Field Notes 01

Types of Visual Kei/Styles

Kote Kei - considered the oldest and most established form
- Classic style
- Dramatic clothes and hairstyles
- Examples: MALICE MIZER, Dir En Grey

Oshare Kei - most distinctive and well-known, almost stereotypically so
- Oshare means "stylish" or "fashionable"
- Music tends to lean more toward pop or punk and just more upbeat/positive themes and lyrics
- More "mainstream" j-pop sound; can sound almost like anime theme songs
- Colorful and cute
- Tend to be hit or miss among fans; many do not like the overall style; some bands may be okay
- Examples: An Cafe, SuG, LM.C

Tanbi Kei - inspired by classic European fashion
- Elegant, formal, neoclassical
- Elaborate costumes
- Extravagant stage settings
- Often incorporates androgynous/cross-dressing elements, not always and usually just a particular member is known for it
- Examples: Versailles, MALICE MIZER

Neo-Visual Kei - newer visual with more milder, more fashionable looks and mainstream music
- Most common form in terms of band popularity, music often associated with visual kei, etc.
- Music is kind of mainstream but often performed in a more aggressive live-oriented band sound; some bands are often called "live bands" where fans think bands sound better live than in studio recorded albums and singles
- Audience participates in "furitsuke" - unison choreography, hand movements, head banging, etc.; band members often do it along with the audience
- Examples: the GazettE, Alice Nine, Nightmare

Soft Visual Kei - usually refers to bands that were originally old school or tanbi kei bands that gradually toned down their looks and sound after gaining popularity
- Most don't look or sound like visual kei
- The association with visual kei usually comes from the fact that a current member was once in a visual kei band or the group performs at livehouses/venues that are often associated with visual kei
- Examples: Janne De Arc, LUNA SEA

Photo Series 01

 the GazettE ~13th Anniversary~ 10 March 2015

 ルキ RUKI (Vocal)

 

 麗 URUHA (Guitar)

 葵 AOI (Guitar)

 れいた REITA (Bass)

 戒 KAI (Drums)

13th Anniversary Live

WA3: Informed Consent and Code of Ethics

I will be doing my ethnography on visual kei. Visual kei is a Japanese subculture consisting of both music and fashion. My site will be on Tumblr where there are a variety of visual kei fans. I will be using the American Anthropological Association Code of Ethics to assist me in my research. I will be conducting this research on my own but will receive guidance from active Tumblr users on visual kei.

Since my site is an online community, I will be visiting it at least once a day. I plan to log in every evening since that is when most people have updated and any visual kei-related news has spread through the site. I have already gained entry because I am an active visual kei fan on Tumblr. I plan to research this site throughout the rest of semester, approximately six weeks.

I am going to actively observe the site. Since I am part of the visual kei community on Tumblr, I will view, like, and reblog photos, videos, news, and any other visual kei-related materials I come across on Tumblr. I have an insider perspective of this community because I am involved in it personally. This position will influence my observations because I am familiar with the community and will understand what is considered normal within the group. There are a lot of words, names, and abbreviations that we use within the community, some of which are in Japanese. Since I am insider in the community, these words will be second nature to me. I will study the group objectively to try and provide a holistic picture of the community to those unfamiliar. By looking at visual kei subjectively, I will be able to see how I personally contribute and have been affected by the community.

I will make sure I choose the people I interview fairly by interviewing a diverse pool of people and staying away from any selection bias. I will also make sure that these people are able and willing to provide information and opinions for my research and are free from any pressure or anxiety regarding the interview process. I will ethically present my information by making sure all of my informants are well informed on what I am studying and how the interviews can benefit them as well. Interviewers should participate in my research because it will allow me to get a true insider perspective of people who are fans of visual kei. These interviews will also help present visual kei in positive light to those who are unfamiliar with it.

The information I obtain through the interviews will be kept safe on a password-protected computer and any media I use for my study will be kept secure on a password-protected OneDrive account. Potential risks could include being judged by those who are unfamiliar with visual kei and do not wish to understand it better, portraying visual kei in a way that the community may not approve of, and stereotyping visual kei, which could offend some fans.






Name of Researcher:

Purpose of Research:

I understand that I am assisting in an ethnographic research project conducted by (name of student researcher) for English 1302 at Texas A&M University-Commerce taught by (name of teacher). I agree to let him/her use the interview (or any other materials agreed upon) to write a paper for the class, which will later be presented at the Celebration of Student Writing. It will not be used for any other purpose. I have been informed that if I become uncomfortable at any time during the interview, I do not have to answer questions or I can ask to have the tape or video recorder (if used) turned off. I am aware that I can request that a pseudonym be used. I understand that by signing this form, I give permission for the interview to be used for the purposes stated above.

If I have any questions about this project and/or the research data I have given, I can contact:

Ms. Jennifer Jones

jennifer.jones8888@gmail.com

Do you agree to participate in the interview ( ) YES ( ) NO

Can the interview be recorded (audio and/or video)? ( ) YES ( ) NO


Should a pseudonym be used? ( ) YES ( ) NO

Signed:

Date:

WA2: Researching Visual Kei

For my ethnography, I will be doing research on the Japanese subculture visual kei. I am going to do my research both through online communities and at the weekly anime club meetings held here on campus. In the online communities, I will be looking at how different people incorporate and are influenced by visual kei in their daily lives. There is a vibrant visual kei community on Tumblr. This is a good research site because it shows just how diverse the fans of visual kei are and how it influences everyone differently. I follow many people on Tumblr who are avid visual kei fans, and I also look at the community and contribute to it myself multiple times a day. At the weekly anime meetings, I will be looking at the many things that tend to contribute to an interest in visual kei, such as an interest in Japanese culture and, particularly among non-Japanese fans, an interest in anime and manga, which often exposes people to visual kei. The anime club is a good research site for visual kei because while all members may not be into visual kei, they are familiar with it and it shows the primary way that non-Japanese fans get into visual kei – through anime, manga, or an interest in Japanese culture.

Through my research, I hope to learn how both new and old fans of visual kei have been influenced by it. I would also like to learn how visual kei formed and how it is different from other Japanese subcultures. I will ask how people got interested in visual kei and how they believe it has affected their lives. I will also ask what they think are the biggest differences between the older and more modern styles of visual kei. I would also like to find out what other people think about the regular disbanding of bands associated with visual kei and what they believe the future may hold for visual kei. I got interested in visual kei through watching anime and reading manga. This interest then developed into an interest in Japanese music, which then evolved into a love for a particular band that identified with visual kei and introduced me to it.

I will show the insider perspective by describing the intricacies of visual kei. Insiders are familiar with visual kei and realize that there are many different styles. The outsider perspective can be portrayed through the many misunderstandings and stereotypes associated with visual kei. Illustrating these points is possible because both insiders and outsiders have different views about visual kei. These views are influenced by what they know or may not know about visual kei, where they are from, and their personal experiences with it.

My research sites are connected with culture and community because visual kei is part of a culture that interests many people of many backgrounds. It is also something that people who are not into Japanese pop culture may not know anything about. The visual kei fandom consists of a lot of mini-fandoms, all of which are connected through a common interest, visual kei. To those unfamiliar with the community, visual kei may seem like an entirely foreign concept. I think visual kei is an interesting topic because it is an obscure subculture, even in its native land of Japan and is even more obscure in other countries. Despite this obscurity, people from all over the world have been able to come together, talk, discuss, and voice their opinions on the visual kei subculture. Visual kei is able to connect its fans by giving them a common identify that stretches beyond borders.

WA1: Redefining Literacy

Redefining Literacy

Literacy is often referred to simply as the ability to read and write. The true concept behind literacy, however, is harder to define. Aside from just looking at the ability to read and write, it is important that we realize the many different ways those abilities can be employed. The ways people use reading and writing in their everyday lives affects their degree of literacy. I see literacy as the way we use and interact with written and spoken word on a regular basis.

The concept of literacy is just as diverse as the many people who use it. “The roles of individuals and their places within social groups are preeminent in determining both what is read and written.” Things such as ethnicity, age, sex, and socioeconomic class are just a few of the characteristics of people that can greatly impact the things in which they are literate. Depending on people’s individual lifestyles, the things they need to be literate in will differ in comparison to someone living in a different environment under different circumstances. Other personal characteristics, especially those that people have more of a choice in, also have the power to greatly affect a person’s literacy. These personal characteristics also affect a person’s motivation. Szwed refers to reading motivation as something that is sometimes defined as “the nexus at which reader, or writer, context, function, and text join.” The reasons behind someone’s motivation can be influenced by a variety of things such as nostalgia, the desire to accomplish something, a newfound interest in something, and even just boredom. Rather than thinking of literacy as one thing to be defined in one all-encompassing concept, we should see “a plurality of literacies”.

The different types of literacies can be applied in literacy practices and literacy events. Literacy practices offer “a powerful way of conceptualizing the link between the activities of reading and writing and the social structures in which they are embedded and which they shape”. Put simply, a literacy practice is how people apply literacy. The ways people apply literacy involves not only behaviors we can actually witness, but also personal values, attitudes, feelings, and social relationships. Literacy events are activities where literacy plays an active role. In order to participate in a literacy event, one must first be literate in whatever type of literacy is used in the task. Literacy events, unlike literacy practices, are observable behaviors. The two are closely related because a literacy event comes from and is shaped by the literacy practice involved.
 
Literacy events can be observed in their respective domains. A domain is the “structured, patterned contexts within which literacy is used and learned”. Domains are not only where those literate in a certain kind of literacy can actively engage in their literacy, but also where new people can learn about that literacy. A domain allows people to put their literacies into action. Knowing the domains where certain literacies take place is a key part in becoming literate in something. A domain allows for repeated and structured exposure to a certain kind of literacy. This safe place has the tendency to bring together people who are all literate in a similar kind of literacy. For doctors and nurses, a hospital or clinic could serve as their domain. For dancers, the studio and the stage could serve as their domain. For people who share a love for a certain genre of music, a concert could serve as their domain.

For my ethnography, I would like to research the subculture of visual kei. Visual kei is a Japanese music subculture centered on elaborate fashion and rock music. It is a subculture that
has been around since the 1980s. In the early 2000s, it gained a resurgence and growth in popularity that has earned large a following both in Japan and overseas. There are many sites where visual kei is prominent. Concerts, cosplay, and online communities are just a few of the domains where visual kei plays a big part.

The vast amount of literacies are influenced by an even greater amount of individuals. This diversity forces us to look beyond the traditional ways literacy can be applied. Being more than just the ability to read and write, literacy plays an extremely important role in societies and cultures around the world. Learning the social meaning behind literacy and how it is used by different people of different backgrounds will help us get a better understanding of what literacy truly is.