7th Rose release

D's new album, 7th Rose, goes on sale today. But according to the US, today is tomorrow, and I can't change my timezone on Blogger. Very annoying.
FYI. IT IS 11.10AM ON THE 24TH OF MARCH IN NZ, STUPID AMERICANS.

Regular Edition cover - Probably my favourite out of all the covers, but that costume still cracks me up. 1990's VK, anyone?

Limited Edition with DVD - This one looks even more hilarious. Imagine a quiet stroll in your garden, and as you bend down to enjoy your roses, A WILD ASAGI APPEARS!

Limited Edition with Photo Booklet - The explosion of tulle in the top left makes me cringe. What can I say? NEEDS MOAR HIROKI.

All photos from CDJapan.

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Miyavi - Survive & Super Hero

Survive


Miyavi always manages to do something fantastic to his guitar. Not on his guitar, but to it. Anyone can play something on the guitar, but Meev does something to his, resulting in that Miyavi-sound.

That being said, though this song is funky and gets me tapping an enthusiastic foot, there isn't much that's remarkable about this song. It sounds like a lot of the songs he's churned out in the last couple of years. Seriously. I listened to it, thought to myself, "any minute now it'll get interesting" and then the song ended. :/

I note that in this PV he has the 'samurai extensions' in his hair. He apparently hates them. I would hate them too actually, mostly for the fact that it would allow me to wear a cap like that. Hats are generally supposed to fit around your head, not hover on top of it. Silly Meev. And anyway...how does that hat stay in place?? He swings his head around so much, but the hat never moves! *cowers in fear of unshakable hat*


Super Hero


Mixed feelings about this song. It's sad but has an attitude. The lyrics are sweet and sentimental... like he is. xD But every time I listen to it, it grows on me. So eventually my feelings will be less mixed.

The tune sounds like the beginnings of something epic, with the strings and whatnot, and I love the guitar work. Still, I feel the rapping is out of place in this song. The sadditude isn't really my thing, I don't think. I kinda miss his light-hearted, more cheerful tunes. They suit sentimental lyrics more. Like Ashita, Genki ni Nare.



All in all, perhaps Meev should take a break and spend more time with baby Lovelie until he comes up with something truly kickass.

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D & Kuroshitsuji - Mad Tea Party

This is the AMV that got me interested in Kuroshitsuji. I initially watched it to obtain a translation for Mad Tea Party. So, really, I have to thank the creator of this for both the translation and for getting me into such an awesome series. :3

The AMV was quite cleverly made and of course, stuck close to the lyrics. I'm not entirely sure of having the lyrics all over the screen, but it works in some cases. I am guessing that it was supposed to go with the whole "mad" theme.

The song...what can I say? I adore this song. Perhaps the trumpets are a little too loud and drown out the guitars (which sound wonderful). I love the piano. I love the little extended fade-out at the end with the whistling and the bass and drums and the nyahaha-ing. I love the 'gurin raiku aa chieshya katto' - it makes me grin stupidly every time. As does the line 'when you dance, there isn't a cat who won't smile'.

If D had turned this track into a PV, it would've been kickass. If they managed to work a story into it.

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D - Kaze ga Mekuru Peeji & 7th Rose

Kaze ga Mekuru Peeji


Okay, firstly I must admit that I am biased. I saw the CD cover for this and immediately thought "oh noes, it's major-labelitis".

Picture from http://japanvisualkei.blogspot.com/

Asagi is clearly the focal point of the band, which I find to be unfair. Yes, it's usually the case that the rest of the band never wears as spectacular a costume as our one-eyed, pointy-nosed Nyasagi... but neither have they ever worn the EXACT. SAME. COSTUME. What the fucking fuck. And the more I think about it, the more I feel sad and angry. I had so much hope for this band but they seem to be simply going down the road that leads to more fame and money (make one member easily recognisable so it's not so hard on the dumb Westerners and other mainstream people). I secretly pray that this is not actually the case.

Now that I think about it, sad and angry feelings could also be due to PMS.

Upon listening to the song and watching the PV, my emotions become even more mixed. The song is upbeat, and the PV looks too haadokoa for it. It's no Ouka, but Asagi does look stunning in purple makeup. As usual, there is no storyline in this video, and as usual, it needs moar Hiroki. But his hairstyle is cute. xD

My question is, how many traditional Japanese-themed looks is acceptable for one band? I mean, yes it's their 'thing', and yes they do it well. But the extravagance of this PV is nothing compared to Ouka, which in my mind has always been one of the gold standards of costuming. *drool*

The actual music is not bad. I guess I'm just not used to hearing it from D.





7th Rose
I just happened to spot this on http://www.jpopasia.com/



The sound is almost as epic as Yami Yori, and the general look is even more dated than aforementioned epic song of epic-ness. I watched the first few seconds of this PV and the first thing that popped in my head was "1998". This can especially be said of Asagi and Ruiza. I haven't seen anyone rock that gothic bride look for a decade. Not counting Kaya. And Ruiza's starburst hairdo slap bang in the middle of his head almost makes me think there's a mullet hiding somewhere nearby.

Again, the band members don't really stand out since they're all in black, and the focus is on Asagi. Although Tsunehito is rather noticeable with his Hitsugi-esque red hair and shaved eyebrows and dark rings of eyeshadow around his eyes. All he needs now are about 10 facial piercings and trippy contacts. 8D

Now, I haven't really got anything against the gothic bride and the starburst and mini-Hitsugi. I think it's interesting that they chose such a look, whether unintentional or otherwise, that invokes so much nostalgia for the 90's. My only problems are the quality of Asagi's costume (ties in with the 1998 thing, all the tulle!!! And his headdress would've looked better with real or paper flowers rather than fabric ones), and as usual, the PV NEEDS MOAR HIROKI.

The song, like I said, is epic. Not sure about the almost-rap thing Asagi does, but generally this is a likeable tune. It reminds me of Kalafina's Lacrimosa at times, but that's probably cos I've been listening to that song a bit lately. Random chanting in the last few seconds makes me lol though.

Asagi really does show off his vocal range here, and I quite like that he did. On the other hand, what about the rest of them? Hidezou and Ruiza get their obligatory 5 seconds of fame. Tsunehito stops playing his bass at 2:39 to put his arm around Hidezou. Hiroki impresses as usual - I just love the way he plays. The only part where he doesn't shine so much is during the chorus, but it's a slow chorus anyway.




So my final thoughts about D are still good ones. They've managed to balance my viewing/listening experience out tonight with one song to appeal to American high school kids and one song that stands onstage with arms spread, proclaiming 'D STILL ROCKS' to all the world.

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Kuroshitsuji (TV)

Picture from Google.com

I have recently finished watching Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler). As is always the case with anything, my fangirl side doesn't permit me to think a single negative thought about the series. But for the greater good I shall struggle to look at both the pros and cons of Kuroshitsuji. Q('o' Q)


The Art.
I am a sucker for frills and lace and Gothic motifs, so I am more or less in love with Ciel's outfits. However I was a little disappointed at the effort put into all the other costumes in the story. Of course it's understandable because it's an anime and I'd expect the manga to be more detailed...

Another thing that I liked was the contrast between Ciel's boyish and sometimes flamboyant costumes and the simple black suit he wore at the very end, with a single white rose tucked into his breast pocket. (The consistency was also good - it was mentioned in the first episode that Ciel's favourite flowers were white roses.)




The Music.
I debated having a band such as SID do the OP for this series, because the band seems so pop-y while the anime has such Gothic influences. The lyrics do go well, but again the tune just....hmm. Yeah.
The first ED song and animation suits the somewhat comedic nature of the first part of the series. When the plot took a darker turn it was good to see the change to a more somber song and foreshadowing ending sequence.



The Characters.
Sebastian. He is your stereotypical dashing, stoic 'bishounen' type. He speaks with beautiful words, can do EVERYTHING, indulges even the most unreasonable whims of a 12-year-old kid and looks good bloodied up with a torn shirt. The interesting thing about him is that he serves Ciel under a contract, and treats the relationship as such. He does develop an attachment to Ciel, but this is because he seems to find Ciel's personality intriguing. I liken the relationship between the two characters to the relationship in Death Note between Light and Ryuk, where Ryuk sticks around because he is fascinated with the way Light thinks and behaves.

Ciel. He's an arrogant, cold-hearted, selfish prick. To put it bluntly. But deep down, he is still human, and he is still a child. That's why watching him makes me sad. It was touching to hear him tell his mother that he loved her, but at the same time it was touching to hear him tell her that he would not give up his cause for somebody who had already died. ;_;



The Story.
I'm not entirely sure about the way the plot developed. There are episodes that have no significance in the storyline whatsoever, except to introduce certain characters. There are some characters who got a bigger part in the story than they really required. There was also a trend to bring back characters who had been previously disposed of *coughDruittcough*.

The story gave me a lot of lols and in the end it gave me a few tears too, but I can't help but feel that it is just a little bit cheesy. Especially the first episode. Actually I thought that most of the first episode was brilliant, up until those last few minutes when it was revealed that Damiano survived. The trap laid out for him was so beautiful, why did the writers allow him to live and just ruin the entire plan?! OTL

On the other hand, I enjoyed the depiction of the simple nature of humans - the Queen refusing to act for Ash's greater good for the sake of love; Soma blindly searching for his Ah-ma without even considering her feelings; Angelina refusing to kill Ciel for the sake of her late sister; and Ciel...just with everything he did.

I also enjoyed the fact that the servants of the Phantomhive estate were all linked by Sebastian, who gave them a future to look forward to. The irony of having a demon play a protagonist of sorts while an angel is the threat to humanity - though this idea is cliched, it always amuses me.



The Miscellaneous Points of Appeal.
I enjoyed the comedy and fanservice elements of the story. I had a good laugh at episode 4 with the crossdressing and yaoi/shota undertones. I also enjoyed the subtle interspecies yaoi suggestions. On the other hand, I found Grell to be quite annoying, in that he killed off Ciel's aunt because she rediscovered her humanity, yet the writers brought him back and gave him a rather solid role.
Humanity is important to me I guess.

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Versailles - Serenade

Serenade sounds like it came out of the 80's, to be honest. And not in a bad way; it's a pretty decent ballad - moving and emotional without being too whiny, and as with many songs by Versailles, it is epic and powerful. I say 'too whiny' because in the first part, Kamijo sounds like he's singing with that awful voice I thought he ditched back when Lareine ceased activity. The accompaniment of the piano and violin, though beautiful in its own right, somehow reminds me of Gackt's Freesia, and Hizaki and Teru's twin guitar solo reminds me an awful lot of X's Endless Rain. Perhaps it's because of this that I do not like this song as much as I thought I would. If I had not heard any of the other songs I mentioned, I would probably adore this song to death.

The melody is very nostalgic for me - it reminds me of my childhood (watching melodramatic kung fu dramas with music just like Serenade).

So, then. The PV. What upsets me most about Visual Kei PVs is that they are all dressed up nice and pretty, and sometimes they go and film in a stunning location... But the end product just has no cinematic substance whatsoever. The same can be said of this PV. The band sing/play as usual, looking soulful and whatnot, and that's about it. I can barely focus on the song since I'm so busy headdesk-ing over how unimaginative the PV is, so much so that I had to close my eyes in order to concentrate on the song.

Now, I don't mean to offend, but I have a major problem with Teru's face, or the way it appears on camera. Maybe they just put too much makeup on him. It is as if his face is made of wax, or got truckloads of botox injected. He just looks so artificial. I mean...without makeup, he looks just fine. He's actually rather cute *fangirl*. Perhaps it's the makeup artist who is to blame...

And the guitarists are SITTING DOWN? I have nothing against them sitting down, but in the context of the song and taking into consideration the fact that it is wrought with power and emotion, sitting down quite casually does not seem to fit. They could've even sat down and leaned forward and looked like they were actually getting into the song.

Oh, and Yuki doesn't get nearly enough screen time on this PV (I lol'd at the part when he looks at Kamijo who is standing at the window, and Kamijo turns away as if to disown him XD). What is it with bands and giving the front man all the attention? Why is the vocalist the 'front' man anyway? Why is the drummer always at the very back (back man XD), never to get any camera action? The whole band contributes to the music, and in the cases of some bands, the music is better than the vocals anyway. But that's another rant for another day.

I'm still waiting for a remotely interesting PV to be made. I haven't seen that many, especially for a genre that defines itself by its visual aspect. The only one that really springs to mind anymore is Dir en grey's [KR]Cube.

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This is how we roll.

Whilst chatting with my Dear online one night, I realised just how much money I could potentially make. Obviously less than him...but hey. So I came up with a grand plan.

Step One.



Step Two.


He offered to help me purchase one or two of them if I couldn't afford all five. XD

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