Visual Kei of the Day

Dance Tengoku by Buck Tick

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:28:35 GMT

Warnings: Some flashing lights

Comment: Happy Pride Month. When Atsushi was asked about this song, he said, "There are all kinds of men and women so rather than discriminating them, I was hoping that [this song] would give them a sort of upbeat feeling, like “It doesn’t matter whichever way you go. Let’s just dance and have fun!”

It seems we lost a good egg.

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Dark Lament by BabyKingdom

Sun, 31 May 2026 20:56:43 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Warnings: None!

Comment: It appears to be my sworn mission in life to get more people into BabyKingdom. And I have chosen to do this by... reccing a song that's the complete opposite of their typical ovre? Eh, it's a good song. It honestly reminds me of a lot of kote kei stuff, until you glance at the MV and see Monyo rocking out in his cute little lamb outfit and remember that this is BabyKingdom.

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Celebration by X Japan

Sat, 30 May 2026 23:37:04 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Warnings: None!

Comment: This song is so damn fun and peppy and bouncy. Taiji's bass riffs here do things to my ovaries.

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Chocolate War by Fukuro

Fri, 29 May 2026 18:03:10 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Warnings: Yoshiatsu shoots himself in the head at the end of the MV.

Comment: This song's lyrics are very striking and sad in their simplicity. This isn't just a War Is Bad song, but a War Is Bad And It's Our Fault, We Are The Ones Doing This, Stop Shooting And Crying You Assholes song. The translation is great, getting across the message while not being too clunky or unnatural. Yoshiatsu does a great job here, both with his voice and as a physical actor on the MV. He might have Standard Vkei Voice, but he's got a wonderful artistic range.

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Suteneko no Rondo by Dadaroma

Sun, 24 May 2026 22:02:51 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Warnings: None particularly.

Comment: Dadaroma were artists who dared to ask the question of "what if we direct our vkei decadent gothic energies towards making a song about being a stray kitty cat? And it fucking rules.

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Love Letter by BUCK-TICK

Thu, 21 May 2026 22:59:00 GMT

Posted by: princessal

Warnings: Flashing lights, profanity

Comment: For ages I misheard "are you honest, are you honest / is this what you wanted?" as "I own it, I own it / it's this much, you want it?" like we're at Sakurai's weird and scary flea market table lol

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Double Bind by Pudding Alamode

Wed, 20 May 2026 18:32:00 GMT

Posted by: elyusion

Comment: Sounds comfy to me :3

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Atashi no Shoujomaku wa Koiwazurai by Senketsu A-ko-chan

Sun, 17 May 2026 11:18:51 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Challenge: Do Not Pass the VKei Fan the Aux

Warnings: There is no music video but I can not adequately explain how fucked up the lyrics are if you chose to go seeking them out. TRIGGER WARNING FOR CSA. TRIGGER WARNING FOR CSA. TRIGGER WARNING FOR CSA.

Comment: Senketsu A-ko-chan is a band that dares to ask the question "does music have to be good?" Is it not enough to be four edgelords with some fake blood, school uniforms, whatever props they can make out of stuff they find around their homes, and a probably-pirated copy of Windows Movie Maker? Their music, for me, firmly falls into the "makes no damn sense, compels me though" category of art. I see why the TikTok newgens like it- "Music To Freak Out Your Parents To" is a fundamental part of any teenager's range of musical tastes, and it warms my heart to think about how somewhere, some clueless parent is being subjected to Hiro-kun's atonal gurgling with absolutely no idea that he's singing about deeply deeply fucked shit. God bless. (Honestly, should have probably picked something with a music video to truly show off their... unique energy, but I like this song. Sue me.)

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Raffle Winner

Sat, 16 May 2026 20:27:41 GMT

Posted by: elyusion

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth is over, so the raffle has ended, and a winner has been chosen. And that winner is......... someone who I will let announce themself if they so choose!

But thank you so much to everyone who participated in the community in the past 3 weeks, or ever. Even though I'm not tossing out any more points, I really do hope you all continue participating in whatever ways you can. The amount of activity recently has left me overjoyed, and I pray it was no fluke.

Challenges are open indefinitely (except the non-vkei ones, which I need to make a rule for but I'll worry about that later), so there likely won't be a new one until June. I hope you all have a good day, I hope things get better for you all, and I hope we all can keep having fun here in vkotd ^_^!!

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Oyasumi by gulu gulu

Sat, 16 May 2026 17:22:44 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Warnings: Flashing lights

Comment: Ah, this song is lovely, a nice blending of lullaby vibes and rock/metal drums and guitar. Ai, as usual, sounds amazing here, I love every opportunity he gets to really show off how powerful of a vocalist he can be. The lyrics really stuck me in the heart- it's a song about an abused child turning to delusion (and sleeping pills) to cope with their mother's abuse. I've noticed that a lot of gulu gulu songs seem to be written from the perspective of a child. (If Ai crawling around under the bed was too scary for you, feel free to check out the making-of video on their YouTube channel, where all the members proceed to act like giant dorkasses and fool around in the big house they rented)

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Haikara by BabyKingdom

Fri, 15 May 2026 23:37:33 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Warnings: None!

Comment: I'm doing a new thing on my vkei Tumblr where I post and analyze an iconic vkei visual once a week, and as I was digging through Jrocknews' "new look" tag for ideas, I kept seeing this band over and over again and I just sort of... fell in love with their visuals? (And maybe their bassist. He's so damn cute!) So I decided to check out their music, and oh my god, their music is what happiness sounds like? I think I might be in love... This song is cute and poppy, but it's got nice strong electric guitar and a very motivational feeling. Listening to it, I feel like an anime protagonist setting out on their journey, and the lyrics fit this theme too, it's about facing the future no matter how scary and rejecting convention (or at least I think that's what they're about, they're using a lot of complicated old Japanese..)

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Le Ciel by Malice Mizer

Wed, 13 May 2026 23:01:06 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Warnings: None, unless "Gackt" still counts as a warning

Comment: I'm fairly certain that if longing was a song, it would sound like this. The lovely, light instrumentals (I swear a hear a harp in there) contrast so well with Gackt's deep-but-melodious vocals, which, whatever you may think about the man, he can sing heartbreak well. The wail of the electric guitar that breaks in a few times during the song just enhances the emotions of the piece- it reminds me of someone crying. Kami's drumming is nice and steady, grounding the very floaty classical sound. To me, it sounds like Gackt and Kami are musically floating in their own little world... ~~(i am shot 47 times for shipping crimes)~~

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I Yah by H.O.T.

Sun, 10 May 2026 03:49:22 GMT

Posted by: elyusion

Challenge: I Can't Believe It's Not VKei!
Warnings: eyestrain-y lights

Comment: I can't share every single time first or second gen kpop wanted visual kei's nachos, but I can certainly share my favorite time!

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DaTuRa by DaTuRa

Sat, 09 May 2026 21:51:10 GMT

Posted by: princessal

Challenge: I Can't Believe It's Not VKei!

Warnings: Flashing lights

Comment: Alright I know I said I was gonna post Mis'Sophonia, but this video popped up in my YouTube recs and my thought process was like:
-That guy's makeup looks a little cosplay-ish, but I suppose that happens sometimes.
-HOLY SHIT IS THAT MORE THAN ONE WOMAN???????????????????????
-This is kind of an unusual singing style for vkei but I'm listening
-Wait where are the instrumentalists
-WAIT. WAIT THIS IS AN IDOL GROUP

So yeah, I can't believe it's not vkei!™

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Challenge #4: I Can't Believe It's Not VKei!

Sat, 09 May 2026 15:58:57 GMT

Posted by: elyusion

It's Saturday, so it's time for our last challenge!

For this week's challenge, I want you to share songs by artists that are visual kei..... if you're working with a very faulty definition of what visual kei is. Things you ask "is this visual kei?" about in hopes of getting a laugh or on someone's nerves. Things that made you go "I feel like this isn't accepted as visual kei but I'm not 100% sure why," when you were new to the fandom. If it's dubiously visual kei, now is the time to share it! ^_^ For this challenge, do not use any subgenre tags. You must tag the song as "non-visual," but you may still tag the sound if you like.

The raffle entry limit has also reset, so if you hit the limit last week you can once again have your name entered 3 more times. If you forgot what "the raffle" is, here's how it works again:

Every Saturday until 3W4DW ends, or on the 25th, 2nd, and 9th, I'm posting a new challenge prompt.

Your username will be put into a list every time you post an entry or top comment here from April 25th to May 15th, with a maximum of 3 name-entries per week (with a new week starting on Saturday).

You don't actually have to do the challenges; posting whatever is fine.

You can comment on old entries too.

A winner will be randomly selected midnight morning of the 16th (UTC−05:00) or whenever I wake up after that.

The winner will receive 175 Dreamwidth Points, enough to purchase a paid account for 6 months! Not a premium one, a regular paid one.

I will contact the winner first, and if they say they don't want it then I'll randomly select someone else.

Only members and subscribers are eligible.

Good luck and have fun! Here's the post template for this week's challenge, if you like.

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Wir Masquerade by Noir fleurir

Fri, 08 May 2026 15:21:27 GMT

Posted by: elyusion

Challenge: Do Not Pass the VKei Fan the Aux

Comment: Kind of fucked up they didn't credit the weird little imp they hired to sing half this duet 💔

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Hizumi by Buck Tick

Tue, 05 May 2026 05:16:48 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Challenge: Do Not Pass the VKei Fan the Aux

Warnings: I call this the "Buck Tick Transpain Ballad" for good reason and the lyrics are exactly what you'd expect from that.

Comment: This isn't as abrasive to listen to as Bacteria, but somehow I still feel like the subject matter of this one makes it a tough rec if you are not also a Miserable Person Of Gender. Atsushi inhabits the persona of a suicidal "man with a woman's heart" in this one, and YMMV on how well the subject matter was handled. I myself have complicated feelings towards this song, but I am inclined to be charitable towards something that clearly came from a place of compassion and good intentions. As for its artistic merits, I continue to be impressed by how well every little element of a BT song comes together to create one overwhelming feeling. In the case of Hizumi, this is a song that feels like misery. It feels like wallowing, like drowning in your own sludge, like having a slow painful mental breakdown on the floor.

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Dress by La'miss†fairy

Mon, 04 May 2026 17:29:12 GMT

Posted by: elyusion

Challenge: Do not pass the vkei fan the aux!!!!

Comment: You should not, under any circumstances, pass the kote kei fan the aux. (I love the instrumental so much, but as someone raised to enjoy much more skilled singing, learning to enjoy these vocals and those like it really took a lot of getting used to.)

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Ophelia by Kaya

Sun, 03 May 2026 15:39:48 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Warnings: None!

Comment: Kaya's voice is wonderful, as always. I love how sparkling the backing track sounds in comparison to the gothic vibes. Very lovely, sad song.

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Akai Kutsu (The Red Shoes) by Hollow Mellow

Sat, 02 May 2026 21:23:45 GMT

Posted by: princessal

Challenge: Do Not Pass the VKei Fan the Aux

Warnings: Flashing lights

Comment: The Vocaloid horror teen to Hollow Mellow adult pipeline

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Bacteria by hide

Sat, 02 May 2026 17:42:01 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Challenge: Do Not Pass the VKei Fan the Aux

Warnings: Lyrics are hide-brand Cursed

Comment: We all know what today is. As opposed to wallowing in our misery, I thought I'd share a hide song today, and luckily, he has a lot of songs that scream "for the love of god don't pass the hidegya the aux!!!". Picking one that stood out from the rest was hard, but I managed to do it! The song's lyrics are pure hide- at first they sound like pure shock value nonsense, but when you look deeper, he's actually singing about societal hypocrisy or something deep like that. And the way this song sounds? It's rough industrial noise, running right up against the edge of "good god this shit is hurting my ears", and will absolutely make all of your friends hate you if you force them to listen to it. But I <3 this song. It has a good beat, and I absolutely love all the weird shit hide's doing with his voice here!

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Challenge #3: Do Not Pass the VKei Fan the Aux

Sat, 02 May 2026 17:17:29 GMT

Posted by: elyusion

I'm up! Which makes it officially Saturday here on vkotd. And a new Saturday from April 25th to May 15th means a new challenge.

This week's challenge is this:

Playin'... what? You decide! Fill in the blank with the songs you know are bad, or songs you know would be considered bad by the wider public. Something you play in the car ride that makes the whole gang want to beat you up. Songs that make the person you showed it to temporarily think of you as a lesser person. Songs that filter "normies". Things like that! Fill in the blank for us.

The raffle entry limit has also reset, so if you hit the limit last week you can once again have your name entered 3 more times. If you forgot what "the raffle" is, here's how it works again:

Every Saturday until 3W4DW ends, or on the 25th, 2nd, and 9th, I'm posting a new challenge prompt.

Your username will be put into a list every time you post an entry or top comment here from April 25th to May 15th, with a maximum of 3 name-entries per week (with a new week starting on Saturday).

You don't actually have to do the challenges; posting whatever is fine.

You can comment on old entries too.

A winner will be randomly selected midnight morning of the 16th (UTC−05:00) or whenever I wake up after that.

The winner will receive 175 Dreamwidth Points, enough to purchase a paid account for 6 months! Not a premium one, a regular paid one.

I will contact the winner first, and if they say they don't want it then I'll randomly select someone else.

Only members and subscribers are eligible.

Good luck and have fun! Here's the post template for this week's challenge, if you like.

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Muma - The Nightmare by Buck Tick

Fri, 01 May 2026 01:06:19 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Warnings: None.

Comment: This is pure unreconstructed Vampire Music, the kind of thing that Atsushi was born to sing. I'm always a sucker for a good electro/techno beat + goth music combo.

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Memai by SANBIKA

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:10:35 GMT

Posted by: elyusion

Challenge: Never Before Seen

Comment: I was surprised no one took the tanbi kei slot while it was open, so I'm yoinking it now. Discovered this song a few days ago -- the vocalist (Yabuki) is yet another Malice Mizer roadie, making me think that working for them does something serious to your brain. Does anyone know what genre of music this is?? Because that question has been haunting me since first listen.

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Week End by X Japan

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:55:56 GMT

Posted by: stardust_rifle

Challenge: Never Before Seen

Warnings: None!

Link: Here's the remastered album version, if for some reason you don't want to hear Yoshiki's ~~live masturbation session~~ piano solo. Honestly, I like the unremastered single version better.

Comment: Against my absolute better judgement, X Japan remains my heart and soul vkei band. This song is so so fun to headbang and jump around my room to.

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