sound style significantly for some artists (such as BUCK-TICK), hit many foreign fans hard, and with everything else, there wasn’t much left for us. Why were bands doing it? Pressure from the entertainment industry and Japanese public focused on the shoddy indie bands that had nothing to offer but makeup, costumes, and a bunch of dudes with little interest in the music and performance quality… just wanting to get laid and paid easy money. That reputation persists to this day within the indies.

Foreign fans had already been fighting the intense homophobic abuse of people outside of Japan who found Visual Kei a great target, and the fandoms internally were increasingly becoming hostile and toxic too. Many fans jumped on the artist bandwagon to shun any acknowledgement that Visual Kei still existed, and went after any fans speaking in their blogs or in groups and forums that so-and-so band was Visual Kei. Stalking, attacks, hacking, threats from generally toxic and questionable “fans”- all became pretty common within the fandoms, shattering them in safety concerns and the joy being robbed of it all. (It’s still happening too… it used to be a safer place) Most of the previous generation gave up and stopped listening to the music; many went into hiding, some quit and to save face claimed that it was just a phase and they grew up, others walked away because it just wasn’t as juicy as it had been, not really into the music, but had been there for what we called the pr0ns. (pr0ns is early webspeak for “porn”. Content filtering on freedom of speech was pretty intense back then, and typing the word “porn” could get your posts blocked by hosting services or your account banned, so special code words were developed to avoid filters).

There are very few of us left, of the active Generation X early foreign Visual Kei fans.

The biggest differences I see between the generations is the willingness and desire to explore and seek out new artists/bands is low compared to the earlier generation. Fans are greatly tunnel visioned, sticking to the older, safely established mega bands/artists and are more concerned about ‘shipping. This hurts the smaller bands that try to break out- they go ignored regardless of their talent. The small ones get attention primarily from sexy photos passed around if a band member is particularly attractive. Some artists are outright “canceled” too, not getting a chance because the herd says they refuse to listen to them and loathe them… though they really don’t know why, because it’s legacy “cancellation” and not their own… because of the sheer strength of peer pressure and fear within the fandoms.

Thankfully there’s much less of a focus with the current, younger generation on emulating drinking and smoking habits of the bands. It was an intense peer pressure thing for the previous generation of fans to start drinking your favorite artist’s booze of choice and explore their favorite cigarette brands as listed on band member bio profiles. Speaking up about it in the fandom would get you backhanded and ostracized.

Older generation often focused on the music first, then looked closer at the band members as their fandom developed, and “cancellation” wasn’t a trendy thing yet. Voracious explorations of new bands was deeply encouraged in the previous generation, fans taking on an almost evangelical role sharing their band finds to their friends and anyone they met. We didn’t have toxic and ridiculing homophobic, xenophobic memed out reaction videos peppering YouTube. It increased over time, but the homophobic racist anti Visual Kei sentiment wasn’t as much of a thing yet.

I think that we’re at another turning point right now, the successful established hit bands/artists are getting older, signaling the necessity of another generational shift, but not many fans are looking for the emerging hopefuls. Listeners are inhabiting a world of post “it used to be the cool shit”, but isn’t anymore. Visual Kei has firmly returned to the absolute fringes. Japan has finally made the music globally available, accessible, so barriers are down.

Korean idol pop has moved into the wake, the vacuum left behind Visual Kei, because it doesn’t trigger homophobia as much, and it’s booming because parents aren’t as threatened by their teens consuming it- it appears to be much more wholesome. Yeah, sorry KPop fans, that’s the truth. KPop is mother approved, like Annette Funicello and her Skippy peanut butter. It’s the “good part of town” compared to publicly hard drinking (and sometimes drugging) back alley punk thuggish Japanese Visual Kei.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens over the next few years.

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Marimo (毬藻) moss balls are actually a type of algae that grows spherically as it rolls in the water. Because they only grow 5mm a month, they are easy to take care of, but they are also very rare and can only be found in a few parts of the world including Japan & Iceland. Because of their rarity and beauty, a festival called Marimo Matsuri takes place every year in Hokkaido, Japan where all the marimo plants in the Lake Akanko are taken out, individually cleaned, and placed back into the water. Not only are they adorable, but they are considered a national treasure in Japan!

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Anyway so like I was saying so Ai is autistic and in this essay, I will-

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KDLXOSLDODLDD NO PUEDE SER XDDDDDDD SI HE SIDO

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Ai fell very hard for Sarasa oh my god

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if i saw that many hot lesbians in one place i'd react the same way

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Summer 2021 Anime Worth Watching!

It’s time once again to see what new shows the anime gods are gracing us with this season. This is the part where I tell you what’s out there if you’re looking for something to watch this summer, but this season is like…90% isekai anime that I usually skip over. So if you’re looking for something that’s NOT an isekai (well…okay maybe just a couple) here’s just some of the shows that look interesting so far.

I’ll put a * by the shows that are on Crunchyroll…but spoiler alert, they literally only have one of the new shows that I’m listing. My trust has been betrayed.

Here are my lists for the 2021 seasons so far

2020 Anime Worth Watching

2019 anime Worth Watching

New Shows!

*The Aquatope On White Sand (Shiroi Suna no Aquatope): Grab your box of tissues, because PA Works is at it again with an original anime that’s going to tug at your heartstrings from episode one. When former idol Fuuka Miyazawa has a quarter life crisis after losing her job, she ends up working at an aquarium in Okinawa (which is apparently run by an 18 year old). Together, the two of them must keep the dwindling business afloat and help each other on their journeys of self discovery. Like most things from PA Works, it’s bursting with color and full of life, with characters you feel instantly attached to. Their shows are always worth looking into no matter how many tears you shed.

And speaking of ex-idols…

Opera Girl!! (Kageki Shoujo!!): A school comedy/drama about an ex-idol named Ai Narada who is accepted into an extremely elite performance school famous for its top tier acting and musical productions. But rooming with the cool, indifferent Ai is the boisterous, 178 cm tall Sarasa Watanabe. The style is great, and all the girls have such distinct, dynamic personalities (which, for some reason, is a rarity in any piece of media). It bothers me a bit that this all girls school seems to have a majority of male teachers. But I’m curious about each character’s background, and I want to see more of their dynamics together. Also there is no way any of these girls are straight.

Sonny Boy: An original sci-fi mystery from Madhouse that follows a group of 36 students whose school is suddenly swept into another dimension in order to awaken their hidden superpowers. It basically feels like what would happen if Satoshi Kon made Wonder Egg Priority. I love the power dynamics between the students and the mystery behind everything, but I have so many questions! Where did their food come from? Why are there cats everywhere? What causes their powers to awaken? This seems like the kind of show that may answer everything…or just say “don’t worry about it, it’s just part of the atmosphere.” It’s definitely the anime with the creepiest vibe of the season.

Vanitas No Carte (The Case Study Of Vanitas): Have you ever wondered what would happen if a vampire hunter decided to cure vampires instead of kill them? Well, I hadn’t before, but I’m into it now. I don’t want to reveal too much of the plot, so just trust that it’s one of the standouts of the season for me. It’s set in a slightly steampunk 19th century Paris, with one main character whose style is reminiscent of early Welcome To Night Vale fanart of Cecil Palmer and another who is constantly roasted by everyone around him. It’s gripping and has unique takes on vampires, without taking itself too seriously. There’s a good balance of comedy and drama, and Bones rarely lets me down when it comes to story, characters, and great animation.

The Detective Is Already Dead (Tantei Wa Mou Shindeiru): A hot mess of a teen mystery anime that follows Kimizuka Kimihiko, a middle schooler with a habit of attracting trouble who gets roped into working as an assistant to an ace detective named Siesta. While it starts out as a run of the mill detective anime, it starts to delve into the supernatural, with more going on behind the scenes that meets the eye. It gets a little too caught up in trying to add rom-com elements when they don’t really need to be there, but lots of people will probably enjoy it for that. It’s stupid, very stupid, but in an enjoyable, laugh at it not with it kind of way (at least so far). It feels like In:Spectre’s weird cousin that has the exact opposite kind of pacing issues.

Re-Main: The only show this season in which the main character is involved in a car accident and DOESN’T end up in a fantasy world. No, it’s actually an original sports anime from MAPPA (so I’m already on board), about a boy named Minato who ended up in a coma and losing his memory due to a car crash in his last year of junior high. After he wakes up, he realizes he was apparently an ace at water polo, and he finds himself surrounded by people in his new high school pressuring him to join their team, despite the fact that he wants nothing to do with the sport and doesn’t remember the rules anyway. It’s certainly the most unique set up for a sports anime I’ve seen lately. It’s goofy with a fun family dynamic, so I’m already hooked.

Uramichi-oniisan (Life Lessons With Uramichi-Oniisan): A comedy slice of life about a children’s television program with the world’s most unsettling host: an emotionally unstable millennial who happens to be a former gymnast (whose only hobby is keeping his gains and intimidating his co-workers). I had no idea what to expect going into this, but the characters are tons of fun. Uramichi is very relatable, and there’s some important subtext woven into the comedy, like how not taking breaks affects one’s mental health. This is the kind of show that’s easy to pass over, but it’s definitely worth checking out if that kind of comedy is your thing.

Continuing Series!

*My Next Life As A Villainess-All Routes Lead To Doom! (season 2): Out of all the isekai anime airing this season, this is probably my favorite. Yes, even more so than Reincarnated as a Slime. In case you missed it last year, this lighthearted “harem” comedy follows a girl who has been reincarnated into her favorite otome game…as the rich, bitchy villainess Catarina, who only has terrible ends at the end of each route. In order to avoid being killed off or exiled, Catarina ends up befriending all the potential love interests, including the heroine of the game, and everyone gets up to fun shenanigans at their magical version of Ouran Academy. It’s a super a sweet, relaxing, fun time, and it looks like the magic system is expanding to areas outside of the school, which I’m into.

Also Catarina was the Best Girl of 2020 in my heart.

*To Your Eternity (Fumetsu no Anata e): I’m just going to copy what I said last season, because I still don’t have a better way of explaining this masterpiece. This is the epic, atmospheric story of a magical orb that can turn into different things, from moss, to giant bears, to people. Just trust me. It’s still best to go into this one knowing as little as possible. But with over 12 episodes under its belt now, it’s one of the best shows I’ve ever watched, and it’s something that will stick with you for a long time. Everything about it hits perfectly, from the music and animation to the voice acting, to the grounded world building, to the ever growing cast of characters we follow over the years. It’s my contender for anime of the year if it nails the ending.

*Tokyo Revengers: An action/drama shounen anime where our main character Takemichi uses time travel to go back to his days as a middle school delinquent in order to prevent the death of his old girlfriend at the hands of a vicious gang. This show was such a stand out last season, which is really saying something when it had to compete with 86, Fruits Basket, To Your Eternity, and Shadows House. It’s very difficult to make a wimpy character likable, but Takemichi is the picture of character development, and I’m super excited to see where the show goes. This is definitely not one to skip, so catch up now!

*That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime (season 2-part 2): It’s exactly what it says in the title. We’ve all at least heard of it by now. This wholesome slice of life isekai is getting more stressful by the episode. Now that the groundwork has been laid after a full season of worldbuilding, the sense of conflict is becoming more urgent, making every episode more engaging. However, it doesn’t abandon its comedic roots, and Rimuru is still overpowered as fuck (sometimes in a terrifying way, sometimes in a funny way), but if the first part of season 2 was anything to go by, I can see things getting much darker as it goes along. So out of the ten million isekai shows floating around, this is one of the few that’s worth getting into.

*Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S (…just call it season 2): Pretty self explanatory: a slice of life comedy in which an ordinary salary worker named Kobayashi…has a maid who is a dragon. Shenanigans ensue, and cute girls do cute things as is par for the course. And it’s KyoAni, so even when there’s no big action sequences, they make everything look 100% God Tier. The fluid animation, the popping color palette, the performances, everything is styled to perfection (even if I’m not into the fanservice of the character designs). If you want a chill, fun comedy that’s slowly becoming a classic, this is the show for you.

Honorable Mention

Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid: The ecchi version of Pushing Daisies, where a boy is cursed with killing everything he touches, and his maid is constantly trying to get him to touch her. If you don’t mind 3D animation and incredibly weird love interests, the story is interesting enough to want to get into. Maybe this is a sign to just read the manga.

So there’s some of the new anime that look promising so far. There’s also the second season of the Higurashi reboot/continuation, if you want more cute girls doing murdery things. And Peach Boy Riverside had a great concept, but the character design drove me up the wall, so there’s that too if anyone’s looking for a fun adventure show.

See you next season!