This interview was originally published in Japanese on barks.jp. Translated by VK Chronicle.

Visual Kei Interview: Akatsuki (Allhouqan) & Saki (Amai Bouryoku)

On March 1st (Sunday), Allhouqan will host ＜束の世界 -SONOSEKAI- 2026＞ at EX THEATER ROPPONGI in Tokyo—their second time organizing the event in four years.

The event will feature MUCC, Kizu, DEZERT, and Amai Bouryoku. Each band shares deep ties with Allhouqan, the event organizers, and tickets have already sold out.

Ahead of the event’s opening, BARKS is conducting a series of dialogues between Akatsuki and the vocalists of each participating band. For the second installment, we’re joined by Saki of Amai Bouryoku. Both figures sing with raw emotion while maintaining a clever presence, steadily laying groundwork within the scene. We spoke with them about their initial meeting and the band’s recent developments.

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Q: With ＜束の世界 -SONOSEKAI- 2026＞ coming up on March 1st at EX THEATER ROPPONGI, I recall that at your year-end solo performance at Shibuya Quattro, you mentioned in the MC that “2026 will be more ambitious and aggressive.” In light of that statement, would it be fair to say that ＜束の世界＞, being held for the first time in four years, is an important place where Allhouqan is approaching things with this “aggressive ambition”?

Akatsuki: That’s certainly true. When we did the first one back in November 2021 at Zepp Haneda, it wasn’t just about wanting to hold an event ourselves—the COVID situation at the time had a major influence. There was this feeling we wanted to clearly express: how do we justify continuing to make music and do band activities when society was saying these things weren’t necessary for daily life? And back then, there was this huge element of “how do we sing hope from this situation?” But from there, regulations eased and live activity became possible again. When we did it in Osaka in August 2022 at Namba Hatch, it felt relatively straightforward. Looking at this current iteration after all that history—ambition definitely comes first. Of course, I’d hope it contributes to revitalizing the scene as a result, but in terms of order, ambition comes pretty far ahead.

Q: The performers for this event are Allhouqan, MUCC, Kizu, DEZERT, and Amai Bouryoku—five bands total. Saki, when you received the invitation from Allhouqan’s side, what was your initial feeling?

Saki: Akatsuki contacted me around last summer saying “wanna grab some food?” and I thought it was unusual. At first, I didn’t really understand why he was inviting me, what the main topic would be, or if he just wanted to go drinking. But when we actually met, he asked me pretty directly—”What do you think? How do you feel about your band?” So I shared my thoughts: this is how I think, this is how I see music and live performances. We talked back and forth about our feelings toward the band and all that, and eventually he said “If you’ve got that much passion, let’s do this together.” Honestly, I was just really happy about that. But there’s something I need to apologize to Akatsuki for…

Akatsuki: No, even when we talked in person, I said it wasn’t necessary.

Q: What is this thing Saki feels he needs to apologize for?

Saki: It’s about our drummer, Kei. He’s leaving after the February 15th live—his graduation live. At that point, when we grabbed food and decided on appearing at ＜束の世界 -SONOSEKAI- 2026＞, that hadn’t been decided yet. It’s not like we were intentionally hiding it, but I felt bad about how it turned out. At the same time, I have this strong feeling right now that we need to perform on March 1st with sincerity.

Akatsuki: Yeah, don’t worry about it at all.

Q: Though this might be a bit of a tangent from what you’ve both said, Saki’s words suggest something: would it be fair to assume that if Akatsuki hadn’t felt confident from your conversation, you might not have invited them to the event?

Akatsuki: Let me explain. Last year, after their tour ended, I invited Saki out pretty casually—just to say “nice work.” I wanted to know what kind of headspace he was in, what kind of vibe the band was operating at. Because my image of Saki and Amai Bouryoku had been that they’re constantly doing two things simultaneously: wanting to treasure Amai Bouryoku itself, and pushing themselves to transcend who they are. That suggested to me their aim wasn’t some obvious, widely-understood goal like just playing bigger venues. They seemed to be using their own unique measuring stick rather than some absolute standard, constantly sharpening themselves. I wanted to know if that was really the case. The timing was significant because I’d reached a point where I’d gotten some clarity on what I wanted to do with Allhouqan myself.

Q: So your own ambition had solidified at that point.

Akatsuki: Exactly. I’d come to accept what I was doing, and decided to go out there and get recognition for it. To use up every bit of my life for that. That’s why I decided to really commit to ＜束の世界＞ again. I wanted more people to discover us, to get more people fired up—that was the vector I was working with. So if Saki’s stance had been different in that regard, I’d have planned to invite them another time.

Q: So that’s how it was.

Akatsuki: So it might be heavy, but the feeling was—let’s keep motivating each other until one of us can’t move anymore. That’s what I was going for. But I couldn’t say all that directly, so I kept it loose at first (laughs). After talking and thinking “yeah, this is good,” then I said “come do this.” And about Kei leaving too—we’ve got member changes happening in our band too. Whatever the decision, if it’s a decision to move forward, I don’t mind it at all and I’m not worried.

Q: So you really do believe in Amai Bouryoku’s potential.

Akatsuki: I’m not in constant contact with Saki or the other members, but I get the feeling they all have a really good energy about them. And I’m already looking forward to how they move after Kei leaves. Oh, but I’m going to the graduation live on February 15th too.

Saki: Seriously?! All the way to Osaka??

Akatsuki: I’ve got an event in Kobe on February 11th, so I’ll swing by my family place and head over.

Saki: Thanks, Akatsuki! I’m fired up now!

Q: This conversation is getting pretty heartwarming. Could you tell us about when you first met?

Akatsuki: We’d been calling each other out to events in Osaka, that kind of thing. And before—when Kizu and Amai Bouryoku did a two-man show, I’d relay messages between those two (Saki and Kuramu). When there was a vocalist gathering recently, Tatsurou from MUCC asked me to reach out to Saki, so I just contacted him directly. But as for when we first actually talked… I’m not sure when that was.

Saki: Before I formed Amai Bouryoku, I went to see Allhouqan at BIGCAT and was really shocked by what I saw. But I didn’t even say hi back then. After that, a two-man show got postponed due to COVID, and when we did the rescheduled show—＜Allhouqan Presents “Honki no Asobi” Allhouqan × Amai Bouryoku “Kakudantou”＞ on March 6th, 2021 at UMEDA CLUB QUATTRO—that’s when I started talking to him properly.

Akatsuki: Ah, so that was the first time. I had the impression Saki came to my lives more often. But honestly, I’d already liked his voice back when he was in his previous band. There was something refined about it. So when Amai Bouryoku was born, I was really surprised—and a bit worried, to be honest. I thought, “This is completely different!” And I’d never even met him (laughs). But as I watched them over time, I got chances to see them at events and festivals, and I thought “Ah, so this is the rawer side of him.” I didn’t know he had this face. I definitely didn’t expect him to eat SIM cards (laughs), but this is probably his true self. And that led to that two-man show.

[Note: “eating SIM cards” refers to a story Saki shared on a web program he co-hosted with Akatsuki—he impulsively ate his girlfriend’s SIM card when he suspected her of infidelity.]

Saki: Well, I guess I am more raw now that I’m in Amai Bouryoku than I was before (nervous laugh).

Q: When you first saw Allhouqan at BIGCAT, what kind of shock was it?

Saki: I was struck by how Akatsuki’s way of living is directly embodied in Allhouqan as a band. Of course it’s made possible by the members’ performance, but the way the audience was getting hyped was intense too. I was still pretty inexperienced back then, so I was just totally overwhelmed—like “wow…” It was really good stimulus for me.

Q: And now Amai Bouryoku is hitting their 10th year.

Akatsuki: Whoa, it’s been that long already?

Saki: Right? A kid who was 10 back then is an adult now (laughs).

Q: Over these 10 years, watching Amai Bouryoku, how would you say they’ve changed and grown as a band?

Akatsuki: Recently… or maybe not recently. Rather than them changing in the last few years, it’s more like I finally noticed something. And that is—this thing about using your own measuring stick and constantly sharpening yourselves? Not everyone can actually do that. People tend to get swayed by what others think, by what might happen if you do this or that.

Q: There are definitely cases where advice comes from those around you.

Akatsuki: I talked with Senshi from DEZERT yesterday as part of this interview series, and what I told him was about being “cursed.” Looking back, I was fortunate enough to be discovered by people before Allhouqan and Akatsuki were even formed. So I found myself unable to wholeheartedly enjoy continuing band activities or playing bigger venues. I didn’t know what frame of mind to have—that kind of curse weighed on me for a long time. But that curse has finally lifted recently. And that’s when I realized: Amai Bouryoku is becoming cooler because they’re sharpening themselves with their own measuring stick. Some people keep doing the same things endlessly and nothing changes, but Amai Bouryoku has kept their band’s roots as an axis while continuously expanding outward. That’s what I feel about them.

Q: I’d like to know what broke that curse for you.

Akatsuki: I think it’s because I learned the real meaning of deciding something myself, doing it, and taking responsibility for it. I had members I could lean on, a management company taking care of things, fans in front of me—I’d gotten so comfortable in this blessed environment that I couldn’t draw proper boundaries between myself and others. I spent a long time not knowing how much to take on myself and how much to leave to others. But once I got the resolve to properly receive all the feedback—good and bad—the curse lifted. You could say I’ve become more selfish since then (laughs). The most straightforward way to put it might be: I finally “made up my mind” about things.

Q: Having heard that from Akatsuki, has your perception and feeling toward Allhouqan changed over time?

Saki: To be honest, when things like Monjin leaving the band happened, when difficult things piled up, I could sense how much damage those guys were taking. But the fact that Allhouqan chose to keep going, and from the words Akatsuki posts on SNS—I could feel various changes. At the same time, and I might be the only one saying this, I started to feel there was something compatible between me and Akatsuki. Though he usually makes a bitter face when I say that (laughs).

Akatsuki: I don’t (laughs). Or rather, we end up talking about this a lot, don’t we?

Saki: There’s something compatible in how we both stand still when we hit a wall, and the process of moving toward it. Akatsuki is someone who speaks on stage, and when there’s a turning point, I see him acknowledge and accept the situation he’s in and the reality before him, then stand on stage with complete sincerity. I feel real respect for that. While many artists who’ve built up careers tend to rest on their laurels and become a bit stale, Allhouqan and Akatsuki, even at 13 years in now, don’t have any of that.

Akatsuki: Hmm, I wonder who you’re talking about. Just kidding, please continue (laughs).

Saki: But here’s the thing—even though the person says the curse is lifted, I still think Akatsuki might be cursed in another way.

Akatsuki: We probably both have that “twisted” quality, and maybe that is its own kind of curse (laughs). I think people often tell both of us we’re “serious,” but in reality we’re not trying that hard to be serious. It’s just that we can’t help but do it. It’s almost like a condition or illness at this point.

Saki: Yeah, I get that.

Akatsuki: When Monjin left, the rest of the band took a real hit, but honestly I was only interested in what I needed to do. Just constantly thinking about how to overcome that wall. And once you overcome one wall, you immediately seek out the next one. I think maybe that’s what Saki and I have in common. To outsiders, maybe that reads as “being serious,” but really it’s just… we can’t help it.

Saki: But Senshi told me I have a “bad personality” (nervous laugh).

Akatsuki: Really? (laughs) Maybe it’s because you set strict, sharp rules for yourself, and that comes across to others as “people are people, so whatever.” Plus, I think both you and I completely switch between stage mode and everything else. It’s a pretty stark difference.

Q: As someone who’s seen your performances, I’d say that while your vocalization styles are different, both you and Akatsuki convey the raw, unfiltered “you in this moment” to your audience through song and words. For instance, at ＜甘い暴力周年記念のプレゼンツ九年目の招待＞ at KT Zepp YOKOHAMA last year, you shouted “There’s no way things are okay right now!” in reference to Kei and your current situation.

Akatsuki: Oh, I actually read that live report yesterday.

Q: That one line was really shocking. For an entertainer to reveal their heart that candidly—that takes a level of resolve I’m not sure everyone has. And then afterward you said something like “Since things aren’t okay, I got that out through singing ‘daijoubanai,’ so now really, everything’s fine. We’re heading toward an amazing 10th year,” reassuring your fans while steeling yourself. That genuine fortitude you showed really moved me.

Saki: Well… things aren’t actually okay (laughs). I’ve been passing out several times lately. Just the other day I blacked out and fell in my hallway at home.

Q: That’s dangerous in this cold. Even indoors, hallways get chilly.

Saki: I’m okay. Before that I’d also blacked out on the balcony once, but I guess I have convenient timing—I felt cold and managed to move back to my room, then thought “man, it’s cold!” and blacked out again in the hallway (laughs). In my own way, I’m managing to scrape by at the edge. After that, all I can do is pour everything I have into the stage, the lyrics, and the songs.

Q: From what you’re describing, it sounds like you’re living in that narrow space between stoicism and self-destruction.

Saki: What I’m aiming for is this: to live through performance arts, to see it through to the end, and then

Read the original Japanese interview on barks.jp