PS Company transmogrification agenda
I posted this in my journal, but I'm really curious to find out if anyone else besides myself and my best friend has noticed these things and get their opinions on it.
Lately it seems to me that PSC is more and more trying to turn Kra into something they're not. Mainly some form of alice nine./gazette hybrid band (in Isshi's clothes >> *cough*).
First, they tell Yasuno "YOU CANNOT HAS TEH PINK HAIR!" (which he confirmed in a recent interview and said it was because they wanted him to "fit in" with the band's image. WTF?)
Then we have the PV for "Jounetsu" that looks so much like gazette's for "SHADOW VI II I" it's not funny. Nearly the same backdrop, nearly the same shots, nearly the exact same style and camera techniques (for most of it).
Move on to "Haruiro no Hana". First off, I swear to GAWD that set was originally made for Kagrra, but they decided to do that PV on the roof instead, leaving that pretty set to gather dust until PSC said "HEY! KRA CAN BE KAGRRA, NAO!" (oh, look; I made a pun on accident. haha) So they shrunk down one of Isshi's old shirts and slapped it on Keiyuu, grabbed one of Kagrra,'s old geishas and slutted her up a bit, and VOILA! Granted the song is classic Kra - all upbeat and bouncy and happy - but the director definitely made Keiyuu channel Isshi with all those faggy little hand movements and "I R TEH SEXY" facial expressions (that really only make you go "awww How cute!")
"YELL". What can I say? A little heavier a song than one would expect from them, but still bouncy and upbeat and very much Kra. The video... not so much. Seems like the theme for the video was one of Miyavi's rejects or something that they just foisted on Kra. Not a bad video, but certainly not very "them".
And now we come to "Kizuna -Kizuna-". What. The. Fuck? Here is where it seriously starts to look like alice nine. and gazette had a baby and PSC named it Kra. The song is hard (until you hit the chorus and even then it's only a fraction of what you would expect from happy-go-lucky Kra) and the video... It's so dark and drab and menacing. Where is the color? Where is the light? Where is the fun?! Mai is sitting in some alley like a hobo and Keiyuu is desperately trying to look serious and fighting back that infectious smile of his. There are several moments where you can just feel his uneasiness and his confusion as to whether or not he's doing his best Ruki impression. As a song and as a video, it's not bad. It's quite good, actually. But as a Kra song and video... very disappointing.
I feel quite bad for these guys. They're obviously being forced to bow down to the company's whims and muscled away from doing the kind of music they have been doing for nigh on 8 years and have come to be known and loved for. A part of me hopes for them to leave the label and return to being the kind of musicians they really want to be, making the kind of music they want to make, and dyeing their hair whatever the fuck color they want! I mean, seriously; Yasuno probably had pink hair for a good 15 years and then all of a sudden he's in a position where he can't flat out refuse when told to change it. OR ELSE! What's he gonna do: leave the band? Yeah right. *sigh*
I love Kra. I have supported them since I found them way back in 2002. I remember when a friend and I ran a general JRock website and I emailed PS Company asking if I could feature Kra (and hanamuke; yeah, it was a long ass time ago) on the site to spread the word about this awesome, fun band. I will always support them, no matter what changes they go through. Just because I may get disappointed with drastic and sudden changes in their sound or appearance, doesn't mean I will love and support them any less. Especially when it's not something they are doing of their own free will. It's not like their music is turning to shit or anything. It's just being groomed to sound like more like alice nine. and gazette. Which isn't a bad thing in and of itself. It's just that... we already have an alice nine. and a gazette. We don't need another. We need Kra.
The end.
Lately it seems to me that PSC is more and more trying to turn Kra into something they're not. Mainly some form of alice nine./gazette hybrid band (in Isshi's clothes >> *cough*).
First, they tell Yasuno "YOU CANNOT HAS TEH PINK HAIR!" (which he confirmed in a recent interview and said it was because they wanted him to "fit in" with the band's image. WTF?)
Then we have the PV for "Jounetsu" that looks so much like gazette's for "SHADOW VI II I" it's not funny. Nearly the same backdrop, nearly the same shots, nearly the exact same style and camera techniques (for most of it).
Move on to "Haruiro no Hana". First off, I swear to GAWD that set was originally made for Kagrra, but they decided to do that PV on the roof instead, leaving that pretty set to gather dust until PSC said "HEY! KRA CAN BE KAGRRA, NAO!" (oh, look; I made a pun on accident. haha) So they shrunk down one of Isshi's old shirts and slapped it on Keiyuu, grabbed one of Kagrra,'s old geishas and slutted her up a bit, and VOILA! Granted the song is classic Kra - all upbeat and bouncy and happy - but the director definitely made Keiyuu channel Isshi with all those faggy little hand movements and "I R TEH SEXY" facial expressions (that really only make you go "awww How cute!")
"YELL". What can I say? A little heavier a song than one would expect from them, but still bouncy and upbeat and very much Kra. The video... not so much. Seems like the theme for the video was one of Miyavi's rejects or something that they just foisted on Kra. Not a bad video, but certainly not very "them".
And now we come to "Kizuna -Kizuna-". What. The. Fuck? Here is where it seriously starts to look like alice nine. and gazette had a baby and PSC named it Kra. The song is hard (until you hit the chorus and even then it's only a fraction of what you would expect from happy-go-lucky Kra) and the video... It's so dark and drab and menacing. Where is the color? Where is the light? Where is the fun?! Mai is sitting in some alley like a hobo and Keiyuu is desperately trying to look serious and fighting back that infectious smile of his. There are several moments where you can just feel his uneasiness and his confusion as to whether or not he's doing his best Ruki impression. As a song and as a video, it's not bad. It's quite good, actually. But as a Kra song and video... very disappointing.
I feel quite bad for these guys. They're obviously being forced to bow down to the company's whims and muscled away from doing the kind of music they have been doing for nigh on 8 years and have come to be known and loved for. A part of me hopes for them to leave the label and return to being the kind of musicians they really want to be, making the kind of music they want to make, and dyeing their hair whatever the fuck color they want! I mean, seriously; Yasuno probably had pink hair for a good 15 years and then all of a sudden he's in a position where he can't flat out refuse when told to change it. OR ELSE! What's he gonna do: leave the band? Yeah right. *sigh*
I love Kra. I have supported them since I found them way back in 2002. I remember when a friend and I ran a general JRock website and I emailed PS Company asking if I could feature Kra (and hanamuke; yeah, it was a long ass time ago) on the site to spread the word about this awesome, fun band. I will always support them, no matter what changes they go through. Just because I may get disappointed with drastic and sudden changes in their sound or appearance, doesn't mean I will love and support them any less. Especially when it's not something they are doing of their own free will. It's not like their music is turning to shit or anything. It's just being groomed to sound like more like alice nine. and gazette. Which isn't a bad thing in and of itself. It's just that... we already have an alice nine. and a gazette. We don't need another. We need Kra.
The end.