Schwarz Stein General

[flowersofnight]

kicks

Speaking of, did anyone take a gander at what kind of footwear Hora was wearing? It could've been your only chance to see some very rare items.

 

[sanctum]

先日、Schwarz Steinを初めて聴いた。昔のメンバーであるし、当時、変に比較されるのが苦手だったのね。感想は、成る程これがHORA君の世界か。これならkaya君がベスト。僕が探求してるのはもっと売れないやつ(^^ ともあれ、あの頃のゴミVEは辞めて正解！がんばって！

What does it say?

Speaking of, did anyone take a gander at what kind of footwear Hora was wearing? It could've been your only chance to see some very rare items.

Standard issue VK platform boots.

 

[flowersofnight]

What does it say?

My stab at it:

"Yesterday, I listened to Schwarz Stein for the first time. A former band member is in it, but it's strangely hard to compare with how it was back then. My impression was, 'I see, so this is Hora-kun's world. In that case, Kaya-kun is best [for him?].' The kind of guys I was after were more unsaleable ^^; Anyhow, it's for the best that I disbanded the old garbage VE. Good luck!"

Here's a discussion I found on "unsaleable bands", apropos of nothing:
https://wiki.chakuriki.net/index.php/売れないバンドの法則

Standard issue VK platform boots.

I'm actually pretty disappointed to hear that XD I assumed now that he's pretty much going in civilian clothes he'd be rocking a pair of '95 Air Jordans or something.

 

[Mad Lilith]

Sorry for keeping you waiting! I will write my impressions... erm, shortly I went to all the lives and in-stores in Osaka and Nagoya, but I'm too exhausted and drowning in homework right now. I don't have time to write full live reports, but I'll write something, I promise! At least the highlights and the Kaya-Hora jokes as much as I can remember. But yeah, Hora didn't wear any kind of sneakers anywhere, sorry about that.

Also, I have a bunch of chekis of all the events, but you can't upload pictures directly to this forum?

 

[flowersofnight]

Also, I have a bunch of chekis of all the events, but you can't upload pictures directly to this forum?

You should be able to, don't you have the "Upload a File" button in the posting form? Or, you should be able to just paste the pictures directly into the message you're writing.

 

[Mad Lilith]

You should be able to, don't you have the "Upload a File" button in the posting form? Or, you should be able to just paste the pictures directly into the message you're writing.

Oh, you're right! I was too tired (and lazy) to see options other than adding an image. But that's nice, now I can show off my chekis!

EDIT: I will leave you with these nice pics while I'm trying to recollect my live/in-store memories. I can't believe that I bought that many chekis! (I asked the autographs to chekis at an in-store. Hora's autograph is so... I don't mean to say sloppy, but is it really the same person who does this elaborate make-up?)

 

[Mad Lilith]

As I said, this is not a live report – I don't know how to write live reports, plus there would be too much to write about, since I went to all three lives and the two in-store events in Osaka and Nagoya (the last event will be this weekend in Tokyo, so if you happen to be here, don't miss your chance!). Anyways, I don't know how to write about music, but I will try to share with you some of the highlights and funny Hora-Kaya moments and as much of the in-store event talks as I can remember.


Oh yeah, by the way, if you happened to be at the Tokyo live (or in Nagoya), then the red-haired foreigner in a crappy Hora cosplay was me! (Oh it felt awkward to be in the first row in Hora make-up before the real-life Hora.) Both Tokyo and Nagoya lives were sold out (probably thanks to the famous guest performers), but I suspect they overestimated the capacity of the live-house in Tokyo because the place was really packed.... in an uncomfortable, slightly disgusting way (I can still feel the crotches and buttocks pressing against me, like on Yamanote line at a rush hour). The live itself was good of course! (If you could forget the physical discomfort, haha.) Tokyo live was supposed to have a balance of both heavy and poppy songs, while Osaka's live was more to the "light side" and Nagoya's to the "dark side" (or that's how Kaya explained it). Tokyo live was good, but Osaka and Nagoya lives were better – I think maybe they were a little bit tense at the first live (all the anniversary publicity and Mana-sama and Hora's "master" watching and everything). Kaya forgot the lyrics of "Lilith" (after having introduced the song as his favourite Schwarz Stein song) and Hora kept messing with his corset. As you can see from the chekis, he was wearing a white shirt and a necktie tucked inside a corset. The corset, however, was too loose and at some point came quite close to falling off, so Hora had to keep adjusting it and tucking his shirt/necktie back in. He seemed slightly irritated at his wardrobe malfunction, but I thought it was all very adorable in a uniquely Hora way.


Mana's guitar was set up on the stage right from the beginning, but Kaya and Hora kept joking that they have no idea who the "secret guest" might be. "You all think you know who it is, but we haven't said anything. Actually, it's Hora's parents!" They kept up the "Hora's parents" joke until Mana made his appearance, somewhere around the middle of the live. If you have seen Mana's twitter, he accompanied "transient" on guitar. I was also hoping to see Hora playing the guitar, but instead got to see Mana playing Hora's keyboard! It was kind of awesome how Hora presented his keyboard to Mana – kneeling, like a knight offering his sword to his master. Mana played some super famous Malice Mizer song on Hora's keyboard and I felt guilty for not being able appreciate the awesomeness of the moment, because I have never really listened to Malice Mizer properly. Everyone got super excited and I was like... yeah, nice song. I read that Mana seemed nervous? I really can't tell because I saw him the first time so I don't know how the un-nervous Mana looks like. Anyways, he came quite into the audience and I got to touch his guitar, yay!


I don't remember the MCs all that well because it was already more than two weeks ago and the MCs from the other lives and in-store event talks have already gotten mixed up in my head (I wish I had taken notes). One topic that came up at all the lives and in-store events though was Kaya's weight, lol. Apparently, Kaya used to be very-very thin at the beginning of Schwarz Stein – according to his own words, "unhealthily thin". Nonetheless, Hora teased him for having gained as much as 12 kg (of course, Hora himself is super thin even now). They also discussed how they have both gotten "softer" and more adult-like, so that the older fans might not even recognize them anymore. Hora again made fun of Kaya, saying he's become like an old lady. He didn't hesitate to tease the fans in the same way, because well, most of Schwarz Stein's fans are visibly older generation fangirls (not me though, haha. Damn, the MCs are all coming back to me now, but I would never finish this report if I were to translate it all, sorry! too much homework). When they were introducing the anniversary photobook, Kaya said something about there being "very cool" pictures of Hora, at which Hora replied – quite unexpectedly (I mean, after having teased Kaya so much) – that Kaya's pictures are so cute that every morning he wakes up at 5 a.m., the first thing he does is to look at Kaya's pictures, lol. I think that's where Kaya curled up in laughter. Oh yeah, the "afterparty" was not a handshake/talk event as it was the last time, but a live DVD screening! They showed some pretty rare material, I think from their last live before breaking up. Kaya and Hora commented on the video material while it was running on the background. Hora again made fun of Kaya – this time he laughed at how masculine Kaya's voice used to sound back in the old days. I really wish they released some of the material they showed that evening! I saw some fans getting quite emotional and wiping tears while watching the live footage (probably fans who were present at the last live).


As I already said, I felt the lives in Osaka and Nagoya were better than in Tokyo. Kaya didn't forget any song lyrics and Hora's corset stayed in place, and they both seemed more confident and relaxed than in Tokyo. One thing I must say though is that I think they made a terrible mistake by asking deadman's Mako to be their guest performer in Nagoya. I didn't even know who Mako was until he was announced as their guest, but it seems he's quite a famous guy in the Visual-kei scene! I'd say too famous – too famous for Schwarz Stein's good anyways. I remember being surprised when the tickets for Nagoya live sold out in less than 30 minutes. This was of course "thanks" to Mako-sama's fame and most of the tickets seem to have been bought by Mako's loyal fangirls which meant that most of the audience was there not for Schwarz Stein but for Mako. The audience response to Schwarz Stein was cool, to say the least, but when Mako came on stage (for only like three songs), then everyone went crazy, damn them Mako fangirls. I felt so bad for Kaya and Hora The least I could do was to look bored and disapproving when Mako was doing his antics. I mean, a third of his performance was not even music, it was throwing candies in the audience. Yet Mako's fangirls were besides themselves with excitement. Okay, sorry for the rant. But it makes me bitter to think that there were Schwarz Stein fans who were not able to buy tickets for the live because Mako's fangirls wanted to see 15 minutes of their idol. But the audience warmed up towards the end of the live, so maybe Mako's fangirls aren't entirely insensitive to good music. I am not going to write about their live performance because it's not possible to convey music in words anyways. Of course it was awesome! and I find it such a waste that they have only a few lives per year. But Kaya kept repeating the "my pace" thing, so there's not much hope that they will be having more lives from now on either (I was kind of hoping because the three lives this month seemed like a promising sign they would be getting more active?).

 

[Mad Lilith]

Lastly (before I pass out from exhaustion), the in-store events in Osaka and Nagoya. I honestly regret not taking notes, because I can't remember half of the things they said. Also, I was pretty nervous at the event in Osaka because it was my first in-store with Schwarz Stein and I was frantically thinking what to say to them when getting my stuff signed. What I remember is that when Hora took a seat in one of the high bar stool type of chairs that Zeal Link has for the artists, he looked really uncomfortable at first and was struggling to find balance, but once he got the hang of the thing, he spun around on the chair victoriously. I must say, Hora's black and white make-up with one single red eye looked striking against Zeal Link's red and black background (sorry for being such a Hora fangirl, but I can't help being mesmerized by the pure aesthetic beauty of his make-up every time I see him live). I don't remember much of the talk in Osaka (because of extreme nervousness, haha), but I remember someone had written a question to Hora if he wouldn't accompany Kaya's chanson-singing on piano (Kaya had a chanson concert in Nagoya the same evening). Hora said he can't really play the piano (apparently it's quite different from the keyboard), and anyways, when it comes to chansons, he prefers singing them, lol! They also talked about food in Osaka and regretted not having time to explore local cuisine (because they had to move on to Nagoya right after the event). Kaya told Hora that he may stay in Osaka and enjoy the food (because only Kaya had a live the same evening), but Hora refused to stay behind: "I want to be together with you!" (yappari isshoni itai). Everyone (including Kaya) laughed at this because… yeah. Hora was so unnaturally sweet towards Kaya, like what is this new development?!


Luckily, I have more memories from the Nagoya event. Hora talked a lot about himself at Nagoya in-store. Someone had written a question asking what they do when they get sad or depressed. Hora's reply was shockingly honest – he said he would take medicine. He didn't specify what kind of medicine, but I suppose antidepressants or something? He said he doesn't take them all the time, but he has to have them with him to have a peace of mind. He also talked about his obsession with cleanliness (I don't know what's the medical term for it in English, but it's keppekishou in Japanese). I know he's mentioned it in his blog before, but I had no idea this condition is that extreme! Like for example, if he drops a towel on the floor, he can't use it anymore. Or when there's a delivery at his door, he tries to grab the package so that the deliveryman wouldn't have to touch his door, but when he still does (like, holding the door out of politeness) Hora has to disinfect the door knob afterwards (!). Also, he has to disinfect all the surfaces that the package from the outside has touched (I had no idea and I've written him fan letters. He probably burnt them all, haha). Hora said his house is so impeccably clean he almost wants to invite us all over, but then he would have to disinfect his house afterwards, so yeah. Hora didn't forget to mention how "majime" he is (as he's often done in his blog) – early to bed, early to rise, no alcohol, no tobacco and no women, lol. Kaya's reply to the same question was short and simple – whenever he feels sad or irritated, he cleans his house (I guess that's why they get along so well with Hora).


Then there was a question about which artist they would like to collaborate with. Honestly, I don't remember Kaya's reply because I was still laughing in my head at Hora's reply – he said Kaya is enough for him, that he doesn't need others ("He's my first and last.") He then confessed he doesn't have many friends anyways (poor Hora!). Oh yeah, this reminds me how Kaya was promoting his calendar during one of the MCs at Nagoya's live (preorder Kaya's calendar and get an autographed one!), and then Hora's asked him shyly if he could get a Kaya's calendar too. They were discussing different places where to put this calendar, including the ceiling and the toilet.... yeah, it got a bit awkward at the toilet. (Btw, has there always been like a BL element to Kaya-Hora relationship? I'm actually a very new Schwarz Stein fan.) There were many more questions, but I simply don't have time nor energy anymore, sorry XD But lastly, someone asked them about their "beauty secrets". Kaya's is probably known to everyone already because he's had to reply that question as a solo artist many times before – his secret to beauty is to be in love. Hora, looking at the audience, said that everyone is so pretty, he wants to ask the same question from us! He said that without make-up he looks "hideous as hell", lol – I don't believe this, he has like the most beautifully shaped human face ever. Kaya also protested and said Hora is very "kakkoii" without make-up.


I'm gonna pass out now, thank you for your attention. Sorry for not being able to write a real report

[Lol, my "report" was too long for one post, so I had to cut it up into two parts.]

 

[faith]

You're awesome. If, later on, you manage to remember more of the MC I'd be super interested in hearing what else they said.
If you're too busy or tired then don't worry though; what you've provided is more than appreciated and I'm super happy you took the time to write it up.
From what I remember hearing, they would do fanservice before Shuva broke up, etc, and Hora has always kind of said those things to Kaya, but more teasing than serious?

Also lol about him burning your letters - he prolly just reads them with doctor gloves on. Also also lol for being germaphobic and still living with cats.

Mana's guitar was set up on the stage right from the beginning, but Kaya and Hora kept joking that they have no idea who the "secret guest" might be. "You all think you know who it is, but we haven't said anything. Actually, it's Hora's parents!"

Sure would have been nice of them to let them out of the storage unit...

 

[flowersofnight]

Oh it felt awkward to be in the first row in Hora make-up before the real-life Hora.

You maybe should have expected that Like going to the office and finding out that you wore the exact same clothes as someone else XD
The part about Hora coming untucked all the time is some classic dasai too, I love it XD

Btw, has there always been like a BL element to Kaya-Hora relationship?

I don't think they're intentionally trying to cater to "shippers" or anything like that, but they're old friends at this point and if Hora feels like making those kinds of jokes he absolutely goes for it XD I think part of it is Hora playing up the contrast with his usual "angry" persona.

so there's not much hope that they will be having more lives from now on either (I was kind of hoping because the three lives this month seemed like a promising sign they would be getting more active?).

I don't think Hora's ever going to go back to being a full-time professional musician. He's probably got, like, responsibilities now, and volcanic islands to visit, and so on.

Anyway, thanks for writing up such a detailed live report As always, our field agents are the best in the biz

Also:

he said Kaya is enough for him, that he doesn't need others ("He's my first and last.")

My Dada Salt Meter melted down at about this point

 

[Madmoiselle_Silk]

It really would've been awesome if Hora could join in on piano for Kaya's chansons....in his normal look XD a bit mal placé XD

 

[Visual Kei Trashpile]

One thing I must say though is that I think they made a terrible mistake by asking deadman's Mako to be their guest performer in Nagoya. I didn't even know who Mako was until he was announced as their guest, but it seems he's quite a famous guy in the Visual-kei scene! I'd say too famous – too famous for Schwarz Stein's good anyways. I remember being surprised when the tickets for Nagoya live sold out in less than 30 minutes. This was of course "thanks" to Mako-sama's fame and most of the tickets seem to have been bought by Mako's loyal fangirls which meant that most of the audience was there not for Schwarz Stein but for Mako. The audience response to Schwarz Stein was cool, to say the least, but when Mako came on stage (for only like three songs), then everyone went crazy, damn them Mako fangirls. I felt so bad for Kaya and Hora The least I could do was to look bored and disapproving when Mako was doing his antics. I mean, a third of his performance was not even music, it was throwing candies in the audience. Yet Mako's fangirls were besides themselves with excitement. Okay, sorry for the rant. But it makes me bitter to think that there were Schwarz Stein fans who were not able to buy tickets for the live because Mako's fangirls wanted to see 15 minutes of their idol.

Well, it's not just insanity of Mako just being there, he's been out of the music scene for almost an entire decade, I think they're just naturally elated to see him again after all these years. Oh, I hope you didn't get a bad impression of Deadman and 眞呼 fans I don't know the full details of his disappearance (I would compare it to Klaha's disappearance, but maybe he kept in touch? Can't recall...) he's been out of the spotlight for, as I said, nearly a decade (Buried With The Light was all we got for his solo career! Uweh ). I'd empty out my pockets to see him again! It's the chance of a lifetime to see someone who just fell off the map for so long appear again. Especially in the flesh! I compared it to reuniting with a lost lover (bad comparison, I know); I'm happy to see him again, but so worried and upset that he might just go off and leave us again. Those fifteen minutes were precious... I hope you understand why so many people went wild at seeing Mako again. Hah, I thought the candies were cool! But maybe that's just my sugar addiction talking

 

[flowersofnight]

Those fifteen minutes were precious...

Were you there too?

 

[Visual Kei Trashpile]

Oh, no, I was not. I wish I was though! The after pics just can't quite capture the magic of being there!

 

[Mad Lilith]

Also also lol for being germaphobic and still living with cats.

I was thinking the same! Do they wear slippers to the litter box? (How many cats does he have anyway? Five? Four?)

You maybe should have expected that Like going to the office and finding out that you wore the exact same clothes as someone else XD The part about Hora coming untucked all the time is some classic dasai too, I love it XD

And the someone else wore it better. But at least my corset stayed in place!
I loved how Hora seemed to be under the impression that no one would notice him "subtly" tucking his shirt back in

My Dada Salt Meter melted down at about this point

Dada who? (this forum doesn't even have a Dada emoticon, how sad)

Well, it's not just insanity of Mako just being there, he's been out of the music scene for almost an entire decade, I think they're just naturally elated to see him again after all these years. Oh, I hope you didn't get a bad impression of Deadman and 眞呼 fans I don't know the full details of his disappearance (I would compare it to Klaha's disappearance, but maybe he kept in touch? Can't recall...) he's been out of the spotlight for, as I said, nearly a decade (Buried With The Light was all we got for his solo career! Uweh ). I'd empty out my pockets to see him again! It's the chance of a lifetime to see someone who just fell off the map for so long appear again. Especially in the flesh! I compared it to reuniting with a lost lover (bad comparison, I know); I'm happy to see him again, but so worried and upset that he might just go off and leave us again. Those fifteen minutes were precious... I hope you understand why so many people went wild at seeing Mako again. Hah, I thought the candies were cool! But maybe that's just my sugar addiction talking

Thanks for explaining the background! It does make a lot more sense now. Then again... considering he's been in "hiding" for such a long time, it makes you wonder why he agreed to be their guest performer? He doesn't even have any special connection to Shuva (in the way that Közi and Mana do).

 

[faith]

I assume he's gay.

I'm serious here.

 

[Visual Kei Trashpile]

Thanks for explaining the background! It does make a lot more sense now. Then again... considering he's been in "hiding" for such a long time, it makes you wonder why he agreed to be their guest performer? He doesn't even have any special connection to Shuva (in the way that Közi and Mana do).

Hmm... You're right. This was really random for him to just now come charging out of the blue and into the spotlight again... I know he has a connection to Közi (who collaborated with him on Buried With The Light), but I don't see any label connections between Midi;Nette and Mako.

 

[flowersofnight]

I assumed it was the Kozi connection too. Unless Mako really is gay, in which case Kaya knows him for sure XD

(this forum doesn't even have a Dada emoticon, how sad)

Sure it does!

That's Dada after a run-in with the rampant ogres of eastern Russia XD

 

[Mad Lilith]

In fact, someone at one of the in-stores asked them about their connection to Mako and they really didn't have nothing much to say about it. Hora remembered they had performed at an event together some 10 years ago, but they hadn't even talked to each other at that time. I must agree, it's probably the Közi connection, but that would have been too awkward for them to admit maybe?

I don't know about the gay thing. I guess they are all a little bit gay...?

 

[sanctum]

So did anyone buy the CDs? What do you think of them?