Here's something I FINALLY got around to translating: an interview with Mana in the French magazine "Kogaru", from Mana's 2006 visit to Europe, around the time "Beyond the Gate" had just been released. Here it is:
Mana interview, "Kogaru" vol. 22, July/August 2006
- Are you happy to be back in France?
Mana: Yes, I'm really very happy to have returned to France for a new concert.
- What were your biggest fears on the occasion of your first concerts in France and Germany? Are you still a little stressed?
Mana: Though it was the first time we'd played overseas, everything went very well. This time around in Europe I don't have any particular stress.
- Will you use this occasion to take videos or photos in France as you did for the book "Magnifique"?
Mana: We don't have a photobook planned, but we'll definitely take photos and videos for purposes not yet certain.
- About your new album, could you tell me about the conditions the composition and recording took place in?
Mana: I composed direcly for the guitar. It's the first time I'd done this, which explains the perhaps different sound. It took three months to compose and one month to record.
- Is there a theme to this album? What inspired you for the universe of "Beyond the Gate"?
Mana: The theme could be "A new journey"; setting out toward a new future. The symbolism of reincarnation is equally present in the ambiance of "Beyond the Gate".
- What does the crucified Mana represent?
Mana: That is my reincarnation. The blood in which I am bathed is my own.
- Throughout your career you've always liked the religious aesthetic: crosses, cathedrals, altars. What inspires you about this Catholic world?
Mana: I've always been partial to that aesthetic. It's certainly nothing to do with religion, as I'm an atheist. But all the stories of angels and demons particularly touch me. The first time I came to France, I was even more impressed by the art of the churches; it was magnificent.
- You're a perfectionist in everything you undertake. Are you someone difficult and strict to work with?
Mana: (he thinks) I think I can be strict. But it's essential to express and realize my artistic projects in a way that's faithful to my visual and musical aesthetics.
- What were the criteria for the choice of your new vocalist?
Mana: I went to see Seth in a live house. I found that he had a very beautiful voice. So, I asked if he'd like to audition. When he sang "Eternally Beyond", I knew that he was exactly what I was looking for.
- Do you plan to make a PV next? And knowing your affinity for beautiful videos, how come there hasn't been one yet for Moi dix Mois?
Mana: (he thinks) In fact, thinking about it... I don't know how to answer "why haven't I done one yet", but it's part of my projects in the very near future.
- Of all your compositions since the beginning of your career, which are you most proud of?
Mana: I would say it's the song "Eternally Beyond". I really invested myself in its music, words, and meaning. It's very close and personal to me; I like it a lot.
- Would you like to play with a European artist or band? If so, who?
Mana: I know that the band Anorexia Nervosa came to see our first concert and I appreciate their music, so that could be an interesting project.
- Will we ever get to see Mana dressed in gothic lolita playing heavy metal, like you once did at the beginning of Moi dix Mois?
Mana: It's true that I did once do that in the beginning of Moi dix Mois. If I feel like it again, why not? I love to surprise.
- Isn't it depressing to live in the somber, gothic universe you've created? Are you a melancholic person?
Mana: The world I've created for myself corresponds completely to what I am. It allows me to recharge, and I feel at home there. So, for me it's essential for life, and brings me nothing but well-being. It corresponds to my true nature.
- I'd like to finish by talking about makeup. At what age did you first take an interest in makeup?
Mana: I started putting on makeup in middle school. The first times, I borrowed from my mother. That's how I started my training.
- Japanese art and culture are strongly linked to makeup. Were you influenced by certain art forms for your makeup?
Mana: I would say that groups like Motley Crue inspired me more than traditional Japanese makeup!
- About your aesthetic (hair, makeup, style), do you think you've arrived at perfection, attained your ideal of beauty? Does "Mana" find himself beautiful?
Mana: I wouldn't be so presumptuous as to call myself beautiful, but I've found an aesthetic that suits me. I've always tried to blend masculine and feminine beauty because I love that ambiguity, that paradox. I think I've arrived at the goal I set for myself.
- Do you think makeup is a drug?
Mana: (he thinks) I'm not sure what exactly is meant by "drug", but I would say that makeup is indispensable for my art.
- You take great care with your image, whether it's for your career or daily life. Why do you exert such control over this aspect of your persona?
Mana: Moi dix Mois is my solo project, and to maintain the ambiance of Moi dix Mois, I must control my image. I'm a perfectionist.
- On the internet, the #1 obsession of Mana fans is finding no-makeup and candid photos, does that amuse you? What do you think of it?
Mana: (laughs) I had no idea! (he thinks) It pleases me, but I think it would be preferable if they would take an interest in Mana the musician and leader of Moi dix Mois, rather than the image of the person you see right now sitting in front of you!
- How do you see yourself in 20 years?
Mana: I want to keep playing on stage till the day I die. Music is my reason for living.
- Are there other countries you'd like to play in?
Mana: I've had a lot of requests, and I'd definitely like to play in as many countries as possible.
- What are your projects for 2006?
Mana: We'll definitely do concerts, maybe a new album, and I'd really like to play some festivals.
- Merci beaucoup, Mana!
Mana: Merci! (in French)
Interview: Elise Gerardin
Translation (from Japanese to French): Jon Pavius
Mana interview, "Kogaru" vol. 22, July/August 2006
- Are you happy to be back in France?
Mana: Yes, I'm really very happy to have returned to France for a new concert.
- What were your biggest fears on the occasion of your first concerts in France and Germany? Are you still a little stressed?
Mana: Though it was the first time we'd played overseas, everything went very well. This time around in Europe I don't have any particular stress.
- Will you use this occasion to take videos or photos in France as you did for the book "Magnifique"?
Mana: We don't have a photobook planned, but we'll definitely take photos and videos for purposes not yet certain.
- About your new album, could you tell me about the conditions the composition and recording took place in?
Mana: I composed direcly for the guitar. It's the first time I'd done this, which explains the perhaps different sound. It took three months to compose and one month to record.
- Is there a theme to this album? What inspired you for the universe of "Beyond the Gate"?
Mana: The theme could be "A new journey"; setting out toward a new future. The symbolism of reincarnation is equally present in the ambiance of "Beyond the Gate".
- What does the crucified Mana represent?
Mana: That is my reincarnation. The blood in which I am bathed is my own.
- Throughout your career you've always liked the religious aesthetic: crosses, cathedrals, altars. What inspires you about this Catholic world?
Mana: I've always been partial to that aesthetic. It's certainly nothing to do with religion, as I'm an atheist. But all the stories of angels and demons particularly touch me. The first time I came to France, I was even more impressed by the art of the churches; it was magnificent.
- You're a perfectionist in everything you undertake. Are you someone difficult and strict to work with?
Mana: (he thinks) I think I can be strict. But it's essential to express and realize my artistic projects in a way that's faithful to my visual and musical aesthetics.
- What were the criteria for the choice of your new vocalist?
Mana: I went to see Seth in a live house. I found that he had a very beautiful voice. So, I asked if he'd like to audition. When he sang "Eternally Beyond", I knew that he was exactly what I was looking for.
- Do you plan to make a PV next? And knowing your affinity for beautiful videos, how come there hasn't been one yet for Moi dix Mois?
Mana: (he thinks) In fact, thinking about it... I don't know how to answer "why haven't I done one yet", but it's part of my projects in the very near future.
- Of all your compositions since the beginning of your career, which are you most proud of?
Mana: I would say it's the song "Eternally Beyond". I really invested myself in its music, words, and meaning. It's very close and personal to me; I like it a lot.
- Would you like to play with a European artist or band? If so, who?
Mana: I know that the band Anorexia Nervosa came to see our first concert and I appreciate their music, so that could be an interesting project.
- Will we ever get to see Mana dressed in gothic lolita playing heavy metal, like you once did at the beginning of Moi dix Mois?
Mana: It's true that I did once do that in the beginning of Moi dix Mois. If I feel like it again, why not? I love to surprise.
- Isn't it depressing to live in the somber, gothic universe you've created? Are you a melancholic person?
Mana: The world I've created for myself corresponds completely to what I am. It allows me to recharge, and I feel at home there. So, for me it's essential for life, and brings me nothing but well-being. It corresponds to my true nature.
- I'd like to finish by talking about makeup. At what age did you first take an interest in makeup?
Mana: I started putting on makeup in middle school. The first times, I borrowed from my mother. That's how I started my training.
- Japanese art and culture are strongly linked to makeup. Were you influenced by certain art forms for your makeup?
Mana: I would say that groups like Motley Crue inspired me more than traditional Japanese makeup!
- About your aesthetic (hair, makeup, style), do you think you've arrived at perfection, attained your ideal of beauty? Does "Mana" find himself beautiful?
Mana: I wouldn't be so presumptuous as to call myself beautiful, but I've found an aesthetic that suits me. I've always tried to blend masculine and feminine beauty because I love that ambiguity, that paradox. I think I've arrived at the goal I set for myself.
- Do you think makeup is a drug?
Mana: (he thinks) I'm not sure what exactly is meant by "drug", but I would say that makeup is indispensable for my art.
- You take great care with your image, whether it's for your career or daily life. Why do you exert such control over this aspect of your persona?
Mana: Moi dix Mois is my solo project, and to maintain the ambiance of Moi dix Mois, I must control my image. I'm a perfectionist.
- On the internet, the #1 obsession of Mana fans is finding no-makeup and candid photos, does that amuse you? What do you think of it?
Mana: (laughs) I had no idea! (he thinks) It pleases me, but I think it would be preferable if they would take an interest in Mana the musician and leader of Moi dix Mois, rather than the image of the person you see right now sitting in front of you!
- How do you see yourself in 20 years?
Mana: I want to keep playing on stage till the day I die. Music is my reason for living.
- Are there other countries you'd like to play in?
Mana: I've had a lot of requests, and I'd definitely like to play in as many countries as possible.
- What are your projects for 2006?
Mana: We'll definitely do concerts, maybe a new album, and I'd really like to play some festivals.
- Merci beaucoup, Mana!
Mana: Merci! (in French)
Interview: Elise Gerardin
Translation (from Japanese to French): Jon Pavius
You didn't seriously think he was catholic, did you?
