In 2016, I went to Japan and had the opportunity to see Mejibray, one of my favorite visual kei bands, live in concert. And now I’ve made a diary comic about that experience! This story was originally published by The Comics Journal in November 2019.

Because I’m a nerd for making playlists, I put together a soundtrack for this comic. You can check it out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYvv_X5qp4EyrOtVkosEwxlxh1e4cVnhZ

Gig in Japan - Mejibray autobio comic

Gig in Japan – page 1

Gig in Japan – page 1 published on Purchase

Because I’m a nerd for making playlists, I put together a soundtrack for this comic. It’s on YouTube because a lot of these bands never had their music licensed for U.S. release, so many of them (Mejibray included) are not to be found on Spotify or iTunes here. (Several of the bands on my playlist… Continue reading Gig in Japan – page 1

Gig in Japan - Mejibray live show comic

Gig in Japan – page 2

Gig in Japan – page 2 published on Purchase

To answer my own question from the first panel, this is not a thing specific to Mejibray shows. I’ve since gone back and watched music videos by other Japanese rock bands, and have noticed the crowds acting in unison there as well. I suppose to the extent I noticed it before I’d just assumed it… Continue reading Gig in Japan – page 2

Gig in Japan - Mejibray live show diary comic

Gig in Japan – page 3

Gig in Japan – page 3 published on Purchase

The actual translation of “encore” in Japanese is アンコール (ankouru), where the final “ru” would only be partially voiced. But the crowd was definitely saying a fully-voiced “re” at the end of the word, giving each syllable equal weight as basically a three-beat chant.