February 26th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture
By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012
Sega Gets You Dancing With New maimai Dance Game Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/sega-gets-you-dancing-with-newmaimai-dance-game/ By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012
A TV guide published in Japan inadvertently leaked the news that the Bleach anime will end its broadcast run on March 27.
Sega has announced the release of a new rhythm game with a front facing touchscreen and a camera that records the player’s performance. The new game is called “maimai” — “mai”, incidentally, is the Japanese word for “dance”. To play, you need to press the eight buttons surrounding the main display, or slide your finger across the touchscreen, in time with the music. There’s also a camera near the top of the console, which can record the player and the screen at the same time. Sega plans to add the ability to upload player videos to NicoNico Douga — which would work well within the culture of NND users who like to show off their gaming prowess online. maimai will be available in July 2012, and will be available overseas shortly after. Source: DigInfo.tv
Its 6:00 PM Tuesday time slot on TV Tokyo will be taken over by the new weekly Naruto SD: Rock Lee no Seishun FullPower Ninden starting April 3. In other news, Hollywood entertainment magazine Variety is reporting that Warner Bros. has purchased the rights to Bleach and is working on a live-action movie adaptation. Dan Mazeau of the Clash of the Titans remake will be in charge of the screenplay, and Peter Segal of the Get Smart remake will produce and possibly direct the film. Source: ANN
Sony Computer Entertainment official PS Vita launch in Singapore Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/sony-computer-entertainmentofficial-ps-vita-launch-in-singapore/ By sentinel011 on February 26th, 2012
Bleach Ends TV Run, Hollywood Adaptation Considered Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/bleach-ends-tv-run-hollywoodadaptation-considered/
Portable gaming takes the next step with the PS Vita, with Singapore the third country to be launched outside of Japan. 1
February 26th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
With more gamers in Singapore wanting a new experience in portable gaming, the PS Vita certainly lives up to the hype. It’s going for a suggested retail pricing of $399. Below are the game titles available for purchase at all authorized Sony retail outlets and participating shops: Title Name Publisher Genre Army SQUARE Action Corps of ENIX Co., Hell™ Ltd. (English Version) ASPHALT : Ubisoft Racing INJECTIONLimited
Format PS Vita Card / PS Store Download Version PS Vita Card / PS Store Download Version 2D fighting PS Vita game Card / PS Store Download Version
SRP (SGD) SGD54.90/ SGD51.99
BLAZBLUE ARC CONTINUUM SYSTEM SHIFT WORKS EXTEND Co.,Ltd. (English/ Japanese voice version) DISGAEA3 NIPPON Simulation Return ICHI RPG SOFTWARE INC.
SGD54.90/ SGD45.49
PS Vita Card / PS Store Download Version PS Vita Card / PS Store Download Version PS Vita Card / PS Store Download Version PS Vita Card / PS Store Download Version PS Store Download Version
SGD69.90/ SGD58.49
DUNGEON Ubisoft HUNTER Limited ALLIANCE
RPG
Dynasty Warriors NEXT (English version) EA SPORTS FIFA Football
Action
TECMO KOEI GAMES
Electronic Sports Arts
SGD56.90/ SGD44.69
SGD56.90/ SGD44.69
SGD54.90/ SGD46.79
SGD54.90/ SGD54.90 (DL)
Escape Sony Puzzle SGD19.49 Plan Computer (Chinese Entertainment + English Version) Everybody’sSony Golf Game PS Vita SGD54.90/ Golf 6 Computer Card / SGD46.79 Entertainment PS Store (Asian Download Chinese Version + English Version) F1 2011™
CODEMASTERS Racing Ltd.
PS Vita SGD59.00/ Card / TBD(DL） PS Store Download Version
GRAVITY RUSH ） ））））） (Chinese Version) Hustle Kings™
Sony Action PS Vita Computer Adventure Card / Entertainment PS Store Download Version Sony Sports PS Store Computer Download Entertainment Version Little Sony Action PS Store Deviants™ Computer Download Entertainment Version LORD of SQUARE Action PS Vita ™ Co., RPG ENIX Card / APOCALYPSE Ltd. PS Store Download Version Lumines : Ubisoft Puzzle PS Vita Electronic Limited Card / Symphony PS Store Download Version ModNation Sony Racing PS Vita Racers: Computer Card / Road Trip Entertainment PS Store (Asian Download English + Version Chinese Version) MotorStorm™ Sony Racing PS Store RC Computer Download Entertainment Version MICHAEL Ubisoft Rhythm/ PS Vita JACKSON Limited Dancing Card / THE PS Store EXPERIENCE Download HD Version NINJA TECMO Action PS Vita GAIDEN KOEI Card / Σ PLUS GAMES PS Store (English CO., LTD. Download voice Version version) Puzzle by HAMSTER Puzzle PS Store Nikoli V Corporation Download Sudoku Version Ragnarok GungHo Action PS Store Odyssey Online Download (Japanese Entertainment, Version version) Inc. Rayman Ubisoft Action PS Vita Origins Limited Card / PS Store Download Version Reality Sony Fighting PS Vita Fighters Computer Action Card / (Asian Entertainment PS Store English Download Version) Version Shinobido Spike Ninja PS Vita 2: Revenge Co.,Ltd. Stealth Card / of Zen Action
SGD54.90/ SGD46.79
SGD14.5
SGD32.49
SGD69.90/ SGD62.39
SGD59.90/ SGD51.39
SGD39.90/ SGD35.09
SGD9.89
SGD56.90/ SGD44.69
SGD54.90/ SGD46.79
SGD3.89
SGD58.49
SGD59.90/ SGD51.39
SGD39.90/ SGD35.09
SGD69.90/ SGD58.49
2
February 26th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
(Japanese version) STAR STRIKE™ DELTA SUMIONI (Japanese version)
Sony Shooting Computer Entertainment ACQUIRE INK Corp. ACTION
Touch My NAMCO Katamari BANDAI Games
Others
ULTIMATECAPCOM Fighting MARVEL CO., LTD. Action VS. CAPCOM 3 (English Version) Uncharted: Sony Action Golden Computer Adventure Abyss Entertainment (Chinese +English Version) Virtua SEGA Sports Tennis 4
WipEout™ Sony Racing 2048 Computer Entertainment
PS Store Download Version PS Store Download Version PS Vita Card / PS Store Download Version PS Vita Card / PS Store Download Version PS Vita Card / PS Store Download Version
SGD12.99
SGD54.90/ SGD46.79
SGD59.90/ SGD53.91
Mr Michael Humphrey, Designer of WipeOut 2048, was present to give a demonstration of the game using the PS Vita’s intuitive features. Other guests include Media Development Authority and Nanyang Polytechnic. People can experience the PS Vita’s features at the roadshow, with games such as Fifa Football and WipeOut 2048.
SGD54.90/ SGD44.69
PS Vita SGD69.90/ Card / SGD58.49 PS Store Download Version PS Vita Card / PS Store Download Version PS Vita Card / PS Store Download Version
At the opening launch, Mr Tetsuhiko Yasuda, Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong, gave a speech on the development kit for the PS Vita and the Playstation 3 established in Singapore since last year, with some games currently in development locally. Nanyang Polytechnic is involved in this development.
Picture source: Vr-Zone
SGD54.90/ SGD40.59
SGD39.90/ SGD35.09
One Piece: Pirate Warriors PV 4 is out Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/one-piece-pirate-warriors-4th-pv-isout/ By shia on February 26th, 2012
PlayStation ® Vita Peripheral & Accessory Product Name Memory Card (4GB) Memory Card (8GB) Memory Card (16GB) Memory Card (32GB) USB Cable AC Adaptor Cradle In-Ear Headset
Model No.
Release Date SRP (SGD)
PCH-Z041G PCH-Z081G
22nd Feb, 2012 SGD39.90
PCH-Z161G
SGD77.90
PCH-Z321G
SGD129.00
PCH-ZUC1 PCH-ZAC1H PCH-ZCL1G PCH-ZHS1G
SGD11.90 SGD11.90 SGD19.90 SGD19.90
SGD27.90
To celebrate the launch of the PS Vita in Singapore, Sony Computer Entertainment is having a roadshow on the ground floor of 313 Somerset in Orchard Road. The roadshow will be held from today till Sunday, 26 February.
The 4th Promotional Video for One Piece: Pirate Warriors is out.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors in a nutshell is basically a Dynasty Warriors game set in the One Piece universe. The story is follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy who organizes a crew of pirates and sets off to find the legendary treasure “one piece”. Luffy while he was young had ingested the Gum-Gum fruit that lets him become as stretchable as rubber.
3
February 26th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
The boxed set includes Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for Nintendo 3DS, Kingdom Hearts re:Coded and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for Nintendo DS, a 3DS cover, and a set of 12 postcards. The Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Box will be priced at JPY 15,000. Source: Siliconera
Pirate Warriors comes in a few flavours , Normal Edition , Treasure Box, Gold Edition The Treasure Box, a collector’s edition which includes the game’s soundtrack, 15 collectible pins, a serial code to download nine custom themes featuring individual members of the Straw Hat Pirates, and a book featuring character and CG-rendered artwork and environments from the game’s production and a rare collectible for the Social game , One Piece Grand Collection
New Images for Conception for the PSP Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/new-images-for-conception-for-thepsp/ By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012
The gold Edition includes what is in the Treasure Box Edition and a Limited Skinned PS3 plus an exclusive custom theme of the Straw Hat Pirates and another exclusive rare collectible for One Piece Grand Collection. Game Information:Japanese Name : ））））） ）））） (one piece kaizoku musou) Genre : Action Feast your eyes on Cancer, Leo, and Virgo (yes, she is also a regular high school student trapped in the alternate world).
Maker : Koei Tecmo , Published by Bandai Namco Release Date : 1st of March 2012 Price : Normal-8190yen Gold-38170yen
,
Treasure-12890yen
,
Source : Bandai Namco
Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Box Out March 29th Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/kingdom-hearts-10th-anniversarybox-out-march-29th/ By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012
Square Enix and Disney’s Kingdom Hearts series will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary with a limited edition boxed set — out 29th March in Japan. 4
February 26th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012
Kochi Indies Magazine is an independent publication whose main purpose is to nurture young artists with aims of joining the manga industry. Kyoko Yasuoka, the editor in chief said, “We, as manga editors, advise them how to create manga on the professional level. Once they reach a certain level, we publish their manga in our magazine and distribute it through the book stores in the region and our online store.” The good news is, Kochi Indies Magazine is open to illustration submissions from foreign artists. For inquiries and to submit your manga illustration to the magazine, email them at kochiindiesmagazine[AT]chime[DOT]ocn[DOT]ne[DOT]jp Source: Crunchyroll
Studio Ghibli and Level 5′s Ni no Kuni in English by End of 2012 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/studio-ghibli-and-level-5s-ni-nokuni-in-english-by-end-of-2012/ By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012
Click here for more on Conception: New PSP Game “Conception” Ups Ante on Dating Sims, Heads Straight to Childbirth Source: Conception OHP and Famitsu
Kochi Indies Manga Magazine Open to Overseas Submissions Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/kochi-indies-manga-magazine-opento-overseas-submissions/
Ni no Kuni — an RPG for the PS3 created with the collaborative efforts of Studio Ghibli and Level 5, will see an English-language release by the end of the year, according to their distributor Bandai Namco. Ni no Kuni will include both English and Japanese voice tracks in the English-language release. According to Level 5, it was such an honor to work with Studio Ghibli, as well as with acclaimed animation soundtrack composer Joe Hisaishi, that they wanted to do 5
February 26th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
their best to bring a rich gaming experience to both Japanese and overseas gamers.
buildings, etc. in order to build up the mightiest Viking kingdom.”
Source: Crunchyroll
Registration is currently open and — as previously mentioned, the game is free to play. However, you can also purchase power-ups and items via micro-transactions. To sign up and play, visit: EinHerJar.com
Otome Game “Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku” Gets Anime
Source: EinHerJar OHP
Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/otome-game-hanayaka-nari-wagaichizoku-gets-anime/ By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012
As announced on the cover of Enterbrain’s B’s-Log magazine that was mistakenly leaked by its editors (it has since been recalled), otome PSP game “Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku” will have an animated version very soon. “Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku” is set during Japan’s Taishō era (1912-1926), where you play as a naive young house-maid, caught up in the struggle for succession of a powerful and wealthy family. Source: ANN
“EinHerjar” Singapore Beta Now Open Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/einherjar-singapore-beta-now-open/ By magnetic_rose on February 26th, 2012
Free-to-play Japanese browser game “EinHerjar” opens the doors to its English Beta, with the aim of attracting users from Singapore and the rest of South East Asia. EinHerJar is set in “a vast and wild Nordic land where a human race has proclaimed themselves as descendants of the Gods. Each player will play as a chieftain of a Viking clan… [and] will be in charge of many tasks such as managing resources, finding new areas, constructing 6
March 3rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture
Now Streaming: Singapore’s finest SoulCalibur players vie for $10,000 in prizes Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/now-streaming-singapores-finestsoulcalibur-players-vie-for-10000-in-prizes/ By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012
Catch Singapore’s finest SoulCalibur players in action at E2Max from now to 12midnight today, as they vie for a chance to represent our sunny island in the grand finals of SoulCalibur Impact 2012, a global SoulCalibur V tournament to be held in Newcastle, London on March 17.
“We have seen the passion and dedication of the local gaming community, and are fully committed to raising the profile of Singapore’s gaming scene and giving it the support and attention it deserves.”
New Street Fighter X Tekken alternate costumes, Godsgarden tournament unveiled on Japanese livestream Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/new-street-fighter-x-tekken-arrangecostumes-godsgarden-tournament-unveiled-on-japanese-livestream/ By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012
Watch live video from Round1.sg on www.twitch.tv The action is fiercer, Pyrrha’s 236+B stab move more visceral if you catch it live at E2Max, of course. And there are free-play SoulCalibur V terminals for folks to try the game, or (if you’re familiar with the game) play some casual matches with members of the community too. But if you can’t make it to the event venue, local SoulCalibur community and co-organiser of the tournament (in conjunction with Namco Bandai Partners Singapore) “Soul Singapore” has got your back: they’re streaming the tournament live. Top 8 starts from 7.30PM, and for everything else you can refer to the event schedule posted here.
Capcom just unveiled several new character “arrange costumes” (that’s Engrish for “alternate costumes”) for Street Fighter X Tekken at the grand finals of the Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition ver.2012 3v3 national tournament in Japan, streamed live on Nico Nico Douga right now. Tekken side: -Asuka (cosplaying as Ibuki) This is the first time Namco Bandai Partners Singapore has worked with a local games community to organise a fighting game tournament of this scale. “Fighting games have always been a key part of Namco Bandai’s business and with important franchises such as Soul Calibur and Tekken under our belt, our next steps are to grow these licenses organically,” said Mr Kelvin Seah, General Manager of Sales & Marketing at Namco Bandai Partners Singapore.
-Lili (as Poison) -Paul (as… Blanka?) -Law (as Fei Long -Xiaoyu (as Chun Li) -Jin (erm… no idea; let us know in the comments)
1
March 3rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
-Ogre (as Gill) Street Fighter side: -Vega/Claw (as… again, let us know in the comments) -Balrog/Boxer (as Steve) -M.Bison/Dictator (as Yoshimitsu) -Juri (don’t know this one either) -Akuma (as Heihachi)
Source: Jin’s My Game New Flash
Latest episode of Cross Counter Asia features an allnew 8-bit intro Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/latest-episode-of-cross-counter-asiafeatures-an-all-new-8-bit-intro/ By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012
Local Street Fighter champs Xian and Zhi are back with more excellent online ranked-match adventures – and a brand new intro done in 8-bit style – in the latest episode of Cross Counter Asia. It looks like this will be the last episode to focus exclusively on Super Street Fighter IV, at least for a while, as the dynamic duo takes a break from the game to play some Street Fighter X Tekken, which comes out next Tuesday.
But that’s not all; on the stream Capcom also announced that they will be collaborating with Godsgarden on a Street Fighter X Tekken tournament very soon. We’ll bring you more details on the new arrange costumes as well as the Godsgarden tournament when they are made available.
2
March 3rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012
Arc System Works’ and Atlus’s long-awaited fighting game Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (Persona 4: Arena for short) was finally released in Japanese arcades today. To commemorate the occasion, the Naka city (Ibaraki prefecture) branch of arcade chain Plabi Joy Com is streaming a bunch of P4:Arena casual matches live on their Ustream channel. Now that the game is out, we also have more concrete information about Labrys, the new character we reported on yesterday. According to Japanese arcade-goers, the robochick is not a playable character at this point. Instead, you face off against her in the latter half of story mode. Win one round against Labrys, and Kuma/Teddie appears to stop the match. Players then proceed to fight the “true form” of Kuma/Teddie as a final boss. Go to this Famitsu.com story if you’d like a closer look at the official Labrys character artwork.
In the same story you’ll also find screenshots detailing character colour variations in the game (14 in total, but only 8 accessible at the start; the rest you’ll have to unlock through the arcade game’s Player’s Guild card system) as well as “instant-kill special moves”.
Persona 4: Arena casuals streamed live, more details on Labrys, instant-kill moves Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/persona-4-arena-casuals-streamedlive-more-details-on-labrys-instant-kill-moves/
These instant-kill moves are similar to the Astral Heats in BlazBlue and Destroyed in Guilty Gear in that if you land it on your opponent you’ll win the match immediately, no questions asked. According to Famitsu, the activation conditions include: you must be on match-point, and you have 100 SP points to burn. Unlike Astral Heats, it looks like you can use these instant-kill moves even with 100-percent health (as seen in the following screenshots).
3
March 3rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
Miku Flick will be released on the Japanese iTunes App Store on March 9, also known as Miku’s Day, for 1,200 yen. In Miku Flick, players will tap and flick on a Japanesestyle virtual keyboard and type out the lyrics of well-loved Vocaloid songs (such as “Stargazer” and “World is Mine”) to the beat. Tapping any of the virtual keys on your iPhone is good enough for first-vowel consonants like “a”, “ka”, “sa”, and “ta”. But to access the syllables “ki”, “ku”, “ke” and “ko” you will need to tap “ka” and flick to the left, upwards, right, or downwards respectively. As an example, one of the screenshots shows what appears to be a line from World is Mine, requiring the player to type in “i de” just as Miku is about to sing those syllables. To accomplish this, you first tap on the key for “a” and flick to the left, then tap on “ta” and flick to the right – in two quick, successive strokes.
Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena is slated for a Summer 2012 release on consoles (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360).
Miku Flick, an iOS game from Sega, comes out on Miku’s Day Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/mikuflick-an-ios-game-from-segacomes-out-on-mikus-day/ By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012
A new Hatsune Miku rhythm action game from Project Diva publisher Sega is coming to the iOS! Gamer.ne reports that 4
March 3rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
scored points by correctly guessing the title of a song purely from the first few seconds of its intro. Mayu Watanabe made a brief (pre-recorded) appearance on the show to promote her solo debut single, Synchro Tokimeki, which came out today.
Shizuka Oya’s idol/actors team (Oya, renowned model Rola, comedian Bibiru Ooki, and D☆DATE’s Shunji Igarashi) eventually clinched first place on the show, no doubt in part due to Oya’s uncanny ability to recognise Shinryaku no Susume (the theme of Ika Musume) and Sousei no Aquarion almost immediately after the intros were played. See it for yourself in the following Shizuka Oya highlight reel on YouTube, starting from the 04:50 mark. Oddly enough, however, she wasn’t quite as quick to the batting post when it came to her own music, and even hilariously mistook Ue Kara Mariko (the song in which Oya made her first senbatsu or “front-line member” appearance) for Everyday Kachusha (beginning of the highlight reel). Due to the nature of the game, a basic understanding of Japanese Hiragana may actually be required to play Miku Flick. Although from the screenshots it sure looks there are markers on the virtual keyboard to help players who may not be able to pinpoint the right Kana in the nick of time. Miku Flick supports the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch (4th generation), iPad, and the iPad 2. For more information, head over to Sega’s official site. Source: Gamer.ne
AKB48′s Mayu Watanabe and Shizuka Oya on FujiTV music quiz show Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/akb48s-mayu-watanabe-andshizuka-oya-on-fujitv-music-quiz-show/ By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012
This is what Persona 4 Ultimate’s new character, Labrys, looks like Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/this-is-what-persona-4-ultimatesnew-character-labrys-looks-like/ By KarbyP on March 3rd, 2012
Earlier today the Net was abuzz with news of Labrys, a new character in Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena who’s voiced by Ayana Taketatsu (Azusa in KOn!!). The information was published in Weekly Famitsu, which technically only goes on sale in Japan tomorrow. But thanks to the power of the Internet, you’re hearing about it one day in advance. And now that scans from the magazine have also appeared online, you’re seeing it early too. Here’s your first look at the silver-haired heroine and her “steely” charms.
Can you guess the name of the song AKB48′s Mayu Watanabe is humming in this video? Here’s a hint: it was one of the most popular tracks featured in Guitar Freaks and DrumMania. The answer is revealed from 0:35 onwards. This clip is from variety show Quiz DoReMiFaDon, which aired last night on FujiTV. Contestants on the show – comedians, TV talents, and idols like AKB48′s Shizuka Oya – 5
March 3rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
Pixiv Artists Draw Final Fantasy Characters in Shounen Jump Styles Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/pixiv-artists-draw-final-fantasycharacters-in-shounen-jump-styles/ By magnetic_rose on March 3rd, 2012
Check out the gallery after the jump!
According to the scans, Labrys is the student council president at Yasogami High School (which the Persona 4 characters go to). Not much else is known about her except she speaks Kansai-ben, and wants Kuma to put a stop to his Mayonaka Arena tournament.
Fist of the North Star – Hara Tetsuo
We’re not sure if Labrys is an original character exclusive to this game, although Japanese forum-goers have pointed out that she may have made her first appearance in a Persona 3 drama CD. If you’re a fan of the franchise with more information on Labrys you’d like to share, do let us know in the comments below. Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena hits arcades and consoles later this year. Source: Hachima
Prince of Tennis – Konomi Takeshi
6
March 3rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
One Piece – Oda Eiichirou
Eyeshield 21 – Murata Yuusuke
Hikaru no Go/Death Note – Obata Takeshi
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Araki Hirohiko
7
March 3rd, 2012
Naruto – Kishimoto Masashi
Bleach – Kubo Tite
Published by: VR-Zone
Katekyo Hitman Reborn – Amano Akira
Slam Dunk/Vagabond – Inoue Takehiko
8
March 3rd, 2012
Dragon Ball – Toriyama Akira
Published by: VR-Zone
Black Cat/ToLoveRu – Yabuki Kentarou Source: Pixiv
Hakuouki Gets New OAV, Third Season, *AND* Fulllenght Film Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/hakuouki-gets-oav-third-seasonand-full-lenght-film/ By magnetic_rose on March 3rd, 2012
Gintama – Sorachi Hideaki
Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan is having a landmark year. Not only is the Playstation and PSP game franchise releasing a sixth OAV, but a third season for the TV animation is in the works, and a feature-length film has also been announced. Phew! A special arc for the Hakuouki Sekkaroku OVA will be released in June 2012; this 6th OAV will cover the Shimabara arc from the first five OAV releases from Kazama’s point of view. The new TV animation Hakuouki Reimeiroku is scheduled to air this summer; it follows the arc from the first two seasons and tells the story of the rise of the Shinsengumi. Lastly, a two-part movie will premiere early next year featuring an original screenplay. Details on the film are 9
March 3rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
still scarce, but fans should watch out for it in the coming months. Source: Crunchyroll
Square Enix Announces Guardian Cross for the iOS Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/02/square-enix-announces-guardiancross-for-the-ios/ By magnetic_rose on March 3rd, 2012
Square Enix will be releasing a new game entitled Guardian Cross — for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Guardian Cross is a free-to-play card-battling game, with special options that can be purchased with cash. Guardian Cross was developed by the same team who created Knights of the Crystals for Facebook. The iOS version will be released in the first quarter of 2012, with an Android version following soon after. Source: Crunchyroll.
10
March 17th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture
Miku Flick: Can you clear the hardest song in Break the Limit mode? Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/miku-flick-can-you-clear-thehardest-song-in-break-the-limit-mode/ By KarbyP on March 17th, 2012
The answer is “No”. It is, quite literally, unpossible. But before we get to that, let’s first take a look at how Miku Flick actually plays. Contrary to my initial speculation, it seems like you really don’t need to be well-versed in the ways of Japanese hieroglphyics (or just hiragana) to play the game. Oh, make sure you stop at the 03:10 mark (when you get to the “results” screen… we’ll let you know why in a bit). Seems manageable, even though it’s on Hard, right? Now here’s the same song again, this time in Break the Limit mode (this is footage from the same video, beginning from 03:10) Yep, in Break the Limit mode you’re expected to type out every single syllable in the song. And in the case of “The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku”, the final (and hardest) song you unlock in Miku Flick, that’s simply not humanly possible. Not every song is as unscalable in Break the Limit mode. As this next video from YouTube user Yuuki7oct proves, Break the Limit is perfectly playable – he cleared “moon” with an “A” ranking (over 15,000 points). Although it will no doubt test your skills. Miku Flick is available on the Japanese iTunes store for 1,200 yen, and supports the iPhone (3GS and up), iPod Touch (3rd Generation and up), and iPad.
Tell Your World EP debuts #4 on Oricon Daily Ranking, full MV released on YouTube Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/tell-your-world-ep-debuts-4-onoricon-daily-ranking-full-mv-released-on-youtube/ By KarbyP on March 17th, 2012
The full EP album for Hatsune Miku X Google Chrome “Tell Your World“, was released earlier this week on March 14, debuting at number four on the Oricon Daily ranking charts, amongst the likes of SDN48, 2PM, and miwa. #1 “NEXT ENCORE” SDN48 #2 “2PM Best ~2008-2011 in Korea” 2PM #3 “guitarium” miwa #4 “Tell Your World EP” livetune feat. Hatsune Miku #5 “Ramune no Nomikata” SKE48(team K II)
1
March 17th, 2012
#6 “PLAYGIRLZ” Afterschool #7 “YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz I” YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz #8 “Kono Koe” Takahashi Yuu #9 “NEWTRAL” Ikimonogakari
Published by: VR-Zone
Street Fighter X Tekken Blog: patch for infinites & bugs forthcoming Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/street-fighter-x-tekken-blog-patchfor-infinites-bugs-forthcoming/ By KarbyP on March 17th, 2012
#10 “nanoir” Nano To commemorate the release, livetune has uploaded the full music video to Tell Your World on his official YouTube channel (video embedded up top). Here are some stills taken from the music video:
In his latest entry on Capcom Japan’s official Street Fighter X Tekken blog, assistant producer Tomoaki Ayano announced that the development team is currently working on a patch (or possibly, several patches) that will address – among other game glitches – sound effects and voices not playing back correctly during online matches, infinite combos for a subset of the cast, and a glitch where certain characters are frozen in place after activating a Quick Combo. The development team is currently looking into the causes behind infinite combos and the Quick Combo glitch. Both issues will be fixed accordingly. As for sound effects and voices not playing back correctly, Ayano AP once again explains that the audio glitch has to do with the way the netcode is written – sound effects are sometimes cut off during “roll-backs” that allow multiple players to connect to one another with minimal lag (KarbyP’s note: this is similar to GGPO technology, which was implemented in Street Fighter III 3rd Strike Online Edition) – and that the team will do its best to improve the online experience with regards to audio. The audio issues were the topic of discussion in Ayano AP’s previous blog post last week. As a minor update, he says that the team should be ready to announce a release date for a patch in mid-April. Apart from the bug-related announcements, Ayano AP also urges Street Fighter X Tekken players to check out the official Capcom USA blog next Tuesday, March 20 at 8AM Japan time (7AM Singapore time) where some additional Street Fighter X Tekken game elements (probably DLC) will be unveiled.
Apart from the titular single, Tell Your World EP also includes the full versions of “Far Away”, “Star Story”, and “Fly Out”, which are tracks that fans have often requested to be released on a CD. Source: Ota-suke
2
March 17th, 2012
Kuro’s infinite loop should be a thing of the past once the game gets patched. Screenshot taken from this video by the venerable Desk.
Published by: VR-Zone
Last batch of images — features Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. More after the jump!
Win One of Six Pairs of Tickets to L’Arc~en~Ciel Live in Singapore! Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/win-one-of-six-pairs-of-tickets-tolarcenciel-live-in-singapore/ By magnetic_rose on March 17th, 2012
Win one of six pairs of tickets to L’Arc~en~Ciel Live in Singapore, from Animax Asia’s Hunter x Hunter Watch and Win Contest! Watch Animax Asia every day from 12th March to 8th April 2012 at 7PM to 9PM and again at 10PM to 12AM. One of four characters from the Hunter x Hunter series will be randomly shown at a corner of the screen. Log into the Animax Asia website and answer the questions: 1) “Which Hunter character appeared on the Channel today?”; and 2) “Why do you want to be a Hunter?”. Six winners will be selected from all the correct entries. Winners will be announced on 9th April 2012 via the Animax Asia website. Source: Animax Asia
Latest Images for Conception for the PSP Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/latest-images-for-conception-forthe-psp/ By magnetic_rose on March 17th, 2012
3
March 17th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
Click here for more on Conception: New PSP Game “Conception” Ups Ante on Dating Sims, Heads Straight to Childbirth Source: Conception OHP and Gamer.
Tiger & Bunny -The Beginning- To Hit Singapore Cinemas Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/tiger-bunny-the-beginning-to-hitsingapore-cinemas/ By magnetic_rose on March 17th, 2012
Sunrise has confirmed that there are plans to screen the Tiger & Bunny film in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taipei, upon its release in the latter half of this year. Gekijō-ban Tiger & Bunny -The Beginning- will act as a sort-of prequel for the TV show, and will introduce new characters not shown in the original series. A second film featuring all-new characters and plot is also slated for 2013. Source: ANN
Giant Cosplay Photo Studio Opens in Osaka Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/giant-cosplay-photo-studio-opensin-osaka/
4
March 17th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
By magnetic_rose on March 17th, 2012
A massive new cosplay photo studio has opened in Osaka, Japan just last 29th February 2012.
Schoolroom
Dubbed “Haco Stadium Osaka”, the studio — which spans several floors, has spaces decked out in different themes that you can use as backdrops for your cosplay shoots. Definitely more eye-catching backgrounds than some random people at a convention hall!
Industrial
Reception and Community Space
Jail Cell
Rental Lockers and Change Rooms
5
March 17th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
Ancient Japan
Modern Minimalist Morrocan-inspired
If you plan to fly to Japan and experience Haco for yourselves, do check out the Beginners Guide and the Ticket Reservations (Japanese only) ahead of time. Alternative Options If you’re nowhere near Osaka and are flying to another part of the country, Haco also has a service that can help you! Haco Studio Hotel will help you get in touch with local hotels in your immediate vicinity, that will cater to your photoshoot needs. This service is available all throughout Japan, with the goal of matching photographers and cosplayers, with hotels that can provide them with themed rooms for their shoots. Definitely a novel concept! So, do you think a similar service will prosper in Singapore? :)
Renaissance
Source: Haco Stadium and Haco Studio Hotel
JManga.com Promotes Worldwide Subscriptions with Promo Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/jmanga-com-promotes-worldwidesubscriptions-with-promo/ By magnetic_rose on March 17th, 2012
Cosmopolitan
Starting 29th February 2012, online manga portal JManga.com has opened subscriptions to manga fans worldwide. The service was previously only available to readers in North America. To celebrate this event, JManga.com is currently running a promo for new subscribers with paid accounts! New 6
March 17th, 2012
members who sign up for the USD 10 (approximately SGD 12.50) monthly plan will get an additional USD 10 worth of store credit, while users who sign up for their USD 25 (approximately SGD 31.40) monthly plan will get an additional USD 25 worth of store credit.
Published by: VR-Zone
to having a live string quintet and saxophone trio which was not in the previous day’s MikuPa 2012.
Members who would like to sign up for free subscriptions are not left out of the party! Close to 200 titles have been opened up for free previews, up ten-fold from the standard twentytitle free preview allowance. Manga fans who have trouble getting their hands on their favorite titles should definitely take advantage of these promos, which run until 14th March only. JManga is an online manga portal that releases manga from different publishers on a number of genres such as shounen, shoujo, seinen, josei, and kids. The site stemmed from industry efforts to curb online piracy from file-sharing and “free” manga sites. Source: JManga
Brief of Last Miku Day Thanks Giving Live 2012 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/brief-of-last-miku-day-thanksgiving-live-2012/ By shia on March 17th, 2012
I would like to bring you on some coverage of of the just concluded Last Miku Day Thanks Giving Live 2012 All in all, It was a great live with excellent music and good visuals . Today’s Set List 1. Tell Your World 2. Yume Yume 2. World Is mine 3. Electric Angel While the Thanks Giving Live 2012 was terrific, somehow after the previous day’s MikuPa 2012 new additions ,Thanks Giving Live 2012 felt less satisfying compared to MikuPa. Also the models used are the previous year’s models, with less depth due to the lack of specularity(reflective surfacing) and no translucent models. The only new model I noticed was the American Miku.
4. Koi Suru Vocaloid 5. Clover Club 6. Po Pi Po 7. Romeo and Cinderella 8. Finder 9. Uramote Lovers 10. StargazeR 11. Moon 12. The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku 13. Change me 14. Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder
While on the Visual front Thanks Giving Live 2012 was bland, The live band was in my humble opinion better due
15. Just Be Friends
7
March 17th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
16. Magnet 17. World’s End Dancehall 18. Meltdown 19. Kodoku no Hate 20. Promise
3. With more Fluid movements there comes more close shaves to closet malfunctions.
21. Time Limit 22. Puzzle 23. 1/6 24. SPiCa
4. Most important was the addition of specular (light reflection) effects(Note the sleeves.).
Encore 1 1. Ai Kotoba 2. Melt 3. Hajimete no oto Encore 2 1. Project Diva desu. 2. World is Mine Will keep everyone here updated once they announce the DVD/BDs . Source : OHP Source : Set List Click on “HATSUNE MIKU Concert Final 39′s Giving Day” LIVE SET LIST
5. Rainbow Sparkles in the song Marginal.
Brief of Hatsune Miku Live Party 2012 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/brief-of-hatsune-miku-liveparty-2012/ By shia on March 17th, 2012
I would like to bring you on some thoughts of the just concluded Hatsune Miku Live Party(Mikupa) 2012
6. Uta Ni Katachi ha nai keredo – Wedding dress miku. Tranclucent alpha blending effect.
The Full Set List can be found here.
Please bear with the horrible quality images, as the stream was of quite poor quality. The Visuals have been given quite a boost this year. Main things to note this year’s concert are :
There will still be another concert currently airing, on the 9th of March 2012 @ 1900 JST. There will be Net Tickets for the Event on Nicovideo going for 2000Yen, or if you want to get for both(yesterday and today). It will be for 3500yen. More details can be found here and here. Source : OHP Source : Set List for MikuPa
1. There is more depth perception this year. 2. Movement is more Fluid compared to previous year’s Mikupa. 8
March 23rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture
Gundam Unicorn Episode 5 releases teaser trailer, to air in Japan in May
The Tokyo Anime Fair (TAF) recently announced the winners of the 11th annual Tokyo Anime Awards in the respective nominated categories. Animation of the Year: From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka Kara)
Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/gundam-unicorn-episode-5-releasesteaser-trailer-to-air-in-japan-in-may/ By shia on March 23rd, 2012
Television Category: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
The teaser trailer for Unicorn Episode 5 is out. The Theme song is BROKEN MIRROR and will be performed by BOOM BOOM SATELLITES. Gundam Unicorn Episode 5 will be in Japan Cinemas on the 19th of May 2012. Pre-orders for the BD/DVDs will begin on the same day.
Tiger and Bunny
The expected release date for the BD/DVDs will be on the 8th of June 2012 @ 6090Yen/5040Yen respectively.
Winners of Tokyo Anime Fair Awards 2012 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/winners-of-tokyo-anime-fairawards-2012/ By Sakamoto on March 23rd, 2012
Domestic Feature Film Category: From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka Kara) International Feature Film Category: Tangled
1
March 23rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
Macross: My Boyfriend is a Pilot PS3 game slated for July 2012 release Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/macross-my-boyfriend-is-a-pilotps3-game-slated-for-july-2012-release/ By Sakamoto on March 23rd, 2012
Original Video Anime Category: Mobile Suit Gundam UC
Namco Bandai is hot on its heels after releasing Tekken Hybrid, which included Tekken Tag Tournament and the film Tekken: Blood Vengeance. Now it has done something similar with the original Macross: Do You Remember Love. Best Director: Akiyuki Shinbo – Puella Magi Madoka Magica Best Screenplay: Gen Urobuchi – Puella Magi Madoka Magica Best Art Direction: Takumi Tanji – Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below (Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo)
According to famous gaming magazine Famitsu, the Macross Hybrid Pack is slated for release on 26 July this year, for the Playstation 3 only. It includes the movie and a game titled ‘My Boyfriend is a Pilot’ for 7,140 yen (SGD $108).
Best Character Design: Masakazu Katsura – Tiger and Bunny Best Voice Actor/Actress: Hiroaki Hirata – Tiger and Bunny [Kotetsu T. Kaburagi/ Wild Tiger] Best Music: Satoshi Takebe – From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka Kara) Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Tiger and Bunny top the awards by gathering 3 awards each.
Macross fans can also pick up a limited 30th anniversary edition, that includes a 90 minute bonus video, booklet, film, mini theater pamphlet, mini poster, mini art book, and anime song archive for 13,800 yen (SGD $210).
The awards ceremony will be taking place during TAF, which runs from March 22 to March 25 2012 at the Tokyo Big Sight event center. 2
March 23rd, 2012
Steins;Gate: Hen’i Kuukan no Octet (an 8-Bit Retro Visual Novel) Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/steinsgate-heni-kuukan-no-octetan-8-bit-retro-visual-novel/ By Sakamoto on March 23rd, 2012
Another of Nitroplus and 5pb’s genius creations, Steins;Gate: Hen’i Kuukan no Octet (or more commonly known as Steins;Gate 8bit) was released for Windows PC on 28 November 2011. Hen’i Kuukan no Octet (transliterated as Variant Space Octet) basically takes place in an alternate timeline from the original game. While not necessary, it is recommended that you play the original Steins;Gate and also Chaos;Head (which already have English translations) to understand the story more.
Published by: VR-Zone
Sharp X1 Sharp MZ-2000 Fujitsu FM-7 If you recognize any of these, you’re highly likely to be a geek, or a nerd.
Graphics-wise, each pixel and line is rendered one by one and takes time to load as if you were playing it on a 8bit CPU running on 1Mhz of processing power. It can be excruciatingly slow, but that’s how long the games of that era took to load. Fortunately, there is also a skip mode where you can skip the graphics loading. The game emulates the retro noises down to the last bit, instead of streaming an mp3 file. There’s even “sound chipping”, which is common with 8-bit games. For instance, when other sounds beep on screen, parts of the music will be silenced for the duration of the sound.
The story is a continuation from the true ending of Steins;Gate (which I won’t spoil right here, for obvious reasons). Basically, Okabe Rintarou realizes the world line has changed once again. He receives a D-mail from his future self from the year 2025, and the divergence meter is off by 0.000132%. He is told by his future self that the IBN5100 has been stolen once again this time by a man named Knightheart and he must take it back to save the world from falling into chaos. He’s still the same ol’ crazy Hououin Kyouma otherwise.
The graphics and music for this game are completely reproduced to simulate the feel of the retro computers in the 80′s era. The moment you start the game, you can choose to emulate the game between 5 different computer settings, whose names are parodies for their real-life counterparts:
This game is less or a visual novel and more of a text adventure game, where you sometimes have to interact with the game through typing commands such as “talk”, “move” etc. It may be difficult for an average gamer, as you’ll have to work out which ones to use in a particular scenario. You have to pay attention to the text and know the characters and preceding storyline which generally offers hints on what to try out. But sometimes the game can really evil, like making you type “wait” a few times before you can actually proceed. This game takes from the actual difficulty found in early text adventure games, such as games from Infocom. You can view the translated demo here (MAJOR S;G SPOILERS ALERT). The full English translation is in this blogger’s site as well:
NEC PC-8801 NEC PC-6001 3
March 23rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
Coverage on Nipponbashi(Osaka) Street Festival on 20th March 2012. Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/coverage-on-nipponbashiosakastreet-festival-on-20th-march-2012/ By shia on March 23rd, 2012
The 8th Nipponbashi’s Street Festival just concluded yesterday and here is some cosplay coverage from various sites that covered the event. Nipponbashi is a shopping district in Osaka, Japan. It is also known as “Den-Den Town” as it is home to “Otaku” interests and it is often compared as the Akihabara of Osaka.
The event had a street parade that consisted of cosplayers walking down the street. The Event Attracted over 220,000 people and was featured on the news.
4
March 23rd, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
Mahoutsukai no Yoru: An Overview Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/mahoutsukai-no-yoru-an-overview/ By Sakamoto on March 23rd, 2012
Mahoutsukai no Yoru is a kinetic novel developed by TypeMoon, set for a release date of 12 April 2012, for the Windows PC. Originally written as a novel by co-founder Kinoko Nasu on 28 July 1996, the demo was released as a bundled extra in Volume 7 of Type-Moon Ace. Koyama Hirokazu will be featured as the lead artist instead of Takeshi Takeuchi, who has worked on Type-Moon’s previous works, such as Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night.
Source: OHP , 1 , 2
Mahoutsukai no Yoru : Master up!
Unlike standard visual visual novels, Mahoutsukai no Yoru (also referred to as Mahoyo) has no choices and no routes; only a linear story. Also, like Type-Moon’s other PC works, the characters will not be voiced. One thing to note is that there will be no ero-scenes as well.
Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/mahoutsukai-no-yoru-master-up/ By shia on March 23rd, 2012
Mahoyo is set in the Showa Era, around the late 1980s. Depicted as a prequel to Tsukihime, this story involves Soujuurou Shizuki, a boy who stumbles upon a mansion sometime in winter, which houses two witches. Thus, a strange communal life begins with these three people. This game also focuses on Aozaki Aoko.
2012/3/21 INFO Mahoutsukai no Yoru disk has been finalized! To the Japanese, “Master up” Means the DVD/CD has been finalized and it has been sent for printing and most likely the release date will be revealed soon. Source: OHP
Most who have played or watched the series will remember her as Tohno Shiki’s redhead sensei from his past and the one who gave him his glasses to seal off his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. She was already a sorceress then, but in Mahoyo, Aoko is still a student magus in training together 5
March 23rd, 2012
with her teacher and friend Alice Kuonji. Other familiar faces such as Aoko’s sister, Aozaki Touko from Kara no Kyoukai, also makes an appearance in her student days.
Published by: VR-Zone
You can really see Aoko in a different light, with her many expressions being shown in this demo, from her serious face to her ‘dere’ face. The transitions are also unlike what is seen in their usual Type-Moon works. Run using the KiriKiri2 engine and in 16:9 widescreen format, it allows for plenty of cinematic scenes. Screenshots don’t do this game justice; you have to play it and see for yourself. An English fan-translated patch has already been released shortly after the demo was available, you can get it in the link below: http://novella.forum24.ru/? 1-10-0-00000006-000-150-0#095
The demo is really amazing, even though playing time is about 1 to 2 hours at most. It isn’t that long and doesn’t really reveal the plot except for the fact that there’s something strange afoot with the secluded house atop the mountain that’s Konjuo’s state. It’s clear that the original two inhabitants are Alice and Aoko and it’s going to be a journey to find out how a no-good, almost villager-looking Soujuurou ends up rooming with them. Aoko does complain about him not knowing much and almost wasting her whole day in touring the school. Alice on the other hand might be a student from the same school; however, there’s no official proof as the uniform in not identical, though it can be explained away with the difference of a decade.
Perfume goes global, hosts MTV Video Music Awards Japan Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/perfume-goes-global-hosts-mtvvideo-music-awards-japan/ By sentinel011 on March 23rd, 2012
Perfume has been making waves throughout Japan with their electro-pop tunes and catchy dance moves, and has gathered enough attention to host this year’s MTV Video Music Awards Japan. The timeline is messed up here, much like the Kara no Kyoukai OVAs. It probably won’t have the 5 chapters backto-back, but you never know till the full version comes out, since this is Nasu’s writing we’re talking about.
MTV Video Music Awards is an international award show held yearly where voters and/or fans can vote for their favorite artist’s music videos. The show will be held in Chiba at Makuhari Messe Hall on June 23rd, and it is its eleventh year in Japan, with performances by domestic and international artists. Also just a few weeks ago, Perfume announced that they will be going global, after changing their record company from Tokuma Japan Communications to Universal J, the Japanese division of Universal Music. “We want to sell the package as they are now,” said Kimitaka Kato, managing director of Universal International at the label’s Japanese division. “I won’t get them to sing 100 percent in English and not Westernize them at all unless they ask us to,” he continued. “I think with Perfume it’s all about that futuristic Japanese image.” He accurately described Perfume as, “mysterious, futuristic, robotic, doll-type girls, well choreographed with laser beams,” and said that UMG will be playing off of that image.
6
March 23rd, 2012
They’ll be starting slowly with Perfume, first promoting the girls in Asia, before heading out on a “small showcase tour” in other territories.
Published by: VR-Zone By magnetic_rose on March 23rd, 2012
Perfume will also be releasing their latest single, ‘Spring of Life’, on April 11 under their new label. CDJapan’s pre-orders of Perfume’s First Press limited edition of the single were sold out merely 2 days after its release.
In addition to updating their official website, Perfume has launched an official global website aimed at overseas fans. The global site features an interactive page where you can pan 3D dancers made out of Triangles, presumably using Perfume as a template. The site also features tweets using the Twitter hashtag #Perfume_um. The official Perfume facebook page has also been released.
The Evangelion Store Tokyo-01 in Harajuku will be holding a special “Evangelion Racing Week” from 16th to 31st March 2012. The highlights of the event include special appearances by the Eva Race Queens and the Evangelion Super GT bikes. Special re-issues of limited edition track-only merchandise will also be made available for purchase at the Eva Tokyo-01 store during the campaign period. Source: Tokyo Walker
Madoka Magica Film Slated for Fall 2012 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/madoka-magica-film-slated-forfall-2012/ By magnetic_rose on March 23rd, 2012
The group has launched an official YouTube channel. The Kirin website also has video clips of the new Hyoketsu commercial and some making-of footage. Source: natalie, natalie, tokyohive, 6theory
Evangelion Store Tokyo-01 Hosts Evangelion Racing Week
The Chūnichi Shimbun has published a special feature with Puella Magi Madoka Magica director Akiyuki Shinbo. The feature includes information that the Madoka Magica movie is slated for release in fall of 2012. Source: ANN.
Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/evangelion-store-tokyo-01-hostsevangelion-racing-week/
7
March 30th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop Culture A daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otaku and Japanese Pop Culture
Super Bride Wars pits “mai waifu” against yours Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/super-bride-wars-pits-mai-waifuagainst-yours/ By KarbyP on March 30th, 2012
For bigger screens, go to GREE’s page for Super Bride Wars.
Sorayume’s Super Bride Wars (Cho-Yome Taisen) is a card battle RPG that features characters – especially those you’d want to call “mai waifu” – from various game, manga, and anime series. Players collect character cards to use as avatars, and power them up with item cards before sending them out on quests and combat. As characters level up, the costumes they wear and other personal artifacts will change. Delve deeper into the game, and you may gain access to ways of play that take advantage of the “cross-copyright” nature of Super Bride War’s content.
Anime series featured include Shin Koihime Musou, Shuffle!, D.C. ~Da Capo~, Boku wa Onee-sama ni Koishiteru, Disgaea, Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga nai (added in February), and Omamori Himari (March). A new series is added to the game every now and then, but the cards contained in each series are offered for a limited time only.
1
March 30th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
This week NBGI has graced us with not one, but two delectable Idolmaster trailers. Why, thank you, NBGI! That’s a surefire way to put a smile on anyone’s face… even the eternally-blue Chihaya Kisaragi! PS3 Idolmaster 2 Catalog No. 06 PV The first is a promotional video for DLC that will be making its way to both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Idolmaster 2 this Friday (March 30). Like we previously reported, most of Catalog No. 06′s content originate from episode 25 of the Idolmaster anime: insert song “Watashitachi wa Zutto… Desho?” (also known as “Itsumademo, Dokomademo” in the anime), the costume “Forever Star”, and performance stage “Eternal Big Tree”.
Originally beginning life as an exclusive on 10game (pronounced “Jugem”), a social game portal for feature phones, Super Bride Wars has since been ported over to mixi, Mobage, GREE, and – earlier this month – Hangame. Interestingly, you can actually play the Hangame version on the PC via emulation in addition to on feature phones and smartphones – just as long as you have a Hangame account. On the other platforms, Super Bride Wars only work on handsets (in fact, only on feature phones for mixi and Mobage). Super Bride Wars is free-to-play (with paid premium content) and available on Hangame via the following URLs: ◇Feature phone version http://social.hange.jp/game/launch.do? guid=on&appId=O_ECU ◇PC emulated version http://social.hangame.co.jp/easygame/index.nhn? appId=O_ECU ◇Smartphone version http://swpf.touch.hangame.co.jp/O_ECU/ Check out 4Gamer’s story here for direct URLs to the game on the other Japanese social game portals.
There is also a “Love Sign” amulet that gives you a different Burst Appeal animation (as seen in the video), as well as several costumes and accessory sets. Head over to 4Gamer’s story for a look at all the drool-worthy wardrobe loveliness. Imas G4U! (PS3) Play Video VOL.9 Then there’s volume 9 of the Idolmaster photography minigame spin-off series Gravure 4 You. This new volume has a Yukata/sailor swimsuit theme, and puts the spotlight on cover girl Chihaya Kisaragi, as well as Ryo Akizuki from Idolmaster: Dearly Stars (Nintendo DS). For those of you unfamiliar with Idolmaster: Dearly Stars, Ryo Akizuki is Ritsuko Akizuki’s cousin… and is actually a guy. Growing up, the ever-so-effeminate Ryo had often been mistaken for a girl. So he aspired to join showbusiness, believing that by becoming an idol he would one day develop boyish charms and become suave like Makoto (who, ironically, is a gal). His wish was eventually granted when he joined talent agency 876 Productions, where Ryo was supposed to debut as a male idol. Unfortunately, when he went to understudy a female idol, said idol fell ill and Ryo was asked by his producer to perform in her place to resolve the situation. In the end, Ryo did his job so well that he was forced to debut as a female idol instead.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, OHP
Idolmaster 2 March DLC and Gravure 4 You trailers Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/idolmaster-2-march-dlc-andgravure-4-you-trailers/ By KarbyP on March 30th, 2012
Don’t be fooled… it’s a trap! But I digress. For those of you interested in the list of BGM tracks and backdrops included for this volume of G4U, check out 4Gamer’s story here. Like previous volumes, Idolmaster Gravure 4 You! VOL.9 will be sold only as part of the “Anime & G4U! Pack VOL.9″ bundle which also includes the ninth volume of the Idolmaster anime on Blu-Ray (episodes 24 and 25, plus an extra OVA episode that never aired on TV). A copy of the fictitious Idol Gravure Monthly magazine (◇◇◇◇◇◇!! VOL.9), plus several other premiums are also in the package. 2
March 30th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
Anime & G4U! Pack VOL.9 goes on sale in Japan on June 28, for the price of 9,980 yen. Some screenshots from Gravure 4 You! VOL.9 (for more, go to 4Gamer’s gallery):
Source: 4Gamer
K-On ! After School Live!! HD Ver. Release date set on 21 June Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/k-on-after-school-live-hd-verrelease-date-set-on-21-june/ By shia on March 30th, 2012
3
March 30th, 2012
Sega has announced the release date for K-On ! After School Live!! HD Ver for the PS3.
Published by: VR-Zone By shia on March 30th, 2012
The game is a port and visual upgrade of the K-On Psp game that released in 2010.
According to VR-Zone Singtel will be offeringoffering the PSVITA with plans soon. The current PSVita on sale in the Singapore market is the Model with only Wi-Fi. There was no official 3G with WiFi for Singapore until now. Singtel will start selling the 3G with Wifi Version SingTel is bringing in the 3G/WiFi version of the PS Vita handheld game console which will begin retailing from 14 April. Mobile BroadBand 7.2 Plan SGD$99
The Special that comes with the game includes a set of 6 IC cards and stickers.
Mobile BroadBand 7.2 Plan SGD$288
MultiSim
Price of SGD$419 PSVITA Monthly SGD$40/mth SGD$17.90/ SGD$10.70/ subscription mth mth Bundled local 50GB 1GB N/A data usage Customers may pre-order the PS Vita online at http:// www.singtel.com/PSVita from 28 March and Singtel will be throwing in SGD$20 Sony Playstation Network Credits if you preorder with them. Source : VR-Zone , OHP
Game Data ================ Title : ◇◇◇◇◇◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇!! HD Ver.◇(K-On ! After School Live!! HD Ver.) Maker : Sega Platform : PS3 Genre : Music
Phantasy Star Online 2 Closed Beta to release in April 2012 Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/phantasy-star-online-2-close-betato-release-in-april-2012/ By shia on March 30th, 2012
Sega has announced a sequel to one of their bigger properties, “Phantasy Star Online 2″
Release date : 21st June 2012 Recommended sales price : 5229 yen
SingTel to offer 3G and Wi-Fi version of PSVITA with plans Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/singtel-to-offer-3g-and-wi-fi-versionof-psvita-with-plans/
4
March 30th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
Sea☆A to sing for anime Arashi no Yoru ni Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/sea%E2%98%86a-to-sing-for-animearashi-no-yoru-ni/ By Sakamoto on March 30th, 2012
The game will be available on the PC, VITA and iOS/ Android. Phantasy Star Online 2 will be free to play with microtransactions. The smartphone version will be different from the PC and Vita version, while the PC and Vita versions have some form of multi platform play. Only the data is shared with the smartphone version.
Sea◇A, anison’s first South-east Asian female idol group that had recently performed at the Anime Festival Asia 2011, will have an upcoming song used in anime “Arashi no Yoru ni ~Stormy Night Secret Friends~”, which tells a tale of a goat and a wolf in search of an “emerald forest” to escape from their clans and live free from persecution.
The release dates are as follows PC : Summer 2012 Phone : Winter 2012 Vita : Spring 2013
You can catch their new anime song at 5:30 Japan time, every Wedensday evening beginning April 4 2012. Sea◇A has recently performed songs for other animel such as “Cardfight!! Vanguard” and “Toriko”.
The beta test will start this April and Sega is accepting close beta users from the 26th of March 2012 1600HRS JST. Source : Andriasang , Jin115
Idolmaster 2 March DLC includes an insert song – the very last one – from anime series Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/idolmaster-2-march-dlc-includes-aninsert-song-the-very-last-one-from-anime-series/
5
March 30th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
By KarbyP on March 30th, 2012
“Watashitachi wa Zutto… Desho? (We’re Forever… Right?)” Source: 1, 2
Arc System Works announces Xblaze at BlazBlue tournament Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/arc-system-works-announces-xblazeat-blazblue-tournament/ By KarbyP on March 30th, 2012
According to a leaked magazine scan, the insert song from episode 25 of the Idolmaster anime series, “Watashitachi wa Zutto… Desho?”, is making its way to Idolmaster 2 (PS3) as DLC next week. This song is also known as “Itsumademo, Dokomademo”, which was a temporary working title for the song accidentally left unchanged in the anime series, due to miscommunication on Columbia Japan’s part. The title for the song was corrected when it was released as a track on The Idolm@ster Anim@tion Master 07 CD. Apart from the song itself, the costume featured in episode 25 – Forever Star – will also be available as DLC, as well as a number of other additional costume parts – we’ll find out more when Bandai Namco Games releases the official Idolmaster 2 March DLC trailer, which should be hitting the Internets sometime between now and next week. Do check back next week for the trailer. Also coming next week: expect some sort of Idolmasterrelated announcement from Anime Contents Expo 2012. Like we mentioned in the headline, Watashitachi wa Zutto… Desho?/Itsumademo, Dokomademo is the very last insert song from the Idolmaster anime series. And the DLC comes out one day before Anime Contents Expo 2012… coincidence much? The DLC will hit the PS3 version of Idolmaster on March 30. It is unknown if Xbox 360 users will be able to purchase the content for use in Idolmaster 2 on Microsoft’s platform (certain DLC items are PS3-exclusive).
Arc System Works today announced Xblaze (working title), a new game and the first title in what the BlazBlue, Guilty Gear and Persona 4: Arena developer is calling the “Adventure Project” series. This means that Xblaze is most likely a visual novel, like the majority of ADV-genre games in Japan – Steins;Gate is part of 5pb’s “Science Adventure series”, for instance. No platform has been named, but Xblaze is currently scheduled for a 2012 Winter release in Japan. A brief teaser trailer was shown at BlueRevo, an official BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II tournament where the best players from all over Japan (and overseas; at least one team was from the US) competed in teams of 3. The full tournament and announcement was streamed live over Nico Douga as a pay-per-view feed earlier today. But if you just want to check out the teaser trailer for XBlaze, well, you’re in luck – Famitsu.com uploaded some directfeed footage of the teaser, embedded here below for your viewing pleasure: Some stills from the trailer (from 4Gamer):
6
March 30th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
Asiasoft “Bans” Qisahn Over Diablo 3 Pricing Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/asiasoft-bans-qisahn-over-diablo-3pricing/ By Sakamoto on March 30th, 2012
Singapore-based game distributor Qisahn.com has waged war with Blizzard’s Southeast Asia distributor Asiasoft over an alleged “ban” on Qisahn selling Diablo III in Singapore. Asiasoft is a big-name distributor in Southeast Asia, hosting a large share of other MMO titles in the region, the latest being Trion World’s RIFT. In a blog post titled “Preorder Diablo III at S$65.90/RM $160“, Qisahn alleged that Asiasoft turned off any sort of negotiations regarding news about pre-order prices along with the launch party and goodies. Quoted by Qisahn in their blogpost, “For the past one week, we tried calling / SMS-ing daily but the manager is either too busy, on leave, in Malaysia or I don’t know, just not responding.” Details seem to be very limited at best, but it seems to suggest that Qisahn was ready to sell Diablo III below the suggested retail price set by Asiasoft. Not too happy about the alleged situation, Asiasoft have “banned” Qisahn from their supply list.
The teaser says that Xblaze is yet another story about the “Azure” (the crux of BlazBlue’s story revolves around a weapon known as the Azure Grimoire). However, according to 4Gamer, Xblaze may or may not be directly related to the BlazBlue games as we know it – BlazBlue producer Michi Moritoshi was rather coy when he went on stage to unveil the game. Moritoshi also mentioned that a second title in the Adventure Project series is also in the works. As for actual BlazBlue news, he hopes to be able to announce something at another major event soon. Source: 1, 2, 3, 4
Will players be affected too? Qisahn is now asking its customers and blog viewers to use their price to muscle a better deal and suggesting it is going to import the title from distributors elsewhere. Qisahn has already made a name for itself in Singapore and Malaysia, as an online company that usually has better deals on their products compared to other retailers. However, Qisahn is not free from controversy itself, having admitted to falsely selling Hong Kong PSP Vita sets as Singapore sets only a couple of weeks ago. More news to develop as this saga unfolds. 7
March 30th, 2012
Source: NGNT
Published by: VR-Zone
3. Mimura Kanako(CV. Ootsubo Yuka) Song: Shokora Tiara
Idolmaster Cinderella Girls Debut CD release in April Source: http://sgcafe.com/2012/03/idolmaster-cinderella-girls-debut-cdrelease-in-april/ By shia on March 30th, 2012
BandaiNamco will be releasing their first batch of singles for the game Idolmaster Cinderella Girls. Idolmaster Cinderella Girls is a spin off social mobile game from the original Idolmaster series of games. Idolmaster is a series of games that put the player in the position of a producer of a group of new idols and turning them into superstars. There will be 5 singles debuting in this batch. 1. Shibuya Rin(CV. Fukuhara Ayaka) Song: Never Say Never
4. Takagaki Kaede(CV. Saori Hayami) Song: Koikaze
2. Futaba Anzu(CV. Igarashi Hiromi) Song: Anzu no Uta
5. Jougosaki Riko(CV. Yamamoto Nozomi) Song: Doki Doki Rhythm
8
March 30th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
All 5 CDs will be out on the 18th of April 2012 and will be priced at 700 Yen each. QR code for the link to Idolmaster Cinderella Girls:
Source: Idolmaster Cinderella Girls Game OHP, Idolmaster OHP, Official Blog, ColombiaMusic Japan
9