Starting October, we will be featuring a different OC.com registered member every other week and asking them about their personal experiences with Dir en grey! Please keep on checking your inboxes because you may never know~ you might be the next featured OC member!

Meet Rosa, a 17 year old girl who is from Chicago, IL. Apart from focusing on getting good grades in school, she also dabbles a bit in the arts through writing, music and dance.

But for Rosa (TheBlindAssassin), discovering and listening to Dir en grey was a liberating experience for her. Growing up in Chicago, a different culture from her own, she had to deal with a huge amount of hurdles in her life. She has learned many good lessons about life but what lingers in her heart are the wise words of a young man, who, just like herself had a dream and wanted to spread his wings and fly.

We don't know what lies ahead for her. But what we all know is that all the stress and problems in her life can be overcome by her inner strength, thanks to Dir en grey.

1. Please tell us something about yourself. What else are you into?

Well my name's Rosa. I’m 17 years old living in US Chicago, IL. I’m very nerdy and take my education very seriously. I love taking pictures of random things, finding the perfect angles in everything (or imperfect in some cases :P). I also love writing although I admit I’m not very good :P. I love music in general and am learning to play the drums, took violin when I was in elementary school, and am learning the piano in high school. I am open to all kinds of music, rock is my main squeeze but my sister listens to a lot of rap and r&b  so I kind of like that. I love oldies music too! (Guns and Roses, Def Leopard, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles) I could swear I was born in the wrong era :P.  I love dancing , I’d like to think I wouldn’t be an embarrassment to dance with at parties :P The most obvious interest is Dir en grey :D

2. How did you find out about Dir en grey?

My friend got me really into anime and such (I used to think it was all stupid and for little kids). When, I found out more about Japanese culture I realized that most of the cartoons I was watching were from Japan. After feeling stupid for a while I started listening to VK (Visual Kei). I was on YouTube and Yokan was in the suggested videos box so I clicked it and it was love at first sight! :P

3. What was your first impression of Dir en grey?

Well I had always loved weird things and I instantly fell in love. I had seen other VK (Visual Kei) bands so I knew they were guys, well except maybe Shinya, I had to double check haha :P. I loved the up-beat music. I feel like such a new fan though since I just completed my first year of Diru fandom L I swear if I had known about them sooner I would have been a fan years ago but unfortunately I didn’t hear about them till late Nov. 2008 which mean I missed them when they came to Chicago in 2008.

4. What were your first impressions of the members?

I was jealous! I couldn’t believe how beautiful they looked. I though “I’m a girl and I can’t even look that pretty!” haha But I loved them the flashy, gory videos were awesome. They did make my head hurt every once in a while ;)

5. Who is your favorite member? Why?

Man this is hard. Well I would like to say that Diru is the very first band I have come across in which I love ALL the members. They all fit each other and their instruments perfectly. I am in love with Toshiya, I have one of those celebrity crushes on him. Also, I thought he was the most childish. I love that in people. I am very self conscious around older people or people my age so I often act like a child too and spend my time with people younger than me. Also, I’ve always thought the bass was a very under appreciated instrument. Toshiya does it justice and I can clearly hear him in every song.

6. Has your view of each of the members changed over the years? What questions do you still have that are still unanswered about the members?

Kaoru: I used to love how he would act all badass and call to the crowd. Ah and those videos of him jumping into the crowd are priceless XD! To me it seemed like he got very serious very quickly, like from one day to another. He is an incredible guitar player! I love how he plays I love watching live videos because you can really see the technique.

Die: I think Die was and is a complete party animal. I would love to  hang out with him it seems like I would have fun :D. I don’t think he’s changed much, I think he was probably the one who changed the least. I love how he plays guitar. I know very little about guitar but compared to Kaoru it seems he plays more out of style then technique.

Kyo: I love Kyo, but he seems to have been a bit happier back then during VK  and then he got depressed ( I hated him cutting) and now he is calmer. His voice is amazing! What really got me into Dir en grey were the lyrics, they paint such beautiful pictures in your mind right? (Well the sad romantic ones :P like Glass Skin) I wish I knew Japanese because I think that some meanings were lost in translation and I want to know his message directly not through someone else.

Shinya: I think Shinya opened up more. I think that he would be the one I would talk with comfortably. He seems very grown up but childish at the same time. I think he would be the easiest to approach out of all the members. Plus he is my idol! I remember when you guys did a member of the week on rottingroot and he talked about Shinya’s playing. I remember reading and totally agreeing with everything he said. Shinya might not be considered the best drummer in the world but when you listen his drumming is so complicated! I haven’t even tried learning a complete Diru song because his grooves are so intricate especially for a beginner like me! I also remember reading that one of the other members said when Shinya plays he calculates everything. I love technique drummers and I have yet to find another drummer who amazes me as much as him. When I grow up I want to be Shinya :P.

Toshiya: My favorite member. I loved how he used to play around so much. I loved watching him and Die gang up on Shinya it was hilarious but now Toshiya seems very reserved. It’s like he’s too serious it makes me sad L. It looks like he’s angry all the time now. From interviews I’ve read about him I love his view on life. I try very hard to follow his advice on not letting others influence you so much and to have a sense of self because I am very weak at that and let others tell me what to do and make decisions for me.   

7. What was the very first Dir en grey album or single that you bought?

Well I just got Withering to Death not too long ago. I don’t have a preferred album but I will listen to one album more than the others from time to time and I just happened to have some money during my Withering to Death period so I bought it :D.

8. Please rank Dir en grey's albums from your most favorite to least favorite.

Kisou

Gauze

The Marrow of a Bone

Uroboros

Withering to Death

Vulgar

9. What are your favorite songs? Why?

My favorite forever no matter what will always be Yokan. It was the very first song I heard from Diru and it’s very special to me. It was during a very confusing time of my life with school and people and family problems so whenever I hear it, it reminds me that I made it! :D after that the rest of the songs are: Cage, Repetition of Hatred, Glass Skin, Hydra -666-, Kodou, Fukai, 24ko Cylinders, Garden, dead Tree, etc. (I love all their songs really, I just put my mp3 on shuffle :P)

10. Have you ever seen a Dir en grey live? If so, please share with us some great memories that you have of any Dir en grey live that you've attended!

Unfortunately I didn’t know about them when they came to Chicago in 2008 but I already have my ticket to go see them on the 16th. I wrote the countdown on a calendar in my room. I can’t wait! I’m even thinking of skipping school just to get in line but shhh don’t tell anybody :P

11. What do you think is the most unique thing about Dir en grey?

Their whole existence is unique. The way they get along with each other, the music they produce, the type of people they are; everything is different. Out of other bands I know, they are the only ones that have stayed together actively for so long. Also, they are many bands in one, each album is a different style and genre all together. All you need is Dir en grey and you’ll have every rock genre in your mp3 haha :D

12. How did you find out about Orchestrated-Chaos.com? What would you like to see more in Orchestrated-Chaos.com?

I was just browsing for Dir en grey fan sites and you guys popped up! It is the best fan site I’ve ever seen! You guys are awesome. Well if it wouldn’t be too much to ask, could you please translate some of their older songs because I can’t find any translations for Unknown…Despair…a Lost. Please :D

13. Do you have any plans for the future?

Well I’m currently applying for college and I’m very stressed. I plan to major in international business and study Japanese in college and study abroad. Eventually I plan to live and work in Japan. I also plan to study music production on the side (it would have been my main career but my counselor convinced me otherwise). My parents are very traditional Mexican parents and don’t want me to leave home to go to college but I’m going to do it anyway (thanks Toshiya for the advice on making your own decisions!).  

14. Do you believe that Dir en grey has touched or greatly changed your life? If so, in what way has Dir en grey touched or changed your life?

I have always been a very strict person. I used to be somewhat of a goody goody. I always did very well in school and it became my priority. I always followed what my parents told me to do like a good kid and never got out of line. In my case it was essential to do so. I had no room to be tempted by bad things especially in my neighborhood. Not to say I live in the most rundown and dangerous neighborhood out there but we do have our share of drug dealers and gangsters running around with guns every now and then. The reason I could not mess up was because my place of birth was Mexico. I came into the US illegally at age two. I had been living a very strictly ruled life for about 15 years. There was no room for me to get involved in anything bad because the government would take any chance they could to deport me. I couldn’t possibly go to Mexico, I had grown up in the US. I knew Spanish, it was my first language, but writing it correctly is a different story especially since English had been drilled into my head my entire school life, which I was devoted to by the way. Because of that I tried not to go out much with friends and stay away from places I knew were trouble. This meant a lot of days at home doing nothing. Dir en grey helped me liberate myself, especially recently with so much stress. I would come home and just lay in bed listening to their music. Because of them I was interested in something. My parents didn’t approve much but they understood my stress and just let me be. Because of Shinya I wanted to play the drums, I wanted to create something. I feel like I’m being overdramatic but I feel a something in my chest whenever I listen to their songs. I don’t know what Kyo is saying but I feel it. I take his voice as an instrument. Now I have become a legal resident but Dir en grey helped me out during those moments of anxiety waiting nervously in lawyer offices and finally being able to see my country and relatives after 15 years. Everything was so beautiful, I looked at my country’s scenery while listening to Diru songs and I couldn’t stop crying. They helped me out of a stressful, emotional situation. Now I am more outgoing, I am more myself. I am me.

15. A message to other Dir en grey fans.

Let’s keep supporting them! I’m sure we all have our stories and problems and Diru probably helped us all so the least we can do is keep supporting them and get them more fans!

I’m sorry for writing so much! Thank you for taking the time to read! And thank you Risu and all the OC manager people I was very honored to fill this out!

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