VA for Tsutaya Nov 2013: Ruki's Favorite Music

Happy Halloween, everyone!

This is Ruki's column from this month's VA magazine.

While I'm not a huge fan of everything he likes, it's actually quite fun going through his list and checking out the music he recommends and listens to.

My reaction is usually, "Huuuuuhhh??" but a very amusing type of "Huuuuuhhh??" nonetheless.

How do you feel after listening to his recommendations?

Let us know in the comments below!

---

Ruki's Favorite Music
the GazettE
『BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY』


This wasn't a bought advertisement (laugh). I was doing this exactly when this album was starting, so I was listening to it a lot anyways. As I thought, since it's our own songs, I listen to it with a lot of personal emotions, but I really feel that I genuinely like the parts that I replay. I think that this time around, there's also a lot of variations with the sounds, so doesn't that mean a lot of different people can listen to it too?

Sigur Ros
『Kveikur』


I'd listen to this now and then from way back, but during the tour, I listened to it pretty often before I went to sleep. Even if it wasn't Sigur Ros, I think I would've bought it since I like the CD jacket. Of course.

Daft Punk
『Random Access Memories』


This definitely goes without saying, but as usual, there's a nice feeling in the sound selection. Personally, I feel like I get to feel a different side of Daft Punk each time, but what do you all think? I'd like you to also get that kind of a style from our album--of us progressing, whether it's one or two steps forward. I listened to this a lot during tour when going to bed and waking up.

Nine Inch Nails
『Hesitation Marks』


NIN always has a huge impact with all of their releases, but this time was really incredible. They created something that makes you unable to resist screaming from the noise in your head. I wonder what kind of equipment they used...well, moving on from that, this is one album I'm really glad I came across.

The Blood of Heroes
『The Blood of Heroes』


I only found out about this people recently, but I bought it because I thought the jacket was interesting. And it was worth it! This is the feeling we've been going for lately, and this album really nailed it. I don't know what genre this is, but my first impression was that it was a little crazier than Prodigy. I recommend this for those who like noisy beats!

---

Yes, Ruki, I'm sure that wasn't self promotion there...haha!

At any rate, I actually also garnered some interest in The Blood of Heroes, which is apparently a super band (made of people I don't actually know...).

What do you guys think? Who would you listen to more from this list? Let us know in the comments below!

Meanwhile, don't forget to get MICHIDO's latest updates via our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr!

Read More

Live Report: REDMAN at Takadanobaba Club Phase (10/21)

October 21st was a quiet Monday night--not usually a night when people go out.

But people came out for REDMAN, and quiet was the last thing on their minds.

REDMAN, a side band created by Satoshi from Girugamesh, performed at Takadanobaba Club Phase for their third official live after performances at Nagoya eLL FITS ALL and Osaka Club Drop in late August.

REDMAN was the last band that night, but a few and eager fans were at Club Phase from the opening performance, which started at 6:30PM.

REDMAN came out at 9PM, starting with Keito Okuma (drums), and followed by Soichiro Yoshioka (bass), Rihito Sonoki (guitar) and Ryo Sugihara (guitar). Satoshi emerged last after the rest of his band had settled in to their positions.

The band went straight into their setlist, which included Sirius, Howling, ZEBLA and Electric World. The setlist ended with the title song from the new REDMAN, CHALLENGE THE GAME.

CHALLENGE THE GAME, Satoshi also revealed, as been picked as the opening theme for YU☆GI☆OH Zexal.

Satoshi's MCs were concise given the time restraint of approximately 30 minutes per band.

"Some of you guys might know us, and some of you might not," he said while pushing his hair back. Fans who were already familiar with him cheered.

"Anyways," Satoshi continued. "Thanks for staying all the way till the end for us."

He continued on to announce the release of the new single, CHALLENGE THE GAME, and also revealed that REDMAN would be going on tour in December following the release.

REDMAN's next performance will also take place at Takadanobaba Club Phase on November 28th.

For more live reports and other tidbits we leave around the vast internet, be sure to follow MICHIDO on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr!

Read More

Rock & Read 049 feat. Satoshi (Girugamesh)

Every band has its ups and downs, but this interview was really moving in all the trials and tribulations Girugamesh went through to stay together as a band.

The interview also felt really genuine in the way Satoshi handled the questions, so readers really felt his frustration and sincere relief that they managed to hold together.

But after seeing the preview for the MONSTER album (which we'll provide at the bottom of the article), it's definitely a relief for fans that they were able to make a comeback as Girugamesh because they're back and better than before!

And, without further ado........

---

RESTART

After the first Hibiya Yaon live, all news about Girugamesh suddenly stopped and left many fans concerned, but the silence was finally broken on July 22nd!

Approximately 9 months after the Yaon live, there was a one-man live.

「There were conflicts and stuff, and the members' opinions clashed, so it was tough」

During this blank period, what happened, were the problems cleared and were they having thoughts of the future?

The next day after the live at SHIBUYA WWW, there was plenty of excitement, but a lingering coldness persisted around Satoshi.

The next day, after your first live in about 9 months, we interviewed you. How did things go after the live?
There weren't that many issues on the center stage, but as this period of time passed...as expected, there were a lot of conflicts, and the members also clashed, so it was really rough. We overcame that, we shaped our goals, and we gradually become able to answer to those who waited for us. I'm honestly happy that we were able to make a comeback

This talk about conflict and clashing suddenly makes me worried. (laugh)
Yes (laugh). That period of time was really tough, so it felt like forever. The feelings had already been building up there for.....about two years, maybe.

Today, first off about that period of time—we'd like to hear about what you did and what happened after the live last year in Yano ended. So actually, what were you doing?
Actually, there were plans to reveal that we were going to release an album at Yano. But we couldn't come to an agreement what the songs would be at all. There were actually enough songs to produce 2 albums, but for a band that would have a major turning point like a 10th anniversary in 2014, this was no good. We felt like we needed to make a higher-quality product, and wouldn't it be difficult to continue like usual? It was a period when we temporarily stopped our activities and re-evaluated what we were focusing on.

But when you say, “couldn't come to an agreement,” it's just when you meet a level where you say, 「Well, isn't this song good?」 right...
That's true, huh. But, the listeners weren't looking for something like that, right, and above all, it wasn't what we were looking for. If we released something like that, we'd be lying to the fans and we'd be lying to ourselves, so we couldn't find a common ground. Stopping our activities was a bold move, and it came with a lot of risks, but even if we had to take responsibility, we thought things would be worse if we didn't do it.

Was there no discussion of just releasing something at the moment?
There wasn't. Since everyone thought, “This is no good,” we decided that we wouldn't release it unless we created something that we agreed 100% on, and that's where we were in a bind.

But if we look back at the flow that took you guys to Yaon, there was a period when you had some underground activities, and then from there, you had “13days,” and then you were doing a country-wide tour, and you had released two singles.
That's right. Before “13days”, we had a period where we reevaluated everything, but the uneasiness wasn't completely resolved, and we just continued into 2012 with that hanging over us.

What do you mean by uneasiness?
With 「Zecchou BANG!!」, when we were making it with the producer, TAKUYA, we were told, “The song production process is unacceptable. You guys just take a bunch of sounds, mix it up, and make it sound nice.” We had to make songs by taking our knowledge and steadily build it up from the roots, but naturally, the problem of the 「dead end」 arose. That got more obvious, grew and spilled over during that period in Yaon.

If you kept watching the live, it still seemed like you were in a good mode though.
We were excited about the lives and had some uplifting thoughts about them, but we were hung up on the production problems. And after Yaon, for 4 months, we couldn't make any songs at all. Our biggest problem was direction. A year went by without understanding what kind of song we should make and how we should move forward. And, for example with Ryo, he was recording for another band and composing with a lot of different people, so we were all individually doing things that we hadn't done before, and that's when we put all that motivation into Girugamesh. We learned the foundations of music production, and it took some time getting there, but it took some time getting that into our music, but after we got over that, it was pretty quick. But every day getting to that point was hell. Especially since the members were clashing amongst themselves.

When there was a clash, what was that like?
We're not really a band that clashes all the time to begin with. We usually get along fairly well, and we would try to avoid situations like that. But, we'd think things like if we keep this stressful thing of communicating like this for 15, 20 years of trying to communicate our thoughts so the others would understand like this was really stressful, so let's just quit.

Shuu mentioned before, “Girugamesh isn't a band that was formed with a distinct purpose.” He said it was a hometown friends who gathered together and that became a big band.
Yeah. That's right. That 「hometown friends」 seemed to have a half-baked feeling behind it, but it felt like that at the moment, and if we didn't change that, we couldn't move forward. After I realized that, I also really built a wall around myself. I thought to myself, "Was it just the timing or had the situation really gotten that bad?" But if situation wasn't as bad as it was, we wouldn't have been say what needed to be said and move forward.

But when you mention this wall, if you don't keep it in check, you'll be thought of as 「the guy with the bad attitude」, and there's a chance that that might make things worse.
No, it was like, “Enough is enough.” Our relationships had already soured, and no matter what happened, it was like, “It's got nothing to do with me.” If it wasn't for that, we wouldn't want to have a progressive talk. And if it was already like that, then it's fine if we don't like each other.

So there was that kind of feeling there too. You talked about how Ryo was recording for another band, but Satoshi, you had some solo activities with another band too right.
I recruited some members, and we wrote lyrics and songs, but I hadn't really made music for Girugamesh before now. So when it came to that, as expected, I came to understand how Ryo, who made the songs, felt and how tough it was. So I learned a lot from that, and I came to see the balance of the entire song so it was like having a birds-eye view of everything. It was a time where I was able to go back to my roots, so I'm really glad I did it.

What was the criteria for gathering these new members?
As expected, there are a lot of people who know about music, but it was an important that they had something Girugamesh didn't.

For the sake of bringing Girugamesh back to its roots.
That's right. Since we were stopping, I needed a different perspective of things, otherwise it'd be pointless. I went with these guys to the studio, went to lives, and I came to clearly see Girugamesh's strength and weaknesses.

What points? For example, when talking about weaknesses.
Well, like completely focusing on one part of the song. Like the BPM, similar melodies, a hard beat and vibrato. On the other hand, things like live atmospheres, the energy of the song, unsurprisingly, Girugamesh was pretty formidable, so this became our weapon.

It made you re-look the music composition and band logistics aspect, but did it also make you reevaluate yourself as a vocalist?
I did. I went to watch a ton of lives, talked to a lot of people, talked to my seniors and thoughts I had there gradually gave me a feeling of encouragement.

When you did that, the values you picked up—were there things that you hadn't thought of by yourself before?
When it came to my thinking, I thought that as the one singing, I'd write the lyrics myself and it's natural for me to write my thoughts. But there were people who said, 「Since you're a band, isn't good to sing about the members and the band's strengths? It's not like only one person's doing everything, and when it comes to being a band, singing about each of your aspirations is how it should be, right? Of course, it's good to talk to the members, understand their thoughts and sing about their strengths.」 After that, I took a different approach to the lyrics. I managed to leverage that new insight quite a bit with 『Monster』 too.

Besides band activities, did you do anything else?
Besides band activities...there weren't any. I didn't have any breaks. I didn't even have 1 day where I was free to go out (dry laugh). I was making songs on New Years too. I probably didn't do anything besides band stuff.

That period of not being able to relax must've been extremely tough on you.
Well, I thought if I didn't face the difficulties now, I knew in my gut that I definitely wouldn't be able to move forward from now on. Personally, this was all I had. For me, singing is everything.

You talked earlier about being disoriented but what did you work out in the end?
With the 5 albums we've released up till now, we had an individual genres of music that we'd take and put in, and we took on a lot of challenges, but those all became a sort of “release and move on” type of thing. We really worked on going deeper into Girugamesh's heaviness, digital pop and go with a sound that had a lot more depth.

The 3 new songs you did at the live naturally gave that impression. 『Music』 had a really polished digital sound, 『Go』 properly preserved the pop feeling, and that was built on the heavy sound that you guys had to begin with.
That's right. On overcoming our weak spots, when it came to things like, “Wouldn't it be nice to make a song like this?” we made our weak points our strengths, and with the things we gained while getting to this point, we lengthened that list in the process.

Looking back, each album Girugamesh released caused quite some controversy.
That's right (laugh). Every time there was a release, there were lots of different people for and against it. It was really just us wanting to present what we were interested in at the time so—what is it...is it ok to use the word “diary”? We wanted to make something with that sort of a feeling behind it. Looking back, the one good thing we were able to pull out of this was the feeling in 『MONSTER』.

It's great for the band's health to create something that brought out the feeling of a diary, but there were probably times when you guys couldn't agree right? For example, were there instances when there were clashes?
No, that happened all the time, you know (laugh). As expected, someone always said something or other. Like compared to before with 『MUSIC』 , we'd be told things like, 「Don't make the same song!」and 「You've made a pretty similar song.」But when we put out 『MUSIC』 , people said, 「You guys have changed.」(laugh). Seriously, people just say whatever they want. We've gotten used to that “Why?” feeling that comes each time though (laugh). But, we didn't feel lost because we released something we personally believed in, and no matter what people said, it was something we thought was cool.

Of course. It's just, people might think, “Could it be that with the next album, it isn't the progress that they were hoping for?”
Ahh. Yeah, yeah. Of course, of course.

You certainly had your incubation period, and that took quite a while, but I've really thought that 『MONSTER』 is proof of Girugamesh at its best.
The members thought that too. Seriously, with all the twists and turns we've gone through, we came out after thinking about what we really want to do, and this song came out as a result of that. We really felt that THIS is what we wanted to do.

This force that's moving forward was first released in a single that's titled 「INCOMPLETE」.
That's right! The single that feels complete is 「INCOMPLETE」 (laugh)!

That caught my attention. Why “Incomplete”?
It was a warning to ourselves. The single tells us that, even if we believe that we're “perfect,” we need to call ourselves out. If the band ever felt satisfied with where we were, that'd be the end of us, and we wouldn't be able to stick around. The title was to say to us, “You guys will never be complete. Don't be satisfied with yourself and always push forward." The lyrics also say the same, and those words were actually a scolding to Girugamesh. Like, 「If you guys are gonna gloss over everything and think you'll still make it, you've still go time so just quit the band and find yourselves another job!」

When were you told that?
Before “13 Days.” At that time I thought, “I don't feel that way!”, but when I look back, I was overly optimistic and if nobody said that to us, I think I wouldn't be here right now—that's how much those words fired me up. I never want to forget that feeling ever again, and I made and sing these lyrics with that feeling in mind. Every time we have a performance, I want to fire myself up.

Girugamesh probably reacted to those words, huh.
Back in the day, we would've spent our energy fighting back and thinking, “We're gonna show them up!” but that made us a bad band because we always butt heads. We thought if we lost that rebelliousness, we wouldn't be able to function properly. As expected, we thought, “You're so full of it!” and “Just let us do it however we want!” I thought that was Girugamesh's strength.

So, when you were told that, you didn't cave in at all, huh.
Not at all. We were like, “Haa~!?” (laugh). Everyone in the band held that belief, so being told that really saved us.

So, you did an edited version at yesterday's live, and it gave a really serious impression. Especially with the last song, I thought you guys really concentrated all your determination in there.
With that song, that was where we really asked ourselves, “Are you guys really okay with leaving it at that? Is it ok to just end it like that?” The lyrics were written during our toughest time. It'd be nice if people could hear how we felt during our darkest hour. That's to say, a taste of our despair (laugh).

In that song, there's a final scream at the end, right? At yesterday's live, during the shout, you had an especially sharp look that felt really bestial.
That had all my feelings poured into it. That thought of, “HEY! We're BACK!” But because of that, my voice is all rough now (laugh). In that one shot, we did it all. But we only managed to convey that much.

Yeah, it was a completely different expression from what I'd ever seen before. It was like, “That was from the bottom of his heart. Both 「Zecchou BANG!!」 and 「Zentetsuken」 had a pretty strong party mode flavor.
We already dug ourselves deep, so we were in a situation where didn't release anything but serious stuff (laugh). That sort of party flavor has completely disappeared.

Our feelings have really toned down since then. Plus we just couldn't get used to it. That kind of mental state just completely washed out.

Would you say that's being obedient or being truthful?
Being truthful. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing—I don't know.

Usually, when you lie, are you exposed right away?
I get exposed. Like, I know I'll be exposed, so I just won't lie. Even though it's better to keep it hidden, I'll end up blurting it out (laugh).

What about keeping quiet about your thoughts?
Nope, that's impossible (laugh). I can't keep it in.

There are many types of vocalists, but aren't there also poker-faced ones?
There are, aren't there. I'm jealous of that, but it can't be helped.

Is that so. (laugh)
I'm really jealous of that! It just looks better right. It's better to not to just blurt the truth and just show the good stuff. I think that's a pretty useful skill, and it's not just because other people have it and I don't. But I think that won't be possible at all for me (laugh). I can only say things as they are.

Nowadays, your rival bands also aren't really attached to a genre, but there are a lot of visual kei people right. The things that make you unique become a weapon you can use, but have you ever thought, “That's not good,” or anything like that in regards to these differences?
I haven't thought that before. It's harder for me to lie. If I say my own feelings calmly, and it doesn't work out, then that's that. I always think to myself that I am who I am.

I see. Then during your hiatus, the conflicts the band faced as a whole were bigger than the problems the front man faced.
That was the biggest one. We couldn't see where we were, so we didn't know what we should do, and we didn't know what and where we should polish up. That was really bad. It was Girugamesh at its worst.

By the way, during that time, were there anything the members said to you that you thought was harsh?
Hmm...well, when I was doing my solo band, there was some opposition, and they said things like, 「Think about Girugamesh more!」 and there were times when I was like, “Whattttt?” I got mad because I wanted to break through this problem, and that's why I was venturing out—not for the reason those guys were thinking.

It didn't mean you wanted to quit and had changed your mind about things.
That's right. It was because I was thinking of Girugamesh.

But, if it had gotten that bad, I think they might have been impatient.
Well, I really think it can't be helped. We weren't moving forward at all, but I understand where they were coming if I was like, “Well, I'm just gonna go start something new.” But still, I wish they'd about it just a little more...

So things were so messy that everyone was at their wits end.
Everyone was at their wits end. We were at the end of our limit, a critical breaking point.

But you've gotten over the clash.
That's right. I think the people who came to see the live yesterday understand, but everyone of us is looking at the same thing and moving forward together. I think where we are now is great. 『MONSTER』 has a pretty high level of difficulty, so we practiced the instrumentals quite a bit and aim to shoot over 10 years (laugh). But anyways, we want to pour it all out at once on October 13, at Shibuya AX.

That's your first one man “G#” live after a year, but traditionally AX is a final venue after a 47 prefecture tour, right?
There's the period of the 47 prefecture tour final, and there's also that period that I mentioned before about our rebellious period is also included. We, really want to go forward as one—the members, staff and fans. It's a final and a restart.

From the viewpoint of the guests, if you did it at a larger venue, you'd fill the extra space, but you're quite focused on AX.
That's true, huh. Well, that place actually left the biggest first impression. For the band, it was our first goal, so there's a sense of accomplishment that ties into our own self esteem. Our first goal and dream was also AX, plus I think AX was probably the venue where I saw a live for the first time. There were a lot of incredibly moving moments, so it's the live house that invokes the most powerful thoughts for me. So for us to have a one man live there holds a lot of meaning for us. I want to sell out and have 3 consecutive concerts there.

What kind of live do you want to do? Something like a 47 prefecture tour, or a live that uses the “13Days” concept?”
I just want to do lives. I want them to just let me blow up and play our songs.

By that, do you mean a feeling like it's your first time coming together?
Something like that. We're gonna do this band without erasing that feeling.

In that vein, what does Girugamesh have their eyes set on?
Excluding the music?

Yes.
As expected, I want to make lives more of the focus. I really feel that now with the development of Internet sharing, CDs don't sell, and the music scene has slumped. If we have really awesome lives, we can really revitalize the scene.

From Budoukan and Dome too?
I consider Budoukan a live house. I want people to come and see our lives, and then think to themselves, “I wanna be in a band too,” and convey to these people, whether it's one person or a lot of people, how fun lives are and how great music is.

There's also partly a sense of the scene weakening because there aren't that many people who want to do it.
There is, huh. The way I think of it is that the music scene now is too attached to the current generation. In the past, there were a lot of songs that really bloomed from a mess, and they carried really passionate messages within them, but there's an increasingly bad image of music being a really inorganic piece of work. Like, there's no human aspect to it. Isn't it bad if the current scene has lost that?

So you're saying that for the sake of numbers and a mass appeal, the essence of music has faded away.
That's right. Even if you look at the lyrics, there's nothing but stuff with a lot of interesting words line up, but what do they really want to say anyways? There's no feeling of wanting to frankly convey something.

That music has certainly decreased.
Well, the generation has let it become that way though, right. With the recession, there might be people who don't want to listen to such sharp topics. But if something like that disappears, the meaning of music will disappear too. Well, I'll defend that to the death.

I see, especially since you've been waiting to finally restart.
We've already crushed all our worries and insecurities, so we can only move forward now. And (laugh), I just wanna do lives again.

You must be starving for it.
I am. I can't wait.

---

Wow--talk about an intense year for Girugamesh, but all of their efforts clearly paid off and they have both the "Incomplete" single and the Monster album to prove it!

Just to rile you up in anticipation for what to look forward to in their Monster album, Danger Crue released a clip of Drain, which shows a reinvigorated Girugamesh.


Leave us a comment down below about what you think of Girugamesh's journey and your thoughts about MONSTER and what you think it'll bring!

Also, as we mentioned our Twitter, this week's gonna be a jam packed week for MICHIDO, so stay tuned with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr!

Read More

RR Interview Report Part I (RUKI / the GazettE)

So sorry for the long absence, everyone!

Personal life has been REALLY busy, but I accomplished my major goal for this summer!

I have been itching to climb Mt. Fuji since last year, when two of my friends went, and this year, I accomplished that goal and reached the summit!

Granted, I also defaced the newly appointed World Heritage Site by throwing up on it twice, but if that isn't rebellious enough, what is?

Personal gloating aside though, here's a quick translation from the Rock and Read blog about RR049 featuring Ruki as his most alluring pissed off bunny best--enjoy!

---

RR Interview Report Part I (RUKI / the GazettE)

Everyone!
Today at noon, the 「ROCK AND READ 049」cover was unveiled. How is it?
It's pretty provocative, isn't it?

With that said, starting from today, we'll also be starting the interviews for the next issue.

First, of course, will be the GazettE's RUKI, who is featured on the front cover!

It's been a while since their previous one, but the GazettE will release a new single 「FADELESS」on August 21st, and in October, a new album 『BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY』.

With that said, this shoot's theme focuses on a 「BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY」.

RUKI was really busy, so the meeting about the shoot was done 3 nights before the shoot.

RUKI developed the base ideas in collaboration with the stylist, makeup artist, and camera man, and the meeting went late into the night as they talked about things like, "If that's the case, let's do this," "Between these, this one's better," and so on.

Even though there was so little time as it was to prep for the shoot, nobody wanted to compromise.
Everyone got really pumped up, and there was an excited discussion of, "Instead of that, this is definitely more interesting!"
As expected of the GazettE, it was a meeting that showed that when it comes to making an amazing product, the sophistication of the GazettE's creative team is almost frightening.

Well, the keywords that emerged from that meeting: Bondage, Lowrider, and Punk.

The cover photo features bondage, with a fetishistic Ruki.



I think you can see it if you look closely, but in this photo, beneath the jacket is bare skin. And the corset and lapel were also worn directly over bare skin.
So fetishistic!!

And, here's 1 photo taken from today's shoot and specially uploaded just for you!



Fufufu, the car that RUKI is riding is a pretty intense lowrider, and it's really really badass.
And why is the Ruki in bondage there?
Naturally, he's coolly presenting his deformed view of the world.

This is all I can show you this time around, but the real thing is wayyy more amazing.
You definitely have to check this outtttt!

A-a-and!

And to the people who realized,
Where is the last keyword--punk?
You're really observant!

Actually, that particular photo is even more crazy!
Eh? Who's that foreigner? Isn't that Nancy Spungen?
It was a really provocative picture with that sort of a look.
There are a definitely a lot of cosplayers like this, right?

And, with the interview, we asked about things about 「FADELESS」and things about 『BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY』
things about the first overseas tour after 6 years, things about the visual scene, and also things about idols...

Also in the interview is the theme that encompassed the recording, the decisions they made, the unity within the band--the fans might unintentionally tear up!

Anyways, anyways, this time's ROCK AND READ's content will be the most exhilarating ever!

You gotta seriously look forward to it!

---

To be honest, I've been running all over the place lately that I wasn't even thinking of translating anything for another few weeks.
But, after I saw this RR cover--how could I not be curious about what was going on in the VK world?!

What do you guys think of this image? I thought Ruki, who normally tried so hard to steer away from being "cute" or "soft" in any regard managed to completely turn a traditionally "cute" bunny on its head. Tell us your thoughts and comments in the comments below!

And, as usual, follow MICHIDO with a like on Facebook, a follow on Twitter and a subscription Tumblr!

Read More

Frolicking in the Sun | One Ok Rock Blog Post

As I mentioned on Twitter, I've been on One Ok Rock kick lately.

Plus, MICHIDO's birthday came and went before I even realized it, so I figured I really should post something as an appeasement for such a long period of neglect (sweat).

So combine the two together, and you get a blog post from One Ok Rock's drummer, Tomoya. Enjoy!

---

Miyakojima

Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh I just really hate being tanned to the point that people say I look like a gal guy. This is Tomoya.

Everyone, it's been a while.

Even though the tour ended, we jumped right into the festival season.

I went to Miyakojima! It was especially hot... If I went in July, it'd be too hot, so I went in June...but this heat in July is pretty bad too! lol

And I was also moved by how the ocean was so incredibly beautiful. It's the same Japan, but I was really shocked--was the difference really that big? But I managed to have a ton of fun right before summer began.





The live also felt amazing!

Just like I expected, I really like that atmosphere that's unique to festivals! Thank you.

Wellz, that's it for now.

Tomoya

---

What I would GIVE to be on that beach right now. I could use a nice relaxing vacation myself, but I'm not sure if I'd want to be buried in the sand like that. Or I could just help pile sand on Tomoya, haha.

What plans do you have for the summer? Or better yet, tell us what kind of vacation you'd want with your favorite Jrocker! :)

Meanwhile, thanks for always reading and supporting us you all! It's been THREE WHOLE YEARS since MICHIDO started, and it only got this far with your continued readership. Thank you, thank you and thank you ♥

And, if you haven't already, do give us on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr! Hopefully this will kick my ass into gear, and you guys will see more content in the future! (^^ゞ

Read More

the GazettE 11th Anniversary | DIVISION Final MELT at Saitama Super Arena

Saitama Super Arena was packed hours before the doors opened for the GazettE's 11th Anniversary/DIVISION tour final.

The live served as a finale for the country-wide DIVISION tour, which began in 2012 and was finally concluding on March 10, 2013--also the GazettE's anniversary.

Some fans had clearly been there all day, waiting in anticipation for a tour that had spanned over the course of a year.
The concert was divided into 3 major sections.

There was the main concert, the first encore and then the final encore.

The main concert was similar, if not exactly the same, as the rest of the DIVISION tour with little to no change to the visuals and setlist.

The first portion of the setlist included:

[Diplosomia]
[XI]
DERANGEMENT
GABRIEL ON THE GALLOWS
VENOMOUS SPIDER'S WEB
VORTEX
CLEVER MONKEY
THE SUICIDE CIRCUS
DRIPPING INSANITY
余韻
影踏み
籠の蛹
[Depth]
歪
ヘドロ
VERMIN
SLUDGY CULT
HEADACHE MAN
ATTITUDE
REQUIRED MALFUNCTION
[Melt]

For those who had a chance to attend previous DIVISION lives though, the familiarity ended with a bang--literally.

After the band exited the stage, the audience began to buzz.

A clear sharp explosion sliced through the chatter and a startled silence fell over the arena.

The stage, which had darkened when the band disappeared, suddenly blazed to life in fire pots that appeared where Kai's drumset had been. The audience screamed in excitement as sparks burst over the stage and several more fire crackers exploded with loud bangs.

The pyrotechnics, dazzling as they were, proved tricky to control as a rogue firecracker brought two light fixtures swinging down from the ceiling. Both of them literally hung by a thread and swung precariously over the stage, just above the amplifiers and elaborate equipment set up.

Despite the potential danger, the accident only served to rile up the audience even further as staff members rushed to bring the fixtures down safely.

Not long after, Reita and Kai emerged to open the first encore, which included the following songs:

Ride with the ROCKERS
赤いワンピース
Psychedelic Heroin
Filth in the Beauty
COCKROACH
LINDA～candy dive pinky heaven～

During the encores, the mobile band members dashed out into the side wings. While taking care of the right audience, Reita simply sat with one leg over the rail of the right stage, playing leisurely.

Ruki, at one point, seemed to disappear backstage but, surprisingly, continued to sing as the band played on. He soon emerged out from the left wing of the stage, walking directly in the audience walkway and--unsurprisingly--was nearly mobbed as fans rushed from the upper levels to get a chance to touch him.

Surrounded by a barrier of staff members, Ruki continued to sing to and from the stage.

Fans on the right wing of the stage waited in anticipation for their turn but Ruki first took a water bottle from in front of the drums and tossed the cap as he took the bottle with him to the right wing. Ruki, with no change in expression, pantomimed an ejaculation into the audience with his water bottle before turning and emerging into the audience walkway to walk into the audience.

Meanwhile, Aoi, Uruha, Reita and Kai were occupying the main stage. Aoi and Uruha both hopped onto Ruki's stand and played together in what seemed like a conversation between guitars and Reita did his customary swings with his bass.

Throughout all this, Kai never skipped a beat, even when exchanging drum sticks by hurling them into the back of the stage and having another two in his hand the next instant.

Ruki used the MC to ask the audience to raise their voices. He called for the back to reply and, while they replied enthusiastically, Ruki apparently found it unsatisfactory.

"I'm wondering if it's a bit quiet because you all have pollen allergies," Ruki said with a grin.

The first encore ended and the audience was quickly back on its feet, calling for a second encore.

It wasn't long before the band emerged again for the second, and final, encore, delighting fans with silver streamers that burst from the stage and two very nostalgic songs:

関東土下座組合
BEST FRIENDS

Fans screamed in delight as the songs pulsated through the entire arena.

After Best Friends, the band put down their instruments and, surprisingly, Reita and Aoi stayed on stage. All five members gathered and stood at the center of the stage as Aoi playfully tussled with Reita, punching and kicking him before the bassist pulled away and stood beside Ruki on stage.

"Since it's our anniversary, we should all say one thing we really remember," Ruki said. He eyed his band members, as if deciding who would be the first to suffer through an MC, before thrusting the microphone at Uruha, "Here."

Uruha, Kai and Reita all thanked the audience for their support and their desire to move forward with the fans' continued support.

Aoi's MC opened with Reita giving him a vengeful kick to the backside, leaving Aoi holding his "injury." Aoi gave a relatively long and rambling MC and, as the audience moved to clap and cheer after a comment, Aoi shook his head, "Wait," he commanded. "Wait, wait a sec, okay?" The audience laughed anyways but fell silent to let him finish.

"Well, it's time," Ruki paused and glanced down at his bracelet like it was a watch before looking out at the audience again. The audience tittered and he smiled sheepishly, "It's time for us to go....to the sky."

The end of the sentence earned a brief silence and another collective laugh from the audience. Ruki continued for a little longer before getting to the purpose of his joke.

"Shall we take you with us?" Ruki asked. "To the sky?" The audience responded enthusiastically with cheers. "Everybody, grab the hand of someone around you," Ruki instructed. On stage, Reita grabbed Ruki's free hand with Aoi on the other side. Kai also moved to take Ruki's hand but paused with his infamously awkward smile as he realized Ruki had a microphone in the other hand. He took a firm hold of Ruki's upper sleeve instead while holding Uruha's hand.

"Let's go together. To the sky. Are you ready? We're gonna go. We're gonna go. We're really gonna go--all the way into space, okay. Ready? We're really going."

Ruki decided that the audience perhaps had enough of his teasing and began the countdown,

"Ready--set--GO!"

The band and audience leaped together and, in one tense simultaneous moment, everybody let out a cheer as they followed the band for the brief moment up towards the sky--before landing as one back in the Arena.

The band left the stage after a final goodbye and thank you, leaving the audience to file out of the arena.

As the audience left the arena, fans got to see all the support the GazettE had--not only from fellow fans but also from industry friends. Flowers lined the exit of the arena from various celebrities, congratulating the band on their anniversary.


Congratulations on 11 years GazettE!

---

Disclaimer: This report was written from memory, which is far from perfect, so events may have flowed differently and quotes certainly are not verbatim.

Now that the report's done--here's what many of you were probably waiting for.

MICHIDO's first GIVEAWAY!

Giveaway Closed

We're giving away 2 MELT cards.

We will randomly pick one Twitter follower and one Facebook fan. There are two steps to enter the giveaway and you can enter up to two times, once on Twitter and once on Facebook.

To enter the giveaway on Twitter, you must click "Reply" OR "Retweet" to share our live report. Clicking both does not increase your chances.


To enter the giveaway on Facebook, you must click "Share" AND "Like" directly from and on our page.


Next, comment on this post at the bottom about what song you would like to hear from this set lists, what you would've wanted to see and why. If you want to make sure we catch your shares and retweets, feel free to attach links on your comment on the blog (highly recommended actually).


The giveaway will run from March 16, 2013, Japan time to March 23, 2013, 23:59.

Good luck!!

Make sure you catch all of MICHIDO's updates with an Email Subscription, on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

Also, we have special merchandise , so be sure to check what our SHOP page is offering!

Read More

G-Men X feat. the GazettE with DJ Takuya, Special 2009 Part Kai

Happy holidays, everyone!

I've promised over and over and over again that I would post Kai's portion of this radio transcript and I finally have! YAY!!!

Anyways, like most of the G-men X Specials (see Aoi, Uruha, Reita and Ruki), Kai gets his embarrassing traits spilled by his oh-so-loving band mates.

We've also got a ton of new stuff on our SALE page, so be sure to check it out! :)

Without further ado...we present GazettE's super bullied incredibly loved leader and drummer, Kai!

---

-Bell Chime-

DJ TAKUYA: Last is~the drummer and leader, Mr. Kai!
I think everyone's been eager to get to this particular questionnaire. As expected of this level-headed leader, right, a reliable person☆ He won't be late☆ And he gets to meetings early and stuff

the GazettE: Yeah!

Reita: You can write it, and you can say it to the man himself.

DJ TAKUYA: Ah! Is tha~t what it is?

Ruki: It isn't that he's level-headed so much as he's calculating!

DJ Takuya: A calculating person?

The GazettE: Fufufu (laugh)

DJ Takuya: And! Things you want him to fix!! Everyone wrote, “forgotten items”...

the GazettE: Ahhhh

Ruki: I think anyone would say the same thing about this~forgotten items huh~He'll eventually forget his own name too

the GazettE: HAHAHAHA, that's so mean

Ruki: That's mean!

Reita: That's really mean, y'know!!

※Mail
Please tell us about a recent interesting episode about Kai

Uruha: Ahhhh!! Ah! Um...he's already lent Reita the Crows ZERO② DVD~today's me! He brought it for me, right?

Reita: I brought it, I brought it.

Uruha: Didn't Kai lend it to you?

Reita: Yeah!!

Uruha: He forgot it at the office (laugh)

Everyone: Eehhh~??

GazettE: ahahahaha

Reita: You're kidding right (shocked)

DJ TAKUYA: That's not good, right~

Reita: You're joking, right!!

DJ TAKUYA: Leader (laugh)

Uruha: Eh, well, if I say, "I might let it spill," I'll spill it to Rei-chan after

Reita: I'm not listening

DJ TAKUYA: Ah, didn't he also forget that?

Reita: That guy--!! He--seriously--it's really bad.

Ruki: Earlier, Rei-chan was like, "Who was it again"

Reita: Oi, oi oi oi (laugh)

GazettE: HAHAHA

Reita: Waitt!! Seriously, I didn't know who owned the DVD

DJ TAKUYA: That's Mr. Careless, eh~

Reita: No!! It doesn't stop at careless!! This guy--it's almost criminal!!

GazettE: Ahahahahaha

Ruki: Seriously, it's like he uses all his energy to forget things.

DJ TAKUYA: He seems to be firm, careless, shrewd and calculating?

GazettE: Yeah

DJ TAKUYA: Man!! (laugh)

GazettE: Ahahaha

DJ TAKUYA: Next, this is from Aoi, he's gotten too into muscle training?

Aoi: Ahh, recently, y'know, like, it seems to be something he took up recently...but I don't think so (laugh)

DJ TAKUYA: Really? It's different? He seems to want to fix how thin he is...

Aoi: He's really disciplined, y'know. That's one of the things that appeals to us.

Reita: Because that means he'll do handstands as we watch.

DJ TAKUYA: Wow, in other words, it's not for the public to see.

Aoi: Right, right, right!

Ruki: It's like he'll suddenly go, "I'm gonna put on these sunglasses."

GazettE: Hahaha!

DJ TAKUYA: Ah, so like, you'd want something to help you prepare.

Aoi: Yeaahhh.

Reita: Y'know, he goes to a gym, and before this, he couldn't remember what gym he's been going to.

GazettE: Ahahahaha!

DJ TAKUYA: That! No way, right! As expected, Reita (laugh). Seems like he couldn't remember where his membership was with.

GazettE: Wahahaha!

DJ TAKUYA: Seems like the thing Uruha wants him to fix the most is his lack of interested in stringed instruments.

Uruha: Ah, uhm, he isn't interested in anything but drums. It's good to concentrate on one thing, but...it's like there's nothing but the drums...

Reita: A little bit too much of the, "there's nothing but the drums."

DJ TAKUYA: That, well, it's cool, right...

Reita: Didn't he just forget?

Uruha: Ahhhhhhh

DJ TAKUYA: Ehh??

Uruha: And the band?

Reita: The band too?

DJ TAKUYA: Forgetting an instrument called the guitar exists...it seems (laugh), that can't be, right?

Uruha: If that's really the case, he's beyond help.

DJ TAKUYA: This conversation completely went back towards his forgetfulness.

Ruki: Nfufu

DJ TAKUYA: From Ruki, "He's a good guy~"

Ruki: During the lives, he says some pretty good stuff~ but at the very end, he'll definitely add some swear word, that guy. And the way he says it makes it seem like he's trying to pick a fight.

DJ TAKUYA: Ah, it's a let down right. "It'd be good if he stayed nice until the very end" like that, right?

Ruki: "Cause I'm covering these asses!!" he says things like that

Uruah: Asses (laugh)

Ruki: At lives

Aoi: In this age, right! Ehh. Because he's covering his own ass (laugh).

Ruki: It's like, "Dude, what manga were you reading just now," right (laugh)

DJ TAKUYA: Ahaha, it seems interesting, so he ends up using the phrase a lot.

Ruki: Nfufu

DJ TAKUYA: From Aoi~ Kai is the "confirmation gramps." (laugh)

RukI: Ahh~ AAhhhh~

Aoi: Seriously! Before the live, always, at the venue...he always gets so annoying. Ah, but it's a good thing. Um, like, "We're gonna stop it here," and he does it every time, but it's pretty much the same exact thing every time.

Ruki: Yeah!

Uruha: Yeah! It's because he doesn't ask anyone else before he does things. Like he's just addicted to doing things.

Aoi: You said it! You said it!

Reita: You...(laugh)

DJ TAKUYA: So, he just doesn't ask anyone?

Ruki: The staff also have to do everything again for him. And then they have to come again! How many times have the staff had to come over, right?

Uruh: It's like, "Ahh!! Seriously?"

Ruki: Yeah! "Again? For the same thing?"

GazettE: Ahahahaha

DJ TAKUYA: Well, well, well

Ruki: It's like a really bad joke!

Aoi: Thisssss (laugh)

DJ TAKUYA: Wait, wait, wait, that's...one second...

Ruki:...is how it reached us from the staff☆

Reita: Seriously!! He's always just rushing things!! (laugh)

DJ TAKUYA: Next~ Is it ok to say it? Reita--ahh! But, Reita wrote something good, so it should be fine, right?

Reita: Eh?...what was that!

DJ TAKUYA: He wrote two syllables~ Baka☆

Ruki: Butter?

Reita: No! (laugh) It's gonna infect someone!!

GazettE: Ahahahaha!

Reita: No, but, y'know! He can't recognize kanji, he cuts people off when they're talking.

*Bell Chime*


DJ TAKUYA: Ah, it's the chime telling us our time's up


Aoi: Ehhhh!?

Reita: But I wanna keep talking~

Uruha: Even though I could keep going~


DJ TAKUYA: Kai, welcome back

Kai: Thanks...

DJ TAKUYA: Somehow, it got really heated, didn't it! We'll come back after everyone strips off one article of clothing. (laugh)

※Mail
"Who in the GazettE is bullied the most?"

Kai: Probably! Probably...Reita, right?

DJ TAKUYA: Ah, it's Reita?

Kai: He's bullied quite a bit, right

Reita: How?!

Kai: No way, it's definitely quite a bit (laugh)

Aoi: No, no, Kai-san! Kai-san! (laugh)

GazettE: AHAHAHAHA!

Kai: No! Earlier, wasn't everyone saying how much they loved me....so even this guy has to get it...

Reita: No way, it isn't bullying, all I get is love☆ You're the one getting bullied, aren't you?

GazettE: Wahahahaha!!

Kai: That's mean!

『Mail intro & Conclusion』

※Mail Intro
The french toast that Kai made before, was it delicious?


Reita: Ahhh, he made that, huh (laugh)

Ruki: It was pretty good, right

Kai: But I can't make it anymore

Everyone: Eh

Reita: But I've never heard of someone being bad at french toast before.

DJ TAKUYA: For real...

GazettE: Ahahahahaha

Uruha: For real, right (laugh)

※Mail
Kai is shrewd? I've also heard that he's mean?

GazettE: Wahahahaha

Aoi: Hey hey hey~

DJ TAKUYA: This!! "Hey hey" indeed, right, Aoi, that sort of thing isn't possible, right~

Aoi: Hey hey, that...to say our leader's mean...

Kai: No, no, for people, you need to be mean, otherwise you can't survive

DJ TAKUYA: He admitted it!! (laugh)

Aoi: You--can you say those things!?

Uruha: Oi oi oi oi

Kai: For people, if you aren't a little mean....

DJ TAKUYA: Ahh, well, that's true, eh (laugh)

Aoi: Kai-san! Kai-sannnnnnn! (laugh)

DJ TAKIYA: But that's also important, right

Ruki: Reita's kinda--

DJ TAKUYA: Reita, what's up?

Reita: In the end, we still can't cover our asses☆

GazettE: Wahahahahah!

※Mail

I thought Ruki was really taciturn, so I was surprised to hear he talks a lot.

Ruki: Ah, well, sorry...'scuse my, what was it..."taciturn".

GazettE: Ehhh?! (laugh)

DJ TAKUYA: No, it's pretty unexpected, you can't see it in his face at all, since you're so happy, right!

Ruki: Nnnn, since I talk a lot♪

GazettE: Ahahaha

※Mail
Ruki likes to talk, huh☆ It's very cute, but let's fix that habit of oversleeping.

DJ TAKUYA:...is what she said, ufufu (laugh)

Aoi: But, one thing I don't get...talking too much is cute?

Ruki: How is that...right?

Reita: Well then, I'm gonna talk too. I'm gonna talk too.

GazettE: Ahahaha

Aoi: Well, me too, me too!!

Uruha: And me too, me too!!

Kai: Well--well~ Me too! Me too!!

Reita, Aoi, Uruha: Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead~

*simultaneous breaking out in laughter*

DJ TAKUYA: As expected, Kai, you're in Ueshima's position (laugh) Just now--you got there naturally? As expected of the leader! (laugh)

Reita: (laugh) This is the only way he'd be popular.

DJ TAKUYA: Well, it's eventually gotten to the time for us to say our goodbyes~

Aoi: Ah? Really?

(Announcements about BID, lives, the DVD)

DJ TAKUYA: Thank you for giving us so much of your time today.

GazettE: Thank you very much!

DJ Takuya: Let's roar at the Milky ways! Alien Gmen TAKUYA with a GazettE SP~

Presenting Ruki! Uruha! Aoi! Reita! Kai!

Thank you very much for today.

GazettE: Thank you very much!

---

Well there you have it, the most bullied and "loved" member of the GazettE! Leave us a comment about what you hate or love about Kai (or any of the other members for that matter).

At any rate, I hope you all enjoyed this interview that we finally finished! All of the parts have been pretty interesting but Kai's responses seems to be the most hilarious!

Please don't forget to check out our SHOP page for merchandise sales!

And, of course, if you want to catch all our updates, please remember to follow MICHIDO with an Email Subscription, on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

Read More

Utahiroba Jun: Even if this is a VK fanboy's blog, you can't call it that.

Fangirls are a dime a dozen for the VK industry, but what fan boys are a tiny bit harder to come by.

Celebrity fanboys seem to be things of legend.

So, now, we bring you another Kishidan Banpaku-related story.

Golden Bomber's Utahiroba Jun fanboys about meeting the GazettE's Reita backstage on his Ameblo blog.

Translation was requested by Denise Mello on Facebook :)

---

It was sudden, but the other day at Kishidan Banpaku, I was given the chance to speak to the GazettE's Reita-san.



I've already known about the GazettE, onesidedly, for about 10 years now, and by chance, I saw them at an unimaginably tiny live house. After that I spent most of my school years with the GazettE's music, so I was really excited to perform together, and I was doki doki the entire time.



I really respect everyone in the GazettE, but I especially like the bassist, Reita, so this time, after the live, when we went to greet them, I was breathing so hard that I was at the point of hyperventilating and I was sweating so bad that I just barely managed to get through greeting them.

「I really like you!」

when I said that, the Reita himself turned his head and, with a goods towel

「Here, I'll give this to you」

is what he said and gave it to me.



And, I'd already lost my head, and because of that, after the performance, when we got to greet them again, I was thinking, "Maybe this really isn't so good," when I got permission from their manager to ask Reita for an autograph.



And then, he happily agreed and, on top of that, without me saying anything, he added a message.



And, I said to Reita, 「I'm really happy we could meet, you guys really worked it,」 and I got a handshake, but, seriously, like an idiot, I couldn't get anything but "thank you" to come out, at any rate, I still haven't calmed down yet, so even now, I'm staring at the room's wall and grinning.









[Note: Reita's message says, "For the wife...♥"]








I'm sorry I'm all over the place.



Thank you, Reita.

---

Isn't it so cute knowing that celebrities can fanboy/girl the same way regular people do? If you were in Jun's position, what would you have said/done? Let us know in the comments below!!

Make sure you catch all of MICHIDO's updates with an Email Subscription, on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

Also, we are ordering special limited time goods for people, so be sure to check what our SHOP page is offering!

Read More

Kishidan Banpaku Part I - DJ Ozma & Golden Bomber

Olympics was a perfect name to give to Kishidan Banpaku

This music festival, although relatively small, featured some of the biggest names in the music industry.

MICHIDO caught the second day of Kishidan Banpaku and its star-studded lineup up close and personal. The lineup started strong with Golden Bomber followed by Unicorn, the GazettE, Kishidan, T.M. Revolution, VAMPS and Hamasaki Ayumi.

DJ Ozma opened the second day.

The variety of artists in the lineup resulted in an equally colorful audience. Audience members arrived in punk shredded jeans, bikinis and, a personal favorite, Kishidan-esque biker gang uniforms and pompadours.

DJ Ozma opened the second day of Kishidan in his usual outrageous and questionable fashion.

His performance included King and Pancho as they danced with dancers in bikinis. DJ Ozma, Pancho and King sang while attempting to strip their dancers of their bikini tops.

The three men eventually succeeded and the female dancers appeared to be baring their naked breasts to the audience. But upon closer inspection, dancers who lost their tops were wearing flesh-colored skin-tight suits. DJ Ozma then took the show one step further by pulling down the bikini bottoms and showing off his "naked" dancers.

If this weren't quite enough to scandalize more conservative audience members, several men hopped out wearing only black thongs, holding long inflated balloons which protruded from their crotches. The balloons were released and then flew into the sky to open for Spiderman.

Apparently, DJ Ozma didn't think his audience had had enough quite yet. His next stunt was to have a group of men, including Pancho and King, run out on stage naked while dancing with only a large uchiwa to cover their private parts while managing to not flash anyone their fronts.

Their setlist included Happy Song, 超, MATSURI, 気持ちE, Drinkin' Boys, Spiderman, 珍魂歌, 純情～スンジョン～ and アゲ♂アゲ♂EVERY☆騎士.

Golden Bomber then--excuse the pun--bombed the stage.

Kiryuuin, perhaps to not be outdone by Pancho and King's borderline obscene performance, emerged on stage wearing nothing but flesh-colored boxer shorts and a black circle to cover his actual crotch.

Kiryuuin also came in danger of losing his disc of modesty when he was surrounded by other band members as they tried to continue stripping him before the audience.

After opening with the first song, Boku Quest, each member introduced themselves to the audience for the benefit of those seeing the band for the first time.

Kyan Yutaka announced his long lasting desire to join Kishidan and how he felt he needed the pompadour to be a proper member. To achieve this goal, he brought out his ultimate tool.

A cotton candy maker.

The cameras panned out to give a bird's eye view of the stage. Audience members watched in anticipation as Kyan began the first initiation into Kishidan.

The brief silence was broken as the audience let out a collective laugh and cheers of disbelief. Kyan's pompadour was taking shape right before everyone's eyes as he used his head to collected cotton candy around his hair.

He completed the transformation by dashing into the stage's side wings and returning with a long overcoat and a pair of sunglasses to accompany his new and proud white pompadour.

During the next song, band members picked away--literally--at Kyan's new Kishidan identity. Jun and Kiryuuin both took bites out of Kyan's "hair" and, due to the heat, the cotton candy was dropping rather sadly and only went more askew as Kyan dashed around the main and protruding stage.

At the end of the song, Kyan attempted to remove the cotton candy from his hair, but it was too sticky, resulting in him pulling his hair up along with the candy. The air guitarist made another run backstage, later reappearing cotton candy-free, but still wearing the overcoat and sunglasses as water dripped from his hair.

Another Golden Bomber highlight included Dervish Kenji expressing his love for synchronized swimming. Kenji promised that the audience would see the fruits of his training during their performance.

He did not disappoint.

In the usual golden Bomber fashion, Kiryuuin sang as his band mates went wild with their antics. Utahiroba and Kyan pulled a blue tarp to cover the majority of Kenji's drumset.

Kenji then proceeded to "swim" and showed off his legs as he did a perfect synchro swimming split and other fundamental synchro moves. Audience members were reminded of how well built Kenji was as he held his poses without any noticeable wavering.

The Golden Bomber set finished with the classic Memeshikute as the audience cheered and danced along. The band members raced to the side stage and then the protruding stage to ensure that everyone was dancing along before saying thank you at the protruding stage.

The Golden Bomber setlist consisted of 僕クエスト, 綺麗になりたくて, 抱きしめてシュヴァルツ, ICE BOX, 酔わせてモヒート, 成龙很酷, †ザ・V系っぽい曲† and 女々しくて.

While not believing myself to be a rabid Golden Bomber fan, the Golden Bomber segment was certainly one of the better Kishidan performances in terms of audience engagement and interaction.

As Golden Bomber left the stage, the staff hurried on to prepare the stage for Unicorn's set.

That, however, will be left for another day.

To make sure you get Part II of the Kishidan live report, don't forget to follow MICHIDO with an Email Subscription, on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for our latest updates!

Don't forget to also check out our SHOP page for our newest and featured products!

Slider photos were taken from Natalie Mu.

Read More

Vogue Fashion's Night Out 2012

Tokyo has always been a place a hub of fashion, and September 8th was no exception.

Vogue's annual Fashion's Night Out (FNO) made Omotesando the place to be.

Omotesando is a shopping haven for people looking for both haute couture as well affordable, but still trendy street fashion.

All of this came together at Fashion's Night Out, where stars like Tsuchiya Anna, Tominaga Ai and JuJu made appearances at the opening ceremony.

The event as a whole was a celebration of beauty. Despite the official event being run by Vogue, Tokyo was bustling with people on the streets parading their own sense of fashion, from the individuals striding around in designer brands to all the kids on the block who thought to party in whatever they wanted.

Because there were so many venues, it was a little difficult to get a grasp of what was going on where, so our approach on this impromptu attendance was just to walk around Omotesando.

We started at Omotesando Hills, home of designer brand shops, such as Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce&Gabbana, Armani Junior and much more.

Although we barely missed the entrance ceremony, we got the chance to see the world-famous photographer, Leslie Kee, who has photographed celebrities such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Koda Kumi, in action.

Kee picked enthusiastic and stylish attendees to photograph, and their photographs would be featured on the FNO website.


Seeing a professional fashion photographer at work was nothing short of amazing. Within the span of half an hour, Kee and his crew had turned the tiny stage at Hills into an impromptu photo studio and making people he literally picked off the streets into incredible models.
For those who wanting to "get their groove on", there was also a free party, complete with a DJ and bar in the basement of Omotesando Hills.

We took it to the streets of Omotesando next.

There were plenty of sights to see as we strolled down the streets with many individuals wanting to turn "haute couture" on its head.


Many shops were also having their own little parties, including Tommy Hilfiger, complete with waiters handing out drinks, badges, to photos with models against the Vogue backdrop.

Fashion's Night Out was a great experience, regardless of whether or not you had the money to take advantage of the sales and promotions offered by top brands from around the world.

This annual party thrown by Vogue doesn't only take place in Tokyo though. FNO takes place all around the world, so be sure to check the Vogue website for the location nearest to you!

For more pictures, be sure to visit the MICHIDO Facebook. Several of the pictures in this post were taken by our wonderful friend, AppleJays, so skip over there to check out his photos as well!

If you want to make sure you get all our updates about our Tokyo adventures, don't forget to follow MICHIDO with an Email Subscription, on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

And, we'll definitely have lots of updates, especially with the Kishidan Festival coming up soon (speaking of which, have you ordered your hooded towel yet?)!

Read More

Rurouni Kenshin: Samurai X Live Action Review

The highly anticipated live action Rurouni Kenshin movie opened in Japan on August 25.

Rurouni Kenshin has been a much-loved classic, with a franchise that spanned across different types of media as well as time.

Directed by Keishi Ohtomo and featuring stars Yuu Aoi as Megumi Takani, and Takeru Sato as Kenshin Himura, Rurouni Kenshin definitely had an all star cast and production team.

Despite previous flops of anime turned movies (think the Gantz and the Death Note movies), Rurouni Kenshin started out strong with a visually intense and promising trailer.


The actual movie did not disappoint at all and covered the arc that included meeting and rescuing Megumi Takani from Kanryu Takeda.

Most of the popular characters made appearances, including Kaoru, Sannousuke, Saito, Yahiko and Megumi, but there was the notable absence of Aoshi and his Oniwabanshu. The featured villains included Jin-e, Kanryu Takeda, Gein and Inui Banjin.

The movie overall is adapted very well for the silver screen. It does not mirror the manga or anime plot exactly, but given the time restraints, the plot still flowed relatively smoothly while including classic original scenes and lines. After all, Kenshin is not Kenshin without his "de gozaru" and "oro".

Pacing and character development were also fairly well done, although I personally would have liked longer fight scenes that didn't end quite so abruptly.

The fight scenes, though short, were also choreographed very well, allowing the viewer to relive Kenshin's agility or feel the impact of Sannosuke's brute force.

In terms of character development, Saito's importance as Kenshin's eternal rival was reduced to two scenes where he actually drew his sword and fought. Sannosuke's relationship with Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko also did not deepen as he seemed to move coincidentally and sporadically in and out of the storyline. On the other hand, Kaoru, Kenshin and Megumi's relationship played out well, culminating in a climax very reminiscent of the original series.

Casting was also done relatively well, although not perfect. Sato was surprisingly adept as Kenshin switching smoothly from the harmless Himura Kenshin to the ruthless Battousai. There were, however, moments when he would look rather vacuous instead of kind and harmless, but over all, a very believable Kenshin.

Aoki Munetaka also fit the role as Sanosuke perfectly, playing delinquent-type character while also providing comic relief through the movie.

However, despite my personal liking for Yuu Aoi as an actress, her physical appearance did not quite have the "vixen" feel that Megumi Takani was so famous for. Despite her ability to sound and move like a vixen, in terms of appearance, she was simply too cute for the role, even with all the makeup that had been applied.

Even with some minor kinks with casting, the movie still came together very well. The cinematography effectively enhanced the atmosphere of the movie, and I certainly left the theater with a much better feeling than other anime adaptions I had seen before. If there were sequels to follow, I certainly wouldn't complain.

All in all, Rurouni Kenshin, although not the perfect movie, is certainly worth seeing on the silver screen. It is currently being screened only in Japan, but keep an eye out for news that it may go overseas!

Leave us a comment with where you want to see Kenshin and what you think about or anticipate from the movie!

For more news about the happenings in Japanese entertainment, follow MICHIDO with an Email Subscription, on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

Read More

Free Tokyo!

It sounds like Tokyo's under siege, but that isn't quite the case. This past week, the giant metropolis has had its fair share of events, and MICHIDO lost some sleep scrambling to get to them all. Best of all? They were free!

Our first stop was A-nation--one of the hottest music festivals taking place in the heart of Tokyo. Featured artists included the GazettE, VAMPS, Hamasaki Ayumi, Ayabie, Acid Black Cherry and SCREW.

Even with these big-label artists at paid performances, there were ways to enjoy A-nation for free. In the Resort Area, which was Yoyogi National Gym's courtyard, there were performances and activities, such as cosplay dances and chances to see up and rising artists in person. Other venues included Shibuya AX, Ajinomoto Stadium and Shibuya Public Hall.

The Beach Park area also had entertainment and cooling stations for those who were looking for some relief from the Tokyo heat. Attendees could dip their feet into pools of icy cold water while staff provided free bags of rice and coupons for food stands close by.

Another personal favorite were the skillful skating and skateboarding demonstrations provided by Murasaki sports. Both child and adult athletes defied gravity by spinning and twisting in the air before landing safely back on the ramp.


The other major free-entry event in Tokyo was the infamous Comiket, a major manga and doujinshi market. This market takes place twice a year at Odaiba's Tokyo Big Site. You can catch it once during the summer and one more during the winter.

This was a great chance to experience a Japanese-style convention although it would be more accurate to describe it as a market for professional-level artists to sell fan work.

As a warning for those planning to visit Comiket in the future, most of the works, while well done, are not family friendly. Beware of your company! Luckily, no one in our group was a minor...

Comiket is worth the travel simply to see the fabulous cosplayers that emerge against the beautiful backdrop of Odaiba, Tokyo.


In contrast to A-nation, which provided "relaxation" stations for visitors and ample space to wander and sit down, Comiket can be a bit of a claustrophobic experience, especially during the high humidity of Japanese summers.


Tokyo Big site, for all its vastness, had little air circulation, and with over half a million people crammed into its halls, what little air conditioning there was--if there was any at all--was ineffective.

Despite that though, it was an awe-inspiring experience seeing so many people gather for a common interest. Comiket is definitely an event to attend to get a feel for the anime and otaku culture of Tokyo.

For more news about having fun in Tokyo, follow MICHIDO with an Email Subscription, on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

We also have more A-nation photos and Comiket photos on our Facebook, so be sure to check them out!

Read More

SCREW Transitions to Major「Mom, I'm going to debut!」

Lots of stuff happened today, but I figured this was some pretty happy news, so I slapped this together.

My goodness...a second post, in less than week? What is the world coming to?!

At any rate, enjoy, and congrats SCREW! The original article is from Natalie mu.

---

SCREW Transitions to Major「Mom, I'm going to debut!」

Released from Tokuma Japan Communications, visual kei band, SCREW, has been slated for their major debut, and their single「XANADU」will be released on October 17th.

The band has steadily gained popularity under the PS COMPANY indies label, and in May of this year, SCREW pulled off a successful European tour. The men held a live where they also had their first live after the band's formation in Tokyo ・ Takadanobaba AREA and yesterday, August 5th, was also celebrating Kazuki's (G) birthday. During the live's encore, they announced the information about their major debut.

The vocalist, Byou, spoke on stage, 「These 6 years has had its difficulties, its obstacles, there were many of those. Whenever I looked back, I thought, "Let's do this," and we've continued forward till now. Honestly, when our major debut was decided, I was so happy. But, even with all these emotions that come with our major debut, I want to continue towards the same dream, and I'm gonna show you all that dream too, so come with us!」A number of the fans in the audience were moved to tears.

From the birthday boy, Kazuki, 「We couldn't have gotten here if it weren't for these members,」he said before being overtaken by his emotions. Drummer Jin showed a joy that was「really beyond words」. Rui, the bassist who joined 2 and half years ago added, 「Meeting the current members, receiving this, I'm really happy right now,」. Guitarist Manabu 「Since I said 5 years ago,『I'm definitely gonna get a major debut』, and I left my hometown and came here, I'm really happy that it came true. I'm typically the cool guy, but today, I'm gonna say it. MOM, I'M GONNA DEBUT!」, inciting the venue.

On the day of SCREW's single release, 10/17, they will start at with a performance at Tokyo・Shibuya O-WEST, and will have 17 performances in 12 venues in their one-man tour「XANADU-Seventh Heaven...-」

---

Well, there you have it! The SCREW boys have finally gotten their well-deserved major debut! It's definitely going to be a busy few months for them, but don't forget to cheer them on~!

Also, be sure to check out our new Sales page to see if there's anything of interest! Also feel free to request things in the "Other" box of the order form.

If you want more happy SCREW news, follow MICHIDO with an Email Subscription, on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

And last, but not least, be sure to leave us a comment down below--remember, more comments = more interest = more articles about things you're interested in! (^O^)／

Read More

RR43 Coverage Inside Story Part 1 of season1（戒／the GazettE）

I feel like I say this every time I post here, but it's been a while since we updated the blog, haha! But it's also true every time ＿|￣|● ｶﾞｯｸﾘ

It has been, but there's a lot of activity since DIVISION is coming out soon (speaking of which, have you ordered your copy yet?).

Rock and Read is no exception--but what to do, I should just let you read it before I spoil it.

Enjoy!

---

RR43 Coverage Inside Story Part 1 of season1（戒／the GazettE）

It's a bit sudden, but we have an announcement!

The next issue,『ROCK AND READ 043』will go on sale 8/29!

Ad, why, you ask, 8.29,,,,

It's because, on this day, the GazettE's new album『DIVISION』will be released!

Yes!

That's it! That's right!

On the cover of the next volume, it'll be THAT the GazettE member!

Who is it,,,

If you took take a look at this blog's header....
Vol. 33＝RUKI
Vol. 36＝REITA
Vol. 38＝葵
Vol. 41＝麗
have made appearances.

With that said!

YE----SSSSSS！

This time is the GazettE's leader, Kai-san, who will be making an appearance!

First, here's 1 snapshot from the scene of the photoshoot.

Tada


SOOOOOO COOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!

Please wait for the next report.

---

Pretty short time time, but Kai looks flipping awesome--even when he isn't actually posing for a camera! Don't you think he brings a whole new meaning to badass?

Also, be sure to check out our new Sales page to see if there's anything of interest! Also feel free to request things in the "Other" box of the order form.

And, if you want to see more badass Kai, be sure to follow MICHIDO with an Email Subscription, on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

Read More