It’s been 28 days since anyone posted in this topic, so I’m here to stir the pot. I’ve got an unpopular opinion for the ages that I’ve been stewing on for a bit. I think I found the words to express myself. This might make you angry. Or it might make you think. Just a warning.
So there’s a new branch of visual kei bubbling to the surface that I’ve seen called “idol visual kei” or “visual kei idols”, and I’ve seen a lot of negative reaction to it. LYL and GE’LMINATii are two quick examples, but this negative reaction extends past these bands to visual-adjacent alternative ones such as Aldious and BABYMETAL. I assert that these bands are met with hostility - or at the very least are not accepted with open arms - because it threatens the parasocial relationship between fan and musician that intersect at Sexuality Boulevard.
Let me put it to you another way: I’ve been the token straight black man in this scene since 1999. Not once has my sexuality crossed paths with my status as a visual kei fan. I never fell in love with an artist because I was attracted to them, had any sexual fantasies with any visual kei artists past or present, or thought about moving to Japan and joining the lifestyle. I never fell that deep down the rabbit hole, no doubt because visual kei is selling a fantasy primarily to women and gay men. I’m in neither category.
I like the aesthetics and the focus on visuals that the scene is known for, but in my two decades of being a fan, I have never had sex marketed to me. These new crop of visual kei idol bands inverts this dynamic. It’s almost as if someone in Japan had a realization that maybe visual kei could be for straight guys too, if you make a couple of substitutions!
Look no further than most erotic band or Post Every Time An Old JRock Man Is Hot threads to see what I see. I have no beef with these topics, but I want to make it crystal clear that there isn’t a single post in that topic that features female aesthetics…because there isn’t a lot to choose from!
For fans like me, there has been no eye candy! Until now. Which is why when it comes to the topic of whether these visual kei idol bands are “true” visual kei, they are. How can you say if something is visual kei or not when we have a notoriously difficult time nailing down the definition? If someone says they are, and they look and play the part, then they are! Even if they aren’t selling you the fantasy.
Cuz I’ve been in this scene since 1999 and I haven’t said much about how sexualized visual kei is. I let people have at it. But it is, and you’d have to write a thesis and source a lot of different perspectives to make me think it’s not. It almost goes without saying. It’s very easy to draw parallels to visual kei and boy bands - show your neighbor and they’ll do it for you. Visual kei as it is is basically boy bands that play rock and metal with a healthy dose of kayfabe, so what’s the deal if you substitute boy with girl and have girl bands with aesthetics that play rock and metal?
The fantasy, that’s what.
For once, I’m having this fantasy sold to me. It’s like being thirsty and not knowing what water is, while fellow fans can quench their thirst to no end.
Let. Me. Have. This.
While I’m on this point, visual kei fans arguing about what is and isn’t visual kei has huge punk energy. And by that, I mean that y’all sound the same as fans from punk from the 1950’s and 1960’s who vehemently argued that sounds such as hardcore, new wave, and post-punk are not “real punk”.
Look at where that got the old school punk scene. Nowhere. They don’t even fucking exist.
So just because an alternative current of visual kei crops up to address a gap in the market that’s been there since day one does not mean that your current fantasy is threatened. Both types of bands can co-exist. They should co-exist. The fact that I refer to boy bands as “visual kei” and girl bands as “alternative idol” reinforces the dichotomy I’m trying to tear down.
That dichotomy has to go. For visual kei to survive, it must adapt. That partially means expanding to new markets, even if that means selling sex to men. Move your fantasy over, because mine is coming through!
And if you think halls full of sweaty men ogling female talent dancing on the stage is hella creepy, congrats, now you know how I’ve felt all this time!
Also, I know someone’s gonna bring it up, so don’t. Do not talk to me about exist†trace as if the sole existence of one band with all female members somehow invents an entire scene of similar bands. It doesn’t. exist†trace is an aberration - one that exists in spite of itself - and screams of “token black friend” energy. They aren’t even that popular anymore! You’re gonna need more than a handful of one-off bands with a female vocalist that lasted a few years before you convince me that the scene has changed it’s tune about cultivating and growing female talent - and these new crop of bands such as LYL are exactly what I’m talking about!
divine and rich aura 
