June 1st, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Shoko Nakagawa to performin large-scale Hong Konganime event ‘ACG 2013′ inJulySource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/shoko-nakagawa-perform-large-

scale-hong-kong-anime-event-acg-2013-july/

By Az on June 1st, 2013

Nakagawa in ACG 2009

Shokotan will be going to Hong Kong on July. She willbe performing in large-scale anime event ACG Hong Kong2013. ACG stands for Anime-Comic-Game.

ACG 2009

It has been four years since Shokotan last performed in ACGand a year since she performed in Hong Kong as part ofher successful Asia tour. ACG 2013 is an event that spansfive days – from July 26 to 31. Shokotan’s performance isscheduled for the first day, July 26. But that’s not all, asshe will be in the live house KITEC Music Zone on July28 for the live event “Shoko Nakagawa GIZA☆HONKONG☆

June 1st, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Looking forward to meeting you☆”. There are no details onthe ticketing for both events yet, so stay tuned for updates.

Shokotan will also be releasing her latest single, “ZokuKonton” on July 5. With the guitarist ROLLY as her guest,she talked about the single in her regular Nico Nico Liveshow, “Shokotan no wo” and the happenings behind themaking of its jacket, including being a black ribbon mummy.

source: natalie

Gintama the Movie: FinalChapter ~Be Forever,Yorozuya~ full trailer is up!Featuring a cool Shinpachiand KaguraSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/gintama-movie-final-chapter-be-

yoruzuya-full-trailer-up-featuring-cool-shinpachi-kagura/

By Az on June 1st, 2013

The full trailer for Gintama the Movie: Final Chapter~Be Forever, Yoruzuya~, with an original story penned bySorachi Hideaki himself, has been revealed to the public justa few hours ago today, June 1.

The trailer features a very different Shinpachi and Kagura.The visual for future Shinpachi and Kagura has already beenrevealed in the visual release, but the trailer shows that notonly their looks, but also their attitude has changed – muchto the shock of Gintoki. Shinpachi charges and mows down agroup of thugs, donning Gintoki’s famous Lake Touya sword.“Saying you’re on par with the Yoruzuya… Being this weak,aren’t you a hundred years too early for that?”says Kagura,now all grown up and beautiful, wearing a China dress – thistime with a Gintoki-design. Backing them up is an aggressivelooking Sadaharu.

It seems that by a strange power, Gintoki has been thrownto a futuristic Edo – one where he does not exist anymore.Gintoki is shocked at the sight of a once thriving city nowcrumbling and could not believe how his companions havebecome: a badass Shinpachi and Kagura succeeding theYorozuya, their old home now empty with the signboardfallen off, a uniformless Shinsengumi, and many more.You could also hear the theme song, SPYAIR’s “GenjouDESTRUCTION”, in the background.

“The only one who could finish me off… Is me, and mealone.” says Gintoki in the final seconds of the trailer.

As said in the previous article, this will be the finisher to allGintama anime and movies, and will be on theaters startingJuly 6. Sure, Gintama has trolled all of us about ending acouple of times before, but this time, it looks like it’s endingfor real.

Live on forever, Yorozuya!

Source: natalie

June 1st, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Preview of Asami Imai’smusic video ‘Hoshikuzu noRing’ now liveSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/preview-asami-imais-music-video-

hoshikuzu-ring-live/

By SunSoftware on June 1st, 2013

The voice actress of Chihaya Kisaragi and Noire is releasingher next single this month, and you can hear a 3-minutepreview of her dramatic ballad right here.

Video game fans should recognize Asami Imai for her roleas the idol Chihaya from The Idolm@ster, followed byKurisu from Steins;Gate and Noire from HyperdimensionNeptunia. Recently, she also held her birthday concerts inShinjuku on May 25 and 26.

Asami Imai’s eleventh single, Hoshikuzu no Ring, will bereleased on June 26. The song will be used as the openingtheme of the anime Corpse Party: Tortured Souls — TheCursed Screams of the Tyrannized Souls, which will bereleased on DVD and Blu-ray on July 24.

As you can tell by the title, the OVA is quite heavy.Accordingly, Imai’s music video is deep and mournful, withdramatic opera vocals and piano parts. See for yourself withthe preview below.

The single will be available in a DVD edition that includesthe full music video and a making-of video, so if you wereimpressed by the preview, you should get this edition for2,310 yen. The normal edition without the DVD costs 1,680yen.

Along with Hoshikuzu no Ring, the single will includeTender is the Night, the ending theme of 5pb.’s upcomingPS3 and Xbox 360 game Disorder 6.

The full tracklist of the single is as follows:

1. Hoshikuzu no Ring

2. Tender is the Night

3. Rojiura no Planetarium

4. Hoshikuzu no Ring (off vocal)

5. Tender is the Night (off vocal)

6. Rojiura no Planetarium (off vocal)

For more of Imai coming this summer, check out the animeadaptation of Hyperdimension Neptunia and the PS Vitagame Hyperdimension Idol Neptunia PP.

Source: Famitsu

1/8 Takanashi Rikka by KyotoAnimation and Bandai ArmorGirls Project Tobiichi OrigamiannouncedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/18-takanashi-rikka-kyoto-animation-

bandai-armor-girls-project-tobiichi-origami-announced/

By spartanchef on June 1st, 2013

Kyoto Animation announced in their website that they willbe releasing a 1/8 scale figure of the very cute “Evil Eye”Takanashi Rikka! The 1/8 PVC figure is produced by KojimaShou and because she is kneeling, the figure only standsabout 12 cm. The Rikka figure is in a kneeling pose with her

June 1st, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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signature eyepatch and holding a pistol and her umbrellastrapped in a holster in her left thigh. A perfect must-havefor all them “Chuuni” fans

Meanwhile, Bandai has announced that the latest additionto their Armor Girls Project (AGP) line will be Date-A-Live’sTobiichi Origami!

This figure is made of PVC and ABC and stands about140 mm. Like all figures under the AGP line, this figure iscompletely posable. She comes with her own flight pack aswell as an array of spirit-fighting weaponry. All weaponry areremovable. This figure is set for release September 2013 andcosts about 7140 Yen.

June 1st, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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gp

Eevee and Friends HappyParty Time adds merchandiseto Pokemon Center’s 15thanniversarySource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/eevee-friends-happy-party-time-

adds-merchandise-pokemon-centers-15th-anniversary/

June 1st, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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By Zenko on May 31st, 2013

With a month of school holidays and their fifteenthanniversary in full swing, the Pokemon Center has newEevee merchandise to offer.

Fifteen years of the Pokemon Center means fifteen years ofEevee merchandise as well, and to help celebrate Sylveon(Ninfia) has come along for the ride. Previously, the onlygoods available as part of the fifteenth anniversary werethose you could win through lottery. One chance at thismeant having to spend 3500 yen or more, with the lowestprize being a sticker sheet.

Starting June 1, though, customers will be able to pick uptheir own Eevee merchandise to celebrate. Merchandiseincludes canvas carrying bags for bottles and make-up (oreven pencils)…

T-shirts…

Keychains and pins with the English translation of the event(Eevee and Friends: Happy Party Time!):

And of course any stationary you can imagine putting thesehappy Pokemon on to return to school in style:

Mobile accessories will also be available so you can takeEevee and his friends anywhere you are.

If your meal needs a little Eevee love as well, there aretumblers, coasters and bowls available too.

Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the Pokemon Center inperson as the Amazon branch will have the merchandisestarting June 7.

Source: Famitsu

June 1st, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Yukari Tamura takes ondonut-cats in ‘Donyatsu’!Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/yukari-tamura-takes-donut-cats-

donyatsu/

By KaleNagasaki on May 31st, 2013

In the crazy and fantastical story about a post-apocalypticTokyo, donut-cats have even taken over beloved voiceactor Yukari Tamura. In the short series Donyatsu, YukariTamura will play the main character, or should I say cat (ormaybe donut-cat), Donyatsu.

Yukari Tamura is best known for her rolesin Muromi-san (Muromi-san), Magical Girl LyricalNanoha (Nanoha Takamachi), Gintama (Saki Hanano),and Kuroshitsuji (Elizabeth Midford). This year in particularseems to be a busy one for Yukari Tamura. Not only will shebe the voice of Donyatsu, but she is also lending her voiceto Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (KanakoKurusu) and Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga ShurabaSugiru (Masuzu Natsukawa).

Yukari Tamura’s beautiful voice has been capturingaudiences since 1997. If you are unfamiliar with her songs,a great place to start would be her singles that werefeatured as the ending themes to the Magical Girl LyricalNanoha series. These include “Little Wish ~lyrical step~”,“Spiritual Garden”, “Hoshizora no Spica”, and “BeautifulAmulet”.

Other cast members for Donyatsu include Keiji Fujiwara(Blue Exorcist‘s Shiro), who will play the bagel-cat Begaru,Junji Majima (Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake gaNai‘s Kohei Akagi, and Hunter x Hunter‘s Leorio), who willvoice the cougar-like cat Baumcougar, and Saori Hayami(Zettai Bōei Leviathan‘s Leviathan), who will voice the bear-like cat Kumacaron.

Donyatsu was originally a manga illustrated by YusukeKozaki that was featured in Square Enix’s Young Ganganin 2011. The approximately two minute anime shorts will bedirected by Mankyu, the lovely genius that brought us Tonoto Issho. Starting on June 1st, Donyatsu will run beforefeature films in T-Joy theaters, with a new short releasedevery month.

June 1st, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Check out the newly released ending below, sung by HikariShinna.

Source: Crunchyroll

‘OreImo Happy End’ turnsyour little sisters into idolsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/oreimo-happy-lets-manage-idols/

By SunSoftware on May 31st, 2013

Were you surprised when a game based on the anime andlight novel series OreImo was announced for the PS3? Well,this isn’t a visual novel like the PSP games — this is theOreImo version of the Idolm@ster.

Previously, we discovered in Dengeki PlayStation that Oreno Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai Happy End willfeature five girls who, for some reason, decide to take overthe idol world (isn’t there another idol game coming out?).Those five girls are the little sister Kirino, goth loli cosplayerKuroneko, deceptively refined yandere Ayase, small andarrogant Kanako, and the normal Minami.

As the hero of the anime, Kyousuke, you work as the buddingidols’ lucky manager. Why they want him to manage, wehave no clue.

Ore ga maneejaa ni naru wake ga nai! (I can’tbecome a manager!)

One of your jobs is to man the camera in photo sessions. Thismode takes advantage of the PS3′s graphics engine to makethe girls look better than ever before in 3D. You get to decidetheir costumes and environments, so you can make them

June 1st, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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look as charming as possible. However, if you try to take anyweird photos, the girls will get mad — and as OreImo fansknow, it’s not good to make them mad.

Each girl will also have her own website, where you can readher blog entries, write replies, give them life counseling, andupload pictures from your photo sessions. By coordinatingthe content on the site, you’ll strive to get as much page viewsas possible.

Of course, in between jobs, you’ll get to talk to the idolsthrough cutscenes. In the scenes below, Kirino is in a badmood and Ayase is threatening to kill you, but those shotswould get a lot of page views.

We don’t have any details on other parts of the game, butBandai Namco has listed some information on the limitededition HD Complete Box. The info they’ve given isn’t veryspecific, but along with the game, the package will include:

• A box with a specially illustrated cover

• An booklet containing 2D scenes from the game

• An audio CD

• A movie Blu-ray Disc

• Other unrevealed content

The limited edition will cost 10,980 yen, and the normaledition will cost 7,480 yen. Both editions will be released onSeptember 26. Are you excited to turn your little sisters intoidols this fall?

Source: Dengeki

Swimming anime ‘Free!’ hasnew trailer, Haruka versionSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/swimming-anime-free-trailer-

haruka-version/

June 1st, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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By SunSoftware on May 31st, 2013

Animation Do’s sexy swimming anime is coming thissummer, but to whet our appetites, they’ve given out atrailer featuring the cool-headed hero and even a glimpseof his muscular chest.Free! is the next anime coming fromAnimation Do, the division of Kyoto Animation responsiblefor hits like K-ON! and Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai. Theanime was first teased in March in a commercial featuringa lot of manly pectorals, earning it the nickname “that sexyswimming commercial”.

The story begins with a boy named Haruka Nanase wholeads an uneventful high school life until his old friend Rinchallenges him to a swimming match and utterly creamshim. Ignited by a renewed passion, Haruka and Rin gathertheir childhood friends, who won a swimming tournamenttogether in elementary school, and form their high school’sswimming club.

In this new 60-second trailer, we get to hear some lines byHaruka, voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki (Itsuka from DateA Live, Taichi from Tari Tari).

Also, those of you who are lucky enough to live in Japan havea chance to watch the first episode of Free! at an advancescreening and talk session with the cast on June 26 inChiyoda’s Marunouchi Piccadilly 3. For more information,check the anime’s official website.

The rest of us will have to wait until July to see moreof Haruka’s chest. KyoAni will probably reveal four moretrailers for the rest of the main cast. Who do you want to see?

Source: Yaraon

AKB48: Sayonara Crawlsells 1.763 million copies+ Senbatsu Elections livebroadcast detailsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/05/akb48-sayonara-crawl-sells-1-763-

million-copies-senbatsu-elections-live-broadcast-details/

By Az on May 31st, 2013

AKB48 continues to set and break records in the Oriconcharts for the number of copies sold with their latest single,“Sayonara Crawl”.

Sayonara Crawl has already sold approximately 1.763million copies since its release on May 22 and will appear onthe June 3 weekly ranking as the top-selling single for theweek. This is AKB48′s thirteenth million seller since 2011′s“Sakura no Ki ni Narou”, putting them on par with rock

June 1st, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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duo B’z. AKB48 is also now the top female seller of all timein Japan, overtaking Ayumi Hamasaki’s 21.41 million totalcopies sold with their 21.85 million copies, spear-headed by“Manatsu no Sounds good!”, another election single, whichsold 1.82 million.

What we can draw from this is that once again, the electionsare fierce. Sayonara Crawl is an election single, meaninga copy of it allows for one vote. More than a million voteshave yet to be revealed, since the first day counting has onlyaround 350,000 votes, so anything can happen. The revealof the vote counts and rankings will be on June 8 in NissanStadium, Yokohama.

Which brings us to the viewing of the event itself.

For those who have access to Japanese TV, you can tunein to Fuji Television on the night of the event as they havemonopolized the TV broadcast of the event again this year.The show will be four hours and forty minutes long, one withthe atmosphere of a real election – one that is sure to betense. There will also be a backstage coverage after the revealof the top member (and after the weather forecast), giving usa glimpse of the heavy emotions that result from this heavypressure AKB48 tradition.

There is no word yet if Google+ or YouTube will livestreamthe event, but if the same broadcast system continues fromlast year, they probably will – and with live translators too,so watch out for that.

Members to look out for: (from left) Yuko Oshima, MayuWatanabe, Rino Sashihara

A total of 246 members have filed their candidacy for theelections, more than half of which are members of the sistergroups SKE, NMB, HKT, JKT, and SNH. Aces from all ofthe groups are looking for a spot in the senbatsu, making 16members seem a little too small for all the favorites.

Fuji TV’s AKB48 32nd Single Senbatsu Sousenkyo coverageis on June 8 (Saturday), starting 6:00 PM and ends 10:40PM (JST). Will AKB48′s reigning queen Yuko be the first toclaim the top twice? Or will CG idol Mayuyu usher in a newgeneration as she claims rank 1? Maybe first day countingtop one Sashiko will stay on top?

No one knows. So for the love of your oshi, don’t miss it.

source: Oricon (1)(2)

Nintendo Direct Japan May31: Monster Hunter 4 set forSeptember 14 release w/ 3DSbundleSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/05/nintendo-direct-japan-31-monster-

hunter-4/

By KarbyP on May 31st, 2013

Capcom has announced a new confirmed release date forits highly-anticipated 3DS multiplayer action title in Japan,Monster Hunter 4 for the 3DS.

The game will retail for 5,990 yen when it hits video gamestores in Japan on September 14, which is a Saturday (andquite rare for Japanese video game releases). This date alsohappens to be just one week before Tokyo Game Show kicksoff in Japan.

For gamers who do not yet have a 3DS, or Monster Hunterfans who must have everything, Nintendo and Capcomare also collaborating on two special limited edition 3DSbundles: “Goa Magara Black” and “Airu White” designs.

No price was announced for either limited edition SKU, butboth were said to be available only in short supply.

A new trailer for Monster Hunter 4 was also shown today.We’ve embedded the full Nintendo Direct Japan broadcast

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below; the Monster Hunter 4 trailer runs from 14:04 till theend of the video.

That said, some of you might want to watch from the 07:50mark onwards. That’s when the Monster Hunter 4 bit in thebroadcast comes on. The game’s producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto,briefly summarises some of the new additions that thedeveloper has made to the highly-anticipated 3DS title – twonew weapons, a bevy of new monsters to hunt, and more.

June 3rd, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Gintama the Movie: FinalChapter ~Be Forever,Yorozuya~ visuals for theShinsengumi and KatsurareleasedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/gintama-movie-final-chapter-be-

forever-yorozuya-visuals-shinsengumi-katsura-released/

By Az on June 3rd, 2013

New visuals for “Gintama the Movie: Final Chapter ~BeForever, Yorozuya~” has just been released. This time, it’sfor the Shinsengumi and Katsura.

The previous visuals showed us an adult Shinpachi andKagura, donning Gintoki’s mementos and the full trailershowed us how badass they have become. The once idol-lover is now a skilled warrior, shown in his fearless chargingtowards a group of thugs. Sukonbu-musume is now abeautiful lady, now with a fouler mouth and still in constantquarrel with Shinpachi.

But what of the others? As we all know, Gintama is not onlyabout the Yorozuya trio, but each and every one. We wereonly given glimpses of the other characters in the full trailer,but fret not as full visuals for them have been released.

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Sougo Okita. Shinsengumi’s most popular member and onewith intentions to overthrow his superior officer, Hijikata.A powerful swordsman and Gintama’s strongest sadist. Hecompletely does away with his uniform (don’t know aboutthe bazooka though, could be hidden somewhere) and looksas if he stepped out from another samurai manga with hiswanderer style.

Isao Kondou. The captain of the armed police forceShinsengumi. A stalker to the woman he fancies, a gorilla toothers. He may be a failure of society, but his nature is onethat brings the rowdy Shinsengumi together. In the movie,he is a prisoner for some reason, as exemplified by his raggedlook.

Toshirou Hijikata. The infamous demonic vice-chief andnatural mayonnaise glutton. Seen most of the time leadingthe Shinsengumi in the absence of Kondo and spearheadingthe movement against the Jouishishi. Future Hijikatacompletely does away with the Shinsengumi’s trademarkcoat and instead puts on a more stylish trench coat. He alsolooks like he means business this time.

Kotarou Katsura. The so-called “Mad Noble” of Edo.Leader of the now underground terrorist group planningto overthrow the shogunate. Daily life includes evading theShinsengumi. For some reason, future Zura’s style is that ofthe Kiheitai’s leader, Shunsuke Takasugi.

June 3rd, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Feeling excited yet? “Gintama the Movie: Final Chapter ~BeForever, Yorozuya~” starts showing in theaters in Japan onJuly 8. As the title states, this is the final Gintama animationthat will be made.

source: natalie

More characters revealedfor moe fantasy ‘Genei woKakeru Taiyou’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/characters-revealed-moe-fantasy-

genei-wo-kakeru-taiyou/

By SunSoftware on June 3rd, 2013

The studio AIC has revealed more information on theirupcoming fantasy action anime, including a lot of the curiouscharacters and cast members.Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou (TheSun Penetrates the Illusion) is centered around a girl namedAkari who becomes obsessed with tarot cards after hermother, a fortune teller, passes away. One night, Akariis attacked by a monster and awakens a magic power byholding the Sun Tarot. Soon after, Akari falls unconscious

and wakes up in the company of an organization of tarotusers called Sefio Fiore. From then on, Akari joins a groupof new cadets who train to use their tarots and fight forcesof darkness day after day.

Along with the story details, the studio have also revealedsome of the supporting characters and their cast members.

Etia Visconti

The commander of the Sefio Fiore’s Nagataki branch. Shelooks gentle on the outside while hiding a dark secret. Sheuses the World Tarot and is voiced by Aya Endou (Sherylfrom Macross Frontier, Miyuki from Lucky Star).

Ariel Valtiel Westcott

The strict and merciless vice commander of Sefio Fiore’sNagataki branch. She uses the Judgement Tarot and isvoiced by Kikuko Inoue (Belldandy from Ah! My Goddess!,Cecile from Code Geass).

Priscilla Twilight

A cheerful older sister figure who serves as anupperclassmen for the new cadets. She uses the FoolTarot and is voiced by Ruriko Aoki (Riina Tada from TheIdolm@ster Cinderella Girls).

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Meltina Melvis

A mature and intelligent upperclassman. She uses theMagician Tarot and is voiced by Nao Touyama (Chihofrom Hataraku! Maou-sama, Yui from Love Come waMachigatteiru).

Itsuki/Mutsumi/Nanase Tendo

A homunculi trio. They work to detect Daemonia and analyzeinformation. They use the Wheel of Fortune Tarot andare voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki (Natsume from Tonari noKaibutsu-kun).

Fuyuna Shinzaki

Akari’s cousin and an honor student who likes to read. Sheis voiced by Ayane Sakura (Akane from Vividred Operation,Merry from Yumekui Merry).

Hinata Taiyou

Akari’s late mother who was a tarot fortune teller. She isvoiced by Aya Hisakawa (Ami from Sailor Moon, Cerberusfrom Cardcaptor Sakura).

Laplace/Schrodinger

A mysterious crow and cat who understand human speechand serve as watchmen for Sefio Fiore. Laplace is voiced byChado Horii (movie and TV drama actor), and Schrodingeris voiced by Shiori Izawa (Sodoko from Girls und Panzer).

Mama Nagataki/Lymro/Hanayume

Some creepy fortune tellers in Nagataki. Mama Nagataki isvoiced by Mao Uchino, Lymro by Minami Takahashi, andHanayume by Hironori Kondou.

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Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou will begin airing on July 6. Ifyou’re curious about this bishoujo fantasy, you can see themain heroines, trailer and more information in our previousarticle.

Source: Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou homepage

EA announced a new versionof Scrabble and new contentfor Real Racing 3Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/ea-announced-version-scrabble-

content-real-racing-3/

By bj0rN on June 3rd, 2013

For the first time ever, the SCRABBLE game will be availablefor Android devices outside of the U.S. and Canada underlicense from Mattel, and will be rolling out in six languages,including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, andBrazilian Portuguese.

SCRABBLE fans outside of the U.S and Canada can also lookforward to a free-to-download version for Apple devices, aswell as a localized Facebook version of the game, which willalso be offered in the same six languages. This new versionof the game will also add authenticity with the addition ofthe Collins and Larousse Official word lists.

Utilizing the Origin cross-platform functionality in the Appleand Android versions, fans can also now play against theirfriends and like-minded opponents in the SCRABBLE gameacross multiple platforms.

An ad-free version of the new SCRABBLE will also beavailable as a paid download on the App Store SM at S$2.58(iPhone).

The new, localized versions of the SCRABBLE game arenow live on the App Store SM, Google Play™ and Facebookworldwide.

Real Racing 3, the biggest racing game for mobile devices,has launched a new content update that features one of theworld’s most challenging tracks, brand new cars from Lexusand Dodge, and 50+ new events.

Players can now race on the all-new Dubai Autodrome withsix different track layouts, challenging players to navigatetechnically tight corners and heart-pumping straights. Raceduring the day or experience twilight, while mastering oneof the world’s most difficult tracks

Four new cars join the extensive lineup, including theprestigious Lexus IS--‐F and Lexus LFA, along with thepowerful Dodge Charger SRT8 and Dodge Charger RT. Withmore than 800 million races completed to date and 16million races completed each day, players are sure to enjoy50+ new events added across two series. Including thisupdate, there are now more than 50 cars and 1000+ eventsavailable for players in Real Racing 3.

The second content update for Real Racing 3 is available nowon the App Store and Google Play.

To download Real Racing 3 for free, please visit here

Sailor Moon live-actionmusical all-female castdecided!Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/sailor-moon-live-action-musical-all-

female-cast-decided/

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By spartanchef on June 3rd, 2013

More than 20 years after the debut of the classic, SailorMoon, an all-female cast for its stage musical has beenannounced. The stage musical will run from September13, 2013 until September 23, 2013 with a break day onSeptember 17. The musical will be held at the AiiA Theater inTokyo. The play is written and directed by Takuya Hiramitsuwith music by Toshihiko Sahashi. The cast is full of new facesas well as a veteran stage actress in Yuga Yamato.

Playing the role of Usagi or Sailor Moon will be SatomiOkubo. This will be her debut role.

The role of Ami or Sailor Mercury will be played by MiyabiMatsura. She was a Junon Girl Grand Prix winner.

The role of Rei or Sailor Mars will be played by KanonNanaki. She is a magazine model.

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The role of Makoto or Sailor Jupiter will be played by YuTakahashi. She had a role in Kamen Rider Kiva as Yuri Aso.She also modeled for several magazines.

The role of Minako or Sailor Venus will be played by ShioriSakata. She appeared in the NHK show “Goldfish club” withthe role of Aya.

and finally, the dashing Tuxedo Mask will be portrayed byYuga Yamato. She is a veteran stage actress having starredin the broadway musical, “Curtains”.

Sailor Moon is one of the most loved Magical Girl (MahouShoujo) series of all time. It started its run as a mangain 1991 and was published by Nakayoshi Magazine. Itsanime adaptation went on to becoming one of the mostpopular anime of all time with a total of five seasons. Theoriginal manga is written by Naoko Takeuchi and has herwork translated into multiple languages and the manga soldmillions of copies worldwide. The manga won the Kodanshamanga award in 1993.

It follows a girl named Usagi who finds a talking cat namedLuna. Luna reveals that Usagi’s real identity is Sailor Moon,a magical warrior destined to save the world. Along theway, she meets other “Sailor Senshi” like Ami, Rei, Makoto,Minako, Chibi-usa and many more. The live-action musicalis part of the 20th anniversary celebration.

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Source: Animate

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate todabble in freemium/free-to-play business model on thePlayStation NetworkSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/dead-alive-5-ultimate-fre-to-play/

By KarbyP on June 3rd, 2013

When Tecmo Koei Games’ Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate hits thePlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles later this year, severaleditions for the 3D fighter will be available.

There’s the standard edition. The limited edition. And,announced today via a Famitsu interview, a freemium/free-to-play edition that will come out on the PlayStation Storeday one.

The free PSN version will come with only four charactersto play with – Kasumi, Ayane, Hayate, and Ryu Hayabusa– and will not come with the contents of the game’s storymode. But otherwise, most of the modes in the full game (allonline modes, and all offline modes except Story mode) willbe fully accessible. Users on this free version will even be ableto play online with gamers who bought the retail version.

Although initially only four characters are playable in thisfreemium version, users will be able to purchase additionalfighters at 400 yen per character to play with. The game’sstory mode will also be accessible in this freemium version,for the price of 1,500 yen.

That’s compared to the 6,090 yen price for the retailversion, that will come with access to the story mode and allcharacters.

Save files from the original Dead or Alive 5, as well as all DLCpurchased for that version, can be carried over to both thefull-priced and freemium versions of DOA5U. Of course, youwon’t be able to access DLC costumes for characters that arelocked in the free version.

This is incredibly generous of Tecmo Koei Games and TeamNinja. It is also, I believe, the first time any fighting gamespublisher have tried this model, which makes a lot of sensenot just for casual fighting game fans, but also for hardcorefighting game enthusiasts like myself who may not be ableto commit as much time to playing DOA5U to justify buyinga full-priced retail game.

If, like me, you only plan to play one or two characters inDead or Alive 5 Ultimate to begin with, then this essentiallymeans that you can have most of the game’s functionality forthe low fee of 400 or 800 yen (US$4 or US$8 respectively).

But will the strategy play out well for Tecmo Koei Games?Every customer who downloads the free version of the gameis one who did not buy the full-priced retail version, after all.

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox360 comes out September 3, 2013 in the US, September 5 inJapan, and September 6 in Europe.

Currently, the freemium version of the game (exclusivelyon PlayStation Store) has only been announced for theJapanese market. We’ll have to wait and see if Tecmo KoeiGames decides to roll out a similar deal for other territories.

Source: Famitsu

June 3rd, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Genki Rockets vocalist, ReiYasuda, makes her solo debutwith Yamato 2199 endingthemeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/genki-rockets-vocalist-solo-debut-

yamato-2199-theme/

By Zenko on June 3rd, 2013

Rei Yasuda, famous vocalist for Genki Rockets, is kicking offher solo career with the new ending theme for Yamato 2199this June.

Genki Rockets was a big name on the Japanese pop scenein 2006 when their first song Heavenly Star hit YouTube.The song has since appeared in numerous mash-ups onNico Nico Douga, but not much was known about their leadsinger. This is because she was promoted as a future idoland the first human born in outer space, Lumi. However,now that Rei Yasuda is pursuing a solo artiste career, more isbeing revealed about the voice and face behind the Rockets’lead singer.

Born in North Carolina, USA, Rei Yasuda moved to Japanwhen she was only three years old. When she was 13, shepassed the test to join the Genki Rockets and entered asa vocalist. When the first single debuted via music video,however, her identity was not revealed.

When asked what it was they were looking for in recruitingthe key member of their group, Kenji Tamai and TetsuyaMizuguchi, the brains behind Genki Rockets, responded thatthey had looked throughout several countries for a lonegirl to take the part. They also wanted a voice that wouldappeal worldwide, and decided the voice of a 13 year old girlwould suit their needs better than an adult. They also wantedsomeone who would not be looking for a solo debut duringthe course the Genki Rockets were active, so that their entirefocus could be on their work in it.

Because she fit these qualifications, Rei Yasuda took on therole, but now, at twenty, she is launching her solo career. Shewill be doing this with her original song Best of My Love forthe recent continuation of Yamato 2199.

The debut is being handled by Sony Music Entertainment(SME Records) and will be handled in two key ways. StartingJune 2, her song will premiere as the ending theme of the 9thepisode. Then, starting July 27 and running for two months,she will make plans for fan events. She has said that she willmake the best use of her English skills, even in Japan, so thatshe might reach a global audience.

Source: AnimeAnime

Check out cast, characterdesigns, and PV for ‘MakaiOji: Devils and Realists’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/check-cast-character-designs-pv-

makai-oji-devils-realists/

By KaleNagasaki on June 2nd, 2013

According to the Makai Oji: Devils and Realists officialwebsite, we now know the voice actors and designs for all ofthe major characters.

Takuya Eguchi, who voiced Inu x Boku SS‘s Banri Watanukiand My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU‘s HachimanHikigaya, will play the main protagonist, William Twining.The son of a famous aristocrat who lost his money to aninvestment failure, William does not believe in demons. Hisname probably comes from the famous literary figure.

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Takuma Terashima, who was the voice of Agamase Toumain The IDOLM@STER and Yoshifumi Aoki in KokoroConnect, will play William’s close friend Dantalion.Although he appears as William’s classmate at the academy,Dantalion is actually a demon summoned by William.Dantalion’s job is to stay by William’s side until the youngaristocrat chooses a substitute king. This is easier said thandone though, since William’s lack of faith in demons provesquite the obstacle.

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, whose lengthy and impressiveresume includes Sword Art Online’s Kirito, will voiceSitori. Despite the feminine appearance, Sitori is a rival ofDantalion as candidate for substitute king. Within academywalls, Sitori becomes seen as a princess-like figure.

Tetsuya Kakihara (Ao no Exorcist‘s Amaimon and FairyTail‘s Natsu Dragneel) will voice Camio, another candidatefor substitute king. He is half-demon and half-human, and

is a prodigy of sorts at the academy. As you can already tell,there is some fierce competition for the position of substituteking, and William has a tough decision to make.

Getting away from all this talk of demons, JunFukuyama (Valrave the Liberator‘s A-drei) will voice thebutler of the Twining household, Kevin. Although Kevinhad been trying to catch William’s uncle, the reason forthe business failure, Kevin now works as a teacher for theacademy. He is a fan of gambling, and has some secretslocked away behind his demure smile.

Last but not least, Motoki Takagi (Kamanosuke Yuriin Brave 10) will voice Isaac Morton. Although he is a friendof William’s at school, unlike William, Isaac believes in andknows much about demons. Consequently, he often getspulled into the battles between the demons over William.

Other voice actors include Kousuke Toriumi as Gillesde Rais, Mitsuki Saiga as Solomon, Yuuki Ono as

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Mycroft Swallow, Hiroki Yasumoto as Baphomet, KazutomiYamamoto as Amon, and Yuuto Suzuki as Mamon.

Now that you know all of the main characters, check out thepromotional video below. I guarantee it will make fangirlssqueal!

Makai Oji: Devils and Realists was originally a mangaby Utako Yukihiro and Madoka Takadono. Chiaki Kon(Junjo Romantica, When They Cry – Higurashi) will directthe anime adaptation. Michiko Yokote, who also workedon Junjo Romantica, will be in charge of series composition.Kikuko Sadakata (Muromi-san, Corpse Princess) will be thechief animation director and character designer.

Makai Oji will premier July 7, so stay tuned! Don’t forgetto also keep a look out for the opening and endingsingles to be released on July 24. Both the opening andending theme songs, “Believe my Dice” and “A Shadow’sLove Song” respectively, are performed by Takuya Eguchi(William), Takuma Terashima (Dantalion), YoshitsuguMatsuoka (Sitori), and Tetsuya Kakihara (Camio).

Source: makai-ouji.com, Crunchyroll

The Idolm@ster seriesgeneral producer: “Lookforward to info on a consolegame release”Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/idolmster-series-general-producer-

look-info-console-game-release/

By KarbyP on June 2nd, 2013

Namco Bandai Games’s general producer for TheIdolm@ster series, Yozo Sakagami, appeared as a specialguest on Sega’s Samurai & Dragons Fan Meeting 2013Summer event in Akihabara held earlier today.

He was there mostly to talk about the Im@s collaborationcard pack that Sega announced today for Samurai &Dragons, which is a pretty big deal if you’re a fan of bothThe Idolm@ster and Samurai & Dragons. But, you know,Samurai & Dragons isn’t exactly released worldwide (only inAsia and Japan). Plus the two franchises couldn’t be moredifferent from one another.

If you’re an Idolm@ster fan, I wouldn’t blame you at all ifthe collaboration card pack announcement might as well bemoot to you.

But fortunately, that’s not all Sakagami talked about atSega’s event.

At the tail end of The Idolm@ster X Samurai & Dragonssegment, Sakagami once again teased a little about whatIm@s fans might be able to look forward to further down theline: a full-fledged Idolm@ster console game release.

“This year The Idolm@ster series is reaching its eighthanniversary. We’re working hard to bring the fans more andmore things, so for instance we’re doing a [concert] tour inJuly – well, we’ve done a live tour every year – and this timewe’re be starting the tour in July,” Sakagami said.

“With The Idolm@ster series, we started service on thesesocial games [which have attracted a lot of attention]… But,like many what many would probably think, we’d also like toto put out the franchise’s next console game release.

“We’re currently looking into some ideas on that front,working hard on something that we hope to announce in thenear future, so please look forward to that.”

Do you think we’ll see The Idolm@ster 3 announced thisyear? Which platform would you want to see the nextIdolm@ster game be on?

June 3rd, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Samurai & Dragons to launchIdolm@ster, God Eater 2,DOA5U collaboration cardpacksSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/samurai-dragons-launch-idolmster-

god-eater-2-doa5u-collaboration-card-packs/

By KarbyP on June 2nd, 2013

At a “Samurai & Dragons Fan Meeting 2013 Summer” eventheld today at Akihabara’s UDX Theatre, Sega announceda number of collaborative card packs – featuring gamefranchises owned by Namco Bandai, Tecmo Koei, and NihonFalcom Corporation – that would be released at some pointduring the upcoming “fourth season” service of the PS Vitafree-to-play simulation/action/trading card MMO game.

Note that the collaborative card packs announced today aremeant for the Japanese version of the game, and may notnecessarily make it into the English and Chinese versionscurrently playable in Asia (you’ll need an Asian PSN accountto access the game).

That said, past collaborations with franchises such as Fate/Stay Night have indeed made it into the Asian version ofSamurai & Dragons, albeit on a service date different fromthe Japanese version.

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate

First-print editions of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate in Japan willcode with a special Samurai & Dragons contents key that willgive players access to an Ayane card.

The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki

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God Eater 2

The Idolm@ster series

Rather than a specific game, the collaboration here featurescharacters from across the entire The Idolm@ster franchise– which includes the social game Idolm@ster Million Live.

June 3rd, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Source: Dengeki

Aku no Hana’s concept CD‘Aku no Kafu’ includes creepyending themeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/aku-hanas-concept-cd-aku-kafu-

includes-creepy-theme/

By SunSoftware on June 2nd, 2013

Have you seen that anime airing this season called Aku noHana? Do you know that ending song with the terrifying,inhuman voice? Well, that song is coming in a CD.

Aku no Hana (The Flowers of Evil) is an unusual anime. Forone thing, it doesn’t try to seem enjoyable. The animationlooks dreary at first, the background music is low-key, thestory is smothered with a gloomy atmosphere, and it has oneof the most haunting ending themes you will ever hear:

Despite all that, the anime has gained a lot of fans who likeits controversial and realistic story, which is about a boywho steals the gym clothes of the girl he likes, causing wildrumors of a pervert in his school.

Now, Aku no Hana is getting its own concept CD featuring allfour versions of the opening theme composed by Uchuujin,Aku no Hana, along with the full version of the ending theme

performed by Asa-chang and Junrei, Hana -a last flower-(yes, it’s the deranged song above).

The full tracklist of the CD is as follows:

1. Hana -a last flower-

2. Aku no Hana -Sawa Nakamura- (vocals by MarikoGotou)

3. Aku no Hana -Takao Kasuga- (vocals by Noko fromShinsei Kamattechan)

4. Aku no Hana -Nanako Saeki- (vocals by Shiho Nanba)

5. Aku no Hana -Gunma Prefecture Kiryuu City-

6. Hana -a last flower- (off vocals)

7. Aku no Hana -Sawa Nakamura- (vocals by MarikoGotou) (off vocals)

8. Aku no Hana -Takao Kasuga- (vocals by Noko) (offvocals)

9. Aku no Hana -Nanako Saeki- (vocals by Shiho Nanba)(off vocals)

10. Aku no Hana -Gunma Prefecture Kiryuu City- (offvocals)

11. Hikarigoke

On a side note, the band Uchuujin have released their secondsingle featuring the original version of the opening theme,which is different from the versions in the anime, so if you’recurious, you can pick up that single now.

Did you expect all of those weird songs to be released?

Source: Natalie

June 4th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Be as pretty as Sailor Moonwith new Miracle RomancecompactSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/pretty-sailor-moon-miracle-

romance-compact/

By Zenko on June 4th, 2013

For those who have ever wanted to be as pretty as a SailorScout, your chance is coming with the new release of aMiracle Romance Shining Moon Power compact.

Bandai Premium goods is getting ready to release a specialitem aimed at adult fans of Sailor Moon, specifically SailorMoon R on June 4. Retailing for 3980 yen, the compactwill based on the one Serena (Usagi) uses to transformthroughout the Sailor Moon R series.

Bandai Premium had previously released a themed compactfor Precure, and felt it would not be too difficult to recreate asimilar item for adults. They decided to base it on the popularSailor Moon series because it is celebrating it’s twentiethanniversary this year, and has another upcoming series laterthis year. The compact will be joining their Creer Beaute line,which features other anime themed make-up, such as Roseof Versailles mascara and Yatsura themed lip balm.

Like Sailor Moon’s Crystal Star Brooch it will feature amirror, styled to look like the silver crystal, and an outercasing designed to match the one seen in the show. It will bepackaged with a pink colored “sparkling powder” blush and“Adults are cute (Otona kawaii)” insert to help you feel like aprincess too. To add to the appeal, a Luna themed concealerwill also be bundled in the package.

Preorders for the compact will open June 4 at Bandai’sgood website and at Animate stores in Japan. It will shipsometime in October.

Source: Famitsu

Get ready to die a lot again-Dark Souls 2 has a releasedateSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/ready-die-lot-again-dark-souls-2-

release-date/

By hikarucon on June 4th, 2013

June 4th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Namco Bandai has officially confirmed that in March of2014, Dark Souls II will be released. The announcementcame soon after a picture of a banner of Dark Souls II fromthis year’s E3 event was taken, revealing the date of release.

Initially announced last December, Dark Souls II has beenwelcomed by the fans at arms lengths after the directorof the game revealed that this game would be more“straightforward” and “approachable” as compared to thelast two iterations of the game which were designed tochallenge the player to the point of masochism.

Fears of that were mostly dispelled as we got to see the gamein action.

Dark Souls II comes out March 2014. Hopefully more detailsto follow at E3.

‘Attack on Titan’ mangabreaks through 20 millioncopiesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/attack-titan-manga-breaks-20-

million-copies/

By SunSoftware on June 4th, 2013

Are you enjoying the anime Attack on Titan? Have you readthe manga yet? Well, a whole lot of people have.As of today,the manga Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) by HajimeIsayama has been released in 10 volumes and printed into20 million copies since it began serialization in Septemberof 2009 in Bessatsu Shounen Magazine. In comparison, by

last December, the manga had sold 10 million copies — that’sonly half as much!

Of course, the reason the total sales doubled in half ayear is because of the anime adaptation. Since the animestarted airing just two months ago, the manga has sold awhopping 8.7 million copies. On average, manga series fromthe publisher Kodansha sell about 2 million copies, andofficials from the company describe Attack on Titan as thetype of masterpiece that appears once every ten years.

In case you have read this far and don’t know about Attack onTitan, the story is set in a world where human civilization hasbuilt three gigantic, circular walls to protect itself from man-eating Titans. One day, a colossal Titan breaks the outermostwall, causing a swarm of Titans to kill one third of the humanpopulation. The hero is a boy named Eren Jaegar who vowsto have his revenge against the Titans after he witnesses hismother being devoured.

The manga series first broke through 1 million sales inDecember 2009, when there were only two volumes, and ithas also been translated into English by Kodansha ComicsUSA. The first Blu-ray volume will be released on July 17.How many copies do you think that will sell?

Source: Yaraon

Prepare your battle lawnsfor ‘Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’sAbout Time’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/prepare-battle-lawns-plants-

zombies-2-time/

By KaleNagasaki on June 4th, 2013

June 4th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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According to the PopCap official website, Plants vs. Zombies2: It’s About Time will be released worldwide for the iPhone,iPad, and iPod Touch on July 18. When the first Plants vs.Zombies came out, I remember staying on my phone for daysstraight – the game was just so addicting! If you’ve had asimilar experience, then it surely is about time that It’s AboutTime is coming!

As a plus, you don’t have to anticipate any fees or hits to yourwallet. PopCap assures us that

players can face every zombie and access every levelin every world at no cost.

There will be upgrades and items available for purchase, butthey will not be necessary to experiencing the awesomenessof the game. The same concept we fell in love with beforeis still there: defend your house (and your brains) fromthe onslaught of zombies by building a bastion of plants.However, PopCap promises that Plants vs. Zombies 2 willbring tons of new levels, multiple-themed worlds, new typesof plants and zombies, and even a way for players to directlytake on the zombies.

Some of the themed-worlds include Ancient Egypt, PirateSeas, and the Wild West. How cool do these levels look?

Senior producer Allen Murray says:

We’re confident that players will see the love andattention we’ve put into this game. We’ve createdwild new ways to experience the plants and zombiesyou know and love as well as packing the game withtons of completely new content, and we’re still hardat work coming up with even more cool stuff thatwill keep Plants vs. Zombies 2 fresh and evolving inthe months and years following launch.

But enough talking, check out the official trailer below! Ican’t tell you how happy it makes me that Crazy Dave is stillin there.

If you’re hungry for more information, stay tuned for E3next week, where more announcements about the gameshould be made. In the meantime, I will be replaying theoriginal Plants vs. Zombies.

Sources: IGNAsia

Could the Deathstroke DLCfor Batman: Arkham Originsnot be coming to the Wii U?Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/deathstroke-dlc-batman-arkham-

origins-coming-wii-u/

June 4th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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By hikarucon on June 4th, 2013

It might not be the best day to be a Wii U owner and a fan ofthe Dark Knight. There’s currently a lot of confusion whetheror not the Wii U version of the Warner Brother’s upcominggame Batman: Arkham Origins is getting the DeathstrokeDLC.

According to some box art posted by NeoGaf, the WiiUversion is the only one without a sticker saying that theDeathstroke DLC is included.

The Deathstroke DLC includes 2 challenge maps and 2Deathsroke skins for free as long as you pre-order the game.The Wii U not getting DLC on a multi-platform release isnothing too new (see Mass Effect 3) but still difficult tobelieve.

Some retail sites such as Amazon do list the Wii U asincluding the DLC but there is no official word yet whetheror not this is the case.

Batman: Arkharm Origins is scheduled to hit PC, PS3,Xbox360, and Wii U worldwide October 25, 2013.

Kanjani8′s new single‘Namida no Kotae’will accompany OkuraTadayoshi’s role in ’100 KaiNaku Koto’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/kanjani8s-single-namida-kotae-

accompany-member-okura-tadayoshis-role-100-kai-naku-koto/

By KaleNagasaki on June 4th, 2013

Earlier today it was announced that Kanjani8 willbe releasing their second single of 2013. Following

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“Hesomagari/Koko ni Shika nai Keshiki”, which came outlast April, Kanjani8′s new song will be titled “Namida noKotae.” The song was composed by SEKAI NO OWARI, andwill be out June 12.

You can own the single in three editions:

- Limited A with DVD that includes the full music video fortitle track, 24pg booklet/special jacket, and deluxepackaging.

- Limited B with DVD that includes version of music videoand making-of footage. Deluxe packaging.

- Regular CD-only with extra coupling song. First Pressversion adds a bonus remix track and deluxe packaging.

Check out the short version of the song below:

‘Namida no Kotae’, besides likely becoming another hitunder Kanjani8′s belt, will also be the main song for theupcoming movie 100 Kai Naku Koto (To Cry 100 Times). Ifyou plan on seeing the movie to support Kanjani8, youwill be doing so in more ways than one. Not only will‘Namida no Kotae’ be extensively featured, but memberOkura Tadayoshi is also starring in the movie.

In 100 Kai Naku Koto, Okura Tadayoshi plays Shuichi Fuji,a man beleaguered by memory loss after a dramatic motorcycle accident. Mirei Kiritani will also grace the screen withOkura. Mark your calenders for June 22, and get excited tohit the movies. Here’s the trailer!

It seems that Kanjani8 has established a trend withproducing a song that will be featured in a movie inwhich one of the members act. Concerning their last single,‘Hesomagari/Koko ni Shika nai Keshiki’, ‘Hesomagari’ is thetheme song for the TV series Otenki Oneesan, and OkuraTadayoshi stars in it. ‘Koko ni Shika nai Keshiki’ is the themesong for the movie Kencho Omotenashi Ka, and (surprisesurprise) member Ryo Nishikido starred in it.

But this is all good news: it means we can get our Kanjani8fix in one place!

Sources: Jpopasia, comtrya.com

New Injustice: Gods AmongUs DLC announced! And it’s…SCORPION!Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/injustice-gods-dlc-announced-its-

scorpion/

By spartanchef on June 4th, 2013

DC Comics fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us hasbeen making waves since its release last April 2013 and now,they have announced a new DLC character, Mortal Kombat’sScorpion! Scorpion would the only character not from thecomic books so far. Scorpion is from NetherRealm’s MortalKombat series which had a cross-over with DC previouslywith fighting game Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe.NetherRealm Studios is also responsible for Injustice: GodsAmong Us so the news comes as no surprise at all. Scorpion’snew costume is a redesign by comic book artist Jim Lee whohas made the artwork for several Marvel and DC comicslike Uncanny X-Men, Iron Man, Batman, Superman amongothers.

The other DLC characters for Injustice: Gods Among us wereLobo (First DLC character announced) and Batgirl (SecondDLC character announced). Scorpion can be downloadedfor US$4.99 on the PlayStation Network and 400 MicrosoftPoints for the Xbox 360. Injustice: Gods Among Us will alsobe available for the Wii U in the summer (2013).

source: Comingsoon.net

June 4th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Binbougami-Ga! mangaendingSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/binbougami-ga-manga/

By spartanchef on June 4th, 2013

It has been announced that comedy manga Binbougami-Ga! is will now be having its final curtain call. The comedymanga about an extremely lucky beauty named Ichiko and agoddess of misfortune named Momiji has been handing outlaughs through its witty and playful humor since Novemberof 2008. The manga also had an equally hilarious animeadaptation which ran from July to September 2012 (Summeranime season 2012). The final chapter will be released in theAugust issue of Jump Square to be released July 4 in Japan.

The story is about an extremely lucky girl named IchikoSakura. However, her luck comes from her sucking off theluck of others. As a result, the people closest to her becomeunlucky while she becomes super lucky. In order to stop this,a Binbougami or a goddess of misfortune named Momijiwas sent to take away her good fortune. However, Ichikois unwilling to give up her luck even when she almost hadher beloved butler killed because of her selfishness. Thisresults to a (very) funny battle of wits between the goddessof flatne… I mean misfortune and Ichiko.

Binbougami-Ga! is a comedy manga Sukeno Yoshiaki. It isserialized in Jump Square by Shueisha.

Source: Mantan

Details on Suda51′s Killer isDead: Premium EditionSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/details-suda51s-killer-dead-

premium-edition/

By hikarucon on June 4th, 2013

Romance and execution, two sides of the same coin come tolife in Suda51’s upcoming game Killer is Dead. As if just astandard version was not enough for this game, Suda51 ispushing a Premium edition with added DLC “Beauty, Beast,and Lingerie,” and an extra episode “Blood Thief” whichupon clearing will earn you two extra sub-missions.

The Premium edition will come with a reversible jackets withthe product code put into a special design on the reverseside of it. The Premium edition will net you about 7980 yen(about $80)

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One of the 4 Mondo girls: Betty aka Life Forcer

Voice: Asakawa Yuu

B/W/H: 88/56/84

Height: 170cm

Age: 256

Residence: Germany

Read our previous article for more information on our 256year old beauty here

Execution target: Sebastian

Sex: Male

Height 180cm

Age: 50

Residence: England

Special skills: Entrapping women with his gentlemanlydemeanor. His deep interest in vampires becomes apparentwhen he fights and transforms into a form similar to thecreatures.

Enemy: Dark Eye

Wires will suddenly appear floating around in front of you.Destroying the enemy is not as simple as it may look sinceit is a huge floating eyeball. The enemy is great not only insize but defensive capabilities cladding itself in thick armormaking doing damage to it a difficult feat. The Dark Eye isnot just good for defense though, the Dark Eye can also shootout dark matter out of its eye which will make for some heavydamage.

It can also summon its subordinate, the Red Eye. Since theDark Eye is an airborne enemy, countermeasures need to betaken, thus players will be supplied with the “Muscle Back”in order to counter the enemies’ attacks.

Red Eye

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Similar to the Black Eye, it is a huge floating eye that willsuddenly appear in front of the player meaning that theplayer needs to act quickly to avoid receiving any criticaldamage. The Red Eye has a thorny armor that kind of makesit look like a star. The Red Eye is a set with the Dark Eye soyou’ll never just see a Red Eye hanging around by itself. Beweary that if you see a Red Eye, a Dark Eye is just aroundthe corner.

The Red Eye’s offensive capabilities are nothing short ofcruel and powerful. Furthermore, when the Red Eye isdestroyed it explodes meaning that not only does the playerhave to worry about killing the creature, but also has to worryabout its impending explosion.

Sub-missions

When you clear “Blood thief,” you will be able to do twomore sub-missions, “Scheme of the bats” and “LegendaryLiquor” which players will be able to select sub-missionsupon clearing an episode. In each new stage there willbe various gimmicks that correspond to each stage that ischosen.

Of course, this game would be nothing without extra goodiesand Killer is Dead delivers. In order to receive more presentsand items from the beauties, you will need to earn money inshort missions.

In the submission “Scheme of the bats,” Sebastian’s batunderlings plot his revival and you’re the only one whocan stop it. In order to prevent the impending revival ofSebastian, players must protect the light of sealing that keepsSebastian asleep.

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On the other hand, “Legendary Liquor” takes place in anancient castle’s underground area where a special wine hasbeen hidden. The players’ mission is to find and acquire asmuch wine as possible. The more received, the better theturn outs of the mission.

Killer is Dead is working towards an August 1st release.

Team Ninja’s Yosuke Hayashi:DOA5U freemium/free-to-play to launch worldwide[Translated Interview]Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/doa5u-team-ninja-yosuke-hayashi-

interview-translated/

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By KarbyP on June 3rd, 2013

In a lengthy discussion with Famitsu on Dead or Alive5 Ultimate (PS3, X360, September 2013), which we’vetranslated in full below, developer Team Ninja’s YosukeHayashi talks about the rationale behind adding Momiji,Ein, and Virtua Fighter 5′s Jacky Bryant to this iteration of the game.

He also explains why they could not roll out DOA5Ultimate as a DLC upgrade for those who already own thevanilla version, and mentions that the freemium/free-to-play version of DOA5U revealed today for the PS3 (it willbe rolled out to all PSN regions) may also be released onthe X360 – negotiations for that to happen are currentlyunderway.

Negotiating with whom? He didn’t say!

But here’s what he did talk about:

The addition of several popularcharacters!

—Let’s start the interview by talking about the reasonsbehind why you’ve decided to add Momiji, Ain, and Jackyinto the game this time around.

Team Ninja’s Yosuke Hayashi: We decided to call this title“Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate” because we wanted our fans totruly feel that this iteration is truly the definitive version ofthe series. As part of making sure our fans feel that way, webegan by adding Momiji to the cast as she was a frequentlyrequested character from the fans.

Then we added Ein because there were a lot of fans who toldus that they’d like for us to “please bring him back”.

—In other words, they were basically popular fan-choicecharacters who made it in, huh? Wel what about VirtuaFighter’s Jacky then?

Hayashi: In Dead or Alive 5, which was released in 2012, weintroduced three guest characters in Akira, Sarah and Pai.But actually we shortlisted four character candidates in thebeginning. After we decided on Akira and Sarah, we couldn’tquite decide on who between Pai and Jacky we should addas a third guest character.

At the time, we thought that for the Dead or Alive seriesit’s probably a better idea to go with a female fight, andthat’s how we decided on Pai. This time around, as Jacky isquite popular as a beginning character for the Virtua Fighterseries, to the point that people will tell you “just start playingby picking Jacky”, we talked to Sega about it and managedto their approval for him to appear.

—Was Sega also involved in the production work for Jackyas a DOA5U character, like with past guest characters?

Hayashi: Yes. This time around too, the Virtua Fighter teamworked together with us on the guest character. “ShinjukuJacky” (a Sega employee who does planning work for themand who was regarded as one of the strongest players in theVirtua Fighter community) did the checking work on ourJacky Brayant, so I think the character will play quite true tohis original series.

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—Like I thought, [Jacky was picked because] you wanted toprioritise characters that were easy to play with.

Hayashi: Of course. As Jacky is an easy to use characterin the Virtua Fighter series even for beginning players,naturally he’d be easy to use here. We think that most 3Dfighting game fans who’s never played Dead or Alive before,will probably be familiar with Jacky, so we’re hoping that thiswill get more of them to try out the game, and from there,gradually learn the systems in Dead or Alive.

—What about Ein, whom you’re bringing back from Dead orAlive 2. Will he play the same way he previously did?

Hayashi: We’ve added quite a number of moves to hisarsenal in this iteration. That said, the fundamentals withhim are still largely the same, so we think fans whopreviously played him in DOA2 will be able to start playinghim here without any problems adjusting, right away.Although in terms of the game’s storyline, Ein and Hayateare actually the same person, [we're treating them like twoseparate characters so] you can play a tag-team conprisingEin and Hayate if you’d like to. We sort of see this title asa compilation title for the DOA5 series, so this time we caninclude new characters who are not related to the game’sstory at all. In that sense the atmosphere in this game is likethat of a festival.

—Ninja Gaiden’s Momiji makes her debut appearance in theDead or Alive series here. What’s her battle style like?

Hayashi: In the Ninja Gaiden games, Momiji fights with ahalberd and she has a double-jump, but this time aroundshe has to fight bare-handed. There are already a lot of fastand nimble ninja fighters like Kasumi and Ayane, so to givethe game a good sense of contrast, Momiji will fight withHayabusa-style Aikijutsu (mix of Aikido and Ninjutsu) andKobudo (a type of Japanese martial arts).

Furthermore, she has her double-jump here as well, and canrepeatedly perform aerial attacks. So her play style relies onusing the opponent’s strength against them with traditionaltechniques, throw them off-balance, and then proceed toperform a flurry of attacks.

—It seems like, compared to the past ninja characters, you’repushing for a completely different type here.

Hayashi: That’s right. Well if you just hear about the double-jump ability, I bet you’ll get the impression that Momiji willbe quite a difficult character to use. But Momiji is really quitea popular character and we expect that many players willwant to pick her, and so we’re planning to make her play styleone that’s suited for beginners. Also, as Momiji is a kunoichiwho’s “still in training”, so we hope that through playerswill help to make Momiji stronger by discovering new thingsabout her moves.

—Besides Momiji, Ein, and Jacky are you planning to addother characters as well? The parting scene in this followingPV appears to depict a certain character we’re thinking of…

Hayashi: Who could that be? Well, since this is DOA5“Ultimate”, there could be more characters (laughs).

Why put out a free basic version?—Can you share with us what you hope to achieve by puttingout a free basic version of the game?

Hayashi: The main aim with doing this, is to open thefloodgates and rope every gamer into playing Dead or Alive,into wanting to get into playing fighting games. Personally,I believe that fighting games hold limitless potential, and wewant for many gamers to experience this title and think “sofighting games can be enjoyed like this too, huh!”

In 2012, quite a few publishers put out a fighting game, andwe feel that every single one of them were well-impressionedand performed quite favourably with their fans.

We don’t want this fighting game boom to just end withthe core gamers appreciating it, and we hope to bring moregamers into the movement.

—In other words, it’s an attempt to reach out to peoplewho’ve never played fighting games before, I suppose?

Hayashi: That’s right. Back in the heyday of Street Fighterand Virtual Fighter, the fighting game boom was such agreat social phenomenon that pretty much everybody playedthem. We’d like to try and bring back that sort of boom.But for that to happen, we need to rope in a vast numberof people, and so we think that the best way to make thathappen is to somehow put out a free basic edition of thegame.

Our goal is to get everybody who owns a PlayStation 3 to atleast give the game a shot, and hopefully from there they’lljoin and participate in the fighting games community.

—If the basic version is free, then it makes it easy to inviteyour friends to join in the fun too, huh?

Hayashi: Exactly. Amongst Dead or Alive 5′s passionatefanbase, we’ve had people who volunteered to run their owntournaments for the game, and event went as far as to inviteus to come attend it. We’re really humbled by the the passionthey’ve got for Dead or Alive, it’s incredibly admirable.But when those passionate fans of ours try to encouragetheir friends to join in the fun, usually they’d have to saysomething to their friends like “it’s a really enjoyable game,why don’t you buy it so that we can play together?” I’m surethere were a few friends who’d respond quite despondentlyto that. This time around, since there’s a free basic edition,it’d be easier to recommend the game to their friends.

—Fighting games are sort of unique in the sense that, if youdon’t have an opponent then you can’t really play. In thatsense, being able to casually invite your friends to join in onthe fun seems like a really good idea.

Hayashi: Yep. Since Dead or Aliver 5 came out in 2012, therehave been tens of thousands of players who’ve played thegame online. But as more and more time pass since theinitial release date, you gradually have this divide in skillbetween the really good players, and those who are at theintermediate and beginning levels – which further dividesup the possible pool of players available only for a match.

So we thought, wouldn’t it be great if we could make it so thatplayers could ask their friends to join in on the fun easily,which would not only make it easy for beginning playersto play against other beginning players, but also just createthis casual atmosphere of playing for fun. We think we canachieve that by putting out a free basic version, and improvethings on that front. When it comes to online, we want topopular the online servers with a lot of players at each andevery skill level.

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—When you’re playing with an opponent of the same skilllevel as you, when as a beginning player this makes for a veryenjoyable experience.

Hayashi: When it comes to fighting games, there are playerswho’d learn every character and see that as depth, but therewould also be players who can’t use more than one or twocharacters. In that case, we thought, why don’t we make thegame accomodating of these different play styles by puttingout a different way of purchasing the game (free-to-play pluspaid characters)? With the free basic version, players couldbuy just the characters they play, and check out only the newcharacters that they’re personally interested in. Or if a playerplans to spend several hundred hours playing with all thecharacters, then buying the retail version would make moresense.

—It certainly is true that there are quite a lot of differentstyles of play when it comes to having fun with a fightinggame.

Hayashi: And the thing when you’re talking abotu playerswho’d pick their mains and subs, and who’d want to tryout the new characters, those are really folks who’ve beenfollowing the series for a while.

When it comes to new players, when they look at thecharacter select screen with over 25 characters to pick from,they may get frustrated not knowing which one to pick. Ifthey were to try out one character per match, then you’dneed to play at least 20 matches to try all of them. To find acharacter that suits one’s play style, that’s even worse, you’dhave to do several hundred matches.

So with regards to that, we’d also like to limit the barriers ofentry by just giving beginners the characters that we highlyrecommend, to start with.

—You’re referring to the characters available from the outsetin the free basic version, huh? Kasumi, Ayane, Hayate andHayabusa.

Hayashi: That’s right. We picked characters that would givebeginning players a good idea of what sort of game Dead orAlive is. Initiailly there was some discussion internally onwhether it was really a good idea to give away the game’s leadcharacters, but in the end we decided, because they’re thelead characters, they should especially be the ones who areincluded in the free basic verison of the game.

—So four characters are selectable. Are there any restrictionsin terms of opponents a player in the free basic version canfight with?

Hayashi: Not at all. While in the free version players onlyhave permission to play as four characters, in online battleand the various modes offline, these players can still fight

Momiji and the rest as their opponents. There are also nolimitations on stage selection. All of them can be fought on.

—I see. In the future are you planning to increase the numberof free playable characters?

Hayashi: We’re thinking of doing something like a limited-time-only promotional campaign where, for instance, “forthis week only, Tina is free-to-play” so that players on thisversion can be encouraged to try the other characters. Apartfrom such promotions, every character outside of the initialfour will have to be purchased.

—And players from both the free and paid retail versions willbe able to play against one another?

Hayashi: Of course they can. Online there won’t be any sortof discrimination against a player who’s on the free versionof the game, versus a player who’s on the retail version.

In the free basic version, the Story mode and additionalcharacters are paid DLC, but apart from that there is nodistinction between this and the full retail version.

In other words, the free basic version will include all the newfeatures added from the PS Vita version of DOA5 Plus, suchas deeper tutorial and training modes. Using these practicemodes, it’s possible for a player to train and be the world’sbest Dead or Alive player just with the free basic version.

—Recently there’s been a lot of livestreams for tournamentsheld all over Japan, huh? When a gamer gets hyped watchingone such livestream, and decides to check out the game himor herself, the basic free versio nis really handy for that, huh?

Hayashi: As more and more of these tournaments arestreamed live, the number of people watching and enjoyingthose videos increase. Yet at the same time, those peoplewould actually need to buy the game to actually be able toplay it, and so they don’t – that’s sort of how it’s always been.

With a free basic version, we feel that the barriers to entryhave been lowered enough for gamers like that to join in onthe action.

—By the way, for fans who bought DLC costumes for Deador Alive 5, will they be transferrable to Ultimate?

Hayashi: All of that data will be transferrable to Ultimate.For the free basic version, these costumes will be useablefor the characters they’ve paid to use in the game. Fromthe free basic version, gamers will also be able to purchaseDLC costumes that were initially released for Dead or Alive5, to further customise their favourite characters’ styles. Ofcourse, we also plan to release brand new DLC costumes forUltimate.

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—When most people think about the premium model, it’shard not to think that there might be hidden charges or somesort of “gacha” lottery system for DLC content…

Hayashi: We won’t have any of that. The only things you’dever need to buy in the free basic edition are the characters,and the story mode, and you’ll get exactly what you paid for.

Of course, there won’t be restrictions on how much youcan play in a game either. We won’t be implementing thosesort of freemium systems where every fight in the gamecosts stamina to play, or that you can only play X numberof matches per day and have to use paid items to recoveryour stamina. There’s no such thing here, you play withoutrestrictions as much as you like.

—That’s good to hear. I was thinking that if you were toimplement a “gacha” random lottery system, then we mightend up with a situation where I’ll buy a DLC costume and go“what the hell, I got Bayman’s costume again!” (Laughs)

(Translator’s comment: EA and Bioware, you taking notes?)

Another thing: Will users who currently own Dead or Alive5 for the PS3 and X360 will be able to upgrade to Ultimatevia DLC?

Hayashi: This time we couldn’t do that, as we had to makemany root changes to the game’s system in order to improvethe overall play experience. We’ve made severe tweaks to thegame program, and as such it would be incredibly difficultto roll it out as an update.

But this time around we’re doing both a retail version and adownloadable free basic version, so for fans who’re still onthe fence on Ultimate, they can try before they buy with thefree basic version.

At the moment, the free basic version has only beenannounced for the PlayStation 3. That said, negotiationsare currently underway as to whether or not we could alsoput out a similar solution for the Xbox 360 version. We’dvery much like to do it on the X360 as well, but as thisis something new we’re trying, we can’t promise at thismoment that it will be doable on the platform.

—I think that’s something a lot of Xbox 360 users will belooking forward to, so we’re hoping for good news on that.By the way, when you say that severe tweaks were made toimprove the game, does that include tweaking the onlineexperience to be better as well?

Hayashi: Yes. We’re planning to make huge changes withthat too. With Dead or Alive 5 we were able to change a lotof things that weren’t so good initially, with game patches.And with Ultimate we’re improving the game even furtherthan that.

For that reason, DOA5U is not compatible with DOA5 orDOA5 Plus, not even in terms of letting players from eachversion play against one another.

—Previously you organised an official tournament with Deador Alive 5. Do you plan to do that again with Ultimate?

Hayashi: Yes we do. As fighting games are also aboutdetermining who’s the strongest, we’d like to be able topresent some sort of target for fans to try and aim for. At themoment we still don’t know how far we can go with thosetournament plans, but personally I’d like to do some form ofevents that we could take all over Japan. And at those eventswe could give out special player titles/tags/descriptions.

—When it comes to organising a nation-wide fighting gamestournament in Japan, I think that’d be quite difficult to dowithout the aid of arcades. Do you plan to roll out an arcadeversion?

Hayashi: Since 2000′s Dead or Alive 2 Millenium, we havenot released an arcade version of Dead or Alive. So it’s beenabout 13 years.

After Dead or Alive 5 was released, a number of folks askedus if we were going to do an arcade version, and there arecertainly requests for that to happen. Personally I’d like verymuch to make an arcade version as well.

—Looking at the arcade scene lately, there’s been aresurgence of interest in 2D fighting games ever sinceStreet Fighter Iv’s release. So please, we hope for an arcaderelease of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate that may bring about aresurgence for 3D fighting games the same way that StreetFighter IV did for 2D.

Hayashi: Recently we’ve been studying the arcade businessby literally visiting arcades ourselves. While we were therewe did notice that 2D fighting games were noticeably morepopular than the 3D ones. As a 3D fighting game makerourselves, we were quite dispirited by that. We’re hopingthat Ultimate will bring about a resurgence in popularity for3D fighters, and hope that as a result, the entire fightinggames scene gets more hype.

—Lastly, do you have any parting words for the fans?

Hayashi: When we released Dead or Alive 5 last year (2012),we received a lot of positive feedback from fans, whichwe’re very grateful for and which we see as a form ofencouragement.

However, at the same time, we were also aware that therewere imperfections with the game, and we’ve tried to be wellon top of that. We see Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate as a result ofour hard work improving on all those flaws fans saw in theprevious release, and in that sense, we want to bring out theabsolute best game that we can to our fans, in Ultimate. Soplease look forward to the game’s release.

As for gamers who’ve yet to try the Dead or Alive series, thistime around we’re launching a free basic version so please dodownload it and take your first step into the world of fightinggames with it.

Furthermore, the free basic version will not just bedistributed within Japan, but also to the entire worldsimultaneously. We hope to create a well-populated onlinescene where hundreds of thousands of gamers from allover the world would hop on. So everyone, please join thecommunity. We hope you enjoy the game!

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Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360comes out in the US September 3, 2013. The Japanese andEuropean release dates are September 5 and 6 respectively.

June 5th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Assassin’s Creed IV getsnovel and art bookSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/assassins-creed-iv-art-book/

By KaleNagasaki on June 5th, 2013

To accompany the release of Assassin’s Creed IV: BlackFlag, Ubisoft has announced a tie-in novel and artbook.Penguin Books will publish the novel, which will hitshelves November 7 for the UK and November 26 for theUS, courtesy of Ace Books. The novel will be largely basedon the game, and reveal the background history of themain character of Black Flag, Edward Kenway. Accordingto the plot description, readers will discover how EdwardKenway started out as a mere privateer before becoming“one of the world’s most deadly pirates and was drawninto the centuries-old battle between the Templars and theAssassins.”

Titan Books will release the official art book of Assassin’sCreed IV: Black Flag on October 28. If you plan on buying it,try to be one of the first five-hundred buyers, because there’ssome sweet bonus material for you. If you are lucky enough

to get the special slipcase edition, then, in addition to the artbook, you will also receive two exclusive concept art printssigned by the artists! Get excited.

However, let’s say you are a die-hard fan of the Assassin’sCreed series, and you want to support the series, but youaren’t sure if a side novel or art book would really be worthit. Ubisoft assures us that,

highlights in the game, and in the art book, includeone of the largest never-before-experienced nauticalgameplay ever offered, with an amazing range oflocations and action.

The timing of the art book will nearly coincide with therelease of the game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and WiiU on October 29th. Black Flag will come to the PC, XboxOne, and PlayStation 4 later, but in the meantime you cansatisfy your craving with the novel.

For more information on the game and the official trailers,check out our previous coverage here.

Source: IGNAsia

StarCraft II now offers optionto spawn into higher editiongameSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/starcraft-ii-offers-option-spawn-

higher-edition-game/

By Zenko on June 5th, 2013

Players of StarCraft II can look forward to some addedbonuses with the new spawning feature.

If you have a lower version of the game, such as the StarterEdition or Wings of Glory, but have friends with the fullHeart of the Swarm edition, they will be able to upgradeyou through spawning. The feature, which was popularizedduring the era of LAN parties with Warcraft II and theoriginal Starcraft, allows those with the full copy of the gameto bring in those who do not own it or would like to try thefeatures out, to try it for free. Additionally, those with Wingsof Glory can also upgrade their friends for free.

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For those spawning into the higher tier game this meanshaving access to features locked in the starter edition. Thatincludes playing against AI opponents in multi-player mode,access to ranked and unranked ladder matches and mixingthings up with access to all custom game maps released todate. Unfortunately, however, it does not include the abilityto choose race for those spawned into the game and goes offof whichever race is active in the Starter Edition of the game.The player that is upgraded will display the game’s updateicon in the party menu, and will have an upgrade buttonlinked in their main menu.

For those hosting spawned players you will not be goingunrewarded. The game will reward you with an additional25% experience bonus for playing. Although this feature isalready set in motion for anytime you play with a friend, itcertainly could help to convince your friend who may be onthe fence about buying the game to do so. If you have morethan one friend, that also is no problem as it allows the maxamount of party members available to be spawned into thegame, which means up to fourteen friends at once. It is alsoparticularly useful if you just want to bring in a friend for aone-shot match or to introduce them to the game entirely.Below is Blizzard’s intro video to the new process to help youget started.

Source: YouTube

Answers to how many animeseries can you identify just bytheir school uniformsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/answers-anime-series-identify-

school-uniforms/

By hittokiri on June 5th, 2013

We asked how many anime series can you identify just bytheir school uniforms earlier. Here are the answers.

1. Fate/stay Night

2. Accel World

3. Clannad

4. Toradora!

5. Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai

6. Smile Pre-Cure!

7. Persona 4

8. Toaru Mahou no Index / Toaru Kagaku no Railgun

9. Bakemonogatari

10. Mirai Nikki

1. Azumanga Daioh

2. MM!

3. Star Driver

4. Zegapain

5. Night Wizard

June 5th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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6. Pani Poni Dash

7. Fruits Basket

8. Lamune

9. Sora wo kakeru Shoujo

10. Seitoukai Ichizon

1. Angel Beats!

2. High School of the Dead

3. To Heart

4. Hanasaku Iroha

5. Saki

6. Hyouka

7. Lucky Star

8. Ore no Imouto ga konna ni Kawaii wakeganai

9. Mawaru Penguindrum

10. Busou Renkin

1. Kannazuki no Miko

2. Yuru Yuri

3. Puella Magi Madoka Magica

4. Shoujo Kakumei Utena

5. Mariaholic

6. Baka to Tesuto to Shoukanjyu

7. Inazuma Eleven

8. Rokyuubu

9. Little Busters!

10. Card Captor Sakura

How many anime series did you identify correctly just bytheir school uniforms?

Source : Yaraon

Nendroid Faris Nyan Nyanpre-order starts – NendroidKurisu re-releasedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/nendroid-faris-nyan-nyan-pre-order-

start-nendroid-kurisu-re-released/

By spartanchef on June 5th, 2013

The pre-orders for Good Smile Company’s latest nendroid,Faris Nyan Nyan has now started.Not only that, the nendroidMakise Kurisu is being re-released, so if you missed out onher, now your chance!

The new Faris nendroid features her in her May Queen maiduniform. Included with the figure is a plate of delicious(but unfortunately inedible) plate of May Queen’s “Omurice”with “The world is in trouble” written in it. It also comeswith a nendroid-sized set of Rai-Net battle cards which Farisis known to be extremely good at. The figure also comeswith three facial expressions; one smiling, one smug and onewinking.

The figure is sculpted by Maruhige and is approximately 100mm tall. The nendroid will be released October 2013.

June 5th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Source: Hobby Search

Finally, we go to the tsundere genius, Makise Kurisu!The “assistant”, “Christina” nendroid will be re-releasedSeptember 2013! It is also sculpted by Maruhige and alsostands at approximately 100 mm. A nendroid-sized folderand her cellphone are also included.

June 5th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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source: Hobby Search

Fable HD remake for Xbox360 teased!Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/fable-hd-remake-xbox-360-teased/

By spartanchef on June 5th, 2013

Nearly 10 years after its release, Lionhead studios,developers of Fable recently posted a video teasing fans ofthe classic adventure game. Lionhead Studios admitted thatfans have always demanded an HD remake of the game. Andwith the video, they showed how much fans wanted it andreleased a reply from (of all people), the good-old Jack ofBlades!

The new HD remastered Fable will be for the Xbox360 and the PC. The remastered version offers bettergraphics, almost instant loading times, an all-new interface,achievements, Xbox Smartglass support and more.

“We’re really excited to bring ‘Fable’ to Xbox 360.” saidTed Limmins, Lead designer for the anniversary editionof the game. He continued, “It’s the game that the ‘Fable’community has been asking for, so we wanted to makesure ‘Fable Anniversary’ delivered the definitive ‘Fable’experience for both long-time fans and newcomers to thefranchise.”

For the first time, the game will feature “achievements”.According to Limmins, “’Fable’ has always been aboutchoices and consequences, so we’re trying to put that intoour Achievements.” However, he emphasized that while theyare bringing a newer and modern approach to remakingthe game, he promised that the game will stay true to itsroots. “It’s probably the hardest part of the job. We neededto keep ‘Fable’ the same, but also make it different, it was acase of playing through the game over and over and writingdown a list of the things we wanted to address in order tobring ‘Fable’ to a 360 quality level that people expect.”

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And then, Timmins added that there is now aLEADERBOARD for kicking chickens!

The video game was released for the Microsoft Xbox in 2004with sequels for the Xbox 360; Fable 2 in 2008 and Fable 3in 2010. The original was the top selling game of 2004 andwas well received by critics and fans alike.

HIDE THE CHICKENS!!!!

Source: Xbox news and Digital Spy UK

“Company of Heroes 2″ OpenBeta launchedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/company-heroes-2-open-beta-

launced/

By weiq on June 5th, 2013

Relic Entertainment had just announced the Open Beta ofCompany of Heroes 2 is now live, and can be downloadedand played through Steam.Writing to the Companyof Heroes forum, producer Greg Wilson revealed thatthey’ve “added new match-making servers, implementeda significant amount of Closed Beta feedback and fixedmore bugs, compatibility and performance issues”. Theteam will continue to read comments and feedback in theofficial forums and participate in regular playtests with the

community. Relic Entertainment will be patching the betafrequently and getting into a good rhythm for their postlaunch support cycle.

Greg Wilson also revealed some fantastic news: Betaparticipants and pre-order customers will be able to transferall progression and unlocks earned, if you purchase the gamewithin the first 60 days of launch and play it on the sameSteam account as the beta! That means any commanders,skins or bulletins you unlock in beta will be yours to use inthe full game.

Company of Heroes 2 will be officially release on June 25,and will be available in both Single Player and Multi-playermode.

Source: companyofheroes.com/news

“Murdered: Soul Suspect”announcement trailerstreamedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/murdered-soul-suspect-announced-

trailer/

By weiq on June 5th, 2013

June 5th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Solving your own murder case is a tough nut to crack,especially when the murderer’s face is concealed.

Square Enix had just streamed the first announcementtrailer for the action/adventure 2014 game. Set in Salem,Massachusetts (the historical location of the Salem witchtrials back in 1692), Murdered: Soul Suspect featureddetective Ronan O’Connor, who is brutally killed and stuckin the ghostly world of Dusk. The only way for him to ‘moveon’ is to uncover the identity of his murderer and brings himor her to justice, somehow.

While he cannot speak with fellow detectives working onhis case, he can (thankfully), with his supernatural abilities,read their minds and influence their thoughts and actions,and as well as question some of Salem’s non-living soulsscattered about in the afterlife. Although the spirits hewill be encountering, demonic or not, won’t respond tointerrogations peacefully.

Murdered: Soul Suspect is currently in development for PC,PlayStation 3, and XBox 360. More details of the game willbe unveiled at E3 2013, which is happening next week.

Source: joystiq.com, Youtube

New trailer for PhoenixWright 5Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/trailer-phoenix-wright-5/

By hikarucon on June 5th, 2013

Capcom has put out a new trailer for Phoenix Wright 5 inlight of its upcoming release in July 25.

In this trailer we get to see the fierce battle in court betweenthe new legendary prosecutor Yuugami Jin.

Graphics have been improved now that the game is onthe 3ds. Facial expressions will be even more realisticallyexpressed giving better detail to the court scene and overallproviding a more emotional experience.

Also, since it’s on a 3DS, there will be some cases that involvethe use of 3D. The animation for Phoenix’s new partner,Athena Cykes and Apollo Justice have already been recordedand will be quite the spectacular on Nintendo’s 3D handheld.

Perfume wins overseas votingcontest with record breakingnumbersSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/perfume-wins-overseas-voting-

contest-record-breaking-numbers/

By Zenko on June 5th, 2013

Perfume is making headways in popularity overseas as theygarnish a record-breaking number of votes in a weeklycontest.

PopDust, a US based website that focuses on the latest popmusic news, has a special contest each week. That contestpits the top pop songs from artists across the globe againsteach other to see who emerges victorious. This week itwas Perfume who came out on top with a record breaking3,197,633 for their latest hit Magic of Love.

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To reach their number one position, Perfume had to beatout Ariana Grande, B5 and even Korean pop stars T-ara N4.With the amount of votes they garnished, this means theyalso beat out previous champions like Wonder Girls andGirls Generation from Korea and popular British pop bandOne Direction.

Although the group has been making strides in popularity inJapan, topping Oricon’s DVD charts, there are still peoplethat have never heard the band, and so PopDust also puttogether five songs they think everyone should hear fromPerfume. That includes hits like Spring of Life and the lesspopular spending all my time.

Source: PopDust

Maaya Uchida to voice maincharacter in new GatchamanTV anime series; Key visualsrevealedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/maaya-uchida-voice-main-character-

gatchaman-tv-anime-series-key-visuals-revealed/

By hittokiri on June 4th, 2013

Voice actress Maaya Uchida, known for her roles as RikkaTakanashi in Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai, Sanka Reain Sankarea and Rei Kuroki in Vividred Operation hasbeen chosen to play Hajime Ichinose (一一一 一一一), the leadcharacter in upcoming TV anime series GATCHAMANCrowds. This was revealed on TV anime series’s officialwebsite. Also revealed were key visuals showcasing thecharacters who are appearing in the new anime series.

Uchida’s character, Ichinose is a cheerful, energetic 16 yearold girl with an artist streak about her. A bit of an eccentricbecause of her love for stationary, her free spirited natureled her to be selected to become one of the the members

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of Gatchaman. Together with fellow Gatchaman memberSugane Tachibane, a 19 year old boy with a strong senseof justice and responsibility and Joe Hibiki, a 29 year oldcivil servant from a prestigious university who has growndisinterested with the world around him, they protect theircity, Tachikawa from alien invaders and the mysteriousentity known as “MESS”.

The TV anime series will be directed by Kenji Nakamura(Tsuritama, [C]: Control – The Money of Soul andPossibility) while series composition and scripting will be byToshiya Oono (Tsuritama). The TV series’ original characterdesigns are by the illustrator Kinako (一一一) while animationcharacter designs will be by Yuuichi Takahashi (Tsuritama,Macross Frontier). Kouji Nakakita(Super Robot Wars OG:The Inspectors, Dancouga Nova) will be doing the main suitdesigns. Tatsunoko Productions will be responsible for theanimation production.

GATCHMAN Crowds is the latest TV anime seriesin the Gatchaman franchise which began in October1972 with Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman (一一一一一一一一一一一). The first TV anime series ran for 2 years and endedin September 1974. In 2011, NTV began broadcastingon their mornings ZIP! corner, OhayouKagaku NinjataiGatchaman (一一一一一一一一一一一一一), a one minute flash animeshort. A live action movie adaptation of original series iscurrently scheduled for a release on August 24 in Japan.

GATCHMAN Crowds is scheduled to begin broadcast in Julyof this year on NTV.

Source : Mantan Web, GATCHAMAN Crowds

June 6th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Filming, Photography forKuroshitsuji CompleteSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/filming-photography-kuroshitsuji-

complete/

By SkerryK on June 6th, 2013

Filming for Kuroshitsuji, the live action film version of YanaToboso’s popular manga, has finally been completed. HiroMizushima, who will be performing as Sebastian, expressedhis belief that the film will showcase all the hard work he putinto the project. If the completion of filming isn’t thrillingenough, I suggest you take a look at some of the pictures thathave just been released.

Hiro Mizushima

Photography for Kuroshitsuji was taken at all locations,including places like Kitakyushucity, Yamaguchiprefecture,and the Kyushu region. It began April 1, and continueduntil about mid-March. Before photography for Kuroshitsujibegan, Mizushima decided to lose weight until he hit a svelte50 kg. To make sure he looked sharp.

Mizushima also devoted about 4 months of practice tothe action sequences. Sound rough? Apparently, it was.Mizushima compared the satisfaction of safely completing

the photography period to the feeling of reaching amountaintop after an intense climb.

Ayame Goriki

According to Ayame Goriki, who will be playing Sebastian’smaster (Shiori Genpo), Mizushima’s performance isflawless. She described Mizushima as the true leading man,praising his action sequences as highlights of the movie.

Kuroshitsuji tells an original story, set in the year 2020.Don’t let the future setting fool you, though. The originalwork’s 19th century atmosphere will be preserved with thehelp of everything from antique furniture, chandeliers, andridiculously classy tableware to specially-designed costumesfor Mizushima.

Source: Yahoo! Japan news

Cast and trailer revealed forotaku comedy ‘WataMote’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/cast-trailer-revealed-otaku-comedy-

watamote/

By SunSoftware on June 6th, 2013

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Tomoko Kuroki is an otaku who has played hundreds ofhours of dating sims. When she enters high school, sheexpects to be instantly popular, but it turns out that gamesare different from real life (gasp!).The anime Watashi gaMotenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui! (It’sNot My Fault that I’m Not Popular!) is based on a webmanga created by Niko Tanigawa and published in SquareEnix’s Gangan Online. Today, the official website of theanime has received a major update, revealing some of thecast members.

The gloomy, unpopular otaku Tomoko Kuroki will be voicedby Izumi Kitta (Cordelia from Milky Holmes).

Tomoko’s little brother Tomoki will be voiced byYuuichi Nakamura (Kyousuke from OreImo, Tomoya fromClannad).

Tomoko’s popular friend Yuu-chan is voiced by KanaHanazawa (Kuroneko from OreImo, Charlotte from InfiniteStratos).

Furthermore, the opening theme, which has the same nameas the anime, will be performed by the 16-year-old singerKonomi Suzuki and “otastylish death pop band” Kiba ofAkiba. Together, the strange combo is called “KonomiSuzuki n’ Kiba of Akiba”.

Konomi Suzuki is famous for winning Animax’s NationalAnison Grand Prix in 2011 and has performed theme songsfor Tasogare Otome Amnesia and Pet na Kanojo. Kiba ofAkiba is a six-man band that formed in 2008 and havereleased two singles, including a joint single with the idolunit BABYMETAL. What kind of music will these two singtogether?

Also, the ending theme, Dou Kangaetemo Watashi waWarukunai, will be performed by Tomoko herself (or hervoice actress Izumi Kitta), with lyrics by Aki Hata, who alsowrote the lyrics to the opening theme of Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W (the one that goes “Sanchi! Pinchi!” over and overagain). You can listen to the song in the trailer below,although…

Doesn’t Tomoko sound kind of awkward? It seems like she’sslurring a little — or is that how she normally sounds?

You can find out the rest of the staff below. To find out whathappens when an shut-in otaku tries to be popular, watchWataMote when it airs on July 8.

• Director: Shin Oonuma (Baka to Test toShoukanjuu, Prisma Illya)

• Series Composition: Takawo Yoshioka (High SchoolDxD)

• Character Design/Animation Director: HidekiFurukawa

• Art Director: Maki Morio

• Sound Director: Satoshi Motoyama

• Animation Studio: Silver Link

Source: WataMote homepage

Two new charactersfor Shonen Jump’s 45thanniversary fighting game, Jstars Victory VS announcedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/characters-shonen-jumps-45th-

anniversary-fighting-game-stars-victory-announced/

June 6th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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By spartanchef on June 6th, 2013

Japanese blog site Remoon has reveled that upcoming PS3/PS Vita game J Stars Victory VS will have to new additionalcharacters earlier today. When the game was announcedearlier this year, only four characters were revealed; SonGoku from Dragon Ball, Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece,Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto and Toriko from Toriko. Allfour are the main characters in their respective mangas andare finally set to battle it out with each other in the videogame!

The characters revealed are:

Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach

Kenshin Himura from Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)

Now, the announcement of both characters come at nosurprise at all! Both Ichigo and Kenshin are the maincharacters of two of Shonen Jump’s most popular mangasand both are fan favorites! Both swordsmen are known fortheir speed and agility and would be more than a match forthe likes of Goku, right? Just as DC fighting game “Injustice:Gods Among Us” begs the question of who will win in a fightbetween DC characters, J Stars Victory VS asks who will winin a fight between Shonen Jump’s finest?

So let’s do a role call shall we? A Saiyan, a Ninja, a Pirate, aGourmet Hunter, a Samurai and a Shinigami… Who knowswho else will be announced in the future? A Hunter named…I dunno… Um… GON?! A goofy samurai named GINTOKI?!A delinquent named OGA?! or even a basket ball playernamed Kuroko (hey! Phoenix Wright appeared in UltimateMarvel VS Capcom so we will never know…). Or maybe ablast from the past like Kinnikuman?! Who knows right?

J Stars Victory VS is a fighting game to be released forPlayStation 3 and PS Vita. The game will be released incelebration of Shonen Jump’s 45th anniversary.

Source: Esuteru

Fuse Disney and musicwith Harmonix’s new game‘Fantasia: Music Evolved’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/fuse-disney-music-harmonixs-game-

fantasia-music-evolved/

By KaleNagasaki on June 6th, 2013

June 6th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Harmonix has quite a legacy: between Frequency,Amplitude, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and mostrecently, Dance Central. Harmonix has built quite thereputation for making games that creatively connect playerswith music in interactive and interesting ways. Now, theunique development studio will be blowing our minds againwith an odd marriage of Disney and modern music inthe new game Fantasia: Music Evolved. This may seemweird considering that Fantasia is a leftover experimentfrom 1940, but I trust the genius that brought us theamazing Dance Central.

In the game, not Mickey Mouse (even though he is adorable),but YOU are the sorcerer’s apprentice. Harmonix’s JohnDrake reveals that

It’s less about music simulation and more aboutmusic creation.

Nearly everything in the game can become an instrument.By swinging your arms in various direction in time withthe music, you can use interactive parts of the scenery toadd layers to the mix. When prompted by the game, youcan choose whether to include a drum, guitar, etc. In a veryreal sense, then, you’re creating music, which is a huge stepbeyond what other games have ever offered.

Most of the music is modern, and the track listincludes “Some Nights” by Fun., Bruno Mars’ “LockedOut of Heaven,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.Like Dance Central, Fantasia: Music Evolved is exclusivelyfor the Kinect for both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One.While Fantasia and modern pop music seems an odd mix,Harmonix is a studio that has consistently delivered. So playthe game, and let us know what you think!

Source: IGNAsia

Universal Pictures to produce“Vexille” live-action remakeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/universal-pictures-produce-vexille-

live-action-remake/

By weiq on June 6th, 2013

Will it address the plot holes from the original, or will itjust be another niche western remake?Universal Pictures(Oblivion, Despicable Me and Despicable 2, Dr. Seuss’ TheLorax) has acquired the rights to adapt the 2007 CG animefilm, Vexille – 2077 Isolation of Japan (commonly knownas Vexille), as a live-action film. Evan Spiliotopoulos will bewriting the script for the remake, while Beau Flynn and TrippVinson will serve as producers.

For those unfamiliar with Vexille, the story revolves aroundthe perfected merging of biotechnology and nanorobotics,the secret experiments and uses by scientists from Japan.Being deemed a serious threat for humanity, the UnitedNations demanded Japan to stop all it’s research inthis advanced technology. Japan, refusing to abide tothe UN’s demand, responded by isolating themselvesfrom the rest of the world via a shield of energy field,rendering communication with the outside world andsatellite surveillance impossible.

Ten years after the isolation, the titular female character,Vexille, an young agent in the special forces unit S.W.O.R.D,infiltrates into Japan to investigate and ultimately, toprevent a biotechnological threat. Evading capture byJapanese security forces, Vexille discovered that Tokyo isnow a walled slum settlement after being isolated for so

June 6th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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long. Interacting with a group of resistance that opposedthe experiments done on Japan’s own citizens, Vexille getto know the devastating horrors and secrets that wereconcealed from the rest of the world and might wipe out therest of remaining citizens of Japan, if nothing is been doneto stop the experiments.

The original anime film was praised for its gorgeousvisuals (via the use of Non-photorealistic Rendering androtoscoping), although the various mundane action scenesand difficult to follow storyline were criticised.

While recent Western remakes or live-action adaptationof Japanese productions (Dragonball Evolution and StreetFighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, to name a few) havereceive bad receptions, and some of them are stucked indevelopment hell (Evangelion, Akira), it’s still too early tosay whether the Vexille live-action remake will suffer thesame fate. As a closet fan of the original, I definitely hope(and fingers crossed!) they will do more than just makinganother CGI-filled movie.

Source: thewrap.com, crunchyroll.com

Gantz will have its finalchapter in the next issue ofYoung JumpSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/gantz-final-chapter-issue-young-

jump/

By spartanchef on June 6th, 2013

After two successful live-action adaptationsstarring Kenichi Matsuyama in 2011 as well as a successfulanime adaptation in 2004 by Gonzo, the original manga willhave its final curtain call in the next issue of Young Jump.The last issue will be in Young Jump #29 to be released June20.

The manga has been running for 13 years. It made its debuton July 2000 in Shueisha’s Young Jump magazine. Thereare currently 36 volumes of the manga published and it hassold almost 20 million units so far. The manga is writtenby Oku Hiroya. As mentioned earlier, there were two live-action adaptations; Gantz in January 2011 and its sequel,Gantz: Perfect Answer in April later that year. Meanwhile,the original anime adaptation ran for 13 episodes in 2004and had a sequel, Gantz: Second Stage.

The manga follows high school students Kei Kurono andMasaru Kato. Both died after getting hit by a train. Soon,both of them get transported into a room with others anda large black sphere known as “Gantz”. Soon, both of themget caught up in a vicious and violent game. The manga, thelive-action adaptation and the anime were notorious for theamount of blood, gore and violence, however was still verypopular among its fans.

Source: Mantan

Blazblue Chronophantasmahas a console release dateand some new modesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/blazblue-chronophantasma-console-

release-date-modes/

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By hikarucon on June 6th, 2013

Arc Systems has officially announced that the console portfor Blazblue Chronophantasma will be released October24, 2013 on the Playstation 3. All the characters that haveso far been included in the arcade version will be packagedin the console version for free. Also coming to the consoleversion are new challenge modes, score attack, unlimitedmars mode, and a tutorial mode.

Challenge mode will be familiar to anyone who has playeda fighting game. Players will be given certain missions tocomplete in order to advance onto the next one. As the playerprogresses, the challenges will gradually get more difficult sobasically it can be as simple as pressing one button to cleara challenge or as difficult as stringing together multiple hitsto string together a lengthy combo.

Arc Systems is making sure that the challenge mode willbe just as convenient if not more than their latest fightinggame, Persona 4: The Ultimate in the Mayonaka Arena, byincluding a sample video that players can watch to see howthe challenge should be completed, and an input display so

you can easily see what you’re missing or doing wrong in thechallenge.

Score attack is also the same as always- fight and win against10 characters and you clear the mode. But be careful notto lose because there is no continue option so a game overmeans that you have to start from the beginning. Don’t forgetthat just winning isn’t enough. The mode is called scoreattack so of course aiming to get the highest score possible iswhat players should be aiming for but being sure not to diemight become the highest priority at times.

New to the Blazblue franchise is “Unlimited Mars Mode”which is a mode where you will go through 10 stages ofunlimited characters and try to defeat each of them asquickly as possible. Different than score attack, the aim hereis for the quickest victory, not the highest score. Similar toscore attack though, sometimes you might just be fighting tostay alive, but don’t be discouraged and instead aim for thebest time you can!

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Whether you’re a newcomer or a hardened veteran offighting games, it might be a good idea to take a look atthe tutorial that is included within the game as things havebeen changed between the pervious console version and thenew one. The tutorial will be narrated by Noel, Makoto, andTsubaki meaning that it will be more entertaining than justsitting through some boring lecture. In the tutorial, general

tips as well as character specific tips will be included so as tohelp players get a feel for the game faster.

Arc Systems also gave some details on one of the newcomers,Kagura Mutsuki who is the first charge character in theBlazblue series. His weapon of choice is a huge sword thatgives him considerable reach.

Using his reach in tandem with his specials is crucial tocontrolling the match. Kagura can change stances with hisDrive, Black Gale, meaning that he can follow up multipletypes of attacks without letting the enemy restricting them.

(Standing Drive) Kagura holds his great sword above hishead. From this position, the player can choose severaldifferent options to attack.

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(Forward + Drive) Mainly used for forward-charging moves,this stance gives the player several options including gettingclose to the enemy.

(Down + Drive) Kagura kneels on the ground in preparationfor an attack. From this position, Kagura can go intooverhead and low attacks.

Follow-up moves:

Ryuuhashou: Instead of attacking with his sword, Kagurauses it as a shield while attacking with his bare hands. Thisskill can absorb attacks which can nullify some attacks of theopponents.

Ryuugekisou: Kagura kicks the enemy to the ground with aflying kick. It is especially effective when used opposite ofRyuuhashou.

Toryuurenzan: Kagura swings his great sword in multipledirections. Toryuurenzan is a move that launches the enemyinto the air upon hit confirm.

Specials

Ryuubakusen: Basically a hadoken. Kagura sends out a blackenergy wave that can vary in speed and size.

Distortion Drive

Kagura sends out a black flame from the ground. The startup and range of the distortion drive is excellent.

Ryuuha Gokuenjin (Overdrive version): Ends with a hugeprojectile. Overall more damage and number of hits.

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Story Mode: Kagura Mutsuki

Kagura is the highest commanding officer in the Librariumbut begins to plot to overthrow it after a certain incidentwhich casts doubt towards the true aims of the Librariumand the Empire. As a result, Kagura takes it upon himselfto aid Ragna, Noel, and other people in their own battlesagainst the Librarium.

Kagura usually works alone but has a young boy namedHibiki Kohaku (voiced by Mitsuhiro Ichiki) as an aide. Hibikisecretly admires Kagura though he constantly criticizes himfor his laziness.

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Blazblue Chronophantasma comes out for PS3, October

24th, 2013. Be sure not to forget about the upcoming animerelease of Blazblue Alter Memory, coming out Fall 2013 aswell. The regular edition of the game will be 7140 yen but orcan snag the limited edition for 10290 yen.

Several details for the ‘YahariOre no Seishun Love Comewa Machigatteiru’ PS Vitagame announcedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/details-yahari-ore-seishun-love-wa-

machigatteiru-ps-vita-game-announced/

By spartanchef on June 6th, 2013

Several details for Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come waMachigatteiru‘s visual novel have been announced. Thevisual novel based on Watari Wataru’s popular light novel

series will be released summer 2013 for the PS Vita. Thevisual novel game’s scenarios were supervised by WatariWataru himself.

The game has announced that there is a “Crock counter”for Hachiman’s “Condition Rot”. The value of the counteris changed by Hachiman’s words and actions. No furtherdetails were discussed on this.

As for the choices Hachiman will take, there will betwo kinds, a Behavior choice in which the low of theconversation is decided by what Hachiman says or does anda Thought choice in which the event will be decided basedon Hachiman’s thoughts. The Thought choice also affects his“Crock Counter”.

Thought Choice

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Behavior Choice

The game will come bundled with the Blu-Ray OVA which isan original story not found in the light novels. The story forthe OVA is also written by Watari Wataru himself. The animeadaptation of the original light novel series is currently airingin Japan as of the moment. The story follows HachimanHikigaya, a loner who prefers to be a loner. One day, he wasforced by his teacher to join a certain club… The VolunteerService club which only has one member; the harsh andextremely blunt Yukino Yukinoshita.

Source: Famitsu

Perfume WORLD TOUR 2nd:a special interview by theJapanese embassy in the UKSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/perfume-special-interview-released-

japanese-embassy-uk/

By Az on June 6th, 2013

As may have already heard, Japan’s beloved electro-poptrio Perfume is going to Europe this year! For their secondworld tour, they are going to three countries; the center oftechno – Germany, the land of rich British rock – the UnitedKingdom, and the home of Japan Expo – France.

To hype up the already excited fans even more, the Japaneseembassy in UK has released a special interview of Perfume.Here, they talk about their expectations, speaking English,impressions of UK, and more.

Please click here for the full interview.

=====

What do you think? Apparently, Perfume, especiallyKashiyuka and A-Chan, already love the UK very much!There have already been various photos of A-Chanwandering around UK in the past, so she surely has enjoyedher stay. Also, Kashiyuka, who has a wide taste in musicand is a lover of travel, listens to a whole lot of British acts.Being in good hands, even stay-at-home-making-toast-and-onigiri-all-day Nocchi will have a great, albeit short, time!

The influence of Britain on Perfume is also very visible inMagic of Love’s retro British mod motif. So for those whowant to cast the Magic of Love on Perfume and answer toKashiyuka’s cosplay call, check this site out!

=====

Perfume will be in England on July 5, and has sold out theirconcert even after a transfer to a larger venue. But even so,stepping out of their comfort zone once again must be nerve-wracking.

So to all fans, let us pray for Perfume’s success in theirsecond foray to the world! To those in Europe, A-Chan will bewaiting for your loud cheers so cheer your heart out! Cheer,dance, and enjoy also for us who are only there in spirit aswell!

Perfume WORLD TOUR 2nd========================================================

July 3, 2013 – GLORIA, Cologne, GermanyJuly 5, 2013 – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London,England

July 7, 2013 – Le Bataclan, Paris, France

For more info on Perfume’s lives this year and to know moreof their thoughts on the Europe tour, check this interview bynatalie.

source: Embassy of Japan in UK, Pinterest

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Cooking Mama to return asGardening MamaSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/cooking-mama-return-gardening-

mama/

By Zenko on June 6th, 2013

A new Cooking Mama game sees iconic character notcooking, but gardening.

The last Cooking Mama game, Cooking Mama 4 came outalmost two years ago. Nintendo has not forgotten abouttheir happy mother character yet, though. In the latest gameslated to release this fall, she won’t be returning as CookingMama but as Gardening Mama.

Titled Gardening Mama: Mama and Her Forest Friends(Gaadiningu Mama: Mama to Mori no Nakamatachi), thegame follows Mama as she looks after her home garden andher forest friend’s gardening store. In the game players willhave the option to grow different things in their garden, fromflowers to pumpkins, and various other types of fruits.

As part of the game play, animals will ask for various thingsthat you are able to grow as well.

Mini games will also allow the player to help other membersof their town on their farms or in their gardens. Becausethe games are aimed at younger audiences, the mini gamesare simple and range from matching the proper flowers in aplanter to sorting peppers.

The garden shop will grow in size the more people come toit, which means more options for planting, so it’s beneficialto help out your animal friends in the game.

Of course, the game would not be complete without Mamacooking in some way, and a restaurant is also beingincorporated. This will be done by a beneficial cycle, whereupgrades and customers at the gardening store lead torecipes being sent.

There is no set date in September for the game release yet,and it will retail for 5040 yen.

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Source: News Dengeki, 4Gamer

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

‘Ore no Imouto ga Konna niKawaii Wake ga nai’ novel’sfinal volume released, endingspoilers revealed [SPOILERS]Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/ore-imouto-ga-konna-ni-kawaii-

wake-ga-nai-novels-final-volume-released-spoilers-revealed-spoilers/

By spartanchef on June 7th, 2013

Before reading this, if you don’t want any spoilers, turn backnow or regret going further. This article contains a few ofthe illustrations from Oreimo’s final volume that are sure tospoil you.

As the curtain on popular light novel series ‘Ore no Imoutoga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga nai‘ closes with the releaseof its final volume, several pictures of the final volume’sillustrations have surfaced. With the anime’s second seasonin full swing, people are getting more and more curious as towhat will happen with the lives of Kirino, Kuroneko, Ayase,Kyousuke, Saori and Manami. The final volume, Volume12, was released June 7, 2013 in Japan. While it’s only theillustrations that have surfaced, what the actual story is hasnot been revealed. With just the illustrations revealed, it ispossible that they may be misleading to what the actual storyreally is.

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Volume 12 is be the final volume for the series whichstarted its run August 2008. The light novel series is writtenby Tsukasa Fushimi and illustrated by Hiro Kanzaki andpublished by Dengeki Bunko. The series inspired threevisual novel games including the upcoming ‘Ore no Imoutoga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga nai Happy End’ for thePlayStation 3. The series also has an anime adaptation whosesecond season is currently airing.

Source: Yaraon

Today until Monday only! Get75% off of entire CivilizationV franchiseSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/today-monday-only-75-entire-

civilization-franchise/

By KaleNagasaki on June 7th, 2013

Let me give you a second to process that. Starting today,as in June 7, from 1:00 am GMT +8, the entire CivilizationV series will be 75% off.

What exactly, you may ask, is included in this deal?Well, items on sale include Civilization V, Civilization VGold, Civilization V: Gods & Kings and all CivilizationV downloadable content. All of it. Now, you’re probablythinking “Wow! There is nothing else that 2K and FiraxisGames could announce to make this day better!”

You’re wrong. In addition to this staggering price cut, SidMeier’s Civilization V is free to stream today, too. Now,you may ask, why all the great news? All of this is incelebration of the release of the newest expansion packin the Civilization franchise: Civilization V: Brave NewWorld. But before you start thanking Santa, you don’t wantto miss this. If you pre-order Brave New World before theNorth American release on July 9 and the internationalrelease on July 12, you get 10% off your purchase.

You can stream Civilization V for free until Monday, June 10at 1:00 am GMT+8. If you choose to do this, you have untilMonday at 10:00 pm GMT+8 to buy Civilization V for 75%off and keep all progress made in the game. The 75% off theentire Civilization V franchise deal ends Monday at 1:00 amGMT +8.

June 7th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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But wait, you’re saying, I just clicked here because I liketitles with lots of exclamation points – I don’t actually knowwhat Civilization V is. I’ll fill you in. According to the officialwebsite,

In Civilization® V, players strive to become Ruler ofthe World by establishing and leading a civilizationfrom the dawn of man into the space age,waging war, conducting diplomacy, discoveringnew technologies, going head-to-head with someof history’s greatest leaders and building the mostpowerful empire the world has ever known.

Not only is Sid Meier’s Civilization series known as the oneof the greatest strategy games of all time, but the graphicsand details are exquisite. You get to align yourself with greatleaders throughout history, or alternatively choose to fightthem. The diplomatic battles are just as important as themilitary ones.

Check out the launch trailer to see for yourself if all thehype is really worth it. But between you and me, who hasn’tdreamed of ruling the world?

Soul Eater manga to have itsfinal chapter in AugustSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/soul-eater-manga-august/

By spartanchef on June 7th, 2013

Monthly Shonen Gangan has recently announced that oneof their most popular manga, Soul Eater will unfortunatelybe ending in two more chapters. The manga has recentlyentered its “Final Battle” phase with Shonen Gangan’s latestissue released earlier this month. The final chapter, to bereleased in August 2013 will include a coloured title page.

The manga is written and drawn by manga artist AtsushiOkubo and has been running since June 2004 and serializedby Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen Gangan. The manga hada 51-episode anime adaptation which ran from 2008- 2009with a slightly different ending from the manga itself.

The series follows a trio of Meisters, Maka Albarn; thedaughter of a deathscythe and a master meister, Death theKid; son of the Grim Reaper himself (and an obsessivecompulsive to boot) and Black Star, an assassin who isextremely loud and obnoxious. These meisters work withhuman weapons who aim to be a Deathscythe. Maka’spartner, Soul Eater Evans transforms into a scythe, Deaththe Kid’s partners, Patricia and Elizabeth Thompson turninto dual pistols and Black Star’s partner, Tsubaki turns intoa variety of ninja weapons. All three meisters must turn theirweapons into “Deathscythes” by making them eat 99 evilsouls and 1 witch soul.

The manga as well as the anime has been popular with fansand critics alike. Aside from the anime, the series also hadthree video games as well as a Spin-off series; “Soul EaterNOT!”

Source: Yaraon

Ai Kayano, Yoko Hikasa &Yoshino Nanjo headline theadditional voice cast for‘Symphogear G’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/additional-voice-cast-symphogear-g-

announced/

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By spartanchef on June 7th, 2013

As the latest season of Symphogear, titled Senki ZesshouSymphogear G will be in full throttle this July, the additionalcast members have been announced! Headlining the newcast are the three new villains; Kirika Akatsuki, MariaCadenzavuna Eve and Shirabe Tsukuyomi.

Ai Kayano will be providing the voice of Kirika Akatsuki. Sheis known for providing the voices of Inori from Guilty Crown,Muginami from Rinne no Lagrange, Mashiro Shiina fromSakurasou no Pet na Kanojo and Mikono from AquarionEVOL.

Yoko Hikasa will be voicing Maria Cadenzavuna Eve. YokoHikasa is known for voicing Rias Gremory from High SchoolDxD, Erica Blandelli from Campione!, Houki Shinononofrom IS: Infinite Stratos, Seraphim from Kore wa Zombiedesu ka? and of course, Mio Akiyama from K-On!.

Meanwhile, FripSide vocalist Yoshino Nanjo will be voicingShirabe Tsukuyomi. Aside from being FripSide’s vocalist,she has also provided the voices for a number of characterslike Akiho Senomiya from Robotics; Notes and Eri Ayasefrom Love Live!.

Meanwhile, it’s not only the villains who were announcedbut several supporting characters as well. Voicing SerenaCadenzavuna Eve will be Yui Horie. She is known for voicingCharle in Fairy Tail and Millhiore Biscotti from Dog Days.

Kikuko Inoue will be voicing Nastasha. She is known forvoicing Belldandy from Ah! My Goddess, Goei from IkkiTousen and Mizuho Kazami from Please Teacher! AndPlease Twins!.

Tomokazu Sugita who is known for voicing Kyon from TheMelancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi and Gintama’s Gintoki willbe part of the cast as he will be voicing Dr. Well.

Rounding out the cast will be veteran Hidekatsu Shibatawho has voiced Baron Ashura from Mazinger Z as well asthe Third Hokage, Sarutobi from Naruto. He will be voicingSecretary Shibata (I wonder why?).

Source: Yaraon

Linked Horizon, CinemaStaff to perform Shingeki noKyojin’s new opening andending themesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/linked-horizon-cinema-staff-

perform-shingeki-kyojins-opening-themes/

By spartanchef on June 7th, 2013

With Shingeki no Kyojin having an extremely successful and“Titanic” run for both its anime and manga, a new openingfor its anime has been announced. According to their officialwebsite, the new Opening and Ending themes will begin inJuly.

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The new Opening theme song will be done by LinkedHorizon, the same band responsible for the anime’s firstopening theme, “Guren no Yumiya”. The first Openingtheme became a meme recently as it has inspired a fewparodies in Youtube. “Wings of Liberty” (of course, not to beconfused with the first Star Craft II game) will be the title ofthe new opening theme and the single will be released July10.

The second ending theme will be done by Japanese Indierock band Cinema Staff. This would be the very first time thegroup will be doing an anime theme. The band previouslyreleased their first album titled “Bōkyō” was just releasedlast month. The group consists of Mizuki Iida (Guitar/Vocals), Tomotaka Tsuji (Guitar), Yohei Kuno (Drums) andSohei Mishima (Bass). No title for the ending theme has beenprovided so far.

Developer diary for InFamous:Second SonSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/developer-diary-infamous-son/

By hikarucon on June 6th, 2013

Sucker Punch Productions has just released a developer’sdiary for their upcoming game on the Playstation 4,inFamous: Second Son.

The story takes place 7 years after the events of InFamous2 in a different location but still in America. The repressivegovernment has grown stronger and in order to make surethat they can keep an eye on all of the citizens, they’veinstalled surveillance cameras throughout the U.S. cities.

To throw off suspicion, the government says that they usethe surveillance cameras to keep the citizens safe from anypotential attacks from people with Conduit powers (ex: ColeMacGrath from Infamous 1 and 2). For further measures, thegovernment has also created a special unit called the D.U.P(Department of United Protection) that officially specializesin capturing “bioterrorists” but actually targets Conduitusers.

Now that the game is on the PS4, this installation ofInFamous, will be much more graphically intense and able todraw the player in with better expression of human emotion.The game will also be using motion capture in order toensure that players will feel even more immersion than everbefore.

The main character, Delsin Rowe, will be played byHollywood actor, Troy Baker who has done such roles

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as Joel in the upcoming PS3 game The Last of Us, andrecently released Bioshock Infinite’s Booker. His voicetalents coupled by with the best graphics that the consoleworld will have to offer will surely prove to provide anexperience as engrossing as a movie.

InFamous: Second Son is scheduled to be a PS4 launch title.Hopefully we’ll get more information on the game at theupcoming E3. Look forward to it!

Final Fantasy XIII: LightningReturns bundles withgoodies, but only for limitedtimeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/final-fantasy-xiii-lightning-returns-

bundles-goodies-limited-time/

By Zenko on June 6th, 2013

Along with a new E3 trailer, Square Enix has finally releaseddetails on the Lightning Ultimate Box bundle of their nextFinal Fantasy instalment.

Lightning Returns will continue where previousinstallments to the Final Fantasy XIII games started, withthe most recent one, Final Fantasy XIII-2 having beenreleased in 2011. Despite all the negative review, though,the game’s series has been able to remain popular. With thebattle system and overworld maps it brought in new playersto the Final Fantasy series, but it was able to keep themcoming back with the character popular among fans andcritics alike: Lightning.

By becoming the titular character of a Final Fantasy game,Lightning not only guarantees her spot in Final Fantasyhistory, but joins in a Final Fantasy first. Since the seriesbegan in 1987, there has never been a numbered FinalFantasy game with three games attached to it. The closestwould be Final Fantasy X and X-2, but with the lack ofpositive input from fans during the second game, a thirdwas never developed. With such a big step in Final Fantasy

history, that means a big package, and at a hefty 26000 yen,it proves its worth for fans of the series.

The Lightning Ultimate Box comes bundled with not onlyLightning Returns, but with the previous Final Fantasy XIIIgames too. The games themselves may not be updated, butthe discs will feature new original art. They aren’t the onlydiscs in the box either: it also has three soundtrack CD’s thatfeature select music from the series. Just in case you need,well, a case, there’s a clear case stand bundled to let youdisplay how much you love the series.

Along with these, as well as a small artbook showing off thecostumes throughout the series, a special Lightning figureproduced by Play Arts will be bundled. The figure shows offLightning in her new costume and matches the CG model inevery detail.

Naoshi Mizuta, composer for the series, wants everyone toenjoy the music for the series, so if you aren’t lucky enough tograb one of the box sets, he’s released the single for the serieson iTunes. Called “The Spirit of Liberated Person (Tama noKaihoumono)” or The Saviour, it offers a taste of music tocome for 150 yen.

The normal edition of the game will retail for 7770 yen andhead to stores November 21, while the bundle will be offeredin limited quantities at Square Enix’s eStore, so think fast!

Source: Famitsu, Square Enix

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Konami announces MetalGear Solid 5, Castlevania:Lords of Shadow 2 details inpre-E3 2013 showSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/konami-announces-metal-gear-

solid-5-castlevania-lords-shadow-2-details-pre-e3-2013-show/

By sentinel011 on June 6th, 2013

With the pre-E3 2013 show revealed just about an hour ago,Konami reveals a short list of games from all platforms,from mobile games to console games.Skipping all the typicalwestern gaming influences, we dug out the two mainhighlights of the pre-show.

Metal Gear Solid V: ThePhantom PainWhat’s particularly interesting is that Konami finally revealsthe voice cast of Big Boss aka Naked Snake from thepopular Metal Gear Solid franchise. Rumours are true onthat British-Canadian actor and director Kiefer Sutherlandwill be the new voice of Big Boss. Metal Gear Solid 5′stimeline dates back to 1984, where Big Boss is in his late 40s– more accurately, age 49.

Hideo Kojima, director of Kojima Productions, wanted avoice actor to convey the emotions through his facial andvocal qualities. Consulting the help of his friend, filmproducer Avi Arad, who pitched Sutherland during thefranchise’s 25th anniversary celebration.

Kiefer Sutherland was by no means a gamer, but he knewabout the Metal Gear Solid franchise and its legacy beforehe took on the role as Big Boss. Being an actor himself,Kiefer understood Big Boss’s past and questions his actionsof creating a future, of which Kiefer terms it as a very humanexperience, and what he always loved about when it comesto movies. Kiefer admits to having his role as Snake beingdifferent from his past video game roles, and has enjoyedbeing in the process of the game’s development.

With the new Fox Engine, Hideo Kojima is now able tocapture expressions and feelings unlike previous Metal GearSolid games, Kojima seeks to create a new experience forfans and gamers alike. So far, Kojima has been very satisfiedwith Kiefer’s top-notch acting during the motion capturesequences.

From the footage, it seems that Sutherland has finished allhis motion capture sequences on Big Boss, meaning therelease date shouldn’t be too far off. No information has beenrevealed yet, but this is a big hint that the game should be allbut mostly done.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow2Sequel to the 2010 Castlevania of the same name,Castlevania: Lords of the Shadow 2 had MercurySteam onceagain working with Kojima Productions on the franchise.

You once again play as Gabriel Belmont, who becameDracula at the end of Lords of Shadow. The game was firstrevealed at last year’s E3, however a playable demo will beavailable to all E3 attendees at this year’s E3 2013 Konamibooth. The graphics certainly looks a lot more impressivecompared to its predecessor. Gamers can expect to get theirhands on the retail version this winter, and will be madeavailable through PS3, Xbox 360 and the PC.

You can watch Metal Gear Solid 5, Castlevania: Lords of theShadow 2 and more in the official show below.

Kana Hanazawa stars in‘Nanami to Issho ni Manabo!’educational English gameSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/kana-hanazawa-stars-nanami-issho-

ni-manabo-educational-english-game/

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By SunSoftware on June 6th, 2013

Kana Hanazawa, the voice behind Kuroneko and CharlotteDunois, is one of the most popular voice actresses thesedays, and now she has landed one of her quirkiest rolesyet — the mascot of an educational English game!Media5, acompany responsible for various educational software, hasannounced the 3DS game Nanami to Issho ni Manabo!English Joutatsu no Kotsu (Let’s Learn with Nanami!Tricks to English Development). The Nanami series hasexisted on the DS, 3DS, and smartphones to help Japanesestudents with the English language and even prepare for theTOEIC. As you can tell by the cover art, its distinguishingfeature is the cute mascot, Nanami.

In the newest game, however, for the first time, Nanami willbe voiced by Kana Hanazawa. Anime fans should be familiarwith Hanazawa, the soft-voiced voice actress who startedher professional career with the 2006 anime Zegapain, andwhose more famous roles include Kuroneko from OreImo,Charlotte from Infinite Stratos, and Kobato from Haganai.

The newest Nanami game includes English grammar andvocabulary tutorials, drills, and other features that youwould expect of an educational language game. In addition,there are 25 different “reward voice clips” and unlockablecostumes that come with their own voice clips, in order tomotivate you in your studies.

The game also has a new feature that plays the nativeEnglish pronunciation of words, followed by the Japanesetranslation. You can even close the 3DS and keep listeningto tutorials through headphones, which is convenient whenyou’re on the move.

In addition, the game will let you connect to Media5′s socialnetwork Nekurebo, where you can compete with friends,record your results on your personal record, and get rankedalongside everyone else in Japan.

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Of course, Media5 is also giving away autographs ofHanazawa, for those of you who clicked on this article just forher. 20 people will win an autographed paper by Hanazawa,while one lucky person will win an autographed script. Toenter the drawing, you just need to submit the postcard thatcomes packaged with the game. Presumably, you also haveto live in Japan.

Do you have trouble with English and happen to be a nativeJapanese speaker? Is Kana-chan your angel? If the answerto both of those questions is yes, then this game is for you.

Pick up English Joutatsu no Kotsu when it’s released onAugust 22, and you’ll get better at English in no time. Thenyou can read more articles on this site.

Source: Dengeki

Cast revealed for Miyazaki’s‘Kaze ga Tachinu’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/cast-revealed-miyazakis-kaze-ga-

tachinu/

By KaleNagasaki on June 6th, 2013

According to the movie’s official website, the cast forHayao Miyazaki’s new movie Kaze ga Tachinu (The WindRises) has been revealed.Taking on the main character JiroHorikoshi, the historic designer of the World War II Zerofighter, will be none other than Hideaki Anno. If the namedoesn’t immediately ring a bell, then know that you canthank Mr. Hideaki for Evangelion. All of Evangelion. Thisalso isn’t the first time Hideaki and Miyazaki have workedtogether – in fact, Hideaki’s first recognized work camefrom his part in the animation of Miyazaki’s belovedmovie Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Here he isspeaking with the Ghibli genius himself.

Miori Takimoto will take the leading female role of NaokoSatomi. We best know Miori from her role in the groupSweetS.

This movie has international appeal already: Walt Disneyexecutive Steven Alpert will voice the blue-eyed Kastrup.They actually look alike, do they not?

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Morio Kazama, who is known for Urabe in Akagi, will voiceSatomi. Again, I feel like if he had a mustache, he wouldstrongly resemble his character.

Jiro’s mother will be voiced by the beautiful KeikoTakeshita, who also has a relationship with Ghibli that goesback quite a bit. Keiko voiced Hana Matsuzaki in From Upon Poppy Hill, and Sadako from Arietty.

The official-looking Honjo will be voiced by HidetoshiNishijima. Hidetoshi recently starred in the live-actionadaptation of the manga Freesia. Please feel free to call mecrazy, but isn’t there a resemblance here as well?

The strong-willed Horikoshi Kayo will have thetalented Mirai Shida as her voice. Mirai’s more prominentroles include Arietty, not to mention the many movies she’sstarred in and the awards she has won.

Jun Kunimura, a man best known for being every gangster inevery Japanese movie ever, will play Hattori, who is probablya gangster, too. Okay, maybe not, but still. Can’t you see thelove of mafia that mutually runs through their veins?!

Masahiko Nishimura (Radio no Jikan, Princess Mononoke’sKohroku) voices Kurokawa, an apparently disgruntled anddisagreeable man. I feel like a different picture of Masahikoshould have been chosen, because it seems that Kurokawa isnot amused by Masahiko’s cheerful smile.

Mrs. Kurokawa (who appears to be much more agreeablethan her husband) will be voiced by Shinobu Otake, who wasHomily in Arietty.

And finally, we have Mansai Nomura to be Caproni. Mansaiplayed Abe no Senmei in Onmyoji. I am glad there isno character resemblance here, because that mustache issomething else.

For more background information on the movie (as a moviebut also as a novel and manga), and Studio Ghibli’s otherupcoming film Kaguya-hime no Monogatari, check out ourprevious coverage here.

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Anime Festival Asia 2013dates announced, starts withIndonesia in SeptemberSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/anime-festival-asia-2013-dates-

announced-starts-indonesia-september/

By SunSoftware on June 9th, 2013

The official Facebook page of Anime Festival Asia hasannounced the dates of the biggest anime convention inSingapore. For the second time, AFA will be leaving theborders to travel to Indonesia and possibly Malaysia.

AFA Indonesia will take place first on September 6, 7, and 8at the Jakarta Convention Center.

The central festival, AFA13, will take place two monthslater on November 8, 9, and 10 at the Suntec InternationalExhibition & Convention Centre, where it has always beenheld, except last year.

AFA Malaysia has no date or location yet. It’s too late to holdit in June, but after it gathered over 41,000 guests last year,it’s sure to happen sometime this year.

These are all of the details that have been revealed so far.Dentsu Singapore and Sozo have yet to give any info on thisyear’s guest appearances, concerts, or other huge features.

It’s not too early to work on your cosplay outfits, though, sowork on those in the meantime.

Source: AFA Facebook page

Play ‘Tekken Revolution’ forfree on PlayStation networkSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/play-tekken-revolution-free-

playstation-network/

By KaleNagasaki on June 9th, 2013

With all the concern surrounding the rising costs ofvideo games (online gaming fees, console prices,used gamepenalties, the list goes on), the word “free” just melts agamer’s heart.Call me cheap or stingy or whatever, but inGameSpot’s twenty-five minute video E3 preview, this stuckout to me like a ray of light in a dark room:

Apparently, Tekken Revolution will be free to playexclusively for the PlayStation 3. If you’ve nevertried Tekken, you might want to get in on the action June 11.And I mean literally get in on the action – this game looksintense!

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For those of you who have been Tekken fans for a while,maybe even since the beginning in 1994, this is wonderfulnews. Tekken(literally “Iron Fist”) is one of Namco’s mostsuccessful franchises, and even has its own (free) museumin Osaka.

Don’t take my word for it. This is what Complex magazinehad to say about Tekken last year when it rated the gamenumber 11 out of the top 50 video game franchises:

Just when we thought that the StreetFighter franchise was going to be the epitome offighting games, Tekken came to make it shareits portion of the knuckle-busting pie. Tekken hascult-like fans who live and breathe the moves andstorylines. Just watch any tournament with thegame and you’ll see players from all over the worldfight as if their own family names were at stake.With seemingly endless combos and insane moves,the fighter is a classic that continues to satisfy fans’bloodlust.

So even if you are one of those hard-core gamers who willbemoan your wallet once the new generation consoles comeout, the least you owe yourself is to sit back, relax, and playsome Tekken Revolution for free.

Source: Gametrailers

[AKB48 32nd Single SenbatsuSousenkyo Report] Resultsare in! A humorous butpromising center! A suddengraduation announcement!Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/akb48-32nd-single-senbatsu-

sousenkyo-results-in-page-akb48-graduation-announcement/

By Az on June 9th, 2013

The official count and ranking reveal for the AKB4832nd Single Senbatsu Sousenkyo (the single to be releasedsometime August) has just ended! For those of you who werenot able to catch it on YouTube or google+, here are theresults!

AKB48 32nd Single Senbatsu Sousenkyo – Final Results=========================================

(name – team – vote number)

-Senbatsu-

1. Rino Sashihara (HKT48 Team H / HKT48 Stage Manager)– 150,5702. Yuko Oshima (AKB48 Team K) – 136,503

3. Mayu Watanabe (AKB48 Team A) – 101,210

4. Yuki Kashiwagi (AKB48 Team B) – 96,905

5. Mariko Shinoda (AKB48 Team A) – 92,599

6. Jurina Matsui (SKE48 Team S / AKB48 Team K) – 77,170

7. Rena Matsui -(KE48 Team E) – 73,173

8. Minami Takahashi (AKB48 Team A / General Manager)– 68,681

9. Haruna Kojima (AKB48 Team B) – 67,424

10. Sae Miyazawa (SNH48 / AKB48 Team K) – 65,867

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11. Tomomi Itano (AKB48 Team K) – 63,547

12. Haruka Shimazaki (AKB48 Team B) – 57,275

13. Yui Yokoyama (AKB48 Team A) – 53,903

14. Sayaka Yamamoto (NMB48 Team N) – 51,793

15. Miyuki Watanabe (NMB48 Team N/AKB48 Team B) –44,116

16. Akari Suda (SKE48 Team KII) – 43,252

-Under Girls-

17. Aya Shibata (SKE48 Team KII) - 39,73918. Minami Minegishi (AKB48 Research Student) – 38,985

19. Ayaka Umeda (AKB48 Team B) – 36,282

20. Aki Takajo (JKT48 Team J / AKB48 Team B) – 33,129

21. Rie Kitahara (AKB48 Team K) – 33,121

22. Yuria Kizaki (SKE48 Team S) – 30,307

23. Akane Takayanagi (SKE48 Team KII) – 29,199

24. Kaori Matsumura (SKE48 Lifetime Honorary ResearchStudent) – 27,566

25. Rina Kawaei (AKB48 Team A) – 26,764

26. Sakura Miyawaki (HKT48 Team H) – 25,760

27. Airi Furukawa (SKE48 Team KII) – 24,990

28. Nana Yamada (NMB48 Team M) – 23,950

29. Masana Oya (SKE48 Team S) – 23,588

30. Anna Iriyama (AKB48 Team A) – 22,869

31. Kanon Kimoto (SKE48 Team E) – 21,385

32. Reina Fujie (AKB48 Team B) – 21,324

-Next Girls-

33. Amina Sato (AKB48 Team K) - 19,56934. Haruka Katayama (AKB48 Team B) – 19,158

35. Mariya Nagao (AKB48 Team K) – 18,978

36. Asuka Kuramochi (AKB48 Team K) – 18,978

37. Haruka Kodama (HKT48 Team H / AKB48 Team A) –18,145

38. Yuka Tano (AKB48 Team A) – 18,125

39. Madoka Umemoto (SKE48 Team E) – 17,819

40. Kei Jonishi (NMB48 Team N) – 17,381

41. Rina Matsumoto (SKE48 Team KII) – 16,715

42. Makiko Saito (SKE48 Team E) – 16,508

43. Aika Ota (HKT48 Team H) – 16,401

44. Fuuko Yagura (NMB48 Team N / AKB48 Team A) –16,281

45. Tomu Muto (AKB48 Team K) – 16,221

46. Haruka Ishida (AKB48 Team B) – 16,072

47. Ami Kobayashi (SKE48 Team E) – 15,533

48. Mina Oba – (AKB48 Team B / SKE48 Team KII) –15,064

-Future Girls-

49. Shu Yabushita (NMB48 Team BII) - 14,74550. Akari Yoshida (NMB48 Team N) – 14,684

51. Ayaka Kikuchi (AKB48 Team A) – 13,944

52. Sumire Sato (AKB48 Team A) – 13,613

53. Ami Maeda (AKB48 Team K) – 13,613

54. Mayu Ogasawara (NMB48 Team N) – 13,460

55. Meru Tashima (HKT48 Research Student) – 13,246

56. Misaki Iwasa (AKB48 Team B) – 15,638

57. Miori Ichikawa (AKB48 Team B / NMB48 Team N) –12,616

58. Kyoka Isohara (SKE48 Team S) – 12,319

59. Mio Tomonaga (HKT48 Research Student) – 12,128

60. Sakiko Matsui (AKB48 Team A) – 11,961

61. Suzuran Yamauchi (AKB48 Team B) – 11,808

62. Natsumi Hirajima (Former AKB48) – 11,806

63. Shiori Kaneko (SKE48 Team E) – 11,620

64. Yuka Nakanishi (SKE48 Team S) – 11,602

Yes, you read that right. Keeping the first day electionflash report rank, Sashihara, our favorite hetare (meaningweak, unskilled)from Oita jumped over the giant wall thatis Oshima and has unbelievably snatched the top spot with150,507 votes – the greatest in AKB48 election history anda bit far from Oshima’s 136,503.

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“I was always concerned on whether or not I’ll be accepted.I felt so isolated and alone during this span of one year. Butnow that I am standing here… (to the host) 150,000, right?With an amazing 150,000 votes for me, I was able to realizethat I am not alone after all. To everyone who voted, thankyou very much. I am truly happy. This is all so sudden so Idon’t know how I can express my happiness; I have alwaysbeen told AKB will collapse if I become center but I will NOTlet that happen!” says a dazed Sashihara.

She continues, “When I saw the first day report, I thought,‘this isn’t happening, it’s impossible’ (the host asks, “Did youexpect this?”) I thought that I my rank would definitely belower. Even when Yuko-chan was called, I thought that Iwouldn’t be called and just be skipped over. I’m suspiciousof stuff to that extent. (she turns to Oshima) What shouldI do~ I feel that I’ll turn it into a weird song… Yuko-chan,Yuko-chan, help me!”

Oshima, who accepted rank 2 with a smile and called this‘the first election that made her laugh so much’, answers,“Even if it’s weird, Sasshi is center so it’s gonna be fine.Mayuyu and I are going to be beside you so it’s gonna befine. Everyone’s gonna watch you so it’s gonna be fine. Just

kidding, we’re here to support you.” This gentle exchangebetween the veteran center and the new hetare one made thestadium roar in laughter and affirms the worried Sashihara.The heavy tension from a previous announcement is meltedby this funny development.

This previous announcement is none other than agraduation-related one. Mariko Shinoda, who has kept herrank and Kami-7 spot secure again this year, announcedher graduation during her acceptance speech. “Seeing allmy juniors work hard like this…I made a big decision formyself too. I, Shinoda Mariko, will graduate from AKB48.Not because I am defeated, but seeing my juniors withsuch passion and vigor made me really glad; I’m leavingAKB48 without any regrets. I would like to graduate in myhometown so I will be graduating in next month’s FukuokaDome live.” She also adds to a very lonely Minami Takahashi,“The general manager is a necessary presence for the AKBso I would like her to do her best for thirty, no, a hundredyears more.”

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It is truly a shift of generations with these results. Kami-7regulars Takahashi and Haruna Kojima fall to ranks 8and 9 respectively with SKE48′s W-Matsui (Jurina, Rena)replacing them in 6th and 7th. Four new faces appear in thesenbatsu too: Haruka Shimazaki (AKB48, rank 12), SayakaYamamoto (NMB48, rank 13), Miyuki Watanabe (NMB48,rank 12), and Akari Suda (SKE48, rank 16). Yuki Kashiwagifalls a rank to 4th. Mayu Watanabe, who declared her seriousintentions of aiming for 1st, falls to 3rd. Tomomi Itano, whois also graduating, falls outside to 11th in the last electionsof her AKB career. Minami Minegishi, infamous for herscandal, falls outside the senbatsu for the first time and onto 18th.

Watching the elections, I guess it is safe to say that nextyear’s elections, if there will be, will be the perfect timefor the young ones to shine. The sister groups, includingthe young HKT48, took over most of the spots outside thesenbatsu. Also, most importantly, this new center. Sashiharamay be called hetare but she is by no means unskilled. Thereare very many talented new members too so I’m sure thegreat seniors can graduate in peace.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the 32nd single and ishappy that my favorites ranked.

How about you? How do you feel about this year’s elections?

source: Oricon (1)(2), YouTube, natalie

Psychological horror game‘Daylight’ comes to PS4 andPCSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/psychological-horror-game-daylight-

ps4-pc/

By SunSoftware on June 9th, 2013

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Are you thinking of getting the PlayStation 4 and are hopingfor a graphically impressive horror game? Then you maywant to see a teaser video for this game from ZombieStudios.The American game developer Zombie Studios hasannounced the game Daylight for the PC and Sony’supcoming system, the PS4. Daylight is a first-person actiongame that begins in a dark, abandoned hospital where theonly light source is your cell phone. As you try to escape theinstitution, you discover the hospital’s dark past. To get a feelof this game, you can watch this teaser video:

The game will feature a story and voice acting by the TVhost Jessica Chobot, who has appeared on IGN and XboxLive. Among the distinguishing features of the game isthe use of procedural level generation, which means levelsare randomly generated as you play, and the game will bedifferent every time you play.

The PS4 version of Daylight will take advantage of theconsole’s specs along with the Unreal Engine 4 to createhorrifyingly realistic graphics. In addition, the game willuse the PS4′s share feature so you can stream a video ofyou playing, and it will even use the PlayStation Eye torandomly take embarassing shots of you whenever you’rescared. Fortunately, you’ll be able to choose whether toupload them on the Internet.

Daylight is scheduled to be released early next year. Alongwith this horror game, Zombie Studios is working onthe free-to-play first-person shooter Blacklight Retribution,also for the PC and PS4. Are you glad to see more gamescoming to the PS4?

Source: PlayStation LifeStyle

Monster Hunter 4 3DS and3DS LL accessories to bereleased alongside the gamein SeptemberSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/monster-hunter-4-3ds-3ds-ll-

accessories-released-game-september/

By spartanchef on June 8th, 2013

As the much awaited Monster Hunter 4 is nearing itsrelease in September 14, several Monster Hunter 4 relatedaccessories are to be released alongside the game. TheNintendo 3DS gear and accessories have a “Rathalos” themewhile the 3DS LL gear and accessories are themed with thegame’s flagship monster, the “Goa Magara”.

The 3DS Hunting Gear comes with a red grip attachmentas well and a black strap. Its theme is based on the FlyingWyvern known as the “Rathalos” which gamers are sure toencounter while hunting.

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Also to be released for the 3DS is the ‘Monster Hunter 4 3DSset’. The set comes with a protector case with a ‘Rathalos‘printed on top, a red card case which can hold up to sixcartridges, a ‘Rathalos‘ strap, and a decoration sticker set.

Accessories and hunting gear will also be released forthe larger Nintendo 3DS LL, this time, they have a “GoaMagara” theme which is the game’s flagship monster.The 3DS LL Hunting Gear also comes with a violet gripattachment and a black strap.

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The Monster Hunter 4 3DS LL accessories set comes with aprotector case with a “Goa Magara” printed on top, a violetcard case which can hold up to six cartridges, a ‘Goa Magara‘strap, and a decoration sticker set.

As mentioned earlier, these gears and accessories will bereleased September 14, alongside the Monster Hunter 4game for the 3DS as well as the Limited Edition set. Withthe number of merchandise and the high expectations forthe game, Monster Hunter 4 surely is one of the most highlyanticipated games this year.

Source: Dengeki News

Newtype Magazineannounces that ‘Akuma noRiddle’ manga to get animeadaptationSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/newtype-magazine-announces-

akuma-riddle-manga-anime-adaptation/

By spartanchef on June 8th, 2013

According to the July issue of monthly Newtype Magazine,the anime adaptation for Yun Kouga’s ‘Akuma no Riddle’ or‘Riddle Story of Devil’ is now green lit and set for release in2014.

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‘Akuma no Riddle’ is an assassin girl manga set in MyōjōAcademy, a private all-girls boarding school. The 10th yearKurogumi class students are all assassins and they have beengiven one target; a girl named Haruka Ichinose. However,one of the student-assassins, Tokaku Azuma, suddenly fallsfor Haruka.

The manga is written by renowned manga artist Yun Kougaand the artwork is done by Sunao Minakata. Yun Kougais known for doing the character designs for ‘Mobile SuitGundam 00’ as well as being the manga author of ‘Loveless’.‘Akuma no Riddle’ debuted in Newtype Magazine lastSeptember 2012 with the first volume of the manga series tobe published by Kadokawa in July.

Source: Yaraon

Natsutsubaki Miku and MaikoMadoka nendoroids comingnext monthSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/yukata-miku-maiko-madoka-

nendoroids-coming-month/

By SunSoftware on June 8th, 2013

Summer is quickly appraoching, and in Japan that meansyukata. Courtesy of Good Smile Company, Hatsune Mikuis coming in a brand new yukata, and just so she won’t belonely, she’s joined by Madoka in a lovely maiko outfit.

Miku’s new yukata is designed by Suzunosuke andthemed around a flower called the natsutsubaki (“summercamellia”). Her hair is tied in her original twin tails, but withthe regal yukata and the flower adorning her hair, Miku looksmore refined than ever.

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To go along with the summer theme, she also comes witha water yo-yo and candy apple. She looks like she camestraight from a summer festival!

Of course, summer festivals have a lot of delicious food, soMiku also comes with a drooling expression. You don’t haveto stare, Miku, you can go ahead and eat the apple!

Miku isn’t the only nendoroid coming this summer,though. Good Smile Company has also brought MadokaKaname from the hit anime Puella Magica Madoka Magica,dressed as an elegant maiko. You’ve seen her as a school girl,a magical girl, and a goddess, but you’ve never seen her asmodestly elegant as this.

With her umbrella over her shoulders, you can picture herwalking through a forest of cherry blossoms. Madoka alsocomes with a closed umbrella for when she’s indoors.

Another accessory Madoka has is the grief box — it lookslike the same one that the studio Shaft gave out at last year’sKyoto International Manga Anime Fair!

As if Madoka doesn’t look graceful enough standing still, shecan also close her eyes and do a gentle bow, both courteousand adorable!

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You can get Natsutsubaki Miku for 3,200 yen and MaikoMadoka for 3,800 yen. These nendoroids will be availablefor pre-order from Good Smile Company’s online shopstarting on July 8 and delivered in October.

However, if you’re lucky enought to live in France, theUnited States, or China, you can pick them up as early as Julyby going to Japan Expo 2013 in Paris, Anime Expo 2013 inLos Angeles, or CCG Expo in Shanghai, so check out thoselinks to find out how to register for those events and get yourhands on these lovable nendoroids.

Source: Good Smile Company 1, 2

New Ninja Gaiden E3 trailerstease next installmentSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/ninja-gaiden-e3-trailers-tease-

installment/

By Zenko on June 8th, 2013

Yaiba Ninja Gaiden Z will be making an appearance at E3this year, and two new trailers highlight the story for the nextbig ninja adventure.

Ninja Gaiden has been making strides in popularity in thepast few years, and the next installment promises to offer asmuch ninja packed action as before. This time, though, it willbe a tale of vengeance and zombies. Unlike past entries tothe franchise you also won’t be playing as lead protagonistRyu Hayabusa either. Instead you will be taking on the rollof demon warrior and titular character Yaiba Kamikaze. Butthat doesn’t mean the signature gore of the series will bemissing.

In the first trailer you can hear him denouncing honor indying, and of course, denouncing the traditional soundtrackassociated with ninja and samurai games as he slashes aparta well placed radio. It’s for the better though, as the grittierhip-hop goes along well with the zombie slicing actionsequences and vow for vengeance. Yaiba seems to haverevived after falling to Ryu’s skills in previous games, andof course needs to practice mastering his new body. Whatbetter way then by mowing down hoards of the undead?

Keiji Inafune of Megaman fame is also among the developersfor the game, which means it won’t just be a game focusedon reaching that final boss with ease, but one with difficulty.From the second trailer it’s also clear that some efforthas been put into ensuring the zombies and gore take fulladvantage of the graphics offered on the Xbox 360 andPlaystation 3. The darkened areas will show up better whenrendered in the final game, for now the trailer is there to offerwhat sort of action you can look forward too.

Apart from these trailers and Yaiba’s back story fromprevious games, not much is known about it. More detailsshould be out soon though, because these E3 trailers aremost likely just the tip of the iceberg.

Source: YouTube

Volume 12 of OreImo sold outon Day 1; latest PS3 trailerrevealedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/volume-12-oreimo-sold-day-1-latest-

ps3-trailer-revealed/

By spartanchef on June 8th, 2013

As the final volume of ‘Ore no Imouto ga Konna niKawaii Wake ga nai‘ was just released yesterday, June 7,Amazon.co.jp has announced that the final volume, volume12 is now currently ‘out of stock’. The only ones available

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at the moment are several second hand volume 12 booksreaders are selling in Amazon. This comes to no surprise asthe final volume is widely anticipated by fans from across theglobe.

The last volume however had mixed reviews on Amazon withsome disappointed with the ending while some loved it. Itseems that those who were disappointed did not agree withKyousuke’s final choice with some questioning if that wasreally the “true end” while others just described it simplyas “crappy”. But even with that type of reaction from thereaders, the fact of the matter still remained; the book went‘out of stock’ in Amazon, and that is saying a lot as it speakson how popular the series really is. Those who loved the finalchapter described it as “heart rending” but a good story nonethe less. The book had an average score of 3 out of 5 starswith more than a hundred reviews.

While the main story has just ended, the upcoming videogame based on the light novel, ‘Ore no Imouto ga Konna niKawaii Wake ga nai Happy End‘, has recently released itssecond video preview. The game which turns your little sister(and your friends) into idols is slated for release September26 in Japan.

The visual novel game, ‘Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni KawaiiWake ga nai Happy End‘ will be available for the PlayStation3 platform and is produced by Bandai Namco Games. Itis based on the light novels written by Tsukasa Fushimi,illustrated by Hiro Kanzaki and published by DengekiBunko. The first PV video can be viewed here.

Even with the end of the original light novel series, the seriesstill continues to be popular. The anime adaptation’s secondseason is currently airing and two successful PSP games havealready been released.

Source: Yaraon, Dengeki News

XBox One confirmed to needinternet connection and limitto shared librarySource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/xbox-confirmed-internet-

connection-limit-shared-library/

By Zenko on June 8th, 2013

Microsoft is still trying to show off the positive aspects of itsnew console after stumbling out of the start gate.

With E3 just around the corner, Microsoft knows it hasto make up ground after poor reception to their pressconference in May. They are slowly but surely trying tohighlight the fact that what people are complaining aboutmight not be as bad as it seems. One of the biggestcomplaints plaguing the company has to do with the waythey plan to handle games in the future.

For one, purchasing a game no longer means you own thephysical copy of the game: you are now paying for a license toplay the game as well and must register it online. This isn’t afriendly Club Nintendo registration, either, as the game willbe permanently linked to your Xbox account. That meanseven if you want to sell it, that person needs to pay for anew license. Microsoft is now saying that there might bemore to this plan then simply getting people to pay more. Forone, they’ll be joining Sony and Nintendo in offering digitaldownloads of their games the day they release. During thedownload, you will even be able to begin playing before itfully installs. That means if you plan on buying an Xbox Onefor Call of Duty Ghosts and choose the download option, youcould be creating your character before the full game is evenready.

The good news about the game being downloaded and linkedis that the game goes to the Cloud, meaning you can be ata friend’s house who does not own the game and play therealongside them. As long as you are logged in, all the gamesyou previously purchased will be playable at your friend’s

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house too. Essentially, apart from taking the game with you,it also means loaning a game now means loaning out yourXbox account, so be ready to change passwords frequently.If you have a small family, though, that may not be a problemat all, as you will be able to register ten names as familymembers. Each of these people will have full access to yourlibrary as well, creating a shared library. Presumably, theKinect will be involved during this registration process, so itmay not be as easy as entering Xbox One user names.

The other issue Microsoft has raised is the systems need forconstant online connectivity. The good news is that the XboxOne does not need a constant stream of online interactions,but it does need to connect at least once in a twenty-fourhour period. That means offline play will be possible inlimited amounts. Interestingly enough though, it is not themachine that is tracking the online connection, but yourXbox account. If it’s verified to be playing online for onehour or more, say at a friend’s house, your Xbox One won’tbe mad at you. Instead it will enter a standby mode for anyconnections or commands from online or from the user.

Microsoft should clear up any other problems fans have atE3 this week, and hopefully they only bring good news.

Source: Famitsu

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

New anime PV round-up:‘Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou’ and‘Diabolik Lovers: HauntedDark Bridal’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/anime-pv-round-up-genei-wo-

kakeru-taiyou-diabolik-lovers-haunted-dark-bridal/

By spartanchef on June 10th, 2013

As the Spring anime season is coming to an end, morepromotional videos from the upcoming seasons have beenreleased. The two new anime PVs are ‘Genei wo KakeruTaiyou‘s second PV and the very first PV for ’DiabolikLovers‘. Both new PVs have recently been released by theirrespective official websites.

The official website for the upcoming summer 2013 anime‘Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou‘ has now released its secondPV! ’Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou‘ or ‘Il Sole Penetra leillusioni’ is an original anime project by Aniplex and isdirected by ‘Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s‘ and ‘Ro-Kyu-Bu‘ director Keizou Kurasawa. LiSA sings the anime’stheme song. ’Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou‘ will premiere July2013.

We would also like to show you the anime’s first PV:

Another upcoming anime will be ‘Diabolik Lovers: HauntedDark Bridal‘. The anime’s official website has also justreleased the anime’s very first PV. The anime is based onthe otome game, ‘Diabolik Lovers’. The story follows a girlnamed Yui Komori who because of family circumstanceslives with six brothers… all of whom are vampires. Theotome game also has a shoujo manga titled ‘Diabolik LoversAnthology‘ and ‘Diabolik Lovers Prequel‘. The anime is

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directed by Shinobu Tagashira and is produced by Ideafactory.

First details revealed for idolanime ‘Wake Up, Girls!’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/details-revealed-idol-anime-wake-

up-girls/

By SunSoftware on June 10th, 2013

If you’re a fan of idol anime like The Idolm@sterand AKB0048, then you may be interested in the newestanime from the director of Kannagi and Fractale.WakeUp, Girls! is an original anime from the director YutakaYamamoto, scriptwriter Touko Machida (Lucky Star, TheIdolm@ster), and music composer Satoru Kousaki (LuckyStar, OreImo, opening themes of The Idolm@ster).

The anime was first announced last fall, when Avex startedworking with the voice talent agency 81produce to holdauditions for the main characters. Now, after auditioningover 2,000 people, Avex has opened the anime’s officialwebsite and revealed some information about the story.

The anime is described as a heartwarming success storyof seven girls bearing their own problems and scars whowork together to become idols. It begins with a man namedMatsuda who works as a manager for a failing talent agencycalled “0″ (“Zero”). Although it hasn’t been confirmed, theanime may be connected to the 2011 Touhoku earthquake,since Sendai is located in the Touhoku region and Yamamotoalso directed a music video for the charity project Zapuni.

The staff of the anime will hold a talk session at thissummer’s Wonder Festival on July 28, with appearances byYamamoto, Kousaki, Machida, voice actress Emiri Katou,and the seven newcomers selected to voice the idols. Are youinterested in seeing who will make their debut in this idolanime?

Source: Yaraon

Shingeki no Kyojin mangatake over the Oricon comicrankingsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/shingeki-kyojin-manga-oricon-

comic-rankings/

By Az on June 10th, 2013

With an epic anime adaptation currently airing, a gianttitan head in Kodansha, and multiple parodies, increasinglypopular work Shingeki no Kyojin takes over the June 10Oricon comic rankings.

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Shingeki no Kyojin, written by Hajime Isayama, is a storyabout the struggle of mankind against the overwhelminglypowerful and sadistic titans. The anime adaptation is donemasterfully by Production IG, hooking the viewers from thevery first scene.

Five volumes of Shingeki no Kyojin have entered the June10 rankings: Vol. 10 (the latest) in rank 6, Vol. 9 in rank 7,Vol.8 in rank 8, Vol.5 in rank 9, and Vol.4 in rank 10. This isthe first time that five works in the same series entered thetop ten.

This is even more amazing when you consider ranks 11-15 –all of which are also Shingeki no Kyojin, meaning the serieshas occupied ten straight ranks. This is the second straight

week that the all ten volumes of Shingeki no Kyojin are inthe top 20, totaling three times.

Isayama’s masterpiece has already sold over 20 millioncopies and is considered a masterpiece that appears onlyonce every decade. It’s one heck of a ride with almost everyepisode leaving you overwhelmed with awe; so in case youhaven’t started watching the anime yet, you better start now– and don’t forget to take your pills before it.

In case you’re interested, the top-ranking manga for thisweek is Atsushi Mochizuki’s “Pandora Hearts” (Square Enix)– the series’ second rank 1 continuing from its ninth volume.

source: Oricon

Jojo All-Star Battle PV airs inShinjuku to the delight of thepeople; additional game castannouncedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/jojo-all-star-battle-pv-airs-shinjuku-

delight-people-additional-cast-game-announced/

By spartanchef on June 10th, 2013

As people gathered in an area of Shinjuku in Tokyo, loudcheers are heard. Why? It’s simple – in a large screenin front of countless fans, the latest PV for the muchanticipated fighting game, ‘Jojo All-Star Battle’ was aired.People were cheering for every character, every move, everyscene. Saying that they are excited for the game’s releasewould be an understatement. Beloved characters from theoriginal manga were shown in the PV and the crowd justloved it! The crowd started cheering the moment the BandaiNamco logo flashed.

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Also announced in the PV video are the voice actors for someof the characters.

Voicing Bruno Bucciarati will be Noriaki Sugiyama. He isknown for being the voices of Sasuke Uchiha from ‘Naruto‘,Shiro Emiya from ‘Fate/ Stay Night‘ and Uryu Ishida from‘Bleach‘.

Voicing Narancia Ghirga will be will be Yuuko Sanpei. She isknown for voicing Alexander Nikolaevich Hell from ‘Seikonno Qwaser‘ and Hidenori Tabata from ‘The Daily Lives ofHigh School Boys‘

Voicing Diavolo will be Toshiyuki Morikawa. He is knownfor voicing Ugo from ‘Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic‘ andShagia Frost from ‘After War Gundam X‘.

Finally, voicing Doppio will be Akira Ishida. He has providedthe voices of Athrun Zala from ‘Mobile Suit Gundam SEED‘and Chrono from ‘Chrono Crusade’.

Also, the official website for the video game is now open. Thevideo game will be released August 29, 2013 in Japan for thePlayStation 3. It is produced by Bandai Namco Games andis based on the original manga series by Hirohiko Araki. Themanga was serialized in Shonen Jump! from 1987-2004 andis Shueisha’s second longest running series.

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Sources: Yaraon and Esuteru

Otomate announces ‘K’visual novel for 2014 duringOtomate Party 2013Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/otomate-announces-k-visual-2014-

otomate-party-2013/

By spartanchef on June 10th, 2013

2014 may just be another good year for ‘K’. Not only will 2014have the the theatrical release of K’s sequel but an Otomegame as well. According to the Animate website, this newswas announced yesterday during the Otomate Party 2013event.

The visual novel will be produced by Otomate, the otomegame brand of Idea Factory. Otome games are basicallyvisual novels aimed at women and with its larger femalefan base, the ‘K’ otome game’s announcement comes to nosurprise. However, further details like what consoles will thegame be released in and the exact date of the release werenot announced during the event.

‘K’ is an original anime project produced by GoHandsand directed by Shingo Suzuki. The story is set in thetechnologically advanced Shizume City and revolves arounda seemingly normal student named Isana Yashiro.

Source: Esuteru

ChuKoi movie heads totheatres this SeptemberSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/chukoi-movie-heads-theatres-

september/

By Zenko on June 10th, 2013

After an announcement for a second season, ChuKoisurprises fans with even more news.

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! (Love, Chunibyo & OtherDelusions), or ChuKoi, garnered quite a following when thefirst season aired last fall. It’s not treating its fans unkindlyeither, as they announced the second season last month, andhave recently followed up with the announcement that therewill be a movie in the fall. They did this by releasing a newtrailer for it on the official KyoAni channel on YouTube.

The full title of the movie is a bigger giveaway for what it willactually be about. Called Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!~

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The Rikka Takanashi Revision Movie~ (Takanashi Rikka Kai~Gekijou-ban Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!~), the film,like most anime films of a big series, will follow the plot ofthe first season of the show. The catch is that it will be toldthrough Rikka’s point of view, rather than Yuta’s. It will alsohave a new scene at the end of the film to act as a prologueto the second season, so that’s certainly something to lookforward to.

The original cast of the show will be returning, as will thestaff of the TV Anime. Because the movie is set to revolvearound Rikka’s point of view, the opening for the film willalso be sung by her. The ending theme, Black Raison d´êtrewill be performed by Rikka, Yuta, Sanae, and Kumin.

Films in Japan usually mean advanced ticket sales and goodsto go with them. In the case of ChuKoi, they will be clear filesfeaturing the female cast in swimsuits, ready for the summerheat. They can only be obtained by advance ticket orders, thefirst wave of which will start June 15 and cost 1500 yen. Thefilm premieres September 14 and will also only be showingin select theaters across Japan, but if you plan on being inTokyo or Osaka at the time there are several locations in thecities that will be showing it.

Source: YouTube , ChuKoi Website

Animedia releases its 32ndanniversary anime pollrankingsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/animedia-releases-32nd-

anniversary-poll-rankings-32-anime-series-are/

By spartanchef on June 10th, 2013

Animedia, in celebration of its 32nd year anniversary,recently asked their readers what their favourite animeseries are. They also asked who their favourite male andfemale characters are and the results for that poll canbe viewed here. And so, without further ado, here areAnimedia’s 32 Best Anime:

1. Kuroko no Basket, 7085 Votes

2. Gintama, 6514 Votes

3. Magi, 5987 Votes

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4. K-ON! (as a series), 5540 Votes (K-On! image is from theofficial magazine results)

5. Sword Art Online, 4893 Votes

6. New Prince of Tennis, 4326 Votes

7. Cardcaptor Sakura, 4119 Votes (Cardcaptor Sakura imageis from the official magazine results)

8. Ao no Exorcist, 3774 Votes

9. Uta no? Prince-sama? Maji LOVE 1000% (as a series),2846 Votes

10. Tamako Market, 2470 Votes (Tamako Market image isfrom the official magazine results)

11. Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, 2224 Votes

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12. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (As a series), 1658Votes

13. Natsume’s Book of Friends, 1382 Votes

14. Hetalia (As a series), 1008 Votes

15. Neon Genesis Evangelion (As a series), 925 Votes

16. One Piece, 840 Votes

17. Mobile Suite Gundam SEED (As a series), 789 Votes

18. Hakuoki (As a series), 732 Votes

19. To Aru Majutsu no Index (As a series), 684 Votes

20. Dragon Ball (As a series), 643 Votes

21. Fullmetal Alchemist, 588 Votes

22. Sailor Moon (As a series), 540 Votes

23. Hunter × Hunter, 495 Votes

24. Hyouka, 477 Votes

25. Durarara!!, 421 Votes

26. Puella Magi Madoka Magica, 379 Votes

27. FAIRY TAIL, 346 Votes

28. BLEACH, 307 Votes

29. Inazuma Eleven, 271 Votes

30. To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S, 253 Votes

31. Smile PreCure!, 211 Votes

32. Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199, 194 Votes

The results are a mixture of new and old series as well ashaving the peculiarity of having a CERTAIN anime seasonfrom a CERTAIN series make it to the list… even if the seriesitself is already on the list. Yes, I am talking about ‘To AruKagaku no Railgun S‘ winning the #30 spot even if the ‘ToAru Majutsu no Index‘ series (which Railgun S is a part of) asa whole made it to #19. It seems that fans had the freedomto pick a certain season or the series entirely.

Source: Yaraon

Animedia releases its 32ndanniversary poll rankingsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/animedia-releases-32nd-

anniversary-poll-rankings/

By spartanchef on June 10th, 2013

As Animedia celebrates its 32nd anniversary, the magazinerecently asked its readers who their favorite characters are,and now, the results are finally in! The readers were askedwho were their favorite FEMALE and MALE characters aswell as their favorite Anime series. The results of the animepoll can be viewed here.

As they say, LADIES FIRST, so let’s start off with the femalegroup. With a total of 74774 votes for The best 32 FemalePoll, the winners are:

1. Morgiana (Magi) 6814 Votes

2. Yui (K-ON) 6470 Votes

3. Kagura (Gintama) 6204 Votes

4. Sakura Kinomoto (Card Captor Sakura) 4380 Votes

5. Asuna Yuuki (Sword Art Online) 4359 Votes

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6. Azusa Nakano (K-ON) 4343 Votes

7. Tamako Kitashirakawa (Takamo Market) 4315 Votes

8. Lacus Clyne (Gundam SEED) 4310 Votes

9. Mikoto Misaka (Toaru Kagaku no Railgun) 3976 Votes

10. Mio Akiyama (K-ON) 3742 Votes

11. Riko Aida (Kuroko no Basket) 3466 Votes

12. Saber (Fate/Stay Night) 3047 Votes

13. Ritsu Tainaka (K-ON) 2782 Votes

14. Rikka Takanashi (Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!) 2449Votes

15. Rei Ayanami (Evangelion) 2117 Votes

16. Haruka Nanami (Uta no? Prince-sama? Maji Love1000%) 1240 Votes

17. Nami (One Piece) 986 Votes

18. Tsumugi Kotobuki (K-ON) 950 Votes

19. Winry Rockbell (Full Metal Alchemist) 905 Votes

20. Madoka Kaname (Mahou Shoujo MadokaMagica) 876 Votes

21. Kirino Kousaka (Oreimo) 844 Votes

22. Haruhi Suzumiya (The Melancholy of HaruhiSuzumiya) 789 Votes

23. Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon) 755 Votes

24. Nanoha Takamachi (Magical Girl LyricalNanoha ) 717 Votes

25. Sheryl Nome (Macross Frontier) 670 Votes

26. Robin Nico (One Piece) 643 Votes

27. Doremi Harukaze (Ojamajo Doremi) 574 Votes

28. Chizuru Yukimura (Hakuoki) 500 Votes

29. Lina Inverse (Slayer) 455 Votes

30. Index Librorum Prohibitorum (Toaru Majutsu noIndex) 403 Votes

31. Miyuki Hoshizora (Smile Precure!) 371 Votes

32. Satsuki Momoi (Kuroko no Basket) 322 Votes

Well then, now let’s move onto the guys. I’m sure there area lot of expected and unexpected ones here. With a totalof 86054 readers who voted, here are the best 32 male animecharacters:

1. Sakata Gintoki (Gintama) 7524 Votes

2. Kirito/Kazuto Kirigaya (Sword Art Online) 6847 Votes

3. Kuroko Tetsuya (Kuroko no Basket) 6830 Votes

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4. Lelouch Lamperouge/ Lelouch Vi Britannia (CodeGeass) 6207 Votes

5. Ryota Kise(Kuroko no basket) 5741 Votes

6. Alibaba Saluja (Magi) 5478 Votes

7. Aladdin (Magi) 4933 Votes

8. Sougo Okita (Gintama) 4594 Votes

9. Rin Okumura (Ao no exorcist) 4309 Votes

10. Kira Yamato (Gundam SEED) 4008 Votes

11. Son Goku (Dragon Ball Series) 3855 Votes

12. Toshiro Hijikata (Gintama) 3476 Votes

13. Kaworu Nagisa (Neon Genesis Evangelion) 3114 Votes

14. Monkey.D.Luffy (One Piece) 2779 Votes

15. Kurusu Syo (Uta no Prince-sama) 2443 Votes

16. Ryoma Echizen (New Prince of Tennis) 2092 Votes

17. Tokiya Ichinose (Uta no Prince-sama) 1755 Votes

18. Otoya Ittoki (Uta no Prince-sama) 1540 Votes

19. Syaoran Li (Cardcaptor Sakura) 1240 Votes

20. Hakuryuu Ren (Magi) 1004 Votes

21. Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion) 905 Votes

22. Seijuro Akashi (Kuroko no Basket) 824 Votes

23. Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) 756 Votes

24. Nyanko Sensei (Natsume’s Book of Friends) 617 Votes

25. Kyoya Hibari (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!) 528 Votes

26. Touma Kamijou (To Aru Kagaku no Index) 484 Votes

27. Ichigo Kurosaki (BLEACH) 440 Votes

28. Shintaro Midorima (Kuroko no Basket) 411 Votes

29. Takashi Natsume (Natsume’s Book of Friends) 384 Votes

30. Sebastian Michaelis (Kuroshitsuji) 340 Votes

31. Conan Edogawa (Detective Conan) 321 Votes

32. Japan (Hetalia) 275 Votes

And there you have it, the 32 Best Female and 32 Best malecharacters voted by the readers of Animedia. It really is amixture of old and new as classic anime characters like LinaInverse from Slayers and Sakura Kinomoto from CardcaptorSakura have made it to the list along with the most recentones like Kirito and Asuna from Sword art Online.

Source: Yaraon

Creator of ‘Assassin’s Creed’sues Ubisoft; production of’1666′ suspendedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/ubisofts-production-1666-

suspended-assassins-creed-creator-sues/

By KaleNagasaki on June 9th, 2013

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Ubisoft’s next big project 1666 has been suspendedindefinitely due to the fact that Patrice Desilets, the creativegenius that brought the world Assassin’s Creed, is suing thegame company. The bitter feelings between Patrice and hisformer employer have a long history, and Patrice is fulfillinghis promise of taking legal action.

Back in 2007, Patrice worked with Ubisoft on thefirst Assassin’s Creed. This was followed by the successfulsequel in 2009, and then Brotherhood in 2010.When Brotherhood was done, Patrice left Ubisoft – his workwith Assassin’s Creed was done. No hard feelings.

In 2011, Patrice joined THQ in Montreal to begin working onhis new creation, 1666. As fate would have it though, Ubisoftbought out THQ in early 2013, and by May Patrice wasfired. Patrice claims that his termination was without cause,although Ubisoft felt that THQ, being desperate, gave Patricetoo much control of 1666. When Ubisoft sought to diminishsome of that control, Patrice would not compromise, and wassubsequently fired.

This is what Patrice wants:

1. Total ownership of 1666.

2. Salary, vacation, and expense payments through May7, the day of his firing.

3. Severance in the form of one year of Désilets’ salary.

4. $25,000 for relocation and job searching.

5. $5,000 in legal fees.

6. $100,000 for “moral damages caused to [Désilets]reputation.

Not surprisingly, Ubisoft repudiates all of this. BecausePatrice did not have a prototype of 1666 made on time thatwas up to expectations, he violated his contract and thus histermination was appropriate. Now, Patrice can only get hisgame back if Ubisoft cancels it. But for now, all he has is anindefinite suspension.

Source: IGNasia

New Racing Miku gets sexyand winner of 2nd VocaloidChina illustration contestannouncedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/racing-miku-art-sexy/

By weiq on June 9th, 2013

The one Miku design that gets your heart racing, literally.

Illustration is by saitom, with Mari Shimazaki who is incharge of the outfit design. This new Racing Miku designis revealed along with the original, which is done back inFebruary 2013. Illustrated to show support for the Hatsune

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Miku BMW Z4 team competing at the Sepang race inMalaysia, the new tanned racing Miku spots a new bikinioutfit, with “Good Smile Racing” on her arm and “Super GTSepang” on her leg as tanlines. When fans weren’t able to bethere to experience it, the temperature on the racetrack issure to have risen to a few degrees hotter by her presence!

With the amount of attention she’s getting on the racetrackand online, hopefully Goodsmile company (which had addedthe original Racing Miku design on their GSR gear clothingsfor cyclists) will release her as a figurine too!

Original Racing Miku 2013

Speaking of Miku, remember not too long ago when thecandidates for the 2nd Vocaloid China illustration contest isunveiled? Well, the winner, together with 4 other finalistshave been selected.

The winning design is the elegant ##, by MQ. Similar withthe previous contest, the 5 characters will be featured invarious Chinese Vocaloid products and PVs including theepisodes of mini anime series.

## by MQ

Below is a short translation from the announcement site:

Election remarks“Though the character’s a bit boyish, she is very inline for the new Vocaloid’s voice. Clean and conciselook, yet not losing it’s uniqueness. Plus, the ideaof a keyboard that can be rolled into a scroll isrefreshing. The overall design is fresh and elegant.”

Artist’s reflection“While I first heard the (new) Vocaloid’s voice, ithave a cool and refreshing feel, and so the thoughtof a charming teenage girl came to my mind. Whenthe voice and design are neutral in nature, thecharacter’s outfits can be either boyish or femininewithout any fuss.”

So have you guessed her as the winning design? Personally,though, I was hoping for another design to win.

Source: weekly.ascii.jp, acg.178.com(Vocaloid Chinaannouncement page)

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Pokemon X and Y — Hordes,Sky Battles, and even morePokemonSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/pokemon-hordes-sky-battles-

pokemon/

By SunSoftware on June 12th, 2013

Less than twelve hours after our last Pokemon update, thedevelopers of Pokemon X and Y held a roundtable wherethey revealed brand new types of battles, social features,and of course, more Pokemon.Pokemon X and Y made a bigsplash on Nintendo’s E3 presentation earlier today, wherethe new Fairy type was revealed along with the global releasedate of October 12. Now, Junichi Masuda, Director at GameFreak, has taken the stage at a developer roundtable at E3.

One of the first details he revealed is that Pokemon X andY will be playable in seven languages, and for the first time,you will be able to select the language in-game. The availablelanguages are listed below:

A new feature is the Player Search System (PSS), whichlets you connect to other players through Street Pass orWi-Fi. When you open the PSS, you can pick betweenfriends, acquaintances whom you’ve met before, or completestrangers, and then you can trade or battle with them. ThePSS also syncs with your 3DS Friend List, and you can haveup to 100 friends.

It’s a really convenient way to connect to people, but thereare even more uses for the PSS that Masuda hasn’t disclosedyet.

The past Pokemon games have featured Double and TriplePokemon battles, but now, there’s are Horde Encounterswhere you must fight five enemies at the same time with justone Pokemon.

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These 5-on-1 battles might seem tough, but all you need isan attack like Surf or Earthquake, and they’ll be a piece ofcake. If you ever wanted a faster way to level grind, it lookslike Horde Encounters will be a life-saver.

Another new type of battle is the Sky Battle. As the nameimplies, these battles happen high in the air, giving you amore scenic view, and you can only use Flying-type Pokemonor Pokemon with the Levitate ability.

If you ever see a trainer standing on a high ledge, that personmay be a Sky Trainer who will challenge you to a Sky Battle.

Other details that were mentioned in the developerroundtable include:

• There is still only one save file.

• Before you battle another player online, you can pickwhat music will play in the background.

• Effort Values and Individual Values will be more visible(they’re both technical elements that common playersdon’t know about).

• As previously revealed, you will be able to ridePokemon, but different Pokemon travel better indifferent areas. For example, a Rhydon travels well inrocky areas, but you have to borrow Pokemon to ridethem, and can’t ride on your own.

Of course, there were several new Pokemon revealed in theroundtable, which you can see below:

Talonflame (Japanese: Faiarou)

A Fire- and Flying-type and an evolved form of the sparrowPokemon Fletchling. With a high level of speed and power,it attacks by diving at foes, unleashing brutal kicks, andemitting fire from its body.

Clauncher (Japanese: Udebbou)

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A Water-type Pokemon with a massive claw, which it uses tograb enemies, shoot water, and crack boulders.

Skrelp (Japanese: Kuzumou)

A Water- and Poison-type Pokemon that disguises itself as apiece of seaweed until an unwary victim passes by and getssoaked in poison.

You can see all of the new features and Pokemon in this30-second trailer. According to the official Pokemon Twitteraccount, there will be another video from the developerroundtable, so check this page tomorrow for even morefootage.

For even more news from this year’s E3, related or unrelatedto Pokemon, click on this link: http://sgcafe.com/tag/e32013

Source: Serebii, Pokemon X and Y homepage

Bandai Namco officiallylaunches the free-to-play‘Tekken Revolution’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/bandai-namco-officially-launches-

free-to-play-tekken-revolution/

By spartanchef on June 12th, 2013

The worldwide simultaneous distribution of BandaiNamco’s ‘Tekken Revolution’ finally begins! A few days afterits announcement during the E3 preview, the game willofficially be distributed today, June 12, 2013! So what makes‘Tekken Revolution’ different? Well, first, it’s absolutelyfree! It can be downloaded for the PlayStation 3 via thePlayStation store.

During the launch, there will be a total of eight characters tochoose from; Lili, Asuka, King, Paul, Law, Jack-6, Lars andKazuya. But don’t fret just yet, more characters will be addedwith future updates and you will be able to purchase themwith the in-game points that you earn!

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Like the most recent Tekken games, you can customize yourcharacters, but not only that, players can also make theircharacters stronger through the XP they earn from playingmatches. There are three attributes to choose from; POWERwhich boosts your damage, ENDURANCE which increasesyour character’s health and VIGOR which increases yourchance in landing critical hits! Make Paul an absolute bruiserby increasing only his Strength attribute, make Jack-6 intoa tank by increasing his Endurance, make Law even moredangerous by increasing his Vigor, the choice is all up to you,the player!

There are two ‘Special Attack’ style in ‘Tekken Revolution’for each character; ‘Critical Arts’ and ‘Special Arts’, witheach character having four ‘Critical Arts’ moves which candeal a serious amount of damage against your opponent.Meanwhile, ‘Special Arts’ grant the player a period ofinvulnerability at the start of the move. These special attackswill acts as the foundation of your character.

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The single player mode or ARCADE MODE makes youfight against CPU opponents while there are two types ofmultiplayer modes; The PLAYER MATCH which allows youto fight a casual game against your friends and the RANKEDMATCH which will determine your ranking as you fightgamers from all over the world.

Almost 19 years after the release of the original game in1994, the Tekken series is still going strong with nine games(Tekken, Tekken 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Tag, Tag 2) and a cross-overwith Street Fighter (and you can count Soul Calibur if youwant). It also sparked a 3D animated film, a Hollywoodlive-action motion picture and a two-episode OVA in 1998.Surely, making dysfunctional families fight each other havenever been this fun!

Sources: Official Tekken Revolution Website and SonyPlayStation blog

Yasutaka Tanaka and J.J.Abrams team up for new songin Star TrekSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/yasutaka-tanaka-j-j-abrams-team-

song-star-trek/

By Zenko on June 12th, 2013

Famed music producer Yasutaka Tanaka and director J.J.Abrams teamed up for the latest Star Trek movie Star TrekInto Darkness.

Yasutaka Tanaka has become a big name in the Japaneseindustry since he premiered in 1997 with the group capsule.Since then he has produced music for big name artistslike Perfume and even SMAP. Now, though, he’s makingnews by releasing a new song with capsule for J.J. Abrams’latest instalment to the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: IntoDarkness.

The song, called Into Darkness, was made especially tomatch the feeling and world that J.J. Abrams created. Themovie, taking place in 2259 AD, delivers not only a futuristicspace setting, but a futuristic London a well. Just like now,there are clubs, and Into Darkness can be heard playingin one of them. It won’t be hard to recognize it, becauseit features guest vocalist Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. Havingpreviously worked with her, he was familiar with her cutesinging and how it would fit the future club scene. Kyary forher part gave us a glimpse of her space travel adventures withthe song Invader Invader.

As for J.J. Abrams, he said that working with Yasutaka wassomething he had looked forward to, and considered it oneof the top priorities, especially as it was a collaboration thatspanned six nations. Yasutaka was just as enthused and said“It was an honor to work on a project that will be seen aroundthe world. J.J. Abrams had a very clear image of what hewanted the future to be like, which made the collaborationvery stimulating. For myself, it was an undertaking on amassive scale, but there were a lot of new people from themovie I met that encouraged me. Everyone certainly had adetermined sense about their work with the music and thesong. I had a lot of fun, and am really happy with the endresult.”

The movie is not yet out in Japan, and will be heading totheatres on August 23.

Source: AnimeAnime

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Masahiro Sakurai takes toYouTube to discuss newSuper Smash Bros.Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/masahiro-sakurai-takes-youtube-

discuss-super-smash-bros/

By Zenko on June 12th, 2013

Perhaps one of the most anticipated games coming out ofNintendo this E3, the next instalment for Super Smash Bros.has not let fans down.

Masahiro Sakurai, responsible for creating the series thathas brought Nintendo characters together to brawl it out,took to YouTube during Nintendo’s Developer conferenceearlier today. After the announcement earlier that Megamanwould be joining the fight alongside the Villager from AnimalCrossing, he wanted to explain how these newcomers toSmash would pan out. They weren’t the only newcomerseither, as the WiiFit Trainer was also announced to bejoining in the fight as well.

Before he addressed the new characters, he wanted to focuson what was coming to the games themselves, looking firstat the 3DS edition of the game, and then the WiiUs. The twowill luckily feature the same amount of characters, but hedid not discuss whether these will be the same charactersbetween systems. Because of the limitations on screensizeon the 3DS, and the way the game functions, they outlinedthe characters in black to make them more visible from adistance.

He also noted that the stages will be different betweenthe consoles, with the 3DS edition containing stages fromhandheld games such as Nintendogs and Legend of Zelda:Spirit Tracks. The WiiU edition will feature stages frompast home consoles, including classic stages from the SmashBros. franchise like Pokemon Stadium and the Battlefieldstage. The Animal Crossing stage also received a makeoverto better match the newly released town in Animal CrossingNew Leaf.

Sakurai also highlighted the other graphical differencesbetween versions: Where the 3DS highlights characters,the WiiU highlights attacks, with new animations added tothe attack sequences to show the speed at which they’redelivered. A focus on primary colors was also added tocompliment the HD quality of the system.

With graphical differences and features between versionsout of the way, Sakurai was quick to highlight updates toexisting characters as well as how those coming to the rosterwould affect game play. For Samus, this was as simple asher suit being updated to match the most recent game inthe series: Other M. They took this a step farther as theyhighlighted parts of her armor in black and updated the lookfarther with new metal slats.

Bowser was updated a bit more. Not only was he placed into amore upright position and no longer crouched down, but hisentire character was revised. In Brawl he was a notoriouslyslow character, and on top of his bulk, he was unable to hitvery hard. They have fixed this by giving the King of Koopasan ability to run and dash, as well as making him a heavyhitter.

Pit, who made his debut in Brawl, will also be getting anupgrade to his moves. His character is now based on the onefrom last years Kid Icarus Uprising. Along with the ability touse the Guardian Orbiters as a way to defend himself, he alsowill have a new uppersmash to send opponents flying.

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And then the newcomers were discussed, and despite nolive audience, early comments on YouTube and fanreactionsshow they were cheering most for the announcement ofMegaMan as a playable character. While new to the SmashBros. scene, the Blue Bomber brings a jam packed arsenalwith him.

Based on the design from the original game, Megamandoes not punch his opponents, but instead uses his MegaBuster to take down enemies. Unlike Fox’s raygun or otherprojectile weapons, Megaman can use it while jumping inthe air, just like in the original NES games. It was notedthat his only real punch is his Shoryouken-like MegaUpper,which can send opponents flying into the air. Most notably,though, is his ability to channel Robot Lords and pull offtheir signature moves as well. Called the Variable WeaponsSystem he can channel moves from bosses such as Crashmanand Metalman in different ways as Normal and Specialattacks.

For Metalman he has the Metal Blade, that can be thrown ineight directions and can be picked up as an item, meaningopponents have the chance to use it back against him.

The Crash Bomb will act much like the gooey bombs in pastgames, with the ability to attach it to opponents and forthem to attach back on you or any other player in the match.The Top Spin will be a spin attack similar to Metaknight’stornado from Brawl. One of the big game changers duringcliff jumps though, will be the Hard Knuckle will be a meteorattack that can one-hit KO an opponent to the bottom of thescreen.

Other staples to his arsenal will include the Slash Claw andFlame Sword which will help defend you in the air, and theLeaf Shield which has the ability to not only protect youbut attack opponents as well. His Spark Shot and FlameCharge will turn both hands into Mega Busters, but if notused immediately will overheat MegaMan and leave himtemporarily defenseless.

The Villager familiar to fans of Animal Crossing will alsobe making his way from a background stage character inBrawl, to a full-on battle ready character in the new SuperSmash Bros. Like Peach he can pull a variety of objects fromhis pockets and pull things from the ground, but unlike theToadstool Kingdom’s princess, he can also pocket things aswell. When picking up items, the Villager has the option ofpocketing them for use later or using it right away. It’s notjust items he can pocket either, as he is shown pocketingenemy attacks as well.

The mischief of the Villager doesn’t stop there either, as hecan also pull of combo attacks such as digging up a patchof ground to trap the opponent, and then dropping a decentsized bowling ball on them to send them flying off screen.

Taking everyone by surprise, the WiiFit Trainer is also ismaking her way to the stage to inspire fitness in herself andthe other Nintendo characters. She will be bringing a heavyhitting set of moves with her, as she performs yoga andgymnastics against her opponent.

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It is not just her yoga moves that promise to intimidateplayers, as Sakurai stated she, as well as all the newcharacters, will be receiving a powerful Final Smash. In thecase of the WiiFit Trainer, her Final Smash is called Wii Fitand sends a barrage of fitness exercising clones of herself ather enemies.

If all of this is not exciting enough, know that Sakurai hassaid he uses his lunch breaks to play even more of the game,and promises even more screencaps of his experience onthe MiiVerse’s new Super Smash Bros Community. And ofcourse, for even more E3 action, check out all our coveragehere.

Source: YouTube

Diabolik Lovers revealsstellar male voice castSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/diabolik-lovers-reveals-stellar-male-

voice-cast/

By spartanchef on June 12th, 2013

The cast and staff for upcoming vampire anime ‘DiabolikLovers: Haunted Dark Bridal’ have finally been announced.The anime based on the otome game will be released laterthis year. However, the part for the anime’s heroine Yui

Komori has not yet been announced as the Official Websitehas said that her voice actress will be revealed later.

The voice actors for the six vampire brothers whoare going to live with Yui Komori however havebeen announced. Ayato Sakamaki will be voicedby Hikaru Midorikawa. He has voiced Android 16 from‘Dragon Ball Z‘, Lancer from ‘Fate Zero’, Heero Yui from‘Gundam Wing‘ and Kaiba Seto from ‘Yu-Gi-Oh‘.

Kanato Sakamaki will be voiced by Yuuki Kajiwho is knownfor voicing Haruyuki Arita/ Silver Crow from ‘Accel World‘,Alibaba Saluja from ‘Magi‘, Issei Hyoudo from ‘High SchoolDXD‘ and Amata Sora from ‘Aquarion EVOL‘.

Raito Sakamaki will be voiced by Daisuke Hirakawa. He isbest known for voicing Makoto Itou from ‘School Days’ andhe has also voiced Muneakira Yagyuu from ‘HyakkaRyouran: Samurai Girls‘.

Syuu Sakamaki will be voiced by Toriumi Kousuke. Heis known for voicing Haihime Sato from ‘Hakuoki‘, AsemuAsuno from ‘Gundam AGE‘ and Kiba from ‘Naruto‘.

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Reiji Sakamaki will be voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi. He isknown for voicing Tooya from ‘Ayashi no Ceres‘, TatsumiOga from ‘Beelzebub’, Laxus from ‘Fairy Tail’, Kamina from‘Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann‘ and America from ‘Hetalia‘.

Subaru Sakamaki will be voiced by Takashi Kondou. He isknown for voicing Ken Sugisaki from ‘Seitokai no Ichizon‘,Akuto Sai from ‘Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou’ and Torikofrom ‘Toriko‘.

The anime will be directed by Shinobu Tagashi who hasprovided key animation for ‘Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?‘ and‘Digimon Adventure 02‘. Music will be done by Yuki Hayashiwho has done the music for ‘Robotics; Notes’ as well asthe music for upcoming summer 2013 anime ‘Blood Lad‘.Yuuko Yahiro will be doing the character design and seriescomposition will be done by Haruko Nagatsu. The animeis based on the otome game by Otomate and is producedby ZEXCS. They have also released a new anime PV whichcan be viewed here.

The story follows Yui Komori, a girl who because of familycircumstances attends her school’s night class. And alsobecause of family circumstances, she also lives with sixvampire bothers.

Xbox One-PlayStation 4 battleduring E3 explained throughmemesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/memes-give-simple-explanation-

xbox-one-playstation-4-battle/

By spartanchef on June 12th, 2013

Internet memes are often a funny reflection of what happensin real life. With E3 currently underway and Microsoftand Sony already presenting us with their latest next genconsoles, the internet is quick to respond. Several memesites like 9gag and 4chan as well as social media sites likeTumblr and Twitter have given us a brief explanation of whathappened during E3 through GIF images. Enjoy.

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I don’t really need to explain the results based on the memes,right? The new memes range from the NBA to Lion King toShingeki no Kyojin to dogs to even little girls. They show onething and one thing only; The Xbox One getting owned by thePlayStation 4. The speed of their uploads are also amazing assome of these were uploaded less than an hour after Sony’spress conference.

Source: Rocket News

Square Enix teases FinalFantasy XV gameplay videoSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/square-enix-teases-final-fantasy-xv-

gameplay-video/

By sentinel011 on June 12th, 2013

Ever since Square Enix revealed Final Fantasy XV at theSony press conference yesterday, JRPG fans were gladand happy that there’s progress in the development of thegame. Square Enix has given us a bit more, with a first lookat its gameplay video, released on their youtube channel.

The battle system is reminiscent to Kingdom Hearts. Optingfor a cleaner UI compared to Final Fantasy XIII, the battlesystem seems to allow the player to switch weapons andequipment on the fly. Rather than focusing fully on RPGelements, it looks like Square Enix chose to merge actionsequences in. Nobody can dispute on how beautiful thegraphics looks, with dynamic lighting, textures and effects

that the Final Fantasy franchise is known for, only that it’sbumped up several notches better than its predecessor.

While Final Fantasy XV has no release date, it will be out fornext-gen consoles Playstation 4 and XBox One.

May’n finishes the last leg ofHangJam tourSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/mayn-finishes-leg-hangjam-tour/

By Zenko on June 12th, 2013

Bringing together her band for one last time, May’n took thestage and completed her acoustic tour in Tokyo with a threeday performance.

Singer May’n, popular for the songs she brought toMacross Frontier, finished her acoustic tour last weekend atShinagawa’s Stellar Ball. The venue has seen popular acts inthe past, but is largely a low key venue. That did not stopMay’n or Team Ongakushitsu from performing the songsthey love. In fact, they played a full “jam” as part of thisfinal HangJam concert, May’n's voice resounding within theconcert hall.

From the heartful “Deep Breathing” to the uptempo Get ItOn~ Around the Speed of Light Max (Get it on~KousokuKurai Max), each song in the set was performed skillfully.Adding to the feeling of the show, May’n also put onsomewhat of a performance when during Get It On she ranaround the seating of the venue, giving those who performeda chance to see the pop star up close.

She even challenged the audience later during the songWhat’bout My Star? as she led them in a three part chorus.That’s a fairly impressive feat for a concert, and she did notstop there as she and the band went right into an up tempoarrangement of Get Tough. To add to the dramatic feeling ofthe concert though, she followed this up with the calm beforethe storm song Infinity. Starting with a slow intro it quicklyjoins the upbeat feeling of the other songs in the concert.The energy for the concert was actually so intense that sheperformed an encore shortly after the last song in the set RunReal Run! With the audience chanting “Boss! Boss! (Buchou!Buchou!), she came back and performed Glorious Heart, Disco Galaxxxy during her June 7 encore and Get Ready

June 12th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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during the June 8 encore finale of the tour. With everythingfinished, May’n told the crowd that she was “also full of thesame feelings you are.”

With the Accoustic 2013 Hangjam concert over, May’n willbe keeping busy over the summer before her concert halltour called Live!Cave!Dive! in October. On July 24 she willbe releasing a new single, Vivid, the opening for the newBlood Lad anime. In addition to this CD release, a BluRayof her Mic-a-Mania at Budokan will release the same day for7,350 yen.

Source: Lisani

Demystify the new action-packed RPG ‘Dragon’s Crown’with trailers and characterdesignsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/demystify-action-packed-rpg-

dragons-crown-trailers-character-designs/

By KaleNagasaki on June 12th, 2013

Sony has released the official trailer for the highlyanticipated 2D action RPG Dragon’s Crown, and it looks likethe coolest thing since Dungeons and Dragons. Maybe evencooler.

In the opening to the game (above), we are introduced tosix different warrior classes: the Amazon, the Fighter, theElf, the Dwarf, the Wizard, and the Sorceress. Each havetheir strong points and weaknesses, and thus you have tostrategically pick which type you will play as. If you areimmediately enraptured by the stunning characters, thenyou will be pleased to know that George Kamitani designedthem. George Kamitani is the president and characterdesigner of Vanillaware, the Japanese game company thatbrought us Shin Megami.

Now that you know the heroes, what could you possibly befighting? Well, besides the obvious dragon, there are quitea few opponents to watch out for. For example, there’s theharpy. Erase whatever Greek mythology-informed imagesyou have from your mind, because this Harpy meansbusiness. If your guard is down, she will lure you to her nestand use you as bait for her chicks.

Next we have the insect-inspired group. There’s the DoomBeetle, which lives up to its name and packs a magical punch,or rather, pinch. The Doom Beetle doesn’t work solo though,as Worms will stun their enemies first so that the DoomBeetle has an easy shot. The cocoon phase is just as revolting.

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The Minotaur must be fed a human sacrifice once a month,as it is locked away in an inescapable fortress. Don’t let hisnext meal be you.

While we’ve seen a healthy dose of vampires in the recentpopular media, this female Vampire is as beautiful as she isfrightening.

That’s a lot of villains for one game, right? Apparently, notenough, because Vanillaware felt the need to add one more.Wyverns hunt in groups, and they don’t look easy to takedown.

Now that you are more familiar with the game, check out theofficial trailer below!

Dragon’s Crown will come out in Japan on July 25 andNorth America on August 6. You can play it on thePlayStation 3 for US $49.99 or the PlayStation Vita for US$39.99. If you pre-order the game, then a limited editionart book will be all yours. As another bonus, for the firstmonth of release a downloadable voice pack that replacesthe narrator’s voice with one of the six warrior voices will beavailable for free. Even if you’re a bit late, the DLC will stillbe available for the low price of US $1.99.

As probably the Amazonian, I ask who would you be?

Pokemon X and Y — the E3trailer and two new PokemonSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/pokemon-e3-trailer-pokemon/

By SunSoftware on June 11th, 2013

In case you missed Nintendo’s E3 presentation, here is thetrailer they revealed for the next instalments of Pokemon —plus details on two new Pokemon and the release date.

The newest installment of Pokemon will feature a newtype of Pokemon: the Fairy type. Pokemon of this type

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include Sylveon, a new evolved form of Eevee, as well asold Pokemon like Jigglypuff, Marrill, and Gardevoir. FairyPokemon are strong against those Dragon types, so you don’tneed to carry a Pokemon with an ice-type attack anymore.

Also new to X and Y is the Pokemon-Amie feature, which letsyou pet and feed your Pokemon with the touch screen. Thegame will also use the 3DS’s camera so you can play withyour Pokemon. It may seem gimmicky, but since the gameuses 3D models for each of the Pokemon, Pokemon-Amiemakes the game more immersive than ever. See for yourselfin the trailer below.

If you’ve been following Pokemon news, you shouldrecognize most of the Pokemon in the trailer, including thespunky Pancham and the fiery Fennekin — but wait! What’sthat butterfly-ish one, and the winged one with big ears?

This one is called Noivern (Onbaan in Japanese). It’s a Flyingand Dragon-type Pokemon that is extremely aggressivetowards anything that approaches it, although it likes to eatfruit. Noivern looks sort of like a bat. In a way, it is like a batbecause it can fly at night using ultrasonic waves that it emitsfrom its ears. As you can guess, it also uses these waves tofight.

Its attack Boomburst unleashes a powerful sound wavethat reduces boulders to pebbles. However, Boomburst alsodamages nearby allies, so be careful if you use it in a doubleor triple Pokemon battle.

The other Pokemon is called Vivillon (Bibiyon in Japanese)and is a Bug and Flying-type Pokemon. It uses its colorfulwings to scatter scales or create wind. There may also bea hidden meaning to the patterns on its wings. Vivillon isable to use the attack Struggle Bug, which lowers the SpecialAttack power of its foes.

In addition to the news revealed today, the director at GameFreak, Junichi Masuda, will make an appearance on the June16 episode of Pokemon Smash to reveal more informationon X and Y.

The newest Pokemon games will be released worldwide onOctober 12. Are you going to pick it up this fall?

Also, don’t forget to check the rest of this year’s E3 coverageon this link: http://sgcafe.com/tag/e32013

Source: Pokemon X and Y homepage, Official NintendoMagazine

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Ikimonogakari to release newalbum “I” in July, their first inone year and five monthsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/ikimonogakari-release-album-i-july-

year-months/

By Az on June 14th, 2013

Ikimonogakari’s upcoming album “I” has just beenannounced. The long overdue album (it’s been a year and fivemonths since their last one) will be called “I” and is slatedfor release next month, July 24.

The title “I” holds many meanings for the album: the “I” thatis the singer and songwriter, the “I” that is the listener, the“I” that starts the word “Ikimonogakari”, the “I” that is thereading of love (愛), and the “I” that is the reading of sorrow

(愛) . The album jacket is also the letter “I”, and the artistphoto shows us the three forming an “I”.

The album includes the hit songs “Haru Uta”, “Kaze gaFuiteiru”, “1 2 3 ~Koi ga Hajimaru~” , and “Egao” plus tennew songs for a total of 14 tracks. The first press edition of thealbum will include the DVD containing album explanationby sound producers Seiji Kameda and Akimitsu Honma, theusual “Ikimonocard”, and a special panorama sheet.

Ikimonogakari “I” TrackList========================

1. Egao2. 1 2 3 ~Koi ga Hajimaru~

3. PaPaPa~Ya

4. Koi Ato

5. Haru Uta

6. My Sunshine Story

7. Nande

8. Ashita no Sora

9. Kaze Koute Hana Yureru

10. MONSTAR

11. Ren’ai Shousetsu

12. Tokyo

13. Kaze ga Fuiteiru

14. Nukumori

Release Date: July 24, 2013

source: natalie, Oricon

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Comedy yuri manga ‘SakuraTrick’ gets animeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/comedy-yuri-manga-sakura-trick-

anime/

By SunSoftware on June 14th, 2013

Do you like anime such as Yuru Yuri, featuring cute, innocentgirls making subtle advances towards each other? If so, thisanime is being made for you.

The August issue of Manga Time Kirara Miracle hasannounced that an anime adaptation of Tachi’s 4-panelmanga Sakura Trick is in production.

The story is centered around two girls named Yuu andHaruka who were best friends in middle school, but oncethey entered high school, they found themselves sitting onopposite sides of the classroom and seeing different girls.When Haruka is afraid of drifting away from Yuu, theydecide to do something special to tie them together forever.That “something special”, as you may have guessed, is a kiss!

Haruka is the pink-haired girl, and Yuu is the blonde one.

Sakura Trick has been serialized in Kirara Miracle since2011 and currently has two volumes which you can readtoday. Tachi’s works have also been featured in fan comicanthologies for series such as Madoka Magica and TheIdolm@ster Cinderella Girls.

No further information has been revealed on this anime yet,but fans of cute girls being touchy-feely should keep an eyeon this anime.

Source: Yaraon

Cast members for new animeLog Horizon announcedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/cast-members-anime-log-horizon-

announced/

By SkerryK on June 14th, 2013

Additional cast members for the animated adaptation ofMamare Touno’s fantasy novel Log Horizon— scheduled tohit the airwaves this autumn —have been announced. DaikiYamashita will be playing high school student Touya. Therole of Minori, Touya’s sister, will be played by Nao Tamura.

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Eriko Matsui will be taking on the role of Isuzu, and TetsuyaKakihara will be playing the dashing young Runderuhausu.

Daiki Yamashita as Touya

“It feel like feels my dream has come true, so I’m incrediblynervous and excited!” Yamshita said. According to thestrong-hearted actor, it has always been a dream of his toenter the world of a game and fight with swords and magic.

Nao Tamura as Minori

The rest of the cast is just as enthusiastic. Tamura,the actress who will be portraying Minori, expressedher intention to accurately represent Minori’s sincerity,hardworking character, and strength.

Eriko Matsui as Isuzu

Matsui, who will be playing Isuzu— a character known fortheir trademark braided hair and freckles— said that she’sgoing to do her best to convey the colorful Isuzu’s charm.

Kakihara, an experienced actor appearing in over 50 titles,stated that he’ll strive to build drama by portraying thecomplexity of his self-confident character. If you doubt hecan do it, take a look at his record. Kakihara has over adecade of experience, and he’s lent his talents to hit animeseries like Blue Exorcist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,and CLAMP’s XXXHolic.

Tetsuya Kakihara as Runderuhausu

Source: Mantan, Imdb

Gundam.info teases a newGundam anime production inthe worksSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/gundam-info-teases-gundam-anime-

production-works/

By spartanchef on June 14th, 2013

‘Mobile Suit Gundam’, ‘Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta’, ‘MobileSuit Gundam ZZ’, ‘Mobile Fighter G Gundam’, ‘Turn AGundam’, ‘After War Gundam X’… the list goes on, and now,gundam fans are asking if there will ever be a new series?Now, a new official Gundam site has been launched and itteases us with a new Gundam.

However, the only thing the site has revealed thus farare what the Gundam itself looks like, the exact time anddate of the announcement and the words “1/144 GUNDAMMOBILE”

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Will this be a new anime? An OVA? A new HG kit maybe?Will this be part of the UC timeline? Or maybe CE (SEED)?Or maybe it’s a new timeline entirely? All these answers willbe revealed soon. The official Gundam website, gundam.infohas reported the the much anticipated video will be releasedJuly 2, 2013 and will be streamed live at 11:59 am (Japantime) via the Bandai channel Minna de Stream.

Judging from the looks of the new mobile suit, it looks like across between the Freedom Gundam and the Gundam X.

Gundam fans worldwide are widely anticipating the news sostay tuned for more information .

Omni and Oculus Rift team upfor emersive VR experienceSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/omni-oculus-rift-team-affordable-vr-

experience/

By Zenko on June 14th, 2013

Virtual Reality is not only gaining ground in the way we lookat it, but also in the way we move through it with the Omnisystem. You may remember us talking about the Oculus Rift,and the strides it has helped make in bringing VR closerto a reality for gamers and VOCALOID enthusiasts. Onecompany at E3 this year, though, is helping to take it onestep farther, moving people away from a need for a keyboardto using their body as the controller. Omni, the world’s firstwalking controller device developed by Virtuix, will placeplayers directly into the game to walk around, run, jump, andslide around the game environment.

Of course, the gaming system still needs motion tracking,but luckily that can be achieved with a Kinect and a set ofspecial shoes. The shoes, which have a small ball on the soleand high friction surface, not only allow you to run on thegrooved surface of the system, but also allow the Kinect toproperly track your motions. Combined with the Oculus Rift,which gives a one-to-one view of where you look, it can allowfor full exploration of a game without the fuss of analog stickcontrolled cameras.

With AR markers on items it would also allow the Kinectto read items and movements as in-game objects, so if youare playing a first person shooter you can carry your weaponwith you in real life. In this case, the markers come from theRazerHydra, something previously used as the virtual handsof gamers on Nico Nico demo videos.

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As you can imagine, running and walking everywhere to keepup with a fast paced game can get tiring. That’s why theOmni has the advantage of claiming their controller will alsohelp gamers burn unwanted calories and stay fit. It is evencompared to fitness equipment during a demo video, wherethey show off its space-saving ability with the removableupper ring. It’s not just adults that will be staying fit either,as gamers as young as ten are advertised using it, the beltthat is used as stability support being fully adjustable.

Games that have been shown using this combinedtechnology include Half-Life 2, and for Japanese audiencesa game that originally started as a modded version of City 17from the same game, About Esther. Because of its supportwith Occulus Rift, though, it will be able to support anygames out of the box on that system, so long as they havekeyboard input, and that includes Skyrim and Team Fortress2. The way the system works is by reading your motionsas gesture controls in the Kinect, which are then linkedto keystroke inputs and allow you to explore the gameenvironment as you see fit.

The creator of the device, Jan Goetgeluk, said that whathe really wants is to bring the fun and amusement ofvideogames to everyone, not get rich off of his idea. Trueto his word, the Omni’s Kickstarter page says they will beoffering Do It Yourself versions of the system, so that thosein those in the community who think they can improve onthe design have every ability to do so.

For those wanting to back the future of VR controls, theKickstarter page is here, and will be open until July 22 forthose in the US and July 23 for those in Singapore and Asia.It has already surpassed its goal, and should be announcinga stretch-goal soon.

Source: Famitsu

PS3 love: Killer is Deadand Tales of SymphoniaUnisonantSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/ps3-love-killer-dead-tales-

symphonia-unisonant/

By hikarucon on June 14th, 2013

In most of the trailers, it is shown that Mondo can changehis weapons to suit the situation at hand easily during battlewith his cybernetic left arm. So far, several types have beenintroduced but today, a fourth type of weapon was brieflyintroduced, the “Freeze shooter” which will freeze enemiesand make them easier prey for players.

As some of you already might know, in one of the episodesof Killer is Dead, players will take place on the moon uponrequest of a moon denizen of the moon.

Moon river

The goddess of the moon who lives on the dark side ofthe moon is shrouded in mystery and beauty. Even though

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Mondo has never met this woman before in his life, hefinds that he has an unexplainable attraction to her althoughpresuming he already has an attraction to a several centuryold vampire, nothing is too out of the ordinary.

Mission: The man who stole the moon

The lady, Moon River, requests that the man name Davidwho has taken over the moon be executed. Mondo’s boss,Brian, was initially against the mission but Mondo was onboard, not for the mission but for the reward- a kiss from thefair lady of the moon. With that sole reason driving Mondo,he heads for the moon to find David and execute him.

Killer is Dead hits PS3 and Xbox360 August 1st, 2013.

Tales of Symphonia Unisonant

Hit RPG Tales of Symphonia, originally released on theGamecube in 2003, is getting a remake on the Playstation 3.Included in this update is not just the original game but alsoits sequel, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World thatwas released for the Wii in 2008 making this the ultimateTales of Symphonia experience.

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Of course being on the PS3 means that players willexperience the game as never before in glorious HD.Whether you’re in a battle or watching a cut scene, therevamped graphics will definitely be something to behold.

Ever feel like your party’s outfits could be changed for thebetter or that a certain outfit from another Tales game mightsuit a certain character better? Well now your dreams can berealized, in Tales of Symphonia Unisonant, players will beable to change outfits of characters to basically any characterfrom any of the Tales games.

Something to get even more excited about is that ufotablewill be including illustrations for the game when youpreorder the game. Beautiful illustrations and graphicsmake for a great game and lots of hype.

Tales of Symphonia Unisonant hits the PS3 October 10th,2013 for 6,980 yen (approximately $70). Don’t forget topreorder it for all the extra goods!

Veteran voice actor KenjiUtsumi has passed awaySource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/veteran-voice-actor-kenji-utsumi-

passed/

By hittokiri on June 13th, 2013

Veteran voice actor Kenji Utsumi, who voiced Alex LuisArmstrong in Full Metal Alchemist, Raoh in Fist of the NorthStar and Braiking Boss in Shinzou Ningen Casshern haspassed away. He was 75 years old. He had been hospitalizedin a Shinjuku hospital for peritonitis, a condition wherethe peritoneum, the thin tissue that lines the inner wall ofthe abdomen and covers most of the abdominal organs areinflamed.

Born in 1937, Kenji Utsumi was the youngest of 5 brothers.In 1955, he joined NHK’s theater company and began

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working on radio dramas. He made his anime debut inOokami Shounen Ken (愛愛愛愛愛) as One-eyed Jack. In 1984,he voiced Raoh, the primary rival and adversary to the maincharacter Kenshiro in Fist of the North Star. That same year,he founded Ken Productions, a voice talent managementagency. He received the life time achievement award duringthe third Seiyu Awards in 2009.

Kenji Utsumi’s passing is the second death in as many weeksinvolving a notable voice actor. Last week saw the passingof One Piece voice actor Takkou Ishimori. Kenji Utsumi issurvived by his wife, fellow voice actress Michiko Nomura.

Source : Sponichi Annex

MUCC to do theme song forupcoming movie ‘Fuan noTane’, a new single on thehorizonSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/mucc-theme-song-upcoming-movie-

fuan-tane-single-horizon/

By KaleNagasaki on June 13th, 2013

According to their official Facebook page, MUCC will bereleasing a new single this September. Although the title isnot yet known, the single will mark the end of nearly a yearlong silence from MUCC since their last album, Shangri-La, was released in November of last year.

While this is definitely uplifting news, prepare for somethingon the freakier side. MUCC’s song “Kyorankyosho -21stCentury Baby-” will be the theme song for upcoming horrormovie Fuan no Tane. The movie will hit theaters July20 and feature a remixed version of the MUCC classic:“Kyorankyosho RMX for Fuan no Tane”.

If you want to check out the official site for the movie,click here. For a brief overview, Fuan no Tane (“Seedsof Anxiety”) is originally a graphic novel by MasaakiNakamura. A phenomenal artist, Masaaki brings you scenesthat are no less than chilling and haunting. Fuan noTane features seemingly unconnected one-shots that playoff of humanity’s basic fears, such as the faceless face, theunsolved cliffhanger, and the devilish infant.

Listen to MUCC’s “21st Century Baby” and let me know if youthink it fits the scary mood of Fuan no Tane.

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Dating sim ‘KisaragiGold★Star’ coming to PSPSeptember 5Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/dating-sim-kisaragi-gold

%E2%98%85star-coming-psp-september/

By SunSoftware on June 13th, 2013

The popular dating sim brand Saga Planets is porting one oftheir Four Seasons games to the PSP, for all of you who likeportable dating simulators and romantic comedies.

Kisaragi Gold★Star -Nonstop Go Go!!-, the upcoming PSPport of the 2010 adult dating sim Kisaragi Gold★Star, willbe released on September 9.

The story is centered around six childhood friends who livein an old apartment building and attend Kisaragi Academy.Each of them has a special talent, except the main character,Futami Nitta, who looks after the others like a mother figure.In fact, Futami’s friends have no ability to make a living, sothey always depend on Futami. Together, these six friendsshare a large dream…

The PSP version of Kisaragi Gold Star will include a cute,new heroine named Mika, formerly a minor character, alongwith her own scenarios and event scenes. Of course, the adultscenes will be removed to make it appropriate for the PSP.All of the major characters are listed below.

Futami Nitta

The main character and a second-year student who workspart-time jobs to support his younger sister, in addition todoing all of the housework and taking care of his friends.He tends to worry a lot, but keeps working without anycomplaints, and always puts other people before himself.

Saya Endou (CV: Mei Kojima)

A cheerful, honest, and popular girl who smiles at everyoneshe meets. Her goal is to become an idol in order to to giveeveryone happiness. As well as singing, she can play theguitar and writes songs with naive, girly lyrics.

Even though she’s poor, she likes to give people presents,and always has a present for someone, even if there’s nospecial occasion. If it’s someone’s birthday, she will splurgeon an even fancier present. On the other hand, if she receivesa present from someone, she will feel extremely embarassed.

Tsubasa Haotone (CV: Kozue Yoshizumi)

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A smart, clean, and cute girl who acts as a mediator betweenher friends. She is extremely popular and is the number onemarriage candidate among the female students. However,she has a rough, competitive, and stubborn personalitygained from living in the slums.

She has a crush on Futami and regularly daydreams abouthim, but she is a clumsy girl who fails to communicate herfeelings to him. If anyone tries to come between her andFutami, she unleashes her “hidden version”.

Ichika Nitta (CV: Fuuri Samoto)

Futami’s stubborn sister who can’t be tamed by anyone buther brother. Even though she’s small, she loves kendo, andshe hates losing. She is interested in sports and trains herbody to become stronger. She also loves food, but she eatscheap sweets in private because she thinks it’s embarassing.

Mikoto Fujimaru (CV: Airi Sakuno)

An refined, old-fashioned girl who speaks in an old dialect.She gives off an elegant vibe that makes her hard toapproach, but she gets lonely easily. She loves drawing andoften sketches her friends. She likes looking at happy faces,so much so that she will intimidatingly stare at them. Shedoesn’t like talking freely, but she always carries around asketchbook and puts her feelings down in scribbles.

Mika Kuon (CV: Noriko Minagawa)

The heroine new to the PSP version and a vocal musicstudent who trains at a production company and loves Saya.She’s an eccentric girl with an unusual behavior and clothes.

Hitomi Nagarekawa (CV: Yuuta Souma)

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A boy whose tall figure and pretty face make him popularwith girls. When he was a child, he was approached by a lotof boys. As a result, he is a huge man-hater. The only guy helikes is Futami, whom he often clings to, causing suspiciousrumors. He also likes to design clothes.

Eiko Furamine (CV: Keiko Suzuki)

The vice president of the student council and the president ofthe public morals committee, Tsukiyomi Festival committee,breeding club, and kendo club. She is polite and formal,but she can also be very friendly. She views Saya and herfriends as enemies, since they often don’t follow schoolregulations. People call her “Flamingo”, even though shehates the nickname.

Nanako Yomogida (CV: Michi Tanaka)

An older sister figure who works at her parents’ coffee shop,named Istanbul. Futami and his friends have known her foryears and often ask her for advice. During busy days, theyalso work part-time. She has a moody personality, and hershop is famous for its risky “moody lunch”. Many people visitjust to see her — and never come again.

Sanae Okabe (CV: Aiko Ookubo)

Futami’s homeroom teacher and an advisor in the vocalmusic department. She has a strict policy, but shealso worries about her students, especially Futami. Shegraduated from the same music college as Nanako and isconsidered a prodigy.

Touri Kirishima (CV: Ai Fukada)

A mysterious girl who sometimes appears in front ofFutami’s apartment building. She has an elegant appearanceand is actually a first-year at Kisaragi Academy.

For a better look at Kisaragi Gold Star, you can watch theopening movie of the PC version below, accompanied by thecatchy theme song, Rolling Star★San.

Kisaragi Gold Star -Nonstop Go Go!!- will be releasedon September 5. Are you interested in discovering thesecharacters’ dreams?

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Source: Dengeki

Aimi Terekawa and AyasaItou join the Futari wa MilkyHolmes castSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/aimi-terekawa-ayasa-itou-join-

futari-wa-milky-holmes-cast/

By spartanchef on June 13th, 2013

With the third season of the Milky Holmes series titled,‘Futari Wa Milky Holmes‘ premiering this July, new voicecast members for the anime have been announced at last.The voices of Kazuyuki Okitsu, Ikumi Nakagami, AimiTerakawa and rookie voice actress, Ayasa Itou will the latestadditions to an already stellar voice cast.

They will be joining Izumi Kitta (CordeliaGlauca), Mikoi Sasaki (Hercule Barton), Sora Tokui(Nero Yuzurixaki), Suzuko Mimori (Sherlock Shellinford)and Yoshino Nanjou (Kokoro Akechi) who will be reprisingtheir respective roles in the anime.

Voicing the role of Kazumi will be Aimi Terakawa. She isknown for voicing Suiko in the ‘Card Fight! Vanguard‘series.

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KazumiVoiced by: Aimi Terakawa

‘Futari Wa Milky Holmes‘ will mark the debut of rookievoice actress Ayasa Itou. She will be making her voice actingdebut as the voice of Alice.

AliceVoiced by: Ayasa Itou

Yokohama police officer Keiko Totsugawa will be voiced byIkumi Nakagami. She has voiced Yukari Akiyama from ‘GirlzUnd Panzer‘.

Kazuyuki Okitsu who is known for voicing Jonathan Jostarfrom ‘Jojo’s Bizaare Adventure‘ and Moid from ‘Rinne noLagrange‘ will also be joining the voice cast. He will bevoicing Shion, Alice’s overly-doting brother.

‘Futari Wa Milky Holmes‘ will be directed by ‘AzumangaDaioh!‘ and ‘Angelic Layer’ director Nishikiori Hiroshi.Series Composition will be done by Hideki Shirane who hasworked for ‘Hayate no Gotoku!! (2nd season)‘, ‘Maburaho‘and ‘Queen’s Blade‘. The animation will be produced by J.C.Staff.

Milky Holmes members Cordelia, Hercule, Nero andSherlock will be singing the opening theme titled “GloryGlowin’★ Days“. The anime’s end theme titled “SessionBeginner!” will be done by newcomers Kazumi and Alice.

Source: Yaraon

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Go behind the scenes atGood Smile Company [video]Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/scenes-good-smile-company-video/

By SunSoftware on June 15th, 2013

You’ve seen their amazing scale figures and nendoroids onthis website. Now, if you ever wanted a good look at GoodSmile Company, Miku Channel has you covered.

The Official Miku Channel on YouTube has posted a videothat goes behind the scenes of the figure manufacturer GoodSmile Company. The video is taken in their headquarters inTokyo and gives you a look at their office spaces, where theemployees work surrounded by their own figures, followedby an interview with CEO Aki Takanori about his passion forHatsune Miku. The dialogue is in Japanese, but fortunately,the entire video comes with English subtitles.

For figure enthusiasts, there is also footage of the productionroom where the figures are actually molded, painted, andassembled, and you get to see the Yukata Miku, NatsutsubakiVersion, being created. Of course, there are a ton of otherMiku figures, as well. How many do you recognize?

For more information on Good Smile Company and theirproducts, you can visit their official website, or just keepreading this website, where we’ll keep you updated on thefruits of their love and labor.

Source: Miku Channel

Kyary Pamyu Pamyuperforms at blood donationeventSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/kyary-pamyu-pamyu-performs-

blood-donation-event/

By SkerryK on June 15th, 2013

On June 13, model and singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyuperformed at the “LOVE in Action Meeting (LIVE)” event,a blood donation public awareness program. In Tokyo’sNippon Budokan arena, the eccentric singer encouraged acrowd of over 8,000 spectators to donate blood.

“I heard that blood donors in their teens and twenties aredecreasing. That’s why I donated blood, so that everyone cansmile,” she called out.

Model, musician Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

This same event has been held four times this year by Japan’sRed Cross, as part of a blood donation public awarenesscampaign. Musical groups like AAA, singer-songwriter Ms.OOJA, singer miwa, and musical group “mihimaru GT” alsosupported the cause with their music.

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As always, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu gave a colorful performance.She taught the audience about choreography while singingsix songs, including her hit single, “Invader Invader.” Theenergetic star also jumped up and down while makingannouncements.

Actress Saki Takei

In the MC corner, actress Saki Takei— this year’s “20 YearOld Blood Donation” campaign character —appeared as asecret guest. An astonished crowd went wild. “Amazing! It’sBudokan!” Takei responded. Takei went on to confidentlytake a blood donation quiz, answering all the questionsperfectly.

“I think a little courage can lead to a smile. When you donateblood, even if it’s just a little, it’s great if you can makesomeone smile,” Takei said.

Singer miwa

During the finale, all the performers took part in abirthday surprise for miwa. They presented the singer,whose birthday was June 15, with a birthday cake. Next,everyone on stage (and almost 8,000 spectators) sang“Happy Birthday” to her.

The neighbors were definitely wondering what on earth wasgoing on, but the event was a huge success. The same eventtook place the next day, on June 14. Musical artists “AquaTimez,” “girl next door,” Angela Aki, and Anna Tsuchiyaperformed.

Source: Mantan

Cover for AKB48 Idol MayuWatanabe’s new singlechosenSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/cover-image-akb48-idol-mayu-

watanabes-4th-single-chosen/

By SkerryK on June 15th, 2013

The jacket illustration for AKB48 idol Mayu “Mayuyu”Watanabe’s new single, Rappa Renshuuchuu— on sale July10 —has been confirmed.The picture below, created by artist “Miyoro,” won the honorof being the jacket illustration. It also won Watanabe’spraise.

“Anyhow, it’s very lovely, and pleasing to the eye,” Watanabesaid. “Overall, as far as the touch of the art and the use ofcolor, it’s splendid!!”

The winning image, by the artist “Miyoro.”

The jacket image was chosen as part of a public contest.It was announced with this description: “Commemorativeillustration contest for the release of Mayu Watanabe’s 4thsingle~ Your illustration becomes the new song’s jacketcover.”

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The theme for these submissions— amusement park —wasannounced on the illustration submission site, pixiv. Inabout 3 weeks, over 1,200 illustrations were submitted! Ofthose submissions, 150 of them— that’s over 10% —werefrom foreign users.

Mayu “Mayuyu” Watanabe of AKB48

Of course, there could only be one winner. But 13 otherexcellent works, impartially judged by Watanabe herself, willbe enclosed in a publication book with the CD.

“In spite of the short time, I received over 1,200 submissions.I’m honestly very thankful!! Getting to see everyone’scharming work, overflowing with individuality, made mehappy♪” Mayuyu wrote in a recent thank-you message.

Source: Mantan

New Pokemon and Trainersabound in latest Pokemon Xand Y announcementsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/pokemon-trainers-abound-latest-

pokemon-announcements/

By Zenko on June 15th, 2013

CoroCoro to the fourth game play trailer, news on the latestPokemon X and Y games continues to be released.

During E3, the Pokemon round-table discussion showed offsome new features and a handful of new Pokemon. Now,with a CoroCoro leak and a confirmation in the form ofa new game play trailer, even more new faces are makingtheir way to fans of the series. Two of the new Pokemonannounced are directly related to a previously announcedone. Scatterbug (Kofukimushi) and Spewpa (Kofuurai) willbe the caterpillar and cocoon preevolutions of Vivillon.

Scatterbug is classified as the Kofuki Pokemon, and standsat .3 meters. The kofuki is a type of Japanese insect thatcan be found on tropical plants, and resemble Vivillon incolor and shape. It’s evolution, Spewpa, presents a first forcocoon-state bug Pokemon, as it can learn the move protect.It has the same classification as Scatterbug, and is also .3meters tall.

Litleo (Shishiko) is a new lion Pokemon that has thesignature move Nobel Roar, a normal type move that isidentical in effect to growl. It is a dual fire-normal typestanding at .6 meters, and is classified as the BoilingPokemon.

Finally, Flabebe (Furabebe) is among the Pokemon thatwill be considered the new fairy type. Known as the FlowerPokemon, it will also know the new move Fairy Wind. Notmuch is known about this move other than the fact thatit is able to one hit KO dragon type Pokemon in battledemonstrations. It stands at .1 meters, but it is not listedwhether this height is with the flower it carries around or not.

Aside from Pokemon, details on some of the areas andtrainers were also announced. Like the previous Blackand White games, you will have more than one friend tochallenge you during your journey to becoming Pokemonmaster. Instead of having two, though, you will now havefour friends with different goals. You will all start in thesame town, Vaniville (Asame) Town. Shauna, the trainerthat dresses like Gothelle, is the enthusiastic leader ofthe group who will force you to pick a nickname earlyon. Tierno, the more burly male character, has a goal of

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becoming a famous dancer, and is always looking for waysto incorporate Pokemon moves into his dances. Trevor, thesmallest member of the group is also the most ambitious,hoping to complete his Pokedex before everyone else. Thefinal member will be the character you did not choose to playas, and will be your next door neighbor and training rival.

Viola, a professional Pokemon photographer, will be one ofthe gym leaders you must face and specializes in bug typePokemon. Her gym is located in Santalune (Hakudan) City,which will also host another new character. Alexa (Pansy) isthe older sister of Viola, and a journalist for the city. She isset to appear in the Pokemon TV anime on July 18.

Apart from new characters and Pokemon, a new means oftransportation, roller skates, has also been shown in thedemo. Whether this will replace the bicycle or not is stillunknown.

Source: Serebii, Pokemon

Aya Hirano, Ryota Ohsaka,Daisuke Namikawa andoriginal ‘Gatchaman’ voiceactor Katsuji Mori join‘Gatchaman Crowds’ voicecastSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/aya-hirano-ryota-ohsaka-daisuke-

namikawa-original-gatchaman-voice-actor-katsuji-mori-join-gatchaman-

crowds-voice-cast/

By spartanchef on June 15th, 2013

Earlier this month, Maaya Uchida was announced to play thelead role of Hajime Ichinose for the new Gatchman. Now,more than 40 years after the original ‘Space Ninja TeamGatchaman’ first aired in 1972, Ken “The Eagle” Washio’svoice actor, Katsuji Mori will be joining the voice cast forthe new Gatchaman series, ‘Gatchaman Crowds‘. This time,he will voice J.J. Robinson, the guardian of the Earth whorecruits Hajime Ichinose. Besides voicing Ken Washio, hehas also voiced Garma Zabi from the original ‘Mobile SuitGundam‘ and Gemini Cloth from ‘Saint Seiya‘.

A stellar voice cast will be joining Maaya Uchida and KatsujiMori. Voicing Paiman will be the controversial voice actress,Aya Hirano. She is best known for voicing Haruhi Suzumiyafrom ‘The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya’, Misa Amanefrom ‘Death Note’ and Lucy Heartfilia from ‘Fairy Tail‘.

June 15th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Sugune Tachibana will be voiced by Ryota Ohsaka. He isknown for providing the voices of Haruto from ‘Valvrave theLiberator‘ and Maou Sadao from ‘Hataraku Maou-Sama!’.

Jō Hibiki will be voiced by Daisuke Namikawa who isknown for providing the voices of Waver Velvet from ‘FateZero’, Italy from the Hetalia series and Yashiro Isana from K.

Also part of the voice cast will be Daisuke Hosomi who willbe voicing O.D. He is known for voicing Capt. Ayumi from‘Tsuritama‘.

Kotori Koiwai who is known for voicing the Hair Queen Iwaifrom ‘Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge’ will be voicing Utsu-utsu.

Providing the voice of Rui Ninomiya will be Ayumu Murasewho has voiced Recon from ‘Sword Art Online’ as well asPatrick Hoyle from ‘Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince’.

Mamoru Miyano who is known for voicing Light Yagami/Kira from ‘Death Note’, Setsuna F. Seiei from ‘Mobile SuitGundam 00‘ and Death the Kid from ‘Soul Eater’ willbe voicing Berg Katze. Completing the announced voicecast will be Sakura Tange who will voice President X. Sheis known for voicing Sakura Kinomoto from ‘CardcaptorSakura’ and Violet from ‘Dog Days‘.

The opening song for the series titled ‘Crowds‘ will bedone by White Ash while Maaya Uchida will sing the endsong titled ‘Innocent Note‘. The series will be directedby ‘Mononoke’ director Kenji Nakamura. ‘GatchamanCrowds’ will premiere in Japan July 12, 2013.

Source: Mainichi

New ‘The Walking Dead’ DLC:‘The Walking Dead: 400 Days’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/the-walking-dead-dlc-the-walking-

dead-400-days/

By KaleNagasaki on June 14th, 2013

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After the award-winning zombie game The WalkingDead, are we really surprised that the sequel to come later in2013 already has so much hype? However, before jumpingright into Season Two, you better get the whole story with theDLC 400 Days that includes an extra episode of five stories.

To play 400 Days, you need to have at least the firstepisode of Season One installed. Even though, after thisminimum requirement, you can immediately begin 400Days, TellTale recommends completing Season One. Afterall, 400 Days links Season One and Season Two, sothe choices you made in Season One will influence 400Days, and likewise the choices you make in 400 Days willinfluence Season Two. Consequently, it’s a good idea to keepall your game data saved and play everything on the sameplatform.

Each of the five episodes of 400 Days will introduce anew character: Bonnie, Shel, Wyatt, Russell, and Vince. Theconcept behind 400 Days is, if we count the first day ofthe zombie outbreak as Day One, what transpired for thenext three-hundred and ninety-nine days at a truck stop. Ofcourse, you can expect the same tough choices, gory scenes,and great graphics of The Walking Dead.

The best part about it is the price: only $4.99. While TellTalenever explicitly told (ironic, right?) us whether charactersfrom Season One will appear in 400 Days or Season Two,I wouldn’t be too surprised if some of the characters thatsurvived did make an appearance. 400 Days will be availablefor PSN, XBLA, PC, iOS, and Mac in July. The version for thePS Vita, which will include Season One and 400 Days, willcome later in August. Prepare for the zombie apocalypseuntil then!

Source: IGNAsia

High☆Speed Release dateannouncedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/swimming-anime-free-announced/

By SkerryK on June 14th, 2013

On June 8, Kyoto Animation will release High ☆ Speed,the novel that upcoming anime Free! is based on. Unlikethe anime, High ☆ Speed focuses on the elementary schooldays of the swim team. 6th grade student Haruka Nanase,his childhood friend Makoto Tachibana, and their youngerclassmate, Nagisa Hazuki, participate in the swimming club.The boys compete with rival transfer student Rin Matsuoka,becoming true athletes in the process.

High ☆ Speed wona Kyoto Animation honorable mention, soit’s definitely worth checking out. It even has a website up,so be sure to check it for updates! If July 8 seems like toolong of a wait, don’t worry. A screening event of Free! willbe held on June 26 to tide curious fans over.

Until then, you can check out the anime’s officialhomepage and see the latest key visuals and characterpromotional videos. Free! is scheduled to be televised thisJuly. Fans are pretty excited— on June 11, Kyoto Animation’sofficial Twitter account for the show exceeded 40,000followers.

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Free! dives into the story of these boys and their high-speedjourney. In the swimming pool, the bonds of friendship holdthem afloat. Clumsily taking on opponents while growing inmind and body, they make their way to adulthood one strokeat a time.

Most of the production team has already been assembled.The head director will be Hiroko Utsumi of Animation Do.Masahiro Yokotani will be the series organizer. The openingtheme has been left in the capable hands of musical groupOLDCODEX, and the five main cast member will performthe ending theme.

Source: Excite.com

Magical girl anime ‘Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya’gets new trailer and Blu-raybonusesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/magical-girl-anime-fatekaleid-liner-

prisma%E2%98%86illya-trailer-blu-ray-bonuses/

By SunSoftware on June 14th, 2013

Type-Moon fans, are you excited for the upcoming spin-offof Fate/stay night? If you’re still on the fence, you shouldwatch this funny trailer, featuring a lot of magic and familiarfaces.

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya is based on a manga byHiroshi Hiroyama. The star of the anime is Illyasviel vonEinzbern, a normal school girl who gains the power totransform into a magical girl and collect mystical ClassCards. It’s a quirky spin-off of Fate/stay night, but there aremany familiar faces, including Rin, Luvia, and Shirou, aswell as new characters like Illya’s rival, Miyu.

In this new, two-minute trailer, we finally get to see Illyain action, accompanied by the opening theme performed byChouCho, and Magical Ruby kicking off by saying:

Nice to meet you! I am the lovable, righteous, andwonderful Magical Ruby-chan! Would you like tobecome a magical girl?

Along with the trailer, the studio Silver Link has revealeddetails on the limited edition of the first Blu-ray/DVDvolume of Prisma Illya (yes, before the anime has evenstarted airing!).

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The first volume will be released on September 27, and theBlu-ray disc and limited edition DVD will include:

• A special drama CD, “The Emiya Family Gathering!A Happy Family Circle CD”, featuring Illya’s parents,plus Kiritsugu and Irisviel (what are those two doing inthis spin-off?).

• An exclusive, 5-minute animated short.

• A 100-page illustration booklet by Hiroshi Hiroyama.

• The first trailer of the anime, updated with moredialogue.

• A specially illustrated box and disc case

• An Archer Class Card

The Blu-ray package will cost 7,980 yen, while the limitededition DVD package will cost 6,930 yen, and the normaledition DVD, 5,880 yen.

If you’re not sure whether you should get the limited edition,you can watch the anime first when it starts airing on July12. Otherwise, you can pre-order the Blu-ray package rightnow out of blind faith.

As if the anime isn’t enough, Kadokawa Games is alsodeveloping a Prisma Illya game for the 3DS, which is slatedfor release on September 26, just one day before the first Blu-ray volume! Type-Moon fans, you better start saving money.

Source: Moe Otanews 1, 2

Spirits become suspects inPhoenix Wright 5?Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/spirits-suspects-phoenix-wright-5/

By hikarucon on June 14th, 2013

Phoenix Wright’s greatest rival and greatest ally, the geniusprosecutor Miles Edgeworth returns to the Ace Attorneyseries. In this installment of the Ace Attorney series,Edgeworth has risen to the position of Attorney General.Even though he has risen to such a high position, he has notneglected his never ending search for the truth.

Trucy Wright will also be making an appearance again. Forthose of you who do not recall, Trucy is a bright and energeticgirl who was adopted by Phoenix when she was 8 years oldafter the disappearance of her father.

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Her special skill is using magic especially her “MagicPanties” act where she will pull out objects that are largerthan she should be able to fit in her panties.

The 2nd chapter in the game starts out with Apollo Justicewaiting for Trucy to start a case. Apollo’s been out of thelawyer game for a bit but is getting back into the swing ofthings. He picks up a case and travels to the Nine-tailed foxvillage with Trucy.

And then amidst the fun and games in the nine-tailed foxvillage, there’s a murder and the suspect is a ghost. Thevictims in this case are two people who have been killed inthe head of the village’s office. In the office, they find blackwings and strange foot steps that look like some kind of ghostleft them.

The prime suspect of the murder is Tenma tarou who is alegend of the nine-tailed fox village. Tenma Tarou terrorizedthe village until he was finally defeated at the claws of thenine-tailed fox that protected the village. It seems that thefear of Tenma Tarou is still deeply rooted within their villageif they are assuming that it was him.

The witness to the crime, Yumemi Tenma, says that she sawTenma Tarou do the deed.

The police suspect that the suspect’s motive was out of angerand desperation due to the fact that the leader of the Tenmavillage was trying to merge it with the nine-tailed village.

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Unfortunately, that’s all that has been revealed so far, butstay tuned for more information leading up to the July 25,2013 release (in Japan) and Fall 2013 release everywhereelse.

Toei Animation releases newofficial ‘Space Pirate CaptainHarlock’ trailerSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/toei-animation-releases-official-

space-pirate-captain-harlock-trailer/

By spartanchef on June 14th, 2013

The notorious, freedom-loving space pirate, CaptainHarlock, along with the crew of the Arcadia, are back andthey look better than ever. With the movie being releasedthis September, Toei Animation has released its latestaction-packed trailer.

The trailer featured Haruma Miura as the voice of CaptainHarlock and the music of ONE OK ROCK, titled “Be TheLight“.

The movie will be a CG movie adaptation of LeijiMatsumoto’s 1977 manga. ‘Space Pirate Captain Harlock‘was also adapted into a 42-episode anime which ran from1978-1979. The series follows Captain Harlock, an outcastturned pirate and his crew aboard the Starship Arcadia. Thestory is set at a time when mankind has been thrown intodespair because of constant defeats by invaders. Because ofthis, Captain Harlock rebels against the Earth’s governmentand becomes a space pirate to fight mankind’s oppressors.

With a budget estimated to be over 30 million USdollars, ‘Space Pirate Captain Harlock‘ is Toei Animation’sbiggest and most expensive project thus far. The movieis directed by ‘Appleseed‘ director Shinji Aramaki and iswritten by Harutoshi Fukui, the writer of ‘Mobile SuitGundam UC‘ (Unicorn). The movie will be released in JapanSeptember 7, 2013.

Source: Harlock Movie official website

June 17th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

New ‘IS: Infinite Stratos’ spin-off web manga to be basedon Charlotte DunoisSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/is-infinite-stratos-spin-off-web-

manga-based-charlotte-dunois/

By spartanchef on June 17th, 2013

With the latest anime season of ‘IS: Infinite Stratos‘premiering this fall, Overlap Bunko has announced that anew spin-off manga based on the series will be released. Thenew spin-off manga will be titled ‘IS Sugar & Honey‘ and willfollow the lovely French IS pilot Charlotte Dunois. Charlotteor Char is the pilot of the orange Raphael Revive Custom IIand is voiced by Kana Hanazawa in the anime.

‘IS Sugar & Honey’ will be written by Takako Hitsuji whohimself has written many fan-made IS manga. OverlapBunko will be releasing the new spin-off manga online, June25 (Japan time) and will be released monthly. In their blog,Overlap Bunko has promised that this new IS love comedymanga will make you smile.

‘IS: Infinite Stratos’ is a Japanese light novel written byIzuru Yumizuru. The first season of its anime adaptationpremiered January 2011 and its second season will premierelater this fall.

More bad news for fans ofMicrosoft consolesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/bad-news-fans-microsoft-consoles/

By Zenko on June 17th, 2013

Still recovering from Sony’s attacks at E3, Microsoftcontinues to stumble with their XBox consoles.

Microsoft and the XBOne have been making headlinesrecently, but not necessarily for the right reasons. There is nogood news for fans now, either, as the Xbox Support Twitteraccount has revealed that their policy on banning is not whatfans would call encouraging. As laid out in their Terms ofUse for the XBox One, if you are banned on Xbox Live youwill no longer have access to any of your games. It is not justa temporary loss of access either, but the licenses you haveto the games will also be invalidated because of the ban.

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If you were wondering if you might get a refund on thosegames, they made it clear that, at least for the Xbox 360,you’re out of luck. As soon as the banhammer hits youraccount, you lose all access to any games you own digitallyand any online content. Presumably, this policy will carryover to the XBox One, where it would literally render yourmachine useless until you register a new account withMicrosoft.

Hopefully, good news is on the way for those who haveordered the XBox One, which so far has a disappointingpolicy on games for fans of the system.

Source: Twitter

Licca-Chan shows off Madokaand Miku dollsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/lica/

By Zenko on June 17th, 2013

The newest Licca-chan dolls were on display over theweekend, and they included not only Hatsune Miku butsome magical girls as well.

You won’t have to make a contract to see the latest additionsto the Licca-Chan doll lineup. The Hatsune Miku version ofLicca-chan was previously leaked when it was accidentallylisted with an image last month. During Toy Show 2013 overthe weekend, she was officially revealed by Takara Tomy.Her arrival was so anticipated that not only was she set onher own pedestal, but her own pop-up advertisement nearher display as well.

Miku was not the only exciting character to show up to ToyShow 2013. Takara Tomy also brought along Madoka andHomura from Madoka Magica for fans to admire as well.Under the line Licca Rise Mahou Shoujou Madoka Magica,the dolls will be made in the same way normal Licca-chandolls are. They will, however, also recreate the items andclothing worn by the heroines of the popular anime. Theprice of the dolls will be 6800 yen each and go on sale forpreorder on July 1.

Apart from the Licca-Chan dolls, there will also be acollaboration with the Koeda-chan line that features all ofthe different magical girls in a petite form and will be 714yen each.

Unfortunately, the preorders for the Miku version of Licca-chan is already sold out as her release date is coming up soonon July 13, but there’s still a chance to pick up the Madokaand Homura versions.

Source: AnimeAnime

Miku-Pack 02 brings abundle of joy to fans of theVOCALOID starSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/miku-pack-02-brings-bundle-joy-

fans-vocaloid-star/

By Zenko on June 17th, 2013

Fans of the green-haired singing star Hatsune Miku will beglad to know the next issue of Miku-Pack is out and she’sbrought some of her Crypton friends along for the ride.

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The magazine Miku-Pack 02 might seem like it costs a bit,retailing at 980 yen, but it comes bundled with so many funthings that Miku fans are bound to be happy with it. Put outby Ascii Media Works, it features a CD with works by severalVOCALOID producers, interviews and several illustrationpages that can always double as posters.

The HATSUNE Appearance! Hatsune Summer FestivalCaravan was in full swing last summer, and those who wereinvolved with the ANGEL Project during it were interviewedfor this issue. The concert series was unique in that infeatured a MikuMikuDance model, rather than the standardones ripped from Sega’s Project Diva games, which provedto offer smoother motions during songs. The model, calledAPIMiku was later distributed for public release by Cryptonon the creators Piapro page.

Five Vocaloid producers feature on the CD that comesbundled with the magazine, and each are also interviewedin the magazine. The tracklisting for the CD, called SummerClothes, along with the producers is:

1. Parallel World – Nem2. Tsuribashi Effect – BoukariotoP (noa)

3. Pushing into June – Ou

4. Sunshine Over Mary Jane – HarryP

5. Nighttime Swimming – Tenioha

The CD is not the only thing bundled with the magazine,either. You can also get your hands on a new illustration thatis part of the Happiness and Peace of Mind series.

Goods and interviews are not the only thing to be foundwithin Miku-Pack 02. Specially themed Senbon Zakuraillustrations are also to be found. They are there not only tolook good, but to also promote the second novel in the series.

Apart from the Senbon Zakura novel being promoted, twonew illustration books are as well. One called QUANTUMFLOWERS nagismo VOCALOID artworks will retail for 2415yen and feature art from the illustrator most famous for theMeltdown PV. The other, called CUBE hatsuko Artworks willretail slightly less at 2100 yen and feature works by hatsuko,most famous for their Invisible PV.

Featuring plenty of Miku and a smattering of other CryptonVOCALOIDs, Miku-Pack 02 is sure to please fans.

Source: Dengeki News

Which 2013 summeranime has the highestexpectations?Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/2013-summer-anime-people-

expectations-of/

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By spartanchef on June 17th, 2013

With the summer anime season right around the corner,anime website Anime One conducted a poll asking peoplewhich of the anime premiering this summer had the highestexpectations. Now, the voting is over, the ballots are countedand the results are finally in… DESU!

1) ROZEN MAIDEN – 401 Votes

2) FREE! - 390 Votes

3) The World God Only Knows: Goddess Hen – 387 Votes

4) Ro- Kyu- Bu SS – 332 Votes

5) Servant X Service – 317 Votes

6) Monogatari Series 2nd season – 313 Voted

7) Kiniro Mosaic – 258 Votes

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8) Silver Spoon – 243 Votes

9) Tamayura More Aggressive - 242 Votes

10) Love Lab – 199 Votes

11) Watashi ga Motenai no wa dō Kangaetemo Omaera gaWarui! (Watamote) – 176 Votes

12) Danganronpa Kibō no Gakuen to Zetsubō no Kōkōsei –159 Votes

13-14-15-16) Senki Zesshou Symphogear G- 142 Votes

13-14-15-16) Fate Kaleid Liner Prisma Ilya – 142 Votes

13-14-15-16) Kimi No Iru Machi – 142 Votes

13-14-15-16) Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East – 142 Votes

17) High School DXD New – 138 Votes

18) Blood Lad – 93 Votes

19) Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi (The Sunday without God)– 90 Votes

20) Kitakubu Katsudō Kiroku (Go Home Club) – 85 Votes

21) Brothers Conflict/ Conflict Brothers – 78 Votes

22) Makai Oji: Devils and Realist - 77 Votes

23) Inu to HASAMI wa Tsukaiyou – 74 Votes

24) Hyperdimension Neptunia - 70 Votes

25) Stella Jogakuin Koutou-ka C³-bu – 47 Votes

26-27) Kara no Kyōkai – 45 Votes

26-27) Uchōten Kazoku – 45 Votes

28) Genshiken Nidaime – 42 Votes

29) Futari Wa Milky Holmes – 39 Votes

30) Fantasista Doll – 38 Votes

31-32) Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou (Il Sole Penetra le Illusioni)– 26 Votes

31-32) Gatchaman Crowds – 26 Votes

33) Gifuu Doudou!! Kanetsugu to Keiji – 10 Votes

The anime poll ended last June 16 with a total number of5008 votes. The poll was open to everyone, even peopleoutside Japan.

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STGCC 2013 invites DJ kz oflivetune, famed US cosplayerVampy Bit Me, maestroviolinist TAM, illustratorRedjuiceSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/stgcc-2013-invites-dj-kz-livetune-

famed-cosplayer-vampy-bit-me-maestro-violinist-tam-illustrator-

redjuice/

By sentinel011 on June 17th, 2013

It seems that Reed Exhibitions has an exciting line up forthis year’s Singapore Toys, Games and Comics Convention.While catering to the western comics fans, it has not losetouch with anime lovers as well.

Many long time anime fans would have heard of TAMduring the period where Clannad, Kanon and AIR animationseries were popular. After doing numerous covers fromthese series, TAM went on to do many other covers as well,from Touhou to Fate/Zero. TAM will be performing variouscovers from anime and game titles at STGCC 2013.

US Cosplayer Vampy Bit Me has a large fan following ofalmost 92,000 followers on her facebook page, and it’seasy to see why. Her take on the numerous Marvel andD.C. Comics characters are superb. She also cosplays femalevariants of some of the characters, such as Nightwing fromthe Batman comics as well as Kratos from the God of WarPS3 game.

Livetune has grown substantially among anime fans, thanksto the immense popularity of the Vocaloid software. DJ kz,who has mixed song titles from various anime and vocaloidrenditions such as ClariS’ Irony and Tell your World byHatsune Miku. DJ kz will also be mixing his tunes at theevent as well.

Japanese illustrator redjuice is well known for contributingto the art for popular anime Guilty Crown. Having previouslyattended Comics Fiesta in Malaysia last year, the artist willshowcase his illustrations at STGCC, and who knows, youmay be able to purchase some of his rare items!

This is just the first round of guests STGCC has announcedso far, and we can expect more guests in weeks to come.

May’n, KOTOKO, MegumiNakajima, Mami Kawada &more to perform in SapporoKitamaeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/mayn-kotoko-megumi-nakajima-

mami-kawada-perform-sapporo-kitamae/

By spartanchef on June 17th, 2013

The first line of artistes have been announced to performduring this year’s Saporro Kitamae anime and mangafestival.The annual event will feature the performances of KOTOKOand Mami Kawada who have performed during lastyear’s Sapporo Kitamae as well as May’n, Megumi Nakajimaand the Kitamae image girls, e-Street Sapporo. More artistsare going to be announced in the days ahead.

The performances will be in two venues; The outdoor stageand the Art Hall. Mami Kawada, KOTOKO, May’n and

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Megumi Nakajima will be performing in the outdoor stage.The artists who will be performing in the Art Hall are yet tobe announced however.

Itasha or “painful cars” (cars with an anime themed paintjob) are now part of the Japanese anime and manga cultureand Saporro Kitamae will feature an Itasha car exhibition.Over 100 Itasha from all over Japan are expected to be onexhibit during the event.

The event will also feature an illustration contest for theevent’s image character, ‘Tamae‘. Sapporo Kitamae will alsohave a cosplay event titled COS X Art, however, details aboutthat event have not yet been released.

Sapporo Kitamae will be held from August 31 untilSeptember 1 in Sapporo Geijutsu no Mori (Saporro ArtPark). This will be the second ever Sapporo Kitamae withthe last one held last December in the same venue. Lastyear’s event included live performances, cosplay, doujinshistands and many more.

Source: Kitamae official website

Tsutaya and Animate offerlottery for Nichijou goodsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/tsutaya-offers-lottery-nichijou-

goods/

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By Zenko on June 17th, 2013

The multimedia store Tsutaya may not specialize in animeand manga goods, but they’re certainly appealing to fanswith the chance for a cat-eared Hakase.

Fans of Nichijou may have had not much to look at recently,with the anime ending two summers ago and no third seasonon the way. That has not stopped the manga from continuingits popularity, though, and now for the first time in half ayear fans are getting some good news.

Tsutaya, a store that specializes in selling books, CDs, andDVDs, and Animate are now holding a lottery where you canwin goods that feature several of the characters. For 600yen you can buy one chance at the contest sponsored byBanpresto. A continuation from last December’s “NumberOne Lottery: Nichijou”, this lottery calls itself “Number OneLottery: Nichijou Version 1.5″ and offers different prizes.Previous prizes included a figure of the Fairy Queen and acopy of Helvetica Standard.

The top prizes in this lottery are just as exciting though. Fordrawing an A prize you will win a towel blanket featuring theProfessor’s favorite animal, a shark.

If you draw a B prize, you can look forward to a figure ofNano holding the Professor’s favorite shark towel from theanime and manga.

The C prize is more tempting, as it offers the Professor andSakamoto up to some cat shenanigans. The Professor donscat ears and a tail to match her cute cat pose, while Sakamotojoins the set looking ready to offer a sarcastic comment.

The lower tiered prizes out to F also guarantees a chance atone of the key characters of the show in an iconic pose fromthe show. From Yuko’s leave-it-to-me smile…

To Mio in a ready to draw mangaka pose…

To Mai with her usual unreadable expression, ready to readyou a paper.

If you find yourself unlucky enough not to win a figure, thereare still some nice prizes below these. A plastic cup andcoaster set will be offered in three varieties as a G prize.

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H prize winners will have their choice from four types of facetowels, while those drawing the lowest I prize will get to pickfrom rubber phone straps featuring show characters.

Of course, everyone is a winner in Banpresto’s lottery, but ifyou feel a little bit like you could have gotten a better prize,you can enter the code on the ticket for a second chanceprize. In it, you will have the chance to win a 45 centimeterwide Mogura cushion, while fifty lucky people will win aSakamoto cushion.

Source: Mantan Web

Creator of Zelda rethinkingthe franchise: future will pushthe Wii U to the edgeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/creator-zelda-rethinking-franchise-

future-push-wii-edge/

By KaleNagasaki on June 16th, 2013

In the heated and cutthroat battle between Microsoft andSony, Nintendo tends to be considered a de-facto loser whodidn’t qualify for the fight. The Wii and Wii U aren’t evenput in the same class as the Xbox and PlayStation. Even thegenius behind Zelda, Eiji Aonuma, is feeling the pressure.

But let’s put things in perspective. Despite the recent lackin popularity, Nintendo has never been out. I don’t careif your favorite game is Assassin’s Creed, or Gears ofWar. You still like Mario, and everyone enjoys a throwbacksession with any of the great Mario games (my favoritebeing Mario Kart). Nonetheless, Eiji Aonuma told Engadgetsome sobering words:

If we don’t change we might die. We need to evolve.Things need to change. Things need to grow.

These words may appear contradictory considering that thenewest Zelda games to be released for the Wii U and 3DSare A Link between Worlds and Wind Waker HD – twoobvious re-dos of previous successes. However, Aonumaisn’t looking for an easy or superficial solution to Nintendo’sless-than-stellar sales. According to Aonuma, these gamesfunction as training tools for his team. Aonuma wants toknow what the Wii-U can do, so that in the future the systemcan be pushed to its limit.

However, Aonuma admits that the success of Zelda has puthim between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand,fans complain that Zelda has gone stale and needs a majorboost, but on the other, if the franchise is changed too much,then it won’t be Zelda anymore. But Aunoma seems willingto take the risk. There is a next generation Wii-U Zelda onthe horizon, but that can’t be started until A Link betweenWorlds and Wind Waker HD are completed.

But what are these radical changes? First of all, Aonumamentioned the decision to give Zelda a cel-shaded look that

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makes the game “look more like a puppet show than ananimation”. Also, due to the Wii-U, the objects in Zelda nowhave depth, and look more 3D. Lastly, Aonuma explains,“We’re trying to find new ways to play. Not only the kinds ofitems you find, but how you use those items. I want to givethe player more freedom. I want them to be able to exploremore”.

What this actually will mean on the Wii-U and 3DS isn’tclear at this time, but I’m willing to have a little faithin Zelda. What do you think? What could be done tomake Zelda better?

Source: Engadget

Love Live! – second season,Vita game, and new concertannounced for 2014Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/love-live-season-vita-game-fourth-

concert-announced-2014/

By SunSoftware on June 16th, 2013

On June 16, several thousand people came to PacificoYokohama to watch Love Live!’s 3rd Anniversary concert,where some announcements were made that will blow yoursocks off if you’re a fan of Love Live!

Here are the three announcments made at yesterday’s “μ’s3rd Anniversary Love Live!”:

• A PS Vita game adaptation of Love Live! will bereleased next spring.

• A new concert will be held in Saitama Super Arena nextyear on February 8 and 9, currently titled “μ’s →NEXTLoveLive! 2014→ENDLESS PARADE→”

• A second season of the Love Live! anime will air nextspring.

That’s right, Love Live! fans are going to be busy nextyear! As a treat for those fans, the members of μ’s have eachmade a video expressing their excitement on the Love Live!official website.

In case you’re not familiar with Love Live! School IdolProject, the story is centered around nine girls who forma school idol group called μ’s (muse) in order to save theirschool. The franchise was started in 2010 by Dengeki G’sMagazine, who teamed up with Lantis and Sunrise to releasesixteen singles, five music videos, and one huge album beforethe anime aired this January, gained even more fans, andspawned even more singles.

The franchise gained so much fans, when the general ticketswent on sale for yesterday’s concert, they sold out in less than60 seconds(!), and plans were made to stream the concertlive in movie theatres. Fortunately, Saitama Super Arena willbe able to fit a lot more people than Pacifico.

Along with today’s news, the 6th group single from μ’s is inthe works, which includes a CD and music video featuringMaki, the winner of the fifth Love Live! General Election, asthe center.

In addition, three singles featuring the subunits of μ’s will bereleased this summer. The release dates of the singles are asfollows:

• lily white (Rin, Umi, and Nozomi): June 26

• BiBi (Maki, Nico, and Eri): July 24

• Printemps (Honoka, Kotori, and Hanayo): August 21

A preview of lily white’s single, Binetsu kara Mystery, isalready available, and you can listen to it below:

In addition to all that, μ’s is going to hold their nextperformance in this year’s Animelo Summer Live. With allthe work the idol group is doing, fans of Love Live! shouldkeep supporting them. “Make our dreams come alive!”

Source: Love Live! homepage

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Fans celebrate the birthdayof ‘Kuroko no Basket’s RyotaKiseSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/fans-celebrate-birthday-kuroko-

baskets-ryota-kise/

By spartanchef on June 18th, 2013

June 18 is the birthday of a certain forward wearing the#7 jersey from Kaijo High school, and that certain forwardcertainly has a lot of devout fans.. and saying devout wouldbe an understatement to say the least.

Fans have shown their support and admiration for ‘Kurokono Basket’s Ryota Kise through various social media liketwitter. His birthday is even trending in Japan!

Fans have also celebrated his birthday by baking cakes andtarts, purchasing ‘Kuroko no Basket’ merchandise featuringhim, offering his picture some flowers… and building shrineswith lots and lots and lots of key chains in his honor.

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Well… um… they certainly are devoted. Ryota Kise is aKaijou High School forward wearing the #7 jersey in thesports manga ‘Kuroko no Basket‘ written by TadatoshiFujimaki and serialized in Shounen Jump. He has the abilityto copy any technique he sees and improve on it and judgingfrom the looks of things, pretty popular as well.

Oh, and if that’s not enough, here’s a picture of fanscelebrating Seijuro Akashi’s birthday last December 20.

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Sources: Yaraon and Matome

CeVIO creates freeVOCALOID with new singingadd-onSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/cevio-creates-free-vocaloid-singing-

add-on/

By Zenko on June 18th, 2013

Fans of VOCALOID and it’s sister freeware UTAU will behappy to know another virtual voice is making it’s way onstage.

CeVIO came onto the scene in April and has been impressingusers and updating since then. Originally it was created as afreeware artificial speaking program similar to VOICEROID,it has since added on a singing extension that should befamiliar to users of both VOCALOID and UTAU as it utilizesa piano roll and note pencil for creating music.

The project originally wanted to create a program thatcould speak alongside a cute character, which was ultimatelyachieved in it’s original version with the character SasaraSatou. They also hoped that they would be able to have thevoice sing, and with support from fans they were able tocreate a synthesized voice and face that is suited for bothsinging and speaking. With the newest version featuring the

singing software released on June 14, plenty of people havetaken to Nico Nico Douga already with covers of existingsongs and new ones. Because the software supports MIDIfile import and a UST (the file UTAU uses) to CCS (the fileCeVIO) converter already released, most of the work lies intuning Sasara’s voice to the song.

Her voice is tuned through a set of switches in the programthat determines anything from how high her voice is tohow adult it sounds. So far, preconfigurations loaded intothe program include energetic, angry, and sadness. Theseconfigurations are especially useful when the script featurefor speaking is utilized. Because it features a text to speechfeature you can type full sentences for her to read, thenset the timing on the screen with a simple click-and-draginterface. For singing, of course, you will have to use thesingle phoneme input familiar to users of other synthesizedsinging programs. As of right now only Japanese inputis supported, romanji entry on non-Japanese operatingsystems causing the program to crash.

Sasara has proven to be popular, with her official characterdesign showing off not only her in program appearance, buther box art as well. With the simple design, she already hasMikuMikuDance models and fan art of her circulating theinternet. She has gained popularity not only because of hervoice, but because of the previous CeVIO Vision event held inJanuary at Animate in Akihabara. While there visitors couldinteract and speak with the newest virtual star. Recenlty, onTV Tokyo’s ChoRyuHa program she has also been appearingalongside her users.

For those curious about the program and looking todownload CeVIO Creative Studio, the official site is here.

Source: AnimeAnime

Comedy manga ‘Love Lab’gets official guidebookSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/comedy-manga-love-lab-official-

guidebook/

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By SunSoftware on June 18th, 2013

The anime Love Lab is coming next month, but if you want toknow everything about the manga (or if you’re already a fanof the series) you can read this official guidebook right now.

To celebrate the anime adaptation of the comedy mangaLove Lab, Houbunsha has released the Love Lab OfficialGuidebook on June 17. The guidebook recounts every majorevent from the manga and also includes character profiles,guest illustrations, and an interview between the animedirector Masahito Oota and original creator Ruri Miyahara,making it the definitive book for anyone who wants to relivethe series.

The 4-panel comedy manga Love Lab has been serializedin Manga Home and Manga Time Special since 2006. Thestory is set in Fujisaki Girls Academy, a school famous forits proper and refined students. Among the most popularare Maki, the student council president known for hercalm demeanor, and Riko, the president’s side known forher blunt and boyish personality. Through a sudden turnof events, Riko discovers a hidden side of Maki that isinterested in exploring the world of romance — and Riko isforced to join her.

To get a preview of the anime, watch this compilation ofshort trailers below. Maki is the one with the beastly glarein her eyes, and Riko is the one with common sense (rather,Riko is the first person in the trailer, and Maki is the second).

Along with the anime, volume 8 of the manga will be releasedon July 4, followed by volume 8.5 on August 7, whichcontains secret manuscripts and manga from guest artists,followed by volume 9 on September 7. If you’re a fan ofschool girl comedies, you should check out this series.

Source: Natalie

XCOM: Enemy Unknowncomes to iOS devices thisThursday, June 20Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/xcom-enemy-unknown-hit-ios-

devices-thursday-june-20/

By KarbyP on June 18th, 2013

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2K and Firaxis Games have announced that they arebringing their award-winning strategy title, XCOM: EnemyUnknown, to the iOS.

The iOS version of XCOM is said to contain an experiencesimilar to that of the PC, PS3, and X360 original. By that,what it means is that you’re pretty much getting the entiresingle-player campaign here – albeit with controls andfeatures optimised for iOS touchscreen devices.

A future update to the iOS port will also add the PC andconsole version’s popular head-to-head multiplayer modehere.

Once the multiplayer patch is out, that’s basically more orless the exact same game you’re getting on the iOS as the PCand console versions (sans the expansions and updates).

Which is great for fans who’re dying to bring their XCOMwith them everywhere they go (if you haven’t played XCOM,this is one of those games that make you go “just one moreturn” and the next thing you know, it’s 6AM in the morning)as well as iOS gamers who’ve never been able to try theaward-winning strategy a game simply because they do nothave a gaming PC or a console (read our review of thegame here if you’re unfamiliar with the title). It’s a win-win situation, and I wished more developers and publisherswould do that.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown for the iOS will hit the iTunesapp store this Thursday, June 20, priced at S$25.98 for theSingapore market.

The game app supports the following iOS devices: iPad 2,iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad mini, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPod touch5th Generation.

Lawson to launch ‘Madoka’and ‘Tamako Market’ summerpromotion campaignsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/lawson-announces-summer-

campaigns-featuring-madoka-tamako-market/

By Zenko on June 18th, 2013

Lawson, the convenience store chain recognizable by theirblue and white striped uniforms, is kicking off summer withsome fun anime campaigns.

Madoka Magica and Tamako Market are getting ready towelcome fans of the shows to Lawson stores this summer.That means lottery prizes, items, and sometimes, in the caseof spring’s Dragon Ball Z campaign, themed food. As far asfood goes, there’s no announcement yet for Tamako Market,but for Madoka Magica the usually themed packaged foodsseem to be making an appearance.

Madoka fans can also look forward to the face that it will bethe first to have its campaign. Starting June 25 and runninguntil July 8, Lawson will run a promotion featuring Pringlesand goods. Three flavors of Pringles in two sizes (134g and64g) will be offered in a special can featuring the iconicmagical girls. The designs are yet unreleased, but the flavorsfeatured will be Sour Cream and Onion, Lightly Salted andKorean Kimchi. The larger cans will retail at 298 yen, whilethe smaller ones will go for 148 yen without tax.

A pocket memo pad in two different editions will also bedistributed during the Madoka campaign as well. One willfeature Goddess Madoka and Homura, while the other willfeature Mami, Sayaka and Kyouko.

There are no released goods yet for the Tamako Marketcampaign, but there are dates. Fans will have to wait a littlelonger as it starts July 2, but finishes later on July 15. Thepromotional art promises fans should have something fun tolook forward to.

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Source: Yaraon

The top 5 anime for the 20′s,30′s and 40′s demographicaccording to ShueishaSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/top-5-anime-20s-30s-40s-

demographic-shueisha/

By spartanchef on June 18th, 2013

Anime has always been a part of modern Japanese culture.Its appeal has reached all demographics, from men andwomen to the young and old.

Shueisha, publisher of Weekly Shounen Jump, Margaret,Bessatsu Margaret, Weekly Young Jump, Jump SQand Super Jump, has recently conducted a survey onwhich anime is popular among the 20′s, 30′s and 40′sdemographics. They asked about 1000 men over the internetand here are the results;

Top 5 anime among young men in their 20′s

1 One Piece (73 people)

2 Dragon Ball (50 people)

3 Neon Genesis Evangelion (43 people)

4 Mobile Suit Gundam (33 people)

5 Detective Conan (20 people)

Top 5 anime among men in their 30′s

1 Dragon Ball (83 people)

2 Mobile Suit Gundam (70 people)

3 Neon Genesis Evangelion (37 people)

4 One Piece (33 people)

5 Detective Conan (23 people)

Top 5 anime among men in their 40′s

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1 Mobile Suit Gundam (80 people)

2 Lupin III (50 people)

3 One Piece (47 people)

4 Dragon Ball (40 people)

5 Doraemon (27 people)

Certainly every single title mentioned in the top 5 canbe considered a masterpiece. Classics like ‘Mobile SuitGundam‘ and ‘Dragon Ball’ have reached out to all ages andis even popular among the younger generations and are stillpopular even after ending years ago. ‘One Piece‘ on the otherhand has proven that it can also reel in the older crowd andprove it is worthy of also being called a classic by reachingout to all demographics.

Meanwhile, Shueisha also asked its readers where theyusually watch anime. They also asked men in their 40′s, 30′sand 20′s over the internet.

Over the TV (Live broadcast/ Recorded)

40′s – 200 people

30′s – 163 people

20′s – 147 people

Over the Internet

40′s – 77 people

30′s – 140 people

20′s – 143 people

Rental Video

40′s – 60 people

30′s – 103 people

20′s – 97 people

Source: Shueisha

Singapore: The Ultimate 2KGamer Challenge to takeplace this Saturday, June 22Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/singapore-ultimate-2k-gamer-

challenge-place-saturday/

By KarbyP on June 18th, 2013

Calling all NBA2K13 and WWE 13 players in Singapore: Doyou have what it takes to go up against the very best gamersour little red dot has to offer?

If you consider yourself unbeatable in either 2K Sports title,then make sure to save the date this Saturday, June 22.

You’re cordially invited to star in publisher 2K and localvideo games retail chain St. Games’s inaugural The Ultimate2K Gamer Challenge, where it’s time to prove your mettle –all for a chance to win up to $400 worth of prizes.

Actually, everyone’s invited. Even if you don’t fancy yourskills at either 2K Sports title to be the stuff that legends aremade of, do come on down and join in the festivities from thespectacles’ stand, as we usher in the crowning of Singapore’svery first pair of Ultimate 2K Gamers. So come one, come all.The more the merrier!

The event will take place this Saturday, June 22, from 1PMto 6PM, at The Cathay branch of St. Games retail store onLevel 4 (2 Handy Road #04-18, Singapore 229233).

Here’s the prize breakdown for those of you who’re curious:

NBA 2K131st – Dynasty Edition of NBA2K13 + $150 shoppingvouchers

2nd – $100 shopping vouchers

3rd -$50 shopping vouchers

WWE131st – $150 shopping vouchers

2nd – $100 shopping vouchers

3rd – $50 shopping vouchers

Where: St. Games @ The Cathay (2 Handy Road#04-18 Singapore 229233)

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When: Saturday 22nd June, 1-6PM

Killer is on the Moon:Weapons, characters & moreSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/killer-moon-weapons-characters/

By hikarucon on June 18th, 2013

In Suda51’s upcoming game, Killer is Dead, we know thatMondo’s going to need all the tools he can get to be able to getthrough the trials and tribulations ahead of him. Equippedwith a cybernetic arm, Mondo is able to change weapons tosuit the situation easily. So far, several weapons have beenrevealed such as the Bullet Shot, Charge Canon, Drill, andmore recently the Freeze Shooter.

Freeze Shooter:

The Freeze Shooter shoots out bullets at freezing point inorder to freeze his enemies in their tracks or at least slowthem down. Initially it will stop the enemy completely butthen as time passes they will begin to move but at a reducedspeed. But gradually they will return to their normal speedwithout the effects of your gun, of course the length of theeffect will depend on what enemy you’re using it on so besure to take that into consideration every time you use it.

Bullet Shot:

The basic and primary mode of Mondo’s cybernetic arm. It’spossible to upgrade this like Megaman’s mega buster to dothings like more damage so while it may be the first form youget, it can still be one of the strongest. You can also use itwhen you’re surrounded by enemies or blocked in by objectsto completely destroy them.

Charge Cannon:

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The longer you charge it, the stronger it becomes. You’llprimarily be using this shot to quickly take down enemieswith more armor that would normally take much more effortif you used any other weapon.

Drill:

It’s just what it sounds like- it’s a drill. You can use this to gothrough any kinds of shields that they might be holding orjust completely obliterate walls- your choice.

So far most of the details of the game’s story have centeredaround the episode “The man who stole the moon” where thehelp of Mondo is enlisted to execute a man, David, who hastaken control over the moon. The request comes from thelady of the moon who Mondo instantly falls for.

Enemies:

David

A man who dresses to fit his role of an evil ruler of themoon. He is originally from America but conquers the moonin order to begin preparations for taking over the Earth.Supposedly he and Mondo have never met but he appears to

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know some private things about Mondo like his love for soft-boiled eggs. What could his relation to Mondo be?

Observer:

One of David’s Secret Service agents. This enemy holds ahuge double edged scythe as well as enough power to cleavethrough even the most formidable enemies.

Guardian= Over D:

This enemy holds great defensive powers making him a verydifficult enemy to easily defeat. The only way to take downthis enemy is to cut his head off. You can knock him down allyou want but the battle won’t end until you cut off his head.

Enjoy some of the screenshots from “The man who stole themoon” below and get excited for Killer is Dead’s release onAugust 27, 2013.

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Kaku-san-sei Million Arthur xSoul Sacrifice: The ultimatecollaboration event?Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/kaku-san-sei-million-arthur-soul-

sacrifice-ultimate-collab-event/

By hikarucon on June 18th, 2013

Square Enix will be holding a joint event with Sony fortheir games Kaku san sei Million Arthur and Soul Sacrifice

respectively from June 17th to June 24th.

During this event, owners of Kaku-San-Sei Million Arthurwill be able to explore two areas straight from Soul Sacrifice-the Plains of Olympia and Valhalla Abbey. Of course sinceplayers will be diving into the realms of Soul Sacrifice, it’snot just going to be sightseeing, players will be able to huntin the same way that they would do in Soul Sacrifice.

By going through the realms of Soul Sacrifice, players willbe given a chance to get rare cards or items that can only begotten during this event.

At the end of the event, special prizes will be awarded tothose who get the most points. These special prizes includethe rarest of the rare cards that cannot be obtained anywhereelse- the Merlin card set.

All you need is a copy of Kaku-San-Sei Million Arthur to getin on this event, so if you have it, be sure to get in on this assoon as possible!

Get your fill of ‘One Piece’,literally, with the new‘Baratie’ restaurant in TokyoSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/fill-one-piece-literally-baratie-

restaurant-tokyo/

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By KaleNagasaki on June 18th, 2013

Today, Fuji TV announced that they will be opening a OnePiece themed restaurant on the seventh-floor of theirheadquarters in Odaiba, Tokyo. Fuji TV has been producingthe unbelievably popular anime adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’smanga since 1999, so I guess you could say that it’s abouttime! For the One Piece fans out there (and that’s to sayeveryone), “One Piece Restaurant Baratie” will open June28th – less than ten days from now!

Obviously, the name “Baratie” comes from the ship-restaurant in the Sambas region where Sanji worked beforehe joined the Straw Hat Pirates. Fuji TV will place “Baratie”on the garden part of the floor and have the exterior replicatethe restaurant in the show. The interior design looks prettysnazzy as well.

Staying in character, visitors will be greeted by Zeff (thestore’s owner) and Sanji’s voices. You can also hear Luffy’svoice coming from the kitchen. The menu, which will be keptfresh with updates every few months, will feature food anddrinks inspired by the characters. The anticipation is high –reservations have already been made!

If you’re wondering why this news sounds familiar to you, itcould be because this is not the first One Piece themed eatery.In Shibuya, there’s a placed called “Buffet and Food Bar 325″which also features One Piece inspired interior and food. Youcan check out our previous coverage of that particular placehere. Go to both places, and let us know what you think! Dothey satisfy your hunger for One Piece?

Source: Crunchyroll

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June 19th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

OreImo to stream secondseason internationally inAugustSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/oreimo-stream-season-

internationally-august/

By Zenko on June 19th, 2013

Continuing a tradition started with the original season andit’s OVA episodes, the second season of OreImo will streamthe DVD only episodes and conclusion internationally.

Fans of OreImo (My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute) willbe happy to hear that you won’t have to buy the DVDs andBlu-Rays to see the conclusion of the anime’s second season.With rights to broadcast on websites and mobile devices,there should be plenty of options for fans of the show.

Starting August 18 at 1 PM JST, the final three episodes of thesecond season, episodes 14, 15, and 16, will make their wayto several websites for viewing in Japan and internationally.The official site for OreImo, Nico Nico Douga, and d AnimeStore (a service on Docomo phones) will have it available forfans of the show who wish to watch it without subtitles.

If you prefer to watch it with, however, the episodes will bestreaming at the same time regardless of country. This is sofans all over the world will have a chance to have fun togetherduring the show’s finale. For fans who wish to watch it withEnglish subtitles, it will be available on Crunchyroll in theAmericas. Fans in China will be able to view it on LeTV, whilethose in Singapore can view it through their cable televisionproviders.

The creators of OreImo are looking for everyone to feelthe same happiness as fans of the show in Japan, and arecertainly on the right path.

Source: AnimeAnime

‘Danganronpa 1 & 2 Reload’coming to PS Vita, previewof anime’s ending themerevealedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/danganronpa-1-2-reload-coming-ps-

vita-preview-animes-theme-revealed/

By SunSoftware on June 19th, 2013

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Spike Chunsoft has been teasing Danganronpa’s arrival onthe PS Vita for a while, but the latest issue of Weekly Famitsuhas officially revealed a PS Vita port of the murder mysteryseries, titled Danganronpa 1 & 2 Reload.

Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukouseiis set in Kibogamine Academy, a school occupied by a groupof incredibly talented super-students who each have a titlesuch as “Super High School Level Baseball Player” or “SHSLGambler”, the only exception being Makoto, an ordinarystudent who entered by winning a lottery.

However, the only way to graduate from this school is to killsomeone without getting caught! As if that doesn’t soundbad enough, every time someone is killed, all students haveto enter a trial where either the culprit gets caught andsentenced to death, or everyone else dies!

The second game, Super Danganronpa 2: SayonaraZetsubou Gakuen, takes a similar premise, but sets it on adeserted island, and it sold over 69,000 copies in its firstweek.

Danganronpa 1 & 2 Reload will feature high-resolutiongraphics for both PSP games and use the Vita’s touchscreenand rear touch pad. In addition, there will be new dialoguefor dating and socializing parts, the Island Mode from thesecond game will be renamed School Mode, and you willhave the option to adjust the difficulty settings for mini-games in the School Trial Mode.

Along with the port being announced, the animation studioLerche has revealed a preview of the ending theme ofDanganronpa the Animation. The song, titled Zetsubousei:Hero Chiryouyaku (Despair: The Hero Remedy), isperformed by Suzume, a composer famous for his Vocaloidsongs, and Soraru, an artist known for singing cover songson Nico Nico Douga. You can listen to a preview of their wildending theme below:

Suzumu and Soraru’s ending single will be released onAugust 7, and a limited edition will include a DVD with thefull music video.

In case you haven’t seen the trailer from Anime ContentsExpo, you can watch it below and see all fifteen studentsaccompanied by the games’ main theme composed byMasafumi Takada.

Danganronpa the Animation will start airing on July 4, whileno date has been given for the PS Vita port yet. Whetheryou’re a fan of Danganronpa or you’ve never heard of it, youhave a lot to look forward to.

Source: Yaraon, Otakomu

Saika route announced for‘Onegairu’ PS Vita game viatwitter, while fans celebrateYui Yuigahama’s birthdaySource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/saika-route-announced-onegairu-ps-

vita-game-twitter-kurobasu-fans-celebrate-yui-yuigahamas-birthday/

By spartanchef on June 19th, 2013

Saika Totsuka, at first glance, you could say that thecharacter is a pretty girl that you just have to protect, right?Well, there is some good news and some bad news, the goodnews is that according to their twitter account, the ‘YahariOre no Seishun Love Com Wa Machigatteiru’ PS Vita gamewill indeed have a Saika route… the bad news is that Saikais a boy.

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Saika is quite popular as a trap as several twitter accountshave added the #totsukawaii hashtag in support of thecharacter. Certainly, some people will really be happy withthe news, while some people however… not so much I’mafraid.

The new ‘Onegairu’ PS Vita game will be released summer2013 in Japan. The scenarios for the game are supervised bythe original light novel author himself, Watari Wataru. Thegame will also come bundled with an OVA BluRay disc.

Meanwhile, yesterday was June 18, which means thatyesterday was not only a certain ‘Kuroko no Basket’character’s birthday, but also one of ‘Onegairu‘s mainheroines. Yes, June 18 is also “Nice Girl” Yui Yuigahama’sbirthday, and to celebrate the occasion, a fan-made birthdaycake was baked and decorated for her.

Source: Yaraon

Doraemon author joinsopposition for the Japan’sChild Pornography lawamendmentSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/doraemon-author-joins-opposition-

japans-child-pornography-law-amendment/

By spartanchef on June 19th, 2013

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Japan’s controversial Child Pornography Law is gatheringeven more opposition. This news comes as one half of theFujiko Fujio duo responsible for the classic comedy manga‘Doraemon’ issued a statement against the law.

Renowned manga artist Fujiko Fujio A, one half of the FujikoFujio duo who wrote classics like ‘Doraemon’ and ‘Mojako’,has said that the bill will “lead to a decline of Japan’s mangaculture”. He also added that the bill will “take away themangaka’s freedom to deploy creative activities under freethinking and freedom of expression”.

Fujiko Fujio A also adds that there would be a possibilitythat works would “not be interesting” and he fears that “onlymangas that do not get the support from readers will bemass-produced”. He then calls for the withdrawal of theamendment.

The opposition to the amendments on the ChildPornography Law is mainly directed towards a provision ofthe bill that calls for an investigation into the relationship ofanime, manga and CG images and Human Rights violationsagainst children.

‘Doraemon’, which was co-written by Fujiko Fujio A, can beused as a good example for this issue. It is a regarded asa children’s anime/manga and is now considered a classic,however, there are several scenes within the anime thatdepicts Shizuka showering naked as well as being seenbathing with Doraemon and even Nobita.

The scenes of her bathing beg the question, would this be forthe “purpose of satisfying the sexual curiosity” or would thisscene just merely be a simple part of the story and would be apart of the writer’s freedom of expression? Should Shizuka,a fictional character be subject to the regulations set forthby the government? Well, what is certain is that most animeand manga fans would answer the latter question with this:“The world of 3D and 2d should never mix.”

Other opposition to the law’s amendment have also beenannounced. The council of animation directors of Japan (#############) has said that the bill has a “significantlychilling effect on freedom of expression”. The statement alsoprovides a warning that the bill has a “high risk to cause thedecline of the animation culture, such as anime and manga”.

The Movie and Theater Trade Union of Japan (###########) also issued a call against the amendments which calls onthe video industry and its stakeholders. They mentioned thatthe bill will “exert constraints on a world based on computer,manga and anime images where the child victim does notactually exist”.

Meanwhile, Takaichi Sanae, chairman of the Policy ResearchCouncil of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who co-sponsored the amendments said that they do not intendto regulate anime and manga immediately and that theywould only be researching the relationships between anime/manga and child pornography. It should also be noted thataccording to Yahoo! Japan, there is also opposition againstthe amendments within the LDP.

The amendments for the Child Pornography Law are co-sponsored by the LDP, the New Komeito Party and the JapanRestoration Party. The amendment would have individualscaught with possessing sexual images of children below 18years of age would be given a one million yen fine plus lessthan a year’s imprisonment. And as mentioned earlier, thebill has a provision that calls for an investigation into therelationship of anime, manga and CG images and HumanRights violations against children.

Earlier this year, Japan’s Cartoonist Association issued astatement against the proposed amendment. Other mangaauthors have also voiced their opposition to the bill like‘Negima?!’ and ‘Love Hina‘ manga author Ken Akamatsu,‘Mazinger Z‘ author Go Nagai and ‘Ashita no Joe‘ authorTetsuya Chiba.

Source: Yahoo! Japan and 47 news

Perfume to release newalbum this Fall, performingat two Dome locations thisDecemberSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/perfume-release-album-fall-

performing-dome-locations-december/

By sentinel011 on June 18th, 2013

After a very successful collaboration concert with Maximumthe Hormone yesterday night, Perfume announced their newalbum and Dome live concerts.

The Perfume Fes! line of concerts is a first for the ladies,collaborating with Saito Kazuyoshi, Okuda Tamio andMaximum the Hormone. A set of 2 concerts per artiste andvenue, the last concert ended with Maximum the Hormone,where they made their announcement.

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Titled “Level 3“, the new album is slated for a Fall 2013release. There isn’t any specific date as of yet, but expectthem to release it sometime in either October or November.

A Dome line of concerts were also revealed, with KyoceraDome in Osaka to be held on the December 7 and 8, andTokyo Dome on 24 and 25 of the same month. Both Domeshave a capacity of 50,000 people.

[UPDATE]Perfume has updated the date and price of the Dome concerttickets on their website. Fanclub members worldwide canenjoy advanced sales via balloting from July 5 to 12. Ticketsare 6,500 yen (SGD$95) a piece, and public sales willcommence on November 3.

Coincidentally, Kashiyuka’s birthday falls on December 23,one day prior to the first day of their Tokyo Dome concert.Kashiyuka is one of the three members of Perfume.

The past three months have been a bumper crop of awesomeannouncements for Perfume fans, with the launch of a newsingle, a second overseas tour, as well as their invitation toCannes Lion Festival. Looks like Perfume will continue to bevery busy in the later half of this year. Will Perfume performsongs from their new album in their Dome concerts? Icertainly hope so!

Source: Perfume homepage

Fan created, anime themedPlaystation 4 alternate colourvariantsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/fan-created-anime-themed-

playstation-4-alternate-colour-variants/

By hittokiri on June 18th, 2013

Last week, Sony finally revealed the Playstation 4 to theworld at a pre-E3 press conference. The black rhomboidshaped console with a matte and glossy finish have caughtthe eyes of many fans. Others however have began to wonder

what the Playstation 4 will look like in colors other thenblack.

Not to be left out, anime fans have decided to share howsome anime themed Playstation 4 will look like.

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With Sony having previously released alternate colorvariants for Playstation 2 and Playstation 3, it is safe to saythat it is only a matter of time before Sony announces somealternate color variants for the Playstation 4.

Source : NeoGAF, Jin115

Kingdom Hearts III on WiiU?Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/kingdom-hearts-iii-wiiu/

By hikarucon on June 18th, 2013

When news came out that Kingdom Hearts would be outon not only the PS4 but also the Xbox one, there was someconfusion since Kingdom Hearts up until now has beenexclusively published on a Nintendo or Sony console.

For that matter, Nintendo’s consoles have received a lotof the titles including 358/2 days, coded, Dream DropDistance, and chain of memories so why are Nintendo fansbeing left out?

If Square Enix is going to bring Kingdom Hearts III to theXbox One then why not the WiiU? Working off this solequestion, fans have begun a petition to get Kingdom HeartsIII onto the WiiU.

For those interested, click here to sign the petition to SquareEnix. This is the game we’ve all been waiting for, we shouldall get to play it right?

Yoshino and Chiwa Harusakifigures now available for pre-orderSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/yoshino-chiwa-harusaki-figures-pre-

order/

By SunSoftware on June 18th, 2013

If you collect figures and you like really cute girls, then hurryand pre-order this spirit from Date A Live and childhoodfriend from OreShura.

From the figure creator Phat! Company comes Yoshino, thecute, timid spirit from the fantasy romantic comedy Date ALive.

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This 180-mm, 1/8th scale figure displays every aspect ofYoshino’s design by Tsunako, from her coat’s bunny ears toher bunny puppet Yoshinon and the round, white ball on her“tail”. Not only are her distinguishing features highlighted,but so are the fine, subtle details, such as the creases in herdress and boots, the frills of her hood, and the gold etchingson her coat.

You can pre-order Yoshino now for 7,800 yen, and she willbe delivered this November. There is also a figure of Tohkabeing developed, so fans of Date A Live can look forward toher, as well.

Also, from the manufacturer FREEing is a 180-mm, 1/8thscale figure of Chiwa Harusaki, the cute, little childhoodfriend from another romantic comedy, OreShura.

Dressed in her light, pastel school uniform and her hairtied in short twintails, her design is much more simple thanYoshino’s, yet just as adorable. With a dynamic pose andcheerful smile, she appears to have no care in the world —just hope that Eita’s girlfriend, Masuzu, isn’t around!

By the way, a figure of Masuzu is in the works, so OreShurafans can look forward to that, even if Chiwa doesn’t. You canpre-order Chiwa now for 8,800 yen, and she will be standingin your room this October.

Source: Good Smile Company 1, 2

Voice Actress Yoko Hikasa’supcoming album featuresa song composed by thefamous Tetsuya KomuroSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/voice-actress-yoko-hikasas-

upcoming-album-features-song-composed-famous-tetsuya-komuro/

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By KaleNagasaki on June 18th, 2013

Limited Version CD Jacket

The beautiful voice actress Yoko Hikasa will release herfirst solo album “Glamorous Songs” in Japan on July 17th.Her first single off the album, “Utsukushiki Zankoku naSekai” (“The Beautiful Cruel World”) came out just lastmonth. You may know it as the heart-touching ending tothe extremely popular anime Shingeki no Kyojin (“Attack onTitan”). Yoko’s second single, “Owaranai no Uta” (“Song thatDoesn’t End”) met with similar success, as it was used as theending to the anime film Hal.

If the success of Yoko’s new album wasn’t alreadyguaranteed by these two songs alone, this last bit ofnews definitely seals the deal. One of the songs on thealbum, “Through the Looking-Glass”, is composed byTetsuya Komura, the talented keyboard player, producer,and composer. The song is upbeat and beautifully done – butdon’t take my word for it, you can listen to the song at Yoko’sofficial site.

Normal Version CD Jacket

Tetsuya Komuro, also known as TK, has produced songsfor Namie Amuro, TRF, Ami Suzuki, Tomomi Kahala, andhitomi, among others. TK composed nearly all the songs onAyumi Hamasaki’s album Love Songs, and all the recordsever produced by him have sold over seventy-million inJapan alone. Probably the most famous of TK’s songs is TMNetwork’s “Get Wild”, which was the first edition song forCity Hunter.

You may know Yoko from her roles as Mio Akiyama in K-ON! and Saki Nagatsuka in Ro-Kyu-Bu! Yoko is also partof a group of the same name, which consists of the othervoice actors for the main characters: Kana Hanazawa, YukaIguchi, Rina Hidaka, Yui Ogura. Check out the videos forYoko’s first two singles below, and hopefully that will holdyou over until the release of “Glamorous Songs”.

Source: Crunchyroll

Music video of PlatinaJazz’s cover of Sailormoon’sMoonlight Densetsu releasedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/music-video-platina-jazzs-cover-

sailormoons-moonlight-densetsu-released/

By hittokiri on June 18th, 2013

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A little while back, we mentioned about the fourth PlatinaJazz compilation album, the fourth in a series of jazzstyled anime song cover albums produced by Swedishmusic artist Rasmus Faber and performed by his band,the RaFa Orchestra. With the album due for release soon,a music video for their jazz cover of Sailormoon’s themesong Moonlight Densetsu was uploaded onto their officialYoutube channel.

Moonlight Densetsu was composed by Kanako Oda andTetsuya Komoro as the opening theme song for the TV animeseries Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon. The Platina Jazz coverof the song was arranged by Nils Janson and featured thevocals of Douglas Unger.

Other notable songs covered in the album include CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA from Dragon Ball Z, Eternal Blaze fromMagical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s, Taiyou Iwaku MoeyoChaos from Haiyore! Nyaruko-san and GO! GO! MANIACfrom K-On.

Rasmus Faber presents Platina Jazz ~Anime Standards Vol.4~ will go on sale on June 19th.

Source : Ota-suke

June 20th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Hirohiko Araki JoJo’s ArtExhibition to be held in ItalySource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/hirohiko-araki-jojos-art-exhibition-

held-italy/

By weiq on June 20th, 2013

Key visual for the exhibition

Following the 2012 exhibition held in Sendai and Tokyo,Hirohiko Araki’s upcoming JoJo Art Exhibition will be heldin Italy.

Hirohiko Araki’s official site had announced that the artexhibition, titled “HIROHIKO ARAKI AN EXCLUSIVEMANGA EXHIBITION IN FLORENCE” will be held inaforementioned captial city of Italy. The venue will be at ahistoric building built in the 15th century, which is ownedand used as a workshop by Guccio Gucci.

The Florence exhibition, sponsered by Gucci, will not onlyshowcase artworks from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but alsothe 2013 Cruise Collection (a original illustrated collabrationof Araki and Gucci’s Creative Director, Frida Giannini, early

this year), and 60 illustration works of Araki, including thearts from the 2012 Sendai and Tokyo exhibitions (which isheld to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the JoJo mangaseries).

The details of the exhibition is as follows:Date: June 28th to July 14thVenue: 7 Via Delle Caldaie, Firenze ItalyVisiting hours: 10 AM to 8PMAdmission is Free

JoJo fans may take this oppotunity to go for some Gucci bagsshopping spree!

Source: araki-jojo.com

Latest trailer for‘Hyperdimension Neptuniathe Animation’ showingalmost all of its female leadsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/latest-trailer-hyperdimension-

neptunia-animation-showing-female-leads/

By SunSoftware on June 20th, 2013

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With the anime based on Compile Heart’s popular RPGseries coming around the corner, David Production hasrevealed a solid, 3-minute trailer with practically everycharacter. Whether you’re a fan of the series or have neverheard of it, you should take a look at this video.

Hyperdimension Neptunia (Choujigen Game Neptune) isset in Gamindustri, a world guarded by four goddesses basedon real-life game consoles, including the Wii, PS3, Xbox360, and the successor to the Dreamcast that was neverreleased, the Sega Neptune. Residing along the goddessesare their younger sisters, based on handhelds, and friendsbased on developers like Compile Heart and Idea Factory(who created the Neptunia games).

You can get a glimpse of all of those characters in ths trailer,accompanied by the ending theme performed by Afilia Sagaand the opening theme by nao.

Hyperdimension Neptunia the Animation will start airing onJuly 12 and feature all of the voice actresses from the games:

• Neptune/Purple Heart: Rie Tanaka (Suigintou fromRozen Maiden)

• Noire/Black Heart: Asami Imai (Chihaya from TheIdolm@ster)

• Vert/Green Heart: Rina Satou (Mikoto from ToaruKagaku no Railgun)

• Blanc/White Heart: Kana Asumi (Nyaruko fromHaiyore! Nyaruko-san)

• Nepgear: Yui Horie (Naru from Love Hina)

• Uni: Eri Kitamura (Sayaka from Madoka Magica)

• Rom: Ogura Yui (Tsukiko from HenNeko)

• Ram: Kaori Ishihara (Azusa from HenNeko)

• IF (pronounced “I-F”): Kana Ueda

• Compa: Kanako Sakai

• Histoire: Mika Kanai

• 5pb.-chan: nao

• Arfoire: Chiaki Takahashi

• Pirachu: Niiko

Along with the anime, Compile Heartreleased Hyperdimension Idol Neptunia PP today for the PSVita and is working on two more Neptunia games and one

other game for the PS3. Do the people at Compile Heartsleep?

Source: Dengeki

Kingdom Hearts III “not adirect sequel to II”Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/kingdom-hearts-iii-not-direct-

sequel-ii/

By Zenko on June 20th, 2013

Although it has only been a week since the initial news brokeat E3, Famitsu has released the latest news on the upcomingKingdom Hearts 3.

After six years of waiting, fans were ecstatic to hear thatthe next numbered game in the Kingdom Hearts series wasgoing to be released. With initially just a trailer and consolenames, there was not much info about the upcoming sequel.In the latest issue of Famitsu, however, an interview withseries creator Tetsuya Nomura has helped to fill in some ofthe holes and questions on everyone’s mind.

It should be no surprise that Kingdom Hearts III is not adirect sequel to Kingdom Hearts II, but a sequel to KingdomHearts 3DS in much the same way the second game was acontinuation of Chain of Memories. It will, however, bringthe storyline surrounding Master Xehanort to a close andbe the last chapter in what’s called the Seeker of Darknesssaga. That means finally defeating an enemy that has beenplaguing the series for seven games and should provideexciting opportunities for the series afterwards.

As for graphics, the previously announced Kingdom Shaderhas been developed for the game to provide a bettermesh between main characters and the Disney worlds. Inparticular, it was created to give the look and feel of Disneyillustrations. This should provide not only a smoother feelingto the game but also add more depth to previously visitedlocations.

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Speaking of worlds, and NPC from each one will be able tojoin your party without having to shuffle Donald and Goofyin and out of battle. Not only will you have the ability to travelwith three party members, but as you progress throughoutthe game their AI will change and develop based on playstyle. The AI for enemies will also change to compensate,though, adding a level to the game that has never been seen.

Whether Kairi or Riku will be playable is not answereddirectly, but rather with a vague “it’s possible.” Time will tellthough, as more news has been promised at this years TokyoGame Show and Disney 23 in the fall.

Source: Famitsu

The Bureau: XCOMDeclassified to receivedownloadable contentSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/bureau-xcom-declassified-receive-

downloadable-content/

By Zenko on June 20th, 2013

In a press release 2K and 2K Marin are showing that theywant to give fans more to play beyond launch content.

For those looking to purchase The Bureau: XCOMDeclassified but aren’t sure just how satisfying or expansivethe game will be, you can rest easy as the alternate 1962timeline is set to receive DLC that features strong narrativeelements.

The game, set to release for the Xbox 360, PC and Playstation3 on August 23, takes place during the Cold War whenfear and paranoia run rampant. It is up to Special AgentWilliam Carter to lead a covert operation against invadingalien forces of the extraterrestrial kind. The player in this 3rdperson shooter will lead a small squad to defend humanityand keep the secret war under wraps. With an expansivestoryline from the creators of the Minerva’s Den DLC forBioshock 2, it is understandable that the story behind TheBureau cannot be limited to the main game.

The DLC content will be made available after the game’sinitial launch to Xbox 360 owners first, with PC and PS3owners to receive it shortly afterwards. Owner’s of allthree consoles can receive a special downloadable mission,though, when it is ordered through select retailers. Themission, called Codebreakers, will start with enemy radiotransmissions going silent. It is up to the player and theirsquad to bring the enemy facility back online, figure out thecode, and of course, dispatch any enemy threats in the area.

As Morgan Gray, development director at 2K Marin says,“there are many more stories to tell about the early daysof XCOM” which means players can look forward to aslew of exciting content. A trailer showing off the shootingaction can be found on the official YouTube account of thecompany.

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[Kyary Pamyu Pamyu]‘Nandakorekshon’ mega mixto be released, album triallistening and video teasernow upSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/kyary-pamyu-pamyu-

nandakorekshon-mega-mix-released-album-trial-listening-video-teaser/

By Az on June 20th, 2013

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s soon-to-be-released album‘Nandakorekshon’ is now up for trial listening on WarnerMusic Japan’s official site. For the trial listening, shortversions of all the songs were uploaded to the site. Inaddition to this, a teaser video featuring the producerYasutaka Nakata’s ‘Nandakorekshon’ mega mix is now up onYouTube.

The trial and teaser showcases new songs in the album,such as “Nandakorekshon”, “Super Scooter Happy”, “Saigono Ice Cream”, “Otona na Kodomo”, and more. Theteaser also features clips from Kyary’s music videos andcute images – a pop video in its own different way.These visuals were produced by director and graphicaldesigner Jun Tamukai, who has also worked on Kyary’s

worldwide hit, ‘PONPONPON’. The song in the background,“NandakoreMIX” by Nakata himself, will be released in thesite the same time as the album, June 26

Kyary will also be having an event on the release, June 26 inLaforet Museum, Harajuku, Tokyo. It will be an invitationalevent called “Nandakorekshon 2013″ for a total of 400attendees from the fan club and regular fans. Scheduled forthe event is a fashion show featuring the characters seen inall of Kyary’s videos so far, a mini-live, and a commemorativephoto with the dancers and fans. Here’s the video teaser forthe album.

source: natalie, Warner Music Japan Official Site, WarnerMusic Japan YouTube Channel

NIS reveals action-RPG‘Battle Princess of Arcadias’for PS3Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/nis-reveals-action-rpg-battle-

princess-arcadia-ps3/

By SunSoftware on June 20th, 2013

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The developer of the insane Disgaea series has been workinglike crazy to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Now, they haverevealed their fifth game of the year, and it looks differentfrom anything they’ve done before.

Nippon Ichi Software has officially revealed their upcomingaction-RPG, Battle Princess of Arcadias (Arcadias noIkusahime). The game was first teased last year as oneof NIS’s 20th anniversary projects and is scheduled to bereleased on September 26.

The game is set in a world where countries have deployedwarriors to defend their livelihoods from rampant monsters.These brave, beautiful, sword-weilding warriors are called“Battle Princesses”.

The story may not sound too original, but NIS createdthis game to challenge themselves, since they are famousfor making RPGs and occasionally visual novels. Drawingelements from their Prinny games on the PSP and theirupcoming PS3 game The Witch and the Hundred Knights,this game combines side-scrolling action gameplay withRPG elements and colorful 2D graphics.

The world of Battle Princess of Arcadias is divided into threecountries: Schwert (west), Velos (center), and Armatura(east). Out of the three countries, Schwert has the leastmonsters. However, the number of monsters in the regionhas been increasing recently.

The main character is Plume, a Battle Princess of Schwert.Her voice actress is Saori Hayami, who also voiced Izumikofrom Red Data Girl and Ayase from OreImo.

Plume takes pride in being a Battle Princess and lovesto fight. She has a cheerful, naive, and ever-so-slightlydumb personality, and the people of Schwert refer to heras “Pucchan”. However, one day, a giant monster steals thelives of the people and soldiers who admire her. Havingfailed to uphold her responsibility, Plume decides to changeand sets off on a new adventure.

In the name of a Battle Princess, I shall now bringjudgement upon you!

The game features 2D side-scrolling levels with traditionalaction-RPG elements in which you mash buttons to fightmonsters, gain experience points, and equip different typesof weapons.

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The game will also include alternate playable characterand modes. They haven’t been detailed yet, but in thisscreenshot, you can see Plume leading a group of soldiersagainst a huge boss monster.

Even though this game has been just officially revealed,Battle Princess of Arcadias looks different from anythingNIS has done before. Along with The Witch and the HundredKnights and Makai Wars Live coming next month, this maybe NIS’s greatest year ever.

Source: Dengeki

Hatsune Miku to have specialstage in Asia Style Collectionin SingaporeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/hatsune-miku-special-stage-asia-

style-collection-singapore/

By Az on June 20th, 2013

It has just been revealed yesterday, June 18 that vocaloid idolHatsune Miku will be coming to grand fashion event ‘AsiaStyle Collection by stylexstyle.com’. The event will be held inSingapore Expo on June 22.

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‘Asia Style Collection’ (ASC) is a large scale fashion eventmainly involving the countries Japan, Korea, and Singapore.It showcases the forefront and very latest trends in fashionand music, combining it in this one of a kind stage. In herappearance, Hatsune Miku will be collaborating with ‘TokyoGirls Style’ for a special stage.

There will also be other performances in the event.AKB48 and its Shanghai based sister group SNH48 willbe appearing, along with Korean idol group Shoujo Jidai(SNSD) and singers AI, Thelma Aoyama, and Mai Kuraki.Popular models like Lena Fujii and Tsubasa Masuwaka,Kozue Akimoto, Mikiko Yano, and Rola will be strutting theirstuff too.

source: Mantan Web

Adult visual novel ‘WalkureRomanze’ to have animeadaptationSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/adult-visual-walkure-romanze-

anime-adaptation/

By spartanchef on June 20th, 2013

An anime adaptation for adult visual novel ‘WalkureRomanze‘ has been announced in the August issue of TechGian magazine. “Walkure Romanze‘ is based on the adultvisual novel by Ricotta which also developed ‘PrincessLover‘.

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The story’ is set on an academy where jousting is themain sport and follows Takahiro Mizuno, a student whoaspires to be a knight but instead acts as an adviser forthe school’s riders. The heroines are Noel Marres Ascotwho is a top class jouster, Mio Kisaki who is Takahiro’sneighbor and childhood friend who hasn’t even ridden ahorse before, Celia Cumani Aintree who is a championjouster and is also the student council president, and finally,the promising young, undefeated rookie named Lisa Eostre.

It also has several manga adaptations; one by Mitsu Kingand serialized in Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh magazineby ASCII Media Works and another by Nagisa Manoa inDengeki Hime and finally one by No.Gomesu in the ComicValkyrie website. There were also two drama CD’s releasedfor the series. The anime adaptation will premiere this Fallanime season 2013.

Source: ieee80211 blog

Xbox does a ONE-eighty;Microsoft reverses XboxOne’s DRM policiesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/xbox-one-eighty-microsoft-reverses-

xbox-drm-policies/

By spartanchef on June 20th, 2013

With E3 2013 in the books, it is safe to say that Microsoft gota little banged up by Sony… OK, saying it’s just a little wouldbe an understatement.

And now, because of the beating Microsoft got during E3,Xbox One is doing a 180 degree turn and reversing itsdecision. Yes, this could very well be the biggest decisionreversal in console history; Microsoft is dropping theInternet check-in requirement and used game restrictions.

According to Don Mattrick, Microsoft’s President forInteractive Entertainment Business, he has heard a lot offeedback from the consumers since E3 and made a decisionbased on their feedbacks.

For the offline gaming issue, he said “After a one-timesystem set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any discbased game without ever connecting online again. There isno 24 hour connection requirement and you can take yourXbox One anywhere you want and play your games, justlike on Xbox 360”.

For used games, he said “There will be no limitations tousing and sharing games, it will work just as it does todayon Xbox 360”. He then added “In addition to buying a discfrom a retailer, you can also download games from XboxLive on day of release. If you choose to download yourgames, you will be able to play them offline just like you dotoday. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox Oneconsole — there will be no regional restrictions“.

So, with this new decision for the Xbox One, here’s a recap:- You can now play offline

- There is no more 24-hour internet connection requirement

- All game discs will now work as they do in the Xbox 360

- No more restrictions on used games

-No restrictions in trading and loaning games

- No more regional locks

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Since its reveal last May, Xbox One has been through a lot ofcriticism for their policies on used games as well as the 24-hour internet connection rule. Its rival, PlayStation 4 on theother hand has received a lot of praise since its reveal duringE3.

Source: Xbox Wire

Sony takes PS3 firmwareupdate 4.45 offline aftercausing some problemsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/ps3-firmware-update-4-45-

problems/

By spartanchef on June 20th, 2013

Firmware updates have always been a part of the PlayStation3 as they have proven to improve the performance ofthe console, but as update 4.45 comes in, many usershave already reported problems. This news comes asSony’s PlayStation support page has become flooded withcomplaints regarding the 4.45 update.

Users have reported that after installation, the systemrebooted as it usually does but then, their consoles becomelocked as they cannot go out of the ribbon screen. Some havecomplained that they cannot shut down their consoles evenif they press the power button on the PlayStation 3 itself.

The update was supposed to allow users to switch off trophynotifications. Given the number of complaints, many wereadvised to not update their consoles for the meantime sincemany were getting bricked already.

Meanwhile, Sony has admitted that there is a problem andis finding a solution. They have taken 4.45 offline at themoment and are apologizing for the inconvenience. Theyhave apologized for the inconvenienced and have advisedusers to wait for their announcement when update 4.45 willbe ready for use without any problems.

Sources: PlayStation twitter account, PlayStation Europetwitter and PlayStation 3 support

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

NIS reveals strange trailer forMakai Wars LiveSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/nis-reveals-strange-trailer-makai-

wars-live/

By SunSoftware on June 22nd, 2013

As fans of Nippon Ichi Software know, their games are oftenfilled with nonsense. Well, so is this trailer for their 20thanniversary concert.

On July 13, Nippon Ichi Software, the developer of theDisgaea series, will hold their concert “Makai Wars Liveepisode 1: Asagi’s Counterattack” in Yokohama BLITZ.

As the name implies, the event is centered around Asagi,the hero of Makai Wars. NIS first teased Makai Wars in thesummer of 2004, but the game was never released. Sincethen, Asagi has been featured as a hidden character in 18different games with ten different Japanese voice actresses,earning the nickname “the eternal hero of the next game”.

However, things are finally looking bright for Asagi, as shewas voted the most popular female NIS character in a surveyby Dengeki Online, and she has gained over 8,500 membersin her online fanclub.

Now, NIS has revealed a trailer for Makai Wars Live,featuring… well, a lot of random characters doing randomthings with Tenpei Sato’s You Go Girl playing in thebackground. Along with the trailer, you can read an Englishtranscript below. However, much like NIS’s games, thetrailer doesn’t really make sense.

Makai Wars Live episode 1: Asagi’s Counterattack

[For 8 years in conception!]

[The eternally delayed title "Makai Wars"!!]

[Is finally stripped of its veil of mystery!!]

Kururu: Nippon Ichi Software♪

Asagi: Wuh, why are you singing!!? And whyNippon Ichi Software!!?

[All of Nippon Ichi's characters in one place!!?]

Prinny: Today, we are introducing this product! TheZ/X Nippon Ichi Pack!*

[Anything and everything can happen!]

Asagi: Fine. It’s a fight to decide the hero of the nextgame, Mimorin!

[An original script!]

Asagi: Who are you calling the eternal hiddencharacter? How rude!!

Tenpei Sato: Let’s heartbeat! Everyone, sing withme!!

[Original footage!}

Lilliel: I have been born out of your unhappiness.The way you are now, you will cease to be a hiddencharacter, let alone a main character.

[Plus, an incredibly amazing cast!!]

[Makai Wars, for one day only!!!]

[This is only the beginning!!]

Laharl: Take this! Ultimate Attack, Mizuhashi’s 7Transformations!!**

* Z/X (aka Zillions of Enemy X) is NIS’s multimediaproject that includes a PS3 game, trading cardgame, and anime.

** Kaori Mizuhashi is Laharl’s voice actress,whereas “7 Transformations” can also refer to thelantana, hydrangea, or a type of kabuki dance thatinvolves quickly changing clothes seven times.

The artists performing in Makai Wars Live are as follows:

• Ultra-Prism (dressed up as Asagi and performed in lastyear’s Asagi’s National Tour; is also responsible for theopening theme of Squid Girl)

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• Maria Kawamura (voice actress of Kururu from LittlePrincess: Doll Princess of Marl Kingdom 2)

• Tenpei Sato (music composer of the entire Disgaeaseries, plus other games) and his band, MissKiss

• Minori Chihara (performed the opening theme ofDisgaea D2)

• Suzuko Mimori (voice actress of Asagi in Disgaea D2,plus Sheryl from Milky Holmes and Umi from LoveLive!)

• Yousei Teikoku (performed the opening theme of TheGuided Fate Paradox, as well as the anime MiraiNikki)

• Emi Nitta, Yurika Kubo, Sora Tokui, Aina Kusuda, andYoshino Nanjou from μ’s (the idol unit from Love Live!who also voiced the female characters of The GuidedFate Paradox)

Makai Wars Live is coming on July 13. After waiting for nineyears, will Asagi finally be the hero of her own game?

Source: Dengeki

‘Code Geass: Akito theExiled’ episode 2 trailerreleased; announces yetanother delaySource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/code-geass-akito-exiled-episode-2-

trailer-released-announces-delay/

By KaleNagasaki on June 22nd, 2013

Finally! The official website for Code Geass: Akito theExiled has streamed a trailer for the second episode inthe four-part OVA series. However, with this good newscomes some bad – the second episode will be delayed again.Originally, the second part was to be released this pastspring, but was postponed til the summer. So I waitedpatiently, eager now that summer is here. But after anotherdelay, the second OVA isn’t set to premier until September14th.

Set between season I and season II of Code Geass,this story takes place right around the formation ofthe Black Knights and the comeback of Zero, who waspreviously thought defeated and dead. While the universeis the same, the story of Akito (voiced by Miyu Irino- Mobile Suit Gundam 00′s Saji Crossroad, Spirited Away‘sHaku) unfolds in the European Union, where we followa group dubbed “W-0” wage war against the tyrannicalBritannian Empire. The group is led by Layla Malkal,who is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto (Black Butler‘s CielPhantomhive, Monogatari’s Shinobu Oshino). As a hugefollower of Code Geass, the fact that Akito the Exiled willonly be four episodes is enough of a tragedy – having to waitlonger for episode two is just cruelty!

While many cast and staff are returning, such as TakahiroSakurai (voice of Suzaku Kururugi – my favorite character!),there are a few new members. Fumihiko Tachiki (NeonGenesis Evangelion‘s Gendou Ikari) will play MichaelAugustus, and Takuma Terashima (Blood Lad’s Wolf) willplay Ashley Ashura. See everyone’s work come together inthe trailer:

For those of you who enjoyed Code Geass, but just cannotimagine the show without your beloved Lelouch, Suzaku,and C.C., never fear! These characters make appearances,and to be honest, the excuse to see Suzaku is one of the mainreasons I’m watching Akito. In the meantime however, wecan only anticipate the release of episode two by reigniting

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our obsession with the original Code Geass and stayingup-to-date with the official website. Not into Code Geass?Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to watch!

Get in on all the action with‘Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z’!Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/action-dragon-ball-z-battle-z/

By KaleNagasaki on June 22nd, 2013

The official website of Namco Bandai’s newest DragonBall fighting game Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z has opened,and it posted the first trailer for the game. Prepare your eyesfor all the punches, kicks, and energy blasts that DragonBall is famous for, but to a whole new level.

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z features up to four playerco-op, and an up to eight player battle royale! To makethese new features seamless, the game has strong onlinemulti-player support. Instead of just having a bunch ofpeople in the arena just doing their own thing, playerscan cooperate and perform synchronous moves, such as“Synchro Rush”. Players can even increase each other’shealth through “Revive Soul”.

As a huge Dragon Ball fan (and that is an understatement –my entire room is Dragon Ball, I watch it almost every night,I have over fifty Dragon Ball action figures, all the mangaand episodes, and my Deviantart account is flooded with fanpictures), I am so excited for this game! The Super SaiyanGod form that was shown in this year’s movie Dragon BallZ: Battle of Gods will even be available!

Check out the awesome trailer below. Dragon Ball Z:Battle of Z will come to the XBox 360, PlayStation 3, andPlayStation Vita, although the price and date are unknown.

However, one thing I do know: once this game comes out,see me on the battlefield!

Good Smile Companyannounces Summer Wonfest2013 exclusivesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/good-smile-company-announces-

summer-wonfest-2013-exclusives/

By spartanchef on June 22nd, 2013

As the summer edition of Wonder Festival2013 (or Wonfest for short) is almost upon us, Good SmileCompany is giving us a good look at what to expect.

Each product will be on sale at the GSC booth duringWonfest this July. These products will also be on sale fora limited time at the Good Smile Online Shop from July28 until August 5. All products ordered online will beshipped late November. All products are limited edition soit would be wise to order early. GSC will ship each productto countries outside Japan and there would be a 2000 yenfixed shipping cost to all countries.

Mika and Rika Jougasaki figma

From the popular social game, ’IDOLM@STER: CinderellaGirls‘ comes the Jougasaki sisters, Mika and Rika (soldseparately). Both girls are sculpted by Max Factory’s MasakiAsai and both come with the signature articulated figmastand.

Rika Jougasaki

She comes with comes with a rhinoceros beetle, a bear-earsheadband and her memo pad as optional parts. She standsabout 125 mm and comes with three expressions; winking,

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smiling with sparkly eyes and serious. There will only be3000 units available.

Source: Good Smile Company

Mika Jougasaki

She comes with two alternating hairparts; her classic ponytail and her twin tails. She stands about 130 mm andcomes with a cellphone and three expressions; determined,winking and embarassed. Like Rika, there will only be 3000Mika figmas available.

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Source: Good Smile Company

Ranko, Uzuki and Mika + Live Stage Nendroid Petite Set

We have another one from‘IDOLM@STER: CinderellaGirls’, but this time, in nendroid petite form. The trioof Ranko Kanzaki, Uzuki Shimamura and Mika Jougasaki,along with a live stage make up this set. The nendroids aresculpted by knead (sai), knead (kan-D!) and knead (amato)with each figure being approximately 65 mm tall. There willonly be 2000 sets available.

Source: Good Smile Company

Nendroid Nyaruko (Maid Ver.)

Our favorite cthulhu is back, and this time, she comes in acute maid outfit. She comes with a ’Nightgaunt Drink’ ona tray, a ‘Kurogane no Striver’ Blu-ray boxset, and hearteffect parts to show her undying love for her beloved Mahiro-kun. She also comes with a nendroid-sized Manta-kun. Thisfigure stands at approximately 100 mm and is sculptedby Maruhige and Hidetoshi Seibu. There will only be 3000units of her available.

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Source: Good Smile Company

1/8 Kurisu Makise (white coat ver.)

GSC will also sell a 1/8 scale figure of that certain tsunderegenius from ‘Steins; Gate’. CHRISTINA… I mean Kurisu isholding a bottle of “Dokupe” and is wearing the future gadget#12: ‘Darling no Baka‘. This 1/8 scale figure is sculptedby Hironori Tokunaga. There will only be 2000 of thesefigures available.

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Source: Good Smile Company

‘Date A Live’ anime’s secondphase unveiledSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/date-live-phase-unveiled/

By spartanchef on June 22nd, 2013

Shidou Itsuka is going to have to deal with even more spirits.Yes, Date A Live‘s second phase has been announced andgreen lit.

The new season was revealed right after the final episodeended. The original light novel’s author, Koushi Tachibanaalso announced the anime’s second season via twitter.

The new season is guaranteed to introduce even more spiritsfor poor Shidou to deal with. Not only does he have to deal

with Touhka, Yoshino, Kurumi, his sister Kotori and thehuman AST member Origami, he has to deal with even more,including these guys;

The Yamai sisters, Yuzuru and Kaguya

Miku Izayoi

Date A Live is based on the light novel written by KoushiTachibana with art by Tsunako. It is serialized in DragonMagazine and published by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Itfollows a boy named Shidou who must seal beings known asSpirits in order to stop them from creating chaos. To do this,he must date them.

Here’s more images from the released clip

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Source: Yaraon

Tales of Symphonia:Unisonant first trailershowcases gameplay,beautiful glimpses ofcutscenesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/tales-symphonia-unisonant-trailer-

showcases-gameplay-beautiful-glimpses-cutscenes/

By hikarucon on June 21st, 2013

Up until now Tales of Symphonia: Unisonant has only beenrevealed through screenshots which cannot always properly

convey everything that developers want to especially when itcomes to an updated version of an older game.

Finally though, Tales of Symphonia: Unisonant has a trailerupon the opening of its new official website. On it, all theessential information that anyone interested would need tocultivate interest is included. Of course before all of that,seeing the game in action would definitely speak more forthe game than any written text. So without further adieu…

The animation work is as usual done by the folks over atProduction I.G. and as usual it looks great.

Tales of Symphonia: Unisonant releases October 10, 2013 for6,980 yen (approximately S$100)

Creator of ‘Metal Gear’ seriesHideo Kojima wants ‘MetalGear Solid V’ to be a globalphenomenonSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/creator-metal-gear-series-hideo-

kojima-metal-gears-solid-v-global-phenomenon/

By KaleNagasaki on June 21st, 2013

After an exciting week at E3 2013, creator of the MetalGear series Hideo Kojima took the time to talk with Famitsuabout his hopes for the latest instalment Metal Gear Solid V.Rightly curious about Metal Gear Solid V’s open-world andonline aspects, Famitsu began by asking Kojima to elucidatehis reasons behind making the newest Metal Gear a AAAgame. Kojima replied:

Well, a part of me likes to express myself in sucha way, but video games are a form of mediathat rely on technology. Games continue to growhorizontally, but in order to evolve in a vertical

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direction, they need to climb one step at a time, and itisn’t easy to jump two steps at once. In other words,if they don’t pursue the most they can, it’s a toughroad ahead.

Despite the fact that Metal Gear is an extremelysuccessful franchise, Kojima remains humbly aware aboutthe difficulties that lie in making the game better. Notto be outdone by other next-generation games, Kojimaacknowledges that the social aspect to gaming cannot beignored, and that Metal Gear Solid V will have socialfeatures.

Kojima believes that with each installment in Metal Gear, hehas moved forward vertically and has continued to evolve.Perhaps these next-generation social features he talks aboutinclude the possibility to make Metal Gear Solid V playableon multi-tablet platforms.

Of course, Kojima would never abandon what made MetalGears so great in the first place. Even with the open-worldand online features, Kojima stresses that Metal Gear SolidV will still be a good game on its own. Great graphics, greatstory line, everything we’ve come to expect.

Metal Gear Solid V will be available for both currentand next generation consoles. Kojima sees video gamesincreasingly relying on cloud services, and believes thattablet features necessary so that games are not restrictedto a particular platform. The series has been one of themost successful ever to launch in Japan, and is one of thefew games whose fame carried over into Western audiences.When Famitsu asked whether Kojima is keeping his Westernaudience in mind, Kojima replied:

Our intent is to develop something that can pleaseplayers on a global scale, so we’re not thinkingabout anything like that. However, Metal Gear sellsthe most in the United States. The largest marketis also the United States, and they’re home to theworld’s largest game show in E3. Naturally, we’dlike to compete and win against the world’s best,there. Metal Gear Solid V’s ‘V’ also stands for‘Victory,’ which also means that we’d like to win ina global scale, once again.

The trailer at E3 definitely excited Western audiences, so wecan only imagine the success Metal Gear Solid V will reach.If you missed the trailer, here it is below.

In his final statement, Kojima addresses his fans, saying“Metal Gear Solid V will indeed be challenging the rest ofthe world. In order to win this fight, we’ll be needing all ofyour support. Please look forward to the world of a next-generation social service that will utilize the cloud”. Are youon team Kojima?

Source: Famitsu

Unchained Blades developerreveals trailer for new RPG‘Exstetra’Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/unchained-blades-developer-reveals-

trailer-rpg-exstetra/

By SunSoftware on June 21st, 2013

In Furyu’s newest RPG, you give people special powers bykissing them.

Exstetra is an RPG for the 3DS and PS Vita coming fromFuryu, the developer of Unchained Blades. The story beginswhen Tokyo is suddenly fused with an alternate world calledAmazia. The protagonist is a high school boy named Ryoumawho is chosen to be the “Prisma”, the hero who must save thetwo worlds from disappearing into oblivion. As part of hismission, he must seek out people who can become “PrismaKnights” and awaken their powers by kissing them.

To get a glimpse of the game, you can watch the teaser videofrom Furyu, featuring character illustrations by Tony andKatsumi Enami, and the theme song with you, performed byClariS (the same duo who performed the opening theme ofOreImo).

Just once, okay? Just a little bit, okay?!

Not many details have been revealed yet, but we do knowthree of the main characters.

Ryouma (CV: Yuuichi Nakamura)

The hero of the game and the Prisma who must save Amaziaand bring peace to the world. Unfortunately, he has nomemories.

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Shiho (CV: Kaori Ishihara)

A 17-year-old high school girl who aims to be an idol. Sheshared a kiss with Ryouma and became a Prisma Knight.

Masaru (CV: Takuya Eguchi)

An easygoing mood maker who loves video games. LikeShiho, he is also a Prisma Knight(!).

You can start kissing your friends when Exstetra is releasedon October 17. Also, the theme song with you will beincluded in ClariS’s next album, Second Story, coming onJune 26. Put this game alongside Conception II, the gamewhere you make children and use them to fight monsters,and you have two… unusual games.

Source: Famitsu

Doki Doki Precure NarikiriLife hits 3DS this AugustSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/doki-doki-precure-narikiri-life-

hits-3ds-august/

By Zenko on June 21st, 2013

Fans of the latest Precure installment, Doki Doki Precurewill be happy to know that more has been released about theupcoming 3DS game.

Doki Doki Precure may have just started in the fall, but ithas already gained enough steam to merit a 3DS release onAugust 1 for 4980 yen. The game, which promises danceand idol action, will feature both the opening and endingsong for the show along with a slew of minigames. With theidol theme, it also promises a makeover for the Doki DokiPrecure girls.

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Mana Aida, or Cure Heart, is the all around talentedand sporty girl that has a natural talent for leadership.Unfortunately she’s a terrible singer, but it does not stop herfrom inspiring others. Her fellow PreCure, Makoto Kenzakiand Cure Sword, is a talented idol and should provide afoil to Mana’s voice. Her goals, though, are to help find theprincess of the Trump Kingdom who she became separatedfrom during a world jump.

Childhood friends Rika and Alice, Cure Diamond and CureRosetta, will of course also be making an appearance in thegame. Rika still attends school with Mana where she hasmanaged to rank tenth during national exams. Alice nowattends a private academy, and is largely a pacifist exceptwhen it comes to protecting those closest and dearest to her.

One of the minigames featuring the characters will be arhythm game that uses the opening and ending themes. Init players will have to time their taps on the lower screento match hearts flying in from left and right on the upperscreen. Matching enough with the proper timing will leadto the heart gauge becoming full and a Precure Appeal poseoccuring. The minigame will have two different options: SoloMode and Unit Mode. Solo Mode will show just one of thecharacters performing and can help to unlock other featuresduring other parts of the game.

Another minigame, called Lunch is exactly what it soundslike: serving lunch. Taking on the role of Mana at herfamily’s restaurant The Pig’s Tail Pavillion, you must fulfilla customer’s order by matching food on the tray within aspecific time limit. The faster you clear the challenge, thehigher your score will be.

The Idol minigame will have you take on the role of differentgirls as they aspire to become the best. Unlike the dancegame, you will trace the motions for the song on the lowerscreen with the upper featuring directions. The main goal isto make the cutest pose possible for that particular Precure,which will only be possible by properly timing moves.

The final minigame released so far is Taking Care of theBaby. In it you must help Rika with babysitting the seriesiconic baby character, Ai. You must figure out which toy Ai iscrying for, and she will occasionally give you a hint throughballoons, so it is a fairly simple game compared to others.

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Much like the Project Diva games, Doki Doki PrecureNarikiri Life will have a room feature. By playing theminigames you will gain heart points that you can use to buyoutfits and furniture for the different idols. It will be donethrough a gachapon (capsule) system, so each piece will becompletely random.

There has been no word yet on the main game play, butthe minigames are already promising a good deal of fun forPrecure fans.

Source: News Dengeki

Ro-Kyu Bu SS main voice castto perform in live event; live-action teaser video for ‘GetGoal’ single releasedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/ro-kyu-bu-ss-main-voice-cast-

perform-live-event-live-action-teaser-video-get-goal-single-released/

By spartanchef on June 21st, 2013

The much awaited basketball anime Ro-Kyu Bu SS willpremiere this July and now, its main female cast memberscomprised of Kana Hanazawa, Yui Ogura, Rina Hidaka,Yoko Hikasa and Yuka Iguchi will be performing live thisJuly for ‘Ro-Kyu-Bu! Live 2013‘.

Kana Hanazawa (‘Oreimo‘s Kuroneko) voices the team’ssmall forward, Tomoka Minato

Yui Ogura (‘Hentai Ouji‘s Tsukiko Tsukakishi) voices theshooting guard, Hinata “Hina” Hakamada

Rina Hidaka (‘Sword Art Online‘s Silica) voices thecenter, Airi Kashii

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Yoko Hikasa (‘High School DXD‘s Rias Gremory) voices thepoint guard, Saki Nagatsuka

and Yuka Iguchi (‘To Aru Majutsu no Index‘s Index) voicesthe power forward, Maho Misawa

The live event will be held July 29, 2013 at the Saitama SuperArena and will start 5:00 p.m. with doors opening at 3:00p.m. The event is produced by Bandai Namco Live Creativeand is sponsored by Warner Entertainment Japan.

The voice cast will also be releasing their latest single, ‘GetGoal!‘ this July 10. . Get Goal!’ will be the ending song forthe upcoming ‘Ro-Kyu-Bu SS‘ anime this July. A live-actionteaser video featuring the main female voice cast has beenreleased for the single.

‘Ro-Kyu-Bu SS’ is the sequel to the 2011 basketball anime‘Ro-Kyu-Bu’. It is based on Sagu Aoyama’s light novel and isdirected by Keizou Kusakawa.

Source: Ro-Kyu-Bu official website

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Famitsu interviews HatsuneMiku: Project Diva Arcadelead producer — a look at theseries’s past & futureSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/famitsu-interviews-hatsune-miku-

project-diva-arcade-lead-producer-seriess-future/

By KarbyP on June 24th, 2013

At Sega’s Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcade 3rdanniversary, Famitsu caught up with Sega’s Makoto Osaki,producer of the Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcade series,and got the man to spill the beans on the PDA series’shumble beginnings (Miku had Sarah Bryant’s hair and apretty scary face at one point), as well as what’s in store forthe future – the types of songs they’d like to put into thearcade version.

Osaki also talked briefly about Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai2, which his team (in charge of making arcade games) ishelping with, and hints at some of the new 3DS rhythmgame’s surprising features: the “My Room” mode has grownso much that it may not even be apt to call it a “room” anymore.

—Please tell us your thoughts on Project Diva Arcadereaching its third anniversary!

Makoto Osaki: Er well, really, to be able to get this far…we never imagined things would go this well. It’s really allthanks to the passionate support we received from all theusers, great guys and gals from all spectrums of life, that wewere able to get this far.

—I remember back when it was the game’s first anniversary;you also held an event to celebrate it back then.

Osaki: That’s right, we did hold an event back when it wasour first annivesary. As to why we didn’t do one for oursecond anniversary, well… (laughs).

When we did our first anniversary event, we thought “if wecould hold an event like this again, that would be great”, soto be honest I’m just really glad that we could finally holdanother celebration event.

As now we’ve also got Hatsune Miku: Project Diva ArcadeFuture Tone coming, I’d really like to hold anotheranniversary event for next year.

—For this event you’ve got 14 Project Diva Arcade cabinetshere. That’s quite the spectacle.

Osaki: Yeah we got the machines from Ikebukuro GiGO[arcade], as well as a number of nearby establishments thatcarried the game.

—Please tell us your thoughts on the event now that it’sconcluded.

Osaki: Frankly I was pleasantly surprised. “This manypeople were willing to come and attend it!” I thought.

What happens with video games in general is that people arereally quite excited and hyped up for a new title at the pointof its release, and that usually ends up being the peak for agame’s momentum.

So to see this many people come out here to celebrate ProjectDiva Arcade’s third anniversary, and with some coming infrom quite far away, we’re truly humbled, and we want tothank all of our fans for the support.

—At this point, Miku-san is no longer just popular in Japan,but she’s also a phenomenon all over the world. What do youthink about that, Osaki-san? Why do you think Miku-san hasgotten this popular?

Osaki: The way you can create songs with Miku, danceher songs, sing her songs (with no restrictions or withoutworrying that you are infringing on the artiste’s intellectualproperty rights), I think that it was easy for that part aboutthe phenomenon to be communicated to general users,even overseas ones, and that really had a great effect oneverything, that’s what I personally think.

So here in Japan, Hatsune Miku got extremely popular asa form of CGM (Consumer Generated Media), and I thinkthat similarly for overseas audiences it was easy for them tosee this and go “Hey, I want to try doing this, and create this

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type of content too”. They were able to assimilate into thephenomenon easily.

And also I’d like to think that, the hard work our staff put intodoing all the [Hatsune Miku] live concerts also contributedto getting the phenomenon accepted overseas, if I may sounabashedly say (laughs).

—When you came up with the concept and plans for HatsuneMiku: Project Diva Arcade, did you ever imagine that thegame was going to grow on so many different levels?

Osaki: Nope, not at all. If I were to talk about the project’sbeginnings, let’s see… it all started after the first HatsuneMiku: Project Diva came out on the PSP. At the time welooked at what users did with Edit mode(which lets youmake your own music videos and playable stages in ProjectDiva), what sort of videos they made and posted on the Web,and we were just blown away. We thought: “Wow, that’s…[amazing]!”

Creating illustrations and songs can be quite a difficultundertaking, but with the Edit mode as long as you aredetermined to make something, you could do it.

Seeing those user-created Edit mode videos made us think:“Wouldn’t it be cool if we could do contests where userswould submit their songs and their Edit mode PV creationsto us, and then we we could feature them somehow? Likemaybe in an arcade version of the game.” And that was howthe plans to produce a Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcadeplans started.

From there, we thought that if the R&D2 team (thedevelopment team that Osaki currently leads; formerlyknown as AM2) were to do this, then it’d be pretty boring ifwe merely ported over the consumer game version into thearcades – so we really wanted to do something special with it.

Initially, Miku’s face turned out to be extremely scary – itwas as if we lit up a female TV announcer’s face with anextremely bright light (a technique known as “Jyoyuu Light”that TV stations use, that explains why you’d need to have aflawless complexion to be a female TV announcer).

As for Miku’s hair, that was actually Sarah Bryant’s hair(from the Virtua Fighter series) dyed in green/blue. As forthe costume, we put the character model in a long-sleevedkimono in green/blue and went on from there.

Then we came up with this obtuse sales pitch for the game– it’s basically CGM culture meets R&D2′s technology… orthat was what our excuse was for spending time to workon this. To be perfectly honest, this was just something wepersonally really wanted to work on (laughs).

After all, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva on the PSP had justcame out (July 2009), and then we ended up coming out withthe location test for Project Diva Arcade in January 2010. Ifyou think about it, that sort of schedule meant there were alot of things we couldn’t possibly do (laughs).

However, the programmers and the rest of the staff workingon this were really into it. Also I think I’ve mentioned thisbefore, but the Virtua Fighter team had actually made a(Project Diva Edit) video and uploaded it to the Web before.“Although we were supposedly pros at this, the view countfor the video(s) we uploaded ourselves without anybodyknowing it’s us, were quite low (laughs),” I remember theVirtua Fighter team having a conversation like that. So oncewe (R&D2/AM2) got to work on Miku (translator’s note: the

Project Diva PSP team is different from the Virtua Fighter/Project Diva Arcade team AKA R&D2 or AM2), everybodywas pumped. We were able to do so much only because orthe vigour and passion everybody had.

—Could you also tell us a little about what’s in store for thefuture of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcade?

Osaki: At the talk session today we already covered this, butbasically we want to “put in songs that we absolutely shouldput in”, “put in tracks that are great songs but that which didnot do very well in terms of view counts as a video uploadedonto the Web”, and to “put in Project Mirai tracks”. We wantto do all of that at a very regular pace, without skipping abeat.

Also, we’re also making Hatsune Miku: Project Diva ArcadeFuture Tone.

Our ultimate goal is to really establish something like a“Vocaloid MTV” (translator’s note: I think the “MTV” hererefers to the MTV channel, as music videos in Japaneseare more commonly referred to as PVs). Let users playgreat songs accompanied by great PV. And of course, we’replanning to have the way players play evolve as well.

What we’re doing here is creating a “(Vocaloid) songsarchive”, which would have been quite difficult to do if notfor the fact that we’re a game company, I think.

As to specifics on which songs we’d like to add into the gamein the near future, I can’t really talk about that now, but sincethe song Rosary Pale is coming to Project Diva Arcade, Ithink there are quite a lot of Vocaloid fans who would be ableto tell what other songs are coming next just from that factalone.

Rosary Pale was a song that we wanted to add into the gamesince 2010! Everyone told us that they’d love to see it in thegame, and I want to let them know that their voice has mostcertainly reached us – so rest assured that we’ve heard youloud and clear.

(Let us know in the comments below if you know what songSega’s Osaki is hinting at!)

—Osaki-san, your team is also concurrently helping withdevelopment on Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai 2 (3DS), right?Tell us about that.

Osaki: Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai 2 (working title) will beshowcased at The Strongest V Jump Festa 2013. You’ll beable to play 1/6 -out of the gravity- and other unannouncedtrack(s) at the event. We think our fans will understand theappeal of Mirai 2 very much with this new demo – at themoment, all the info that’s been revealed about Mirai 2 isonly but a small slice of the pie.

In fact we’ve loaded Mirai 2 with so much awesome newstuff that we think people will be surprised and go “Are youseriously putting that in!?” (laughs).

In the previous game, we got a lot of feedback like “ah,I see you’ve chosen tracks that evoke a warm and fuzzyfeeling for this game”. For Mirai 2, we’re not betraying thoseexpectations for the series, but we’re also putting in a lotof unexpected songs that also evoke lots of ngood vibes.Gameplay-wise there are lots of new elements too. This newgame feels completely different compared to its prequel.For instance, in My Room… well, it’s no longer a “room”anymore. Please look forward to that.

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—We look forward to developments in both the arcade andconsumer versions.

Osaki: Please continue to give us your support.

Source: Famitsu

Hyped up for Summer 2013anime season? ‘Love Lab’,‘Tamayura’, ‘High School DxD’release more promotionaltrailersSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/hyped-summer-2013-anime-season-

love-lab-tamayura-high-school-dxd-released-promotional-trailers/

By SunSoftware on June 24th, 2013

With less than one month left until the summer anime startairing, three of them have released another trailer. Whichone are you most interested in?

The first trailer is for Love Lab, a schoolgirl comedyfeaturing Miki, a proper and refined student councilpresident who secretly wants to explore the aspects oflove. When the rest of the student council discover herguilty pleasure, Miki viciously drags them into her romanticresearch.

In this trailer, you get to see the five members of the studentcouncil and hear them singing the opening theme, LoveShitai!

Another anime coming next month featuring cute girlsis Tamayura ~More Aggressive~, the second season ofTamayura. Unlike Love Lab, Tamayura is a peaceful andheartwarming anime from Junichi Satou, the director of thebeautiful Aria series.

The story is centered around Fuu, a girl who practicesphotography with a camera passed down from her latefather. In this season, Fuu nervously starts a photographyclub in her school.

In this trailer, you get to see Fuu, voiced by Ayana Taketatsu,shouting, “Let’s photo!” as well as a new character, Kanae,voiced by Ai Kayano (Saori from Girls und Panzer). The song

in the background is Hajimari no Umi, performed by MaayaSakamoto.

If you’re not interested in cute girls, and you prefer girls whoshow more skin and happen to have magic powers, you maywant to watch the second season of High School DxD. Thestory follows Issei, a perverted high school boy who is killedon his first date and reborn as a demon who must serve Rias,another demon and the most popular girl in his school. Aspart of his job, he must fight against fallen angels who arehunting for the divine Excaliburs.

The second season, titled High School DxD New, will followup on the first by introducing two new enemies, Xenovia andIrino. You can see both of them in this trailer, accompaniedby narration by Issei, voiced by Yuki Kaji (Eren from Attackon Titan), and the opening theme, Sympathy, performed byLarval Stage Planning.

With all of these different anime and more coming nextmonth, are you excited for this summer?

Source: Love Lab HP, Tamayura HP, High School DxD HP

Stealth game “Thief”confirmed to release on onPS3, XBox 360Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/stealth-game-thief-confirmed-

release-ps3-xbox-360/

By Az on June 24th, 2013

It has been announced that “Thief” (Ps4, XONE, PC), oneof the most anticipated next-gen games, will be having PS3and X360 releases. No news on the release date yet though,besides the fact that it will be next year, 2014. Here’s EidosMontreal’s announcement video.

For those not familiar, “Thief” is the highly anticipatedreboot of a game series that started in the PC on 1998, withit’s latest game being “Thief: Deadly Shadows” for the PC andXBox. The series was started by Looking Glass Studios, andis now being rebooted by Eidos Montreal and to be publishedby Square Enix. You control Garrett, a master thief in a worldof disease and poverty where the poor get poorer and therich get richer, and steal all sorts of treasures and hiddenvaluables. It’s a first-person game that encourages stealthover run-n’-gun tactics and with many different approachesto a single level, much like Bethesda’s Dishonored.

Other than Thief, we already know that hot titles such as“Assassin’s Creed IV: The Black Flag” and “Metal Gear SolidV: The Phantom Pain” will be released on current-gen too,so those not immediately jumping to next-gen will still beable to experience these great games, albeit with lower visualquality.

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source: famitsu, IGN YouTube, Playstation YouTube

Yukari Tamura’s nendoroidssell out, announces newalbum launch & concert thisFallSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/yukari-tamuras-nendoroids-sell-out-

announces-album-launch-concert-fall/

By spartanchef on June 24th, 2013

As voice actress Yukari Tamura wrapped up her ”YukariTamura Love Live 2013 *Cute’n Cute’n Heart” concertyesterday on June 23, people have been tweeting that hernendoroids have been sold out. There were a total of 20,000units sold with 16,500 sold during the event and another3500 sold through mail order.

The nendoroids in question were sold during her “YukariTamura Love Live 2013 *Cute’n Cute’n Heart” concert. Hernendoroids are produced by King Records in cooperationwith the Good Smile Company. Earlier this year, she, alongwith fellow King Records voice actress and artiste NanaMizuki have been announced to get their own nendoroids.

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In her official website, the voice actress announced that shewill have her “Yukari Tamura LOVE LIVE 2013 Autumn ＊Caramel Ribbon＊” concert later this fall. Her latest concertwill be held at the Yokohama Arena on September 16. Moredetails on her concert to come in the future. Her website alsoannounced the launch of a new album which is also comingthis fall, however, further details have not yet been providedas of the moment.

She will also be releasing her ”I’m 17 years old?! YukariFestival!” BluRay/ DVD box set this July 24. The BluRay/DVD box sets will cover her February 2013 concert whichwas held at Pacifico Yokohama National University Hall forher 27th birthday.

Tamura Yukari is the voice actress known for providingthe voices of Suzuha Amane from ‘Steins; Gate’, SakuraYoshino from ‘Da Capo’, Fear Kubrick from ’Cube X CursedX Curious’, Tenten from ‘Naruto’, Masuzu Natsukawafrom“Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru

“, Kanako and Meruru from ‘Oreimo’ and of course, NanohaTakamachi from ‘Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha“.

Sources: Matome, Animate

Project Diva Arcadecelebrates three years ofrhythm gamingSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/project-diva-celebrates-years-

rhythm-gaming/

By Zenko on June 24th, 2013

On June 23 SEGA celebrated the third anniversary of oneof their most popular arcade games at a special event thatfeatured plenty of VOCALOIDs.

At Club Sega in Akihabara, SEGA celebrated three years ofProject Diva Arcade with plenty of VOCALOID events andgoods. Of course, it would not be too much of an eventif the star of the show wasn’t there. In celebration SEGAset up fourteen Project Diva machines for players to enjoy,and those that did so received a limited edition three yearanniversary sticker.

In addition, Famitsu caught up with Sega’s Makoto Osaki,the lead producer on the Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcadeseries. Check out our full translation of that interview forsome interesting trivia about the series’s humble beginnings(Miku had Sarah Bryant’s hair, from Virtua Fighter, at onepoint). He also talked about what fans can expect fromProject Diva Arcade and Project Mirai 2.

The creators also celebrated by thanking their fans withindividual messages and pictures. Most featured HatsuneMiku, but the Kagamine twins were also on board to help thecreators give thanks.

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Fans were also able to purchase limited edition goods such asa large sized poster of Miku and Project Diva lanyards. Oneplayer of the game even showed off his edition of the ProjectDiva -f & F- Memorial Fanbook that was signed by the voiceproviders for several VOCALOIDs, including Suki Fujita, thevoice of Miku.

Continuing a tradition at Project Diva based events wasa display of upcoming modules for the game, such as thesummer yukata series for each of the Crypton VOCALOIDs.For KAITO fans, his V3 Append module is also being madeavailable.

Fans were also welcome to write messages in a book to thecreators of the game to return their gratitude, and a surveyabout Miku Dayo was affixed to a nearby wall for guestsof the event to take a look at how others responded to thequestions.

If seeing other guests’ surveys wasn’t shocking enough,SEGA surprised the audience by hosting a talk show withMakoto Osaki who is currently involved in Crypton’s nextVocaloid3 release, the ZOLA Project. Fans from all over,even as far as Osaka, packed into the hall and greeted himwith a huge round of applause, letting him and the staff knowtheir appreciation for such hard work.

With three years under it’s belt and a new arcade cabinet inthe works, let’s hope Project Diva continues for three moreyears and beyond.

Source: Famitsu

LiSA to have her firstBudoukan live this spring,releases details of new single“traumerei”Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/lisa-budoukan-live-spring-releases-

details-single-traumerei/

By Az on June 24th, 2013

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It has been revealed that LiSA will be having her firstBudoukan live, “LiVE is Smile Always ~Kyou mo Ii Hida~” (today’s a fine day too). The live is set for January 3,2014.

This was announced yesterday, during LiSA’s openingstage (in CLUB CITTA, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa) for hercurrently ongoing tour, “LiVE is Smile Always ~best day,best way~”. She announced this after singing during herencore, with a piano tune in the background. “If it’s withall of you guys, I’m sure we can make a much morebeautiful scenery,” says LiSA as she goes on to her Budoukanannouncement. As if to answer to the loud cheers and thecrowd’s “congratulations” chant, LiSA sings one more song,and closes her stage. “On January 3, 2014, let’s have themost fun in the world,” LiSA exclaims; her final words forthe evening.

LiSA’s fan club got a head start on the tickets as applicationsfor the ticket lottery has just started yesterday, June 23.General ticket selling will start on August 31.

LiSA will also be releasing her fourth single, “traumerei”, onAugust 7. “traumerei” will be the opening theme for “Gen’eiwo Kakeru Taiyou” which will start airing on July 6. Thesingle will also be featuring the coupling tracks “I doubt it”and “SPiCE” – songs written by LiSA herself.

LiSA 4th Single “traumerei”=======================

First Press Edition, Regular Edition1. träumerei

2. I doubt it

3. SPiCE

4. träumerei (instrumental)

Limited Edition1. träumerei

2. I doubt it

3. Yuuyake Nostalgia

4. träumerei -TV ver.-

*Limited posters will also be given to those who boughtfrom select music stores. There are different designs for eachretailer.

source: natalie, Sony Music Japan

Terumae Romae spin-offannounced, to be publishedthis SeptemberSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/terumae-romae-spin-off-announced-

published-september/

By SkerryK on June 24th, 2013

This year, a spin-off of Mari Yamazaki’s popular mangaTerumae Romae, which finished up this March, will beginserialization. The spinoff will premiere on September 12, inthe 10th issue of Gekkan Comic Beam.

Gekkan Comic Beam began publishing Mari Yamazaki‘sseries in 2008. At first, the serialization was irregular, butby April 2012 Terumae Romae was a permanent fixture ofthe magazine.

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Terumae Romae recounts the tale of a Roman architectcalled Lucius, who navigates timeslips to travel from ancientRome to modern-day Japanese bathhouses and bathrooms.Sales for the final volume topped 9 million.

Surprising? Not really. Terumae Romae won the MangaTaisho 2012 award and the 14th Tezuka Osamu CulturalPrize Short [Work] Award. In January of 2012 it got its owntelevised anime series, and in April 2012 actor Hiroshi Abestarred a live-action film interpretation. There are plans torelease a sequel— called Terumae Romae 2 —in 2014.

Hiroshi Abe as Lucius.

In the spinoff, fans will see more of Hanako (the horse withan odd affection for Lucius), as well as Tetsuzo, the heroineSetsuki’s grandfather. Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius,who saved Setsuki, will also make an appearance. The firstseries may have ended, but it looks like fans still have haveplenty to be excited about.

Hanako the horse.

mantan-web.jp

Gintama promotion fairbegins – at all Animate storesSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/gintama-promotion-fair-begins/

By SkerryK on June 24th, 2013

From June 22 to July 28, a special product release fair willbe taking place at Animate stores all over Japan to celebratethe completion of Hideaki Sorachi’s anime series Gintama.During this event, people who drop at least 1,000 yen onGintama publications or character promotional items willreceive a free sheet of stickers.

Bamboo fans decorated with Gintama characters.

The character designs for these stickers will include“Gintoki,” “Shinpachi & Kagura,” “Hijikata,” “Okita,”“Kondo and Yamazaki,” and “Katsura & Elizabeth.” That’sa total of 6 varieties, with plenty of character quotes— it’sdefinitely worth seeing how many of them come from themovie.

It doesn’t end there. Folks who present an Animate cardor a ticket stub from the promotion fair when they’re outshopping may also receive free stickers. Some stores haveeven prepared limited edition stickers!

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Metal plates with characters and wise sayings on them.

A Shibuya shop is offering stickers that showcase Gintokiand Hijikata in casual clothes. If you’re looking to get yourhands on some “3-Nen Z-Gumi” stickers, shops in Sapporo,Asahikawa, and Hakodate, as well as the Ion Kushiro shopand the New Millennium Airport shop, are all offering them.

Gintama wooden sword.

At Sapporo and Ikebukuro stores (until July 28 and July 21,respectively), Only Shop will also be holding an exhibition.In addition to limited edition goods, you can check out paneldisplays and get a hold of free Shiroyasha stickers.

Source: natalie.mu

Neptunia knife incidentaftermath: Voice Actress RieTanaka’s agency talks abouther conditionSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/neptunia-knife-incident-aftermath-

voice-actress-rie-tanakas-agency-talks-condition/

By spartanchef on June 24th, 2013

After a man wielding a knife disrupted the HyperdimensionNeptunia event in Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro last June 22,voice actress Rie Tanaka’s management agency explainedthrough her blog that she suffered a few minor injuries whichincludes a bruised knee.

Though her injuries aren’t really severe, her staff explainedthat she has now suffered an emotional setback but isokay overall. They also apologized to her fans, the peoplewho attended the event and her co-stars for giving themsomething to worry about and thanked everyone who hasshown their support for Rie Tanaka as she went through thatharrowing experience.

Tanaka voices the main character, Neptune inthe Hyperdimension Neptunia anime which will premierethis July. This anime season, she is currently reprising herrole as the lovable maid Maria from Hayate no GotokuCuties and she will also reprise her role as the antagonisticSuigintou in the Rozen Maiden reboot this July. Also, sheisn’t only a voice actress but is also a well known cosplayer.Here’s her cosplaying two of the characters she voices,Suigintou and Maria.

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The event was supposed to be an advance screening forthe upcoming Neptunia anime, however, halfway throughthe event, a man with a knife interrupted it and forcedthe event’s cancellation. Among the artists affected by thisincident are Asami Imai who voices Noire in the anime, RinaSatou who voices Vert, and artistes Nao and Afilia Saga.

The idol group Afilia Saga, who sings the ending song forthe anime, also spoke out regarding the incident. Theirofficial twitter account explained that Saturday’s fiasco hasdisappointed all of its members even if none of them wereinjured. The group promised to keep at their work howeverand thanked the fans who showed their support.

Source: Rie Tanaka official Blog

Shounen Jump fighting game‘J Stars Victory VS’ to havetag battle modeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/shounen-jump-fighting-game-j-

stars-victory-vs-tag-battle-mode/

By spartanchef on June 24th, 2013

Shounen Jump!‘s 45th anniversary fighting game J-starsVictory VS will have you pit Weekly Shounen Jump!‘sgreatest heroes against one another. Think of it as ‘Injustice:Gods Among Us‘ with Jump! characters. With Naruto,Goku, Toriko, Luffy and the recently announced Ichigo andKenshin in the line-up, the game looks very promising.

Now, thanks to some recent scans from V Jump magazine,some game play aspects from the new game which includes a2-vs-2 tag battle mode are now revealed. The scan also showssome of the fighting game’s tag mechanics.

1) The 2-vs-2 tag battle is pretty much your basic tag battlewhere you control one team and your opponent controlsanother. Each team also has a support character providingassistance to your main team.

2) When one of the two characters is defeated, the playercontrolling them is going to be at a major disadvantage as itwill become a 2-on-1 battle.

3) Your team decides the tactics and you can launchcombination attacks as well as super attacks by your twocharacters plus the support like the one shown in thescan; A reversed-edge katana attack by Kenshin followedby Goku’s Kamehameha and then is topped off by Naruto’sRasenshuriken.

4) A player achieves victory if his energy bar is filled. Theenergy bar has three segments and each time you defeat your

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opponent, a segment lights up. You achieve victory once youdefeat your opponent thrice and fill your energy bar.

J Stars Victory VS will be released for the PlayStation 3and PS Vita platforms, however, no release date has beenrevealed as of the moment.

Source: Saiyan Island

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Chara-Ani’s sexy Mikoto andKuroyukihime, Good SmileCompany’s Tharja and figmaHiro up for pre-ordersSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/figure-pre-orders-chara-anis-

mikoto-kuroyukihime-good-smile-companys-tharja-figma-hiro/

By spartanchef on June 25th, 2013

Figure makers Chara-Ani and Good Smile Company aregearing up their latest figure offerings and so far, they arelooking good.

With ‘To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S’ going into its secondphase this summer, Chara-Ani is giving us this awesomeshocker… Biri-biri with no pants on! ‘Misaka MikotoPeek Sister Ver. ‘ is produced by Chara-Ani and standsapproximately 140 mm. This figure made of PVC and ABSwill be released September 2013.

Be careful though, it is wise not to cross a Level 5 esper,especially if she can fire projectiles at you at three times thespeed of sound.

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Source: Hobby Search

From one of the seven Level 5 espers to one of the sevenkings of the Accel World, Chara-Ani presents you this‘Kuroyukihime Floating Black Swallowtail’ figure. This 1/10scale figure made of PVC and ABC stands about 140 mm andwill be also be released September 2013.

But don’t let this pretty little black butterfly fool you though,she can give you a Death by piercing.

Source: Hobby Search

The people over at Good Smile Company are also giving usa nice treat with this new figure from the Nintendo 3DSgame, ’Fire Emblem: Awakening‘. This 1/7 scale figure of thedark mage named Tharja stands approximately 205 mm. 1/7Tharja is sculpted by Shining Wizard @ Sawachika and willbe released December 2013.

Well, pardon my French but… Dat Ass!

June 25th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Source: Hobby Search

Max Factory is also releasing its latest figma fromthe Hidamari Sketch series, and this time, it’s the cuteand gentle girl who takes care of everyone from theHidamari appartments, Hiro. This figure also containshead parts for Nazuna, one of the first year girls living inthe Hidamari apartments. You can switch out her head partsso you can have either Hiro or Nazuna on display.

This articulated figure comes with two expressions; upsetand smiling and it also comes with the signature figmaarticulated stand. This figma is sculpted by Masaki Asai andstands about 125 mm. Hiro will be released in November.

June 25th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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Source: Hobby Search

‘Genshiken Nidaime’ getsnew trailer and music videoby Sumire UesakaSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/watch-sumire-uesaka-sing-opening-

theme-genshiken-nidaime/

By SunSoftware on June 25th, 2013

Are you excited for the next season of Genshiken? If so, youshould see this new trailer, plus a video of the voice actressSumire Uesaka singing the peppy opening theme.

The story of Genshiken Nidaime is centeredaround “The Society for the Study of Modern VisualCulture” (“Genshiken” for short), which is essentially agroup of college otaku. The anime continues from the secondseason of Genshiken from 2007 by introducing a few newmembers, whom you can see in the trailer below.

Along with the trailer, King Records has revealed a shortmusic video for the opening theme, Genshi, Joshi wa,Taiyou Datta, performed by Sumire Uesaka, who also voicesRika Yoshitake.

Anime fans should recognize Sumire Uesaka as thevoice behind Sora from PapaKiki and Dekomori fomChuuKoi. Recently, she began her singing career with theopening single of Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san.

In this preview of Uesaka’s music video, you get to see hersinging and dancing accompanied by Kabuki Rocks, a rockband that formed in the late 1980′s. As their name implies,they’re dressed like kabuki actors, one of whom beats awooden drum at strange intervals.

Genshiken Nidaime will start airing on July 6, while thesingle will be released on July 10 and also come in a limitededition that includes a DVD with the full music video and apostcard drawn by Uesaka herself. Uesaka will also performat this year’s Animelo Summer Live, so her singing career issure to grow from here.

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Source: King Records YouTube Channel, GenshikenNidaime HP

Final AKB theater stagesfor Shinoda, Akimoto, andItano announced; Miyazawaformally cancels AKBconcurrent postSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/final-akb-theater-stages-shinoda-

akimoto-itano-announced-miyazawa-formally-cancels-akb-post/

By Az on June 25th, 2013

Final theater performances for Mariko Shinoda, SayakaAkimoto, and Tomomi Itano has just been announced inAKB48′s official website. This was announced yesterday,June 24.

As previously reported, the three will be having theirgraduation ceremonies in AKB48′s summer dome tour. Itwill be July 21 for Shinoda, August 22 for Akimoto, andAugust 25 for Itano. Not to be confused with the ceremony,the final theater performance is THE final one for all thingsas an AKB48 member – meaning as soon as they step out oftheir theater in Akihabara, they would no longer members.Shinoda’s final theater performance will be on July 22,Akimoto’s on August 28, and Itano’s on August 27. Sincethese three are among the most loved members, these finalperformances might be streamed live like Atsuko Maeda’s,so stay tuned.

In related news, AKB48 Team K/SNH48 Sae Miyazawaofficially cancels her concurrent post, putting her backinto just SNH48′s (Shanghai 48) Sae Miyazawa. This wasannounced in AKB48′s official website and also announcedby Miyazawa herself on twitter.

“Today, I cancel my assignment with AKB48, and return tobeing SNH48′s Miyazawa Sae. Though I may be like this,please continue to support me,” Miyazawa tweets.

She announced her intentions during the Senbatsu electionson June 8. “I was reassigned back to Team K as a concurrentmember, but I would like to continue to focus on SNH48only,” announced Miyazawa in her awarding speech. Thoughshe cannot stand on their stage in Shanghai yet due to visaissues, there are so many things left undone for Miyazawathere, as SNH48 is still very much raw compared to the other48-groups.

It’s going to be tough for these four, so let’s all wish them thebest of luck in their endeavors!

source: Oricon (1)(2), AKB48 Official Website, MiyazawaSae’s Official Twitter

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Rino Sashihara revealsdetails for AKB48′s 32ndsingle, Janken TournamentdetailsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/rino-sashihara-reveals-details-

akb48s-32nd-single/

By Az on June 25th, 2013

AKB48′s Senbatsu queen Rino Sashihara has justannounced the title of their 32nd single, where she’ll serve ascenter. The title of the single is “Koi Suru Fortune Cookie”.The announcement was made during “AKB Eizou Center”, ashow hosted by Lily Franky and Sashihara herself. The singleis to be released on August 21.

Sashihara revealed that shortly after the elections, AKB48-producer Yasushi Akimoto mailed her that the new AKB48song will be an “amazing lead song”, meaning that Sashiharagets all the lead notes, quite a shock for the girl as singingisn’t exactly her strongest point. “Since it’s come this far, Ihoped that it would at least be a cute song,” says Sashihara.“But I was deceived. They thought it’ll be funny if I believedthem. All was part of Akimoto and the staff’s evil plot.”

The song isn’t actually that kind of song where Sasshi willlead, but one where they all sing and dance together, 80sdisco style – catchy and easy to do. Here’s a footage from themaking of the video.

This was shot three days ago, June 22 in Fukuoka, adjacentthe Fukuoka Yahoo! Auctions Dome (where Mariko Shinodawill be having her graduation ceremony) and near theHKT48 theater. This is the AKB48 video with the mostpeople participating in it, having approximately 3800 extras.The dance is choreographed by Papaya Suzuki, an artist andchoreographer famous for his afro and dancing.

Also announced a couple of days ago are details on theJanken Taikai, AKB48′s annual senbatsu selection via rock-paper-scissors. This tournament has produced the center forthe singles “Chance no Junban” (Mayumi Uchida), “Ue karaMariko” (Mariko Shinoda) and “Eien Pressure” (HarukaShimazaki). The 34th single Janken Taikai will be held onSeptember 18, in Nippon Budoukan, Tokyo. Since all theprevious tournaments were streamed live on google+ andYouTube, there’s a big chance that this one will be too, so besure to check AKB48′s official YouTube during this time.

source: natalie, Oricon, AKB48 Official YouTube

Buy a copy of ‘InuHasa’, get apiece of tuna for freeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/buy-copy-inuhasa-piece-tuna-free/

By SunSoftware on June 25th, 2013

June 25th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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There’s a very good reason why an upcoming mystery animeabout a dog is collaborating with a sushi restaurant.

As part of a collaboration between Inu to Hasami waTsukaiyou and the chain restaurant Sushi Zanmai, peoplewho buy a copy of the InuHasa light novels or manga atcertain stores will receive a coupon good for one free pieceof lean northern bluefin tuna sushi (honmaguro akami) atSushi Zanmai’s Akihabara store.

In addition, there will be a kuji lottery in the store where youhave a chance to win a figure of the heroine, Kirihime, orproducts signed by the author Shunsuke Sarai or Madoka’svoice actress, Kana Asumi. The campaign will run from June29 to July 7.

If you’re wondering what InuHasa has to do with tuna,the character Madoka has a kitchen knife named “MaguroEater” (“Tuna Eater”). You can see Madoka promoting thecampaign with the Maguro Eater(?!) in the commercialbelow.

Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou is centered around Madoka’sbrother, Kazuhito, a bookworm who is shot by a robber

and reborn as a dachshund owned by the sadistic author,Kirihime Natsuno. The anime starts airing on July 1, but youcan see a trailer right now in our previous article.

If you live near Akihabara and want to know where youcan get your coupons, you can check Sushi Zanmai’s officialwebsite.

Source: Crunchyroll

‘Ore no Nōnai Sentakushiga, Gakuen Love Come oZenryoku de Jama Shiteiru’anime adaptation joins thefall anime line-upSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/ore-nonai-sentakushi-ga-gakuen-

love-zenryoku-de-jama-shiteiru-anime-adaptation-join-fall-anime-line-

up/

By spartanchef on June 25th, 2013

With the summer anime season less than a week away,the Fall anime season which comes right after it is slowlyshaping up. With titles like ’Walkure Romanze‘ and thesecond season of IS: Infinite Stratos already part of the fallline-up, the season is slowly starting to come together. Now,another anime is announced to join the fray; ’Ore no NōnaiSentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Come o Zenryoku de JamaShiteiru‘.

‘Ore no Nōnai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Come oZenryoku de Jama Shiteiru‘ literally means ‘My MentalMultiple-Choice Power Is Completely Ruining My SchoolRomantic Comedy’ and it is based on the light novel writtenby Takeru Kasukabe. The light novels are illustrated byYukiwo and published by Kadokawa Shoten. It is alsoadapted into a manga written by Ituki Sayaka. According tothe official website, the anime’s production is currently inprogress.

‘Ore no Nōnai’ follows Kanade Amakusa who has the powerof ”absolute multiple-choice” where a multiple choice quiz

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appears in his mind and whatever he answers becomesreality. One day, he is given a choice whether 1) A beautifulgirl will fall before him or 2) he will fall from the rooftopwearing female clothing. Guess what he chose becausesuddenly, a wild blonde cutie appears, and her name isChocolat.

Yukihira Furano

Chocolat

Source: ieee80211

Kirino becomes manager-for-a-day for an Animate in ChibaSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/kirino-manager-for-a-day-animate-

chiba/

By spartanchef on June 25th, 2013

My little sister can’t become a an Animate branch managerin Chiba. Yes, an Animate branch in Chiba actually hiredKousaka’s little sister to be their manager for a day, andknowing Kirino, she must be in Otaku heaven with that gig…b-b-but it’s not like she’s happy to be a manager or anything.

Both Kirino and Kuroneko are announced to manageAnimate branches, with Kirino taking the very firstassignment in Chiba. This is part of Animate’s promotion forthe Oreimo PlayStation 3 visual novel titled ‘Ore no Imoutoga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga nai HAPPY END‘ as well asthe Volume 1 Blu-Ray/ DVDs for Oreimo‘s second season.

Kirino wore the staff uniform you can see on any Animateemployee, she even had her own personal I.D.!

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Fans lined up to meet her as she held a handshake sessionas well as a photograph session. She did a lot of poses forthe fans, and remember, she is a professional model. Peoplefilled up the Animate branch and surrounded Kirino all theway up to the staff room.

”Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga nai HAPPYEND‘ will be released September 26 in Japan. The Lightnovels which the anime and the games are based on justended earlier this month with its last volume selling outin a day. The light novels are written by Tsukasa Fushimiand illustrated by Hiro Kanzaki and published by DengekiBunko.

Source: Animate

Jin Akanishi makes acomeback with a new singleand movie roleSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/jin-akanishi-making-comeback-

single-movie-role/

By KaleNagasaki on June 25th, 2013

It’s been about a year since we’ve heard anything aboutthe popular singer and voice actor Jin Akanishi. Of course,this could have something to do with his recent marriageto Meisa Kuroki and the even more recent birth of theirbaby, Theia. This, coupled with the fact that right before themarriage, Jin experienced some difficulties with his agencyJohnny’s Entertainment perfectly explains why Jin mightwant to take a break.

But when is he coming back? The answer is NOW! Well, notreally, but very soon! Nikkan Sports revealed that Jin willhave a new single August 7, titled “HEY WHAT’S UP?” Itseems the star is well aware of his absence from the musicscene, and is bringing a bit of humor into the situation.Nothing else is known about the song quite yet, but keep alook out!

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Being the multi-talented man that he is, Jin also plans tomake an impact on the big screen. Jin Akanishi will starin the upcoming movie 47 Ronin. The story is probablyfamiliar to you already, but just in case you haven’t heardabout it, the movie takes its story from the popular puppetplay Chushingura. In Japanese, ronin means master-lesssamurai, and the tale of the forty-seven ronin follows thesemen who plot to avenge their master’s death.

Keanu Reeves plays the lead as Kai, a pariah who joinsthe group of ronin. His character is made up for thefilm. Hiroyuki Sanada plays the head samurai, KuranosukeOishi, and Jin Akanishi plays his son, Chikara Oishi. Othercast members include Kou Shibasaki as Kai’s love interst,and Tadanobu Asou as Lord Kira (the man responsible forkilling the ronins’ master). I actually read Chushingura inmy modern Japan class this past year, and I have to say Iam excited for this one! Hopefully it won’t turn into a fail,like that terrible movie with Tom Cruise. With Jin Akanishistarring in it though, I can’t say that I am worried. Just lookat him!

After a few delays, 47 Ronin is scheduled to come outChristmas Day. A perfect gift for us, don’t you think?

Source: Jpopasia

Next Kara no Kyoukai movie‘Mirai Fukuin’ slated forrelease this SeptemberSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/kara-kyoukai-movie-slated-release-

september/

By hikarucon on June 25th, 2013

There’s still life within Type-Moon’s Kara no Kyoukai(Garden of Sinners) yet. Kara no Kyoukai is slated tohave another movie, Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin, inSeptember of this year.

Kara no Kyoukai was originally an online released dojinwritten by Kinoko Nasu and illustrated by Takashi Takeuchi.The five chapter series was well received and brought Nasuand Takeuchi to form what we know as the present Type-Moon.

Kara no Kyoukai can be said to be the prototype of Tsukihimenot just because of the timeline but because of the settingand characters. Similar to Tsukihime, Kara no Kyoukai takesplace in a world where dead apostles, vampires, magicians,and other fantastical existences reside.

Furthermore, the main character is named Shiki, wields aknife, and has Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. The eyesare a token concept of Type-Moon. Whoever has these eyescan see the death lines of any object or person as well as theorigin.

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If they cut along the lines, they will slice through the targetas easily as butter making damaging them very easy. Ifthe pierce the target’s origin points, they will destroy theexistence of the target not only effectively killing thembut completely destroying any reincarnation resulting in itsabsolute destruction.

Shiki in the universe of Kara no Kyoukai is portrayed as aunsociable girl who denies any human contact. On the flipside she is related to a slew of mysterious deaths that haveoccurred around the town.

It has been said that the male protagonist, Kokutou Mikiya ofKara no Kyoukai is the prototype for the male protagonist ofTsukihime, Shiki Tohno. Also, as the “origin” story for Nasu’sworks, Kara no Kyoukai introduces many themes and termsthat are frequently used in later works such as Tsukihime,Mahoutsukai no Yoru, and Fate/Stay Night.

Fans of the movie series have been anticipating an actualdate since the second PV revealed a Fall 2013 release. MiraiFukuin will focus heavily on Mana Ryogi, daughter of the twomain leads Shiki and Kokutou.

Up until now there have been seven movie adaptations ofKara no Kyoukai. The upcoming film, Kara no Kyoukai:Mirai Fukuin, will be the eighth one in the series. In just ashort three months, the film will be hitting the big screen inJapan so be excited!

Source: Hachimakoubashi

There will be blood in Killer isDead’s 5th PVSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/blood-killer-deads-5th-pv/

By hikarucon on June 25th, 2013

Here comes another PV for Suda51’s next action game, Killeris Dead. This time, we briefly get taken through the level onthe moon and get some hints on the story as well as somebreaking of the fourth wall.

Besides the pools of blood that are flowing everywhere, wesee several of the revealed weapons and mechanics in useduring the PV. Of course there’s Mondo’s standard attacks-chain attacks with Mondo’s katana by tapping differentbuttons and seeing what works. When you kill enoughenemies, you can activate Mondo’s adrenaline meter whichwill allow Mondo to rush up to an enemy and do a onehit kill. All of these are shown through boss battles, quirkycharacter designs that only Suda51 is capable of.

For those of you who remember No More Heroes, you willremember the Dark Step- a mechanic that if used properlywill allow for some heavy damage in style. That battlemechanic is back in Killer is Dead as quick dodges. Dodge atthe right time and the screen will darken and the enemy willslow down but Mondo will be able to execute his attacks at anincreased speed. The mode is not only stylistic but essentialto making sure that you don’t die.

Also shown in the trailer are Mondo’s various weapons thatcan be changed with his cybernetic arm. Primarily shown inthe trailer are his Bullet Shot and Charge Cannon. The BulletShot is the primary weapon that Mondo will be using and itcan be upgraded to do various things like more damage orfaster shooting.

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The Charge Cannon is a weapon that gets stronger the longeryou charge it for. When you release the charged shot, it’ll dosome heavy damage on the target most likely putting themdown for the count.

Story wise, the trailer shows that David, the man clad ingold who conquered the moon, plans to look for the ultimateweapon in order to conquer the Earth. He also says that he isplanning on killing the lady of the moon who asked Mondo toexecute him. Of course, Mondo won’t let any of these thingshappen on his watch so he begins the attack on David.

The trailer also gives little hints towards what happened toMondo to make him the way he is today, a cybernetic killer.

On a side note, are you impressed by the music? The song inthe background, Oboro Zuki is a song by The Heana Cat whofirst debuted in 2007 with their hit single Black Butterfly.

So far everything looks great for Killer is dead. It releases

August 27th for the PS3 and Xbox 360 so if you’re interested,get to pre-ordering soon!

Source: Famitsu

June 26th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Singer Yuming and StudioGhibli team up to offer 40year memorial discSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/singer-yuming-studio-ghibli-team-

offer-40-year-memorial-disc/

By Zenko on June 26th, 2013

With the upcoming release of Miyazaki’s latest work TheWind Rises, it seems appropriate that Yuming’s first songAirplane Clouds would be re-released with it.

It may be forty years after the fact, but Yuming’s firstsong under her original name of Yumi Matsutoya, AirplaneClouds (Hikouki Gumo), is an appropriate choice to pair upwith The Wind Rises, which focuses heavily on the Miyazakifamily business: aviation. To celebrate this fact, Yuming andStudio Ghibli will be releasing a special memorial album ofher music.

Bundled with eighteen original artworks by Miyazaki, it willtry to recreate the original listening experience. Miyazakichose this album specifically when he heard the titular workon the 2012 release of Yuming’s best works called Japan’sLove and Yuming. Yuming had been heard at Studio Ghiblibefore though, when she provided the insert songs for 1989′sKiki’s Delivery Service. One, Rouge Message, has continuedto be enjoyed by Japanese fans outside of the movie, andeven appeared in commercials last fall. After the BluRayrelease of Kiki’s Delivery Service, Miyazaki approached herabout working together again in the future.

The particular reason that Studio Ghibli picked her out ofother singers is simply because they felt that her “songsare the best ones to represent the feeling of the world theycreated, as well as link together the background imageswith the action. Because of this the viewer can feel as ifthey’ve entered the world, with all the feelings and emotionsattached to the scene.”

On July 31 the CD and DVD version of the album will releasefor 6980 yen. It will feature the original eleven songs fromthe first album release, including two different versions ofAirplane Clouds. For fans that want to experience a moretraditional experience, the LP (vinyl), CD, and DVD set willrelease August 14 for a steeper 10500 yen.

Like many Ghibli products, this one is proving to be ratherpricey, but is the price worth it? Let us know what you thinkin the comments section below.

Source: AnimeAnime

Hyperdimension NeptuniaRe;Birth1 is a completeremake with new everything;comes out October 31Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/neptune-rebirth-october-31-

complete-remake/

June 26th, 2013 Published by: VR-Zone

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By KarbyP on June 26th, 2013

Co-developed by Compile Heart and Felistella (SummonNight series, Agarest Senki Marriage), HyperdimensionNeptunia Re;Birth1 for the PS Vita is a complete from-the-ground-up remake of the first game (PS3), with playmechanics froms Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory, newillustrations, new dialogue, new event scenes – neweverything, essentially – this week’s issue of Famitsumagazine reveals.

Well, okay, obviously not everything is new – the story,characters will remain. They’re not throwing that away.

But a lot of the game’s elements will be done from scratch.Character models, for instance, will be re-created to matchthe quality of those in Neptunia Victory – that alone is a hugeboost to Re;Birth1′s visuals.

The “standing illustrations” for IF and Compa will alsobe completely re-drawn (but not the one for Neptune,apparently). Not having played the first game, I’m not surewhat quite the developers are referring to – let me know ifyou do.

Dialogue scenes will now be rendered with the ActiveAnimation System, popularised by Agarest Senki Zero. Thisanimation technique, which gives 2D illustrated portraitsbreathing and blinking animations, was used in NeptuniaVictory but not the first two games.

The game’s story plot is also being revised byHyperdimension Neptunia series director Shingo Onodera.

New dialogue scenes will also be added, including one whereNoire, Vert, and Blanc (basically all the goddesses except forNeptune) are wearing glasses.

“We added this scene because I really wanted to see Vertappear with glasses on, no matter what,” Onodera said.

And those are just a few examples from a list of 50 changesCompile Heart have made in Re;Birth1.

Other than gameplay and scenario changes and additions,Famitsu also revealed that the PS Vita JRPG is now set foran October 31, 2013 release date.

The regular edition of the game is priced at 6,090 yen inJapan, while the limited edition – which includes a strap anddrama CD – will sell for 8,190 yen. A digital copy will also belaunched on PSN day-one for 5,300 yen.

Source: Famitsu

1st details on ‘ChronosMateria’ — Atelier Escha &Logy developer Gust’s nextJRPGSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/1st-details-chronos-materia-atelier-

escha/

By KarbyP on June 26th, 2013

Chronos Materia. That’s the name of a brand new PS VitaJRPG that Atelier series developer Gust is working on next,the games maker announced this week through the pages ofDengeki PlayStation magazine.

The game is said to be a leisurely, light-hearted JRPG thatattempts to approach replayability – a hardcore element ofthe RPG genre – with the sort of gentle pick-up-and-playnature of a social game. Gust believes that JRPG fans willfind this approach to be quite refreshing.

Like with Gust’s other games, Chronos Materia features cutecharacters rendered in a style that fans have come to knowand love. Vocaloid illustrator Non (who also goes by the

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psuedonym Nozomi Ousaka, and involved in the animationwork for Love, Chuunibyou & Other Delusions) did thecharacter designs for this title.

Plot-wise, Chronos Materia tells the story of a group of girlswho wind up finding themselves lost or trapped in a nature-filled world where mankind and civilisation does not exist.

Two of Chronos Materia’s gameplay systems – synthesis andtime-rewinding – were detailed in the Dengeki PlayStationscoop.

The synthesis mechanic looks to be fairly similar to that inthe Atelier games.

As for time-rewinding, this doesn’t appear to be a story plotpoint. Rather, it seems to purely be a play mechanic: thegame will let you go back and revisit an earlier point in yourplaythrough, while allowing you to retain all the experiencepoints and items you’ve accrued so far.

At various points throughout the game, there will bebranching paths, and the time-rewinding element will letyou go back to pick another option. For instance, maybe thechoices you made through the game eventually led to a fireaccident that razed a gigantic tree to the ground.

By turning back the hands of time, you could return to thatpoint in the game, change fate – without losing all of yourexperience points and items – and save the tree, which leadsto a whole different chain of events.

This system will also allow you to challenge and defeatpreviously unbeatable bosses, or restart the game from anearly point with strong items.

Four leading characters from Chronos Materia wereunveiled. Here are their names and respective voice actors:

Iris (left page): Yuuka Aisaka (relative newcomer, check outher voice samples here… she even does Engrish English!)Primula (girl on right page): Yoshiko Ikuta (YukinaKashiwagi in Penguindrum, a nurse in Persona 4 theAnimation)Time/Taimu (top on right page): Yuka Watanabe (anotherrelative newcomer)Sion/Cion (bottom on right page): Toshinari Fukamachi(Franken in Hidamari Sketch × Honeycomb; he’s also donea few games)

Source: Dengeki PlayStation, pic

“Yume janai kono Sekai” –WEAVER collaboration PVwith its fans now revealedSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/yume-janai-kono-sekai-weaver-

collaboration-pv-fans-revealed/

By Az on June 26th, 2013

The PV for WEAVER’s new single “Yume janai kono Sekai” ishas now been released for public viewing. This was releasedin tandem with the single release today, on June 26. The PValso has its own special site so be sure to check that out.

The “Yume janai kono Sekai” PV uses fan-submitted picturesor videos whenever the related keyword or lyrics come up.These fan-submissions are projected onto the backgroundin a flashy fashion, alternating between these and CGprojections. In the PV’s special site, you can click on thescreen and inspect these videos one by one; a special CGversion of the video can also be viewed here. The full videois also up in YouTube in beautiful HD. Here it is:

WEAVER will also be having a live in NHK Hall, Tokyo onJune 29 called “WEAVER Special Live 2013 ~Kawabe Taoru,Shihanseiki Tanjou Matsuri~ (Kawabe Taoru, Quarter-century Festival). As the title says, this is a special birthdaylive for their drummer, Kawabe Taoru, who is turning 25on June 28. They also have a track in this single called “1/4Seiki”, meaning quarter-century.

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For those not familiar with WEAVER, they were partof international event Music Matters, which was held inSingapore just this May. They appeared with flumpool andSID on their stage in Beer Market, Clarke Quay. They alsohad a live in SCAPE March 13 last year.

WEAVER “Yume janai konoSekai”============================

First Press Edition

1. Yume janai kono Sekai2. Summer Tune

3. 1/4 Seiki

4. “WEAVER TV” CD Special Edition

Regular Edition

1. Yume janai kono Sekai2. Summer Tune

3. 1/4 Seiki

source: natalie

‘Yotsuba&!’ to celebrate 10thanniversary with ShibuyaexhibitSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/yotsuba-celebrate-10th-anniversary-

shibuya-exhibit/

By spartanchef on June 26th, 2013

When Azumanga Daioh ended 11 years ago in 2002, peoplewaited for another manga masterpiece from author KiyohikoAzuma, and almost a year later in 2003, he did notdisappoint. 2003 marked the debut of ’Yotsuba &!‘ whichintroduces us to a very peculiar 5-year old girl namedYotsuba Koiwai and of course, Danbo, which is now not onlyan icon for anime and manga but also an internet meme.Heck, Danbo is even more known than the series itself!

In commemoration of the manga’s 10th anniversary, anexhibit named ‘Yotsuba and Danboard: the exhibition’ willbe held. The exhibit will take place in the Parco Museumin Shibuya and the exhibit will be displayed from August 31until September 16.

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The exhibition will feature original figures and other‘Yotsuba &!‘ goods as well as artworks, sketches andproduction materials by Azuma. There is also a videoscreening planned in Shinekuinto.

‘Yotsuba &!‘ is a 4-panel manga written by Kiyohiko Azumaand serialized in Dengeki Daioh magazine. It made its debutin January 2003. It won several manga awards includingthe ‘Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division ExcellenceAward‘ in 2006. It has currently 12 volumes released andsold more than ten million copies.

Source: Yotsuba 10th anniversary website and Mantan

Slice-of-life anime ‘NonNon Biyori’ gets first castmembersSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/slice-of-life-anime-non-biyori-cast-

members/

By SunSoftware on June 26th, 2013

Dengeki Maou has revealed the first cast members of NonNon Biyori, a gentle comedy about four girls in a countrytown that’s so small, the school has only five students.

The anime Non Non Biyori is based on the manga of thesame name by Atto. The story is set in a town that is so farin the countryside, it takes 20 minutes to reach the nearestbookstore by bicycle, a bus comes once every five hours, andthere is only one school, which has five students. In thisremote outpost, four girls casually spend their quiet daystogether.

The anime is being directed by Shinya Kawamo, who alsoworked on Kokoro Connect and .hack//Gift.

Rie Murakawa (Aoi from Vividred Operation, Arisa Matsudafrom The Idolm@ster Million Live!) will voice HotaruIchijou, a fifth-grader who transferred to Asahigaoka BranchSchool from Tokyo. She is calm and mature for her age,but she also has a childish side and cries easily in certainsituations.

Kotori Koiwai (Iwai from Dansai Bunri Crime Edge, Kigufrom Joshiraku) will voice Renge Miyauchi, a six-year-old first-grader. She has an odd personality that no oneunderstands and she often says “non” at the end of asentence. She has a pet tanuki named “Gu” (“Ingredient”).

Ayane Sakura (Akane from Vividred Operation, Miyabi fromNakaImo) will voice Natsumi Koshigaya, a cheerful seventh-grader who likes to tease people. She is bad at studying, butshe knows a lot of random facts.

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Kana Asumi (Nyaruko from Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, Yunofrom Hidamari Sketch) will voice Komari Koshigaya, aneighth-grader and Natsumi’s older sister. She is short for herage and tries to act like an adult, but she gets scared easily.

Media Factory first announced the anime a few monthsearlier with this peaceful trailer:

Non Non Biyori will air this fall, while the manga has beenserialized since 2009 and is available in five volumes. Ifyou’re interested in peaceful slice-of-life comedies, you canstart reading the series today.

Source: Yaraon

Gumi gets a birthday presentfrom SEGASource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/gumi-birthday-present-sega/

By Zenko on June 26th, 2013

Gumi, who recently received her own rhythm game Megpoidthe Music, is celebrating her birthday today, and Sega hasgood news for her fans.

Project Diva Mirai 2 is set to come out later this year, andSega has announced in honor of Gumi’s birthday that shewill be receiving her own model in the game. Although sheappeared in Project Diva Mirai Future Stars, she did not haveher own model and could only be seen in the PV’s for HappySynthesizer and Matryoshka. This was largely because she isnot a Crypton VOCALOID and the company had to obtainthe rights for her use. Things seem to have been ironed outfor a full out guest appearance this time around, though.

To show off her model, Sega gave a preview of in-game videofor Yi Er Fanclub (1, 2, Fanclub) by MikitoP. The song gainedpopularity not only for it’s bilingual phrases, but also withjust how catchy it was. In the preview, Gumi is shown inher standard outfit and donning her panda hood from theoriginal PV.

Because it is a duet, Rin also makes an appearance to showoff her Chinese skills in her PV outfit.

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Given the fact that Gumi was shown off with a standard outfitand a module, Sega has hinted that she will play a biggerrole in the game than before and may very well show up asan alternate for other songs. Even though it has just started,it would seem that Gumi is already having a very happybirthday.

What other songs would you like to see Gumi dance in?

Source: Famitsu

Momoiro Clover Z teams upwith Carly Rae Jepsen atMTV VMAJ 2013Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/momoiro-clover-teams-carly-rae-

jepsen-mtv-vmaj-2013/

By KaleNagasaki on June 26th, 2013

While there were many fantastic performances at this pastweekend’s MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2013 ( BENI,TLC, Imagine Dragons, and Kana Nishino were some of theother performers to give you a taste of the level of talenton that stage), one of the most surprising and interestingwas the East/West team-up between Momoiro Clover Z andCarly Rae Jepsen.

As Carly Rae Jepsen sung her hit song “Call me Maybe”, thebeautiful girls of Momoiro Clover Z hopped on stage anddanced along. While they did not sing with Carly Rae Jepsen,their outfits and energy definitely added some excitementto the song. Here’s the video of the performance, and youcan see that Momoiro Clover Z shows up at around the one-minute mark.

If you’re feeling a bit disappointed that Momoiro CloverZ didn’t sing with Carly Rae Jepsen, just think of it asthem preparing for their awesome performance later of“Saraba, Itoshiki Kanashimitachi yo”. This song receivedtop honors from VMAJ for Best Choreography, and thatdefinitely showed in their dancing. Watch the video here.

Let us know what you think! Which performance was thebest for the night? If you missed VMAJ 2013, here’s a recapof the winners and nominees for a few of the categories. Didyour favorites win?

Best Male Video - EXILE ATSUSHI “MELROSE ~AISANAIYAKUSOKU~” (DIR: TETSUO INOUE)

• BRUNO MARS “Locked Out of Heaven” (Dir:Cameron Duddy)

• GOTYE “Somebody That I Used to Know feat.KIMBRA” (Dir: Natasha Pincus)

• JUSTIN BIEBER “Beauty and a Beat feat. NICKIMINAJ” (Dir: Jon M. Chu)

• Daichi Miura “Two Hearts” (Dir: tatsuaki)

Best Female Video - KANA NISHINO “ALWAYS” (DIR:NOBU SUEYOSHI)

• ALICIA KEYS “Girl on Fire feat. NICKI MINAJ” (Dir:Sophie Muller)

• JUJU “Arigatou” (Dir: Tsugihisa Tanaka)

• RIHANNA “Diamonds” (Dir: Anthony Mandler)

• TAYLOR SWIFT “We are Never Ever Getting BackTogether” (Dir: Declan Whitebloom)

Best Group Video - J SOUL BROTHERS III“HANABI” (DIR: MIKA NINAGAWA)

• FUN. “We are Young feat. JANELLE MONAE” (Dir:Marc Klasfeld)

• MAROON 5 “Payphone feat. WIZ KHALIFA” (Dir:Samuel Bayer)

• ONE DIRECTION “What Makes You Beautiful” (Dir:John Urbano)

• TOHOSHINKI “Catch Me -If you wanna-“ (Dir: JAE-HYUK JANG)

Best New Artist Video - CARLY RAE JEPSEN “Call MeMaybe” (Dir: Ben Knechtel)

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• FUN. “We are Young feat. JANELLE MONAE” (Dir:Marc Klasfeld)

• GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE “BRAVE ITOUT” (Dir: Shigeaki Kubo)

• ONE DIRECTION “What Makes You Beautiful” (Dir:John Urbano)

• SALU “The Girl On A Board feat. H.TEFRON” (Dir:SITE)

Best Video of the Year - EXILE TRIBE “24KARATS TRIBEOF GOLD” (DIR: SHIGEAKI KUBO)

• Namie Amuro “In The Spotlight(TOKYO)(fromALBUM “Uncontrolled”)” (Dir: Shigeaki Kubo)

• BRUNO MARS “Locked Out of Heaven” (Dir: CameronDuddy)

• Mr.Children “Marshmallow day” (Dir: ShinjiKawamura+Kazuaki Seki+Kei Takahashi)

• MUSE “Follow Me (Tekken Version)” (Dir: Tekken)

Best Rock Video - ONE OK ROCK “THEBEGINNING” (DIR: MAXILLA)

• FUN. “We are Young feat. JANELLE MONAE” (Dir:Marc Klasfeld)

• MAN WITH A MISSION “distance” (Dir: TakayukiKojima)

• MUSE “Follow Me (Tekken Version)” (Dir: Tekken)

• Sakanaction “Yoru no Odoriko” (Dir: Yusuke Tanaka)

Best Pop Video - KYARY PAMYU PAMYU “FASHIONMONSTER” (DIR: JUN TAMUKAI)

• GReeeeN “Orange” (Dir: Taro Okagawa)

• JUSTIN BIEBER “Beauty and a Beat feat. NICKIMINAJ” (Dir: Jon M. Chu)

• NEGOTO “nameless” (Dir: Kazuaki Seki)

• TAYLOR SWIFT “We are Never Ever Getting BackTogether” (Dir: Declan Whitebloom)

Best Album of the Year - 2PM “LEGEND OF 2PM”

• CARLY RAE JEPSEN “KISS”

• LINKIN PARK “LIVING THINGS”

• Kana Nishino “Love Place”

• ONE DIRECTION “TAKE ME HOME”

Source: Crunchyroll

New details on Final FantasyXV from director TetsuyaNomuraSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/details-final-fantasy-xv-director-

tetsuya-nomura/

By Zenko on June 25th, 2013

Final Fantasy XV may have shown off quite a bit at E3,but game director Tetsuya Nomura still had some details toshare about the game and characters.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII may be no more, but it’s rebirthas Final Fantasy XV promises the same spirit of E3 demosin the past. With five characters and an emphasis on actionoriented game play, it is promising to breathe new life into aseries that spans the history of consoles.

The latest installment brings the newest main characterinto the light, despite his name: Noctus Lucis Caelum,the Noctus meaning night in Latin. The prince of LucisKingdom, he can be seen warping and switching weaponsin the E3 trailer. Like all Final Fantasy protagonists, thereis something unique about him. In Noctus’s case he is ableto see the light of the heavens, which appears right before aperson dies.

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Gladiolus Amicitia may sound like the name of a loveinterest, but it’s actually the name of the “shield” of the royalfamily. The Amicitia family has done the job for generations,actually, which makes him quite close to Noctus. Withhis large build, though, he dwarfs the crown prince he’sprotecting.

Ignis Scientia has the same job as Gladiolus: looking afterNoctus. He has been friends with the crown prince since ayoung age, and his calm composure can quickly change. Inthe future he hopes to work as an advisor for his friend andhelp other gifted children with their problems.

Someone who has always been a little bit different from hisfriends is Prompto Argentum. Perhaps the biggest differenceis that he’s the bad apple of the bunch, constantly chasingafter women. Despite all that, he cares for his friends morethan anything.

Cor Leonis is the commanding officer of the Imperial Troopsof the Lucis Kingdom. Although stubborn, he has been loyalto the royal family since the time that Noctus’s father ruled.Since Noctus was three he has been teaching him how tofight and was given the title of “Immortal Shogun.” He stillpractices all of the austerities needed of his office, but is nofan of the smoke and mirrors involved in politics.

Outside of characters, Nomura in his interview also gavesome insight into what the future of Final Fantasy willfeature. For one thing, he pointed out that during the dmosshown at E3, Noctus was at a high level. That means whenplayers first pick up the game they should not expect toomuch in terms of warping and weapon changing.

He also addressed why the game is coming to the PS4and XBone rather than Playstation 3 like it was originallyintended. With the strain on the memory of the system,Square Enix as a whole realized two years ago that it wasgoing to have to be moved onto a next gen console. Becauseit runs on a DirectX 11 engine, it allows for greater actionsequences as well, but needs a larger memory within theconsole to handle them.

Another reason for the move is that he wanted to createas seamless an experience as possible and allowing partymembers to participate fully in the action of the game.Despite toying around with the idea of having the player takeon the role of only Noctus with no support, in a sort of FirstPerson Shooter style game, Nomura realized that he wouldbe moving out of the RPG genre and it would no longer be aFinal Fantasy game, and so the unique party members were

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created. It will also see a return of the HP gauge as well as adamage indicator like those seen in past games.

Luminous Studio, something that was also tossed aroundduring E3, is mostly in development alongside the gameengine. It should provide a more distinctive camera, whichwill work well with the ability to choose where to attackenemies and even the ability to ride on them. Unfortunatelywith this update, it means the action will be hard for thosewatching you play to follow, as the game moves incrediblyfast during large battle sequences.

For those hoping for a PC release of the game, Nomura haspointed out that it would require a machine with ratherexpensive specs, but if it’s something fans really want he willlook into it after the game’s release.

Source: Famitsu

Level-5 15th anniversarycharacter poll results inSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/level-5-15th-anniversary-character-

poll-results/

By hittokiri on June 25th, 2013

In commemoration of its 15th anniversary, Level-5 recentlyran a character poll on its website asking visitors to vote fortheir favourite character from a list of 100 characters. Thepolling period ran from May 29 until June 24. A total of464,333 votes were cast.

During the polling period, a list of 100 characters was placedon the Level-5 website informing visitors on which characterthey could vote for in the poll. The list consisted of charactersfrom Level-5 titles such as the Professor Layton series, theInazuma Eleven series, the Little Battler eXperienece seriesas well as many other titles.

The results of the poll announced on June 25 has beenrather amusing. As can be seen from the image above,the aeroplane from Aero Porter came in first with 46,263votes. Second was Ranmaru Kirino from Inazuma Eleven Gowith 38,339 votes while Kinako Nanobana from InazumaEleven Go 2 came in third with 29,325 votes. Eight of thetop ten characters were from an Inazuma Eleven seriestitle. It is worth noting that another character from AeroPorter appeared in the top ten, that character is Mr. Porterwhich came in ninth with 17,889 votes.

Aero Porter is a simulation game directed by Yutaka Saitowhere the player is in charge of baggage managementin an airport. The title was originally released as part ofGuild01, a compilation of video games produced by Level-5for the Nintendo 3DS. It was later released individually onNintendo’s eShop.

Source : Hachimakiko

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SGCafe : Cosplay | Vocaloid | Otaku | Pop CultureA daily publication about Cosplay, Vocaloid, Otakuand Japanese Pop Culture

Hype up this cominganime season with newvideos from Rozen Maiden ,Nekomonogatari Shiro &Walkure RomanzeSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/hype-coming-anime-season-videos-

rozen-maiden-nekomonogatari-shiro-walkure-romanze/

By spartanchef on June 28th, 2013

With the anticipation and the excitement already goinghigh just like the summer temperature, upcoming summer2013 anime ‘Rozen Maiden‘ and ‘Monogatari SeriesSecond Season‘ as well as upcoming fall anime ‘WalkureRomanze’ have released their latest preview videos.

Let’s start off with the 2013 reboot of Rozen Maiden. Itis definitely one of the most highly anticipated anime thissummer as it ranked #3 with Famitsu‘s summer animerankings and got the top spot with Anime One‘s summeranime rankings.

So, are you guys ready for more DESU?!

Another highly anticipated series this summer is theMonogatari Series second season. It placed #8 withFamitsu’s rankings and #6 with Anime One’s summeranticipation rankings. This newest adaptation to NisiOisiN’spopular light novel series has released the second previewfor the anime’s first part; Nekomonogatari Shiro. Click hereto watch it.

Also, here’s the first PV released for Nekomonogatari Shiro.

So, are you excited for for more Tsubasa, Tsukihi, Karen,Hitagi, Mayoi, Shinobu, Suruga and Nadeko? Nyaaaaaaah!

Even with some great summer anime out there, let’s notforget that the Autumn anime season will also have somegreat gems. Walkure Romanze, which is now officially a partof the Fall anime line-up has recently released its very firstPV.

Walkure Romanze is adapted from the adult visual novel(eroge) by Ricotta. The voice cast for the anime has also beenannounced recently.

Sources: Yaraon, Monogatari series official page,and youtube

Namco theme park offers tiein with UtaPriSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/namcos-theme-park-offers-tie-

utapri/

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By Zenko on June 28th, 2013

Namco-owned theme park (or rather, theme town) NamjaTown will be holding a tie-in event with the season finale ofUta no Prince Sama Maji Love 2000% this summer.

With the second season of UtaPri having just finished, thecreators are wasting no time in scheduling tie-in events,with the first slated to start July 17 and run until September16. Like all good events it will offer not only goods, butsomething Namja is somewhat famous for: food.

Overall the event is meant to tie into the season finale, soit’s not just the princes of STARISH being offered up tofans, but HEAVENS as well. One set of goods that maynot see HEAVENS join the line but involves their sempaiis a set of tumbler thermoses. Apart from the seven idolsinvolved in STARISH, a second line features their teachers,and both groups don a set of cat or dog ears, depending onthe character.

A set of games will also let attendees try their luck at winninga variety of goods. A capsule lottery will let fans win anythingfrom a badge of Otoya to a cushion with the cast of UtaPriprinted on it.

A ring toss game called “Catch the Music” will also offer achance to win a character pop stand or themed kinchaku bag.

Another set of goods is being given out with the purchase ofone dessert or food item, which means fans will have to doa lot of eating.

A set of bromide cards featuring each of the princesindividually, a group shot of them and a group shot ofHEAVENS will be given out with each UtaPri related foodpurchase.

Speaking of food, Namja is rolling out an UtaPri menuworthy of the singing princes.

Natsuki’s favorite bird, Piyo-chan, makes an appearance ona set of perfectly round gyoza for 680 yen. Syo will be gaininga dessert that’s as small as he is: called the TRUE WINGPudding it will be offered at 840 yen.

Other characters joining in the gyoza fun are Ichinose’sguitar shaped dumplings (550 yen), Masato with his lovingsakura flavored dumplings (580 yen), Tokiya and hisStarlight Colored dumplings that feature his face on the plate(560 yen), Ren who hopes to set your heart on fire withhis spicy dumplings (550 yen), and Cecil with his EmeraldDumplings (550 yen). Of course, Syo also has to show off hismanly strength with a manly meal in the form of a dumplingbowl for 580 yen.

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Deserts being offered up also include Ichinose’s Onpukumusic note pancakes (650 yen), Masato’s melon bread (550yen), Natsukis “To Sirius” jelly (840 yen), Tokiya’s CRYSTALTIME dessert (680 yen) and Cecil’s Star Fantasia Ice Cream(750 yen).

Of course, the sempai of quartet night will also be involvedwith their Poison Kiss frappe for 750 yen.

With cool food and a hot summer, Namja is promising tooffer fans of UtaPri something to make the summer break anenjoyable one.

Which food item grabbed your interest? Who’s your favoriteidol? Weigh in the comments or join in on the discussion viathe forums.

Source: News Dengeki

Hiro Mashima to do a total of150 pages worth of Fairy Tailmanga in two weeksSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/hiro-mashima-total-150-pages-

worth-fairy-tail-manga-weeks/

By spartanchef on June 28th, 2013

Many manga artists or mangakas have admitted that it isalready a challenge to write 20 pages worth of manga in aweek. Well… how about you have two weeks? 40 would bea challenge too right? Now, imagine instead of 40 pages intwo weeks, you do 150?

Fairy Tail’s manga author, Hiro Mashima is attemptingsomething very hard to do; writing up to 150 pages worth ofFairy Tail manga in just two weeks.

First, he will be writing three whole Fairy Tail chapters forissue 32 of Kodansha’s Weekly Shounen Magazine whichwill be released on July 10. He will then be writing anotherthree chapters for issue 33 which will be released a week lateron July 17. So in a span of two weeks, Hiro Mashima will bewriting six whole chapters of Fairy Tail which will total to128 pages.

Mashima has announced via twitter that this will be the veryfirst time Weekly Shounen Magazine has done anything likethis. He also tweeted that he will also be doing even moreFairy Tail for a magazine special which will be released July20. This gives him a total of 150 pages to work on.

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In addition to that, he will also do colour pages for all threechapters on the next Shounen Magazine issue, talk abouthard work ethics. Aye sir!!!!

Free! goods already beingoffered, any female fansbaited yet?Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/free-goods-offered-female-fans-

baited-yet/

By Zenko on June 28th, 2013

The notorious swimming anime is set to hit the airwaves nextWednesday, and already goods are being produced for it.

Although the first two episodes were shown at a special eventrecently, Free! has yet to officially premiere and yet goodsmaker Hobby Stock is already prepared to offer fans whatthey want.

If you aren’t familiar with Free! yet, it’s story is not hard tofollow as it focuses on the daily lives of the Iwatobi SwimClub. The project originally was not designed as a serializedanime and featured only a short promotional video on KyotoAnimation’s YouTube page. It is still unknown if it is amarketing stint for Studio Do yet, since the short clip too offlike wild fire among the female fan community. One thing’sfor sure – its anime will be airing this July.

With a cult fan following waiting to soak up as much Free! aspossible, Hobby Stock has gotten ahead of any competition

by releasing character goods before the show has even aired.One of those goods hints at a rival school in Samezuka Highwhere the red haired Ren Matsuoka attends, with pins andstraps of the logo being offered. Iwatobi also has it’s own setof straps to match, so fans already have a difficult decisionsto make.

If taking sides on a school rivalry that you know nothingabout is too difficult, don’t worry because they also havestraps readily available of the main swimmers. As anincentive to order early and from them, Hobby Stock isoffering a paper coaster with a random swimmer on it whenyou order on their website. What they will look like is amystery, as they are currently in “now printing” status.

If Free! doesn’t have you excited for the summer season,what does? Join the discussion in our forums here, or let usknow in the comments below.

Source: AnimeAnime

Asami Imai plays ‘TheWitch and the HundredKnights’ [video]Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/asami-imai-plays-the-witch-knights-

video/

By SunSoftware on June 28th, 2013

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In the latest episode of Asami Imai’s Sing Song Gamer, thesinger/voice actress tries her hand at Nippon Ichi Software’sbiggest action-RPG yet. Watch her now to get a preview ofthe game (and see if Imai is actually good at it).

Anime and video game fans should recognize Asami Imai asthe voice of Chihaya from The Idolm@ster and Noire fromthe Hyperdimension Neptunia series. As part of her radioshow, Sing Song Gamer, Imai plays a game and gives herimpressions every week.

In her latest feature, Imai takes on The Witch and theHundred Knights (Majo to Hyakkihei), an upcoming PS3game from Nippon Ichi Software. The company is famousfor making strategy-RPGs, especially the Disgaea series, butThe Witch and the Hundred Knights, a top-down action-RPG with massive environments and 3D character models,is remarkably different from anything they made before.

In this 9-minute video, Imai takes control of The HundredKnights, a legendary undead warrior and the servant of theMarsh Witch Metallica. How will she fare?

First, Imai learns how to equip five different weapons andunleash them in a single combo. Each weapon gets a powerboost depending on the order they’re placed in. Later on, shediscovers the “Mystical Dodge” skill, which lets The HundredKnights slow down time to dodge attacks. Also, as NIS fansshould notice, the music is composed by Tenpei Sato, whocreated music for the entire Disgaea series.

Imai will give her impressions on The Witch and theHundred Knights on her next radio show on June 29. Youcan listen to her on either Famitsu.com or the famitsutubechannel. On a side note, Imai’s latest single, Hoshikuzu noRing, was released on Wednesday, and you can listen to heras Noire in the upcoming anime Hyperdimension Neptuniaor the PS Vita game Hyperdimension Idol Neptunia PP.

If you’re anxious to get your hands on The Witch and theHundred Knights, you can pick it up on July 25, but if you’restill on the fence, you can get another look at the absurdlyin-depth game in this initial trailer:

Source: famitsutube

Cosmo Youth Paradeinterview: King x Mon,Misa,Yui & SaffronSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/cosmo-youth-parade-interview-king-

mon-misa-yui-saffron/

By sentinel011 on June 28th, 2013

Cosplay guests King x Mon, Misa, Yui & Saffron were inSingapore as part of Cosmo Youth Parade’s cosplay exchangeand meet-and-greet segments. We met up with all five for agroup interview session with the ladies.

Yui and Saffron’s popularity picked up as they partnered upearlier this year for their PSYCHO-PASS photoshoot. Basedin Hong Kong, their cosplay shoots focus more on a ‘what if’element than a standard shoot, increasings their likelinessto the characters.

Misa’s fanbase has been going on for quite a few years,with many cosplays from lead characters as well as sidecharacters. Most of them are bubbly and cheerful types,similar to her own character.

King x Mon deals out many high quality cosplays throughtheir shoots, and if you have been following them, they havebehind-the-scenes videos that are funny yet interesting towatch. Who says you have to be totally prim and proper tobe a famous cosplayer?

=====

SGCafe had the opportunity to have a casual interviewwith them yesterday afternoon. While lunching at an eaterysomewhere in town, we received somee very interestingresponses from the cosplayers:

Greetings, and welcome to Singapore! What are youropinions of cosplay before entering this hobby? As acosplayer now, what are your opinions of the hobby?Misa: Before cosplaying, I have always admired andrespected cosplayers who dress up as anime characters, andlooking like the characters! But now, I find it slightly weird asto why I would think of that way then. (As a cosplayer now)I feel that we are very weird people, so please don’t look upto us (laughs)

How do you guys communicate with your photographerduring photoshoots?Mon: We are mostly very playful and

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boisterous during photoshoots! But even then we are seriousabout it, and will notice irregularities like (preview photoswith) weird angles.

King: We work very closely with the photographers.Normally, we will find photographers who are familiarwith the series that we plan to shoot, but even so, thephotographer may have his own way of thinking, as dous cosplayers, so there may still be some difficulty incommunication. To solve this problem, we will print outimages of the things we want to achieve in our shoot, andtell our photographer to follow this style of photography. Thephotographer may then adjust certain angles or incorporatehis own style. But this process may cause the photoshoot todrag on as we try to understand each other in order to creategood photos.

Misa: I will try to illustrate or draw out the concept I wishto achieve in the photoshoot, either by using a rough shotand adjusting using Photoshop to let the photographer knowwhat I’m trying to achieve with the photoshoot. I will let thephotographer know that post-processing or special effectsfor these photos will be left to be done by me, and thephotographer should simply focus on achieving those shotsthat I requested. I will also let the photographer know ofthe angles by using the photographer’s camera and ask thephotographer to go to that spot to pose instead.

Saffron: Very similar to how King and Mon have answered,we will communicate with our photographer on thedirection we want our photoshoot to go, and preferably aphotographer that understands us and the series we will behaving the shoot on. Also, we don’t usually just work withone photographer, as there are various photographers withdifferent styles.

Yui: Communication is very important, so much so thatphotographers are also our friends; but they can be quitemerciless as well in a way that they would say “No this anglewon’t work, you will look ugly!” (laughs)

There are Singaporean cosplayers who approach you guysthrough your individual facebook cosplay pages. Were yousurprised that you had fans from Singapore? How do youfind our local cosplayers?Misa: The fans’ responses were very happy and expressive,with loads of exclamation marks and emoticons (laughs)I feel Singaporean cosplayers are very friendly and warm,even more so than Taiwan’s.

Do any of you have foreign cosplay friends? If there’s achance to have photoshoots with them, would you take upthe chance?

Misa: Yes of course I’d love to!

Saffron: I feel that overseas photoshoots will be fun andchallenging, especially for locations that Hong Kong doesnot have. So I think it would be nice to be able to (have aphotoshoot with foreign cosplayers) and have an exchangeof sorts.

King: I feel that for Singapore, the night scenery is fantasticespecially with all the tall structures and buildings, and isvery iconic that once you look at the picture you’ll knowthat’s definitely Singapore.

Mon: Yeah, Taiwan doesn’t have that kind of fantastic nightscenery.

King: Not as beautiful – it is because our buildings andstructures are more cluttered.

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Throughout the interview, we get to know that Misa lovesfood and snacks, and actually has a friend who used topartner up with her for cosplays. Unfortunately, she wasmore involved in cosplay, while her partner had to focusless on the hobby and cannot keep up with Misa’s cosplays.For King & Mon, King explained that she would still befriends with Mon even if they weren’t cosplayers in the end,as their families know each other. Yui & Saffron only beganpartnering up recently, but both have cosplayed for quite awhile.

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If you wish to meet and interact with these cosplayers, headon down to *SCAPE tomorrow for the COSMO Youth Parade,starting at 12pm! The event will last till around 7pm, be surenot to miss it!

Celebrate your favouriteAnisong Artists at AnimeFestival Asia Indonesia 2013Source: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/celebrate-favourite-anisong-artists-

anime-festival-asia-indonesia-2013/

By KaleNagasaki on June 27th, 2013

Last year, the first Anime Festival Asia Indonesia broughtover forty-thousand people together to celebrate theirmutual love of Japanese pop culture. If that was resultof only the first run, then the success for the secondAFA ID can only be imagined. This year, AFA ID isbringing the cultural hot spot Akihabara straight to Jakartawith premium merchandise, cosplay, maid/butler cafes,and everything else an otaku could ask for. Still, I thinkthe greatest anticipation lies in the Anisong artists that willperform, some for the first time ever in Indonesia.

Aya Hirano will perform in Indonesia for the first time. Thisis great news for those in Indonesia, since Aya Hirano isa talented voice actress and singer. She voiced the maincharacter in Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, and has landedroles in Death Note, Lucky Star, and Fairy Tale, to namea few. Aya Hirano is also a talented stage actress, playingEponine in the Japanese version of “Les Miserables”.

Eir Aoi has made quite the impact for a newcomer. Her firstbreak came when she was chosen to sing “MEMORIA”, theending song to Fate/Zero. Eir Aoi’s first single, “Prayer” alsoappeared in Fate/Zero, and her second single “AURORA” isthe opening to Gundam Age. Her latest song “INNOCENCE”is the opening for Sword Art Online. She’s definitely worthkeeping an eye on, as her career is just beginning!May’n'sfirst solo live concert at Nippon Budokan in 2010 sold out onthe first day: that should give you an idea of the kind of talentMay’n has. Some of her work includes “Chase the World”,which was the opening for Accel World, and Sheryl Nomein Macross Frontier. With successful tour after successfultour, May’n is a J-pop diva you don’t want to miss.

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Babymetal‘s music is an intense as the girls are cute.Originally a YouTube phenomenon, Babymetal is swiftlygaining popularity all over the globe. Every single one oftheir live concerts have sold out, and their very first single“I.D.Z. Ijime, Dame, Zettai” ranked fifth on the Oricon dailycharts. Come to ADA ID to adore these adorable girls!

After revamping in 2009, FripSide has released a string ofhit singles. “Only my Railgun” and “LEVEL5 – judgelight-”were both theme songs for To Aru Kagaku no Railgun. Mostrecently, they performed the opening for To Aru Kagaku noRailgun, “sister’s noise”, which, like everything else they do,hit the top of Oricon’s Weekly rankings.

Produced by Yuki Kajiura, Kalafina debuted with a bangwhen “oblivious” became the theme song for the movie Karano Kyokai. You probably know Kalafina from theirincredibly popular song “Magia”, which was the endingtheme for the Puella Magi Madoka Magica. This will betheir first time performing in Indonesia, so don’t miss it!

AFA ID will take place September 6th-8th at the JakartaConvention Center. For more information on events andtickets, check out the official website. In the meantime, whoare you most excited to see? Who will you cosplay as? Let usknow at the forum here. If you want to talk about AFA moregenerally, then stop by here to start ranting!

Famitsu’s top 10 summeranime expectation rankingsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/famitsus-top-10-summer-anime-

expectation-rankings/

By spartanchef on June 27th, 2013

The summer anime season is less than a week away andpeople are now excited for the new upcoming series. Withexpectations running high, websites like Anime One haveasked people which anime they were waiting for the most,and many of them have overwhelming responses.

Now, it’s Famitsu Magazine’s turn to ask. Are the results thesame as Anime One’s? Will Rozen Maiden and Free be thetop dogs once again? Let’s find out, shall we?

These are the results from Weekly Famitsu Magazine‘s June27 issue

10 Ro-Kyu-Bu SS

9 Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera gaWarui! (Watamote)

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8 Monogatari Series Second Season

7 Kara no Kyoukai (3D remastered version)

6 Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei– The Animation

5 Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya

4 The World God Only Knows: Goddess Hen

3 Rozen Maiden (2013 reboot)

2 AnoHana (rebroadcast)

1 SILVER SPOON

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Looks like Free! didn’t make to the top 10 it this time whichis quite the surprise since its one of the most anticipatedanime this summer (especially by the girls). Also surprisingis AnoHana’s entry and ranking – it is unexpected for a re-run to be this popular in the polls.

Do you guys agree with the results Famitsu posted?

Source: Famitsu

Akira Toriyama to create 3-shot for Shonen Jump’s 45thAnniversarySource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/akira-toriyama-create-3-shot-

shonen-jumps-45th-anniversary/

By KaleNagasaki on June 27th, 2013I think Weekly Shonen Jump said it right with the words“The ‘legend’ of hope for the entire world returns here!”That legend is Akira Toriyama, the genius behind DragonBall and Dr. Slump. In honour of Shueisha’s WeeklyShonen Jump’s forty-fifth anniversary, Akira Toriyama willbe creating a three-part series titled Galactic Patrol Jako.Serialization begins July 13, so remember to hit the mangastands that day!

This is not the first time Akira Toriyama has graced the pagesof Weekly Shonen Jump since the end of his major mangaseries. In 2009, he partnered up with fellow artist MasakazuKatsura (the author behind Video Girl Ai and DNA²) tocreate the mini-series Jiya for Young Jump. In fact, thesetwo collaborated on a one-shot for Jump Square in 2008,too. More recently, Akira Toriyama wrote Kintoki for WeeklyShonen Jump in 2010.

So the legend is always around, planning to bringnew hope to his followers. As one myself (and that’san understatement, since I’m probably single-handedlyresponsible for at least half of all the profit made off ofDragon Ball), I can’t say any other manga artist’s work mademe feel as ready to take on the world as Akira’s, and it iscertainly phenomenal news that he will be bringing smiles tothe faces of his readers again soon.

Seriously, just look at him! If that face doesn’t make you wantto nerd-up and shoot kamehameha waves all through yourhouse, then I don’t know what else could!

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Source: @manganewsjapon

Child Pornography Billamendments not scrapped asJapan’s National Diet sessionendsSource: http://sgcafe.com/2013/06/child-pornography-bill-scrapped-

japans-national-diet-ends-deliberations-continue/

By spartanchef on June 27th, 2013

The 183rd National Diet session of Japan just endedyesterday, June 26, and people who were expecting theproposed amendments to controversial Child PornographyBill to be scrapped by now are going to be disappointed. Theproposed amendments were submitted last May 29 andgathered a loud opposition from the anime and mangacommunity.

The bill was passed in 2011 and the move to add someamendments to it was co-sponsored by three parties;the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the New KomeitoParty, and the Japan Restoration Party. The proposedamendments aimed to regulate the possession of explicitmaterials showing children for the purpose of sexualfulfillment. While it is illegal to commit child pornographyin Japan, the possession of materials relating to childpornography is not regulated and not illegal. What theamendments really seek is the regulation of these materialsand the punishment to those who are caught in possession ofsaid materials. A fine less than a million yen will be imposedwith additional jail time for less than a year.

The amendments also has a provision which calls foran investigation into the relationship of anime, mangaand CG images and Human Rights violations againstchildren. This provision is what made the amendmentsso controversial as groups like the Japan CartoonistAssociation and manga artists like Ken Akamatsu (Love

Hina, Negima?!), Go Nagai (Mazinger Z) and Fuijo Fujio A(Doraemon) have called for its withdrawal. Their reasons forthis is that if the government does indeed find a relationshipbetween child pornography and anime, manga and videogames, they fear that their freedom to write whatever theywant (hence their freedom of speech) will be trampled on.This is because the government will also include anime,manga and video games into the regulations. Let’s just saywriters really don’t like to be regulated.

Tetsuya Chiba, manga atist of ‘Ashita no Joe’ and shoujomanga artist Machiko Satonaka showing their opposition tothe bill in 2010

In Japan, whenever a Diet session ends, bills that werenot voted on are usually scrapped when the session ends,however, a bill not voted on can make it into the next sessionif a request is made. Six lawmakers led by LDP memberSanae Takaichi made a request to continue the deliberationof the proposed amendments to the Child Pornographylaw into the next National Diet. This request saves theamendments from being scrapped like the others and makesit into the next session of the Japanese Diet.

In his twitter account, Love Hina and Negima?! manga artistKen Akamatsu says that the fight is still not over and calledfor more active opposition for the proposed amendments.He also says how frustrated he is that it was not scrappedand adds that it should not even have made it into thenext session. Akamatsu is one of the loudest and mostout spoken manga artists opposed to the recently proposedamendments.

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While most manga artists, anime fans and gamers opposesome parts of the amendments, they do not oppose it in itsentirety. From the statement by the Cartoonist association,they support the measures protecting the children but warnthat anime and manga should not be regulated as it is animpediment to the freedom of speech.

source: Huffington Post Japan