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Yoshiki, Dan Da Dan Staff Apologize Over Concerns on X Japan Parody

It took two weeks, but the public flap over the X Japan parody in episode 18 of the DAN DA DAN anime series is now over. Here's how it went down:

Japanese musician and X Japan band member YOSHIKI initially raised concerns about DAN DA DAN using the likeness of and musical stylings of X Japan following the broadcast of episode 18. On August 8, the musician quote-reposted a clip from the episode and asked, “What's this… Doesn't that sound like X JAPAN?”. The clip features a performance of “Hunting Souls” by in-story band HAYASii. The full lyric videos, in Japanese and English, are available on the MBSanimation YouTube channel:

YOSHIKI quickly followed up with another post asking, “I don't know anything about this, is this okay to do? My dear Fans, please tell me what's going on.” He further posted “I wish this production team would have at least said something beforehand. I received an urgent message from @XJapanOfficial / @YOSHIKI_Staff.”

YOSHIKI's bewilderment continued throughout August 8. In a series of posts, the musician noted he initially was amused by DAN DA DAN's parody but was then contacted by lawyers about possible copyright infringement, has had other management and record labels contact him prior to making a parody, how he often has to get permission from Sony Music Publishing to preform X Japan's “Kurenai” (a song YOSHIKI composed but copyright held by Sony Music Publishing), and joking the band name HAYASii is likely taken from his legal name, Yoshiki Hayashi.

YOSHIKI moved towards resolving the issue by posting, “As this matter concerns songs managed by Sony Music Publishing, a discussion between the parties involved is expected to take place soon. As an anime fan myself, I enjoy these types of works, so I hope the situation will move in a positive direction.”

Later the same day, YOSHIKI pointed to the neck brace that the HAYASii drummer is wearing: “Hey, I just noticed, but the drummer is wearing a neck brace in this video. Is it me? People often say my neck braces are part of my fashion, but I wear them for medical purposes.”

On August 16, YOSHIKI released a new statement, apologizing for his quick assumption that DAN DA DAN had parodied X Japan without his consent or prior approval. The musician stated, “I was surprised to receive a message about this matter out of the blue, so I just tweeted about it. I'm sorry for causing such a fuss. I'm sorry.”

On August 22, the DAN DA DAN production team responded to YOSHIKI's concerns. The team apologized for “causing concern regarding the song ‘Hunting Souls’ from DAN DA DAN.” The team further stated, “This song was created with the hope of expressing the same passion as YOSHIKI and X JAPAN, whom the entire production team greatly respects, in the anime.”

The team also noted it had spoken with YOSHIKI regarding the matter and “[looks] forward to using this opportunity to consider creative initiatives together for the future.”

The full statement reads:

We deeply apologize for causing concern regarding the song "Hunting Soul" from DAN DA DAN anime series.
This song was created with the hope of expressing the same passion as YOSHIKI and X JAPAN, whom the entire production team greatly respects, in the anime. We also hoped the musical direction would match the story and scenes of the DAN DA DAN anime and further raise the quality of the work.
However, we did not think to explain this to YOSHIKI and X JAPAN in advance, which was unintentional and caused concern, and we sincerely apologize. We are also in discussions with all parties involved regarding rights.
We have already spoken with YOSHIKI about this matter, and we look forward to using this opportunity to consider creative initiatives together in the future.
We would like to once again offer our deepest apologies to YOSHIKI, X JAPAN, and all their fans, as well as DAN DA DAN fans and everyone involved, for the concern we have caused, and we hope you will continue to kindly support this series.
DAN DA DAN Anime Production Committee

Sources: MBSanimation's YouTube channel (link 2), YOSHIKI's X/Twitter account (link 2, link 3, link 4, link 5, link 6, link 7, link 8, link 9, link 10) via Hachima Kikō, DAN DA DAN's X/Twitter account via Yaraon