About this Site
Moon-Struck is a site dedicated to English translations of the works of Japanese artist GACKT. Its aim is to allow fans who do not speak Japanese to more fully understand and appreciate his lyrics, as well as to provide an accurate source of information for the curious as well as those who are just getting to know him, and to support his goal of world domination!
All translations on this site are the work of one fan translator, and have been extensively researched and revised, however if you have any questions, comments or corrections please send an email via the contact form.
Special thanks to Val for her assistance.
About GACKT
Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, model, celebrity, writer, and occasional clothing and jewelry designer, when he is not working he is also known to be a highly trained martial artist, a snowboarding aficionado, a skilled darts and billiard player, a collector of everything from weapons to DVDs to a 15th century bible, and an enthusiastic fan of anime and manga (in particular the Gundam franchise as well as the films of director Hayao Miyazaki). He is an extremely prolific artist, having released 9 full length albums, 9 live/compilation albums, one EP and over 45 singles over a 15 year solo career, as well as starring in TV drama series and movies, writing/directing/acting in his own plays, and touring almost every year since 2000. He is able to converse in four languages; Japanese, English, Mandarin Chinese and Korean, and it seems he has some knowledge of Cantonese, French and Spanish as well.
His music is largely considered to be difficult to describe or classify, with many fans joking that “GACKT” is a separate genre of music altogether. Nevertheless, it is largely based in the contemporary rock genre, with heavy influences from both western classical and traditional Japanese music, as well as use of electronic elements and a decidedly experimental flair on many tracks. Brought up listening solely to classical music and trained in piano and voice from childhood, among other things, he discovered heavy metal bands such as Metallica during high school and also became absorbed in mastering drumming. This technical expertise shines through in his songs, but they are far from being empty spectacle. Behind each of his albums lies a sci-fi or fantasy epic, the greatest being the long running MOON SAGA, which spans 3 albums (with another to be released) and follows a bloodline of often unwillingly transformed and persecuted vampires over a time span of 1,500 years. His deeply emotional music is a reflection of human nature at it’s rawest, using the concept of a “monster” as a metaphor, he sings the lives of his characters, their joys and sorrows, loves and passions, losses and grief transcending time and place.
GACKT as a person is probably most famous for his eccentricity, but those who are in close contact with him personally tend to describe him as incredibly passionate and hard working, as well as a perfectionist, but generous, kind and encouraging to those around him who are working in lesser roles, and respectful and eager to learn from those with more experience. He believes that, “Dreams are not something to be dreamt, but to be made true”, and encourages his fans to go all out in achieving their goals, writing many blog entries and even a book on his views of life. All in all, quite a unique and brilliant man.
More information can be found at his official site gackt.com.
About the Translator
Your humble translator is generally known online as “Amaia”, shortened from my old screen name “Amaiakuyume”, which is embarrassingly incorrect high school Japanese for “sweet nightmares”. Some of my old accounts still use or reference my old screen name.
I am female, born in 1989, and originally from Australia. I have a degree in Japanese, have passed JLPT N1 and have been mostly living in Japan since 2010. I currently work as a ESL teacher, textbook author and J>E translator in Tokyo. Learning Japanese is definitely an ongoing journey and I’m still picking up new words and expressions almost every day.
I have been a fan of GACKT since first visiting Japan in 2004 and picking up THE SIXTH DAY in a record store by chance. In February 2009, I finally got the opportunity to see him in person when I traveled across Japan for two weeks and attended 5 performances of the Requiem et Reminiscence II tour. To date, I have been fortunate enough to see him over 40 times including the YFCz and Camui Gakuen tours, the stage plays Nemuri Kyoshiro Buraihikae and MOON SAGA and the 2010 Kenshin Festival in Joetsu.
Translation Accounts:
@gackttweets
moon-struck-net.tumblr.com
amaia.livejournal.com (also contains personal entries)