History PlayingWith / VisualKei

** A VisualKei artist's lifestyle (see Deconstruction) becomes the plot point of a crime drama or medical drama.

* '''Deconstructed''': The dark underbelly of VisualKei is thoroughly on display and it's DarkerAndEdgier than ever. The need for money and inability to get money via normal work driving everything from CompensatedDating to {{Yakuza}} involvement, DarthWiki/SoBadItsHorrible performances focused more on visuals and {{fanservice}} simply created to keep bringing the {{fangirl}}s and money in as opposed to any artistic merit, the worst excesses of SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll, everyone's at best a FunctionalAddict and at worst TheAlcoholic or OffTheWagon, everyone is in some way TheMentallyDisturbed, FanDumb and HateDumb drive the fandom, the only way to live is to keep shoveling in the cash, the only way to die is DrivenToSuicide, NeverSuicide, or becoming terminally ill. VisualKei is a CrapsackWorld that no sane artist would even want to consider.
* '''Reconstructed''': All of the above exists, but it isn't to the degree that [[{{Demonization}} some]] [[EveryoneIsSatanInHell say]]. Some artists do legitimately make money either via their art or via more acceptable ways than prostituting themselves or organized crime (As one example, in TheNewTens, anime and video game music licensing has benefited some Visual Kei bands, along with some commercial sponsorships). For varied reasons, the Japanese scene is beginning to decouple from the {{Yakuza}} and VisualKei artists may not even know or care about them one way or the other outside of Japan. A fair percentage of artists do indeed care about art and that is why they've chosen the genre. The worst excesses of SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll are beginning to ebb, with some artists going sober and others becoming aware of danger, if not sober. VisualKei has become, for better or less, somewhat self-supporting, and non-Japanese scenes are bringing in new artists, new styles, and more creativity.

** A VisualKei band or artist that is [[GiftedlyBad so]] [[SoBadItsGood bad]] that it becomes SelfParody. {{COLOR}} may have been an early version of this, Maria Cross's videos are almost certainly this.

** Someone asks if a band or artist is VisualKei. This often invokes InternetBackdraft as well, so it's not a good idea.

** [[CaptainObvious The musician or artist is a fan and admirer of Visual Kei and wants to do it for himself or herself.]]

* '''Inverted''': A Japanese rock band that loathes VisualKei and doesn't think anyone related to it is a "real artist." Sigh and Music/LArcEnCiel would be good examples among others ([[SubvertedTrope though both bands have used and are still using visuals]]), as would the majority of the 80s metal scene such as it was that saw then new bands such as XJapan and SEIKIMA-II as OTT and damaging to the image of "real metal."

** A VisualKei band, obviously, though some exceptions exist there - generally toward the LegacyCharacter side. (If a member of a VisualKei band is vital to it and chooses to drop the style, he may well remain a member depending on how vital his skills or his name is to the band. Pata in XJapan is a good example of this - saying he is currently VisualKei is stretching the trope to its limit, but he is the surviving original guitarist, his skills can't be replaced, and he is vital to the band, so most fans are more than willing to overlook that he no longer is technically "visual."

* '''Reconstructed''': All of the above exists, but it isn't to the degree that [[{{Demonization}} some]] [[EveryoneIsSatanInHell say]]. Some artists do legitimately make money either via their art or via more acceptable ways than prostituting themselves or organized crime. For varied reasons, the Japanese scene is beginning to decouple from the {{Yakuza}} and VisualKei artists may not even know or care about them one way or the other outside of Japan. A fair percentage of artists do indeed care about art and that is why they've chosen the genre. The worst excesses of SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll are beginning to ebb, with some artists going sober and others becoming aware of danger, if not sober. VisualKei has become, for better or less, somewhat self-supporting, and non-Japanese scenes are bringing in new artists, new styles, and more creativity.

* '''Exaggerated''': [[Music/HidetoMatsumoto hide]], {{Gackt}}, and similar artists whose ''entire life'' is VisualKei to the point that it is nigh impossible to determine any line between performance, identity, lifestyle, and more.

** The musician or artist doesn't necessarily like VisualKei but realizes there is money to be made there. More common in the old days - VisualKei is most definitely NOT a moneymaking venture in and of itself in most places as of TheNewTens. However, VKB48 was an attempt at this.