Camui Love

Well, this page certainly isn’t about dear Gackt-sama, but if you felt the need to know a little more about yours truly, then this page will be useful =]

My name is Joanna, but you can call me Jo or any other nickname you come up with (just not sugar-pumpkin doodle or something like that, kay? xD; ). I’m just your normal (?) eighteen-year-old who happens to love Gackt (of course~). I live in California at the moment, but who knows where life will take me? I kind of have a dream to become a manga-ka, but if that doesn’t work out then becoming an animator is my next goal. Either way, I mostly see myself involved in art.

How did you become a Gackt fan?

I first learned about Gackt through a friend of mine sometime around Fall of 2004. We were having a conversation about Japanese music and he listed all his favorite Japanese artists and bands as recommendations. One of them was Gackt and he was one of the ones that he strongly recommended. Well ‘lo and behold… I forgot to listen to that list xDDD

The months rolled by and suddenly it was around Feburary 2005. Sometime during that month (curse me forever for not being able to remember the exact date ;o;!) I was surfing around pages on MySpace when I stopped at one page and listened to the music playing. When I looked at the music player, it said “Gackt – Lu:Na” I was incredibly impressed by the song. The voice coming out of my speakers was unlike anything I’ve have heard up until then – deep, passionate, alluring – just completely beautiful. And the music was refreshing and different - truly a new sound altogether. Just when I had thought that all the music on the radio was becoming a little mundane, here was someone who had put a new spin on things. I kept re-playing the song over and over, unable to get the tune out of my head. Needless to say, I was instantly hooked.

Soon I wanted to know who was the face behind this amazing voice. I looked up that same song on YouTube, and saw Gackt for the first time, when he performed Lu:Na during the 2003 Kingdom Rock Show. Well you can imagine how surprised I was when I saw him. The first time I saw Gackt, I was shocked by his looks. ”Wow… he is so.. pretty!!! Is it really possible for a man to be THAT beautiful?!” I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting the owner of that beautiful voice to look like, but it certainly was not Gackt xDDD! But after I got that thought out of my mind, I watched in awe as he danced with all those masked people, and then halfway through the performance he fought with them. I was impressed – I didn’t know many artists who could dance and sing at the same time, let alone choreograph a fight in the middle of a song, participate in said fight with backflips and martial arts, then continue singing as if nothing had happened!! I think I was more shocked at the fact that he didn’t even sound breathless when he continued! When it was over, I was surprised and amazed. I had to watch it again and again to make sure what I saw wasn’t fake.

And so started my inevitable obsession with Gackt-sama~ From there I looked up all the PVs, live performances, and interviews I could get a hold of and dove deeper into the world of Gackt. And soon I stumbled onto Gack’ts live performance of Last Song during his 2004 Sixth Day & Seventh Night Final Tour. That performance… it was so emotional, powerful, and breath-takingly beautiful. I believe that was the moment when I became the dedicated fan that I am today.

What is your favorite Gackt song?

Honestly, my favorites change. I always thought that my favorite song would be Last Song, but after a while I began to like some of his other songs more. And once again, it would change. It’s probably because all the songs he created range in such different styles and apply to different moods ne? But anyways, my current favorite Gackt song would be Setsugekka -The end of silence-.

Do you like other JRock bands? What about other types of music?

Currently, Japanese Rock is my main musical preference. I think the whole scene is unique and interesting, so maybe that’s why it has had a hold on me for quite some time now. I also love the community, there are such lovely people out there~
But getting back on topic; when I’m not listening to Gackt, you can find me enjoying the sounds of Miyavi, Alice Nine, The GazettE, D, girugamesh, An Cafe, LM.C., D’espairsRay, Rentrer en Soi, Versailles ~Philharmonic Quintet~, UVERworld, DELUHI, L’Arc~en~Ciel, HYDE, GaGaalinG, Kagrra,, MUCC, High and Mighty Color, X Japan, ayabie, Maximum the Hormone, Nightmare, Malice Mizer, Dir en Grey, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, FLOW, The Candy Spooky Theater, YUI, Orange Range… and I still have a lot to look up on my list~

I’ve listened to JPop, like Ayumi Hamasaki, BoA, dream, etc., but not as much nowadays. And it’s not like I only listen to Japanese music. I still listen to your average American music like Fall Out Boy, Sugarcult, System of a Down, My Chemical Romance, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo, T-Pain, Missy Elliot, etc. etc. To sum it up, I’ll listen to anything with a good beat. But I’m not the biggest fan when it comes to country music n.n;; However, lately I’ve gotten really tired about music on the radio – it makes me want to shoot my car stereo >>; It’s times like these where I’m grateful that I never get tired listening to Gackt =]

Have you ever seen or met Gackt in person?

I’ve had two incredible opportunities to see Gackt live and those days are forever burned into my memory.
The first time I saw Gackt was in Long Beach, California on June 29th, 2007 during the infamous S.K.I.N. performance at Anime Expo ‘07 (told you I burned the day into my memory :p). I was on the verge of tears from just sitting and waiting for the concert to start, the excitment and nerves building up in the entire arena.  My hands were shaking so badly… and as soon as that curtain fell down and he appeared silhouetted against a warm yellow light, I realized for the first time that he was real, as if before that I believed that the man I’ve been watching and loving was only a figment of my imagination.

The second time I saw Gackt was in the Saitama Super Arena on July 11th, 2009 for his Requiem et Reminiscence II Arena Tour, the day before the final. Gackt… is simply amazing and fully commits to his art. I can see his true self when he performs and he’s incredibly beautiful. I’m not just saying that by the way he looks, he himself – his soul, his aura- is beautiful. Every single note he sings is full of passion. Every move he makes, whether it’s a simple turn of the head or a single note plucked on the grand piano emits thousands of feelings and is sent to every single person there. Everything he does on that stage just captivates you and lets you get a gimpse of the wonderful world that stems from his mind. I can’t even express in words exactly how amazing he is…. there are no words – it’s something you can just feel when you see him live. Gackt Magic, if you will.
I hope with all my heart that you all get to experience it one day. Being at a Gackt concert… it feels like home <3

Why do you like love Gackt so much?

The typical fangirl would probably say something around the lines of… 
“OMG liek, what iZ there NOT to like about Gackt~~!!?!?!! <3333 blah SEXAAAAYblahblahCUTEblahblahMARRY MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~!!!! <3333333″

(Just kidding guys, I know not all of us speak like that o.-; )
But I’ll answer this question in non-sugary lovey-dovey creepy words. XD

I love Gackt for a number of reasons. Although he isn’t the first Japanese rock artist/band that I listened to (that was L’Arc~en~Ciel >D), he is the one who got me interested in this type of music and I am very grateful for that. If it were not for him, I would have missed out on a lot of great bands and artists. But the main reason why I love Gackt is because of the sheer power and beauty his music has – it moves me in ways that I didn’t think were possible. No other artist has brought me to tears, nor cheered me up when I was down or even expressed what I was feeling when words evaded me. When I listen to Gackt, I get lost in his music and disconnect from reality. For just a few minutes I get a glimpse into the world that he has created and shares with all of us. I don’t know if this makes sense but… the music in each of his songs differ from each other and set up the scene in my mind, while his voice carries me through the story he is trying to tell. His music has found it’s way into my very core, my soul, and again - no one else has ever had such a profound effect on me. His voice and compositions have captivated me completely and I don’t intend on breaking away from his world for a long time to come.

Stepping away from the musical reasons, I also love Gackt because of who he is - his personality, habits, and just the little things I’ve seen him do and say. I’ve seen a lot of people claim that he’s just a big egoist who loves money and is a big media whore. Think what you want, but I see differently. I think that Gackt is a strong-willed person; someone who pushes himself all the time, even when he’s close to reaching his limits. He’s passionate and puts forth everything he has into every project and task that he has done. He’s a perfectionist; he doesn’t half-ass things, and he isn’t satisfied until he feels he has done his best on something. He can admit when he is wrong, and knows that even he isn’t perfect. He’s competitive by nature and strives to do his best in everything. He has a silly/dorky/fun side to him, which shows that he is down to earth and isn’t afraid to act like a complete goof every now and then. He’s comfortable in his own skin, and doesn’t care what others think about him. He may act serious, cool, and tough at times, but deep down he’s really a sensitive individual. He’s been through so much in his life and I find it inspiring how he has been able to rise above all that pain and keep moving forward. His views on life are intriguing and make me reflect on how I live mine, sometimes causing me to try and do better like he always does. And lastly, I know that he truly does care about all his Dears and tries his best everyday in order to show his love for us all. It’s because of those reasons that I truly became his fan, and they are also why Gackt continues to be a huge inspiration to me.

Does it surprise you that I haven’t mentioned anything about his stunning good-looks yet? Well to be completely honest.. I was not attracted to Gackt in the least bit when I first started listening to him (*gasp-eth!*). In fact, it took me at least six months for me to find him the least bit attractive. I don’t know why, but he just was not handsome/beautiful/good-looking/hott/sexy/etc. to me in the beginning (did I seriously think that?!?!). I believe that it was a combination of the love I had for his music and his personality that finally got me into loving everything about him. And when I started noticing that I was beginning to completely fall for him, I tried my best not to. My mind was all like “Nooooo don’t fall for him noooo!!!!” … alas, Gackt succeeded in making another fan fall victim to his charms~ xp;

I don’t really know many other Gackt fans or JRock fans in general for that matter. Is there anyway we could chat sometime?

Sure thing, I’m always up for chatting with fellow Dears and JRockers x3! For those who use MSN, just add xguardianxofxtwilightx@hotmail.com (sorry it’s so long xD; ). You can also find me on LiveJournal as camui_love. I am also a frequent visitor to JRockRevolution.com and go under the name of Ms. Paranoia on the forums. I do also have your standard MySpace and Facebook accounts, but those are reserved for my private life.

Ever since I became a complete fangirl, I have spent endless hours on the net searching for all the information I could about Gackt. It’s been about 4 years, but I feel like I’ve been a fan of his since the beginning of his music career. And now I have decided to create my own fansite for him as another way of expressing my adoration and dedication to Gackt-sama, as well as for those curious individuals who want to see what all the fuss is about.

I hope this site becomes useful to all of you. Please continue to watch over this site, for I will be updating it frequently – for all you Dears, and of course for the love of Gackt.

<3 Jo