/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>>9206642
Mana-sama doesn't need to talk

Why is it that he never speaks in public? Is it just his image or has he got legit mental issues?

>>9206658
Mana's voice is so devine that if it was heard by mortal ears it will make their brain explode.

>>9206658
>>9206680
Either that or he wears such a thick layer of makeup that it would just crumble off his face if he moves his mouth.

>>9206858
I chose to believe >>9206680

>>9206658

I think it's partly because it breaks the illusion. If you are in the audience of a show and not looking closely, it's easy to suspend your disbelief and imagine that Mana is actually a tall woman. But his voice is not girly at all. It's all showmanship and the character he's built.

I heard he was actually very shy and nervous? I remember reading something about how his hands would visibly shake. In one of his TV interviews with Malice Mizer, you can actually see this.

Honestly, it just makes Mana more appealing to me. I'd probably be like that too. Just because you can perform doesn't mean you're good at interviews or doing PR.

There is some super old interview footage for a TV show where he actually did speak briefly but to me I really like his whole interpreter/sign language/gesture thing.

There is audio of him speaking but the one I have saved the crowd is screaming as he speaks and he sounds extremely nervous.

Isn't there a rumor that he's that 'special member' X on the moi dix mois albums who did some of the vocals

>>9206642
Speaking is beneath our glorious Mana-sama.

Anyway, time for a mana thread.

>>9207056

>>9207059
I love the weird fucking poses he makes for mmm shoots

>>9206998
I've heard similar. It's kind of adorable to think that our holy father who makes even grocery shopping the most egl can be shy in public.

>>9207066
>our holy father

Our Mana
Who art in Japan
Ruffléd be thy name

>>9207113
thy burando come
thy will be done

>>9207159
Across Earth as it is in Japan
Give us this day our daily threads
And forgive us our scalpers
As we forgive those who scalp against us

>>9207113
>>9207159
>>9207174
Bless you, anon.

>>9207174
Mana is a fag

>>9207179

>>9206998
whatever the reason, i am glad for a celebrity who is committed to witholding. i hope he can stay as nearly-anonymous (compared to similar celebs) as long as possible.

>>9207174
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from itas.

>>9207381
Amen.

>>9207381
For Thine is the vampire, the gothic, the romance,
Now and forever.

>>9207475
Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBbBxXiXhL8

First time I'm seeing the 2nd one with the Gekka costume.

>>9207475
Bampire*

>>9206998
>>9207341
Care to share these videos? I'm really curious about that interview, and I really want to see the second one, seems cute as fuck.

>>9207179
Mana-sama is married to a woman and has children.

>>9207629
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7yB6BjlkeM

>>9208322
Here, actually this is better, this has both clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBbBxXiXhL8

>>9208319
proof or gtfo

>>9206998
Probably, I shook his hand once, it was very sweaty (glorious nevertheless)

>>9208390
Anon, that was holy water not sweat.

>>9208388
Shitty source, I know, but most people on tanuki consider that one some sort of common knowledge, and seems nobody really doubts it, so maybe there has been proof of that in the past. His wife is supossedly the manager of mmm.

>>9208319
This a rumour that's been circulating for years, as far as I know it's not been proven, I hope it isn't... I like to think of him as some asexual holy being

I know this might not be the best place to look for an impartial opinion but.

I discovered VK through Malice Mizer nearly 15 years ago, still adore their music, but when it comes to Mana I find that my feelings regarding him have changed quite a bit.

I used to look up to him because to me he was the proof that becoming an adult didn't mean you had to let go of your dreams and align yourself with what 'regular' adults expect of you. I know it sounds dumb but as a figure he really helped me a lot in my early to mid teen years. However, as I grew up, that image started to crumble. The things that Gackt implied in his autobiography, the vocalists that kept leaving, how the last MM era seemed in retrospect to be an experiment to test out Mana's next project, M10M... and with M10M the persona he'd built in MM fell apart almost completely, and made me wonder if what he had presented himself as until then - though, of course, I always knew as a stage persona - was something he put up with for the sake of success (many other popular old school VK artists have and admitted to it at times) and was only now to be free to be of himself.

I don't know part of me is baffled that in 2016 there are still fans of his that look up to him like that, like I used to, in spite of everything, and part of me wishes to understand if it really is just my impression or Mana really isn't the dedicated "honest" artist that people want him to be.

>>9208753
mana stuck his penis in a woman

think on it

>>9209439
Totally agree with this. People that unironically see Mana as a holy and perfect being are just really chidlish, then again, that's exactly the kind of public VK relies the most on.
We have enought info to get a closer idea to how he is as a person, and to some degree I believe a "real" fan would want to know about that side too.

>>9209445
pics or it didn't happen

>>9209439
VK is just as bad as any other show business. It's super naive to think these people wouldn't do it for money and adjust their appearance depending on fans. Asagi from D has said he don't get why fans are crazy for feminine clothes but he uses them because it's popular. However, vocalists leaving MM has been a bit unfortunate also. There was an interview with Tetsu in the V-kei thread where he stated the reason he left MM was that he wasn't sure that was the thing he wanted to world to know him of and how he kinda regrets leaving. I believe Gackt saw his opportunity to create a career with MM and took it, his goals were very different than Mana's afterall. You will never know what the vocalists' motivation to join and leave the band was. Visual kei is a cruel business. Also, I guess it also creates stigma that there is basically only one person to lead the band, who has the label and writes the songs. Just look at Kamijo. He has same kind of problems with his bands and is in a same kind of situation as Mana. He has a visible record for being a difficult person tho.

>>9209919
Kamijo is a dick desu

>>9209919
>only one person to lead the band, who has the label and writes the songs
Plus all the other shit they have to deal, again like you say, look at Kamijo. He is the "face" that has to deal with the fans (and he has a lot of crazy ones), and apologize when the promotors mess up and cancel his shows, or when another guy at the band gets in diva mode, when there are techinical difficulties on a live, etc. With that kind of pressure on them is not really surprising if they get bitter and grumpy and act like dicks.

>>9210042
And you need a certain attitude to be succesfull. If these people were too kind and always thought about others they wouldn't be. If there is something wrong with the band it needs to be addressed or it could drag down the whole thing or everyone would rip you off. I'm not friends or anything with these artist, it doesn't matter to me if they have difficult personalities or are sometimes cocky. What matters is that I enjoy their art and they treat their fans with respect because I'm a fan afterall. Can't speak for Mana, but Kamijo has very good nerves with fans. When he toured here the majority was horrible, people dragged pieces of fabric behind them, one had weird squares drawn badly on her face and was going to give a teddybear modified by her to him and he kept his cool perfectly and was super polite. It's their work and what I paid for so I'm happy even if some of their band mates weren't perfectly pleased they couldn't be naked in a TV commercial lol.

>>9210061
Totally agree, if you want to survive in the music industry you have to be a dick, and vk seems to make that part of the bussines even rougher.
Can't speak for Mana either because I have never seen how he reacts to his fans, but I have seen how Asagi and Kamijo deal with them and yeah, they are fucking polite and ridiculously nice to them. And as you said, Kamijo has some of the weirdest and creepiest fans I have seen, They really know how to do their job, and probably they got to like their fans a little too.

>>9209439
I love Mana because Moitie is my favourite brand, I love his aesthetic, that he never changes a lot, and I like a lot of his music. I consider myself his fan, but I don't care about any designer or musician enough to figure out what was said about them in a book in a language I can't even read. I'm sure it can't have been that bad though or I would have heard about it somehow, like I've heard a lot of bad things about VK bands I don't even care about.

Is he still active in the music business? I haven't heard from him in like a decade. But then again vk is completely dead in our country.

I kinda thought he had completely Fokused on his fashion and magazine career?

>>9215347
He still does stuff with MdM, check their twitter. However I don't believe they've been writing new music.

>>9215347
He has a show coming up in Hong Kong at the end of the month and has been quite active with Moi Dix Mois as of late. Moitie is and always has been his secondary business.

>>9207589
ILU

>>9215353
They are relasing a new album this year.

>>9215612
Deets, please?

>>9215617
Was announced at the end of 2015 at one live event.
Last "news" on it was pic related, around may. They haven't mentioned it again since then, but they do have a decent number of unreleased songs they have been playing at lives.
Just pray they don't pull a XJapan on it.

>>9216516
Thank you, Anon. I did not think to look at recent set lists from lives! Now I am hoping it comes out soon, wow!

>>9209439
Kind of related, but what group claimed they didn't even like Visual Kei or it was just a marketing tactic? Was it Dir En Grey or someone else?

>>9216611
dir en grey was ecstatic to get away from it

Shinya still a cute tho

>>9216611
Thought it was gazette

How successful is Moi dix Mois compared to Malice Mizer? Do MdM shows still draw a large crowd?

>>9217100
Yes. They play larger venues.

>>9217100
Oops. I also meant to add that their tickets sell out pretty fast too.

>>9207178
Amen.

>>9208319
You're thinking of this right?

>>9216711
>>9217066
Source on these? I'd like to read any articles or interviews.
>>9217154
This is like some politician picture with a kid. So benevolent, Mana-sama.

>>9209919
Kamijo loves being the center of attention. Just look at his solo career,he wanted to be the next Gackt but due to age has to rethink it over. Versailles comeback is just a money making scheme because Jupiter isn't as popular as Versailles was. There is not a single Kamijo fan that isn't insane in some way shape or form. It's sad that these people latch on to his persona ignoring all the rumors and facts about him. Seriously, think about it. Every group he was in he wanted to lead or the band wanted to mysteriously break up with even the members dissappearing for years.

>>9217066
Nope they still rely on it. They rely on crazy fans willing to pay for special events and photographs. They bit off more than they can chew with Tokyo Dome.

>>9209439
where can I find Gack's autobio anon?

>>9224570
He wanting to be the leading member is pretty reasonable tho. He writes all the songs (perhaps he wrote also the songs for Jupiter since none of those gyus has record for writing similar style music themselves) and owned Applause Records and Sherow Artist Society. As I said I don't care how dick he is, it's none of my business and probably required to make it that far. I would be a dick too if I was the one arranging every damn thing. Fucking naive to think vk bands form naturally and everyone is equally talented. If you look the pattern after Lareine it's pretty obvious Mana and Kamijo has been working together (Seth moving to MdM from HGP and Juka to HGP from MdM, Kamijo was HGP's producer anf song writer) and Versailles wasn't a coincidence. Why, for example Mayu, Machi and Emiru didn't really show up anymore? They weren't good enough on their own, they couldn't compose or didn't have the resources that Kamijo had. Simple.

>>9224663
Kamijo is loved by Abes(?) Wife isn't he? Lmao
No wonder he has great recourses.

>>9224570
>There is not a single Kamijo fan that isn't insane in some way shape or form.
Not really, I'm a big fan of his music and his looks, but I'm rational enough to know pulls an stage persona, like most celebrities do, and nobody in the VK bussiness is a saint. I just don't really care about his personal at all. As long as he keeps making good music I'm happy, he can be a dick as much as he wants, is not like I have to deal with the guy everyday after all.
There is a few of normal fans here and there, but yeah, I believe a big part of his fans are insane to creepy levels.

>>9224667
Wouldn't be surprised if she was involved in the whole Budokan deal to some degree. Have a pic of Kamijo and Akie.

>>9224570
I don't really keep up on v-kei much, but why did it not work out for Kamijo? I thought Gackt was pretty old and his solo career did okay. The whole split with Versailles seemed pretty needless, though. Also, why was Kamijo supposedly an asshole?

>>9225820
Gackt was still in his 20s when leaving VK behind. Kamijo is well in his 40s and brandmarked pretty 'badly' by the VK scene.

>>9225820

Pretty much what >>9225824 but in my opinion it was mostly because he is too stuck with VK now.

About the time Versailles went on hiatus and he started with his solo project it looked like he kinda wanted to go with something way less flashy.
He had shorter hair, more natural looking makeup, casual clothing (pic related) and his first live events had him singing ballads along a piano. But seems big part of his fans missed the whole vampire prince set up, and then he went back to it with Louis.

Probably felt like a deja vu to him, he already tried that in 2000 with Lareine as his solo project and then with New Sodmy and he ended going back to full VK
Lareine when it didn't work.

>>9224570
I don't see what's so weird or bad about this? All artists I know have a huge ego.

>>9225882
Kamijo fan detected

your husbando is a dick, accept it

>>9225887
I came here for mana pictures and just started reading the discussion. I don't even listen to visual kei. I don't get why people are acting like it's a shocking revelations artists are dicks.

>>9225894
Probably naive fans that got dissapointed by their husbandos at some point.

>>9224570
>or the band wanted to mysteriously break up with even the members dissappearing for years

But 90% of VK bands disband for whatever reason. Why are you so salty?

>>9225820
>I thought Gackt was pretty old and his solo career did okay.

Lol, Gackt was/is massively successful. Doesn't he have like 50 top 10 singles?

>>9226165
It's true though. What I think is funmy that only a very few Japanese people seem to know him? Like I mean 'normal' people outside of VK, Jcock shit. They tend to know Yoshiki and XJapan, but Gackt is still not that much of a pro. Probably because he does so less of foreign activity

>>9226445
That's weird I would assume he would be well known by "normal" people since he used to appear a lot on Hey Hey Hey or whatever TV show Hamada is currently in.

>>9226536
Yeah! I was really confused about so very few people knowing him. It's more like, yeah I might have heard of him, but yeah that's all.

Does anyone else here think Mana kind of looks like Dream of the Endless? Like, a little bit? Like, Mana should totally cosplay him or something?

>>9216611
I honestly think Dir en grey did the whole visual kei thing to just get a name out there and establish themselves. Even in their early music you can hear a more aggressive underlying sound so them being a metal band now is no surprise.

>>9226445
Sorry, didn't realise that you asked every single person in Japan.

>>9226824
I don't even know which person in the picture you think looks like Mana, so no. Plus Mana doesn't cosplay.

We don't know Mana-sama's age, but I think he in his late 20s.
Why he has no face wrinkles? Is it surgery, photoshop or some kind of voodoo?

>>9227880
>late 20s
>wrinkles
What shit genetics do you have anon?

>>9227880
>late 20s

Sorry, late 40s, early 50s maybe

>>9227882
Sorry, I meant 40s.
Well, Mana can be forever-20-years-old somehow

>>9227880
Look up the history of Malice Mizer. Kamijo is North of 40, and he started out as a MM roadie.

What's Mana looking like these days? Never followed vkei, but I've only ever seen pics of him from back in the day.

>>9227980
Mostly live stuff. I believe he was working on a MM related book some time ago too. Not sure if it has been finished.
He probably had a hand on Kamijo's debut single too. And a few years ago a Latin American tour was going to be a thing but was cancelled shortly before it happened.
Also >>9216516

>>9228288
Yup, he was involved in Louis, and is in the ov for it.

>>9227980
Like this >>9216516

>>9228291
Yeah, I believe he hadn't appeared in any MV for a long time before that.
Sorry, I deleted my post, I noticed anon had asked "what's he looking like?" and not "what's he's doing these days?" after posting and felt dumb as fuck.

>>9227980
>>9227883
>>9227880
I've seen him up close and believe me, he DEFINITELY has wrinkles. I highly highly doubt he's under 40. To be fair, that white makeup does tend to enhance wrinkles and fine lines, but nevertheless he has some pretty clear signs of ageing.

>>9227980
He looks pretty good to me. He has laugh lines in person and I honestly expected more, but he also keeps in facial expression neutral at lives.

>>9227636
>Plus Mana doesn't cosplay.

>>9230717
this made me so happy the first time I saw it! MSS is such a nostalgic series for me

>>9230717
that is a rare fucking Mana, thanks anon

>>9227980
This is a picture posted by MdMs twitter from yesterday.

>>9233846
Requesting more rare Manas.

>>9234777
Glorious

>>9234777
Oh god, shame on me but I first thought this was mr yan

>>9216611
Dir en grey never said that...they just evolved. They still use heavy visuals.

>>9224570
>because of his age he had to rethink it over

You live in a fantasy world, lmao. He stopped because Versailles reunited. I really hate the mudraking Kamijo anti-fans.

>>9234934
Plot twist; Mr. Yan and Mana have been the same person all this time.

>>9235751
Mr. Yan has tried so hard to be Mana-sama

so very, very hard

>all these rare manas
Oh anon, my heart.

>>9235751
What if yan is Mana's alter form. Like when he wants to do things in public without disrupting his image. So he created a shitty cheap costume brand and basically cosplays himself in order to do as he pleases. Only it went too far and now he is caught between two lives, his life as the great Mana-Sama and his life as the Yandyman.
>tfw high quality mana fanfiction

>>9209439

>>9235763
and all this time, Mr. Yan's search for a waifu has been Mana trying to find his one true love...

>>9235763
I've never written a fanfic in my life but I kind of want to now.

>>9235763
>>9235931
>>9235936

This all seems like great material to get started.

>>9236072
Where does one even upload fanfic these days?
Gonna start working on it when I get home though, could be a fun project.

>>9236121
AO3, still. manas aparently got some fic:
https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Mana%20(Malice%20Mizer)/works

>>9235093
Have you ever went to japan? Gackt is everywhere and in media and perform in many new years end shows. He is a monopoly. Kamijo wanted to do the same thing but has been branded by the visual kei scene too hard.

>>9236253
Kamijo literally did nothing like that.
He wanted to make symphonic metal, the rest of Versailles wanted to make power metal. So they took a break.

>>9236121
Please link when/if you upload it. I need to read this.

>>9236302
This,

>>9236302
>evil santa mana

>>9206642
this person actually does on occasion publicly, but I thought the being silent thing was cool as hell when I first saw it

>>9236121
I honestly can't wait.

>>9236253
True. I was on the subway in Tokyo and saw an advertisement about preventing hair loss. There were mannequins with receding hair lines and the doctor standing next to them with his styled hair was Gackt.

>>9234934
Yana Sama

>>9237186
>>9236795
>>9236302
Will do, it's taken a bit but finally started writing.

"The story you're about to be told is a strange one. One of a man trapped between two identities, greed and his epic quest for true love."

>>9239223
That tag line is killing me anon.

I'll post more Mana's in the meantime.

>>9240133

>>9240139

>>9240142

>>9239223
This makes me so fucking happy.

>>9236808
those are clearly Chanukkah colors.

>>9240236
I mean to be fair he has worn a Santa hat in the same colours.

Gackt is ubiquitous