Biography Special: Mana (Part 2 - Beauty and Darkness)

Moi-même-Moitié

In 1999, having nurtured a keen interest in fashion since customising his school uniforms in junior high school and having designed some of his costumes for Malice Mizer, Mana started his own fashion brand, Moi-même-Moitié. As 'Moi-même' means 'I myself' and 'Moitié' means 'half' in French, the name Moi-même-Moitié roughly translates as 'one half of myself.' The brand’s signature colours are Mana's favourite black and deep blue and its logo is a heavily stylised candle stick, whose shape is based on an inverted 'M.' The motto 'Elegant Gothic Lolita Aristocrat Vampire Romance,' which forms part of the logo and also appears on several fabric prints as well as the signature blue lining fabric, sums up the inspiration behind the designs.

The fashion of Moi-même-Moitié was based on the already existing lolita fashion style, but it introduced two new concepts: Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (EGA). Both lines represent the clothing of men and women who live in Mana's ideal world. He decided to divide his brand into two lines because at the time he sometimes dressed as a woman and sometimes as a man, which he described as having his ideal man and woman living within himself. Moreover, the fact that this man and woman shared the same body at the same time exemplified the brand's name 'one half of myself.'

The concept of EGL was based on the idea of uniting seemingly incompatible elements. Contrary to what the name suggests, Japanese lolita fashion has nothing to do with fetishism or wanting to appear sexually attractive; rather, it is inspired by Victorian and Rococo fashion and aims to create an aura of cuteness and innocence. The clothes are manufactured in small quantities and to high standards of quality, therefore coming up more expensive than western underground fashion. EGL fuses the innocence and cuteness of lolita fashion with the darkness of western goth fashion, thereby effectively 'corrupting' both. On one hand, the designs use frills, ribbons and lace to evoke the cuteness of antique porcelain dolls, while on the other hand they express something like noxiousness through the use of dark colours, usually black.

Like most lolita styles, EGL consists of a knee length bell-shaped skirt, dress or jumperskirt with a narrow waist, combined with a blouse with short, puffy sleeves or long bell sleeves. The silhouette is slim, with an emphasis on elegance as much as cuteness. Instead of the cotton fabrics that dominate most other brands, rich fabrics such as chiffon, velvet and brocade are used. An important trademark of Moi-même-Moitié is the custom-made lace, which is decorated with roses, crosses or Mana's initial 'M,' as well as buttons and lining fabric which sport the brand’s candlestick logo. Crosses, roses with thorns and historical architecture are popular motifs for prints. Originally, Moi-même-Moitié was renowned for its understated elegance rather than its prints and it usually releases only one or two different prints per season. However, as prints became increasingly popular in lolita fashion, Moi-même-Moitié's prints became a major attraction of the brand. The Iron Gate print, which was released in spring 2006 and depicts a cemetery gate decorated with the brand’s motto 'Elegant Gothic Lolita Aristocrat Vampire Romance,' became particularly sought after and today retails second hand at a multiple of its original price.

EGA is a unisex style that resembles Victorian mourning garb or the clothes worn by 19th century dandies, with long flowing trousers or skirts, ruffled blouses and elegantly draped floor-length waistcoats and coats. Again, most of the garments are black, often in combination with a white blouse. Most EGA designs are available in both male and female sizes, reflecting once again Mana's belief that the human soul is essentially genderless as well as his personal beauty ideal of an ambivalent beauty that combines the positive aspects of both male and female.

Although Mana's fashion, like his music, is often inspired by films, especially horror films, they are meant to be everyday wear for people who, like himself, want to live in a world of mystery. By expressing his world through fashion, he wants to enable like-minded people to enfold themselves in this world as part of their daily existence and find peace within their true self. As he explained in the Gothic & Lolita Bible, for such a person, gothic lolita is both a timeless style as well as a place within herself or himself to return home to. This idea is also reflected in the choice of a candle stick as brand logo: it is meant to be a beacon for those who seek an intellectual, noble beauty apart from fickle fashion trends that change with every new season.

The first Moi-même-Moitié shop opened its doors in October 1999 in the popular Aoyama shopping district in Tokyo. It featured the distinctive interior decoration of rustic grey masonry, wrought iron details and blue accents that became the template for all future Moi-même-Moitié shops. Due to Malice Mizer's fame, the event attracted a lot of media attention, with many reports in Japanese papers and on TV. Although the roots of lolita date as far back as the 1970s, it had been an obscure underground fashion up until then. Mana's endorsement of the style helped to push it into the limelight not only in Japan, but also abroad where the growing popularity of anime and manga and the rapid expansion of the Internet, which for the first time allowed people everywhere in the world to explore their interests proactively rather than to passively consume what had been pre-selected by the media, ignited a keen interest in Japanese pop culture. On the back of this, lolita developed into an international fashion with an online community numbering several thousand and real life meet-ups and events held all over the world.

In the beginning, half of the products, especially the EGA clothes and the accessories, were designed by Mana himself. His co-designer was Alice Kobayashi, who later started her own lolita brand, Fairy Wish. He intended to continue to design personally, but the fact that he had no formal training in dress making and pattern cutting sometimes made it difficult to realise his designs, eventually causing him to step back from designing. However, he remained involved in the design process. Nowadays, he explains to the designers what he wants to express and then checks the samples they give him before they go into production. He also mentioned in an interview in 2005 that when he has a spontaneous idea for an item of clothing, he draws a sketch immediately.

True to his belief that 'two hearts beat in me always,' Mana chose to become the principal model for both his EGA and EGL fashion lines. He frequently appeared in the alternative fashion magazine KERA and during a photo shoot suggested to the person-in-charge to create a magazine with only gothic and lolita pictures. In December 2000, the Gothic & Lolita Bible, the first magazine exclusively dedicated to gothic and lolita fashion, was launched. It was initially a special issue of KERA, but when it sold out in only three days, the publisher decided to turn it into a regular magazine. It quickly established itself as the top publication of the growing lolita scene and soon similar magazines followed. The first issue of the Gothic & Lolita Bible featured a six page photo shoot of Mana modelling his own fashion, as well as an interview with him and a comic strip about his shop. He continues to appear in the magazine till this day.

Moi-même-Moitié survived the breakup of Malice Mizer and in 2009 celebrated its 10th anniversary. It currently has branches in the Marui One department store in Shinjuku, Tokyo and in the Forus department store in Sendai. It can also be found in boutiques throughout Japan that specialise in lolita fashion, such as Atelier Pierrot and the shops of KERA. Approximately once a year, Mana holds a meet and greet event for his customers, usually at the Christon Café in Shinjuku, whose interior decoration was inspired by Mediterranean gothic cathedrals and features stained glass windows, wrought iron and religious imagery.

Mana's contribution to fashion has also been recognised internationally. In 2007, British anthropologist Philomena Keet chose him as one of seven designers to be interviewed for her Tokyo Look Book. He was also mentioned in other books about Japanese fashion and pop culture such as Style Deficit Syndrome and Moi-même-Moitié's clothes are sold in specialist boutiques, such as Harajuku in Paris, France, and Mfashion in The Netherlands.

The concept of harmoniously uniting opposites that Mana had created with Moi-même-Moitié, as well as the clothes themselves, would also play a crucial role in his next project. It was no coincidence, therefore, that its name also began with 'Moi.'

Moi dix Mois

When Malice Mizer entered its hiatus in December 2001, Mana had promised to continue his search to 'find out what music is.' With typical disregard for convention, the guitarist who didn’t even speak in public, let alone sing, decided to start a solo project and on 19 March 2002, his birthday, Moi dix Mois was born. 'Moi,' which is French for 'me,' stands for Mana. 'Dix' is French for 'ten' and here the number 1 stands for beginning and the number 0 for eternity. Finally, 'dix mois,' which is French for '10 months,' stands for the duration of a pregnancy. In Japan, this is counted in 10 lunar months, rather than the 9 months counted in the West.

Being a solo project, the concept of Moi dix Mois was more focused and personal than that of Malice Mizer. Instead of working within the framework of an overarching band concept, such as 'what is human?', Mana now aimed to create 'music that equalled' him: his personality, his ideas about music and about the world in general.

Just like the fashion of Moi-même-Moitié, the music he created for Moi dix Mois was a combination of opposites: beauty and darkness, elegance and aggression, creativity and destruction. Sound-wise, it continued the general direction that Malice Mizer had been taking during their final stage. The familiar elements of electric guitar, pipe organ, harpsichord, synthesizer, strings and deep operatic vocals were all still present. However, the overall pace was much faster and harder. The result was an intricate, yet fresh and incredibly energetic sound somewhere between gothic rock, metal, neoclassic and industrial.

Mana had already tried his hand at lyric writing in Malice Mizer when he and Közi had composed Bara no seidou while the band was without a vocalist, but from now on he would always write his own lyrics. In keeping with Moi dix Mois' gothic image, they centred on profound and melancholic themes such as Weltschmerz, loss and death, but also the key themes of his life and work: self-awareness, trust in one’s own instincts and abilities as well as questioning the status quo.

In order to be able to not only compose, but also mix and produce his own music, he studied the technical details of music engineering. He also pondered whether learning music theory would expand the breadth of his compositions, but once again dismissed the idea. To him, the fact that the developments in his songs couldn't be explained with theory was the very feature that made them interesting. He also believed that composing entirely from feeling helped him create music that represented his personality. As he explained in an interview in 2007 with Orkus, a German goth magazine: "If there were a set style in the world of art, I would destroy it. Surely there is something that only I can create, and I always thought that I would disagree if someone claimed that music has to be this way or that," adding, "sadly, there are a lot of people like that."

Visually, his image changed drastically. When Moi dix Mois made their debut in July 2002 at Midi:Nette's Dis Inferno I party, with Mana on guitar, Juka on vocals, Kazuno on bass and Tohru, who was originally from JILS on drums, the cute little lolita he had portrayed in Malice Mizer was nowhere to be seen. She would have been too fragile for the powerful sound he would create from now. In her place stood an androgynous gothic prince with a pale face, dramatic dark eye makeup and a gravity defying mane of glossy black hair, who headbanged and brandished his guitar as if, after years of holding back, he was finally able to live out his fantasy of going wild like a metal guitarist.

Moreover, Moi dix Mois presented themselves as a straightforward western-style rock or metal band. The show element that had been such an important part of Malice Mizer's performances was abandoned, except for an occasional waving of black flags inscribed with the band logo or the brandishing of a sword, but even that disappeared over the years. They did, however, pay great attention to their costumes. All the project members wear clothing from the EGA line of Moi-même-Moitié because, according to Mana, Moi dix Mois reflects the world view of Moi-même-Moitié. By wearing the fashion on stage, they unite the music and the visual incarnation of Mana's world, so the audience can experience his emotions through the senses of seeing as well as hearing. He even draws Mâtin, his cartoon alter ego which graces much of Moi dix Mois' merchandise, himself.

In November of the same year, Moi dix Mois released their first single, Dialogue Symphonie, followed by a national tour. On 19 March 2003, Mana's birthday, their debut album Dix Infernal was released, followed by another national tour in July, whose final was recorded for the live DVD Scars of Sabbath. It would be the last time they performed exclusively for Japanese fans.

Charting New Territories

In July 2004, on the eve of the release of their second album, Nocturnal Opera, which told of a tragic love story, Mana boarded a plane to Paris, France, in order to celebrate Moi dix Mois' first international CD release on the French label Mabell with an appearance at the Japan Expo, one of Europe's largest conventions for Japanese culture. He had just opened his fan club, Mon†amour, to international members — a rarity among Japanese musicians, whose fan clubs usually only accept residents of Japan — but as one of the very first Jrock musicians who dared to set foot outside Japan, he had secretly feared that nobody would even know who he was. He needn't have worried: so many fans from all over Europe and even Japan turned up that they couldn’t all fit into the auditorium. He received standing ovations and the tickets for the subsequent autograph event sold out within a few hours. Demand for the international fan club was so high that the website crashed within 24 hours of going online.

During this trip, he also had photo shoots at various locations in Paris and the surrounding countryside for a photo book called Magnifique, which showed him modelling Moi-même-Moitié's EGL and EGA autumn/winter collections. The book was released in October 2004 through Midi:Nette and quickly became a collector’s item. Moreover, having noticed that some of the fans who had come to see him at the Japan Expo were dressed in Moi-même-Moitié, he set up a webshop for international customers in cooperation with the online retailer CD Japan.

In March 2005, Moi dix Mois became one of the very first Jrock bands to tour abroad. They performed in Germany and France and the sold-out concert in Paris was released on the live DVD Invite to Immorality. Shortly after their return to Japan, however, vocalist Juka left the band to pursue a less gothic sound, forcing them to pause activities. During the ensuing year of inactivity, Kazuno und Tohru also decided to leave, so of the original line-up only Mana and second guitarrist K, who had joined the band in December 2004, remained.

In March 2006, however, they returned with a mini album, Beyond the Gate, which was released simultaneously in Japan and Europe, this time on the newly established German label Gan-Shin which specialises in Japanese rock music and is a collaboration between the German retailer Neo Tokyo, Brainstorm Music Marketing and the major label Universal. It featured a new, more mature sound based around hard guitar riffs and electronic elements as well as a new line-up. The 'reborn' Moi dix Mois now consisted of Seth on vocals, Mana and K on guitar, Sugiya on bass and Hayato on drums. In the same month, they embarked upon their second European tour, which once again brought them to France and Germany. Since the concert in Berlin fell on 19 March, Mana's birthday, the fans collected money for a present and bought him a black cuckoo clock with gothic decorations, which was presented to him on stage. Only a few months later, in June, Moi dix Mois returned to Germany to headline the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, the world's largest goth festival that attracts 20,000 visitors every year.

This was a new audience for them. Due to their dark music and visuals, which blend almost seamlessly into the gothic universe, they had — unusually for a Jrock band — already piqued the curiosity of some open-minded members of the goth scene. But despite the growing popularity of Jrock abroad, these bands were still almost exclusively featured in anime and manga magazines and therefore largely remained insider tips. Moreover, they were being referred to as 'Jrock' or 'visual kei,' which confused potential fans since these terms were used to describe bands with totally different musical styles, whose members just happened to be Japanese, and therefore gave no indication of the music they actually played.

This changed in February 2005 when Mana appeared on the cover of Orkus, introducing him to an audience that had little or no interest in Japanese pop culture and judged him solely based on the quality of his music. The response was overwhelming: in the magazine’s annual review, the readers of Orkus voted Mana as one of the 10 most impressive personalities, best guitarists and best entertainers, and Moi dix Mois as one of the 10 best newcomers of 2005. Moreover, Mana's dark and dramatic compositions attracted the attention of Trisol, a German independent label that publishes some of the world’s top goth acts, such as ASP, L'Ame Immortelle, London After Midnight and Emilie Autumn. Trisol went on to publish European pressings of Nocturnal Opera by Moi dix Mois and Bara no Seidou and Cardinal by Malice Mizer, making Mana one of only a handful of Japanese artists to be published on a regular western music label.

Even so, the performance at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen was somewhat controversial. The Treffen is one of the most important events in Europe’s gothic calendar and Moi dix Mois, who most goths still considered as outsiders, were making their debut as headliner. Expectations were therefore high, but they rose to the challenge with panache. They filled the Agra hall, which is reported to have a capacity of up to 10,000 people, from wall to wall and won over many who were still wary of a band whose music sounded very much like gothic metal or symphonic metal, but who didn’t bill itself as such, and whose leader stated that he didn’t consider himself to be part of any particular style or scene. A second encore had to be declined due to time constraints and CDs and merchandise were sold out within minutes of the band leaving the stage.

A planned US tour in July 2006 had to be cancelled due to problems with the organisers, but in the same month Mana appeared nevertheless as guest of honour at the Anime Expo in Anaheim, California, where he participated in a Q&A panel.

March 2007 saw the release of Moi dix Mois' third album, DIXANADU, which summarised Mana's world-view. Like Beyond the Gate, it was released simultaneously in Japan and Europe. The limited instrumental edition, which was only available at concerts or from Midi:Nette’s website, included as a bonus a computer game featuring Mâtin, Mana's alter ego, as well as cartoon versions of the other band members, once again all drawn by Mana. In order to promote the new album in Europe, they decided as one of the very first Jrock bands to not only perform in countries known for having large Jrock fan communities like France, Germany and Finland, but also countries like Spain and Italy, where Japanese bands were struggling to draw large audiences. However, their reputation from the Wave-Gotik-Treffen had preceded them and so their tour not only attracted Jrock fans, but also many new faces from the goth and metal scenes, who multiplied the numbers of concert goers. Mana observed them from his place on stage and reported in detail on the various groups of fans and the wide range of their ages. He also noted with excitement that, unusually for Jrock concerts, at some shows up to half the audience was male.

Upon his return to Japan, he began to prepare for a challenge of a different kind. In March 2008 he revealed that, in addition to his work with Moi dix Mois, he would from now on also work as producer and songwriter for the major label Sony.

Produced by Mana

Having studied sound engineering, Mana had long been looking for other bands to produce alongside Moi dix Mois. The first was the electro duo Schwarz Stein, who had attracted his attention in 2002 through a magazine article. Looking at their photo, he felt that there was something special about them, so he asked to be sent a demo tape. Their music, which was entirely digital and used no acoustic instruments, was completely different to that of Moi dix Mois. Nevertheless, Mana liked what he heard. He decided to check out one of their live shows and afterwards visited them backstage. After attending several more concerts, he offered them a contract with his record label, Midi:Nette. They stayed in his care until 2004, when both vocalist Kaya and composer and keyboardist Hora decided to start solo careers. During this time, Mana produced an album, New Vogue Children and two singles, Perfect Garden and Current, for them. They also frequently opened for Moi dix Mois and occasionally modelled for Mana's fashion label, Moi-même-Moitié. After their disbandment, Kaya remained on friendly terms with Mana and attends Moi dix Mois' gigs when his busy schedule permits.

His second producing project, which at the time of writing was still ongoing, was more involving. In 2007, the major label Sony invited him to attend an audition for young musicians with a view to potentially producing one of them. From among the finalists he chose classically trained 19-year old cellist and vocalist, Kanon Wakeshima. He was intrigued by the fact that she sang while also playing the cello, as well as her mature yet childlike personality, and agreed to become her producer and principal song writer. As with Malice Mizer and Moi dix Mois, he wanted his compositions for her to create a bridge between underground and mainstream. Choosing an electronic pop style with gothic and classical influences, he wrote all thirteen songs for her debut album, Shinshoku Dolce, which was released in February 2009 in Japan, Europe and the US. Its two singles, Still Doll and Suna no oshiro, were used as ending themes for the popular anime series "Vampire Knight." He was also responsible for her visual image, for which he chose a classic lolita look that reflected her passion for sweets and the colour red, as well as the concept for her album and the PVs that accompanied the two singles. He even bought the merry-go-round that adorned the cover of her debut album. In February 2009, he accompanied her to France to help promote Shinshoku Dolce, alongside the European press of Moi dix Mois' DIXANADU ~ Fated "raison d'être"~ Europe Tour 2007 live DVD, as well as to introduce her to an international audience. Ever the non-conformist, he proudly reported that, even though he had to formally present his work to Sony's executives, he had never compromised on his ideas and had never worn a suit. His efforts were rewarded when Kanon was voted best newcomer 2009 by the American anime magazine Shoujo Beat, having received 45% of all votes.

That was the first time that Mana had been responsible for everything from song creation to arrangement and visual aspects, and he found it a great learning experience. He also enjoyed being able to compose music that he wouldn't have been able to create for Moi dix Mois. However, this new job proved so involving that he had to delay work on the new Moi dix Mois album again and again. Eventually, he realised that he would have to step back from producing to find enough time to work with his own band. Nevertheless, for the time being he remained Kanon's chief composer. He wrote six of the thirteen songs on her second album, Shojo Jikakeno Libretto - Lolitawork Libretto, which was released in July 2010, including Toumei no kagi, which was used as a tie-in with the online game AVALON no kagi, and LOLITAWORK LIBRETTO -Storytelling by solita-, a collaboration with the young French vocalist Solita. Like its predecessor, the new album was released in Japan, Europe and the US.

While he was busy working with Kanon, Moi dix Mois entered a quiet period. In 2008, they only played three concerts: a multi-band event in January, Mana's birthday live in March and Midi:Nette's Dis Inferno party in December. These parties and birthday lives take place every year and, in addition to a Moi dix Mois live concert, involve the band members forming one-off session bands, often playing different instruments from those in Moi dix Mois, performing skits and showing off unexpected skills such as performing magic tricks. Their costumes are handmade and have included Seth dressed up as Yakuza and African-American enka singer Jero, Juka and Kaya as Russian pop duo t.A.T.u. (with great attention to detail they even re-enacted the supposedly lesbian girls kissing), Sugiya as cedar tree, K as blushing maiden and Mana as Santa Claus and Snoopy.

In 2009, their pace picked up again. In July, they finally played their first show in the US when they performed as guests-of-honour at the Anime Expo in Anaheim, California. In October, they performed at the two-day V-Rock Festival, together with Japanese greats such as the GazettE and La'cryma Christi, as well as international stars like Marilyn Manson. On this occasion Mana also made his debut as catwalk model for Moi-même-Moitié and both Moi dix Mois' performance as well as the fashion show were broadcast live over the Internet. A few weeks later Moi dix Mois were guests at the Mad Tea Party event, hosted by the band D.

Past, Present and Future

Moi dix Mois rarely collaborate with other bands, but in December 2008 Mana surprised and delighted fans with the announcement that Malice Mizer's co-founder Közi would be a special guest at that year's Dis Inferno party. For the first time in seven years, Mana and Közi stood on the same stage together. As expected, the sold-out event included live concerts of their respective solo projects, but also a brief revival of Malice Mizer as they performed their first ever recorded song, Speed of Desperate, as well as N.p.s.N.g.s. together. Their reunion also attracted many well-wishers from the Jrock community, including Malice Mizer's original vocalist Tetsu, now NIL, and Kamijo from Versailles, who had begun his career as a Malice Mizer roadie.

Having previously staged the two-man event Dark Sanctuary together with D'espairsRay, in July 2009 Moi dix Mois and Közi played a two-city coupling tour called Deep Sanctuary together. At the same time, the well-known guitar manufacturer ESP, who produces guitars for both Mana and Közi, hosted an exhibition of their guitars. Like Dis Inferno, the tour was very successful, so in July 2010 they reprised it with Deep Sanctuary 2 which, in addition to Tokyo and Osaka, took them to Saitama, Kobe, Nagoya and Sendai. Special guest at their sold-out show at Akasaka Blitz was Yu~ki, who had not been seen in public since Malice Mizer's hiatus nine years earlier. They had tried to persuade him to participate in the previous tour, but he had been hesitant. Not so this year. After Közi and Moi dix Mois had finished their respective sets, the fans were transported back in time as the curtain opened once more to reveal Mana, Közi and Yu~ki clasping their Malice Mizer instruments — Mana his old blue Jeune Fille, Közi Akauzu-kun and Yu~ki his bass. The members held up red roses while the sound of Saikai no chi to bara, 'The reunion of Blood and Roses,' their revival single following Gackt's departure and Kami's death, filled the auditorium. Even though they had gone their separate ways for almost a decade, the chemistry between them still felt warm and strong. Joined by Hayato, who bowed to the drum kit in honour of Kami, they played a cover of Rob Zombie's What lurks on Channel X? together. After that followed the highlight of the evening when they performed the Malice Mizer favourite Beast of Blood with Közi on vocals, before they hugged each other and left the stage arm in arm.

Many fans shed tears of nostalgia that evening but, while he won't rule out the possibility of a reunion, Mana remains firmly committed to his solo career. Over the past eight years, he has been searching for the perfect balance between classic and avant-garde, melody and aggression, beauty and darkness. Each of Moi dix Mois' albums has propelled him further along on this journey of discovery and he has established a solid fan base both in Japan and abroad. Dix Infernal introduced the heavy, dark and symphonic sound of Moi dix Mois to an unsuspecting audience still enthralled by the genteel world of Malice Mizer. Nocturnal Opera refined this new sound and focused on beautiful melodies, while Beyond the Gate signalled a return to guitar-centric compositions and added a new electronic dimension. DIXANADU then channelled the raw energy of Beyond the Gate into an equally heavy, but more melodic and serene sound and a new Moi dix Mois album, D+SECT, is announced for December 2010.

And then? What does the future hold for Mana? The French magazine Kogaru asked him once where he sees himself in 20 years' time. His response was unequivocal: "I want to keep playing on stage until the day I die. Music is my reason for living."

Sources: The official websites and publications of Malice Mizer, Moi dix Mois and Moi-même-Moitié, interviews with Fool’s Mate, SHOXX, UV, Vicious, Da Vinchi, J-Rock Magazine, the Gothic & Lolita Bible, CD Japan, Orkus, JaME and many more. Special thanks to Yuu for translating.