Visual Kei Magazines

The definitive Visual Kei magazine of the genre's golden era. SHOXX documented the early 90s underground through the peak commercial years — if a band mattered between 1990 and 2008, they were in SHOXX. Essential primary source material for the scene's history.

285 issues. Covered X Japan, Dir en grey, BUCK-TICK, L'Arc~en~Ciel, LUNA SEA during their most important years.

A long-running monthly that ran in parallel with the VK boom from start to finish. FOOL'S MATE covered the full spectrum from major acts to deeper underground bands, and its 20-year run makes it one of the most complete archives of the genre's rise and decline.

150+ issues. Notable for coverage of darker and more underground acts alongside mainstream VK.

The last great dedicated Visual Kei magazine. Cure launched at the start of the 2000s VK revival and ran for 219 monthly issues across 19 years, outlasting almost every contemporary. It also produced international spin-offs (Cure USA) and specialty editions including Cure Mani and Cure doll.

219 issues. Ran international editions for overseas fans. Closed December 2021.

Interview-first and text-heavy by design — each issue was built around long-form conversations with artists rather than photo spreads. ROCK AND READ gave bands space to talk properly, making it the most journalistic of the dedicated VK publications. Ran to exactly 100 issues.

100 issues. Produced spin-off editions: ROCK AND READ BAND, ROCK AND READ eyes, ROCK AND READ vocal.

One of the earliest rock magazines to give serious coverage to the emerging VK scene. B-PASS predated the VK label itself, covering Japanese rock broadly — but its archives from the late 80s and early 90s are an invaluable record of the genre forming in real time.

Nearly 20 years of publication. Key early coverage of acts like BUCK-TICK and X Japan before VK had a name.

A guitar and band technique magazine that straddled J-rock and Visual Kei throughout its run. GiGS focused more on the craft side — equipment, playing styles, tabs — than the scene gossip that dominated other magazines. Widely read by musicians in the scene themselves.

33-year run. Notable for gear and technique features on VK guitarists and bassists.

A broader Japanese rock and pop magazine that consistently featured Visual Kei acts alongside mainstream artists. ONGAKU TO HITO is notable for longer, more personal interview features rather than news coverage — bands often gave more candid interviews here than in dedicated VK titles.

One of the few rock magazines from the 90s still in print. Known for unusually frank artist interviews.

A photo-forward fan magazine covering Japanese pop and rock, with heavy VK representation throughout the 90s and 2000s. PATi PATi leaned into the idol and fan culture side of VK more than the music press angle — big on pin-ups, member profiles, and fan service content.

27-year run. Hugely popular with the teenage fan demographic during VK's mainstream peak.