Dir en grey at Namba Hatch 2015/09/20 Live Review

Dir en grey : TOUR15 NEVER FREE FROM THE AWAKENING

NAMBA HATCH // 2015/09/20

I have just come back from a phenomenal live show at Osaka's Namba Hatch as Dir en grey stopped for their 6th show on their current 'TOUR15 NEVER FREE FROM THE AWAKENING' tour. It has been about 2-3 years since I last saw them perform in London, UK and marks my 12th time seeing them live overall! This was my third time seeing them in Japan however!

Dir en grey proved to me once again why they are, and will remain my most favourite band of all time. Today they performed a dark and powerful set drawing mainly from their latest album release 'Arche' but also had some select classics dispersed through the set and one hell of an intense and surprising encore!

Tonight's set list:

01 Behind a vacant image

02 Sustain the Untruth

03 OBSCURE

04 DOZING GREEN

05 Merciless Cult

06 朔-saku-

07 てふてふ

08 輪郭 / Rinkaku

09 VINUSHKA

INWARD SCREAM

10 and zero

11 咀嚼 / Soshaku

12 Revelation of mankind

13 鱗 / Uroko

Encore:

14 ain't afraid to die

15 鼓動 / Kodou

16 THE IIID EMPIRE

17 激しさと、この胸の中で絡み付いた灼熱の闇 /
 hageshisa to kono mune no naka de karamitsuita shakunetsu no yami

18 un deux

Cool artwork in the venue lobby

Namba Hatch is a fantastic venue, the perfect size to be close to the band yet also have some breathing space. Plus if you are as tall as me you can have a clear view of the stage from anywhere in the venue. This time I stayed near the back as I has quite a late entry ticket #1939!! I usually spend Diru gigs in the thick of it at the front but this time enjoyed the show in its entirety without overdoing it in the pit area. Was a refreshing choice!

Unlike in the West there is actually a bit of breathing room in the gigs and people respect each others space. There is a great harmonious atmosphere overall as everyone fist pumps and head-bangs in unison, a tsunami of hair and raised hands...the best feeling in the world.

The first thing that struck me was the sheer power of their sound, Shinya's drum kit sounded immense tonight as he thunders through the darker songs from Arche and adds a great depth to their songs which really power the rest of the band's riffs. This was my first time hearing the Arche songs live and they really transition well to a live performance, very dark, brooding and atmospheric. Dir en grey invade your senses with a pounding assault accompanied by Kyo's wailing vocals. Whereas the faster tracks showcase Die and Kaorus ability to performance speedy solo's and chugging riffs. Die's performance in 鱗 / Uroko stood out in my mind especially, his solo was nuts.



Toshiya looked like a bad ass throughout, reminding me of an old school undertaker as he came out dressed in black with his hat casting a morbid silhouette. In deep contrast to Kyo who once again has gone for the skinhead look, he has become noticeably more built and with his tattoos looked pretty menacing.
Midway through they played Merciless Cult, a personal live favourite of mine and 朔-saku- which was a pleasant surprise and lit the crowd on fire. The set was well balanced, with heavy assaults and haunting melodies working together in unison. Kyo's vocal style has changed a lot over the years and I'm surprised he can still switch between death growls and high pitched melodies. His voice will never be like the Six Ugly days but he has still got it and has an incredible aura as a front man. You just need to take one look at the crowd to see the admiration that he commands.

After what seemed forever, they returned for a shocker of an encore...a familiar piano melody began to play and the crowd gasped together "Ooohhh...!" before falling deathly silent as they realised that Diru began to play 'ain't afraid to die', it was a beautiful performance, with the backing screen lit up in a glittery snowy background. It was one of the saddest and more heart rending versions of the song that I have heard, both live and on DVD, with Kyo getting lost in his words. I could hear sniffles nearby as a few girls shed tears with clasped hands...the song ended to a great applause.

Then they played...鼓動 / Kodou, this is one of my ALL TIME favourite songs, I used to be obsessed with it and committed the words to heart back in school before I even began studying Japanese so when this began playing I went absolutely nuts. So did everyone else! The crowd turned into a sea of raised hands and singing voices. I couldn't have been happier. Until...they began playing IIID EMPIRE! This song always makes me nostalgic of their earlier UK performances as it always used to be in their set and is a great song to jump and chant along to.
The entire encore was full of energy, the entire crowd singing verses or choruses together whenever Kyo gestured for it, the volume was electrifying, the kind of moment that makes your skin tingle all over.

Before the final song, 'Un Deux', Kyo asked the crowd to shout that they were still alive, together, women, men...then he asked us "Let me hear you! Can you become one!? Can you sing as one!?" He dropped his microphone and came to the edge of the stage in front of his mic stand. The lyric whirled in and out of the backing screen with the crowd all singing 'Un Deux' together in perfect harmony, it was an empowering end to a gig to see every fan singing every word together with Kyo fiercely shouting and gesturing to everyone as the other members rushed to different areas of the stage to greet fans in different sections.

...and then it was over, I so wish I was back there right now.

Swarm of fans leaving the venue after the show!

Japanese gigs have such a powerful aura, all the fans enjoying the show together with none of the violent or mean behaviour that often occurs in the Western gigs. The ticket number entry system is great too because you can come and go as you please and socialise whoever, no horrible and exhausting queues or drama! I met some nice fans who came up to me to ask where I got my clothing from since I had a London tour t-shirt and an a-knot towel from 2011 haha! They were pretty surprised but it was nice to talk with them! 

I really hope I can see them live again soon! Fingers crossed I can get a Budokan ticket for February!

No lines needed, you get called by number groups

Cool TV screen outside the venue

Farewell Satoru Iwata

Today gamers across the world are mourning a great loss.
Sadly the CEO of Nintendo Satoru Iwata has passed away on July 15th at the tragic age of 55 due developing a tumour in his bile duct. He was unfortunately absent from E3 due to his condition worsening and its a shame that anyone should die so early.

I am not normally the type to mourn celebrities or post about their deaths but I really respect Mr. Iwata. Many company CEO's and people high up in the ranks of gaming companies, are often said to be disconnected from their audience, too focused on the marketing and profitability of things.

Flag at half mast at the Kyoto Nintendo HQ

One of his more famous quotes is as follows...

"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer."
- Satoru Iwata

Which is pretty damn beautiful in my opinion. He began doing programing work for HAL while in school before later joining Nintendo to work as the companies co-ordinator of software production. Some of his earlier projects included Balloon Fight, Earthbound and Kirby but he also helped do programming on the Pokemon series as well as also dabbling in the production of other fan favourites such as Mario, Zelda and Wario World.

After the release of the GameCube, Nintendo began to struggle against their rivals, however under his guide the company released the Wii and DS to critical acclaim and wide world appeal, Nintendo's stock price DOUBLED under his lead yet he never really lost touch with what was important...

"Video games are meant to be just one thing. Fun. Fun for everyone!"
- Satoru Iwata

Sure many people bash the Nintendo franchise for being a 'kiddy market' or making 'family friendly' games, but they also made some fantastic games for the more hardcore gamers out there too. Creating instantly recognisable characters that are loved by all ages worldwide, without all the edge angst that saturates games these days. He had a friendly charming character that incorporated the best parts of business with his programming and gaming background.

Despite only recently being announced, the internet has been flooded with tributes and I would like to share some of my favourites with you below.

R.I.P Sawato Iwata.

XCOM2 Details and Trailer Announced!

Welcome back, Commander.

2k games have been keeping quiet about any potential sequel to the fantastic XCOM Unknown Enemy, the successful 3D reboot of the turn based action strategy series. I was a huge fan of the remake, it was challenging and rewarding to see your recruits go from pathetic rookies who couldn't hit a Sectoid from point blank range to become battle hardened killing machines later on.
The permanent death aspect also hit you hard whenever a member died as you personally helped them grow...unless you were a save scumming bastard. (Which I was sometimes, no way was I going to leave a mission without my beloved Chinese support Li!)

IGN however have managed to get the first details about xcom2, it will coming to PC, Mac and Linux platforms in November 2015! No news has been released yet regarding a console version, so the 'master race' are probably feeling pretty smug right now. I personally think this is great news, isomeric strategy games just work better with a mouse and keyboard. Plus with all the internet controversy regarding The Witcher 3 and other games being being 'downgraded' or poorly ported from consoles, this gives 2k games a chance to make a perfectly optimized PC release. This is what PC gamers have been crying out for in the wake of recent multi plat releases. I'm hyped.

Check out the impressive first trailer below...!

It seems that things didn't end too well in the previous campaign and that the aliens appear to be the dominant race. In XCOM2, the XCOM initiative are now the aggressors, acting from a new mobile HQ and using their limited resources to evade and assault the alien oppressors. Recruiting soldiers along the way to create the ultimate resistance network.

There are some exciting key features that have been highlighted:

Procedurally generated levels! YES! Less predictability will make for a more unique experience and encourage more playthroughs.

Deeper mod support. Enemy Unknown's longevity was greatly enhanced by some challenging fan created tweaks and campaign mods such as 'long war', if you are twiddling your thumbs, go try that out right now! 2k games have apparently realized this and aim to support modders further. This can only be a good thing.

New content :
5 updates soldier classes.
Increased soldier customization.
More alien and enemy types.
Tactical combat and more. 

We could see a few of the new enemies in the trailer. I'm looking forward to tackling the constricting reptilian type, looks menacing and mobile. As for combat the trailer hunts at more CQC tactics by revealing the blade wielding soldier alongside familiar laser and plasma weaponry. I wouldn't be surprised if this was later announced for all platforms next year. I'll be getting the PC version for sure, if they build upon what they learnt making Enemy Unknown then I definitely won't be disappointed!

Bottle Sized Panties

Imagine the scene. It is a humid hot day, you head to the vending machine and get a nice chilled bottle of water, it glistens, moist and sparkling in the sunlight. As you raise it to your lips for a sip you suddenly realise it is missing something...it's not wearing any panties, so lewd.
But fear not, bottles have always been naked, until now.

I recently read online that a set of 'bottle panties' or ボトルのおぱんつ was due to be released at the end of May, as a follow-up to the highly successful underwear series that was released for the iPhone's touch button. The iPhone series' of panties proved to be such a popular novelty gift, that it actually spawned 4 further series with different designs. Therefore it is no surprise that they are finding other ways to exploit the perverted masses.

Imagine my excitement this morning on the way to Costco, when I randomly stumbled across one of the panty machines. I showed no hesitation in dropping 200yen into the machine as elementary school kids were getting Dragonball toys nearby.

But what design would I get...!?

Maybe the Shimapan? (Striped Panties?)

Ta-da!! It turns out that I got the 'Frilled Lacy' panty design. As I took it out of the plastic ball I immediately felt a sense of shame and bewildered amusement. I just bought a miniature pair of panties, for 200yen. I'm actually surprised at the quality, its legit lace and the band is elasticised just like the real deal...perfect for peeling them on, and off. What. But how does it look?

Straight tea - complete with innocent frills.

When you stand the bottle up, it looks kind of ridiculous, sort of like a really feminine beer cozy. Unless your really yank the panties up, you can't really tell that it is a pair of underwear. I didn't want to give my tea too much of a wedgie though!

いやーん！そこで見ないで！

It is only when you tip the bottle backwards, feeling like a complete pervert in the process that you have the eureka moment, this is underwear. Miniature underwear, for my drinks container. I felt like one of those otaku who tilts a figure back just to see up their skirt, kinda wrong. Haha.
Although the design is meant for bottles, I was curious if it works with cans too.

Size Zero panties

It actually looked better on a can, since the leg holes were more apparent. Size zero if you will, I wonder if the plus size cans will protest against double standards.

Overall, it was an amusing and shameful experience, totally worth my 200yen, although I was hoping for the striped one as that is the anime stereotype set. You can see the various designs below, I'm really curious as to what the mystery special edition pants are but I doubt I will drop another 200yen on a pair, my lack of shame only has so much limit.

The designs are 40mm in size and you have a chance of receiving either the plain white pants, striped, polka-dot, strawberry, frilled, leopard print, or the unknown mystery set. I can imagine that this run will sell out fast, but if it proves popular enough I imagine they will release more.
These would make amazing souvenir gifts for friends back home, or just as a general joke gift. So if you have no shame, are a panty fetishist or just want a hilarious and weird experience, go hunt for a machine near you! I found mine in a specialist gacha gacha machine zone.

...Don't judge me. (>_>;)

Corpse Party Live Action Trailer

Today after coming home from finishing at work at 11am on a Friday, my day was made even better by finding out that Japan has just released a trailer for the live adaptation of the Corpse Party horror game series!

Check it out!

 

What is corpse party?
Corpse party is a survival horror game that was originally released in 1996 and was made using the RPGMaker software, you may have seen many other games made with this becoming popular on steam. 'To the moon' is another example. Despite the simple graphics, it is possible to create an effective emotional narrative whether it is the poignant reminiscent feelings of 'To the moon' or a creeping sense of terror in 'Corpse Party'.

My first experience with Corpse Party was on the PSP, there has been several remakes since, one of which was even released on IOS! It has since led to a series of spin off games, manga and anime adaptations, now its time for a live action movie! I really, REALLY, hope that this doesn't suck. I really enjoyed the Japanese voice acting from the original game and how the characters interacted with each other. It managed to blend terrifying scenes with quirky humour, I'm intruiged to see how this will play out with real actors.

In the game there were a variety of endings, mostly bad that were based depending on the player's decisions throughout the five game chapters. Corpse Party is set in a Japanese high school that was built upon the grounds of an old elementary school that was torn down after a number of murders and disappearances took place. After conducting a ritual to ensure that a group of friends 'stay together forever', a freak earthquake transports the students to an alternate dimension where the elementary school still exists and is haunted by the murdered children. The students must find a way to escape, many of which die a gruesome death in the process.

I'm most intruiged by how they handle some of the more quirky dialogue scenes. The english translation was renowned for having some obscure OTT dialogue lines...the most famous of all is the 'butter up my pooper' line, which sounds completely ridiculous.

The original scene depicts one of the girls asking for medicine as she hasn't been feeling good, aka constipation. In Japanese the line can be read as "Thanks I'm going to apply some of the medicine real quick!" But the English translator decided to go with "Thanks! I'm gonna go butter up my pooper with it real good!" I mean, who says that!? Honestly?

The trailer actually seems to have a lot of potential, the effects seem a little tame so I hope they don't become too jarring against the real actors. There also seems to be a ju-on esque element too with the young children ghosts.

Pooper butter scene or not, I'm excited to see whether they can truly capture the morbid atmosphere of the games, or whether it will just turn into a generic low budget horror flick. 

Osaka Thailand Festival 2015

May is an awesome time of year to be in Japan, it is starting to get hot without being unbearably comfortable and there are a ton of international or cultural events taking place each weekend. In Osaka alone there are a few events and festivals happening every weekend! This weekend on the 23rd and 24th May, the 13th Annual Thai Festival comes to Osaka! If you are a big fan of thai food, I highly recommend it.

It takes place in the Osaka Castle grounds so its a good excuse to enjoy the local sights while also enjoying some foreign food. Unlike other events, there is no entry fee, you can come and go as you please and there is no problem with taking out your food an drinks. Which is a blessing considering that the available seating is ALWAYS full if you don't get there early. Near the event there were a ton of people sitting on the grass and walls happily enjoying a Singha while munching on some Pad Thai.

So you enter the area and are faced with this...!

The layout of the area seemed a bit...bare to be honest. Everything was laid out in a big semi circle with food stands on the right and centre, a stage and culture related goods in the middle, and general thai stores on the left. The remaining space was filled with lines, lines and more lines, like every festival event in Japan...the line for mango ice alone was roughly 60 people long!

There were a variety of drinks available, with 3 local beers and 2 local wines, with a variety of extra cocktails too, thankfully the booze bars had the shortest lines! So stock up on something to drink while you wait for food.

As you can see here the food was reasonably priced! Comparable to local prices for food at Japanese festivals, it doesn't break the bank. Normally international events like this charge WAY more, for example at Octoberfest, they were charging 1200+ for a small selection of sausages, whereas here I can get a big packet of pad thai for 500yen, good stuff! This combined with the open entry meant that this event felt a lot more 'free' than the others which often restrict you.

The food was pretty reasonable, it obviously doesn't compare to a decent thai restaurant but if you want your fix you can definitely get it here. I don't recommend the pad thai as the flavour was lacking but the noodle curry dish above was epic, really really good value for the price. The fried goods such as chicken and spicy pork were really good too. Most of the servers and cooks appeared to be Thai which was a nice bonus!

However, apart from the food and drink, there was a lot going on...events were few and far between with long lulls between performances. The cultural stores too were located too far away from everything else and too small to actually have an impact. The one thing I did get hyped about was the Thai Boxing ring but found out that I had sadly missed the time slot!

I did managed to catch a music performance as well as some Muay Thai fighters doing a traditional dance though.

Overall I would say that the Thai Festival is worth it but don't plan on spending the whole day there, especially if you don't get there early enough for seating. It is best enjoyed as a few hour detour on a day out, due to its location you can go and enjoy the castle grounds or hop on a train to Shinsaibashi or something with a belly full of Thai food and beer!

To find out more information you can visit the official website at http://www.thaifes.com/

Nintendo and Universal Studios Japan collaboration announced!

Mario ponders about what to ride in future USJ.

This week it was announced that Nintendo will now be introducing its characters and games to Universal Studios Japan (USJ). The press release stated that“The immersive experiences will include major attractions at Universal’s theme parks and will feature Nintendo’s most famous characters and games,”. This is fantastic news because USJ has a proven track record for teaming up with famous video game and comic book company's to provide amazing attractions that bring our favourite video game worlds and characters to life.

Past attractions such as Monster Hunter themed areas as well as the spectacular Raccoon City Halloween special which included a realistic shooting game that brings the zombies of Biohazard to life. It was extremely popular with tickets selling out shortly after the park opened, every single day. Not only that, but it wasn't a casual experience either! The first iteration boasted an impressive 0% survival rate for guests, yes, zero. Some people I knew didn't even get past the first section. This year too, a Biohazard themed zombie escape again has also proved to be a success, challenging you to cure yourself of the zombie virus before it is too late while exploring zombie infested areas. Utilizing current technology such as ipads to deliver a great interactive experience.

Despite being immensely popular the pass rate was 0% in 2014.

With Nintendo's abundant range of characters and licenses there is so many chances for exciting attractions to be built, just imagine...

• Mario Bumper Karts / Real Kart Racing - although I guess there would be safety issues!
• Hybrid 3D roller coasters - Similar to Spiderman this type of ride could easily be adapted to the Starfox, Metroid, Mario Kart, F-Zero, Pokemon series and more.
• 3D Dark interactive shooter rides - These would be FANTASTIC for Starfox, although could also work for Luigi's Mansion, Metroid, and so on!
• Interactive water rides - Pokemon Snap, Mario Sunshine, the new Splatoon series etc.
• Platforming Playgrounds for all ages - Donkey Kong, Mario, Yoshi, Pikmin...would be great fun!
• Themed Restaurants - Cooking Mama, Kirby, Character themed dishes and drinks.
• Haunted Houses - Luigi's Mansion, Bowsers Castle, a montage of spooky areas from all of their games would work well too!

An on rails dark 3D shooter for Starfox would be great!

I'm personally super excited to see what they will announced. The release added that “More details will be announced in the future, as the Nintendo and Universal creative teams work to create specific concepts.” Fingers crossed they use series beyond just Pokemon and Mario. Whilst these two series would undoubtedly prove popular and be fun to visit, there is so much potential to be used from series that have been quiet as of late.

I'm hyped about the idea of a Starfox on rails shooter or 3D F-Zero rollercoaster, how about you?

The 360 degree racing world of F-Zero offers tons of potential.

No.1 Takoyaki in Osaka!

No.1 Best Takoyaki in Osaka : Naniwa, Nagai

Most countries usually have a few signature dishes that define it's country's cuisine whether it be fish and chips for the UK, pasta and pizza for Italy or curry for India. While some regional variants are available such as Chicago Pizza or Cornish Pasties, Japan has them in ridiculous abundance! If you are a food tourist, you need to add Japan to your list. Every prefecture or sometimes city has more than one local speciality to offer travellers, these are often well known across Japan, compounded by the omiyage and package tour culture here.

I live in Osaka, Kansai and if you ask anyone what food is famous in Osaka you will probably hear "Okonomiyaki, Kushikatsu and...Takoyaki!" To be honest, Kushikatsu has been revealed by surveys to not actually be eaten much by local Osakans but is very popular with tourists but that's a discussion for another day. Today I want to talk about Takoyaki, Takoyaki's literal translation means 'grilled octopus', but its a lot more than that! Takoyaki is made with a special indented pan that is filled an egg and flour based batter with octopus slices and any additional flavourings which could include kimchi, ginger, green onion or any other variations. The pan then moulds the mixture into a ball shape as it is expertly rotated and formed by the chef. Various toppings are available but the most popular combination is Takoyaki sauce and Mayonnaise.

There are a ton of Takoyaki stalls in Japan, it's a popular street snack, according to Tabelog there is a whopping 1130 in Osaka alone! But which is the best one? Each one has their own recipe or cooking technique, I've eaten a lot of damn Takoyaki but I want to share what I, and the majority of Tabelog eaters recommend as the NO.1 place for Takoyaki!

That place is called 浪花や - なにわや、read as 'Naniwaya'. It is a small stall located in Nagai on the Midosuji line, next to Nagai park, for more in depth directions check the end of this post! If you look at the poster below they proudly announce that they are currently the no.2 rated Takoyaki store out of a whopping 1130 stores. However looking further, it was rated no.1 overall for both the cooking/taste and cost performance categories! I'm pretty damn lucky to have this place within a 15min walk from my house and have visited many times.

Naniwa is a small and humble establishment that has been running for 25 years, it offers a small seating space of just 8 seats but I have always managed to grab one as most people order to take away. Inside there is a free iced water machine which is heaven on a hot day. The store is ALWAYS serving someone, I have never seen them not busy or idle, there is a constant flow of custom which explains why they have been around for 25 years! But enough about the place...lets check the menu!

There are four variations available. 

1) Shouyu aka. soy sauce. This is included within the batter so there is no actual topping.

2) Takoyaki Sauce

3) Mayonnaise (Chefs recommendation)

4) Mayonnaise and Takoyaki sauce, my personal favourite.

The prices vary depending on how many you order, ranging from 8 to 24 pieces per order. As you can see it is CHEAP, really really cheap despite the amazing taste and reputation.

Myself and my partner went for options 3 and 4 which you can see below, each order comes with a side of pickles and is served piping hot, sadly my camera didn't capture the steam coming off of them!

Takoyaki is traditionally eaten with these little toothpicks, which may prove to be a little tricky for those without good dexterity! Some Takoyaki can be quite farm or even crunchy on the outside depending on the place but Naniwa's texture is pretty soft and malleable. As you can see it is kind of drooping off my toothpicks and can easily break if you randomly jab at it! 

Fortunately chopsticks are also available if you don't want to fiddle around and just want to tuck in! Much easier and can take advantage of how hot it is! The batter has a nice smooth texture and isn't 'stodgy' like most cheap places, it is satisfying from beginning to end and the pieces of octopus are of good quality. Not rubbery or chewy like cheaper variations, taste satisfaction guaranteed, at Naniwa there are also small pieces of Konyaku to add texture, they aren't really noticeable so don't worry if you aren't a Konyaku fan. I personally love option 4 as the the sauce and mayo blend well with the Katsuobushi dried tuna flakes and smooth texture to create a tangy sweet ball of awesomeness.

If you have never had Takoyaki, you are probably thinking that this sounds really fishy but it isn't at all so give it a try! Its more like a savoury tangy dumpling that happens to have some octopus in it! I highly highly recommend this place because despite the staff being busy they are always friendly, the seating area is clean, plus even with the popularity, the waiting time between order and service is really quick! Definitely No.1 in my eyes.

Where to find Naniwa: It is located about 30m from exit 5 of Nagai park, Nagai is located on the red Midosuji line that connects to Tennoji, Namba, Umeda and so on. It is just around the corner from Mister Donuts so use that as a marker point! 

It is open from 10am to 7:30pm but please note that it is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays! I have attached a few googlemap pictures of my location at the time to help!

Naniwas official website is http://takoyaki-naniwaya.com/top

You can also view their tabelog at http://tabelog.com/osaka/A2704/A270404/27003447/

Next time you are in Osaka, come and try the best Takoyaki that Osaka can offer!