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Mana has quite a storied career after Malice Mizer! His band Moi dix Moix is still active, and he's Kanon Wakeshima's producer. Mana isn't dressed 'in character', just wearing alt fashion. He's mostly known now for his work as a fashion designer and being an icon in the alternate fashion industry! He's the founder of the EGL (elegant gothic lolita) style and his fashion brand Moi Meme Moitie is credited with popularising the Lolita fashion movement in general.

Ahahaha I remember crying in the bathroom at school when I found out that Gackt left, and then again when Kami died, and then again when they disbanded... Malice Mizer and Plastic Tree were the first bands that I really connected with, and I'm still a fan now. Thanks for reminding me that I'm due for a full re-listen of their discography!

Klaha is an opera singer, his voice isn’t going to be eccentric like gackts, its going to be calming and pleasing to hear. It isn’t flat, just different from Gackts and Tetsus. Like in Bara ni irodorareta- his voice is nice even when hes speaking.

I cried a little every time you pronounced it “visual key” 😭

After Gackt had left MM and Kami died he actually wrote a song for him, and it explains how Gackt had felt about his passing. It’s titled “U + K” which are Kami’s entails. Here are some quotes from it that make me wanna cry; “Inside of the dream Inside of the memory, we'll definitely meet again if you can regain your smile If your laughing slf returns Sadness will turn into kindness” “If the magic of the moon vanishes Because goodbyes are visited again If we can follow our feelings right now I want to join hands with you and dance” “Inside of the light, the place we should return to Because I'll meet you again somewhere” Literally the sweetest thing.. And the song sounds light and uplifting, which I think fits the lyrics well.

Kami is still one of the best drummers I have ever heard. It is truly fucking sad he died so early in life. He was truly a talent.

Mana’s concept for Malice Mizer was ahead of it’s time. They were huge in Japan, but if they released music now, they would be so much more popular since Japan has been more open to exporting music to the west. GACKT is such a legendary person. His look in Bel-Air (ver-ere) is unbeat and the energy he brought to live performances is unmatched. As a kpop fan, I’m convinced someone at SM decided to make Taemin their own GACKT because they are so similar (as music performers Idk either personally to state whether they are alike in that way). GACKT recently recovered from an illness affecting his vocal chords so he should be back to music within the next couple years. Ma cherie is an incredible softer song for people who don’t like the heavy songs.

I have always gotten the impression that Klaha was actually very shy and that the hurtful comments about him (especially when he went solo) are the reason he disappeared. It makes me sad because he was and still is one of my favorite singers of all time, and it makes me sad that people criticize his era of MM so much.

I mean, Mana never stopped making music, designing clothing and generally being a staple in the gothic scene in Japan and for overseas fans. And some how I’m only JUST now being told he has a cooking channel? o_o

it's funny how mana going on to become a staple in lolita fashion was completely ignored. i actually discovered malice mizer through mana's contribution to lolita fashion. live laugh love mana-sama

The Lair of Madame Tarantula Blog has translations for every song from Malice Mizer. Their lyrics are filled with truth about this reality. It's truly a world of lies and suffering. To be a human here is to suffer in misery from the malice of reality.

I adored Khala’a era. Yes, I got into Malice Mizer because of Gackt but Khala brought a very unique sound.. the last few minutes of this video made me so sad. Their final album is hauntingly beautiful. So different from anything else they produced.. I love this band so much!

Au revoir is so nostalgic to listen to, but the most lamentful sounding track they have made is my favorite, Aegen both sung by Tetsu and Gackt.

I love how mana's classical music training transcended when it met gackt's and it created an amazing characteristic style for the band

I gotten into Malice Mizer by accidentally downloading Illuminati when trying to download 2-PAC - Hail Mary (in his lyrics he says Illuminati) when I was younger. Here I am now, 16+ years later, with my insane indies / old school obscure visual kei collection and I owe it all to MM

i miss klaha so much; i hope he is well wherever he is

i accidentally deleted my comment but i actually like the Bara no Seidou album, especially Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku. the sounds and choir in it are heavenly

Please forgive me if I've already said this before, but Gackt actually gave a reason why he decided to leave the band. He thought that with fame and success came greed and the other members had become more and more obsessed with money, going so far as to mock the fans behind their backs. Arguments got more and more frequent, and after a while he felt totally alienated, as the others would no longer speak to him. He felt extremely lonely and miserable, and when he couldn't put up with it anymore, he just left.

Some of the stuff on Gackt needed fact checking (particularly how he joined the band, I think he was scouted rather than auditioning) but besides that, very well done if perhaps a bit too short to do a real deep dive. I appreciate the attention to the lyrics where possible. Nothing can touch Merveilles but I enjoy Bara no Seido because it executed the gothic aesthetic in a way that vibes more with me than Memoire. I’m always clamoring for an edition of Beast of Blood with Gackt on vocals, he has an amazing lower register and can pack some grit that’s underused in MM ánd his solo work, sadly.

"Bara No Seidou" is what really got me into Malice Mizer. Least favorite???? Hate???? That's so unexpected. Looking through the comments i see alot of other people saying how great the album is, or being confused about it having a bad rep.

One note about Gackt's history pre-Malice Mizer/Cains;Feel, he actually studied Sound Engineering in college while working at the casino, and had prior experience with music both in theatre and classical training as a pianist. As for Klaha, it's worth mentioning he was previously in a synth band called Pride of Mind. Japanese artists are extremely difficult to research due to the language barrier and many translated interviews are hidden in obscure corners of the internet, so well done on this. I also love the way you describe the music and the aesthetic of each album/era.

Bara no Seidou is the best album imo. it is almost like a soundtrack of Gothic Lolita fashion that i have been into for more than 15 years. it is less mainstream that the previous albums but is very important. In 1999 Mana created his brand Moi meme Moitie which is very successful in Lolita community to this day as well.

I'm from Ukraine. I listen MM since probably 14 years old. Now im 26 and i listen them at least once a week. I cant even explain to you how much energy they give me. Its like a portal to another world. Peace, calm, immortal.

malize mizer video on my recommended?? in 2022??? incredible. really liked the video! would love to see more videos covering VK bands/musicians

Tetsu was super underrated. His Era was super cool

This does a great job of touching on Malice Mizer's history! I didn't realize people didn't like the Klaha era, it's one of my favorites with Mayonaka Ni Kawashita being one of my top favorite songs in their whole discography. Love that you're bringing attention to not only Malice Mizer's music but also their backstory. LONG LIVE MALICE MIZER! Edit: Forgot about this but a great song from the Tetsu era is I Know the Reason for Her Sadness, top tier in my opinion. Right up there with some of the songs on Voyage Sans Retour. I think each era had some bangers lol

Would love to see more VK deep dives like this, especially the 00s heavy hitters. I think PIERROT would be a hell of a one to do from their absolute bullshit way of ending it, rivalry with Diru, etc.

Really love this video! Rarely see anyone talk about MALICE MIZER these days. Please make more videos on V系 greats or maybe the genre in general :D

Nicely done. Honestly, there isn't an era of MM I dislike. There is always something brash and beautiful. Thanks for covering a good chunk of musical history!

Bara no seidou is one of my favorite albums of all time, I guess because it's right off my alley. Also, I feel it really set bases on what Mana did later with Moi Dix Mois. Being said this, nothing tops Merveilles. Malice Mizer will probably always be my favorite band of all time and it's always so cool watching new content that deeps into their mostly underrated gems.

Bara doesn't have a bad rep. First time I heard this. If anything, it's a fan favorite and a truly unique and masterful concept album that really goes hard on the dark/elegant gothic aesthetic while always remaining genuine and heartfelt. Tastes are subjective and to be respected of course, but one can't ignore how influential and popular Beast of Blood was/is among Jrock fans and for the scene in general at the turn of the century. Plus, imo, the Bara no Seidou live shows are some of the most incredible concerts ever made, in both production values, and musically. I can't even explain how much I would love to be able to watch that live. Having said all this...Merveilles will forever be their peak. Perfect album. Good video! Even if you totally skipped on a lot, mistaken the Budokan for a festival (it's an arena), and got some details kinda mixed up, I honestly really appreciate the work you put into this. Thank you.

That one-R difference between prostrate and prostate claims another victim.

Beast of Blood is their absolute best song. Absolute fucking banger.

so sad barley anyone talks about the tetsu era, in my opinion tetsu vocals are one of the best, you can see the passion he puts in his vocal, with his twitches.

I have to disagree on Illuminati, it remains my wife's favorite Malice Mizer song. It is so different and still so unique and brave. I think it is one of their masterpiece if not the best they ever produced.

considering visual kei is a fashion/aesthetic based subculture i would've liked for this to touch on the fact that mana is one of the founding fathers of elegant gothic lolita and his contributions with his brand moi même moitié. In my opinion, It's really quite unfair to do a deep dive into this band without any mention of this.

Gackt would forever be iconic if he had aged gracefully. His work with malice mizer and early solo career was next level amazing.

im so happy this band is starting to get more attention, they're so underrated

The cutaways to your reading of the lyrics are pretty bad. Sorry :( Also, I'm not sure why you seem to think Klaha sounds flat? He had great bass tone to his voice. I loved the Gackt era of Malice Mizer, but always felt like that era was the least authentic to their image.

every era drags a similar feel yet its so different... and i think thats what makes them so fun to listen to. am i feeling like listening to some romantic pop? BOOM, gackt. are we feeling like listening to darkwave? POW, tetsu. do u wanna listen to something that makes you feel like a vampire? KACHAW, klaha is there im just so glad i know about these dudes' existence. definetely my fav band ever... their music is just so inspiring, i love them so much

I still wish they had release a full or best of album before Klaha left the band for good. Instead we only have like 3 singles to represent his era....

A history of Dir en Grey would be amazing. Or X Japan and Luna Sea 😌

I think it would have been nice to go deeper in the importance that Malice Mizer had on future VK and their importance in the fashion department as well as talk a bit more about the individual membres since ppl like mana and kozi alike have really good songs and music they helped create after malice mizer. However, I really liked the vidéo and I think je te veux is a work of art🔥

Other than your horrific pronunciation of "visual kei", (KAY not KEY) this short doc is pretty great. You clearly did your research! I definitely liked it. **EDIT your French pronunciation is terrible too but the same sentiment.**

This was a really fun deep dive. i really enjoy the lyrics you chose to highlight in this video

I was craving for VK content in KZfaq. It's weird how hard it is to find videos about it. And, well, you got a new subscriber :') Malice Mizer is one of my favourite bands of all time and it's good to hear about them again.

Mana do the right thing by killing band, Malice Mizer have no bad era. A 4th cycle would be a really decay. Malice Mizer will be allways remember as the greatest VK band off all time. Something Yoshiki never learn..

I can't even begin to express how happy I am whenever Malice Mizer gets the recognition they deserve, but the 'fall' section is cut a little short, in my opinion. Because Gackt didn't simply 'leave the band'(like Tetsu); it was a full-blown PR nightmare. It's a little hard to piece together after so long, but there are two crucial interviews about the split: Shoxx 8/1998 (Vol. 66) and Vicious March 1999***. The Shoxx interview is scanned and translated, the Vicious interview I've only ever seen discussed/transcribed in forums, so, eh. But apparently, Gackt had stopped showing up in promotional material in 1998 which started rumors; he gave an interview about his conflict with management and other band members and I would guess a giant shitstorm ensued because apparently no one even knew he was going to do that interview. Keep in mind that this was _before_ he officially departed. In the Vicious interview (if it's authentic), the remaining 4 express basically that they just didn't get it. It's a big, convoluted mess, but reasons were given lel Of course very shortly afterwards, Kami passed. EDIT: ***Got anxious whether I actually got the volume right, and I didn't. It was 2/1999 (Vol. 72). But the info, that he had disappeared and sparked a media frenzy can also be found on Wikipedia: 'In December 1998, he disappeared. It was reported in the media and on TV that he had vanished into thin air'. So, interview was after the official departure, but he had just 'vanished' before. Sorry about that! I don't necessarily agree with characterising Bara no Seidou's lack of commercial success (compared to merveilles at least) as 'the fall', either. Based on Mana, Yu~Ki and Közi's later activities, I don't think they really cared about that. And they still played Budokan with that album, even though they had returned to indie status after Kami's death. Personally, I think after all that happened through '98 and '99, their relationship with the band/name had just soured. They never wanted to replace Kami and you can't really be a full band with that anymore. Just my 2 cents. If you haven't already, I'd also recommend listening to the audio of Gackt's first live. Because it's just a fantastic trainwreck (in parts, at least). Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. Great video.

I've been looking for a video like this for some time now. I really appreciate this!

finally! theres barely any english vids on malice mizer on this site!

Le Ciel gives me the chills even to this day. It's such a beautiful, melancholic song. I love it. And I know it hasn't aged that well, but Illuminati is still in my top tier list of visual kei songs, it's just too fun to dance to. And Gardenia makes me feel like a victorian lady going to a masquerade LOL so I guess these are my top 3 Malice Mizer songs

MM songs tended to be in triple meter and multiple minor keys, with fairly simple dominant-tonic modulations between one key and another. MM used this formula repeatedly. Gackt's writing was more harmonically sophisticated. Le Ciel, which the author considers the pinnacle of MM's songwriting, was clearly a Gackt creation--Gackt is credited with both lyrics and music, and stylistically it falls outside of the MM formula. Le Ciel points forward to the songs on Gackt's solo albums, starting with Mars, Moreover, Gackt's spectacular entrance in the live DVD (flying on wires from above the stage while costumed as a "destroying, vampiric angel"), looks forward to the same technique he used in many of his early lives.

Glad to see some Malice Mizer content! I started out as a die hard solo Gackt fan back in middle school, but over the years my tastes shifted towards his very early solo career (Mars, Rebirth) and eventually I got into his MM era, too. He is an amazing vocalist. Tetsu era was very nice, too. I never got to grow up with the band but I really miss them. I wish they were on Spotify...

It seems that Gackt’s lyrics were completely in-depth when it came to Malice Mizer’s catalog.

This was such a great trip down memory lane and I learned so much, too! Thank you so much for making this video 😭♥️

Begging and on my knees for more visual kei deep dives, this was right off the bat a very entertaining video ^^

Really nice to see a video about Malice Mizer pop up in my recommended. Really enjoyed it, thanks for this :)

Bara no Seidou is my really favorite album of them. I think, it is very important to share it here, cause there always will be a grateful drinker for absolutely every cup of tea. Thanks a lot for the video! :-))

I'm so surprised yet so glad to find something like that on youtube oh my. You need to make more. I've fell in love with jrock and visual kei while I was in high school and bands like Versailles and Dir En Grey were one of the main reason I became a musician, which is by far the most important thing in my life. Documenteries like that are so rare and so badly needed by the western fanbase, you cant even imagine. Seeing things like this properly researched, documented and presented so well is truly a heartwarming feeling. Amazing video!

Gackt was the main reason, why and how I found MM in the first place. The song ‘Redemption’ is what lead me down to an entire vkei rabbit hole in my younger years and what ultimately ties into my fashion sense exc. I also found it weird, that on the forums a lot of fans did not like Tetsu’s voice??!!!! I loved and still do, love the way he sounded. There’s not an album or song I did not like from the MM saga. Klaha was another voice that I loved, and wished to hear more from. I do hope he’s doing well with whatever he’s doing, along with the other members of MM. 🖤

I get really excited when I see videos like this in my reccomendations, you have a new subscriber.

MM was my favourite band when i was around 13~14, so over 10 years ago. Its so nice to hear about them. MM shaped my teenage and adolescent years. Listening to MM brings back memories and sadly my teenage years were difficult so many memories are painful but MM was my escape and i am thankful for that. I absolutely adore MM, their music is on the next level, i can feel my soul elevating when i listen to them.

Thank you for this video. I listened to malice mizer all throughout high school and discovered them through randomly downloading music on kazaa. I've hit a nostalgia streak and have been listening to them again so your video was posted just in time! I'm also loving the discussions in the comments section.

Never thought I would view one of these videos for my favourite band, you did an excellent job on the research and I found out about some stuff I didn't know before.

KZfaq needs more video essays on visual kei bands.

Would love to see a video like this for Buck-Tick (although idk if they're considered a vkei band or not, either way it would be cool af) like a deep dive into their discography and such

You did so much research!!! Def a throwback to the visual kei days I loved.

While Au Revoir & Le Ciel are up there among my fave tracks, I gotta say, Bara no Seidou is my favorite album. Might just be 'cuz I adore Vampiric aesthetic, but it's just so good to me. 😅 I grew up listening to Merveilles, and it will forever hold a place in my heart, but I rediscovered MM a few years back and gave BnS a full listen to. Literally a masterpiece in my eyes!

Yu~ki and Kami were the best. Just hearing Bel Air from their concert video is AMAZING, just pay attention to the bass and drums of that track and enjoy.

I am so glad this was in my recommended, I absolutely adore Malice Mizer and I'm so glad I can find more people talking about MM. It isn't often that I find people still talking about them besides about Mana or remaking their looks

Bara no Seidou is *fantastic* in my opinion. Especially with the death of Kami in mind, the dramatic and dark theme just hits different, also: The vampire-theme with that music just gives me goose-bumps, too. The movie they made during Klaha era, which is basically Dracula made cheesy (lol), may not be that great, but aesthetically it is fantastic and really compliments the music. Generally, i just love how their aesthetic would always enhance the atmosphere of the music - it was always put together so well. Anyway, thank you for this video! It was good, even if some aspects were missing (like the movies. Not that they were so important, but i think it's just so awesome that they made 2 cheesy full lenght movies haha). And: Merveilles is still my favorite, too. :')

Thank you for covering this! Always nice to see more exposure to this now hidden gem of a band :)

Bara no Seidou was exactly what I was looking for when I found MM, and it was devastating to know that there was so little done with Klaha. I had to go back to Pride of Mind to get more of him.

Awesome video! Love these guys and always will :))

Wow, I had no idea people hated Bara no Seidou. I love that album because it's so grand and goth, and it's also my favorite Mana fashion era. MM is in my top three favorite bands even today, it's crazy that it's been 20 years since I listened to Le Ciel for the first time.

Thank you so much for covering them I love you so much !!!!

1. Please take constructive criticism in these comment sections. At least try to learn the pronunciation of Japanese words or French words. 2. You really have to fact check because some of the facts are wrong. Gackt wasn’t just a random dude trying to get into a band, his dad was a professional musician and Gackt has been playing music since childhood. Mana as well! Hence why they were able to make this kind of music. 3. It may be a personal opinion but Klaha does NOT have a nasally voice. I don’t know how many Japanese artists you’ve listened to, much less visual kei bands, but he does not sing nasally at all. If you want to hear nasally vocalists listen to D=OUT or AnCafe and compare. Japanese artists don’t sing from their diaphragm in general because traditional Japanese music is sang via the throat/head voice, so some might sound nasally than others but on the spectrum of nasally vocals Klaha is very very minimal. Even Gackt had to had nodes removed from his throat surgically around a decade ago because he didn’t sing with his diaphragm for years.

I remember downloading this along with Dir en Grey back on Napster (I'm too old). They are easily still one of my favorite bands ever. I'm also from Latin America (Puerto Rico) and in more than 30 years I've only known a handful who legit knew about them around here

I would absolutely love to see more videos like this of visual kei bands you're interested in! Malice Mizer was my first VK band before i ever fall into Dir en Grey's grip, it was so nice to hear such old nostalgic songs again after a while. Thank you so much!! 🖤

Thank you so much for explaining I had a hard time understanding the order of events but now I understand im very grateful for this video

Still believe nothing can top Merveilles, that album and with Gackt's voice is just pure gold.

Cool Video dude. I appreciate that it isn’t cringe which often happens when someone talks about v-kei. Very informative and well delivered with focus on the music and background itself. Nice one

this channel is way too underrated

Love seeing people still talk about Malice Mizer, I've been a fan for over 15 years and got my friends, parents and some of my dad's coworkers to be fans too, we still independently listen to the Klaha era music regularly. Overall great job, the pacing and editing were well done! Only wish you had taken a little bit more time for the Klaha era for the people that clicked on this not knowing much. Won't harp on the things others have already mentioned like the pronunciations and that the title felt a little misleading since it ended up being more of a 'my opinion on the albums' than really a rise and fall kind of documentary. I know some titles attract more clicks. I'm subscribed after watching another video, will be watching a lot more, and hope to see this channel grow!

My favorite Band in Highschool. Malice Mizer ignited my love for Visual Kei and (to be cheesy) made me the person I am today and after almost 20 years I still enjoy their music. Really good video!! Thank you very much for this trip of nostalgia

Thank you Graymads. I sub to your CH . Nice video project of Malice Mizer . Tc! Best of luck!

Thank you so much being so respectful and appreciative of the music and its members! Instant sub

premier amour will always be my favorite by them also great video I find some of their old music and more because of you keep it up really well done.

I wish i had this video when i first got into the band! I love seeing informational videos on jrock bands, i hope videos like these will get more young english speakers to be interested in malice!! I love this band and wish more people knew them!

I had discovered malice mizer by their song ma Cherie I fell in love and listened to many of there songs I would say it’s probably one of the first times I’d gone so deep into a band/music and as I only discovered them a couple months ago I hope to continue to love malice mizer 💕

Thank you for making this video ❤

It took me so long to watch this video because I knew it would make me cry. I love this band so much, especially the Gackt era but I do love the Tetsu and Klaha eras as well. Malice Mizer was part of the musical undercurrent of my formative years. Thanks for making this video; more people should know about Malice Mizer!

As someone who got into Moi Dix Mois first through Maximum the Hormone (specifically people giving wrong answers to ID the visual kei band in the zetsubou billy mv), and learned of Gackt through final fantasy 7 spinoff, this was both informative and overdue. Thank you.

Love this band so much. Gackt is an amazing vocalist

Very good points and details. Thanks.

I was surprised to see this video pop up on my feed. I didn't think anyone was talking about Malice Mizer anymore. Mana-Sama defined my teen years and his body of work still haunts my mind palace. Wonderful video

Watching this video feels like when I first google Malice Mizer history, it still feels like going in a walk for fresh air! ありがとう^_________^

Hello! Lovely documentary / video essay! I thorougly enjoyed it. While there were some inconsistencies in details of the history, it doesn't overshadow the amazing work and many truths in it, and I absolutely love your editing and script styles, and you gave this video your own personality. And even if I didn't always agree, I really love your analysis of the individual tracks too, it shows your great love for all of their amazing discography. I definitely also love you didn't give a reason for Gackt's leaving, since that was never given, and didn't recite any of the many rumours and false info online. I think you have a bright future in KZfaq, please keep up the content like this. I was actually planning on making a MALICE MIZER documentary myself, and started working on the script already... But it will be from a very different perspective, focussing on different elements, and it'sll also be in a very different video/editing style. But of course, I'd like to ask your permission if I'm also allowed to make a documentary about them, since I don't want you to feel I copied you, or hinder your career. Is this OK? It'll take another year or two though! Thank you for the video!

makes me happy theres a video like this on this band, i love this band so much and sampled them for my own music alot