music. - miku~

My music is my passion. As many of my friends know, I jump at any chance to squeal on about my favorite band. I’m surprised they haven’t banned me from saying their names yet.
This aforementioned band is a Japanese group called Antic Café (commonly shortened to An Café). They can be put into the genres of J-rock (Japanese rock), oshare kei, and visual kei. I will explain the last two later. To put it simply… An Café is my life. Truly, I am the happiest when I’m listening to their music. No matter how upset or angry or sad I may be, hearing their amazing sound will always cheer me up. I am very lucky to have seen them in concert. And it’s not only their incredible songs that I adore. Their friendship, their fashion, their personalities… The way they are always having fun, always smiling, never growing up… It really inspires me. I would not be the person I am today if I had never found them. They have changed me so much, and I’m sure they’ve made me into a better person. Always, I am striving to become more like them. I want to be happy and make others happy. This is a lifelong guideline that they have instilled in me.
I suppose I have a bit of explaining to do. I mentioned two types of genres in the above paragraph: visual and oshare kei. In a way, these two things are fairly key in understanding me. I will start with the first. Visual kei refers to a movement among Japanese musicians. It is characterized by the use of eccentric and sometimes flamboyant looks. This can include striking make-up, unusual hair styles, and elaborate costumes. It is very commonly connected with androgynous aesthetics. Secondly, oshare kei is a sub-set of visual kei. Oshare bands incorporate a sound that is influenced by modern pop punk but they continue to retain Visual elements such as rhythmic shouting, guitar solos, and songs that can be around five minutes in length. The clothing style is usually very bright and colorful, ‘cutesy’ even, and a lot of Japanese street fashion is incorporated as well.
Now that I’ve explained for a while, I’ll get to the connecting. These genres aren’t just about music to the people that love them… It’s a subculture, a lifestyle. Surprisingly, I’m not the only one with pink hair. We have our own fashion trends, sure, but it’s also about just being unique. Different. Our bands are our passion and inspiration, but we want to inspire others as well. It’s about living life and having fun. And though, being in America, most of my fellow fans live across the world from me… We have a connection that is amazing. I am so proud to be a part of it. This kind of music… These bands… They have impacted my life in incredible ways.

(Have I rambled? Sorry, I could talk for ages about this... >w<)
- miku