Thank you so much for this! I also got into visual kei the same time as you and although I didn't really get to meet other visual kei fans in my country (England) until much later I spent a lot of time on US based online communities. Eventually some forums just became so filled with hate and elitism I stopped interacting on them and just discussed my favourite artists with a group of friends I met on these forums and used sites like livejournal, JaME and MJP+ as well as artists OHPs to keep up to date. Because of this I fell in the trap of being mentally stuck in 2008/9 for years and just sticking to a few of the artists I grew up with. From 2011 I became involved in Lolita and other Japanese fashions and eventually started meeting local visual kei fans who were involved in these fashions also and went to more lives with them. Over the last 2-3 years I finally started to listen to more current artists and had realised I had been missing out on so much. I feel partially if it weren't for elitists I would have done it much earlier!!

This really got me thinking about my early days with visual kei (about 3-4 years ago). In my city and in my country, Finland, there aren't a lot of visual kei fans, let alone in my school back then. Although "being a weeaboo individual" was a thing with my friend group I tried to dress up in visual kei out of pure love towards the whole genre. We didn't have meet ups and I wasn't a part of any online communities, which is actually still kinda true today. If elitism had existed where I lived at that time, I would've been devastated and probably scared to death to go out in what I thought were just simply really fucking cool clothes. (And not even DIY-ed) I don't know, of course there is always going to be elitism in any genre but visual kei in the end isn't that big of a thing in the western world yet, we don't need it in our communities. The thing you said about elitism and individuality makes me so mad! The whole point of a community is to have something in common. It was always the music but also the style itself! People get inspired by the bands and OF COURSE there is going to be similarities between everyone, that is how FASHION works, even if it's street fashion. Almost no one is the kind of unique snowflake these people seem to think they are. Some styles, let's say the "host hair" for example, get more popular and common than others and come to present that particular style and that's just how it works. (Or maybe like dark hair with colored streaks around this one time span - you know what I'm talking about? lol) Get your shit together, elitists, and start thinking. ffs.

Hach ja, die Tasche mit Glöckchen und Bildchen dran~ xDD!

Du triffst es einfach perfekt.

thank you, I love this! though I've only recently heard/experienced this elite snob stuff, it seems so ridiculous to me...why hate on your fellow subculture members just because they're new and don't have the merchandise or knowledge of "elders" in the western VK fan scene?

say squirrel! xD

Du hast deine Tasche noch

lol the white shirt on a black blazer joke cracked me up. of all the fashion styles kyo could have made popular, how did it end up with this super generic thing, I've always wondered XD

Man, visual kei fans in Germany must be brutal. In the states there are so few of us that we are all best friends.

what manga do you have there?

may I ask could you do a video on your bag? I just found you channel and I agree with you. thank you , Gutz

Ich stimme dir zu ohne frage. Zumal ich es auch öfters zu hören bekommen habe mit dem Styling(Nur weil ich meine haare kaum style (weil sie zu dünn und so sind) und wegen Job nicht so rum laufen kann wie ich will mit den Klamotten) das ich kein wirklicher VK-Fan bin und nur so kopier und all den scheiß. Aber ich bin seit 8 jahren dabei. (ich rede wieder bullshit und möchte dich nicht weiter nerven)

I'll just be here, and the only vk i am listening to is The GazettE😂 for those who hate people because they thought they are "copycat", why waste time giving them attention and hate when you could just continue your life idolizing and listening to the bands you love😂 come on~ stop the hate

kawaiii

But yeah sorry I know that was a bit of a life story but really if elitists didn't try to scare of younger fans and put down newer artists so much I really feel the fanbase would grow so much more overseas. Or at least there'd be a better sense of community. Ok yeah I miss the old days too and 2007-2009 was the time where I really fell in love with a lot of favourite bands for the first time. But I think right now is such a great time to he a visual kei fan. Ok so some really amazing artists have disbanded but so many amazing artists are right there making music now too! And every era will have their good and band bands also . Even 10 yrs ago I remember there were idiots complaining how "every artist after 2002 sucked " or only fans of 90s vkei were" true fans". Like seriously what rubbish. Of course fans will only remember the good artists from those eras because they're the only ones anyone will remember. At least if everyone was a bit more relaxed it'll be easier for the new generations of artists and fans!

This is what a wannabe would do. (?)

hm bin vieles was du sagst deiner meinung und manche menschen sind einfach nur arrogant. aber die gibt es überall. selbst direkt in visual kei/j rock bands xD meiner meinung nach ist es auch wirklich nicht wichtig ob jemand jetzt einer der ersten wahr oder erst später dazugekommen ist. wen interessiert das? außer das die die sich für die besten halten onehin vielen einfach nur auf die nerven gehen und mal über ihre aussagen nachdenken sollten. man sollte menschen im algemeinen einfach akzeptieren wie sie sind. Und dadurch neueinsteiger in Visual kei aufjedenfall ebenfalls akzeptieren, und unterstützen. immerhin ist aller anfang schwer. ich will da gar nicht an mich selbst denken und finde mich jetzt auch noch lange nicht perfekt, aber wer ist das schon? zu der aussage das man x japan und co kennen sollte. jain!...weil wie sollst du sie z.B. kennen wenn du da noch nicht mal auf der welt warst? auch wenns mal nicht schlecht wäre im algemeinen den ursprung zu verstehen und mal von "damals" reinzuhören. Aber solange man auch die musik von herzen gerne hört sollte das auch in ordnung sein. ...oder nicht? ....jeder sollte einfach sich selbst sein, auch wenn einige die schönheit darin vieleicht nicht erkennen. kleide und style dich wie es dir gefällt und was zu dir passt. Du kannst nicht jemand sein der du nicht bist...und wenn man nur eine kopie von etwas ist, ist man doch auch nicht besser und verliert zu dem noch dazu seine einzigarigkeit...das ist was mich eher oft traurig macht. ich will auch keinen bekehren oder sowas in der art aber das ist doch eher ein algemein menschliches problem auf dieser welt wenn man darüber nachdenkt.

Am I allowed to hate myself? :3

How can people be angry of others people staring to listen and dress visual kei? xD how can some know x japan if they weren't even alive haha really why does everybody want to be like ´´Oh i was of the first ones so you are just a posser´´ xD nah!!