Dir en grey Tour19 This Way to Self Destruction @ Gramercy Theater

I never got the time to write about the concert experience and this was the last concert I went to before the pandemic hit the United States. I consider myself lucky to have been able to attend Dir en grey's performance in 2019 because from what I heard, all the tickets were being scalped no matter what state you were in. I had been lucky to have obtained the pre-sale code because on the day the tickets were released to the general public, there were none left. It had been sold out during the pre-sale. A serious case of ticket scalping if you ask me. Now looking back in the year 2022, this was the last concert attended before COVID-19 and will be my last one for a very long time.

[Drama Review] BG: Personal Bodyguard S1&S2 + Original Soundtrack

Season 2 cast

Alternative Names:  BG: Shinpen Keigonin , BG～身辺警護人～, BG贴身保镖，BG-搏命保鑣

Having abandoned the jdrama world since 2016, I have been very out of touch with current actors and shows. In the year 2021, I have returned with an unrealistic goal of catching up with dramas that were produced during this time gap, both old and new. The one that resurrected my interest in dramas again was BG: Personal Bodyguard. Kimura Takuya has been my long time favorite actor so I really bet all my chips onto him for producing entertainment. I was not disappointed. There were some parts of the story that I didn't like, but overall I really enjoyed watching it. Since this is my first jdrama in a while, I was introduced a lot of new talent and also revisited by familiar faces, mainly Eguchi Yosuke. Today I will cover both season 1 and season 2, along with a bonus music review on the Original Soundtrack. Brace yourselves for a very long post.

[January 2018] End of the Year Anime/Manga/Music Pick

I am so overdue on this post! The title says January, but it's already the ides of March. There's already some new series I'm starting and also some that are slated for April. I'm looking forward to the Persona 5 anime, the continuation of Shokugeki no Soma and finally an adaptation of Golden Kamuy. Guess what? It's also on my manga list too!

Another year on the "A Desecrated Soul" blog has passed. Rather than do a year in review post like the previous 2 years, I've decided to do a mashup extravaganza. However I do want to point out some things that stood out to me in 2017. My anime of the year was Mob Psycho 100 and 91 Days. Mob Psycho 100 is funny and ironic with an intentionally sketchy animation style giving it a free-flowing look. 91 Days was an underrated series that deserved recognition for its storytelling. Music wise there are too many titles to name and for manga, I keep revisiting Super Doctor K and The Case Records of Professor Munakata. Without further ado, let me introduce January's anime, manga, and music picks.

[July 2017] The CDJapan Haul and Music Review

Due to my occasional patronage to CDJapan, I have grown to like their company. As anyone who likes anything Japanese, this is a site you probably frequent among others like Japan Discovery, YesAsia, AmiAmi and Ebay. Shipping really kills my wallet, but I still buy things from them anyways. I haven't gotten diehard enough like my co-worker to use EMS for his figurines.

[April 2017] The Long Journey from Brazil to the Stars

I'm back again in April for another exclusive pick. I ordered some more music and here are some gems to share with you all. Perhaps you may find that you also own some of these gems.

[February 2017] First Hairstanding Picks of the Year

I skipped so many months of monthly picks in 2016. I need to keep this up in 2017! You all know how much I love my Japanese metal bands. This list will not be short of them. Here's the first monthly pick of the year.

Yoshiki Classical Special @ Carnegie Hall 1/13/17

It's been nearly a month since attending Yoshiki's performance. I haven't had the chance to write about it and Yoshiki is already on his way prepping for Wembley Arena taking place in March. This concert was an important concert to me because it's the first time I shared this experience with my parents. For the first time, I was sharing with them time to see a music icon I respected so much.

The GazettE @ Playstation Theater NYC

For starters I am a casual GazettE fan. I listen to their stuff, but I can't remember their lyrics and sometimes I forget song titles. Still I would not give up a chance to see them live since they arrived at my hometown. Most importantly last night was that I had so much fun. You don't have to be a dedicated fan to feel atmosphere.

[March 2016] Music Pick

Welcome to my super late recommendation post. I might as well name this a April music pick. 

Wagakki Band 3.14.16 @ Irving Plaza

I was told on short notice that Wagakki Band was coming to New York to perform. Immediately I went to Irving Plaza to purchase a month ago. My friend got his for $20 on StubHub which was relatively unknown for a lot of people. Who would have known that they picked one of the worst days of the week to perform. But bad conditions didn't deter their performance.

[February 2016] Music Pick

Hmm. I never get tired of metal and his month's music pick doesn't fall short of it either.

[January 2016 Music Pick] Start the New Year with Enka?

I'm a little late on the monthly pick, but I'm still going to do one for January. I'm back with some music I came across and hoping in the new year that there's a lot of new material to explore.

December 2015 Music Pick

Final Thoughts on Dir en grey @ Gramercy Theater

Two days later I am now recollecting the NYC show and sifting through my memories. The post-concert blues hasn’t hit me (yet perhaps) but I’m still really sore from the pit experience. I’ve read other people’s experiences at the lives and enjoyed their perspectives on it. In my previous post, I wrote about all the pent-up anger I had from getting battered in the pit. Understandably it was my first time and I did take a gamble after all. It was still something to learn from as first hand experience. Now that I’m hearing that the NYC pit wasn’t as violent as other places makes me feel a bit more relieved.

Pits are really not for everyone, but don’t let it discourage you. Standing in the back or taking a seat are great options as well. As these two days past, I’m actually started to forget about the pain, but remembering more about the smiles and the music, because that’s what really counts. Granted I didn’t have my ideal experience, but if you can still get something positive out of it, it was worth it. So yeah, I’m feeling really happy now.

Dir en grey @ Gramercy Theater NYC

I missed these guys twice when they were in New York because I wasn't available on those given days. Now I can finally see them up close. It is a special event to me because their music was what helped me get through school and everything stressful in life. I think the best way to repay them is to go see them. This was my first Dir en grey concert, but I've never left the concert so angry before. It wasn't the performance and band that I didn't like, it was the fans that ruined it for me.

November 2015 Music Pick

 
This month has some heavy tastes and I threw in a wild card just for fun.

October 2015 Music Pick

Usually when I do a music pick, I like to offer what I think is great music, but this month it seems that I'm being more of a critic instead. *laughs* I do get nit picky over my favorite artists, but to a certain extent I think these albums still appeal to me. I'm not trying to downplay anyone here, just offering my honest opinion.

September 2015 Music Pick: Soundtracks from Chinese Martial Arts Cinema

Michelle Yeoh as Yu Shu Lien in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Is it sheer coincidence that all the soundtracks I picked this month come from movies related to martial arts? Not really, because all I seem to enjoy most are martial arts films. My first martial arts film was Bruce Lee's Big Boss. I was only 3 at that time, but I vaguely remember the corpses in the ice factory. What a wonderful memory. However it really is my favorite Bruce Lee film. I usually don't pay attention to the soundtracks of action movies because I'm too absorbed in the action. The music kind of just disappears and I barely notice it. However in the following movies, the music adds a distinct flavor to the film.

August 2015 Music Pick TVB Edition

 
Instead of the usual anime and Japanese music pick, this month I am putting up my personal top favorite TVB themes. TVB is a big part of most Cantonese speaking people's lives. Hong Kong dramas have been sold and watched throughout most of Asia. Overseas Chinese and Asian audiences have also enjoyed these very same shows in their time. Though I cannot say that TVB dramas are terrible now, but they have definitely changed to something not to my liking. If you follow this blog, you can clearly see how much Japanese music I listen to. C-pop occupies only a small portion of my personal playlist, but it still has a spot.

July 2015 Monthly Pick

Ahh, what can I bring to the table this month. Let's see, we already had fireworks for Gackt's birthday. I'm looking forward to Kamijo's Revival Best album in a week. Yoshiki announced X Day and confirmed an album and documentary release. I guess I can recommend a playlist of songs compiled by my computer. They do say musical tastes can reveal something about a person.