soft visual kei

Soft visual kei is a vaguely defined sub-genre of visual kei (a type of Japanese music). Instead of elaborate costumes, the bands wear clothing "off the rack" and have simple, natural makeup. It is what people tend to think of when they think of mainstream or major visual kei, but it is very different from typical visual kei. The most important aspect of the music is the melody. The style pretty much died around the year 2000, when visual went back to having an independent focus. Sometimes shortened to "Sofubi."

Bands include Siam Shade, Glay, Sophia, Janne Da Arc. Contrasts with kote kei.

Calling "soft visual kei" bands a form of "visual kei" seems to be a marketing move more than anything; they don't have the same dark focus or elaborate costumes of other bands.

soft visual kei by Mahiro July 20, 2008