My Kagrra, story.

This is quite a depressing post. I recently found out my favourite Jrock band is disbanding (they like to call it their "demise" instead of disbanding, which is weird lol) so  I decided to dedicate this post to them.

Just a bit of background info on them based on my memory. Not going into too much detail, you can just google them for more info... (all Kanji characters copied from various jrock forums lol)

Kagrra, pronounced 'kagura' 神樂, is a neo-japanesque rock band that mixes traditional Japanese lyrics and music with rock into their songs. They started out around 2001 (prior to this, they were known as CROW) as an indies rock band. They were classified as 'Visual Kei' in their early days, but later shifted away from that. Even though they toned down on their appearance, they still maintained a hint of traditional Japanese style throughout their career.

Early days of Kagrra, (Taken from limezutto.wordpress.com)

Kagrra, today as of their latest single Shiroi Uso (Taken from www.soundfans.com)

The band consists of five members. Isshi (一志) the lead vocalist, Akiya (楓弥) the guitarist, Shin (真) the second guitarist (also plays the koto), Nao (女雅) the bassist and Izumi (白水) the drummer.

Left to right: Izumi, Shin, Isshi, Akiya, Nao (Taken from visualscandal3.blogspot.com)

My Kagrra, story...
It started in 2005, late October/early November. My brother went on a trip overseas so I had his computer all to myself, which meant faster downloads! Woohoo!
At the time, I was really into mp3 rotation sites. They were sites where people post around 5 random songs per week for download. On one particular site, all the songs that week were Jrock/Krock which I NEVER listen to. But, I was curious (and there was nothing interesting to download that week) so I gave it a try. Kagrra,'s Satsuki (their newest song at that time) was among them.

My mp3 player back then was suuuper old. It was this USB stick thing that only had a wheel at the top to change tracks/volume and a light that was green when on, and red when battery was low. Lol it was so ugly...XD
Anyway, I was in bed listening to this thing. When suddenly Satsuki started playing. My first reaction was.....
"WTH? This is SO WEIRD....what IS that? A guy singing? A manly girl? Whaaaaaaaaat, I'm confused..."
Yep. I really didn't like it at first. It was so strange. Probably because I was expecting it to be very Jrock, which it wasn't. But it definitely wasn't Jpop either. It was such a bizarre style. I definitely wasn't used to it.

So I just took it off my mp3 player and ignored it for a couple days. Among the songs I downloaded was also The Trax, which is a Krock group (at that time anyway). They definitely had that 'heavy' sound to them. The song 'Paradox' was pretty...crazy. I didn't like it either -_-"

But one night, while I was lying on my brother's bed waiting for shows to download, I started listening to Paradox again. I become so engrossed by it. I wasn't really trying to make sense of the song I usually do...I was just listening to the music. The vocals, the guitar, the drum and bass. And I somehow enjoyed it. I don't know how or why...but it grew on me. At this point, I was still ignoring the Kagrra, song that I downloaded. I was somewhat into The Trax now though XD.

I started searching online for various songs that were similar in style. I don't know how this happened, but I stumbled upon the PSCompany site for Kagrra,! The name didn't ring a bell at first. I just saw how pretty their homepage was so I navigated through it. They had the promotional layout for the San album at the time...(Friends, do you recognize that SYMBOL ON THE GIRL'S ARM??)

San 1st press limited edition album cover. (Taken from www.japan-discoveries.com)

It wasn't until the Satsuki chorus began playing in the background when I realized who it was. The forgotten song in my mp3 stash! Let me tell you, it sounded like a completely different song this time. It was an upbeat song that was incredibly soothing at the same time. Everytime I listen to it, it feels like I'm in some far away place surrounded by beautiful green grass and a gorgeous view of the mountains. I was so in love with the song after hearing 30 seconds of it on the site. And so, my love for Kagrra, grew.

Did I mention the artwork for their albums/concert DVDs/etc. were always BEAUTIFUL?!

From my old computer (sorry, forgot the source?)

From old computer

Taken from soundfans.com

Taken from orble.com

Taken from japan-discoveries.com

I went and dug up every single song by Kagrra, soon after. There were A LOT. And let me tell you, I listened and loved every single one of them. I always picture each song telling a different story (which I will not tell you because some are pretty embarrassing lol).

Some of my all time favourites, if you'd like to know what they sound like...
(for those from 4shared.com, you can preview/listen to it rather than download)
Satsuki
Arishihi no bishou
Kotodama
Nanagatsu Nanoka
Uta
Ouka Ranman
Sarasouju no Komoriuta
Uzu (Shin plays koto!)
Tsuki ni Murakumo Hana ni Ame (skip to 2:51 for song the song)
Utakata (Shin plays koto again...my favourite of favourites)

Anyway, I listened to their songs and never once saw their music videos until...I found a site that had their first music video (for Kotodama) available for download. I was soooooooooo curious...
It was quite an experience. I fell asleep and woke up at 2am to watch it. I always found Kotodama to be one of their scarier songs...and the video was pretty creepy (partially because I was alone in a dark room and everyone else was asleep already). They were still very Visual Kei back then, so their make up was nuts. The video was very dark...almost felt like a Japanese horror movie. But the traditional ones with demons and all that. It gave me nightmares...hahahaha.

My stash...?

...consists of one DVD with a poster. Lol

The (back of) t-shirt I got as part of their international fan group. I couldn't do anything as a fan outside of Japan, so I got this to make myself feel better XD

I picked Akiya! (This was at the bottom corner on the front)

Akiya or "autumn" in different languages (this was on the right breast of the front side)

=)

They were never a band that I loved because "they're soooo cute and hawwwt" or whatever. This band really opened up the Jrock genre to me (i.e. Alice Nine and The GazettE) and I think their music really changed me. In a way, my encounter with Kagrra,'s music is what made me into the me today, so it's definitely sad knowing that they won't be around much longer...

Kagrra, Sacra photobook. From my old computer.

Anyway that concludes my Kagrra, story. Their last album will be released in January 2010 and their last tour will end in March. The saddest part is that I won't be able to see them perform as a group. Now, watching all their old videos and listening to their music makes me tear up. I'm going to miss them so much...

To those of you out there who love a group/band/singer A LOT...go see them while you can. You never know what'll happen =(

---San (nahhh, this is my real name...I didn't take it from their album lol)