Ask Inugami-san: [Question 001]

Welcome to 'Ask Inugami-san'.
I am Inugami.
You may ask me anything pertaining to Japanese music, regardless of genre. Whether it be about fashion, etiquette when meeting a band or artist, or even rumors you have heard, I will answer all your questions as best I can and hopefully we both with learn something new and exciting from the questions!

Please send your questions to: inugamisan@kanzennijrock.net

And here is our first question.

Q --Inugami-san, are visual kei inspired bands from other countries still visual kei even if they aren't from Japan or even Japanese?
Thank you, Emiri

A --Hello Emiri, thank you for your question!
X-Japan called it "Psychedelic violence crime of visual shock". They did not specify anywhere within that definition race or nationality. So I would say yes, VK inspired bands are visual kei as long as they have the sound and visuals to match. Some think VK is not dictated by a certain sound, it’s the visual aesthetics that dictate whether it is VK or not. But later on, VK started to take on a sound genre of its own, not just visual aspects. For example, it was said by a famous VK artist that Dir en Grey is the best visual kei band in existence today because even though they lost the costumes, the sound they produce is just as intense and shocking as their former costumes and visuals. So, it is not always the visuals and not always the sound that makes them VK, and is definitely not restricted to the land of the Rising Sun.

Talk to you again soon,
Inugami-san