Vocal Coach REACTS - Babymetal 'Megitsune'

[@ryhol5417]

I’m a metal head. I didn’t want to like them, but it’s addicting and the music is good. I’ve got shirts now

[@smltownsk8er]

As a fellow metal head the mindset of "this isn't real metal so I should hate it" is what keeps shitty elitist metal heads in their small box. Glad you broke free.

[@BsEIYxin]

@@smltownsk8er , i kind of used to be one of those turds you mention here. Thank god i have grown out of it :D Its only been 2 weeks since i even heard of this bunch, but not a day have gone since that i didnt listen to this with a huge smile on my face ! . They should be on subscription for depretion. Its near impossible to be sad with this lot in your ears.

[@crapstirrer]

Yeah. Gatekeepers still hung up on them. Usually aren't so loud now

[@ikemen2329]

i used to say they're shit and now look at me bought almost all their blurays but hey atleast I admit I was wrong :)

[@reoglah]

I have a metal band since i was 15 years old, i am a hardcore metalhead. But when i saw babymetal, i shook, i love it instantly. Now iam 27 years old and still love them

[@ChiliConCarnage]

What she said there was: "Maidens are not to be underestimated." and in the music video, she pulls a dagger from her microphone.

[@kebobs3727]

Adding to this, she has gotten VERY good at making that part a real exclamation point in the song. One of the best ways to show her vocal evolution as time goes on

[@dannyseo6759]

"Tanto", or in this case, "Tantophone".

[@labpedro]

So, Megitsune translates as Female Foxes (or vixens). Su says the line " Nametara ikan zeya" which translates to. "Maidens..shouldn't be underestimated" and does a karate kick, but in the official video, when she says the line she pulls out a dagger from her microphone handle

[@sirmoonslosthismind]

the word you are translating as "maidens" is "otome", from the singing line directly before the movie quote. she sings "otome wa", and then states "nametara ikanzeyo". "nametara ikanzeyo" is a movie quote and by itself it means something like "it'd be regrettable if you underestimated [me/us]". "otome wa" changes the context of the quote to clarify that su is speaking about young women in general.

[@labpedro]

@@sirmoonslosthismind funnily enough, I originally had that in, but removed it as it was on a different line in the lyrics, hence the edited comment above. I won't edit it back in though, you've soundly thrashed me

[@sirmoonslosthismind]

@@labpedro lol sorry : P

[@Slip_HD]

That’s awesome!

[@otobokegaijin6218]

​@@sirmoonslosthismind The "underestimate" line is in the film "Kiryuin Hanako no Shogai” (Onimasa, 鬼龍院花子の生涯, 1982) and is simply "Nametara ikan zeyo", without the "otome" (maiden). Contrary to what some Babymetal fans seem to think, the word "maiden" isn't in the movie. Incidentally, "underestimated" is a weak translation for "nametara"; the nuance is more "don't mess with me". There's no equivalent of "regrettable" in the original line.

[@dingjk5630]

What Su-metal said there was: "Maidens are not to be underestimated". and You said at beginning: "I totally underestimated of this trio.. they are pure energy". HAHAHA HAHAHA

[@TheHouZeR88]

Rondo of Nightmare or Headbanger should be your next adventure into Babymetal. Headbanger is extremely energetic and showcases the band and trio well. Rondo of Nightmare is a solo for Su, and with the mischief of God’s intro you get to see some of what the band is really capable of, as they put on a show before summoning Su to sing.

[@Benobot99]

Agreed! Rondo of Nightmare for sure.

[@facuvillalba1460]

Headbanger live!"

[@kci517]

Headbanger !

[@EzyoMusic]

Rondo of Nightmare took some getting used to for me but it became one of my favorites.

[@moonfloweryellow3130]

The crowd has always been one of the most important and interesting part of BABYMETAL's live MV.

[@michal24980]

I recommend a "Ijime dame zettai" live 2014 Sonisphere to see reaction of western people

[@pi0nvillag3r]

UPvoteee ! it's also their bravest performance

[@Guyofburning]

The part of the song with the tritone is Sakura Sakura. A traditional Japanese folk song. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakura_Sakura

[@caligo7918]

Thanks, now i don't have to search the name of the song anymore :D

[@jotegg1276]

Cherry Blossom, Cherry Blossom... yes, the most epic metal breakdown from a traditional folk song

[@Dragon-Believer]

That was the 8th song of the show. They don't start out so sweaty :-). They usually opened in these early shows to the first song on their debut album which was a mostly instrumental intro song 'Babymetal Death' but at this particular show that was a special performance which was done last. They did open with Megitsune sometimes and it was very much like that such as at Metrock 2015 in Tokyo about 18 months later.

[@shanetutwiler]

As a father of daughters, this song always makes me a bit misty-eyed. When she first performed it, Su-Metal was literally a child looking ahead to becoming a woman and, in a sense, reflecting on what she thought society might expect of her. As she entered her teenage years, the lyrics became an understanding of how she was perceived by society. The growing realization that she was becoming something other than herself. As a young adult, she has quite literally become *the* megitsune...the "vixen" who may be complex on the inside, but calm on the outside, and whose intentions may be pure (as a maiden), but often misunderstood and misconstrued by the expectations of others. When she sings this song, she transcends into a personage. And yet, in her own voice, she reminds those adoring her as an idol that she (like all Maidens) "should not be underestimated."

[@charleslatora5750]

Excellent comment.

[@SkpalTube]

Nice perspective.

[@kiggerst]

Now that you put it like that this song ages with Su like a fine wine

[@sanda386]

Very insightful, thanks

[@henriklindberg1646]

really cool take

[@Ugliduckie]

Please don't apologize for nerding out on your field of expertise. It makes your reaction unique in a sea of Babymetal reaction videos . 🤘🦊🦊🦊🤘

[@clandestin19]

If you ever see the skeleton costumed band in some of their very earlier shows, it's actually a mime band they are not actually playing instruments unfortunately. The Kami Band had just started playing with them around this time so they were switching out for some songs in this concert.

[@mr.osclasses5054]

The Kami's switched in only for the encore, which was like 5 songs or so.

[@socksumi]

What doesn't get talked about much is their level of fitness. These girls are so fit and so practised. Most of us would collapse early on in expending the level of energy Babymetal do for an entire concert seemingly with ease.

[@SirFooplesTheThird]

You HAVE to watch their live performance of Karate at DOWNLOAD! It's honestly my number live performance of any song ever and it gives me chills every time i watch it!

[@antoinewalker9393]

Your a vocal coach. You should react to babymetal - akatsuki to be able to properly criticize the vocals and be awed at the same time.

[@pi0nvillag3r]

UPvoteee !

[@jamesmcclung153]

Up voted again!

[@blacksilver1106]

Ahh but which version? Budokan? Legend S? Wembley?

[@pi0nvillag3r]

@@blacksilver1106 budokan is good

[@playf7453]

yeah

[@flowerdolphin5648]

The melody during the beginning and during the cooldown in the middle is from a famous Japanese folk song called "sakura sakura". I'm sure you've heard of it before. It uses a traditional Japanese scale called "in-scale". You should research some Japanese scales & folk songs when you have some time, they are very pretty.

[@steffenjachnow8176]

> "Can you imagine what the rest of the concert is like?" It's absolutely bonkers! In the best possible way!

[@juanselainez9828]

That first Babymetal album is untouchable. A masterpiece from beginning to end.

[@user-sc3oh1bw4z]

su is amazing... she can switch from dancing mode to singing mode and vice versa and still in sync...

[@emb5091]

6:54 The English translation of what Su says at that moment is "Maidens ... shouldn't be underestimated.". In the official music video, she reveals that her microphone has a hidden knife or dagger.

[@ANDOR-]

You got a lot of input about the song itself, so I'm just gonna add a wall of text about the performance(s) (sorry for that). They opened their concerts with Megitsune a multitude of times, it's their most played live track afterall. In this case it was the second to last song before the five song encore. This show was the last one with the so called Babybones, who only mimed playing instruments. Their actual live band, the Kami Band, only played encores in 2012 and 2013, mostly because of budget reasons. Legend 1997 in Dec 2013 was no exception (1997 is Su-metal's birth year, this was her 16th birthday concert, held one day after her actual birthday, Moa & Yui were 14, born Jul and Jun 1999 respectively). This was also the last concert of Moa & Yui doing (almost) exclusively playback. I don't know if their chants in this show were also playback, but I would say at least these were already live. The songs they perform as a duo and the covers they did solo a few months prior were definitely all playback. Because of health "concerns" Moa & Yui weren't allowed to actually sing live at the beginning (2010 - 2013) because management was afraid they'd strain their vocals too much to be heard over the metal music while simultaneously doing a choreo. Su was the only one who sang everything live in that time span. In the Japanese idol business performance stands above everything, even live singing. Moa & Yui are the "main dancers", so they'd rather dance and perform perfectly and sing playback than dial down on their choreo. This is something Moa does to this day, but rather than playback, she uses a low volume backing track to support her live vocals when the choreo is too strenuous and they need to turn the volume on her mic down so her hard(er) breathing isn't heard. Best source for translation of their songs from the first two albums is Du-Metal's blog. Here's a link to Megitsune du-metal.blogspot.com/2013/07/megitsune.html . He translates and also explains the cultural aspects of the songs and lyrics. When you paused the screen at 2:10, it was Su in the middle, Moa on the right and Yui on the left. Moa has the dimples, a little bit lighter hair and all around most expressive face, that's how I distinguished them at the start. Many people say the statue has Su's or Asian facial features, but I can't see it, even after watching stuff from this concert a 100 times. There's even a small clip, before Akatsuki I think, later that night that talks about the statue being "the mother of the messiah" or something like that. It's a Metallica reference by the way. They used a statue of Lady Justice for their "... and Justice for All" tour in the late 80s. This show is full of references of Metallica and especially legendard Japanese Metal pioneers X Japan.

[@faceplantor7372]

“Maidens should not be underestimated.” Is the spoken word part. Good reaction👊🏽.

[@francescabennet5222]

NO RAIN NO RAINBOW is honestly one of Su's best vocals. It really shows her progression as a vocalist and is one of my favorite songs 💖 so gentle yet powerful all at once

[@francescabennet5222]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnXKoqJsm8ifn7s link to the video 💖 NO RAIN NO RAINBOW: this specific performance of it was during the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombings, and also BABYMETAL's first show without YuiMetal. It also was one of Kami Band and BABYMETAL's last performances with Mikio-san, one of the members of Kami Band, before he passed away unexpectedly 💖 such a beautiful song 💖

[@rickwagner-]

⚡ 💀 💕 / 🦊 ⛩ Lead singer Su-metal has two solo songs on each of the first two albums. 'Akatsuki' and 'Rondo of Nightmare' on the first, self-titled album, and 'Amore' and 'No Rain, No Rainbow' on the Metal Resistance album. I'd love to see a reaction to any of those. Since they're solo songs, they show off Su's voice quite a bit better. Not that I'm unhappy you had a look at 'Megitsune'. I love that one. It's been performed live more than any other BABYMETAL song, and consistently tops fan polls for favorite BABYMETAL song. Su's line when she lowers her voice, and does the front kick is: "Otome wa… nametara ikan zeyo." ("Maidens… should not be underestimated.") It's also a line said by the gangster's daughter in the film 'Kiryu-in Hanako no Shogai' (1982), by actress Masako Natsume. It was released in the USA as 'Onimasa'.

[@The_Original_Geoff_B]

It's always fun to watch the smile develop when someone first discovers Babymetal :)

[@12Prophet]

As someone that grew up with Hard rock, then metal and then exploring the many genres and refining my tastes... Babymetal is absolutely refreshing for the genre of Metal. Each instrument is backed by refined talent, and the trio have both strong stage presence and crowd control. The singing is spectacular. I may be a tad bias as Japanese is my second language, but the band is a very welcome addition to the metal scene.

[@infoverflow5559]

Do "Shine" by Babymetal next for their later song

[@The_Sun_and_the_Moons]

Please react to BABYMETAL Ijime, Dame, Zettai - Live at Sonisphere 2014 UK

[@aamiw99]

As a vocal coach, you should check out Akatsuki live at Budokan Black Night next. It's a Su solo - Yui and Moa aren't in the song. Yui and Moa have a few songs without Su as well if you're interested in the future. Hopefully your next Babymetal reaction isn't next month ;)

[@Hadesillo]

First, recommend the next song. As a vocal teacher you would appreaciate *Shanti Shanti Shanti,* a song from last year with a grown up Su where she shows her voice versatility. Legend 1997 was the name of the concert, as it was the concert in honor of Su's birthday. She was born in 1997 and this was on 2013, so 16th birthday. The other girls were 14. That tone that you said it sound like a medieval thing is actually a fragment of Sakura, that's a japanese traditional song to be played by Koto: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHW3oZKPhs6tp6c *(Sakura* being performed in a Koto instrument). *Megitsune* (Kitsune is fox, me is a female marker) is a song that speaks of them being _megitsune_ sent by the fox god to make everyone happy. It plays with the shinto legend of the fox that appears to a farmer and transforms into a beautiful woman, they marry and is a perfect wife until one day she dissappears and returns to the forests. But in the song you can feel some kind of lament about how women must behave sometimes: _"Ah, girls are becoming more like an ideal woman. Smiling at face, crying at heart, saying "It's right", we never show our tears."_ When Su makes her "Aaaah" it even feels like a lament. Oh and that break: _Nametara ikan zeyo._ > But maidens should never be understimated. Su has said several times that this is the hardest song for her to sing and after all this years she is still finding new things to incorporate to her singing during performances. She has improved a lot with the years, she was still very young here. Megitsune at Legend 1997 is far from being the best performance of the song, there is a Budokan version that's far better here in KZbin. In spite of what it seems at first glance, Babymetal never got the support of their label and during the first two years they even had to borrow the clothes for the girls. This is the personal project of a madman (Key Kobayashi, the band manager) who loved metal and thought that he could merge japanese idols with heavy metal, no one believed in him at first. They didn't have a band at first and Legend 1997 is a show performed during a transition period, when they were starting to grow and the Kami Band was still incorporating to Babymetal playing only some of the songs while they were learning them. At Legend 1997 they performed only during the second half of the show, and Megitsune was played on the first, so what we have here is that the music is on backtrack and we have some guys dressed as skeletons (Babybones) doing the air guitar. Legend 1997 was the last show where they performed some tracks not live, the next big one, Budokan, it was already with the full kami band. Thank you for the video and your insight in Babymetal, hope to see you visiting the band again soon.

[@weirdomon2]

Try the official MV if for fun, theres lots of cultural stuff, and explains or visualizes some of the parts from live version. And gives a clearer example of Su's vocal talents.

[@ihwan1911]

Wow, Megitsune but live . Yeah, that's rare 😁. Su can dancing and singing in good voice , she is incredible . Good reaction 🤘. Maybe next please reaction to BABYMETAL - Arkadia live Proshot . That's song in new album "Metal Galaxy", that's great . 😊

[@raycollins511]

i am sure there are others that have mentioned this but i will put my input in anyway. first the choreographer for them is one of the best in Japan since Babymetal was started. she even was going to do the Japan olympics but the virus happened. Su the lead singer even from what i understand trains on a treadmill to help her control her breathing. the choreographer works with her so that the moves and her singing go together. you have to truly hear her live to understand how she does it. she sings live at all the shows. she has a voice that just works with this kind of genre. she is so confident with her presence. at this time she was only 16 years old, the show was for her 16th birthday. she is one of the best front people male or female. she can do any kind of style and be awesome at it.

[@ernestrimbeck7630]

Next do a newer BabyMetal song Shanti Shanti Shanti You never know what to expect from BabyMetal This song may surprise you

[@DannCV]

Hi !! Two songs that are on KZbin and I think they have a great performance are Akatsuki or Headbangeer live in budokan black night (both) I think that in both songs you can comment a lot about the girls and according to your knowledge give a well-constructed opinion, these 2 shows have very good atmosphere :3 I love your reactions !! Greetings from México !!! /o/

[@dingjk5630]

When I saw Su-metal and two Tyrannosaurus on the thumbnail, I immediately clicked. HAHAHA HAHAHA...

[@youtubeweb3009]

Headbangerrrr is a good one That was really a suck up energy song and yet su's vocals are freaking on point and didn't even falter.

[@davep7589]

You're right in saying they are a breath of fresh air, I love hearing metal with a twist and from other nations especially Japan who aren't known for the genre. Awesome. Another really great Japanese metal band are crystal lake, check out their resurrection festival live set it's amazing!

[@galdanag]

First reaction to BabyMetal is always shock, that's normal. We all went through that... Su was just 16 in this show, she's MUCH better today as 22, while she's still growing and improving as a singer. Sadly their label doesn't allow much recent live content on KZbin ( their live arena shows are mindblowing), so you'll have to go with older shows. Since you are a Voice coach, I'd recommend you to check something that really showcases Su and the Band. Two great suggestions are Akatsuki and Rondo of Nightmare, both from the Budokan concert they did in 2014 IIRC. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWOWaGV5arV9gq8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYecpoGBpM2DZtE BabyMetal are a completely different band from anything else out there. Their origin is different, coming from Japan's Idol industry, and originally they didn't have a live band (the guys in skeleton outfit are just actors dancing), but Su is singing live (the backup singers/dancers, Yui and Moa are also live). Originally it was done for budgetary reasons, and in this show they used a live band (called the Kami band, formed by extremely talented musicians) for the Encore, and after this show the band has always been live just like the girls.

[@fl7888]

thanks for the nice review, sensei. im glad that you liked both su's singing and yui & moa's dancing. as you mentoned their choreography has some japanese traditional dance parts such as "Nichibu' and 'Awa Odori'. the scale for the breakdown is one of japanese pentatonics 'Hirajoshi' (R-2-m3-5-m6), which is very good for \m/ music imho.

[@wovivuori2992]

THANK YOU THANK YOU!! So many people never comment on how hard it must be for Su to be doing all that dancing and then singing as well as she does live. Sure sometimes the notes might be off from where they need to be but she does all of her singing live, and to me that takes so much talent and control. We stan a queen!

[@geiseric222]

You should check out Rondo of Nightmare, it’s a Su solo that focuses on her

[@meimemeime]

Nice reaction!! BABYMETAL has the best live shows, but for Megitsune, I highly recommend watching the Official music videos as well. There is no on-stage banter at BM's concert. The girls sing and dance for nearly 90 minutes. And SU doesn't have much of a blurred voice when she dances and sings. So, about 70% of the SU's body is made up of lungs😁 All of BABYMETAL's songs are quite different and all of them are representative of their music. I hope you enjoy the variety of songs (all of them if possible). All of the songs are great, but if I had to recommend them, the following songs might be a good place to start. Use it to help you choose your next song. - Legend of 1997 Headbanger - Ijime,Dame,Zettai - Live at Sonisphere 2014,UK (OFFICIAL) - Rondo of Nightmare Live @ Budokan Black Night - NO RAIN, NO RAINBOW 【Live Blu-ray/DVD 「LEGEND - S - BAPTISM XX -」】 - AKATSUKI「紅月アカツキ」BLACK NIGHT HD1080p I hope you continue to enjoy your BABYMETAL. Put your Kitsune🦊 up! from Japan. (Translation by DeepL) Megitsune is a song full of Japan. From here on down, if you're interested in Japan, take a look. Megitsune(女狐) is a female fox. me = 女 = female kitsune = 狐 = fox There are many animals in Japan that are God's apostles. Foxes, Deer, Crows, Snakes... There is also a shrine dedicated to the fox god. photos.app.goo.gl/XNXiNHAFYqif1JyRA photos.app.goo.gl/QzWdfkqbWp7kebVH7 When Japanese people hear the word "Megitsune", they do not think of the animal fox. In Japan, it has long been said that foxes transform into humans and trick people. Foxes are considered to be bewitching, mysterious and cunning creatures. "Megitune" contains this meaning. The lyrics say "はじけてドロンして(hajikete doron shite)", They're singing about a fox transforming with a leaf on its head. If you can picture the ninja disappearing with the smoke, it's about the same. "コンコン(kon kon) is the animal sound of the fox in Japan. The first instrument used is the 三味線(shamisen). The shamisen is a stringed instrument shaped like a guitar. The shamisen is a representative musical instrument of Japan. Since the shamisen was born 500 years ago, it is a new instrument among Japanese musical instruments. "それそれ(sore sore)" and "わっしょい(wasshoi)" are the shouts that are used when carrying a omikoshi(お神輿=portable shrine) during a japanese traditional festival. PAPAYA is also omatsuri(festive) metal, but so is this song. The song used in the breakdown is "さくら さくら(Sakura Sakura)" and it's about 150 years old. sakura means cherry blossom. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZfEmZ9qbL2WhqM

[@ANDOR-]

There is a bit of on-stage banter going on, if you want to call it that. During the Megitsune breakdown/interlude Moa and Su always do hengao and after the last zukkyun/dokkyun in Gimme Chocolate Moa always pinces Su's earlobe or pokes her in the cheek and stuff like that. Moa does all kinds of on-stage antics, mostly small stuff or when the cameras aren't watching.

[@meimemeime]

@@ANDOR- Thank you for your comment!!! I wanted to say that there was no chatter between songs for the audience during the concert. I'm not very good at English. I'm sorry. Kikuchi Pro is also famous for her hengao showdown with drummer Hideki Aoyama(^^;

[@ANDOR-]

@@meimemeime No problem. Your English is pretty good, I just misunderstood what you were trying to say because of that one word. You're right about the no chatting and everything else. It's a shame they often seem to change the camera right when the hengao battle is going on.

[@McCammalot]

They've all been training since they were around 10 years old. In this video Su (Suzuka) is 17 and Yui and Moa are 15. The evolution of Su's voice has been PHENOMENAL. (I remember her as a tiny thing in a completely different group called Karen Children, singing about "being the future. ❤️) Same for the younger two; I saw them in Paris in 2014 and Su let Yui take over a solo in celebration of Yui's birthday.

[@Satsujinhan]

This is not even close to Su-Metal's best vocal performance. You should check out Akatsuki live at Budokan.

[@jamesmcclung153]

I second that

[@I-MAC]

Here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWOWaGV5arV9gq8

[@arbalestt4590]

Budokan is not her best vocal performance.

[@Satsujinhan]

@@arbalestt4590 Ok, perfectly willing to accept that. Tell us what is.

[@PalitoSelvatico]

@@Satsujinhan the live Shine is better than that versión akatsuki if we talk about vocals

[@randumo24]

You should do Shine from their new album. It would be a great song to give you an idea of how much her voice has grown.

[@Erik6706]

Great reaction! The crowd at Babymetal-concerts are amazing. They know when to interact and when to shut up, they give energy to the performance. I haven't been able to see them yet, just hope they come to Sweden again when this pandemic shit is over. 😊 🦊❤ Greetings from Sweden...

[@blacksilver1106]

Yes it is almost like a script.. every song has a certain set of moves or vocals the audience know to use.. RoR and the circle pit, Megitsune is a jump, PA PA YA! is the infamous towel waving. Also there is a golden (unwritten) rule.. one NEVER EVER sings along with Su, the audience sing the Moa/(Yui) parts. Very much a call and response thing I guess.

[@Erik6706]

@@blacksilver1106 So true. And do not forget "Kiero" in Headbanger... 😊

[@emb5091]

The girls go hard like this on every song, except for any slower ballads, which I know this concert has one for sure called "Akatsuki (Unfinished Ver.), and their concerts are often 1-1.5+ hours long! They often have concerts on back to back nights, and have done shows 3 nights in a row before. They once did 2 concert nights in a row in Japan, then the next 3rd night in Europe! Also, if you think a real injury or fall during a performance will stop any these girls...you would be completely wrong...both Moa and Yui have continued to dance and sing even while injured and doing their best to hold back the pain or not have an obvious limp.

[@ndox9009]

Su , Yui and Moa is learn and trained to sing and dance at LIVE performance. their solo live performance is around 80 - 90+ minutes and from before the door open to the end of concert the energy and the hype never goes down and the next thing you know you lost few calories.

[@chrismartino3519]

Su and the girls know they are great... that's why it comes off that way

[@joselitopapa5245]

BabyMetal is Addictive... HUGE Babymetal fan here from Philippines

[@nikkel6793]

i know its 2 years late to tell you what you already k ow by now. su metal was born in 97 i beleive. she is the fox god legend. i get to see them live in september and im so exited to finally get the opportunity. ❤

[@KenLavigne]

Enjoy the show - it is sure to be amazing :)

[@hardencrater5142]

Yes, listen to the crowd, that's Yui and Moa's doing. Yes, listen to the singing, Yui and Moa ensures Suu can focus to it properly. Yes, look at them panting and sweating, relentlessly moving. They did the heavy liftings, dirty works, absorbs the hate, standing in front of their carrier singer and band, like a shield. Not in the back like common backdrop dancers. Yet, it sadden me that far too many undermine their contribution. As a rule of thumb, no one should undermine the hardworking people just because they are not in the center of the limelight. Not the two girls in the sides, not the band, not the sound engineer, not the lighting crew, not even the babybones. They brought something enjoyable, and we can feel that. They touch people in different ways that we may not think of. Just my two cents :)

[@lynn4840]

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK

[@autohmae]

Thanks for the reaction, you are right, Babymetal is electrifying, it's not just a gimmick they are very professional performers and at such an early age too ! How they do it in part is because of combining old Japanese/rock traditions, in large part Yuimetal and Moametal show the audience what to do. And the audience knows their role to join in with Babymetal. :-) The stopping is no problem, as long as you have things to say. I would rather see/hear you have more to say, do nerd-out as much as you want ! Their are more than enough people out there doing (Babymetal) reactions who have nothing to say about things like that. Su-metal does it live, which is a great part of why she is respected in the metal community. Babymetal's first concert at a metal festival in the west (outside of Japan) many were afraid they might get stuff thrown at them, Babymetal is clearly very different from regular metal at first glance. But the music is real metal. If you want to see a song from that concert: Ijime,Dame,Zettai at Sonisphere on the official channel. Yes, they were 14 and 16 at this show, but no this wasn't the first song, because then they wouldn't be sweating this much. :-) If they were sweating that much that would probably imply they can't last the whole show (although some shows they had a venue which was very hot in general, at least one time they had a venue with broken air conditioning).

[@piotrtoborek2442]

I heard that once in USA they had venue with broken AC, they did the show anyway and Moa was hospitalized overnight due to heat-stroke

[@autohmae]

@@piotrtoborek2442 Yes, the LA show is the one I was thinking of. Some other really hard shows: Cologne, Germany in 2016 (very high air pressure because of hot summer day and rain later that day) and Italy 2015 (hottest), Mexico (less because of heat, but because of altitude). And Makuhari Messe, Chiba in 2015 (don't actually know why they were sweating more than otherwise).

[@reneeijgenhuijsen3]

A breath of fresh air to the genre. For me that's spot on. I'm a huge prog metal fan since decades. Still listen to bands like Rush and a lot of old stuff. When I first heard Babymetal I found it interesting but not interesting enough. Some years later I 'discovered' them again and what I liked was what you said; a breath of fresh air to the genre. Something new and exciting. I went to their concert and I have to admit that this was one of the best performances I've ever seen. Pure energy, fun and involving the crowd. People are a little a strange when it comes to their participation. That's what make them them!

[@MsDinazavr]

I liked your reactions to this group very much. Wish we continued

[@worldofgreenhell]

what a great reaction video, also great BABYMETAL performance

[@noir371]

That breakdown has gotta be face melting live

[@zenithtb]

I cannot imagine someone 'pelting' Babymetal with *anything* during a concert; their remaining life-time would be measured in seconds...

[@TheLeomarti]

And yet it happened, but I don't know if they're still alive to talk about it :-D

[@alanaor]

Rondo of Nightmare is great

[@axelmartinez7318]

Now akatsuki live in budokan please💖

[@cixelsyd40]

No Rain, No Rainbow really shows off Su's voice.

[@3lmodfz]

I was with Babymetal throughout their rise to popularity in the western world, started at The Forum in London, to Brixton, then Wembley and finally Download.

[@hugovergara4507]

Excelente! Please Check Rondo of Nightmare with intro mischief of god. Súper power SuMetal's solo. Increíble!!!

[@honorarythamesman5732]

And I and a few thousand others were very privileged to feel that "sonic wall of sound" here, in London last February! I suggest a couple of Su's solo numbers next , namely 'Rondo of Nightmare', including Mischief of Gods intro by the Kami Band and 'Akatsuki'. There are so many others I want to suggest, but this will do for now! Great reaction btw

[@Bones12x2]

"A breath of fresh air to the genre that is fun" That really is the best and most simple way of describing why Babymetal is successful considering that actually describing them is quite difficult otherwise.

[@facufeg86]

Nice vid! Hope to see you doing more BabyMetal songs 🦊👍

[@tiaopiak]

"Megitsune" (メギツネ,) was released in Japan on June 19, 2013 as the fifth single from the album Babymetal. It is also the first single released independently from the idol group Sakura Gakuin. the full music video, directed by Takuya Tada (多田卓也), uploaded to the official Babymetal channel on June 4, 2013. When this video was release Su Metal was just 15 (16 if don't count birthday) while Yui Metal & Moa Metal was 13 (14 if don't count birthdays). Unlike screams in traditional heavy metal, "Megitsune" is filled with festival chants by Yui Metal and Moa Metal like "wasshoi" and "sore sore", while Su Metal sings in the melodramatic style of enka. Commentary from BabyMetal for this MV: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qommdGxpid2npNk The music video was shot on location at the Asagaya Shinmei Shrine in Tokyo; it is now a popular spot for Babymetal fans from outside Japan to visit. The three members are shown dancing in Noh theater. In the last chorus, The song contains lyrics such as "from the time of birth, women are actresses" which reflect on the song's theme of women remaining strong when living with their varied facial expressions. The song relates foxes, which disguises themselves for deception in Japanese mythology, to women, who disguise themselves with makeup. According to Su Metal. foxes are similar to women as they can keep their true feeling hidden, even through hard times, leaving a cool impression. The last chorus contains the phrase "underestimate [maidens] at your own peril" (なめたらいかんぜよ, nametara ikan ze yo, literally "if you underestimate, it would be regrettable"), which is also famously said by Masako Natsume's character in the 1982 yakuza film "Onimasa"; whether or not this was intentional has never been confirmed.

[@METALSKINMETAL]

True essence BABYMETAL FOREVER 🤘🤘🤘 All hail The Fox God

[@coratisongames]

I definitely agree with the suggestion of Ijime,Dame,Zettai - Live at Sonisphere 2014,UK or Shanti Shanti Shant, BxMxC would be an interesting one too!!

[@CotoneyeKim]

I subscribed....... would love to see more Babymetal or some Ningen Isu, good song of theirs is Heartless Scat

[@ferr44]

I would love if you'd check out Su-Metals solo song "No Rain, No Rainbow live Legend S BaptismXX" It's Su's 20th birthday show in her hometown Hiroshima. It's a slower song than usual for Babymetal, it's a very emotional performance. I think you would really like that. But beware: the video tends to get copyright blocked but if you cover up/obstruct the on-screen video you should be fine.

[@boranblok]

Your post song commentary had me look up some things. Opening song was headbanger, this song was 8th in the lineup. As to why they can command such a stage presence. At this point in time Babymetal was already active for 3 years, first as a sakura gakuin subunit, but these " Legend" shows were them actually spreading their wings and separating themselves a bit from the idol roots they grew out of. What I mean to say is they are very, very, professional performers at this point in time. And they only got better at it.

[@richdandanell2911]

Check out HEADBANGER next from the same concert Legend of 1997 !

[@CoolClearWaterNM]

Watch the old flick 'Teahouse of the August Moon' and you will hear the original Japanese classic that is echoed here. AWESOME!

[@yukikokikuchi9525]

She said “Don’t mess with me” and kicked us in the face. It was a famous line from an old Yakuza movie, Kiryuin Hanako no shogai”

[@athmaid]

You can say what you want about their over the top stage performance but they are so talented, not just Su but all three. And now they have a really good live band as well

[@zahidurrahman2869]

ok sir, to get more of Su's voice ... you need to react to - BABYMETAL- Akatsuki (unfinished version) - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKjWmqGjrbmrmNE BABYMETAL- Rondo of Nightmare - kzbin.info/www/bejne/boildZyCgrONmac

[@jemshd9800]

Next Baby Metal ''Headbanger" live japan brooo 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 Thanks from indonesia 🇮🇩

[@njones420]

Nice to hear a nod to the devils tri-tone :) Not heard anyone pick-up on that before.

[@eSkiSo]

Babymetal's "Headbanger" from the same concert and also "Catch me if you can" are pretty awesome. "Death" is also great but not may singing for you to react to. (plus a a lot more songs XD)

[@RVREVO]

Megitsune was blessed in a Shinto ceremony. Its their good luck charm and will feature in most of their concerts

[@fuuta0320]

Look at this BABYMETAL - Headbanger Live @ Legend 1997 Apocalypse

[@krainbow9629]

I love your Next

[@blacksilver1106]

Megitsune is one of their big crowd raisers.. yes Su sings live (though they make use of backing tracks alot to add vocal layers in places). There is a standing joke about her. Some singers train by running on a treadmill then stepping off and singing, Su sings while still running ON the treadmill. I have seen them live 3 times and it is high powered energy for an hour at a sprint. Su commands a stage like very few singers I have seen, and even fewer at such a young age. This girl has been trained as a model, actress and then a singer.. she has been on the professional stage since about 6. By 16/17 she had 10 years of stage experience.. (No circle pit in Megitsune, this is a jump song :D) Two suggestions - if you want to understandf the song try this video by AJ Hartley (Author, Shakespeare Professor and massive BABYMETAL fan). He analyses the context and lyrics and his videos are always fascinating kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3e9kJeKfshkacU And as a vocal coach, perhaps Su's finest solo vocal performance performed at her 20th birthday concert. She performed this sng a few times when the originally debuted it (guess she was around 16) but she decided she lacked the emotional depth to perform it to her own satisfaction and so shelved it until she performed it on her Legend S concert for her 20th birthday (coming of age in japan) kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnXKoqJsm8ifn7s

[@mattm6865]

Hi Ken, love your reactions to these fine ladies :) I hope you do more soon, I'd like to second the suggestion you react to Rondo of Nightmare @ Budokan black night. One of my favourites for Su's vocal performance.

[@dartaiasen]

Awesome reaction, and there’s already a ton of comments so I apologize if I’m repeating anything here. The concert was named after Su-Metal’s birth year and was performed the day after her birthday on December 21. The statue in the background actually plays a significant role later in the concert during the last song (Babymetal Death) but I won’t spoil what happens, that you’d have to see for yourself. The singing is live, as you pointed out. The band, however, is not. At the beginning of their Babymetal journey after forming during their time together in Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin, Babymetal played to back tracks for both singing and instrunments. During this show the final 3 songs were done with the backing of their actual live band, the Kami band, but this song was done without them. As you are a vocal coach, I would absolutely love to see you react to a song called Akatsuki, specifically the performance from a concert they did at Budokan called Black Night. It’s a solo song for Su and you really will have a lot to pick apart there vocally.

[@soulmask2781]

The background lore around babymetal is that the band was formed by the Fox god and they take his/her power to perform, this song is directly about this fox god and you can see it means a lot to them. Also, the oriental riff is Sakura Sakura, a traditional spring song about cherry blossoms in japan and what japan often uses in international events to symbolize japan.

[@skyfirezn]

the circle pit is called a Mosh pit and they are great at starting them at most of there events from what I have seen.

[@robertbradshaw8246]

I suggest Ijame Dame Zettai Live from Sonisphere 2014

[@rockerfella8122]

I'll see you in the Babymetal Pit,Ken!!🤟🏼🤟🏼

[@monkut]

For a great vocal performance by sumetal, you need to checkout the recent babymetal first take monochrome piano version. would love to hear what you think of her clean and clear vocals on that performance.

[@robertpetre9378]

The melody at the beginning of the song is a piece of traditional Japanese music called Sakura Sakura it translates to cherry blossom.

[@MegaHogzilla]

The most impressive vocal performance from Su comes from my favorite Babymetal song, BxMxC. I didn't like the song at all when I first heard it, but it refused to be denied and eventually won me over.

[@skepto-o-punk8286]

That “intro” is an extremely well known Japanese folk melody that is typically player on a Koto which gives it all those scale tones you mentioned (the “demonic” tritone).

[@HellenKillerProject]

These were just moving to recorded tracks. I believe it was at this set or venue they started to perform with the live band. It is a good set with Su-Metal sacrificed on a cross. Guitarists from DRAGONFORCE were on the first album and brought then on stage on a few huge shows that Babymetal couldn't get signed because the were a "little girl band". So they have a pretty good history since then and have number one in USA. It is amazing the bands that have taken them in and toured with Babymetal. I think the cutest is the Painkiller and Breaking the Law done with Rob Halford from Judas Priest!

[@keio9216]

【Pure energy.】 is very impressive word

[@cm724]

If you want to get more background on the song check out Andrew Hartley's video on Megitsune. It's very informative.

[@Wombatmetal]

"Otome wa nametara ikan zeyo.: Maidens shouln't be underestimated. This is what the show is like from start to finish. The opening melody and the breakdown are from a centuries old much loved folk song "Sakura Sakura". There's a lot of symbolism in the song. Legend 1997 is a reference to Su's birthday, this concert was a celebration of her 16th birthday. The term Legend they apply to special concerts. Where is the circle pit? One of the intersting things abou Babymetal is watching everything evolve. This concert was performed before they played in the West. When they played in the West, fans saw the pits form and then when they play in Japan, now you get circle pits. And the Western fans see how the Japanese fans interact, and they pick that up. These days every concert is an international event, there are fans that cross the globe to see them play. Babymetal approaches each show as if they are going into battle, they are going out to work and win the fans over and bring everyone together as one, irregardless of nationality or language. That is their mantra. A good song to follow up with is No Rain, No Rainbow - Legend S version. That is from her 20th birthday celebration btw I subscribed

[@noelroberts9118]

Has anyone suggested Royal Thunder? Specifically the NPR's Tiny Desk concert video? Mlny Parsons voice is so good