ItalianoThe passionate message from GACKT, who moves forward with his own path 『Tsumi no Keisho～ORIGINAL SIN～』／Interview 1
■GACKT／New Single 『Tsumi no Keisho ～ORIGINAL SIN～』Interview (1/3)
He releases the ending theme song of the anime 『TRICKSTER -Edogawa Ranpo 「Shonen Tanteidan」 Yori-』, in which he is also involved in as a voice actor
GACKT’s first single of 2017, 『Tsumi no Keisho ~ORIGINAL SIN~』, has arrived. This song is already on air as the ending theme song for the anime 『TRICKSTER -Edogawa Ranpo 「Shonen Tanteidan」 Yori-』, in which he is also involved in as a voice actor. In this song, he, who powerfully forges ahead with his own path, sends a passionate message to listeners, about humans face the sins they carry with them and move forward despite their sorrows. We visited him to ask him about the feelings that he has put into the song, but instead this time’s interview starts with an unexpected question. However, beginning with words, we’ve got a precious episode with him packed full to the brim with topics that include what he’s thinking about now, and, how it’s reflected him this work of his!
「Think about it」「Face it」
GACKT: What do you think “elegance” means?
――Elegance…… To be both materially and mentally blessed, it has the image of being in a state where there is no inconvenience, I really long for it.
GACKT: So… you long for elegance. An elegant lifestyle, an elegant way of spending time, to have an elegant heart…… Elegance as a word is profound. When I started living overseas, and decided to live an elegant life, I bumped up against the word “elegance”. Everyone thinks that elegance is to have a lot of things and to be in a state of comfort but that’s actually not the case. For example, I’m now living overseas, and I see an exceptionally beautiful landscape, hear exceptionally beautiful sounds…… While being able to hear the sound of water flowing, the sound of birds chirping, I thought, anyway I’ll try zoning out for 2 to 3 hours from now and try to enjoy some elegant time. But, I didn’t know what to do with the time on my hands at all.
――It became uncomfortable?
GACKT: Exactly. Because there’s no space in my mind at all. I would soon start to fiddle with my phone or something. When I noticed that about myself, I thought, this is like a sickness. Since then, I realised that elegance does not refer to having an abundance of things, but instead it is a word that refers to the heart. To become truly elegant, I suppose people who have been inflicted with this modern illness have to train themselves.
――What do you mean by training to become elegant?
GACKT: Avoid modern things, starting with your phone, and try to spend a couple of hours just looking at the scenery. But I can’t really do it. This is a sickness of the modern man. In the past I’d go to the temple and sit in Zen meditation, and simply become free. Then, until I become free and my heart becomes empty, I’ll be thinking of a lot of things in my head. After thinking, and thinking, and thinking, it’ll suddenly go blank but that’s probably my heart getting reset. People need to have balance in their life. However, at present, everyone goes on living without resetting their hearts, and even if you think 「Ah, that’s beautiful」 for just a moment, this isn’t linked to resetting your heart. In terms of your heart, it is not just something that exists in you, but it’s also an abstract concept, and that is what modern society neglects too much.
――I feel like the topic about people neglecting something that we should cherish to begin with, is also linked to this new song, 『Tsumi no Keisho ～ORIGINAL SIN～』.
GACKT: The phrase 「Inheritance of sin (tsumi no keisho) 」 is not about something as specific as that. For me, I think that humans are already living with sin the moment they are born. For example, humans are the only creatures on this earth that destroys the balance and such. If the earth is being considered like a living organism, beings that are being born with sin, in other words, humans, are like the “cancer” in it. We destroy a lot of things, cause a lot of things…… But if you were to say that it would be better if humans didn’t exist, you won’t be allowed to. That’s why, when we’re being born into this world when our own sins, I think that we have to face those sins, accept them and go on living. In the first place, people have the ability to think, an ability that no other animal has, yet don’t you notice that most people don’t think? They wake up when the alarm goes off in the morning, eat the breakfast that they have to eat, then when it’s time, they go to the office, go home. Each of their movements don’t come with thought, they’re just responding. I think that this is extremely dangerous.
――Like adverse effects occurring when you don’t think.
GACKT: People who don’t normally think can’t think even when you suddenly tell them to think. It is especially so since humans are born with something akin to a “Pandora’s box”. In that box are the things that are like a human’s sins. If you live without facing that, it becomes human nature for you to commit crimes while not knowing what is sin. Originally, you were supposed to recognise what’s in the box yourself, and if you can think about it and live on, you’ll be able to find balance but…… That’s why, I say 「Think about it」 and 「Face it」. It’s not up to me to judge whether it’s right or wrong. Accepting it and living on with balance is the mission that humans have imposed on them. Incidentally, to have balance is to live while accepting your own nature even if you think that you’re a biased person, and recognise the gap between yourself and what’s expected for social conformity.
――When I got this message from this song, I thought that it would be very difficult to recognise and accept your sins. Furthermore, when I watched the MV for this song, in the aggressive video, I felt something like an emptiness and frustration at being unable to accept their own sins.
GACKT: That’s one of the answers too. The side of the story when they are unable to accept it.
――It got very painful just by watching it.
GACKT: I suppose the MV also symbolises our present society. This is also linked with 「Think about it」 but, right now, most people in the world leave the judgement of right or wrong to someone else. Like if the majority says that it’s correct then they’ll say it’s correct, it’s not something that they’ve decided for themselves by thinking. But what’s truly important is what you, yourself, wants to do. Moreover, how will you compromise with society and live with it. You won’t be able to convince 100％ of them but, you’re able to get a compromise right? So, to get a compromise, you have to face the question of who you are. As long as you’re alive, big things will happen as a result, and at that time, all the responsibility will be thrown to someone.
Source: excite.co.jp
Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team
Translation © GACKT ITALIA