You know, I really dislike self-entitled albums. They kind of make mentioning them in a [band]‘s [album] format awkward. Moving on, despite being a fan of hyde, I was never really that interested in VAMPS. I mean, I adore hyde’s work with L’Arc~en~Ciel, and his one-time collaboration with Gackt for “orenji no taiyou” was also amazing, but his solo work leaves a lot to be desired (especially in his third solo album, Faith), and that’s what K.A.Z. had previously worked with him on. And as VAMPS’s debut US tour did not visit any city I was remotely close to, I felt even less compelled to familiar myself with the music.

Additionally, the overt-vampire references in all of this — in the band name, the album name, the label name, and pretty much all of the song names and imagery — kind of made me facepalm. I would expect it from Gackt, who only recently came out as a mere mortal and has a long history of vampire and goth sound and imagery. But, well, I guess it really isn’t that big of a surprise coming from hyde either… considering the fact that he’s acted as both a vampire and a ghost, songs like “Midnight Celebration,” various photoshoots, and a lot of his fashion and accessory choices. Well, whatever brings all the fangirls to the yard, right?

And in the end, hyde is hyde, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I eventually decided to pick this up. So here we go:

TRACK 01: BITE
Thirty-second opening track! Starts off with some very classic horror elements — swanky TV noises in the background, creeking door, clock striking, howling, a woman moaning sensually and a scream! Classy.

TRACK 02: LOVE ADDICT
Now some rockin’ guitar with a very catchy beat. hyde’s vocals start rough and excitedly, a welcome throwback to some of his older work. Lyrics are in Engrish and they are hilarious as usual, so I’m not going to try too hard to decipher what he’s saying. Melody is pretty negligent as the song progresses, but the guitars carry a steady beat, so there’s at least that to tie things together. End of the first chorus has a weird break before hyde comes back in slowly, in a lower voice. K.A.Z. (I guess?) providing some backup vocals here and there, but nothing really substantial or interesting. I think the repeated lyrics near the end are “right on time, let’s go,” but it could also be “let go.” It frustrates me sometimes that hyde has spent so long singing in English, but it rarely seems to get more understandable. Guitars fade out to the end. Not a good song, not a bad song.

TRACK 03: COSMOS
Rockin’ guitars again. Another sort of classy opening, takes it’s time getting to the vocals, which start… nostalgically. hyde’s vocal quality here reminds me a lot of SMILE-era L’Arc~en~Ciel though the guitars and melody are very different. I’m so glad he’s singing in Japanese here; I was afraid for a bit that the whole album would be Engrish. Some nice sustained notes in the first chorus, but the longer notes in the verses sound a little strained. Oh, a nice falsetto in the second chorus. Glad he’s not abandoning that talent of his. Some decent guitar and drums in the bridge, accompanied by distant vocal echos. Guitar leading into the final chorus are pretty nice as well. Still haven’t come across anything that’s wowed me, but this second track makes me more optimistic than the first. I really want something memorable and catchy; the first part of “BITE” was catchy, but it get too repetitive too fast. What were the singles leading up to this album?

TRACK 04: SECRET IN MY HEART
Spacey kind of intro; would have been more appropriate for the previous song. Guitars rock in very quickly and hyde’s lyrics are back to Engrish though they’re a little less haphazard. The vocals are rather relaxed despite the breakneck speed of the guitars… but both get lazier come the chorus. Vocals start feeling strained again and the guitars aren’t very impressive until the short break between the chorus and the second verse. The vocals don’t seem to compliment the guitars very well again — it almost seems like they’re fighting for the spotlight rather than working together. Gah, I hate it when that happens. Second chorus feels a little better, but now I’m starting to feel like the melody’s very pretentious. Not sure. Some parts of the melody are very reminiscent of classic vampire-themed music and there are some slight screeching sounds that promote that imagery. I guess I need to stop holding that sort of thing against this album though, since that’s obviously its theme. Outro is a bit too long for my taste. Ends with a whimper, not a bang.

TRACK 05: EVANESCENT (YouTube it)
Boring sort of intro. Opening vocals are rather plain as well. Lyrics are back to Japanese. A guitars in the back sound like they’re from another song I’ve heard whether from this band or another. They just aren’t distinct. I think if I were sampling this album at the store, I would have given up on it by now. Chorus and beginning of the second verse remind me of another song. I feel like I’ve heard most parts of this song before, just not pieced together like this. Just wanna zone out and do something else…

TRACK 06: VAMPIRE DEPRESSION
Back and forth guitars and some interesting synth and distortion work. Finally! Something that actually seems intriguing? Vocals start dark and dramatic; hyde’s voice is low and brooding. Lyrics are in Engrish. Oh, nice, a measure of piano for a really nice creepy effect. Chorus has hyde screaming melodramatically and it’s pretty hilarious, but not terrible. Still diggin’ the mix of guitars and distortion as we go into the second verse. It maintains a nice mood, even if it’s a bit over-the-top. It works. hyde’s screaming is less entertaining the second time around, but the guitars and drums carrying into the bridge make up for it. Dramatic lyrics before the final chorus are pretty nice sounding even if I still can’t make out what he’s saying. Screaming is even less amusing the third time around, but they don’t last long and we go back to the guitars and distortion for an outro that’s just the right length. Best song on the album thus far. Perfect timing too, after the tedious track before it.

TRACK 07: REDRUM
More dramatic guitar. Feels like a really awesome movie action scene should be starting right about now. Another Engrish song and hyde’s vocals feel very American as they start off, even if his pronunciation still leaves a lot to be desired — the style he sings in just feels very familiar. Guitars and drums are really going at it here; they do a good job keeping me interested in what’s going on here. Post-chorus guitars are especially neat. hyde’s doing a lot of sustained yelling in a rough sort of voice in the verses here; more singing in the choruses. After the last song, the yelling is borderline annoying, but once again, K.A.Z.’s guitar and their power chords are keeping things together. Haha, the bits of the lyrics I’m picking up are hilarious melodramatic, but I know I can’t expect anything else. Song ends rather suddenly, but it’s definitely on par with “VAMPIRE DEPRESSION.” If the rest of the songs sound like this, it’ll get a little repetitive, but at least it won’t be boring.

TRACK 08: DEEP RED
A change of mood for the intro — a twangy sort of beat and a more diverse mix of sounds. It’s the music leading into a chase scene. Vocals are dramatic but well-controlled. hyde seems like he’s holding something back though and… it doesn’t really seem to release in the chorus. Voice gets a bit deeper and rougher around the edges though. Lyrics here are a mix of Japanese and Engrish. K.A.Z.’s guitar oscillates between high-pitched lines and a steadier background accompaniment here; it compliments the vocals well though and it’s a good break from the hard rockin’ of the previous two songs. I think I’m finding the chorus kinda catchy actually — “something something in search of blood”? Bridge is pretty interesting as well, and I noticed the weird bass lines for the first time. Last two or three choruses go on for a while, but I don’t really mind. I think the reason I like the “blah blah in search of blood line” is because hyde’s vocals finally don’t sound forced or strained or too deep or too rough. They’re more natural and it’s nice.

TRACK 09: I GOTTA KICK START NOW (YouTube it)
Rockin’ guitar again. Sounds like the opening of another song I’ve heard on this album already? Vocals and the continued start and stop of the guitar remind me of some classic rock song I’m not familiar with because I’m not big on classic rock. Guitars aren’t too interesting, but hyde’s voice still sounds very natural here, more casual and less pretentious. Even with the Engrish lyrics, it doesn’t feel too unnatural — he’s just slurring all the words! That’s all! Some of the short pauses in the guitar feel awkward, but it does keep you interested in the beat because it’s somewhat unpredictable. Oh, guitars in the bridge are nice though. I had a brief vision of BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad. I go back and forth from feeling that “I gotta kick start now” sounds weird and feeling that it’s fine. Consequences of listening to too much Engrish. :P

TRACK 10: TIME GOES BY
Soft acoustic intro? Slow intro vocals and it feels like a ballad coming on. …Nope! Guitars come in harder and the melody picks up quickly; vocals somehow retain a “I’m singing to you under your balcony” sort of feel though. Really enjoy the little break between the chorus and the second verse. The mix of Engrish and Japanese lyrics is nice too. Second verse again starts off deceptively slow before picking up. Melody is reasonably catchy and I like the energy and feeling of sincerity in this song. And falsetto! I never know how much I miss it until it comes back all of a sudden! Lovely guitars in the bridge and a rockin’ return to the chorus — more falsetto! Outro makes me feel nostalgic again. This might be my new favorite song on the album!

TRACK 11: SWEET DREAMS (YouTube it)
Piano intro! Very unexpected. Falsetto opening vocals! Also unexpected. Difficult-to-understand Engrish lyrics! Not so unexpected, but hyde sings slow and sweet. A really mixed bag in the background accompaniment — it feels a little scattered, but comes together okay by the time we get to the chorus. Some self-harmony in the vocals sound a bit strange as well… Back to straight up falsetto for the second verse. Engrish sounds mad awkward for a bit, but then he thankfully swaps back to Japanese. Falsetto starts to feel a little strained, but it goes into the second chorus soon after that. Seems as soon as something starts feeling awkward in this song, it changes and goes away. Not bad, I guess, though it’d be better if it never got to the awkwardness in the first place. Random phone dialing and ringing in the bridge? What? Some generic sounding strings with a prominent violin… Tired of the chorus already, but we go back to the nice piano for the outro. Mixed feelings about this song; it’s all over the place.

TRACK 12: HUNTING
Some fun guitar rifts in the opening, but not that exciting… oh, wait, okay, it gets more exciting as it goes on. Punctuated yelling starts off the vocals. hyde sure does do a lot of yelling on this album. :o I think he’s saying “Hi! Ho! Let’s rock!” but I’m probably wrong… haha… What, is that it? Okay. A two-minute song of uninspired guitarring and hyde yelling. I mean, I guess it’d work okay for the intro to a concert to get the crowd riled, but as the second-to-last track of an album? Come on. Maybe it’d be too much to put it at the beginning along with the “generic horror sounds” track, but in that case, just pick one or the other? We don’t need both. :\

TRACK 13: SEX BLOOD ROCK N’ ROLL
Oh, back to the sensual moaning then. Fun-sounding guitars and drumming though. …Ew, distorted vocals. hyde, your Engrish is hard enough to listen to without it being distorted too! Eh, I can see why “HUNTING” would precede this track, but… blah, I’m so conflicted about this song. The guitars and especially the drumming are a lot of fun, but they’re not innovative or particularly original and the vocals are borderline pissing me off. Especially combined with the random noises and cooing and warbling. The chants of “sex blood rock n’ roll” are annoying as well and… then it’s over.

OVERALL: On one hand, I feel that maybe I wasn’t in the right sort of mood walking into this album. I should have known that there would be a lot of cliche and silly vampiric elements, but they bugged me all the same. I didn’t want to listen to unoriginal vampire-themed music. As always, I wanted to listen to everything that made me a fan of hyde’s voice in the first place, and that’s L’Arc~en~Ciel (though to be honest, Laruku’s most recent album also left a lot to be desired). VAMPS is not Laruku. hyde’s singing style and vocal quality is almost completely different from what he uses for his other projects and K.A.Z.’s guitar is certainly different from ken’s or hyde’s.

Listening to VAMPS while wanting L’Arc~en~Ciel is just a bad idea, but regardless of my bias, VAMPS still seems to utilize a lot of tired rifts and generic punches in the vocals. With a name like that and a debut album like this, I’m left wondering whether VAMPS will continue churning out songs with such forced themes and melodramatic ties to a specific subgenre. A few songs like “VAMPIRE DEPRESSION” and “DEEP RED” are energetic and fun in that they don’t seem to be taking themselves too seriously, and “TIME GOES BY” stood out to me for being very different from the rest of the songs on the album, but pretty much everything else is forgettable and disappointing.

Usually my album reviews are labeled “first impressions” instead of “reviews” because I think it’s an interesting angle to compile my first thoughts on an album during my initial hearing of it; impressions of music are more prone to changing over time and a tenth hearing may very well be different from a second hearing. But that theme doesn’t really apply here as its a compilation album! HYDE’s first solo compilation album, uninspiredly entitled HYDE, contains all of his singles, as well as a few popular tracks from his four existing albums.

So that portion of his discography isn’t really isn’t something I listen to often. There are a few songs I like, sure, but the majority is kind of just “eh.” Still, compilation albums are a good way to revisit things, right? I figure, what the hell.

TRACK 01: Made in Heaven
As Faith is my least favorite HYDE album, I don’t remember this song very well at all. There’s a nice guitar opening; intro vocals are pretty typical of HYDE’s solo work, though a bit rough and forceful. This is in Engrish, but I can’t understand much beyond a word here and there. I kinda feel bad because it sounds like he’s trying so hard. The chorus doesn’t stand out much and sounds pretty awkward with the poor Engrish. It leads into the second verse with little pause; meanwhile, the music in the background isn’t very interesting as it isn’t changing up much. Most of this song blurs together for me, including the end.

TRACK 02: It’s Sad
Another song from Faith. Really neat guitar opening… opening vocals are again forced and rough, not my favorite style for HYDE, but the guitars remain interesting, uptight, and suspenseful. Chorus is a more typical sound, but I’m much more interested in the guitars at the moment. Vocals lighten up a bit in the second verse; the Engrish feels more casual and confident, but I still can’t understand most of it without a lyrics sheet. Bridge includes a female vocal mixed in with some speaking parts from HYDE and then another chorus. I find it more jarring than anything else though; HYDE’s goal with Faith was to stir some deep, soul-felt emotions, but I’m too caught up in the technicalities here. This is not HYDE’s best vocal work, and the guitars don’t really save it in the end.

TRACK 03: Evergreen [Dist.]
“Evergreen” from ROENTGEN is actually a solo song I like! And the Engrish version from ROENTGEN.english is actually mostly understandable. This rock version is also in Engrish and was first released as a B-side on the “Countdown” single. All the guitar distortion masks over the vocals though, making it harder to hear. Not sure if I like that, but it does give the guitars a solid limelight. The chorus guitars seem to be a little off from the vocals. …It really bothers me that HYDE doesn’t pronounce the “m” in memory… it’s kind of an important sound. There are some drawn-out sounds in the bridge and it fades into a nice guitar solo and then end. Ehh, neat, but not my favorite version of Evergreen. I’ll stick with the original.

TRACK 04: Jesus Christ (YouTube it)
Another one from Faith. I’ve always remembered this one as my least favorite from the album. The Engrish is also pretty understandable in this one, but that makes me uncomfortable to some extent since I’m not too fond of the subject matter. The vocals don’t seem to match up well with the music and there doesn’t seem to be much of a melody. The falsetto in the chorus is beautiful, but there’s still no melody. There’s a lenghty solo between the first chorus and the second verse, and then they add a nice piano tune. Unfortunately, the piano really just adds to the chaos of other sounds and still, nothing sounds particularly cohesive. Still… as we move into the second chorus and that lovely falsetto, the emotional power of the song starts to really seep through. HYDE is really into it and that shows. I’m not into religious music, but I guess it is somewhat moving to hear someone else invest so much energy into it.

TRACK 05: Countdown (YouTube it)
Next song on Faith. Geez, way too much of this album is stuff from Faith! D: This is the first song with Japanese in it though, so hurray for that. I much prefer HYDE’s vocals in Japanese because they sound infinitely more natural and therefore not distracting. That isn’t to say there isn’t still Engrish here, but it isn’t overwhelming… and because there is Japanese, we can pretend that his Engrish is still Japanese and not try to decipher his words. Vocals are pretty typical here and don’t change much as the song progresses. I’m not too fond of the music here; it’s like the previous song in its mish-mash of sounds without a distinct melody. Outro has some spoken parts that are out of place, then buzz out to end. I’m remembering why Faith is my least favorite album.

TRACK 06: The Other Side
Hey, I have no idea where this song is from! Hard guitar intro, though it still sounds muddied. Strong vocal intro, but the energy fades quickly. Melody is a bit clearer now though, and the first verse sounds pretty nice. Guitar and vocals match up nicely; lyrics are in Engrish, but fairly understandable (not quite up to Evergreen’s level though). Chorus is forceful and energetic, but I don’t like the music there until the vocals end and it’s a solo to the second verse. Vocals and Engrish are very clear at the second verse; I really like the rhytmn guitar here, but the lead is distracting. Second chorus is slightly less conflicting than the first as the music in the background matches up a bit better. Buzz out to end. Wish I knew where this song was from?

TRACK 07: Shining Over You (YouTube it)
Finally! A song from 666, my favorite HYDE solo album! (Is it too ironic that my favorite and least favorite HYDE albums should be titled as they are?) Awesome violin intro and sweet vocals full of falsetto. There’s a nice countermelody in the background music to match the main melody of the vocals. Verse is Japanese to counter the Engrish in the chorus, which is actually what the song starts off with, and there are some pretty awesome parts where HYDE is harmonizing with himself. Again, I enjoy the Japanese a lot more than the Engrish, and the Engrish goes back and forth a lot in this song — sometimes it’s pretty clear, and sometimes I have no idea what he’s saying. There are some neat bass lines in the verses too though. Bridge is kind of drawn out; slow outro and then fade out. Oh, hey, this thing is six minutes long, but I didn’t notice at all.

TRACK 08: Horizon
Another one from 666. Nice and calm intro with relaxed guitars and a strong voice; lyrics are in Japanese. I like the forcefulness of HYDE’s voice here — in songs like “It’s Sad,” I feel like he’s trying too hard, but here, he just sounds really, really into it. Verses have some gorgeous falsetto, and I really like the beginning of the chorus. Love, love, love the guitars in the bridge; the drums there are pretty fun too. The verse after the bridge is probably the best part of the song. There’s some vocal distortion and canon leading into the final chorus that’s pretty badass too. Not too fond of the repeating lyrics in the outro, but ah well.

TRACK 09: Season’s Call
Back to Faith. This is the fifth song from Faith and we’re only on track nine. Oh well. “Season’s Call” has a nice, soft guitar opening that leads into some more energetic riffs. Opening vocals are also good, energetic in that reserved kind of way. HYDE’s voice is really beautiful here; lyrics are in Japanese. Falsetto seems kind of random though, and I’m not too fond of the melody as we get halfway through the verse. It just sounds kind of awkward. Kind of blah chorus, but once we get to the second verse, everything’s spiffy again… until about halfway through! Oh, weird, random Engrish after the second chorus as we get into the bridge… the sounds in the background are getting chaotic again. It’s creates an uncomfortable, kind of itchy-scratchy feeling. Ugh, not fond of the continued Engrish. Kind of just want the song to end now… why is this five and a half minutes long.

TRACK 10: Sweet Vanilla
Back to 666. Rock guitars are rockin’ out. Oh, man, I love how the vocals in this open. It’s Engrish, but wonderfully understandable, and then it moves back to Japanese. The difference in sound between this and the previous are so obvious, and it’s the difference between the two albums. The chorus goes back to Engrish, but again, it’s understandable, and the lyrics are really sweet in that cute sort of way, which is particularly amusing since the Japanese portions of the verses are really badass sounding. The vocals in this song are pretty much everything I love most about HYDE’s voice. Everything sounds genuine. The “believe me, believe me,” are probably the best part. The guitar melody in the bridge isn’t really that interesting, but it’s fun and works well for the mood of the song. Final chorus ends on kind of a forceful note and the song ends soon after that, but I definitely remember this being a great opening track for 666. I still like it a lot.

TRACK 11: HELLO (YouTube it)
This is the second track on 666 and thus correct follows the previous song. Annnd… “Hello” is my favorite HYDE song overall. I love the energetic guitar intro and the mood it creates — it’s very nostalgic feeling. HYDE’s opening vocals really pick up that mood well; it’s forceful in bursts, but eases into more relaxed notes in between. The lyrics are in Japanese and just feel good. I love the way it moves into the chorus here~. <3 The melody in the chorus is also very memorable. The verses here really show off HYDE’s lower registers, so it’s a nice break from his falsettos. Second verse leads into a bit of distortion and some typical synth stuff, but it’s a nice intermission before we get to the build up to the final chorus which contains a bit of Engrish. The final chorus feels a little less energetic than those before it, but the sincerity of the voice doesn’t fade. Wind down, wind down. Ends with the name of the song.

TRACK 12: Hideaway
This is the closing track for 666, now we’re even with five and five for both Faith and 666. This opens with a really homely sound. Japanese and Engrish interchanged frequently; love the energy, liveliness, and sincerity here. Guitars are simple but effective. Some steady drums into the second verse. The Engrish is only understandable in bursts, but it isn’t very distracting. The overall feel of this song is very American punk rock to me. It has the same kind of challenge the world mood to it somehow, and honestly, the lyrics don’t make it seem that far off. Really enjoyable song overall.

TRACK 13: Prayer
Sixth song from 666 now, oh snap! Kind of an awkward opening: heavy guitar in between long silences. Then, consistent heavy guitars and a vocal intro you don’t really notice until several seconds in. Serious business kind of sound… at least until the next punctuated silence, then it just sounds kind of normal? Still lovin’ the vocal quality here, though the Engrish lyrics aren’t as nice as far as understanding go. Subject matter-wise, this song probably wouldn’t do too terribly on Faith, but the sound is much more classic HYDE than the rest of the stuff on Faith. The melody is solid and cohesive, though the guitars aren’t all that interesting. Really… even though HYDE’s vocals are pretty nice here, the rest of the song really bores me.

TRACK 14: Midnight Celebration
Seventh song from 666! As much as I do like 666, this is kind of silly since 666 is only a ten-track album! I’ve always found “Midnight Celebration” to be kind of a hilarious song because it’s just so stereotypically… vampiric. Still, it’s a fun and energetic song with a strong opening and very understandable Engrish lyrics. The chorus is my favorite part; it’s great ’cause HYDE sounds so darn serious, but the vampiric overtones of the entire song just make me laugh. Bridge is pretty typical, but the guitars are nice to listen to regardless. The energy throughout the last round of choruses wraps things up nice and neat at the end too.

TRACK 15: Unexpected [Dist.]
Rock version of the original song on ROENTGEN; similar to the version of “Evergreen” above, this version was released as a B-side on the “Season’s Call” single. Kind of a boring intro that leads into some awkward, distorted vocals. Vocals remain distorted and music remains boring — it’s really hard to even tell if the lyrics are in Japanese or Engrish, but I know them to be Engrish. Finally get to something resembling a chorus about halfway through the song; vocals become undistorted, but the Engrish is still difficult to understand. The vocals do have some nice energy here, but the music isn’t really helping. It slows down significantly again and almost seems to end, but then it leads on into the bridge, which sounds kind of odd because it actually has a decent melody. HYDE’s vocals echo through it, but the longer the bridge goes on for, the more boring it gets? Kind of just want it to end now, but it’s another five minute song. Argh. Outro takes forever to fade out too.

TRACK 16: The Cape of Storms
Third song from ROENTGEN, but not a later released rock version. Intro has a very classic feel to it. Lyrics are in Engrish and pretty hard to decipher except for a word here or there. Melody and vocal quality are pretty nice here, though I also find the melody to be kind of plain and uninteresting. Tempo slows significantly as we get into the first verse; mood gets very mysterious and suspenseful. There’s some interesting use of different instruments here as well, like harmonica and something that sounds kind of like a marimba? Chorus returns with the uninteresting melody; HYDE’s vocals are emotional and feel sincere enough, but it’s bordering on that “trying too hard” kind of feeling. Second verse is slow and I’m really getting bored. Five minute and forty-five second song is so long~. D;

TRACK 17: glamorous sky [English version] (YouTube it)
This is probably the song I was most excited about when I glanced over the track list. I love “glamorous sky.” I love Mika Nakashima’s vocals on it, but hearing HYDE sing the song was really interesting too. I didn’t know there was an English version of it though?? Excitement here! Intro is odd and disorienting for all of a moment, and then the vocals start. The sound is very, very different here — the music is much more rockish, the tempo’s faster, and HYDE’s vocals are weird! The lyrics are strange and I can’t understand anything that wasn’t already Engrish in the original. Well, I guess “ano” in the choruses turned into “I know” something, but beyond that is beyond me. The difference in the guitars in the back is really, really throwing me off — it sounds a lot more like a DDR song because the melody is so much more forceful. I have mixed feelings about the vocals; the quality really isn’t HYDE’s best and the lyrics continue to sound strange.

Haha, “nemurenai yo” turned into “I won’t be sleeping.” I guess that works out?? It’s always interesting to see how much of the original meaning carries over since they’re usually more concerned about preserving syllables than translation. The bridge sounds really weird this sped up; the lyrics get a little more understandable, but … not really. The parts that match up well with the original translation are the parts I pick up more easily. The last round of choruses are all right; the slightly slowed tempo doesn’t particularly help the awkwardness of both the lyrics and the guitars though. What a weird way to end this album. What I really want to hear now is Mika Nakashima singing this version of the song though… and perhaps we can wrestle some kind of duet out of them. That would be hot.

OVERALL: Really, I don’t know what the point of releasing this compilation album was… HYDE only has three albums to his solo name! This compilation was unnecessarily long and contains more than half of both 666 and Faith. Really, you might as well pick up those original two albums! It doesn’t have nearly as much as ROENTGEN, which might be legitimately harder to find, except that two of three included tracks were re-released rock versions, so that’s kind of a moot point? The only real point of interest was the last track, which would have probably done just as well released as a special single or as a B-side to another single. The timing of this release also feels weird — I mean, HYDE just got together with K.A.Z to make VAMPS and they’re touring, so why’s he reminding fans of old stuff instead of pushing his new stuff? (Oh, man, VAMPS cover of “glamorous sky,” why is this so awesome.)

Oh, well. It’s not a bad album if you’re looking to hear a decent cross section of HYDE’s solo work, but if you’re already familiar with his solo work, then there isn’t really a long enough history to reminisce over here.

First up is ONE OK ROCK, a rock band formed in 2006 with a pretty modern and Western-influenced style. They usually sing in Japanese but are partial to incorporating a fair bit of English into their lyrics. The English is heavily accented, but once you figure out what they’re saying, it usually makes sense, so in that regard, it isn’t exactly Engrish. Their general style and some of their subject matter reminds me a bit of ELLEGARDEN also, but they’re hardly a clone; in particular, their vocalists’ voices have very different edges to them. Taka’s vocal range is also a bit more varied, I think; he tackles a good range of notes and has some pretty nice falsettos (I’m a sucker for falsettos, yes?). They’re a really energetic bunch all around and have a lot of energy. They’re something good to listen to when you’re working or in a good mood.

ONE OK ROCK currently has three albums, three singles, and two mini albums out. I definitely recommend their first album, Zeitakubyou. “Etcetera” (エトセトラ = Etosetora) is my favorite single of theirs, though it’s pretty different from most of their other stuff in that it’s pretty emo, lol. I recently got ahold of their most recently album, Kanjou Effect, and will probably be writing up a First Impressions post when I find some time to sit down and listen to it.

ONE OK ROCK Official Website, MySpace, Blog
Recommended Album: Zeitakubyou
Recommended Songs: Borderline, Koukai Yakunitata Zu, Kemuri, Etcetera

Next is JYONGRI, a j-pop singer of Korean ancestry who is fluent in both Japanese and English and debuted with her first single in 2006. She also incorporates a lot of English into her lyrics, but as she has a much better grasp of the English language than the members of ONE OK ROCK, the mixing of languages is deliciously smooth — something that always scores huge points with me. Think of Utada Hikaru and Rie fu’s English/Japanese songs; they’re that smooth. Her Japanese is pretty unique too in that her pronunciation is a little quirky at times; she annunciates a lot of syllables that are usually dropped or de-emphasized in casual Japanese, such as the first “ku” in “yakusoku.”

Her style is very upbeat and energetic… sometimes a little coy. She as a really beautiful and powerful voice, and I love her sustained and higher notes. JYONGRI’s lyrics are a little lacking sometimes (and it’s more obvious because there’s a lot of easy-to-comprehend English), but the general emotion and feeling of her songs are sincere enough that that doesn’t matter much to me. “Romeo and Juliet,” for example, has some of the most cliche lyrics I’ve ever heard, but her voice is so pretty when she sings them!

JYONGRI has released two albums and five singles.

JYONGRI Official Website, Blog
Recommended Album: Close to Fantasy
Recommended Songs: Possession (Japanese ver.), Let Me In, Yakusoku, YOUR SONG (Short clips of many of her songs can be found on last.FM)

Lastly…Akeboshi. What? Seriously? But Akeboshi is the guy that did Naruto’s first and thirteenth end themes! “Wind” and “Yellow Moon”! How is he unknown? Really though, I don’t think enough people have checked out the guy’s other stuff, and I like his other stuff much better than the songs he contributed to Naruto. Akeboshi generally has a very mellow and down-to-earth style that people have called folk, but I don’t listen to enough folk to really say. I don’t know how to categorize this music, but I know it’s soothing and calms me down. Music for a rainy day or for the middle of the night. Occasionally, he’ll have more upbeat and even bouncy songs, but the quality of his voice still grounds the sound somehow.

Akeboshi also sings in a mix of Japanese and English, but though he studied in Liverpool for a while, his English remains heavily accented — a bit easier to understand than ONE OK ROCK, but not nearly as clear as JYONGRI? I love the variety of instruments that show up in his music though: piano, something that kind of sounds like a marimba, violin, harmonica, trumpet …bagpipe. Seriously, what was the last musician you listened to that used bagpipes?

It’s also a little off-topic, but I love looking at Akeboshi’s blog — there’s very little in the way of text, but the guy takes some really beautiful photographs. Akeboshi has released three albums, five mini-albums, and a single.

Akeboshi Official Website, Facebook, Blog
Recommended Album: Akeboshi or Yellow Moon (EP)
Recommended Songs: Akikaze no Uta, A Nine Days’ Wonder, Peruna, Along the Line

I don’t understand people that don’t understand line etiquette since it seems like it should be common sense. When a line starts to form at the break of dawn the day of the show (and occasionally, the day or night before the show), it’s obvious that people will be coming and going a bit, but the point of getting there so early is to hold your own place, not someone else’s. Below are two rules that I think are fairly intuitive… if everyone followed them, I would have absolutely no quarrel with anyone in line.

1. When you arrive, you go to the end of the current line. This means that if there are already people there when you first get there, you will line up behind them. This means if your friend got there before you and there is now space between that friend and the end of the line: TOUGH. If you’re close enough to go converse with this friend, then fine, but your friend’s spot still isn’t your spot. You can have friends all up and down the line, but if you all didn’t arrive at the same time, then their spots aren’t your spot. If you got there early, and your friends can’t come until later, then you can’t save their spot. Friends don’t let friends be assholes and cut in line. This kind of friend-saving-spot thing is particularly aggravating when the early-arrival friend is saving spots for five or more people. Seriously, what the hell?

2. It’s fine to make short trips away from the line, but more than an hour or two is excessive. When you’re going to be in line for the entire day, you obviously need to take breaks to go to the restroom and to go eat. If you brought entertainment with you into the line, you’ll probably need to go throw it back in the car before the show starts, etc. That’s fine. Make nice with the people ahead of and behind you in line; when they know you’re there, they generally have no problem with not moving into the empty space you leave behind. But if you’re gone for half a day… if you dump your stuff in line and then go take a nap on your nice hotel bed for five hours… that’s not cool. It’s not enough to just get there at dawn, mark your place in line, and then disappear until showtime. That’s kind of not fair to all the people that are actually sitting there in the weather and sleeping on the sidewalk, y’know? Don’t be an asshole.

I don’t know why these two things seem to be so hard. Ironically, depending on the distance between the doors of the venue and the stage itself and depending on how many people hit the merchandise stand before going for their spot on the floor, a person’s place in line really doesn’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things. For last night’s show, I stood in line for ten hours. I arrived at 9:00am for a 7:00pm door opening and an 8:00pm show. I got the rail at the exact spot I wanted. The guy next to me had been in a separate “skip the line” line because he’d purchased +$30 worth of food from the venue. The girl on the other side of me had arrived in the normal line at 1:00pm and had hit the merchandise stand before going to the stage. Funny how we were all side-by-side, huh?

Originally, I figured these Diru fans were so crazy because hey, it’s Dir en grey. They’re Japanese! Who knows when they’ll be back again? Who knows when we’ll see them again? This was what set us apart from the American fans of American bands. Not such a big deal. Those bands are sure to come back. There’s always another shot. But since Diru’s showcase “tour” in 2006, they’ve come back to the US more than four times and their last three albums have had US releases. It’s more and more likely that they’ll come back; hell, I’d say it’s almost a sure thing. Most of the fans in line have already seen them at least once by now. So stop being assholes to each other, huh?

I really want to know whether these line-cutting issues are common. Walking by the Garden one morning this summer on the way to work, I saw a bunch of girls lining up by the pit entrance. Further down the street, I saw Justin Timberlake’s bus, so presumably, that’s who was playing that night. And so I wonder, do those girls get into bitchfights over line order too? Do assholes try to cut in line there too? Common sense says yes. Maybe it’s just because most of Dir en grey’s fans are female too. Girls are bitches about a lot of things, and fandom is definitely high on the list. Do guys do this? (As often?)

Sometimes I really think I just expect too much out of the human race, even if it’s just “common” courtesy.

I’m a bit ashamed to say that I hadn’t really been keeping up with Diru news for the last few months, and so the fact that they swapped US labels and were releasing the album a day earlier in the States was completely unknown to me. Thus, I wasn’t prepared with a preorder of the album. I’m not sure how early the leaks got online, but I know Kaoru was ticked about it. I know that it doesn’t alleviate my guilt any, but I downloaded it yesterday and held off on listening to it until today…? I’ll be picking the US release when I go see them in Houston on the 25th, so in any case, let it be known that this band is definitely getting my money in more than one way. ♥

I set aside an hour and half to sit down and listen to this album without distractions. The leak’s quality is definitely not the best, but it’ll do. The album’s cover is one of their best in a while, I think, though I do wish they’d take a break from the monochromatic color schemes. I guess Glass Skin’s cover had color, but other than that, when was the last time they had a ton of colors on their album art? six Ugly? Anyway, this isn’t really a review of the album — I think it’s a lot harder to review music because impressions change much more readily over time compared to other things like series and movies. So these are just first impressions, written as I listened, so the comments are also much more unpolished than they would be in a review. :3

1. Sa Bir: Starts off with some interesting bass buzzing, hushed whispers in the back, and a very haunting melody on some kind of string instrument I’m not familiar with. The feel is very traditional Asian or Indian sounding, which is appropriate considering the title (I have no idea what it means, but it looks Indian or Middle Eastern to me). The voices in the back sound like some kind of story that you only have a vague grasp of — there’s someone threatening sounding and someone defeated sounding. It’s very intriguing… the softness of it does remind me a bit of the first track on MARROW, but the strings and the voices really suggest that something different is happening here.

2. Vinushka: This track seems to start rather suddenly considering how short the previous track was. Kyo’s voice really surprised me when it first came up — it’s mostly soft, melodic murmurs; the strings are more prominent in the back now, and we ease quickly into drums, bass, and guitar. The melody feels very tension-filled and uneasy; the guitars and the drums sound really fantastic. Kyo’s voice shifts smoothly between a normal register, a falsetto, and a very deep grumble… I’m not sure when last I heard him go between the three so quickly, but it works really well. The chorus is really emotional without being forceful… reminds me a bit of the early parts of THE PLEDGE. Chorus eases into hushed, speaking parts; this brings me back to the idea that there’s some kind of story in play here — is this a concept album? Wow, I just noticed the time on this track — 9:35. I think that makes this Diru’s longest song ever. ain’t afraid to die was only about seven minutes, and mazohyst of decadence was about eight. Die and Kaoru (presumably) are doing some low roars now. The guitars have sped up and Kyo’s finally adding to the roars and tension with that heightened intensity. Man, I’m lovin’ the guitars and bass in this. I’m glad Toshiya’s finally getting some good bass lines… song tone shifts suddenly and dramatically. The suspense evaporates and we go back to the easy, haunting melody of strings and Kyo’s creepy falsetto. Drum solo! Almost, drums and flute? Wow. I think this is the first time I’ve heard a flute. Flute eases back to the chorus. Kyo is harmonizing with himself; this needs to happen more often! Falsetto, roaring. Roaring with backup roaring. The roaring has been a lot deeper and grumbly thus far on this album — not so much screaming, which makes me quite happy. :3 The guitar melody and the rumbling lead into the end and then it’s gone abruptly again.

3. Red Soil: Starts off sounding more familiar — guitars, and the voice is there almost immediately. Kyo’s voice sounds substantially different though, more upbeat and melodic than he’s been in a good while. I can’t tell if he’s singing in English or not (haven’t looked for lyrics yet.) Okay, I’m pretty sure it’s English now… Kyo’s English seems to have improved somehow, but it’s still very muddled. Gunshot-like banging in the background, snare drum? Very interesting. The melody feels a little inconsistent here; there are a lot of different sounds in a very short amount of time. Garbled noises — sounds like an alien or a drowning cat or something else equally disturbing — high-pitched whining noises, Kyo’s very good at those… I really like the snare drum sound. This track also ends kind of abruptly, hm.

4. 慟哭と去りぬ (Doukoku to Sarinu): Starts off with panting and forced-sounding whispers. Still getting the feeling that Kyo sounds a bit different though we once again ease into more familiar-sounding guitar and drum sounds. Kyo is doing a lot more talking than singing in this song, and in general, it seems like he’s doing a lot more quick transitions between his various vocal abilities — roaring, growling, falsetto, weird noises, talking, and normal(ish) singing. To some extent, I think that sounds pretty neat, but it really loses the melody and that’s a little disconcerting. Kyo singing over his own roaring in the background… sounds a bit muddled, but the wave of sound in the back really increases the suspense and tension levels. Not so fond of the drums in this song, but the guitars are pretty nice when they actually hold onto a distinct melody.

5. 蜷局 (Toguro): Somehow, songs that start off with sound on only one side really throws me off, heh. Guitars on one side, then Kyo comes in on the other side. I’m lovin’ how his voice sounds in this though — feels more consistent; there’s still a very Indian/Middle Eastern vibe in this. I can’t decide if it’s his voice or the music or a combination of, it’s very pleasing. Lyrics feel more solid here just because his singing is more even and the melody isn’t lost in a bunch of transistions. Interesting background noises in the bridge; guitar has quite the awesome melody weaving in and out of the other ambiance in the back. Kyo has some really beautiful sustained notes. The mood feels very urgent; he has an awesome bit singing in the upper register, but not quite falsetto… fades out and dies. I think this might be my favorite song thus far.

6. Glass Skin: I like the Glass Skin single a lot; Kyo’s English here feels much improved and reminds me a bit of hyde’s — it’s very heavily accented, but you can just barely make out the words. At the very least, I feel like you can tell it’s English immediately, even if some words are hard to pick up. I wonder if it’ll keep improving if he keeps writing songs in English? This is the first time they’ve redone a song in English after an initial Japanese release. It’s interesting. Love the drumming in this song. Hell, love the guitars and ambient noises too. Melody is very prominent and the song feels much more orderly… English is pretty distracting at parts though; Kyo’s “f” and “s” sounds are really weird. Ending doesn’t feel as smooth as the Japanese version.

7. Stuck Man: Very different sound, whoa. For some reason, the scene that came to mind immediately was some kind of film noir club or bar… [KR]Cube, anyone? The sound is really different from even that though. Guitars have a good melody — bass lines! Awesome bass lines! Kyo’s all over the place with his vocals here — mostly very aggressive-sounding speaking/roaring, with some really weird squealing I don’t think I’ve heard before. Background participation comes in with the roaring. Drums feel uneasy, but it really adds to the mood here, I think. Kyo sounds something like a dying alien here, hm. I’m still glad he isn’t outright screaming as much though. Whoa.. I can’t tell if Kyo is having a roaring/speaking exchange with himself or with Die. It kind of sounds like Die. o_o Very sudden ending!

8. 冷血なりせば (Reiketsu Nariseba): Very abrupt start! High energy and high tension. Guitar has a very bouncing and awesome melody; the drums are really helping with it too. A lot of roaring in this, low and angry… explodes for the chorus into some higher and more substantial roars. Melody cools off after chorus, eases into more of those strings and foreign-sounding instruments. I wish I knew the names of some of these things, but I love hearing Diru experiment with different sounds. Beautiful sustained wail by Kyo… sounds very Indian… then it pitches upwards, sounds more like Kyo, and goes back to roaring. Wow, that was a really well done transition. :O Drums and guitar swap to a different sound, but still carry a really nice melody. More roaring supplemented with a bout of shrieking. And it isn’t an abrupt ending for once! We echo and fade out instead. o_o

9. 我、闇とて･･･ (Ware, Yami Tote…): Very mellow introduction; it’s another long song. Not sure what’s in the background, but it’s a nice sound. Vocals are reasonably melodious, but the drumming is all over the place and it doesn’t feel like it matches really. Minimal guitar in favor of whatever weird thing’s in the background, but there’s some nice bass supplementing the weird drumming. Something sounds almost like a piano — oh, man, sexy bass lines. The drums still sound scattered, but it’s starting to feel like it fits better. The bass is really helping. Chorus feels kind of hopeful; it’s more upbeat and I’m halfway between feeling inspired and really surprised. (Watch the lyrics be inexpressibly depressing though, lol.) Kyo has some upper register, strained-sounding notes that are really beautiful. Guitars finally take over the other instrument that was in the back; Toshiya continues to play a sexy bass part. More semi-inspiring sounding melodies; Kyo’s putting up his powerful voice again, very emotional. Okay, torturous roaring/strained screaming line, but it gives way into more melody, excellent guitars, and it eases beautifully towards the ending.

10. Bugaboo: Creepy sounding from the start. Something sounds like whales in the back; they sound really awesome. Familiar sounding guitars and roaring, but they both sound great. Roaring overlapping with soft cooing sounds from Kyo? More sustained wailing, more roaring (I really can’t tell if its super-deep voiced Kyo or one of the others). Some really awesome, low roars intermixed with the occasional squeak/whine. Whoa, distorted deep voice sounds really weird. I really like the secondary guitar line here. Most of this song feels like pretty generic post-Withering Diru, but there are definitely some sounds I haven’t heard here before — the distorted deep voice really throws me off, for one. Fade out ending.

11. 凱歌、沈黙が眠る頃 (Gaika, Chinmoku Ga Nemuru Koro): Very ambient-sounding intro — reminded me immediately of a futuristic-style Sonic the Hedgehog level… but that might just be me… Eases into more normal-sounding Diru. Heavy drums, energetic and tension-filled guitars, roaring, deep voices… Enjoying the guitar melody here too. Chorus has more of Kyo’s helpess/almost hopeful sounding tones, that really moving and tragic kind of voice he likes to use. Faster, steadier lyrics, angrier or more frustrated. Guitars in the chorus sound really awesome. The accumulation of roaring and shrieking sounds in the background suddenly made me think of dinosaurs, and then I had a strange vision of a PV taking place in a jungle. ._. Bridge sounds pretty awesome though. Now I’m thinking about concentration camps and screaming… hm. Fades out to raspy breathing, always fun. I’ve always preferred fade-out endings to sudden endings though. ♥ Oh, wait, Dozing Green is next. :P

12. Dozing Green: Dozing Green was a pretty awesome single too. It’s like a perfect mix of the styles on Withering to death and THE MARROW OF THE BONE — perfect blend of haunting melody and Kyo’s impressive vocal range. English here is also recognizable as English, though specific lyrics are still difficult to pick out. I just heard “ice cream,” and I’m sure ice cream has no place in this song, lol. Keep trying, Kyo! You’re getting better! Annnd, sudden shrieking and screaming at the end. Actually, it doesn’t sound that bad, but it always throws me off because the rest of the song is very melodious… but there is a bit of echo/fading afterwards, so that… probably just confuses me more, lol.

13. Inconvenient Ideal: This track has the most awesome title ever. Starts off with soft with cooing and a mellow voice. Drums and guitars and bass ease it into the main melody. Whoa, some very interesting high-pitched harmonizing here. Sustained wails bring me back to the Indian/Middle Eastern feel, but now there’s some weird… I don’t even know how to describe that sound in the back, but it’s definitely new… eases back into the chorus. This song feels a little disorienting, but I think it might be one of those that I’ll like a lot later. I definitely approve with the continued experimentation with sounds though.

14. Glass Skin (Japanese ver.): I think I prefer the Japanese version of this song, but that may just be because Kyo’s English is still dancing that line between interesting and absurd. The Japanese just feels more natural and doesn’t distract from the actual feeling of the song. Speaking parts are too muddled to make heads or tails or the language, really. Love the chorus in this song; the drum beat in the back really grounds it and I love the steady feeling it has. The way the chorus extends and goes into the ending is really great too — great demonstration of sustained falsetto. I can’t tell if there’s much difference between this version and the single version though; might take a few dozen more listen-tos.

15. Dozing Green (Japanese ver.): Did I mention how much I love the guitars at the beginning of this song? I also prefer this song in Japanese, probably for the same reasons. Maybe someday, Kyo will get his English to feel less jarring and out of place? His voice just sounds more melodious in Japanese, so all the sustained notes sound better — you wouldn’t think it’d make that much of a difference, but it does. :o Screaming bit at the end is again extended so it doesn’t feel as sudden! And then it goes into an echo-phase that sounds really Indian… really, really appropriate ending for this album!

OVERALL: I’m pretty pleased with UROBOROS for the most part. I’m really glad to see that Dir en grey is continuing to experiment with new sounds and styles, and that they aren’t afraid to try different things. UROBOROS had a really concept album feel to it because I felt that a lot of the tracks were connected in some way — the Indian/Middle Eastern/Asian string instruments really helped with that, and I also think Kyo’s learned a few new tricks with his voice. Various noises and sounds he makes here are definitely debut, and I’m interested to see where he takes them. The experimentation in the album feels a bit muddled at times though, and it really bothers me when I’m not able to pick out a distinct melody. I don’t like songs that are just a jumbled mess of different noises that may or may not fit together. It’s very disorienting. That said, for Diru, it always seems to take me a while to adjust to their stuff — a lot of their melodies are more subtle, and it’ll take me at least a half dozen more listens to pick it out for sure. At the moment, I’m not sure that I like it quite as much as MARROW, but that may well change. The Asian/traditional elements are really helping — I’m a big fan of mixing traditional with modern. :3

Who knows what 雅 -miyavi-’s real name is? Pata, hide, Yoshiki, Toshi, and Heath of X Japan — at least three out of five names are obviously fake. The real name of Dir en grey‘s 京 (Kyo) has been a topic of much speculation as he signs his name as Tooru Nishimura in his poetry books, but some sources claim his surname to be Niimura instead. ,Magazines and fansites love listing supposed real names, but it’s incredibly difficult to find any sort of reliable documentation. Gackt’s full stage name Gackt Camui, but it’s still a far cry from whatever his real name is. Birthdays are similarly difficult to find. Gackt’s birthday is July 4th, but the year is still a big question mark. hyde did not confirm his birthday to the public until an interview in 2002, more than a decade after L’Arc~en~Ciel‘s debut.

In the United States, it’s unthinkable that celebrities would be able to keep such simple biographical information private after so long. How do the Japanese do it? Is it just because their society values privacy more than ours? J-pop artists and idols don’t hide behind aliases as often, but magazines will sometimes print their names in katakana or romaji rather than the specific kanji, allowing for use of their real name without giving all the details away. That’s a unique level of half-exposure that English doesn’t allow for. Even when celebrities’ names are out in the open though, it’s rare that you hear about scandals in Japan. Or, at the very least, they happen with much less frequency than they do in the States.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie can’t seem to keep their kids out of the tabloid spotlights, not to mention all the attention the aforementioned Palin is getting, but when was the last time you heard anything about hyde and Megumi Oishi’s kid? It is pretty much impossible to find information on him. Name, birthday, any blurry sort of photograph, anything. There are a lot of fans that will forget he even exists, and it isn’t hard to see why. Even high profile mangaka like Naoko Takeuchi and Yoshihiro Togashi live behind a comfortable veil of secrecy. No one knows their son’s name either.

It’s bewildering to me that it’s even possible to achieve that level of security when you’re in the public eye so often (unless you’re in CLAMP and make public appearances once in a blue moon when the planets are in alignment). Overseas, it seems like no one will even take you seriously if you work from behind a mask, much less make you famous, but in Japan, it’s the norm. It really makes you realize how incredibly nosy American society is, how eager we are to devour tabloids and dirty gossip. No wonder the rest of the world thinks we’re offensive and rude.

After about an hour of rampaging around the Internet and finding nothing, I decided to watch it raw. A weeaboo’s knowledge of the language gained from a decade or two of watching anime, however advanced, doesn’t get one very far, sadly. I could pick out greetings, some numbers, some exclamations, some questions and answers, but little more than that. Nevertheless…

STORY & PACING – Oresama is kind of a strange story. It’s a semi-autobiography in which miyavi plays himself as he magically travels back in time to inspire some kids to play rock and punk and to meet himself as a kid, when he was an aspiring soccer player. It was kind of difficult for me to pinpoint without understanding everything that was being said, but it seemed like the purpose of the journey was to bring miyavi back down to earth a little. That idea would fit with the title of the movie, as “oresama” is the most arrogant Japanese first-person pronoun. (Black Star from SOUL EATER always refers to himself as “oresama.”)

Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with the storytelling at all. The time travel bit was conveniently glossed over with no explanation — I suppose it’s an unimportant detail considering the short, one hour runtime, but it still bugged me. I would have liked it better if it had been a dream; the same issues could have been addressed, and we wouldn’t have had to deal with horrible, corny, flashy-light effects. There were also some really cheap situations that were just far too convenient, such as the speed at which he gained the trust of his sudden roommate. Those things aside, the scenes often felt choppy and uncoordinated. It was difficult to tell how much time had passed between scene to scene even when miyavi promised to be in certain places “tomorrow” — night and day did not seem to follow one after the other. It was kind of like slice of life. Except. Not.

Like I said, the central theme and point of the movie was difficult for me to pick out because I didn’t understand a majority of the things being said, but I also think some of the lack of clarity came from the vagueness of the visual storytelling. It was hard to decipher miyavi’s emotions in many of the scenes involving other characters, particularly with his sudden roommate and the band. I got that he was inspiring them, but that said more about the other characters than miyavi himself, which kind of leads to the next point.

CHARACTER & ACTING – Considering the name of the movie, the only character really worth talking about is, of course, miyavi. As he plays himself, I find it hard to judge his merits as an actor, especially since he has such an energetic and spastic public personality already. Still, the miyavi in Oresama shows a lot more of the man’s “serious” and introspective side. The beginning of the movie depicts him as arrogant: he is comfortable in his fame, sticks his feet up on tables, and makes fun of other people’s fashion. Suddenly in the past, as he quickly realizes that his fame is nil and his personal fashion questionable, he humbles himself a little. This is particularly evident when his roommate’s conservative-seeming girl/friend comes to visit, and miyavi is incredibly awkward. Regardless of that though, his passion for music remains, and he is not afraid to show that, to demonstrate his brand of punk and rock.

It’s a shift, sure, but I felt it was too easy, too reasonable and too simple. There seemed to be little internal struggle, and miyavi adapted very quickly to his new environment, so quickly that the entire idea of the movie didn’t feel all that poignant anymore. Then we have the young version of miyavi, also known as Ryu. Ryu appears to be a pretty typical Japanese kid with his short shorts, bowl haircut, and pinky-swear promises. He likes soccer. miyavi likes soccer. They play together. I suppose playing around with his younger self (though he doesn’t realize this for a while) got him to re-realize his once-ambitions and re-apply that to his current ambitions. I’m grabbing at straws here, but I like to think that the “present day” miyavi of the movie was arrogant and too-comfortable in his position, thus lacking ambition anymore. And seeing his younger self reawakened that. But I could very well be making this up completely. It’s really not that exciting either way though.

What might be more interesting than analyzing movie!miyavi by himself though, is contrasting him with real!miyavi, and trying to figure out how much he really plays himself. The real miyavi might come off as incredibly arrogant — he has 我 tattooed to his left shoulder blade, which is pretty much the universal kanji for self-referencing words such as “I,” “me,” and “myself,” among other self-referencing symbols and quotes including “I’m the one and only. In heaven and on Earth” and “Close your heart to every love, but hold no one in your arms but me.” The “I” kanji is also emblazoned upon many of his guitars. These details seem to contrast with his presented personality though, which, like I said, very often seems care-free and endearingly spastic (though it’s also worth noting that he’s very fond of repeating “miyavi desu!”/”I’m miyavi!” several times at the beginning of virtually every interview and video address). One has to wonder how arrogant he actually is and whether all the references to himself have another meaning entirely, maybe something spiritual (references to buddism also appear in some of his tattoos). I’m also fairly certain he uses “boku” to refer to himself rather than “ore” or “oresama.”

Movie!miyavi is very similar. Of course all the tattoos remain, and he has his “I” stamped guitar makes an appearance as well. I wonder if Oresama was miyavi’s way of revealing more of his serious side to the world, since he rarely gets to show it otherwise. Japanese celebrities are notoriously secretive, with many of them performing under aliases, hiding their real birthdays, and so on. It’s rare that any of them would think to do an autobiography, or even a “semi-autobiography,” as he calls Oresama. I’m not sure if there’s any real way to identify how much of the “real” miyavi we see in the movie, but it’s interesting to think about all the same. PS – miyavi’s official domain is o-re-sa-ma.com. :3

MUSIC - Well, I’m obviously a fan of miyavi’s music, but I don’t really feel as if it was used very well in this movie. In particular, the performance he does with the band seemed like a very poorly-made music video. He obviously had to be lip syncing, but it was really, really bad lip syncing. Mouth and music were clearly off and the acoustics weren’t very convincing. After the performances given in NANA and NANA 2, it was hard to accept this kind of haphazardness. It was also a little disappointing for me to see that “Coo quack cluck ku.ku.ru.” did not appear until the closing credits because that song probably fits the themes of the movie better than the other songs used. Oh well.

The insert and theme songs aside though, miyavi’s various demonstrations of his musical prowess throughout the movie were amazing. He is a masterful guitar player, and it’s very easy to become entranced when he picks up that instrument. Before he was a singer, he was a guitarist, and that’s obviously where his most of his skill is. If anything, watching his performances in this movie will encourage you to seek out some of his other live performances, especially solo acts. (I recommend his one-man band show for “Are you ready to rock?”)

ANIMATION & EFFECTS – Should have them out. Seriously. I had no desire to see miyavi burst into a bunch of cheaply animated feathers.

OVERALL - miyavi is an entertaining character with a ton of personality quirks — he’s very endearing to watch, whether he’s attacking his guitar, arm wrestling while drunk, or miming in an alleyway trying to be invisible. Unfortunately, Oresama fails to present an engaging story, and that failure comes to overshadow the rest of miyavi’s entertainment value. If you’re a hardcore fan, it might be worth it try and analyze his character in it, but if you just want to watch miyavi be miyavi, be amazed, or get a laugh, just go watch a live performance or some of his weird interviews. Don’t bother with this.

Maybe it isn’t so surprising that no one felt like subbing Oresama after all…