Sad Mask VHS

In 2000 (10th March) Velvet Eden released their PV collection Sad Mask. The PV's included were in order:

異形姫 (Igyou hime)
Confession
Sad Mask
A Lost
サーカス病 (Saakasu byou)
人形娼館 (Ningyou shoukan)
...And Schism
Maze
La Fin

The songs are all credit to Kalm in the DVD version. The PV version of  異形姫 differs from the album version as the last part of the lyrics is excluded (寄るもの全て傷つけるわ　泣き腫らしたこの目で  見るものすべて傷つける) and the song fades out rather than end as it does on the album人形娼館 (Ningyou Shoukan).
The VHS had a bonus item (appearantly), the 2 photos below. I had no idea about this personally, until I found them in a shop labeled as a first press items.

The VHS was re-released as a DVD in 2011 limited to the Russian market, as a result of their Russian tour. The DVD came with a booklet including old pictures and lyrics, even the previously missing part of the lyrics in 人形娼館 (Ningyou shoukan) was included.

Pictures from the DVD edition.

"We created monster

We created paradise

We created Sadness

We created cruel mask"

Street of Alice

I've been wanting to write something about this for a long time but haven't had the time, now finally I'm ready to share my thoughts and discoveries with all Velvet Eden fans about the link between the Velvet Eden song and the ero manga Street of Alice by Senno Knife!

In 2016 Dada announced Velvet Eden would make a collaboration with manga artist Senno Knife (千之ナイフ), the person who created the manga Street of Alice, which also inspired Dada to write the song of the same name. The origin of the song is that it was featured as title track on their first demotape from 1999, later it was remade to be featured just one year later as titletrack on their second album. The song itself has a sort of mysterious wibe, starting of kind of simple and then progressing really making you feel like you're going deeper and deeper into the world of Velvet Eden. To sum up the lyrics, there seems to be two characters, one obedient and one dominant (this is based on that there seems to be one of them inviting the other one into his or her world and wanting to introduce the other person to that, also offering him or her a key.
The collaboration announced was that they would make a music video to a Street of Alice song remake and the music video would be made by Senno Knife, featuring Dada and Chro as characters in the manga. This video was later given at a Velvet Eden live in Tokyo and released on a DVD togheter with their last cd Requiem.
One of the biggest reasons why I became such a big fan of Velvet Eden in high school was that I truly admired Dada creativity with his lyrics and how Velvet Eden wasn't just a band, everything was connected and helping telling these erotic, horror love stories. Dada's lyrics, Kalm's (or any of the other songwriters) songs, their performance and their costumes. So finding out one of Dada's official (I say official because with time I've found other sources I suspect has influenced Dada but he never mentioned them though) sources for inspiration I decided to dig in deep. He only mentioned that the manga was called Street of Alice, I assumed it was the name of the book so I searched quite a lot and found nothing. Later I realised it wasn't a book but a chapter in one of Senno's books called Sepia. I was lucky being in Japan so I could buy it straight from Amazon, I'm originaly from Sweden, probably one of the strictest countries when it comes to porn. When buying this book it acctually said it couldn't be shipped to my address which I assume has to do with the content, so I can't say if it's available for everyone to buy!
The book contains of 10 acts with different characters and stories, and then at the end you find Street of Alice and another story called Sleeping risky.

So, let me explain the story of the ero-manga Street of Alice! Our maincharacter opens the story by telling us that he woke up having his body stolen, and that it is not a rare thing in this city. He is now a skeleton walking the streets, so from the look it's hard to say if it's a female or a male body, the reason I know it's a male will show later. Anyway, he runs into a person walking in bandaids, and gets to know that this person had his body stolen the other day and he went back to the body shop (hehe) to find his body but it had been sold already so he ended up with another body. Our maincharacter then procedes to the body shop in hopes of finding his own body. He can't find it and ends up with a girls body. Walking out of the shop a car pulls up to him and a woman says she's been looking for her, "Alice". He jumps into the car and tries to tell the woman he's not the person she thinks he is. And soon after he sees someone walking the streets with his body. However, she does not pull over and they end up in a house where some hermaphrodite is greeting "Alice" back. He still tries to tell them he's the wrong person, he's not Alice. They then end up hanging him in chains, the hermaphrodite then says "Alice...you are our toy." and the woman in the car puts her fingers in his now vagina saying she will let him slowly with time remember. They will "give her her favorite toys" and as he screams they say they'll give her mouth a present (guess what:P). So in the next picture we see out maincharacter hanging from chains giving the hermaphrodite a blowjob while the other woman is lying underneath.Then we see our maincharacter sitting almost like from a 3d frame, and he's thinking that he's lost track of time, and that he has to run away before both his body and mind will become Alice, he has to go back to the body shop. The last page I have a hard time understanding to be honest, I first assumed it was our maincharacter still thinking but it doesn't seem right concidering what it says, so I think it's acctually a storyteller now. What the last page shows is car, but we can't see who's in it, and another person who's got a new body walking down the street. Last picture is that Alice, is sitting in the car and the text says Alice will probably be taken back again...again and again. We can see that when our maincharacter ran away, he was basically naked, the picture of Alice in the car shows she has bandaids again. My asumption is that our maincharacter got to the body shop and got himself a new body and gave back Alice body to the shop. The new person in Alice's body then, just like our maincharacter, was picked up by that couple and driven back to their house.In the video to Street of Alice, it is Dada and Chro which is picking Alice up again.

Link to Amazon.jp



I guess it's up to everyone to interpret the lyrics to Street of Alice the way they want to. If one pleases I guess you can see it as a song for the manga, aside from Dada's story.
I hope some might have found this interesting and useful, and I hope to add more entries similar to this in the future!

Sidenote:
Anyone else thinking this character looks a bit familiar? :P It's from one of the other stories in the book. The boy has a human sized doll he wishes to become human. His servant likes him and therefor dresses up as the doll making him believe the doll got life. They meet for nocturnal rendezvous and that's how the story ends. Even the story sounds a bit familiar... fufufu

Velvet Eden - 人形娼館

Ningyou Shoukan (人形娼館) is Velvet Eden's debut album. Released on the 10th December 1999 and contains 6 tracks. Lyrics are all written by Dada and the music composed by Kalm. As far as I know no special extras was announced. After Velvet Eden's comeback Dada has re-recorded the song Ningyou Shoukan and it was released on the Russia limited single La Fin. Hanauri Musume was remade by Chro on Double Twelve. The CD, and also in the booklet has an illustration of some sort of spider girl (my own words and thoughts) which is credited to Dada.

異形姫

肌寒い真夜中のアトリエで　異形姫は生まれた
嵐の夜　闇を裂く　雷で目覚めたわ
目の前には首を吊った意気地無しの人形師
悪夢の幕が上がる　震えが止まらない
こみ上げる悲鳴を必死に堪えながら
鏡に映った姿に立ち尽くしてしまった
少女はその悪魔のような美しさに気付く事無くただ自分を呪う
あまりに醜くおぞましいこの姿に
私を造ったあの人の残酷さが許せない
寄るもの全て傷つけるわ　泣き腫らしたこの目で
見るものすべて傷つける

Monstrous Princess

In the cold midnight in the atelier the monstrous princess was born
A stormy night, cutting the darkness, awakened by the thunder
Before her eyes hangs the timid doll maker by his neck
The curtain of the nightmare is raised, the shivering won’t stop
Desperately enduring the welling shrieks while the figure reflected in the mirror stands frozen
The girl doesn’t notice the beauty of that demon but only curses herself
Of the awfully hideous and repulsive appearance
I cannot forgive the cruelty of the person who created me I will hurt everything that comes close, with these weeped out eyes

__________________________________________________________________________________

サーカス病

笑い声を止められずに泣き出したピエロ
気の触れた猛獣使いのお姉さんが鞭振る
臆病な手品師は騒ぐ美女を箱に詰め
観客席には僕一人変なサーカス
恥ずかしがりやのぎこちない玉乗りの女の子は僕を見て
頬を赤く染めおいでおいでしながら微笑むよ
そう此処はサーカスなんかじゃない
君が泣き出して思い出す
手の施し様も無く蝕まれた僕は隔離され病室で
その時を待つだけ
最後のサーカスが始まるから君も見ようよ
泣かないでさあ最後の幕が上がるよ

Circus sick

Without stoping his laughter the clown burst into tears
The crazy girl animal trainer swings her whip
The timid magician packs the noisy beauty into a box
I am all alone in the audience in this strange circus
The shy and clumsy girl balancing a ball looks at me
Her cheeks turns red as she comes closer smiling
Yes, this is not a circus
You burst into tears and remember
I am beyond help eaten away in an isolated hospital room
Just waiting for that time
The final circus is starting so won’t you watch it
Don't cry, well the last curtain is raised.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Dance with Skelton

マリオネット　両手首
ハサミでその糸を切った夜
先程の絹糸で
蜘蛛の巣を編むその時だけは
女の子で居られるんですもの
Dance　with　Skelton
Listen Silence
See the Shadow...
蜘蛛の巣に誰かいる
蝶はもがいてきらきら光る
罪を憎んで蜘蛛憎まずと言うだろう
むしろ綺麗な羽根を憎むべきだ思うけど
月も夜空の星も見て見ぬフリをする
あなた好みの毒よお気に召すはず　めしあがれ
Dance　with　Skelton
Listen Silence
See the Shadow...
ふりまいた鱗粉で
この給の仕上げをしてくれている

Dance With Skelton 

Marionette, both wrists
The night when I cut those strings with scissors
With the silk threads from before
I weave a spiders nest and only at that time
Can I exist as a girl
Dance　with　Skelton
Listen Silence
See the Shadow...
Someone’s in the spider’s nest
The butterfly is shining while struggling
They say hate the sin without hating the spider
But I rather think you should hate the beautiful wings
Pretending not to see the moon or the night sky stars
A poison in your flavor, you should enjoy it, Drink
Dance　with　Skelton
Listen Silence
See the Shadow...
With the spread scales I will make the last finishes on my gift for you
__________________________________________________________________________________



人形娼館

悲しみの人形娼館へようこそ
いつかあなたがこのドアを叩くのは分かっていたのよ
恥ずかしがらずにわたしを求めて
幼いあなたが無くして気付いた
誰より愛しい可愛い人形
会わせてあげるわ　姿もそのままに
私はあなたを忘れてしまってるけれど
あなたはわたしを捨てたり出来ない　幾つになっても
分解・洗浄・形状ノ変更 **
メモリイセット・存在抹消
もう何一つ思い出せないから御主人様なんて言うわけないでしょ
口紅を指して背中のネジを巻く
あなたを子供にするために帰ってきたの

Doll Brothel

Welcome to the sad doll brothel
I knew you would knock on this door someday.
You ask for me without embarrassment
I’ve noticed that the childish you is lost
More beloved and cute than any other doll
I will let you meet me like I used to look
Even though I have forgotten everything about you
You cannot throw me away despite how old you get
Put me apart, wash me, change my shape
Memory reset, delete my existence **

I still do not remember anything so how can I call you something like my master
Point at the lipstick and wind the screws in the back
Because you have come back to become a child

**This line is not in the original CD booklet but can be found in the Sad Mask DVD.

__________________________________________________________________________________

「..............................」

毎晩　屋根裏部屋に彼は閉じ籠りながら

何も喋らないお人形に話しかけてる

「..............................」

気付いて欲しいの　孤独なあなたを　いつでも見てたわ

もうじっとしているのはいやなの

愛されて愛したい　おめかしして出掛けたい

どんなにそう願っても　この身体動かない

私の髪を撫で　悲しい願しないで

どんなにそうお願っても　歯車は動かない

私は哀れな関節人形

あなた無しでは　作り笑いも出来ない　哀れな操り人形

あなたがいなければ　恋もできない

ガラスの眼だから涙も出やしないわ 

願い事は叶うもの　鏡の奥からマダムが来て言いました

「おまえを人間の女の子にしてやる　契約書にサインを」

喜んで頷けば　頬を撫でられた

切り付けられた掌からは血が溢れだす　美しい眺め

彼もきっときっと喜んでくれる

魔法使いさんどうもありがとう

「..............................」

でもまだお人形のふりをするわ

どうかはやく来て私を抱きしめて

このぬくもりに気づかせてあげる**

  

 

「..............................」

 

Every night while locking himself up in the attic

He begins talking to the doll who won’t say a word

「..............................」

I want you to notice, I am always watching the lonely you

I don’t want to sit still anymore

I want you to love me and I want to love you, I want to get dressed and go out

No matter how many times I wish this body won’t move

Do not say your sad wish while stroking my hair

No matter how much you ask for it the cog-wheel won’t move

I am a sad jointed doll

Without you I can’t even make a forced smile, I’m a sad marionette

If you’re not here I can’t love

Because of my glass eyes I can’t cry

The one who can grant my wish, the Madame from inside the mirror appeared and said

“I’ll make you a human girl, sign this contract”

Gladly nodding, stroking my cheek

From my cut hands blood starts to flow, a beautiful sight.

This will surely make him happy

Thank you sorceress

「..............................」

But I still pretend to be a doll

Please come here quick and embrace me

I will bring this warmth to your attention**

**This line is not in the CD booklet but is sung.

__________________________________________________________________________________

花売り娘

花はいかがですか　花はいかがですか
ダメだ　ダメだ　今日も誰も買ってくれない
「花を下さいその薔薇をこの部屋に届けてね　また後で会いましょう」
花売り娘　花言葉を訊かれたその隙に
花売り娘　不意に唇を盗まれてた

白いシーツに滲んでゆく　赤い赤いひとしずく
首筋に蜘蛛のタトゥのマダムの部屋に
花売り娘　その日から誰も見た者は無い
花売り娘　彼女は何処へ消えたのでしょう

Flower girl

Would you like a flower? Would you like a flower?
No good, No good. No one bought a flower today either
”A flower please, deliver that rose to this room will you. We will meet again”
Flower girl, as she heard the flowerlanguage
Flower girl, her lips was suddenly stolen away

A red, red drop spreading on the white sheets
In the room of the Madame with a spider tattoo on her neck
Flower girl, since that day there is no one who has seen her
Flower girl, where did she disappear to?