VK on the Big Screen with Maebashi Visual Kei

It's not every day the VK genre gets big screen exposure, and it's even less often that we find a movie featuring the subculture so boldly. ROKKYUU took a sneak peek at the movie and got the inside scoop from costume designers Sixh.

How can a band have a shot at the majors when they only have five fans and spend their days farming cabbage? Maebashi Visual Kei (Maebashi Visual Rockers) is a movie by Gitan Otsuru about a visual kei band from the sticks, Principle, who dream of turning pro despite being from one of the most rural areas of Japan. For those looking for a real, inside look at the musical trials of a struggling band… the movie doesn’t go there. The drama comes from the conflict between the safety and obligations of home vs. the courage it takes to follow a dream, and Maebashi Visual Kei is as much a family story as it is a band story. The movie does, however, accurately capture the look and feel of indies visual kei, with the cramped backstage areas, dedicated fans, and the conflict between maintaining a stage persona and working a minimum-wage job to make ends meet. It even manages to touch on the growing popularity of visual kei overseas and how even indies bands from Japan are finding an audience abroad through the internet.

Music video fans will appreciate the cinematography and direction–the live scenes are shot in video- and concert-dvd style, which leads the audience to believe that Principle really is a band and not just a group of actors pretending to make music. It doesn’t hurt that several members of the cast have musical experience, such as Rei Fujita of the band DUSTS, for whom this is his second visual kei-themed film following Beat Rock Love. The live scenes are natural and fun to watch, and Shunsuke Kazama is a charismatic vocalist.

The music in the movie was recorded by heidi., who appear briefly as a rival band from Gunma who are already being promoted in Tokyo and thus provide competition and motivation for Principle. While not hailing from Gunma in reality, the members of heidi. are indeed from less-developed areas surrounding Tokyo and have some country-boy cred. The theme song, “Gekkou Showtime” (Moonlight Showtime), was released as both a single and single+DVD on February 2nd, 2011 featuring costumes designed by Sixh. Incidentally, the live scenes for both movie and music video were filmed using authentic members of the heidi. Mobile Fan Club, who were chosen by lottery.

Maebashi Visual Kei was shown on limited release from March 12th in Ikebukuro and will be released nationwide in Japan April 9. No plans have been announced for an international release, but by raising your voice you might provide the basis for just that. After all, heidi. are on the Universal label.

Meanwhile, amidst the trials of juggling both a band and a fashion label, Sixh. were involved in the costuming for Maebashi Visual Kei. ROKKYUU met with them to discuss the movie, musicians and, of course, the costumes as well as the project’s potential impact on the VK world.

Maebashi Visual Clothes

69: How does it feel to represent the visual kei fashion world in this way?

IBI: Well you could say that visual kei has recently welcomed a new age and in the midst of that a film has been made. Of course, the fact that our brand has been chosen to represent that is quite an honor.

69: So exactly which costumes were made by Sixh.? Only heidi.’s?

IBI: Well heidi. were our main focus although bits and pieces of the others’ costumes such as coats or pants – not the whole outfit, but a piece here and there – are also of our design.

69: So heidi.’s members costumes…

IBI: Were completely designed by us.

69: And other outfits…

IBI: Contained articles of our clothing.

69: heidi. are now using these outfits as their current costume. However, it’s vastly different to their previous look. Did you come up with the concept after discussing it with the band?

MINT: I was mostly in charge of heidi.’s design. Considering different types of clothes and thinking about the new song itself, I put the design together and made it something unique to heidi.

69: Did you design the costumes with live performance in mind?

MINT: Yeah, well both the live concert aspect and the use for a movie factored into the design along with their preferences.

69: As onstage artists yourselves, did you consider through experience what would be comfortable and easy to perform in live?

MINT: Yes, I kept an eye on those details such as the ease of playing guitar or the ability to raise arms and fitted the clothes whilst juggling that balance.

69: The first announcement of this project came during last October’s fashion live, correct?

IBI: That’s right.

69: How did your involvement come about?

IBI: Well to begin with, Sixh. are aiming for a fusion of fashion and music. Originally we performed solo or else joint fashion show and live events and in the past heidi. had sometimes come to hire our clothes as costumes so we’ve had links like that before. Then, for last year’s October fashion live, we created some memorial collaboration items and through that opportunity, discussed doing more together. We performed live together and then the movie discussion came about and somehow it was decided to use our designs.

69: So heidi. were chosen to appear in the movie and that’s where Sixh. came into it.

IBI & MINT: That’s right.

69: It seems that the recipients of the costumes, heidi., have a long history with Sixh. So aside from past collaboration items, performances and in-store events, you’ve designed costumes for them before?

MINT: We actually only met with them recently, but their stylist has previously come to us in search of various items for their costumes and those were integrated into their outfits. We had that kind of exchange.

69: Speaking of in-store events, heidi.’s latest single, also the theme song for the movie, Gekko Showtime was sold in your store along with the MINTNEKO collaboration t-shirt. Could you tell us about this plan?

MINT: In the past, we used heidi.’s character – they have a goat character called  “heizo” – and we made a collaboration item along with my cat character. That was really popular so we made another and this time is the third instalment of the collaboration. By buying a MINTNEKO t-shirt and heidi.’s new single “Gekkou Showtime” as a set, customers received a special ticket for an in-store event to be held at our stores.

69: What type of event is it?

MINT: At our stores at Laforet, Marui and the character shop near here (Hangry & Angry Battles), fans can shake hands with the members of heidi.

69: Do you ever wonder whether the fans are yours or heidi.’s?

IBI: Well all sorts of customers come. Of course there are those who learned of heidi. through us and have come to like heidi. and those who originally liked heidi. and learned of our brand through them. There’s also a sense that those who are already fans of both are increasing as well.

69: This is the first appearance of your designs in a movie, but they must have featured in music videos etc. before. Have you designed many other visual kei artist’s costumes?

IBI: Actually this is the first time Sixh. have specifically designed such costumes.

69: Then this is actually a rare opportunity.

IBI: I hope this will become the first step towards more.

69: Do you have any future plans, then?

MINT: We’d definitely like to make more.

69: How does it feel to see your creations on film? For example, on the Gekkou Showtime music video.

IBI: I tend to examine in retrospect and think “We should have done this with that part” but of course I’m truly thrilled to see them wearing our clothes in moving film.

69: Have you seen the completed film yet?

MINT: Not… yet, no.

IBI: No, we haven’t seen it yet.

69: What expectations do you have for it?

IBI: Hmmm, well I watch a lot of movies. In the past there were some less accomplished ones and what I’ve seen of it so far seems to be quite different to those. I think that – in a good way – visual kei will become more widely known as a result.

69: The costumes have been on display in the store for a time. What kind of reaction have they experienced?

IBI: A lot of people have come to see them, actually. We’ve spread the word among our customers, “The costumes are on display here,” and announcements like that so our customers have come of course, and heidi.’s fans have also come out of their way to view them. “Oh, so there they are.” The very same costumes are being worn live and the members themselves have also spread the word.

69: As a costume, it’s likely that many fans will endeavour to make their own cosplay versions. Do you have any tips for them?

IBI: Actually, we do get those sorts of enquiries.

MINT: heidi.’s fans have already got the pattern down. There’s not much more to tell them.

IBI: We’ve had some fans come by many times to ask if matching outfits are in the store yet.

MINT: Right, we’ll have the same items in stock, so…

IBI: Well that would be a good starting point or else if that’s not available, I think its fine to match up something with similar nuances.

69: Having appeared in a movie, what’s next for Sixh.’s designs?

MINT: Collaborations with various artists, although we can’t talk about them yet, are moving forward.

69: So you want to increase your collaboration work.

MINT: …Increase collaborations and we’re pushing forward with our own concerts and as a part of that, expanding clothes that can be worn there… That’s where we’re at right now.

69: Last time we spoke, you mentioned your desire to expand overseas. How is that coming along?

MINT: We can’t really tell you yet, but-

IBI: This year there’s a few things on the plate.

MINT: I think we’ll be going overseas.

69: Lastly, could you spare a couple of words about the movie?

IBI: Well we haven’t seen it yet so there’s not much to say, but I think it will be an enjoyable movie and of course our clothes are appearing on the cast, so with those things in mind… I think that even people who don’t know much about visual kei will come to acknowledge it more.

MINT: Well this is the first time my clothes are appearing as a costume and in such big media. I hope that Sixh. will become more well known through the exposure.

69: We hope so, too. Thank you for your time.