Otomate’s aerial visual novel 『Norn9: Norn + Nonette』is getting an anime adaptation!

The anime adaptation was announced at their event Norn9 – with Ark & for Spica held at Nakano Sun Plaza on Sunday, which featured most of the cast members in a live drama and game session. Yanagi Nagi, who sang the opening, ending and insert songs, also performed at the event.

Released in May last year, the game featured a stellar cast and crew. The game soundtrack is a key feature of this game as well, with the theme song composed by Final Fantasy’s Nobuo Uematsu, and the background music composed by Kevin Penkin, a young and upcoming composer who has previously worked with Uematsu on the soundtrack for Otomate’s Jyuzaengi: Engetsu Sangokuden.

Game Opening Movie

The story starts off from the perspective of a young boy Sorata Suzuhara, who gets swept into different era upon hearing a mysterious song. He finds himself in another world, a seemingly old town with historical architecture awashed with sepia tones. Following an abrupt meeting with a girl, he finds himself aboard a large Norn airship with 3 girls and 9 guys, embarking on a new journey in the skies.

Characters from Norn9

The perspective then changes, with the game offering a choice between 3 heroines (Koharu, Mikoto and Nanami), who are each assigned to patrol groups of 3 guys. Each of the 12 crew members aboard the Norn airship has special powers of their own, ranging from the ability to control fire to summoning large defensive barriers. Through the game, you will begin to understand the goal of the journey, and unravel the mysteries of the new world.

Game CG

Norn9 sets itself apart from other otome games by offering a wider variety of options. Unlike typical otome games which feature only one female protagonist, the player gets a choice of 3 female characters, and later, their respective male characters. Additionally, the female characters are given distinct character personalities and profiles. The strong cast of characters, and intriguing story of hidden powers and time leaps gives this game great potential as an anime adaptation. On top of the soothing soundtrack and fully-voiced scenarios, the beautifully rendered graphics of sky travel would take your breath away.

A stunning bird’s eye view

Cast
Koharu: Fujimura Ayumu
Mikoto Kuga: Ayahi Takagaki
Nanami Shiranui: Asami Seto
Kakeru Yuiga: Yuuki Kaji
Senri Ichinose: Hiro Shimono
Masamune Tooya: Takuya Satou
Natsuhiko Azuma: Daisuke Ono
Sakuya Nijou: Mitsuki Saiga
Itsuki Kagami: Kouji Yusa
Akito Shukuri: Noriaki Sugiyama
Ron Muroboshi: Tomokazu Sugita
Heishi Otomaru: Hiroyuki Yoshino
Sorata Suzuhara: Atsushi Abe

The game trailer can be found at the official website at: http://www.otomate.jp/norn9/#special

At the same event, it was also announced that the game, originally released on PSP, will be ported to PS Vita. The fandisc, titled 『NORN9 LAST ERA』, is slated for release this year.

Stay tuned for more details of the anime to be released! For now, check out the game website to find out more about this production.

Images ©2013 IDEA FACTORY. http://www.otomate.jp/norn9/

The post [NEWS] Norn9 gets an anime adaptation! appeared first on AFA Channel!.

Disclaimer: This review assumes that you know absolutely nothing about the series, and even if you do, this review is not intended to provide (much) spoilers, and will try to review the film in an objective way.

To say I was not pleasantly surprised would be a lie, because the film is filled with many things happening either at once, or within a short time in between each events. Because of that, one might think that you’d be lost.

But that did not happen, because the pacing of the show was pretty good. It is quite thorough in setting, introducing characters and such, but still flows pretty well. In fact, you’d watch the entire segment where Conan and Jigen are together, find that there are so many things going on at once (and not to mention tension), and still have the story flowing without any of those awkward “what’s happening?” moments.

Other than that, the film is filled with action, gadgets (Conan’s), guile (Lupin’s) and plain fun and comedy. And if your were a fan for long enough to have caught the first “Lupin vs Conan” collaboration movie some four years back, there would be some minor teasers, and a few references here and there in the movie, so happy hunting! Or spotting.

One more thing: the moment you have detectives and a band of organized(?) criminals, you are going to expect sudden twists a la Sherlock Holmes.

You’d think that all Emilio Baretti did was to perform in front of a crowd and not cause trouble for his manager and tour team, but it turns out, there’s something else – much more sinister, going on. And Lupin would do something (kind of) out of character, which is what Conan will have to find out later in the film.

And although it would seem that Lupin, being a thief and his crack gang of goons, are just trying to steal for kicks, it really isn’t as simple as just stealing the Cherry sapphire.

And that’s about as much spoilers as I am willing to give you!

All in all, this show is definitely worth catching if you are into the series. If you are new to this and are keen, you might want to look into a little of its back story before stepping in. But if you are just going to buy a ticket and just go “YOLO! Ima watching this! Dibs on research!”, you will not be disappointed or very lost either.

Title: Lupin the 3rd vs Detective Conan Movie
Voice Cast: Minami Takayama , Kanichi Kurita, Akira Kamiya, Chafurin, Eiko Masuyama
Director: Hajime Kamegaki
Language: Japanese with English and Chinese Subtitles
Opening: 06 March 2014 (Singapore)
Run time: 107 min
Ratings: TBA

Synopsis:

Bypassing Inspector Zenigata and Inspector Megure, Lupin steals the Cherry Sapphire and then makes contact with Aan Smithee.Meanwhile, Jimmy Kudo, while watching TV, learns that Jigen, who is a member of Lugin’s group, will escort popular idol Emilio. Jimmy Kudo also learns that at Emilio’s live appearance tomorrow, a deal related to the Cherry Sapphire will take place.

Ticketing: http://www.cathaycineplexes.com.sg/movie_detail.aspx?status=coming&movie_id=1252#

Tickets for the preview screenings on 5 March, are now on SALE!

Official Website: http://lupicona-movie.com/

The post [MOVIE] Lupin the 3rd vs Detective Conan, SG 6/3 appeared first on AFA Channel!.

Well this is really a pleasant surprise. Kadokawa announced on Monday that it’s “ComicWalker” app, slated to launch on 22 March 2014, will have manga available in Japanese, English, and traditional Chinese. The app’s executive manager is Hideyaki Kobayashi (editor of the Moblie Suit Gundam: Lost War Chronicles manga)

The app will feature somewhere around 200 different works – for free, and while not everything will be translated initially (there will be 40 translated works on launch), Kadokawa will add translated titles as time goes on. The menu is getting translated too so that readers who cannot read Japanese can use it.

From left, seiyuu Saki Fujita, Managing Director Shinichiro Inoue, ComicWalker General Manager Hideaki Kobayashi, and seiyuu Toru Furuya.

Around 50 original titles will also be featured, and Kadokawa plans to release the original titles in collected book form under a new label. The other 150 will come in the form of past and present works. Some titles – in no particular order, included are:

• Boku dake ga Inai Machi – Kei Sambe
• Non Non Biyori – Atto
• Nobunaga the Fool – Eishi Ōzeki
• Keroro Guns0 – Mine Yoshizaki
• Tonari no Seki-kun – Takuma Morishige
• Neon Genesis Evangelion – Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
• Gundam: The Origin – Yoshikazu Yasuhiko

Hey! It’s Toru Furuya! The man who voiced Amuro!

A unique feature of this service would be where users can create and save the manga titles they are following at the moment, and have the app suggest another similar series depending on the user’s history.

There will also be contests. A “ComicWalker Rookie Award” and a “KanColle Comic Illustration Award“. The KanColle one seems self explanatory, but as for the “ComicWalker Rookie Award“, it an award for new titles and mangaka.

Personally, having an app like this would be really handy, especially since I keep most of my notes, work documents, and even my school textbooks in my smartphone (in .pdf). Now, we should be able to just open the app and read on the go! But I’d still visit a physical book store such as Kinokuniya to buy titles that I really want.

What do you readers think of such an app? Think this might provide you with a little convenience? Let us know in the comments what you think!

Note: No news yet on which platform(other than apple) the mobile application will be on, so keep a look out for it on launch day, 22 March 2014.

ComicWalker Website: Click Here!

Source: [IT Media News][Comic Natalie]

The post [JBOOK] COMICWALKER – An App with Manga in English, by KADOKAWA appeared first on AFA Channel!.

Anime and games music mega label LANTIS is celebrating their 15th Anniversary this year with a concert tour [15th Anniversary Live Lantis Matsuri 2014] featuring their stable of artistes! The string of concert lives will start in summer 2014, and travel 4 cities, in a total of 9 concerts.

The cities covered include Nagashima for the Toukai region , Osaka for the Kansai region, Tokyo for the Kanto region and ending in Sendai for the Tohoku region. Additionally, Lantis will also be bringing their concerts overseas to Taiwan, Korea and SINGAPORE in 2015!

Lantis Matsuri 2014 Press Conference (from natalie.mu)

The press conference announcing this was held on 26 February, and live streamed on Bandai TV and as a Niconico Nama Housou (NicoNama), gathering 14 of their biggest acts, JAM Project, Minori Chihara, Hyadain, GRANRODEO, SCREEN mode, Ryoko Shintani, Megumi Ogata, Faylan, Yousei Teikoku (妖精帝國), AiRI, ChouCho, StylipS, ZAQ, and nano.RIPE.

Lantis Matsuri 2009, Conifer Forest (from natalie.mu)

Lantis Matsuri started off as a celebration for their 10th Anniversary in 2009, holding a two-day open-air concert live at FujiQ-Highland’s Conifer Forest (富士急ハイランド コニファーフォレスト). This has now expanded to cover all four major regions in Japan, with 2-3 days dedicated to each city.

In a tribute to the memory of the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake and in line with Lantis’ support for Tohoku’s reconstruction efforts (such as their Michinoku Anisong Fes), their final stop within Japan will be at Xebio Arena Sendai. Each stop promises to be jam-packed, with performances slated to start from 1pm or 2pm each day, promising to feature different artistes on each day at every city.

With the exception of Sendai (in November), all the concerts will be at open-air venues over summer.

Concert venues, dates, and announced artistes:

[Nagashima, Toukai region]

Nagashima Spaland Grass Field Outdoor Stage, Mie Prefecture (三重・ナガシマスパーランド芝生広場・野外特設ステージ)
19-20 July 2014
19 July: AiRi, Megumi Ogata, CooRie, GRANRODEO, Kenichi Suzumura, Minori Chihara, nano.RIPE, Aki Misato, yozuca*, etc
20 July: Kensho Ono, OLDCODEX, Minami Kuribayashi, ZAQ, JAM Project, fhana, Faylan, Showtaro Morikubo, etc

[Osaka, Kansai region]

Osaka Expo Commemoration Park Momiji Grass Field Outdoor Stage, Osaka Prefecture (大阪府 万博記念公園もみじ川芝生広場 特設会場)
26-27 July 2014
26 July: ALI PROJECT, OLDCODEX, JAM Project, SCREEN mode, Minori Chihara, Choucho, Yousei Teikoku, etc
27 July: GRANRODEO, Minami Kuribayashi, Ryoko Shintani, Kenichi Suzumura, StylipS, nano.RIPE, Hyadain, fhana, Faylan, milktub, etc.

[Tokyo, Kanto region]

Shiokaze Park Sun Plaza Outdoor Stage, Tokyo (東京都 潮風公園 太陽の広場・野外特設ステージ)
13-15 September 2014
13 Sept: Daisuke Ono, SCREEN mode, Minori Chihara, nano.RIPE, Faylan, Showtaro Morikubo, etc
14 Sept: AiRI, Megumi Ogata, Kensho Ono, OLDCODEX, Ryoko Shintani, JAM Project, StylipS, Miyuki Hashimoto, Hyadain, fhana, milktub, etc
15 Sept: ALI PROJECT, Endo Kai, GRANRODEO, CooRie, Minami Kuribayashi, ZAQ, Choucho, Aki Misato, Yousei Teikoku, yozuca*, etc

[Sendai, Tohoku region]

Xebio Arena Sendai, Miyagi prefecture (宮城県 ゼビオアリーナ仙台)
15-16 November 2014
15 Nov: AiRI, OLDCODEX, ZAQ, SCREEN mode, Minori Chihara, Choucho, nano.RIPE, Miyuki Hashimoto, Aki Misato, etc
16 Nov: ALI PROJECT, Megumi Ogata, Daisuke Ono, GRANRODEO, CooRie, Minami Kuribayashi, JAM Project, Ryoko Shintani, Kenichi Suzumura, StylipS, Showtaro Morikubo, Yousei Teikoku, yozuca*, etc

Tickets: 8500yen (same for all venues)
All venues except Miyagi fixed standing only, Miyagi fixed seating.

Early booking is already available on eplus: http://eplus.jp/lantis15th/ (early booking ends 22 March)
Official website: http://www.lantis.jp/15th/

Watch the press con here:

Image credit: natalie.mu, Lantis

The post [ANISONG] Lantis Matsuri 2014: Lantis 15th Anniversary Live Tour appeared first on AFA Channel!.

Fans of otome games, this is the album you have been waiting for!

Popular otome game maker OTOMATE has now complied your favourite opening and ending theme songs performed by male seiyuus from into one single album! This best-of album contains a total of 15 tracks from their most popular game titles, including Renai Bancho (恋愛番長), Gekka Ryouran ROMANCE (月華繚乱ROMANCE) and BROTHER’S CONFLICT.

© OTOMATE

OTOMATE Men’s Voice Actors Vocal Best
オトメイト Men’s Voice Actors Vocal Best
Release Date: 26 February 2014
Price: 3150yen (tax inclusive)

1. Tokimeki no Yokan（PS2 Game「Petit Four」Opening theme）
   By：Sanada Kazuki（CV：Suzuki Tatsuhisa）

Renai Bancho ©Rejet, Idea Factory

1. LOVE★MONSTER A GO！GO！（PSP Game「Renai Bancho Inochi Mijikashi、Koi seyo Otome！ Love is Power」Opening theme）
   By：Bancho feat.YASU（CV：Morikubo Shoutarou ＆Terashima Takuma）

2.  Moonlight Scandal（月光伝説）（PSP Game「Renai Bancho 2 MidnightLesson!!!」Opening theme）
   By：Bancho feat.YASU（CV：Morikubo Shoutarou ＆Terashima Takuma）

3. NewColor（PSP Game「Renai Bancho 2 MidnightLesson!!!」Ending theme）
   By：Bancho feat.YASU（CV：Morikubo Shoutarou ＆Terashima Takuma）

4. Alice？（PSP Game「Are you Alice？」Opening theme）
   By：White Rabbit (Shiro Usagi)（CV：Morikubo Shoutarou）

Gekka Ryouran ©Rejet, Idea Factory

1. Crazy 4 Me（PSP Game「Gekka Ryouran ROMANCE」Opening theme）
   By：Kindan Kyoudai: Aoi ＆ Atsumori（CV：Terashima Takuma ＆ Takahashi Naozumi）

2. MY FATE（PSP Game「Gekka Ryouran ROMANCE」Ending theme）
   By：Kindan Kyoudai: Aoi ＆ Atsumori（CV：Terashima Takuma ＆ Takahashi Naozumi）

Brothers Conflict ©OTOMATE, Idea Factory

1. AFFECTIONS（PSP Game「BROTHERS CONFLICT Passion Pink」Opening theme）
   By：Asahina Tsubaki ＆ Azusa（CV：Suzumura Kenichi ＆ Toriumi Kousuke）

2. SUNRISE DAYS（PSP Game「BROTHERS CONFLICT Passion Pink」Ending theme)
   By：Asahina Tsubaki ＆ Azusa（CV：Suzumura Kenichi ＆ Toriumi Kousuke）

3. JEALOUSNESS（PSP Game「BROTHERS CONFLICT Brilliant Blue」Opening theme）
   By：Asahina Tsubaki ＆ Azusa ＆ Natsume（CV：Suzumura Kenichi ＆ Toriumi Kousuke ＆ Maeno Tomoaki）

4. INNOCENT BLUE（PSP Game「BROTHERS CONFLICT Brilliant Blue」Ending theme）
   By：Asahina Tsubaki ＆ Azusa ＆ Natsume（CV：Suzumura Kenichi ＆ Toriumi Kousuke ＆ Maeno Tomoaki）

Glass Heart Princess ©Idea Factory

1. Steel Your Heart（PSP Game「Glass Heart Princess」Opening theme）
   By：Glass Heart Prince: Masaki Shinnosuke（CV：KENN）、Karasuma Yukito（CV：Suzuki Tatsuhisa）、Asahina Tenma（CV：Hatano Wataru）、Hoshino Kanata（CV：Miyata Kouki)

2. Koi-iro Miracle（PSP Game「Glass Heart Princess」Ending theme）
   By：Glass Heart Prince: Masaki Shinnosuke（CV：KENN）、Karasuma Yukito（CV：Suzuki Tatsuhisa）、Asahina Tenma（CV：Hatano Wataru）、Hoshino Kanata（CV：Miyata Kouki)

14. Dream Days！（PSP Game「Glass Heart Princess：PLATINUM」Opening theme）
By：Masaki Shinnosuke（CV：KENN）＆ Doumyouji Gai（CV：Matsuoka Yoshitsugu）

1. Koi-iro Forever（PSP Game「Glass Heart Princess：PLATINUM」Ending theme）
   By：Masaki Shinnosuke（CV：KENN）＆ Doumyouji Gai（CV：Matsuoka Yoshitsugu）

The post [SEIYUU/GAME] OTOMATE Men’s Voice Actors Vocal Best appeared first on AFA Channel!.

Takuma Terashima’s  latest single「SCARLET SIGN」will be released on 12 March, under music label Lantis. This single would be the 3rd under his own name, released after almost a 9-month wait.

SCARLET SIGN showcases his powerful vocals in an upbeat tune, with a strong rock influence compared to earlier releases. This single also marks Terashima’s second attempt at lyric composition, having written the lyrics to all his songs since his 2nd single . Terashima’s music career started with his debut under Lantis in 2012, with his debut mini-album NEW GAME achieving 8th on the Oricon Weekly charts. His 2nd single “Star Tale”, released last year, reached 13th place on the Oricon Weekly charts, a respectable feat for a standalone release without an anime tie-up.

Even before his music debut, Terashima has released many character songs for both anime and games. One of the key features of his voice would be his great versatility in pitch and tone. He has shown to capable of singing as the adorable ball of fluff that is Otoya Ittoki (Uta no Prince-sama), as well as in the low, gravelly tones of Dantalion (Makai Ouji: devils and realist) or Jesse (Lucian Bee). Aside from his prolific songs as part of ST☆RISH and the Uta-puri franchise, he has performed the theme songs of many otome games including Gekka Ryouran, Storm Lover, Lucian Bee and Renai Bancho, in which he also plays leading characters. He is also currently part of seiyuu unit M.O.E with Wataru Hatano, performing covers of classic anime theme songs.

Catch the PV preview on the official Lantis channel

Terashima debuted in 2005 as protagonist Apollo in anime classic Sousei no Aquarion. He continued to take on a variety of main roles in recent years, appearing as Kobungo Inuta (Hakkenden: Touho Hakken Ibun), Dantalion (Makai Ouji: devils and realist) and Wolf (Blood Lad). He is well known among fans for his role as Otoya Ittoki (Uta no Prince-sama), and has won the Singing Award in the 6th Seiyuu Awards as part of singing unit ST☆RISH. Terashima is familiar face (or voice) in the otome game world, and has garnered a large female following from there. Aside from Uta-pri, he has played leading roles in game titles Hana Awase, Moujuutsukai to Ouji-sama and Harukanaru Toki no Naka de, among many others.

[CD] SCARLET SIGN
Released 12 March 2014 (¥1,238 without tax)

Normal edition cover

Tracklist
1. SCARLET SIGN
2. colors of love
3. a blank map
4. SCARLET SIGN (Instrumental)
5. colors of love (Instrumental)
6. a blank map (Instrumental)

[CD+DVD] SCARLET SIGN [Limited edition only] (¥1,714 without tax)

Limited edition cover

DVD includes:
SCARLET SIGN (Music Clip)

Terashima will also be releasing his first photobook 「Terashima Takuma Photobook 19831220」 (¥2,500 without tax) one week after his single on 18th March. The photobook is a collection of photos from his childhood up to the present, and unpublished photos and other shots from the “Voice×Stone ボイストーン” serialisation in seiyuu magazine Seiyuu Animedia. As a record of everything Terashii, this is certainly a must-have for fans.

Image credit © Lantis. http://www.lantis.jp

The post [SEIYUU] Terashima Takuma’s 3rd Single「SCARLET SIGN」 appeared first on AFA Channel!.

The Star Build Strike Gundam, main Gunpla of Builder Iori Sei and Fighter Reiji, is the upgraded version of the Build Strike Gundam from the currently airing series Gundam Build Fighters! Boasting the Universe Booster that manipulates Plavsky Particles, the Star Build Strike Gundam is truly a force to be reckoned with.  I had the opportunity to pick this up early from my recent Japan Trip and here’s how it fares.

Looks: 8/10

You can definitely tell that the Star Build Strike is a lot flashier as compared to the original Build Strike or Build Gundam Mark II. While it is slightly smaller, the Universe Booster retains similar armaments to that of the Build Booster. The predominant color this time is white, with hints of clear pink.

The main body is rather unchanged as the base kit is still the Build Strike. However, there is a vent covering near the center of the torso where the Universe Booster attaches to.  The shield gets an upgrade called the Absorb Shield. This attachment absorbs incoming beam attacks and charges up the Star Build Strike so that it can use its Discharge system.

The most appealing part of this kit would be the new Plavsky Wing effect parts. This effect parts are representative of the new Discharge system which gives the Star Build Strike wings similar to that of the Victory 2 Gundam. I like how the wings are molded in this kit as it really does looks like the wings you see in the anime.

While the Star Build Strike seems impressive, it takes quite a bit of effort on your part to get it accurate to the suit’s actual colors. The Universe Booster is a major offender here being molded in only one color so you’ll have to add in the details yourself. While the kit does provide stickers to fill in the details, it is just not enough as there are quite a few areas which still lacks the correct color. I will forgive it because this is a HG kit.

Articulation: 8/10

Just like the original Build Strike, the Star Build Strike’s arms can bend all the way inwards as many MG kits do too.  The legs can bend all the way in as well which allows for a wide variety of poses. Even with the Plavsky Wings, they do not hinder the articulation much.  The railguns on the Universe Booster can be posed without much interference as well. It can even replicate the famous baseball pose from episode 13!

Speaking of the Plavsky Wings, the main 2 wings can be posed as well! I really appreciate that it can be posed in quite a variety of positions and still manage to look good.

Weapons: 7.5/10

This suit comes with a very standard set of weapons;  beam sabers, beam rifles, shield and a mounted pair of cannons. The Star Beam Rifle is the suit’s main ordnance. The Rifle can be switched between three different modes and can also combine with the shield for increased power. Just like the suit, the rifle also looks pretty flashy with its three gimmicks. It’s a shame that it is only molded in gray when the rifle actually has quite a fair bit of white.

The other main weapon is the Absorb Shield. It is pretty simple to build as the new part is simply placed over the older shield’s grooves. You are given the option to display it closed or open which is pretty neat.  Once again it suffers from the fact that the stickers aren’t enough to display it in the correct color.

Fun factor: 8/10

The Strike Gundam is one of the more timeless Gundam designs many won’t get tired of seeing, so it’s really fun to build the Star Build Strike. However, if you have built the original Build Strike recently, might get a little bored because the base of the kit is exactly the same albeit with one add-on.

The Universe Booster is really fun to build though as it is smaller and a lot simpler in construction than the Build Booster so you won’t have any mishaps making this. One good point with this is that unlike the Build Booster, the Universe Booster’s joints has a peg that secures the cannon in place so even after a long period of time the cannons can still stay up even after being worn as time goes.

Extras: 7/10

The Star Build Strike Gundam comes with a stand! Everyone loves a free stand with their Gunpla to do aerial poses. This new stand also comes with pegs to place all the unused pink pieces that are replaced for the Plavsky Wings parts used on the suit. You are also given the original leg pieces for you to build the original Build Strike if you wish to do so.

This kit lacks one semi-important piece however; The Plavsky Power Gate. The Power Gate is the yellow pieces that the Star Build Strike uses to enter Discharge mode. You can only get the Power Gate parts if you purchase the separate Universe Booster kit. It does add to the flashiness of the Star Build Strike though!

Overall: 8/10

The HGBF Star Build Strike is an impressive HG kit showing the developments of HG as of late. While it suffers from not having the exact color as in the anime, this can be rectified with a little bit of paint work. You might want to consider getting the standalone Universe Booster set if you already have a Build Strike but you will miss out on the Plavsky Wings effect parts.

It is definitely a must get for those who enjoy watching Gundam Build Fighters!

The post [JCOLLECTOR] BANDAI – HGBF Star Build Strike Gundam appeared first on AFA Channel!.

On that day, Cheeseburgers received a grim reminder.

And so the Japan’s Lotteria introduced the Titan burger to Japan, a place with generally a small appetite and according to Gigazine, it’s no taller than Apple’s iPhone 5. While we in Singapore continues to get the average cheese burgers. Not to mention, there is no Lotteria in Singapore.

How the burger would look in Japan…

So we set out to go make ourselves one~ I must say, we really outperformed ourself!!! Presenting to you the 10 meters class!!
Made with 10 Cheese burger of the highest quality from Wacdonalds delivery~

At around the height of 5″, this is as tall as a iPhone and look already like a very fulfilling lunch! But for the hunger 60 meter class titans in our office, this is not enough!

Lets double it!

This looks daunting!! 20 patties!!! At the height of 9″ (225 mm) it’s an heart attack!

Cost wise, we got each burger at S$1.95, hence the 10m class had costed us S$19.50 which is ways lesser than the 2000 yen charged by Lotteria for their offering, less the limited gifts to be given away. But we get to eat a lot more beef than we liked and now taking turns to do some push-ups…

Disclaimer: No food is wasted in the creation of the burgers… Yes we ate everything. Next up, what should our kitchen prepare? hmm…

Bonus~

Our manager~

The post [JFOOD] TITAN BURGER IN SINGAPORE!! appeared first on AFA Channel!.

Today is 09 March and it is a special day termed by many otakus in Japan as “Miku Day (ミクの日)”. It is a day dedicated to their favourite virtual idol Hatsune Miku, who is the envy of many real life idols as her concerts are attended by thousands with a huge franchise of character goods created under her image. She also had her own personal anisong concert at Anime Festival Asia in 2011, where she performed in front of 3,000 fans.

So what who is this virtual idol and how has she managed to become so popular?

Her name “Hatsune Miku” was meant to signify the “first sound from the future”, where she was born out a a music synthesizer software, developed by Crypton Future Media using Yamaha’s Vocaloid technology and released on 31 Aug 2007. While the software was initially aimed at professionals, anyone with simple knowledge of using the software could program Miku to perform any song.

The growing social media sharing phenomenon sharing served as a catalyst for Miku’s popularity as many aspiring songwriters borrowed Miku’s voice for their creation. While Crypton gave her a face, they didn’t write her back story, and let it to the fans to create their own stories, and that’s how she became a crowdsourced megastar.

Thousands of music videos were uploaded onto Youtube and Nico Nico Douga (Japan’s video sharing site), where music creators and fans were able to determine Miku’s persona through various songs genre. Till date, it is estimated that there are over 50,000 Miku songs on Nico Nico Douga and 3,000 songs on the Japanese iTunes store. This Google Chrome Ad nicely summarises how Hatsune Miku has inspired fans to share original work not only in the field of music, but in illustration, video, CG, cosplay, live performance and dance.

Why is 09 March Miku Day?

When the date is read as “3/9″ in Japanese, it can be pronounced as “Mi-Ku” or “San-Kyuu”. Hence, it has become a special day where fans attend their annual concerts and listen to creations by other fans. 

So how popular is Hatsune Miku?

Attending a Miku concert is a unique experience, where you get to see her sing and dance through a holographic image projected using special lighting. Her first concert in Tokyo in 2010 was a sellout and since then Miku has performed for thousands of fans over the years. Even fans who are unable to obtain concert tickets would be to live-stream her concert via Nico Nico Douga. Her first overseas concert was at Anime Festival Asia 2009, and she has performed in many countries such as the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong and France. During her “The End” opera performance in France in 2013, she even wore an outfit designed by Louis Vuitton’s artistic director Marc Jacobs.

Miku has helped launched the music careers of many creative producers, including Hachioji-P (八王子P), kz(livetune), supercell, and DECO*27. “Tell Your World”, was a theme song created by kz(livetune) for Google Chrome and it became a worldwide hit that gained over 8 million views, and the single was ranked #4 on Oricon charts when it was released in March 2012.

Even outside of music, Miku has proved to be a very popular franchise, where she had collaborated with many big brands like Toyota, Domino’s Pizza, Google and FamilyMart. Her popularity with otaku doesn’t seem to end as every year Sega would churn out one video game featuring Miku, with the latest upcoming being ”Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd”. Similarly, there are countless versions of Miku figurines released annually by different makers, and one of the most popular is the Nendoroid Snow Miku by GoodSmile Company, where the designs are crowdsourced based on fan submissions in a annual contest.

Kawaii Nendoroid figure photo by kixkillradio

My thoughts on Hatsune Miku

Hatsune Miku remains so popular even after so long because she has given a voice to those previously didn’t have a chance to express their feelings. As long as sharing continues to be a major phenomenon in the social media space, Hatsune Miku will only continue to become more popular as more people become acquainted with this crowdsourced virtual idol that will always remain 16-years-old.

Otaku 101 is a monthly segment that introduces you to the various pieces of Japan’s otaku subculture.

The post [Otaku 101] Hatsune Miku – Japan’s Crowdsourced Virtual Idol appeared first on AFA Channel!.

The Shining Theatrical Troupe project from music otome game Uta no Prince-sama broke new sales records!

All 3 releases of the Shining Theatrical Troupe series have achieved achieved a whopping 2nd on the Oricon Weekly charts, outdoing many big-name, mainstream artistes on Japan’s prestigious music ranking charts. Most recent release, JOKER TRAP, did the best of the series, selling 42, 823 copies within its first week of release. Masquerade Mirage and Tenka Muteki no Shinobi-do also achieved impressive sales but did not come close, selling more than 36,000 and 35,000 copies respectively.

The Shining Theatrical Troupe is a special project based off Broccoli’s otome game Uta no Prince-sama, a hit franchise that has also spurned multiple games, two anime seasons (with an upcoming 3rd season) and numerous music releases. This project consists of 3 releases, each comprising of a theme song, a “stage play” audio drama track and a series of related goods. All 3 were released over the past 3 months, starting from Masquerade Mirage last December, to JOKER TRAP released just a couple of weeks ago.

Check out our earlier article for more details on the Shining Theatrical Troupe project!

With such solid sales rivaling mainstream J-POP, Uta no Prince-sama could be the biggest music franchise to boost Japanese music sales within Japan in face of foreign competition. This calls for a celebration; how about making your own Uta-pri cocktail (check out these drinks from the Shining Theatrical Troupe x Animate cafe collaboration) and raise your glass for  a toast to these guys?

Images © b-green, 早乙女学園. http://www.utapri.com/sp/shining_theatrical_troupe/ 

The post [NEWS] Utapri’s Shining Theatrical Troupe hits record sales in Japan appeared first on AFA Channel!.

The next live broadcast of Bushi Navi International will be on Youtube on Friday, March 14, at 5pm (GMT/UTC + 8:00), being officially the First episode after the previous pilot episode that saw the appearance of Mr. Kidani, CEO of Bushiroad. In the last episode, Kai and Valerie introduced the joy of Buddyfight during the Live program, Kai even shared some tips on the rulings of Buddyfight.

In the next live broadcast of Bushi Navi, Kai and Valerie will continue talking about the card game Buddyfight, providing the latest information on Trial Deck Vol. 3: Dragonic Force and Booster Pack Vol. 2: Cyber Ninja Squad, so do catch the next live broadcast of Bushi Navi International on YouTube this coming Friday, 14 March, at 5pm (GMT/UTC + 8:00)!

Singapore: March 14, 5 pm
London: March 14, 9 am
New York: March 14, 4 am
Los Angeles: March 14, 1 am

Bushi Navi International Live Question:

If you could create your own world for Future Card Buddyfight, what world will you create?
Comment here or email them at sg_support@bushiroad-gp.com with the subject “Bushi Navi International” and Bushi Navi’ll share the most interesting answers during the live airing!

Catch Bushi Navi International  Episode 01 on 15 March, 5pm!

The post [LIVE] Bushi Navi International – Episode 01 appeared first on AFA Channel!.

As you may already know, RADWIMPS will be performing in Singapore on June 7, 2014 at TAB. Tickets are now on sale at MiTicket+ at the following link: http://bit.ly/1hrGJTL

Leading up to their first ever performance in Singapore, we at AFACHAN will be introducing a series of songs by the band, not only to introduce everyone to RADWIMPS, but also to help you prepare for a wonderful show this June.

Cover for RADWIMPS4 ~Okazu no Gohan~

Let’s start off with a relatively easier song, “Setsuna Rensa”.

Setsuna Rensa (Chain of Painful Moments) was RADWIMP’s 8th single, released on November 8, 2006. The single charted for 5 weeks on the Oricon music charts and peaked at 4th position.

The song was written and composed by frontman, Yojiro Noda, mainly written in English with a few Japanese lines. It is also featured on their 4th album, RADWIMPS4 ~Okazu no Gohan~, released 2006 , which is the band’s best selling album at over 345,000 copies and charted for 173 weeks, peaking at number 5.

This song is also quite unique as majority of the lyrics are in English. We have provided a full translation so that everything is in English, do check out the PV right at the end of this post!

I was about to fall into this place where I can never crawl up
I should’ve been to Hollywood and meet Eddie Murphy and say
‘tike tike yo tike tike yo kiddy yo Hi Mr. please entertain us’

Why am I be the only bitch who’s sick and black of this shit and flak
And why do you asking me this homey quiz
Hitchhike, which type? Which kind of music
Whether hiphopopopari-rock’ en’ roll techno disco? Let go now, cut it out
Why that I should be such a fan of me why? Why? Why? Why?

I am about to fall into this puddle I can never crawl up
I’ve already been to Hollywood and met Eddie Murphy he said
‘Chili-chili-out-chil-chili-out kiddy yo’
here’s a quarter buy yourself a grave

Why should I have to explain this shit each time this mind devise this sight
And why that I have to analyze? Inside this mind designs this style
Talila talila talilalilalila Galileo Galilei, honey where the heck am I?
Mind if I could be one of your enemies Mind? Mind? Mind? Mind?

Even though it’s not fun, we can only laugh silently in our heart.
Even though it’s not sad, our tears flow from somewhere.

Hey, dear my friend I want you to be, as I wanted you to be, indeed
You know why? You know why well then ask in your mind
Now I’m tired to make an agree
Hey, dear myself I want you to be, as you wanted to be, indeed
Oh, by the way oh, by the way oh, by the way do as what I say

Something that I protected yesterday would be destroyed the next day.
The promises made yesterday will also be broken the next day.

The me today is here right now. Other important people are also here.
The kept promise is also here now, now, now.
Even though we are not kind, we want to try protecting someone
Even though we are not lonely,  we want someone to laugh.

Even though it’s not in vain, we look up at the full moon,
I wish someone to look at me, someone to look at the lying me.

Even though I’m not sad I want to listen to sad songs
I wish that someone would be like me, someone to be like the lying me
Hey, dear my friend I won’t let you know, or I won’t try to show how I feel
You know why? You know why well then ask in your mind
Now I’m tired of being admired
Hey, dear myself don’t leave me alone don’t ease me along how I feel
You know why? You know why well then ask in your mind
In your mind is my mind otherwise who am I?

About RADWIMPS,

RADWIMPS was first formed in 2001, whose 5 original members were friend since middle school. Their activities centred around Yokohama, while attending school. In 2002, they were awarded the grand prize at the Yokohama High School Music Festival, with the song “Moshi mo”, which was subsequently released as their debut single in May 2003. Their first album was also released in the same year in July through the independent label, Newtraxx. The members then went on hiatus to focus on studies after a further guest appearance at the Yokohama High School Music Festival.

In March 2004, members Kei Aso, Yusuke Saiki and Akio Shibafumi decided not to resume band activities. RADWIMPS resumed activities with new members Satoshi Yamaguchi and Yusuke Takeda, who were acquaintances of the original members when they met at the Yokohama High School Music Festival.

In between 2 tours, the band recorded and released their second album in March 2005. In November the same year, they made their major debut under Toshiba EMI with “Nijugoko-me no Senshokutai”, charting in the top 50. Their major breakthrough came with the release of their 3rd album, which charted at 13th place on the Oricon charts.

They achieved 2 number one singles with the release of “Order Made” and “Dada” in 2008 and 2011. Their 5th album was also certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.

Their 7th album, “X to O to Tsumi to” was released in December 2013, and the band will be on tour in 2014.

Don’t miss your chance to miss this RARE opportunity to watch one of the most popular bands in Japan right here in Singapore! Get your tickets from MiTcket+ now at http://bit.ly/1hrGJTL!

The post [JROCK] RADWIMPS – Setsuna Rensa appeared first on AFA Channel!.

Here’s a rundown of the Bandai plastic models for the month of March 2014. For Gunpla, the main feature would be the currently airing Gundam Build Fighters (GBF) along with the monthly HG All Gundam Project kit and a Gundam Unicorn release in anticipation for the movie coming in May. For the other Bandai plastic models, there will be a Wild Tiger from the upcoming movie Tiger & Bunny The Rising and a new series debuting in the Figure-rise 6 line, Kamen Rider.

8 March 2014

HGAC 1/144 Wing Gundam Zero

The latest entry into the HG All Gundam Project, this is the TV version of the Wing Gundam Zero from Mobile Report Gundam Wing! It comes with the Twin Buster Rifle that can be combined together and it can also transform into its Neo Bird mode.

SD Gundam BB Senshi 388 Build Strike Gundam Full Package

The first mobile suit to debut from the GBF series would be the Build Strike Gundam! This kit comes with a variety of eye sticker choices and the various weapons you see from the TV series now in cute SD form!

15 March 2014

MG 1/100 Build Gundam Mark. II

The latest GBF entry in the Master Grade line is the replacement gunpla for Iori Sei and Reiji, the Build Gundam Mark. II. It comes furnished with its massive backpack that can be transformed into the Build Booster Mark. II and an attachable mount part to equip the booster onto other MG Gundam kits.

MG 1/100 Universe Booster

The first Master Grade GBF kit to be released as a separate add-on pack, this is the support flight unit Universe Booster. It comes with two sets of clear attachments; Plavsky Wing and Plavsky Power Gate.  The Universe Booster is to be used with the previous Build Strike Gundam MG kit to form the Star Build Strike Gundam! As with all other MG GBF kits, it has the add-on mount parts.

HGBF 1/144 Miss Sazabi

An original gunpla design from GBF, this is a customized kit based off the Sazabi from Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack. It comes with a new Beam Tomahawk and a customised shield based off the original kit’s skirt parts.

HGBC Gunpla Battle Arm Arms

This is a full set of weapons and joint parts to customise your Gunpla with. Unlike the two previous weapon sets, this features weapons more towards a realistic Gundam setting.There are two kinds of joint arms and 9 different weapons included. It also comes with various action base parts.

22 March 2014

HGUC 1/144 Unicorn Gundam Unit 2Banshee Norn Destroy Mode

From Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, we have the Banshee Norn in Destroy Mode debuting in Episode 7! This Banshee comes with the activated Armed Armor DE and Armed Armor XE to showcase the Banshee’s lion motif. The Beam Magnum also has a Beam Jutte effect part.

HGBF 1/144 Gundam Exia Dark Matter

Another original gunpla design from GBF, this customised kit is based off the Gundam Exia from Mobile Suit Gundam 00. It comes equipped with the Dark Matter Booster and two customised GN Swords.

HGBC 1/144 Dark Matter Booster

This kit is a booster add-on from the Build Custom line from the Gundam Exia Dark Matter. You can use it to make Dark Matter customised gunpla!

Figure-rise 6 Kamen Rider Kabuto

The Kamen Rider series finally debuts in the Figure-rise 6 line and the first Rider would be Kamen Rider Kabuto. It has various add-on parts like the Masked Form, ZECT Mizer, Rider Kick effect parts, stand parts and movable Kabuto horn and Kabuto Zecter as seen in the TV Series! It also has stickers which allow you to recreate the clone Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto!

Figure-rise 6 Kamen Rider Faiz

The second Kamen Rider to debut in the Figure-rise 6 line is Kamen Rider Faiz. It also have various add-on parts like the Faiz Shot, Faiz Edge, Faiz Crimson Smash effect parts, stand parts and movable Faiz phone. The parts on Kamen Rider Faiz can be changed around in order to recreate the Accel Form upgrade from the TV Series!

Figure-rise 6 Movie version Wild Tiger Style 2

An upgraded Wild Tiger from the upcoming Tiger & Bunny movie The Rising. It comes with clear parts that glow under UV light similar to its MG variant. It also has its signature hand poses and new placement stickers from the movie.

29 March 2014

HGCE 1/144 Strike Rouge

Last but not least is a variant kit from the HG All Gundam Project, the newly proportioned Strike Rouge! The signature Rouge colours are all correctly recreated in this new release. It also comes with personal marking stickers.

And that’s it for the month of March! I’m itching to get the Gundam Exia Dark Matter, really love the evil color scheme and look it has going for it! I’m also keen to give the new Kamen Rider kits a go, they seem to look really nice and I like Kamen Rider Faiz in particular! Which of these kits are you guys keeping an eye out for this month?

Source: Bandai Hobby Site

The post [JCOLLECTOR]Bandai Plastic Models Roundup: March 2014 appeared first on AFA Channel!.

After a stellar 2013, rock duo OLDCODEX is back with a full album coming in April, titled [A Slient, within The Roar]!! This third album will also include Free!’s opening theme Rage on, Kuroko no Basuke’s previous ending theme WALK and Arata Kangatari’s ending theme The Misfit Go.

(c) OLDCODEX, Lantis

[A Silent, within The Roar] marks the first time YORKE, their resident live performance painter, is writing the lyrics to all the tracks. Vocalist Ta_2 is contributing 2 self-composed tracks, Rage on and wire choir, while YORKE tries his hand at composition on How Affection. A DVD containing the Seek your turn PV and its making of video will be included on the Limited Edition. You can preview the PV at their official website here.

Seek your turn PV, from oldcodex.com (click image for PV preview)

If you like OCD’s headbanging brand of western-influenced modern rock, do also get your hands on their last album CONTRAST SILVER or the live DVD of the “CONTRAST SILVER” Tour.

 [WALK] live at Animax Musix 2013

OLDCODEX (or OCD) is formed by vocalist Ta_2 (“Tatsu”, seiyuu Tatsuhisa Suzuki), and artist YORKE (as in literally painter). A little bit unusual for a rock band, but the highlight of their live performances is YORKE whipping out actual pieces of art with paints on canvas (while rocking out too!) as Ta_2 sings his heart out with the backing musicians. At the end of every concert, fans are encouraged to take a photo of the final painting as a memento. YORKE is also an established live performance artist, and has also collaborated with other artistes such as Miyavi. Originally only the artistic collaborator responsible for the album art and website design for OCD, his live artworks has now become an intrinsic part of OCD, and has been increasingly involved in lyric composition for OCD.

YORKE, contrast silver tour, from oldcodex.com

Tatsuhisa Suzuki, or Tattsun to friends and fans, debuted as seiyuu at the young age of 20, as Tsutomu Ishii in iconic basketball series Dear Boys. He is a casting favourite in games, and has participated in the highly popular Vitamin series (Tsubasa Makabe), Lucian Bee series (Van), Uta no Prince-sama series (Ranmaru Kurosaki), and will be leading the cast in the coming Final Fantasy XV game as Noctis. Wildly popular in game circles and fast gaining increasing attention after voicing popular roles in Free! (Makoto Tachibana), Kuroko no Basuke (Kazunari Takao), Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (Haru Yoshida), Kyokai no Kanata (Hiromi Nase), etc. Originally a solo artiste under Lantis mainly focused on pop music way before singing seiyuus became popular (check out Just a Survivor and yesterdays), he was approached by the label to form a rock band. With his searing vocals and leading man good looks, he now fronts OLDCODEX under Lantis subsidiary label Glory Heaven.

Ta_2, contrast silver tour, from oldcodex.com

Limited Edition

Limited edition: ￥3,500 (before tax) / Regular edition: ￥3,000 (before tax)
Tracklist:
1. reflection
Lyrics：YORKE. Composition & Arrangement：OLDCODEX
2. Seek your turn
Lyrics：YORKE. Composition & Arrangement：Hajime Katou
3. Frame in Flame
Lyrics：YORKE. Composition：yashikin,eba Arrangement：eba
4. Rage on
Lyrics：YORKE. Composition：Ta_2 Arrangement：Ryosuke “RIO” Shimohata
5. WALK
Lyrics：YORKE. Composition：Hajime Katou Arrangement：OLDCODEX・Hajime Katou
6. Landscape
Lyrics：YORKE. Composition & Arrangement：Masanori Mine
7. wire choir
Lyrics：YORKE. Composition：Ta_2 Arrangement：Hisashi Koyama
8. optimistic negative thing
Lyrics：YORKE. Composition & Arrangement：eba
9. Backed out
Lyrics：YORKE. Composition & Arrangement：Gz
10. The Misfit Go
Lyrics：YORKE. Composition & Arrangement：eba
11. How Affection
Lyrics & Composition：YORKE. Arrangement：Masanori Mine

Regular Edition

Some of the special tokutens (add-ons) from the big stores you might want to note are:
from ANIMATE – special acoustic CD with tracks Stargazer (coupling track on WALK single) and How Affection (new), and including a chance to win a ticket to the [OLDCODEX×ANIMATE presents "A Silent, within The Roar" Releasing Event] handshake session on 12 June
from Tower Records – an original A Silent, within The Roar wristband and a chance to win tickets to [OLDCODEX×TOWER RECORDS×CLUB CITTA' presents Releasing Live "A Showcase, within The Roar"] special live on 22 May
from TSUTAYA – a special OLDCODEX sticker sheet and a chance to win tickets to [OLDCODEX×TSUTAYA presents Releasing Live "A Showcase, within The Roar"] special live on 15 June

Official webpages: [Lantis] [oldcodex]

The post [MUSIC] OLDCODEX’s 3rd album 「A Silent, within The Roar」 appeared first on AFA Channel!.

RADWIMPS are currently touring Japan and recently performed in their hometown of Yokohama at the Yokohama Arena on 08 & 09 Mar 2014. We at AFACHAN are proud to bring you a live report! Don’t forget, RADWIMPS will be performing in Singapore on 07 Jun 2014. You can get your tickets via MiTicket+ at http://bit.ly/1hrGJTL

All photos are provided by 古渓一道(KAZUMICHI KOKEI).

The concert kicks off with a beautiful prelude resounding throughout the arena, followed by a swing rising from the middle shooting out countless dazzling spinning lights. The entire Yokohama Arena instantaneously transformed into a night amuse centre for RADWIMPS. “Yokohama! We have arrived! We are RADWIMPS!”. After 2 consecutive songs, lead singer Yojiro Noda shouts repeatedly, “Wow! I can see everyone at the back clearly!”.

The band continues to perform songs from their newest album “Batsu to Maru to Tsumi ((Xと○と罪と)”. Noda, the main axis of RADWIMPS’s tour and well-known amongst fans for his on-the-spur expressions while performing, started to swing to the music on stage as they started playing his favourite song. Another highlights of the concert is a piano prelude which you can only experience during a live concert.

After the piano performance, Noda shared more stories about himself, “I believe everyone knows that I fractured a bone in my arm previosuly. That’s right, the one when I was practicing the Kamehameha.” The crowd responded, “Shoot one now!”. Noda, “Eh? That can only be used when protecting your loved one!” The crowd sighed, while Noda responded sheepishly, “I don’t understand why all of you are sighing”, adequately showing that there is no separation between the band and the fans.

The concert continued its high into the second half, with more hit songs being performed, as RADWIMPS brought the atmosphere to its highest point. Then Noda shouts, “Final 4 songs! We are finally back in Yokohama! Let us hear your voices!”. The mid-song choral singing extended all the way till the end of the concert. It was a sight to see every fan in the arena jumping and clapping for an awesome performance.

With fans enthusiastically calling for the encore, the band returned to the stage again. Noda excitedly told the fans, “The next song would be one that we are performing for the first time on tour. We actually didn’t want to sing nor hear it, but we felt that this song had always been a mirror reflection of us. But, we are very thankful and blessed, hence we think we can earnestly face our reflection now!”. The perfect ending was provided by with the hit song that was once a hot topic of discussion due to its excessive lyrics.

“Everyone, please stay happy!”. Those words were repeated over and over by Noda to the crowd, who never once stopped jumping to the music, and you could see the satisfied smile on every single fan’s face. This is something that can only be seen in a RADWIMPS performance in their own hometown. It also makes us anxiously anticipate what they would be bringing to the overseas crowd at the start of their Asian tour at the end of May 2014.

You can check out more of the concert photos below!

All of us at AFAchan are really looking forward to RADWIMPS high-energy performance in Singapore! We hope you would be able to join us, so go and get your tickets now at http://bit.ly/1hrGJTL

The post [JROCK] Live Report: RADWIMPS GRAND PRIX 2014 in Yokohama Arena appeared first on AFA Channel!.

Production studio Polygon Pictures held a mini audition last year at AFASG to pick one lucky winner to voice-guest a walk-on character for their new anime series Knights of Sidonia. After auditions over 3 days culminating in a final held at the festival main stage, Charmaine Tan impressed the judges (who included seiyuu Ryota Ohsaka who voices lead Nagate Tanikaze) with her spirited performance.

The highlight of her win was an all expenses paid trip to visit the Polygon Pictures, where she experienced first-hand recording as a seiyuu, and also got an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at how an anime is being put together.

On the artist and production floor of Polygon Pictures, from animeanime.jp

At Polygon Pictures, one of the oldest and most established CG studios in Japan, close to 300 staff members work concurrently on a variety of projects (not just Knights of Sidonia), including commercials, film, games, and of course anime. All their artists were spread over a single floor, with their gazes fixed to their PCs, hard at work, while design sketches covered the walls of their work area. Charmaine watched the production team of Knights of Sidonia at various stages of work, and also got to meet production designer Naoya Tanaka and character designer Yuki Moriyama.

With production designer Naoya Tanaka and character designer Yuki Moriyama (on right), from animeanime.jp

Before heading for the recording studio, producer Kenji Ishimaru went through with her in detail the storyboard and flow for the scene she will be involved in. There were smiles all round, as they went through the script together in a spontaneous rehearsal. The next day, she joined the rest of the main cast for the actual recording of the scene where her character Ryoko Takahashi appears (additional exclusive details in the interview below).

Charmaine (left) with producer Ishimaru

As Takahashi is an Aide Controller, Charmaine’s lines had a lot of technical jargon, which was quite a mouthful even for native speakers. Although it was difficult to catch the rhythm of the lines within the short time frame, Charmaine practised her lines well and put in a commendable performance under intense pressure.

Her character Takahashi on the screen, as they go through the storyboard

Now that Charmaine is back from Japan, AFACHAN sat down with her for an exclusive interview, as she shares with us more about herself and her virgin experience as a seiyuu for Knights of Sidonia:

Q: Your performance at the finals last year was fantastic! What spurred you on to join the auditions for Knights of Sidonia?

A: As a fan of seiyuu, having this rare opportunity presented to us overseas fans was already a dream come true! The least I could do was to increase the number of sign-ups (by signing up), as a sign of support.

Q: Do you aspire to become a seiyuu?

A: Yes! After such an amazing experience, I hope, more than ever, to become a seiyuu.

Q: How did you become interested in seiyuu and anime?

The anime that got me hooked was CardCaptor Sakura! I can’t quite figure out how it got me hooked, but I remember doing things like making my own Clow Cards and spending all my allowance on the manga.

As I watched more anime, I started noticing familiar voices more and more in various works. Eventually, it became really fun to guess the character’s seiyuu without looking at the cast list, and I started wanting to hear more and more seiyuu’s works so that I could recognize them more accurately. I’m still having trouble recognizing some voices because the seiyuu are just too versatile, but then again, that’s exactly what makes this fun.

Q: Who are your favourite seiyuus and the characters they have voiced?

A: This is a really difficult question! I really admire Miyuki Sawashiro (favourite character: Celty from Durarara!!), Kana Hanazawa (favourite character: Aika Fuwa from Zetsuen no Tempest), Maaya Sakamoto (favourite character: Shiki from Kara no Kyoukai), Yuuichi Nakamura (favourite character: Houtarou Oreki from Hyouka), Mamoru Miyano (favourite characters: Tamaki Suou from Ouran High School Host Club, Rintarou Okabe from Steins;Gate), and Hiroshi Kamiya (favourite characters: Izaya Orihara from Durarara!!, Levi from Shingeki no Kyojin).

Q: What was the most memorable part of your studio visit?

A: That would be the recording of the “gaya” part. This is the part where they do the recording to create background sounds and conversations for the anime. For example, there was a scene where the cast was asked to ad-lib for a scene where many people in the background were panicking. On the director’s cue, everyone started at the exact same time, and without needing to rehearse, or a signal, everyone simultaneously ended at the same time.

On top of that, it sounded like there were 50 people present when there were only approximately 15 seiyuu present. It was as if I had entered the spaceship in Knights of Sidonia, because of the realistic atmosphere created by the seiyuu.

Q: Recording for the first time must be intimidating! What was the biggest challenge for you?

It was nerve-wrecking, recording in an enclosed, soundproof room with 15 professionals. What really got me tensed up, was having to maintain absolute silence during the recording since it was done continuously in a single long take. The room was so quiet, I had to hold very still as I was worried that my chair might creak in the middle of the take. And finally, my turn came.

“Thank goodness nothing went wrong!” – or so I thought. After the long, long take, the sound director asked me to do a retake. And then another one. Then another one. One more. And again. After what seemed like an embarrassing eternity, he said, this is the last try.

Now that I’m back in Singapore, I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT NOTHING WENT WRONG IN THE FINAL TAKE.

Q: Wow! This means you were recording with the professionals! They must have been amazing. Did anyone in particular leave an impression?

A: Yes! Seiyuu are so much more incredible in person! I’m convinced that microphones do them injustice, because the mics are unable to capture their full intensity.

For example, when Sayaka Ohara (commander Captain Kobayashi) recited her line (a single word), it carried so much weight and authority that I found myself involuntarily turning to look at her, even though I was fixated on the screen prior to her line. Also, when Takahiro Sakurai (antagonist Norio Kunato) recited his lines, the entire mood in the studio changed. He didn’t need to speak loudly, but he was in complete control of the atmosphere.

Knights of Sidonia characters, from Knights of Sidonia Anime Official Website, (c) Polygon Pictures

On top of everything, I’m also a fan of Ryouta Ohsaka (main character Nagate Tanikaze), Aki Toyosaki (main Tanikaze’s best friend Izana Shinatose) and Eri Kitamura (En Honoka, who attacks Tanikaze the first time she sees him), so it was super cool to be part of the same project as them!

Q: During the tour of the artist floor, you got a behind-the-scenes look at how an anime is being put together. How was it like?

A: It was a great privilege to have been shown the character design drafts, colour testing drafts, and even work-in-progress animation sequences! However, what I found most intriguing was the “final check” room. There were several computers and televisions crowded on the table, but only one chair. A staff member was checking the finished animation. He was checking the sequence using different types of screens, to ensure that the anime looked consistent across different platforms.

I found it fascinating because our lecturers from school taught us to perform such checks as well, but with different types of papers, inks, and web browsers instead.

Knights of Sidonia Artist completing CG by hand, from natalie.mu

Regarding the artwork, it was unusually realistic. The Gauna (alien) was majestic, in an evil kind of way. But the humans looked… unusual, so it took me a while to get used to it. All in all, the anime Knights of Sidonia felt like a science fiction film made with 3D animation. I can’t wait for the broadcast!

A Gauna from the first CM spot

Q: Lastly, where else did you visit on this trip? – Any  places in Tokyo to recommend for fellow fans?

I visited Akihabara for the first time! After that, I revisited Akihabara several times during the trip; I don’t think I can ever grow tired of it. I can just sit there all day and soak in the otaku atmosphere.

As a Durarara!! fan, I explored Ikebukuro as well, and would recommend the streets and the crossing between the two Animate buildings – Durarara!!’s background artwork seemed like an exact replica of the entire area!

(Writer’s note:  There are a 2 Animate buildings in Ikebukuro, to get the authentic Durarara!! experience,  take the East Exit from Ikebukuro JR station and ask for directions towards Sunshine-dori. There is a broadwalk that is closed to traffic. Walking down that lane will take you pass both Animate stores, and other iconic stores such as Book Off! and Go Hands, and you’ll find yourself immersed in the backdrop of Durarara!! ) 

More comparisons of real Ikebukuro and DRRR!! Ikebukuro are at http://pawncheckmate.blogspot.sg/ (click on image to see more)

I also visited Oedo-Onsen-Monogatari, a hot springs inn in Odaiba that will be sponsoring Origami Cyclone in the Tiger and Bunny movie! The shopping area inside is designed to be like an eternal matsuri (festival), and I fulfilled my dream of sitting on a real tatami mat there.

Q: Thank you very much for accepting our interview!

Find out how she did when Knights of Sidonia airs in April 2014.

Official Sites: http://starchild.fm/anime/knightsofsidonia/ | http://www.knightsofsidonia.com/

The post [EXCLUSIVE] Interview with our Knights of Sidonia Audition Winner – Charmaine Tan appeared first on AFA Channel!.

An anime adaptation of Bakumatsu Rock has been confirmed to be in the works!

Less than 2 weeks after the release of the Bakumatsu Rock rock rhythm game on the PSP platform, the developers have confirmed that an anime adaptation will be coming to your (Japanese) screens in July this year, during the Fall anime season.

The anime story is likely to remain close to the original game plot, revolving around passionate rockstar-hopeful Ryouma Sakamoto (CV: Kishou Taniyama). The story is set in the Bakumatsu era of feudal Japan, and is loosely based off historical events. In this alternate version of history, the government rules by the strong influence of top idols, the “Shinsengumi”, consisting of Toshizou Hijikata (CV: Toshiyuki Morikawa) and Souji Okita (CV: Kenshou Ono). Leading the anti-Shogunate movement are rockers Shinsaku Takasugi (CV: Tatsuhisa Suzuki) and Kogorou Katsura (CV: Shoutarou Morikubo), who believe in spreading rock music to overcome the music propaganda of the government.

Learn more about these colourful characters in our earlier article, in which we have translated the character profiles and gameplay system of the Bakumatsu Rock game.

A key feature of this anime/game would be the character songs, sung by the musically talented seiyuu cast. Since the game was released, the music previews which were released weekly on the website are now available again! If you have missed any of the earlier song previews, this is your chance to check them all out here.

Game PV (Shinsaku Takasugi version)

The official website has also released details of the cast and staff working on this project. The cast members remained unchanged from the game.

Cast
Ryouma Sakamoto: Kishou Taniyama
Shinsaku Takasugi: Tatsuhisa Suzuki
Kogorou Katsura: Shoutarou Morikubo
Toshizou Hijikata: Toshiyuki Morikawa
Souji Okita: Kenshou Ono
TBA

Release dates for the theme song and character song singles have also been announced. Theme song “What’s this?”, sung by the 5 main characters, will be released 23rd April. Main character Sakamoto Ryouma will lead the character song releases starting from early May. Based on the song previews released on the website so far, there has already been a theme song and at least 2 solo tracks per character single.

Release dates
Bakumatsu Rock Theme Song 「What’s this?」
Released: 23rd April 2014
Vo: Ultra Souls (Kishou Taniyama, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Shoutarou Morikubo, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Kenshou Ono)

Character singles
「Bakumatsu Rock Ecstasy★Song 」Ryouma Sakamoto (CV: Kishou Taniyama)
Released: 9th May 2014
Tracks:「What’s this?」、(Title TBA)

「Bakumatsu Rock Ecstasy★Song 」Shinsaku Takasugi (CV: Tatsuhisa Suzuki)
Released: 28th May 2014
Tracks:「Crash My Head」、「生きてゆこう」

「Bakumatsu Rock Ecstasy★Song 」Kogorou Katsura (CV: Shoutarou Morikubo)
Released: 4th June 2014
Tracks:「ハチノジディストーション」、「重力のない世界」

「Bakumatsu Rock Ecstasy★Song 」Toshizou Hijikata (CV: Toshiyuki Morikawa)
Released: 25th June 2014
Tracks:「モット!!!」、(Title TBA)

「Bakumatsu Rock Ecstasy★Song 」Souji Okita (CV: Kenshou Ono)
Released: 2nd July 2014
Tracks:「共鳴進歌」、(Title TBA)

AnimeJapan Stage Event
Bakumatsu Rock will also be having a stage event at the upcoming AnimeJapan 2014, a large animation festival to be held at Tokyo Big Sight on 22nd-23rd March. The Bakumatsu Rock stage event will be held on 23rd March at the Red Stage, featuring cast members Kishou Taniyama, Shoutarou Morikubo and Toshiyuki Morikawa in a talk show.

Stay tuned to AFACHAN for more updates on this exciting series!

Images © 2014 MarvelousAQL Inc.

The post [NEWS] Anime Adaptation for Bakumatsu Rock! appeared first on AFA Channel!.

It’s been quite awhile since the end of Wonder Festival Winter 2014 (WonFes), with so many announcements and releases from then,  it took me ages to decide out which figurines that I was most excited for.

However with that sorted out, here are my top 5 figurine announcements from WonFes 2014 winter!

5. Alisa Illinichina Amiella and Katsuki Nana [God Eater 2]

For those that have never ever heard of God Eater 2, God Eater 2 is (obviously) the sequel to God Eater Burst.

“The game takes place 3 years after the original, where a fatal pandemic called the Black Plague caused by red rain that has struck the Far East Area.  Members of Special Forces Blood, an affiliate of Fenrir who reside in a mobile base, are sent to assist. The player takes control of the new Protagonist (God Eater 2) who is a new recruit to Blood.” [God Eater Wiki]

The Figurines are both of characters from the game. The silver haired beauty Alisa Illinichina Amiella, a 2nd Generation New-Type God Eater transferred from the Russian Fenrir branch, and the spunky looking Katsuki Nana,  a 3rd Generation New-Type God Eater that joins on the same day as the protagonist.

This two figurines, made by PLUM, look extremely stunning. The amount of details that go into their weapons are extremely beautiful, the creases on their clothing are also added nicely, giving quite the realistic material effect.

Adding on, both their faces are carved extremely nice. It may not look the same as the original art 100%, but it comes very close to it.

This would definitely make a great addition to any figurine collection, and would also burn a nice hole in the wallets of any devoted God Eater fans out there.

 4. Cecilia Alcott’s Blue Tears [Infinite Stratos] 

Joining Shinonono Houki’s Akatsubaki, Blue Tears is quite the masterpiece. The entirety of Cecilia Alcott’s personal IS is also sculpted and modelled almost as beautiful as Akatsubaki.

If you have read my 2013 Fall Anime Round-up, you would have noticed my lack of interest in the IS series besides the girls and the action scenes. I do however like the design of their IS though, it’s unique and it stands out quite well from whatever the current market has.

Going back on topic, the armour pieces and weapons looks fantastic, with a nice shiny coating on top of it. The face are not really up to my standard, but they are not a real problem when seen from afar.

This is quite worthy to be added to any collection, but with the hefty price tag that the Akatsubaki (~ 240SGD) has on it, this will most probably be the same.

 3. Shinonono Houki Cover Pic Ver.[Infinite Stratos]

This version of Shinonono Houki comes from the redesigned covers of the IS Light Novel, which changed illustrators.

I actually like this picture better, as the characters look and feel more menacing, but still sexy nonetheless.

AQUAMARINE’s Houki figurine looks amazing, with so many details added in.

All the stretch lines on the clothing makes it look like she is turning, and in it’s entirety, it is faithful to the cover pic design.

But all will be revealed when the eyes and colouring has been added.

I will most definitely be keeping my eyes and ears out for this, as I like the redesign much more than the original ones.

2. Noel Vermillion WF Limited Edition Ver. [BlazBlue]

Vertex, not to be outdone by everyone else, released a WonFes limited edition of Noel Vermillion.

As with the original version of Noel Vermillion, this one is really a piece of work. The alternate colours are striking, and makes the figures look vibrant and alive.

All the different parts of the figures have been crafted beautifully, and stands out really well.

1. Kantai Collection

It’s hard not to put this one on the list, seeing as almost every figurine company that I know of is releasing one. Adding on the fact that WonFes seems to be largely dominated by this, I couldn’t resist.

But I will focus on some of the few that I really prefer, due to the details and the overall look of the figure.

AQUAMARINE -  Rensouhou-chan [ I mean, how can you not look at that and think it's not cute?!]

GSC – Musashi, Shimakaze  [Always quality work presented by the guys at GSC, both Musashi and Shimakaze look beautiful]

AGP – Yamato [AGP has chosen quite the interesting girl, and with so many articulation, Yamato will turn out to be extremely versatile]

MXF – Yamato, Kongou Damaged Ver. [MXF's Yamato and Kongou are both extremely beautiful, although their cheeks both seem to be abit chubby.]

Penguin Parade – Mutsu, Nagato. [For their initial carving, they look really decent, but the final verdict will have to wait till the colour is added on]

There you have it, my top 5 picks from WonFes.

Now, if only I could get my hands on all these…..

WONDER Festival aka WONFES is a Bi-annual, 1 day convention where the biggest makers of Figurines and the the talented individuals making garage kits (Homemade figurines and models) comes together to celebrate the immobile replica of characters, food or just something weird. Often the Makers will also take the chance to showcase some of their upcoming products and tease various additions to their line-ups.

The Wonder festival happens usually in the Winter and Summer of Japan at the  Makuhari Messe in Chiba, and the next upcoming one is scheduled for 27 July 2014, a Sunday.

Official Site: http://wf.kaiyodo.net/

The post [JCOLLECTORS] Top 5 Figurine Announcements from Wonder Festival 2014 [冬] appeared first on AFA Channel!.

EXIT TUNES PRESENTS ACTORS is an upcoming vocaloid album release by EXIT TUNES, featuring male seiyuu singing popular vocaloid songs. Having released chart-topping vocaloid albums, EXIT TUNES is stepping into new territory by combining seiyuus with vocaloid music into what would likely be an aural feast for the ears. This album, featuring male seiyuu Okiayu Ryoutarou, Hoshi Souichirou, Nojima Kenji, Tsuboi Tomohiro, Ono Yuuki, Eguchi Takuya, Kimura Subaru, Takeuchi Ryouta in 13 hit vocaloid songs and 2 original mini drama tracks, will be released on 19 March.

Preview the tracks at the official website (website BGM): http://actorsmusic.jp/

[CD] EXIT TUNES PRESENTS ACTORS Released 19 March 2014: ￥1905 (Tax not included)

Track list:
1. E? Ahh、sou (え？あぁ、そう。) / ChouchoP [蝶々P] feat. Okiayu Ryoutarou×Hoshi Souichirou
2. Yoshiwara Lament (吉原ラメント) / Asa [亜沙] feat. Ono Yuuki
3. Iroha Uta (いろは唄) / Ginsaku [銀サク] feat. Tsuboi Tomohiro
4. Hikoukai Nisshi (非公開日誌) / mikitoP [みきとP] feat. Hoshi Souichirou
5. Kazemachi Hello World (風待ちハローワールド) / add9 (heliP) [add9(ヘリP)] feat. Eguchi Takuya
6. shiningray / 164 feat. Kimura Subaru
7. Drama: Part A
8. Venomania-kou no Kyouki (ヴェノマニア公の狂気) / mothy_AkunoP [mothy_悪ノP] feat. Okiayu Ryoutarou
 9. Ifuudoudou (威風堂々) / Umetora [梅とら] feat. Nojima Kenji
10. Poker Face (ポーカーフェイス) / YuchaP [ゆちゃP] feat. Takeuchi Ryouta
11. Sarishinohara (サリシノハラ) / mikitoP [みきとP] feat Nojima Kenji
12. Shinpakusuu ♯0822 (心拍数♯0822) / ChouchoP [蝶々P] feat. Okiayu Ryoutarou
13. Drama: Part B [BONUS TRACK] 14. 1, 2 Fanclub (いーあるふぁんくらぶ) / mikitoP (みきとP) feat. Ono Yuuki×Eguchi Takuya
15. Juu Mensou (十面相) / YM feat. Kimura Subaru+All Cast

※Order of songs and content may be subject to change.

[Tokuten]

1. Get a smartphone strap (8 designs in total) designed by “meka” (めか), who also designed the cover jacket. Limited stock!
2. Get an original clear file by sending back the survey postcard included with the CD.
3. Get a chance to win the autographs of all 8 seiyuu (3 available).
4. Get the slim poster displayed at the storefront.

※Extra content may be subject to change. ※Limited stock of phone straps available.
※Posters will be removed at some shops. Limited numbers available.
※Special goods are not for sale.

[Extras]

Get limited tokuten when you purchase from different stores:

1. Animate: CD featuring cast comment and character voice messages from the full cast
2. Tower Records: A. Get a chance to win autographs from the cast. B. ACTORS original character bottle-cap badge (8 designs in total)
3. TSUTAYA Records: ACTORS original character bottle-cap badge (8 designs in total)

※Subject to change and limited stock.

Adorable smartphone straps designed by meka
Slim poster on display

Notable works of the male seiyuu featured include:

Okiayu Ryoutarou: Toriko (Toriko), Strange+ (Masamune), Prince of Tennis (Tezuka Kunimitsu), SLAM DUNK (Mitsui Hisashi)
Hoshi Souichirou: Sengoku BASARA (Sanada Yukimura), Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (Kira Yamato)
Nojima Kenji: PSYCHO-PASS (Ginoza Nobuchika), BLOOD-C (Nanahara Fumito), Highschool DxD NEW (Kiba Yuuto), Smallville (Japanese dub) (Clark Kent)
Tsuboi Tomohiro: Hakuoki series (Nagakura Shinpachi), Sengoku BASARA series (Maeda Toshiie), Knights of Sidonia (Seii Ichirou)
Ono Yuuki: Kukoro no Basuke (Kagami Taiga), Ace of Diamond (Isashiki Jun), Strike the Blood (Dimitrie Vatler)
Eguchi Takuya: Makai Ouji devils and realist (William Twining), Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru (Hikigaya Hachiman), HAMATORA (Mao)
※ Ono Yuuki and Eguchi Takuya also form the seiyuu unit「Yuutaku II」(ゆーたくII) under music label DIVE II entertainment
Kimura Subaru: Doraemon (Goda Takeshi “Gian”), GUNDAM BUILD FIGHTERS (Allan Adams), Tanken Bakumon (Narration)
Takeuchi Ryouta: El Shaddai (Lucifel), Star Driver Kagayaki no Takuto (Master)

The post [SEIYUU/VOCALOID] EXIT TUNES featuring ACTORS appeared first on AFA Channel!.

The Itasha. You’ve heard of them, maybe seen them in photos or on the streets. And maybe you have not heard of them too, but I don’t really blame you. An Itasha is basically a car, plastered with anime illustration decals all over its chassis. And now, Toyota’s Love Live Itasha might have just found itself an owner. The car in question? a GT86.

If you must know, the name itself stems from itai, meaning painful. Whether it’s painful because it is NOT a sight for sore eyes, or beacause it leaves a gaping hole in your wallet, you decide!

Going by the name of Donguri Papa, the owner has been in negotiations with Toyota since last year for the chance to purchase this ride. He was not alone however, as there were a few others who were in contact with Toyota too. Sadly, they did not seal the deal due to whatever reasons (family disapproval being one of them).

As for this lucky man, the car now belongs to him. Heck he even has a fitting licence plate number (Niko Niko) to go with it. It’s a reference to one of his favorite characters from Love Live! - Maki Nishikino, or Nikomaki as some fans like to call her.

Yes, you. Please don’t be so shocked.

It sure must have been hard to convince his family to allow him to purchase the car, but he went  ahead despite being told “nope, not gonna happen”.

But what about the cost? Well, the GT86 is estimated to go for around US$25,000 MSRP*. Do a little conversion here and there into JPY and it seems to be marked up by  almost US$15,000! Ouch! Guess that’s the painful part about the Itasha name, right?

3,990,903-yen

A Love Live! Itasha inside a showroom.

What do you think of such lavish cars? Amazing or outrageous? Let us know in the comments!

*MRSP-Manufacturer’s suggested retail price

Source: [RocketNews via Hachima Kik0]

The post [CARS] Anime Itasha From Toyota Gets a New Home appeared first on AFA Channel!.