Thoughtful Posts About Yaoi Exist on the Internet -

This was your reaction, admit it

The subject comes up mostly because I've decided to stumble upon the likes of Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi, and in turn, Junjou Romantica. I love them. Don't judge me. Okay, judge me, but not too hard.

I know what you're thinking - a female in the anime/manga/J-rock/j-whatever/blahblah fandom that likes yaoi. So intensely predictable, it's almost disappointing, isn't it?

You'll get over it, I'm sure. Right now, there's points to be made, so just barrel through it, you might be a better person in the end. Think of this as part review of the previously mentioned titles, part general comment on the genre in its entirety. Because I'm bringing up Gravitation. It's required curriculum for the fans of boy love, after all.

Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi is an ongoing series and I haven't made it all the way through Junjou Romantica just yet, but in general, they both follow a similar formula. Which makes sense, given that one is a spin-off of the other. And that most yaoi/shonen-ai titles pretty much has the same base with different embellishments with very few exceptions. At least, most of the ones I've read. And I'm an expert. The sarcasm, does it burn?

Generally, all the stories break down to the same stock characters forced into different situations. Not a bad thing, since often each author has their own way of making their characters likable, but definitely true.

Both Sekai-Ichi and Junjou make use of just about all of them, but the focused pairing has probably the most-used archetypes of seme and uke: The strong, stoic personality who is often the most accepting of the relationship and takes the lead (Takano and Usami) and the easily-excitable one that's in complete denial of it and follows (Onodera and Misaki).

You still have similar characteristics in the other pairings as well. It's simply inescapable. However, it makes for a fun, light, and fluffy storyline, which I'm okay with. I'm not watching/reading these series for their depth.

But it does make me miss Gravitation a little.

Now, I bring up Gravitation for the sheer fact that it too has similar archetypes, with an exception. While Yuki is the strong stoic who sets the pace of the relationship, he by no means is overly enthusiastic about it. Shuichi is the one who is pushing forward towards the ultimate goal of being with Yuki.

It had this strange balance between the two characters, instead of a constant tug-a-war of personalities constantly clashing, with the uke being the one to ultimately give in. Yuki would eventually give in to Shuichi's antics, and in turn, Shuichi would occasionally calm down for Yuki's sake.

Though, the amount of effed up trauma that plagues any romance title like this still exists. You can't have romance without a heavy dose of angst. Don't believe me? Check it:

From the tops:

• Takano comes from a broken family with parents that care very little for him or each other.
• Usami grew up in an emotionally distant household and longs for a normal, caring environment.
• Yuki became a social outcast due to his natural hair and eye color and shot and killed his mentor, who accepted money from two men to assault him (count it, three times the trauma, that's some soap opera craziness right there).

From the bottoms:

• Onodera battles nepotism to achieve things on his own merits.
• Misaki's parents were killed in a car crash when he was 8, which he shoulders a lot of guilt for.
• Shuichi is assaulted by some thugs hired by a member of a rivaling band, who takes pictures of the incident to leak to the press.

What gets me, in this wonderful world of comparisons, is the subject of the actual romance in each of these publications. In Sekai-Ichi and Junjou, the fact that the romances feature two guys is something that is a constant reminder, even reasoning used by the characters who, in emotional turmoil, lists it as a reason why the romance would never work out. Multiple times. It's almost to the point of an annoyance. When Kisa (my personal favorite character from Sekai-Ichi) started to do it, I was incredibly unimpressed.

I do not recall Gravitation putting this much of an emphasis on the fact that the two protagonists are in a homosexual relationship with one another. I don't remember Shuichi ever pacing back and forth, fretting over the fact that he had fallen in love with a man, in almost every episode. At least twice. And that it could never work out. The focus was generally more shifted towards them both being two celebrities, and the impression of the public and press, as opposed to their own personal objections.


In short? Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi and Junjou Romantica are like crack. Incredibly fluffy, frilly, pointless and cookie-cutter crack. I love it and am addicted to it and it's so very bad for me. I will watch and read however much I can before I either run out of it, or simply just vomit out my brain due to an overdose.

However, when it comes to a title that will ultimately continue to hold itself up proudly, with the lasting power to continually be called a favorite, no matter how many times I re-watch it (which has been countless, I'm sure), Gravitation will continue to dominate. Yes, it's still just fluffy cuteness, but it's fluffy cuteness with substance. And Ryuichi Sakuma singing Sleepless Beauty in ugly shirts.

Who saw that coming? Be honest.

Miyavi Concert - FINALLY!

So... remember when I said October was Miyavi month because I was going to see him Chicago?

Well scratch that, because I got distracted by shinier objects (read as: Ao No Exorcist and Lie to Me). I'm a failure at keeping a blog, blah blah... don't care.

Just pretend that I posted all this stuff about Miyavi - my level in the fandom, my impressions of his new single at the time, etc. throughout the month of October and we aren't currently in mid-November going "oh darn, I meant to post all that..."

Done pretending? Cool. Okay. Now pull up a chair, because Bree's going to share with you a chapter of

Holy Crap, Chicago!

An Adventure in Concert Going and Warding Off People Begging for Money

(because that happens when you're walking around a city)

So first things first - The concert isn't always the biggest part of the day whenever Chicago adventures are had. It's usually just the highlight. But it's always best when you have a traveling buddy, which I do in the form of my best friend+, Shelley. It makes the 6 hour drive a little more tolerable and my brain is less likely to go into panic lock-down for wandering around a large, strange city by myself.

Did you know that a good chunk of Northern Indiana and Illinois is just a field of windmills? Because we do. Also, the exits onto I-90 from what I THINK was Gary, Indiana are marked by graffiti, the streets have no lane lines, and by the fifth hour of driving on the interstate, I'm pretty sure stoplights were either very well hidden or just invisible to me. Either way - Adventure number 1. I almost didn't see the exit.

Since we were essentially on a very tight budget, we were able to crash at a friends house. This is helpful because 1.) We didn't have to camp out in our car, 2.) We had a place to park our car that didn't cost my entire paycheck, and 3.) We were able to acquire directions on how to use the Chicago train system so we didn't have to attempt to drive in downtown Chicago traffic. Which I've done before and I'm pretty sure is what hell looks like.

So in other words, we are very very grateful to our friend. Eternally so.

So on to Adventure number 2. The Chicago train system, which is not so hard once you know which direction you need to go and you have a day pass. Then we got to walk - in The Windy City - in October.

See, Chicago is tricky. It likes to lull you into this false sense of "Oh, it's not too bad" and then smacks you in the face with a wall of bone-chilling cold. And I don't like to blow dry my hair. Because I'm an idiot and I don't live in Chicago. Lesson learned.

Either way, that's not the fun part. That's just the curse-filled part. The fun part is finally arriving at the venue and preparing yourself to stand in line for 10 hours or more - only because you realize you aren't the only ones that are going to wait that long for a concert. There's others as well. And if you've never camped out for a J-rock concert - first lesson: Make friends. You'll be seeing these people for a very long time. Don't be a sourpuss and think you're superior. Talk to these people. Goof off. Laugh. Claws can come out later when you're trying to get your spot on the floor and keep it. For now? Have fun. Because it's going to be a long wait.

In other words: I made new friends at this concert. We talked, we ranted, we gushed and shared stories. I shared my theory on fangirl-ism (which I will share here on another day). We sang Repo! and Sweeney Todd. All in all? Awesome time.

 Then came the opening of the doors and a mad dash to the front.

My spot wasn't so bad. I was in front-ish, holding onto the bar because I'm small and if I don't have anything to hold on to, I can easily get shoved out of the crowd (learned from experience). So I'm standing in about second row, gripping onto the bar and looking around a little, focusing on a digital clock that is near backstage that stares back at me, mocking at the fact that while I'm actually here in the venue, spot secured, I've still got an hour to wait until the concert starts.And that's only for the opening act. I got two until I actually get to see what everyone has been camping out for, dealing with strange looks and constant questions, and a guy begging for money to "get back home because he's stranded".

Needless to say, insanity begins to set in, and the guy charging us five dollars in exchange for a small bottle of Gatorade is a god send and not demon spawn that we should spit at.

So opening act shows up - and I'm confused. I'm not entirely sure if I should just stand there and save my energy or just go ahead and get into it just because she was trying so hard. Couldn't understand what she was saying. But then... I'm listening to a Japanese artist, why is this so weird? Oh... she's singing in English. Does that make any kind of difference? No clue... oh well.

Now it's another half hour of waiting. Wait. Wait. Wait. I can't exactly remember if it was now or earlier when the crowd suddenly burst out to sing along with House of Blues' playback of "Bye Bye Bye", but it did happen, and I think that just goes to show you what happens when you wait too long.

But now the screen is going back up, the lights are dimming, the guy checking the equipment has disappeared, and wait... wait for it... waaaaaait....

MIYAVI!

The entire audience surges forward and hello, I'm in front row, trying not to elbow Shelley and one of the people I met in line, because I don't want to be a jerk.

I have to say though, these Miyavi fans were far gentler than some of the Dir en grey crowds I've been in.

Either way, if people would help me compose up the set list from that day, that'd be awesome. I'm not thorough enough to write this stuff down.

I do remember that he did play Shelter and Boom-Hah Boom-Hah-Hah, and that made me so very happy.

The best part of Miyavi concerts, of course, is him interacting with the crowd. Between songs, he'd stop and talk and tease. He dances around, reaches out, grabs people's hands, etc. All in all, his concerts are just plain fun, and he encourages his fans to take part by screaming his name, clapping, and copying any kind of motion that might go with whatever song he plays. It's a reminder that you don't go to a concert just to stand there and listen to him play - because we all know he can do that. You go there to have fun and have some kind of experience to take home with you and talk about later. Plus, he moonwalked with his guitar. How am I suppose to fault anyone who can do that?

You can't. It's a trick question.

But yes, Miyavi is an incredible performer, fangirl gushing, blah blah blah. I was exhausted, starving, and felt rather abused by the end, so I consider it to be quite the successful concert - especially since I hadn't been to one for over two years.

Oh yeah. Did I mention that we shelled out the extra money for the VIP passes?

Because we did.

And yes, I made the shirt. With a discounted tie-dye kit, contact paper, a couple of white shirts I found on the Old Navy clearance rack, and three hours of last minute thinking, I got these:

That's what you get for 6 dollars. Yes!

Some extra highlights:

• Miyavi asked me if I smelled. No joke. To this day I'm not entirely sure if he meant it to be a direct question to my possible body odor or a comment on his own, but either way I replied with a: "Not too bad... thank you?"
• Yes, that really was my response.
• No, seriously.
• Seriously.
• And my hands were black from the whole dying process. I looked so dirty.
• Yeah, I know.
• On the walk back we ran into a guy peddling his music and yet another guy who "needed money to get back home"
• Thank god Miyavi decided to come to Chicago the same month as Subway's "any footlong for five dollars" promotion, otherwise we would have starved with Illinois' absolutely outrageous food tax.
• WE FOUND A DENNY'S!

The fine art and science of AMVs

So... I'm a sucker for AMVs.

That's Anime Music Videos for those who live under rocks.

ANYWAY!

I've loved AMVs since I first stumbled upon them back when the internet was still new to me and I was still watching Sailor Moon on Cartoon Network (oh god... so long ago). I had stumbled upon some really good ones that I have since lost in the number of hard drive changes and wipes and failures that I have suffered throughout the years.

That's what started this strange obsession with one and me trying to figure out how I could possibly make one. I had to give up, though, since I had a 28.8K modem and downloading the tools I needed was out of the question at the time.

Fast forward to me in college. I was casually watching anime, got obsessed with J-rock, and got a faster connection. I went on a downloading binge and stumbled over some fan-made music videos - and since I now had some footage and the perfect song had popped up on the radio a few weeks ago, all I had to do was get my hands on a video editor and I was set. One thing led to another, and I had made my first fan-made music video. This led to making a few more.

And once all the pieces fell into place I realized how much of a task video-editing was. My respect for people who make AMVs increased ten-fold.

Of course, I'm not talking about tossing some anime clips with a random song without any thought process. I'm talking about serious, sit down, making the song and clips work and flow together.

Example

About 3 seconds of a song takes about 3 hours of editing. That's not a joke. That's me being serious. Unless there's some kind of trick I have yet to discover - combing through your source files, finding just the right clip for the exact couple of seconds of music, then editing it to fit (slow down, speed up, lip syncing, etc), all of that takes a heck of a lot of time. I don't even do any of the fancy stuff like masking or effects. That kind of thing just makes my head hurt just by thinking about it.

My mind. It's blown.

So. Long story short, I'm a bit obsessed. The fact that people are willing to sit down for hours at a time and finish one of these things is amazing to me. I've nearly had breakdowns trying to finish an AMV. I've even dragged other people down into the craziness to help me finish. The conversation essentially went like this:

"Oh! Oh! Use that clip!"

"Perfect! I'll just mess with the speed to get it to fit."

"Awesome. Now how much time was that?"

"Not even a second."

This was followed with my help curling up into the fetal position and praying to whatever God that may exist that the next 360 seconds would pass quickly. And they never do.

If I can find a decent one, I'm happy. If I can find a good one, I'm ecstatic.

If I can find a genuinely awesome one that has the perfect song with the perfect anime with perfect timing, I have found the holy grail of my geekery.

With the invention of AnimeMusicVideos.org, it's a lot easier to find these. If you're feeling brave, YouTube.com can yield some promising pieces.

So show me some of your favorites. I've been using AMVs as a form of anime trailers. That's how I got obsessed with Soul Eater.

But that's a story for a different day.

Coming Soon:

This is the first of October, which means I'm in countdown mode for the Miyavi concert that's coming up in Chicago at the end of the month. So I'm going to dub the rest of this month Miyavi month. Coming to another blog post after this one.

The Things I've Seen :: Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok

So I'm off to a poor start with this whole blogging thing, but a lot of stuff went down in that whole "real life" place, so I had a step away for a bit.

Of course, one of those things was I had completely lost track of things I want to talk about, so I decided I'd just go back to basics and focus on something I've watched in the past.

Let me go on to say that it's been awhile since I've regularly watched anime. Nothing against it, I just stopped watching it for a couple years after leaving college. It happens. This was something I got exposed to while in college anime club and just recently finished watching it, so here we go.

I first got a whiff of Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok from a DVD sampler that ADV use to send out to anime clubs on a monthly basis. I know, I'm using the term "ADV", so you know it's been awhile. Either way, you can imagine what I thought when I saw artwork looking like this on the front of the disc:

Can you see where this is going?

Now, when ADV would give us these samplers, sometimes they'd skip the first episode and toss us into the middle of the story with the second episode. Which... I suppose was okay, but sometimes you have to try to fill in blanks to keep up. Luckily, Detective Loki did an okay job of getting you up to speed with episode two. The Norse god Loki has been exiled by Odin, trapped in a kid's body and dropped in the middle of Tokyo with his faithful servant, Yamino. There he meets a mystery obsessed high school girl, Mayura and hijinks ensue. Throughout the entire second episode, I can't help but shake this feeling that this seems somewhat familiar...

Aha! There we go...

I kept this impression up until I actually watched the series. And up until I had finished it. Sure, it had plot points of its own, but Loki is essentially a male magical girl, and even his attacks featuring his staff seem to be lifted almost directly from the way Sakura swings around hers. Add in the detail he's been begrudgingly tossed into the body of a child and you've pretty much got the premise of Detective Conan.

That's pretty much where the similarities end. The story itself plays on Norse mythology, introducing characters like Narugami, an over ambitious high school boy who's actually the god of thunder; Yamino, Loki's previously mentioned faithful servant who's addicted to shopping services; Fenrir, an adorable black puppy who's got an endless appetite; and more rather lovable and fun characters that fall into Loki's present life that he surrounds himself with.

Mind you, I didn't get to find this out until I started watching it again years later. Even the supposed villains had their own issues and quirks that made them rather difficult to dislike. I even liked Freya, who's eyes for Loki made her somewhat overbearing and clingy. The only true villain I could see was Odin, who remained rather faceless throughout the series and seemed to have no true motive other than to make Loki's life miserable, and has banned him for reasons that are never made quite clear. I suppose that's what one should expect from a story that makes a hero out of a character that is often villainous.

But that was probably my favorite part about the story. Loki is often a bad guy in most Norse-inspired stories (probably because he's often portrayed as a villain in Norse mythology itself, but that's not the point). It was interesting to see him portrayed as a victim of justice, but with all of his flaws intact. In other words, he's a womanizer and it's gotten him into a lot of trouble. After all, he is a god, so why not?

But here's the flaw: I got into this story, I fell in love with the characters, and then it just ends. There's even a cliffhanger promising more, and there's nothing. It's fallen into obscurity, never quite taking off, and so a second season was never made.

Fantastic. Add that to the list of manga I'll probably never get to.

Other reasons to watch this:

• Narugami's many jobs.
• Freyr and his hijinks.
• Fenrir in all his adorable puppy goodness.

With your powers combined - I am the new ANGELO!

So this is news. Don't get use to it:

It's all official and stuff

They've added two members! Karyu from D'espairsRay - which I am excited about - and Giru from Vidoll - which I have... absolutely no opinion on what-so-ever...

That reminds me. I haven't listened to Angelo since their first single, and that was fou ...no.... five years ago. Jiminy.

Nothing personal, Angelo. You had the foundation of a band I'd like. I mean... you had my three favorite members from Pierrot. I see not fault in that. I'm just lazy. And when you haven't even changed enough to get your own page on Wikipedia, then I just lose track of you. Sorry.

But now I'm going to have to pay closer attention to you because you've gone and snatched up the guitarist of one of my other favorite bands that met its demise earlier this year. And currently, I'm only following two artists somewhat religiously, so I guess you'll give me something to do while Dir en grey runs around Europe and I wait for October to get here for that one guy named Miyavi or something like that. I've got five years worth of discography to catch up on now. Thanks. You're making me do something I like to do.

You should be ashamed!

That is, until the next shiny object gets dangled in front of my face. Then I'll probably just forget about you again.

Dum Spiro Spero - Part II

Yes

Second post in and I'm already turning predictable. You're going to learn and learn fast that I love this band. However, I swear to you that they won't be my only topic. They'll just show up a lot.

Either way, it's not my fault that Dum Spiro Spero has more than one disc to it that are worth noting. Since disc 2 is more of a grab bag of tracks, I'm going to cover each individually instead of as a whole like I did with the first one. There's logic behind this, just go with it.

Rasetsukoku

It's been such a long time since I listened to this song that I had to go back and re-listen to the original. In the last two years, I've become less sentimental about their old stuff. I rarely listen to it anymore. I'm not sure why that is. When Uroboros was released, I sat down and decided to re-introduce myself to what Dir en grey once was, so I listened to all seven albums back to back. I wanted to stab a pencil through my brain when I was done. That could have something to do with it... 

 

But that's something I'll save for another day. Maybe. If I feel like it.

 

Back on topic: Rasetsukoku's remake doesn't surprise me. It's like when they redid Zan, I suddenly realized "Oh wait! That's what it was suppose to sound like!" Unlike Zan, Rasetsukoku wasn't ever this weird track that stuck out like vampire at a mid-day pool party. When you put it up against the other tracks on the album like myaku, [KR] Cube, and Berry, it's in pretty good company. I'm pretty sure they could get away with remaking all of MACABRE without many problems (Can you imagine Shinya playing a redone version of Macabre? Because I want to...). It serves as this odd reminder that they've been headed in this direction musically for awhile and we never should have been surprised to begin with.

Amon (Symphonic Ver.)

So Amon's the one they added violins to? I've been wondering which track it was for weeks (remember: been listening to this in my car). I've always enjoyed when they do symphonic or unplugged versions of their songs, but I'm not sure if the contrasts the "symphony" provides is welcome or not. It rides this weird line of sounding a little cool or really hokey. It certainly adds.... flavor. I just don't know what kind. How I feel about this song just seems to change on an hourly basis.

Ruten no Tou (Unplugged Ver.)

Remember when I said I enjoy unplugged versions? I enjoy this. Not as much as I enjoyed some of their past ones, but I do enjoy it. I don't flip flop over this as much as I do Amon, but compared to let's say... the unplugged version of Namamekashiki Ansoku, Tamerai ni Hohoemi, this one comes up a little short. Part of what I like so much about Ruten no Tou is it's weird teetering between being quite beautiful and almost uplifting in parts to burying itself into usual Dir en grey chaos to the point it's almost a little unsettling. Stripping it away to leave just Kyo and a piano, it almost loses it's effect. The piano provides almost unnecessary polish to the emotion, and it can't quite rip apart the serenity of the chorus the same way.

Diabolos (Demo 2010, Short Ver.)

 So... it's essentially the same as the album version, just half the length. It's Dir en grey - fun sized.

"Akatsuki (Demo 2010)"

It's a little different, but the song in itself is hard to keep in my head, so I can't remember it enough to actually compare the two. I think the one on the album might have more actual words.

So that's where the second disc ends... oh wait. No it's not. That's where the second disc would usually end, but Dum Spiro Spero is different from the last two albums in the fact that it keeps going to the point its almost the length of the actual album. With what, you ask?

Everyone, I would like to re-introduce you to Dir en grey remixes.

Remember the last time they did this?

 

The burning... it's still there.

Actually, the last time they featured a remix was on Drain Away, but that doesn't really help matters much. Those remixes were pretty bad too.

Oh, and Wikipedia tells me which band member did what remix. The horrible feeling in my stomach... it won't go away.

The Blossoming Beelzebub (Remix) - by Kaoru

I've been trying to figure out what joke to go with on this one since I first heard it. The instrumental isn't necessarily horrible. It's got this "I'm locked in a malfunctioning escape pod and am about to be swallowed by the abyss of space" kind of vibe going with it. It occasionally trips over itself, but it almost kind of adds to the whole feel.

And then you have Kyo's voice.

I can't decide if this escape pod is filled with water now, just for the danger of it or if Kyo's voice has been eaten by a midi player. Remember when the internet was new and all you could download without taking an entire month were those small little midi files that were scattered everywhere? And every so often, there would be a converting error where your computer didn't quite have the same sounds as whoever made this and so the missing instrument got replaced with one of the many godawful reverbs that would blare in and ruin everything?

It's kind of like that.

"Yokusou ni Dreambox" Aruiwa Seijuku no Rinen to Tsumetai Ame (Remix) - by Toshiya

Okay, so this almost makes me want to take back all the jokes I made about Dir en grey remixes. Almost. If Wikipedia is to be trusted, then Toshiya's making up for the weird Luau-inspired hack job he did to Taiyou no Ao way back when. It doesn't feel so overridden with effects that the song is completely lost. It's actually got some good elements to it. It seems some of the most successful Dir en grey remixes have that same kind of clanking sound that makes me think of an industrial warehouse - and look what we have here - clanking sounds. And why are baby giggles so creepy?

 

Shitataru Mourou (Remix) - by Shinya

So... I should have guessed that this was done by Shinya, but since it doesn't sound like elevator music, I must have completely ignored the other signs. The rhythm of the song is really weird and sporadic, stumbling on itself like it's running down a steep hill with a lot of rocks. And instead of shoving Kyo into an underwater escape pod in space, he's now being smothered with a plastic bag behind giant, fast moving fan blades.

You should really be a bit more gentler to your vocalist, guys.

Akatsuki (Remix) - by Die

Wait... this song's shown up again? Really? How has this song creeped up on me three times and I've barely noticed it? And in all respects, I should probably be paying attention to it, because I feel like it might end up lying in wait in my bushes, ready to attack me with Kyo's eerie shifts between deep chanting to falsetto and then some weird level in between. The remix sounds like it's been ground up and shoved into a church organ that's inexplicably placed in the middle of an industrial park. And there's a circus. With really creepy clowns. That will eat you.

Decayed Crow (Remix) - by Kyo

So while Akatsuki is stalking me, this track is trying to be the uncommunicative boyfriend. "What are you doing?" "Where are you going?" "Did you just look at another woman?" "Why do you have that butcher knife?" "I thought you were right handed." "You don't tell me anything!"

And then there were bees?

And I can't explain any of it.

 

So why would I spend the extra money for an extra disc that was only okay in most respects?

 

I've got this on the DVD:

Between this and the studio shots for Vanitas. Totally worth it.

Dum Spiro Spero and some greetings...

So I'm going to start this whole thing out by saying that Blogger has probably some of the most difficult coding to over ride that I've ever seen. And I use to sort through Livejournal over rides for giggles. So I had to do a little cheating to try to get it to work right... or at least close to right. It still won't quite do what I want, so I just tweaked so it wouldn't look horrible.

Now onto business!

'sup?

Dum Spiro Spero was released earlier this month - and I have it. Because I'm like that. I burned it for my car, and that is essentially where I've been listening to it. So for weeks, the album has been interrupted by my constant need to actually leave my car when I go places.

That's why I decided I'd actually sit down and listen to it straight and see if my opinion on it has changed on it.

Once it hit me that I'd hit the halfway mark without even noticing, I'm going to assume this isn't probably the case.

This is starting bad, so let me back up and say that I don't hate this album. There are no pitchforks or torches coming from my direction. I'm not going to get up on a soapbox and reminisce about the good old days when Dir en grey was in drag and could barely play their instruments. What I am going to say is that this is an unusual album and probably another one that I can barely remember the track names for.

It brings Vinushku to mind. It's as if they looked that track over said "Hey, we like this", just kept playing, and decided they might as well split each section up into tracks because it's now an album. It's got the same kind of bout of schizophrenia that I've learned to accept, just enough to keep all the tracks from bleeding into one another completely.

I've noticed a lot of my friends either don't like it or don't hate it. It's been a very wishy-washy "Eeeeh..." So I've come up with a theory as to why this is. Because that's what I do.

You remember when Vulgar first came out? Everyone loves that album now, but I didn't. I still really don't. As a whole, it wasn't that great. However, it does have some slap in the face amazing tracks on it that are quite memorable. I didn't like most of the songs but the ones I did like, I liked a lot. They can just keep re-releasing Shokubeni on however many singles they want, I'm perfectly fine with it. Hell, if they want to make an entire mini-album of just re-recorded tracks of Shokubeni on it, I will buy it. And I will listen to it forever. I can die happy because I've heard Red em... live and I am not going to exclude myself from the fans who go crazy whenever they hear even a hint of Obscure.

It's a formula that Dir en grey has learned to perfect. Even if the number of bad songs outweigh the good, if the good songs are so good you can actually forget the bad songs exist, you can trick people into thinking that you just made the best album in the entire world.

The problem is, since Dum Spiro Spero is conceptual and experimental and it plays like one extended Dir en grey song, there are less of those amazing songs to carry it into the memories of fans. The only songs I can pick out are the ones that were previously featured on singles, and I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to if I hadn't been listening to them for the past odd number of months.


So while all the songs might be just fine on their own, since they are all crammed onto an album and not paired with some memorable songs that you could shout the lyrics to at the top of your lungs, in the minds of the Dir en grey fan, the album falls short and just sinks to the bottom of their favorites list.

A couple of random thoughts:

• Kyo's got this weird chanty thing to pair with his usual screeches. It's like Uroboros but turned up to 11.
• I like the last two tracks together (what are they called? Vanitas and Ruten no Tou?). They're audio conjoined twins. I can't separate them and be happy about it.
• The album cover doesn't make me want to stab myself in the eye with a pen.