You're welcome everyone! I had fun translating it. And now for those who have waited, here is part 2. Sorry if it took awhile, it's finals week here so I've been swamped. Enjoy! I'll repost a few of the previous questions so it's easier to follow.
--For this release, you decided to release it in the form of a mini-album. This is the first mini-album for Moi dix Mois, isn’t it?
Mana: Yes.
--Why did you choose a mini-album, as opposed to a single or an album?
Mana: Well, as you know, there was a bit of a gap in our activities, so I wanted to put out the next release at the soonest possible time. Because you only get 2 tracks or so with a single, the image the songs give is biased in a way no matter what. For this release I needed a form where I could put out compositions with a lot of variation at the soonest time and this form – although I’d say it’s more like a medium album than a mini one –seemed like the best one to use.
--You were in a rush, weren’t you?
Mana: Yes, I was. My desire was to hurry and let everyone hear our new sound.
--I’m surprised, because I had this image of you as someone who creates and presents his works after thorough preparation.
Mana: No, I’m always in a hurry. *laughs*
--Is that so? *laughs*
Mana: Yes. It’s because I’m always worrying about the arrangements until the very end. Even in the middle of recording I’m working on the arrangements. The arrangements are quickly worked out then. Naturally I finish the foundations of the songs before recording, but in the midst of recording – for example, depending on the I impression I get when listening with huge speakers on full-blast – a new arrangement will result from it, so I’ll arrive at an arrangement through this sort of an environment.
While recording I’ll think “Oh, wouldn’t it better to do it this way?” and discover a new arrangement. So even during recording I’m rushing to get it all done.
--This is the first work for Moi dix Mois you composed with twin guitars, isn’t it?
Mana: Ah, yes it is. That’s certainly true.
--How did the recording go?
Mana: It took a fair amount of time to create the sound of the twin guitars in recording. I had to bring out the respective personality of each guitar, but not too the point where they were too different. So balancing that was difficult and a real challenge. I’ve made my albums all by myself up until now, so I had been the one deciding the timbre of the instruments and the nuances of the picking and such. This time around I worked together with K, because the strength and nuances of the picking all had to fit together. I think that’s what really made it a challenge.
--The twin guitars are essential to the sound of “unmoved”, aren’t they?
Mana: Yes, they are. It wouldn’t hold up without the twin guitars.
--Was this song also difficult to create?
Mana: Yes. “unmoved” gave me the most difficulty with the timbre. Because there are just guitars at the head of the song, I had to find the right timbre for the guitars; one that would strike your ears the most. That sort of fine tuning took a great amount of time.
--You have a fan club member only live planned for March 11th. How excited are you?
Mana: It’s already been almost a year and a half since my last live. It’s truly been a while, so I’m extremely looking forward to it. I really like doing lives. I’m the type who prefers performing live to recording.
--From reading your interviews in various places, I got the strong impression that you were one who preferred writing songs.
Mana: Hmm, I see. *laughs* But even though I do like writing songs, I’m really not an engineer type. I like tinkering on my own songs well enough, but there’s no doubt that I prefer performing live where I can unleash my power into the room; that’s much more my nature.
I’m the type who can’t stay still. With recording, working day in day out, bit by bit in the same seat the whole time is the part that I can’t stand. Well, since I truly love seeing my own compositions completed, it’s not like I hate it, I just prefer running around like wild.
--I see. *laughs* So you take your pent-up anger from composing and unleash it at your lives.
Mana: Yes. I feel like I want to burst open during lives.
--Well, you should really look forward to your next live then.
Mana: Yeah, I am.
--Why did you choose for the first live of the reborn Moi dix Mois to be fan club members only?
Mana: The reason is all the fans have been waiting for me, so I feel a bit like it’s not a normal live. I feel like it’s an event I couldn’t do without my fan club, so I decided to do it in no small part because of that. Although it will basically be a live, for the main part.
--Will you still be performing Moi dix Mois’ previous songs at lives from now on?
Mana: We will play previous songs also during the next live, but the arrangements will have changed depending on the song.
--There’s one keyword concerning “Beyond the Gate” I was curious about. On the flyer, there is the phrase “The world of the other side, as beautiful as it is frightening”. What kind of world is the “the world of the other side”?
Mana: I believe there are people who can get there and people who can’t mainly. It’s a place where if you can’t dispose of your prejudices and such things, you can’t reach it. I believe people who always hold such prejudices will never see the world of the other side.
Wanting to tear down prejudices and stereotypes is consistently a main theme of my work.
I don’t want you to view everything with your set notions alone. This album especially represents a new start, so by me or you being tied to our own pasts, we won’t be able to see the next world.
--Well then, everyone please give this new release a thorough listen, and if you can come to the lives, perhaps you can reach it.
Mana: I think so.
--Will you take them with you?
Mana: Yes, I’ll take you along…but if you wish to go, you must also personally possess the courage to cross this sea of blood. If you have that courage, then I will draw you in.
--We’ll look forward to it. Going back to your new album, I feel that as a whole it’s closer to your 1st album “Dix Infernal” (typed wrongly as “Dis Infernal”! XD) in direction.
Mana: I see.
--By combining a Mana-esque sound together with a new experimental one, I got the feeling that it was a concept free album when I listened to it.
Mana: That certainly may be the case. I already made an album with a concept with my 2nd album “Nocturnal Opera”. I depicted a story with the lyrics and everything else in it. This time I’m expressing my own strong feelings more so than a story, so it’s closer to my 1st album in that respect I suppose.
--As the reborn Moi dix Mois, what sort of style do you think you’ll present from now on?
Mana: Fundamentally Moi dix Mois is my solo project, so to fit with the world of my compositions, I want to have a group of members that always suits that. I believe Moi dix Mois is Rock, yet it’s not trapped by the conventions of the genre. For example, I’m using the fundamental Rock instruments of drums, bass and guitar to perform lives, yet I’m thinking of mixing those with other instruments for lives in the future.
--So in various ways you’re striving to operate freely, not be trapped by the existing framework of things.
Mana: Yes. I believe that’s the way I’d like to achieve things.
--What’s in store for the future?
Mana: The future? Well, with this new album, I believe I’ve been able to condense a great deal of what I’ve been aiming to do into it. I wish to capture a sound that is violent, beautiful, and dramatic for a long time into the future.
--That’s the foundation.
Mana: Right, that’s the foundation. When I listen to music, I want to cry. It moves me to tears. I want to fully explore that emotion with my music.
--You wish to be deeply moved by the sounds that you create as well, right?
Mana: Yes, that’s right. The songs that exist in the world aren’t enough to satisfy me. Precisely because the world lacks such songs, I myself wish to create my own ideal music. You might say I seem like my number one fan.
--So Mana himself is his own number one fan then.
Mana: It’s true. It’s like I’m creating songs that will move myself, is one way you can view it. *laughs* So if it doesn’t move me, there’s no point in showing it to the world, is there?
--On March 11 you’ll be holding a fan club only live at the Ebisu LIQUID ROOM, but what are your plans for after that?
Mana: The lives for Moi dix Mois Europe Tour 2006 ~Beyond the Gate~ are being held on March 17th in Paris, France, and on the 19th in Berlin, Germany. After that, the tour final will be held on May 2nd at SHIBUYA-AX.
--This will be your 2nd time doing a European tour, correct?
Mana: Yes, it’s the 2nd time for lives.
--Do you feel there are any differences between lives in Europe and lives in Japan?
Mana: I feel it’s the same as doing it in Japan. This is because I’m beginning to do around the same number of lives in Europe as in Japan. So while I’ll feel glad to finally meet everyone again for the first live in a year and a half in Japan, in Europe it’s been the same year and a half, so I’ll feel glad to meet everyone again there too. So in striving for that kind of a live, I think they’re very similar things, don’t you?
Actually there are many males among the European fans. The power of all those male fans is impressive. They give the feeling of “I love rock!” and that kind of power is incredibly strong. In Japan especially, as a band wearing makeup like so-called Visual kei bands do, the males are very passive no matter what, right? But for Europe that isn’t so. It’s quite a difference to so greatly feel the power of those kinds of male fans.
--What do you think about the fact that there are many males at your European lives?
Mana: I’m glad. I hope more of the males will pop up in Japan as well. The proportion of females is still larger, so they might be embarrassed, I’m not sure. I hope that Japan will soon become like that too so the proportion is more like 50-50.
--By distributing a European version for your latest “Beyond the Gate” in Europe, I feel your music will readily reach the ears of all your fans in Europe so they’ll participate in your lives.
Mana: Right.
--I heard that even during the last European tour, the international fans knew your songs from your 2nd album “Nocturnal Opera” very well.
Mana: That’s true. Even though the European version of “Nocturnal Opera” hadn’t been released at the time of last year’s live, everyone sang along.
--What are your feelings regarding the release of an international version?
Mana: Yes, I’d certainly like to release an international version. I get lots of mail from overseas, so releasing one is something I wish to do, to make an environment where they can get a hold of it. I believe an international version is very necessary.
--Has the demand been piling up for one?
Mana: Yes, the demand is considerable. Many people in places that aren’t big cities have said they’re unable to get a hold of my music, although I’m not sure if it’s just for small towns or not. So I want to make it so as many people can get a hold of it as possible.
--You appear to be pivoting equally between activities in Japan and Europe, but I wanted to talk about the fact that the American members make up the most of your international fan club. Do you have any plans to hold a live in America?
Mana: For America as well, I want to be able to do lives and such as soon as the environment is prepared. I’m going to Europe for the 2nd time now, so it may give the strong impression that I’m partial to Europe. *laughs* It’s really not that, just that the environment is more prepared there, and it’s an easier condition to do activities in.
By finding agents and partners and people who understand me in Europe now, the environment was fast prepared. I’m now taking steps to find such partners for America as well. If I’m able to find very suitable partners even there, then I’m positive I’d like to go and do lives there.
--We’re talking about other countries, but the tour final is going to be held on May 2nd at Shibuya-AX, correct? After that, do you have any plans for a tour outside of Japan?
Mana: I’m still deciding on that. Because I feel I want to do as many lives as possible in Japan as well.
--We’re starting to hear things like “you only go overseas, what’s with that!” *laughs*
Mana: I see. *laughs* That’s true. This year I hope to do as much as I can in Japan.
--Finally, please give a message to all your fans.
Mana: I’m looking forward to meeting you for the first live in a long time. It will be wild.
--Thank you very much for this interview.
Mana: Thank you very much.
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