GACKT's "Graffiti" Video

GACKT's new single - the third opening theme for the anime "Sket Dance"

Bunraku Review: Warning - spoilers!

So I finally got my copy of Bunraku and was able to watch it. I've written a review and I have some GACKT screencaps. Just be aware this review will contain spoilers. So if you haven't seen the movie, but plan to, this is the time to stop reading.

To be completely honest, the only reason I really bought it was to support GACKT. I didn't hold much hope for the actual movie... especially after the panning it got from some critics. However, I must say I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this movie. That isn't to say it wasn't flawed, because this movie had a lot of flaws... however, none of the flaws were big enough to make me not enjoy the film.

Starting with the main characters -

The Drifter (Played by Josh Hartnett) was an interesting character. He has the strength of an ox, he could kill a man with a single punch. He wants to go after Nicola, also known as the woodcutter, but the reason is not known till the very end of the movie. He's a bit comical... for some reason he "smokes" fake cigarettes. its assumed that he is trying to stop smoking. however, whenever he has a chance, he will grab someone's cigar or cigarette and sniff it. He also appears to be afraid of heights. Especially in a scene where he had to use a trapeze to fight a bad guy. He is the kind of character you'd see in a comic. He is a man of a few words, and is fast with his hands. He uses this speed to win a card game with Nicola... Nicola isn't actually there, he is watching everything from his headquarters on a large screen, those in attendance can only see him on a screen as well. As much as they can at least, as he is hiding his face with his giant hat. He had someone physically at the game in his stead. The drifter basically wins everything, but he gives the money he won back, except for what he 'borrows' in order to enter the game. He states he didn't feel it was fair to take the money, that if he were going to take the money, he would want it to be face to face. this was a sly way of challenging Nicola to what would ultimately be the final battle. Josh Hartnett was excellent in the role. He looked the part, felt the part, and brought a sense of realism to the character.

Yoshi (Played by GACKT). When we first see Yoshi, he is at his Uncle's restaurant talking to his Uncle and cousin about wanting to find Nicola and the 'red suit' army (called that because they all wear red suits) to try to get back a gold medallion that was stolen from his father. It is his father's dying wish. He even brought money to buy it back, although his uncle warns him, these people are not the type to just hand something over.  right on cue, Yoshi gets into his first fight. It was hilarious watching Yoshi fight the pain of eating a mouthful of wasabi sauce just to intimidate the red suits who entered the restaurant. (If you've ever eaten wasabi paste... a small dab will burn your nose hairs off.) Of course he destroys the restaurant in the fight... and is immediately kicked out by his uncle. Yoshi is an honorable villager who just wants to do the right thing. It is eluded to by his uncle that his father, while an honorable man who also believed in doing the right thing, may have used violence as a solution to problems, which his uncle did not like and was wary that Yoshi may follow the same path (which he claims ultimately leads to destruction)... Yoshi did not want to follow this way, however, he is pulled into it on more than one occasion. I have to say, for his first "Hollywood" debut... GACKT did an AMAZING job. You forget he's a Japanese musician because he's such a brilliant actor. I can't see anyone else in this role... and I'm not just saying this as his fan. My brother saw the movie, and doesn't even know who he is, and said he was excellent in the role.

The Bartender (Played by Woody Harrelson) is like an anti-hero type hero. He sets things up, gets the characters in place, and pushes Yoshi and the Drifter to work together to defeat Nicola, a seemingly untouchable bad guy. Many have tried to overthrow him before, no one has ever even gotten passed his assassins. The Bartender knows someone will eventually come forward and take him down, and he knows it will be The Drifter and Yoshi, so he sets it up for them to come together to defeat the common enemy. He basically, in a very sly way, gets the two to beat the crap out of each other, knowing Yoshi and the Drifter are equally matched... hoping that would bring equal respect. At first it doesn't seem as if they'll get along, but when Yoshi is captured, the bartender knowingly tells the Drifter, knowing the Drifter will break him out. And after "borrowing" his money, and returning it, the two finally team up to defeat Nicola. He is one of the true heroes because he is the one who sets those two in motion and gets them to where they need to be to defeat Nicola... even putting himself in danger to help get them to where they need to be. He even claims he's not a hero nor does he want to be... but really, that's what he is. (which is why I called him the anti-hero, hero. the kind who claims not to be a hero, when he really is.) What I liked about Woody Harrelson's acting is that he had this twinkle in his eye. This knowing look. A look of wisdom that just made the bartender a great character.

Nicola (Played by Ron Perlmann) is a character who had so much potential, and a great actor to bring him to life... yet the writers kind of failed him. *spoilers here* Nicola is suppose to be the strongest character of the movie. Kind of like the last boss you'd have to defeat in the video game. As hard as the other baddies are to beat in a game... they are generally nothing compared to the final boss. He is at the top of totem pole. Even the most brutal and feared assassin in his red suit army, killer #2, is nothing compared to him. Killer #2 would not dare go against Nicola. Nicola is in love with Alexandra, his concubine (for lack of a better word), and wants to marry her and have her bare him an heir. he also dreams of coming face to face with a worthy opponent. Someone equal to him in strength. even if he dies, he will die as he wanted: In battle. he even tells the Drifter when they come face to face, right before he attempts to kill him... he says something like (And this is a loose quote, can't remember the exact quote)... "no matter how strong you are, there is always someone stronger than you. the only problem is where is he when you need him?" after he says this, the Drifter totally pwns him, and as Nicola lays dying, the drifter says "The man who told you that... was my father." (and thus we know why he set out to kill Nicola. Vengeance for his father.) The biggest flaw with Nicola was that, for someone so strong, he really didn't do anything. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, we rarely saw him. And he was so easy to defeat. he was tricked in a 'let down your guard' moment... a moment where he thought he had the upper hand... and he was surprised by the Drifter who attacked him with stealth. It was so quick and he went down so easily for being, again, what could be likened to the final boss of a video game. The writers could have done so much more with that end fight. It wasn't really a fight. The Drifter gets stabbed with an axe in the shoulder, then uses one of Yoshi's arrows to kill Nicola. It was that simple. Yoshi had a much harder time of it with killer #2. That being said... Ron Perlmann did a great job, despite not being given the proper storyline he and the character deserved.

Alexandra (Played by Demi Moore) is Nicola's concubine. (again for lack of a better word). She doesn't seem to be a willing love interest for Nicola, by the remark that her wish would be to love him "as a FREE woman", underscoring the fact that she was his property, and not there of her own free will. this is another character that was not used to her potential. Through a comic book style drawing, we find out that she had a lover who was badly injured by Nicola and his men, and she threw herself between them and him and offered herself if they would spare his life. Which is how she became Nicola's girl. *Spoiler here* We learn very quickly that the man she gave herself to protect was the Bartender. However, minus a brief meeting before her assumed death in a fire... nothing ever comes of that storyline. It's almost like: Why bother then? Alexandra also had a relatively small part in the movie, considering the big named actress portraying her. Again, missed opportunity for a great additional storyline.

Killer #2 (Played by Kevin McKidd) Since Nicola's strength was only assumed in the movie as he never actually got involved in many fights... Killer #2 (or Assassin #2) was arguably the strongest character in the movie next to the Drifter and Yoshi. He was the leader of Nicola's red suit army. there were 9 top killers, in order of their strength. he was #2 because there was no one who could match his strength and skill other than Nicola (who is considered #1 obviously). He is ruthless. His turning point is his final battle with Yoshi. This is what a real battle should be. Not just a, "You hit me so I hit you back" one punch fight... this was an all out brawl between honor and evil, good and bad, and it was anyone's guess who would win. *Spoiler here* Yoshi gets badly beaten up. He gets one good stab at Killer #2, but only manages to cut his suit jacket. He, on the other hand, gets run through by Killer #2's sword. So things looked really bleak at that point... however, like all bad guys usually do,  you have the proverbial "let down your guard when you think you have the upper hand" moment, and Yoshi uses that moment to defeat #2. Although #2 isn't going down without a fight. Even after Yoshi runs him through with his blade and sticks him to a tree... he tries to kill Yoshi with his last breath.

All in all, the movie was fantastic. Lots of action, lots of well choreographed fight scenes, some very interesting characters, and of course it has a good ending. *Spoilers here* Yoshi and the Drifter both survive obviously. Yoshi gets his father's medallion back from Nicola, and the Drifter avenges his father... and for the first time, he gives in and smokes a real cigarette. Yoshi's uncle was killed by #2 earlier in the film... leaving his cousin an orphan. Instead of going with Yoshi, she decides to stay with the Bartender who is opening a bar that also serves sushi and saki. Yoshi and the Drifter say goodbye to them, and each other, eluding to the fact they'll probably all meet again. And with a handshake, the movie is over.

Again, as much as I loved this movie, there were flaws. Nicola not displaying his fearsome strength more often... and when the final fight occurs, when it's his big chance to really have a battle... he gets taken down pretty easily. Obviously you want the good guy to win... but at the same time, you'd like him to win after a good fight. With a great actor like Ron Perlmann, they could have done so much more. And again, Alexandra not being utilized better than she was. Demi Moore is a great actress, and the character had a great storyline potential when we found out her true love was the Bartender.

some parts were also quite campy, especially in the beginning. The first time the red suit army enters there's this little sing songy "RED SUUUUUITS" that just made your eyes roll.

The first 15 minutes were a little confusing. The character and plot development took a little longer than it should have. Before you finally understood all that was going on... the movie was already well under way.

That being said... again... this was a great movie that gets better each time you watch it. I can see this being another fan made classic like Sin City.

I give it a solid A.

(Click on the screencaps for bigger pics. Please do not re-use without giving credit to this blog. http://camuigakuto.blogspot.com/ ... Thanks)

New Stuff to Watch For

Hey guys. New merchandise for your GACKT collection coming up.

Bunraku has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray. Get your copy at Amazon.com

On CDjapan you'll be able to pre-order all these new Gackt items.

GACKT in Europe official photobook ($151.40 USD)

GACKT in Nemuri Kyoshiro (stage play) on DVD ($84.12 USD)


New Single from anime "Sket Dance" - Graffiti (with bonus poster) ($15.14 USD)

Graffiti single + DVD  with bonus poster  ($22.71 USD)


GACKT Diary 2012 ($69.39 USD)

MTV has a special interview with GACKT that includes a never before seen clip of GACKT as "Yoshi" in Bunraku. (Currently out in limited release. Coming to DVD November 1st... Already have my copy pre-ordered... do you?)

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/09/29/gackt-bunraku/

GACKT Commercials

found some funny Gackt Commercials from last year I thought I'd share.

Bunraku vids and Gackt News

We have some new clips from GACKT's appearance in "Bunraku" (out in limited release at theaters Sept. 30th.)



| Bunraku | Movie Trailer | Review

Bunraku | Movie Trailer | Review

Also, From the Anime News Network:

The manga creator quartet CLAMP drafted the Moon Saga Yoshitsune Hiden (Moon Saga: The Secret of Yoshitsune) stage play with singer Gackt in the lead role, and the play will run in Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Osaka between July 15 and August 26 of next year. 

Gackt will play the title role of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a general who was critical to the Genpei War that inspired the literary classic Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike). The play's version of Yoshitsune will possess strange powers. 

9/11

O Beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain

For purple mountains majesty, above the fruited plains

America, America, God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood from Sea to shining sea





we will never forget.

New Bunraku poster

Click the image to enlarge

Big Bunraku news and 0

New OFFICIAL Bunraku trailer hits youtube... and BUNRAKU HITS THE THEATERS!! September 30th!



So get out and see the movie! I'm excited, it's like a birthday present just for me. hee hee (My birthday is Sept 23rd. hee hee)

More good news for GACKT:

his new hit single "0" is his 39th top 10 hit! It reached #3 in last week's single charts!

Congrats to GACKT on Bunraku and 0.

Happy Birthday to Gackt

H A P P Y
B I R T H D A Y
T O
G A C K T




July 4th, 1973

The day you were born, the heavens knew how special you were going to be to the world.

For your music, for your talents, and for sharing those talents with all of us, from the bottom of our hearts... we, your fans.. your dears... thank you.

On a side note: Happy 5th birthday to Yoshi (Princess) Yuu, my beloved Bichon puppy who was named after GACKT's Bunraku character, and shares the same birthday as GACKT.










Why I'm a GACKT fan

A tribute video (Its funny, but made with love. LOL)

Fans, please feel free to leave birthday wishes here in the comments section, or on the facebook page

Love Always

Andrea




*I'm Celebrating GACKT'S birthday by getting a tan. lol*




(quick shameless self promotion to fellow GACKT fans, click my name which is linked to my personal blog and friend me on facebook! Also, check me out HERE) lol

Another New Bunraku Vid

Thanks Kitana Ash

New Bunraku Video

Why Gackt to me

Hey all... Andrea here. I'm Your ever adorable, sweet, kindhearted, and yet somehow still single, webmistress of this GACKT News Fan blog. I was also running the Myspace Gackt forum until myspace became too frustrating, and I moved it here and to Facebook.

Some of you GACKT fans may actually know me by my station persona DJ Mayu of J-Rock us! Radio







<-- me as DJ Mayu I was working on my radio station - J-Rock us! Radio and I was thinking of ways to make the show better.










That got me to thinking about how I got to be a J-Rock fan in the first place. It's been a while since I've talked about that time, so I thought I'd share that story with other GACKT fans. Feel free to share your stories as well.

I was actually introduced to GACKT in 2005 by a friend who was into J-Rock. I didn't really listen to J-Rock other than what I heard on Japanese anime. I listened to classical music mostly, and country. (yes country). Sometimes other artists that had any real talent and wasn't just manufactured. I also listened to a lot of musical theater, as I was a professional musical theater actress myself. Music is a big part of my life. Just not J-Rock at the time.

In 2004, my dad (who was suffering from cancer) had taken a turn for the worse and was in and out of the hospital. My grandma (on my mom's side) and my uncle (my mom's brother who lived with my grandma)... came to stay with us because my grandma wasn't feeling well. She ended up in the hospital around the same day my dad had to go to the hospital for one of his many episodes related to Chemo. When we had gotten home, had dinner and settled in for the night, my uncle had a massive heart attack and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.

It was a stressful time in our life. My grandma was diagnosed with cancer, my dad was sick, and my uncle was in the process of having quadruple bypass surgery. In January of 2005 a former co-worker, a girl only one year older than myself at that time, died suddenly from a blood clot in her leg. I was attending her funeral, and it just made me want to hug everyone I loved. Her age also put things into perspective for me. It made me think about my own life and how I need to live more and love more.

So after the funeral I went to visit my grandmother in the hospital because I wanted to tell her how much I loved her. My mother wasn't there, I assumed she was with my dad or my uncle. So the nurses took me into the ICU room where she had been sent a few days earlier after developing complications from a stomach surgery they had to do. the nurses were very friendly, asking me how the weather outside was, was it still sunny, they said how sorry they were about my co-worker as my mom told them I was at a funeral, they told me my mom and my brothers had gone home and if I stopped by to have me call them.

once we got into the waiting area of the ICU, all the nurses cornered me like cops corner a robber. Their friendly expressions changed instantly. I knew I was going to hear something I didn't like, but I honestly didn't expect them to tell me my grandma died while I was at the funeral for my co-worker. unfortunately, that is exactly what they told me. They said my mom had tried to get ahold of me, but my phone was shut off out of respect during the service. I was very close to my grandma so I kind of lost it when I heard.

They hadn't taken her out of the room yet, so when I calmed down enough, they allowed me to go and see her one more time. It was odd because I thought I was in the wrong room. It didn't look like my grandma anymore. My grandma was full of life, she always seemed younger than she really was, she was so healthy, always smiling, her eyes always bright and cheerful. The person in that bed was none of those things. I just remember crying and saying how sorry I was that I wasn't there.

Everyone took it hard. She was a big influence on my family. It took a while, but we were starting to recover. My uncle survived his heart surgery, but he was taking a long time to heal. My dad was in and out of the hospital, but that was not unusual for him. One evening in May, my mom got a call that my dad stopped breathing and was put on life support. This wasn't new to us either. My dad had been on life support before. This was like the 3rd time. The next day I got a call from my brother at work. I needed to get to the hospital. They were removing my dad from life support, and this time, he wasn't going to be okay.

It was strange. My dad opened his eyes for a few minutes after the tubes were removed. He couldn't see, but he turned his head in the direction of people talking. He squeezed our hands to let us know he heard us. My brothers, my mom and I told him we loved him. his sisters were there with my uncles and they also told him they loved him. We knew from his eyes this was the last time we could say that. within minutes he slipped into a coma. We slept in the room all night. He was snoring. We knew deep down that he was already gone. His body was just taking time to shut down.

The next day, my aunts and uncles had gone back to the house to catch a nap. I went to the hospital cafeteria to get a snack. My brothers ran to get me and told me it was time. We all surrounded his bed as his blood pressure started to drop rapidly. Within 5 minutes of the warning signs, my dad took his last breath with my brothers, my mom and myself all hugging and kissing him goodbye. It's been 6 years, but even as I type this, I get a pain of emotion remembering that moment. My aunts and uncles arrived after he passed and they spent some time with him before we left.

when all was done, we went home to prepare the funeral arrangements. Everyone went into my dad's room where he had spent the last few years. It was like a hospital room. He had a hospital type bed with a side rail so that it would be too hard for him to fall out because the cancer made his bones brittle and even a small fall could do serious damage. He had his oxygen tanks where he left them by his bed, his bible by the bed side, he read it every night. Everyone wandered the room touching everything. I couldn't bring myself to go passed the door.

I also found it hard to cry. I don't know if it was the shock of losing someone so close my my grandma, or the shock that he died at all... we use to joke that despite all his health issues, he'd probably outlive us all. But it felt like I had emotionally shut down. I was completely devoid of any emotion. I think that was probably worse than if I had felt the sadness I was meant to feel.

My dad was being buried in the state where he and my mom originally came from, and before we packed up and left, my friend told me to sit by myself somewhere and listen to this song. It was by an artist named "GACKT", and the song was Tsuki no Uta. I told her I didn't know Japanese and never heard of that artist before, but she said it didn't matter. just listen to it.

That night before we left, I did. I listened to every word, to the sound of his voice, to the sound of the orchestration. I didn't understand a thing he was saying, yet somehow I felt I knew exactly what he meant.

By the time GACKT got to "Kimi no daisuki na Tsuki no uta o", I started crying. All the feelings I should have felt but couldn't, all the sadness that was trapped inside of me waiting to come out, finally surfaced.

After listening to that song a hundred times and crying and crying, I started to feel better, I started to feel like I was healing. From then on, I searched for more of GACKT. I listened to every song I could find. GACKT ended up being to me, one of those musicians that transcended the language barrier. Even if you couldn't speak a word of Japanese, you still knew what he was trying to say. It was his voice, it was the composition of the music, it was the raw passion and emotion.

There is no voice equal to GACKT. He has a talent that reaches across the world to touch those who listen to him. I have met few true artists that are able to do that.

GACKT pulled me through many hard times. The untimely passing of my uncle who died a year after his heart attack, the passing of my pet rabbit and pet iguana, a serious car accident I was in that still causes me issues even today. Gackt's music helped me through it all. Tsuki no Uta, Todokanai, 12Gatsu no love song, Hoshi no Suna

His music celebrated the good times with me. Winning a singing contest, Getting first place for a painting I did, Getting a role in a musical show... GACKT was the main influence for the names of my dogs Dojo Kansuke and Yoshi (Princess) Yuu. His songs inspired me and made me smile. Black Stone, U+K, Vanilla...

GACKT also opened my eyes to all of the other great artists I love today. Hyde (Vamps/L`arc~en~ciel), Orange Range, Do as Infinity, GLAY, The GazettE, so on.

And if it wasn't for GACKT's influence... I'd have never started my radio station: J-Rock us! Radio celebrating the best music Japan has to offer (Which includes a GACKT special every Saturday). (which I actually have to update. lol)

I'll probably never meet GACKT, (Although, I admit he'd be my dream interview for my radio station.) I probably will never be lucky enough to see him perform live, I don't think I'd even get a response from him if I sent him a fan letter. So this little blog that I run is my way of saying "Thanks" since I'll never be able to do say it to him personally.

Through this blog I hope to keep English speaking fans in the know of all the latest GACKT news, and maybe even introduce new GACKT fans to all that is GACKT.

anyhoo. Thanks for listening to my story. It really needed to be told so others can understand why I devote my time as a GACKT fan.

Oh, speaking of... there is still time to Pre-Order Gackt's newest single "Episode 0" through CDJapan

The limited edition is $21.99 USD, or you can get a first press regular edition for $14.99 USD.

as always... please, if you love an artist, support them by buying their merchandise.

This goes under "lol"

according to the one who posted this... this was all scripted.

Episode 0 Vids

The original version of Episode 0 (Gackpoid)





Gackt's version of Episode 0

New Tour, New Look

GACKT's new look for the upcoming second Yellow Fried Chicken tour

Gackt to release new single

(Thanks to Music Japan+ for this information)

It has been announced that GACKT will be releasing his 39th single and the record is a collaboration with Nico Nico Douga. In 2009 the "GACKPOID Contest" has been started, which was meant to make use of "vocal creation software" programmed with GACKT's voice. Out of the contest the two songs "Episode.0" and "Paranoid Doll" will also be included on the CD.

Moreover, the first press limited edition will come with the PC for "Episode.0", which was an original video on Nico Nico Douga and has been reproduced by GACKT with himself appearing. The original video is already available, whereas the PV is said to be released shortly.

Moreover, GACKT will also be going on tour in Europe for the second year in a row, traveling through nine countries to perform 14 shows.

(This blog update is dedicated to Big Boid, my conure parrot who passed away today.)

"The Tempest"

The Tempest is a new Historical Drama from NHK (who many will remember, ran the historical drama Furin Kazan).

Tempest is about a woman who uses her beauty and talent of imitation to gain power in the government. It takes place at the end of the Ryukyu Dynasty.

GACKT has been announced as having an original character on the series.

There is no word on who that original character is, or how big of a part GACKT will play. No air date has been set at this time either... but it's still something to look forward to.

Another 7.1 Earthquake

Hey guys. Please keep Japan in your thoughts and prayers at this time. They have suffered yet another 7.1 earthquake and are once again on the watch for another potential tsunami.

New Gackt Site and Japan Fund Raiser

Gackt has been heading a Japanese quake relief effort through the "show your heart" foundation. To date they have raised 170,000,000 yen.

For friends of Japan who would still like to help the relief effort... please visit http://redcross.org Even for a small donation of $10, the red cross would be able to buy purified bottled water to send to Japan.

In other Gackt News... I have decided to close down the Gackt News Myspace page. Myspace has gotten less user friendly. I have past blogs that were written in white against a black background. They changed the format and now the lettering is invisible and it won't let me fix the previous blogs... so I've reopened the Gackt News Fan site Here:

https://www.facebook.com/Gackt.News.Fanpage

Feel free to stop buy, friend the site and keep up to date on the latest Gackt news. Thanks again for understanding.

<3 Ara

Japan Earthquake

Thousands have died, hundreds if not thousands more are still missing, thousands have been injured, and everyone across the world has been affected by the 8.9 earthquake that hit Japan on 3-11-2011.

Thousands are without homes, food or usable water.

Join the relief effort and show your support for the people of Japan.

Visit http://redcross.org to make a donation. Any donation helps. For as small as a $10 donation, the Red Cross could get a few cases of bottled water, or food or toiletries for some of those in need in Japan.

Lady Gaga has also joined the relief effort. For a $5 donation you can buy a bracelet, specially designed by Lady Gaga, that says "We Pray for Japan" in English and Japanese.

Visit http://www.ladygaga.com to purchase the bracelet. You can also choose to make a small side donation on top of the $5 for the bracelet. Every little bit helps.

Again, I also pray for Japan and all those affected by this terrible disaster.

Sorry it has been so long

Sorry it has been so long. I have been engrossed in writing a book that is set to be published soon... and it has taken up all if not most of my time.

There really hasn't been much news on Gackt anyway. He's been fairly quiet. Mostly we are still waiting for Bunraku. No word on when it will be released other than it's due out sometime this year (tentatively)... and a trailer was released. It was pretty awesome... but it turned out to be a fake. Still awesome though.



Also, Gackt will be doing voice work for an anime called "Supernatural". that's pretty much it right now.

Again, I apologize for the absurd amount of time it's been since I've updated the site. I will try to be more on top of things in the future.

In a bit of related news... I was thinking of canceling this site's myspace sister site and reopening it on facebook. thoughts? Opinions?