Genre: Documentary, JRock
Duration: 01:35:19
Released: 25 April 2017
“Constantly asking, ‘Why am I here?’ What am I doing in this world? ”, I seem to be looking for a reason to die. That’s why I drum like there’s no tomorrow,” Yoshiki Hayashi, co-founder of one of Japan’s top rock bands, X Japan, says at the beginning of the film.
X Japan, as the name suggests, is a very Japanese band – the film tells about honor, dignity, attempts to enter the Western market and the fact that at any moment in life you must be ready to fulfill the will of the emperor. The band is all praised by critics, brief appearances by Stan Lee, Gene Simmons and Marilyn Manson bow their heads in reverence, fans go crazy for them, but it’s not really a movie about success or getting everything you want in life. “We Are X” only initially shows the preparations for the band’s big show at Madison Square Garden. Yoshiki talks about the death of his father and does not hesitate to show his visits to the doctors, only sometimes refusing to talk about too personal. Toshi, vocalist and longtime friend of Yoshiki, candidly answers questions about his time in the sect and the times he had to leave the group. The rest of the participants rather remain in the background – but only in order to emphasize this story of many years of friendship that has survived the death of loved ones, breakdowns, misunderstandings and quarrels.