FIRST TIME REACTION / ANALYSIS! TO BABYMETAL - KARATE (LIVE AT BUDOKAN 2021)

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[@rah2287]

Gimmick? I know that you don’t mean anything derogatory because give me a metal band (or any band for that matter that doesn’t have a “gimmick” as you say. These girls started with nothing. They even had to borrow clothes from friends for performances. They were a passion project by Amuse music producer Kei Kobayashi who heard lead vocalist Suzuka Nakamoto sing at age 10 and realized that with her strong voice and stage presence she could front a metal band (Kobayashi was a metal head who believed the metal genre needed fresh music and had an idea for a fusion of J-pop and heavy metal). He placed Suzuka’s friends and fellow Sakura Gakuin classmates Moa Kikuchi and Yui Mizuno as her backup singers. They started performing in strip malls and small venues to backing tracks because they didn’t have financing to have a backing band. That all changed when they became a phenomenon. So much so that Amuse (the talent agency that had the girls under contract for other things) tealized what they had and hired the best session musicians in Japan as their touring band (The Kami Band). BabyMetal is now respected by the legends of Metal such as Metallica, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, Guns and Roses, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Judas Priest and many more. They are legitimate.

[@rah2287]

👍 👍 Suggest reacting to Road of Resistance LIVE in Japan. It will give you a great idea of the talent of the girls and the Kami’s. LIVE is where it’s at with BabyMetal so react to Live Performances when possible. Over 50 LIVE songs/performances and each one is different. Hope to see you again.

[@VelcroReacts]

Yes, it is a Gimmick, and I stand by it they take a traditional metal band and instead of putting "metal singers" they put 3 Little girls as basically Idols. That's the definition of a gimmick and it's totally genius, and like you say I don't mean it in any derogatory way because even if you have a gimmick to get this big you still need to put a ton of effort, and talent into it and this girls clearly have in spades. So they deserve every single bit of praise that they get and more.

[@rah2287]

I understand where you are coming from. But in my opinion Kobayashi really had a vision for injecting life into a genre he loved but believed had grown stale (especially in Japan). In other words BabyMetal (which means birth of a new Metal Genre and not the age of the girls by the way) was created out of a sincere personal desire to make Metal valid again (he had to use his own money as Amuse had zero interest…….at first😉) If it made a profit then it would be icing on the “metal” cake.

[@Grington300]

Great first reaction and welcome to the BABYMETAL Galaxy. 'Karate' was the lead single for the second album in 2016. It is about fighting adversity, when life knocks you down and everything seems too hard so you're hurt and crying, its about standing up and fighting on, helping each other through the hard times. They used karate to illustrate this as it is a Japanese martial art and reflects their culture - as with a lot of their songs it is also about always moving forwards. They did watch a lot of martial arts movies to get ideas for the choreo as they wanted it to look as authentic as possible (but they are not martial artists). They played 10 shows at the Budokan over the first 3 or 4 months of 2021 as part of their 10th anniversary celebration. They first headlined there in March 2014 when Su-metal, the lead singer, was just 16, the two younger girls, Yuimetal and Moametal, were still only 14. They are the youngest average age female band ever to headline at the Budokan - on that occasion they sold it out 2 nights running. Sadly Yuimetal last performed in October 2017 and left the band in October 2018 because of poor health. From 2019 Su and Moa, who chose to continue as a duo, were supported by 3 dancers (the 'Avengers' Riho, Kano and Momoko) who would take turns dancing in the third spot - but not singing, they were not given a mic. Riho is now a solo artist, Kano has her own JPop group, so Momoko has been the Avenger for the last nearly 30 concerts since 2020. She was the third girl in this video. They played two shows at the end of January - their first since the 10 Budokan shows nearly 2 years ago - and at the end they teased they may be revealing a new permanent 3rd member in April ... most people think it will be Momoko but we will not find out before the reveal. I'm not so sure there ever was a gimmick as such - they had always performed songs with choreographed dancing before they formed BABYMETAL - they simply continued doing what they always had done, but instead of pop music they did it to metal instrumentals ... so maybe the gimmick was metal and not the girls singing and dancing. Either way, they had to work hard to get any backing or financial support from their agency and it was their passion and belief for what they do and their talents (the whole concept was formed around Su-metal's vocal talents and stage presence) that has seen them become as successful as they are now. Jake Muller has given you an excellent suggestion for another reaction and told you where you might find a lot more high quality live performance videos you can use ... they have about 60 songs now, each one different to the last. They have songs in virtually every metal genre but they will also mix in many other musical styles and genres with the metal - usually when you least expect it. So pick anything, expect the unexpected and they will still surprise you. Some songs are good hard metal some lean towards their pop roots and they do everything in between.

[@VelcroReacts]

Thank you so much! Yea I mean that's the gimmick either way it happened and it's totally genius, I don't mean it in a bad way btw. Because it doesn't matter how good your gimmick might be, if you don't put in the time and effort, and talent that these girls have you wouldn't get this big. so they deserve all the praise and more.

[@Grington300]

@@VelcroReacts Yes I knew you were meaning it in the right sense - as in they HAVE a gimmick, not they ARE a gimmick ... if that was all they were we wouldn't have heard of them again after maybe one or two more songs after 'Gimme Chocolate', but here they are still going strong and selling out arenas over 12 years since they formed in 2010.

[@faceplantor5647]

@@Grington300 Metallica’s gimmick back when they first came out was t-shirts and jeans. Really set them apart from the hair metal scene in L.A. at the time👊🏽⚡️

[@flugelhornoldman1362]

Thanks again from Japan 有難う💛。On Jan. 19, 2021, I watched the Karate performance with tears on Day-1 of 10 BABYMETAL Budokan Concerts at the venue. Especially, when Su hit the high note flawlessly at the end with her matured rich voice, everything was soothed. Fans knew Team BABYMETAL had gone through hard time in 2020 that was supposed to be a glorious year to celebrate their 10th anniversary. The serial 10 shows in Tokyo were held including the period under the states of emergency caused by COVID. Even many of their fans criticized the Team for taking such risks to hold the big events that timing. The Team, however, challenged the situation and took strict and perfect countermeasures against the infection to complete them. The audience, of course, cooperated with the Team and abided by a number of restrictions and accepted inconveniences to protect the events and make their shows ultimately successful. That is our pride as BM fans.

[@VelcroReacts]

Thank you so much! That's totally awesome.

[@tonygriffin_]

Queen Su is a soprano with a C4 to G#5 range and that final, long sustained note from her is always a treat. 🦊🤘🤘🦊

[@VelcroReacts]

Totally Awesome!

[@s4dm3t4l]

shes not a soprano tho…

[@johnschultz7765]

​@@s4dm3t4l, what? Her vocal range is pretty much the very definition of soprano.

[@s4dm3t4l]

@@johnschultz7765 im not a vocal john, but pretty sure thats not how it works. she can belt very high, but soprano naturally has higher pitch or something like that.

[@johnschultz7765]

@@s4dm3t4l , soprano is the highest vocal range (pitch) for women's voices. Next range down is mezzo-soprano, and the lowest is contralto. Even though Su-'s lower register has gotten stronger of late, I don't think she can sing as low as a typical mezzo. Moa might have a mezzo voice. Very definitely Su-metal has a soprano voice. Her range is good for a professional singer, but not extraordinary. That said there are many types of sopranos as we start to also judge tonal qualities. But I am not sure it matters much outside of the classical realm.

[@keshanizm]

SEIYA SOIYA OSSU! 🔥🔥🔥🤘🦊🤘

[@jakemuller8626]

_Ossu!_ 🦊🤘🥋 Welcome back to the Foxhole. Glad to hear you already know something about this amazing group. Budokan 2021 marks their 10 years anniversary celebration and seal the Metal Resistance chapter along with another seal for the group, fortunately that seal is already broken since last year they're releasing new singles and kick start of their new era, get ready for a new BM side we've never seen before, 4 singles already out and 1 final coming this month right before album release. Ending January, they held two live concerts marking their return after almost two years since this Budokan live concerts, in April they will come back with more live shows and later they will join Sabaton's Europe Tour as a special guests. Meanwhile you can enjoy "METAL KINGDOM" official MV opener of live shows, first track of the album and 3rd single released, "Divine Attack - Shingeki" official visualizer, "Monochrome" official lyrics video, and "Light and Darkness" official MV, so far no one is having any copyright blocked issues so don't worry about it. They fought against many enemies on this road and many more battles, but they manage to get through all of it, and this song is one of those strong weapons they had, to fight and conquer every metal heart that don't believe in them, you probably already know Road Of Resistance if not I highly recommend to check it out. Budokan is just a name for general martial arts place, there are other Budokan throughout Japan but this one in Tokyo is the most important and is big, this is the place any artist wants to reach when you're over the top, and they did it already in 2014 when they were even younger and having many struggles so they needed a revenge to pull away those ghosts from the past. Sadly this 2021 live concerts is a half capacity due to pandemic restrictions and safety measures, the crowd wasn't allowed to mosh'sh, crowd surfing or shout without face mask, instead they can stomp their feet, clap their hands or doing a human wave, at least they can do something to participate in this epic and memorable event. Since YuiMetal left the group officially in 2018, the only front women and official members of this group are SuMetal and MoaMetal, after that you'll see backup dancers along with them but none of them sing or have mic, they just dance. Momoko Okazaki was the _avenger_ or third backup dancer filling the third spot in all these 10 live concerts as well latest at Makuhari Messe 2023, she's pointing out to be the next official third member but "Only The Fox God Knows". Karate lyrics is about keep fighting despite the obstacles but always looking for your friends help, that's why you see them helping each other in the bridge section, although if you look for the official MV you'll see revealing that there's no harder enemy than yourself. Try also to look for live at Download Festival 2016 version, is even more beautiful during the bridge and with the full original trio. Next suggestion: - _"Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!"_ live at Legend 1997, held in 2013, you can find a clip safe to react at Gans Tomas channel under Head Bangya title. You can find all these songs from Budokan 2021 with watermarked logo safe to react at Babymetal Reactor Resource channel, check "Future Plans" vid and follow instructions to get all of them. See you next time and put your kitsune up! 🦊🤘🥋

[@VelcroReacts]

Thank you so much Jake! There's a lot I need to catch up on then.

[@Psyggie]

Yet another incredible comment by Jake! 🦊🦊🦊

[@MacTaipan]

Great reaction! I think that may be the most important and fascinating thing about BABYMETAL: They have this incredible positive and fun aura that makes you smile and have a good time whenever you watch them. I haven’t seen that with any other band.

[@VelcroReacts]

Totally they just matched Band-Maid in that regard for me.

[@kitkat6407]

Great reaction....it's just the beginning that you will be truly amazed by BABYMETAL.

[@VelcroReacts]

Thank you so much!

[@Icipher353]

People getting all worked up over the word 'gimmick' is so silly. Babymetal is absolutely a gimmick and it's copium to deny it. Young girls singing and dancing with metal music is obviously designed to be different and to get attention, which is obviously a gimmick. That doesn't mean that it's bad, nor does it diminish their legitimacy; many successful bands have had gimmicks to draw attention to them, Kiss being a classic example of adopting an over the top visual aesthetic to promote their music. If Babymetal didn't have legitimate musical ability, they wouldn't have a lasted long at all sustained only by the gimmick as people would quickly get bored, but because everyone involved in Babymetal is super talented, they have taken the initial attention that the gimmick garnered them and turned it into a lasting career by consistently producing great music and putting on mindblowing live shows. People need to stop getting bent out of shape by the word 'gimmick'.

[@VelcroReacts]

Agree 100% Those would be my exact words.

[@Greg-om2hb]

BABYMETAL = Idol Pop + Death Metal + EDM. (It’s a formula, not a gimmick. BM is a brilliant concept, as Idol Pop is hugely popular in Japan, especially for adult men.) This is an early song, but the performance is after YUI-METAL left. I recommend more of early works, especially MEGITSUNE (MV), their best song, and ROAD OF RESISTANCE (live), their most epic song, and RONDO OF NIGHTMARE, which features a solo vocal by SU-METAL.

[@autohmae]

Thanks for this reaction. I'll try not to repeat to much others have mentioned already. Babymetal concept is a crazy concept that should not work, but through talent and hard work they make it work. They hold a bunch of records in part because of their age, but also just because they are good, like their 3rd album was the first ever act from Asia to have a #1 on the US billboard rock/metal album chart. Sadly the audience voices you hear are not from this show, this is a backing track recorded from previous Babymetal shows, because in 2021 there were restrictions in place because of covid, audience wasn't allowed to shout. They had double masks and only half the audience, maybe even less. But it's how a Babymetal audience usually sound. Babymetal really knows how to put on a show. They can use a big production, but they also deliver it without the big stage props, pyro, lights, etc.

[@VelcroReacts]

That's Awesome!

[@dingjk5630]

"How do we create a different metal band?" "You guys should include choreography in your performances!" "How do we create a world-famous metal band?" "First you have to find a girl named Nakamoto Suzuka who was born in 1997."

[@VelcroReacts]

Hahaha Yeah, Totally

[@Psyggie]

Just like you I listened to gimme chocolate when it came out but I wrote it off as a gimmick. Boy was I wrong! I've done a very deep dive the last few months and absolutely love these powerful young ladies and the journey they've been on, good and bad times. It's a real treat to think about how silly gimme chocolate seemed back in the day. And to see them all grown up playing a REALLY kickass song live in this video now! They are legit extremely talented!

[@VelcroReacts]

When I say they are a Gimmick or were at that point, I didn't mean it in any negative way, It's actually a genius concept but at the same time the girls have clearly put up the time, effort, talent. and that's why they are as big as they are now.

[@Psyggie]

@VelcroReacts cool, I hear all that! Might I recommend a song that you for sure wouldn't expect after this one! Ijime, Dame, Zettai, live at Sonisphere 2014. That was the first time they played outside of their country, and they got pushed to the main stage last second in front of a crowd of 50,000. They were terrified to take the stage, as that UK festival is very harsh on metal bands they don't know or like. IDZ was the final song in their set and watching the bravery they showed on that stage brings me to tears. The song itself is REALLY heavy, hard, and fast. The lyrics if you look them up are heartbreaking. It's about bullying. The title translates to Bullying, never, absolutely. Lyrics talk about having to wait til night to cry, and it wasn't just those bullies that hurt you but also your friends who pretended not to notice. But it lends a positive hopeful message about being stronger and stopping the pain. I think you would be blown away. Please do that reaction 😁😁😁

[@TheTeufelpanzerVI]

Great reaction, and you get a sub for it! Looking forward to you next "Babymetal" adventure! Might I suggest: "Headbanger: Legend 1997" - kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3bWgJSDl7N5rdk. This one was filmed during Su Metal's 16th Birthday concert back in 2013..give it a look!

[@VelcroReacts]

Thank you so much! I'll check it in the upcoming days.

[@BlackArr0w]

Sorry to slightly disappoint you, but the crowd noises you heard were not real, only registered voices. Sadly it was during COVID times, so there were strict rules and fans couldn't scream or shout nor sing. Only clap. That's why to keep the atmosphere BM shows usually have, they used previous recordings from other shows! If you want to hear what a crowd really does live during Karate, I suggest you to watch "karate" live at Download 2016 :)

[@VelcroReacts]

Thank you so much for the info, I'll check that one out.

[@garytruex9336]

BabyMetal was not ever, nor it now a "gimick".

[@VelcroReacts]

I think you are wrong, They might not be now with 10+ years of a career that's obviously clear, but at the start, they surely were a gimmick and a genius one at that, and there's nothing wrong about that I don't mean it in any derogatory sense, doesn't matter how good your gimmick might be if these girls had not put on the effort, time and talent that they clearly have, it wouldn't be as good as it is, and they would not have gotten as big as they are.

[@SirGreenDay]

Maybe you don't have a good grasp of the English language, but BM is definitely NOT a gimmick. Do you know the definition of "Gimmick"? A gimmick is a 'trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business.'. This is kwai Metal, which translates to 'cute' metal. These girls have been working their asses off since the age of 7 to get to where they are today, and to call them a gimmick is ignorant and insulting. Unbelievable.