Japanese Bands in America? [Discussion]

[Menstrual Cramps]

Okay, let's be frank about this-- I want this to be a discussion which means a two word post or a line sentence isn't really contributing. I want some real opinions here, no flaming and understanding of both sides.

What do you really think of this?
Personally? Me? -- I hate it. Why? Because I can't stand bands like L'arc getting hounded by FMA fans because of their opening theme or PLC getting the "OMG KAWAIII SO SUGOI!11!" treatment. "That's not very nice" you say, but when I have known about the band for over 4-5 years longer than that show on CN and have Japanese released CD's, I have a right to be an elitist. I can't stand wannabe japanese people because it's really disgusting. Miyavi blew off the US twice, and it's because of security reasons. Not to mention "Freedom" was a song making fun of America, not about real freedom. Same with PLC cutting a concert short because some moron tried to pull Yura off the stage I believe? Either way, America is not prepared for them. Let's be honest, the only reason people got hooked onto JRock and JPop was because they watched some Anime that had some song in it and found out about the band by illegally downloading the song since obviously it wasn't released here in the states. Some of you might have looked up the lyrics [Good for you!] or you just sing along not knowing what it means but one way or another you have it in your posession now. Point? People basically want it because it's Japanese. Not because of the music. [I said MOST not all] Hypocritical? Yes, other countries do it with Western Music but that's beside the point. You shouldn't want the music because you think the guy is hot, or it's "KAWAII SUGOI OMG HAPPY HAPPY" Japanese stuff-- you should want it because it's what makes you, ..you and you can say more than "Oh yeah Aya is so hot!111! and i luv dem!' and sound a little more intelligent with a conversation on the vocals, instruments and PV-representation. Most music is not VK. [VK is a style of fashion more than a type of Music, DeG is a good example of past VK] Most music is not JRock. Most is classified as JPop to be honest.

So until America can get their ducks in a row and know what really makes a band -- a band, I don't think Japanese bands should be in the US.

[Shipuh]

mmm, i partly feel for you. it gets me so mad when YELLOWGeneartion (the first jpop band i was into about 3 or 4 years ago) ONLY STARTED getting recognition here after FMA.

same goes with Skoop on Somebody until they sang for BLEACH.

in my opinion it kinda works two ways, one way it makes it easier on yourself to find stuff about the artist, but then the disadvantages though are exactly what you said. fans of the "anime song" and dont really consider the artist/musical work they had done

thats why ive been listening to very very obscurer japanese music lately. its so i can find a connection without having so many fans getting in the way.

ill still listening to popular stuff, but its kinda what stopped my T.M.Revolution craze.

saw him about 4 years ago and fell in love. then all of a sudden he gets too popular recently and i just cant bring myself to listen to him anymore...im even considering selling the photobook i spent $40 on and the deck of cards from the Seventh Heaven photoshoot now.

thats also why i deffinately have been listening to much more korean things lately and i find the korean cutlure so much more pleasing because its not filled with *excuse me* anime "otaku" (yes, that was used in the negative way like the word should be correctly used.)

i actually got turned off of anime for a very long time as well for this same reason. only until fullmetal alchemist came back out (which was after i found out all my favorite songs at that time were openings and endings) did i start to give anime a chance.

still think its over-rated, but i dont look negatively on it anymore, just awlful picky about what i watch now.

so much good foreign stuff out there that isnt even japanese!! (or even southeast asian)

hope there arent too many harsh opposers to this thread, i tried to take it on from a polite perspective. dont mean to offend anyone. ^^;;

[Menstrual Cramps]

Oh, Korean Bands are the best.
Of course, no lie most of the guys are nice to look at, but vocally a Korean person could probably beat a Japanese person into the ground. My friend's boyfriend is Korean so he let's us in on a lot of good bands. Some really awesome techno artist too.

Trust me, I still have a Gackt attachment, and I shell out way too much for CDs and other assorted items that are real for him. u__u
I'm glad my Shonen Knife poster, an obscure but broke up band now was only 10 bucks and then I got it siiiigned when I was younger. Ho-mans, talk about luck.

Unknown > Known
D'espairs Ray concert is a good example of this, so is the eX-GIRL one as well. Like 20 bucks for a ticket each.

[PeNCILz]

I don't exactly watch anime all that much. Mostly because both versions (subbed and dubbed) have voices that can throw your head into a swirling pain-o-migrain. My whole Japanese fandom is based on the manga (basically the art style and the stories minus the scary anime voices.) and the legends and the myths and stuff like that.

When I bought some of my CDs they came with a piece of paper that had all the lyrics in romaji and so I typed them up and translated them with some website that was only 60% accurate then sort of added my own artistic instinct to try and at least get what it meant. Awkwardly enough these CDs were Gackt. (Yes I think the man is hott to but nothing to drool over...) The reason I bought these was because I was interested in what it would sound like. What melodical diferences would exist and other stuff like that. I was quite pleased with it actually and lost interest in western music altogether.

But I have to admit that some of my favorite artists were discovered through anime (Bonnie Pink from Gantz and T.M. Revolution from Gundam SEED) but I don't just listen to the music from those anime I also grab some CDs from ebay or someplace like that and listen to that music as well. (Bonnie Pink CDs came with translated lyrics! Saved me the truble of going to a translation site! although it was hard to read the hand writing...)

[Menstrual Cramps]

I don't exactly watch anime all that much. Mostly because both versions (subbed and dubbed) have voices that can throw your head into a swirling pain-o-migrain. My whole Japanese fandom is based on the manga (basically the art style and the stories minus the scary anime voices.) and the legends and the myths and stuff like that.

When I bought some of my CDs they came with a piece of paper that had all the lyrics in romaji and so I typed them up and translated them with some website that was only 60% accurate then sort of added my own artistic instinct to try and at least get what it meant. Awkwardly enough these CDs were Gackt. (Yes I think the man is hott to but nothing to drool over...) The reason I bought these was because I was interested in what it would sound like. What melodical diferences would exist and other stuff like that. I was quite pleased with it actually and lost interest in western music altogether.

But I have to admit that some of my favorite artists were discovered through anime (Bonnie Pink from Gantz and T.M. Revolution from Gundam SEED) but I don't just listen to the music from those anime I also grab some CDs from ebay or someplace like that and listen to that music as well. (Bonnie Pink CDs came with translated lyrics! Saved me the truble of going to a translation site! although it was hard to read the hand writing...)


You make me happy inside. <3
Did you know a lot of current Shonen are based off of JRock/JPop artists? Like Wallflower, the author is crazy over SADS, a rather popular band over there and in turn the characters look similar to them. [Especially Kiyoharu-- apparently most of them are based off of him]
I like Manga more when it has tie-ins like that though.

[PeNCILz]

Im not exactly that large on the manga scene either. LOL So I wouldn't know things like that. I do like manga with tie ins though. Can't think of any except XxXholic where Yuko talks of other manga she (and obviously CLAMP) likes. And other tv shows and stuff.

[ParaKiss]

I wouldn't know about this. No one ever comes to AUS... My friend is trying to get Jay Chou to come over... I want Tommy February6 to come... no chance T.T"

I can see how you dislike the bands coming over though.

[Shipuh]

I wouldn't know about this. No one ever comes to AUS... My friend is trying to get Jay Chou to come over... I want Tommy February6 to come... no chance T.T"

I can see how you dislike the bands coming over though.

yeah, i really have been crossing my fingers for Tommy february6 to debut in america. Tofu Records has had their eye on her and a few other artists for quite some time now. (Sowelu, Crystal Kay, and UVERworld) and this includes Tommy!

i doubt shed come around for a concert or tour though, as i hear shes not too fond of flying...but ya never know...maybe if we got a big enough fanbase in the west.

im sorry that you live in australia, i feel a bit more privleged that i live in america, because japanese artists come over all the time (and i usually never know too)

places like britian and germany though are so much more in-tune with japanese pop culture. america just has this lofty additude that the world is only about us and us alone. :\

its unfortunate, but true.

good luck with your fight!! i can relate since ive been attempting to aquire a Mitsuhiro Oikawa fanbase here in america so that hed make his way over sometime.

[Veroniku]

As sad as this sounds, I've never been to a real j-rock concert. ;_; I have been to Yoko Ishida's concert at AX though, and really it did seem like her only popular song was that one from the opening of... Aoi something, haha, can't remember (read the first manga and didn't like it...). Anyway I thought she was so cute! (I even got to talk to her at her panel! <3) so I bought her album and got it signed. ^..^ It's very light j-pop and I liked it a lot. I love when conventions can make you discover new artists like that!

So, really, I don't mind if people are like "Oh she's so good 'cause she sang that one opening song!", because it's a great way to give unknown artists a chance. Who cares if most people stop there? Just means it wasn't their style of music. If you think that's hypocrite... *shrugs* It's possible that you get attached to an opening song after a long anime marathon! (I didn't like the Lost Universe opening all that much at first, but after getting into the series, I couldn't help singing along excitedly!).

Really, what can you expect from american fans? Not everyone is into japanese music as much as us. The only fix they get are from anime openings and endings. If you think that's mean to the artists... *shrugs* Fans aren't supposed to know about their other songs unless they were signed by Tofu Records anyway, MP3s are illegal! XD; Really, it's a reality the bands must face here, period. Anyway, I wouldn't think they're here often enough for it to bother them. Heh.

And all those defensive comments on "seasonnal japanese music fans" is coming from a girl who listens only to japanese music for years now. XD; Just saying you are entitled to your opinion, but really, just don't let it bother you. I have discovered UVERworld and HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR thanks to Bleach, is it that bad a thing?

[Shipuh]

As sad as this sounds, I've never been to a real j-rock concert. ;_; I have been to Yoko Ishida's concert at AX though, and really it did seem like her only popular song was that one from the opening of... Aoi something, haha, can't remember (read the first manga and didn't like it...). Anyway I thought she was so cute! (I even got to talk to her at her panel! <3) so I bought her album and got it signed. ^..^ It's very light j-pop and I liked it a lot. I love when conventions can make you discover new artists like that!

no, thats not sad, as long as you a fan of the music, thats good enough. i just went to my first japanese concert one week ago.

So, really, I don't mind if people are like "Oh she's so good 'cause she sang that one opening song!", because it's a great way to give unknown artists a chance. Who cares if most people stop there? Just means it wasn't their style of music. If you think that's hypocrite... *shrugs* It's possible that you get attached to an opening song after a long anime marathon! (I didn't like the Lost Universe opening all that much at first, but after getting into the series, I couldn't help singing along excitedly!).

nicely put, but i partially agree. i dont see it more of the artist work, perse, but take for example, someone liked a really synthy-pop opening song, but just didnt branch out to listen to more stuff within the synth drama, (i mean, if thats what they liked)

im a fan to alot of music, but i cant like every single song by my favorite artists.

Really, what can you expect from american fans? Not everyone is into japanese music as much as us. The only fix they get are from anime openings and endings. If you think that's mean to the artists... *shrugs* Fans aren't supposed to know about their other songs unless they were signed by Tofu Records anyway, MP3s are illegal! XD; Really, it's a reality the bands must face here, period. Anyway, I wouldn't think they're here often enough for it to bother them. Heh.

there are completely legal methods other than american distribution.

for example, anime OSTs is one, importation, asian grocery stores or through online methods like yesasia, CDJapan, and even ebay.

why is it that bands like Polysics and HALCALI, Tetsu and Tomo get featured on BBC in Scotland, while we poor americans have no clue whats going on, its simplly because no one is really tuned into the rest of the world.

And all those defensive comments on "seasonnal japanese music fans" is coming from a girl who listens only to japanese music for years now. XD; Just saying you are entitled to your opinion, but really, just don't let it bother you. I have discovered UVERworld and HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR thanks to Bleach, is it that bad a thing?

never said it was a bad thing, im happy when an artist recieves fans through a particular method, its just when a person listens only to that song and couldn't consider their other work, or similiar work/genre, is just sort of an ignorant additude.

same with people who only listen to japanese music. foreign music of all kinds, new and old, folk and rock, classical and contemporary, shouldnt be judged by language barriers or genre, but how well it was musically written, and of course, your own personal opinion is priority.

dont forget the lyricless instrumental scores out there too. ^^;;

but i enjoyed reading your perspective. you make some nice points.

[Menstrual Cramps]

I will retract one thing, I believe that MP3s downloaded in US is a form of publicity for them even if they are loosing some money. I believe it is in hope of becoming popular enough to have a US/ North American Tour. D:
*CONTRADICTS HERSELF LOL*

[Veroniku]

no, thats not sad, as long as you a fan of the music, thats good enough. i just went to my first japanese concert one week ago.

nicely put, but i partially agree. i dont see it more of the artist work, perse, but take for example, someone liked a really synthy-pop opening song, but just didnt branch out to listen to more stuff within the synth drama, (i mean, if thats what they liked)

im a fan to alot of music, but i cant like every single song by my favorite artists.
Ah, you might find me weird here, but I find myself loving every song made by my favorite artists (Bon Jovi, Laruku, Hikki and Ayu, even Luna Sea). I have in the past too (No Doubt before they changed style yet again, Tony Braxton's album before she went bankrupt...) Really, I'm not kidding. I will never skip a single one of their songs. I simply love all their work? I'm especially happy about Hikki trying different styles and stuff, I love them all.

That's why it's hard for me to decide on my favorite songs, 'cause I sing along excitedly to all of them. XD;

there are completely legal methods other than american distribution.

for example, anime OSTs is one, importation, asian grocery stores or through online methods like yesasia, CDJapan, and even ebay.

why is it that bands like Polysics and HALCALI, Tetsu and Tomo get featured on BBC in Scotland, while we poor americans have no clue whats going on, its simplly because no one is really tuned into the rest of the world.
You get official albums in asian grocery stores where you live?! How lucky! ;_; All we get in Montreal's ChinaTown are evil bootlegs! And I'd prefer chewing my boots than buying bootlegs.

And REAL imports are expensive. I had to pay 30$ for a Sailor Myu CD. 30$USD!! That kills a budget pretty fast, my dear! So all the CDs I own were found cheaply in conventions (so I regrettably only own 2 Hikki and 1 Ayu CDs...) Also, older stuff is just impossible to find. Really, DON'T TRUST EBAY, so where else can you look?

never said it was a bad thing, im happy when an artist receives fans through a particular method, its just when a person listens only to that song and couldn't consider their other work, or similar work/genre, is just sort of an ignorant additude.

same with people who only listen to japanese music. foreign music of all kinds, new and old, folk and rock, classical and contemporary, shouldnt be judged by language barriers or genre, but how well it was musically written, and of course, your own personal opinion is priority.

dont forget the lyricless instrumental scores out there too. ^^;;

but i enjoyed reading your perspective. you make some nice points.
Getting addicted to one particular song is common, even with american bands. I can understand if you heard someone say "Bon Jovi are the bestest!!!" but the only song they ever heard was Have A Nice Day, you would get annoyed at their newbs-ish-attitude. But otherwise, I don't see why it should bother you. Not everyone is addicted to music and needs to listen to some everyday, you know. Not everyone likes owning CDs.

And I listen only to japanese music. ^_^ Ok Bon Jovi are an exception but it's because they're too awesome. And really I'm not close-minded about other languages or anything. I just love how the japanese language flows. It's pronounced like my first language, French, yet it uses syllables, and thus can be cut in the middle of a word or sentence and it wouldn't sound weird, so you can really format the lyrics in any way to fit the melody better. Lemme tell you how hard that'd be with French! Also it uses much more vowels, which I like. Call me a freak if you want. :þ But I can sing along to japanese much more easily than French or English, even though I only understand a few words!

And it's fun talking with you too. ^^ I love arguing "smartly" like this. ^.^

[Shipuh]

And I listen only to japanese music. ^_^ Ok Bon Jovi are an exception but it's because they're too awesome. And really I'm not close-minded about other languages or anything. I just love how the japanese language flows. It's pronounced like my first language, French, yet it uses syllables, and thus can be cut in the middle of a word or sentence and it wouldn't sound weird, so you can really format the lyrics in any way to fit the melody better. Lemme tell you how hard that'd be with French! Also it uses much more vowels, which I like. Call me a freak if you want. :þ But I can sing along to japanese much more easily than French or English, even though I only understand a few words!


i guess you have a point.

and btw, i do understand about the whole french/japanese thing.

french or any european language has NEVER impressed me. i think latin probably sounds the best out of all the romance languages cuz its the pureist form. and the only european language id be interested in learning is german, but thats a REALLY harsh language.

korean flows alot more than japanese. japanese has very strict harsh syllabols when they speak, despite the fact it rolls off your mouth easily, you can still get some harsh sounds in japanese too.

but i do think it is alot prettier than french. ^^;;

ive also heard some really smooth flowing Chinese R&B, believe it or not. @__@; Mandarin never really striked me to be a flowing language though. :\

my personal favorite though would still have to be korean. dang learning that language has been on my to-do list for awhile. :\

[Menstrual Cramps]

And REAL imports are expensive. I had to pay 30$ for a Sailor Myu CD. 30$USD!! That kills a budget pretty fast, my dear! So all the CDs I own were found cheaply in conventions (so I regrettably only own 2 Hikki and 1 Ayu CDs...) Also, older stuff is just impossible to find. Really, DON'T TRUST EBAY, so where else can you look?


Oh man, quoted for truth! My albums have costed me a pretty little penny and my collection is small. You can find some legit auctions [on E-Bay] but they are pay out of the ass expensive and I have bought at least two bootleg Chinese CDs. They have good quality-- but no funds to the artists. Although some crappy versions do have the rights to the album. It depends who you buy from.
The Virgin store carries Imports from time to time from Japan and all American releases.
DON'T EVER BUY FROM SUNCOAST. They charge TOO much for their albums.

[chibikodo]

I personally don't call myself a big fan of bands, though when I say I like a certain band, at least I own an official CD that pays the artists...

As for the bit about Yura nearly getting pulled offstage.. O.O Scary...

But I agree that some fans are just... over the top and they ruin opportunities for everyone else that enjoy the bands for their music.

Yet I do think that it's good that anime exposes people to new artists.

As for people saying they like so-and-so artist without having heard other songs, they're called posers.

[Menstrual Cramps]

I personally don't call myself a big fan of bands, though when I say I like a certain band, at least I own an official CD that pays the artists...

As for the bit about Yura nearly getting pulled offstage.. O.O Scary...

But I agree that some fans are just... over the top and they ruin opportunities for everyone else that enjoy the bands for their music.

Yet I do think that it's good that anime exposes people to new artists.

As for people saying they like so-and-so artist without having heard other songs, they're called posers.


AKA Bandwagon jumpers! x3
But it's true. I was deathly worried when DeG came here for concerts. I thought for sure that Kyo or Die would be bait to the morons in the crowd. Security did their part though.

[Jacku]

Well, I admit that I got introduced to some bands through anime. However, I do listen to bands that have no relation to any of the anime I watch and I don't listen to them because I think the members are hot. Chances are that I won't even recognize some people if I were to somehow bump into them. (Actually... That's kind of sad. I'm really absent-minded. :( )

[feder]

I don't think there's really anything wrong with getting introduced to bands through anime. You got to find out about them some way, and sometimes it just happens to be through anime.

I can see the whole annoyance j-pop fans might get when a person gets overly obsessed with just one song like Ready Steady Go, but not all people who get introduced to j-pop singers through anime are like that.

[Veroniku]

I don't think there's really anything wrong with getting introduced to bands through anime. You got to find out about them some way, and sometimes it just happens to be through anime.

I can see the whole annoyance j-pop fans might get when a person gets overly obsessed with just one song like Ready Stead Go, but not all people who get introduced to j-pop singers through anime are like that.
*nods nods* I totally agree with you. ^_^ Let people who are posers do their thing and don't bother with them! -- And I LOVE that song, but I didn't even see that Full Metal anime. XD; (Apparently I'm missing something, a friend said, so I shall download it someday...)


As for the language flow, the only Korean I ever listened to was BoA, and I did think her songs were really good, even though I knew nothing of the language and wasn't used to it at all. I should try and discover more Korean music! But time is fleeting, and so much to do before August. ;_; I promise I will someday though!

And chinese makes me giggle. XD; At ChinaTown, at the lounge we go to, they sometimes play some chinese language songs (I can't differienciate them, sorry) and with all the "Ching chang chung" I always end up hiding to giggle to myself. XD; I don't find it to be a flowy language AT ALL (especially that my two friends who knew cantonese would ALWAYS yell at their parents in chinese when they were on the phone. o.O; Sounds as harsh as German to me! XD)

I was sad I couldn't go to the Dir en Grey concerts... ;___; Did the crowd behave correctly? Do you know? I hope they had a nice experience... >.>

Oh and if I see hyde in the street I totally jump him! XD; Then again if I see Jon Bon Jovi I would jump him too. o.o; (I have a thing for older man? XD) I even dreamed I met Jon once, hehe. Though I don't consider myself a groupie 'cause I don't look for info and try to know what they ate every day or anything. I just drool at their voices and moves (Jon knows how to move his butt, and hyde's such a nerd XD), that's it, haha. (I guess that's still groupie though?)

[Menstrual Cramps]

I was sad I couldn't go to the Dir en Grey concerts... ;___; Did the crowd behave correctly? Do you know? I hope they had a nice experience... >.>


For the most part. No pulling off the stage. Lots of things were taken or turned away from the concert. You literally had to hide your phones and wallet in your pants because they weren't allowing any bags of any sort. No glowsticks either Of course, they told you all this AFTER the doors were open.

Die had failing equipment at the LA show and Kyo was a cat in heat for about 4 songs until he warmed up. Other than that they played a lot of new stuff and I think two or three older songs?

[Menstrual Cramps]

Well...while I do hate the way certain American fans react when their "zomg favrite jrock band evarrr" hits up an anime convention to play for them, I also realize that there are relatively few bands that actually do play these conventions compared to the numerable, yet lesser noticed, bands that don't.

I can name dozens of bands that haven't run into anything so ridiculous and pathetic as those types of bands (such things as trying to pull members off stage, basically molesting band members, and/or trying to rip off the member's clothes to keep as a momento). Some of them even like the audience over here so much as to favor them over their Japanese fanbase.

It's really a bit unfair to focus on only the most immature fans and the bands that cater to them while so many other great bands come through every year, completely ignored but for a niche fanbase (mostly found on the coasts) and those few out there willing to try something new.

eX-GIRL has a show in Oregon F-T-W.
But when I wrote this, I was pretty angsty. Angst + trying to make valid point= grey shadey areas. I should really edit and restructure my statement.

[Menstrual Cramps]

Don't worry. I still love you.

Would it content you even the tiniest bit if I posted some pics from when I saw them about two years ago? : >


SHOW ME, LOVELY. <3

[Menstrual Cramps]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/lucikaidan/youreallywantourstuff.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/lucikaidan/costumechange.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/lucikaidan/pick2.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/lucikaidan/pick1.jpg
I caught Kirilola's pick. <3 There was some jerk usually in my way of getting a good pic of Zorek so...that's why I've only got half-face there and jerkguy's hand.


]: I got pictures, but none of them are digital.
Gimme that pick now. TRADEU4MYSHONENKNIFESIGNEDPOSTER.

[Menstrual Cramps]

HMM. HMM. Tempting, but no. SENTIMENTAL FACTOR RULES OVER ALL.


eff that.
http://www.moviemaker.com/issues/10/images/angry.jpg

[A Victim of Profiling]

Thread's progression = awesome.

Almost as awesome as Polysics. I still have bruises from that last live. D: ( ikn.'s old body doesn't heal quick)

[A Victim of Profiling]

Yes, pooor old woman. XD

More bands like them ought to be given the exposure that they deserve--- that or people should start paying me to exact my revenge on the american VK fangirl population at lives. : D I'll feel better.

[nixon]

Folks, let us return to the topic or take your personal discussion to AIM.

Doc

[A Victim of Profiling]

2 cents that pertains topic as far as I can tell: The bands that generally gather the most attention in the online communities that are associated with manga/anime tend to fall into two camps: visual kei and related to anime themes. Thus, in that community, the fans tend to be ignorant of the other bands who have been coming to the USA for several years and do so outside of the realm of anime conventions.

The Blue Hearts, Quruli, Ellegarden, Polysics, Electric Eel Shock, Balzac, and many others have come to the US and played. What I would like to see more is a diversification of the fandom to spread out beyond what is superficially different (i.e. the visuals of VK/"hawt azn men") or just the songs which are featured in anime. To go beyond that and explore deeper into the music would be the best, and doing so often results in fans discovering that bands that are just as noteworthy are indeed coming to venues a whole lot closer to home than Japan.

[A Victim of Profiling]

My entire arguement has been destroyed by such fundamental truth.


: | Thwarted again by internet opinion.

[feder]

Oh, we're so sorry our constant off-topic-ness has upset you MR. 17 HOURS LATER.




Seriously. Off-topic was LONG DEAD before you decided to get angsty about it. :lol:

There's no need to get upset about it. He has a point. In any case, he's a mod, so he can lock this thread if need be. So I'd be careful if I were you. -_-

For the record, j-rockers who dress up in dresses and wear tons of make-up kind of freak me out. I like them better when they actually look normal. You know, like people. O.o
So I don't think I fit in that stereotype ^^

[A Victim of Profiling]

There are grand generalizations, and as such, are not a mold in which everyone will fit. In general, in the anime fandom, I tend to find a higher concentration of people who are hormonally insane over VK artists than in the general international music appreciating population.

[A Victim of Profiling]

We may be a minority, but the differences in numbers (at least for the bands who have made repeat trips back the US) between the VK groups and the others is probably not as great as the internet makes us think.

Part of the disparity in numbers could also be attributed to how vocal the VK fandom is.

[A Victim of Profiling]

They may be prolific, but the amount of spam I've seen on the internet dedicated to the frightening idolization/violation of visual artists drowns out a great deal of the Jindie kids.

Then again, I've given up on most of the fandom out there, so BITTER AVoP FTW.

[nixon]

Oh, we're so sorry our constant off-topic-ness has upset you MR. 17 HOURS LATER.




Seriously. Off-topic was LONG DEAD before you decided to get angsty about it. :lol:

Look, pal, I was asked by one of your fellow posters to nudge you guys in the right direction. And it worked, didn't it? By the way, how did you know that the ladies call me MR. 17 HOURS LATER?

You want angsty? Check my sig...

[PeNCILz]

Look, pal, I was asked by one of your fellow posters to nudge you guys in the right direction. And it worked, didn't it? By the way, how did you know that the ladies call me MR. 17 HOURS LATER?

You want angsty? Check my sig...

ROFLMFAO I now have the need to go watch Tombstone... *slips away*

[Ireth]

It makes me feel ashamed to hear the way people are treating them when they come here. I've never seen any of the Japanese singers in concert but I don't think I would be trying to yank people off stage and such.

The reason why I bought the first Japanese CD I have was because I wanted to learn Japanese. I figured the more I was exposed to the language the better I'd get. The reason why I like japanese music is because it's different than what I'm normally exposed to so when anything different comes around regardless of what country it's from it's great to hear it. Most of the music I've gotten into were from hearing it in video games not really at all from anime. Anime, video games and the internet are pretty much the only way I hear or learn about Japanese music. The radio stations where I'm at wouldn't play it so that's pretty much how I find out about it. I listen to the internet radio stations too to find more music. When artists do come over here it won't really effect me because they wouldn't come over where I live anyway.:(

[nixon]

How about I have you banned?

[Veroniku]

I don't want to be a coward, so I'll say this in a straightforward fashion: I was the one who reported you. Please check your PM box, I don't want to start a flame-war here, that would be lowering myself to your level.

Please do keep in mind this isn't a chat room, every post is archived and in everyone's view. This fact alone discredits your weak argument "But we were done spamming LOL".

I do wish that the mods will give you a proper warning, because your presence on this forum has kept me from posting in it, and I'm sure has kept more people out.

To anyone else reading, have a nice day.

[ParaKiss]

So are you ignoring my on-topic posts simply out of spite or because you really DO have nothing better to say?

You've lost the right of posting in this topic. Sure you had some good posts, but that doesn't make up for the fact that you were being annoying (I would have said some other word but I'm a mod and I have to TRY to be nice)

If I find another post by you on this topic again OR you post something even a toe out of line, I'll make sure your banned.

Apologies to everyone that posted in here for us (mods) not removing Kaidan earlier.

[ParaKiss]

I would also like to add on the '17 hours later' thing.

Mods/Admins are people. Not computers. We have jobs and in my case, school. We need to eat and drink and walk the dog. So we can't be online 24/7.

Also its our JOB to get 'angsty' when people spam or do something against the forum guidelines. But since I'm not emo, I only get slightly annoyed and delete posts.

[Menstrual Cramps]

MY KAIDAN. ]:
YOU GUYS TOOK MY KAIDANNN.

[Menstrual Cramps]

There's no need to get upset about it. He has a point. In any case, he's a mod, so he can lock this thread if need be. So I'd be careful if I were you. -_-

For the record, j-rockers who dress up in dresses and wear tons of make-up kind of freak me out. I like them better when they actually look normal. You know, like people. O.o
So I don't think I fit in that stereotype ^^


o_o
Yes you do.

[Iyashii]

I do understand everyone’s points about not liking the rabid fans of Japanese music, I maintain that they are an absolutely necessary evil. Don’t get me wrong; I’m rather elitist in my anime, manga, and music choices in general too (no matter how many people I trust tell me Naruto is good, I refuse to touch it with a ten-foot pole), and anything that has throngs of people obsessing over it tends to make me immediately suspicious.

However, without said throngs of people, the genre as a whole would not garner enough interest to keep it going. If there aren’t people overseas to support the larger bands, then why would companies take the risk of sending lesser-known bands over? Just stay away from the scary people and ignore them when they pull things like, “OMG did u see hyde lyke OMG so hawtt!!!1!!!11” and everything’s cool. XD

Though I don’t like it, seeing a band come all the way over here to have no one in the audience hurts me more than dealing with all the people taking a ride on the good old bandwagon. The Japan Nite tour came through my city just the other week, and while by the end of the concert there were a lot of people, the opening band (The Rodeo Carburettor) had almost no one. There were around 50 people on the small balcony and about that many in a space three times the size. I felt terrible for the band, and made sure that I, along with the rest of us under 21 people, made as much noise as humanly possible to make up for it. People began filing in after a little while, and the crowd was plenty large enough by the time the later bands took the stage, but for a while there, I was really scared. If everyone claims to love anime and manga and Japan so much, then we need to show that we support the concerts and the other opportunities that come along, no matter how inconvenient, or they might not be there again in the future.

On a side note, the bands at my stop of the tour were: The Rodeo Carburettor, The Emeralds, Stance Punks, PE’Z, Ellegarden, and TsuShiMaMiRe. And The Emeralds are awesome, especially because Kazuya felt bad for all of us on the balcony and randomly took off with his guitar, ran through the audience, up the stairs, and played the last couple notes of a song for us. That right there is love (and an awful lot of trust) for your fans. 

[ddr tatsujin]

Most bands don't have that problem. There are heavy throngs of Asians in the U.S. so they can have a "swell" audience. Guitar Wolf for example had a great time in california to the midwest during the 80's and 90's. Also, there was a band recently on jimmy kimmel and, so it seemed, that they where there to be embarrassed they actually had fans there who knew the words and where singing along. Lots of fans. I didn't even think they where that big of a band.
All in all No matter what there will be a fan base.

Although.......Don't you think it's possible that people JUST DIDN'T LIKE THE BANDS?! maybe? why should you force yourself and others to have a good time just because they didn't have a big audience in america for an opening band? I mean COME ON!! how many opening bands do people appreciate anyway? I usually see audience members going to the bathroom, finding their seats and buying beer rather than listen to the opening act.

SIDE NOTE: and in regards to the first comment made about illegally downloading songs after hearing it an anime. I heard about husking bee long long LONG before BECK came out and I physically ordered the cd's from cdjapan and listened to all of them on a CD PLAYER before the mp3's where up and going. So before you assume that we all are in your little ring of deception and downloading piracy think twice. There are people out there who like the band enough to give them money for it.

[Iblis]

If a band that just happens to be from Japan comes around, I wouldn't go just because it's Japanese. Hell no. o_o/

Spend my money and take time off from work just to 'support' a band so hopefully a band I like will come around eventually? Um, no. I'll ask for the bands I like (actually more like I'll just go to Japan for them), but my support is not a blanket thing, even if it's walking to a place around the corner. If a band plays where they have no fans, sorry. They should have checked out their fanbase location a little better.

[Iyashii]

I didn’t mean to go to see someone you hate. It was more of a general statement that if you like something in general, you should support it, and the statement was directed more toward the general population of the Tokyopop forums on the off chance that they’d be reading this discussion. I have seen so many people say that they love rock music or anime or whatever it is that they like and they obsess about in on the surface, but are quick to dismiss anything that would actually support the thing that they like. Nor was I intending to imply that you should blindly do something just because it has something to do with Japan. Good music is good music, plain and simple. However, I meant only that I don’t understand how there can be so many people all over the place that claim to like Jpop and Jrock but won’t make an effort to see any concerts when they’re here or purchase legal CDs. Again, this is a general statement, and there are obviously exceptions to it.

As for the concert, I neglected to mention that there was a mix-up with the times printed on the ticket and the actual time of the concert. And yes, it is possible that people didn’t like the bands, but I was still surprised to see how few people were actually there. And I also realize that the amount of people in an audience differs depending on the locale of the concert and the demographics around it. It is my personal opinion that if you’re going to go to a concert, you should be there for the opening bands. Not everyone shares my view; however, there was no forcing of the people around me to enjoy it. The cluster of people around me felt bad for the band as well. I didn’t exactly stand there and threaten to push them off the balcony if they didn’t cheer for the band.

[feder]

o_o
Yes you do.

Oh, really? And how so?