Songs I've been obsessed with lately+FATELESS.

I was going to originally make a post about FATELESS only, but since I'm not really good at reviews I decided to make a second post about songs I've been obsessively listening to. Also what I think about coldrain's new album.

I already did a "My favorite of 2017 so far" but the year's almost over and so I'll just compile a new list that I've been obsessed with. I won't go into reasons why I like them so much, because I'm a lazy asshole, but yeah.

• Deux by the GazettE [Off their album 'DOGMA', MV can be found on their vevo]
• LUCY by the GazettE [Also off 'DOGMA']
• Heavy by Linkin Park [I don't understand the flack for this song, but I'm not other people I suppose.]
• Don't Threaten me with a Good Time by Panic! at the Disco [Song was lit to hear live] 
• Hallelujah by Panic! at the Disco [Hearing it live made me love this song so much to be honest.]
• Miss Jackson by Panic! [The music video is nuts.]
• Billy Jean by Michael Jackson [Listening to it for a month straight.]
• R.I.P. by coldrain [Off their new album FATELESS. Music video is nuts too.] 
• UNINVITED as covered by coldrain [Also on FATELESS, the original song was written by Alana Morissette.]
• ENVY by coldrain [Leading song for FATELESS.]
• COCKROACH by the GazettE [Giving myself the LA feels.]
• Last Resort by Papa Roach [Them high school feels.]
• This is Gospel piano version by Panic! [THE FEELS.]
• Human by Christina Perri [Honestly, this is just how I feel about myself in general. Also giving myself the RP feels cause I think of my OTP when I hear this.]
• Feel it Still by Portugal. The Man [For when I need to feel good.]
• Colors by Halsey [both versions. Thanks Mikki for introducing me to the Stripped version first.]
• Periscope by Papa Roach feat. Skylar Grey [I think I heard about this one from Reida, I don't remember.]
• Stay by coldrain [Off FATELESS]
• Vortex by the GazettE [Once again, I'm giving myself them LA feels.]

That's about it, as far as these past two weeks of what I've been listening to constantly though I have been so busy I haven't had the chance to really....listen. So when I do, I shove all this into my playlist and listen until I have to sleep.

Where am I going with this?

Oh yeah, FATELESS.

I can't give a proper review for FATELESS, as I skimmed through it once [well not really] and just started playing a couple of songs over and over. But from what I heard, it's a really good album and if you're a coldrain fan you shouldn't miss out on it. UNINVITED is a really good cover, Masato's voice has improved so much.

That's about it for today.

Byyyyyyyyyyye.

Anime+Manga Characters.

With Anime Banzai starting tomorrow, I really think about what Anime I still watch and the characters I've liked over the years. As of now, the only Anime I've been paying attention to is Saiyuki Reload Blast [because I missed my babies] and also a little bit of Black Butler.

So here's just an unofficial list of characters that I love, and will always love no matter what. It won't matter if I don't watch the series anymore, cause even if I don't-I will always come back to watch just for them.

[I will only list two characters from each series though, cause of space and time....]

I will go by series as well, so first off-Saiyuki. A little history, Saiyuki's been my favorite Manga/Anime since middle school. If you know me, you might think Kuroshitsuji is my favorite, but it's actually not. It's Saiyuki and it has been for over ten years now.

Saiyuki Characters

Cho Hakkai-  Now Hakkai takes the spot as probably one of my all time favorite Manga characters. He's such a complex character to begin with, as are most of the Sanzo party in which he belongs to. They're a ragtag group who do things their own way, and don't let anyone deter them from their goals and who they are as people. 

What is it about Hakkai though? Is it his usual calm demeanor? The way he takes care of everyone in the group? Or is it the fact that if you piss him off he goes from 0 to 100 real quick? 

From all my favorite characters that I will list, Hakkai has a pretty fucked up past. He's an orphan, who was separated from his older twin sister. Who he later meets up in their adult years, and they get into a.....sexual relationship. His lover-slash-sister's rape and suicide is the catalyst of what Hakkai [or Gonou, who he was known as before] becomes.

In a rage he kills 1000 demons [youkai] and becomes one himself. [In the Saiyuki world, you 'bathe' in the blood of a thousand demons means you become one yourself. Yep.] 

However, when confronted by Sanzo, he is 'punished' be the Sanbushin and since they're Buddhists and don't believe in killing they just simply gave him a new name and sent him on his way. The events that happen in his past sort of make him the person that he is today, so despite carrying a very 'cheerful' attitude he can be quite scary should you piss him off.

He also has a cute little dragon that turns into a jeep named Hakuryu. 

[Also note while his incestual relationship with his sister is heavily implied in the manga, it's not so much in the anime. Probably because it's disturbing.] 

Also note that the fact that he liked to make weird jokes at the expense of his friends made me love him. 

Kenren Taishou-If you're familiar with the Saiyuki series, you'll know that Kenren is actually Sha Gojyo's previous incarnation. [If you didn't, well then I just spoiled it for you...ah well.] He has pretty much the same personality as Gojyo, but with slight difference. 

Honestly I don't know what else I can write about Kenren, I really love how much he cares about his comrades. He has a close relationship with his comrade Tenpou [who is a Field Marshal of the Heavenly Army.] Oh, I guess I forgot to mention, he is the General of the Heavenly Army. He doesn't really do a good job, but what can you do?

He also is shown to care deeply about the War Prince Nataku, always worrying about him and his missions that he's forced to partake in. And he develops the same sort of relationship with Son Goku, who he vows to protect and get to the lower world even if it means costing him his life. 

Not sure what to say about him without spoiling too much, so I'll just leave it at that.

[Note: I was going to add Tenpou Gensui in this part, but since he's the previous incarnation of Hakkai I felt like it was cheating a little bit.] 

Black Butler Characters

Meyrin- Who doesn't like a maid who can also murder you? 

I'm not sure what it is with me and secondary characters, but I really get attached to them sometimes. I know the whole manga/anime centers around Ciel and his ever so perfect demon butler, but I really appreciate the secondary characters in this series. Especially Meyrin, who despite her faults is extremely loyal to her master and tries her best in both jobs she has to do. 

She also is very caring towards her friends, and honestly I hope she gets over her little 'crush' on Sebastian and start crushing on Bard. [Okay I need my otp to happen, sue me].

Bardroy-I didn't start appreciating this psychotic chef until I started to roleplay as him on kurotumblr. I think if Yana means to delve more into his character, as with Meyrin, but I hope she does so soon. Because I think of all the characters he might have a pretty interesting, considering that he's in his mid-forties. [I think he is, it was said by Yana. He doesn't look that old.]

I really love the fact that he's sort of a leader, if Sebastian isn't around at least. He's really good at delegating where the others need to be if needed, as shown when they are escaping the forest with Sieglinde.

I do ship him with Meyrin despite the age difference, but is the only one [aside from maybe Sebastian] that I really wish they would get together. [He wouldn't with Sebastian, I just like them because "Angry Boyfriends".]

Attack on Titan

Sasha Braus- So is Attack on Titan even interesting anymore? I gave up because it became too messy and I didn't care to follow it anymore. However, despite all this, I do check in every once in a while to see if Sasha is still alive. Last I heard, she was severely injured so I'm still a little worried about her place in things.

She's really underrated as a character, I've seen fans call her a coward and useless when she's proven herself that she's more than just a 'Potato' girl. Also the fact that she joined the army to prove to her father that she was worthy [or something like that] and she got that closure with him when she took on a titan WITHOUT HER GEAR to save a small child.

Also may I remind fans that she also PIERCED THE TITANS EYES WITH HER ARROW WITHOUT THE USE OF HER BOW?

Also she saved Mikasa by driving her arrow into a man's gun just as he was going to shoot her? [And got scolded by Jean, who she sassed back saying Mikasa should've KEPT HER EYES ON HER PREY]

Why am I capslocking?

Oh yeah, because people don't respect Sasha.

Anyway, enough about that, I just really love her. She's really sweet and if she dies, well then I'll give up for good. She's one of the only good characters left.

Jean Kirchstein- Ahhh, my favorite asshole character in Attack on Titan second to Sasha. [I also ship them, so Jean...if you could ever so kindly forget Mikasa, that'd be great.] [Also, shitty joke, sorry to those who like Jeankasa] 

Like Sasha, I only check in to see if he's okay. I feel like out of a lot of the characters, he's one that has had the most character development. He's labeled a coward by Eren [shut up, Eren] but when he's needed, Jean steps up to the plate to help protect his friends. He also has a better moral compass than most, and some predict that he might become the commander of the Survey Corps.

[But the Survey Corps is sorta going to shit, so...]

I just hope he stays alive, but I'm not holding my breath since...well you know.

----

That's about it, I was going to do FMA but I grew tired and wouldn't be able to handle doing anymore. So maybe this is just a part one....

Top Music of 2017 so far.

I use Spotify a lot, and though there are a lot of songs that I can't listen to on Spotify [the newer GazettE music] I still use it more than my iPod library. I even pay for the premium, and honestly I think it's worth having.

So I thought I'd go through my most listened to artists/tunes on spotify.

Hallelujah by Panic! at the Disco

Honestly after seeing them live in March, I've been a little obsessed with listening to all things Panic! Mainly their newest album Death of a Bachelor. Hallelujah is probably one of the more overplayed songs on my Spotify library, and I think it's one of the best off the album.

The Sound of Silence as covered by Disturbed

I actually saw a friend share this one facebook, and ever since I've been sort of addicted to it. Though I haven't listened to it in about a month, I still think it's one of the best covers of this song out there. I don't think anything will beat the original [Simon&Garfunkel] but this is a close second.

Kubo and the Two Strings soundtrack

Everything about this movie is beautiful, from the animation to the music. Though I know some people may not care for it, as it's not entirely true to the original legend. [?] But I liked it for what it was, and I don't think you have to like the movie to appreciate the soundtrack.

Chasing Ghosts by Against the Current

This really is more of a 2016 favorite, but I still listen to it quite a lot. ATC is a little underrated if you ask me, but they seem to be doing well for themselves. Though I find it odd that they're playing with the likes of coldrain.

VENA album by coldrain

I find it weird that I listen to it mainly on Spotify since I have the actual album, but some weeks this album is playing nonstop. I could listen to GONE and HEART OF THE YOUNG over and over until my ears bleed, and let's not forget WRONG. This album is gold, and I'm really excited for their new album to come out worldwide.

13stairs[-]1 by the GazettE

It's still an older song, but I can't stop listening to it. This past couple of weeks I've been blasting it over and over, maybe it's because I'm really bummed that they didn't play it in LA. I really REALLY need to hear this song live.

COCKROACH by the GazettE

Speaking of oldies. I just bought Gama a couple of months ago, it was an album I've been wanting but haven't gotten around to buying. I was lucky that CDJapan was still offering it, as most of the older albums aren't available a lot of the times. I never fully appreciated Cockroach until I heard them play it live in LA, and I'm glad they did. It was fun to experience this song in person, I even knew how to do the dance to it.

Colors by Halsey

I'm not as big as a fan of Halsey as I should be, but Colors [both versions] is one of my favorites from her. But mainly because it brings back memories of my time prepping for my Gaze-trip and my actual trip. I listened to it a lot in California for some reason, so I associate it with those times. [I also need to thank Mikki for showing me the Stripped version first.] 

 Heavy by Linkin Park

Granted I've been listening to a LOT of Linkin Park ever since the tragic passing of Chester Bennington, but I was already listening to Heavy a lot. Despite the criticism against it made by most fans, I really liked the song. I thought it was a nice change of pace for the band, and they really seemed to like the product they came out with. I think it conveyed a lot of what Chester was feeling at the time as well, it's sad that some people missed the message.

---

Well, I think that's it or now, but I might add a few more if I think of something. 

What are your favorite music from 2017?

My favorite bassists.

I'm not putting this in a list, considering I don't have enough to fill even a top 5 despite the fact that I do appreciate bassists in all bands. But since I'm sticking mainly to the Japanese scene, I don't think it's really needed and perhaps I'll revise this blog later on. [I say that all the time, but I don't do it.....oops.]

Reita of the GazettE

Who doesn't like Reita? I feel like I've never met a person who disliked him, or maybe I just don't pay enough attention to those who don't like him. I notice different things when listening to the GazettE, and some songs I can really appreciate his talent. I'm so glad he decided to give up the guitar and go to bass, or the GazettE might not be here now. [As quoted by one of them, somewhere...I forget.]

Aside from his talent, he's really a nice guy. Just from his interactions with fans on twitter and to those stories I've heard of people who's met him, I can definitely tell. I hope to meet him one day and tell him how great he is.

Naoki of Kagrra, (Ex) Players (Ex)

I tell this to a lot of people, especially my friends, that Kagrra, was the first visual kei band I've ever liked. And Naoki played a role that for sure. He's extremely kind to his kohai's, and supportive that it's hard not to like him. [Kai seems to be infatuated with him even lol] 

His talent shines through Kagrra's music, much like his bandmates. And even though I haven't really listened to his newer stuff, I still find myself checking on his activities. More so than a lot of other Vkei musicians that aren't the GazettE. 

RxYxO of Coldrain

Photo taken at Salt Lake City Warped Tour, July 30th, 2016

I've personally met Ryo, and though my interaction with him was brief I was still amazed at how kind he was. I actually met him twice, though the first time I simply waved to him on stage and he waved back at me. [So that doesn't really count as meeting him, just waving at him.]

He's extremely talented, and fun to watch play live. I couldn't help but watch him a lot when I saw coldrain at Warped Tour. [The first time I saw them I didn't see much of him, because of my position by the stage.] As I said, he's really nice and one of the most genuine people you could ever meet.

--

And that's it for my favorite bassists, as I said I don't have a lot that I can name off the top of my head.
 

My favorite non-Japanese Musicians.

I find it weird that I have to title it that way, but I usually talk about Japanese musicians and in this list I'm excluding them. Mainly because I will be talking about music that has molded me into what I am today, and you might find some oldies on here as well. Growing up I just listened to whatever my parents or siblings were listening to, and because my mom's favorite band is the Beatles there was a lot of that in my house.

Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons

"Big Girls Don't Cry" was always playing at my house, and my mom even has videos of me dancing to it with my brothers and sister. I still listen to them to this day, and I think part of the reason why is it does bring back some fond memories of my childhood. If you have seen the movie Jersey Boys then you will know these guys for sure.

It's not really what I usually listen to either, but they were a definite favorite of mine growing up.

The Everly Brothers

Another oldies group. My parents actually didn't play them as often as the others I grew up with, but I always seemed to be drawn to their CD's either way. We had a stereo, way before I even had my own CD player, so I would just plug my earphones in and play their songs all day. I hear their music at work, which is great for me because I can sing along to it.

Simon and Garfunkel

If you've heard the song "The Sound of Silence" or just those stupid videos with the song playing "Hello Darkness, my old friend" whenever something bad happens than that was these guys. I believe they were a definite favorite of my dad's, whenever we drove somewhere they were always playing on his radio.

Carlos Santana

Santana is my dad's favorite musician, which meant that he was probably the most played in the household aside from the Beatles. [I'm not listing them, for reasons.] I definitely feel like he influenced my taste in music, as I grew up to really like Orianthi who also uses the same style of guitar playing that Santana uses. 

Michelle Branch

My first personally owned CD was the Spirit Room. I really liked that she was one of the first musicians I liked on my own accord. Of course my sister liked her too, we're even going to see her together this July-but she was sort of my hero back in the day. She recently released a full length album after years, so I'm excited to sit down and listen to it.

After her album 'Hotel Paper' she sort of fell away from the mainstream music scene, so not many know about her anymore. Which is probably why her concert is going to be 21 and over, because no one under 18 even would know her. 

Misterwives

I've already talked about them so much, so I'll only say I really do love them. They're a fun band to listen to when you want to just jam out, or whatever you want to call it. They're wonderful live, I was so happy to see them with Panic.

--

That's about it! I have a few more I want to list, but I'm a little tired so I'm afraid from that point on I'll be a little sloppy.

Thanks for reading!

Top Ten Visual Kei vocalists.

Granted, my Visual Kei interest might be dwindling and my favorite artists are either now leaving or disbanding. But who knows, maybe I'll find another band someday. I'm just a little swamped with work/babysitting and other things.

So this is just a top ten of vocalist I liked throughout the years. Some, I might not even like anymore, but at the time I liked them for what they were.

10. Miku-An Cafe

I can't believe I'm even mentioning Miku, but back in my High School days I actually really liked his voice. For what it was, it was really good and I liked the upbeat in his tone. Oshare Kei really wasn't my thing, but it was a nice change of pace for what I usually listened to. As a person, I don't know if I can say I actually like Miku-but maybe he's changed since I've known about him.

 

 9. Jun-Spiv States

When Phantasmagoria disbanded and Jun created Spiv States with Iori I was a little shocked. Especially after hearing that Jun would also be vocalist. But after hearing their first two singles, I was pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately I didn't really keep up with them after Iori left due to health reasons, so one day I will sit down and listen to the entire discography. 

8. Maru-BIS

Unfortunately not a lot of my friends remember or knew who BIS was. They were sort of like Alice Nine I would say, and they did used to be an indie band under PSC until they left and eventually disbanded. Maru had a good voice, when I first heard the song DAYS I was almost obsessed with his voice. I didn't follow him after their disbandment, and I'm unsure if he's even active in the VK scene anymore.

7.Keiyu-Kra

 Granted, I didn't really give the band a shot when I first got into Visual Kei. I honestly didn't even know that Kra was considered Oshare Kei, unless they're not and I'm being a total noob. Honestly I can't really comment on his voice, at least to make myself seem like I know what I'm talking about. I just like it. [I'm being sloppy, I'm sorry.] 

 

6. Yomi-Nightmare

 

Yomi surprisingly has a low voice, which I like. I recently got acquainted with their music again, only to find out that the band is on hiatus. I hope for a return, because I'm interested where they can go from there. 

 

5. Riku-Chariots

 

Riku was one of the only reasons I listened to Phantasmagoria, for all I know he sort of carried the band in a way. [Okay I know that's rude to say, sorry.] I lost touch with his music, but when I heard Chariots was active again I started to listen to them again. I really like his voice honestly.

 

4. Maya-LM.C

 

I don't know how to describe what I liked about Maya's voice either, maybe it was the upbeat music that surrounded it. I think the song 88 really displays what Maya can do with his vocals, but unfortunately I fell away from them after Punky Heart. 

 

3. Satoshi-Girugamesh

 

The first couple of albums of Girugamesh were the best to me, but the latest albums up to their disbandment never did anything for me. Despite that, I really enjoyed Satoshi's vocals. I think he had a unique way of going about things, and as a plus I did like him as a person. I want to support him in his new endeavors, whatever they might be.

 

2. Ruki-the GazettE

 

As far as Vocalists that are still active in the scene, Ruki is still my favorite vocalist. Don't get me wrong about that. I had a hard time debating with myself even putting him at number two, but when I get to the number one pick you'll find out why. The thing I've always liked about him as a musician, is his intuition and his desire to grow. Some vocalists might just stay the same, but he's constantly trying new things and improving his vocals. Hearing him sing live was an experience, and I can't honestly wait to experience it again.

 

As a person, I do like him too! I wish him well with his own endeavors, whether with the band or his new line of clothing and perfume. I know he'll do well with it.

 

1. Isshi-Kagrra,

Kagrra, was my introduction to Visual Kei. Everything that VK is to me, is because of them. Isshi had even been my first bias, having fallen for him and his voice when I saw the MV for Satsuki. I owe a lot to him, and some days it's hard to come to terms that he's not with us anymore. I had been so excited to see what he could do with his new project, but alas we will never know the full potential.

I don't think there will ever be a vocalist that could ever take my heart. As I said, even though Ruki is my favorite vocalist-Isshi will always be my first. If that made sense at all.

--

With that said, despite it being sloppy and even confusing-I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

  

 

Visual Kei is fine.

I was originally going to talk about how people are freaking out about how VK is "dying", but I believe what's been said has been said and I'd be beating a dead horse right about now. I'm still going to talk about it a little, but not to the extent that I was going to.

Visual Kei has obviously been around for more than 20 years, I have a document somewhere on my computer actually which talks about the founding fathers. We already know X-Japan, but I'm not here to talk about the history either. Well, kinda-but not really. I don't really want to go on a tangent about Yoshiki and how he sort of creeps me out.

So this is sort of a personal post, because it pertains to my own personal experiences within the fandom and how it sort of molded me into the person I am today. Granted, I don't really listen to any of the newer material. I basically listen to anything that predates 2012, and even then I only listen to the GazettE, Kagrra, LM.C, Girugamesh, Nightmare, and a few others. A lot of those I listed, are either on hiatus or disbanded.

Apart of the reason why I believe that some people believe that the scene is dying, is that the bands are constantly doing this. Auncia made a habit out of it, oh wait it's NIA now. Or is it Ansia?

Nevermind.

Sometimes band members don't mesh well together, sometimes the music that they're playing just doesn't bode well with one member and they move on. Sometimes they want to try new things on their own. When Kagrra, disbanded it was initially because Isshi wanted to try a solo project, so I believe.

And even when this band goes on hiatus, or their band disbands-they are most likely going to try a new band or at least stay active in the scene. Naoki [the bassist of Kagrra,] is constantly giving his talent to those in the scene, he even played for Gotcharocka at one point. Jui started Gotcharocka a little after Vidoll disbanded, and they're still around to this day.

[Those are poor examples, but they're what I know.]

Even Jun, after Phantasmagoria disbanded he started a new band with Iori. [Unfortunately Iori had to quit because of health reasons.] Whatever the reason though for leaving, most musicians stay in the scene-they're just doing different things. [I mean Kisaki said he was going to retire how many times now?]

I know it's a normal reaction to be upset when your band goes on hiatus or they disband, but always keep an eye out for new projects. Support them too! Support them as much as you can, because that's what they need too. [Where am I even going with this? Orz]

Your favorite band disbanding|going on hiatus does not equate to Visual Kei dying, it's not even a big scene in Japan to begin with.

Right now there aren't many bands who have their own sound either, they're going to take what they know from a veteran band and impliment that in their music. You have to fish through the pool to find a band you like sometimes, but they are there-they're forming almost all the time.

Visual Kei has changed so much since I got into it, and that's only been since 2006. It's not popular to begin with, I have yet to meet a Japanese person [outside of the GazettE fandom and who has lived in Japan before] who even knows what it is. My mom would talk to our neighbors exchange student who would just look at her like "Who the hell is this GazettE you're talking about?"

Ten years from now, people will still be saying it's a dying scene and that it needs to be saved. It's always been a topic, even back in the day. I believe it stems from "A band I love is disbanding/going on hiatus-it must be dying!" BUT your favorites are probably planning on doing MORE things on their own time.

I feel hypocritical talking about this, because I do only really listen to what I listened to back when I was in High School.

The scene has changed, as far as the fandom goes-but it's still there and it's still thriving even if it doesn't seem that big.

It doesn't need to be saved, if you think so then maybe start supporting your artist by buying their merch and buying their albums.

If you can, go to their concerts.

Find a new band.

Annnnnnd last thing....

I don't know, just stop saying it needs to be saved I guess. I guess I did beat the dead horse, sorry guys.

lmao I don't know how to end this so bye.