J-rock related rambles excerpted from my not-really-an-online-journal.

 

::6/16/01::

I've left my computer behind and using a new one, and editing with Frontpage instead of Composer, so everything seems weird and out of place. I think if you look closely, you can even see that the color of the bar (dark gray) is actually different from the earlier ones. Interesting... only to me, I'm sure. ^^

I've taken to journal-writing in Word instead of on a HTML thingie, so now it's a copy-and-paste job. So, um, "Paste!"
<<start paste>>
<<snip>>

Anyway… in another development, I was downloading mp3’s that day, and found hide’s Honey Blade by accident. Ureshii! I love that song, by the way. Hide’s voice is particularly beautiful in it, and I’m continuously amazed at how versatile he was. Having been deprived of J-rock for quite a while, I’m slightly and pleasantly surprised that I still love him and his music intensely. I also still find Sugizo gosh darn sexy, but let’s not get into that at the moment. Another surprise that night was my discovery that hide’s Fish Scratch Fever, which I downloaded just because I could, was one of the background songs for A Story, the post-humous hide documentary. Again, was very happy because I liked the song when I was watching A Story and always wanted to know the title. Yeah, horrifying but I’ve never actually listened to the entirety of Hide Your Face or Psyence. I wanted to get the originals, but not being filthy rich, I wanted to wait a while until I actually (somehow) possess the moolah to spend on them. But then, I also want to get Luna Sea’s Final Act concert video, hide’s concert videos, LS, Sugizo, hide or Glay posters, and La’Cryma Christi’s Lhasa, but these don’t have to be original so they should be... slightly... less expensive.

Speaking of J-rock, I watched some scenes from LS’s Final Act, and they all seemed so sad! But that was last year, and they’ve since moved on. I listened to Won’t Leave My Mind from Inoran’s single, and… it wasn’t bad, but nothing on the level of Gravity or white out, recent songs that he wrote while still in LS. I’ve always thought Luna Sea as a collective was always better than its parts, and I’ve not had cause to revise my opinion. Not to say that the members aren’t talented, skilled and creative, which they are, but I think their creativity and improvisation reached amazing heights in Luna Sea that I don’t think they’ve managed to emulate in solo works. I don’t always prefer the band to the solo artist – for example, I think hide’s solo works are so far above X Japan that they’re in a different stratosphere totally. X Japan music is great, but repetitive. And in the end, there’s nothing really new or fresh about it. I think hide did much more on his own than when under the constraints of the band. If I’m not mistaken, in X Japan concerts, when the members showcase their solo works, hide often chose to perform his speedy, screamy, metal-like songs. I guess it would totally change the atmosphere if he performed songs like Flame or Genkai Haretsu. I’ve always thought of the former as perhaps the saddest of all his songs (I find it sadder than Goodbye, for some reason). But it’s not a sweeping tragic epic like any of Yoshiki’s X Japan ballads. Nothing with hide is sweeping. For Yoshiki, his tragedy is all of humanity’s, and all of humanity is expected to mourn along with him, to weep and wail and beat their breast, and partake in his melancholic mysteries. For hide, there’s only the sadness of the individual soul, of which the tragedy lies in the fact that it is forever separated from the rest of humanity.

Still on J-rock… Glay has become almost unadulterated pop. I think I have to henceforth refer to them as a J-pop band (loads of people have called them J-pop for years, but I was hanging on). Global Communication, their newest single, is so pop that it almost made my teeth ache. And what kind of a title is that?! When I first came across the title on the net, I actually dismissed it as… I don’t know, an ad for a telecommunications company or something. It was only later that I realized it was the title of a Glay song. Not that the song itself is bad or anything (in fact, it’s upbeat and catchy) but in my opinion it’s really pop. And… I almost had an angina attack when I saw it… what the heck has Jiro done to his hair??!  A) I actually didn’t recognize him for a full two seconds b) He looks like a girl c) He looks like a chubby girl d) He looks  like J from Luna Sea (but J doesn’t look like a chubby girl) and e) He looks like O-Jiro from Penicillin (O-Jiro does look like a chubby girl). Ahhhh!!! *turns into a fangirl and is allowed to act stupid and talk to her idolized bishounen* Jiro-saaaaaannn, I still think you’re ultra-cool and super-cute, but godammit change that hairstyle already!!!

<<end paste>>

Well... that was weird. Anyway, that was yesterday's journal - all of a sudden I had this urge to ramble on about J-rock. I've been reading J-rock fanfics again recently, and the vast majority of them are still as badly-written as ever. To my surprise, however, I did come across a few Glay fics that were quite good (meaning the sentences adhere to basic rules of grammar, and there were no words like "dun", "tomolo" or phrases like "I wanna B wif U 4ever!", coming across which never fails to make me feel like running to the toilet and throwing up. The Glay fanficker, however, is a Hisashi fan. That's perfectly fine, since I myself think Hisashi's very pretty. But... characters in her fanfics inevitably take on her role of Hisashi idolizer. Hisashi is described as "the petite guitarist", slender, beautiful, and showered with other extravagant, near-drooling adjectives that I can't remember. That would work well if the pov in her fic is that of Hisashi's Number One Fan, but it's not so it's only jarring.

I am also irritating myself by reading messages in this J-rock fanfic mailing list that I probably should have unsubscribed from ages ago. Posturings from girls who want everybody to think they're "cool" and thus act like bitches because being bitchy is supposed to be "cool". *rolls eyes*

Anyway. Like I said on my updates page, the LS and hide pages that I'd made last year are gone, and I'm just too lazy to remake them at the moment. I bought a laptop recently and has net access through the university's cable network, so might start making mp3 samples again, but web storage is a problem.

A few days ago, when I listened to Rosier, it sounded like someplace very close to home.
 

::lives::19/11/00

The Glay Makuhari live vcd (overseas edition) sold out so quickly. I saw about two copies at Tower Records a couple weeks ago, but didn't buy it then. When I went back a few days ago, they were gone. Called the other Tower branch but it was sold out there as well. Damn. Was pretty inexpensive for an original too - the bootleg Lunatic Tokyo vcd I bought recently was much more expensive. Ridiculously so, in fact. My principles fought with my obsession, but my obsession won ^_^;.

Didn't actually want to watch Lunatic Tokyo so soon after hearing about their dissolution... but I couldn't resist. For the first part of the video I thought the concert was kind of boring. And I was quite pleased at that because then I wouldn't feel so bad not being able to go to their last live this December ^^;;;. But about halfway through the video I realized what a great live Lunatic Tokyo was. Earlier I said something along the lines of how I thought Glay did better concerts than Luna Sea. I take that back. Luna Sea concerts are amazing. Glay cannot compare - though I haven't watched their Makuhari live yet (biggest rock/pop concert in Japanese history) and at this rate I doubt I ever will -_-. Glay always cultivates a cool, trendy image, and that translates into their concerts. But Lunatic Tokyo was cool in a way that had to do with feeling, not image.

Things about the concert video... Ryuichi's style didn't seem to have changed much all those years ^_^ (Lunatic Tokyo was held in Tokyo Dome in 1995). He was, and is, very over-dramatic in his gestures and facial expressions. But his voice is fantastic so that's okay. Plus he was really cute when he smiled ^^. Sugizo wore much more make-up back then ^_^ and his hair reminded me of Takuro's during Glay's 1999 Dome live. And Sugizo seemed more covered-up, surprisingly ^^; though if I'm not mistaken he was wearing those infamous boots and he did wiggle his ass at the crowd at one point ^_^;;;. Inoran was very, very pretty. He was so damn pretty my eyeballs almost fell out of my head. Gackt, Hisashi, Toshiya et al, eat your hearts out. =P It was also after watching this that I realized what a great guitarist Inoran is, baka me. It's just that Sugizo's lead guitar is so overwhelming that I always used to overlook the second guitar, except when Inoran has a solo. He was also less shy then and was quite active on stage. Shinya was also very pretty, especially when he smiled and with that gorgeous hair flying. J was damn cool... my favorite scene of him came during the bass intro to Face to Face, when he stood at one end of the stage with Sugizo at the other end coming in with his guitar, both headbanging in time to the music and to each other though a wall of engineered fog separated them.

What else... Well, Rosier was amazing - everyone was so full of energy and enthusiasm during this song! There was no fan service during Desire, but a cool one of Ryuichi and Sugizo during Rosier and there was this ultra-cute scene near the end of the live when Inoran humorously hugged J around the waist. Super kawaii! ^_^  And... well, the camera had a tendency to be focused on Ryuichi all the time, something I found quite irritating in Providence (the fans seemed to be crazy about this song, btw ^^). I mean, there was Sugizo playing his violin solo and Ryuichi wasn't even singing - he was doing precisely nothing other than his hand gestures - and the camera stayed on him all the while. Geez. Some people actually want to catch more than a 2-second glimpse of the sex god and his violin, you know ^_^. And I'm curious - at one point did J fall down or was it on purpose? Hmm. J threw the mic stand and Sugizo smashed his guitar and threw it to the crowd. Lucky crowd. Mother was the last song they played... the ending was so sad. The piano version of Mother was played and the screen faded to black-and-white, showing the members together... in light of recent heartbreaking news, it's really so sad...

I sobbed uncontrollably at the ending. Couldn't help it.

And I'm getting choked up now. Gah. So I'll just stop here.
 

::damn it, why?::11/11/00

When it struck me that LS has titled their new album Lunacy, I put it down to mere coincidence. Coincidence that it could serve as a bookend of sorts to their first album, Luna Sea, created so long ago in their indie days. It doesn't mean anything, I told myself. It didn't mean that they had any intention of breaking up. After all, they were having concert tours in Japan, and Hong Kong and Taiwan. They just released a new single.

I'm still so very heartbroken...

I didn't feel a thing when Smashing Pumpkins announced their disbandment. But... Luna Sea... Damn. Damn. Damn.

I mean, yes, I like other J-rock bands - Glay, Guniw Tools, and Buck-Tick which is my current favorite. But none of them can compare to Luna Sea! LUNA SEA made me like J-rock. My previous opinion of the electric guitar was that it was a high-pitched instrument which could only make screeching sounds. LUNA SEA made me appreciate the electric guitar. I first heard Shine in 1998, but it was only this year that I really got into them... and now they're disbanding...

Damn it, why?
 

::......:: 8/11/00

Today wasn't a good day for Chrysa and I... and the weather was damn shitty.

And then I came home to destress... logged on for a bit, checked my Yahoo account, and saw on this mailing list that Luna Sea is disbanding.

Luna Sea is DISBANDING.

Oh my God.

There were rumors beforehand, but I didn't pay them any notice, cos LS had a habit of taking breaks in between albums. But now it seems to be confirmed. They're disbanding.

God.

I cried when I read that. I never thought I'd cry over something like this... but I did. My eyes are still sticky.

And the ultra sucky thing is... I was actually thinking of going to their December Tokyo Dome live, but JAL was fully booked, and besides I was told I wasn't allowed to stop over in Tokyo on a one-way ticket. So I thought, nevermind, I'll just attend their concert next year.

But now they're disbanding and there won't BE any concerts next year and I still cannot go to the Tokyo Dome live.

*cries*

I don't know what to say.

Oh, God.

Well, except that.

A few days ago Kazuki of J-rock band Raphael overdosed on tranquilisers and died. He was nineteen years old.

A few days ago some of my collegemates were involved in a car crash and one eighteen-year-old boy died on his birthday. Apparently the guy who was driving was under the influence of alcohol. He was in some of my classes. I passed him on his way to the funeral the other day. Apparently the family doesn't blame him. How can they not? If it was true that he was drunk-driving, how can they not?

I just... don't know what to say.
 
 

::how can i have a title for inanity like this?::

<<snip>>
 

::miao, kitty cat::

It's 1:39 AM.

I can't sleep.

I took a short nap which turned into a long nap, had too much dinner, and now I'm wide awake.

I accidentally bit the inside of my lip for about a hundred times the other day while having Chinese steamboat and it's been hurting like hell for days.

I just read my previous post about Yoshiki fangirls and hypocrisy, and I sounded like such a bitch. Well. I'll be an even bigger bitch and confess - 99% of online non-Japanese J-rock fans annoy the hell out of me. Some anime fans annoy me as well, but the majority of online non-Japanese J-rock fandom (just trying to be specific) really takes the cake. Is there something about adolescence and post-puberty, pre-adult teenhood that somehow excuses everything?

Yes yes, I'm being bitchy cos it's 1:52 AM and I can't sleep and it's humid and the inside of my lip hurts like nobody's business. Can I say sorry when I'm not feeling sorry?

Apparently Anne Rice is suing her fans who write fanfict- I mean, speculative fiction based on her works. Sad. Though I doubt they were that big fans in the first place if they could so easily make derogatory remarks about Memnoch the Devil, one of her novels (which I have never read so I have no idea if it's that bad). Allegedly she's also indulging in, er, online stalking and harassing those poor l'il fanfick- er, sorry, I mean spec writers. Probably the woman has got too much time on her hands when she isn't churning out formulaic novels every other month. Speaking of which, I read this J-rock fic where there were lines lifted directly from Rice's novel. Wonder if she'll sue if she finds out.
 

::critical hypodermic needles::

For some reason, suddenly Yoshiki fangirls are apparently not Yoshiki fangirls anymore. I suppose if I weren't so cynical about it I'd think that they'd grown up and matured, but since I am cynical I'd say it's more a matter of trend. Suddenly it's trendy to say that Yoshiki is annoying and plastic. It's trendy to idolize hide even if you'd never heard, or liked, any of his songs.

I just have to get this off my chest. I have been to websites with, in my opinion, rather gratuitous "tribute" pages to hide, and these people (mostly non-Japanese Y*sh*k* fangirls [see below ^^;]) go on and on about how tragic it is, how it affected them, what big fans they are and so on and so forth... and then they got the dates wrong. Most of the time it's his birthdate they got wrong, but sometimes they even got the date he passed away wrong. Amazing.

And then there's this girl who gave the impression that she was charged with a godly mission to spread the gospel or something ^^;;;. She exhorted people to keep his memory and his music alive, and to focus more on his life than his death or words to that effect... the irony being the entire "tribute" page surrounded the matter of his death, and very little about his life or his music at all.

And there's this girl who's apparently an authoritative expert on his personality and thought processes. "He would da da da da..." or a milder, more modest form: "I'm sure he da da da da..." Assumptions, assumptions, and presumptious ones at that...

Of course, there's also the one who claimed that hide visited her in her room or some equally flaky thing like that. And she wasn't joking (or if she was then it was waaaaay too subtle for me). If she really believed that, then fine. We're all allowed our own instances of insanity. But I can't help but think it's more for the "cool" effect of it. Yes yes, she's a Y*sh*k* fangirl. Or was, should I say. Since it's like oh so trendy now to be anti-Yoshiki.

Urgh. Don't mind me, I'm just being irritated and disillusioned. -_-;;;
 

::to get or not to get...:

I'm wondering should I get this X Japan vcd I saw... it's of the Dahlia tour *kyaa~*. But it's a bootleg. And expensive. Bootleg and expensive. But it's the only copy I've seen in this entire country ^^;;. I s'pose I could buy it online, but it's even more expensive and highly doubtful whether it can make its way over here. Besides, isn't it supposed to be out of print or something?

*sigh* I'm so not used to waking up this early. *yawn~~* I thought of a hypothesis as to why Glay is extremely popular in Japan ^^; but I'm so sleepy right now hypotheses are flying out of my ears.
 

::of white supreme pizzas:: 21.10

<<snip>>
 

::of anginas and laziness::

The other day I saw a lot of X Japan videos at this record shop. Almost had a heart attack right there and then (it's amazing how often I almost get heart attacks ^^;). Chrysa looked at me like I'd grown three heads and said something about my "obsession with J-rock" but I wasn't paying attention ^_^.

Okay, interlude: In between writing the above paragraph and now, I decided to call JAL. And almost had a heart attack when they told me all the flights in late December are fully booked! The latest still available is on the 14th. Gah, gah, panic panic... Well... There'll be other airlines, right? Right?

*start singing* Marketing, marketing, gotta do my marketing project... Got a group meeting in two hours and haven't done a thing... *sweatdrop*... Did I ever tell you that Mr Marrinnan, my former Grade 13 teacher once told me I was lazy? I wanted to say, "You're so right, sir!" ^_^
 

::lethargy of a garden slug::

<<snip>>
 

...

<<snip>>

Somehow, I have... something... against Yoshiki fangirls. ^_^;;; Yes, it's connected to the above paragraph. All right, the chronicle of my opinion on fangirls goes like this: At first, I can't stand them. Then, I thought, what's a fangirl anyway? If it means going nuts and getting all hyper about their favorite band/artiste, well heck, I'm a fangirl! ^_^ Then I thought, well, fangirls are okay, I guess. I mean, girls will be girls ^^. However, I still think it's weird if a fangirl loves a band/artiste because of their image (e.g. for their bishounen looks, yaoi possibilities, romantic image, etc). So, I guess I'd define a fangirl as someone who goes crazy over a band/artiste for their image, and likes their music because of their image. Or something like that. Anyway, I have something against Yoshiki fangirls ^^;;. This is all a generalization, btw. Okay, the reason? I used to visit X Japan and hide websites, and most X Japan webpage-owners who are non-Japanese and female (non-Japanese cos I don't visit many Japanese sites so I can't make a conclusion about what's on them), are Yoshiki fans (which is predictable since he's a beautiful guy and likes to show skin ^^). Usually, on these websites, there would be something about hide's death. Usually it's articles, reports and sometimes photos, which are perfectly okay (though I've largely stopped reading them because I don't want to be reminded). But I remember when I used to visit these pages, I would get kind of pissed when I read about the web-owners' assumptions about the incident. Some of them didn't even state that it was only their own opinions, they actually presented their assumptions as if they were facts. Most of the time I found that these web-owners are usually fangirls of Yoshiki's. It may be mere chance and I know I shouldn't generalize. I'm sorry. But please, why presume? Others may read their opinions and be misled into thinking that they are the truth. The thing about being dead is that you can't defend yourself, and we take so many liberties! hide-san is not here to say what is the truth and what is not.
 

::almost gave me a heart attack!:: (oct)

So I was watching an episode of Beach Boys on TV3, then it ended, so I went into the kitchen to get myself a glass of water. I could hear the TV from there, but I wasn't paying it much attention. And then I heard snatches of a song, at first I thought it was a Mandarin song, then (as I was pouring water into a glass ^^) I thought it sounded Japanese. So I went out, and I almost had a heart attack when I saw Teru on screen! I mean, GLAY!!! On local TV! Ahem. GLAY ON LOCAL TV!!!!!

o_O

Pardon my excitement ^^; but it's just that I don't remember ever seeing ANY Japanese MTVs on local TV before, not even J-pop. Well, okay, recently TV3 started airing a J-pop MTV by this bunch of adolescent boys who looked like they should still be in elementary school or something ^^;. The channel kept airing this immediately after Beach Boys, so naturally I was expecting the same thing today. I never, never expected Glay. KinKi Kids, SMAP, Kiroro, V6, Speed, yes. Or some sugar pop act. But not Glay! Okay, admittedly, Glay is pop-rock and a lot of people actually see them as J-pop, but they're so visual! Not as visual as, say, J-rock bands Dir en grey and Malice Mizer (but then, these guys are on the extreme end of the spectrum) but the visual element is there all the same! As a matter of fact, I think Glay is more visual than Luna Sea, even though Luna Sea is J-rock. Sugizo is just about the only LS member who is even remotely visual, while Glay has Hisashi (e.g. blue hair, rather heavy make-up, occasional cross-dressing) and Jiro (the man of the colorful costumes and outrageous hairstyles ^_^) and even the other members wear light make-up. SO, imagine my surprise when I saw them on TV! Okay, to truly imagine my surprise, you gotta take into account the cultural climate and legalities here ^_^;.

Anyway... *sigh*... still quite hyper. Heh. I actually didn't recognize Teru at first when I saw him on the screen because of the dim lighting he was under, and also the fact that he was shaking his head about ^^. It took me half a second to recognize the setting of the music clip (Teru in an alley - is it just me, or does Glay seem to like alleys a lot?), another half second to recognize the song, but much longer than that to actually believe what I was seeing ^^;;;. I watched with jaw hanging open as the clip showed Takuro playing his guitar, then Jiro's unmistakable blond head, then Hisashi's guitar solo, and there were also very clear shots of the members with a female model, but I was going, "Oh, this can't be. Glay on TV? Nah. Can't be." Haiyah. I can't recall the name of the song at the moment, though. Maaaaaan, this is so weird ^^. Should I expect to see Luna Sea in future? After all, some of their songs were used for Japanese dramas. But I'm not holding my breath ^_^. I'm surprised enough they showed Glay.

P.S. (couple hours later): So I was listening to all these streaming RealAudio files to jog my memory about the song they showed. I came across "Mermaid" but crossed it off immediately. I listened to "Kuchibiru", "More than Love", "Fatsounds", and "Survival" (though I knew this wasn't it ^^;;). Actually, that was pretty inane since I'd never heard the first three songs before, while on the other hand, the song in the clip was familiar to me. I thought, "Could it be 'Mermaid'? Nah, doesn't sound like 'Mermaid'." Then I thought, what the heck, and listened to "Tsuki ni Inoru" while I was at it ^_^. Then I thought, what the heck heck, and finally listened to "Mermaid". Yeah, it was "Mermaid" ^_^;;;. But it sounded different from the "Mermaid" I remember, so can't blame me for thinking that wasn't it. I was indifferent to the song before, but now I think it's one of my favorites ^_^.

I was sort of comparing Glay and LS previously, wasn't I? Right now I have 15 minutes to kill before it's five past midnight, so I'll ramble on about that. Glay, Luna Sea and L'Arc~en~Ciel are considered three of the biggest J-rock bands around. I can't talk about L'Arc since I'm not really interested in them - though their newest album is very, very good IMO. So - Glay and LS. In terms of music, I definitely think Glay is more accessible to the general music-listening public. They're pop-rock, and though they have the mandatory guitar solos and distinct basslines characteristic of J-rock, their music is light. Very light. "Mermaid" is probably one of the heaviest Glay songs I've heard, but it's still not that heavy. Glay melodies are pretty and pop-like. The guitars save them from being unadulterated pop, I think. Luna Sea music, on the other hand, is definitely rock. People have said they are diverging towards pop, but I feel they are still very much a J-rock band. Their music is not as accessible as Glay's. But I still prefer Luna Sea. As for stage performance, my current vague impression is that Glay seems more active on stage, and the interaction between the members is perhaps more interesting. But I still prefer Luna Sea. My favorite Glay member is Jiro, but I like all of them, basically. My all-time favorite guitarist is Sugizo, but I feel that LS members other than Sugizo are generally more remote than Glay members. The Glay guys seem pretty easygoing (maybe they're not, but they give the impression that they are ^_^). I love, love Ryuichi's voice (Teru's can't compare, IMO) but I think Ryuichi's just a tad bit arrogant and attention-seeking, especially after his stint as a pop star ^^;. Glay's image suits their music to a T - light, fun and easygoing. Perhaps it's engineered, perhaps they are pop idols after all ^_^;;. Who knows. But I still prefer Luna Sea. They're my favorite Japanese band. It is my opinion that their music is better than Glay's - I think Glay songs are very pretty, very melodic and easy on the ears, but LS music touches me on a deeper level that I can't really explain ^^;;. Don't get me wrong, I do like Glay - they're my second favorite band in fact, right after LS. But my absolute favorite musician is, of course, hide. I can't describe his music, I tried to, on my page, but his music means much more to me than what I've attempted to say.
 

::a funny thing happened to me yesterday...:: (sept)

<<snip>>
 

::still september::

<<snip>>
 

::ureshii~~::

Yesterday I went to sleep without showering and now I feel like I might stick to the wall...

Anyway, the first J-rock related highlight of yesterday was that the Music Station vcd I ordered finally arrived. Watched it last night - Glay and Luna Sea were so cool! And the KinKi Kids interview was really amusing if you paid attention to what went on in the background ^_^.

And the second and very highlighted highlight is... I found hide's A Story!!! The video, that is. Found it included in this box set thingy at Tower Records, cost me an arm and a leg, don't know if it's original or not, but I bought it anyway. I mean, of course. I'd have bought it even if I'd have to subsist on instant noodles for the rest of my life. AH! So happy! ^____^
 

::to-may-to, to-mah-to::

I'm listening to Glay at this moment, and Teru reminded me that the Japanese pronounce the English sound "th" as "s". When he sang "three, two, one" I heard something like "sing, two, one" ^_^. Actually I kept misunderstanding Glay lyrics. In "You May Dream" I thought Teru was singing, "Help is my lover" or "Hell is my lover" ^_^;, "Welcome to dramaland" and "We're on the groovy track" when it's actually (at least according to the lyrics booklet) "Hello, miss my lover", "Welcome to the wonderland" and "We're on the move with love" ^_^;;;.

In "Genkai Haretsu", I thought hide was saying "salad dream" (improbable as it was) when it was actually "therapy" ^_^. Great lyrics in that song, btw, but then hide-sama always wrote beautiful lyrics.
 

::sometime in early september::

<<snip>>

I'm back. Where was I? So... since I was there already, I decided to check out this record store. Found this box set thingy of some J-rock bands like my much-liked Luna Sea, X Japan, Glay, Dir en grey, Malice Mizer, LaCryma Christi, etc and I thought it was an MTV because it was among MTVs. Just goes to show that you should never judge a box set thingy by its associations because when I went up to the guy and asked, he said it was a CD, not an MTV. I asked if he could check, and he readily tore up the wrapping and put it in the audio player and since it could be played, it was indeed a CD. Poor guy, he had to wrap it up again...

<<snip>>
 

<<snip>>