#Hiro’s got a lot of things contributing to his brother and friends

[artz16]

The Sons of the Mastermind

What I think of for Hiro, Kiyo, and Michi in Mastermind Takaaki AU by @brainfilehasstoppedworking

I dunno if Kiyo, as Taka’s twin, meant to be apart of it, but here’s his design anyways!

[chinchillasinunison]

Im beggin you to give me some ishimaru-hagakure-owada fam headcanons

Oh gosh THANK YOU I was looking for an excuse to talk about this

Okay..... so basically every combination of the six except for Mondo and Taka and Yasuhiro, Taka and Hiroko, and Hiro and Takaaki met before Hope's Peak Academy

Hiroko and Takaaki were aquainted in highschool (and Takaaki low-key had a crush on her) before she got pregnant with Hiro and Toranosuke forbid him from interacting with her because she was a "negative influence" and they fell down separate paths

Hiro and Daiya were part of the same class when Hiro was actually supposed to be in highschool. Daiya didn't go to school much because he was so busy with the gang but they were still pretty good friends, they just drifted apart when Daiya stopped going altogether

Takaaki arrested Mondo once or twice and was one of the officers at his and Daiya's accident, while Hiroko was one of the nurses who attended to the brothers while they were at the hospital

So how does everyone reconvene? Okay, so a little bit into the semester (after Taka and Mondo start dating) there's this award ceremony at Hope's Peak all of Class 78 is required to attend, and they each get a plus one. Of course Taka, Mondo, and Hiro choose their respective closest family members. Taka thinks it's a great opportunity to introduce his dad to his boyfriend.

He tries to introduce them with Daiya there, while Hiro and his mom just happen to be nearby. It basically devolves into a five-way Spiderman pointing meme with Taka in the middle like "??????????????"

Hiroko and Takaaki and Daiya and Yasuhiro jump right back into things as if nothing happened and let me tell you Mondo and Taka feel like they accidentally stepped into a different timestream, they're so baffled

Anyways yeah Hiroko and Takaaki catch up and soon start dating and eventually get engaged

They get married too over the summer but it's not a big ceremony they just do it at a courthouse then go home lol

Taka is thrilled with the development and started calling Hiroko "Mother" as soon as he heard about the engagement, he never knew his mother so it was a very easy switch for him to flip

Hiro is worried of course, he can literally see the dozens of ways this can go wrong, plus he remembers his douchebag dad so he's afraid his mom may get hurt again, but he warms up to Takaaki quickly and eventually calls him "Dad" instead of "dude" and "Mr. Ishimaru"

Hiroko and Takaaki don't take one or the other's last name or combine and hyphenate (despite the name of the AU), both because they didn't want to deal with the hassle of changing their names on all their paperwork and Takaaki didn't want to risk Hiroko getting harassed about the scandal

Anyways, more generally...

Daiya and Yasuhiro were very casual about starting their relationship, they were just watching TV together one night and Daiya was like "hey dude you wanna kiss?" "...yeah sure"

They space out while listening to music together a lot

Daiya and Mondo are very respectful of Hiroko because they drink respect women juice daily and call her "Mrs. Hagakure" but they call Takaaki either "old man" or "pig" and he's like "well I've been called worse"

Daiya's right leg got majorly fucked up in the accident (instead of kicking Mondo away from the truck's path he rammed into the side of his bike, forcing them both off the road) and he walks with a really bad limp. He should honestly use a cane but he doesn't for a while because he's stubborn (Hiroko convinces him otherwise).

Yasuhiro turns Takaaki on to aromatherapeutic stuff with his incense and so he treats himself to nice scented candles and lotions with that fancy new two-person income because he's Stressed All The Time and maybe he deserves to smell like a honey cashmere glow (whatever the hell that means)

One time they were at the mall and Hiroko lost Takaaki in a Bath and Body Works because Taka called her for backup as Hiro was getting suckered by a random kiosk salesperson and she ran out of the store to help while Takaaki was absolutely Lost In The Sauce and she didn't realize he wasn't with her

This is just me projecting but it's my AU so whatever: Mondo is nearsighted and needs glasses badly, he just doesn't realize it because he thinks that's just how everyone sees. His eyes struggling with distance actually contributed to why he doesn't do well in classes and drives recklessly, besides the delinquent culture he grew up in and his general attitude. He puts them on for the first time and is like "OH OKAY SO WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO SEE ALL THE LEAVES ON A TREE, IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE A BIG GREEN BLOB? THANKS FER TELLIN' ME THAT, ASSHOLES!" Yasuhiro is farsighted (haha get it because he's clairvoyant) and they both get vision tested and their first glasses around the same time. Hiro jokingly calls them Glasses Buddies and Mondo is like "if you weren't dating my brother I would punch you in the throat".

Taka teaches his step brother and the Diamond Brothers how to cook because they cannot live the rest of their lives off Cup Ramen, he will not allow it

Hiro really, really wants pet chickens but Takaaki won't allow it until he's out of school to take care of them. It's a surprisingly good motivator for him to actually try this time. And having Taka constantly on his butt, but this time with Brotherly Concern™, helps.

[graylinesspam]

I’ve had this idea for a Soul Eater Drag racing AU for going on a year now, the problem is I have no plot line. Like literally I have an evil corporation, integrated antagonists, protagonists, backstory, and life goals. BUT NO DAMN PLOTLINE. So I’m gonna drop my notes below and see if anyone wants to adopt the idea, partner with me to write it or even just encourage me to do so, I just feel like this idea has to be out there.

Blackstar (Blake Estrella)

drag race rookie called monkey. Reps gas monkey hardcore. Drives barefoot and uses both feet. Big ole ears. Works at Sid’s shop. Drives a bike named Nebula. Low key Maka named it and painted it. A beutiful galaxy design with a gaudy burning star searing the right side. Also building a classic truck from the ground up. Notorious for wearing out his brake pads and smoking the track. Also called mouth for obvious reasons. Spends his free time working in a food truck.

Kid (Dean Mortimer) A rich boy comes down to the slums for some thrills. Tries to establish himself as a racer but doesn’t want to take the risks to win. Has a record of coming out of every race scratch free. Calls himself Grim and his dodge challenger is electric calls it Beelzebub. Blue underglow lighting for that good esthetic. keeps his ID on the low but like doesn’t even change out of his suite to race.

Patty Kid’s personal mechanic. Runs around covered in grease stains. Helps out other racers too, mostly when not asked. Some kind of megalomaniac mechanic genius. Literally builds random shit. Amazing street artist too. But mostly just sticks to illegal graffiti. carries snacks in her pockets. is never seen without her pack. people are straight terrified of her. Sometimes makes offhanded comments like “don’t be afraid to disagree, I don’t leave bodies in ditches anymore.” or more likely “you look just like that guy I shot”

Liz kids personal “trainer” slash girlfriend. Keeps patty in line and runs off anyone trying to figure out his identity. Runs interference with the feds. Also acts as a personal assistant. Works for death tech during the day and spends her nights with kid downtown. Lives on energy drinks. Usually seen wearing shiny or patterned fitted tops. Dark or leather pants and a fur-lined jacket hanging off one shoulder. With cowboy boots. Also proper secretary wear. Used to race bikes and was a bookie before kid got ahold of her. Still has some major respect down in the slums. used to work the neighborhood across from Madusa’s territory. 

Tsubaki Bike racer. Hits up drag races sometimes for extra cash. Works as a small-time business owner. Sells clothing to drag girls. Hand made and good quality. Organizes an annual DRAG race. as in for all our crossdressing racing queens.

Maka Works in bike maintenance. rolls around the bike and car shows. Mechanic. Self-taught to fix just about anything. Builds custom pieces in Sid’s shop. Literally takes a couple days to study up for custom requests. Had to start to pay bills when her mom left. Races very occasionally when she really needs the money. Some call her broadway cause she’s got a thing about musicals. Acts part-time in local shows. Uses her winnings to pay off her dad’s gambling debt. Also just to keep a roof over his head. Trying to fund her way thru nursing college. Doesn’t realize death tech is crooked when she applies for their scholarship. Arachne ends up using it against her.  mostly loves painting cars. you need a good paint job you hit up Maka. lives in her overalls. literally owns like two drawers of clothes so she has her racing clothes, school clothes, or work clothes. 

Sid Owns a garage on the low side. Gets paid really well to keep his mouth shut about races. Keeps his business real legit. Doesn’t gamble or ever get directly involved in the races but most riders know if you need something you go to Sid. Both Maka and Blackstar work in his shop with Hiro and Harver. He’s Ox’s usual mechanic. No criminal record but is always on the radar since he’s got straight scary connections. Members from both gangs who happen to participate in races go to Sid. It’s a no conflict zone. In fact, there’s a drop-off, pick-up, policy. No loitering. 

Nygus

parol officer. Married to Sid. Lives above the shop with him. She spends most of her time working with the kids in the area that have gotten themselves into some bad shit. Is really against the gangs. Is real serious about cleaning up the neighborhood. Anyone trying to get out of the life goes to her. Additionally, she has a don’t snitch policy with the gangs. She watches her kids and dead-end druggies but doesn’t get involved with the politics. The bosses leave her alone and she keeps her mouth shut.

Soul Lives out of his brother’s studio downtown. Trying to get a place of his own. Takes the train down further into the dregs to make money. Not good at holding a job but he can race well enough. Has a classic Harley Maka eventually supes up for him. Keeps his bike in Kid’s garage so he doesn’t have to lug it around with him. Wes doesn’t know and definitely wouldn’t approve. Is pretty new to the scene. Childhood friends with Kid and the only one besides the twins who knows his ID. Calls his bike Etta but not many people know. Mostly refers to her as baby. Also has some serious art skills. Maka tries to talk him into becoming a tattoo artist but he can’t afford it right now. Refuses to take any more of his parent’s money. 

Stein Old drag race legend ends up the illegal doctor everyone goes to see when they aren’t hurt enough for the hospital. Definitely crazy. Dabbles in mechanics. Drives around in a crazy truck that looks like six different vehicles welded together. Some call him the butcher. Damn can that monster race too. Sometimes he just shows up to races to crash them. Doesn’t bet or make money, just shows up and destroys everyone else. Is a voodoo doctor. Will literally give you a bag of chicken feet to out under your porch. But also good at stitching up cuts. 

Medusa A bookie who fixes races. Gets Crona on the track with his twin Ragnarok. Their bikes are Apocalypse and the end. Lives in the territory of a gang called the witches. Used to be an active member. You can’t really leave the gang but she’s not contributing. Wasting her time trying to cheat people out of cash.

Arachne Medusa’s boss. Brought her into the gang. Keeps people off her back but calls in favors she cannot refuse. Is chairman for Death tech, one of the world’s leaders in medical technology. Has doctors on back order. Technically funding stein’s research but doesn’t know he’s experimenting on kids. Gives poor people free treatment in exchange for being a guinea pig for new tech. Lots of people in Death City work for branches of death tech. Racing on the tracks and drags ways is perfectly legal but gambling or making money off the races is not. Also street race cross over and gang involvement makes it all more dangerous.

[arkus-rhapsode]

for the send me a character ask i want to know what do you think of chelia, lyon, mest and wendy from fairy tail ?

Chelia

During her intro I thought “oh it’s another loli with sky powers because apparently we needed more of those” but then I was surprised because Chelia vs Wendy actually turned out to be a good fight. Like this is what I’d expect from God Slayer vs Dragon Slayer, I liked Natsu vs Zancrow and thought it was good but this fight felt more evenly matched. Chelia really just kinda fell into ehh area with me because she wasn’t doing anything to annoy or bother me but she’s not really doing anything at all.

Now my tune changed ever since the timeskip, her developing a relationship with Wendy bringer her character more into the limelight was a brilliant idea, expand outside the guild not just for their characters but also FT members characters. Granted I wish we got more a back story on Wendy and Lamia Scale so we actually understand what the timeskip did for her but also how she and Chelia got close.

I like that Chelia while more confident then wendy isn’t some super prodigy at her magic, it makes the idea of her and wendy being friends and pushing themselves forward a very believable one. In fact in chapter 475 the cover page had the caption “A friend is one to share laughs and tears with, a rival is one that’ll push you to your limits, and one that’ll do both is called a Best Friend” is one of my favorite captions not just in FT but in manga. That’s why, while we get moments of affirmation of their friendship, I wish we saw more on how they became friends.

Chelia also gives her magic for her friend, that was when it really seems like FT is a story about friendship giving up something you love to keep the ones you love around you happy. Plus it was a permanent sacrifice which is truly astounding and why I think Chelia is one of my favorite characters in FT.

Lyon

Talk about a guy who I’ve liked since his intro. He always seems like a great rival character to Gray. When he was introduced he came off as not evil just so focused on one thing he couldn’t see around him and I can’t lie I’ve known people that have gotten like that. His redemption isn’t even really a redemption. He still is a rival just less antagonistic.

He also comes off as someone seriously minded and competent. He is one of the few characters outside FT in the OS arc who got to do something come crunch time. While some didn’t like how he seems a lot more lax since the 7 year time skip, I think it’s okay. He hadn’t had Gray around so he could focus on other things, he didn’t stay “Must be better than Gray and FT” no he Matured into someone who cares about his guild and Gray, even though his rival, isn’t the most important thing in his life. He grew up. Granted since the tieskip I don’t think we’ve really gotten a moment to fully dive into him like pre time skip but when he is on screen I’m still interested to see him.

I loved the Ur historia fight that it brought up the fact how Gray is constantly moving and looking to prove himself, Lyon has just been stuck. It’s honestly a great full circle of his character, again the pacing and screen time devoted to the Ur fight was horrid so that lost impact, but overall I really like Lyon.

Mest

Ugh… Is all I can say. When he was introduced I liked the mystery but god did he become stupid. Okay on the one hand I was really okay with there being a person outside of FT having his own ambitions and getting screen time but damn is he not interesting. He just sits back for a while and is captain exposition as Doranbolt.

While in Tartaros he got to do stuff but still really didn’t contribute. But if it ended at tartaros and he was just some council member seeking revenge I’d be “i didn’t care about him but at least someone outside of FT did something”. But then we get Mest.

Mest is an idiot. He does nothing but be captain expostion but this time apparently he’s crazy too. I think what Hiro was going for was he’s willing to go an extra step to far for the guild but instead he comes off like a psychopath. Doing possibly the dumbest thing in the series of stabbing August with Brandish and thinking that a knife would put down the king of magic.

Overall, as both Doranbolt and as Mest, I really don’t care for them.

Wendy

Okay, I like all of team natsu but Wendy is probably my least favorite out of them. Now that’s not cause she’s done something stupid or has an annoying personality, no, it’’s more her story can be done for anyone.

In terms of development she has gotten quite a lot but the thing is that development she has is so close to the heroes journey that it’s not all that interesting. Once again it’s not a bad thing, no it’s actually pretty cool seeing her gain confidence and punch out Ezel. But the development of being this person who has no confidence to has confidence, while endearing, is one that I’ve seen a lot of times.

However, I do think her journey of just being a support type to a full fighter is really nice. It shows not only growth in magic but also the gradual personality shift. It’s nice to see Wendy stand up to people who once she’d cower in fear from.

As I mentioned with Lucia before, nothing is wrong with simple development, it’s just this kind of simple characterization was one I never really liked. But as a character I love Wendy’s relationship with Carla and what it opened up in development, and I like the big brother-little sister relationship with Natsu. Also she has been portrayed as very capable.

So overall, I like her just not as much as the other character’s in team Natsu (okay I like her more than Happy and Carla)

[japanessie]

Hey! I found your blog recently and I also just started listening to MFS and I really like their music. I'm a bit lost as to where to start to learn more about them and their motivation/thoughts behind their music since it's been a couple years since they've debuted. What would you suggest?

Hello (^^)v Welcome to the fandom.

I’m guessing you probably discovered them through their more popular songs like ALONE, 不可逆リプレイス or the more recent ones like Missing You. Firstly, too many people get caught up in singer Hiro’s family relations and ignore the other members. So, I would highly encourage a new fan to NOT follow that crowd XD

There are basically 4 aspects to MFS that all fans need to know OR you won’t understand the band and what diehard fans talk about:

1. Band members & the personnel changes.2. Their musical roots especially the main songwriter Sho Tsuchiya + their twin band named fromus.3. Hiro’s lyrics in relations to his life story.4. The important people in their team especially their boss GEN, A&R exec KTR (Kentaro Suzuki) from Japan Music System (JMS) & circle of friends. Also, their earliest mentor K ( Kei Goto) the late singer of Pay Money To My Pain (PTP).

BAND MEMBERS

1. Sho Tsuchiya ~ leader, guitarist, main composer (currently only functions behind the scene & as a non-touring member)2. Nob @ Nobuaki Katou ~ bassist3. Teru @ Teruki Nishizawa ~ guitarist (many like to categorize him as rhythm guitarist when Sho was in but I personally disagree because he played both lead & rhythm guitars even from the 1st album)4. Kid'z ~ drummer (officially joined on 3 Mar 2016)5. Hiro @ Hiroki Moriuchi ~ vocalist, lyricist6. Masack @ Masaki Kojima ~ drummer (officially left on 3 Mar 2016)

Note: MFS current members “deactivated" from public social media in early 2016. So, don’t bother looking XD

PERSONNEL CHANGES

Sho’s hiatus:Sho remains as a member. He announced his hiatus in October 2015. I won’t call it “inactive" like some people do because he’s still composing with them and most recently served as the Sound Producer for ANTITHESE. He’s just not a touring member for now. He didn’t give specific reason other than family matter.

Drummer change:Masaki didn’t state why he left but it looked like he didn’t want to be tied down to only one genre of music. He was active playing outside MFS before his departure. So, he probably wanted that musical freedom even though he loves MFS. But his decision was enough to badly crush the two youngest members at the time, Hiro and Teruki, from what I observed. Those two younger men were still emotionally dealing with Sho’s hiatus at that moment.  Kid'z is their friend / labelmate who had always got along well with Teru & Hiro. He had worked together with Sho & Nob before too. Co-incidentally, his band officially split up in Nov 2015. So, he was the natural choice to replace Masaki. But Kid'z was drumming as a sessionist musician for singer ナノ(nano) at the time MFS took him. He stopped using his real name and took on a stage name Kid'z* after that. 

* I personally don’t use his real name in public anymore out of respect for his decision. Understandably, he was initially worried about MFS fans’ reaction. Also, it was and probably still is an awkward situation for him regarding his former bandmates when their band split up and he went to their biggest rival band just a few months later. So, I chose to respect his wish to start anew.

THEIR BEGINNING

On my blog so far, the interview that tells their formation year story the most is this one from GEKIROCK.

MFS GEKIROCK Interview March 2016 Translation

The band did describe how they got together in this video interview around minutes 01:42 to 02:58.

My Japanese listening ability is not up to that point yet though, sorry. Hiro explained how he and Sho met at a PTP concert. Couldn’t catch what Sho said about Hiro & Masaki with the music playing in the background :-/ Hiro also said he and Teru knew each other when they were high school students. Well, the GEKIROCK interview is a pretty good picture of their history.

FOR OLD PHOTOS of MFS, check out these places:

My First Story Unofficial fanpage on FBMy First Story Thailand fanpage on FBex-drummer Masaki Kojima’s Twitter @kojimasa 

THEIR TWIN BAND fromus

Ignore whatever musical comparison people made about them and OOR. The real band to compare MFS to is their real twin band fromus, a piano-rock unit. I made an entry about them here.

http://japanessie.tumblr.com/post/140215899677/meet-fromus-mfs-real-twin-band

I personally feel that musically, MFS first two albums are the direct guitar edition fromus. Just take MFS, change the singer & then the guitars to piano. You’ll get fromus.

OTHER MUSICAL INFLUENCES

They do have influences from old school hard rock & metal. Sho and Nob are already in their 30s. Both men said they started on guitar with British rock legend Deep Purple’s Smoke On The Water. Guitarist Teruki grew up with a heavy-metal-music-loving father and would often cite Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica as his early influences.

DISCOGRAPHY

If you want to see their musical & lyrical evolution, try to listen to their songs chronologically from the 1st album to the current work.

Albums & Singles

1. MY FIRST STORY ~ MV Second Limit & Take It Back2. THE STORY IS MY LIFE ~ MVs The Story Is My Life & The Reason3. 最終回STORY (Saishukai STORY)4. BONEDS (a joint 4-band project in which they contributed 2 songs)5. BLACK RAIL ~ MVs Black Rail & FAKE6. 不可逆リプレイス ( Fukagyaku Replace) ~ their breakthrough song IMO7. 虚言NEUROSE ~ MVs 虚言NEUROSE, Child Error & Someday (lyrics MV available on Livehouse iOS App & STORYTELLER website)8. ALONE ~ MVs ALONE & 失踪FLAME * 9. ANTITHESE ~ MVs The Puzzle (exclusive for STORYTELLER members only), Missing You (there’s another STORYTELLER-only version too) & Last Call

Update: 12 Jan 2017. Sorry I forgot the MVs from the ALONE single XD

They also have a special 2-track single dedicated to band leader Sho Tsuchiya, released to the public at the Budokan called:

We’re Just Waiting 4 You (available at MAGIC ROOM while stock lasts)

DVD Collection so far:

1. THE STORY IS MY LIFE Final at Shibuya Club Quattro (bundled with 最終回STORY) ~ the only official DVD released when Hiro still sported his natural black hair colour.2. The Ending of the Beginning at Ebisu Liquidroom.3. BONEDS Tour Movie (with AIR SWELL, BLUE ENCOUNT, SWANKY DANK).4. ITSUWARI NEUROSE Tour Final at Shinkiba Studio Coast.5. MFS at A.V.E.S.T. Vol.9 (released as a free bonus for ANTITHESE Pre-order)

TIDBITS Info (^_-)

Hiro called 虚言NEUROSE creation process as “creating a human-like superhero" & the sound as “listening to the radio in the city“. Does that make any sense to you? LOL. Read what he said in this interview:

Hiro’s Interview with Rockin’ On Japan magazine Jan 2015

HIRO’s LYRICS

Sho let Hiro be in charge of lyrics writing from the start (from an interview for Yamaha Music).

Hiro comes from a famous family thanks to his parents and his successful brother. As a result, he was heavily thrashed on the internet by people who disliked his “easy entry” into the music industry. Hiro used to be very active on Twitter but the criticism against him soon turned into cyber-bullying. I personally had seen the cruel things people wrote about him on Japanese 2ch forum.

I can only guess what happened that drove Hiro to leave social media. Other than abusive online comments, some people probably took advantage of his Twitter presence by sending inappropriate messages or even being intrusive about his brother Taka’s personal life. He tweeted an angry response about 2ch on 14 Feb 2013. Then he wrote on his blog on Ameblo (now deleted / deactivated(?)) that “people’s words can hurt". A few months later, he tweeted “I started blocking fucked up people" in English. Not long after, he tweeted his final tweet “Goodbye forever" and abandoned Twitter in Sept 2013.

He then channeled his anger through the song BLACK RAIL in 2014. He explained it in this interview.

Hiro MFS Rolling Stone Japan Aug 2014 Interview Translation

From then on, a lot of his lyrics reflected what he was going through while writing them.

It must be noted that the special project singles ALONE & 不可逆リプレイス (Fukagyaku Replace) were written for the themes of those projects. Hiro talked at length about ALONE around its release and there are a bunch of them that I posted on this blog.

For details on ALONE Project with HAL College, read these posts:

HAL Project Special Musician Interview with MFS Translation

MY FIRST STORY Flying Postman Interview Translation

Hiro’s ALONE Blog Translation

What is HAL Project & HAL College?

不可逆リプレイス / Fukagyaku Replace was made for the historical anime Nobunaga Concerto. Interesting to note that Hiro wrote the lyrics not from the main character Saburo’s point of view but the other guy Michi. The lines, “I don’t know why but you saved me ………… “ all the way to “I will follow you ….. keep you close to me,” were directly inspired by what Michi said to Saburo in the finale or Episode 10.

The lyrics of Someday are for the late K.Hiro said in Kaohsiung, Taiwan that “This is a very important song to me,“.

His blog entry translation on K’s death

ANTITHESE Lyrics & Hiro’s personal stories

The Puzzle & Tomorrowland are about his heartbreak over Masaki’s departure.Home is about his family who split up after his parents divorced.

IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN MFS TEAM1. GEN ~ boss, owner of INTACT Records, owner of Zephyren, organizer of AVEST Project, formerly of Subciety clothing brand.Twitter : @Zephyren_genInstagram : Zephyren Gen2. KTR (Kentaro Suzuki) ~ A&R + marketing exec of JMS, marketing exec of Deviluse clothing, regularly seen at MFS video shoots and concerts.Twitter : @kkktttrrr, Instagram: Kentaro Suzuki3. The late K @ Kei Goto ~ vocalist of Pay Money To My Pain (PTP), mentor in MFS early days.4. Nori (producer), Makiko (merchandising) but she’s better known now as the lady who covered Rassungorerai with Hiro XD

* Update (Jan 2018): I believe Makiko is not in the staff team anymore but she remains a close friend. Here is the YouTube link to the video of her and Hiro.5. Japan Music System (JMS) ~ the music distribution company specializing in indie music and the one that markets/promotes MFS musicYouTube Channel: JMSTVOnline shop for bands’ merchandise: MAGIC ROOM ONLINE STORE

5. Circle of friends among many:  Shirakawa-san (SAKAEYA clothing shop manager) ~ the members regularly visit his shop.Twitter: @sakaeyatenchonano, SWANKY DANK, AIR SWELL ~ artists they had musically collaborated with.

The funny interview with Hiro & KOJI about the Sink Like A Stone collaboration in which Hiro admitted the song’s high notes were difficult to sing is here.

STORYTELLER Fan Clubhttps://xxxstorytellerxxx.comAll MFS members let go of their individual public social media after the club was launched in 2016. If you’re interested to join, feel free to ask questions on how to do that.

In case you have an iOS mobile device ……..

JMS created a Japan-only iOS App called LIVEHOUSE where they feature videos from JMS artists. The videos vary from live performances, interviews, behind the scenes etc. However, if you create a different Apple ID specifically for Japan iTunes account, you can still download the App and watch those videos even if you don’t live in Japan.

*Update (12 Jan 2017): You will then get to watch videos like this one!

**Update (15 June 2017): JMS decided to stop the App by 31 May 2017.

Lastly yet very important, don’t believe any ridiculous claim about Hiro and his brother Taka hating each other because they don’t. You’ll find such comments at some point, I’m sure. These two brothers love and support each other away from the public eye and rightfully keep their family relationship private.

I hope that will give you a good start (^_-)