Just so you know...now note here that the girl does not know what a lolita really is. This is because she is probably more into the visual kei culture than the lolita culture, and as thus does not know many of the basic things that someone who is more interested in the fashion than the bands would know. This is because bandgirl and lolita often overlap, but their ideologies and reasons for wearing the clothing are often completely different. In fact, some lolita HATE bandgirl and most bandgirl don't care about lolita who do not like visual kei. So when you see a lolita on the street, the way she treats you will be very different depending on what you like and what she likes. Bandgirl tend to be friendlier until you get in the way of their favorite band, and then the can break your nose. Some are very friendly though and will try to include you in activities. It depends on the band and the individual girl.

2005.01.03

agaru (rise up)
To stop being the fan of a specific band. If you "agaru" a band, we say that you no longer have any interest in the band itself. If you "agaru" being a bandgirl, then in that case it means you have no more interest in visual kei.

anchi (anti)
A person who hates a specific genre or band.

aoru (to stir up)
when I bandman does or says something during a violent song to coerce the crowd into participation. Things such as "ikemasu ka?" are typical aoru words.

banbi (most people)
Normal people, or all those with no connection to vis kei.

bandoman (bandman)
A general term for a male who is in a band.

bangyaru (bandgirl)
A general term for girls who like bands.

bangya
bandgirl, only shortened.

bashotori (place snatching)
Having a place from which to watch the live set aside for you. Put more crudely, ignoring your number and moving up to the front, or going before the fence.

bira (poster)
A leaflet for a band or event. Mostly they have contact numbers, companies, particulars for musical styles, live schedules, and member photos.

bubban
The place at one section of the live house or hall where they sell tickets, goods, and music. This is also where the anket box is.

chike
A shortened version of "ticket"

datsuviju (leave visual)
When a band stops being visual and goes normal.

dejun
The order at which bands come out at a live. There are a lot of cases in vis kei where, even if you enquire into the order at a live, the livehouse won't tell you. But the regular customers watching at the saizenretsu will always know for some reason. It is thought that perhaps they're connected with a band member or someone who knows them, or they found out through waiting for the bands to enter.

dekin (banned)
When a band prohibits a terrible fan with no manners from attending their concerts, or in the case of a livehouse, when they are prhibited from entering. "dekin kuratta" and "dekin ni natta" are used in expressing this.

dosen
The place right in the center of the livehouse in front of the stage. In other words, where the vocalist will be. Incidentially, the fans who watch from the front line of the dosen are always regulars.

furukabu (seniors)
Fans who've been with a band for a long time. There are times when they don't get along well with newcomers. Or more like the furukabu almost always antagonize the newcomers.

gosu
A shortening of "gothic"

gyakuriha
When the bands enter the live house and rehearse in order on the day of the event. If you watch the order in which they enter, you'll know the order they'll appear for that day. But not all events necessarily have gyakuriha.

hashi (bridge)
The Bridge in Harajuku (Jinguubashi). On days without school it becomes the meeting place for lolita and visual kei cosplayers. There are always cameramen and curious foreign tourists there.

hayaban (early arrival)
Early for the reference number. Usually just one column number.

honmei (favorite)
The band you like best.

ibento (event)
1. I live where multiple bands appear. Usually bands that can't sell by themselves all appear together, and then when they have a lot of fans they'll do a oneman live.
2. and instore event.

ippankei (ordinary)
A type of band or song that an ordinary, non-visual kei fan person would seem to tend towards liking. As for bandgirl, sometimes if a band seems to become even a little normal, they'll call it ippanukenerai and hate it.

iri (entering)
When the band holding an event comes to the livehouse. Bandgirls aim for the time they enter and wait outside for them (irimachi). It depends on the appearance order for that day, and so there are some times they'll have to come early in the morning and wait.

irimachi/demachi
Going to the place where the bandmen for that day's live are going to enter or exit and waiting for them. If it's not a very famous band people sometimes talk to the band or hand them letters firsthand when the main bandmen come out.

itai (painful)
no good, ending, horrible, amazing, those kinds of things. It's not just a vis kei word, but when you hear people talking about vis kei you'll hear it without fail. Maybe it's because a lot of the fans and bandmen themselves are itai people only.

kizaisha
The van that's used to transport the instruments and machinery. If they're indies, the members will ride along and drive. If the band and roadies all pack in it's crunched and funny. Therefore, there are bands that reserve a car simply for moving equiptment around.

kotevi
A shortening of kotekote visual kei. The kind of bands who would be written in a text as "dark visual." We use the term kotevi for these kinds of bands too, but there are a lot of times when we separate them according to the name of their company (actually if there was no "dark visual" term, then when we wrote the text, and so the people around here typically use it as they see fit)

koushou (negotiation)
To call out to the people marking off the front row and ask if you can stand in the front to see a certain band. Or to ask the person with the #1 ticket if you can switch places with them for just one band, and to get their attention you call out to them. In other words, because of koushou you can still end up seeing a band perform from the front row even with a bad ticket number. Nowadays this occurs to the extent where I can say with certainty that there are no lives without koushou, and generally it ends with the curtain rising, and there are a lot of occurances where there is an open space upfront. This is naturally to make the trading of places run smoothly, but people who get there early ignore the reference numbers, and when there is switching there have been repeat occurances of trouble. As it turns out, koushou doesn't occur so clearly in other genres of music.

loli
Short for lolita.

loli-ta (lolita)
The princess-like frilly style of clothing. There are many famous brands, but there are people who make their own clothes. The brand clothing is pretty expensive. And it's not just the clothing, but you also have to buy items to go along with the outfit, and so it can cost a lot of money.

obangya
A bangirl who's overaged. As for what age this is, the definition depends on the person. It's not rare to hear someone called an obangya even after they hit 20.

raibu (live)
A concert. It seems like before they called standing lives and small time concerts lives, and now it seems there is no distinction.

raibu ne-mu (live name)
The name you use among your vis kei friends. We also say your LN. Like the HN for the net.

saizen (foremost)
Front line at the live place. For more detail, see saizenretsu.

saku (blossom)
First make an X with your hands, and after that make a big, wide circle with them. As a smiley face, it lookes like...
\(^O^)/
I think it was given this name in order to express that this is conduct meant to resemble a flower blooming. When a member comes in front of you during the live, or when you call the member's names after a song ends, or when you reply to the "ikemasu ka?" aori, you do this. It appears to be a show of love for the member. It's a spectacle you see relatively more among the newer bands, while fans of older bands don't do it.

sakumae
the place before the fance that sets off the livehouse. A popular place from which it's easy to see the live. I place where it's easy to do the choreography or gyakudai.

sapo-to (support)
An unofficial, support member. There are many who go from support to official status though. Also called "sapomen"

shikiri (partition)
People who devide in order to make the koushou go smoothly. People write the band and place they want to see just before the live so there will be no trouble. There are many times when the shikiri are regular customers.

shi-kuretto (secret)
When a band suddenly appears at a live without announcing anything. There are also lives where they'll say there's a secret band but won't say who it is. It is usually a band that is more popular than the one performing.

shinki (new-comers)
A fan who's just gotten into a band. A number of old time fans will exceedingly hate the shinki fans, and a number of the shinki fans will find the old timers snobbish and hate them.

sofuvi
A short version of "soft visual kei." But no on really says "soft visual kei," only sofuvi.

taiban
A band that performs at a live or event where there are multiple bands.

tsubusu (smash)
To make sure an unruly fan who's been violent can't come to lives anymore. This happens a lot between the bandgirl themselves, but it seems that there are also times when bandmen will talk to the bandgirl and request that they harm a bandgirl they don't like. There are also occurances of bandmen being violent towards bands they don't like, pressuring them, and chasing them to disbandment. There are very few to whom this happens, but to those whom it does, it does.

tsunagaru (to connect together)
When a bandgirl becomes acquainted with a bandman and becomes friends. I eqpect in the beginning the nuance wasn't a good one, but now we normally say "that one and that one are tsunagaru"

tori
To come out last at the live. Bands with a lot of fans will be made to go last to make sure that the fans don't go home halfway through. Basically, being made to go last is a sign of popularity.

Vkei (visual kei)
Shortened for visual kei.

wanman (oneman)
A live with only one band. As the bands get more popular they can afford to have lives where only they perform. They are the aspiration of all new bands.

zentori
Taking all the places that can be seen before the fence. An all places before the fence version of place exchange. It something primarily regular customers do, and if they think to watch from over there without knowing you'll be told "I'm taking this place...." and then they'll muscle their way through. There are a lot of instances where the foremost row will be all taken, but at some livehouses the first two may all be taken as well. Depending on the place and band, sometimes it is prohibited.

zentsuu (full opening)
Going to all the lives going on. Or going to all the lives of a tour. One needs money, time, and physical strength.