Fanzine Staff Editor in Chief ERIKA SWAN Editor SAIKAIANGEL Authors ERIKA SWAN SAIKAIANGEL SARA TERRY Translators SARA Cover Artist JOE PARENTI
GACKT ITALIA FANZINE CONTENTS
blomaNga The new Manga made in GACKT ITALIA Authors: Erika Drawing: Terry
Moon Soul ch. 5 Original story based on GACKT’s character, Yoshitsune Author: Angela
Traces of GACKT A collection of all GACKT’s best quotes and extract from blogs and more. Author: Sara
ARROW Analysis of the song. All you need to know about it Author: Angela
PLATINUM BOX XVI Review of the Platinum Box XV Autrice: Angela
Official News Gathering of all the Major news in these months Author: Erika
The international GACKT Fan Club “G&LOVERS” (English version) finally debuted on March 15th ! We are excited to announce that the international GACKT Fan Club “G&LOVERS” (English version) finally debuted on March 15th! International members of G&LOVERS can enjoy fully English web contents, online magazines, and are able to access member’s only page and pre-sale tickets, just like Gackt Fan Club members in Japan. You can check more details from the following link: ▼GACKT OFFICIAL FAN CLUB「G&LOVERS」 URL：https://g-and-lovers.com GACKT Fan Club “G&LOVERS” provides lots of special membership benefits for his fans around the world. We are greatly looking forward to you joining “G&LOVERS”!
GACKT’s Official Fan Club Opens again! On March 15th 2016 (Tuesday) GACKT’s Official Fan club 「G & LOVERS (G-Lovers)」 (URL: https://g-and-lovers.com) has opened again with a complete renewal. The curtains on the stage of the concept tour will open again after 7 years, and with them also the new Fan club with all the exclusive privileges. GACKT, artist that has always showed a lot of versatility passing the border of being a musician, has found the support of his fans around the world not just in Japan. On March 19th 2016 (Saturday), after 7 years, the 「VISUALIVE」concept tour will start (with the most high number of people involved 210.000, video, perfomance all perfectly coordinated). The title is 「GACKT WORLD TOUR 2016 LAST VISUALIVE Saigo no Tsuki -LAST MOON- supported by Nestlé」. GACKT is able to activate the attention of the people raising their expectations for the performance. Furthermore the new album 「LAST MOON」 will be published in April 2016, making it almost impossible to move your eyes from GACKT’s activities this year. Furthermore, from this moment the fans will be able to enjoy without a doubt the GACKT Official Fan Club 「G&LOVERS」re-opened with a new look. In the「LOVERS ROOM」dedicated section it’s possible to access the pre-sale of the tickets and GACKT’s exclusive contents such as magazines, special events for members only and many other benefits, on regarding the details about 「G&LOVERS」, please follow the following reference. ▼GACKT OFFICIAL FAN CLUB「G&LOVERS」 URL：https://g-and-lovers.com 【GACKT Official Fan Club Details 】 ■Fan Club Name 「G&LOVERS（G-Lovers）」 ■URL https://g-and-lovers.com
■Joining fee First time fee：1,000 ¥（tasse incluse）※ Solo per il primo anno Annual fee：6,000 ¥ （tasse incluse） ※It’s possible to pay through credit cart and convenience store. ■Members benefits （1）Members advantages: GACKT’s autographed postcard (only for the first year) （2）G&LOVERS original memership card （3）Exclusive access to the Fan Club website (through ID/PW) （4）Contents visualization on the WEB (12 times a year) （5）Magazine publication (4 times a year) （6*）Concert tickets pre-sale （7*）Premium seats booking （8*）Joining the exclusive vents for Members （9*）Public shows viewing （10）Delivery of the card with wishes （11）Newsletter with exclusive content for members （12）G&LOVERS exclusive goods purchase （13）Benefits in constant update ※In case of a high number of registrations, the contents will be subject to “first served base” and lotteries ■New service after the renewal ・For the fans Overseas the Fan Club Ufficiale 「G&LOVERS」is available in english！ More information about the renewal with the new service will be announced inside this website. 【GACKT Profile】 ■GACKT Birth date 4 July Blood type A 46 CD singles and 18 albums published. Male solo artist detaining the Top10 singles of all time (October 2015) Spoken Languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, French; ability: Japanese sword, taekwondo, karate, acrobatics, etc; hobby: DRIVING, snowboard, horse riding 『Giving people thurst』 is what he consider his mission, together with the graduation ceremonies and his charity contributions. An “expressionist” that passed the borders of
the musician showing his verstility 《Followrs on SNS》 December 2015 – LINE OFFICIAL followrs: 1,58K circa – Followers on Twitter : circa 761K – Likes on Facebook : circa 469K 《Moon Saga Project》 Furthermore GACKT is synomimous of 『MOON SAGA』。 Described as 『The origin of the Vampire is in Japan』 GACKT’s concept developed becoming a spectacular project mixing music, movie, romance and a 1500 years history, from where he keeps on drawing inspiration since his debut. Music, romance, film, theatre, he got close to every sort of art and from this mix the 『VISUAL』＋『ALIVE』＋『LIVE』combination was born, a LIVE that became 『VISUALIVE』 that sold 15 millions viewers and the highest number of people involved 210.000, video, perfomance all perfectly coordinated, receiving countless praises. After the VISUALIVE concept, the Hollywood movie 「BUNRAKU」 and the appareance in the NHK drama「Furin Kazan」
GACKT’s Heart & Soul Poured into “Yoshitsune” 「LAST VISUALIVE」 Opening / Report ■ GACKT / 【GACKT WORLD TOUR 2016 LAST VISUALIVE supported by Nestle】Live Report 19 March 2016 (Sat) at Misato City Culture Hall, Saitama GACKT’s talents as an expressionist resounds anew through a dense stage in 3 hours On March 19 (Sat), GACKT , whose new album 『LAST MOON』 will be released in April, kicked-off 『GACKT WORLD TOUR 2016 LAST VISUALIVE supported by Nestle』, his first concept tour in 7 years, at Misato City Culture Hall in Saitama. For this tour, it is a large scale operation starting with an opening-day fan-club-only performance and continuing on with a total of 41 performances nationwide. 「VISUALIVE」 is a concept live proposed by GACKT, and is a themed story which is expressed in a concert live by linking together all the elements of 「video」, 「performance」, and 「music」. Corresponding with the word “LAST” in the tour name, GACKT has declared that this will be the last live tour for this series. A video about the story of the 2012 stage play “Yoshitsune”, which GACKT acted in, was streamed and when the stage’s curtains parted, I was overwhelmed by GACKT’s appearance and captivated by otherworldly beauty. In the opening number, with its lyrics linked together with the introduction video, GACKT spins the tale
with awareness from his voice, the song, his line of sight, and even down to his fingertips. Together with renewed admiration for his talent as an expressionist, my eyes were glued to the stage, and I could not help but be drawn into the story. After that, a video was projected during the interlude as well, depicting the world of “Yoshitsune”. 「LAST VISUALIVE」can be said to be the culmination of GACKT’s expression of “Yoshitsune”, which he has poured his heart and soul into. And one of the highlights of this performance is getting meet the charming cast of “Yoshitsune” again. On the other hand, GACKT’s humor was showcased in a video, along with a part which featured GACKT JOB livening things up by dancing. With the lumiton light sold at concert venues in your hands, please do “join in” with them. With 4 parts lasting around 3 hours, the「LAST
VISUALIVE」 became something with depth and dimension which was densely filled with all of 「video」, 「performance」, and 「music」, as the masterpiece’s end was welcomed. At the end of “Yoshitsune”, we were momentarily wrapped deep in the afterglow as the huge applause rang on. 『GACKT WORLD TOUR 2016 LAST VISUALIVE supported by Nestle』 will be performed nationwide from March to June, with its final performance being welcomed on July 2 (Sat) at Saitama Prefecture’s Saitama Super Arena. （Coverage ・Text / Tagami Chie）
source: http://www.excite.co.jp/News/emusic/20160321/E1458477716037.html
PLATINUM BOX XVI I will try not to say too much and not to show too much of this Platinum Box XVI, but at the same time let me say a few words about it. It’s different also in its look, because, especially lately, we have been accustomed to velvet, python or tissue covers, however this Platinum Box has a brilliant, almost blinding, gold cover. In fact, the cover doesn’t betray the expectations, this Platinum Box is also different in the structure. We don’t find the part where GACKT goes around for restaurants and LOVERS’ houses with YOU, but there’s a special on Kishidan Banpaku, the concert that was broadcasted last September. I won’t tell you much about this special not to spoil the surprise, you just have to know that it’s fun and surely you will smile especially for the poor Val, a former member of Duel Jewel, now the new GACKT Job’s drummer. The first part is longer than usual. Our heroes do their best and our beloved GACKT, sorry it’s better to say Seito Kaicho (otherwise he gets angry) appears particularly spiteful towards his fellow adventurers. As usual he enjoys creating embarrassing situations and/or disadvantageous to his friends, and he always has that expression a bit “childish” as if he was sayin: “But I’m not doing anything”, the child with the jam jar in hand, who claims not to have been him to steal it, just to understand: rafting, go kart, trip into the countryside, we will see them in various hilarious situations and, in my opinion, they also take you a little breathless. No, don’t tell me that I’m too paranoid/apprehensive, tell me that you would be lil bit worried seeing our friends in the rapids of a river or on the fast gokarts’ four wheels !?! I calmed down a bit when they went in the countryside, although I have seen some of them have some problems with the animals ... in short, it looks like the country life isn’t for everyone.
No, you have to watch it, don’t miss it! Obviously, the punishments are not lacking for gaming losers, to which we were accustomed. It doesn’t betray the expectations in any way and you will spend a few hours in complete serenity and happiness. The only “defect”, if you can call it, of this Platinum Box is the absence of the usual “DIGEST” with unpublished images and video, a journey in the GACKT’s year, a detail that I personally was very fond, I think this is the thought of many. Sure, there was definitely more attention and care in the first part, to the social games, in fact, the duration of the DVD is not less than the previous.
The gift is a very elegant mobile phone holder in heavy metal, it is also very practical because it has the necessary space to pass the power cable, so your smartphone can comfortably stay in charge. It’s really cute, I placed it near my pc so I can have it on hand, because the mobile phone holder’s structure also allows you to have a complete view of the display. These considerations are slightest because I don’t want to reveal too much details, but at the same time I want to advise you to buy it and watch it, maybe with friends. The surprises are many and you will laugh, I assure you that you will laugh so much!! Have fun with the Platinum Box XVI !!!
ARROW Oh wind dance Until I bid farewell to the dried up land Burn the night sky Into the darkness I’ll fire the last arrow towards a still unseen tomorrow Until I fall If one day everyone has to turn into dust and disappear, then I alone want to stay like this and laugh at it all until the end I understand, (this world) is full of terrifying things, to the point of making you tremble Staying by your side while smiling I’ll rot away Oh wind dance Until I bid farewell to the dried up land Burn the night sky Into the darkness I’ll fire the last arrow towards a still unseen tomorrow Until you fall Be beautiful The rain that breaks the silence asks to the cracked earth “What is the meaning in fighting until death?” I understand, It’s vexing but we are surrounded by things we can’t change Until we reach the deepest part of hell
Let us burn completely Leaning on the rain Until the traces of your shed tears vanished I was just watching Embracing our dream I pulled your rotten body close to me May this prayer reach you Rest in peace Like this it comes to an end just like this, unable to even say a parting word So, if we could be born again I want to meet you by chance again like that day Oh wind dance Until the moment I’m burnt to dust by the dawn I will put my life at stake With (my last) breath I’ll hold you and fire the last arrow together with our farewell Even now The future we painted won’t come but close your eyes That shining day… Filled with our innocent smiles… So that the dream we had that day comes true Fall beautifully
ARROW is the single that GACKT released in October 2015, the single that announces the long-awaited LAST VISUALIVE started on March 19th in Misato with a performance dedicated to G & LOVERS members only. The character that we find on the LAST VISUALIVE’ stage and that alternates his presence with Yoshitsune, the protagonist of Moon Saga stage play, is precisely what we see in the video of this song. A thousand braids, a black tattered leather dress that recalls to the outfit of Returner’s dark character. And he is infact, forgive the pun, the return of Returner. Even in the video, as on the stage, this “angel of death” alternates with Yoshitsune . It seems the we see the end of Yoshitsune… because at the end of the video, we see him as he tries to get up on a battlefield, surrounded by corpses, pierced by countless arrows. A huge pain for me, but let’s move on, leaving my comments at the end of the article. The video is dark, bleak with the usual charm and sensuality that running devious through every video of our GACKT, through the pain and anguish of a lost love. A battle ... a war ... as GACKT often sees Love. Pain, suffering, loss ... but always infinite loyalty, because he can’t forget:
So the end comes just like that, even incapable of saying a word of farewell So, if we could be reborn again I still want to meet by chance one day
We find this theme once again, the rebirth to heal wounds, to correct the mistakes, those mistakes that seem to be something that can never be settled, those mistakes that ruined his life forever. Nostalgia ...
That bright day ... full of your innocent smiles ... so that dream we had that day come true The woman, always described with a melancholy sweetness, a romantic innocence, as if both once were together at the time of adolescence, or maybe not ... but still in a tender time, sweet, where everything seemed perfect. Now he is the angel of death, suffering made him hard, with a strong shell that probably hides the still sweet and innocent man, like her in his memories.
With (my last) breath I’ll hold and shoot the last arrow together with our farewell The arrow, the song title, ARROW, all in caps is even more important and is even more threatening. That last arrow that he throws to end his suffering of love. Music plays all perfectly, the music alone would speak even without the help of the lyrics. It explodes, ARROW explodes from the beginning. ARROW is a real piece of rock firework with his initials guitars that, as often happens in GACKT songs, weave a completely different tune from
the rest of the song. Often GACKT has these surprises for us, creating an intro that has nothing to do with the rest of the song, intro that comes back, of course, after the first chorus, to present the second part of the song. ARROW’s intro is incredibly violent and rock and pushes the refrain that GACKT poses before verses. Pretty much, the piece starts with the chorus, a structure that GACKT not always used, but this piece is really something different and special in my opinion. The guitars are very strong for the whole duration of the piece even though maybe the melody of the surface is not as violent, but in the chorus indeed, seems almost sweet. Don’t forget the spoken bridge, his deep, sensual voice that helps to make even more complete this intense suffering and structurally very special piece. Because ARROW reserves us also another surprise. A second bridge, just after the speech,
in which he softens his voice and also gives us his invaluable and unique falsetto at a time that reminds a lot Hakuro. Falsetto, moon darkens. Here the moon isn’t dark but becomes so large to almost occupy the complete scene. I love ARROW, it is a special song, I love the structure and the passion that characterizes it so violent from beginning to end ... although I must admit ... I have problems to watch the video. Yoshitsune, my beloved Yoshitsune suffers (now you know that I have a “problem” with this character, right?), often the video shows him bleeding, staring into space ... and in the end he tries to get up pierced by a thousand arrows. No, maybe not a thousand, but for me yes, I see it as a real tragedy. Maybe I should accept it as the LAST VISUALIVE marks the end of the Moon Project, 13 years of passion ... it marks the end of an era and yes, I’m very sorry. I LOVE the Moon Project, I have an obsession for Moon Saga and for the dear Yoshitsune. But it is likely that not all evil is a silver lining and that therefore our beloved GACKT will one day give us some surprise and ... Yoshitsune returns? Will he die? A mononofu cannot die, right? That was it, right?
Chapter 5
I
t’s high unlikely that I may not have anything to do with my eventual heir. I haven’t got the courage to look into the eyes of a creature without any fault, a creature forced to pursue my tragedy, this thing called life, it never really belonged to me. Life shouldn’t be something ... something like an ally on your side? Shouldn’t it be something that you can somehow manage and lead? Why in my case, life is the head of me and I can’t seem to be in control of my life? Why should I deliver into the hands of a small innocent all this responsibility and this pain? I won’t come to you. I won’t look at those eyes. And you are still here, I know you’re here. They told me that you’re here and you’re not alone and you want to make me pay. It’s like this, right? You’ve been wanting to take revenge, but what revenge do you want? My existence doesn’t it seem enough of a punishment for me? I am a mononofu and you wanted to give birth to another mononofu that in a few years will hate both me and you. Sure, I was born by a demon and a human being. He ... could be less mononofu than me? Do you think so? “Yoshitsune maybe you should ...” Shh. I shut up Kage with a gesture of the hand, closing my eyes. He turns to the window that surely is showing him an incomplete
family picture. “ Yoshitsune.... Minamoto Yoshitsune, maybe you should ...” yeah, maybe I should, but I won’t. I didn’t get another human being into trouble. This is my soul, this is my Moon Soul. It can be full and when it is, it’s a problem. It can be a slice, it can be half ... I always hide a part of me. Because the full Moon is a curse, it is a serious problem. Mine is a Moon Soul and this is the saga of the Moon. The Moon is me. It isn’t nice to be the Moon, it isn’t good to be always forced to hide a part of yourself... it’s not nice to be scary if you are not hiding anything. I’m sorry, I’m sorry I delivered this difficult legacy. You hate me a lot, I know, but trust me when I say that I wouldn’t have wanted it. No, even she wouldn’t have wanted it, she has always loved you. But she’s gone now, see ... she’s human, she abandoned us. And yes, I could have ... I ... I could fix things and accept my way of being and pretending ... pretending to be able to give a normal life, but honestly... now you know what means to have the soul of the Moon, right? I caress your face and you don’t seem to hate me. I thought it would be different. You have her eyes, despite of the veil that is mine. I thought I mustn’t be going and instead it seems so. And the end of an era, the end of an era and don’t cry! You didn’t throw that arrow and even
if you did ... well, you would have done it for me. I don’t know how it happened, maybe... maybe after so much time that proved us here it is... a mononofu can die. Kage will take care of you, unless you pull the bucket too, I mean, hahaha! I’m not sure about anything at this point, but... but you continue to take me inside you. I never stopped loving you and I started to do it from the first moment I knew of your existence, you have to believe... no, no, never mind the crap, forget what I was trying to hide, it is part of my Moon Soul, it’s part of my little courage ... it is part of the fear I had of myself... to myself, no one else’s. I’m scared of myself, but I’m glad to see that you’re not afraid of me. Thank you. Thank you for the gift you have given me, for the first time I see someone who is not afraid of me, and this, at the end of my life, is the best gift I could receive, thank you. I have never been bad and I’m not even now... even she was afraid of me and loved me really as... as I didn’t think to deserve. What is the life of a mononofu? The constant fear of yourself. The ongoing struggle against your own evil, the challenge continues with each new day, the awareness of having the soul of the Moon that consumes you every day, every single second of your life. But I have loved, I really loved and, incredibly, I was really loved in return. Thank you for continuing to do so even now, son of mine.
..... And this was Moon Soul, a very long analysis of the wonderful life of Yoshitsune. Freely adapted from the GACKT’s theater play “Moon Saga” . I decided to talk about him into a fictional way, because I couldn’t make a cold analysis of that character... I invented many things, but I tried to keep a faithful conductor thread to his personality, to what I’ve always perceived by him. Fear, anxiety and, probably, sometimes that desire to be normal. The lack of self-confidence, the fear of the judgment of others, the fear to react and to scare someone. Yoshitsune is something special, Yoshitsune is a gift for which I will never stop thanking GACKT, because with Yoshitsune he showed the true man’s fragility. There is a bit of Yoshitsune in everyone of us, in all of us there is a bit of that Moon Soul. Moon Saga is a show and a story that isn’t so far away, I think, by the personality of each of us. I love Yoshitsune, I love that man so clumsy and a bit naive in the first chapter of the Moon Saga... that creature scared by himself and so conscious and cold in the second chapter. I love the interpretation that GACKT made, he was so special in all this work and I love
it, I love what he has given us and the wisdom and talent with which he did it, proving, I think, even more than any other time his the UNIQUE acting ability. He gave life to another person, he has created a perfect soul of the Moon. Don’t be afraid of your Moon Soul and think that in each us there is a bit of that splendid creature, that there will be a mononofu, perhaps immortal who will follow you forever. Thank you GACKT, thanks for giving me this special person. Everyone of your gifts is special, everyone of your gifts is life and a handhold to keep on going head-on. But this time you’ve gone too far. Thanks for Moon Saga and Yoshitsune. THE END
Traces of GACKT Since time GACKT gives us his blog, traces of himself, thoughts of such a special man as “one of us”. Sometimes in his writings we find even life lessons, encouragement and split a reality no different from our. Below we present excerpts so that his most beautiful words won’t left in a drawer but he can still give a smile, a shiver, a tear. Thanks GACKT. Always.
【First-class people are those who possess a first-class mentality】 Until now I’m still second-class. No, third-class. I’m still far from qualified to be called first-class. So, to be qualified to be called that, to let myself feel that I’m qualified, I’ll sharpen my mental state. It’ll become that kind of 2016. My name is GACKT. My motto is 『Mr. EXPERT』 To be qualified to be called that, day after day, I’ll properly execute what I need to do. For me to be myself. OFFICIAL BLOG: Mr. EXPERT Jan 5th LINK: http://www.gacktitalia.com/2016/01/05/official-blog-mr-expert/
-We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future. OFFICIAL BLOG: Dalle Editor Notes della Blomaga (Blomaga Issue 121) Jan 25th LINK: http://www.gacktitalia.com/2016/01/25/official-blog-blomaga-editors-notes-blomaga-issue-121/
I don’t like to cling onto memories but, occasionally, memories will remind me of precious feelings in this way. That’s why they’re called memories... Memories can be painful, but, I’ve learnt the importance of it today. Let’s give our all in living today. To be able to welcome a wonderful tomorrow. To not have a yesterday of regrets that you can’t return to. -Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the presentOFFICIAL BLOG: From Blomaga Editor’s Notes (Blomaga Issue 122) Feb 3rd LINK: http://www.gacktitalia.com/2016/02/03/official-blog-blomaga-editors-notes-blomaga-issue-122/
-Dreams do come true, If we only wish hard enough, You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for itOFFICIAL BLOG: From Blomaga Editor’s Notes (Blomaga Issue 123) Feb 16th LINK: http://www.gacktitalia.com/2016/02/16/official-blog-blomaga-editors-notes-blomaga-issue-123/
If I give up, it’s the end. That’s why I won’t give up. Of course, I won’t compromise either. 【He can who thinks he can, and he can’t who thinks he can’t. This is an inexorable and indisputable law.】 OFFICIAL BLOG: From Blomaga Editor’s Notes (Blomaga Issue 124) Mar 3rd LINK:http://www.gacktitalia.com/2016/03/03/official-blog-blomaga-editors-notes-blomaga-issue-124/
ame ni~ motare~ 
 sono nagashita na-
mida no ato gakieru~ made~
tada mitsumete ita~~
HELLO?
Ohy Takumi. I HAD THE STRANGEST DREAM LAST NIGHT
SERIOUSLY?
YES, THE GACKT ITALIA GIRLS WERE KIDNAPPING ME AND CHAINing ME
THE PROBLEM IS THAT THEY WERE psychoanalyzing ME
but they were cute...
you know, today I went to a meeting for the next yasoukai
you think we could meet with them~?
i’d really love that they are so good and so kind with us~
Takumi?
Takumi where are you?
we were supposed to film the new game centers!!
you know i can’t stand people that are late!!!
… turn around
YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME BEFORE COULDN’T YOU?!?!
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