(no subject)
Ai shi teru Gackt
I have taken this topic from http://community.livejournal.com/dears/2015491.html
Gackt is sweet gorgeous and amazing baby, and i would love it if he preformed somewhere near my country
We all know what Gackt's status is among us international fans, to a certain degree. We know what he means to us, how we found out about him and his relative status in the international music scene.
But I'm wondering what his status is in Japan. From a native's standpoint. From what I was reading on LJ on this topic and from what I could understand, in Japan, Gackt is received as a very popular icon but his music is rarely in the mainstream or in top ten lists as compared to other artists such as Arashi.
Some people commented that when Japanese people hear that they like Gackt, they think that it is because he is good looking and it doesn't occur to them that it's because of his music. They even think he's weird or strange. I think this is due in part to his personality, which is seen as westernized and not that conservative. I might have read this wrong, but that's what I was able to get.
Someone also commented that those who are fans of Gackt, don't just love his music, they love HIM. And we can all testify to this. We don't just love Gackt because he is the incarnation of a sex god, but we like his music, admire his outspoken opinions and personality, his sense of humor...the list goes on.
In Japan though, this seems different. It seems that Gackt himself is highly respected as a celebrity and seen upon as very powerful, but his music is not considered very popular or mainstream. This may be due in part to current trends in Japan (which someone described as "flavor of the month") but I still find this interesting.
The comparison I can think of in the American music scene, is Madonna. She's powerful, considered an A-lister, very famous but you either like her music or don't.
