Visual Kei Hairstyles

Reita from The GazettE

We all love them, we all admire them. If manga hair was ever possible, these guys would pull it off. Say hello to Visual Kei hairstyles.

Visual Kei?
If you don't know what Visual Kei is, then you probably haven't heard of Japanese Rock, as the two fit together as snug as a granny and her slippers. Or a jigsaw if your granny doesn't like... Slippers.
Moving on.
Not all Japanese Rock artists are into Visual Kei. But the ones who do usually have more extreme dancing skills, more extreme outfits, and more gravity defying extremely awe-strucking hairstyles. There's a lot of different types of Visual Kei, but that's for another post. Time for some hair-raising images.



Kanon from AnCafe

I personally love An Cafe. Their music, their style, their... Hair! Here's Kanon's, my favourite member in the all male band.



Yuuki from An Cafe

 This is Yuuki from An Cafe... Fairly normal hair style.

Ex-member Bou from An Cafe

And this is Bou from AnCafe.
Isn't he the prettiest guy you've ever seen? Bou is known for his long, blond hair and his feminine looks. And you thought this post was to be about only punkish styles right?

Alright, I'll stop being childish now. Here's some more... Rockier versions of Visual Kei hair. Enjoy to the extreme.



DOGinTheパラレルワールドオーケストラ



Versailles -- They really should be featured under 'fashion' for their extreme clothing too. 



Ex Sound Bee member Yuichi



Can't forget Miyavi!



Malice Mizer

 There's many more but google is your friend. Or we at least let them think that.
I hope this has given you a little insight to the world of Visual Kei hair.

And so, I leave you with a question. "What Visual Kei artist has the best hair?" Feel free to leave me a comment below.

Essential Links for the Korean and Japanese idol fan

Ever struggled to find your daily Kpop and Kdrama news and glamour? Couldn't find the name of Miyavi's second child? Well fret no longer, this post includes a selection of essential links for everything Korean and Japanese, and reviews the best links in the list. So whether you're new to the scene, or an oldie fan, hopefully this post will be useful to you. Don't forget to keep checking back to Yellow Kokoro of course~!

South Korean~

1. Allkpop
Probably the biggest and most useful website to catch up on your idols, whether they be singers or actors. There is a bias to the news site that I'm sure regular viewers have spotted, but despite this, the news is very good quality and the forums are always buzzing.
Rating: 4.5 / 5

2. Tumblr
There's a lot of K-fanism on Tumblr. I have to recommend Kpop Expressions at THE N#1 place for gifs. I mean... Come on...

  

You could stare at them all day. O_O
Rating: 5/5

3. Eat Your Kimishi
Ever wondered what going to South Korea is like? Simon and Martina can tell you! Their website, http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/ is full of their Youtube videos of their trips,
Rating: 5/5

4. PopSeoul
This website used to be my favourite, until it started to diminish three and a half years ago. They still may have some extra info that Allkpop has missed, which might be worth your time.
Rating: 3/5


Japanese:

1. TokyoHive
I don't actually use this website. I do like Jpop, but I'm not too interested in the latest idol who's at a random press confidence advertising a Japanese version of coca cola or whatever. If you're interested in the Jpop scene to the extent that you must know every brand and the birthday of every cast member of a recent drama... Then you'll find this website useful.
Rating: 2/5

2. Shattered Tranquility
I've got better news for you however, if you're a Jrock Visual Kei fan. Meet Shattered Tranquility, the ultimate home of the Visual Kei and Jrock scene. Expect daily news of a huge variety of all things Kei, from An Cafe to The Gazette. This website also frequently introduces new bands to the scene. I haven't found any other website that gives new Visual Kei bands such a warm welcome.
Rating: 5/5

3. Jrock Revolution
Not really into Visual kei as much as you are Jrock? Jrock Revolution focuses slightly away from the Visual Kei scene. It updates regually.
Rating: 4/5



Korean and Japanese Links:

1. Twitter
Did you know there's a lot of South Korean and Japanese idols out there with real twitter accounts?
I said real twitter accounts!
I'll be updating this post soon with as many as I can find. Unfortunatly, most of these South Korean and Japanese idols do tweet in their native languag, like JaeJoong's. So unless you know Korean or have a translator near by this may not be so useful to you.

2. MySoju
Most likely the best place to find all your dramas and films on one page. This website updates their links regually, and it has a brilliantly clear layout. Whether you're into mystery or horror, you'll find something here. The website contains a variety of dramas from Japan, Korean, Taiwan and more.
Rating: 5/5

Hope you found this post useful!

What's so cool about South Korea?

I love South Korea so much, despite never actually stepping foot in the country. Of course, like most kpop fans I really, (really, really, really) want to visit the country. But some of my friends ask, why? What's so good about South Korea?
Well dear friends, I'll tell you.

South Korea has so many querks and perks from street food to smacaps! I love South Korean fashion, it's much cooler than yours x 100. Unless you're a Jrocker, then you're pretty trendy. AND THE BANDS. THE MANY, MANY WONDERFUL KPOP BANDS.

Have you even HEARD Korean music? Epik High, Super Junior and Suju M, B2ST, BoA, MBLAQ just to name a few... Their music is fun, exciting, dramatic, heartfelt, and just simply delightful. Even if I'll never meet them, just to step into the land where kpop comes from would be enough. Like Beetle fans visiting Liverpool! (Did you know, the Hallyu wave has even been compared to the Beetles?!)

South Korea also has a lot of amazing dramas and television such as Antique Bakery, You're Beautiful, and Boy's Over Flowers. (These examples just happen to be very pro-female or pro-gay happy.... *sweat drop*) There is so much wonderful addiction to be had with Kdramas. (Check out MySoju for all your S. Korean drama needs) It's nearly better than the television in the UK. (Beats everything apart from Doctor Who, which incidently, is South Korea's favourite foreign series.)

There are many scandals in South Korea, such as some of the very crazy and sick fans that take their music idols just a little too far. The entertainment industry in South Korea is also seriously underpaid, and Korean stars rarely get a break. This has to change.  Yet it shouldn't spoil everything South Korea has to offer. It offers an fantastic alternative to mainstream entertainment that is beginning to blossom. Time to remove those weeds, and soon the Hallyu Garden will really stand out.

Mona Lisa

So I was wondering why suddenly on facebook, all my friends seemed to suddenly be into Mona Lisa. Then I looked on the allkpop.com site, and saw...

Yup, MBLAQ is back with their new track, Mona Lisa. The song is so typically MBLAQ, though it has a 'Spanish/French' like element to it which is refreshing. With an MBLAQ song, it's not only the sound of it that's important. Do remember, this is a South Korean band so... Looks, clothes, dance moves, and the music video as a whole is vital for success. But has MBLAQ managed to succeed this time?

They may have trouble.

The Lyrics.
First of all, a typical trap for many a Korean band, is called the Rushed Lyricist. Got a song to write? Only have fifteen minutes? This is why you get. The ol' broken English and 'lalalala'. The song hasn't suffered from bad English phrases (they're pronoucation is actually pretty good) but there is frequent 'lalalala' moments which although it is entertaining to listen and watch a male sexy group sing 'lalalala'... it's not that cool. It's as manly as this guy. (Crossdressing Kevin for the win!) Oh, and isn't this meant to be somewhat a serious song...?

The Sound.
Secondly... I can't hear their actual, lovely, amazing voices. Yet again, auto-tune is eating away at these boys' talent. And it's a real shame. LISTEN J. """Tune""" Entertainment I SAID IT'S A REAL SHAME.
...
But I have to say, despite this the sound is SO incredibly catchy. Just one play through and it lasts in your head for a long while. Seriously. Expect to hear that song when you go to bed, when you wake up, brush your teeth, and all through the next day after.
Costumes
There isn't much to comment on the costumes - they're constantly changing, and the stylist hasn't done anything outragious that I can be cynical on. So, moving on...

The dancing.
Oh boy the dancing.
I'm loving this "manly" *cough* air guitar thing they've got going on here. Luckily it doesn't last for very long, otherwise the very, very cool and casual dancing these MBLAQ boys have got going on would be completely wasted. Oh, you didn't miss read that. I actually really like the dancing style. Even when their trying to be 'gangster' nodding to the music with their shiny silver car. It's beautiful.

Verdict
The more I think about this song, the more positive my review becomes. Perhaps it's because I really love MBLAQ and I'm very bias towards them. Perhaps it's because they are rather attractive men. Perhaps because the song is actually pretty decent.
Somehow, I think it's all three of them.

With a few little inperfections, Mona Lisa is a brilliant, catchy, and fun song. Welcome back MBLAQ. Now show me what else you've got.

Yellow Kokoro

Welcome to Yellow Kokoro.
Kokoro means heart, and my heart belongs to a lot of things. I hope to share that on this blog. You'll be soon finding out how much I like Korean dramas, Jrock singers, games and Doctor Who. Oh yes, it'll be 'one of those' kind of blogs.

Why the Yellow?
Yellow is the colour of Pikachu, and Jolteon. (They're pokémon, if you wondered.) Why pick any other colour?