Today's Alice Nine Member: Saga

Hello everyone! Well, the time has come to finish out the set, so it's on to Saga. As I said before, I know very little about Saga, so this post might be a bit short, but I'll give it my best! Saga is the bassist and backup vocalist for alice nine. Saga was born June 24, 1982, which means that he is currently 27 years old and the second youngest in the band. Saga's real name is Sakamoto Takashi and has said that his childhood hero was actually father (which doesn't seem to me to fit his character, but what do I know). He has one pet, a sixteen year old dog named Chiko that he loves dearly and with whom he recently did a photoshoot. Originally, when he began music, he learned guitar but later switched to bass which is his claim to fame. A few of Saga's hobbies include walking Chiko, playing baseball and, you guessed it, drinking. The latter hobby serves as a tie of friendship between him and Nao, as they often go out drinking together. In fact, Saga was the member who gave Nao the nickname Pooh because he says now looks like Pooh bear when he sleeps. What Saga brings to the band is, as the other members readily admit, the bands sex appeal (and he makes up for the lack of flashy displays from the other members with ample displays of his own). Saga also adds that Jrock feel of the almost otherworldly, too cool rockstar, and of course his look only furthers that feel. While Saga can often ham it up, and be taken as a bit...odd (at least that's my view), he is also prone to mood swings of inspiration and melancholic mystery, which is undoubtedly his draw for many fans. Despite his not being my favorite, I do have to give him some props for being the creator of quite a few of alice nine's songs, and certainly I will concede that the band would not be nearly so VK without him. Today's video somehow seems to fit Saga's off-in-space moments, so I'd like you to enjoy the beautiful "Ruri no Ame" (incidentally my fav outfits for them).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O688ZsqBE08

Today's Alice Nine Member: Hiroto

Greetings everyone! So, I suppose I'll continue in order of my banner up there ^ and profile Hiroto today. I have to admit that I know the least about Saga and Hiroto (mostly Saga), but I'll tell you what I do know. Hiroto is the other guitarist in alice nine (along with Tora), and to my knowledge does not play any other instrument but guitar. He is in fact the youngest member of the band, and his ability to be a nonstop ball of energy is surely a testament to that. He was born May 4, 1985 (which would make him 24 now), as Ogata Hiroto, which means that he is the only member of alice nine to keep his real name. (He does have a nickname, Pon, and, like Tora has a cartoon that acts as his symbol which fans have named the Pondori, because it looks like a chicken). Over the years he has grown up under the guidance of his fellow members, and in that time, his talent and his personality has matured greatly. Where once he was the semi-shy, almost quiet talent, he now likes to steal the limelight when he can to show off just how amazing he is on guitar, rallying the audience with his encouraging yells. Despite his transformation into a bit of a ham, Hiroto could never be labeled anything but devoted to his friends and his fans, often times the most affectionate of all the members. As a sidebar it is fair to mention that Hiroto is desperately good friends with Aki, the bassist from Sid, whom he feels so close to, he calls him Aki nii-nii (which means big brother). Not only is Hiroto the youngest of the group, but he is also the shortest member. But following with the stereotype, the shorter the man, the more fiery his personality. Having seen how much Hiroto has changed over the years from a kid into a man, I can only look forward to what lays before him. Today's video is "Cross Game" because it shows off his skill and he does some awesome tapping in this song.

My Host Family Change and Today's Alice Nine Member: Shou

So, there's more breaking news on the host family issue. I was just alerted that my host family has been switched, but I have to say, I'm much more excited about this new family. They are a five person family, with a mother and father, a grandmother, and two older sons (whatever that means). They also have a small dog, live 5 min. from Shibuya (by train)!! and my room will have a toilet and a bathtub. What's even better is that the dad works at the shrine next door (how awesome is that, honestly), and the mother teaches traditional tea ceremony and calligraphy. I mean could I even ask for cooler people. So, we'll see how that turns out. Hopefully they don't pull a switcheroo on me again, because as it stands, I'll be in a house in downtown Tokyo with an awesome, artsy family.

And now on to our Alice Nine member of the day: Shou. Shou is the vocalist of the band, and just turned 28 last month (though you'd never guess it). His birthday was July 5, 1981 and he was born Kohara Kazumasa, which is an awesome name, if a little long. After Tora, Shou is the tallest member of alice nine, which becomes rapidly apparent everytime he stands centerstage. Shou is a very stylish type of fellow, throwing himself into the pursuit of trendy clothes and shoes, when he's not off somewhere playing his video games (the only truly nerdy crime he commits). In fact, I read somewhere that he even knows how to cut hair, which only furthers his image of a stylish trend-setter. Despite being the band's singer, Shou is also talented on guitar, though he has more or less always preffered the seat of vocalist in his past bands (Lost Age, and Givuss, which he was in with Tora). More than anything, Shou is unfailingly humble and gratefully for all that has been given to him, never failing to thank photographers, managers and the like on his blog at every turn. So concerned is he with the well being of his fans, that he has said he takes personal responsibility for any injury or discomfort felt by anyone going to their concerts (it's a ROCK concert girls, you might get pushed around). For the promotion of their latest single, Hana, Shou's blog featured a five story tall poster of him, and in the caption underneath, he apologized for being the only member featured. Most assuredly, all of the members admire and look up to Shou, though he's always more than happy to share the limelight with anyone that might want it. What Shou brings to the group is the artistic crafting of melody and poetic verses of song particular only to him. At heart, Shou is a very emotional, poetic soul who says he ventures into art galleries when in need of inspiration, and the use of color, light and infinitely difficult imagery bleeds through into their songs, though almost always tinged with feelings of hope (in contrast to some other bands like The Gazette). And so today, I would like to share a song that showcases Shou's artistic nature: the beautiful name.

Today's Alice Nine Member: Tora, and Word of the Day!

Greetings readers! So, first of all I'll introduce today's word of the day: kakkoii (かっこいい ). Kakkoii is an adjective most often used to describe men or inanimate objects/situations, but never women. Kakkoii means attractive, cool or stylish, even 'hot,' if used to describe a stylish man. And today's word is the perfect way to describe today's Alice Nine member. Tora is one of the two guitarists in the band, as well as being the second oldest and the tallest member. Tora was born Sept. 17, 1980 as Amano Shinji, and early on learned, like Nao, how to play the bass guitar, before switching to the electric guitar. He is also rumored to play piano. Among other things, Tora loves spending time with his cat Chikin, who was the subject of a photoshoot for one of the major Jrock magazines last month. Tora is one of three members who smokes, the only member who has kept his facial piercing (the stud under his lip) and is the only member to have any visible tattoos (the heartagram thing on his index finger), though he is rumored to have another on his chest, which he never shows. Tora is a big fan of the band Korn, has a specific cat/tiger symbol that he goes by which is now on his amps, and his favorite colors are said to be black and white. My personal opinion of Tora is the strong, silent type that's just a little quirky, but hides it most of the time; he also seems like the most manly of the group, but that's just my own opinon.

Despite his cool, seemingly hard rock appearance (he has had the wildest hairstyles of all the members), Tora is unfailingly dedicated both to his work and to his fans. As I previously mentioned, in 2008, he suffered from a herniated disc in his back that kept him from being able to perform at many concerts, thus halting the progress of the band. Even so, there were times when he would perform without feeling in his arms, until finally, at the urging of the other members, he went into the hospital, where he had to sleep sitting up because laying down caused him too much pain. Even so, he worked hard at his physical therapy to be able to return to the stage and fulfill the bands promises to their fans. Shou mentioned, regarding that time, that it was quite scary to hear Tora actually voicing his discomfort, because Tora was the type who bore everything without complaint, who was hardworking and didn't let anything set him back, thus all the members were terribly worried when he finally admitted to the troubles he was having. Even so, Tora has made a recovery and is back being the amazing guitarist he is, working hard to show his love to his fans through music. Today's song is the strong, catchy "White Prayer." I don't love the two-tone mohawk that Tora's sporting in this vid, but all the same, I think the nice melody mixed with the great guitar parts fit Tora, so, enjoy!