Japanese Music Video of the Week - Alice Nine

Posted on June 16th, 2007 by Kichigaikawaru.
Categories: Kichi, Others.

It’s been a while, I know. You missed me, I know. I’ve been really busy with numerous other projects (mostly academic and artistic) and I apologize for the lack of updates. Hopefully this one will get me back on track and there won’t be anymore nasty hiatus periods.

Anyways, enough with the explanations. Here begins the article, so throw away that tissue box (I’m back, everything’s going to be okay), get ready to turn up your volume, and don’t forget to blink. I was stumbling around Dir en Grey’s youtube videos when I was led to Alice Nine. Alice Nine is essentially what you get from mixing L’arc en Ciel (melody and instrumental + vocal harmony) with Dir en Grey (thrashing and soft vocal choruses). If that makes any sense, you’ve got a pretty good reign on th e world of Japanese music, if not, you can just listen to the music and get something of a sense of what I’m talking about. Now, Alice Nine is a visual kei group, essentially meaning they are bishou (Japanese word for “beautiful [read: "effeminate"] man”). The makeup and lipstick sharply contrast with the leather gloves and chains, creating the unique look that is visual kei. However, as a modern vk group, Alice Nine has taken it upon themselves to adopt modern styles as their own, essentially creating the illegitimate love child of Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, and Kiss’s immense wardrobes (not to mention Joseph’s Technicolor Dream Coat). Other than that, yes, these are men. Guys, you can start rambling to yourselves and try to wash away the uncleanliness now, ladies, you may swoon. Seriously though, band members that look like this usually attract immense numbers of female fans, and if you know the meaning of fanservice (the original kind), suffice to say it was to please the girls. Not to say they don’t have a large male audience, it’s just hard to get a ticket when the girls will claw your eyes out for a space in line. Guess they just want it more.

Back to Alice Nine in particular, they have this incredible ability to carry a melancholy tune (Dir en Grey) halfway through a song, then turn it into an upbeat melody (L’arc en Ciel) without losing any of the effects of the song. They are a unique experience and the taste may not be for some, but I really recommend watching the entire video because there are some pretty cool solos littered throughout the whole thing. As a last note, I am of the utmost and highest belief that this thing deserves its own section, so can I get a “hear! hear!” from anyone who agrees? Sound good? Alright. Let’s just watch the thing already eh? Without further ado:

Jewels by Alice Nine

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