''Last Moon'' is the eighth full-length studio album by Japanese recording artist

Gackt , better known by his mononymous stage name Gackt (stylized as GACKT), is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Born in Okinawa, Japan, to a Ryukyuan family, Gackt learned the piano at a young age and was raised ...

released on April 27, 2016 in Japan. It is considered to be the final, but not ending part of "Moon Saga", a concept by which is conceptually linked to its predecessor albums ''

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width ...

'' (2002), ''

Crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

'' (2003), and '' Diabolos'' (2005), as well as the movie '' Moon Child'' (2003), theatre play ''

Mysteries of Yoshitsune I&II ''Moon Saga: Mysteries of Yoshitsune I & II'' is a duology of theatre stage plays written, composed and directed by Japanese recording artist Gackt. The original productions are notable for the first major use of projection mapping in theatre stag ...

'' (2012-2014), and two novels (2003, 2014).

Overview

The concept album and its promotional tour, Last Visualive, are Gackt's first in almost seven years. It is called "last" because it is considered as a turning point in his career, whether it will be his last original release and tour, featuring his signature stage shows, for a while or not. It is called "Visualive" because links together video, performance and music. On October 7, 2015 the single "Arrow" was released. The tour and album release were supported by

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, sin ...

. Through this collaboration, on Nestle's special website every month until the official release, new songs to be included for the album were available for streaming and download. The concept was conceived in 2004 during the Sixth Day & Seventh Night tour (song "Utakata no Yume"). It was followed by the Diabolos tour in 2005, and in between the Requiem et Reminiscence II tour in 2009, Gackt thought to do the Last Moon tour. However, due to the vast developing time of ''

'' plays he would not be able do the RR II concept, and instead managed to establish the Visualive form with the RR II concept.

Moon Saga

Conceptually, the story of the "Moon Saga" is separated in four chapters. The first chapter takes places roughly from the year 700 to 1300, second from 1300 to 1600, third from 1600 to current time (2000), and fourth from the current time (2000) to the future (2045). The work from 2002 (''

'') and 2003 ('' Crecent'', movie '' Moon Child'', novel ''Moon Child Requiem'') covered the fourth chapter, from 2005 ('' Diabolos'') took place between the second and third chapter, while from 2012-2014 (theatre play ''

'', novel ''Moon Saga Mysteries of Yoshitsune'') and 2016 (''Last Moon'') depict the first chapter. The whole story is set in both Europe and Asia (mostly Japan), depending on the story and meaning wanted to be expressed. The idea was to create a story where the

Oni An is a kind of '' yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni posses ...

(Japanese demons) were the origin of

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

s, and eventually of the central character in the first chapter,

Yoshitsune Minamoto was a military commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Yoritomo cons ...

. In the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...

existed those called as

Mononoke ''Mononoke'' (物の怪) are vengeful spirits (onryō), dead spirits ( shiryō), live spirits (ikiryō), or spirits in Japanese classical literature and folk religion that were said to do things like possess individuals and make them suffer, caus ...

(spirits), and Mononofu, who were born between humans and Mononoke, and with special powers dominated both Mononoke and humans. The story from ''Mysteries of Yoshitsune'' spreads out when the member with inherited blood crossed over to Europe, and became the progenitor of the later vampires. The story from the first chapter follows the "darkside inhabitants" - darts, who were scattered all over Europe, fighting for different countries even against fellow inhabitants in the shadow of history. The second chapter how they tried to make something that will surpass them and for purpose of fighting, so were created 13 "shitos" (, apostle, disciple), but their body was incomplete and couldn't appear under the sun. From the third chapter, now known as "vampires", is followed their life. They didn't pursue their purpose of life, and as become aware of the darkness inside them, raises the question what is now their purpose of existence. After the awakening, two of the thirteen shito died (the man and woman shown in the music video of " Todokanai Ai to Shitteita no ni Osaekirezu ni Aishitsuzuketa...") leaving behind eleven. Five out of the eleven decided to stand up and fight against the darts, their creators. They wanted to prove that there was meaning in their existence, however they were outnumbered, and there was only one shito survivor. However, it is not a vampire's story as they were presented as a way of expressing a certain evil side and existence of humans. People long for immortality, believing it to be a wonderful thing, while vampires know how painful such an immortal existence can be and seek a peaceful death, because without death the life has no meaning. The theme of the concept, like his other in ''Requiem et Reminiscence'' albums, is about the existential questions of humanity. The "Moon Saga" is a symbolic story about the repetition of human sins, war and the question of what is the ultimate meaning of human life. The history of mankind's struggle – the suffering and sorrow in the quest for the virtues and ideas.

Last Moon

The tour is titled as ''Saigo no Tsuki'' ("Last Moon" in English language), but the ''saigo'' is not written in kanji (last, end) yet which has a nuance of "the final moments" or "dying days", as it is not the end of the "Moon" concept. The theme of the album and tour is people thoughts during the last moments of death while looking at the Moon. The symbolism of the

in the story is for the reason it's witnessing the tragedies that humanity repeats, and thus through the Moon people can symbolically look back on the life path they walked on. The story of the ''Last Moon'' in the basis has the story of ''Mysteries of Yoshitsune'', but it is actually the perspective about the former by the non-human entities from the Moon who come to collect the souls, whose figures dressed in black can be seen in the music video and cover of singles "Returner (Yami no Shūen)" and "Arrow", as well album. The non-human narrator during the show questions why the humans with such strong feelings of friendship and love, repeat the same mistakes, can't stop hurting each other, and spend short lives fighting.

Composition

According to Gackt, it's a heavy album with deep world view, and it's definitely not suitable to be simply played in the background. Almost every song was created from the story sketched above and features a special image or place in the live performance. Having studied traditional

Japanese poetry Japanese poetry is poetry typical of Japan, or written, spoken, or chanted in the Japanese language, which includes Old Japanese, Early Middle Japanese, Late Middle Japanese, and Modern Japanese, as well as poetry in Japan which was written ...

, Gackt incorporated a mix of traditional and modern speech in the lyrics, and experimented with the songs' beat, noting that traditional Japanese poetry is more suitable for an irregular beat. He also listened to the esoteric Buddhist

sutra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an a ...

s. The songs are distinctive for their blend of modern Western musical instruments and traditional Japanese instruments, like

Shakuhachi A is a Japanese and ancient Chinese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the .

, Shamisen,

Shinobue The ''shinobue'' (kanji: 篠笛; also called ''takebue'' (kanji: 竹笛) in the context of Japanese traditional arts) is a Japanese transverse flute or fue that has a high-pitched sound. It is found in hayashi and nagauta ensembles, and plays ...

Erhu The ''erhu'' (; ) is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a ''Southern Fiddle'', and is sometimes known in the Western world as the ''Chinese violin'' or a ''Chinese two- ...

, Shō,

Koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * ...

and

Taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming ...

, a kind of music called by Gackt as "

Zipangu The word '' Japan'' is an exonym, and is used (in one form or another) by many languages. The Japanese names for Japan are Nippon () and Nihon (). They are both written in Japanese using the kanji . During the third-century CE Three Kingdoms per ...

rock" from which can be sensed the country of origination. The song "Arrow" was meant for the very end of the story, but was performed at the start of the live. It is an intense ballad rock song, lyrics of which deal with the sacrifice for an ideal future. Some songs like "Hana mo Chiyu" are written as

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māor ...

, which have a 5-7-5 pattern, and are suitable for irregular

quintuple In mathematics, a tuple is a finite ordered list ( sequence) of elements. An -tuple is a sequence (or ordered list) of elements, where is a non-negative integer. There is only one 0-tuple, referred to as ''the empty tuple''. An -tuple is de ...

or septuple beats. The song "Kugutsu ga Gotoku" also has archaic Japanese words. The song "Kimi Dake no Boku de Iru Kara" is about the heartbreaking determination and the desire to protect a lover dying from illness. Its animated music video features Gackt. The song is conceptually related to " P.S. I Love U" as the man's feelings for a woman are expressed in the first, while the woman's feelings about the man are expressed in the second song. Although not in the track list, the songs " Hakuro" and " Sakura Chiru..." are part of the four song series from the first chapter of "Moon Saga", along with " Setsugekka (The End of Silence)" and " Akatsukizukuyo (Day Breakers)".

Release

The album was released on April 27, 2016 in two physical editions, regular (CD; GLCD-00016) and limited (CD+DVD; GLCD-00015), as well as on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

. Until November 6, 2015 a special limited edition (GLCD-00014) was available on Gackt's official website's global store. In November 2016 was announced that the album is being re-recorded for an English language version and future release. During the tour was sold limited edition album titled "Last Visualive Saigo no Tsuki –Last Moon–" (GLCD-00017) with two CDs (CD 1 48:28 - CD 2 59:07 minutes), with the whole live setlist in original order.

Charts

In its first week the studio album reached number six on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...

's weekly album chart, with 16,447 copies sold, and topped the Oricon independent album chart. On its first week the album charted at thirteen on the ''Billboard'' Japan's Hot Albums chart, while rising to number ten at the Top Albums Sales chart. Single "Arrow", released on 7 October 2015, reached number fifteen, and charted for four weeks on the

's weekly single chart. As the single was released by an independent label it was also featured on the Oricon indies singles chart, peaking at number two. On the ''Billboard'' Japan Hot 100 it peaked at number sixty, and peaked at number fourteen on the Top Single Sales chart. Single "Kimi Dake no Boku de Iru Kara", released on 23 November 2016, reached number thirty on the Oricon's weekly single chart, selling 4,107 copies. On the ''Billboard'' Japan peaked at number forty-four on the Top Single Sales chart.

Last Visualive tour

On August 8 Gackt's first national (and world) tour in seven years, called Last Visualive Saigo no Tsuki –Last Moon–, was announced. Although the original intention was to be held in 2015, it was postponed to 2016. It started with a fanclub only concert on March 19 at Misato City Cultural Hall in Saitama, with the first public show being held on March 21 at the Colany Hall in Yamanashi. In January 2016, because most of the 25 concerts sold out, an additional 16 were announced, making the total 41 concerts. The tour ended on July 3 with two consecutive shows at the

Saitama Super Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum spectator capacity is 36,500, making ...

, consisting of a total of 42 concerts in thirty cities and over 120,000 visitors. The final show was broadcast on WOWOW in October 2016, and its live recording will be released in regular and premium DVD and Blu-ray edition on March 14, 2017. In the ending credits of the final show were announced world tour and return tour in Japan in 2017.

Show

The concert shows generally lasted about four hours (with circa one hour long MC), and are focused around the album's track list. The concert's stage set looked like a post-apocalyptic movie set, they include videos which are related to the ''

'', as well as various

projection mapping Projection mapping, similar to video mapping and spatial augmented reality, is a projection technique used to turn objects, often irregularly shaped, into display surfaces for video projection. The objects may be complex industrial landscapes, su ...

scenery on the back screen. The lives are conceptually divided into four parts. The first part begins with the video showing Yoshitsune at the battlefield, narration questions like "why do people repeat the same mistakes?", and with many fateful arrows approaching Yoshitsune, which shooting has commanded brother Yoritomo, the video ends and starts the performance of the first song "Arrow". The music video of "Returner (Yami no Shūen)" shows Yoshitsune being pierced by the arrows. During the performance of "Akatsukizukuyo (Day Breakers)" was montage of battle sciences, and Yoshitsune's improbable wish to remain close to the friends until the next meeting. The second part begins with the video showing part of the story which occurred 9 years earlier in 1180 between brothers Yoshitsune and Yoritomo, and the

Heian Era The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

scene is shown by the instrumental performance of "Utakata no Yume" where Gackt played the Japanese traditional instrument shamisen. The song "Kugutsu ga Gotoku" is performed with particularly intense animation and boogaloo dance choreography, followed by pantomime dance during "Youranka (Lulling)". The third part begins with the film from "Camui Gakuen", cover concerts festival conceptualized around fictional school. The sudden difference in the world view of the songs and stage is to release the audience from the built up tension and make them engage in playful entertainment. It includes an hour long MC, and both "Kimi Dake no Boku de Iru Kara" and "P.S. I Love U" started in a cappella. The final fourth part begins with the video of Yoshitsune waking up from the dream about his friends with whom he fought together, realizing he is pierced with arrows, which is followed by the ending performance of "Setsugekka (The End of Silence)", and video showing the ascending soul of Yoshitsune.

Set list

Track listing

Notes

* The title of "Kugutsu ga Gotoku" was originally revealed as , but later changed to the current title. * The song "Kimi Dake no Boku de Iru Kara" is the opening theme song for the anime ''

Trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwise ...

'' in which Gackt was a voice actor.

Album credits

; Personnel (Last Moon CD) *

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

Piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

: Gackt *

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

Violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

: You *Guitar:

Chachamaru , is a Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter, arranger and producer. Usually referred to by his stage name "Chachamaru", little is known about his early years and personal life. Besides being a member and collaborator with various bands and mus ...

*Guitar,

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

Drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

: Takumi *Bass:

Ju-Ken Ju-ken (born June 27, 1971 in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese session bassist. He was a support member of Gackt, The Wanderers and Anna Tsuchiya. He is one of the most in-demand bassists in Japan. Career Ju-ken started his p ...

, Ikuo *Drums: Jun-Ji *Strings: Ittetsu Gen *

: Akihisa Kominato ; Production *All Producer: Gackt *Sound Creative Manager: Takumi *Arrangement, Programming: Takumi, You, Chachamaru, Masafumi Okubo, Daichi Yokota, Syusei Tsukamoto, Tatsuya Kurauchi *Recording Engineer: Masahiro Shimbo (Mixer's Lab), Katsuyuki Abe (Mixer’s Lab), Kentaro Kikuchi *Mixing Engineer/Programming: Masahiro Shimbo, Masahito Tobisawa (Flash Link Studio) *Mastering Engineer: Yasuji Maeda (Bernie Grundam Mastering) ; Design *Art direction & Design: Jun Misaki *Photographer: Keiju Takenaka (D-Cord) ; Personnel (Set List CDs) *Sound Creative Manager: Takumi *Arrangement: Yuzuru Jinma, Masafumi Okubo *

: Shin *Japanese

bamboo flute: Yasukazu Kano *Japanese

drum: Ryuji Sato, Shota Sato *

: Hideki Ishigaki * Tsugaru Shamisen: Taichi Hikida *

: Mio Abe *Mixing Engineer: Yu Aoki, Masahiro Shimbo

References

External links

Albums official website
{{Authority control 2016 albums Gackt albums