SGcafe Anime News For Otaku Jan 2013 Issue by VR Media Pte. Ltd.

January 4th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Summer-themed ‘Yotsuba&’ cell phone strap mascots coming out in Winter

of strength that encourages the strap owner to hold out and bear the cold weather for just a little longer, for Summer is just around the corner (actually, no, Summer’s a long ways off). In any case, Yotsuba’s cutesy appearance is bound to keep fans’ moods evergreen all year round, those fickle things we call “weather” and “season” be damned.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/summer-themed-yotsuba-cell-phonestrap-mascots-winter/ By KarbyP on January 4th, 2013

Kaiyodo’s Yotsuba& strap mascots will go on sale in Japan starting February 15, for the price of 500 yen per box, or 6,000 yen for a case of 12 boxes. Five designs are available, but which of the five you get from a single box is completely random. Natsu Matsuri (夏夏夏)

Revoltech maker Kaiyodo must have missed the note about February being a Winter month in Japan. For the company is planning to release in February a set of five character straps themed after Kiyohhiko Azuma’s (Azumanga Daioh) manga series Yotsuba&, depicting protagonist Yotsuba Koiwai in all manners of apparels worn during Summer.

T-shirt (T夏夏夏)

Or maybe that’s their strategy all along, to strike while the iron is hot the weather is still cold: Maybe fans of the comedy and slice-of-life manga are more likely to buy these Summerthemed Yotsuba& straps in Winter, so that it may serve as a portable source of warmth in the blistering cold. A pillar 1

January 4th, 2013

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In the Rain (夏夏夏) Source: Natalie

Free Nanoha poster from Comiket 83 gets sold for $316 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/free-nanoha-poster-comiket-83sold-316/ By ellehaym on January 4th, 2013

At the Beach (夏夏夏)

In this day and age, a Warashibe Choja-esque (Straw Millionaire) episode – where a peasant makes a series of trades, starting with a piece of straw, to eventually becoming wealthy – would be deemed unimaginable. But the events in this Japanese folk tale unexpectedly came to pass in a modern day setting — at the Comiket 83 this past weekend. This time, of course, the trade did not start with a straw stalk, and there weren’t too many successive trades. It started with a blood donation instead. Cicada Style (夏夏夏夏夏夏夏)

As most of you are aware, otakus that frequent the Comiket at the Tokyo Big Sight would do anything to possess the 2

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rarest of items. That would include paying a high sum of money for a limited edition poster which can be obtained for free. At the event, the Japanese Red Cross Society held a blood donation drive where they offered a free poster in exchange for a 400 ml of blood. The prints featured characters from Minato Soft, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, AQUAPLUS and Overdrive.

Published by: VR-Zone

Source: RocketNews24

Flow gets busy this 2013 with an album, a single and a nationwide tour Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/flow-busy-2013-album-singlenationwide-tour/ By ellehaym on January 4th, 2013

It will be a busy year for Flow, the J-rock band known for performing theme songs for popular anime titles (including Naruto, Code Geass and Eureka Seven), as they launch an album and a single this coming March. Aside from the new releases, their nationwide tour will commence in April. Only 3000 posters were given by the organization. So the disappointed otakus who failed at getting the Nanoha poster saw their chance at obtaining it in an online auction. The bid closed at an overwhelming price of 27,500 JPY (316 USD).

The details of the album and single haven’t been revealed entirely, but the exact dates of both releases were already announced. The double A-side single is slated for a March 20 release. It includes a new track plus Flow’s rendition of CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA (the theme song for the upcoming Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods movie). On the other hand, Flow’s 8th album, FLOW THE MAX!!!, will launch on the 27th on the same month. FLOW LIVE TOUR 2013: Tour THE MAX!!! is a twopart nationwide tour: LAST MAX!!! and MAX!!! no Mukou Gawa. Tickets for the first part of the tour can be reserved through the band’s official website starting January 24. The nationwide tour has 48 shows all in all. Below are the tour dates and venues: FLOW LIVE TOUR 2013: Tour THE MAX!!! ~LAST MAX!!! ~ • Chiba: April 12 at Chiba LOOK • Gunma: April 20 at Takasaki club FLEEZ • Kanagawa: April 21 at F.A.D YOKOHAMA

So if you want to become a modern age Warashibe Choja, trade your blood for a free limited edition poster at the next Comiket (if’ they’re doing it again) and start your own Straw Millionaire legend from there.

• Ibaraki: April 26 at Mito Lighthouse • Hokkaido: April 29 at Sapporo cube garden • Aomori: May 1 at Aomori Quarter 3

January 4th, 2013

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• Iwate: May 3 at Morioka Club ChangeWAVE

• Chiba: September 7 at Maihama Amphitheater

• Yamagata: May 4 at Yamagata Showa SESSION • Tochigi: May 6 at HEAVEN’S ROCK Utsunomiya VJ-2

[UPDATE] Here’s a preview of Flow’s version of CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA aired by Tokyo FM.

• Osaka: May 11 at Shinsaibashi BIG CAT

Source: tokyohive and Crunchyroll

• Aichi: May 12 at Nagoya Electric Lady Land • Saitama: May 18 at HEAVEN’S ROCK Saitama Shintoshi VJ-3 • Yamanashi: May 19 at Kofu KAZOO HALL • Toyama: May 25 at Toyama MAIRO • Nagano: May 26 at Nagano Live House J

Banpresto holds Hunter x Hunter Scarlet Eyes figure lottery in promotion for the upcoming movie Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/banpresto-holds-hunter-hunterscarlet-eyes-figure-lottery-promotion-upcoming-movie/ By ellehaym on January 4th, 2013

• Kyoto: May 28 at Kyoto MUSE • Okayama: May 30 at Okayama IMAGE • Fukuoka: June 1 at Fukuoka DRUM Be-1 • Miyazaki: June 2 at Miyazaki SR-BOX • Oita: June 4 at Oita DRUM Be-0 • Ehime: June 6 at Matsuyama Salon Kitty • Tokushima: June GRINDHOUSE

8th

Tokushima

club

• Hyogo: June 9 at Kobe VARIT • Mie: June 11 at Matsuzaka M’AXA • Okinawa: June 22 at Ginowan HUMAN STAGE • Tokyo: July 2 at LIQUIDROOM ebisu

FLOW LIVE TOUR: 2013 Tour THE MAX!!! ~MAX!!! no Mukou Gawa • Miyagi: July 5 at Sendai CLUB JUNK BOX • Akita: July 7 at Akita LIVE SPOT 2000 • Fukushima: July 9 at Koriyama CLUB夏9 • Niigata: July 10 at Niigata GOLDEN PIGS RED STAGE • Ishikawa: July 12 at Kanazawa vanvan V4 • Gifu: July 13 at Gifu Club-G • Wakayama: July 15 at Wakayama GATE • Tottori: July 17 at Yonego AZTiC laughs • Shimane: July 18 at Matsue AZTiC canova • Kochi: July 20 at Kochi X-pt.

Ichiban Kuji, a lottery by the Japanese toy company Banpresto, is now increasing the excitement of Hunter x Hunter fans as they begin this month’s lottery. The major prize is a Kurapika Scarlet Eyes figure which is related to the main plot device of the upcoming Hunter x Hunter Phantom Rouge movie. Lottery tickets can be bought at 7-Eleven convenience stores for 500 JPY (5.75 USD). Here are the prizes of the lottery: Prize A

• Kagawa: July 21 at Takamatsu DIME • Yamaguchi: July 23 at Shunan TIKI-TA • Nagasaki: July 25 at Nagasaki DRUM Be-7 • Kumamoto: July 27 at Kumamoto DRUM Be-9 V2 • Kagoshima: July 28 at Kagoshima SR HALL • Saga: July 30 at Saga GEILS • Hiroshima: August 1 at Hiroshima Namiki Junction • Nara: August 3 at Nara Neverland • Shiga: August 4 at Shiga U-STONE • Fukui: August 6 at Fukui CHOP • Shizuoka: August 7 at Live House Hamamatsu Madowaku 4

January 4th, 2013

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Prize B

Last Chance Prize: Prize C

Second Change Prize

Prize D

Prize E

On Hunter Rouge

Hunter

Phantom

Phantom Rouge follows the story of Kurapika’s revenge on the Phantom Troupe, a Class-A crime group that killed the people of his clan for their unique eyes—the scarlet eyes. The eyes of the fallen Kurta clan are considered one of the world’s most beautiful treasures. Whenever a person of the Kurta clan becomes agitated or angry, his eyes turn scarlet. 5

January 4th, 2013

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As Kurapika continues his search for the Phantom Troupe, an unknown group steals his scarlet eyes. Killua, Leorio and Gon come to Kurapika’s rescue, saving his life. Unfortunately, they were hindered by the Phantom Troupe. In this movie, the real identity of the person with the 夏4 spider tattoo will be revealed. Hunter x Hunter Phantom Rouge is directed by Yuzo Sato, with the script written by Shoji Yonemura. The chief animation directors include Satoshi Tasaki, Takahiro Umehara and Haruhito Takada. Sources: Crunchyroll and MyAnimeList

Zippo lighters: Featuring Studio Ghibli films Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/zippo-lighters-featuring-studioghibli-films/ By ellehaym on January 4th, 2013

Lo and behold! Studio Ghibli classics may be for the younger audiences but the renowned anime film studio has taken its merchandising strategies on a different level: having their anime feature films engraved on Zippo lighters. From old films to recent ones, a variety of designs are available online. Now, it shouldn’t be a problem for Studio Ghibli’s cofounder Hayao Miyazaki—he is one hell of a chain smoker after all! In fact, he even reveals in an interview that his parents were heavy smokers and that he had his lungs checked only to find out that there were no problems. Check out the different designs below:

January 4th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

return since the release of You can’t catch me in January 2011, rejoice and be glad! She will be back with her own songs for her 8th studio album, Singer Songwriter, to be released on March 27. The upcoming album will feature eight tracks—all written, composed and produced by Sakamoto Maaya herself. Aside from her self-produced songs, a remix of Everywhere (from her third compilation album) and a rearrangement of Chikai (from her second mini-album) will be included. The song arrangements are by Kouno Shin and Watanabe Zentaro (Fate/stay night). A limited edition DVD will also be released. It will include the music video of the lead track as well as a documentary that features the recording and songwriting of Maaya Sakamoto. A few days after the album’s launch, Sakamoto Maaya will be holding hall tours in three cities. Tentative Maaya Sakamoto Hall Tour Dates: March 30 and 31- Osaka International Convention Center Main Hall April 19 and 21 – Aichi-ken Geijutsu Gekijou Dai Hall Not all fans of Studio Ghibli films are smokers, but with the sleek and elaborate designs of these merchandise, even nonsmokers might just be enticed to purchase a lighter or two.

April 24 and 25 – Bunkamura Orchard Hall (in Tokyo)

The prices of these Studio Ghibli Zippo lighters range from 100 USD to 210 USD.

Comics Fiesta 2012: Bless4 interview

Source: Crunchyroll

Maaya Sakamoto to return with her 8th studio album this March

Source: tokyohive

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/comics-fiesta-2012-bless4-interview/ By sentinel011 on January 4th, 2013

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/maaya-sakamoto-return-8th-studioalbum-march/ By ellehaym on January 4th, 2013

When Comics Fiesta suddenly announced that they have gotten bless4 as a guest performer on the last week leading to the event, SGCafe managed to gather up this exclusive interview with the quartet.

Seiyuu and singer Maaya Sakamoto has previously worked with prominent composers such as Yoko Kanno in her previous tracks and albums. No wonder her songs are always amazing. And if you have been patiently waiting for her

From left: Aiki, Kanasa, Akino, and Akashi 7

January 4th, 2013

1) Welcome to Malaysia! I understand that you performed at Taipei a couple of days ago before Comics Fiesta, how do you find the crowd?

Published by: VR-Zone

what you want, like it’s not very fluent but you can get through the people. 6 months is a good mark!

They were really nice and wild! They were really honest, like when Akino asked “Do you love anime?”, everyone responded with “suki desu!”, and Akashi joked saying that “Thank you for saying you love me so much!” They were really fun. We’re looking forward to the concert tonight too! 2) Everyone loves bless4 here, and everyone loves the Aquarion series! Have you watched Sousei no Aquarion or Aquarion EVOL? We watched Sousei no Aquarion, as for Aquarion EVOL we were watching it real time, we were travelling around many countries but we had it recorded. We haven’t watch till the end yet, but we really want to watch it! We really like it because it has a lot of important messages inside of it. The visuals and the fight scenes just stands out.

5) Any messages to your fans out there? Akashi: Thank you very much, it’s our first time here in Malaysia, we’re just happy to be here and we’re looking forward to meeting everybody here! My message is that, just stay true to yourself and be cool, just have fun! Aiki: It’s our first time in Malaysia and we’re really having a blast. The food is great, the people are really nice. We still want to have a lot more fun with you guys, like jump together, sing together. We haven’t finished our performance yet but we’ll love to come back. Kanasa: Like everyone said, it’s our first time here, and we have a positive impression of Malaysia and definitely wants to know more about the country and all of you, and also the anime here, the culture, etc. And in order for us to do that we want to have fun with all of you so we’ll get ourselves ready for that! Akino: We’re just having so much fun, it doesn’t feel like a first time because everyone’s so warm. We don’t really know Malay but the next time we come, we’ll like to speak a little bit more! So we’ll work on that. Ganbarimasu! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! —–

3) Who is your favourite character in the most recent Aquarion anime, Aquarion EVOL and why? Akino: I really like Fudo Zen because he’s strange. He makes you go “What is he trying to say?” but in the end, there’s always a message all the time that makes you realize “oh, I need to think more!” Akashi: I’d like to say, Mikono. She’s cute! Kanasa: I kinda like Jin and Yunoha, that was like my favourite episode. Aiki: I like Andy, Andy’s cool. Kagura is cool too. Amata is okay but usually guys that waits for the girls are called “herbivores” in Japan, and I think Amata is a herbivore. Maybe if he’s a bit of a carnivore then…maybe. But nah I’m just kidding!

We are glad that the energetic bless4 didn’t disappoint during that night’s performance – well, how could they ever? Look out for more of our CF2012 posts soon!

LiSA wishes fans a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year — in several languages Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/lisa-wishes-fans-merry-xmas-happyyear-in-several-languages/ By KarbyP on January 4th, 2013

4) How long did you guys take to learn Japanese? I guess you can understand the language within 6 months if you live there, but speaking it actually depends on the person. At the 6 months point you can probably tell people

January 4th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

English, Chinese, Indonesian, and Portugal – those are languages that anisong artiste LiSA isn’t exactly fluent in. But that didn’t stop the spirited performer from wishing fans – many of whom love her songs despite not being fluent in Japanese either – her warmest seasons’ greetings in their native languages via a number of videos that Kawaii Girl Japan has been publishing all week long. The 25-year-old singer-songwriter, best known for singing the OPs to TV anime series Fate/Zero (Oath Sign) and Sword Art Online (crossing field), first graced our shores here in Singapore in 2011 as part of Anime Festival Asia’s “Rock Your Soul!” concerts. In 2012, the energetic performer appeared at both the Singapore and Indonesia legs of Anime Festival Asia. LiSA’s third album, Lover”S”Mile, came in at 夏1 on Tower Records Shinjuku’s list of best-selling anisong CDs for the year of 2012.

New Year Message to Indonesian fans X’mas Message to Indonesian fans X’mas and New Year Message to English-speaking fans X’mas Message speaking fans

Chinese-

X’mas and New Year Message to Portugese-speaking fans Source: Kawaii Girl Japan

‘Street Fighter X Mega Man’ getting an updated V2 release in January Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/street-fighter-mega-man-updatedv2-release-january/ By KarbyP on January 4th, 2013

An updated “V2″ iteration of Singaporean fan developer Seow Zong Hui’s (also known as DM MCZ Sonic) Street Fighter X Mega Man free-to-download PC game will be released soemtime in January, according to Capcom’s Online/Community Manager Brett Elston (Brelston). Although Capcom has not officially announced yet exactly what’s been changed in the new V2 iteration, community manager Brelston said on the Capcom-Unity forums that it will address at least some of the issues that forum user gatordile pointed out in the thread he started, entitled “Glitches in SFxMM”: 1. If you lock your computer or close your screen with game running the video doesn’t want to come back. You have to close the game and restart. I think it’s an issue with your computer needing to refresh the screen. 2. If you get killed at the same time as you kill the last boss in the boss rush you can’t re-enter their tube. You are stuck in the level. I’m not sure if this is a problem with any boss during boss rush or if it’s just the last boss you fight. 3. The top of ladders don’t seem to want you to grab them. Some full jumps are awkward. 4. Esc key should have a yes or no menu to safely close the game. I’ve exited on accident a couple times. 5. (Not really a issue since I don’t do it, but) Urien can be easily killed by pausing game with mine sweeper explosion over him. Since Capcom first released Street Fighter X Mega Man last month on December 17, creator DM MCZ Sonic has been monitoring player response to his work, along with any bugs or serious problems that he hoped to be able to fix and release as an updated version of the game – if Capcom would allow him an avenue to do so. As the game was a one-off deal, there was no guarantee that an update to the title would happen, especially since Capcom is distributing the game for free. Street Fighter X Mega Man was a collaboration between Capcom and DM MCZ Sonic made possible only by the stars aligning on one fateful day back in July 2012, when Sonic ran into Capcom USA’s Senior Vice-President Christian Svensson at EVO, the world’s biggest fighting games tournament event, and promptly showed him a halffinished build of the PC title. According to Svensson, normally Capcom’s legal team is forced to shut down any such fan game creation, no matter 9

January 4th, 2013

how amazing it might be (which Zong Hui’s work no doubt was), simply because it might interfere with the global video games conglomerate’s rights in holding on to their intellectual properties in certain territories. Fortunately for Sonic (and Mega Man and Street Fighter fans all over the world), Capcom happened to be looking for something big to launch their plans to celebrate the Mega Man franchise’s 25th anniversary, and Sonic’s fan game was not only impressive, but doubly more apt because it involved Street Fighter – whose 25th anniversary ends right around the start of Mega Man’s 25th birthday bash.

Street Fighter X Mega Man V2: bug fixes… plus more?

Published by: VR-Zone

[Update] The 8-bit Ono pixel art that you see above was actually drawn by DM Sonic himself, as a gift to the venerable producer. We were mistaken in thinking that Ono came up with the drawing and sent it to SFxMM creator DM Sonic and Capcom’s Brelston, as Team DM’s Samuel Ong (Shen Ou) points out to us. Thanks for the clarification! Will there be anything extra? We’ll just have to find out later this month when the updated version of Street Fighter X Mega Man is released. Until then, we leave you with this link of Singapore sponsored player and Canadian Cup SSF4 champ Ho Kun Xian (DM Xian) failing badly at Street Fighter X Mega Man.

Street Fighter x Mega Man is a game full of easter eggs for fans to discover. For instance, by entering a code in the menu, you can replace the game’s entire soundtrack with just one song (that will now play in every single situation): an 8-bit remix of Guile’s theme from Street Fighter 2, entitled “Goes with Anything”. Which begs the question: now that Capcom has green-lit an update to the title, will V2 simply contain bug fixes, or will the development team be implementing a couple more special easter eggs, if only to get those who’ve already cleared the game to revisit it? Of course, given that the game itself has only been released for about two weeks, chances are outside of bug fixes, the development team may not have had any extra time to include something special for the fans. So we’re not holding our breath here. That said, last week, Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono did tweet the following image to DM MCZ Sonic Capcom’s Brett Elston, asking that it be “joined” into Street Fighter X Mega Man:

If, like me, you previously thought SFxMM was too difficult for your gaming aptitude, all it takes is a couple minutes with Xian’s contrived attempt at clearing the game to realise that you’re not alone in your plight. In fact, if anything, watching Xian play the game (badly) is a good way to re-invigorate your fighting spirit, so that you’ll be prepared to square off against 8-bit world warriors when the new version of the fan game drops. Source: Eventhubs

Cast for ‘Magical Suite Prism Nana’ revealed at Comiket 83 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/12/cast-magical-suite-prism-nanarevealed-comiket-83/ By ellehaym on January 4th, 2013

Of course, chances are Ono’s simply jesting (as usual; he’s not called “Trollono” by his fans online for no reason), but you never know.

January 4th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

From studio Shaft, the makers of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, comes yet another highly-anticipated mahou shoujo anime: Magical Suite Prism Nana. The story has yet to be revealed, but what we know for certain is that it will focus on three female elemental magic users (fire, earth and water). At the Comiket 83 this past weekend, Shaft sold DVDs that included seven pilot shorts of the upcoming anime as well as its original soundtrack. The voice cast for the three main characters of Prism Nana was also confirmed. Itaru Washioka (the red-haired girl on the picture above) is voiced by Suzuko Mimori (Nanami Momozono from Kamisama Hajimemashita). Kotone Oribe (the bluehaired girl) is voiced by Eri Kitamura (Karen Araragi from Nisemonogatari). Lastly, Asuka Asagi (the greenhaired girl) is voiced by Asami Imai (Kojuurou Katakura from Sengoku Collection and Chihaya Kisaragi from The Idolm@ster). The original character designs were provided by Kantoku (Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko). Aside from the confirmation of the cast, Nendoroid prototypes of the three main characters were also exhibited.

Although Prism Nanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pilot shorts were already streamed on the net, the release date has not been announced yet. The project was initially revealed last August and it was showcased at Comiket 82 on the same month. Sources: Crunchyroll, MyAnimeList and Otakomu

January 7th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama: ‘We’ve got 3 new games in the pipeline’ Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/cyberconnect2-3-games-pipelineceo-hiroshi-matsuyama/ By KarbyP on January 7th, 2013

(No, wait, Matsuyama did not say that these three games will be the only new titles they’d be announcing in 2013, after all.) Since the video’s meant as a New Year’s message, Matsuyama decides to close off by doing a kakizome calligraphy, writing out one of his favourite character quotes from Takahiro Ozawa and Asako Seo’s manga series Giga Tokyo Toybox: “Besides my hopes and dreams, the other weapons I’m armed with include diligence! And guts!” Giga Tokyo Toybox, a sequel to Tokyo Toybox (also by Ozawa and Seo), is about a group of young protagonists chasing their dreams and coping with the struggles of working in the video games industry. When the manga series developed from Tokyo Toybox into Giga Tokyo Toybox, several new regular characters were added to the story. One of those characters added was Momo Momota, whom the character quote Matsuyama wrote out belongs to. “Momo Momota is a female protagonist who’s a newcomer to the video games industry. As she’s a newcomer, she doesn’t really have much of anything apart from her hopes and dreams. So when she needed to draw from a source of strength to embrace the challenges ahead, she realises that the only weapons she’s armed with are diligence and guts. And that’s how her story begins in Volume 1,” Matsuyama explains. This is something Matsuyama says that he can relate to, especially in recent years, during which the games industry has underwent numerous changes that presented various new difficulties. For instance, console games are getting harder and harder to make (due to production costs, etc) and so people often question what’s going to happen to the future of the console games business.

2013′s going to be a busy year for game development studio CyberConnect2. Not only are they working on the finishing touches for Naruto Shippuuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3(March 2013), they’ve also been concurrently working on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle (PS3), as well as GREE smartphone action game Night Runner (Working Title) and additional contents for its other smartphone title, Guilty Dragon. And that’s not all. The Fukuoka-based developer has apparently got pretty big plans for 2013. In a New Year’s message YouTube video that just went live today, CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama teased that the game developer plans to unveil three more unannounced titles later this year in 2013. Matsuyama-san described these three new titles as “original new works” (オオオオオオオ), which is Japanese-game-industry speak for “brand new IP”. So I suppose that means right off the bat we can cross out Asura’s Wrath 2 and anything .hack related from our list, huh?

“Well, something like that [difficulties a developer faces when making a console game, the future of console gaming being questioned], actually that’s been a part of the video games industry all along since the very beginning. The path towards creating a product isn’t always smooth-sailing, and it’s not always fun and games. Naturally there are tough battles to overcome too.” “But it’s just like what the main protagonist of Giga Tokyo Toybox Taiyou Tenkawa says: ‘this line of work is tough, but it’s also a lot of fun’. I feel that he’s absolutely right, and that, especially in light of today’s challenges in the games industry, we as developers need to meet them with diligence and guts. Well, it’s been like that in the past too, but now more than ever, we need to re-examine the meaning of those words [even though CyberConnect2 are no longer newcomers to the industry].” Matsuyama, who’s a big fan of the manga series, says that in the story there is a scene where the character quote is taken one step further: you start with “hopes and dreams”, arm yourself with “diligence and guts”, and then after that, you stand your ground and brace yourself for the harsh impact (オオオオ). It’s a scene that Matsuyama says is a tear-jerker, and 1

January 7th, 2013

he recommends that gamers check out the manga - pretty much everyone in CyberConnect2 is a fan of the series. Source: Excite News

Kyary secretly arrives in Singapore Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/kyary-secretly-arrives-singaporeannouncing-twitter/ By sentinel011 on January 7th, 2013

While it was previously reported that Kyary will be having a concert in Singapore, the dates are still unknown, even till today. However, the eccentric artiste tweeted on her arrival at Singapore’s Changi Airport just moments ago.

Published by: VR-Zone

suzuluv_xoxo: Kyary-chan is nice and cute and cute and cute I love her! Thank you very much for shaking my hands and signing an autograph for me! o(>☆<)o Kyary’s arrival is highly suspected to be related to her upcoming World Tour. Of course, a little touring around the Lion City might follow. Her unannounced trip will surely create a bigger hype amongst the local fans in Singapore. [Update @ 16:15PM]

Munching on Sarpino’s Pizza along Orchard Road outside Lucky Plaza? Source: Kyary’s Twitter

Nyanko-sensei on a little teapot, short and stout Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/nyanko-sensei-teapot-short-stout/ By ellehaym on January 6th, 2013

In Kyary’s twitter message posted about an hour ago, she said ” In Singapore now. Really hot.” in Japanese. A lucky fan managed to catch Kyary at the international airport, and even took a picture of her fan and tweeted about it. Below is the excerpt of the tweet post: pamyurin: When I arrived at Singapore’s airport I was surprised to find someone (the girl pictured here) waiting to greet me☆ 2

January 7th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

Nyanko-sensei, from Natsume Yuujinchou by Yuki Midorikawa, gets painted on a teapot and cup set along with the other series of LaLa magazine. The other designs are based from Gakuen Babysitters by Hari Tokeino, Ookamiheika no Hanayome by Mato Kauta and Akagami no Shirayuki-hime by Sorata Akiduki. Each set is conveniently designed with the teapot placed atop the cup. When you hear about Takashi Natsume’s cat spirit partner, I would bet that the first thing that comes to your mind is his shape as round as the maneki neko’s. And that’s exactly how the creator designed the teapot. It retains the stoutness of Nyanko-sensei. One teapot and cup set costs 1200 JPY (14 USD). It’s a part of a pre-order campaign which runs until March 9.

Sources: Natalie, natsume-blog and Famima.com We have previously reported that Natsume Yuujinchou will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. As a special give away for fans of Midorikawa’s supernatural shoujo manga series, LaLa magazine’s February issue comes with a free squishy Nyanko-sensei strap.

Makoto Shinkai to release ‘Kotonoha no Niwa’ this spring Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/makoto-shinkai-release-kotonohaniwa-spring/ By ellehaym on January 6th, 2013

The display of Nyanko-sensei’s cuteness doesn’t end with a tea set and a strap. Famima.com has teamed up with Animax in offering limited edition Natsume Yuujinchou goods. A Nyanko-sensei saucepan which costs 3580 JPY (41 USD) and a Nyanko-sensei Reversi board game which costs 3150 JPY (36 USD) can now be pre-ordered. One man army anime filmmaker, Makoto Shinkai, has announced that he’s working on Kotonoha no Niwa (The Garden of Words—no official English title as of today), a new anime movie scheduled for release in Spring 2013. In a blog post by Shinkai, he wrote that it’s his first time taking on a love story movie. However, the story of Kotonoha 3

January 7th, 2013

no Niwa isn’t something that focuses on the typical meaning of love. Shinkai writes that the concept of romance (オオ) did not exist in the Japanese language before the modern period. オ (love), was written as オオ (solitary sadness) since the 8th century. He adds that the present concept of love (オ) was imported from the West.

Published by: VR-Zone By KarbyP on January 5th, 2013

Now, with all of Shinkai’s historical background on the word love, you would probably think that Kotonoha no Niwa will be a historical romance. Actually, that’s not the case. Shinkai has emphasized that Kotonoha no Niwa is set in the present day. The story will interpret the ancient meaning of love—“an emotion of longing for someone that can only be felt in solitude.”

One of the most coveted items at Comic Market 83 last weekend was anime studio Shaft’s “Madoka Magica the Movie Key Animation Note extra” art book which, like all good things at Comiket, was promptly sold out at the event… …Only to be found available again shortly afterwards on Yahoo! Japan Auctions and other similar sites where the book is now listed for some far-fetched price several times its initial going rate. Because normally such event-specific items are sold only at Comic Market and never again reissued. Makoto Shinkai’s previous works include Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, 5 Centimeters Per Second and Children Who Chase Lost Voices. Sources: Otaku USA and MyAnimeList Forum

Anime studio Shaft to issue a second batch of Madoka Magica the Movie ‘Key Animation Note extra’ art book Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/anime-studio-shaft-issue-batchmadoka-magica-movie-key-animation-note-extra-art-book/

Fortunately for Madoka Magica fans who weren’t able to make it to Comiket 83, however, Shaft has decided to issue a second batch of the Key Animation Note extra art book, now slated to hit book stores all across Japan at the end of February, with pre-orders beginning from January 7. Talk about a kick in the teeth for those blood-sucking, moneygrabbing, greedy online auctioners. The 368-paged A4-size art book contains over 1,000 pieces of original sketches and illustrations, all of which centered on the new scenes featured in the pair of Madoka Magica movies – like the intro sequence that visually accompanied the movie’s new opening theme Luminous, and the various heroine’s Mahou Shoujo “henshin” sequences. Additionally, the cover of the art book (pictured below) was illustrated by Junichiro Taniguchi specially for this release.

January 7th, 2013

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today’s announcement is only for the Madoka Magica art book, Shaft says on its website that they are looking into possibly doing a second batch of these other goods as well. Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb Production Note オオオオオオオオオ×オオオオオオオオオオオオオオオ

Contains reference materials (characters, settings) used in the production of the anime. The form factor of the book is designed to resemble the Hidamari Apartments that Yuno and her friends reside in. For the most part, the pair of Madoka Magica movies were really an abridged “director’s cut” re-telling of the TV anime series’ story with new scenes inserted here and there, so the fact that the “Key Animation Note extra” art book doesn’t contain any illustrations from the TV anime series is pretty reassuring, since there was already an art book released for that. Although the art book was previously sold for 4,000 yen at Comiket 83, when it’s sold at book stores all across Japan in February it will now be priced at 4,200 yen instead. This second-press edition will also not come with the bonus “Rakugaki Note” (a collection of messages and sketches from the anime movie’s staff, including Gen Urobuchi and Junichiro Taniguchi) mini-booklet that was given out to fans who bought the book at Comiket; it just wouldn’t be fair to those who lined up otherwise.

Outside of the Madoka Magica art book, Shaft also had on sale exclusively at Comiket 83 new art books for Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb and Bakemonogatari, as well as a Magical Suite Prism Nana “Prism Box” set that contains the show’s pilot animations and a CD soundtrack. Although

Specifications • Cover illustrated by creator Ume Aoki • B5-Size • 288 full-colour pages • Includes a case

Bakemonogatari Key Animation Note prologue オオオオ KEY ANIMATION NOTE prologueオ

Contains original illustrations for part of episode 1 in the Bakemonogatari TV anime series. Specifically, the materials here cover the start of episode 1 all the way until right before the OP begins (from the part where protagonist Koyomi Araragi meets up with Tsubasa Hanekawa, until the part where he catches a falling Hitagi Senjougahara) 5

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Specifications • Cover illustrated by Akio Watanabe • Size: 195x200mm • 208 full-colour pages • Includes a case

Magical Suite Prism Nana PRISM BOX オオオオオオオオオオオオオオオオ PRISM BOXオ

Source: Shaft

Saki Episode of Side A: ‘bonus episodes’ PV runs through DVD/Blu-ray release and on-air dates Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/saki-episode-side-a-bonus-episodespv-runs-dvdblu-ray-release-on-air-dates/ By KarbyP on January 5th, 2013

Set Contains: • Pilot PV Animation PV (all 7 animations, a total of 14 minutes’ runtime) • Original soundtrack (all 7 tracks) • Special booklet • Size: 297x297mm Comiket attendees who purchased any of the aforementioned books (the Prism Nana box set didn’t count, as it was sold at a partner’s booth, instead of at Shaft’s) also received special paper bags with Sasami@Ganbaranai illustrations printed on them to take home their merchandise in; I don’t think we can expect to see these reproduced even if Shaft decides to re-issue every other item they sold at Comiket 83. Here’s what the illustrations on the paper bag looked like:

The TV anime adaptation of Saki Achiga-hen episode of Side-A (a spin-off of the original Saki series, which you can watch for free on legal streaming site Crunchyroll) was originally planned as a 12-episode series that finished its run on Japanese TV back in July 2012. Shortly before the end of the TV anime series, however, the show’s producers announced that they would be putting out a couple more bonus episodes. The first one, episode 13, already aired on December 24, 2012. Episode 14 is slated to premiere on Japan’s AT-X channel on January 29 this year. This week the show’s producers have put out a new PV that includes clips from the upcoming 14th episode, along with various dates with regards to when and on which channels

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Japanese viewers will be able to watch episodes 13 and 14, or otherwise purchase it on Blu-Ray and DVD. Outside of Japan, anime fans worldwide can catch the entire series at the Saki Achiga-hen episode of Side-A show page on Crunchyroll. Unlike Saki (2009), which is available for viewing online even for free members, Achiga-hen episode of Side-A will require a premium Crunchyroll membership subscription to watch. Episode 13 or the first bonus episode of Saki Achigahen episode of Side A is already on Crunchyroll, and the legal streaming service announced previously that it will be streaming the second one “simulcast” (at the same time) when it airs in Japan. Source: Crunchyroll

DmC Devil May Cry: get psyched as Eurogamer walks us through Missions 8 and 9, new CG trailer [Video] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/dmc-devil-cry-psyched-eurogamerwalks-missions-8-9-video/ By KarbyP on January 4th, 2013

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Like Eurogamer’s Ian Higton explained in the Mission 8 preview video you saw, certain enemies in DmC Devil May Cry will only be susceptible to attacks from one faction – either the demon side or the angel side – which I’ve got to admit, is a pretty refreshing idea when seen in the greater context of the Devil May Cry series, although it would be incredibly easy to point fingers and speculate that the guys over at Ninja Theory are probably big fans of Treasure’s Ikaruga or Ubisoft’s Outland. Althought DmC Devil May Cry is considered a series reboot, it’s not without elements that fans of the series will be familiar with. For instance, right from the get-go Dante is armed with his trusty sidekicks the Rebellion longsword and Ebony & Ivory pistols (if you haven’t had a chance to go hands-on with these returning weapons in DmC, we highly recommend checking out the demo). Dante’s long-lost twin brother Vergil is also back in the rebooted franchise. In fact, he’ll have his own playable chapter – only available for free to gamers who pre-order the title, however (check with your local retailer on details, and make sure you do it soon… did we say the game comes out in a little more than a week?) DmC Devil May Cry for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 comes out January 15. A PC port is also slated to be released January 25.

Shounen Jump celebrates recent “Kuroko’s Basketball” milestones by releasing 32 character wallpapers Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/shounen-jump-celebrates-kurokosbasketball-milestones-with-32-character-wallpapers/ By KarbyP on January 4th, 2013

Publisher Capcom and developer Ninja Theory’s DmC Devil May Cry comes out in a little more than a week from now. Still not convinced that the new title, a series reboot that’s being outsourced to England-based Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword), would live up to the original games’ reputation? Then you’ve absolutely got to check out these two videos Eurogamer has just put up, offering an in-depth look at a middle portion of the game – Missons 8 and 9, to be specific – after Dante’s got access to an additional few weapons and powers in his arsenal that he didn’t have in the brief demo that’s currently available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network. What’s different in this DmC is that protagonist Dante is no longer half-demon, half-human son of devil knight Sparda. Instead, Dante’s mother is apparently an angel in this game, making his lineage one that’s half-demon and half-angel – which explains why the Dante here has access to special powers from both factions,

One new wallpaper, each focusing on a different character from Tadatoshi Fujimaki’s hit manga and anime series Kuroko’s Basketball, to be released on Shonenjump.com every day – starting from today (January 4) with Tetsuya Kuroko – as part of a web campaign meant to commemorate a series of recent milestones for the series. 7

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Cable broadcaster WOWOW to turn Pasela Resorts Shibuya’s B1 floor into Yuko Ichihara’s shop from ‘xxxHolic’ Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/wowow-turn-pasela-resortsshibuyas-b1-floor-yuko-ichiharas-shop-xxxholic/ By KarbyP on January 4th, 2013

What milestones are we talking about? Well, for starters the TV anime adaptation of Kuroko’s Basketball has just recently received the green light for a second season (like we reported last month). This month, the series is getting a 19-page full-colour chapter in the new issue of Weekly Shounen Jump (WJ) that just went on sale today (January 4). Finally, on February 4, tankoubon (trade paperback compilation of the chapters serialised in Weekly Shounen Jump) volume 21 of the series is slated to be released. Not exactly gigantic milestones here, but given the string of terrible Kuroko’s Basketball news lately (by no fault of the series creator Tadatoshi Fujimaki or anyone else involved in the manga and anime production), I’d say any cause is a good cause for fans to celebrate. The campaign will last all the way till the day volume 21 comes out, February 4, and a total of 32 such character wallpapers will be released. Will your favourite character make it in the list of 32?

If watching the live-action drama adaptation of Clamp’s xxxHolic, which begins airing on Japanese cable channel WOWOW in February 2013, isn’t good enough for fans to visualise what the atmosphere within witch Yuko Ichihara’s store must be like, then maybe going into a real-life replica of the store will. Cable broadcaster WOWOW today announced that it has teamed up with Karaoke chain Pasela Resorts to turn the B1 floor of the chain’s Shibuya branch (note: there’s a Pasela Resorts Shibuya, and also a Pasela Resorts Grande Shibuya; in this case we’re referring to the former) into a xxxHolic Cafe Mise – “mise” being Japanese for “shop” – conceptualised after the store operated by the manga and anime series’s heroine, Yuko Ichihara. The xxxHolic Cafe Mise (xxxHOLiCオオオオオ) will feature tableware and props lifted directly from the live-action TV series. The actual costume that actress and model Anne wore in her portrayal of the Yuka Ichihara will also be displayed within the store.

To grab these desktop wallpapers, simply head over to this link here and click on the various dates on list of available character wallpapers somewhere in the middle of the page. Apart from desktop wallpapers, Shounen Jump will also release a slew of 32 iPhone wallpapers that users can access and download through a free shonenjump.com app, available from the iTunes App Store. 32オオオ!! 32オオオ!!オオオオオオオオオオオオオオオオオ!!オオオオオオオオオオオオオオオオオオオ shonenjump.com

January 7th, 2013

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Moe Shochu in Japan now features Vocaloid Lily Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/moe-shochu-japan-features-vocaloidlily/ By ellehaym on January 4th, 2013

Fans who’ve always dreamt of visiting Yuko’s shop from the series will have about a month or so to make their way to SHibuya and drop by the replica cafe; the xxxHolic Cafe Mise will begin operations on January 21, and will operate till March 30. xxxHolic the live-action drama adaptation airs on WOWOW in Japan beginning February 24. A total of eight episodes are planned for the series. xxxHolic Cafe Mise (xxxHOLiCオオオオオ) Period: January 21, 2013 (Monday) to March 30, 2013 (Sunday) Operating Hours: 11:30AM to 11:00PM (Sundays to Thursdays, and Public Holidays), 11.30AM to 6:00AM the following day (Fridays and the eve of Public Holidays)オオオオオオオオ11オ30オ6オ00 Address: Pasela Resorts Shibuya B1F (オオオオオオオオ1-22-9 オオオオオオオオオオ)

From smart phone cases to PS3 accessories, a variety of items and products sold in Japan have already gone through a Vocaloid makeover. And now, alcoholic drinks are no longer an exception. So if you’re a wine-collecting Vocaloid fan, a Moe Shochu Lily is something worth adding to your growing collection. Alcoholic drinks with moe girls on the bottle labels are increasingly popular in Japan. And the latest offering is the Moe Shochu Lily designed with the Vocaloid Lily wearing her oiran outfit.

Source: Excite News

The illustration on the Moe Shochu Lily label was created by the original character designer himself, KEI, who also drew Hatsune Miku, Megurine Luka, Kagamine Rin and Kagamine Len. Lily’s voice was provided by m.o.v.e’s vocalist, yuri.

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Moe Shochu Lily has an alcohol volume of 12%. It is lighter compared to regular shochuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that have 25 to 35% alcohol volume. The 300 ml bottle costs 1200 JPY (13.70 USD). Source: Crunchyroll

January 10th, 2013

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Koda Kumi to release a cover album for commemorating her 13th anniversary in the recording industry this year Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/koda-kumi-release-coveralbum-13th-anniversary-2013/ By ellehaym on January 10th, 2013

Below is the info on the cover album: CD • Pink Spider (originally sung by hide with Spread Beaver) • Lovely (originally sung by Ozawa Kenji) • Shake Hip! (originally sung by Kome Kome CLUB) • Dounimo Tomaranai (originally sung by Yamamoto Linda) • Jounetsu (originally sung by UA) • Blue Velvet (Kudo Shizuka) • Otoko (originally sung by Kubo Ruriko) • Koyoi no Tsuki no You ni (originally sung by Elephant Kashimashi) Koda Kumi’s lucky number is one that’s usually considered unlucky: 13. She was born on November 13. And on top of that, her music career’s 13th anniversary falls on this year, 2013! To celebrate her 13th anniversary in the Japanese music industry, the ero-kakkoii (sexy-cool) icon will be launching her second cover album on February 27. We have yet to hear the title of this upcoming release, but the track listing information is already out. In addition, the singer herself has revealed that it has an “entertainment cover album” concept. “I widened the selection of music and challenged myself to various tastes of arrangements,” says the Jpop singer. The cover album is to be launched two in regular editions (CD-only and CD with DVD) and a limited edition (DVD and photo booklet included).

• One more time, One more chance (originally sung by Yamazaki Masayoshi) • Alone (originally sung by Okamoto Mayo) Regular Edition CD with DVD • Pink Spider (MV ~Album Version~) • Lovely (MV) • Shake Hip! (MV) • Lovely (MAKING VIDEO) • Shake Hip! (MAKING VIDEO) Limited Edition DVD • Documentary • Pink Spider (MV ~Album Version~) • Lovely (MV) • Shake Hip! (MV) • Lovely (MAKING VIDEO) 1

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• Shake Hip! (MAKING VIDEO) Source: tokyohive

Kyary in Singapore for television program “Catherine the Third” Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/kyary-singapore-television-programcatherine-third/ By sentinel011 on January 9th, 2013

Many KPP, or Kyary Pamyu Pamyu fans were guessing that the artiste and fashion celebrity was in town earlier this week to settle details for her upcoming Live Tour in Singapore, but that is not the case.

Know your Metal Gear Rising moves and combos with these videos Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/metal-gear-rising-moves-combosvideos/ By sentinel011 on January 9th, 2013

Apparently, Kyary is also one of the hosts for a variety show in Japan called Catherine the Third, and her other 2 co-hosts were featured in a photo uploaded in her twitter account. Thus, it is highly speculated that the trio was in town to film and host a special segment in the variety show. Kyary commented “Catherine the Third in Singapore loca(tion)!” in her twitter photo post. Although Kyary was in town for less than 2 days, she managed to dine local delicacies like cereal prawns, visit the world famous Night Safari, as well as lounging at Marina Bay Sands’ Skypark. Source: Kyary’s Twitter page

January 10th, 2013

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So you got your grubby hands on the Metal Gear Rising Revengeance demo released on the PS3. Are you finding it tough to take down your enemies? Don’t fret, as we trawled the internet to find some gems to make your game play a little bit more fulfilling with these combos.

In the upcoming film, Mizushima will be playing Sebastian Michaelis, Ciel’s bodyguard and the demon butler of the Phantomhive estate. The movie adaptation will take place 130 years after the events on the manga, which means we’ll be witnessing a completely different storyline.

This comprehensive list of moves show you what each move does and how to execute it on your gamepad. The moves recorded in the video also tells you roughly what each move does, such as a Devil May Cry style “Stinger” move as well as air combo moves. The end of the video also shows one of the many challenging combos you can do to your enemies in the game.

Mizushima was last seen on the big screen when he played the role of Ryusuke Minami in the movie adaptation of Beck (2010). He also acted in live-action series adapted from anime and manga titles including Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (where he played Minami Namba), Absolute Boyfriend (where he played Soshi Asamoto) and Gokusen 2 (where he played Hiro Misawa). His popular lead role is Souji Tendou/ Kabuto from the sentai series Kamen Rider Kabuto.

With the move list in mind, the next step is to play like a pro with several combos under your belt. One such player, Master LL, records his playthrough with a list of combos. Here, you can watch how a skillful player does 2 air combos in a row. Unfortunately, there isn’t exactly a move list recorded from the video, but you will get the rough gist of it as you play more of the game. Master LL also shows us how to be a sadistic Raiden, by decapitating the limbs of his enemies first before finishing them. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is slated to release for the PS3 and Xbox360 on 19 and 21 February 2013 for the North America and Japan region respectively. For more Metal Gear Rising goodness, check these out.

Hiro Mizushima to make a comeback on the big screen with Kuroshitsuji Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/hiro-mizushima-comeback-bigscreen-kuroshitsuji/ By ellehaym on January 9th, 2013

Mizushima left showbiz to pursue his writing career (with Tomohiro Saito as his pen name). His debut work, KAGEROU, was selected as the 5th Poplar Publishing Grand Prize for Fiction. Now that he has made his comeback as an actor, Mizushima is losing weight for the role and is currently in training for the actions of the character he’ll be portraying. The filming for the movie starts in April. Kuroshitsuji will be directed by Otani Kentaro (Nana) and Keiichi Sato (Tiger & Bunny). The film is slated for a release this year. Sources: tokyohive and JEFusion

Pre-orders for Nendoroids Kagamine Rin: Append and Kagamine Len: Append commence Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/pre-orders-nendoroids-kagaminerin-append-kagamine-len-append-commences/ By ellehaym on January 8th, 2013

Hiro Mizushima is not yet done with showbiz. After a three-year hiatus, he is returning with the movie adaptation of Yana Tanaboso’s popular action and fantasy manga, Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler).

It’s a double treat for fans of the adorable Vocaloid twins. Good Smile Company has begun accepting pre-orders for the soon to be launched Kagamine Rin: Append and Kagamine 3

January 10th, 2013

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Len: Append. These Nendoroids will be released together on June 30. Each sold separately.

Both Nendoroids are 100mm in height and will each sport three different facial expressions. Rin comes with a happy expression, a winking face and a pleading face. The last one allows you to make it seem like Rin is begging something from Len. The Kagamine Rin: Append Nendoroid gives off a more mature appeal.

Each package includes a background board, allowing you to easily take photographs of Rin and Len.

Although these latest offerings from Good Smile Company wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be sold in a set, they are designed in such a way that they can have great poses together. They can be arranged back-to-back. The charming twins can even hold hands while winking.

The Kagamine Len: Append, on the other hand, displays a more modern look. Just like Rin, he has a cheerful expression and a winking face. Len also comes with a confident expression that exhibits his coolness.

January 10th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone By ellehaym on January 8th, 2013

Last month, we were teased with a short clip of Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home, but we heard nothing about the plot of the movie. Finally, a new movie listing has revealed the story of the upcoming anime film. The story of the HSH anime film (according the listing) goes like this: Ohana is getting used to her lifestyle in Kissuisou, the hot springs resort managed by her grandmother. One day, the successor of Kissuisou’s rival inn, Yuina, arrives at Kissuisou to learn how to become a landlady. As Ohana watches Yuina in training, she discovers -a certain itemwhile cleaning up the storage room. Now, most people who have watched the entire series are probably assuming (or hoping) that the upcoming movie will be an epilogue—something that shows us what happens to Ohana Matsumae [SPOILER ALERT] after her grandmother closed down the Taishou era hot springs inn, Kissuisou. Unfortunately, it won’t be as we expect it to be. Based on the summary provided by the listing, the film takes place at a time when Ohana is getting used to her life in Kissuisou. With a variety of features offered by these Nendoroids, let your imagination fly and create different poses of the Kagamine twins. Sources: Crunchyroll and Mikatan’s Blog (English Version)

‘Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home’ anime film’s story revealed Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/hanasaku-iroha-home-sweet-homestory-revealed/

Here’s a short recap on what happened in the series: The story revolves around Ohana, a teenager living with her single-parent mother in Tokyo. She was left under her estranged grandmother’s care after her mother decides to elope with a boyfriend. She arrives at Kissuisou and discovers that the hot springs inn is owned and managed by her grandmother. Ohana starts working at Kissuisou at her grandmother’s imposition. Although she tries her best, things don’t run smoothly for her. She is at odds with the customers and her fellow employees. Ohana becomes disheartened at first, but eventually sees all the hardships as opportunities to make herself better. She works harder to improve her relationship with her coworkers and for a brighter future. While the movie may not be an epilogue of the TV anime like what fans expected, do not be too disappointed. The series, after all, ended in a satisfying manner. Plus, if you’re 5

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fond of Yuina Wakura (Ohana’s dialect switching friend), the HSH movie is gradually shaping up to be something fans can eagerly anticipate.

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Club (SCOOPERS) Science Club (Kagakubu Kagaku Kyumei Logica?) and more. As for Babymetal, well, you’ve heard of the keionbu (部部部, literally “light music club” in Japanese) in K-On!. right? Well Babymetal is sort of like an antonym of K-On – within Sakura Gakuen the trio is referred to as the Heavy Metal Club (部部部). Babymetal’s major debut single, Ijime, Dame, Zettai (部部部部部部部部部部部) hits CD stores in Japan January 9, 2013. For more information on the various editions of the release, refer to Kawaii Girl Japan’s story. Source: Kawaii Girl Japan

Sources: @ultimatemegax via Crunchyroll

Babymetal: ‘We’ll conquer the world in 2013′ [Video] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/babymetal-conquer-world-2013video/ By KarbyP on January 7th, 2013

A romantic treat from Premium Bandai: Barnaby White Day Cake Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/romantic-treat-premium-bandaibarnaby-white-day-cake/ By ellehaym on January 7th, 2013

How sweet it would be to receive a Barnaby White Day Cake.

With just two more days to go to the release of Babymetal‘s major debut single, Ijime Dame Zettai, Kawaii Girls Japan has put together a short video interview with the teenage trio, who talk a little about the song and the music video for it (which was shot in a cave; check it out for yourself in the second video embedded below), as well as their ambitions for the new year ahead of them. A trio comprising leader Suzuka Nakamoto (Su-Metal; formerly a member of Karen Girl’s, the unit that performed Zettai Karen Children’s first OP, Over The Future), Mizuno Yui (YUIMETAL), and Kikuchi Moa (MOAMETAL), Babymetal is part of a greater girl idol group called Sakura Gakuen that was formed in 2010.

The day when men give women romantic presents (in return for the chocolates they received) may be two months away, but as early as now, Premium Bandai is already accepting pre-orders for the White Day Cake with a design inspired by Barnaby Brooks Jr. from Tiger & Bunny. The Tiger & Bunny White Day Cake from Barnaby follows the previous Premium Bandai Valentine’s Day offering, the Tiger & Bunny Valentine Cake from Kotetsu. This cake is considered as Barnaby’s present to his fans. The interior is a white sponge cake, a strawberry mousse with raspberry sauce atop. The exterior is a cream cheese mousse glazed with nappage and topped with raspberry sauce. It comes with a gorgeous figure of Barnaby wearing a patissier uniform, holding a cake knife and a small replica of the White Day cake.

Units within the Sakura Gakuen group are each considered a bukatsu (部部) or co-curricular club within Sakura Gakuen. There’s the Baton Club (Twinklestars), Newspaper 6

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Premium Bandai’s White Day cake costs 3990 JPY (46 USD). The pre-order doesn’t have a deadline. It will continue until supplies last. The cake ships in March this year.

Before we go on, it’s important to clarify one thing: “first season” and “second season” of the Monogatari series are the terms used specifically to refer to volumes 1 to 6, and volumes 7 to 12, respectively, of the original light novel series. The anime adaptation of the Monogatari series’ second season (light novels) will comprise some 20-odd episodes that covers the stories told in volumes 7 to 12 of NisiOsin’s popular light novel series of the same name. Sources: Crunchyroll and Premium Bandai

Monogatari series’ second season to begin airing July 2013 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/monogatari-series-season-airingjuly-2013/ By KarbyP on January 7th, 2013

• Nekomonogatari (White) (部部部(部)) • Kabukimonogatari (部部部) • Hanamonogatari (部部部) • Otorimonogatari (部部部) • Onimonogatari (部部部) • Koimonogatari (部部部) As for the Monogatari series’ first season — that’s where it gets real confusing. First season (light novels volume 1 to 6) was actually split up into several anime shows: Bakemonogatari (2009), Nisemonogatari (2012), and the recent Nekomonogatari (Black)which was streamed on Nico Nico Douga and will be making its way to TV channels soon. There is also an upcoming anime film, Kizumonogatari, that will cover the story told in Volume 3 in the original light novels. All-told, the first season of NisiOsin’s light novel series are titled in the following manner (from top to bottom, volumes 1 to 6): • Bakemonogatari (volume 1) (部部部(部)) • Bakemonogatari (volume 2) (部部部(部)) • Kizumonogatari (部部部) • Nisemonogatari (volume 1) (部部部(部))

According to a magazine scan posted anonymously on Japanese forum 2ch, studio Shaft’s anime adaptation of the second season in NisiOsin’s Monogatari light novel series will begin airing on Japanese TVs sometime in July 2013. What’s more, the new anime show will apparently stay on the air for a total of six months (2部部部 in Japanese), although it’s not mentioned if there will be a break at some point between the broadcast dates.

• Nisemonogatari (volume 2) (部部部(部)) • Nekomonogatari (Black) (部部部(部)) Outside of the first and second seasons, the light novel series also comprises a “final season”: • Tsukimonogatari (部部部) • Owarimonogatari (部部部) 7

January 10th, 2013

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• Zokuowarimonogatari (部部部部) Anime adaptations of the final season in the Monogatari series’ light novels have not yet been announced. Source: 2ch, Wikipedia

Steins;Gate Phenogram of Linear Restraint dated for April 25 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/steinsgate-phenogram-linearrestraint-dated-april-25/ By KarbyP on January 7th, 2013

Visual novel Steins;Gate Phenogram of Linear Restraint (PS3, X360) now has a confirmed release date. Publisher 5pb today announced that the title, a psuedo-sequel to the original Steins;Gate (2009), will go on sale in Japan April 25 instead of the previously vague “Spring 2013″ release period. The regular edition of the game will go for 7,140 yen in Japan, while a limited edition – which includes a replica of the “SG001″ phone that protagonist Rintarou Okabe uses in the series – will sell for 11,550 yen. Although the replica is not a fully-functional mobile handset, it will actually play back some character voice samples when a certain button on the device is pressed. No details were given as to which characters’ voices would be featured here.

January 10th, 2013

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For more details on Steins;Gate Phenogram of Linear Restraint (STEINS部GATE 部部部部部部部部部部部), including what two of the visual novel’s character-focused scenarios will entail, read our previous story here. Source: Famitsu

January 12th, 2013

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Create your own logo, Dragon Ball Z style!

Wait for it to generate the logo. Afterwards, you’ll be taken to a page where you can see your name written in Dragon Ball Z font style. The app generates a rectangular and square banner, so pick whichever you like (or get both!). You can share the logo you’ve created through Facebook and Twitter.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/create-logo-dragon-ball-style/

The site doesn’t limit you with one background. You can try all four backgrounds available. And that’s precisely what I did!

By ellehaym on January 12th, 2013

Here are the logo designs I got:

Do you want to see your name written just like the logo of Dragon Ball Z? That’s easy! And I tell you, mad Photoshop skills aren’t necessary. All you need to do is visit, Toei Animation’s official website for the upcoming Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods movie and use their MOJI MAKER Z app.

The page is in Japanese so I’ll give you a bit of a walkthrough. In step 1, you need to type your first name and last name in the two separate fields. Note that these fields do not accept spaces. If you type your name with a space, an error message pops up. So if your first name consists of two names, just pick the best one or you can do it like this: JohnMark (the final result of the logo tightly packs all the letters together, anyway). The fields only accept roman letters. I tried typing my name in katakana, but it gave me an error message. In step two, just choose from among the four backgrounds. After typing in your name and selecting your preferred background, hit the dragon ball that says “GO!” 1

January 12th, 2013

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4. The Shadow(Making Video) (25 minutes total) CD-only: 1. Only One For more information on Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods movie, just read our previous post.

BoA to return to the Jpop scene with ‘Only One’ (with unique promotions) Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/boa-return-jpop-scene-only-one/ By ellehaym on January 11th, 2013

2. The Shadow 3. Only One (Instrumental) 4. The Shadow(Instrumental) Only One was part of BoA’s 7th Korean studio album (of the same title). It gained popularity because it was BoA’s original song. In promotion for BoA’s Japanese single, a campaign called “Only One Cocktail” was launched. Selected cafes in Tokyo are selling a cappuccino and a cocktail drink topped with a QR code. Once a smart phone has scanned the code, a site that lets people listen to BoA’s new songs can be accessed. The campaign perfectly suits the upcoming single because the drama version of the Korean Only One MV was set in a cafe.

After more than a year of hiatus in Japan, Korean singer BoA is going to make a comeback with a single that includes the Japanese version of her self-composed song, Only One. The multilingual singer has previously announced in her website that the single will be launched on February 20. But the last minute editing on the single has delayed it for a week. Its new release date will be on February 27. The single will also contain The Shadow, another song written by BoA herself. Below is the tracklist information: CD+DVD CD tracks: 1. Only One 2. The Shadow 3. Only One (Instrumental) 4. The Shadow (Instrumental) DVD: 1. Only One (Music Video) 2. The Shadow (Music Video)

While I’d love to go to Tokyo and scan the codes before I take a sip of these drinks (because I am a BoA fan), reality slaps me in the face, telling me I have no money for such luxury. Luckily, I found a preview of the Japanese version of Only One on YouTube. Check it out below: Sources: KpopStarz, BoA’s Twitpic account, tokyohive and Oricon

SCANDAL officially releases ‘Playboy’ music video Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/scandal-officially-releases-playboymusic-video/

3. Only One (Making Video) 2

January 12th, 2013 By ellehaym on January 11th, 2013

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ENCORE SHOW limited edition jacket cover:

ENCORE SHOW regular edition jacket cover:

You have probably listened to SCANDAL’s Playboy during their performances (either live or on YouTube). This track was written back in their indie days. They’ve been performing the song since their debut, but it wasn’t officially released in any of their albums or singles.If you have been endlessly hoping for an official release of this track, then your long wait is over. SCANDAL has released their MV of Playboy. The song will also be included in their soon to be launched compilation album “ENCORE SHOW”. Check out the music video below: SCANDAL’s second compilation album comes out on February 6. It will be released in two editions: A Regular Edition CD and a Limited Edition CD+DVD. The upcoming album will include B-Side songs from their singles. If you pre-order from CDJapan today, a free sticker will be given as a bonus treat.

Sources: JEFusion and tokyohive

Solid launch date revealed for the North American release of Naruto Powerful Shippuden Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/solid-release-date-naruto-powerfulshippuden-north-american-revealed/ By ellehaym on January 11th, 2013

Below is the ENCORE SHOW’s track list information: 1. S.L. Magic 2. TOKYO 3. Natsu Neiro 4. FUTURE 5. SO EASY 6. Hoshi no Furu Yoru ni 7. KOSHI-TANTAN 8. Midnight Television 9. Shining Sun 10. CUTE! 11. Emotion 12. Satisfaction 13. Want you 14. Kimi ni Shitto Chuu 15. Hikare 16. PLAY BOY

The announcement on the North American release of Naruto Powerful Shippuden with the 3DS as its battlefield was good news indeed. But the lack of a launch date left us hanging. Finally, Namco Bandai Games America has

January 12th, 2013

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announced that the Naruto spin-off is coming out on March 5, so mark your calendars now! Fans of all ages can enjoy the side-scrolling gameplay of Naruto Powerful Shippuden. The characters are designed in their miniature appearance, or most commonly known to us, anime fans, as the chibi form.

A second season of “tokusatsu” or special effects TV show Hikounin Sentai Akihabaranger (非非非非非非非非非非非非非; “Hikounin Sentai” translates to “The Unofficial Power Rangers”) has been green-lit for production, according to the official website for the show. Simultaneously, Akibaranger’s second season was also announced at the tail end of a “Kamen Rider X Super Sentai Live & Show 2013″ event, held earlier tonight at the Tokyo International Forum in Japan. Below are the features of the game: • Explore two different stories—you can either play as Naruto or Rock Lee. Enjoy the different campaigns each story has to offer. • Two modes of gameplay. Beat up enemies nonstop in the endless battle mode or complete the story mode. • Amusing graphics and comical character actions and expressions. • Dynamic gameplay. Strengthen your characters by earning experience points. You can also ask help from other characters during battles or raise the power of your special attacks using the touch screen function. • QR code feature. Access other bonuses from the game by scanning QR codes. The release date is about two months away. That’s a bit of a long wait. So in the meantime, just enjoy Naruto Powerful Shippuden’s trailer below: Sources: Gaming Unwrapped, Nintendo Life and Namco Bandai Games

Hikounin Sentai Akibaranger: 2nd season green-lit for production Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/hikounin-sentai-akibaranger-season/ By KarbyP on January 11th, 2013

The show’s official website did not provide any specifics as to what Akibaranger’s new season would entail, choosing only to tease that more information on the new season would come soon. Who are the Akibarangers? Hikounin Sentai Akibaranger tells the story of three civilians – bike courier and Super Sentai fanboy Nobuo Akagi (played by Masako Wada), student and martial artist Mitsuki Aoyagi (Kyoko Hinami), and cosplayer Yumeria Moegi (Karin Ogino) – hand-picked one day by a certain Professor Hiroyo Hakase (played by voice actress Maaya Uchida, who’s Rea Sanka in Sankarea) to form a new Power Rangers squad assembled specifically to protect Akihabara from evil-doers. The trio were picked specifically for their uncanny ability to fantasize delusions, which serves as a source of power after our heroes “henshin” or transform into the mighty morphin’ Akibarangers – or so Akagi and gang believed. After the newly formed Akibaranger squad defeats their first monster, however, it’s revealed that the Akibarangers are not considered official Super Sentai heroes. There are stringent requirements – such as having your own networkbroadcasted TV show – that have to be met before they could register as an official squad. Not only that, but apparently all the fighting that Akagi and gang thought they did was actually one grand delusion – shared by all three of them – that occurred only in their heads. Net idol Kozue Aikawa (formerly of the group “Danceroid”) and current Danceroid leader “Itokutora” also have bit roles on the show, playing assistants in a Super Sentaithemed cafe that Professor Hakase runs. Certain Ranger 4

January 12th, 2013

characters from the official Super Sentai series also make cameo appearances. Unlike TV Asahi’s Sunday morning Power Rangers or “Sentai” tokusatsu shows which are meant for audiences of all ages, Hikounin Sentai Akihabaranger is instead aimed at mature audiences and aired on a late-night timeslot.

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Additionally, Japanese gamers who pre-order a copy of the game from certain participating retailers will also receive one of the aforementioned three “Armor” skins – each exclusive to specific retailers (for details on that, check out our previous story here). These “Armor” body suits will confer upon Raiden the ability to carry slightly more items of a certain category: White Armor lets you carry more health replenishing item, Inferno (red) increases your grenade capacity, and Command (green) does the same for missiles. The last of five DLC skins mentioned is the Metal Gear Solid 4 Raiden (MGS4 Raiden) body suit. Codes for MGS4 Raiden are issued out in Japan only to gamers who tweeted their impressions of the game’s demo (downloadable now on the Japanese PlayStation store) in a Twitter campaign organised by Konami.

Source: akibaranger.jp, @techwin009

Raiden cosplays as Gray Fox and his MGS4 self in this new Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance trailer Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/metal-gear-rising-revengeanceraiden-cosplays-gray-fox-custom-body-trailer/ By KarbyP on January 11th, 2013

Although currently the MGR:R demo is downloadable only on the Japanese PSN Store (but otherwise made available worldwide as a bonus included with Zone of the Enders HD Collection), Kojima Productions have said that they’re planning to make the demo downloadable on PSN and Xbox Live in the Western world sometime in January. As for the body suit DLC codes, in the US and Europe they will be doled out in similar pre-order campaigns for the highly-anticipated action title. The details vary per region, but in general gamers will receive different body suit DLC codes depending on which retailer they pre-order from, as well as the edition of MGR:R they’re buying. METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Megpoid the Music♯: 2nd gameplay video, 3 new songs unveiled Raiden masquerades as MGS1′s cyborg ninja Gray Fox in this new trailer for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance that was uploaded to the Web today.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/megpoid-music%E2%99%AF-2ndgameplay-video-3-songs-unveiled/

The so-called “Custom Body chapter” trailer also offers a brief look at four other DLC custom body suits – namely, the “White Armor”, “Inferno Armor”, “Command Armor”, and “MGS4 Raiden” costumes. Ganers in Japan receive the Gray Fox skin as long as they snag a first-print copy of the game in any edition – including the digitally-downloadable version sold through the PlayStation store. Konami Japan describes availability for the Gray Fox body suit DLC codes as ”while stocks last”. 5

January 12th, 2013 By KarbyP on January 11th, 2013

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Everything – lyrics, song, and illustrations – you see and hear in the video below were done by 40mP.

Raid of Glass (song: “maya”) A song about the pains of falling in love. Song produced by “maya”. Illustrations in the original music video you see below were done by Kanae Fujishiro (非非非), and the video itself was put together by “Nyto”. Megpoid the Music♯ (read as “Megpoid the Music Sharp”) for the PSP comes out in Japan on March 28, 2013. Megpoid the Music非 Official Site

First trailer of Gundam Unicorn Episode 6 released, expect more battle scenes Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/trailer-gundam-unicorn-episode-6released-expect-battle-scenes/ By sentinel011 on January 11th, 2013

Watch Vocaloid Gumi strut her stuff to Megu Megu Fire Endless Night in this second Megpoid the Music非 gameplay video that developer ParaPhray has uploaded today. Also shared today: the titles of three more songs from the game’s featured track-list. Music videos embedded after the jump.

Megu Megu Fire Endless Night (非非非非非非非非非非非非非非非非非非) Song lyrics, composition and arrangement by Vocaloid producer samfree.

Nearing the climax of the Gundam Unicorn saga, episode 6 has its first trailer released yesterday on Bandai’s AnimeChannel youtube page.

Note: the following three music video seen below are selfpublished works first uploaded to Japanese video-sharing site Nico Nico Douga, and not representations of what players will see in Megpoid the Music非

Ama no Jaku / A Born Coward (非非非, song by “164″) A powerful song about unrequited love from renowned Vocaloid producer”164″, that’s seen over two million views on Nico Nico Douga. Illustrator Takumi Torigoe provided the illustration seen in the video below.

Kiritorisen / Cutting Line (非非非非非非. song by “40mP”) In 40mP’s (read as 40-meter-P) Kiritorisen, Gumi sings about the bitter-sweet subject of love to a tune composed of light-hearted melodies.

The movie, titled Two Worlds, Two Tomorrows, features their first trailer with Banshee having new equipment, and Minerva is spotted wearing the Neo Zeon military attire. The movie will have a worldwide premiere broadcast over Playstation Network on 2 March 2013. Countries covered are USA, Canada, United Kingdom and France. For Zune/Xbox Live, it covers a greater area, on top of the countries mentioned earlier, viewers from Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Mexico will be able to catch the movie. For Singapore, Bandai South Asia has released a campaign for fans to catch the movie for an exclusive 1 time only 6

January 12th, 2013

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screening by purchasing selected gunpla. More information within their facebook post. DVD and Blu-ray sales will commence from 22 March 2013.

Toyota has announced earlier this Wednesday on 9 January on commercializing the production of the Toyota Auris. It is no ordinary production, as it is a collaboration between Mobile Suit Gundamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iconic antagonist, Char Aznable and his trademark red. Decked out in custom fins, vents and a Zaku II styled antenna, the Toyota Auris Char Aznable Custom will also have custom decals and styling on the chassis. The both the interior and exterior will have the Toyota logo replaced by the iconic Zeon logo from the anime series. The original voice actor for Char Aznable, Shuichi Ikeda, graced the product announcement as well, together with a model dressed as the character. The Toyota Auris Char Aznable Custom is scheduled to be on sale within Japan by end 2013. It is still unknown if this particular model will have a limited run, or if the car will be launched globally. Char Aznable fans with driving licences will surely put the Toyota Auris into their check list of items to purchase, granted that this is arguably their most expensive to date.

Fans can expect to purchase Toyota Auris Char Aznable Custom by end 2013 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/fans-expect-purchase-toyota-aurischar-aznable-custom-2013/ By sentinel011 on January 11th, 2013

January 12th, 2013

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January 12th, 2013

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Location: Tokyo International Forum, Hall A Time: Doors open 14:00, concert begins 15:00 Ticket price: 8400 yen (begins selling March 7) Singers: Yuki Kajiura/FictionJunction (Kaori Oda, Yuriko Kaida, Wakana, Keiko) Kalafina (Wakana, Keiko, Hikaru) FictionJunction YUUKA (Yuuka Nanri) Source: Response

Details of Yuki Kajiura’s 10th concert “Kaji Fes 2013″ released Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/details-yuki-kajiuras-10th-concertkaji-fes-2013-released/ By sentinel011 on January 11th, 2013

Emily Bindiger (Fiction II, Pandora Hearts OST, SIGN OST, Anime Expo 2003) Yuri Kasahara (Noir OST, Mai-Otome OST, Fiction, Rekishi Hiwa Historia OST) Hanae Tomaru (RHH OST, Mai-Hime OST, Kara no Kyoukai OST, Kalafina background chorus) Eri Itou (Tsubasa OST, RHH OST, Xenosaga OST, YK live vol. ♯2) Musicians: Flute: Rie Akagi Guitar: Koichi Korenaga Drums: Kyoichi Satou Bass: Tomoharu “Jr” Takahashi Violin: Hitoshi Konno Keyboard: Hirotaka Sakurada

Many Anison fans would have heard of artistes like Kalafina, Fictionjunction, and Yuuka Nanri. Yuki Kajiura, the matriarch who composes all of the artistes’ music, will be having her 10th concert this coming May.

Manipulator: Yoshio Ohira Source: FictionJunction

The famed composer produced many soundtracks of anime titles such as .//Hack, Madoka Magica, Mai HiME, Kara no Kyoukai and Fate/Zero. Her past concerts have set lists that include both theme songs and soundtrack titles. The concert will feature many singers who have collaborated with Kajiura.

The concert will be held at Tokyo International Forum, Hall A on 11 May 2013. Ticket sales will commence from 7 March, and are priced at 8,400 yen per ticket. Full details as follows: Yuki Kajiura LIVE Vol.非10 “Kaji Fes.2013″! Date: 11 May 2013 9

January 15th, 2013

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

SeaA’s 1st album to be released in Japan March 27 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/seaa-1st-album-march-27/ By KarbyP on January 15th, 2013

Source: Natalie

Fate/Extra CCC’s 6th short movie: Caster returns from the first game, finds herself strapped in a new costume Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/fateextra-ccc-6th-short-moviecaster/ By KarbyP on January 14th, 2013

Southeast Asia-based Anisong unit SeaA is cutting its first album, record label Lantis announced today. The four-girl unit’s first album will be released in Japan on March 27. SeaA’s first album will feature all four of their singles released so far, as well as a couple of additional songs thus far only included in editions released outside of Japan. In all, this album release includes a total of 10 songs. Three of the four members in SeaA – Beryl, Valerie and Estelle – were born and bred in Singapore. The three of them are joined by Malaysian gal Wynnie, and all four of them were scouted to form the Anisong unit when they were working at the maid cafe booth at Anime Festival Asia 2008 here in Singapore. Since then, their songs have been featured as opening or ending themes to anime titles such as Cardfight!! Vanguard and Toriko. Here at SGCafe we previously did an interview with SeaA’s girls back in 2011.

Caster is one of five selectable Servants in Imageepoch and Type-Moon’s upcoming and oft-delayed PSP JRPG Fate/

January 15th, 2013

Extra CCC, a sequel to the original Fate/Extra in which Caster was also a selectable Servant. In both games, the story is set in a virtual world where you, the Main Character (name and gender up to you) must team up with a Servant in order to fight against the dangers in the computer world – including other similar Masters and their Servants. Fate/Extra CCC’s new short movie, which we’ve embedded below, reveals that Caster returns in this sequel in a costume that’s way more revealing than before. Why is that? Well, Caster doesn’t really know – in the video she says that she found herself strapped in this new costume from the moment she was summoned into this world and awoke.

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January 14. But again, the streamed episodes with English subtitles are accessible only in the States – they’re IPblocked. But you know what’s not IP-blocked? Twitter. Also, Dengeki Online, where you can go to download these awesome Puchimas! -Petit Idolm@ster- (ぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷ) Twitter icons. There’s 14 of them in total – petite idol versions of all 13 of the series’ main stars, plus that of Kotori Otonashi, the office clerk in 765 Productions (pronounced “Namco Productions” due to an alternate reading for the numbers in Japanese). If you want to download the entire zip file containing all 14 Twitter profile icons, head over to Dengeki Online’s story, and hit the giant pink button that has funny moon language on it. Alternatively, we’ve listed the icons here in our gallery, and titled them accordingly – just in case you don’t know the names of these petite Idolm@ster creatures (they’re kept as pets by the characters in the main series), and you’d like to find out.

Fate/Extra CCC for the PSP is scheduled to be released in Japan on March 28.

These Puchimas! -Petit Idolm@ster- Twitter icons are not IP-blocked Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/puchimas-petit-idolmster-twittericons-ip-blocked/ By KarbyP on January 14th, 2013

In Japan, Net anime Puchimas! -Petit Idolm@ster- is streamed daily (each episode is only about two minutes long) on Nico Nico Douga and Animate TV – both of which are IPblocked and accessible only from within Japan. In the US, FUNimation announced that they will be streaming the Idolm@ster spin-off series, starting today, 2

January 15th, 2013

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Get physical with Oda Nobuna no Yabou-inspired cycling jerseys Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/physical-oda-nobuna-yabouinspired-cycling-jerseys/ By ellehaym on January 14th, 2013

The Oda Nobuna no Yabou (The Ambition of Oda Nobuna) anime franchise is targeting cyclists with its latest merchandise. AmiAmi has begun taking pre-orders for their red longsleeved and green short-sleeved cycling gears. Both jerseys are designed with Oda Nobuna at the front part and the characters of the anime series at the back. The long-sleeved one costs 11,730 JPY (around 131 USD). The short-sleeved gear, on the other hand, costs 9,980 JPY (about 112 USD).

There are also a couple more screen captures from the actual Puchimas! anime series over at Dengekiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story, so go there if you want to check those out. For more information on Puchimas! -Petit Idolm@ster-, check out our previous coverage of the series here. Source: Dengeki Online

Both unisex cycling gears come with thee pockets at the back. The character and hobby online shop has also commenced pre-orders for bicycle wheel and frame stickers that you can use to pimp your ride and transform it into an itachari (a bike with anime or game inspired designs usually seen in Akihabara). The sticker for the wheel costs 7,540 JPY (around 84 USD) and comes in two designs, while the bike frame sticker set costs 2,500 JPY (28 USD).

January 15th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone By KarbyP on January 14th, 2013

You get both the old and new schools of “Tales of” RPG gameplay in one package. That is, if you pick up a first-print edition copy of PS Vita JRPG Tales of Hearts R on day one. The first-print edition comes with a download code for Tales of Hearts R Infinite Evolve, a reworked version of the 2D battle system from the original DS game Tales of Hearts whose gameplay is more similar to that of the older Tales games in the 90′s.

All products are slated for a late April release. Oda Nobuna no Yabou is a historical comedy anime that retells the Sengoku era of Japan. The series, however, replaces the powerful landlords and warriors with beautiful female characters. It was adapted from a light novel by Mikage Kasuga with illustrations by Miyama-Zero. The anime series ran from July to September last year. Source: Crunchyroll

Tales of Hearts R’s (PS Vita) first-print edition comes with ‘Infinite Evolve’ bonus game [Video] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/tales-of-hearts-r-infinite-evolvebonus-game-in-first-print-edition/

In later titles, however, when the Namco Tales Studio development team decided to switch to 3D graphics for its games, they also added the ability for the player to move around in the 3D field during enemy encounters, although the fighting is still locked to a 2D plane. The Tales of Hearts R main game, a remake of the DS JRPG, is built on this second style of play. For comparison’s sake, here’s what the 2D gameplay in Tales of Hearts (2008) on the Nintendo DS used to look like: What’s especially interesting about Tales of Hearts R Infinite Evolve is that characters included in this bonus game do not simply stop at Hearts. From the video above you can clearly see that Infinite Evolve will include gues characters such as Lloyd Irving (Tales of Symphonia, PS2/ GameCube), Yuri Lowell (Tales of Vesperia Ps3/X360), Jade Curtiss (Tales of the Abyss, PS2/3DS), and Stahn Aileron (Tales of Destiny, PS1/PS2). Who else would you want to see included as selectable party members in Infinity Evolve? Tales of Hearts R for the PlayStation Vita comes out in Japan and Asia on March 7, 2013.

Evangelion’s Unit-01 and Angels go under a Sanrio makeover Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/evangelions-unit-01-angels-sanriomakeover/

January 15th, 2013

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By ellehaym on January 14th, 2013

Each polycarbonate casing costs 1,980 JPY (around 22 USD). This isn’t the first time an Evangelion x Hello Kitty collaboration has happened. Last year, boxer briefs were offered by the official Evangelion store. The underwear designs featured Hello Kitty as Rei and Asuka. Source: ぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷ, RocketNews24 It’s impressive how the Japanese never ever run out of exotic ideas. I mean, who would have thought that the terrifying EVA Unit-01 could turn into something… so kawaii? Legendary anime franchise Evangelion is collaborating with Sanrio to offer fans a variety of extraordinarily cute merchandise. Without further ado, I now present to you their latest offering: here’s Hello Kitty as EVA Unit-01!

Kyary appears in selfdesigned ‘Furisode’ kimono at Shibuya’s Coming-of-Age ceremony Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/kyary-pamyu-pamyu-self-designedfurisode-kimono-shibuya/ By KarbyP on January 14th, 2013

This plushie can be pre-ordered from ZOZOTOWN. It costs 2,100 JPY (around 23 USD). And if you can’t get enough of this purple Hello Kitty plushie, you can get its miniature version in a form of a keychain which costs 1,050 (about 12 USD). Shipping of both products will commence around mid-March. That’s not the only result of the unlikely collaboration. We all know that Sanrio is famous for turning anything into something cute. And now, even the monstrous Angels have become adorable. Strap-ya, an online shop offering mobile phone accessories based in Kanagawa, is currently offering iPhone 5 cases with designs of Hello Kitty as EVA Unit-01 together with chibi versions of the Angels wearing Hello Kitty’s red ribbon. Goodness! Even the Spear of Longinus, which crashed into was displayed in Tokyo last month, has a ribbon tied on it. Check them out:

Today’s a public holiday in Japan. Specifically, it’s “Comingof-Age Day”. A day when the entire nation congregates at coming-of-age ceremonies held at local or prefectoral offices to congratulate those who would be turning 20 – the age of adulthood over there – in the new year.

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As one of those would-be-twenty-year-olds, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - who turns 20 on January 29 this year – was invited to perform at the coming-of-age ceremony in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward (ぷぷ25ぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷぷ), held at the ward’s town hall. Before the ceremonial rites began, there was also a brief press conference where Kyary greeted Japanese media in a shocking-pink furisode (a long-sleeved kimono) that she designed herself, and spoke at length on a number of topics. First, the media asked Kyary to share what the concept behind her furisode dress design was. “Its image is themed after the cosmos,” the bubbly performer said. “And there are planets on the obi sash’s design (note: an obi sash being the cloth belt that fastens the kimono). As I’ll be going on a world tour beginning in February, it feels like I’m spreading my wings and flapping them all across the universe. So there’s a unicorn pattern on it. [To sum it up, the motif is] ‘unicorn’ and ‘cosmos’. Once that was decided, I wanted to go with my favourite shocking pink colour, and aimed to design it in a way that would make me stand out as the flashiest ‘new adult’ in Japan!” Kyary cheekily said.

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At the same time, however, the 19-year-old performer also expressed her regret in not being able to participate in the day’s after-hours drinking parties, since there’s still two more weeks to go before she’s officially 20 years old, the legal age at which the Japanese can buy and consume alcoholic drinks. “I can’t go to drinking parties yet, so later on I’ll just be attending the after-event party, and head home after that. Which is too bad, because I’m no good around strangers, and I’d really like to borrow the power of sake (alcohol) so that I can talk with them more! *Laughs*” Kyary also commented briefly on her look and costume for her upcoming single Furisodation. “Up till now I’ve had a lot of looks where I’m sporting twintails. “But this time around it’s my first-time going with a ponytail. Personally for me, that in itself [the change in hairstyle] is my first step as an grown-up.”

Turning 20 and becoming a full-fledged adult is clearly a big deal to her. “Wearing a furisode is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so right now I’m extremely elated just being able to wear it!” Kyary continued with a sparkling smile on her face.

January 15th, 2013

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Perfume official world fanclub starts payment registration, receives Doraemon styled versions of themselves Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/perfume-official-world-fanclubstarts-payment-registration-receives-doraemon-styled-versions/ By sentinel011 on January 14th, 2013

Fans of Perfume all over the world can now officially take part in Perfume’s fanclub registration, or at least, be able to make payment for their membership. In the official P.T.A world fanclub site, one can begin their annually membership subscription payment starting from today. However, the official commencement of the membership will begin on 13 February 2013, 9PM, GMT +9. If in the event that you are already a P.T.A fanclub member, you need not register again, as the fanclub’s perks and privileges remain the same, if not better. The yearly membership is priced at 1,200 yen.

Speaking of grown-ups, the press wanted to know who Kyary feels is the one female grown-up (keep in mind that in the Japanese context, “grown-up” or “adult” basically means “over 20-years-old”) that she admires the most.

Ironically, fans who have pre-registered on the site last year did not receive any information about the commencement of the subscription payment. At press time, 330 fans have made payment to their membership.

To that, Kyary responded by naming female artiste Yuki, formerly the lead vocalist of Japanese punk-rock band Judy and Mary and who’s currently pursuing her solo singing career. “Even after she got married and gave birth to a baby, she’s nonetheless still shining brightly as a star and solo artiste as before, continuing to exude that charm of hers which I love.” Lastly, when asked about her outlook for the new year, Kyary said: “In 2012, I was invited to go on Kouhaku [NHK Red And White Year-End Song Festival], appear in commercials, and as a result many people got to know through watching the TV that this person called Kyary Pamyu Pamyu exists, or so I think that was how 2012 went. “As for 2013, as a solo artiste I want to focus even more on my music, and give it my all with that.” Kyary Pamyu Pamyu‘s new double-A-side single, Kimi ni 100 Percent/Furisodation, comes out on January 30. The accomplished fashion blogger, model, and TV host will also be here in Singapore sometime in 2013 as part of her musical world tour. Source: Natalie

On a recent Doraemon episode, a snippet of Perfume’s upcoming single Mirai no Museum was featured as the ending theme, with the girls being portrayed in Doraemon’s art style. Perfume has mentioned that it was a dream for them to be featured in a childhood anime, especially one such as Doraemon. [EDIT] Thanks to a fan in the local community for clarifying the pre-registration, and that it was only to declare interest. The actual benefit was an email to tell fans about the details of the implementation of the worldwide fanclub wallpaper. It stated on the site itself at the bottom of the page that the actual registration will open on 14 January onwards, and if fans register before 13th February, they will be able to watch the P.T.A. TV Live 5 hour special broadcast online on the 13th of February. In short, anybody can register and pay for P.T.A. World fanclub starting from today, and not just applicable to those who pre-registered. Registrants will receive a member ID 7

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and temporary password which they can use when the fanclub site activates all membership accounts later in February. Each membership lasts a year, from 14 February 2013 till 13 Febuary 2014. However, each membership will last up till 13 February 2014, where membership costs are subjected to change. The site explains that regardless on when you have registered during that year, the membership costs will remain at 1,200 yen.

Published by: VR-Zone By KarbyP on January 13th, 2013

Hitman gets real with two great fan videos Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/hitman-real-great-fan-videos/ By sentinel011 on January 14th, 2013

So you have played Hitman Absolution over the holidays. Guns ablazing or sneaky and silent? Whichever your choice, these videos will surely amaze and amuse you with their take on what it takes to be Agent 47. Two fan productions (pretty famous among the netizens actually) created their own style of Hitman flair, both with great production quality and direction. Freddie Wong has done loads of video game spoofs on his youtube channel freddiew, mostly involving guns and action. Together with Brandon Laatsch, they made fanboys’ wet dreams come true…. almost. Spoofing the different play styles of gamers controlling Agent 47 in their missions, which video director and producer Michael Shanks blatantly labels as “Professional” and “Idiot”. And he does it with graphic novel filters, a la Kill Bill style. Which Agent 47 do you like better?

Yuyushiki: watch the upcoming high school sliceof-life comedy anime’s Comiket 83 promo

If you like slice-of-life comedy anime series like Lucky Star and K-On!, then make sure to keep a lookout for Yuyushiki anime when it goes on the air in Japan sometime in April (starting with Tokyo MX). Adapted from the four-panel comic of the same name that’s currently serialised in Manga Time Kirara magazine, Yuyushiki is a story about essentially nothing, as many such slice-of-life gag comedy shows are often about, revolving around the lives of three high-school girls who are all members of their school’s data processing club (ぷぷぷぷぷ). Yuyushikire-unites two of the leading voice actresses in YuruYuri: Rumi Okubo (Chinatsu) as Yuzuko Nonohara the simple-minded and naive one of the trio, and Minami Tsuda (Yui) who now plays Yui Ichii, the series’s comic relief. They are joined by Risa Taneda (From the New World’s Saki) who plays the Yukari Hinata the chief of the data processing club. A new promo video for the upcoming anime was first shown to attendees at the recent Comic Market 83 event held in Makuhari Messe from December 29 to 31, 2012, but did not make its way to the vast, almighty medium we call the Interwebs back then. This week, it finally has:

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/yuyushiki-anime-preview/

January 15th, 2013

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Production credits Production: Kinema Citrus (Code:Breaker, Bottom Biting Bug) Director: Kaori Series Composition: Moyashimon)

Natsuko

Takahashi

(Bleach,

Character Design: Hisayuki Tabata Art Director: Hiroshi Kato Sound Director: Jin Aketagawa Color Design: Nobuko Mizuta Director of Photography: Yu Wakabayashi Main Animators: Majiro, Keisuke Kojima Sound Production: Exit Tunes Voice cast Yuzuko: Rumi Ookubo (YuruYuri’s Chinatsu) Yui: Minami Tsuda (YuruYuri’s Yui) Yukari: Risa Taneda (From the New World’s Saki) Source: Crunchyroll

January 17th, 2013

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Modding made easy using HD parts with these tips from Gundam.info Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/modding-easy-hd-parts-tipsgundam-info/ By sentinel011 on January 17th, 2013

Most local gunpla builders are casual builders who simply snap build and display their creations. However, those who are more equipped with some basic skills and tools such as sanding, spray cans and probably a basic airbrush set could try these tips out. Many Mobile Suits have a certain menacing flair when they are equipped with propellant tanks (other than the fact that theoretically they are able to move further and waste less fuel on transport than during battle). With this mod, you can spruce up your space-type mobile suits, or even multi-purpose suits!

Beam saber poses always look cool. One just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t settle with a normal beam saber provided in the Master Grade kits. To amp it up, pick up this useful tip to make your beam blades look even better.

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The contrast of this modification owes no less due to the ability to separate the various parts just on 1 vernier, making paint jobs on it much easier (no more masking!)

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Most of the hands provided by the stock kits have ugly looking fists that look rather dull. The HD hands series provides additional detail that will look great on any kit. Be sure to check on the scale and type of the HD hands you are getting for your kit!

January 17th, 2013

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One Piece Film Z sails to Asia in Jan/Feb; Toei licensing director hopes to take it worldwide Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/one-piece-film-z-sails-to-asiadirector-hopes-for-worldwide/ By KarbyP on January 17th, 2013

Mentioned in most of the tutorials are what it seems to be a ‘gripper’. How do you obtain one? Well, there’s a cheap (and almost free) way to create your own. Parts Gripper (makes 2) Materials needed: - 2 empty ballpoint pens - 1 pair of disposable chopsticks

After spending four weeks and grossing over six billion yen (~US$67,509,324) at the box office in Japan, Toei Animation’s hit anime movie One Piece Film Z is setting sail to five countries in Asia. In order of premiere dates: Taiwan (January 25), Singapore (February 1), Hong Kong (February 14), Thailand and South Korea (dates undecided).

- Super glue (optional)

The Singapore premiere date, in particular, is surprising to us, and not just because it’s approximately two weeks from now.

Step 1: remove the ink tube and pen nib from the ballpoint pen’s housing. Keep the pen housing. Step 2: insert 1 of the chopsticks into the housing of the ballpoint pen. If the housing is too big, use super glue onto the chopsticks to fix it into place.

It’s surprising to us because the date listed by Toei Animation in their press release to Japanese press is different from the one listed here in Singapore – One Piece Film Z is scheduled to premiere at Cathay cinemas February 21, 2013.

Step 3: Pull the masking tape, reverse it and wrap it around the pen housing. The masking tape will act as an adhesive surface for the ‘Gripper’.

At the moment we do not know yet where the anime movie will be shown on February 1 in Singapore, if Toei’s statement to the Japanese press is to be believed. Chances are, the February 1 date refers to a limited sneak peak or preview for the new anime film.

- Some masking tape, double-sided tape or foam tape

You can easily find these items around your house, so go ahead and experiment with making your own tools! Source: Gundam.info

The five Asian territories listed above may not be the only countries in the region to see a theatrical release for One Piece Film Z. Although at the moment these five are the only confirmed ones, Toei Animation reveals that they have also received offers to screen the film in other Asian countries from various movie distributors. 3

January 17th, 2013

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Outside of Asia, Toei Animation’s Iriya Azuma, director of the anime studio’s global licensing business department, also hopes to bring One Piece Film Z to Europe, America, and the rest of the world. “In Japan alone it’s proven to be a huge box office record so far. And so we’d like to ride on the vigour of that success, and bring it outside of Japan – not just to Asia, but also to Europe and the Americas. We hope that the movie can set sail on a grand voyage to destinations everywhere, and connect the world,” he told the Japanese press. Source: Yahoo! Japan News

Perfume undergoes the Doraemon drawing treatment for ‘Mirai no Museum’ CD Jacket Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/perfume-undergoes-doraemondrawing-treatment-mirai-museum-cd-jacket/ By KarbyP on January 17th, 2013

Regular Edition

Fans who pre-order Mirai no Museum in Japan will receive a special “CD Jacket sticker”, the design of which will be different depending on if you’ve picked up the limited or the regular edition. Although no images for the stickers have yet been published, it is said that the stickers’ designs are based on the respective CD jacket art. Mirai no Museum is the theme song to the Doraemon 2013 anime movie, Doraemon: Nobita no Himitsu Dougu Museum, due to be released in theatres in Japan March 9, 2013 – which is also the same date that Perfume’s single is slated to come out on. Samples images of the CD Jacket covers for Japanese electro-pop group Perfume‘s forthcoming single, Mirai no Museum, have just been published on the Web. Here’s what the first-print limited and regular editions of the CD single looks like: Limited Edition

Currently Mirai no Museum is also used as the ending theme for the Doraemon TV anime series that airs in Japan Fridays at 7PM (GMT+0900 hours) on TV Asahi, as a means to promote the forthcoming anime film. Doraemon, the anime franchise about a blue robotic cat who hails from the future, has seen a new anime film almost every year since 1980 (the only exception was 2005). Read more stories about Japanese electro-pop trio Perfume here on SGCafe! 4

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Source: Natalie

EVANGELION x audio technica limited edition Inear headphones sighted in Harajuku EVA STORE Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/evangelion-audio-technica-limitededition-in-ear-headphones-sighted-harajuku-eva-store/ By sentinel011 on January 17th, 2013

The EVA Store also stocks some pretty handy lifestyle goods as well. Everyone has probably heard of the crazy snowstorm in Tokyo that came as sudden as it went. What better way than to have an umbrella with designs that resembles EVA-01′s colour scheme.

With the new year comes new stuff, and the EVA Store in Harajuku sure knows how to entice its fans to purchase some of its products. Audio Technica has collaborated with the Evangelion franchise before, and back in 2007 they created limited edition headphones from their popular ATH-M50 headphone line.

Last but not least, a spectacle case to protect your geek-creed spectacles, with 2 different designs. We prefer the Angellike motifs that are inspired by typical Japanese new year’s designs. Of course, hardcore EVA-01 fans will pick the other. This year, instead of relying on headphones, they are looking at another kind of headphones – the in-ear types. Sporting a classy cool blue look, the A.T.EVA HQ-3.0 IEMs are produced by Evangelion’s very own musical score producer Sagisu Shiro. This limited edition model comes with a box with SEELE-inspired motifs, which houses the pair of inears and a shirt. Price is currently unknown, but it has already begin pre-orders at the store.

January 17th, 2013

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promotional sentai cafe will stay open until February 17, 2013. As of post time, pictures of the cafe interior have not yet surfaced, so we don’t know if the decor has been done up to match the look of the Sentai cafe in the show. On the other hand, the menu for the “Akibaranger Cafe Delusion Base” (“非非非非”) is suitably Sentai-themed, as you can see below:

Which of these items do you think you’ll end up purchasing if they are available in your country of residence?

Akibaranger Cafe opens in Japan – Real-world Japan Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/akibaranger-cafe-opens-japan/ By JLZeta on January 16th, 2013

There also appears to be a set of Z-Cune Aoi badges with 5 different designs available; the information on the cafe’s website seems to indicate that the badges are free presents for patrons of the cafe (specifically, one badge for every patron who orders from the Sentai menu). Nijiyome Academy Z-Cune Aoi (非非非非非非非非非非非非非) is a fictional (or metafictional, if you prefer) anime series featured in Akibaranger, much like Getsumento Heiki Mina (非非非非非非非非) from the TV Drama adaptation of Densha Otoko (非非非).

No new information on the 2nd season has been released since the announcement, but it’s definitely nice to see the series getting some recognition after such a long break. Perhaps the dream of becoming an official Sentai for the show’s protagonists isn’t that far off after all…? The delusion keeps getting bigger! How much bigger? It’s invading into real-world Japan (as opposed to the show’s fictional setting that’s based on real-world Japan). In order to promote the upcoming second season of Hikounin Sentai Akibaranger (非非非非非非非非非非非非非), a Super Sentaithemed cafe has opened in Japan’s Akihabara district. The

The Akibaranger Cafe, held at the B1 floor of Pasela’s Akihabara Electric Town branch (Google Maps link here), will be open from now till February 17; opening hours are from 11:30 AM to 5:00 PM JST.

January 17th, 2013

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Source: JEFusion, Official website

First look: Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus’s day-one DLC costumes (pre-order bonus) Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/look-ninja-gaiden-sigma-2-pluss-psvita-pre-order-bonus-dlc-costumes/ By KarbyP on January 16th, 2013

Feast your eyes on this set of special DLC costumes that gamers who pre-order Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus (PS Vita) in Japan will receive on day one, in the form of a redeemable download code, Famitsu reports. That’s Ayane in her Player 2 (P2) costume from Dead or Alive 5, Rachel cosplaying as a fiend of sorts (not too sure if this is a costume from some other NG title), and Momiji in an alternate costume that has purple highlights instead of red. Again, I’m not sure if this particular Momiji costume is from some other game where she was featured – it’s definitely not in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge for the Wii U, that much we know. To see what the Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus heroines’ original costumes look like, check out this batch of screenshots for the game over here. Take a closer look below. Don’t be shy now; they don’t bite. Although Ayane won’t even bat an eyelash before slicing off your arm if you dare try to be naughty.

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Famitsu’s story on Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus this week also recapped on included some information on the two new modes being included in the PS Vita port: Ninja Race and Tag Missions. Unfortunately, it appears that none of the information Famitsu has is new. We’ve already written quite a bit about both modes in our previous story here. Although the Famitsu story does clarify an error we made in reporting previously – in Tag Missions, two of the game’s protagonists will appear on the battlefield simultaneously (we said all four). At any point in time the player will control one of the pair of characters on-screen, while the CPU will take charge of the other. The point of this mode is to play in a way that covers each other’s weaknesses, Famitsu says. You will also be able to freely switch between both characters anytime. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus for the PlayStation Vita is slated to be released in Japan February 28. Release dates for US and Europe have not yet been announced. Source: Famitsu

Square Enix’s ’1.17′ teaser site is for iOS game Final Fantasy All the Bravest [launch trailer video] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/square-enix-1-17-teaser-site-finalfantasy-all-the-bravest-ios/ By KarbyP on January 16th, 2013

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• The Active Time Battle system is back with the largest parties in Final Fantasy history! Final Fantasy: All the Bravest is a touch-action RPG in which you continuously battle enemies to advance through the game’s many stages. Defeating foes earns you the experience points you need to level up, which in turns grants you character slots to add more and more members to your party. Combat is based on the classic Active Time Battle (ATB) system of the Final Fantasy series. Every character possesses an ATB gauge that displays the time remaining until that character can execute an action. When the gauge is full, simply tap or drag your finger over the character to attack. Touch multiple characters in quick succession to experience exhilarating and fast-paced battle unlike anything you’ve ever played before! Once every three hours, the Fever option will appear. Once activated, you will be able to attack without waiting for ATB gauges to refill as long as the chocobo-themed music is playing. Deal as much damage as you can before the battle fever ends! • Characters, enemies, and music from throughout the Final Fantasy series! Progress through the game to unlock over 20 different classic jobs, including warrior, monk, red mage, and more! Each job brings its own special abilities to the battleground, where you will encounter timeless Final Fantasy foes such as behemoths, bombs, and cactuars. At the end of each stage waits a harrowing encounter with a fiendish Final Fantasy boss! The game’s musical library comes packed with over 30 songs from the series, the majority of which are themes from battle. The perfect soundtrack to listen to as your crush your enemies and see them driven before you! • Track your collection of every character, enemy, and item with in-game catalogs! The game’s three catalogs will keep a record of every character that joins your ranks, every enemy you encounter, and every item you obtain. Collect them all and open the catalogs to flip through the nostalgia whenever you like!

Final Fantasy All the Bravest, a “a touch-action RPG in which you continuously battle enemies to advance through the game’s many stages”, is out right now for the iOS. Here’s the launch trailer in both English and Japanese. Currently, Final Fantasy All the Bravest is only available in New Zealand’s regional iTunes app store. The game app will gradually make its way across the regional stores for the rest of the world. What’s Final Fantasy All the Bravest? From the iTunes page’s description:

• Take part in leaderboards and social networking features! Global leaderboards will rank players based on stats such as the amount of damage dealt in the course of a single Fever. You will also be able to track progress and other feats using the game’s achievement system. Social networking features allow you to post directly to Facebook and Twitter, and reward you for doing so by granting additional member slots. Post and tweet away to increase the size of your party for battle! • Purchase premium characters and new game worlds! The in-game shop offers access to 35 famous characters from a number of FINAL FANTASY titles. Each purchase ensures you will receive a new, random character. Which powerful favorites will you have join your party? You are also able 8

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to purchase additional game stages from Final Fantasy VII, X, and XIII. Board airships bound for new worlds where further adventures await! Check this post again in a bit for more information on Final Fantasy All the Bravest, including how much it retails for on the iTunes app store in Singapore.

Pre-orders for the 1/7th Scale Racing Miku: 2012 ver. begin Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/pre-orders-17th-scale-racingmiku-2012-ver/ By ellehaym on January 16th, 2013

This 2013, another brilliant item is coming to Hatsune Miku fans. Are you currently growing your figure collection of the famous Vocaloid diva? Then here’s the good news: Good Smile Company’s partner stores have begun taking preorders for the dynamic 1/7th Scale Racing Miku: 2012 ver. Known as the “The diva who lit up the 2012 racing circuit”, Racing Miku is the official mascot of the 2012 GT Project. The figure is fixed at a very striking pose. It stands approximately 260 mm tall. As described in Mikatan’s Blog, the 1/7th Scale Racing Miku 2012 ver. “looks as if it could jump to life at any second.” Miku wears a shiny race queen outfit, holds a racing flag and stands on a single leg. Her elegantly long twin tails twist and turn in a gorgeous fashion. She has a beaming smile and sexy curves. Check out the 1/7th Scale Racing Miku: 2012 ver. at various angles:

The stunning PVC figure of the popular digital diva can be pre-ordered from shops such as AmiAmi, CDJapan, Hobby Search and Hobby Link Japan. Prices vary per online store, but the original retail price is 12,800 JPY. The 1/7th Scale Racing Miku: 2012 ver. is sculpted by Shunji Hagii and manufactured by FREEing. It is slated for a release in June. Source: Mikatan’s Blog (English Version)

Limited Edition Fire Emblem Awakening Nintendo 3DS Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/limited-edition-fire-emblemawakening-nintendo-3ds/

January 17th, 2013 By weiq on January 16th, 2013

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If you can’t wait for the offical launch, you can try out a demo of the game in the Nintendo eShop on January 17. For more info, please visit Fire Emblem Awakening’s website. Source: fireemblem.nintendo.com, engadget.com

Exclusive: Ebisu Muscats press conference Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/exclusive-ebisu-muscats-pressconference/ By sentinel011 on January 16th, 2013

Fans of the Fire Emblem series, you finally can put a dragon (or two) on you Nintendo 3DS. Literally. With the launching of the eleventh original game of the Fire Emblem series on February 4, it will be released with a limited edition Nintendo 3DS, which is emblazoned with a stylish Fire Emblem artwork and with the game preinstalled. The bundle also comes with a 4GB SD card, with a suggested retail price of US$199.

Those not familiar with the series, Fire Emblem is a turn based tactical RPG, where the player must move their characters within a grid. The game involves moving characters into positions in order to attack the opposing enemy side, or defend against their attacks. Battles are won by attacking the opposing side until all characters have lost all of their health points, before the same happens to the player’s side. With Awakening, you will walk through the game with beautiful 3D visuals and movies. Get ready to expect not only a massive cast of characters, all with unique stories, different class types and skill sets, but also new gameplay mechanics. From launch day onwards, additional maps will be available for purchase via online download. The first downloadable map will be free for a limited time and will be followed by additional maps on a weekly basis. Players will be able to access the downloadable content through the in-game world map.

Many guys would have heard about Ebisu Muscats, regardless of its members individually or as a group through various sources. But not many have the chance to be able to meet them in person, as SGCafe was able to attend the press conference of the idol group earlier today. Held somewhere within Resorts World Sentosa, nine of the ladies came to the stage for an introduction of themselves as well as a quick Q&A session with the media presented at the press conference. Question: Welcome to Singapore! First off, what are your impressions of Singapore thus far? Ebisu Muscats: It is a very clean country, and the people very warm and nice towards us! Q: Why is Singapore being picked as one of the slots for your Asia Tour? EB: Because we love Singapore! :laughs: Q: What do you think of the fans in Singapore? EB: There are a lot of comments from fans in Singapore, and through their response and comments, we have the impression that the fans here are very warm and friendly!

January 17th, 2013

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idols. Another strong point is that each of our members have very individual personalities that appeal to different guys, like cute and energetic, matriarch/sister figure of the group, slightly ditsy, and so on.

Q: What are the biggest challenge Ebisu Muscats have faced throughout its career? EB: As you know, it is Ebisu Muscats’ first time performing in Singapore, and thus we feel that not knowing the audience’s response is one of the biggest challenges for us. We also hope that this is a chance to entertain the audience and make it an enjoyable and fun experience! Q: So for this tour, what have you prepared specially for Singapore fans? How long did it take to prepare for this Asia Tour? EB: It’s a secret! :giggles: It took us 2 months to prepare this time for our Asia Tour. Q: It has been announced that Ebisu Muscats will be disbanding this coming April. What do you feel about the disbandment of the group? EB: To be honest, there have been many false rumour of our disbandment all these while, right up until recently where it is official. And it came as a surprise, since all these while many people have the impression that the official announcement might be just another rumour as well. Of course, all of us are a little sad about the news. But our mentor told us to treat it as a new beginning of our future careers, and to have a positive outlook on the challenges ahead. Q: In that case, why is it that Ebisu Muscats are disbanding at this point? EB: Our mentor has advised that it is optimal for us to disband while we are at our peak (of popularity).

Q: Do you have different feeling performing at different locations during this Asia Tour? EB: It is currently winter in Japan and very very cold, while it’s humid in Singapore. Since South Korea was pretty much the same weather as Japan, we immediately felt relieved (from the cold) when we reached Singapore. Q: Any special beauty regimes to share with us? EB: Actually, I have gained a bit of weight recently :laughs: Just eat a lot, and sleep a lot. Q: Do you exercise everyday or have a workout regime? EB: We don’t really exercise much, but we make extra effort to keep ourselves in top shape during preparation of our live concerts. The ladies were also asked on what sort of qualities they have on their ideal boyfriend, of which their response was a guy with a great smile, dressed well for the occasion and perhaps watching a sports match together; basically enjoying each other’s company. The the bubbly, cute and sexy Ebisu Muscats will be performing tomorrow ‘live’ at the Star Performing Arts Theatre located within the vincinity of Buona Vista MRT, from 7PM onwards. Tickets are available at Sistic, and priced at S$188 (Meet & Greet), S$128, S$98, and S$68. The highest tier tickets applicable for the meet-and-greet are already sold out. Watch them perform and interact with everyone in the audience, and yes even you if you have gotten your tickets! Performing members include Rio, Akiho Yoshizawa, Yuma Asami, Minori Hatsune, Kaho Kasumi, Sho Nishino, Nanako Kodama, Ayako Yamanaka, Mui Kuriyama & Yuria Satomi. Don’t miss their last performance ever as a group!

Q: Any future plans for your careers after disbanding? EB: We are happy to be travelling to Singapore as Ebisu Muscats, but we also hope to be able to do the same in the future individually regardless, and be able to perform in Singapore once more. Nishino Sho: Recently I’ve been involved in a film based in Thailand. As I love to act, it would be really great if there are career opportunities to be able to act in Singapore as well.

Q: What is Ebisu Muscats charming point in attracting their fanbase? EB: In Japan, we are not only portrayed as a multi-talented idol group branded with the sexy image in mind, but also our forte in variety shows with comedic elements. For Singapore, we wish to portray ourselves as sexy, cute and multi-talented 11

January 19th, 2013

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Splinter Cell: Blacklist — Watch this ‘inauguration’ trailer

Pre-orders for the game have already commenced. It will be available for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. The official release date of Splinter Cell: Blacklist is August 22, 2013.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/watch-splinter-cell-blacklistinauguration-trailer/ By ellehaym on January 18th, 2013

You may think that the president would go to extremes to defend the whole country from terrorist attacks. But no, that isn’t always the case. At least, not in the fictional one shown in this Splinter Cell: Blacklist inauguration trailer. There are tons of troops, big tanks, weapons and explosives reserved. However, the truth is that the president only needs a clandestine unit that can act as the last line of defense. And that team is none other than the one led by Sam Fisher.

Aliens: Colonial Marines to release worldwide February 12 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/aliens-colonial-marines-releasemonth/ By weiq on January 18th, 2013

Wondering why it’s called the inauguration trailer? Because the president promises the safety of the whole nation during the said event (and the country’s security is the premise behind upcoming Splinter Cell game). The game’s release may be months away from now, but in the meantime, you can enjoy the latest trailer for Splinter Cell: Blacklist: Here’s how the story of the game goes: A group of terrorists has sent a threatening ultimatum called “The Blacklist”— an escalating and deadly countdown of terrorist attacks. To maintain national security, the president has assigned Sam Fisher and his team to take down all the terrorists at all costs, and to stop the Blacklist before its countdown reaches zero. 1

January 19th, 2013

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Both Limited and Collector’s Edition can be pre-order on various online stores. So, what will you be doing on Valentine’s day? Source: facebook.com/aliensgames Aliens: Colonial Marines, the latest first-person shooter title in the sci-fi franchise, is finally being released worldwide for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, on February 12 (coincidentally, near Valentine’s day). In this latest addition to the series, gamers will fight an extra-terrestrial threat from the first-person point-of-view of a US Colonial Marine. An array of iconic weapons from the 1986 film can be accessed, such as shotgun, pulse rifle, and various RPGs. And who can forget the nervewrecking motion tracker, which long-time players of the game franchise both love and hate.

Nendoroid Snow Miku: Strawberry White Kimono Version to be released during Wonder Festival 2013 (Winter) Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/nendoroid-snow-miku-strawberrywhite-kimono-version-released-festival-2013-winter/ By bj0rN on January 18th, 2013

A new competitive multiplayer mode has been introduced. Players not only get to choose to fight as the main protagonist, but also as the nastiest and deadliest life-form any man could encounter: the Xenomorphs.

To add to the excitement, the Limited and the Collector’s Editions are available for pre-orders! In the Limited edition, players will get to immerse themselves in the games as the four characters from the original film, Not only that, you get to enhance your game character with additional customizations, and get access to Ripley’s flamethrower! Cool huh? But that’s not all, in the Collector’s Edition, you not only get the contents from the Limited Edition, but also exclusive weapons and game levels. To top it off, every Collector’s Edition will be packed with a high quality resin Powerloader vs Xenomorph figurine!

Snow Miku 2013 is slated to be released during the Wonder Festival 2013 (Winter). It will be on sale at the WONDERFUL HOBBY LIFE FOR YOU!! 17 booth at Wonder Festival 2013 (Winter) on Sunday the 10th February 2013 with a limited quantity of 2000 pieces. You can also order it online at the Goodsmile Online Shop for those who are unable to get the figurine at the event from 10th February 2013, 17:00JST – 18th February 2013, 21:00JST. Those who order their figurines from there will be expected to recieve it sometime in June 2013. The designs for the 2013 Snow Miku were submitted by fans to the piapro website and then a winner was chosen by viewers during a NicoNico Live Broadcast. Her veil is removable and she comes with two different hair styles to choose from. You can choose either her trademark twintails or with her hair tied up. Part for a sitting pose are also included and she also comes a number of accessories for a snowy day, including an umbrella, a toothpick and a snow bunny.

January 19th, 2013

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1/8th scale figure of Akemi Homura from the anime series “Puella Magi Madoka Magica” is slated to be released during the Wonder Festival 2013 (Winter). It will be on sale at the WONDERFUL HOBBY LIFE FOR YOU!! 17 booth at Wonder Festival 2013 (Winter) on Sunday the 10th February 2013 with a limited quantity of 2000 pieces. But don’t fret; you can also order it online at the Goodsmile Online Shop for those who are unable to get the figurine at the event from 10th February 2013, 17:00JST – 18th February 2013, 21:00JST. Those who order their figurines from there will be expected to recieve it sometime in June 2013. She come with a number of replaceable parts which allow you to display her in all sorts of different poses. With that you can have her holding her bow, wearing Madoka’s red ribbon or you can change her hairstyle to have braids with her wearing glasses while holding a bomb or golf club. You get to enjoy both sides of Homura!

Don’t forget to also check out the upcoming Snow Miku 2013 event! Subsequently, you can find out more about Snow Miku 2013 in her other various forms. Source: Goodsmile Company

Homura Akemi: you are not alone to be released during Wonder Festival 2013 (Winter) Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/homura-akemi-releasedfestival-2013-winter/ By bj0rN on January 18th, 2013

January 19th, 2013

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and ultimately aim to place high in a periodically-held Galaxy Selection contest.

Source: Goodsmile Company

‘AKB0048 Galaxy Cinderella’ social game launches on GREE Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/akb0048-galaxy-cinderella-socialgame/ By KarbyP on January 17th, 2013

Idols in Galaxy Cinderella are even split amongst three colour-coded genre types, depending on where their talents reside in. There are idols who are good at singing (Song), those who love to shake-it-up (Dance), and those blessed with a silver tongue (MC). In Cinderella Girls, idols are split amongst the Cute, Cool, and Passion categories.

Namco Bandai Games launched today on the GREE mobile platform AKB0048 Galaxy Cinderella, a social game based on anime series AKB0048. …And it’s hard not to see the obvious parallels between Galaxy Cinderella and Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls, the rights of which NBGI also owns, that’s playable only on DeNA’s Mobage mobile gaming platform. Yes, you may call this a “clone”. It also doesn’t help that the premise in AKB0048 Galaxy Cinderella is remarkably similar to that of Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls: you play the role of a rookie producer who must scout and recruit charismatic idol wannabes for your idol unit, send the unit to “live” auditions to gain experience and amass war funds, “battle” against other producers like yourself to “power-up” the girls you chose, 4

January 19th, 2013

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That said, in terms of content there is one big jarring difference between Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls and AKB0048 Galaxy Cinderella. The latter is a little chuunibyou(中中中, or “suffers from adolescent delusions of grandeur“). Because Galaxy Cinderella preserves the AKB0048 anime series’ futuristic dystopian setting, when you send your girls out to “live” auditions, what you’re really sending them out to are “guerrila live” (中中中中中中) auditions. Entertainment and other such things that “disturb the heart” are banned from society in the cruel world of AKB0048. AKB0048 takes place in a futuristic universe where an interplanetary war has broken out, and Earth has been severely damaged leading to humanity’s migration onto other planets. Life on these new planets are spartan at best, and society has deemed fit to ban things that “disturb the heart”, such as music and art, from the general public. Some 48 years last humanity settles into this dystopian future, an interplanetary troupe known as AKB0048 – modelled after the legendary idol group AKB48 – appears and attempts to spread their music across the galaxy. So remember, kids! When you play AKB0048 Galaxy Cinderella, you’re not just producing top-class, legendary idols. You’re also liberating the free world.

Source: 4Gamer

Namco Bandai partners with China’s Tencent Games to make Naruto online game Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/namco-bandai-china-tencent-gamesmake-naruto-online-game/ By KarbyP on January 17th, 2013

January 19th, 2013

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Namco Bandai Games today signed a business partnership agreement with Chinese Internet company Tencent Games to co-develop a new online game based on Masashi Kishimoto’s award-winning Naruto manga and anime franchise.

But if you’re a Monster Hunter fan who prefers to play your games in English anyway, then there’s still something to play in March, for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate‘s release in the US and Europe is now dated for March, Capcom announced today.

The game is expected to be launched sometime in 2013, on Tencent’s online gaming portal game.qq.com.

Specifically, both the 3DS and Wii U versions of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will come out in the US on March 19, and in Europe on March 22. The game will be sold at retail, and – for a limited time during the launch window – digitally through the Nintendo e-Shop.

According to the press release, Tencent Games was picked for the co-development project as Namco Bandai Games viewed the Chinese games maker as one that possesses world-class games development and platform management know-how. Further, Tencent Games’ parent company, Tencent Holdings, also owns Riot Games, the developer of popular free-to-play (F2P) title League of Legends, which the Chinese company previously acquired for approximately US $400 million. The announcement today also mentioned that Cyberconnect2, the development studio behind Namco Bandai’s best-selling Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Stormand Naruto Narutimate Hero games, would be involved in the new online game’s development process. The new Naruto online title will be launched specifically for the Chinese market. Namco Bandai did not specify if the online game would be launched in Japan or other markets. Source: Game Spark

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (3DS, Wii U) comes out March 19; demo due on February 21 [Trailer] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/monster-hunter-3-ultimate-3ds-wii-

Capcom also announced that a demo for the game will be made available on the Nintendo e-Shop in both the US on Europe on February 21, in case you’d like to try before you buy. Monster Hunter can be a pretty punishing game, after all. In Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, players take on the role of a hunter sent to explore a settlement within the Monster Hunter universe, completing quests on their journey to seek and slay monsters while improving their skills and earning equipment upgrades. With many challenging monsters and over 200 quests, the latest addition to the series is set to be the most expansive offering to date. The game can be played alone, online (up to four players) on the Wii U system, or locally using up to four Nintendo 3DS systems or a combination of up to three Nintendo 3DS systems and one Wii U system.

Dead or Alive 5′s version 1.03 changelog detailed, looks ridiculously long Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/dead-alive-5s-version-1-03changelog-detailed-ridiculously-long/ By KarbyP on January 17th, 2013

u-march-1-demo-coming-february-21/ By KarbyP on January 17th, 2013

In Japan, the release date of Monster Hunter 4 may have been delayed past its initially announced March release date.

Team Ninja weren’t kidding when they said that Dead or Alvie 5′s “version 1.03″ patch ia a major update. On top of allowing replay uploads to Facebook and YouTube directly from within the game, 1.03 also fixes bugs, makes 6

January 19th, 2013

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fights shorter (health is reduced), and introduces significant changes to every character in the game. Check out the full list of game system changes, and character balance tweaks through the embedded links to Team Ninja’s official Dead or Alive 5 website. Then come back and let us know what you think of the changes. Source: DOA5 official website

1/4th scale Fate Testarossa: Swimsuit ver. slated for a June 2013 release, pre-orders have begun Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/14th-scale-fate-testarossa-swimsuitver-slated-june-2013-release-pre-orders-begun/ By ellehaym on January 17th, 2013

The 2010 film Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st inspired this upcoming Fate Testarossa figure. She holds a blue pareo printed with hibiscus flower designs. Gift, the manufacturer of the figure, did a good job with the overall design—the details are excellent all the way down to Fate’s toes. Testarossa also wears on her face an innocent and irresistibly charming expression.

Fate and Nanoha are inseparable, without a doubt. That’s exactly the reason why Good Smile Company is releasing a figure that will soon join your lone Nanoha Takamachi Swimsuit ver. Mikatan has announced that the pre-orders for the 1/4th Scale Fate Testarossa: Swimsuit ver. have commenced. Shipping will start in June this year. The figure’s retail price is 12,600 JPY (around 141 USD). The figurine is huge that it almost stands out like a trophy. In fact, it’s even bigger than a 500 ml bottle. See?

Can’t contain your excitement in seeing how both swimsuit versions look together? Here’s a picture of the Nanoha and Fate figures side by side:

January 19th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone By KarbyP on January 17th, 2013

Source: Mikatan’s Blog (English Version) P.S. Have your Miku Nendoroid relax with the two beach cuties:

And so, the slow drip of info for Square Enix’s highlyanticipated (or not-so-highly-anticipated) PS3 and X360 RPG Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, begins. In this new trailer streamed on the Net today, we see Noel fighting Lightning, and a better-refined release period: Autumn 2013. Well, Automne 2013 in the French version of the trailer you’ll see below (which has English voices). And just in case you prefer to hear Noel speak in Japanese, here’s the same trailer again but with JP voice-acting: Apparently, this particular cut of the trailer is known as the “Jump Festa trailer complete version”. I wonder if that means that the trailer had already been shown, behind closed doors, to Jump Festa attendees way back in December of last year, but was just being held back because Square Enix wanted to generate a teeny weeny bit more buzz (one new cutscene to watch in the trailer… seriously, Square Enix?) for the title in January.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII’s release date refined to Autumn 2013 [New Trailer] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/lightning-returns-final-fantasy-xiiisrelease-date-refined-autumn-2013-new-trailer/

Given that the Japanese version of this trailer – and only the Japanese one – did not end off with the “Autumn 2013″ text as seen in the international version of the same trailer, I suspect that might be the case. Expect to continually hear about Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII – in small doses – as we get closer to Autumn 2013. In the meantime, if you still hunger for more information, check out IGN UK’s preview of the game that was published today. IGN’s UK Editorial Assistant Luke Karmali went hands-on with a development build of the game, and finds out just exactly how amazing Square Enix’s so-called “Amazing ATB” system really is. Source: IGN

January 22nd, 2013

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Blue and red super-slim PS3’s slated for a release in Japan next month Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/blue-red-super-slim-ps3s-slatedrelease-japan-month/ By ellehaym on January 21st, 2013

Sources: Kotaku and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Website

Nana Mizuki to hold a summer tour starting this July Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/nana-mizuki-hold-summer-tour-

It’s time to consider selling your old PS3 unit, especially if your favorite color happens to be either blue or red. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has announced that the new PS3 CECH-4000B Series will go on sale starting February 28. Its release to the North American and European markets, however, have not yet been disclosed.

starting-july/ By ellehaym on January 21st, 2013

The brand new colors of the new models are azurite blue and garnet red. Each unit is priced at 24,980 JPY (279 USD). The following are included with each PS3 package: • PS3 unit with 250 hard disk drive • a wireless DualShock controller that matches the color of the unit • Power cord • AV cable • USB cable

Nana Mizuki has announced that she’ll be holding a oneman tour which will begin on the start of the Tanabata festival in Japan—July 7. The title of the tour as well as the venues and dates will be disclosed soon. However, it has been revealed that it will kick off at the Ehime Budokan in Ehime Prefecture (Nana Mizuki’s hometown). The live tour was announced by Mizuki herself during her full orchestra concert entitled ‘NANA MIZUKI LIVE GRACE 2013 -OPUS II-‘. 1

January 22nd, 2013

The popular J-pop singer and voice actress will also release the ‘NANA MIZUKI LIVE GRACE 2013 -OPUS II-‘ concert in DVD and Blu-ray formats this coming spring.

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month, and unfortunately, some weren’t too happy about the puppets they received (even the blogger over at Yaraon thinks that they’re scary). Beware, for what you’re about to see might disturb your good night’s sleep.

Sources: tokyohive and Nana Mizuki’s Official Site

See the cute characters of K-On! turned into bizzarely unmoefied puppets Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/cute-characters-k-on-bizzarelyunmoefied/ By ellehaym on January 21st, 2013

Although you may not like the sight of the adorable KOn! characters transformed into creepy-looking toys, there might be some of you who are too curious about the other pictures. The rest of the photos of the K-On! puppets can be found here, but don’t blame me if you have a nightmare tonight. You have been warned! Sources: Crunchyroll andやややや!

[Concert Review] Ebisu Muscats Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/concert-review-ebisu-muscats/ By sentinel011 on January 21st, 2013

Lately, I’ve been raving about the magnificent ideas behind different Japanese merchandise but, alas, some creative minds went way out of the box. Lawson, a Japanese convenience store franchise, had a K-On! movie receipt promo last year. The campaign had offers that included jump suits, autographed luggage and toy puppets of K-On! characters. The items started shipping this

As far as Japanese idol groups go, there aren’t many varieties that come to Singapore, with the exception of AKB48 2

January 22nd, 2013

and its sister groups. Just for one night, Ebisu Muscats gave the local audience something slightly different from conventional idol groups.

Published by: VR-Zone

The ladies performed a number of their hit songs, including Watashi Mambo, Ebisu Rotary Shimai and Chocolate.

Held at the Star Theatre located right next to Buona Vista MRT station, a sheltered walkway takes you from the station to the concert hall with little fuss.

Even during the encore segments, the audiences shouted for more. Apart from their final song, Ebisu Muscat did 2 additional song performances despite the odds. It is a pity that this particular idol group had to disband, as some of their jokes and antics do appeal to the local male audience. The idols were entertaining despite having initial doubts on their jokes and gags getting through with the audience. They managed to keep it simple for the locals, it seems. The concert was delayed for an estimated of 40 minutes before the ladies started with dance covers, including Gangnam Style. The audience was mostly tame for most of the parts, but right up until the segments in between each song performance blocks of 3 to 4 songs. Each segment will have 2 lucky guys from the audience selected to play a role as the boyfriend of 2 of the ladies. Using different methods to entice the guys while keeping content visually PG-13 and above, each of the ladies deploy methods from being seductive, to acting coy and cute, to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;tsundereâ&#x20AC;? treatment many guys are susceptible to.

Those who know Japanese will even understand the underlying words that come with an abundance of innuendo some of the ladies picked. The guys will then pick one of the two ladies he prefers, and gets an autographed poster for being a sport and volunteer. (Though of course, which guy wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to volunteer themselves?) As far as fan reactions go, the crowd was very tame during the performances, but heated up during the role play segments. Ebisu Muscat sure took the effort to practice their English, as it is evident they try to communicate with the Singaporean audience with the best of their abilities. 3

January 22nd, 2013

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January 22nd, 2013

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Seishirou Katou reprises his previous role as the titular character and Ryuta Tasaki (Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Akibaranger) will be directing the second liveaction Nintama Rantaro film. The first live-action film was directed Takashi Miike . Nintama Rantarou: Operation Summer Homework is scheduled to hit theatres this July.

Teaser trailer for Ninja Rantaro 2nd live-action movie released Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/teaser-trailer-ninja-rantaro-2nd-liveaction-movie-released/ By JLZeta on January 21st, 2013

Source: JEFusion, Nipponcinema, Official Website

Dead Space 3 Demo: Exclusive early hands-on Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/dead-space-3-demo-exclusive-earlyhands-on/ By sentinel011 on January 21st, 2013

Wonder if these guys are the ones who taught Detective Conan how to stay a kid even after 20 years… The trailer for the previously announced Nintama Rantarou (or Ninja Rantarou, as they used to call it back when it was on Channel 8) live-action movie sequel has begun streaming on the movie’s webpage. For those who don’t remember or were too young to remember, Nintama Rantarou follows the adventures of Rantarou and his friends as they attend Ninja school; this year marks the 20th anniversary of the original series. You can watch the trailer here. The plot for the movie revolves around an ancient sword that Rantarou and his friends at the Ninja Academy have been tasked to retrieve. The sword is said to give the wielder the power to take over the world, so naturally the boys can expect stiff competition from rival ninja hoping to claim the sword first.

Are you ready for a third round of survival horror in space? Earlier last week, we had a chance to experience Dead Space 3 demo on the Xbox360. Featuring a short thirty minute scenario worth of gameplay with Necromorphs and enemy soldiers, we take a peek on what is new in Dead Space 3 compared to its predecessors. Starting off injured and crash landed into a snowy planet, you continue to play as Isaac Clarke in the single player mission of the demo. You trudge along the heavy snowstorm and slowly get acquainted with the basic controls. The occasional Necromorph will pounce on you, as usual. The overall feel of helplessness is still there, though we wonder why the tutorial never taught us on how to use Stasis to slow the Necromorphs down. Controls still feel as tight as Dead Space 2, so no issues for veteran players. Though one issue we were curious about; Clarke actually moves faster while aiming compared to walking in the snow. There are some quick-time events, but one that requires you to use your analog stick as well. As you move along, you will meet up with a partner. Yes, an actual character that will proceed along the game with you that isn’t a NPC. By gathering up another player online, you can co-op with your friends. There actually is a function 5

January 22nd, 2013

for this, but it wasn’t tested and requires both users to have Xbox Live Gold accounts. Isaac will soon encounter a Bench to modify his existing weapons, as well as create new weapons from schematics and parts obtained throughout the environment. It’s an interesting concept, to say the least. We will explain more on weapon crafting later on below.

Published by: VR-Zone By KarbyP on January 20th, 2013

You will soon encounter soldiers shooting at the Necromorphs and you if you alert them. This is where your ability, Kinesis, gets to shine. As you hide behind cover, grab the grenades thrown at you by those soldiers and throw it back at them with Kinesis. Of course, the usual razorsharp limbs of the Necromorphs can still be used as spears to impale your enemies. The variety of Necromorphs are limited in this demo, but there was this Large Necromorph that came charging at us, tendrils and all. The game ends with a sequence involving a large spinning drill and a larger-than-life Necromorph. Don’t want to spoil you guys too much, so you’ll have to experience the demo yourself.

Version 2.0 of Capcom and creator DM Sonic’s (Seow Zong Hui) PC free-to-download title Street Fighter X Mega Man has finally been released. Head on over to Capcom-Unity’s Mega Man group page to download it today!

One very nifty feature we managed to fiddle in the demo was the other mode where we get unlimited materials and parts to experiment the different weapons we get to mash up to create the ideal weapon for Isaac Clarke. Weapon crafting is a very unique experience this time round, yet easy to navigate. We were able to re-create a BFG-like weapon using the various parts. The only pity about this mode is that there are no Necromorphs for target practice. [Edit] Apparently there was a toggle switch located on the left of the Bench to bring about 4 to 5 Necromorphs.

Apart from fixing several bugs that existed in the first version, SFxMM V2 also introduces a couple of additional features that enhances the game’s playability, such as a password system so that players will no longer need to finish the game in one sitting.

The Dead Space 3 demo will be free to download on Xbox Live and Playstation Store starting from tomorrow. The full game will be released on February 5, 2013 for the Xbox360, PS3 and PC.

Street Fighter X Mega Man V2 released, introduces additional secret boss, password system [Video] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/street-fighter-mega-man-v2introduces-additional-secret-boss-password-system/

M.Bison, the game’s final boss, has also been made harder (in V1 he was a piece of cake compared to Vega and several other world warriors). A second secret boss has also been added. Here’s how to fight him - but before you visit that link, note that in the thread GameFAQs user Artemis asks if the “condition” resets when you get a Game Over. We’ve checked with SFxMM creator DM Sonic, and according to him, yes, the condition/count resets whenever you reach the continue screen, unlike the condition required for the first secret boss. If you’d rather just see the second secret boss in action, here’s video footage of him in the game from YouTube user wr194t. Here’s the full list of changes, according to Capcom-Unity: -Confirmation prompt before exiting (ESC) or resetting (F12) the game -E Tank glitch and various other bugs fixed -Improved controller support (Game defaults to keyboard on launch; make sure controller is plugged in prior to opening the file, then go into Options menu and set keys) -Take screenshots using F9 -M Bison buffed a bit (This place shall become your grave!) -A new challenger! (Find him yourself!) 6

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All of the changes mentioned above are a fairly big deal (especially since the fan game is distributed to players for free). But for a select few players of the game, and future new players, improved controller support and the confirmation prompt that appears when you hit ESC to shut down the game, are more important than you’d think. Previously one of the most common issues that Street Fighter X Mega Man players had with the game was that there was no warning whatsoever when they mapped the game’s “open menu” command to the ESC key on the keyboard. Although the ESC key is used in many PC games to open game menus, in SFxMM’s case its default function was to shut down the game.

Published by: VR-Zone

4Gamer interviews Hatsune Miku Project Diva F (PS3) producer Seiji Hayashi Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/4gamer-interviews-hatsune-mikuproject-diva-ps3-producer-seiji-hayashi/ By KarbyP on January 20th, 2013

Thus, this resulted in a huge problem for those players when they tried to open the SFxMM game menu to change Mega Man’s currently equipped weapon or use the E Tank by hitting the ESC key, only to find that the game would instead close right away. The best part? In order to re-map the controls so that everything’s back to before, you’d actually need to open the in-game menu first; there was no way to re-map without shutting down the game (well, in the end there was… but you had to tweak your save file or something like that). Thankfully that’s been fixed now. In other SFxMM news, Capcom-Unity has also released five PC wallpapers themed after the fan game:

Yesterday (January 19), at the LABI Ikebukuro Mobile Dream building, Sega held the first of a series of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F (PS3) trial play sessions, where fans could swing by to go hands-on with a build of the PS3 rhythm game that included three playable songs. The three songs were Tell Your World (artist: livetune), NegaPosi Continues (sasakure.UK), and Tokyo Teddybear (Neru). Gamers who stopped by to try the demo walked away with a complimentary Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F neck strap.

Source: Capcom-Unity [via EventHubs]

January 22nd, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

The other main differences are that with the PS3 version you’re playing on a bigger screen, and there’s a new Live Studio mode, which also supports stereoscopic 3D. The Live Studio mode here is themed after the Daiba de Diva concert that was held at the Tokyo Joypolis back in summer 2012, and uses the same “projection mapping” technologies, so please look forward to that. — What about the game’s controls?

The game’s producer, Sega’s Seiji Hayashi, was present at the event. Also in attendence was 4Gamer writer Naohiko Misuno, who stopped by and did a mini-interview with the Project Diva F producer, which we’ve translated in full below. (If you have yet to, check out our translation of a previous interview that 4Gamer’s Musino did with Hayashi and Project Diva Arcade producer Makoto Osaki at this link here) Since the game is coming out in less than two months from now, and much of it is based on the PS Vita version, there really isn’t a lot of new information in this mini-interview. But if you’re a fan of the Project Diva series, read on anyway – producer Seiji Hayashi did say a couple of things that might just make your day.

Hayashi: Right, in the PS Vita version, whenever you saw a star-shaped mark, those notes had to be played by “scratching” (sliding your finger across) the touchscreen. In the PS3 version the star-shaped marks make a return, but this time you clear them by strumming or flicking the analog sticks on the PS3 controller. We think that with scratching on the PS Vita version, most people probably did it with a single hand. But since there are two analog sticks on the PS3 controller, we think more people will tackle the starshaped notes two-handed style, and that as a result the play experience may feel quite different. — So you just announced that you’re (Sega) going to hold a Mikupa concert in the Kansai region of Japan in March (March 9). It’s the first time a Mikupa concert is being held in the Kansai region. Any thoughts on promotions for the concert/game? Sega promotions staff: For details on that, we’re currently exploring some ways to possibly tie the concert up with the game’s release (on March 7). Once we’ve done making preparations for this, we’ll announce the details. So please look forward to that. Hayashi: It may sound a little weird for me to be saying this, but I think fans can look forward to something special. — Alrighty then. Next, if there’s one thing in Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F that you absolutely want people to check out, what would it be?

— How’s development going along? Producer Seiji Hayashi: It’s almost finished. We’re in the process of tying up loose ends. The release date is March 7, after all, and I think we will absolutely be able to deliver on that date. — As this title is fundamentally based on the PS Vita version of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f, can you point out very specifically what the differences is the PS3 version are? Hayashi: The most obvious difference in the PS3 version are the six new tracks included. Along with that, we’ve also added 10 modules (costumes for the Vocaloid characters) into the PS3 version. The thing is, those six new songs and 10 new modules will actually be introduced into the PS Vita version as well, to be distributed via DLC, so it’s not really that big of a difference. So it’s more like, with the PS3 version you’re getting the new songs and modules right from the very beginning on the disc, whereas with the Vita version it’s not part of the core package.

Hayashi: Although the PS Vita, as a portable gaming device, had immense graphical rendering capabilities, with the PS3 version what you’re getting is even higher graphical fidelity. Although the PS Vita and PS3 hardware are actually pretty close in terms of performance, and that made the development process easier for us, for the PS Vita version we actually ended up having to use 2D textures for quite a lot of things. (Translator’s note: is that true? Can any SGCafe reader chime in on that?) And so for fans who’ve played the PS Vita version, we’d like them to check out those areas that we previously used 2D textures for, in the PS3 version of the game. — In the past what you used to do on the PS3 was release Dreamy Theatre apps that required the PSP versions to play. This time around you’re opted to release the PS3 version as a stand-alone package. Can you talk about the reasons for that, if any? Hayashi: The Dreamy Theatre series carried the implication that they were treated sort of like a service meant for existing Project Diva players on the PSP. With the PlayStation 3 version of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F, however, we’re basically positioning it as the latest chapter of the Project Diva series. And so, the concept is really quite different. That said, when we were making the Dreamy Theatre apps, we definitely accumulated quite a bit of experience that came 8

January 22nd, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

in handy when it came time to make the PS3 version of Project Diva F. So in a way, you could say that all of the engineering skills and techniques we used in making the Dreamy Theatre apps are being carried over for this game. — Finally, a word to everyone eagerly awaiting the release of the new title. Hayashi: Regardless if you’re someone who’ve thoroughly enjoyed the PS Vita version, or someone who’s playing the game for the first time on the PS3, everyone here on the development team is hard at work doing their best to ensure that the new title is something that will meet your expectations. So please check out the game once it’s released. We’d be happy to receive fan feedback too. — Thank you very much.

In previous patches, Wargaming.net released several Chinese tanks without any substantial tech tree to actually research. However, the new update has brought with it a fully decked out tech tree for the Chinese warmachine, including light, medium and heavy tanks that differ slightly from the other tier branches. In terms of armour protection they are more than decent for each tier, with sloped armour and mud flaps increasing the chance for ricochet. The medium tier tanks also excel at mid-range engagements with new improvements like the 85mm and the 105mm guns that make these monsters a huge problem on the battlefield against lighter armoured cousins like the Shermans and the Cromwells. To take a look at the tech tree in more detail, refer to the complete detailed outline below.

“39 (san-kyuu) very much!” Source: 4Gamer

World of Tanks introduces new tech tree for Chinese tanks Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/world-tanks-introduces-new-techtree-for-chinese-tanks/ By Hakuro on January 20th, 2013

However, there still are no dedicated SPGs that the Chinese tier has access to, so you’ll have to get your artillery groove from somewhere else. In the meantime to learn more about World of Tanks SEA, head over to http://worldoftanks-sea.com/. Hello Tankers! Haku here with the latest update on World of Tanks! The MMO tank warfare game has just introduced a brand new Chinese Tank arsenal, tailored for the inner proletariat in you!

For more news on World of Tanks, stay tuned to SGCafe! http://sgcafe.com/

Accompanying the Soviet, American, British, German and French tech trees, this particular inclusion promises a different twist to digital armoured warfare!

January 22nd, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

Kat & Emmett Graves join PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale’s cast February 12 [Video] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/kat-emmett-graves-playstation-allstars-battle-royale/ By KarbyP on January 19th, 2013

Shortly after the release of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale in November last year, developer Superbot Entertainment announced that they would be hard at work making downloadable content for the game, and that the first two DLC characters to join the cast post-release would be Kat (Gravity Rush on the PS Vita), and Emmett Graves (Starhawk, PS3). This week we finally get to see how the two new DLC fighters will play. Cue the character-introduction trailers! PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale players will be able to download Kat and Emmett Graves for free when they’re released on PSN on February 12 – but only if they grab it within two weeks after the characters are out. After the twoweek launch period, Kat and Emmett Graves will be sold as paid DLC. If you’re keen on learning Kat and Emmett Graves‘ command lists in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale to better prepare yourself for the DLC fighters’ release, head over to EventHubs where they’ve got the entire move list for both yet-to-be-released characters listed. Move lists for the other fighters in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royalecan also be found on EventHubs’ strategy page for the game here. The next set of DLC characters will be announced in March. Source: EventHubs

January 24th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

By KarbyP on January 24th, 2013

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F (PS3) – latest store-front trailer shows off ‘Photo Studio’ feature Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/hatsune-miku-project-diva-ps3latest-storefront-trailer-shows-photo-studio-feature/ By KarbyP on January 24th, 2013

Imageepoch and Type-Moon’s PSP JRPG Fate/Extra CCC is not quite done yet. The game was originally scheduled to come out in February, but recently delayed to March 28 for “quality reasons”. But the delay really only applies to the game itself. It doesn’t really affect the game’s animated opening sequence, which anime studio Shaft (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Nisemonogatari) and freelance animation director Akiyuki Shinbo has been working on. In fact, the OP sequence is done already.

On Wednesday when we reported that Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F on the PS3 would include some sort of photosuperimpose functionality (alongside Famitsu’s first look at Senbonzakura and Rin-chan Nau!, that is), we couldn’t find any visuals to illustrate how this would work.

And so, with two more months to go, publisher Marvelous AQL decides to put out the animated OP sequence to the game today, as a means of drumming up hype for the actual JRPG’s release:

Now, Sega has put out a new “store-front trailer” for the PS3 rhythm game that not only demonstrates what you could do with the new feature – officially called Photo Studio (we previously thought it was a feature included as part of Live Studio mode) – but also a brief glimpse at Senbonzakura and Rin-chan Nau! as they appear in-motion within the game.

Fate/Extra CCC: watch the OP anime video that studio Shaft has been working on [Video] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/fateextra-ccc-watch-op-anime-videostudio-shaft-working-video/

January 24th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

Am I the only one who wished this was a PS Vita title instead, after watching the anime OP? The opening sequence looks so much better than the PSP JRPG‘s in-game graphics. Source: Famitsu

First look at the fully colored Dragon Ball Z manga Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/fully-colored-dragon-ball-manga/ By ellehaym on January 24th, 2013

I’m not sure how many fans have actually read the manga, but I’m pretty confident that most of you have watched the anime when you were still young. Looking at the scans will certainly remind you of your childhood days. Did you use to imitate the battle scenes of Goku and Vegeta (I did, even if I’m a girl!), regardless of how crazily fast their movements are? Now you can enjoy seeing those wicked moves in the upcoming fully coloured manga.

Last month, we have reported about the release of the Dragon Ball Z manga in full colour. It will be out in a few weeks in Japan. So, if you can no longer hold your excitement down, here are some of the sample pages scanned by the peeps over at Saiyan Island that you can enjoy:

The Saiyan Saga will be covered by the three volumes to be released on February 4. This arc has a total of 17 chapters, each having 248 pages. Following this part will be the Frieza Saga which is planned for an April 4 release. This saga will consist of five volumes. Finally, the Cell Saga and the Majin Buu Saga have been announced, but we have yet to hear the release date. The manga will also feature an interview with Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama. The mysteries of the Dragon Ball world will be unveiled in the said interview. 2

January 24th, 2013

All the sagas covered by Dragon Ball Z will be released in physical format. On the other hand, the prequel, Dragon Ball, will be released in digital format (no specific release date announced). The fully coloured manga will only be available in Japan. To date, no plans have been announced for a North American and European release. Source: Saiyan Island

Kalafina’s 4th original album ‘Consolation’ to hit stores March 20 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/kalafinas-4th-original-albumconsolation-hit-stores-march-20/ By KarbyP on January 24th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

The fun begins on April 6, which is the date Kalafina is scheduled to hold a one-day-only live at the Tokyo Dome City Hall. Entitled Kalafina “Consolation” Special LIVE 2013, the one-day live, meant to commemorate the release of Consolation, will be an affair similar to the one they did last year for their third album, After Eden. In May, Kalafina will attend the Chicago Anime Central as guests of honour and to perform at the AKOO Theatre. The Chicago performance will be Kalafina’s third time performing in the US, after Houston and Los Angeles. Thereafter, the anisong artiste will go on a nationwide-tour beginning in June, performing in concert halls as well as live houses in various parts of Japan, with a setlist featuring many of the songs from the Consolation album. Kalafina LIVE TOUR 2013 “Consolation” HALL ver. 6～8～(～)～9～(～) ～～～～～～～～～～ 7～27～(～) ～～～～～～～～～ 8～3～(～) ～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～ Kalafina LIVE TOUR 2013 “Consolation” LIVE HOUSE ver. 6～22～(～)～23～(～) ～～～～THE BOTOM LINE NAGOYA 6～29～(～)～30～(～) ～～～DRUM LOGOS 7～4～(～) ～～～AKASAKA BLITZ 7～13～(～) ～～～Rensa 7～15～(～～～) ～～～PENNY LANE24 7～20～(～)～21～(～) QUATTRO

～～～HIROSHIMA

CLUB

7～28～(～) ～～～NIIGATA LOTS Anisong artiste Kalafina has a new album in the works, the group’s production staff announced today on their official blog. Entitled Consolation, the new release will be the group’s fourth original album, and is slated to hit music stores in Japan March 20. On top of new tracks, Consolation will feature several of Kalafina’s recent hit singles, including Hikarifuru (ひひひひひ) the theme song to the Madoka Magica movie parts 1 & 2, to the beginning (OP theme for Fate/Zero), and moonfesta～～～～～～～～～ which was featured on NHK’s long-running music television programme Minna no Uta (ひひひひひひ). The limited first-print edition of the new album will come with your choice of either a DVD or a Blu-ray disc containing a video clip for Kalafina’s new song Yume no Daichi (ひひひひ which translates to “The Land of Our Dreams“) as it is seen and heard in the ED outro to NHK’s Rekishi Hiwa Historia TV programme, as well as a documentary of the time the anisong group spent at Germany’s AnimagiC convention last year. The first-print edition will also come with a special photo book.

Prior to the news post published on their official blog earlier today, Kalafina also made the aforementioned announcements themselves “live”, directly to thousands of their fans yesterday at a concert held at the Shibuya OEast concert hall to commemorate the anisong group’s fifth anniversary (Kalafina 5th Anniversary LIVE “oblivious”). The announcement of their fourth original album and the slew of live events yesterday were meant as a way to officially kick-start Kalafina’s sixth year as an artiste. An abridged version of the Kalafina 5th Anniversary LIVE “oblivious” concert is scheduled to hit Japanese TV airwaves on March 13, beginning at 11PM JST (GMT+0900 hours), exclusively on Japanese cable channel WOWOW. Kalafina’s first live album on DVD and Blu-Ray (5th Anniversary LIVE SELECTION 2009-2012) was released yesterday, and is available now at all good Japanese CD stores.

Apart from the new album, Kalafina also announced an entire slew of live performances that will take place between April and August.

January 24th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

He now works with CoMix Wave Films and other staff members on anime projects, like the memorable The Place Promised in Our Early Days, 5 Centimeters Per Second, and 2011′s Children Who Chase Lost Voices. Fans will be delighted while waiting for his upcoming anime feature film, “Kotonoha no Niwa“, which we had covered here. source: animeanime.jp

Source: Kalafina Official Blog

Makoto Shinkai’s ‘Dare ka no Manazashi’ trailer streamed

One Piece Film: Z will release at all Cathay Cineplexes mid February Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/piece-film-release-cathay-cineplexesmid-february/ By sentinel011 on January 24th, 2013

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/makoto-shinkais-dare-ka-manazashitrailer-streamed/ By weiq on January 24th, 2013

Trailer for Makoto Shinkai’s newest anime short film, “Dare ka no Manazashi” (Someone’s Gaze) has been streamed on Youtube by Nomura Real Estate. The trailer shows Aya “Aa-chan” Okamura, the main character, who has been working for two years at a company and living independantly on her own. The story revolves around Aa-chan, her parents, and her pet cat Mii-san. The short is produced by joined collaboration with four companies, and singer-songwriter Kazusa will perform the theme song “Sore de Ii yo.” Narrator Fumi Hirano (Urusei Yatsura’s Lum) leads the cast with Satomi Hanamura and Shinji Ogawa. Nomura Real Estate will screen the short during “Proud Box Kanshasai,” a home living exposition which will run from 10th to 11th February at the Tokyo International Forum.

Are you a One Piece fan who hopes to be able to catch the movie ‘Z’ in Japan? Don’t fret, as the movie will be available in Singapore come 21 February 2013.

For those who aren’t familiar with Makoto Shinkai, Shinkai began his anime career almost single-handedly - being responsible for the writing, directing, and even voice-acting for his debut anime films “She and Her Cat” and “Voices of a Distant Star”.

The author Eiichiro Oda himself helms the film production as its executive producer, so rest assured that there will be a certain level of quality in this movie. Screenplay by Osamu Suzuki, and opening theme song by capsule (Liar Game). The electronica/shibuya kei group also has its music 4

January 24th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

producer, Yasutaka Nakata, famous for producing music for other electro-pop artistes like Kyary and Perfume.

from the 2D fighting game franchise, is worth their hardearned yen.

ONE PIECE FILM Z will be opening at all Cathay Cineplexes starting 21 February 2013, which include the following:

That’s if you have a Japanese 3DS, of course; BlayzBloo: Clone Phantasma is exclusive to the Japan region for now. Arc System Works has not yet announced if an English version of the 3DS download title will be released sometime in the future for the US and European markets.

1. Orchard Cineleisure 2. Ang Mo Kio Hub 3. West Mall 4. Downtown East 5. Causeway Point 6. The Cathay (Handy Road) If you cannot wait until 21 February, you can book your tickets for the sneak preview on 1 February 2013. The tickets can be purchased via Cathay’s online ticketing site.

Its predecessor, DSiWare title BlayzBloo: Super Melee Brawlers Battle Royale, did make it out in US and Europe, however, so there’s hope for an English version for the game. Until then, check out this new trailer for the game, which is available to watch regardless of the language your 3DS speaks.

Like BlazBlue, but not sure if you’ll like BlayzBloo: Clone Phantasma (3DS)? Here’s a demo to help! Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/blayzbloo-clone-phantasma-demoreleased/ By KarbyP on January 23rd, 2013

Got a Japanese 3DS? Like BlazBlue? But still not 100% certain if you should spend 800 yen on that BlayzBloo: Clone Phantasma download title – an action game spin-off loosely based onBlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma (Arcade, PS3) – that Arc System Works put out on Japanese Nintendo e-shop in December last year? Not to worry, help is on the way! Publisher Arc System Works has just released today a demo of the 3DS download title to help Japanese 3DS owners decide if the action title, featuring 10 playable characters

Nintendo and Atlus announces ‘Shin-Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem’ (Wii U) [Video] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/nintendo-atlus-announces-shinmegami-tensei-meets-fire-emblem/

January 24th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

By KarbyP on January 23rd, 2013

Although no details on the new Wii U title was given, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata described the Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem cross-over game as an example of a new approach in games development that the console maker and games publisher is taking to push out more quality titles for their newly-launched Wii U platform. “Because the scope of development for each title is getting larger and larger, we cannot have enough titles for Wii U using the same approaches we have taken,” Iwata said on the Nintendo Direct netstream. Iwata also said that they are working with “many more partners” on additional collaborations as well, and that he will announce those projects in future Nintendo Direct broadcasts. Source: Nintendo Direct The new Wii U game will be co-developed by Atlus and Intelligent Systems (Fire Emblem, Advance Wars). … And that’s about all we know for now! The title was just announced on a Nintendo Direct broadcast earlier tonight. No details were given on the new game, so we don’t know when the game is expected to come out, or even if this is a straight-up RPG title (Shin Megami Tensei style) or an SRPG (strategy role-playing-game) more akin to the Fire Emblem games. I’m hedging my bets on the latter, since an SRPG environment would more easily accommodate a large cast of characters.

Resident Evil: Revelations coming to PC, PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 this May Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/resident-evil-revelations-coming-pcps3-wii-xbox-360/ By ellehaym on January 23rd, 2013

Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem may not be the actual title of this game. For the moment, however, it is what Nintendo has opted to call the game, as evidenced by the following teaser video they put out:

It has been confirmed by Capcom that the 3DS survival horror game Resident Evil: Revelations will be ported to other gaming platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360. The game hits stores on May 21 in North America, May 23 in Japan and May 24 in Europe. The events in the game take place between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield go aboard a supposedly abandoned cruise ship to investigate. Below are the additional features of the game:

January 24th, 2013

• A frightening new enemy • Extra difficulty mode • Get to play as Hunk or the other characters in the single player Raid Mode or the online co-op mode Announcement trailers have also been streamed on YouTube. Check them out: Resident Evil: Revelations lives up to its survival horror genre, being a game that promises scarcity of weapons, ammo and supplies for players to utilize. Roam through tight and dark areas without knowing what kind of dangers await. Can you last until the end? Sources: Famitsu and Resident Evil Official Channel

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and tokusatsu (special-effects TV shows, such as the Super Sentai series and Kamen Rider) series that Bandai owns the merchandising rights to. The latest line of Smartphone Museum’s wares? A set of seven Kuroko’s Basketball “uniform” cases, whose design are based on that of the jersey uniforms that seven of the series’s most popular characters wear. From the Seirin basketball team, the jersey uniforms of three characters – Tetsuya Kuroko, Taiga Kagami, and Teppei Kiyoshi – are featured. The remaining four designs are based on jerseys worn by three rival characters Ryouta Kise, Shintarou Midorima, and Daiki Aomine, and a dog. Kuroko’s pet dog, Tetsuya ひ2.

Show the world who your favourite Kuroko’s Basketball character is, with these smartphone cases Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/show-world-favourite-kurokosbasketball-character-is-smartphone-cases/ By KarbyP on January 23rd, 2013

Each design is available in three form factors – iPhone 4/4S, iPhone 5, and Samsung Galaxy S3 (certain carrier models only) – and sold for 2,100 yen per pop. Which is actually fairly cheap for character-themed smartphone cases; most of them are sold for around 3,000 yen in Japan. The Kuroko’s Basketball cases are the only design available at Smartphone Museum if you’re a Samsung Galaxy S3 user. If, however, you’re in the iPhone camp, then you’ll find on the Premium Bandai sub-section several other animethemed designs worth looking into: Macross Frontier, Kamen Rider Wizard, Akibaranger, just to name a few.

If you’re a big fan of Tadatoshi Fujimaki’s manga and anime series Kuroko’s Basketball, and happen to be searching for a smartphone case for your iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S3 handset, then Premium Bandai may just have the perfect solution for you. Over at Bandai’s official online shopping portal, Premium Bandai, there is a section called Smartphone Museum where you can visit to find various iPhone cases themed after anime

All cases go for 2,100 yen in Japan regardless of design. As with anything you buy from Premium Bandai, you’ll need a Japanese residential address (or the one provided by your favourite proxy-shopping service) to make an order. Do note, however, that there is a waiting period of about a month between the date you make an order, to whenever Premium Bandai actually gets to shipping out the goods.

January 24th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

Source: Natalie, Smartphone Museum

January 26th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Namie Amuro Asia Tour details confirmed, performing at Singapore’s Indoor Stadium Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/namie-amuro-asia-tour-detailsconfirmed-performing-singapores-indoor-stadium/ By Green Moon Doctor on January 25th, 2013

If you can’t wait till Singapore’s tour confirmation, there’s always Taiwan and Hong Kong to consider. And if you are, get your tickets fast, because as far as I know, fans in these regions are very hardcore when it comes to J-pop concerts. Source: namieamuro.jp

Sega to announce a new Sonic title next month [Rumour Mill] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/sega-announce-sonic-title-monthrumour-mill/ By ellehaym on January 25th, 2013

Remember when Namie Amuro dropped by Singapore to promote her latest album last year? Fans of Namie can rejoice, as her Asia Tour schedule has finally been confirmed! Almost all of the details are out, including ticketing details. Well, with the exception of Singapore, which has yet to update as of press time. A popular J-pop artiste back in the early 2000s, Namie Amuro is one of the A-list artistes to hold solo concerts within Singapore, which include L’arc~en~Ciel and Luna Sea.

According to The Sonic Stadium, sources close to Sega have informed them that the developer plans on announcing a new Sonic title for the current gaming platforms as well as the next gen consoles next month. The new game will be revealed around mid-February. The gameplay will use the formula of the recent Sonic games —a fusion of 3D movement and 2D side-scrolling sections. The 3DS version, however, will offer a different gaming 1

January 26th, 2013

experience. According to the source, it will follow the format of Sonic Rush games for the DS. Players can select from different characters, each having their own skills.

Published by: VR-Zone By ellehaym on January 25th, 2013

The title for the new Sonic game has not been finalized. The source also adds that the new game is scheduled to be released in September. Since these are just rumours, we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed and wait for an official announcement from Sega. via Nintendo Life

Luna Sea in Taipei kickstarting “The End of the Dream” Asian Tour Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/luna-sea-taipei/ By weiq on January 25th, 2013

Were you used to partnering with a friend when playing games of the Mario Bros. franchise? You play Mario and your friend plays Luigi or vice versa? In the upcoming 3DS title Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, things will be different. You can utilize the local and online multiplayer functions and enjoy ghost busting with your friends and other players. This game features the Hunter Mode, where players are in control of Luigis’ that are wearing different coloured clothing. The mission is to clear the floors by hunting down ghosts within a time limit set by the game. When the time runs out, it’s everyone’s loss. So cooperation and teamwork are important. There will be boss battles at the topmost part of the tower. Following sold-out concerts back in Japan, Luna Sea had just landed in Taipei to kick start their “The End of the Dream” Asian Tour with two shows on 26th and 27th of January. The two shows will be held at Taipei’s Neo Studio, after which the band will move to Hong Kong (2nd February), Bangkok (5th February), and ending their tour on 8th February in Singapore. Speaking of which, SGCafe is giving away exclusive LUNA SEA concert tickets/merchandises. For more info on how to participate, please go to SGCafe forum. You have 3 more days to participate! source: facebook.com/etvhome, Lunasea.jp

Multiplayer functions revealed for ‘Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon’

Up to four players can join the game. If your team does well, upgrades and bonuses will be rewarded. The game allows you to decide on the difficulty as well as the number of floors in the Hunter mode. Download Play functions will also be available. Want to see the ghost busting action? Watch this video: Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon will be out in North America on March 24. Source: Crunchyroll

Six more Metal Gear Rising videos, more gameplay scenes observed Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/metal-gear-rising-videos-gameplayscenes-observed/

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/multiplayer-functions-revealedluigis-mansion-dark-moon/

January 26th, 2013

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By sentinel011 on January 25th, 2013

After gathering feedbacks from players from all over the world, Valve added a new game mode to matchmaking and offline play: Deathmatch. Deathmatch mode can be played in Classic, Demolition, or Arms Race maps, and Hidden Path points. There are also a bunch of patch for the weapon, such as increasing kill rewards with the AWP from $50 to $100, to dropping the price of Molotovs and making changes to the recoil. You can view more of the patch notes here. Deathmatch mode is also a useful way to explore and learn a new map while you try out the new weapon fixes.

Managed to play the demo yet? No? You can either get yourself a US PSN account, or you can watch on these five featured videos released this week. Famitsu and 4gamer showed more gameplay videos, from boss battles like Jetstream Sam to a new dog-like Unmanned Gear, even controlling a Scarab. Konami has provided insights on the Zandatsu system to replenish Raiden’s energy and health as well as his cyborg suit’s capabilities.

They also have launched the private beta for workshop maps. If you’re a map maker, feel free to submit your work to the Steam Workshop for player approval. Source: GameSpy

Hyouka X Blood Donation Drive: Here’s one way to fight blood-sucking anime loot auctioners Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/hyouka-blood-donation-drive-fightblood-sucking-anime-loot-auctioners/ By KarbyP on January 24th, 2013

If you have already pre-ordered your copy of the game, you’ll be pleased that it’s due to arrive barely a month from today. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will release in Singapore come 19 February 2013. Source: Konami, 4Gamer, Famitsu

Deathmatch Mode Added In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/deathmatch-mode-added-counterstrike-global-offensive/ By bj0rN on January 25th, 2013

Details on a Hyouka X Blood Donation (氷氷氷氷氷) collaborative campaign that the Japan Red Cross Society said would begin in late January, as well as the design for the poster they’d be giving out as part of the promotion, have been finalised. There’s good news and bad news. 3

January 26th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

The good news: the campaign itself will run for over two months – from January 25 all the way till March 31 this year – and the Japan Red Cross Society is fairly confident that it will have enough “Hyouka X Blood Donation” posters and clear files to hand out to all who are brave and kind enough to step forward and donate blood. Below you’ll find a sample image of what is more or less the design of the poster that blood donors will receive; for some reason, the Japan Red Cross Society felt necessary to include a small disclaimer saying that the design is subject to change. It features a close-up of Hyouka heroine Eru Chitanda, with a line of dialogue “I’ve become interested in donating blood” (氷氷氷氷氷氷氷氷氷氷氷氷氷氷氷) below her picture.

Source: Japan Red Cross Society

What’s in store for Wii U owners? Check out this summary of the Nintendo Direct broadcast Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/whats-store-wii-owners-checksummary-nintendo-direct-broadcast/ By ellehaym on January 24th, 2013

Since this campaign will last for two entire months, unlike the situation that blood donors at the recent Comiket 83 event faced (only 3,000 posters were available), there should be enough commeorative posters and clear files for all Hyouka fans who’d want one to receive it. That’s terrific news, right? Hopefully we won’t hear any terrible stories about any bloodsucking anime loot hoarders auctioning off the Red Cross Society’s kind token of appreciation at unscrupulous prices to fans who’d pay for it. But there is also bad news.

In the latest Nintendo Direct broadcast, Satoru Iwata explains a few new features headed to the Wii U console in the coming weeks, along with a few new game announcements. The list looks promising. Promising enough that if you don’t yet have a Wii U console, you might just consider purchasing one.

Even though there should be more than enough stocks to meet fan demand, to get your hands on one of these Hyouka X Blood Donation commemorative goods, you’d actually need to travel all the way to Japan’s Gifu prefecture. Just like the Hyouka rice thing before this, the Gifu prefecture is the only part of the country where the collaborative campaign will be held.

Here are the main points of what to expect from Nintendo’s latest console:

Nevertheless, if you’re a hardcore Hyouka fan who needs to have everything, or if you happen to be visiting Gifu sometime between now and the end of March, head over to the Japan Red Cross Society webpage here to find links (highlighted in blue) to the addresses and maps to the three blood donation centres the association operates in the Gifu area.

• Closed group for games – A group will be given a unique ID. To be able to access a closed group, users need to input the unique ID assigned.

Miiverse • Spring and Summer Updates – faster software launch; ease in returning to the Wii U Menu screen

• Each game will be given an official community in the Miiverse • Filtering functions will soon be added • Miiverse can soon be accessed using smartphones. Initially, it will be browser-based. However, Nintendo

January 26th, 2013

will be developing a Miiverse app. A Nintendo network ID and password will be required.

Virtual Console • NES and SNES titles will be released first, GBA titles will be released later • Virtual Console launches after the system updates this spring • Just like the 3DS, players can save the game progress • Games under the Virtual Console are Miiverse enabled • A discount applies if you bought Virtual Console titles on your Wii console

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• The Wonderful 101 • Bayonetta 2 • New Super Smash Bros. • Yarn Yoshi • Shin-Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem (Iwata promises more collaboration titles such as this one in the future) • The Legend of Zelda (only the remake of The Wind Waker was previewed) • A new RPG brought by the developer behind Xenoblade Chronicles, Monolith Soft. Is it a Xenoblade sequel? We still don’t know.

‘A Certain Scientific Railgun • Regular price for SNES titles – 7.99 USD to 8.99 USD; S’ anime airs April in Japan; discounted price is 1.5 USD fripside to perform its new Wii U Virtual Console Trial OP Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/a-scientific-railgun-s-anime-airs• Regular price for NES titles – 4.99 USD to 5.99 USD; discounted price is 1 USD

Campaign

This was launched to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Family Computer. In a period of 30 days, from January to July, a NES title can be bought at a very low price of 30 cents. All players can participate in this campaign. Here’s the list of participating titles:

april-in-japan-fripside-new-op/ By KarbyP on January 24th, 2013

• January – Balloon Fight • February – F-Zero • March – Punch Out! Featuring Mr. Dream • April – Kirby’s Adventure • May – Super Metroid • June – Yoshi • July – Donkey Kong

Wii U GamePad • Titles (including Virtual Console games) will be launched which will allow users to play using only the GamePad. You don’t have to use your TV. • Take screenshots of breathtaking and interesting sceneries, visuals and environments from games such as Pikmin 3.

Wii U Fit • This game will utilize the Miiverse’s closed group access • With the closed group feature of the Miiverse, players can lose weight with friends, discuss strategies and encourage each other.

On New Games During the first two months of 2013, Nintendo isn’t planning on releasing new titles for a steady flow of game lineup and for an improved quality of user experience. New titles will be launched starting March. These are the games previewed in the latest Nintendo Direct:

Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S (氷氷氷氷氷氷氷氷氷氷S) will join the likes of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, Devil Survivor 2, OreImo Season 2, and other such heavyweight anime shows for the Spring 2013 TV anime season in Japan, the latest issue of ASCII Media Works’s Monthly Comic Dengeki

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Daioh magazine will reveal this coming Saturday (January 26) as part of a teaser for its next issue. The teaser also reveals that fripSide, the anisong act that made its second debut in 2009 with voice actress Yoshino Nanjou as the duo’s new vocalist (fripSide originally debuted in 2005 with singer “Nao”, who left in 2009) with the hit songs Only My Railgun and LEVEL5-judgelight-, the first and second OP themes to the original season of A Certain Scientific Railgun, will be back to provide the OP theme to the new anime series. No other details were revealed in the magazine; for that we’d have to wait for the next issue which will go on sale sometime in February. So far, what’s been revealed about A Certain Scientific Railgun S is that its main plot will revolve around the “Sisters” story arc in the original light novel series that the anime is adapted from. For a summary of what the story arc is about, check out its summary on this Wikia page here.

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Curiously enough, it appears that the English version will only be launched in Asia, but not in the US or Europe – at least, not for the moment. After it is launched, PS Vita gamers in Asia will be able to download the game client directly from the PlayStation store in their region, and start playing immediately.

What’s Samurai & Dragons? Samurai & Dragons is described as an action-strategy hybrid where players will co-operate with one another in 4player dungeons, but otherwise fight against each other for territorial control over the fictional land of Gaia=End. Gameplay in Samurai & Dragons is split up into three parts: Action, Simulation, and Card Battles.

Action part

Source: Yaraon

Samurai & Dragons, Sega’s free-to-play PS Vita title, is coming to Asia in English Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/samurai-dragons-segas-free-to-playps-vita-title-coming-to-asia-in-english/ By KarbyP on January 24th, 2013

In the Action part, gamers play the role of an adventurer – one of five possible classes (Warrior, Samurai, Ninja, Mage, and Gunner) – and team up with other players to explore dungeons and defeat high-level bosses to earn experience points and other rewards. Controls in the Action part are fairly simple, with each of the PS Vita’s four face buttons (O, X, Square and Triangle) mapped to a special attack of your choice, and the R shoulder button mapped to an evasive roll. Each time you clear a dungeon you earn star and crystal points that can be used to redeem monster, weapon, and skill cards in a random lottery. Skill and weapon cards you can equip directly on your adventurer in between dungeoncrawls, while monster cards will come into play during the Card Battle portion of the game.

Simulation part

Samurai & Dragons, Sega’s first free-to-play title on the PlayStation Vita, is venturing outside of its homeland in Japan. The Tokyo-based games publisher announced today that it plans to launch a localized English version of Samurai & Dragons in seven Asian territories - Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia – sometime in Spring 2013.

In the Simulation part, you’ll play the role of a governor or lord instead, developing a plot of land that you own in Gaia=End by farming resources and building various structures in order to turn it into a powerful kingdom. 6

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Your goal in the Simulation part is to eventually become the ruler of one of the strongest kingdoms in Gaia=End, which will earn you the right to excavate the danger-filled “Debris Tower” dungeon in the Action part.

Card Battle part

Finally, in the Card Battle part of the game, you assemble teams of monsters to defend your kingdom, and pit them against monster teams that other players own in order to expand your kingdom’s territory and amass more control over the land. What’s interesting about the Card Battle part is that from time to time Sega will run special collaboration campaigns during which players will be able to obtain monster cards featuring characters from other game franchises. For instance, back in November and December last year, players could add Sonic the Hedgehog, Virtua Fighter’s Akira Yuki, and other such gaming icons through a Sega AllStar seasonal card pack.

Read more about Sega’s Samurai & Dragons (PS Vita) here on SGCafe! Source: GameSpot

January 29th, 2013

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

Get your God of War Acension pre-order goodies this February Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/god-war-acension-pre-order-goodiesfebruary/ By bj0rN on January 29th, 2013

God of War fans hankering to get their hands on all the limited bundles and peripherals the pre-order set has to offer shall wait no more come this Friday, 1 February 2013. The first 50 pre-orders for the God of War: Ascension™ DUALSHOCK®3 Wireless Controller Limited Pack will be entitled to the plethora of limited merchandise and discounts which include the following: • $9.90 discount on purchase of God of War Saga Collection • A limited God of War: Ascension T-Shirt • Two different special designed posters • A God of War: Ascension mug Only two outlets, Funz Center and Isetan Orchard’s Sony Store will be eligible for the promotion.

This is what you can look forward to when you get your copy of the God of War: Ascension™ DUALSHOCK®3 Wireless Controller Limited Pack • God of War: Ascension™ Steelbook Edition x1 • Special Print DUALSHOCK®3 Wireless Controller x1

January 29th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

It is a month of humanity versus aliens, especially for this coming February. We dug out a few gems where people simply aren’t satisfied playing video games, but cosplay them too. Aliens: Colonial Marines

• DLC 1. Mythological Heroes Pack • DLC 2. Blade of Judgement • DLC 3. Pass for future DLC releases • DLC 4. PS3™ Dynamic theme • DLC 5. Official game soundtrack • DLC 6. 48 Hour MP XP Booster • DLC 7. PSN Avatar Pack

Aliens has been with us for a long time, so it is no wonder many people have attempted to cosplay the aliens themselves. We found one such Alien in tumblr; and somehow Aliens love watching a match of basketball.

Here are the details to the event: • Date: 1 February 2013 (Friday) • Time: 7pm – 9pm • Venue: Funz Center, Isetan Orchard Sony Store

Funz Center: 181 Orchard Road, #05-43/44, Orchard Central, Singapore 238896 Isetan Orchard: 435 Orchard Road #04-01, Wisma Atria, Singapore 238877 God of War: Ascension will be released on 12th March 2013 (Tuesday).Customers also can start to preorder several limited bundles at designated PlayStation Partner Shops from 2nd Feb – 10th Mar 2013 and get a God of War: Ascension mug. Dead Space 3

[Cosplay] Blast them all aliens! Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/cosplay-blast-aliens/ By sentinel011 on January 29th, 2013

French cosplayers Léa and Kevin pulled off a convincing cosplay of Ellie and Isaac respectively, partnering up in last year’s Japan Expo 2012. Kevin sculpted the Security Suit, though we noticed there are some not-so-prominent inconsistencies with the original reference design. We reckon that it is to facilitate the costume’s mobility, as 2

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the armour shards would restrict movement on the arms and shoulders.

Published by: VR-Zone By bj0rN on January 29th, 2013

Crysis 3 Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment have released the newest trailer from Injustice: Gods Among Us. Featuring Lex Luthor and other major players from the game’s story, the video provides the first glimpse into the battle lines being drawn among heroes and villains. Injustice: Gods Among Us debuts a bold new fighting game franchise that introduces a deep, original story featuring a large cast of favorite DC Comics icons such as Batman, Green Arrow, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, Nightwing, Solomon Grundy, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and many others. Set in a world where the lines between good and evil are blurred, players will experience heroes and villains engaging in epic battles on a massive scale. Injustice: Gods Among Us will be released in Europe on Friday 19th April, for Xbox 360, PS3 and the Wii U. There will also be a Collector’s Edition, which will be available in limited quantities for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Despite being made in 2010, Anthony (also known as Master LE) still holds the benchmark of a good Nomad, or at least his suit. It comes with all the spiffy details like lights and weapons, though we hope there would be an update on the suit with the Crysis 3′s Composite Bow. Aliens: Colonial Marines is due for release on the 12th, Crysis 3 on the 19th and Dead Space 3 on the 5th. All three games are multi-platform, so have fun hunting down your favourite critters!

Injustice: Gods Among Us reveals new trailer and official release date Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/injustice-gods-trailer-release-date/

The International Injustice: Gods Among Us Collector’s Edition will include: • Exclusive 25cm Injustice: Gods Among Us Collectible statue featuring iconic characters Batman and Wonder Woman 3

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• Unique Steelbook Packaging • An Injustice Comic Book • Three exclusive skins based on Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman from DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 The Injustice: Gods Among Us digital comic book from DC Entertainment is also available now. The comic is a prequel to the game, and it tells the story of events leading up to a new world order where heroes face each other in an epic fight to determine humanity’s future. Download Injustice Gods Among Us #1 today at ReadDCEntertainment.com, through the DC Comics app, or on the iBookstore, Kindle Store or Nook Store.

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• Dust Removal DRII image sensor cleaning function using ultrasonic vibrations • Photo filters such as Toy Camera, Fish-Eye, HDR Also they comes by default with a Pentax-02 Standard Zoom lens, and with the same default specification found on other Q10. Selling at a price of 59,800 Yen (US$660), the Evashade Q10 will be released in April. Limited to 1500 units, the only disappointment is that they’ll only be sold in Japan. (But that won’t stop you from flying over to Japan to get your hands on one of them, right?)

Visit www.injustice.com for more information of the game.

Evangelion Q10 cameras by Pentax Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/evangelion-q10-cameras-pentax/ By weiq on January 28th, 2013

Source: en.akihabaranews.com, pentax.jp

Max Factory’s new figma is Hunter x Hunter’s Gon Freecss Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/max-factorys-figma-hunter-huntersgon-freecss/ By ellehaym on January 28th, 2013

This month alone we have seen various products such as headphones, motorbike, and even Hello Kitty been “eva”ngelised. Now it’s the turn for the cameras to be, too. Pentax will be releasing special “eva”-ngelised Q10 series digital cameras. The special edition will be in the shade of the three well-known Eva Units – Unit-00, Unit-01 and Unit-02. They don’t just come with the looks , many nifty features are packed into them such as • 12.4MP of Effective Pixel • Shooting video clips at full HD (1080p, at 30 fps) • 3 Inch LCD monitor

January 29th, 2013

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Berserk Golden Age Arc III: Descent — Watch its first TV ad Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/berserk-golden-age-arc-iii-descentwatch-tv-ad/ By ellehaym on January 28th, 2013

Don’t you just find the versatility behind every figma amazing? And I’m pretty sure that figure collectors love how figmas can do a variety of poses. If you’re a Hunter x Hunter fan, it’s time to rejoice because Max Factory’s upcoming figma is going to be one of HxH’s main characters: Gon Freecss. As of writing this post, Good Smile Company hasn’t revealed the full details of the upcoming figure in their official site. But according to a tweet by Hunter x Hunter’s official Twitter account, this Gon Freecss figma is slated for release in June and will be priced at 3,500 JPY.

Berserk Golden Age Arc III: Descent premieres in Japan this Friday, but its first TV ad had just started airing last Saturday. The 15-second commercial showcases Aria, the main theme of the movie. The upcoming film’s age rating was also adjusted because it depicts heavier objectionable themes compared to the two previous movies. Berserk Golden Age Arc III: Descent is the third instalment of the trilogy that covers Berserk’s Golden Age arc. All three films were directed by Toshiyuki Kubooka (animation director and character designer behind the Lunar series). The main themes were composed by Susumu Hirasawa with the original soundtrack composed by Shiro Sagisu. Last year, the first two films, Berserk Golden Age Arc I: Egg of the Supreme Ruler and Berserk Golden Age II: Battle for Doldrey premiered in February and June, respectively.

The latest movie of the HxH franchise, Hunter x Hunter: Phantom Rouge, premiered last January 12. Prior to its release in theatres, Banpresto held a Scarlet Eyes figure lottery to promote the film. Sources: JEFusion and @hunter_anime

January 29th, 2013

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are Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The February 1 Asian launch date for the English version of the game will coincide with the start of Samurai & Dragon‘s “third season” cycle in Japan, which will also see the release of the Segakko 13: Yume Kanaeshi Mono card pack in that region. Currently there is no information on if the same pack will be offered to English version players on day one. In this online-only title, although players’ gameplay decisions are saved on Sega’s servers and reflected in a persistent world much like most MMORPGs, every couple of months Sega will end the current season of play and restart the game anew on a mostly clean slate, to ensure that the top leaderboard players do not hoard their position forever. Not every single thing in the game is reset, however. Certain player possessions, such as their entire collection of item and monster cards, are carried forward from one season to another. When the English Asian version launches on February 1, Japanese players and those from the seven Asian territories will be playing on separate servers. Sources: Crunchyroll and Berserk Wikia

Samurai & Dragons (English version) launches in Asia February 1 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/samurai-dragons-english-versionlaunches-asia-february-1/ By KarbyP on January 28th, 2013

But Sega is open to the idea of connecting the Japanese servers to the Asian ones, so that players from all territories will be able to play from one another. The development team is considering doing so for the next season of the game, and at the fan meeting event yesterday, Samurai & Dragons producer Riichirou Yamada performed an impromptu poll to get some feedback on the thought from Japanese players in attendance.

“Some of you may prefer to be able to compete with players from outside Japan to see who’s the best in the world, but there are also players who think that communication with non-Japanese players may be a problem [due to the language barrier and potential differences in game etiquette], so we’d like to find out what you think,” he asked. The vast majority of the live audience at the fan meeting assented to the idea of worldwide servers.

Starting this Friday, February 1, PS Vita gamers in seven Asian territories will be able to download from the PlayStation store an English game client for the Sega’s freeto-play online title Samurai & Dragons, the games publisher announced yesterday at a fan meeting event in Tokyo.

However, viewers who were watching a livestream of the fan meeting at home mostly voted against the idea. One viewer commented that it might not be such a good idea, especially now that China-Japan relations are at an all-time low after Japan’s purchase of the Senkaku or Diaoyu Islands. Producer Yamada, noted that there was player interest in worldwide servers, but felt that Sega should probably err on the side of caution.

Previously the free-to-play title’s release date was said to be sometime in Spring 2013. The seven Asian territories 6

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“What we’re going to do for the next season [after season three],” he said, “is to give players the choice of playing on worldwide or Japan-only servers.” “There’s no reason why there has to be one or the other, so we’re thinking of offering both choices for the next season.” There is no set date for when the upcoming season (season three in Japan) will end, but Sega will notify players at least one month in advance of the actual end date.

Phantasy Star Online 2 for the PS Vita will feature Trophy support

2) A character Portrait mode in which you can use the Vita’s back-facing camera to take augmented reality (AR) pictures.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/phantasy-star-online-2-ps-vita-hastrophies/ By KarbyP on January 28th, 2013

3) On top of having Toro and Kuro as your party members on quests, there will also be Toro and Kuro-shaped Mags (a Mag is a robotic pal that hovers above your shoulders and occasionally help with combat).

Phantasy Star Online 2 will be the first free-to-play title on the PlayStation Vita to feature Trophy support; both Samurai & Dragons and Sony’s Minna to Issho: Friend Network (the only two free-to-play games on the Vita at the moment) did not include Trophies. This wee bit of PSO2 info was revealed yesterday at Sega’s Samurai & Dragons Fan Meeting 2013 event, where the game’s producer Satoshi Sakai showed off a “complete” extended version of the PSO2 Vita launch trailer shared on the Net several weeks ago. On top of Trophies support, the extended trailer also mentioned three more features exclusive to the PS Vita version: 1) Players on the PS Vita version will get first dibs on an upcoming main scenario quest that will introduce a new NPC voiced by Eri Kitamura. This is exclusive to the Vita version only for a limited time; PC players will eventually be able to play the same quest, shortly after the Vita version’s launch).

Phantasy Star Online 2 for the PS Vita is slated to be released in Japan February 28. Read more about PSO2 here on SGCafe!

January 29th, 2013

All of Sega’s 13 consoles, 12 arcade boards personified in Samurai & Dragons collaboration card pack

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Ryu ga Gotoku 5: Yume Kanaeshi Mono (セセセセ5 セセセセセセ, literally Yakuza 5: Those Who Grant Dreams). Except, the “Mono” in that other Sega game’s case is written as the Kanji “セ”, which refers to human beings, whereas the Kanji used in Segakko 13′s case is actually セセ (machines), normally read as “kikai”.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/segas-13-consoles-12-arcade-boardspersonified-in-samurai-and-dragons-collaboration/ By KarbyP on January 27th, 2013

“Are you sure it’s okay to call it that?” one of the hosts at a Samurai & Dragons Fan Meeting event, which was livestreamed on the Net earlier today, asked the game’s producer Riichirou Yamada when he announced the pack’s name. “Yokoyama himself (Masayoshi Yokoyama, scenario writer for Yakuza 5) suggested it, so it should be alright. As long as Nagoshi (Yakuza series producer Toshihiro Nagoshi) doesn’t find out,” Yamada cheekily replied.

Kei, the illustrator who came up with Hatsune Miku’s image, designed the personified forms of Sega’s 13 consoles. Veteran illustrators in the anime industry, including Total Eclipse character designer Yumiko Hara, will be handling the designs for the remaining 12 characters, themed after Sega’s arcade boards. All 25 characters will be featured as monster cards in Sega’s PS Vita free-to-play title, Samurai & Dragons, in two separate card packs – one each for the console and arcade hardware-themed characters.

Yamada said that he thought the subtitle was very appropriate, for he personally believes that consoles are machines that grant dreams. Or at least, that was the way the Sega games developer felt back when he was a kid, when his mother bought him his first games console – a Sega SC-3000. The Segakko 13 pack will launch alongside Samurai & Dragons‘s third season of content updates in Japan, beginning February 1.

Segakko 13: Yume Kanaeshi Mono

The 13 console characters or Segakko (セセセセ, lit. “Sega daughters”) will head to Samurai & Dragons first, in a collaborative card pack the game’s developer is calling the Segakko 13: Yume Kanaeshi Mono” (セセセセセセセセセセセセセセ) pack. If “Yume Kanaeshi Mono” sounds familiar to you, that’s because a similar phrase was used as the subtitle for Yakuza/ 8

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More screencaps from the livestream:

Sega arcade hardware characters

Design work on all of the Sega arcade hardware characters have not yet been complete, so the Samurai & Dragons team 9

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were only able to share a few details on five of the characters planned for this series. From left to right in the picture above, you’re looking at: • Sega System 1, designed by Ryouko Amisaki, who worked on character designs for TV anime Sumomomo Momomo • NAOMI, by Daisuke Kamei, who did key animation work for Tiger & Bunny • Model 2, by Total Eclipse character designer Yumiko Hara • Sega System 16, by Ikuma Fujibe who worked on Kamisama no Memochou/Heaven’s Memo Pad • Sega System 12, by Yuko Yamada who worked on TV anime Hakuouki

Namie Amuro, the A-list Japanese R&B singer who’s performing at the Singapore Indoor Stadium as part of her Asia Tour 2013, has posted a 13-second sample of her upcoming song Big Boys Cry. The sample was revealed on her official Facebook page earlier. You can listen to Big Boys Cry here. Along with the sample is a short message to her fans: Thank you very much for all the comments!! Here is the new song “Big Boys Cry” exclusively on facebook!! It’s just a small sample but hope you guys enjoy it!! ###################### Official Facebook ########### “Big Boys Cry” # ###### ############################

An English version of Samurai & Dragons will be released in Asia sometime in Spring 2013.

Haven’t seen the schedule of her concert? Check out our previous post about the Asia Tour dates of Namie Amuro.

The collaboration packs announced today are meant for the Japanese version of the game, and may not apply to the English version.

Namie Amuro teases fans with a short sample of ‘Big Boys Cry’ Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/listen-namie-amuros/ By ellehaym on January 27th, 2013

January 31st, 2013

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture

J-Live Asia, Puffin Entertainment to present SCANDAL ASIA TOUR 2013 in Singapore this March Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/j-live-asia-puffin-entertainmentpresent-scandal-asia-tour-2013-singapore-march/ By sentinel011 on January 31st, 2013

Ticketing details Ticketing sales will commence from 4 February 2013. There will be an early bird discount on all tickets from 4 to 17 February, withVIP at $148 and GA at $118. That’s up to $20 discount per ticket! Online: 9AM at SISTIC (4 Feb 2013) Physical: 10AM at SISTIC outlets (4 Feb 2013) VIP: $168(1 Day) - High-Five with SCANDAL after concert - Exclusive SCANDAL SG concert poster (A2) - Premium viewing area – standing GA: $118(1 Day) - Normal viewing area (behind VIP) – standing Take note that the concert is a first come, first served free standing concert unlike its previous live at La Salle SIA Theatre. There will not be seats allocated for all ticket holders. The organizers will reveal official Live goods soon.

It seems like we are correct! The organizers of J-Live Asia, SOZO, will be bringing in the sensational quartet to perform in Singapore as part of their Asia Tour this March.

Source: J-Live Asia

Much like their solo concert back in 2011, Scandal will be performing two days in Singapore. As with all previous JLive Asia concerts, the live performance will be at *SCAPE Warehouse.

Crysis 3 Beta impressions Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/crysis-3-beta-impressions/ By sentinel011 on January 30th, 2013

Live Details Session 1: 16 March 2013 (Saturday) Door Open – 6PM, Starts 7PM Session 2: 17 March 2013 (Sunday) Door Open – 2PM, Starts 3PM

January 31st, 2013

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Game Modes

Crysis has struck the hearts of many with the amazing detail for its time. But will it be able to reinvent itself in terms of game play? I managed to test out the PC version of the beta today to see if the new Hunter mode lives up to its name.

The game has 2 modes, namely the familiar Crash Site and the new Hunter mode. The two maps, Airport and Museum are of standard Crysis affair – decently sized with loads of nook and crannies to hide and ambush. And of course, corner.

Menu The beta allows you to dive into the game within two minutes after launching, one if you have a fast connection and not fumble during your login. Servers are plentiful and speedy, perhaps due to the fact the beta’s just released. Up to three option add-on parts can be attached to your weapons, though as far as we have tested, we don’t have that option to fiddle with one… yet.

Right, so Hunter mode. The concept seemed complex but it is actually pretty simple – you have two minutes to kill off all Cell Operatives (if you spawn as a Hunter with a badass one-hit-kill bow) or hold out through these two minutes if you are a Cell Operative. You will spawn as a Hunter if you are killed, and so will your other Cell Operative team mates. The Hunter Bow itself is awesome in itself, and will provide a one hit kill to any of your targets, but only if you pull the Bow long enough to reach maximum tension. And that, needs time. Obviously the Hunters have more pros than cons compared to being a measly Cell Operative. After all, being a Hunter is -almost- having cheat codes on. Running without any sound and permanently cloaked? Of course, you must think “Cell Operatives have no chance then.” Armed with only an EMP grenade, and either an assault rifle, sniper rifle or shotgun.

Well, for one, working together helps, as the Bow has a ‘charge time’ to prepare for its next shot. And after every shot, the cloaking will flicker, providing you an opening to lob and EMP grenade at the Hunter and overwhelm him with sheer firepower.

January 31st, 2013

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Gathering kills as a Hunter or staying alive as long as possible (while getting as many kills as possible) is the rule of the game. There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much lag, but we shall see when the full version of the game comes out. Perks and Achievements Every time you level up or achieve certain criteria, you are awarded with points and perks, as well as increase your level. Pretty much the same as the previous Crysis, but the game changer this time are the Challenges.

As you fulfil each Challenge, you get more XP, which in turn gives you better abilities as you level up. Be careful, each Challenge has a match cycle limit, so if you think that the Challenge will remain after 3 multiplayer matches, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be surprised if it changes to another by the next match. While the Hunter mode breathes a fresh outlook to recent FPS games, I feel that the immersion will only be heightened as levels go higher, with more abilities, perks and weapon add-on parts to fit your play style.

January 31st, 2013

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The first film of Thermae Romae garnered huge box office success in Japan last year. And now, it has been announced that the film adaptation of the comedy manga by Mari Yamazaki will receive a sequel scheduled to premiere in next year’s Golden Week. In Thermae Romae II, the main character Lucius gets assigned to do a very challenging task—to erect a thermae (bath house) in the Colosseum. He hits his head in an accident, causing him to time travel to the modern day Japan. The cast from the first film, including the main character from ancient Rome played by Hiroshi Abe, will be returning for the sequel. Aside from Abe, the ancient Roman characters will be played by Masachika Ichimura, Kazuki Kitamura, and Kai Shishido. The Japanese characters, on the other hand, will be played by Aya Ueto, Riki Takeuchi, and Takashi Sasano. The additional cast and details of the movie will be revealed soon. Once again, the film adaptation will be directed by Hideki Takeuchi. Download Crysis 3 Multiplayer Beta from Origin online Store now!

Second Thermae Romae film scheduled for Japan’s Golden Week next year Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/thermae-romae-film-scheduledjapans-golden-week-year/ By ellehaym on January 30th, 2013

Thermae Romae II will be shot in Bulgaria, and this will be the first ever Japanese movie to be filmed in the said location. The production team also reveals that they will be reconstructing a full-scale Roman colosseum for the movie. Source: tokyohive

January 31st, 2013

Accel World: Kasoku no Chouten’s latest promo and screens make a last-minute bid for your hard-earned money Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/accel-world-kasoku-choutens-latestpromo-screens-last-minute-bid-hard-earned-money/ By KarbyP on January 30th, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone

Accel World: Kasoku no Chouten is a sequel Ginyoku no Kakusei (Awakening of the Silver Wings), which Namco Bandai Games released last year for the PS3 and PSP platforms. If you’re a fan of the Reki Kawahara (also of Sword Art Online fame) sci-fi light-novel-turned-anime-turned-game franchise who’s familiar with the first game, then you sure wouldn’t be a stranger to this second title, which features many of the same gameplay mechanics contained in the first. There will also be plenty of character-focused sidestories, as well as the usual suite of fanservice events. The game will also come with a bonus original video animation (OVA) episode where the series’ characters visit a hot springs inn. For more screens from the game, head over to Dengeki and Crunchyroll’s stories (links below). Accel World: Kasoku no Chouten (アアアアアアアアア ―アアアアア―) for the PS3 and PSP comes out in Japan January 31. Source: Dengeki [via Crunchyroll]

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcade – Songs for February 2013 [video] Accel World: Kasoku no Chouten (Apex of Acceleration) comes out tomorrow (January 31) in Japan for the PlayStation 3 and PSP platforms.

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/hatsune-miku-project-diva-arcadesongs-february-2013-video/ By KarbyP on January 30th, 2013

Still don’t know if you should pick it up? Here, maybe this latest promo and these screenshots of the anime series’ ladies in swimsuits will help with your indecision. You’re welcome.

Finally, Yume Yume from Hatsune Miku feat. Future Stars Project Mirai (3DS) is coming to Project Diva Arcade! The three other songs featured in Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcade’s February songs update are on the rocks (also from Project Mirai), Kipple Industry Inc (brand new to the 5

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Project Diva series), and The Story of the Girl and Her… (also new; was featured in a previous MikuPa concert). All four songs will be accessible in PDA cabinets in Japan and Asia beginning February 5. Here’s a trailer reel:

Published by: VR-Zone

Kipple Industry Inc / ゆゆゆゆゆゆゆゆゆゆゆゆ

Yume Yume / ゆゆゆゆ

Music & Lyrics by millstones Illustration by 2e

Music & Lyrics by DECO*27 Illustration by akka Theme song to Hatsune Miku and Future Stars Project Mirai, Yume Yume was featured in the Saigo no Miku no Hi Kanshasai concert held last year on March 9. For the Project Diva Arcade rendition, Sega is doing an arranged version of the dance motion or choreography for the song as seen at last year’s concert. The stage backgrounds you see in the Project Diva Arcade version are based on those in the opening movie for Project Mirai.

on the rocks

Kipple Industry Inc is the first ever Happy Hardcore track to be feature in the Project Diva series, brought to you by millstones, a Vocaloid music producer who’s worked on many Drum and Bass and Technopop tracks. This song is millstones’s debut work in Project Diva. In creating the accompanying visuals for this song, Sega says that they worked hard to try and preserve the same sort of world view as seen in Kipple Industry’s original PV when it was self-published on Nico Video (watch it below), and as described in the song’s lyrics. To top it off, Sega motion-capped the dance motion for this song from popular Odottemita! (踊踊踊踊踊 or lit. “I’ve Danced It”) movie maker Shizuku (踊) for that extra touch of special. The Sega feat. Hatsune Miku Project development team must really love this song.

The story of the Girl and Her… / ゆゆゆゆゆゆゆゆゆゆ

Music & Lyrics by OSTER project Illustration by IRIASU The song comes courtesy of OSTER project, who’s said to be the leading authority on jazz amongst the Vocaloid producers featured in Sega’s Hatsune Miku games. A song written specifically for the 3DS Project Mirai game, on the rocks brings out the adult sensibilities that KAITO and MEIKO possess – even more so now that the song’s PV is in HD quality.

Music & Lyrics by 踊踊踊踊 Illustration by 踊踊踊踊踊 A song that fans have often requested for Sega to add to PDA over on the game’s dedicated online portal Diva.Net. This song was previously featured in a MikuPa concert (the one held on 8 March 2012, if I’m not mistaken). Marza Animation Planet’s Hideyuki Kinoshita (random fun fact: Kinoshita worked on Dead or Alive 4, too) worked on the dance motion/choreography for the song back then, and Sega is getting him to do a re-arranged version of the dance motion for the Project Diva Arcade’s PV. Special thanks to SGCafe reader Pineapplepen for tipping us off!

January 31st, 2013

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Far Cry 3 exclusive for the PS3: ‘High Tides’ DLC Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/cry-3-exclusive-ps3-high-tides-dlc/ By ellehaym on January 30th, 2013

If you haven’t purchased the game, now is the time to do so. You might even get your hands on Far Cry 3’s special polo shirt giveaway (available until supplies run out).

Still not sure whether to pick up this game or not? Read SGCafe’s Far Cry 3 review. Games publisher Ubisoft has announced their latest DLC offering for your Far Cry 3 game: the “High Tides” DLC pack. This additional co-op mission is available for free on your PS3. So what’s in store for players in this PS3 exclusive? Here’s how the co-op mission goes: Four survivors were captured by Hoyt’s privateers. Find a way to escape with your friends from the underground prison and get away from the island of insane pirates and native rebels.

One Piece Film Z — a vertical slice that hits all the high notes [Movie Review] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/one-piece-film-z-movie-review/ By KarbyP on January 30th, 2013

Aside from this co-op mission, players will also get four new character skins. Get this latest DLC from the PlayStation Store today!

January 31st, 2013

You do not need to be an active follower of Eiichirou Oda’s One Piece manga and anime series to have a blast with One Piece Film Z. Not only does Toei Animation’s latest anime movie introduces amply the franchise’s world and key characters to first-time viewers, but the movie is really about the life story of Zephyr (who calls himself “Z” now, pronounced as “Zed”), a new character who was only recently introduced to the anime series as a lead-in to the self-sufficient film. Formally a top marine admiral, Z now bears deeply seeded hatred for the Marines. Despite having been a loyalist and trusted comrade in the Marines Corp, for a very sane and logical reason that will be revealed at the 108-minute flick’s halfway point, Z was eventually left disenchanted with the force and chose to leave along with his left and right-hand assistants: Ain and Binz. Like Zephyr himself, both Ain and Binz are new characters whose powers will be explained shortly after the start of the movie. Ain’s ability (the female character you see in the image below), in particular, poses a peculiar problem to four members of the Straw Hats Pirates crew – Nami, Robin, Chopper, and Brooks – that serves as a running gag throughout the film.

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gang nurse Z backs to health, an epic battle breaks out aboard the crew’s Thousand Sunny ship. The Straw Hat Pirates suffer a quick defeat, but manages to make a narrow escape in time. In the battle’s aftermath, Tony Tony Chopper (the crew’s doctor and lovable human-reindeer hybrid) blames himself for wanting to stick to his principles as a doctor and nurse Z back to health, even though everyone suspected Z to be a dangerous adversary, since he’s wielding a seastone weapon. The crew tells Chopper not to think that way, and that as pirates who do whatever the hell they want, it is important for them to stick to their principles.

Besides, unbeknownst to the Straw Hat Pirates, had they not encountered Z, then the entire world of One Piece, as fans know it, might just end, should the almighty Marines fail to put a halt to Z’s ambitions. Without giving any plot details away, let’s just say that it is actually Luffy and gang’s great fortune to have suffered defeat under the hands of Z. It is also Singapore’s great fortune to have One Piece Film Z shown here in our cinemas. For One Piece Film Z is the rare type of anime movie that doesn’t simply pander to its target audience’s tastes, but is actually intelligent and funny enough that even adults and non-fans will find themselves laughing out loud, instead of groaning at terribly lame puns or cheesy plot twists.

Together, the three and their crew are now the Marines’ top threat to eliminate, and at the start of the movie we see Z and his men storming into a marine base to steal a controlled weapon: DynaStone, an explosive resource so powerful that it can destroy entire islands.

Any friends or family members that you drag into watching this film with you will come out of it thinking differently about anime, if they weren’t already fond of it to begin with.

But Z doesn’t just hate the Marines. He strongly hates pirates too – more so than his former allies, in fact. Back when he was serving in the force, one of them pirates did cut off his left arm, after all, which led to marine scientists replacing it with a gigantic bionic arm made out of seastone – the same sort of material the Marines use to make jail cells and handcuffs. Seastone apparently emits the same energy wavelength that the ocean does, and so Devil Fruit users are weak to this stuff, as evidenced in the movie when protagonist Monkey D. Luffy attempts to rescue Z, whom the Straw Hats pirates find drifting in the middle of the ocean. When Luffy, the user of the Gomu Gomu no Mi Devil Fruit which makes his body elastic like rubber, stretches out his arm to grab ahold of Z’s bionic attachment and to reel him in with, our hero feels his life energy getting sucked out of him, as if he were left to drown in the ocean. Coupled with his many years of experience fighting treacherous pirates, Z’s seastone bionic arm makes him a formidable adversary for our hero Luffy. After Luffy and

They’ll especially love Tony Tony Chopper’s child-like naivete (at one point Chopper attaches his milk bottle to his left paw in an attempt to mimic Z), and Brook the re8

January 31st, 2013

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animated skeleton’s role as comic relief: in one scene where our heroes head off to the hot springs, Brook comments that he’s been soaking in the hot springs for so long that “his bones are leaking” (in Japanese he says, literally, “soup is coming out of me”). There’s plenty of action and fanservice here too. Luffy and his Straw Hats Pirates undergo through no less than two wardrobe changes (three sets of costumes). Marines characters who do not have speaking roles appear in the background during various scenes at the navy’s HQ.

Apart from that, I only have two other minor gripes for this otherwise fantastic movie. First, for some reason throughout the film there are a couple of weird, non-sequitur moments – like Luffy suddenly stopping between one fight and the next to eat a giant chunk of meat, or Z gazing solemnly at a capsule of DynaStone for a good 15 seconds or so – that completely stops the flow of the movie and might even turn your mind off for a short while.

Also, the One Piece anime and manga series are known for the often creative ways that intense battles are portrayed, and Toei Animation does not disappoint here. Battles in other Shounen Manga shows can often be distilled down to the following boring premise: characters A and B spam each other with all of their special attacks, in order of increasing power, until one of them gets blown away. Personally, I’ve felt that that’s never been the case with the One Piece series, in which characters often fight while making terrific use of their environments and rely on good ol’ hand-to-hand combat (or sword-to-sword, gun-to-gun, etc), before bringing out their special attacks only in situations that truly call for it. In that sense, One Piece Film Z doesn’t disappoint as well.

It certainly did for me – it was as if I was having an outof-body experience where my inner conscience drifted all the way to Toei Animation to scream at One Piece Film Z’s director Tatsuya Nagamine: “why the hell are you showing me this, get on with the movie, damnit!” (Oh, but what do I know about anime? Absolutely nothing; I am nobody but a humble anime fan). The second is that, despite doing a good job of explaining every single important detail to first-time viewers in the simplest way possible (who is Nami? She is a navigator. What is Brook’s power? Ice thingie. What’s Luffy’s Gear Second form? Oh, he accelerates the flow of his blood to power up. What’s the meaning behind the name change from Zephyr to Z? Find out in the movie), the film never attempts to explain what’s going on in one particular fight scene where the combatants’ arms suddenly turn black.

There are also a few touching and awe-inspiring moments in One Piece Film Z as well. For instance, prepare to be awestruck when Luffy and gang receives from an old man the “Ultimate Weapon” to combat Z with. Although the One Piece series is known for its numerous heartfelt moments, unfortunately this time around there weren’t really any powerful scenes that elicit a tear-jerker response the same way the Ash-Ketchum-turning-intostone moment in the first Pokemon movie did; everyone I’ve talked to who watched that movie said they teared up as they watched Pikachu cry out desperately to a petrified Ketchum, the imagery akin to that of a young kid not understanding the concept of death and how to deal with the going-away of a loved one. The most emotionally powerful moment in the film comes from a brief moment where an old illustration – of RedHaired Shanks putting a straw hat on a young, crying Luffy – is flashed on the screen for about three seconds. The illustration’s effect was amplified by the context behind it in the movie, and I was close to tearing up at that point. But did it impress me? No, this is rehashing old material.

I had to find out after the movie that this was called “Busoshoku: Koka” or “Armament: Hardening” which, in all fairness, is really difficult to explain – basically certain characters are able to manipulate spiritual energy into coating their arms black, like a steel weapon. But if you’re already very familiar with the source material to begin with, then One Piece Film Z is an absolute no-brainer: you have to watch this. And bring a few friends along to the movie with you. Who knows, you might turn them into newly-converted One Piece fans.

January 31st, 2013

It’s really difficult for any anime or manga fan to try and read or watch the One Piece manga and anime series from start to its latest development – the series is up to volume 68 (manga) and 500-something episodes (anime) now.

Published by: VR-Zone By ellehaym on January 30th, 2013

So consider One Piece Film Z a vertical slice of the longrunning series. One that hits all the high notes. Here’s hoping that Toei Animation will succeed in bringing the movie out to not just Asia, but also the Americas, Europe, and the rest of the world. For even for movie-goers who know absolutely nothing about One Piece, it’s still incredibly funny to watch a petite reindeer-human attach a milk bottle to his paw and pretend he’s Bionic Commando (pew, pew!). ONE PIECE FILM Z will be opening at all Cathay Cineplexes starting 21 February 2013. Sneak peeks will also be held on January 31 to February 3. Movie-goers who pre-purchase their tickets are entitled to One Piece Film Z premiums, the contents of which differ depending on the date of ticket-collection.

Japanese idol unit ClariS will be performing the OP song entitled reunion for the second season of Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (a.k.a. Oreimo). For the album cover art of the new single, Hiro Kanzaki provides a new illustration for the Jpop duo. The new character illustration was posted on the official website of ClariS. Kanzaki, the character designer of Oreimo, had previously provided illustrations for Jpop idol unit, which includes their debut single Irony (Oreimo’s first season OP theme). The new illustration features new outfits for the duo, with a slightly altered hairstyle for Clara.

Jpop duo ClariS receives an updated character illustration from Hiro Kanzaki

Kanzaki’s illustration for ClariS’ single Irony:

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/jpop-duo-claris-receives-updatedcharacter-illustration-hiro-kanzaki/

January 31st, 2013

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Welcome message from Clamp.

ClariSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; new single, reunion, will be out in Japan on April 17.

As we had reported on the xxxHoLiC themed cafe, which had opened on the 21st of this month, here are some latest photos released by Kodanshaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Young Magazine.

Source: Crunchyroll

xxxHoLiC themed cafe in Shibuya Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/xxxholic-themed-cafe-shibuya/ By weiq on January 30th, 2013

Part of the cafe, with artworks from the manga series.

Beautiful replica from the live-action series.

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One of Yuko’s costume from the live-action series. And the mouth-watering special menu, which is only available for the duration of the themed cafe.

Special menu. Top: nerikiri (bean paste sweet) & “snow bunny,” strawberry chiffon cake, xxxHOLiC honey toast. Bottom: coasters, fondant chocolat, banana pancakes

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Close-up shot of the special menu and the six limited original coasters, which are only available with orders from the special menu.

xxxHOLiC honey toast, with Yuko’s iconic butterfly and the black Mokona, Larg. In a corner at the nearby Shibuya Tsutaya shop, in addition to offering a sneak preview of various scenes of the liveaction series, the shop also displayed the costume of Yuko Ichihara.

January 31st, 2013

Published by: VR-Zone By ellehaym on January 30th, 2013

Display of Yuko’s costume and various scenes from the series.

It’s Megurine Luka’s birthday today! In celebration of the pink-haired virtual idol’s birthday, Project Diva Arcade has released a video the features a medley of her songs. In case you’re wondering, Megurine Luka was originally released by Crypton Future Media on January 30, 2009. Enjoy the 6-minute video prepared by Sega for the digital diva and her fans: The songs included in this video are as follows: • Hoshikuzu Utopia: music and lyrics by otetsu • Meiteki Cybernetics: music and lyrics by otetsu • Just Be Friends: music and lyrics by Dixie Flatline Close-up of Yuko’s costume. The themed cafe will be held until 3rd March, while the drama corner at Shibuya Tsutaya will be from 28th January to 28th February. For more information and updates on the cafe and drama corner, you can follow the links below. source: kc.kodansha.co.jp, twitter/xxxHOLiCcafe

Project Diva Arcade celebrates Megurine Luka’s birthday with a medley of her songs [VIDEO] Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/01/project-diva-arcade-celebratesmegurine-lukas-birthday-medley-songs-video/

• Colorful x Sexy (sung with Meiko): music and lyrics by Team Moer • Magnet (sung with Hatsune Miku): music and lyrics by minato • Iya Iya Seijin: music and lyrics by Iyaiya-P • Luka Luka Night Fever: music and lyrics by samfree • Hanama Tsukiuta Tan: music and lyrics by Hoskey, Yukie Dong • Double Lariat: music and lyrics by Agoaniki • Leia by: music and lyrics Yukiyuppe • Palette: music and lyrics by Yukiyuppe, meola • World’s End Dancehall (sung with Hatsune Miku): music and lyrics by wowaka • No Logic: music and lyrics by JimmyThumb-P The video also includes an announcement of a new song for the arcade game to be added this spring: Black Gold by otetsu.