CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45a4Ou2g-ps

I never watch J-pop music vids; I hear some music but never look at bands or anything. Then I see this after checking out the ED music for Gundam 00, and I'm nonplussed to say the least. Is that lead singer supposed to be gay? Or is it heterosexually appealing in Japan for a man to look like a freaking woman? (Is that dress? And the hair!) L'arc-en-ciel DOES mean rainbow, after all... And the more I look around, the more I see that a ton of J-pop/rock bands are this way: androgynous at best.

What gives?

Welcome to Japan, Paladin.

Yeah, yeah - it's not like the stork dropped me off earlier this morning. But are these groups supposed to be gay or what?

I am just ruining your day, aren't I?

Music scene fashion has always been pretty weird. Given what a fair number of American bands get away with, Japan really isn't much to write home about. It's outlandish and over the top because it's all part of the show.

No members of L'Arc~en~ciel are gay. Hyde the lead singer is married and has I believe 2 kids...though it could be just one. Anyway, L'Arc is a band known at getting people's attention (i.e - weird outrageous videos or antics on stage). They're also known for Visual Kei but have since over the 7 years of being a band 'lightened' up a bit in their Visual Kei..I'd comapre it to a Good Charlotte kind of Visual Kei now or Green Day mostly eyeliner since they are "punk rock"...

The look they used in the video is Visual Kei a Japanese sub culture. Blurry Eyes is an older song off their Tierra album back when they were strictly Visual Kei (but not really). They were heavily Visual Kei in the 90s and alittle in 2001. Visual Kei can go either way sometimes flamboyant or utterly goth (makeup and such).

If you take a look at their recent videos: READY STEADY GO!, New World, Poem ~Jojoushi, or even go back a few years and take a look at "Stay Away" there is no hint of Visual Kei any longer.

Hope that helps you out in understanding Japanese subculture! ^__^

It does; and that's pretty much what I figured. It would make me sleep safer at night if they were just gay, but ah well. Someone can lock this thread if they wish.

Men looking girly in Jpop bands! We must not let this happen, because the next thing you know, there will be girly men in anime.


Now for a non joke on this topic. I think it its just a thing that some bands like to do, just like some bands over here do things for shock value, but its just a subculture thing over there.


[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang [/color][/font]

Let's see... Boy George, Marilyn Manson, David Bowie at various times in his career... yep, we wouldn't let any of OUR bands do that kind of thing...

OH NOEZ.. GIRLY MEN :O



Yup, like My Chemical Romance u_u/

Roy Mustang (post: 1198055) wrote:Men looking girly in Jpop bands! We must not let this happen, because the next thing you know, there will be girly men in anime.
[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang [/color][/font]

That really made me 'lol'!

yukoxholic (post: 1198053) wrote:No members of L'Arc~en~ciel are gay.
Hope that helps you out in understanding Japanese subculture! ^__^

This is comforting, and I'm glad this was posted. I was wondering about all of this myself, and now I know! ^^

Sohma (post: 1198069) wrote:This is comforting, and I'm glad this was posted. I was wondering about all of this myself, and now I know! ^^

Haha! Glad to comfort you! But they do make some awesome music IMHO if you can look passed their "older youthful days" ^__^. I don't really care much for Visual Kei sub culture but I will say that I am a huge fan of L'Arc's music and like I stated before they don't do that at all anymore.

I don't even think they classify themselves as Visual Kei anymore. They're more punk rock.

EricTheFred wrote: David Bowie at various times in his career... yep, we wouldn't let any of OUR bands do that kind of thing...

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3622738176/tt0091369

Look kids, its our favorite anime villain Folken from Escaflowne the movie!

Oh wait a min, its just David Bowie.

[color="Red"]
[font="Book Antiqua"]Col. Roy Mustang[/font][/color]

Ahh yes, L'arc-en-ciel sure did a lot of strange things in their earlier musical days. Hyde didn't look that hot with long flowy hair and Ken had this tendency to have really bright-looking red lips.

They're not gay, they look much better today (less girly, more punk LOL) and their music still rocks. YAY. I'm a happy Laruku fan.

There are many Visual Kei groups out there so consider this a warmup session. LOL

man...that's pretty disturbing and creepy...not to mention illogical and pointless.

L'arc?! L'arc is NOTHING. Check out the REAL hardcore VK crossdressing j-rock. Gothic lolita with petticoats and frills and lipstick and the works.

Because nothing turns a heterosexual woman on like a hot man in a dress.

Roy Mustang (post: 1198075) wrote:http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3622738176/tt0091369

Look kids, its our favorite anime villain Folken from Escaflowne the movie!

Oh wait a min, its just David Bowie.

[color="Red"]
[font="Book Antiqua"]Col. Roy Mustang[/font][/color]

And yet another anime girl with freakish hair...
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1159843_3,00.html

No, just Bowie again. Oh, well.

Good to see this thread has stayed civil thus far; let's keep it that way! XD

Anyways, the style is known as Visual Kei, and yes, many bands dress like women. I don't really know the reason behind it, so I'll leave that for someone else to answer. Regardless, to my knowledge, either none or very few of the bands that use the Visual Kei style are actually gay, or even effeminate. Like I said, though, I don't really know a whole lot about it, so I'm going off of what I've heard, here. Also, definitely agreeing with those that brought up the bizarre clothing some American musicians wear. XD

And a bit off topic, but I've heard that song somewhere before, and I can't figure out where. XD

Because in AMERICA, we NEVER let our rock or pop artists get away with dressing flamboyantly or looking effeminate!





Oh wait, never mind.

Well, I mean, some male Japanese (and non-Japanese >_>) stars even fake-make-out with their male backups on stage, yet they remain straight and continue to have one-night stands exclusively with female stars and fans. *shrug*

[font="Palatino Linotype"]Heh.
*AHEM*

The picture attached is a MAN. His name is Mana. He is from the band Malice Mizer. (Don't listen to the music...*shudder* They's be kinda creepy)
He is also around...38-39 years of age?
This is nothing to me. I personally don't mind effeminate men.
But...this is maybe a little too extreme {{This is coming from a big Visual Kei fan}}

This is the Gothic Lolita style. Men do dress up like this. But most dress in the Gothic Aristocrat style.

But bands like Alice Nine, for instance, goes for the more boy-ish look.

And if you look for the band Antique Cafe (AN CAFE) one of the guys in the band looks feminine and they aren't really a Visual Kei band!

I think it's quite amusing, personally... ;D[/font]

>.> Hyde. Gay. lol

Crossdressing isn't new in Japan. It's been a part of theater and entertainment from way back, so it's uh, rather silly to assume a 'feminine' looking costume = gay guy in said costumes.

Yeah, if Mana and co dressed up as PRETTY girls instead of that kinda... creepy getup, I'd forgive them.

....I do think that Dir en grey's Shinya as Audrey Hepburn is very pretty. But that's IT, that's the limit, and Diru is scary as heck as a band.

Crossdressing's not new in the West, either. >DDD

minakichan (post: 1198117) wrote:Crossdressing's not new in the West, either. >DDD

Didn't think so, though I'm less qualified to comment on the cultural implications of Western cross-dressing. XD

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I actually like that style of clothing. (EGL, so to say.)

What. Could you imagine Mana dressing up in pink?

At least they don't pick very girly colors.

But...we're getting more into Visual Kei than J-Pop...

But the funny thing is? Guys cross-dressing over in Japan is very popular with the ladies.

People over think a guy cross-dressing is creepy...>_> [/font]

How about THIS?
.rai//

EricTheFred wrote:And yet another anime girl with freakish hair...
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1159843_3,00.html

No, just Bowie again. Oh, well.

At that moment, David Bowie remembers that the casting call for cats is not untill next week.


[color="Red"][font="Book Antiqua"]Col. Roy Mustang[/font][/color]

Dr. Butterfly? Nah, he's not in a skirt, that makes him normal. *dies*

The crossdressing stuff and the fakemakeouts are definitely more prominent in J-rock than J-pop. There's a reason I gravitate towards the latter more than the former, even if that makes me a loser.

Well, I say this. I'm a fan of the band Buck-Tick. They did the song called dress in 1993 or so that become the opening for Trinity Blood.

But if you love this song and don't want any nightmares, never never ever watch the music video that they did for that song. Because the leader singer is in a women's nightgown.


[color="Red"][font="Book Antiqua"]Col. Roy Mustang [/font][/color]

These don't really bother me. I actually like them xD. But the first one reminds me of Orochimaru . . . that's kind of awesome. xP They aren't taking it too far, like Mana, *barf*. In my opinion anyway.
I think they are pretty and nice looking at the same time ;D (The first two anyway, the last one makes me think of a Japanese David Bowie.)

Ah, Dress... That's an ABS song to me. XD;;;

Yeah, sometimes the PV ruins the song; there's great JPop/JRock songs out there that just have terrible PVs, it's sad... Well, I guess I should just stop being so curious/ stop being such a PV addict. (And then there are those PVs that make the song 5000% better XD XD XD)