Before learning more about visual kei, I was not very well-versed in it. I had one particular band that I was a fan of, but I did not know much about other bands and the diversity of visual kei when it comes to music and fashion styles. I expected to learn about the different types of visual kei, mainly in association with the music. What I ended up learning about was how visual kei is an entire culture in and of itself and the music is just a small, albeit important, element of that culture.
There a lot of things I wanted to learn through my research. I wanted to learn how people incorporate and are influenced by visual kei in their lives. I wanted to know how visual kei was formed and how it differed from other Japanese subcultures. I also wanted to know the biggest differences between the older and more modern styles of visual kei.
Visual kei is part of a culture that interests many different people from many different backgrounds. It is also something that those who are not familiar with Japanese pop culture may know nothing about. The visual kei community, or fandom as it is often referred to, is made up of a variety 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.
The arena is completely dark with the exception of a few carefully selected strobe lights that graze across the scene. The drums maintain a steady beat that grows in intensity the longer it goes on. The audience claps in tune with the drums to create an atmosphere that is slowly building. Everything slows to stop but the drums continue their tempo. As the next member emerges from the left, the audience screams in excitement. The other three members follow, the audience’s cheers growing louder with each entrance. The air swells as everything comes together and for a moment, there is complete silence. This still moment passes quickly and is interrupted by drums, two guitars, and a bass as they start the first song. The audience cheers loudly as a familiar tune starts to play and the vocalist pumps them up further with a loud, “Let’s go!”
This is just one example of how a live visual kei concert can begin. This is a relatively large concert in a large venue, completely sold out and full of fans who have been waiting hours for this moment. On the other hand, visual kei concerts can be performed on a smaller scale with a smaller audience. With the wide variety of bands that identify with visual kei, the ways that bands can make a name for themselves through their music and live performances are infinite.
The main aspect of visual kei, as suggested by its name, is the visuals. The most identifiable traits of visual kei are the makeup, elaborate hairstyles, unique clothing, and sometimes androgynous aesthetics that many bands use. A lot of bands are able to use the style to create their own distinct trademark in the visual kei genre.
The oldest and most established form of visual kei is called kote kei. It is known as the classic style and is often called the vintage form of visual kei. Many older bands had this style when they first started and it was the most popular form during the 1980s and through the 1990s. The style consists of dramatic clothing and hairstyles and most closely resembles the goth look out of all the visual kei styles. Most of the clothing is black with hints of red or sometimes purple. The hair is where most of the brighter colors come from, with members dyeing their hair within a wide spectrum of colors from blonde to red, purple, or blue. The most popular bands associated with the style include Malice Mizer, Dir En Grey, and X Japan.
The most distinctive and well-known style of visual kei, almost stereotypically so, is called oshare kei. Oshare kei stands in almost stark contrast to the other styles of visual kei since it is very bright, colorful, and cute. Most bands who identify with the style also have brighter and more upbeat music and lyrics. Unlike most visual kei bands, oshare kei bands tend to have music that is more along the lines of Japanese pop rather than rock. Because of its bright, poppy style and music, it tends to be either hit or miss among visual kei fans. The most popular oshare kei bands are An Café, SuG, and LM.C.
Tanbi kei is the style of visual kei that is the most elaborate. Hair and makeup is usually done impeccably and this is the style that most often employs androgynous styles. It is easily recognized through its classic European-influenced costumes and extravagant stage settings during live performances. The most popular bands are Versailles and Malice Mizer. Aside from the classical European-influence in the clothing, tanbi kei bands create music that also mixes classical instruments, such as the violin, with rock and metal styles for a very distinct sound.
The neo-visual style mixes kote kei and oshare kei with milder, more fashionable looks. Their music is more mainstream and framed in a more aggressive, live-oriented band sound. This style peaked in the mid- to late-2000s and some of the most popular and well-liked visual kei bands fall under this category. A great amount of emphasis is put on engaging the audience during live performances. Audience members participate in what is known as furitsuke, which are choreography such as hand movements and head banging that the audience does in unison during the performance. Some bands that fall under the neo-visual style of visual kei are the GazettE, Alice Nine, and nightmare.
The last most popular form of visual kei is known as soft visual. This usually refers to bands that were originally old-school or tanbi kei bands that gradually toned down their looks and sound after gaining popularity. This is not an uncommon trend, since a lot of bands, especially after a couple of years, do not dress as elaborately or wear as much makeup as they initially did when they debuted. Most of the bands that are considered soft visual do not look or really sound visual kei, but are usually linked to the style because of a member’s former involvement in a visual kei band or the type of live houses at which they usually perform. Janne Da Arc and LUNA SEA are examples of soft visual bands.
While visual kei does refer more to appearances than sound, visual kei bands definitely have a kind of sound that is linked to the genre. Perhaps that is the beauty of visual kei. Visual kei is a style where both looks and sounds can be incorporated and manipulated by bands, where no two bands will emulate the same exact style. The great amount of diversity within visual kei is also what ties all of it together.
Since my site was an online community, I visited it at least once a day. I typically logged in every evening since that was when most people had updated and any visual kei-related news had spread through the site. I actively observed my site. I viewed, liked, and reblogged photos, videos, and any other visual kei-related materials I came across on Tumblr. I had an insider perspective of this community because I was involved in it personally, even before conducting my research. This position influenced my observations because I am familiar with the community and will understand what is considered normal within the group. I studied the group objectively in order to try and provide a complete picture of the community to those unfamiliar. By looking at visual kei subjectively, I was able to see how I have personally contributed to and how I have been affected by the community.
I used the American Anthropological Association Code of Ethics to assist me in my research. The information I obtained through my research and interviews was kept safe on a password-protected computer and any media I used for my study was kept secure on a password-protected OneDrive account. Potential risks included 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:
In my research, I learned a lot in three primary categories. These categories were the types and styles of visual kei, music and music videos of visual kei bands, and live performances. There are five main types of visual kei styles. These are kote kei, oshare kei, tanbi kei, neo-visual kei, and soft visual kei. Though these styles tend to have their own look, bands are able to put their own unique twist on them.
In my second set of observation notes, I looked at the different kinds of music styles some of the most popular visual kei bands utilized. I also observed the music videos that went along with these songs. The first video and song I listened to was “Bel Air” by MALICE MIZER. The video had a lot of European scenery such as castles as well as Christian religious symbols such as churches, cathedrals, and crosses. This video was long, just a little over seven minutes, and consisted of a cinematic opening and closing. The band was performing in an empty church and dressed in classical, European-inspired clothing. The music sounded a bit like a circus with sounds that resembled a music box playing throughout the song that created a temporary sound of tranquility among the slightly chaotic instrumental.
The next video I looked at was the music video for the song “Uroko” by DIR EN GREY. DIR EN GREY was a visual kei band I had heard of in the past, but was never really able to get into. This video was very dark, grim, and even scary. The music and video both complimented each other very well in creating a creepy and menacing atmosphere. The song contained both opera vocals throughout as well as heavy metal screaming, yelling, and growling. The imagery within the music video was equally disturbing, almost resembling a horror movie, consisting of women with missing and prosthetic limbs as well as blood.
The next video I looked at was for the song “Kakusei Heroism” by An Café. In stark contrast to the previous video, this video and song was very upbeat. The primary style was pop with some light rock influences as the members wore grunge-style clothing. Compared to the other two videos, there was no significant imagery, just varying angles showing each of the band members.
The next video I watched was the music video for Versailles’ song “Aristocrat’s Symphony”. This video reminded me a lot of the “Bel Air” video by MALICE MIZER since it also had a lot of classical European sounds and clothing, and the music style was similar as well. This video was little darker though as it took place in and around a gloomy castle on dark night with a full moon and lightning in the sky. The song mixed opera, classical, and rock elements to create a very unique sound.
The last video I watched was the music video for the GazettE’s “Guren”. The song and the video both had very distinct meaning and imagery. The video started by showing white paint flowing from a sink that eventually overflows and pours out onto the floor. There was also a young girl in a red dress who puts her hands in the paint and begins to smear it across the red walls of the room. The members were performing in that same room, but it now it is completely white instead of its original red color. This was an interesting concept because the song is about a miscarriage. The room is initially red to represent the womb, but then slowly turns white as does the girl herself. White is commonly associated with death in Asian cultures, so the slow whitening of the girl’s dress and the womb represented the death of the child. This was one of the music videos I saw that had a direct and obvious correlation with the lyrics and meaning of the song. The music itself was in the style of a rock ballad with a slightly heavy but constant progression that gave an overall dark feeling.
I was surprised by exactly how diverse the music among visual kei bands is. While I really enjoyed some of the songs and bands I listened to, others did not appeal to me as much. This was an interesting concept because even though visual kei bands are commonly grouped together based on their appearance, their music styles can be so different that someone can be a fan of one visual kei band but not really like another. There were not very many things that disturbed me, however, the one group whose sound and video did unnerve me a bit were those of DIR EN GREY. There are also quite a few songs and videos, usually from a group’s early works, that can be very horrific in terms of imagery and the situations portrayed in the videos. This aspect also intrigued me because even though I may not have necessarily enjoyed some of the more disturbing videos, the music and film were put together in such a way that they left a memorable impression on me. I was able to appreciate the artistic expression of many of these kinds of videos and songs.
I see that among visual kei fans, we have a certain kind of literacy that I do not think even we could know each and every part of. I was not familiar with the specific different styles of visual kei or just how much the music styles can vary between bands. My research on visual kei has helped expand my acceptance of it. Previously, I did not delve that much into visual kei because some of it was very different or even a bit disturbing. After researching this site, however, I have been able to develop a deeper appreciation of the many ways these artists are able to express themselves though music, film, and fashion.
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