Gackt Getting Western Exposure? - Bunraku (2011) Discussion

[–] Crazyonyou 16 years ago

Hi Laura...
I confess I've never heard of Gackt before but am beginning to realise he has a huge fan base!
I far as I'm aware he will be in the cast for Bunraku. What I don't understand is why there's so much doubt about his appearance in this exciting project?

Check out some Bunraku info here.... http://joshhartnett.fanhost.com/News.html

reply

[–] LilyGinnyBlack 16 years ago

Hi! ^^ I can answer this question. The doubt about his appearance is due to the fact that we have yet to hear any official conformation from Gackt.com or Gackt himself, so we still have to view it as a rumor. Also, in a 2007 interview Gackt mentioned how he wanted 2008 to be a focus on his music, since he had taken on a rather long and time consuming Japanese drama. He mentioned doing one of his large and extravagant tours. So, those two factors are the main reason why there is so much doubt in the Gackt fandom about this project and Gackt's involvement.

Though, there is also the more personal factor that I think many Gackt fans have in mind too. The fact that a project like this one sounds too good to be true. Doing this will definitely give Gackt more exposure in the US and I think many fans don't know how they would react to something like that happening or the prospect of that happening just seems like a dream. Well, I hope that cleared up your question Crazyonyou and I encourage you to look into Gackt some more! ^.^

reply

[–] Laura_Organa_Solo 16 years ago

Thanks a lot for the link, Crazyonyou, you can bet I'll be watching it a lot lately. X3

LilyGinnyBlack pretty much said at all. A lot of Gackt fans have been a bit disillusioned lately because he took something of a break in 2006 and spent so much time working on the historical TV drama he was in in 2007 that he only had time to make one album and it was a compilation with a couple cover songs -- that, and he didn't tour, which is even more unusual for him.

Then again, I think the average Gackt fan is expecting too much from him. We have become so accustomed to his and a few other Japanese artists' breakneck pace of one album and one sizable tour per year. X3 Most Western artists release an album and then tour at least two years to support it.

Either way, in spite of misgivings of how the Western market might judge him as effeminate or gay based on one look at a mere PHOTO and then completely disregard his extraordinary musical ability, I am really hopeful about his role in Bunraku.

P.S. Gackt's movie "Moon Child" isn't award-winning material or anything but it's a solid, satisfying emotional drama about relationships with a twinge of fantastical action and John Woo-style fight scenes. I expected the worst of a movie starring two famous musicians but was really taken by surprise at how decent it managed to be.

reply

[–] Crazyonyou 16 years ago

Thanks for the informative replies, both Laura and Lily. From what you've said and the little I've already started reading, Gackt is a very hard working artist and so maybe a few weeks filming won't disrupt his music.
I've snooped around online and have reason to believe he will take a role in Bunraku. If you're uncertain about him featuring in the kind of movie that stars Josh Hartnett, I suggest you look at the eclectic cast list for Josh's latest (as yet unreleased) film, I Come With the Rain; another project with Asian influences.
I'm already hyped about this film and can't wait to learn more... and I will check out Gackt's music. Any advice on which album to go for?

reply

[–] Laura_Organa_Solo 16 years ago

Depends on what kind of music you like. Gackt's music is extremely varied and mos to his albums have dramatic, emotive rock songs followed by touching acoustic ballads followed by light-hearted pop.

I recommend "The Sixth Day" because it's basically a best-of album (and features a couple of my FAVORITE songs) but I think the majority of fans cite <I>Mars</i> as his best album.

Although I just noticed iTunes sells a live album of his previous tour ("Gackt Training Days 2006"), which, although it wasn't his best tour ever, and he's not at peak performance (he had the flu at the time but refused to cancel any of the shows :O ), it's definitely one of the best set lists ever and features all of his greatest rock songs.

Although if you prefer more easy-going music, I recommend "Love Letter," his second all-acoustic album. It's not a favorite of mine, although it has a couple songs I like.

P.S. I'm so happy his discography is available on non-Japanese iTunes stores now! Japanese CDs are way more expensive than American CDs and there's several convincing bootleg producers so it's easy to get screwed.

reply

[–] LilyGinnyBlack 16 years ago

You're welcome! ^^ Gackt is an extremely hard-working artist, and I believe that he could do a few weeks of filming and still do all his work when it comes to his music too. Oh, and I look forward, and dearly hope, that Gackt is in Bunraku (it sounds like a cool concept for a movie, so I'm excited), and I'm glad to hear that you have good reason to believe that he will be in it! ^O^

When it comes to albums and such, Laura basically covered all of that, though I personally suggest Lust for Blood, which is an amazing song, and was the first song that I heard from him. You can watch his Diabolos performance of it here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2820820988888909635&q=Lus t+for+Blood+Gackt&total=273&start=0&num=10&so=0&ty pe=search&plindex=3&hl=en and I've heard many a Gackt fan say that this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2617967057738125149&q=Fra grance+Gackt&total=97&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=sea rch&plindex=2&hl=en performance of Fragrance was what made them Gackt fans. I hope that helps! :)

reply

[–] Laura_Organa_Solo 16 years ago

THIS THREAD IS NOW ABOUT GACKT'S AWESOME MUSIC AND PERFORMANCES. XD

I had the extraordinary pleasure and blessings to be able to attend the Diabolos finale and let me tell you what, we were on the edge of our seats for the first two minutes of intro and couldn't BELIEVE when the coffin came out. X3 Diabolos also had a really amazing set list since he played a lot of stuff from the "Crescent" album that previously hadn't been performed live ("Dybbuk" followed by "White Eyes" absolutely BLEW MY MIND).

A couple acquaintances of mine have created a definitive explication/guide to Gackt's "MOON Project," at their site Eien no Yume: http://eiennoyume.com/pages/moon_pages/moon_works.htm. So if you're wondering what the deal is with the coffin, the answer is there, although it also spoils the film "Moon Child" so be warned. :B

reply

[–] LilyGinnyBlack 16 years ago

LOL! xD I like this thread even more now! =P After all, Gackt's music and performances are AWESOME! Anyway, you're so lucky, I'm still waiting to see Gackt live in concert...Oh, and I checked out that website and, I haven't read anything yet (since I'm horribly tired), but the site looks amazing! ^O^ I have April vacation this week, so I'll get around to reading it and such without a doubt. ^^b

reply

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] superjaz33-1 16 years ago

I would love to see gackt in concert, i missed the chance last year when he played with his super band s.k.i.n. (had 3 other really big members of differnt japanese bands) when they played at anime expo
He had said they were going to do a north america tour after but that never happend :(
so maybe hm saying focus on music was a bit off too.
for peeps who dont know gackt:
Gackt has a big fan base, but some peeps dislike him or dont give his music a chance because he is extreamly pretty and androgynous, and there is a clip of concert where he is flirting with his band members (a group of very talented musitions know as gackt family or gackt job, one You-san is nothing short of a violin GOD) and guys get homaphobic
or they heard one song and didnt like it but ever gackt song is differnt, from low sung poetry to hard rock to fast rap to hauntlying beauty of melody
**note i am not japanese but if i ever met gackt i would die happy**

reply

[–] LilyGinnyBlack 16 years ago

I'm not Japanese either, but if I ever met Gackt I would die happy too! xD Anyway, according to a recent Miyavi interview, S.K.I.N. is still planning to do a statewide tour later this year, so keep up hope! ^^ I know that I am. Oh, and on a side note, Gackt now has a MySpace account. You can check it out here: www.myspace.com/gackt

reply

[–] silentfirefly2002 16 years ago

I love the Diabolos Concert! : D I actually bought the DVD and I also suggest it to any new Gackt fans. There are a lot of different songs there. We're actually watching the entire DVD in my choir class! Lol.

reply

[–] rinlove08 16 years ago

I JUST STARTED LiSTENiN TO GACKT LAST JAN WELL JAPANESE MUSiC iN GENERAL ND i STARTED OFF WiTH VANiLLA (LiVE) ND THE FiRST THOUGHT THAT CAME TO MiND WAS .. HE iS SOOOO GAY LOL... BUT i STARTED WATCHiN OTHER ViDS ON YOUTUBE LiKE THE TV SHOWS HE USE TO APPEAR ON ND HE SEEMED TO BE A COOL DOWN TO EARTH GUY THATS ALWAYS SERIOUS ND FUNNY ... U CAN FiND THE ONES THAT ARE SUBBED iN ENGLiSH TOO i RECOMMEND THE ONES WHERE HE iS TELLiN STORiES ABOUT HiS LiFE

LOOK UP GACKT ON TRAiN SUBBED THAT ONE WAS FUNNY

reply

[–] whitetiger1540 16 years ago

diabolos is awesome and 1/2 of moon, 1/2 of mars , 1/2 of love letter
and 1/3 of seventh night i think are the best Gackt albums for me personally.
All available on itunes
Big Songs Include
Diabolos:Dispar, Road, Storm, Blackstone,Noesis
Moon:Memories, Missing, Rain,Noah, Wasurenaikara,Fragrance, Doomsday
Mars:Emu for my Dear, U+K, Vanilla, Kono Dare Mo Inai Heya De, Illness Illusion
Love Letter:Love Letter, Sakurasou, dears, Kimi Ni Aitakute, Peace
Seveth Night:Last song unplugged, Kono Dare Mo Inai Heya De unplugged,
Uncertain Memory unplugged, Mirror unplugged,

reply

[–] cynthiaessiambre 16 years ago

Ah well we aren't dillusion now. :P lol all in good fun. I had a hard time believe it myself. Look at my proof in the board.

reply

[–] cheza-m 16 years ago

@Laura: Hey there, fellow LJ comm dears member! <--fleetingeyes on there

Any chance that this movie's synopsis a bit like Bunjigai, or is there an original Bunraku? I haven't heard of Bunraku before.

---
"Only the ones who think of moving up along with me need follow"- Gackt

reply

[–] Laura_Organa_Solo 16 years ago

Oh hey, a familiar face. =P You know I run GacktxHyde.com as well, right? ^___^

Bunraku has nothing in common with Bujingai, other than the letter B. =P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunraku

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1580623/story.jhtml

The MTV interview has been the most informative one so far.

reply

[–] ntkufreak 16 years ago

I'd hope not, Bujingai while a very fun and pretty game didn't have much in way of plot XD

Thanks for the links! I'm hoping this goes beyond rumor... and I really hope Woody Harrelson might be cast as well, I saw a rumor of that and if the two were together... then I might have a connection >>;

reply

[–] cheza-m 16 years ago

@Laura: Ah, I see! (Yes, I know you run gacktxhyde XD). Bunraku sounds really interesting.

@ntkufreak: LOL, so true, but man -- Bujingai would have been an awesome movie XDD.

---
"Only the ones who think of moving up along with me need follow"- Gackt

reply

[–] mcv-3 16 years ago

my gosh, yes -- anything people can share about his role in this movie would be awesome *__*

reply

[–] ntkufreak 16 years ago

We have confirmation!!

http://gackt.com/japanese/news/information.html

He is cast in the movie after all! Gackt fans may rejoice :D

reply

[–] ebonykissez 16 years ago

Yay! This is great news! My baby Gackt will be on tv here! YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I cant wait to see him! OH! this just great, wonderful news!

reply

[–] talene309 16 years ago

It has been confirmed on gackt.com that yes, the rumor was true. Gackt will be starring with Josh in Bunraku. ^.^

reply

[–] its_a_gundam 16 years ago

Indeed it is true and was reported on Japanese news as well and in Japanese news papers. Yahoo Japan news has a report on it including a photo of Gackt and Josh Hartnett in costume here

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080422-00000020-oric-ent

Hartnett will be playing a Drifter and Gackt will be playing his traveling companion of sorts according to the article

reply

[–] Ecrivon 16 years ago

Oh dear...I'm not really a Gackt fan, but I think I'll have to go see this. XD (Just like how I have to go see Speed Racer because of Rain/Bi. But at least I like his acting..:/)

reply

[–] Doctor_Fu_Manchu 16 years ago

I just found out he's in this, I'm a big fan of his.

"This is Fu Manchu. Once again the world is at my mercy."

reply

[–] LilyGinnyBlack 16 years ago

Check out the new LJ community that was created for this film here: http://community.livejournal.com/bunraku_blog/ It will be up to date on info concerning the film, especially any and all Gackt related bits. ^^

reply

[–] KMKfanatic 16 years ago

Wow a very nice blog thanks for sharing ....nice to see a link to our Proboard site LOL confirming Kevin McKidd

reply

[–] LilyGinnyBlack 16 years ago

You're welcome! ^.^

reply

[–] Julnyes 16 years ago

holy heck ... Gackt in a western movie ... will wonders never cease :o)

reply

[–] lupine_ragdoll 16 years ago

I can't wait to see this film. :) I'm a rather big fan of Gackt's work, and so I'm definitely going to watch this as soon as it comes out. The thought of actually seeing Gackt on the big screen in this country is certainly a good one! ^-^

-

"The captain has NO need for biscuits!"
Bleeder and proud!

reply

[–] silentfirefly2002 16 years ago

I'm pretty sure this is the best news I've heard in YEARS when it comes to Gackt. The first DVD I bought with him in it (a few years ago) was MoonChild. It didn't let me down. And then I bought the Diabolos DVD. Also amazing. And NOW I might get to see him in theaters? I'm very excited. I'm a seriously huge fan of his and I find his hard work amazing and inspiring!

HOMIGOSH. I'm so excited! :D

I'm really interested in seeing how his English has been. I know he knows english really well, but his accent varies from video to video. So I guess we'll just have to see! ^^

reply

[–] melodyphillips01 16 years ago

A friend and I plan to go see this film together dressed as if we just stepped out of h.NAOTO and act as though we've never heard of Josh Hartnett, then act scandalized when all the other girls claim they've never heard of Gackt.

Should be fun.

reply

[–] motocrosser210 16 years ago

omg thats hilarious wish i was part of that lol

reply

[–] yasha-chibi 16 years ago

I absolutely canNOT wait till this comes out! It will be so great and I really hope it gets Gackt a bit more of a fan-base in America. Too bad it doesn't come out until next year :(

Pretty much anything you need to know about it can be found (either now or in the future) at http://community.livejournal.com/bunraku_blog, which sadly has more info on the movie than this site.

reply

[–] Egyptian_Monk 16 years ago

I'm so excited!!! Another movie with Gackt!!!! I agree with yasha, I hope Gackt does get a bigger fan base in America. (So they will finally get an American Dears up and going!!!)

reply

[–] yasha-chibi 16 years ago

Yes!! I would love to be a part of Dears!!

reply

[–] linzatart112 16 years ago

Gackt IS going to play a role in this movie according to his official website which is www.gackt.com (for people who are totally clueless)
^_^ so excited for it to come out

reply