2010年 Jan 15日 Friday, 22:53
I have a big problem with visual kei: I enjoy it very much, but I can’t exactly tell what it is.
It has been almost a decade listening to visual kei bands and many of them seem completely unrelated. On Tonberry Torrents, about 2 years ago, I started a topic called "What visual kei truly is… (I don't know anymore)" in an attempt to find out what's the real nature of VK: Music genre, subculture, just fashion? That was the first time I tried to end this issue that troubles me so much, but the discussion never lead to a conclusive answer and I stopped reading the replies some time after I started the topic.
My only source for everything visual kei-related is the internet. I’m part of this virtual community that enjoys visual kei, but has never sensed what it’s like in japanese culture; the crucial experience! Everything I read on the internet seems created by people who also happen to only know visual kei by this virtual world that didn’t start the movement.
What are the origins of visual kei?
There was a brazilian website in which I first read about subgenres in visual kei: Gothic Lolita was even mentioned among names like Angura kei, Eroguro kei, Kotekote kei, Oshare kei, White kei (no other website ever mentioned that name). Sometime later Nagoya kei gained popularity as a definition and I also came across names like Kotevi kei, Kurofuku kei, Soft visual kei, Koteosa kei, Iryou kei. I could never tell the commom characteristic that would bring all those into one main genre: visual kei. Would this be some aspect of the music? Fashion? Taking two examples of bands that are considered “visual”, what does LM.C and 犬神サーカス団 have in commom?
Personally, I like to think visual kei relates to the music of those bands you could find in labels like Matina and Key Party. I don’t consider angura and eroguro to be visual kei. X-JAPAN is not visual kei. 蜉蝣 didn’t remain visual kei to their very end, nor did Pierrot. Besides their elaborate make-up and costumes, were MALICE MIZER truly VK or much more than it? Are bands like the GazettE, 紗羅の夊, exist†trace and DEATHGAZE really visual kei?
ヴァンパイア Marilyn☆DustSchooL CalorZe バビロン syster へどらのめ 이브 眞呼 199X Serpentine Ghost International Ange∞Graie MICA-TYPE Xanliu Waltz―残留ワルツ― どろろ Rose de Reficul et Guiggles ＳａＴａＮ Claris ＤＥＮＴＡＫＵ Aliment de La Vie アム Kneuklid Romance マカロニ アローネ～ARAUNE～ ｋｅｌｌｉ ＧＲＩＥＶＥＲ 水樂 キシュ-qiche- 2nd Effect Яe:sK 弐月ノ参拾伍日 ａｔｔｉｃ Eliphas Levi Personna DuelJewel Aliene Maφriage PSYGAI D Diabolica After Image Kress Devia AUTO-MOD MADAME EDWARDA LUCI'FER LUSCIOUS Violenoue Lucifer Luscious Violenoue GILLE' LOVES fiction 夢幻 Ｌａｖｅｎｄｅｒ Sense of Shape L～CYFER Remage Da'vidノ使徒:aL vellaDonna Eze:quL Beata Amadeus カレン Allegory Pill Vice†Risk Mist of Rouge Kar'MariA 弥叉 Ｍｏｔｈｅｒ Ｅａｒｔｈ Ｓｈｉｖｅｒ 妃阿甦 The Piass Glazed Rose Solfege ピュエラ Loz'a≠Veria LA VALLIÉRE FIGURe; 螺旋錠 NéiL Vizell Domestic†Child AZALEA Vasalla ANGEL+DUST DAS:VASSER As'REAL HISKAREA ROUAGE JILS D≒SIRE Mareydi†Creia’ サリー Facizm Lamiel Crow-Sis ＣＡＮＡＲＹ BAISER Mauvel fille 雀羅 Derail Ｍｉｓｅｒｙ NOi'X Noir Fleurir Missalina Rei Ｖｉｓａｇｅ Avis die nemissa En:nesia Earl Grey Medical Trance Peach Velze Dieulawahl Kreuz†Schwert allure idea LAYBIAL 翡翠 Ｄｉｒ ｅｎ ｇｒｅｙ DESCRIBE ＪＵＲＡＳＳＩＣ De'sert Zeele Le view Lakshana Silver Ash Clothoid÷Doll Phylia ＥＳＭＥＲＡＬＤＡ Dieu Christ ∀NTI FEMINISM Aioria Fatima Cuartet Cynical Biscuit MERE REVEIL ギロチン After effect 7-seven- 賛美歌 ∑-sigma- Radifia ＰＥＲＳＯＮＡ Laypüa Laypua マーディレイラ De stijllia Lemon-Glass R.A.I.D Düne×××× EllDorado Ｒａｐｈａｅｌ 罪団法人黒十字 Lapislazuli Garnet Secile kein HYSTERIC BLAME S to M La'royque de Zavy WERKMARE Legna Adore Orivia Lanus Dune Ruellia Michiru Project 月ノ破片 Raisonné La:Sadie's Crecíen de Rona SyvaR... Verfe～gorl 【ＦＩＧＵＲｅ;】 La Fẽerie ＶｕｌｇａＲｉｚｅ Cell*June Mëbius DEViL KiTTY Rayarch Silver～Rose La'Mule Of-J Ｂｅａｔａ Loon Eye's Millyie Lar～Mia L'yse:nore Ｃｙｎｔｈｉａ MARRY+AN+BLOOD Ｌυτёη∀ ＦＥＲＩＡ FÉRIA Ｓｙｎｄｒｏｍｅ MerCurius Sulfuric Acid Eile de Mu ADEIL Le Mal est Fée Crack brain La'miss†fairy ALi'ze Mis Ra'ill ＧＡＲＤＥＮ 黒蝪蝶 Stella Maria Lumi/Ere Little Vampire with sexy SAKRUN Crystal Eye's ＭＩＲＡＧＥ Ｒａｐｔｕｒｅ Alc〈αA〉dia Σsigma Ｌｉｌｉｔｈ Agnus∻Dei Chateau la tour 未散プロジェクト 美流沙女 Dir en grey ＶＡＪＲＡ ＡＮＯＴＨＥＲ ＤＩＭＥＮＳＩＯＮ ＭＥＺＥ LOGiQ Ｖｅｎｕｓ Ａｎｃｅｓｔｒａｌ ＢＬＡＣＫ ＪＡＣＫ PureQ&A Moi dix Mois Eve of Destiny Közi D Kaya Klaha ClearVeil ライラ REALICE 弐月ノ参拾伍日 R指定 アンデッド juliadoll Uggdracil Jeniva アンデット SectMateria gemmik Cannival Method CalorZe サディ D'AIR NightingeiL ヴァンパイア ＧＲＩＥＶＥＲ Dear Bitch ハートレス 般若 キナルラ パレット Ruincrear Ｓａｇａ Sylmeria Dark Schneider -OZ- SCISSOR アローネ～ARAUNE～ ＧａｌｌｏｗＳ 己龍 愛飴羅 平成維新 Ｐｈａｎｔａｓｍａｇｏｒｉａ Phantasmagoria ガラス ミサルカ Celia'xeno シュガーフォークフル XodiacK Ｄａｌｉ Rugia(g)Gram G-zas Madieduor ネガ Ｄｉｏ Lamina EREMIA brodiaea E'm～grief～ Art Cube Brain Hacker 12012 ガゼット girugamesh ムック ギルガメッシュ Versailles X JAPAN アンティック-珈琲店- Versailles alice nine. RENTRER EN SOI Ayabie lynch. Miyavi Nightmare 雅-miyavi- UnsraW SCREW DELUHI DéspairsRay Sadie Plastic Tree Vidoll hide LUNA SEA heidi. DEADMAN アリス九號. GACKT Psycho le Cému Megaromania Metis Gretel √eight ＬｕＬｕ Dué le quartz