Arkady

I just watched the entire Kamijo 20th Anniversary DVD "La Vie En Rose" and I don't even know how I feel right now. It feels like I've ascended to another realm. It just amazes me how GOOD Kamijo is on stage. I think I'm feeling my past 12 years of love all at once, since I mentioned before that I had to like him in secret, since my friend would get mad if I even mentioned him without her saying something first (Versailles was the exception because I liked Jasmine). 
 
But oh man, I feel so happy that I watched that. It was a great dvd. I really really hope that he's performing when I go on my trip to Japan, because I NEED to actually experience one of his lives. 
 
He has gained the number two spot as far as favorite bands go. Sorry D'espairsRay, I love you, but the only other band that has ever made me feel this way is D. I just. I can't even describe it right now. But I feel so good. I could feel the love he had for his fans in his music. It's so lovely. Even though this was from 2015 and was pre-recorded, I still felt the love through the screen. Such a weird feeling. 
 
But bless you, Kamijo. I hope I get to see you live one day. ❤️ 

Goodness, I've been listening to so much Lareine lately. And I have fallen in love with Lillie Charlotte. ❤️ 
 
 

this will never not be my favourite vk pv tbh. dat contrast aesthetic, i live
 

This is going to be a really long post, but I literally lost sleep last night thinking about this haha. 
 
I really also don't know why I'm posting this. Maybe I just need to post it somewhere where people will understand. The community that I love so much.
 
Music really has a way to change us, mold us, and destroy us. 
 
I was super into Versailles when they formed. I had always liked Kamijo, and followed him pretty extensively through his Lareine career; although I had to do it through my friend who liked him, she would get mad if I liked him. But that's a different story.
 
I had been a fan of Versailles since the day they started. I fell in love with "The Revenant Choir" instantly. And I fell even more in love with Jasmine You, the beautiful, talented bassist. 
 
I ended up spending all of the money from my first job on Versailles and D stuff. To the point where I made stupid mistakes and overdrafted my account and my parents had to bail me out hah. But I knew that I had found something amazing. Versailles touched my heart in so many ways. 
 
I ended up owning (and still do), their entire discography up through Jubilee. Including rare live-only cds and things I had to use shopping services to purchase. I had to have it, I had to support this amazingly talented band. 
 
And then it hit me like a bag of bricks. Jasmine You had passed away. As quickly as they had come, they were gone. And I couldn't handle it. I was such a huge fan of his, I lost it. I had never cried over a celebrity death before, but I literally played "Episode" over 1,000 times, my grief was very strong. I didn't know how to deal with the fact that a musician that I loved so dearly was gone from the world. 
 
I didn't touch Versailles for years. I wouldn't follow them, wouldn't buy their other cds. I was grieving in that way. I didn't want to hear Versailles without Jasmine in it. And whenever any of their Jasmine-included songs would play, I would skip it, as it would upset me to the point of tears. I just couldn't do it.
 
Last night, I was watching some Kamijo videos. I can listen to his solo stuff just fine. And Lareine, too. Lareine is one of my favorite older bands; so I'm okay with them. On youtube, I was just clicking around. Watching Kamijo video after video. And then I saw it. 
 
"Remember Forever." 
 
A song dedicated to Jasmine, that I had never listened to, because it was on a cd that I had never bought. That I didn't know existed, because I had excluded myself from the world of Versailles. It was a live video, so I clicked on it.
 
I was not expecting the emotional ride that I went on. Purple lights on the stage; lights for him. For my bassist. And a song that was so beautiful, I started bawling my eyes out. It was written for him, and you could tell. The quietness of the audience made it even more real. But it was beautiful.
 
After I had finished watching it, I spent a lot of time just listening to Versailles. Thinking about Jasmine, and how happy he had made me when he was alive. And I realized that I shouldn't be afraid of change. I should continue to go on, even if something sad, or horrible happens. And that I should continue on. 
 
Jasmine is a beautiful person, a memory that should never be forgotten. And I never will forget about him. It'll be 10 years in November since his passing. And I think I'm brave enough to play Versailles again. To REALLY enjoy them again. 
 
For Jasmine's sake. 
 
 

I've been on a Lareine kick lately. I love Kamijo so much, and I've loved him for years. I actually had a friend who got mad at me for liking Kamijo, because only SHE could like Kamijo. So I had to like him in secret. I'm glad that I finally get to listen to him without worrying about her coming down on me. She's not in my life anymore, so I am free to enjoy my music.
 
 

I started a "30 days of J-rock" challenge on my facebook. People seem to be into it! I'm glad I can spread the J-rock love!!! ❤️

Oh, dear diary, I met a boy. He made my doll heart light up with joy.
Oh, dear diary, we fell apart. Welcome to the life of Electra Heart.

Finally, my preciousss 💝
 

just gotta drop my 2 cents in a more visible place:

i'm of the opinion that visual kei has been dying for a good minute. but rock "died" in mainstream american music too and its still around. vk will have the same fate. as long as there's japanese people willing to be visual kei, and international english speaking fans willing to listen, then mh will always be here. and even if you have fallen out of love with japanese music, we are still here for you too. at some point, we've grown beyond a site for music and we've become a community and a family, and that is the secret sauce that has allowed us to outlive all our competition.

I wish Discogs let people mute certain sellers notifications (I'm looking at you scalper putting the same stuff on again and again spamming my alerts with your 10x overpriced stuff).

#JapaneseFemaleBassistsKillinIt!
 
 

today i reached another milestone within my Vk collection with 1000 CDs. 
DAMN, a bit over 10 years of hardcore collecting! ~   ;D

Finally understood how to visually distinguish the first press of Lareine's Fuyu Tokyo from the (rarer?) reprint with the same code and almost same cover.
 
*Insert "I'm a fucking wizard!" caption*

Well, my 2019's off to a good start! My friend gave my number to a cute waiter for me today (I was too shy to do it myself >.<) and he accepted~ idk if he'll actually text me, but it's a load off my mind either way.

Thank you person on the interwebZ for reminding me about "Oh yes, my name is Christmas Tree" after all this years.
 

Thank you person on the interwebZ for reminding me about "Oh yes, my name is Christmas Tree" after all this years.
 

Thank you person on the interwebZ for reminding me about "Oh yes, my name is Christmas Tree" after all this years.
 

That moment when your old favorite bandoman from the old days™ is not lost in the Big Nothing of Anonymity, but is on Twitter and has a business selling trinkets!
 

*chooses "surface mail" for the package shipping from the Japanese proxy in honor of old times and because she is cheap. Tries to not think they'll likely come just in time for Christmas, or late november if very lucky*
 
 

*Singing passionately "with Kamijo" even though it's past midnight*
 

I think I scared someone away today just by sitting near him. Is this what it means to be visual kei

Minuscule update: But we now have a proper 'like' and 'love' reaction emoji, since the default was a bit of a weird hybrid.

I just started to listen to the album 'System of a Down' by System of a Down (shock!) and I must say it is, so far, one of the most energetic albums I've listened to in a while and I'm loving it!

would be epic, if we went back to that tribe of indigenous people who killed that american missionary and introduced them to KAWAII JROCKERS \m/ \m/ 

I miss old 8cm singles with their long cases. They are not the most convenient to store but I always found them cute.