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Psycho-logy 101
Lesson Plan Review
(take
me to the photos of the panel)
Psycho le Cemu at Katsucon 2005 report
by Alexeil
Introduction
Well here I am once
again writing a report regarding a con’s j-rock band guest’s events.
First off, I am pleased to say for the first time real photographs will
accompany this article! Well, perhaps not exactly accompany. Because I
took so many, over 20, they’ve got a gallery of their own! Go check it
out! Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take shots of the concerts,
however press could take as many as they wanted at the panel. Hence all
the photos you’ll see here are from there. For fans of my infamous stick
figures however, fear not! I did one of those too, of the concert, which
is included below.
Next up, I want to
thank everyone involved for making Psycho le Cemu’s appearance at
Katsucon possible, including Harry and everyone from JpopHouse,
Katsucon’s staff, and of course the band themselves. I especially want
to thank Katsucon’s press relations guy, Chad, for being more available
to answer questions and generally help out press than any previous con
press representative that I’ve encountered.
Lesson One: Friday’s
Concert
The band’s first and
perhaps biggest event of the con was their Friday night concert.
Unfortunately, even before it began there were some difficulties. It was
originally scheduled to begin around 9, however it was pushed back to
11:30. Officially technical difficulties were stated as the reason,
though the rumor going around was that two of the band’s members were
sick. For awhile, there was some worried buzz from attendees that it
would be cancelled all together. Thankfully, this did not happen and the
concert went on around 11:30 as rescheduled.
Press was informed
we would be getting no special treatment of any kind for this event. So
I went to see if I could get in line with the regular attendees around
9. People that paid for VIP tickets got their own line and I can’t
report on how that went as I was not a part of it. However, general
admission attendees were informed there would be no line formed until
10. In my opinion, this tactic of delaying the line by the con is rather
foolish and causes many problems. I believe attendees should be allowed
to line up as early as they feel like it. I understand crowding the
halls for an extended amount of time with a line can be a problem.
However, attempting to delay the line forming doesn’t solve this. Fans
of the band are unlikely to ever be convinced to merely leave and do
something else rather than line up. Therefore, hordes of people were
left to hang around the general area and wait for the line to form. This
caused much more clutter and disorder than just allowing the line to
form would have, in my opinion. In addition, when it was announced that
the line could be formed, this created a dangerous mad rush of people in
the direction of the line. I found myself pushed and shoved and had to
hold onto my friend’s hand so we weren’t separated as we got in line. I
was standing fairly close to the door as the line began to be formed,
but once the people got organized I found myself about half way back
from the beginning of the line.
As we
waited in line we were handed glow sticks, a survey, and a concert song
list. As nice as it was to receive a list of the songs for reference, it
might’ve been better to hand them out after the concert rather than
before. Seeing them before made the event seem to loose some of its
excitement; knowing what was planned before it happened. Also we were
informed that no bags of any sort would be allowed into the room to make
sure that no one smuggled in any recording equipment. This seemed to be
a futile gesture to me, as one of the people next to me merely brought
his camera in in his pocket. To his credit, he didn’t use it during the
event, but he could have.
We
were let into the main events room after having waited in line for quite
awhile. VIP ticket holders got their own fenced off section closest to
the stage. I found myself a few rows of people back from where the VIP
section ended. Before the concert started we were warned to not record
it in any way, and to not attempt to get over any of the dividers.
Seeing
anything on stage was very difficult from my position. It made it
clearly plain how con event rooms are not set up to hold a concert.
Anyone with the bad luck to get a person taller than them in front of
them would have a hard time seeing any of the action on stage. The two
video screens showing the stage were not much help either. Seeing them
was similarly difficult. And from what I could see, they projected
pixilated, lagged images.
I
didn’t have any difficulty hearing the music, at least. Their speaker
equipment was appropriately loud. However, it was not appropriately
clear, and so I had a hard time making out anything that was said. One
additional complaint I had was with the lighting effects. From the
position I was in, whenever a certain set of lights were on it
effectively blinded me to the point that it was painful and I had to
look away. This problem was also present during the cosplay.
The
band themselves, however, performed wonderfully and energetically. Their
dancing was impressive as was their instrument playing. Their costumes
were elaborate and detailed. The skit they did towards the middle of the
concert was funny, despite not being able to make out everything that
was said. Their dialogue for the skit was prerecorded, in English.
Their accents and pronunciation were not as much to blame for it being
hard to understand as was the unclear audio equipment.
All in
all, the concert was enjoyable, but thanks to my vantage point it makes
it difficult to report on. This was to change for the second concert on
Sunday, which I’ll be reporting on below. However, it does make me feel
very bad for the people that had worse vantage points than me for both
concerts. It really is a shame that not all concerts can be held in a
stadium style arrangement with a slopped floor. Especially considering
how many j-rock bands that perform here are visual and seeing them
clearly is an important part of the experience.
Lesson Two:
Saturday’s Panel
For Saturday’s panel
press was told we would get seating in the front, be permitted to take
photos, and ask questions first and directly to the band’s translator.
General attendees were given papers to fill out with their questions
which were read from and were not given permission to take photos.
Although I’m fairly certain many did not obey the photo rule as I saw
flashes going off that didn’t come from our press row. As I mentioned in
the beginning of the article, all my photos are in their own gallery
here.
I attempted to take
notes for each question and answer and a list of them follow. I put a
question mark at the end of each question to make it easier to
understand, even though I know it’s not grammatically correct in all
cases. In some places I may have missed one or two questions, so forgive
me if that’s the case.
The first question
from the press was how the band thought American audiences differed from
those in Japan? They answered that Americans scream much louder and
therefore make their presence known more.
Another press member
asked what was the symbolism regarding the peaches often used by the
band? They answered that it had to do with the Japanese legend of
Momotaru, which they compared to the Western tale of the Three Little
Pigs.
The first question I
asked of the band was if they wrote the skit in their concert themselves
or if they hired writers? They answered that Yura-sama wrote it. The
band members then asked if the audience could understand their English
in their skit yesterday and most people responded that they could.
The next question
was what anime, if any, the band members liked? Yura-sama answered that
he likes the Final Fantasy game series; Seek answered Akira; Aya
answered Death Note; Lida answered Spiderman; and Daishi listed liking
Bebop Highschool.
Next was asked if
they had any Western musical influences? They answered that yes they
did, but there were too many to list. And that each members wrote their
own songs and used their own influences.
They were then asked
what other visual kei bands they listen too? Aya responded that he likes
Dir en grey.
I asked the question
of whether they would like to do a US tour outside of conventions? They
responded that yes they would, and that they would like to have the
opportunity to perform with some US bands.
Another question was
raised of where the band’s name comes from? The answer was that it just
sounds cool and that it’s a combination of the band members’ previous
bands’ names.
Next there came the
question of what the band thought of downloading mp3s of their music?
They answered that they didn’t mind it if it’s for sampling only and
that they buy their cds.
They were then asked
what they thought of the current music scene in Japan? Daishi responded
that it’s bad because Psycho le Cemu is not number one yet. He also said
that the fan response is better here in the US sometimes.
A question was
raised if members were considering doing solo work outside of the band?
They said maybe, which caused a roar of disapproval from the audience.
They then said that if the fans want them to stay together they will
Next was the
question was where the ideas for their videos come from? They said they
all discuss and come up with the ideas, often while riding in the car.
They added jokingly that Lida usually drives so contributes less.
The next question
was in regards to hair spray? Daishi mentioned how he and Lida’s hair at
the panel was similar.
Next was what was
their costume influence? They answered the main influence was the story
and characters they were portraying. They said that each band member has
a specific type of character that he usually plays. They added that
their new costumes were nearly ready. Lida’s new costume was listed as
expensive and Seek’s didn’t have much cloth. The fans cheered for this,
causing Daishi to call them hentai.
Next came the
question of whether the members had girlfriends? Daishi was the only one
to answer saying that he just celebrated his birthday with only three
male friends. He mentioned he invited Harry but he couldn’t make up. At
this Harry, the j-pop house organizer, looked up from the side where he
was working in confusion and the fans all cheered. Daishi went on to say
that everyone was taller than him and later asked if girls would be
willing to date someone shorter than them. The fan response was a loud
affirmative.
A question of what
they thought of US cosplayers was the last press question? Lida
responded that they’re big. This caused a bit of a hushed offensive
response from the audience, but the translator hurried to explain that
he meant it as tall and flashy, not fat.
Next came the fan
questions, the first of which was would the next DVD include dance
lessons? The answer was yes. They mentioned how Lida and Yura-sama did a
boxing match for the next DVD and even though it was a fight
performance, they became closer doing it.
Next was how did
Seek feel about always being the monster character? He said that it was
fun and he didn’t mind. He did mention that his parents thought
differently about it though. Which got a laugh from the audience.
It was asked if
Yura-sama’s banana was supposed to fall apart during the pervious day’s
performance? He said it was not; that it was an accident.
Next came one of the
cutest responses from the band. They were asked if they had any pets?
They each answered that another member was their pet. Lida was Daishi’s
pet, Aya was Lida’s, Seek was Aya’s, Yura-sama was Seek’s, and Daishi
was Yura-sama’s.
Aya was next asked
if he’d date a non Japanese person? He responded with sure, why not.
Daishi then asked if the girls in the audience would rather date Aya
dressed as a girl or a man. They seemed to somewhat favor as a girl, but
the responses were close to 50/50.
They asked if Seek
has a name for his bass? He answered that the one he used yesterday was
named Saba.
Lida was asked his
favorite fruit? Banana was the answer.
Aya was asked if he
wore boxers of briefs? He answered bowers. Daishi mentioned that Aya had
a pair that were blue and checkered that his mom bought him. Overall the
band took these kind of questions that some might have deemed
inappropriate with a lot of good grace and humor.
Next was asked if
they had any embarrassing moments they could mention? Seek mentioned how
the ball that was throw at him at yesterday’s concert was supposed to
hit him but it didn’t and he had to fall down as if it did anyway.
Their favorite ice
cream flavor or desert was asked next? Seek answered vanilla or apple
pie. Daishi was surprised by the question and wondered if the fans
really wanted to know that. Lida said he gets brain freezes eating ice
cream because he is an old man.
They asked if the
new tour was going as expected? Yura-sama answered that there were many
mistakes, but it was going ok.
Their favorite video
game was asked? They answered Ridge Racer.
Next, a girl in the
audience proposed to Aya? He merely said thanks and didn’t give a direct
answer.
Aya was asked how it
was to portray girl characters? He said he tries hard to be accurate and
like a real woman.
They were asked how
their plane ride went? Daishi said there were cute school girls on the
plane.
Lastly, they were
asked how the band members knew each other before the band? Daishi and
Lida were childhood friends. The rest of the members met through the
band or from working in live houses. Yura-sama used to be a roadie and
Seek did lighting.
As the band stood up
to leave they were all smiles and waved to the fans. I heard that one
girl ran and hugged Aya on the way out, slipping past security, but I
missed seeing it myself. The band seemed to have a lot of fun answering
the questions and interacting with the fans.
Lesson Three:
Sunday’s Concert
Honestly I was not
even sure I was going to attend Sunday’s concert because I had heard it
would be very similar to Friday’s and in the confusion of checking out
of the hotel I didn’t have time to line up early or to find a place to
deposit my purse (which I assumed would again be forbidden to take into
the event). But I decided I may as well make the attempt to see it and
am I glad I did! To my surprise press was granted their own little
section for this concert! It was located to the right of the VIP section
and directly in front of one of the speakers and just feet away from the
stage. We didn’t even get a barrier between us and the stage! Thankfully
all the press members were responsible and didn’t get too close or rush
the stage.
Being this close and
therefore getting a nearly completely unobstructed view of the stage
made the entire experience much more enjoyable than the first concert.
From there I could see each of the members’ costumes in detail, as well
as their facial expressions, and their hands while dancing and playing
their instruments.
First off, let me
say how delighted I was to be able to see how much fun the band members
were having while they performed! They were all smiles throughout,
especially Daishi. They smiled and laughed at each other as well as the
audience. I got the feeling they were good friends and really enjoying
themselves. At once point, I remember Daishi petting Lida’s head,
drawing the memory of how he’d said he was his pet at the panel. Knowing
they were having a good time made it that much easier to enjoy the
concert myself.
Being up close, I
could also better appreciate how much skill and practice must have went
into the dance routines. If Aya or Yura-sama made any mistakes, I
didn’t catch them. They seemed to be in perfect synch as their hands
moved, sometimes too quickly to follow.
Hearing the skit for
a second time, I was better able to follow the story. I’ll try to
summarize it here. It began with introducing the demon Seek, whose
dastardly plan of evil was to make all humans wear his hair style. Enter
the other band members as our heroes. Yura-sama, as the samurai, was
first to try and defeat Seek. Sadly, he informed us that security at the
air port would not let him bring his sword. He did however have a banana
that he tried to use as a replacement. Seek ate it. Daishi attempted to
beat Seek in a contest consisting of each of them holding one end of a
big rubber band in their teeth and stepping apart until one let go.
Daishi lost. When he let go of the rubber band and it flew to lightly
hit Seek in the face, I could see Daishi genuinely laughing and pointing
at his band mate. Lida was next. He created a force field between our
heroes and Seek. However it did not last long and Seek took Aya as a
hostage for awhile. Then Seek threw a magical ball of some sort at our
heroes, which flew over their heads and came around to hit him on the
back instead. Kudos to the crew member offstage that successfully hit
Seek with the ball this time around. As Seek related at the panel, he
missed at Friday’s concert. Seek was defeated. But soon after, he sadly
admitted he was only being evil because he was sad he didn’t have any
friends. He thought no humans could be friends with a demon like him. So
of course our heroes all volunteered to be his friends. And there the
story ended happily with all of them together to get back to the
concert.
Despite Sunday’s
concert being nearly identical to Friday’s, it was a much more enjoyable
experience for me. Besides being much closer to the stage, since it was
the second time seeing it I could watch out for what I’d missed the
first time. It also gave attendees a second chance to catch anything
they’d missed and perhaps get a better vantage point.
Closing Thoughts
I enjoyed seeing Psycho le Cemu at this year’s Katsucon.
They put on two wonderful shows and a delightful panel. I admit to not
being a fan of the band before the con as their visual and musical style
isn’t the kind I usually like. But despite that, through the many fans’
enthusiasm and the band’s own eagerness to entertain, I found myself
really getting into the experience.
Psycho le Cemu merchandise, as well as any future US
concert news, can be found at
www.jpophouse.com
Psycho le Cemu’s official site is located at
www.psycholecemu.jp
Any questions or comments regarding this article can
be sent to the author at
alexeil@verizon.net
On to the Photos!
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