LAST VISUALIVE Tour Pamphlet Interview pg 1
-The curtain has opened on the long awaited "LAST VISUALIVE -Saigo no Tsuki- LAST MOON". Firstly, I'd like to ask about the story this time, is it a continuation of "MOON SAGA -Secrets of Yoshitsune-" Part I and II?
G: No, it isn't. There is a "MOON SAGA -Secrets of Yoshitsune- Part III", but this "LAST VISUALIVE -Saigo no Tsuki- LAST MOON" isn't simply, "Well, here are bits and pieces of "MOON SAGA -Secrets of Yoshitsune- Part III". It's a bigger world than that.
Originally, the story "MOON SAGA", which this VISUALIVE is based upon had the core of ""The moon is always watching the tragedies that humans repeat" at its center. And regarding the moon, from things like "People's souls are led by the moon" and "People are emotionally drawn to the moon", many stories diverge. The story itself suddenly begins from a vampire story set in the near future. That's what was depicted in "MOON CHILD" (2003 movie). If we go back in time to the origin of those vampires, it's around "DIABOLOS". At the time, there were those known as "Darkside Inhabitants" who lived in the darkness in a chaotic era in Europe and each used their country to engage in a proxy war. And in order to drive out the “Darkside Inhabitants”, those known as “Apostles” were then artificially created. That ended in failure, but the surviving Apostles, as vampires, started a new story from there. So where was the origin of those vampires? Their origin was in Japan. In the Heian era, there were those known as “Mononoke”, and those called “Mononofu” born from encounters between humans and Mononoke, who dominated both the humans and the Mononoke with their special powers, and began to fight among themselves. “MOON SAGA -Secrets of Yoshitsune-” is one of the key points of this story. Yoshitsune’s story spreads out when someone who inherited his “demon” blood crosses over to Europe. That’s the origin of vampires. That’s the summary.
-So that’s where Yoshitsune’s story connects to the vampire story?
G: It’s just that, at the time of Yoshitsune’s story, “demons” are the main theme rather than what would be called vampires. They’re the same in that they wander in search of blood. The Japanese word for “vampire”- 吸血鬼(kyuuketsuki= suck-blood-demon) contains the character for “demon”. That’s because their origin is Japanese “demons”. That’s the answer to the mystery behind “MOON SAGA”’s vampires. I am asked, “Is ‘MOON SAGA’ a vampire story?” but this is a story showing the repeated tragedies and crimes, the transience and foolishness of humans from the point of view of the deathless vampires who outlive them. And if you trace that story back, it originated in Japan. One part of that story that was in Japan was “Yoshitsune”, that’s how it works. So “Secrets of Yoshitsune” is one part, but it’s not that the story “Secrets of Yoshitsune” is the theme of this LAST VISUALIVE.
-I see.
G: And, because I’m thinking that I’ll make this the last time I show a story and music together as a VISUALIVE, I’m calling it the “LAST VISUALIVE”, but the title “Saigo no Tsuki -LAST MOON-” doesn’t mean that this is the end of “MOON SAGA”, there’s more story that exists. This “LAST MOON” is what’s illuminated by the moon a person sees before they die, that’s what the theme is. I'm kind of internally thinking I might go on expressing MOON SAGA in a different form though. But what I'm trying to express in this LAST VISUALIVE, rather than Yoshitsune, is another theme, "What do people think at the moment when they die?"
G: No, it isn't. There is a "MOON SAGA -Secrets of Yoshitsune- Part III", but this "LAST VISUALIVE -Saigo no Tsuki- LAST MOON" isn't simply, "Well, here are bits and pieces of "MOON SAGA -Secrets of Yoshitsune- Part III". It's a bigger world than that.
Originally, the story "MOON SAGA", which this VISUALIVE is based upon had the core of ""The moon is always watching the tragedies that humans repeat" at its center. And regarding the moon, from things like "People's souls are led by the moon" and "People are emotionally drawn to the moon", many stories diverge. The story itself suddenly begins from a vampire story set in the near future. That's what was depicted in "MOON CHILD" (2003 movie). If we go back in time to the origin of those vampires, it's around "DIABOLOS". At the time, there were those known as "Darkside Inhabitants" who lived in the darkness in a chaotic era in Europe and each used their country to engage in a proxy war. And in order to drive out the “Darkside Inhabitants”, those known as “Apostles” were then artificially created. That ended in failure, but the surviving Apostles, as vampires, started a new story from there. So where was the origin of those vampires? Their origin was in Japan. In the Heian era, there were those known as “Mononoke”, and those called “Mononofu” born from encounters between humans and Mononoke, who dominated both the humans and the Mononoke with their special powers, and began to fight among themselves. “MOON SAGA -Secrets of Yoshitsune-” is one of the key points of this story. Yoshitsune’s story spreads out when someone who inherited his “demon” blood crosses over to Europe. That’s the origin of vampires. That’s the summary.
-So that’s where Yoshitsune’s story connects to the vampire story?
G: It’s just that, at the time of Yoshitsune’s story, “demons” are the main theme rather than what would be called vampires. They’re the same in that they wander in search of blood. The Japanese word for “vampire”- 吸血鬼(kyuuketsuki= suck-blood-demon) contains the character for “demon”. That’s because their origin is Japanese “demons”. That’s the answer to the mystery behind “MOON SAGA”’s vampires. I am asked, “Is ‘MOON SAGA’ a vampire story?” but this is a story showing the repeated tragedies and crimes, the transience and foolishness of humans from the point of view of the deathless vampires who outlive them. And if you trace that story back, it originated in Japan. One part of that story that was in Japan was “Yoshitsune”, that’s how it works. So “Secrets of Yoshitsune” is one part, but it’s not that the story “Secrets of Yoshitsune” is the theme of this LAST VISUALIVE.
-I see.
G: And, because I’m thinking that I’ll make this the last time I show a story and music together as a VISUALIVE, I’m calling it the “LAST VISUALIVE”, but the title “Saigo no Tsuki -LAST MOON-” doesn’t mean that this is the end of “MOON SAGA”, there’s more story that exists. This “LAST MOON” is what’s illuminated by the moon a person sees before they die, that’s what the theme is. I'm kind of internally thinking I might go on expressing MOON SAGA in a different form though. But what I'm trying to express in this LAST VISUALIVE, rather than Yoshitsune, is another theme, "What do people think at the moment when they die?"