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Kevin Yen

Kevin Yen

Thursday, 16 November 2017 19:48

TWICE will debut at Kōhaku Uta Gassen

TWICE was announced to appear at this year's 68th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.  

Kōhaku Uta Gassen is one of Japan's top-rated musical event held every year on New Year's Eve.  The musical event consists of two team, the red team and white team competing against each other.  This year, TWICE will be on the red team alongside returning performers Perfume, AKB48, and many more.  TWICE's appearance will be first K-pop group to ever perform at Kōhaku since 2011.

68th Kōhaku Uta Gassen will air on December 31 from 19:15 JST  to 23:45 JST. 

Don't miss TWICE's first debut at Kōhaku!

steve blum ax12LOS ANGELES (April 6, 2012) – Anime Expo, North America's largest anime, manga and Japanese pop culture celebration, today announced popular voice actor Steve Blum as an Official Guest of Honor. One of anime's most prolific voice actors, Blum will participate in a meet-and-greet, autograph signing and focus panel at Anime Expo when it returns to the LA Convention Center from June 29 – July 2, 2012,

koihime news imageApril 6th, 2012--We at MangaGamer are proud to announce the addition of voices to Koihime Musou!

Though it was a long, hard road getting to this point, we're proud to make the excellent voice cast of Koihime Musou available at long last. Now everyone can experience the game with all the voices in their full glory: Motoyama Mina as Kan'u, Serizono Miya as Chouhi and Kayuu, Kusunoki Suzune as Shokatsuryou, Nogami Nana as Chouun, Oukawa Mio as Bachou, Iida Kuu as Kouchuu, Nojima Kana as Sousou, Fukai Haruka as Kakouton, Kisaragi Aoi as Kakouen, Miru as Jun'iku, Kurata Mariya as Kyocho and Riri, Kazane as Sonken, Hokuto Minami as Sonshoukou, Isshiki Hikaru as Kannei, Maki Izumi as Rikuson, Kawashima Rino as Shuuyu, Daishou Tsuzura as Daikyou and Shoukyou, Kimura Ayaka as Toutaku, Aoyama Yukari as Kaku, AYA as Chouryou and Kousonsan, Imuraya Honoka as Ryofu, Kono Kanami as Enshou, Murasakibana Sumire as Bunshuu, Aoi Miu as Ganryou, Yuunagi Sakumi as Chousen, Hikaru as Saji, and Jack Cloud as Ukitsu.

We'd also like to give a big thanks to all the fans out there who helped make this possible with their support.

news imageMarch 23, 2012 - Japanese hard-rock screamo band Dazzle Vision posted photos on their Twitter account today previewing the release of vocalist Maiko's voice-synthesized alter-ego. Famous for her "Death Voice," high-fashion lolita style, and melodic vocals, Maiko and her band-mates recently judged an open-mic "Death Voice" contest outside Shibuya's fashion landmark 109 building.

Japanese fan magazine Gekkayo has posted a download of Maiko's voice compatible with the UTAU software. Competing Vocaloid software (from Crypton Future Media) was made famous by characters like Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin and Len, and Megurine Luka. In 2009, J-Rock singer Gackt lent his voice talents to become a character for the software Gackpoid.

Dazzle Vision's new album "Shocking Loud Voice" releases May 4 in Japan.album artwork

Dazzle Vision official website

http://dazzlevision.net/

Dazzle Vision Twitter

http://twitter.com/DAZZLE_VISION

Gekkayo Online (includes link to download)

http://gekkayo.jp/

Utau Download Site

http://utau2008.web.fc2.com/

DAZZLE VISION PROFILEArtist Photo

VOCAL:Maiko
GUITAR:John
BASS:Takuro
DRUMS:Haru

Popular in the Japanese indies scene for their hard rock sound and Maiko's alternating melodic/death-voice vocals, Dazzle Vision was formed in June 2003.

Dazzle Vision released their first album "Origin of Dazzle" in November of 2006. Their second album "Camellia Japonica" was released in April 2007, followed by an 11-city tour of Japan. After selling out of the first presses of "Origin of Dazzle" and "Camelia Japonica," their 3rd album "Crystal Children" hit #1 on HMV's pre-sale chart and #2 on Tower Records pre-sale chart prior to its official release in November 2008.

In April 2010, Dazzle Vision performed live for 4,000 American fans at Sakura-Con 2010.

Dazzle Vision's 4th album, "to the next" placed 2nd place on HMV Indies Chart, and 26th place on Amazon's New Music Chart. In 2011, their 5th album "Kirari" achieved 1st place on HMV Indies Chart, 9th place on Tower Record Indies Chart, and 16th place on Amazon's New Music Chart. The same year, Dazzle Vision became the first scream band to perform an in-store live at Shibuya's Tower Records. In June 2011, Dazzle Vision was a featured interview in Japan's famous music magazine BURRN!

Dazzle Vision's new album "Shocking Loud Voice" releases May 4 in Japan.

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Images copyrighted:Gekkayo, Human Noise

ti01March 21, 2012 - Japanese talent agency HoriPro announced the start of its 37th HoriPro Talent Scout Caravan talent auditions today in Japan. This year's goal is to find a "Super-Idol" - a girl who can dance, sing, and act.

The annual competition is held in cities across Japan, spawning the title "Caravan". Horipro's managers and coaches work closely with each year's winners to develop their talents and professional goals in Japanese entertainment. Applicants can be girls from middle-school age to 20 years old.

Previous winners include:
Haruka Ayase (Jin, Hotaru no Hikari, Rookies, The Incredibles (Japanese cast))
May'n (anime vocalist for Macross: Frontier, Phi Brain, Accel World)
Satomi Ishihara (Waterboys 2, Hidarime Tantei Eye, Puzzle)

This year's theme is "Seize The Dream," and HoriPro is looking for girls who have "inner beauty and the strength to give dreams to people."

The Grand-Prize winner will be featured on the Japanese version of "The Glow," an original song for Disney's Fairy Tale Princess compilation. The Grand-prize winner will also receive 1,000,000 Yen and a pair of tickets to Disneyland in California.
HORIPRO WEBSITE

ABOUT TALENT SCOUT CARAVAN

In 2011, HoriPro Talent Agency's 36th Talent Scout Caravan held auditions in 14 cities, including Los Angeles, with a total of 12,000 applicants. The competition was open to girls 12-18 years old of any race who wished to become anime voice actors/singers in Japan.

The winner received a management contract with top Japanese talent agency HoriPro, a singing contract with BANDAI Group music label LANTIS, and a prize of 1,000,000 Yen.

The 2011 auditions focused on anime voice actresses, and the winner was 17-year-old Tadokoro Azusa from Ibaraki prefecture. At the October 10, 2011 final competition in Tokyo, Tadokoro performed Hirano Aya's "Lost my music," from the anime series "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya".

Los Angeles middle-school student Kyoka was the only American girl to make it to the 2012 Talent Scout Caravan Top 10 finals in Tokyo, Japan. She performed voice acting scenes and anime songs in the competition, and now she is back in America where she is training to become a bi-lingual Japanese-American voice actress and singer. Her motto is "Chase Your Dream."

 

 

Sunday, 23 October 2011 16:13

Gundam SD Capsule Fighter Coming to US

news sd_capsuleGundam fans will be excited to hear that SD Gundam Capsule Fighter, a MMOTPS created by Softmax, was announced to be released in the US by an online game publisher, OGPlanet.  The game was originally released in Korea during the summer of 2007.  At the time, the game was only available to those who held a Korean National ID number.  Luckily, my housemate, who happened to be from Korea, was able to sign up for an account and I got to try out the game.  Without a doubt, the game was fun and I'll be playing this again when it's released.

The game is played through multiplayer online battles where players have full command of their mobile suit.  There are also missions in the game that offers rewards when you complete them.  For me, it was all about collecting and trying out new and different mobile suits.  One of the great features of this game is that there are many ways of obtaining mobile suits either by renting one for a limited time, using Astros (out of pocket money), spending points (in-game currency) on capsule machines, or by mixing mobile suits.

The variety of mobile suits available in the game is astonishing.  They have mobile suits from the old Gundam series such as Universal Century to the more recent ones like Mobile Suit Gundam 00.  With over 300 mobile suits available in the game, they are classified into four ranks: S, A, B, and C rank.  In addition to ranks, mobile suits are also categorized based on their specialty such as hand-to-hand combat (phase blades, fists), long-range (guns), or multi-role (balanced).

There wasn't a release date given, but a closed beta test is planned to start November 2nd, 2011 for those who are interested. If you like to participate, you would need to register an account with OGPlanet, "like" the SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Facebook page, and submit your email address.  But be quick, there's only a limited amount of beta keys given out.  For anyone who loves mechs or shooting games, I highly recommend trying out this game.  Plus, it's free.

Sign up here: http://sdgo.ogplanet.com/en/teaser.og

Thursday, 06 October 2011 20:43

Star Driver English Site Launched for NYCC

news stardriverOctober 6, 2011 (Cypress, CA) – Bandai Entertainment announced the launch of

www.stardriver.bandai-ent.com -- an English website dedicated to its upcoming anime release Star Driver.

Created by studio BONES (Eureka Seven, Cowboy Bebop The Movie, Soul Eater), Star Driver is about a boy named Takuto who washes up on the shore of an island and becomes embroiled in a conflict with a clandestine society to control giant machines called Cybodies whose power are bound by special shrine maidens.

Star Driver will be invading New York Comic Con next week, with several previously announced events and the premiere screening of the English language episodes.

For more information visit:

About Bandai Entertainment Inc.

Bandai Entertainment Inc. is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc. and the premier distributor of Japanese animation on DVD and programming for television broadcast in North America. Titles include K-ON!, Gundam 00, Code Geass: Lelouch of Rebellion, Lucky Star, Gurren Lagann,The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, My Otome, and many more.

Wednesday, 21 September 2011 23:18

Fate/Zero to be Aired Worldwide Simultaneously

news fatezeroeventTOKYO, JAPAN (September 21, 2010) -- niwango Inc., known for its "Nico Nico Douga" video sharing website (www.nicovideo.jp), and Aniplex Inc. have jointly announced today that they will premiere Aniplex's brand new TV series titled "Fate/Zero" worldwide (except for Japan) streaming simultaneously with eight different language subtitles on Sunday, October 2 at 1:00am (Japan local time) immediately following its TV airing on October 1.

In this first time event in the industry's history, the First Episode of "Fate/Zero" will be streamed on "Nico Nico Channel" for anime fans outside Japan free of charge. Subsequent episodes will also be streamed in the same manner every week.

"Fate/Zero" is one of the most popular properties in Japan, and Aniplex with niwango decided to team up to make it available immediately to anime fans outside Japan.

Anyone who has an account with "Nico Nico Douga" can post their comments on its live video in various languages. While language will be set automatically based on the language of your browser, you can also select a language of your choice from the menu. Each episode will be exclusively streamed for a week.

news fatezeroTORRANCE, Calif. – September 12, 2011 – Aksys Games, a publisher of interactive entertainment software, is proud to announce that Fate/EXTRA, the RPG based on the hit series Fate/stay night, will be coming to North America on 11/1/11! Developed by respected Japanese RPG developers Imageepoch and TYPE-MOON, Fate/EXTRA will be released for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system in North America. An all new scenario that takes place in the wildly popular Fate/stay night universe, Fate/EXTRA features a cast of new characters and fan favorites, a unique, easy to understand battle system, and a grand story of destruction, absolution, and deep insight into what it truly means to be human.

The North American Limited Edition will include some of the same sought-after items bundled with the Japanese version such as the special 15-page Fate Visual Works art book and the 11 song Limited Soundtrack. Fate/EXTRA will be released with an MSRP of $39.99 for the Limited Edition, $29.99 for the retail standard edition, and $24.99 for the PlayStation®Network download version.

Fate/EXTRA Story Elements:

Waking up in a strange virtual world with no recollection of the past, the main character finds themselves forced to fight for survival in a war they do not understand for a prize beyond value; the opportunity to have one's wish granted. With only an enigmatic "Servant" by their side, the protagonist will have to face both friends and foes in battles to the death in order to not only gain possession of a mysterious object known as the "Holy Grail," but also to find the answer to the most important question of all: "Who am I?"

Fate/EXTRA Key Features:

  • Intuitive, Fast-paced Battle System: Using Break, Attack, and Guard abilities in combination with powerful Special Moves and Code Casts, players are required to plan out their attacks to effectively counter their opponent's moves and emerge victorious from potentially deadly encounters.

  • Engrossing Story: Written by the creator of the original Fate series of PC games, Kinoko Nasu, the story of Fate/EXTRA will not only appeal to long time fans of the Fate universe, via the inclusion of many familiar characters, but will also appeal to RPG fans looking for a deep, non-formulaic storyline that delves into such mature themes as loyalty, death, love, and what it means to be human.

  • Extensive replay value: Multiple story paths, each with their own unique dialog trees and character interactions that lead to different endings.

Fate/EXTRA has been rated Teen with Drug Reference, Fantasy Violence, Language, and Sexual Themes by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). More information about Aksys Games and Fate/EXTRA can be found at www.aksysgames.com.

About Aksys Games Localization, Inc.

Founded in 2006 in Torrance, California, Aksys Games Localization, Inc. is a localization studio and visionary video game publisher specializing in the Japanese-to-English translation of games and committed to publishing unique, multicultural, high-quality interactive content for all current-generation platforms. The company is known for releasing acclaimed titles such as 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors and the BIT.TRIP, Guilty Gear, BlazBlue and Hooked: Real Motion Fishing series. More information about Aksys Games and its products can be found on the company's website, www.aksysgames.com.

Tuesday, 30 August 2011 14:48

MangaGamer announces Go Go Nippon

gogonipponAugust 30, 2011--We at MangaGamer are proud to announce Go Go Nippon!

Have you ever thought of playing a Visual Novel, but didn't know what's best to start with? Or didn't want to spend a lot to find out? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel to Japan? To spend a week there with two beautiful girls? Then Go Go Nippon is the perfect game for you!

Developed by OVERDRIVE, makers of Kira Kira, Edelweiss, Deardrops, and more, Go Go Nippon marks the very first visual novel created by a Japanese studio specifically for the western audience!

These sisters will show you around some of the best sights in town in this interactive guidebook! You'll even find out how much the trip costs and what the food's like!

This is the game for everyone interested in Japan!

Story
Our protagonist is a fan of Japanese anime and games. He makes friends with some Japanese people on the internet, and decides to stay with them for a week.

Thrilled by the prospect of a week's sightseeing in Japan, he touches down in the airport, only to discover that his new friends -- "Makoto" and "Akira" -- are actually a pair of attractive young sisters!

After their introductions, the protagonist arrives at their house to learn that no one else is there.
"Um... where are your parents?"
"Our parents were called out of town for two weeks on urgent business."
(In other words, the only ones in the house will be Makoto, Akira, and I?)
(How is that going to work!?)

The local culture has some surprises in store on your first night there, but you'll soon head out on the town! Enjoy the date-like atmosphere as Makoto and Akira take you on a tour of famous sites. You'll marvel at the beauty and history of Japanese culture, fill up on local delicacies, and even share some thrilling moments with the girls!

The week you spend in Japan will certainly be memorable!

Title: Go Go Nippon
Manufacturer: OVERDRIVE
Genre: Adventure, Simulation, Education
Price: €9.95
OS: Windows XP(32bit), Windows Vista(32bit), Windows 7(32bit)
Text Language: English
Age Rating: Teen
Release Date: September 30th, 2011

ABOUT MANGAGAMER.COM

MangaGamer.com is the world's first legal download site for English translated Visual Novels. Since its launch in July 2008, it has offered services where fans can download and enjoy popular Visual Novels such as CIRCUS's Da Capo and OVERDRIVE's Kira Kira right from their home. Don't forget to visit us on Facebook and Twitter!
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