Full FeedImportant Importables: Gackt
As any Japanese video game fan knows, video games and popular music have very close ties in Japan. Singers will have their songs featured in the games. They will be used in advertising campaigns. They may even be called upon for character modeling.
Two weeks ago Important Importables talked about Hikaru Utada, one of the most popular female singers in Japan and her video game connections. This week Important Importables looks at yet another Japanese superstar, Gackt Camui. Gackt is well known for his music, his acting and his contributions to the gaming worldwide. (He’s also incredibly pretty, multilingual and one of my favorite singers.)
So who’s Gackt?
Gackt is an incredibly popular, somewhat etcentric, intelligent, rock star from Okinawa, Japan. He got his musical start in 1995, as the lead singer, pianist and song writer for the Japanese Visual Kei (read = glam-rock/punk) rock group Malice Mizer. After four years he left the group and embarked on a solo career.
His solo career is where he’s flurished. He has released 12 albums (three of them compilations). His music has appeared in animes, movies and video games. He also is an accomplished actor, appearing in movies (Moonchild and Arthur and the Minimoys) and a TV shows (Furinkazan and New Fist of the North Star).
Currently he is still insanely busy. He’s doing solo material and performing with the Japanese rock group S.K.I.N. along with Yoshiki (X Japan), Sugizo (Luna Sea) and Miyavi. He also will be appearing in the 2009 movie Bunraku with Josh Harnett and Demi Moore. Almost all of his music is available on iTunes as well.
Gackt in games.
Gackt’s made contributions to the video game world in two forms. The first is in music. He has provided the theme songs for the PS2 games Bujingai: The Forsaken City and Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.
The second involves motion capture and voice acting. The star of Bujingai, Lau Wong, is based on Gackt. Gackt also did the voice acting for that character and helped with writing the actual game. Also the character Genesis Rhapsodos, from Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is based on Gackt and was voiced by him in the Japanese versions of the games.
Gackt’s “Redemption” video (the FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus theme):
Recommended Tracks
- “Orenji no Taiyo” (w/Hyde from L’arc~en~Ciel) Crescent
- “Black Stone” DIABOLOS
- “Dispar” DIABOLOS
- “Future” DIABOLOS
- “Arittake no Ai De” Love Letter
- “Illness Illusion” Mars
- “Soliel” Moon
- “Speed Master” Moon
- “No ni Saku Hana no Yo Ni” No ni Saku Hana no Yo Ni CDM
- “Papa Lapped a Pap Lopped” Rebirth
- “Redemption” Redemption single
- “Returner ~Yami no Shuen~” Returner ~Yami no Shuen~ single
- “Nine Spiral” Secret Garden single
- “Another World” The Sixth Day
- “Mirror” The Sixth Day
- “Mizerable” The Sixth Day
- “Oasis” The Sixth Day
- “Secret Garden” The Sixth Day
- “Sekirei Seki-ray” The Sixth Day
- “Tsuki no Uta” The Sixth Day
- “Vanilla” The Sixth Day
COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Portables offers some Jump Ultimate Stars deck suggestions.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables reviewed Ohimesama Debut.
Site [Gackt Official Website] http://gackt.com/ Site [IMDB: Gackt] http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1374680/
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Important Importables
Jenni Lada brings us information about all of the groovy new gaming imports from around the world.
squee!! I love Gackt, he is my favorite <3
As well as having Genesis based off him, I heard that Cloud, Squall, and Zidane are somewhat based off of him? In his Birdcage music video he looks a LOT like Cloud, riding on his motorcycle…
Most of the songs that you listed are my faves, but I also recommend “Mind Forest”, “Missing”, and “Doomsday”.
on July 24, 2008 at 06:32 PM - LINKHi Katie!
I’m a total Gackt fan as well, though I prefer Miyavi. (I’ll probably find a way to do a Miyavi column one of these days as well.) Have you ever heard him? If you like Gackt, chances are you’ll like at least half of Miyavi’s stuff.
I’d heard that rumor too (apparently even he said on one talk show that he thought Squall looked just like him), but I couldn’t find any solid facts to back it up so figured it’d be best to not include it.
He looks a lot like Cloud in the Vanilla video as well. I also seem to remember a Vanilla video where he was even riding a motorcycle, but that may have been a remix one or something.
“Missing” is good, as is “Mind Forest”. I don’t think I’ve heard “Doomsday” though (or at least, it isn’t in my iTunes). What album is it on?
I pretty much just went for his 6th and 7th Day CDs and some singles when I first got really interested in him. Since then, I try to get his full albums.
on July 24, 2008 at 06:41 PM - LINKHmm, no, never heard of Miyavi. Any good songs that you recommend?
Squall is WAY more manly-looking than Gackt. No offense to the girly man. xD
He sorta looks like Cloud in the “Vanilla” music video, but mostly because his hair is blonde and teased so it stands up. If his hair was black in that video he’d look more like Zack xD
“Doomsday” is on his MOON album. I really wish I owned that album since it has “Missing” and “Lu:na” too >_>
on July 24, 2008 at 10:49 PM - LINKWell, Miyavi has different phases. A alternative phase, a pop-rock phase, an acoustic phase and right now he’s in a neo-visualizm phase (that I really don’t care for and wish he’d get over).
From gagaku -
“Night in Girl”
“Girls, Be Ambitious” - Well known and pretty
From galyuu -
“Ekisentorikku Otona Yamai”
“Coo Quack Cluck - ku.ku.ru” - Well known
“Ashita, Tenki ni Naare” - VERY pretty
From Miyavizm -
“Koha Pusshuhon”
“Saisaisainara byebyebye”
“Ame ni Utaeba -Pichi Pichi Chapu Chapu Ran Ran Blues”
“Freedom Fighters” - Well known
From MYV Pops -
“Senor Senora Senorita” - awesome
“Kekkonshiki no Uta”
“Gigpig Boogie”
“Kimi ni Negai Wo” - My favorite of all his songs
From Miyaviuta Dokusou -
“Please, Please, Please”
“Dear My Love”
From Sakihokoru hana no you ni -
“Kabuki Danshi”
“Ashita, Tenki ni Naare”
Not sure which albums (cause I bought the singles -
“Dear My Friend - tegami wo kaku yo -” - One of my favs
“Jibun Kakumei -2003-”
“Subarashiki kana, kono sekai - What a Wonderful World -” (One of his most recent.)
From MYV Pops I’d recommend:
True, Squall does look much more manly. Gackt is far too pretty sometimes.
I think you’re right about the Vanilla video.
Ah, I know why now - I got the Moon CD from my library. Thats why I don’t have Doomsday. :P (Yup - my public library has ‘a’ Gackt CD. They have ‘a’ X Japan one as well.
on July 25, 2008 at 12:51 PM - LINKHmm, Miyavi’s songs are pretty good. I think I still like Gackt better, though :P Miyavi seems a bit more etccentric than Gackt xD I really love “Kimi ni Negai Wo”. The music video makes me laugh because of the animation xD it fits the mood of the song, though.
You have a crazy public library. I only know one other person in real life who knows who Gackt is, and she doesn’t even really like him. Her loss.
on July 25, 2008 at 04:58 PM - LINKI think its a toss up as for eccentricity. (Have you seen some of the stuff Gackt says about himself? Like his “vampire” claim. :P) Miyavi sounds and looks eccentric, and Gackt just sometimes acts that way.
Kimi Ni Negai Wo is really pretty.
Its part of the Illinois public library system. You can search the collections of all libraries in the state and put holds on stuff, then have it sent to your library. Its a nice feature.
on July 26, 2008 at 03:58 PM - LINKI’ve heard that Gackt thinks he’s a vampire, or something, but I haven’t actually read it in an interview or seen him say it on Youtube :P
ALL Japanese people are eccentric xD Especially Japanese singers.
Is there a website you know of that translates Miyavi’s songs? I want to know the lyrics to Kimi Ni Negai Wo in English.
Wow, that IS a nice feature. I guess its because you live in a big city? And a highly populated state? :P
on July 27, 2008 at 07:38 PM - LINKHe said it in an interview I think. I also heard he got naked in an interview or something? (I have no idea if its true or not… XD)
Oh totally. The female singers don’t seem as eccentric though.
The Masakarasu fan site has quite a few English translations for songs, as well as interesting trivia: http://www.masakarasu.net/ The translation for Kimi ni Negai wo is very pretty, though a bit melancholy.
I think that’s it exactly. Chicago libraries get lots of nice stuff. Like if there’s a manga series I’m curious about, I’ll get it from there to see if I’d be interested.
on July 27, 2008 at 08:35 PM - LINKHa, I hadn’t heard that one before xD
Yeah, I’ve noticed that its mostly male singers. J-rock guys.
Awh, the lyrics are really pretty. And it makes more sense than most of Gackt’s songs.
on July 29, 2008 at 06:37 PM - LINKOn Being eccentric or weird, I think its an offshoot of the j rock- visual kei- genre that’s quite popular in japan. Visual kei seemed to put emphasis on weird Victorian era fashion (but not limited to it) and that eccentricity. Gackt came from a jrock-V.Kei bond called malice mizer so I guess that could be a part.
As for songs, I actually don’t really like Gackt’s fast paced songs, but I wouldn’t mind having his voice (and looks) when he’s performing his Ballads. The acoustic versions of his songs (in the seventh night album) are quite pleasant to hear.
on August 17, 2008 at 01:24 PM - LINKI think GENESIS is so hot but Gact just killed his image in the ending of Dirge of Cerberus, he looks nothing like GENESIS!
on March 24, 2009 at 11:40 PM - LINKAmrita said:
“I think GENESIS is so hot but Gact just killed his image in the ending of Dirge of Cerberus, he looks nothing like GENESIS! “
The thing is…. Dirge of Cerberus came first, BEFORE Crisis Core. Eventhough the storyline in DoC was meant to follow after CC.
So.. how can Gackt murder the CG-rendered Genesis when he came first?
on April 17, 2009 at 01:06 AM - LINK@ Irene: That character at the end of Dirge of Cerberus was Genesis. He picked up Weiss.
on April 17, 2009 at 12:01 PM - LINK