Mana & Kami interview in B-PASS April 1999

 Today I’d like to focus on your first video clip collection. But before that I think it’s Impossible to pass over the fact that Gackt has left the group, so let’s start from there.

K: I guess a lot had happened and. after stressing over it, we also decided it was best to part ways.

This time I suppose there was a fair amount of conflict until you arrived at this conclusion? K: We managed to come to an agreement pretty well. But this time we’ve set out towards a new Malice Mizer. M: Yes, we’ve come to terms with the fact that one of our members left. At the moment, that issue has blown out of proportion publicly and given birth to various misunderstandings. That’s been really hard on us. But Malice Mizer, from the time before it formed in 1992 to now, is something that still continues on in spirit. So even if our bodies were to rot away, I think that Malice Mizer itself would still carry on. In other words, the concept of Malice Mizer is not a band, even though we’re currently taking on the form of a band for our activities… I more or less get what you’re trying to say. More than a band, Malice Mizer is fundamentally closer to a spiritual world, likened to a philosophy or truth, so things like members leaving or the physical form disappearing, those forms of expression do not alter its essence. M: Right. And it’s what we’ve been expressing up till now, and I think something has accumulated in everyone bit by bit…at any rate, now, we’ve set out towards a new future. You mean you’re looking ahead. M: Yes. I see, that’s reassuring, Well then, on to your first video clip collection. It contains the music videos from your first singles, and then new footage at the end, right? What is the meaning behind releasing it? Does it imply a demarcation? (as in the end of one period in the band’s activities and the beginning of another) K: That’s part of it, and then at the end we added a certain “something” to let you feel the new Malice Mizer through the video. I’d like our fans who see it to pick up on that in terms of meaning. Looking back now….in order to move on to the next thing, rather than a summary, I guess I’d like to try tracing your trajectory up till now. In the first place, where did the concept of ‘Merveilles’ stem from? M: The fundamental concept hasn’t changed from the time I brought Malice Mizer together. The themes are bathed in it and move from there. So it’s not like we suddenly switched from ‘Voyage’ to ‘Merveilles.’ The underlying concept is always the same. And that fundamental concept would be, “What are humans?” K: That’s right. So to put it in a way that is easy to understand, it’s like a tree that branches out.. At the highest level is the fundamental concept of “What are humans,” Then, underneath that are the concepts like ‘Voyage’ and ‘Merveilles.’ And, once more, below those are things like ‘Pays de Merveilles’ and ‘Villes de Merveilles,’ and the various songs are a further embodiment of that. So everything is tied to the basic concept of “What are humans?” M: Right. So even if we’re asked where the concept of ‘Merveilles’ came from, it’s not like it just appeared all of a sudden. I see. And touching on the production for each of the music videos compiled here, do you remember what the intention was at the time they were made? K: Well, it’s like we expressed the world conveyed by the lyrics through images. I mean that’s good and all but…lol Can you be more specific? For example if we take the second song, ‘Au Revoir,’ the video looks like it’s the blending of nature and technology? M: It starts from a television placed in the middle of a tree lined avenue right? So fantasy nonchalantly sitting in the midst of an everyday setting…and you wonder what you will see in it. K: And ‘Gekka no Yasoukyoku’ is a story that takes place while a mysterious man is spinning it… And the 4th song. Illuminati, is eros and violence? M: It means people live behind masks. We tried expressing the instinct-like real feelings that exist amid all that. This one even has things like risqué bed scenes. Are there any secret stories or episodes that you can divulge now that some time has passed? M: There are various meanings to that bed scene. One of them is what we’ll find when we cross beyond gender. So the bed scene is an allegory through and through, meaning that we have to eliminate the notion of male and female. That’s what it stands for. What was it like on set? M: For example, a whip choreography master came and instructed me on how to swing a whip, things like that. There’s such a thing as a whip choreography master? M: Yeah, actually, there is. And whats more, it’s really hard lol For instance, strength control, how you swing your hips, etc are really important. They teach things like that… But in the video the cut rate is short, so we can’t see how you swing the whip. M: That’s a sticking point for me . I practiced so much too lol But in the end I put it to use during the lives so it’s alright. And moving on to the 5th single, ‘Le Ciel’? K: In the live version of ‘Le Ciel,’ everyone wears wings and colored costumes. But in the single version, everyone’s in white...there’s a deep meaning behind that. M: It means that humans have wings in their hearts that we can’t see. And then the last video. Does it imply an end and a new beginning? K: While continuing to put the meaning from ‘Merveilles’ into image, it hides the next tie-in. We’re not a band that can draw a conclusion, so it’s troublesome that there are certain things we can’t say clearly. And as for the title of the video collection… M: ‘Cinq’ means five, and it asks the question of what is at the end of 5 parallel lines. Moreover, there’s a mark between the ‘Cinq’ and the ‘parallele.’ But when you open the packaging, there’s something inside that clears it up. Furthermore, there’s also something in ‘l’epace’ (live recording) from before, and if you compare them, you’ll understand the meaning to ‘cinq parallele,’ and a new truth emerges. So you’re saying that anyone who forgot to buy the last tape should by them both now, huh? Lol M: I’m not saying they have to lol By doing so, anyone who wants to have a deeper understanding will be able to see a new….a world they haven’t seen up till now. Well then, what are your next plans? Are you looking for a new vocalist? K: Yeah, we aren’t in a stasis at all. But for me I think it should be left to destiny. I can feel the footsteps of a new person approaching. Is there anything that you yourselves want to do now? M; I’d like to further express what lies hidden within humanity in a form that we can physically see. To express the emotions from that time at a maximum. I think recently you’ve experienced and felt a lot of different things. Is there a part of that you can effectively channel into your new works? K: Of course. Malice Mizer means expressing that through music.

M: Yup. Normally, when these sorts of things happen, people see it in a negative light. I think that the act of living is in itself a pursuit of knowledge from the very start. And we’re acting from the idea that, depending on the experience you accumulate, it leads to the creation of new, good things. We’re taking it positively, and I think we’ll definitely be able to come up with something good. Please look forward to it.