NINGEN ISU - HEARTLESS SCAT Music Video Reaction (Japanese Rock/Metal) 1ST-TIME REACTION

[@tonygriffin_]

They've been making excellent Metal for about 30 years. Their lyrics (which are available on the CC button) are always deep and meaningful. They are dressed as a Yakuza (drummer), a monk (bassist) whose blackened mouth possibly signifies he is also mute, and a late 19th/early 20th century schoolteacher. Not sure why.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Yeah, we heard that they've been around for a few decades and never reached the height of popularity that matches that talent. We don't yet know what the rest of their work is like, but this song is AMAZING! Also read about their appearance/outfits. It seems it is just a gimmick they chose to go with, but I (Itai) could be wrong on that. More Ningen Isu to come. Stay tuned! Thank you for taking the time to view and engage, Tony. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@tonygriffin_]

@@myindieprodentertainment Japan is a treasure chest of musical jewels. There's some film of them playing live and they are very impressive musicians.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

@@tonygriffin_ We are quickly finding out that Japan is "the gift that keeps on giving". With regard to Ningen Isu, we look forward to going deeper into their work. Definitely stay tuned! Thanks again for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@Wirmish]

Only 23 albums... They all have real jobs. They play in their spare time.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

That is truly amazing. We know that they've been around for a while, so 23 albums is impressive, yet believable. Them doing this in spare time and having "other" day jobs is almost unbelievable. Going on this song alone, they deserve much more recognition. We look forward to covering more of their work in upcoming episodes. Thank you for taking the time to view and engage, Wirmish. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@martinashfield8973]

The lyrics to this are great, very meaningful.

[@dudleysmith4394]

"Ningen Isu -- Human Chair" is based on the title of a Japanese short story, "The Human Chair" written by Rampo Edogawa. Under the influence of those creepy stories and poetries of Edgar Allan Poe, Edogawa wrote many stories to unite Western gothic and Japanese sensibility. The Human Chair is one of his short stories, and it is written as a letter sent to an actress from someone she does not know. The letter is a kind of a confession of a man who was driven by his weird desire, this guy made a comfy chair that was so big that he could hide within. While he was in it, he could virtually embrace anyone who sat on the chair... Creepy, but you can find somewhat tongue-in-cheek feeling in it.

[@smward87]

Originally he hid inside the chair inside an upper class hotel so he could come out of the chair at night and steal peoples belongings. It was there he saw the actress and had his chair (and himself) delivered to her house. It's a really fascinating story.

[@SuzakuX]

Side note: Edogawa Rampo is roughly the Japanese pronunciation of Edgar Allen Poe.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Indeed a fascinating story and an added dimension to this band, who chose the story title as their name. These guys are intriguing as they are talented. Thank you, Dudley and all who replied here, for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@DianaRussia531]

Love these old dudes

[@twoffo]

Thanks for the reaction to a great band. I've been a fan for 5 years now and I'm still discovering hidden gems in their extensive discography. The two songs @dragon vert mentioned below (Namahage and At the Mountains of Madness) are excellent choices for next reactions, for a variety of reasons. Just know that At the Mountains of Madness is over 11 minutes long but it is sheer atmospheric bliss, with a bonus appearance of a theremin. Shinji Wajima had the lead vocals here but the bassist Ken-ichi Suzuki is just as often the lead vocalist, and the drummer Nobu Nakajima has taken the lead in a few songs. All have their own vocal style.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

We can't wait to find out! Definitely intrigued about these guys. Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@WanderlustFilmsLLC]

I am mind blown! They're so good!

[@myindieprodentertainment]

They are truly amazing! Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@21wisefool78]

彼等のバンド名、Ningen isu (Human chair)について注釈します。かの偉大なEdger allan poeをもじってEdo-gawa Lanpo(直訳するとwandering around Edo-river)というペンネームの有名作家の作品「Ningen isu」から採用されたものです。内容はある美女に恋した家具職人が彼女に自作のソファを贈りその中に潜んで、其処に座る彼女の肉体の質感を秘かに堪能するという猟奇的な物語です。Lanpoは日本で最初のミステリー作家と呼ばれています。

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Yes, an interesting band name with an interesting story to it. We briefly commented on it on our first Ningen Isu reaction episode (for Heartless Scat). Amazing band! Thank you kindly for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@dragonvert3633]

Their lives! Ningen Isu「Namahage」LIVE (人間椅子/なまはげ) kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIbZfKipnpVog6M NINGEN ISU / At The Mountains of Madness (人間椅子 / 狂気山脈) Live 2016 kzbin.info/www/bejne/epi3dn6ljs10jsk

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Added to the list. It might be a while, but we'll try to get back to this band as soon as we can. We are overloaded with requests, but we keep plugging along... 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@tackle47]

Those 2 tracks live are absolute musts for this band

[@myindieprodentertainment]

@@tackle47 We hope to find out soon! Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@socrateos]

Thank you for reacting to my favorite band!

[@ralphboyer2538]

These guys have been around for 30-40 years, and never made it big. They lived in tiny one room apartments because that's all they could afford. With the emerging recognition of Japanese metal, they are finally getting the recognition they deserve. Without Babymetal, BandMaid, Lovebites, etv. they would still be unknown. And that would have been a shame. They seem to be gaining a very big following in the metal club scene in Japan. You've got to admire their focus. They could have quit many times, but they kept doing what they love. And it's starting to pay off for them. And they are incredible musicians. I love these old boys!

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Yes, it is mind boggling that they have not experienced greater success in such a long time, considering how talented they are. Regardless, we're glad to see that it is finally happening and hoping to do our little part in helping that wave continue. We've been raving about them to anyone who'll listen. Thank you for taking the time to view and engage once again, Ralph. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@PsycheOS]

Japan's Black Sabbath. Love them.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

@@PsycheOS As do we! Awesome band!

[@DavidMISAMISAMISACook]

Ken-ichi Ken-ichi Ken-ichi!

[@grahamreed8774]

This is for real. Going since the 1980s, one of the top classic rock bands in Japan. I have a couple of their albums including the one with this song on it.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

A fantastic band. We look forward to covering more of their work on the show. Stay tuned! Thank you for taking the time to view and engage, Graham. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@gelangweiltertyp9365]

"becaus this is special", "this is diffrent", "It's my favorite since we startet doing this thig" and he's only listening to heartless scat. let's see how many inches his jaw drops, when he listening to namahage, odoru issunboushi, mountains of madness, apple's tear or ghost train

[@myindieprodentertainment]

We'll get to those at some stage as well. We found out about Ningen Isu as this song was requested. We're very glad that someone requested it and introduced us to this awesome band. Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@andreadee1567]

That was awesome. 🤓 I knew that track before and enjoyed once again every minute.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Hi again, Andrea! I (Itai) have been listening to it on repeat since we did the episode. Love it! Thank you for taking the time to view and engage once again. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@danwhite9644]

These guys have been around since the late 80s they have some really good songs

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Yes, and we are looking forward to hearing more of those awesome songs! Can't wait! Thank you for taking the time to view and engage, Dan. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@matthiasnolte3817]

Love your reaction! I saw them live in Bochum Germany 2020. And they were great great great !!!!

[@tackle47]

Would love to see you guys respond after reading the lyrics. This song is deep, sorrowful and uplifting all at once.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

It is unlikely for us to get back to a song we've already covered as we have so many others on the list, but we'll talk about it. We've had a look at the lyrics and they are, indeed, very interesting... Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@TheApilas]

The guitarist and the bassist founded the band 1987 when they were in school. They both sing lead/backing vocal. They mostly sing in a older local dialect 😂 The basist is inspired by Gene Simmons and that shows in his style on the stage. His image is of a ghost if I recall correctly. The guitarist is very of old traditional Japanese culture and that shows in the way he is dressed and the lyrics he write. The drummers stage persona is of older style of Yakuza gangster 🙂 ( it's been a while since read about these fellas)

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Yes ,we heard similar things about the band, both in comments and by just reading up on them a little online. Very talented and intriguing band. We look forward to diving deeper into the work. Stay tuned! Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@starlightmm]

always check if there is a title, the lyrics of this band is so meaningfull and poetic

[@maxmaidiac2237]

AMEN.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

We understand, but we chose to try things a different way and react to the music. The way we record the episodes does not allow us to make use of the subtitles, but we've been contemplating checking out lyrics before recording an episode. We'll give that a try and see how we go. Thank you for the valid feedback and for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@paul_zwift_RR]

Absolute legends 🙇‍♂

[@myindieprodentertainment]

They are indeed. What a fantastic band!

[@mikeg.4211]

The lyrics were available translated on closed caption.

[@user-zr4xc3yt6q]

Love this grandpa metal, it's sound awesome 😅❤

[@myindieprodentertainment]

It really is AWESOME! We can't wait to react to more of their stuff and see if the quality holds. This song is off the charts awesome! Absolute 🔥🔥🔥!!! Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@TheApilas]

Many younger Japanese rock and metal bands are inspired by these fellas 🙂

[@myindieprodentertainment]

As they should be. These guys ROCK! 🤘😁🤘 Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@ericdarlington2332]

very cool i am with ITAI time to move to Japan

[@mikye8876]

you have good sensibility and sense

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@Greish-esquire]

Yeah! Japan's Sabbath 🤩🤣

[@myindieprodentertainment]

It's a shame they are not as successful as Sabbath. These guys deserve to be huge! Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@domeniclocalzo9498]

Very well orchestrated.

[@timgove5337]

I was interested to hear Nemophila livestream (from a hotel in Texas last week), the drummer and singer both credibly repeated that they love Ningen Isu (named Human Chair after a creepy story). On the other hand, I was disappointed to learn that “those old guys” are only 2 years older than me. But they’re childhood buddies that have gone by Ningen Isu since they were 20ish in 1987. The bassist is so comfortable, he’s always campy. And the drummer seems to be stuck in 50s fashion 🤷‍♂️ otherwise tho, they’re serious; the lyrics are in such literate & slightly archaic language that even Japanese can’t always figure out the poetry (Fuki of Unlucky Morpheus does that too, tho more literary, less street…) Could be interesting if you visit Japan… “Itai” means pain ?!, specifically used like “ouch” 😮

[@maxmaidiac2237]

DURING THE 50s, 60s AND 70s THE JAPANESE YAKUSA LIKED TO DRESS AS EARLY ELVIS. THE DRUMMER IS SHOWING RETRO YAKUSA STYLE. PLEASE WATCH, "ONE PUNCH MAN". ITAI LOOKS LIKE THE HERO.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

These guys are truly intriguing. We look forward to covering them more and learning more about them. It seems that they are dressed as a Yakuza member (drummer), a monk that is perhaps ghost or zombie, possibly/maybe (bassist), and a late 19th/early 20th century schoolteacher. The only thing I (Itai) could gather so far is that this is a gimmick they chose for themselves to stand out as a band. There might other reasons I'm just not aware of as yet. As for "Itai" meaning pain/ouch in Japanese, I'm well aware. Back in my early university days I had a Japanese housemate who thought it was hilarious... 😂 Just for general knowledge purposes, the name is actually from The Bile (First Testament) and is a fairly common Israeli name. Thank you for taking the time to view and engage, Tim. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@myindieprodentertainment]

@@maxmaidiac2237 Thanks for that! Do you have a link for us? 🙂

[@pinoypower69]

🤘🏽LOVEBITES RULES🤘🏽

[@bernardoesperanto3194]

It's a pity that most people react (only) to "Heartless Scat". Great song, but for more typical stuff, please, try "Odoru Issunboushi" (Live in Tokyo 2014) kzbin.info/www/bejne/nILFeoqKi8lqp7s and the MV of "The Snow Woman" kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2WWgndthrusj8U

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Added those to our list and we've also received requests for other songs of theirs. We are definitely intrigued by this band. Stay tuned! Thank you for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@bernardoesperanto3194]

@@myindieprodentertainment Thank you for your kind answer. A few explanations on both songs might be helpful. "Odoru Issunboushi" (The Dancing Midget) is based on a horror story. The crippled midget lives in a circus. His task is to make the audience laugh through his clumsy dance. The other members of the circus disrespect and bully him. Hi fells in love with an acrobat, but she too makes fun of him and rejects him. In despair he kills her and set the circus on fire. The last laugh is the laugh of his revenge to his tormentors before the flames kill him as well. -- What makes the song so special, is that there is only a short introduction with vocals, before it turns into so called "programme music", that is an instrumental in which the instruments and the pantomimic dance of the bassist tell the story without lyrics. "The Snow Women" is based on an 500 years old Japanese fairy tale. A princess from the moon descents to the earth. She has magical power and can command winter storms and snow. She uses it to kill wrongdoer and protect innocent people. -- What makes the MV so special, is that it uses the breathtaking visuals of an b/w movie from 1967 - which probably will give you chills.

[@myindieprodentertainment]

@@bernardoesperanto3194 Thanks for that! We'll try to remember this when we get to these songs. I added these explanations to the request list to remind us. Much appreciated!

[@Hanno_Lamp]

Loved your reaction. I discovered Ningen Isu some time ago and by now I count them among my favorite bands. Another great song by them to react to would be "Toshishun" - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qny2m4qBebh1o9E . Since you mentioned that you like the classic setup of guitar, bass and drum, let me recommend another favorite band of mine, which actually has been at the absolute top of my list since I discovered them in 2020 - this would be The Warning, a Mexican powertrio of young sisters who play amazing rock music. The video of them performing their song "Disciple" in Mexico City last year - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaCToJeiobukbsk - would be a good starting point, but any song of theirs is worth listening to. Cheers!

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Thank you, Hanno. We have another Ningen isu episode coming soon. Stay tuned! 'Toshishun' and The Warning's 'Disciple' are already on our list for future episodes. Not sure when we'll get to them as the list is long and we do them by the order they came in, but we try to get to all requests sent in. Thank you so much for taking the time to view and engage. Much appreciated! 🙏

[@lito6242]

Do you guys have to react to another three piece metal band from Japan called Asterism… I recommend a song call Dawn live 2019…

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Asterism are our list of requests. Unless someone uses the Buy Me A Coffee option to bump them up, we will get to them at some stage. The list is massively long and we are trying to keep things fair by doing the "free" requests in the order they came in. Thank you for engaging! 🙏

[@mikeperkins3469]

Listen to Ghost Train by Nigen Isu on KZbin! 👍

[@myindieprodentertainment]

Ghost Train is on our list. We hope to get to it in the near future. Stay tuned! Thank you for engaging! 🙏