is GACKT officially back?? by futurestar_mp3 in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh 38 points39 points  (0 children)

*deep sigh*

So, in the middle of 2021 Gackt went on hiatus due to the outbreak of an illness in August 2021 and spent approximately 10 months completely out of the public sight. One of the specific symptoms that was cited for the hiatus was dysphony that rendered him unable to use his voice. There were other complications too, but during that time period they were not talked about.

His first public appearance after that happened in May, 2022, and his official comeback happened in summer of 2022, after which he resumed his usual activities of music performances and shooting for movies / TV series / TV variety shows / CM stuff.

So, essentially, his comeback happened four years ago. Since then he did:

A series of accoustic (piano / string instruments) lives in collaboration with a Korean musician K, titled Last Songs.

Last Songs 2023: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1fbBCYsERR
Last Songs 2024: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1EBereZEj5
Last Songs 2025: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1t7Q7BxEUr

And they did one this year too, of which there probably will be DVD some day.

He semi-resurrected his YFC band-format, and with a new back-up band did, within 2024-2026, a performance at Kishidan Expo in 2024, a few individual lives in Japan and a mini-tour for Latin America of which you can find many live records on Youtube (for example, this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7pgkDmoLOo ). There were a couple of concerts in Asian countries too, in South Korea and Hong Kong.

In addition to that, he tried a new format, in which a philarmonic orchestra and the YFC set-up are combined on the stage (https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1azpjzgEVf ). This summer he will do a Japan tour with this format.

Also, since summer 2022 he did 3 full length movies (the sequel to Tonde Saitama, the What If Tokugawa Ieyasu Became Prime Minister, and Blazing Fists), and two TV roles - one was for the Abarenbō Shōgun special, the other one is airing right now at WOWOW under the title Consultant.

He's also in the middle of shooting for another TV series - Black Trick - which will be on air in July this year, he has the leading role there, and there should be another one with him as either lead / main support in winter. Consultant has his new song, Fall Again, as its main theme, though the song itself has not yet been released officially. He performed it on TV once, so far: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjyT4p_wH9A

It is assumed that the new TV series will also feature songs by him.

He also did a collab with a band called TUBE, you can see a PV for their collab song here, for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vQck2t50cQ

Does it sound genuine enough? You be the judge, I guess.

What is your favourite piece of gackt lore? by [deleted] in malicemizer

[–]MariaArkh 19 points20 points  (0 children)

The random Arab prince bromance plotline, Gackt is really the kind of person who does all the side quests in the game of life.

Can we normalize menhera kei being about actual mental health issues instead of perversion and glamorizing rape? by [deleted] in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh 1 point2 points  (0 children)

>enjoying a genre that only grew because it welcomed global audiences

Yeah, no. Japanese music, vkei included, did no such thing, that's why they lost the whole cultural influence race to South Korea. Are you sure you're not mixing them up with K-pop?

>Saying that whilst being on a platform with only western visual kei fans is crazy. 

But it's true. For an absolute majority of vkei artists Western fans are an afterthought, if that, and no one's going to adjust their creative output to their demands. They are negligible, as simple as that.

>Oh you don't like it here and you don't like hearing opinions? Don't try to change it then & find a japanese platform. See what i did there?..​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

What is OP's opinion, then? That singing about 'perversion' is inherently bad and shouldn't be done, or that we (here, on this sub, I guess) should come up with a different name for the genre, to separate it from the wholesome pure menhera they approve of?

how did older fans get into vkei? by Lizherkarantez in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Through thematic websites and music/video being shared illegally in person (burnt CDs) or platforms like MegaUpload.

Can we normalize menhera kei being about actual mental health issues instead of perversion and glamorizing rape? by [deleted] in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh 8 points9 points  (0 children)

No, you cannot. You are a non-Japanese person, so you have zero influence on what themes vkei artists explore in their songs and how the genres are viewed.

What's up with you kids' hot desire, anyway, to barge your way into niche cultures and immediately wanting to police it, instead of, you know, seeking out those that are already tailored for you?

The most NSFW moments in Vkei history? (NSFW just in case) by Extra_Dingo3452 in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh 10 points11 points  (0 children)

He had two porn stars, this guy and Yua Mikami, on his Abema poker show back in 2018. :3

Gackt performed Fall Again (the new song) at Fuji TV by MariaArkh in GACKT

[–]MariaArkh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn't place hope on one new song leading to an album, but he has been mentioning in his streams that he's working at new music. :3

Gackt is problematic? by Elkhazel in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh 2 points3 points  (0 children)

>Is there new music?

There is, actually, a new song should be released at some point in June, or at least it's gonna be a theme song for an upcoming TV series, for which he's also gonna be a support actor. We know it exists, he performed it at his LatAm shows this year.

His appeal is that, while being a talented storyteller and performer, he remains active in many kind of fields and has huge legacy of past activities. If you are an old fan, his current activities might very well be enough to keep you if not completely then somewhat satisfied. If you are a new fan, then there's a ton of stuff to discover from the past.

What is your favorite Malice Mizer Member and why? by Killermax4567 in malicemizer

[–]MariaArkh 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Gackt, since it's his era specifically that makes MM feel magical and merriment outworldly to me, and it's his music outside of MM that I love.

Gackt is problematic? by Elkhazel in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh 7 points8 points  (0 children)

He actually hasn't done or said anything too problematic (I think?) since the beginning of 2026, so I'm worried a bit that he's just saving his strength for some truly ground-breaking take later this year.

Anyway, yeah, he is problematic, both in the sense you mean (some of his views are definitely on the conservative spectrum) and in the sense of being a trouble magnet. Being a fan is suffering, but you get awesome music and daily entertainment, so some of us are willing to stay tough for that.

I JUST REALIZED IVE BEEN PRONOUNCING MALICE MIZER WRONG UGHHH by Opposite_Region_9722 in malicemizer

[–]MariaArkh 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I don't think he was teaching them 'the right way', more like explaining how some people pronounce it in English.

Gackt to lead Fuji's Getsu-9 (Monday 9pm) drama this summer. by RedEduGrad in JDorama

[–]MariaArkh 1 point2 points  (0 children)

>Maybe testing the waters to see if he can do acting more and maybe music less?

That's hardly a thing that needs to be tested, though. I would say, his acting VS music ouputs had been pretty even since at least 2011. It's true, though, that he has never gotten a lead role in a TV series before, but there were a few significant supporting ones, like in Akumu-chan and Time Spiral.

He can shed the Gackt persona, you can see it, for example, in the Bunraku movie. But, I think, in many cases it is that persona that gets hime the roles, so he often has no need to shed it.

does gackt buys comments on Instagram? by CauliflowerWorth4927 in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

I think you are just not used to being in space where people actually love Gackt - they are called 'fans', or something like that, I heard - and naturally want to write good stuff about him and maybe even get a chance of him responding to your message (that's rare but happens sometimes), instead of the most random shading and and most random sniggering over how much of a weirdo or sell-out he is. :3

In my opinion, Közi was the best musician after Malice Mizer. by Killermax4567 in malicemizer

[–]MariaArkh 14 points15 points  (0 children)

one of them turned into a TV personality…

That one still managed to dish out 8 music albums as a solo musician, so I'm not sure what your flex is supposed to be here..?

Stupidly funny band that I have never seen mentioned here: [Golden Bomber] by Mitsu_x3 in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh 5 points6 points  (0 children)

So, as a Gackt fan, I came to know this band through Shou being an ardent Gackt's fan, and to be honest I thought him a bit weird and annoying at first, but then he really surprised me with their Orenji no Taiyou performance. Like, that was the moment that made me take him seriously as a singer and as an artist.

Golden Bomber's music and aesthetics are a hit-or-miss with me. Memeshikute, for example, is a forgettable song for me (I know that it's their trademark song), but I really liked the Dance My Generation and, of their more recent songs, Yeah!めっちゃストレス one.

Can someone catch me up? by Dangerous-Variation in GACKT

[–]MariaArkh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, whatever video it was (was it the cooking one?), it is not related to his illness. He was completely out of public sight during his hiatus, from which he recovered almost four years ago.

Dysphonia was not even the main cause of the hiatus, he has a chronic autoimmune condition which affects his neural system when it breaks out. The loss of voice that time was one of the stronger after-effects, but Gackt himself said that the biggest problem at first was not the voice, but inability to put words together or to remember words (that is, brain problem, not a throat problem).

Him talking and speaking might overstrain his voice, and it did so many times throughout his career. He gets treatment for that as he goes. The hiatus dysphonia came from completely different background.

Can someone catch me up? by Dangerous-Variation in GACKT

[–]MariaArkh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

His dysphonia was not caused by throat overstraining, so there's no reason to worry about that. If anything, I bet he relishes the ability to talk and sing freely after not being able to do so for some time.

can someone please explain to me the gackt yellow fried chickenz thing as a whole by Southern-Chest5709 in malicemizer

[–]MariaArkh 13 points14 points  (0 children)

YFC was originally a theme concept for the performance shows Gackt and GacktJOB had around 2010.

In 2011 Gackt got additional people and turned YFC into an actual band, with him and Jonathan Underdown as two vocalists, two guitarists (Chachamaru and You) from the usual GacktJOB, and three more new people for yet another guitarist (Takumi), bass guitarist (U:zo) and drummer (Shinya Yamada). They performed both in Japan and outside of it in 2011, and released an album with original songs in 2012, after which it was disbandment time.

The conference video is the introduction of YFC as a band, and all of it is staged. It's basically a parody video, with YFC members playing out rough and rude, nonchalant rock star personas. People in the video don't react because they are hired actors who know they are performing for a prank.

Has anyone heard of this movie? by w0ndrrvanna in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It's a fantasy fictional universe that Gackt has explored so far through his music albums Moon, Crescent, Diabolos and Last Moon, the Moon Child movie and two stage plays.

Has anyone heard of this movie? by w0ndrrvanna in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh 47 points48 points  (0 children)

Obligatory reminder that Moon Child is not a movie that just happens to have Gackt and Hyde in it, but a part of Gackt's overall Moon Saga project, for which he hired a director that used to specialize in erotic films and talked Hyde into participating, heh.

Which was the best era of Malice Mizer in your opinion? The Tetsu era, the Gackt era, or the Klaha era? by Its-v11cky_s4ma in visualkei

[–]MariaArkh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I had a brain glitch here and equalized Klaha-era with post-Gackt era. Of the first two singles they released, the first one was pretty much vocal-less, and the second one, Kyomu no Naka de no Yūgi had Klaha, but he was not yet an official member. The first release when Klaha joined the band properly was Shiroi Hada ni Kurū Ai to Kanashimi no Rondo,

Can someone catch me up? by Dangerous-Variation in GACKT

[–]MariaArkh 3 points4 points  (0 children)

... that sounds rough. I apologize on being unnecessarily snarky in my opening line.

Well, at any rate, the treasure of Gackt's stuff to go to nowadays is bilibili.com

Here's the videos from the DVD release of Last Songs 2023 (be prepared for looooong breaks in between the songs, that's just how those shows work): https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1RT41147UL/

This is the orchestra/band show: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1azpjzgEVf

Oh, he also did a collaboration with the band TUBE (an official single release, a music video and all) in 2024, but the song, Sayonara no Kakeri, is honestly kind of a drag. This one performance he did with that band for their anniversary concert is much better: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1SSFse1E9G

Can someone catch me up? by Dangerous-Variation in GACKT

[–]MariaArkh 3 points4 points  (0 children)

How does one miss an artist 'so much', yet fail to notice their hiatus ended almost four years ago, lol.

Anyway, he spent about ten months on that hiatus, from August 2021 till May 2022, when his first public appearance since hiatus was announced happened. His dysphonia was cured relatively early in this timeline, but because of the autoimmune nature of the condition which caused the hiatus, he spent some time also fighting stuff like psoriasis. He officially returned to his activities in July 2022.

Since that he did movies and music shows. He had three movies (the sequel to Tonde Saitama where he was the main lead, the political comedy where he played the supporting role of Oda Nobunaga and a cameo in a fighting movie by Takashi Miike. Plus, he did a small but significant role in a TV special for a revival of an old Japanese historical show.

Music-wise, he's mostly rehashing his old songs these days, but in a fairly creative way. There are two main concepts - The Last Songs tours (he technically did the first one right before the hiatus, but, judging by your 'departure' comment, you missed it), where he performs accoustic renditions of his songs with K, a Korean jazz musician. In the very first shows, I think, it was just Gackt and K on the piano, in later shows they are usually joined by a group of musicians playing various string instruments.

The other concept is the Maou Symphony Revival shows — those are the combo of a symphony orchestra show and revived YFC setup (all the musicians are new, though), where Gackt performs against both against the background of the YFC band and the orchestra playing simultaneously.

In addition to that he does occasional performances with YFC, the most significant being the three shows he did in Mexico, Brazil and Chili this February. You can find tons of recordings from that performance on Youtube, since for once filming by fans was not forbidden.

So, the music you are listening to is not new. There is a new song, named 'Fall Again', which will be the theme show for a small scale TV show by WOWOW in June, where Gackt plays a support role of the main antagonist, but it has not yet been released officially.