As I don't currently have time to translate the whole of Imai's most recent blog post, I'll give you curious Blog-Tickers a little summary of it instead.
HOWEVER...those of you studying Japanese, stop right here! Do NOT scroll down! This is a homework assignment. Read the post yourselves, looking up all the words and kanji you don't know. You may find Monash University's online Japanese-English dictionary helpful. Once you're done reading, answer me the following questions:
1) The fan who sent Imai the email wanted to know one thing, but she also specifically mentioned a number of other things she didn't want to know. What were the things she didn't want to know?
2) Who is the owner of the bar, and where is the bar located?
3) At the end of the post, Imai wonders what would happen if he started selling Buck-Tick goods at another store run by someone close to him. Which store is he talking about?
If you get all three questions right, you get an A.
Okay, ready to go?
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Here's what happened.
An indignant fan of Imai's sent him an email expressing the sentiments of a group of Japanese Buck-Tick fans who like to make trouble online because they have nothing better to do (sound familiar?) These fans were angry because they'd gotten wind that Imai had sold a number of the charity tote bags he'd designed at a certain store, without making any announcement about it on the Buck-Tick website. The fans spent a lot of time bitching about this kerfuffle on Japanese Buck-Tick fan forums, and finally they decided to email Imai.
The writer of the email accused Imai of "betraying the Buck-Tick fanbase" by secretly selling charity bags without letting the fan community know about it. The writer then went on to ask Imai if he were really donating the proceeds of the sales to help Buck-Tick fan victims of the Great East Japan Nukequake, or if he was just saying that he would donate the money and in fact was keeping it for himself. The writer concluded by saying that in her opinion, Imai should be free to be as much of a slimeball as he wants to be, but whatever slimy things he does, he shouldn't put Buck-Tick's name on them (because that would make Yuta's pants slimy, and how can you slime up poor lil' Yuta?!?!111)
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Imai would like to clarify.
First of all, the "store" where the Tote Bags in Question were sold is a tiny bar owned by one of Imai's friends. Some of the customers at this bar are Buck-Tick fans but most customers have never heard of the band. However, the owner of the bar, being Imai's friend, had decided to advertise Imai's charity collection initiative at her bar. She showed customers Imai's design, and several of the non-Buck-Tick fan customers liked Imai's design and expressed interest in buying the bag, since it was a charity donation. Imai was pleased that they were interested, and sent the bar owner some bags to sell directly on his behalf so that the customers wouldn't have to go through the hassle of ordering off the Buck-Tick website. Imai collected the money and donated it to charity.
Another friend of Imai's, who happens to be a musician, also sold some of the tote bags at a small concert he performed. Once again, Imai collected the proceeds and donated them to charity.
In total, Imai sold 17 bags for a total of 17000 yen, all of which was donated to the Japan Red Cross along with all the proceeds from the Buck-Tick charity goods that were sold at live venues and through Buck-Tick's web shop.
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Second of all, Imai clarifies that the donations are not going to specifically help Buck-Tick fans, they are going to help Nukequake reconstruction at large. And since the money is a charitable donation, it really doesn't matter whether the people who buy the charity goods are Buck-Tick fans or not...after all, the more people who buy them, the more money donated, and the more money donated, the better. Naturally, the money is actually really being donated. Buck-Tick is not pocketing it or embezzling it. Therefore, Imai struggles to understand why these irate fans think he has betrayed his fanbase...
...he wonders, could it be because Imai has a bad reputation as being that guy who got arrested back in 1988?
Oh wait. Imai realizes, he doesn't give a shit.
In conclusion, Imai says, "Fuck Off."
He also invites fans to send nice emails to bt@buck-tick.com.
