Gackt -Saikai~story~ (6th single)

Saikai_~Story~

Before I start this review let me just say I love Gackt. I adore Gackt. I obsess over him the same way as Ayumi, though I can't own his albums as they are far too expensive (£15 each!). Either way he is beautiful and his songs are powerful and emotional: his lyrics beautiful and poetic. Though he may be a tad strange (vampire?) he's allowed to caus' he awesome. :P I mean, he speaks like 5 languages and plays about 8 different instruments: that can't be easy. I own his calendar right now, and though the calendar is massive dissapointement (too many crap pictures, no way to change the month thus I'm stuck on the cover...) : but it's still nice to to see Gackt every day!!

Anyway, Saikai story was one of my first Gackt songs I guess, and one of my favourites. I plan to learn it on violin I love it that much.

It does make it hard to think of this song as only Gackt's 6th single, I don't know why but I imagined it would be more recent. Either way, Saikai is a beautiful and emotional ballad one can only expect from Gackt. Based on a short instrumental Story from one of his albums, you can imagine it has a truly beautiful instrumental part relying on strings and piano.

1: Saikai~story~: The title translates as "A Promise to Meet Again ~Story~", so as you can expect from Gackt it's a song about love, lost painful love. Gackts voice is suitably heartbroken, and filled with powerful emotion.  I suggest you look at the lyrics to full understand this song.

"Inside of the fading memory
I want to hold you just one more time
Nearly painfully, I continue to shout your name
Until my voice is lost"

Saikai story starts with simple but beautiful piano, then the violin comes in and you are captured by it's beauty. The violin drops in and out of the song, so mainly it is just piano and eventually another instrument is introduced as well. The song is entrancing, and just...epic relying only on the continous piano, occasional sweeping violin part and Gackts voice which switches from quiet in the verses to loud and sad/pained in the chorus'.  Around the middle of the song there is also a fantastic change where Gackt quietly whispers over the synth and piano before a glorious instrumental,  where the violin gets to show off a bit. A sound in the background makes me think of fireworks, no particular reason. Like someone watching fireworks and thinking of someone they have lost. Either that or someone in a city, watching those walked past whilst remembering the one they loved. Someone who can't let go of a love, even though it's now fading an dissappearing? Don't know really, though you can make many story to it. Last line suggest Gackt is the one that is dying or going away, leaving behind someone. There's no way to know right- That's the beauty of Gackts poetic lyrics, beauty of any lyrics.

After another chorus and verse the song ends on almost twinkling piano and like that it's over. Wow. Gackt really specialises in heartfelt, epic ballads in contrast to eqally epic, powerful and dramatic rock songs.

2: Dears ~live~  : Haven't listened to the B-side of Saikai, however dears is a good song and Gackt is awseome live so I'm sure it'll be good (unless the recording is crap).

3: Saikai~story~ (instrumental). Sure that even without Gackt's voice, Saikai will be gorgeous. I could use this as backing track for when I learn on violin...

overall rating: 5/5

So, overall a wonderful and powerful single from one of the best Jrockers- Gackt (strictly my opinion). I've already babbled on enough so I'll just say If you want to get into Gackt listen to this single to get a flavour of his ballads, and mind forest or Yami no Shuen to get a flavour of his rock : )