We Are X

We Are X-720P

We Are X-720P

We Are X-360P

We Are X-480P

source: We Are X

source: We Are X

I could see story of X JAPAN. I miss HIDE and TAIJI.

Once again I am blown away to learn of a fantastic sounding band that I'd never heard or even heard of before. How is it that bands like this are ignored by the mainstream companies here in the US? Rather than blame low sales on downloads and music sharing they should consider the fact that they tend to hang on to outdated acts while ignoring new ones. That this band could have been popular around the world since the 1980s and never made it big here in the states astounds me. The band being discussed is X Japan, formed in 1982 by drummer/composer Yoshiki and vocalist Toshi. The film opens with their preparations to perform at Madison Square Garden in 2014. As they prepare for the show we are presented with interviews, mostly with Yoshiki, talking about his life and what drew him to perform and create music. Faced with the tragic news of his father's suicide as a child he talks of how that was the catalyst to change his life. The band wasn't hugely successful the first year it was formed but a growing following developed and by 1989 they were a huge hit. Sales of their albums around the world was in the millions. But never here in the US. That didn't stop them from achieving the popularity they did worldwide. But they still dreamed of making it big here. The story of the band is marked with tragedy as well as success. Where most documentaries about bands deal with the excess of success, the overabundance of drugs and women and loss of fortune due to spending, none of that is visible here. Instead we're presented with a story of the individuals in the band focusing mostly on its founders. The others are discussed as well but it is the things that happened in the lives of these two that mostly led the band to the path they traveled. Yoshiki's life was filled with tragedy at various points. His health has always been an issue as well. Dealing with asthma he often collapses on stage his performances are so physically demanding. Oxygen tanks are kept on hand just to help him recover. He wears a neck brace for injuries sustained while performing. He has carpal tunnel and wears a wrist band. And yet he plays like a whirling dervish, amazing to witness. Toshi had his own demons to deal with. A fantastic rock singer (who reminded me of Klaus Meine of Scorpion fame) there came a time in his life when Toshi met and fell in love with a woman he eventually married. What he didn't know was that she was part of a cult that slammed the music of X Japan and that they successfully pulled Toshi away from the band causing it to break up. This led to more tragedies I won't discuss, instead leaving them for those who choose to watch the film to learn of on their own. The intersecting lives of these two men formed the basis for some amazing rock music, orchestral at times and pulsating as well. After watching the film I found myself wanting to do something I haven't done in years, visit a record store in search of music by this band. Knowing the story behind the scenes makes their music even more touching. The film includes not just behind the scenes footage of the band and performances new and old but comments and discussions with others who enjoy the band. Fans fill the frame multiple times here. Stan Lee, who created a comic with Yoshiki is here as are Marilyn Manson and Gene Simmons who proclaims had they made it in the US they would have been the biggest band ever. It is a fascinating documentary on the biggest band you never heard of and well worth investing time in. Extras on the blu-ray include deleted scenes, deleted interviews, Sugio Yoshiki on WE AR X, a performance of "Forever Love" from their last live performance (the original lineup), a performance of "Kurenai" from their last live performance (the original lineup) and "Born to be Free", a fan video. This is a movie that you can enjoy more than once and one I know I'll add to my collection. I may have to add a few of their CDs to that collection as well.

X Japan is a band like no other. The band combined punk aesthetics with speed metal musicianship and unusually emotional lyrics which led to the existence of the so-called Visual Kei genre. After growing in the underground for several years, the band rose to stardom in Japan in the late eighties. The group went on to integrate more and more elements of classical music in its sound and gradually focused on writing epic ballads throughout the nineties. The band attempted to conquer the international market but didn't have the self-confidence to release an entirely anglophone record. They were however considered highly influential stars in their home country, similar to what bands like Queen achieved in the Western world. What sets this band apart from many others is its share of tragic events. Band leader Yoshiki's father committed suicide without leaving any explanations behind when his son was only ten years old. This event would traumatize the brilluant but fragile band leader for the rest of his life. When the band reaches its peak of success, influential bassist Taiji was fired under vague but emotional circumstances. Singer Toshi started to be manipulated by a sect his wife was a member of that declared X Japan's music devilish work that would harm the Japanese society and the singer decided to exit the group, leading to a shocking disbandment in 1997. Charismatic guitarist hide died under mysterious circumstances less than a year later, hanging himself with a towel hanging from a doorknob. Experts consider it a suicide while fans believe it was an accident. This event came close to a national tragedy as several fans committed suicide in similar ways. Former bassist Taiji would also end up committing suicide with a bedsheet in a prison cell after having been arrested following inappropriate behaviour on a flight in Japan. Despite all these hardships, the band reunited ten years after it had called it quits, willing to achieve international success this time. The band played numerous shows all around the world including a concert at legendary Madison Square Garden. This last event is the leitmotiv of this documentary as we witness the media work, band practices and the concert itself. Band leader Yoshiki is the key figure in this documentary and tells us his story and the one of X Japan in numerous flashbacks. Singer Toshi also opens about the time when he was brainwashed by his former wife. The other members sadly don't have much to add. Local and international supporters of the band tell some anecdotes from Yoshiki's mother over Gene Simmons to Stan Lee. The documentary manages to help X Japan rise to international acclaim. It captures the melodramatic essence of this innovative band. It's filled with amusing, curious and depressing anecdotes we won't forget. The only negative elements are the facts that the documentary focuses too much on Yoshiki and not enough on the band X Japan and that the emotionally draining melodramatic anecdotes sometimes feel exhausting. Still, any music fan should watch this documentary, no matter if you usually listen to classical music, pop music or heavy metal. X Japan certainly is one of the most fascinating bands in the planet.

Yoshiki sounds, on the surface, like a show business cliche - a man with enough power to have David Lynch direct his videos, enough influence to be commissioned to write a symphony for the Emperor of Japan, enough wealth to own a car straight outta Back to the Future . . . And yet, he lives with constant physical and emotional pain, haunted by his father's suicide and a litany of health issues that have dogged him since childhood. This film takes a microscope to his life and times and delves beneath the music-industry-soap-opera surface to deliver a portrait of the Godfather of Visual Kei, warts and all. The title of the film is misleading - there isn't much about Yoshiki's X Japan bandmates, and that's a shame. Their late guitarist hide, the object of a Syd Barrett-like cult following, deserves his own companion documentary. But taken as the portrait of one very influential man, it's compelling stuff. Yoshiki allowed the cameras to follow him through some private moments - like visiting the graves of his father and late bandmates, and seeing a doctor about the chronic pains in his arms (trigger warning, there's some painful-looking injections involved). One of the most touching scenes is a reunion with his childhood friend and former bandmate, who quit the group to join a religious cult (you can't make this stuff up, folks) and is returning to the fold. There's a couple of things I wish had been touched on more - like the question of whether racism kept X Japan from achieving international fame. But the filmmakers did a more than decent job. Special kudos for the eye-popping title sequences, which really manage to capture the spirit of visual kei.