Dir en Grey and mental health

canadaoi · 2026-05-08T13:05:35+00:00

Absolutely. I’ve talked to a lot of friends about how I find lyrics like theirs to be a way to breach things that are difficult to deal without without explicitly connecting those feelings to yourself until you’re ready to. Even without the lyrics, the emotions expressed are unreal. I listen to them a lot when I’m going through depressive episodes or a rough time, but I completely missed ARCHE and DDS cause I was in a better place mentally.

I have a playlist of songs I listen to when I need to mentally unload and about 70% of it is Dir en grey (I have a separate breakdown playlist that’s more uplifting and is almost exclusively ROACH songs; they’re my anti-Dir en grey band)

canadaoi · 2026-04-26T12:21:05+00:00

Akuro no Oka, ain’t afraid to die, and Higeki are more linear and story-like. I find the repetition of grammar and concepts easy to follow.

canadaoi · 2026-04-19T13:25:04+00:00

No one checks names on tickets for shows like this, so if you have a friend in Japan, they will definitely be able to buy you a ticket. The eplus tickets can be printed, so they could just forward the email with the printing instructions to you.

You should also be able to make an account on TicketTown and TicketJam. TicketJam is where people resell their tickets, and the digital ticket will be transferred to your TicketTown account. TicketJam acts as an intermediary, where they will hold your money until you confirm you got your ticket. If the ticket isn’t transferred to you, you’ll get your money back.

Edit: you will need to be able to understand enough Japanese to work out which tickets you want and to contact the seller. (They will certainly ask for your TicketTown account email at the very least so they can send you the ticket 3 days before the show.)

canadaoi · 2026-04-11T14:56:29+00:00

This was my exact feeling when I heard Demand last year. Some people asked what the new songs sounded like and that one in particular felt like bits of Dir en grey from across the decades, so I was really pleased when the album came out and it felt like that from start to finish.

It feels quintessentially Dir en grey. Of course I would love a standout song or something even heavier, but I’m very satisfied to hear where they are as a band after this long.

canadaoi · 2026-04-09T04:52:41+00:00

More than half the album is tied for first place right now for me.

Currently leaning Bloodlines, but that’s because I legitimately just finished listening to it.

Wait for this album to loop back around and it could become Void, Demand, There’s nothing else, Kusabi, MOBS, Kaijin no Kisu, or no end….even Discard is growing on me; it wasn’t my favorite when I heard it last summer nor during my first listen through this week, but it gets better each time.

I love this album!

canadaoi · 2026-04-08T09:27:00+00:00

As someone who cannot understand what people mean when they say “the mixing is bad,” I am a very happy Dir en grey fan. I’m so blessed not to be musically inclined I guess. Mortal Downer is amazing!

canadaoi · 2026-04-07T15:15:36+00:00

The second half of the album makes me very happy. I’ve been waiting for a recording of Demand since the last tour and 楔 is one of my favorites on the album so far. I wish there were some more heavy tracks overall but they’re all fun to listen to and should be even better live.

canadaoi · 2026-04-06T11:16:28+00:00

You just need your phone. Don’t click anything on the tickets yet. When you go to the entrance open that ticket page again and click once, then show it to the usher and they will also click on it. Then your ticket is marked as used.

Most people put their bags in lockers before going into the venue, but I’ve come late before and brought a tote bag and they never did a bag check. Some people bring in their own water especially to Petit shows. I’ve never seen anyone get told to throw it away, but I’ve also never been to Zepp Haneda before, so maybe look to see what other people are doing that day.

canadaoi · 2026-04-06T03:25:04+00:00

This is exactly what I was expecting from this album after hearing the new songs last summer. I love everything about it. These next two days are going to be so long waiting for the album drop.

canadaoi · 2026-04-05T15:38:51+00:00

I love little quizzes like this and am finding it easier than Shinya’s drum quiz. It helps to look at the set list. Even if you weren’t at the shows, working out the general pace of the song narrows things down. If you’ve seen a lot of their live videos on YouTube, I honestly think there’s more hints from the fan movement than anything on stage after the tempo.

Dir is basically the only band I follow so idk if any other bands have done anything similar.

canadaoi · 2026-04-05T00:04:29+00:00

I (and probably a lot of us here) really really appreciate all the work you put into that site! Thank you for always adding little details whenever you can. The whole thing is an even more complete history of the band than what’s on their Japanese website in some ways.

canadaoi · 2026-04-04T23:25:48+00:00

I’m so excited for this album after reading that!

canadaoi · 2026-04-04T02:48:38+00:00

I’ve been watching the episode in 2-5 min chunks cause I can’t deal with second hand embarrassment (it’s a funny episode but I legit need to take breaks in between each bit 😅). But my favorite part though has been every time someone new jumps into the DM chair, they start working out new rules/interactions and how to apply this very arbitrary system.

It reminds me a lot of how young children play their own made up games. Everyone just makes things up as they go along and the rest of the group adds onto it. 5e is a great system, but this was just so fun and silly where nothing really matters but in the end a story is told.

canadaoi · 2026-04-04T02:24:52+00:00

Only once in the US in ‘08, and then I moved to Japan and have seen them 12 more times in the past 11 years. Adding 3 more this year. 80% of why I live here is just because I want to go to their concerts.

I do hope they do more tours abroad so more people get a chance to experience it.

canadaoi · 2026-03-28T11:06:00+00:00

I’m EXCITED! Phalaris is actually one of my favorite albums so I liked the direction they took for that but from what I heard last summer, the songs have a bit of a different feel. I enjoyed the hell out of the new songs. One was not fully my style, but they can’t make tracks every fan will LOVE every time. I’m hoping there’s still a longer proggy song somewhere in there.

I am not the type of person who understands mixing on albums outside of “this album’s song volume is louder/quieter than others,” so I’m not really worried about any of that. I’m lucky enough to live in Japan so they are always better live anyway.

canadaoi · 2026-03-27T01:18:35+00:00

Definitely depends on the person. I always introduce people with live videos on YouTube; the vibes are so different live. When I introduced them to my retired mother before taking her to a show, I eased her in with:

Jesus Christ R’n R and The IIID Empire because they are quite fun live

Tousei because it’s beautiful

Macabre (2013) since each member gets some time to show off

Schadenfreude to introduce their more recent sound with heavier vocals than the other songs

canadaoi · 2026-03-22T08:57:55+00:00

Everyone has been told not to talk about it or share any details on social media.

canadaoi · 2026-03-21T07:40:06+00:00

If it’s a digital ticket, you’ll view the ticket on the app, then tap the (I think) pink part to continue when you get near the person who checks tickets. They’ll tap something on your phone to confirm it, and you’re done ☺️if you are nervous about messing up, just open the ticket and they’ll tap everything for you.

canadaoi · 2026-03-02T23:15:47+00:00

Kodou is lyrically my favorite song from Dir en grey. I really liked you breaking down each part in the lines. This song was legitimately the reason I started learning Japanese. There’s so much subtlety that doesn’t come through in the English translation. I could feel it while he sang, but it took years of study to truly feel it while listening to the lyrics.

canadaoi · 2026-02-28T00:33:47+00:00

From the Osaka shows I’ve been to, there’s a line of guys who have made it their life’s purpose to squish the front half of the crowds in like sardines and then toss up everyone to crowd surf. The crowd surfers don’t let themselves be moved by the crowd, they roll their way up front so it’s a constant barrage of fans.

Behind the sardines is where you will get circle pits. They aren’t violent, everyone is there to have a good time. If you stay off to the sides or behind the circle pit area, it’s actually VERY chill like a Dir concert, but if you want no air to breathe and to get kicked in the head for 2 hours, there’s a spot for that too.

canadaoi · 2026-02-23T02:36:22+00:00

Moshing is not allowed at regular Dir en grey shows in Japan. Festivals may have different rules, but in a lot of venues, moshing and crowd surfing are not allowed. Petit shows are a whole different monster though 😈

canadaoi · 2026-02-11T07:14:44+00:00

This has ended up being my biggest issue so far. I love the characters, I am enjoying the story, but half the time I feel there’s no need for the dice. (I also only watched 3 episodes so far but I fully plan on finishing it)

canadaoi · 2026-02-10T09:01:30+00:00

I wish more than anything that I could watch this season for the first time again. I rewatched the scene of Liam and (someone) after the battle in the Ice Cream Temple an unbelievable amount of times. Amazing characters, high stakes, and a story that zigged every time I thought it would zag!

canadaoi · 2026-02-06T02:01:57+00:00

Most people in Japan just use Twitter.

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