(05-14-2010, 06:29 PM)VAMPkito Wrote: I don't think they were labeling them as Visual Kei, just stating that they're popular amongst fans of the genre, especially to fans who don't even know what V-Kei is and use it as a stupid excuse for whenever a band does something extraordinarily different, weird, or actually interesting. (Ex. A GUY IS JUMPING OFF A BUILDING IN THE 'DIVE TO BLUE' PV. THAT MAKES IT VISUAL KEI!) Besides, they seemed very educated in L'Arc's rejection of the label. - Also, I don't think HYDE was saying that people ONLY like L'Arc because of their looks; what he means is that their looks play a large part in how people perceive them. It's a "Good Looks + Good Music" relationship, not a result of one or the other, where as with VAMPS it's a "Good Music" sort of relationship. No bonuses like extremely good looks. (To be honest, though, I like the visual style better in VAMPS)

Though as much as I sort of agree with HYDE on L'Arc being an idol band (in a way, not entirely), I think he misses the fact that the style of L'Arc and the style of VAMPS is different. L'Arc has been around for 19 years and has since performed approximately the same style (musically) with little change. VAMPS, on the other hand, is a compilation of different genres, ranging from things that are like L'Arc as well as hard rock among others. Because VAMPS is relatively new (only two years old, but if you want to count K.A.Z's collaboration with HYDE as part of their history, then technically seven), people have developed expectations. When they hear HYDE's voice, they expect it to sounds like it does in L'Arc~en~Ciel, not punk, metal, and whatever else HYDE has in mind. If L'Arc~en~Ciel were more like VAMPS and vice-versa, then VAMPS would probably be the preferred artist.

Actually the article IS referring to them as visual-kei which is stupid and disrespectful of L'Arc~en~Ciel's rejection of the label. Which they reject because they are NOT visual kei.

Also I don't think Hyde misses that the two bands styles are different. I think he knows Vamps is completely different from L'Arc ... I think that's the point. ;)

i think a lot of other people see l'arc as an idol band too...i have a japanese friend who's huge into rock from japan and other countries as well and i was talking to him about l'arc and he seemed to consider them as something outside of rock. l'arc are great and they have their own thing going on but i just love the hard rock sound that vamps produces.

L'Arc~en~Ciel doesnt really have a specific genre. They play a variety of genres.

Yeah I agree but they still have that image and I think the general public still sees them as that. When I told my friend I was a L'arc fan he was like "ああ、あのビジュアル系バンド…フランスで人気があると聞いた…”　(That Visual Kei band...I heard they have popularity in France."

What I don't understand is why people see them as Visual Kei in the first place.

They don't have crazy hair or make-up or costumes.

They just look like well dressed regular business men (minus Tetsu who looks like an artsy person but still stylin'). The clothes they wear is the same type of clothes regular people wear.

VK on the other hand..wear costumes. Things the average person doesn't wear. Dramatic make-up and often times rainbow hair.

L'Arc doesn't look anywhere close to VK. They don't even look like a rock band. They looks like clean cut but stylish business men.
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When Hyde mentioned fans liking them looking pretty I think he is right. Many female fans like pretty bands. Look at all those VK bands that have one screechy album (or haven't even released an album yet) and have fans. And then other bands that aren't all pretty but have decent music get less attention. (Heck on online fandom it seems that VK bands get more attention than L'Arc/VAMPS)

Of course, I don't think that's the reason people are fans, it's just an added bonus. L'arc is pretty, clean cut, and professional. The type of band your parents are okay with you listening to.

VAMPS is more.. grungy, dirty, cheap, and raw. The kind of image that would make some parents say "Wtf? sex blood rock n roll!? You're not listening to this anymore!" -burns cds-

But I kinda like how VAMPS has a kinda naughty image but at the same time we all know they're not that bad. I highly doubt the guys are snorting cocaine of some model's butt, drowning themselves in booze then passing out in the trashcan. They look kinda rough (to people who don't know better) but are actually good. They have a nice balance between clean and rough.

(Edit: When I say they look rough I think you mostly see it in concerts. Interviews and stuff they look normal. But concerts they looks really grungy, rock n rollish while L'Arc is all professionally styled and clean)

I agree!!! When he called them VK I was like "Hmmm well OLD OLD L'arc from the early 90's maybe.............but not anymore!!" I don't even really like putting L'arc in a box with a style label. If someone asks me what kind of band L'arc is I say "Rock..........kind of.......I don't know...they're just L'arc!!!!" And that's all you can say. Because they're just L'arc! Their style is very unique imo....you can't really file it in a genre.

The image/sound/style/everything of VAMPS compared to L'arc is so different. But I like both. I love L'arc's kind of..."clean" and "bright" style...those are the main adjectives that jump out at me when I think of them. But I remember when Hyde first got into this solo business I was just so thrilled by it. I loved the hard rock sound, the grunginess, the darkness, the dirtiness. Even when he took a lighter side artistically with roentgen it was still somehow very different from L'arc...roentgen just had this entire epic ballad feel to it....grrrr so hard to put into words!! But I know everyone knows what I'm talking about lol

(05-16-2010, 02:23 AM)Tokio Wrote: What I don't understand is why people see them as Visual Kei in the first place.

They don't have crazy hair or make-up or costumes.

This. XDD I mean ... if you think L'Arc is VK .... you haven't seen VK.

I've seen and heard other bands called VK and I can't compare them with L'arc en ciel. And I think that somehow they created their own genere; I mean you can't say that they are pop because you have the rock taste there (and I don't think that is rock-pop either) so they made something that if anyone else does, we can all say that it's going L'arc. Maybe that's why so many bands admire them.

By the way, why the article called VAMPS emo? I don't feel them like that.

(05-16-2010, 09:39 AM)vegetapr69 Wrote: I've seen and heard other bands called VK and I can't compare them with L'arc en ciel. And I think that somehow they created their own genere; I mean you can't say that they are pop because you have the rock taste there (and I don't think that is rock-pop either) so they made something that if anyone else does, we can all say that it's going L'arc. Maybe that's why so many bands admire them.

By the way, why the article called VAMPS emo? I don't feel them like that.

DEF agree. You cannot call them pop. You can certainly not call them emo lol. That's really stretching it.

As for the VK reference. It probably stems from this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4ofGwYtP8

This is a FAR cry from their image now. But old labels die hard I guess...

(05-16-2010, 02:10 PM)harumi Wrote:

(05-16-2010, 09:39 AM)vegetapr69 Wrote: I've seen and heard other bands called VK and I can't compare them with L'arc en ciel. And I think that somehow they created their own genere; I mean you can't say that they are pop because you have the rock taste there (and I don't think that is rock-pop either) so they made something that if anyone else does, we can all say that it's going L'arc. Maybe that's why so many bands admire them.

By the way, why the article called VAMPS emo? I don't feel them like that.

DEF agree. You cannot call them pop. You can certainly not call them emo lol. That's really stretching it.

As for the VK reference. It probably stems from this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4ofGwYtP8

This is a FAR cry from their image now. But old labels die hard I guess...

Ok, so that I can deal with.......but how about Hyde in a dress-thing and tiara-thing? No, I didn't say Tierra, I said TIARA. Even if it's more like a hair-tie, he still looks like Chris Tucker in The Fifth Element.



OMGWTFBBQ








So, yeah.