Blue Illusion - News & Ups

Versailles announced their partecipation on December 7th at NHK "Music Japan"! They'll be there with several other bands, and the tv program in currently looking for spectators and they'll pick them through a lottery! (good luck to whoever partake!)

The broadcasting will be on December 13th (at 11.40 p.m.) and January 24th (11.30 p.m.)

And Tainted Reality announced an interview with Versailles tomorrow at 8 p.m. (US east coast time, I guess...)

I've just added the lyrics translation of "gerbe", "MIST", "Setsurenka", "To be continued".

It'll be called "Jubilee", it'll be released on January 20th and it'll come in a normal and limited edition (this one, with a DVD with Ascendead Master PV and maybe some more).

On CDJapan and HMV (maybe also on other shops, I'm not sure), you can already place your pre-order!

Si chiama "Jubilee", uscirà il 20 gennaio sia in edizione normale che edizione limitata (quest'ultima accompagnata da un DVD col video di Ascendead Master e forse altro).

Su CDJapan e HMV (forse anche su altri siti) è già possibile effettuare il preordine!

Right now they annouced just the japanese dates that goes from end february to end april, so we'll wait for the international dates!!!!!!!!!

The V-Rock Fest performance has been really wonderful and full of energy, both from Versailles and all the fans (of that, I'm very glad).

From the short clip I could see from the internet broadcasting, Versailles have new costumes; bass support was Yo from Matenrou Opera, that was quite hidden on the stage, while Jasmine's bass was in view.

The new album release date seems confirmed on January 2010, while their live activity will be resumed after the release!

Also, Kamijo wrote a message on their official website blog, thanking everybody for their support and love; he was very glad to meet all the fans again, and glad he could do this performance.

On Japan Times Online Kamijo released an short interview where he spoke about Versailles's performance at V-Rock Fest, and among all the things he said, as the desire to continue their activities, improving and gaining more and more sttrenght and beauty, he also said that their new album will be released on January 2010!!!

(just a personal little comment: I send them all my best wishes... we fans will always support and give strenght to all of them!)

I really thank you rosesymphony to share this news coming from Kamijo mobile blog.

And Kamijo also says that he recorded a chorus for a "very important ballad" (something for Jasmine, maybe? Just my guess..)

Versailles confirmed their appearence to V-ROCK FESTIVAL, that will be held in Makuhari Messe Exhibition Halls in October 24th-25th!

They also ask for fans' support to living out, little by little, Jasmine's dream. ^^

Versailles announced a public farewell ceremony for Jasmine You on September 22nd at Kouekisha Youga Kaikan in Tokyo; from 14 to 16 o'clock flowers will be provided to people who come to attend the ceremony.

Everybody can take part to it, and of course, casual and simple dresses are requested. (nothing showy, cosplays and so on...)

I wish I could go too but... of course I can't. I'll be close to them with all my heart, anyway... as I've always done.

Added some new pics of the gorgeous cosplays by Shinya_Terachi in the "Fan Art" section! ^.^

Sorry for updating after so many time... I'm always quite late, this is a hell of a period for me...

Anyway, if you've missed to read the messages from Versailles concerning Jasmine You, you can see the wonderful job made by Mana-sama and Lady Asphodel here:

Probably at this time everyone has already read it (so sorry for my late...) but I'm going to publish the whole Jasmine You's relatives message.

To the fans and staff who supported Jasmine You, as well as each and every person who took care of him up until now...

As the family of Jasmine You, who brought the sudden notice of his death to everyone's attention, we are filled with despair not only for ourselves, but for the fans who had supported him.

In the past, Jasmine's blog served as an important means for him to discuss his own thoughs and feelings, and so we will borrow this space to talk to everyone about our current feelings as well as memories of Jasmine and things that he often talked about.

He had lived in Tokyo for a little over three years... after his previous band disbanded, he took part in a session band with his closest colleagues, and then when HIZAKI GRACE PROJECT started up again after a long break, he went to Tokyo.

For the sake of having his own personal wish granted, he engaged in the band called Versailles to the extent that he devoted his entire life to it.

Many memories float across our minds when it comes to him in Versailles... him standing upon a brilliant and large stage, the character he put a great effort into even behind the scenes, and how for approximately two years as Jasmine You he went to great lengths to live his life in his own way, while holding his fans dear. Those are the things that come to mind first.

His first "comeback" live in Nagoya as a member of Versailles, the announcement of Versailles' major debut at Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall, the CDs and DVDs he poured his heart into, his first photobook, his first overseas tour, his television appearance... many of his dreams became reality, and he showed us many of his achievements.

Surely, there were hardships that we had no idea about...

Despite that, he cared about his fans, never complained, never talked negatively about anyone, and never lost focus on the makeup, clothing, speech, and attitude that others saw. That was how he lived his life.

There were times when he took a break from this lifestyle at home, we imagine, but we believe that when he went out, he completely acted the part of "Jasmine You."

He went to these great efforts for the sake of his own dream, and to give happiness and the will to exist to his fans who watched his every action and listened to his every word.

On the basis of this large ideal called Versailles, Jasmine changed himself little by little, studying hard to become like the other members of the band who he should respect. Various difficulties tested him but he obediently accepted them.

Jasmine You aimed for this dream and advanced forward and left this world halfway through what he had intended to do. We don't know if he had any dreams that hadn't come true, or if he had any regrets.

But, Jasmine You embarked on his journey with a truly peaceful face.

The people who looked after Jasmine and took care of him, his new and former bandmates, and his friends all came out to the funeral procession in Tokyo.
The number of people who came was surprisingly large. The feeling that Jasmine had a lot of people who loved him washed over us again.

We talked to several of the attendees, who were musicians themselves, and as we thought, we heard about the many difficulties that arise in the life of a musician.

The circumstances and standpoints differ from person to person, but when it came to Jasmine, he went above and beyond the intention of any musician, and he wished more than anything to attain his personal objective and attain his dream.

On the day of his farewell from Tokyo, it was violently rainy.

However, during the funeral procession, the summer sun returned, and the landscape which had become wet from the rain glittered radiantly. The sky was so blue that it made us feel dizzy.

It was like he was hiding behind the blades of grass, only to peek out and say with a wink, "it's Jasmine magic."

After that we returned to Aichi prefecture, where Jasmine had been born and raised, and his relatives and close friends who had so warmly watched over him came to say their final farewell.

People that had known Jasmine You for a long time were able to take their time in saying goodbye, even though his time in this world was so short it was like he had run through it in a hurry, only to take one last deep breath, which was the expression he seemed to have in the end. The wake was also held in Nagoya, and many different people gathered to where it looked like a class reunion after many years had passed.

Jasmine, who liked such busy gatherings, was undoubtedly happy about that.

The photo posted below is one that was featured in his first personal interview in the ROCK AND READ book that went on sale at the end of July.

These photos portray an extremely beautiful Jasmine You, and he was quite pleased with them.

Jasmine was deeply thankful to the reporter of the article who had so politely interviewed him, as well as the cameraman who photographed him. Because of that, we want to thank them as well.

On the night of his wake, he didn't have on his stage makeup... he just wore his usual, everyday makeup.

His complexion was good, and he looked as if he were the same energetic Jasmine You when he was alive, just sleeping... picturing that makes tears start to well up.

When he was under medical care, the nail technician said to him, "I hope that you can put forth just a little bit of energy" as his nails were decorated one by one, each with a different, magnificent design. Jasmine was able to give his final farewell to everyone in perfect beauty, all the way down to his fingernails.

The funeral itself was rather sudden, and because of that his Versailles costumes and photos were all left behind in Tokyo, so we dressed him in his HIZAKI grace project costume.

HIZAKI grace project was a band that became his first dream after he lost sight of his objective due to the disbandment of Jakura.

Jasmine always said that he had a lot of fun.

When Jasmine returned to Nagoya to perform after such a long time and took the stage in a lively way like he was in his element, that dream he had envisioned in his past band, Jakura, showed its true colors.

Before he passed away on the 10th, he listened to HIZAKI grace project's CDs on repeat for hours on end, and seemed to enjoy listening to such nostalgic music.

That quirky Jasmine You, who endlessly listened to his favorite CDs at that time, always had music close to him.

From time to time, when he was blessed with the opportunity to meet with senior artists who he loved so dearly, he was in such high spirits that he was like a child.

Music was truly an essential part of Jasmine You's life, and made him complete.

On August 12th at 10:30am, Jasmine rose into the blue summer sky to continue his journey.

At that same time, we heard that many people looked to the sky and sent their prayers.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Here, we have some words said by Jasmine You when he was alive, that we want to share with you.

These words are words of encouragement for the important people around him, who may have been hurt by something.

"No matter how far apart we have been separated from one another, the sky continues on everywhere, so during heartbreaking times, emotionally painful times, sad times, and even happy times, I am always near you."

The sky was a very special thing to Jasmine You.

Turn toward the blue, distant, infinite sky and whisper your problems, and your thoughts from those times will be able to ride on the flowing clouds and drift away.
If you feel lonely, we think he'd want you to look up at the sky, too.

We think that Jasmine You would definitely be there for you.

He also loved the night sky, and we believe that although he yearned for Tokyo, he was not captivated by Tokyo's night view.

A few days before his death, he was at a point where he was losing the battle with his body and wasn't able to go out on his own, but despite all of that he was able to see the night sky.

"It's been a few years... I want to see Yokohama's sky." Jasmine desired that, and his colleagues, who felt the same way, took him to Yokohama.

At that point he was unable to leave the car, but he had his gaze fixed on the night sky of Yokohama, which he had so quietly longed for.

Two days before his death, he went together with his family to the cemetery on Mount Takao.

Afterward, he rode a cable car for the first time to the summit of the mountain.

From atop the tall, distant mountain peak, Jasmine You gazed endlessly at the glow of the Tokyo streets.

There's no reason now for us to know what he was thinking at that time, but we knew that the night sky was able to calm Jasmine You's mind and distract him.

The day before he passed away, we thought that it wouldn't be possible to see the fireworks over Tokyo Bay, but nevertheless, we all went up to the rooftop of his apartment complex, where he had always gone by himself to gaze at the night sky.

Due to the unfortunate weather, we weren't able to see the fireworks, but we think that because Jasmine You was so close to the sky that he was satisfied.

He was always lifting his gaze to the sky, staring at the night view, and looking up.

If any of you are ever lost or hurt amidst your long and seemingly endless lifetime, he would want you to look up at the sky, too.

Here are a few more words from Jasmine You.

"It's okay for me to face heartbreaking situations and be stopped by them, but I want to continue moving forward."

"Although everyone will meet with difficulty in their lives, I believe that I will be able to climb over that obstacle. I want to continue living."

We hope that all of you will hold Jasmine You's words and image in their hearts, and advance along your chosen paths in your own special way.

Whenever Jasmine You is reborn, please pray that he will be able to shine like he did before and take the stage again.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

From Jasmine You's family

Versailles finally left a message about Jasmine and what they are going to do in the future...

In these past two years, we kept running without any obstacles to stop us.
We supported each other and overcame countless occasions of hardship.

After we saw Jasmine off to the hospital, we went to the Nippon Budoukan.
The five of us, who played concerts at Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall and were granted our wish of a major debut, made it our objective to play there next.
The moment the four of us climbed the stairs that day, it began to rain in huge drops.
We had a feeling that he had come there for us.

We promised that one day, we'd certainly stand onstage here together. That was the number one thing he wanted, wasn't it?

Beyond the present, we still haven't been able to think about anything, but we do know this--we cannot give up the dream that the five of us talked together about.
Our tears haven't stopped yet, and we believe that someday, Jasmine will shine down upon us.

Even though we as well as his fans feel sad right now, we also feel the greatness of his achievements. Jasmine will continue living on in the hearts of everyone who knew him from this point forward.

After this, please support people all over the world as if they were Jasmine You.
If the fans who loved Jasmine can hold his purpose and his wishes dear to them, he'll be happy.

Jasmine's relatives thanked all the fans for their support; the funeral was held in August 12th, and it seems that Jasmine passed away with a really peaceful face, as if he was sleeping...

A few days passed but still no news about the other Versailles members (understandable in such a hard and tragic moment); we'll keep waiting for news.

Meanwhile, fans from all the world keep organizing commemorations for Jasmine...

On the LiveJournal community you can find all the informations if you want to take part to some of them...

In this community you can also find the translations of many messages left by some musicians more or less close to Jasmine, done by some members of the community...(I take this occasion to thank all of them, they are making an amazing job!)

As for me, I wanted to give my small tribute to Jasmine by creating a little Memorial Page; you can access it by clicking on the button in the homepage, or from Versailles page.

Whoever wants to send any kind of artworks, poems and so on dedicated to Jasmine, I'll be very glad to add it to that page.

08/09/09

[VERSAILLES]

This is the worst news I could ever dream to give, and the worst I gave since I have this website.

It came a message from Versailles OHP.

They said that... Jasmine You died.

I wish it was a joke but... it is not.

I... don't know what to say, when I read the news I felt a grip around my heart...

Naturally, now their website is down and all the activities suspended but... right now I can just think of the poor family, friends and bandmates...

Nobody was expecting such a thing... nobody thought it was THAT bad...

I tell you again... I don't know what to say.

I don't know what future will bring.

Right now, I'm not able to think, either...

08/02/09

[VERSAILLES]

That’s a sudden news…

On their official website, Versailles announced that because of Jasmine You’s bad health conditions (no further news about the matter, right now…), he won’t appear at SCUBERDIVE and he’ll suspend all his musical activities for the time being.

They said also that they will keep us updated about his conditions…

I really hope it’s nothing bad and he’ll heal soon, really I don’t know what to think, and I hope for the best…

I've FINALLY received my copy of "Ascendead Master", I was about to lose hopes to ever see it... <_<;

Oh well, so I put the kanji transcription and romanized text of the two lyrics! And the english translations, of course! ^_-

First of all, I'm so sorry not to update for such a long time, it's been a really busy period for me... ><

Versailles have announced their first major album! It'll be released in September 16th, in a regular and limited edition (this one will come with a dvd), the title is still unknown.

Versailles gallery updated with the live photoset that comes with "Chateau de Versailles" DVD! ^^

Added the english translation of Kyokutou no Koibito, la nostalgie de jardin, Imperial Concerto.

And... if you are interested in the matter and you can go to the foreigners-only concert of June 17th, tickets are now on sale on CDJapan! ^^

I've just corrected Chinmoku no Hane lyrics, and I've added the kanji text. Translation will come as soon as possible.

05/02/09
[VERSAILLES]

Additional nformations from Kamijo's blog about the 5 days-live at RockMayKan:

06/17
The 1st act: International night (non-Japanese only)
Opening: 18.00
Start: 19.00

06/18
The second act: Boys only
Opening: 18.00
Start: 19.00

06/19
The 3rd act: Girls Only
Opening: 18.00
Start: 19.00

06/20
The Semi-Final
Opening: 17.00
Start: 18.00

06/21

There will be: E'm～grief～, chariots, PIECElang, Since 1889, Matenrou Opera, α:Vout etc

There will be: DELUHI, ClearVeil, Destin de Lien, Jewel, MoNoLith, Matenrou Opera, Goshujinsama Senyou Kisai Gakudan Virgil.

Finally I did some small corrections to "Darkness" lyrics, according to Anamorphosis booklet. I'll correct the translation as soon as possible.

As annunced yesterday at the concert and then reported on Kamijo's blog, the major debut single will be released on June 24th!

It's called "ASCENDEAD MASTER", and there'll be a regular and 3 types limited editions!

The limited ones, type A, B and C, will come with a "piece" of a movie video, so, to have it whole, you have to buy all three editions...

(just a personal comment... ^^; good luck to everyone for such a great amount of releases, and our money flying away... XD)

Updated LAREINE's discography with "Anamorphosis", re-printed tribute release in occasion of the 2nd anniversary from their "on hiatus" status!

Besides "History of the Other Side", that contains their 3 PVs and live extracts from their last summer tour, cthere will be another DVD, "CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES", with their WHOLE last december 23's live at the C.C. Lemon Hall!

05/19/09 STUDIO COAST
There will be: Versailles, Kinniku Shoujotai, Merry.
Opening: 18.00

There will be also some special free events in may/june, where you'll get a special DVD:

5/18 Sapporo KRAPS HALL
5/20 Sendai HOOK
5/22 Shibuya BOXX
5/26 Shinjuku RUIDO K4
6/08 Osaka MUSE
6/09 Nagoya ell.FITS ALL
6/13 Ikebukuro CYBER

There will be 30 bands beside Versailles, among them there are Matenrou Opera, SOUND OF DRUG (new band with Maya, ex Belles... I don't know if you remember them, they were produced by Kamijo years ago...), ClearVeil, chariots, MELLO, NEGA, etc

Anyway, if you don't know it yet, Kamijo announced a republishing of "Anamorphosis" for the 2 anniversary of LAREINE's "on hiatus" status!

I've just added "Dir en gray" lyrics, in kanji, romaji and the english translation! ^_^

Kamijo wrote on his blog the dates of their last tour as indie (they'll go major on June); the tour will last from the end of March to the first half of May (who's been a LAREINE fan can just notice that the first tour day falls on Romance Kakumei... maybe it's a coincidence, but that's it! XD).