Kiramune’s youngest is back with an all new album!

© Kiramune

After a long break (1½ years) since his last mini album cocoro, Irino Miyu is back with another mini album. As one of the very first (and youngest) to join the Kiramune stable of popular seiyuus, fans have literally seen him grow up with Kiramune – moving from genki pop tunes to dance tracks and even tackling ballads in cocoro.

E=mc² is compilation of 6 pieces which contains his first attempt at writing his own songs – Sore Demo Nao (それでもなお-composition and lyrics) and Hibi (日々- lyrics).

Bing Bing Knight PV ©Kiramune

Based off the preview at his official Kiramune webpage, Bing Bing Knight appears to similar in style to his previous release, energetic tunes with a youthful vibe. Watch the PV preview to Bing Bing Knight here: http://kiramune.jp/artist/irino/

Irino Miyu first impressed audiences with his performance as Haku in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away, and is probably most remembered for his roles as Syaoran (Tsubasa Chronicle, Kobato, xxxHOLiC), Niwa Daisuke (D.N.Angel), and most recently as Tadakuni (Daily Lives of High School Boys) Chizuru (Kimi to Boku) and Sora (Kingdom Hearts). He is also very active in theatre, and recently completed runs in Fune ni Nore! (船に乗れ! ) and Takarazuka BOYS (宝塚BOYS).

Premium Edition

Regular Edition ©Kiramune

Release date: 19 Feb 2014
Tracklist:
1. Bing Bing Knight
2. LOUD!
3. Sore de Nao (それでもなお)
4. Saraba, Kimi yo. (さらば、君よ。)
5. Hibi (日々)
6. Doko Mademo (どこまでも)
Premium edition comes with Bing Bing Knight music clip, making of “E=mc2” video, and the promotional trailer.

Credit: All images from Kiramune

Official webpage (with PV preview): http://kiramune.jp/artist/irino/
Blog: Jiyuuchou http://kiramune.jp/artist/irino/jiyucho/

The post [SEIYUU] Irino Miyu 4th mini album E=mc2 appeared first on AFA Channel!.

This December, I had the opportunity to go and experience Winter Comiket and what an experience it was!
Comiket ( コミケット) or Comic Market ( コミックマーケット) is the largest dōjinshi fair in the world.

It was first held on December 21st 1975 with only about 600 attendees. It has since continued to grow and now boasts a huge number of annual attendees reaching up to almost a million people! It  is a biannual event that takes place usually in August [Summer Comiket] and December [Winter Comiket].

Comiket is held over the course of 3 days. The last Winter Comiket was held from the 29th-31st December.

The following post will cover the booths and cosplay from the event. Arrival at Odaiba. Decided to walk to Tokyo Big Sight from a station slightly further away from the venue this time so as to take in the sights and sounds.

Spotted a few itasha in the parking lot near the venue! Looks like my detour was worth it

Arrival at Tokyo Big Sight!

A quick dash inside to check out the various booths on display~

The Microsoft Booth. Microsoft seems to be all about touch interfaces nowadays. Then again, most devices are.

The Type Moon booth! Now you know where all of my money went ^^;

Out for a quick bite when Ren Chon decides to tag along!

You know you are in the right place when

Next, we’re off to Cosplay Hero to check out the many talented cosplayers!

You is a fan of the Monogatari series?

Badass Reimu.

Have you played the Silent Hill games or watched the movies? I, personally am a fan of only the games.

Mikasa vows to protect you~

TUEAC: This is cosplay? Not a real school uniform?

Lovely Rei Ayanami cosplay~

People slowly moving out as the day comes to a close

And with that, Comiket 85 came to a close. I had a wonderful time at the event and I hope you enjoyed reading about it~!

Have you been to Comiket? If not do you intend to? Do let us know!
If you’d like to see more pictures related to the event, feel free to stop by my Flickr.

The post [EVENT-JP] Comiket 85 appeared first on AFA Channel!.

Free! seiyuus Shimazaki Nobunaga (CV for Nanase Haruka) and Yonaga Tsubasa (CV for Hazuki Nagisa) are heading to Taipei this Sunday (9 Feb 2014) for an fan meet and autograph session, as part of the Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE) 2014!!

The Taipei International Book Exhibition  is being held at the Taipei World Trade Center this week, from 5th to 10th February 2014. This year’s exhibition features four members of the Asia Pacific Publishers Association, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Thailand. This is the first time the TIBE is setting up a special area for Anime and Manga (動漫書區), featuring manga, comics, anime, novels, board games, anime-manga-related goods, as well as a special activity area for participants and fans to interact with authors, mangakas, and other special guests from both overseas and within Taiwan. The Anime Manga Section is situated in Exhibition Hall 1.

One of the highlights of this section will be the special Free! Anime Seiyuu Autograph Session featuring the voices behind water-baka lead Nanase Haruka and cheery prankster Hazuki Nagisa. Details below:

Free! Anime Seiyuu Shimazaki Nobunaga, Yonaga Tsubasa Autograph Event
《FREE！》動畫聲優「島﨑 信長、代永翼」簽名會
Venue: Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1 (Anime-Manga Activity Area)
Time: 12.30-4.00pm
Organiser: Mighty Media Co. Ltd 曼迪傳播有限公司
Ticketing:
Single day exhibition admission – NTD 100, student/ senior citizens NTD 80
Multi-day exhibition admission – NTD 180, student/ senior citizens NTD 150

TIBE official site: English / Chinese
Free! Event Schedule Details: 《FREE！》動畫聲優「島崎信長、代永翼」簽名會
Additional reporting from: CNA news  男子游泳部声优 台北书展献声

Image sources: TIBE http://tibe.org.tw

[Yonaga Tsubasa 代永翼] Voice actor with Ken Production
Best Male Newcomer, Seiyuu Awards 2008
Notable roles: Mihashi Ren (Ookiku Furikabutte!), Sendo Aiichi (Cardfight!! Vanguard), Chihayafuru (Komano Tsutomu)

 Wouldn’t it be great if we could have something like this here? *sniffs*

The post [SEIYUU] Free! Seiyuu Fan Meet & Autograph Event in Taipei appeared first on AFA Channel!.

BREAKING!! The first round of winners for this year’s Seiyuu Awards have been announced!
In this first wave of winners announced, the awards focus on the most experienced members of the community, and include winners for the Achievement Awards.

特別功労賞 Special Achievement Award
- Awarded posthumously, this award celebrates their multiple contributions over their long career to multiple genres, including foreign film.

Utsumi Kenji (right), with Nomura Michiko at 2009 Seiyu Awards, from kenproduction

内海 賢二 Utsumi Kenji (Ken Production)
Founder of one of the most prominent seiyuu agencies, Ken Production. He is well-known for a wide range of villain roles. Best known as the voice for Alex Louis Armstrong (Fullmetal Alchemist), Norimaki Senbei (Dr. Slump), and Raou (Fist of the North Star). The official dub-over for Steve McQueen, Carl Weathers, etc, and Gimli (John Rhys Davies) in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Previously won the Achievement Award in 2009.

Kinomiya Ryouko, from haikyo.co.jp

来宮 良子 Kinomiya Ryouko (Haikyo)
Best-known for her low voice, most notably as a narrator for a number of dramas, including Enka no Hamamichi (演歌の花道), Hell Teacher Nube (地獄先生ぬ～べ～), as well as roles in Galazy Express 999 and Speed Racer. Previously won the Achievement Award in 2008.

Previous winner: 青野 武 Aono Takeshi (Aoni Production)

功労賞 Achievement Award
- For contributions to multiple genres over many years, including foreign films

Keaton Yamada, from re-max web

キートン山田 Keaton Yamada (Re-max) (also Yamada Junji)
Best known for Katou Saburo (宇宙戦艦ヤマトSpace Battleship Yamato), 004 (Cyborg 009 -1979), and narrating for Master Keaton.

Naya Rokuro, from seiyuawards.jp

納谷 六朗 Naya Rokorou (Mausu Production)
Specialises in “gentle fatherly” and “cool logical” types. Well known roles include Sensui Shinobo (YuYu Hakusho), Aquarius Camus (Saint Seiya – 1986), Grumman (Fullmetal Alchemist). Also the official dub-over for William H. Macy, Ed Harris and Gary Oldman.

Previous winner: 近石真介 Chikaishi Shinsuke (Mouvement), 野沢雅子 Nozawa Masako (Aoni Production)

シナジー賞 Synergy Award
- For showcasing the best teamwork as a voice cast

ガールズ&パンツァー, from Media Factory

ガールズ＆パンツァー Girls und Panzer
Represented by 渕上 舞 Fuchigami Mai (INCS toenter)
An original anime series about high school girls participating in competitive “tankery” , a modified battle-strategy sport where teams operate and have ‘mock’ battles in modified World War II tanks and warships.

Previous winner: タツノコプロ創立50周年 Tatsunoko Production 50th Anniversary cast
大平 透 Oohira Tooru (Ohira Production), 森 功至 Mori Katsuji (Office Mori), 岡本 茉利 Okamoto Mari (freelance), 小原 乃梨子 Ohara Noriko (Production Baobab)

富山敬賞 Tomiyama Kei Award
- For contributions to promoting the profession through various media channels (Male)

Miki Shinichiro, from Animedia.net

三木 眞一郎 Miki Shinichiro (81 Produce)
One of the most prolific seiyuus of his generation, he has brought many iconic characters to life, including Fujiwara Takumi (Initial D), Urahara Kisuke (Bleach), Lockon Stratos (Mobile Suit Gundam 00), and Roy Mustang (Fullmetal Alchemist). Part of one of the very first singing seiyuu units, Weiss (from Weiss Kreuz) with Koyasu Takehito, Seki Tomokazu and Yuuki Hiro. Previously won Best Supporting Actor in 2010.

Previous Winner: 三ツ矢 雄二 Mitsuya Yuuji (Combination)

高橋和枝賞 Takahashi Kazue Award
- For contributions to promoting the profession through various media channels (Female)

Mitsuishi Kotono, from Asahi News

三石 琴乃 Mitsuishi Kotono (Lasley Arrow)
A prolific seiyuu with many iconic characters to her name, including Tsukino Usagi (Sailor Moon), Katsuragi Misato (Neon Genesis Evangelion), Murrue Ramius (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED series), and Gracia Hughes (Fullmetal Alchemist).

Previous winner: 緒方 恵美 Ogata Megumi (freelance)

Congratulations to all the winners!

We will continue to bring you the latest news for the 2014 Seiyuu Awards, for which the award presentation ceremony will be held on 1 March 2014. Leading up to the big day, we will also be bringing you a series of articles featuring last year’s winners. So stay tuned for more seiyuu love, and to see if your favourites have won this year!

The post [SEIYUU] Seiyuu Awards 2014: First Wave of Winners Announced! appeared first on AFA Channel!.

Experience terror on a whole new level with Shingeki no Kyojin: Real Escape Game. Zombies out, Titans in!

Shingeki no Kyojin: Real Escape Game is a event collaboration between hit series Shingeki no Kyojin and Real Escape Game, titled 「Shingeki no Kyojin × Real Escape Game. Escape from within a Walled City」「進撃の巨人×リアル脱出ゲーム ある城塞都市からの脱出」. Brought to you by SCRAP, this is likely to be the largest real escape game anyone has ever experienced!

The event will be first unveiled at Yokohama Stadium this coming May and held at later dates in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sendai and Toyota, covering 6 major cities. Set in stadiums around Japan, this event comes closest to the actual scale of Shingeki no Kyojin. Fans of the series can now immerse themselves in the Kyojin world and experience the terror of the titans first-hand (3D Maneuver Gear not provided).

Will you be the hunter, or the hunted?

Prologue/Scenario
You are a recruit training to become a member of the Recon Corps. After enduring the strict and tough training, the day of graduation has finally arrived. Right in the middle of the ceremony, the alarm was raised. The titans have invaded the walls!! Cries of despair and anger are all around you — in a split second, your peaceful life has plunged into hell itself. The doors to the inner walls will shut in only one hour. Using your abilities as a recruit, you must evacuate before the doors close. Can you solve all the puzzles and escape from this despair?

Details
Location: Yokohama Stadium
Dates: 3rd, 4th May 2014
Ticket price: 3000 yen (pre-order) / 3500 yen (actual-day purchase)
Tickets can be bought online over common Japanese ticketing sites. General ticket sales for the Yokohama event will begin early March. Check out the website for more details on pre-order and ticket sales! (Japanese only)

Event Locations and Dates
Yokohama: Yokohama Stadium (3rd, 4th May)
Osaka: TBA (Sometime in May)
Toyota: Toyota Stadium (25th May, 1st June)
Sendai: Rakuten KOBO Stadium Miyagi (22nd June)
Fukuoka: Yafuoku! Dome (27-29th June)
Tokyo: Meiji Jingu Stadium (Sometime in August)

Stay tuned to their official website for more details!

Immersed in an actual, interactive environment, players have to solve the puzzles and mysteries within a fixed time limit. The Escape Game allows players to be physically within a story and experience it for themselves. Typical escape games are given a backstory and scenarios, against backdrops ranging from prisons to dilapitated hospitals, with one common theme: uncover the secrets to the story and escape!

SCRAP, the company behind this massive collaboration, has also started similar escape games in Singapore. Started in 2007, the company has steadily expanded out of Japan, organising similar events in Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore and San Francisco. Their past events include escapes from a werewolf village, cathedral and bank. Check out their local outfit here.

Image credit © 諫山創・講談社／「進撃の巨人」製作委員会. Website: http://realdgame.jp/shingeki/
“Real Escape Game” 「リアル脱出ゲーム」is a registered trademark of SCRAP.

The post [ANIME] Escape from Titans: Shingeki no Kyojin REAL Escape Game! appeared first on AFA Channel!.

In anticipation of the coming 8th Seiyuu Awards, the most prestigious award in Japanese Voice Acting, to be given out on 1 March 2014, we are bringing you a series of articles featuring last year’s winners.

In this first installment, we will introduce you to the winners of 2013’s Best Actor and Best Actress award.

Winners of Best Actor/Actress at last year’s awards ceremony

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2013 Seiyuu Awards – Best Actor, Yuuki Kaji

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Kaji began his seiyuu journey at the age of 18, when he qualified as a finalist in “VS Audition 2003”, a competition for young aspiring voice actors. He enrolled in a narration school (Nihon Narration Engi-Kenkyuu-jo) under a scholarship from seiyuu management company Artsvision. He scored his first lead role in 2007 and rapidly gained recognition from then.

Not your typical shounen, his unique voice quality has him being exceptionally good at young, adolescent boys. Fans probably first noticed him as Finian in Kuroshitsuji, whose high-pitched squeals had them gender-confused on multiple occasions. He later won the Best Male Newcomer Award at the 3rd Seiyuu Awards in 2009, together with Okamoto Nobuhiko.

Following his win, he continued to shine in big-name anime series such as Fairy Tail and Durarara!!. His big break came in 2011, when he played lead roles in Guilty Crown, No. 6 and Ro-kyu-bu!. He continued to land leading roles in Aquarion Evol, Accel World and Magi, eventually winning Best Actor in the 7th Seiyuu Awards in 2013.

Despite taking on typical shounen roles in anime, he is best known for his little brother-niche in otome game titles including Moujuutsukai to Ouji-sama, Brothers Conflict, and Diabolik Lovers. From his role as Shion in No.6 to Kanato in Diabolik Lovers, he may have just perfected a new niche; the innocent-turned-yandere/psycho. He is also a recent favourite in the Final Fantasy series, where he plays Hope Estheim in FFXIII and Ace in Final Fantasy Type-0.

Aside from his seiyuu roles, he has had two singles released under his name. He is part of the seiyuu unit “BRAVE WING” with Yonaga Tsubasa, and G.Addict with Terashima Takuma, Abe Atsushi and Horie Kazuma. Adored by his seniors, he is playfully dubbed “Kaji-kyun”, “Kajibaba” (for playing Alibaba in Magi) and “Yuu-tan” by both friends and fans.

For those unfamiliar with Kaji, you would have heard him as Eren Jaeger (Shingeki no Kyojin). This season, he plays adorable Yukine in Noragami and Hideyoshi in Nobunaga the Fool. You can also catch him in leading roles in upcoming series Kamigami no Asobi, Black Bullet and Donten ni Warau.

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 2013 Seiyuu awards – Best Actress, Kana Asumi 

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Asumi’s interest in seiyuu work first began during her elementary and middle school days, after listening to seiyuu radio programmes in high school, she auditioned for and joined a Fukuoka local girl group for aspiring female seiyuus, “Ko-ume Five”. She later enrolled in a short college course, obtaining a qualification in kindergarten teaching and childcare. After gaining work experience for a year, she quit her job to become a seiyuu.

In 2005, she passed the audition for a role in game “Crossworld ~Mishiranu Sora no Etatia~“, also forming seiyuu unit CW/3 with fellow cast members Iguchi Yuka and Tokunaga Ai. She landed her anime debut and first leading role in 2007 anime Hidamari Sketch. Subsequently, she won the Best Female Newcomer Award at the 3rd Seiyuu Awards in 2009, together with Tomatsu Haruka.

She gradually gained popularity and made her big break in 2010-2011 as well, landing main roles in Haiyore! Nyaruko-san and WORKING!!. She continued to play main roles before winning Best Actress in the 7th Seiyuu Awards. In the same year, she also won the Singing Award as part of seiyuu unit “Ushiro kara Haiyori-tai” from Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, together with Matsuki Miyu and Ootsubo Yuka. She was part of seiyuu unit LISP from 2010-2011.

Following her win, she continues to voice characters in more recent series DEVIL SURVIVOR 2, Machine Doll wa Kizutsukanai and Non non Biyori. She has received praise for her soothing and gentle voice. Casually dubbed “Asumin” by her fans, Asumi is also close friends with Iguchi Yuka, and often mentions Iguchi in her radio shows.

This season, you can catch her as Tachibana Marika in romcom Nisekoi and Hio Touko in Witch Craft Works. Look forward to her roles in upcoming series Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara and Mekaku City Actors.

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Look forward to our next installment!
Coming next: 2013′s Best Supporting Actor/Actress 

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Image credit © ボイスニュータイプ ．別冊 spoon.2Di．
Images taken from Voice Newtype Issue 47 : 7th Seiyuu Awards feature article and 別冊 spoon.2Di Vol.48: Noragami feature article (Available at local Kinokuniya stores)

The post [SEIYUU] A Look At Seiyuu Awards: 2013′s Best Actor/Actress appeared first on AFA Channel!.

The Japanese princess of Kawaii-ness, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, yesterday release her latest song, “Yume no Hajimarin Rin“. A Graduation song, made for the season of separations and new beginnings, something that many third year high school students will relate too, thus a very viable season for releasing soppy tunes in Japan.

But somehow, Kyary’s new tune is kinda different, it has that mix of melancholy somewhere within the generally happy sounding music and super colourful Promotional Video. And unlike previous , this actually have somewhat meaningful lyrics, even Kyary herself admits it to being more realistic that her other songs. The effect on me is such that I’m subconsciously looping it. It tells the story of Kyary through her various stages of development, represented by a “short” Kyary at the beginning and the various costumes of previous PVs of her songs, with each portion ending with a happy wave of goodbye and then with a tear of, I don’t know, maybe a tint of regret?

Well it’s different and so much so that fans are confused that this would be her last song, or she is retiring, but that is simply not true. For those whom have seen her tweet about the new song, her retiring is unthinkable, this is especially with the upcoming 2nd leg of her World Tour in Asia.

Fact is  though, ”Yume no Hajimarin Rin” is her first song that made any senses and she might do a lot better going down this path for her future music release, afterall she can sing.

2/26発売の新曲「ゆめのはじまりんりん」のMVが公開されました！卒業がテーマのこの曲では、白熊のお父さんに見守られなから成長していく私が描かれています。涙涙涙。きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ – ゆめのはじまりんりん http://t.co/5eIl7IreuB

— きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ (@pamyurin) February 20, 2014

“New Song Release on 26 Feb, The MV for “Yume no Hajimarin Rin” is up for public viewing! It’s a graduation song, and the Polar bear is depicted as the Father that watched over my growth. (tears). Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Yume no Hajimarin Rin.”

 《Release Information》

■Kyary Pamyu Pamyu 8th single “Yume no Hajimarinrin”
Release Date: Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
Price: First press limited edition (CD + DVD) ￥1,500 (tax included), Regular edition (CD) ￥1,200 (tax included)

【Track list】
1. Yume no Hajimarinrin (CHINTAI TV commercial)
2. Slomo (ALOOK TV commercial)
3. Mottai Night Land –extended mix-
4. Yume no Hajimarinrin –instrumental-
5. Slomo –instrumental-

【DVD】*For first press limited edition only
1. Ninjari Bang Bang choreography video by KPP dancers

 《KYARY PAMYU PAMYU NANDA COLLECTION WORLD TOUR in SINGAPORE 2014!》

Location: Star Theatre, Singapore
Date: 21.06.2014 (SAT)
Ticket: TBA
Official Site: http://www.japanmusicfestival.asia/kpp

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Official Website
http://kyary.asobisystem.com/

The post [JMUSIC] Yume no Hajimarin Rin – Kyary Pamyu Pamyu appeared first on AFA Channel!.

In conjunction with her 25th birthday falling on the 25th this month, seiyuu Kana Hanazawa is releasing a super maxi album containing a total of (of course!) 25 tracks, including both old and new compositions!

Hanazawa Kana ©SonyMusic

If you liked her previous album claire, do make sure to check this one out, since it features the same stellar writing crew as claire. The limited first press edition will also include a Blu-ray DVD containing a special making-of “road movie”, a 32-page booklet, and a 50-page premium photobook. Fans of Kana-chan, don’t miss this!!

She released her debut single Hoshizora☆Destination (星空☆ディスティネーション) in 2012, reaching seventh on the Oricon Weekly rankings. Other memorable singles include Hatsukoi no Oto (初恋ノオト), and happy endings. happy endings also served as the ending theme for anime Blast of Tempest (絶園のテンペスト Zetsuen no Tempest), in which she also starred as Aika. Her first album claire was released last year, to great response. She had her first solo ‘live’ concert at the NHK Osaka Hall and the Shibuya Public Hall in March 2013.

[25] Regular Edition ©SonyMusic

 Kana Hanazawa is easily one of the most prolific female seiyuus of her generation. A casting favourite for all genres of anime, from shoujo to shounen, even outright commercial to avant garde, most seiyuu fans will be very familiar with her. Her incredibly long list characters include Tenshi from Angel Beats!, Kobato from Kobato, Tsunemori Akane from PSYCHO-PASS. Regular attendees of Anime Festival Asia Singapore (AFASG) would have seen her in action when she was invited as the very first seiyuu guest to our sunny shores!

Release date: 26 February 2014

[25] First Press Limited Edition ©SonyMusic

[25] Limited Edition ©SonyMusic

Born on 25 February 1989, Tokyo native. Actress with Office Osawa. Also part of seiyuu vocal unit RO-KYU-BU!
Notable roles: Kurashita Tsukimi (Kuragehime), Sonohara Anri (Durarara!!), Ruri Goko (Oreimo)

The post [SEIYUU] Kana Hanazawa Album [25] for her 25th appeared first on AFA Channel!.

“Date a Girl Who Reads”, “Don’t Date a Girl Who Travels”, do this, don’t that — we’re all pretty much drowning in Thought Catalog bullshit. However, no matter how many of these things I scroll past on on my Facebook wall, none of them seem to strike a chord with me as a person in general and as a girl in particular.

Hence, this list. Also, it is February so I get a free pass to be corny.

(Don’t) date a girl who’s into anime

She may be a lot of fun to watch films with: you can have spirited discussions on whether or not Goro Miyazaki can continue his father’s legacy; if Kill La Kill is feminist, sexist, or both; or which of Evangelion’s five endings is the definitive one. However, if her tastes run more towards Gantz, Attack on Titan, or Steins;Gate rather than your weekly staples of Pretty Cure, Date A Live, or Infinite Stratos, there could be trouble in paradise.

Also, she may know a lot more about hentai anime than even you are comfortable with.

(Don’t) date a girl who’s into manga

While it’s really nice to have someone to read along with and help translate the newer Japanese stuff into English for you, she may soon tire of your lazy ass and move to Japan to pursue her language studies (and maybe obtain that post-graduate degree she always wanted but couldn’t get with your sorry ass holding her back — TRUE STORY).

Also, there may be lots of BL manga in your future. Lots and lots of it :3

(Don’t) date a girl who collects figures.

Sure — she may be puzzled with your fascination for resin girls whose anatomies would classify them as disfigured in the real world, but she totally gets it because she has her own little collection of Lego minifigs and Petite Nendroids. Just watch out for “upgrades” — pretty soon she may be too busy (and too broke?) to go on dates with you because she’s spending all her time on AmiAmi trading up to bigger and more expensive figures.

Also, her collection of Hot Toys figures may be worth more than what you make in a year.

(Don’t) date a girl who’s into video games

She will play lots and lots of games, with or without you (and she will be damn good at it). Sure, it’s a lot of fun if you’re playing Pokemon X and/or Y together and breeding and/or trading as you go along. But if she’s trying to rally her Titanfall team and you just can’t follow orders fast enough, she will shove your flashy light-uppy Razer mouse up your ass.

Also it’s really, really hard to compete with Sephiroth on the hotness scale — just saying.

(Don’t) date a girl who cosplays.

It may be great for your ego that lots of (desperately lonely) guys are declaring their eternal love for her on and offline. Just make sure it balances out the fact that at most cons you will be attending, your sole purpose in life is to be a combination bodyguard, chauffeur, personal assistant, make-up artist, caterer, photographer, and photoshoot facilitator.

Also, when your girl crossplays she may turn out to be a hotter guy than you will ever be.

In conclusion: do, or do not — there is no try!

Thank you magnetic_rose for your valuable insights~

The post [FEATURE](Don’t) Date a Girl Who’s Into Anime appeared first on AFA Channel!.

In anticipation of the coming 8th Seiyu Awards, we continue to bring you more articles featuring last year’s winners. Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards are given to two candidates in each category. In this instalment, we introduce you the Best Supporting Actor winners from 2013, Junichi Suwabe and Yuuki Ono.

7th Seiyuu Awards Winners – Men: (clockwise from top left) Junichi Suwabe, Yuuki Ono, Yuuki Kaji, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kazutomi Yamamoto

Junichi Suwabe for Tokyo Disney Resort ® 30th anniversary Edition CD (2is news)

Like most of the veteran seiyuu of his generation, Suwabe did not aspire to become a seiyuu at first. Having joined his school broadcasting committee and movie production circle, and was an aspiring movie director. Having accumulated experience from various jobs, he eventually enrolled in a training school and joined artiste management company Haikyō. In his 20s, he undertook countless narration jobs for prime time tv shows and commercials, far surpassing his peers.

Although his early career revolved around narration jobs and radio shows, his big break into the anime industry took the form of Atobe Keigo (Prince of Tennis). His voice gave cool, egoistic Atobe new layers of charisma, sealing his character niche. Nevertheless, he has mastered a truly unmatched range of character types. From the cool mature adult, hot-blooded shounen, the flirtatious bishounen and even the comedic hooligan, Suwabe has shown that no character is beneath him. Fans are unlikely to forget roles such as the sarcastic yet devoted Archer (Fate/stay night), wild and half-crazed Grimmjow (Bleach), Frau (07-GHOST), downright weird Undertaker (Kuroshitsuji), suave and flirtatious Ren (Uta no Prince-Sama) and recently, sardonic and hot-blooded Aomine (Kuroko no Basuke).

With his clean vocals coupled with Atobe’s popularity, he was the first male seiyuu to enter the Oricon Weekly Top 10 charts in 2005 with character single “Riyuu/E-Kimochi”. As part of the super-popular unit ST☆RISH, he took the Singing Award at the 6th Seiyuu Awards. He is also leader of seiyuu unit “Nazo no Shin-Unit STA☆MEN” consisting of Kouske Toriumi, Kenichi Suzumura, Daisuke Kishio, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Hiroki Takahashi and Makoto Yasumura, highly popular for their entertaining and comedic stage antics.

Junichi Suwabe at the Space Dandy Mini Stage (from Animax Asia Facebook)

He has shown great flair for hosting, often acting as the emcee for various events. His stage presence surpasses language barriers, charming crowds even at overseas fan events in Taiwan and even locally. Known as “Be-sama” to his fans, he drew a huge crowd when he graced AFASG for the Space☆Dandy mini-stage, together with co-star Yurin. Those who had attended the event cannot deny his charisma and wild popularity with the audience, many of whom fought for a chance to get an autograph.

Yuuki Ono, for Style of Prince feature, Girls Style

Having played soccer since he was in elementary school, Ono was all set for a career in the sport, having been scouted for a professional soccer team. However, a serious injury in his final year dashed all hopes of that becoming reality. For a child who only lived, ate and breathed soccer for all his formative years, his first real encounter with anime was when he was asked to record Kimi ga Nozomu no Eien  for a friend in university. To cut a long story short, he was so impressed by lead Kishou Taniyama’s voice, he became inspired to work the in same field as the man himself.

Having the ability to take on distinctly different voice tones for each character, Yuuki Ono has an uncanny ability to meld seamlessly into each character, it’s often difficult to remember that he’s the voice behind these roles.

With his versatility, memorable roles over his relatively short career has already spanned a wide spectrum, there’s the cool, collected Kaname Tsukahara (Kimi to Boku), the rash and hot-headed Taiga Kagami (Kuroko no Basuke), the devoted and reliable Zenkichi Hitoyoshi (Medaka Box), and the loyal but very domestic Ashiya (Hataraku Maou-sama!). Who can forget the pet rooster Nagoya in Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (and Tomio too)? Then there is also the mysterious and morally ambigious Magus (The Unbreakable Machine Doll) and recently, Moral (Hamatora).

Yuuki Ono (left) with Kensho Ono, Kuroko no Basuke feature

Known affectionately as OnoYuu or Onopin (in a reference to his role as “Pin” Kazuichi Arai in Kimi ni Todoke) to fans, his name has been pretty much  a source of derision at many events, sharing last names with fellow cast members Kensho Ono and Daisuke Ono, and a similar-sounding name to Aoi Yuuki and Yuuki Kaji – causing quite a bit of confusion at the Valvrave event in 2013. Other than being skilled at soccer, he also holds a hyper yoyo professional license and competes actively, reminiscent of his characters in Saint October (Joshua) and Yu-Gi-Oh! (Kiryu).

Catch OnoYuu’s Taiga Kagami facing off Suwabe’s Daiki Aomine in one of the most thrilling rival match-ups of this season in Kuroko no Basuke, and OnoYuu as the spine-chilling villian Moral in Hamatora. Suwabe is also available as the bumbling Dandy (Space☆Dandy) on Animax, and the very fabulous Ren Jinguji (Uta no Prince-Sama) on Aniplus HD.

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Look forward to our next instalment:
Coming next: 2013′s Best Supporting Actresses  

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Image credit in order of appearance © ボイスニュータイプ , 2is news, Animax Asia, Girls Style, http://kanacaecilius.tumblr.com/
Top image taken from Voice Newtype Issue 47 : 7th Seiyuu Awards feature article. Voice Newtype is available at selected local Kinokuniya stores. 

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In this last instalment, we will be swinging our focus to look at the young talents who have made a splash within the first five years of their début.  With three of the Best Newcomers in 2008 (Yuuki Kaji, Kana Asumi and Haruka Tomatsu) sweeping the top awards in 2013, these up-and-coming newbies are definitely on the cusp of something big. So make sure to keep your eyes (or rather, ears) trained on them in the coming years.

Best Male Newcomers 2013 – Kazutomi Yamamoto, Nobunaga Shimazaki (from Voice Newtype)

Shimazaki first aspired to become a seiyuu as he looked up to veteran seiyuu Midorikawa Hikaru, who voiced protagonist Heero Yuy in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. His love for manga and anime stayed true throughout his schooling years, even joining the school tennis club because he liked the series Prince of Tennis. Although his mother constantly signed him up for talent auditions, he stayed firm in his aspirations. Having graduated from the seiyuu training school affiliated with Aoni Productions, he scored his first leading role in 2012, as Kaito in Ano Natsu de Matteru. In the same year, he was also part of the main cast of TARI TARI and Sukitte Ii na yo. Shortly after his debut, he won Best Newcomer, and shot to fame with his leading role as Nanase Haruka in summer hit anime Free!, and also scored main roles in Ace of Diamond, Date A Live and Photo Kano.

Nobunaga Shimazaki (from Seigura)

As a seiyuu fan himself, he looks up to many of his seniors, sometimes even getting teased for it. In the radio show for baseball anime Ace of Diamond, he is often teased by his peers about his admiration for veteran Takahiro Sakurai, who stars alongside Shimazaki’s character as Kazuya Miyuki. He also gets up to hilarious antics as an adoring kouhai with Tatsuhisa Suzuki on the anime radio show Free! Iwatobi Channel. Among his peers, he is also good friends with Yoshitsugu Matsuoka. Sharing a name with a extremely famous historical figure, his name is also the source of conversation, disbelief and often, teasing, among many.

Catch him this season in Nobunaga the Fool, Nobunagan (both in which he ironically doesn’t play Nobunaga), Date A Live II, Buddy Complex and Ace of Diamond.

Kazutomi Yamamoto (from Voice Newtype)

With his small stature and high-pitched voice, Yamamoto is often mistaken for a girl. However, his unique voice quality may have carved a niche for himself. Despite only debuting in 2009, he got his first main role as Yuudai Chiba in 2010 gag series Mitsudomoe. In the same series, he also plays Yuudai’s mother, Kazumi, convincing with a mature female voice. Subsequently appearing as supporting characters in Deadman Wonderland and Nichijou, he scored leading role Kio Asuno in Mobile Suit Gundam Age and Yuuya Mochizuki in horror series Another in 2012, securing his Best Newcomer win the year after.

More recently, he continues to play to his strength as Kenjiro Hato in Genshiken Nidaime, with his extremely convincing female voice. Continue to look forward to (possibly) more shocking roles from this newbie!

Best Female Newcomers 2013 – Rumi Ookubo, Kaori Ishihara (from Voice Newtype)

As the overall winner at the third 81 Auditions organised by renowned seiyuu management agency 81 produce, Ookubo  got a stellar start to her career. She first took notice of the seiyuu profession when she realised that the same voice was behind two different characters in Pokemon and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen, provided by veteran Mayumi Iizuka.

Rumi Ookubo, Tokyo International Anime Fair 2012 (from koepota.jp)

Her first main anime role was Kaho Hiiragi in Freezing, quickly followed with other memorable roles such as Chinatsu Yoshikawa (YuruYuri), Hibashi (Mushibugyo), and Touko Ichimiya (Servant x Service). Passionate about her work, she has a penchant for dressing up as her own characters when attending events, appearing before in the Nanamori Middle School uniform for YuruYuri, in hakama and yukata for Acchi Kocchi, and once even dressed up as Sweet Little Devil Nobunaga Oda for Sengoku Collection. In an interview, she admitted to liking kids anime series Digimon so much, that at the beginning of every year, she has this little ritual in which she opens her DVD box set and watches all the episodes.

Kaori Ishihara (from Famitsu.com)

Ishihara started her career in 2008 as a trainee in HAPPY!STYLE Rookies under Style Cube. She graduated from the group in 2009, forming the unit YuiKaori with label mate Yui Ogura. Her formal début as a seiyuu was in hit anime series Kaicho wa Maid-sama! as younger sister Suzuna Ayuzawa. Since then she has been taking on an increasing number of roles, many of them in supporting positions, most memorably as as Azusa Azuki in Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko, Kanna Tanigawa in Ano Natsu de Matteru, Sayu Hisanuma in Nagi no Asukara. Additionally, she has also played the lead in large productions such as Rinne no Lagrange (Madoka Kyouno) and Magi (Aladdin).

Ishihara is also active as an anisong artiste. Not only as part of YuiKaori, Ogura and Ishihara were part of the pioneer generation of seiyuu unit StylipS (with Arisa Noto and Maho Matsunaga). As part of these groups, she has provided vocals in songs for numerous anime series such as High School DxD, KissxSis, Saki Achiga-hen Episode of Side-A, and Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imouto ga Iru!. However, Ishihara and Ogura both graduated from StylipS in mid-2013, and after, transferred management agencies from Style Cube to Sigma Seven.

We’ve finally reached the end of the series featuring the winners from the 7th Seiyuu Awards! Keep checking back to AFACHAN for the list of winners for the 8th Seiyuu Awards on 1 March~ 

Stay tuned!

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In anticipation of the coming 8th Seiyuu Awards, we continue to bring you more articles featuring last year’s winners. Our last installment focused on the men, so this time, we will be introducing 2013 winners of the Best Supporting Actress Award.

7th Seiyuu Awards Winners – Women: (clockwise from left) Asumi Kana, Sayaka Ohara, Haruka Tomatsu, Rumi Okubo, Kaori Ishihara

Sayaka Ohara, for xxxHOLiC (from en.anoword.com)

Ōhara had a strong love for musicals and theatre since young, and only knew of seiyuu as a profession in high school, when introduced to drama CDs by her younger brother. In her 3rd year of university, she became part of Haikyō Voice Actors Studio, and eventually joined agency Haikyō following graduation, despite parental objections. After her debut, she continued part-time acting at a theatre to supplement her income while taking on auditions for seiyuu work. She did mainly narration work until her anime lead debut in 2003, when she played Ai in Popotan, a visual novel adaptation.

Some of her early famous roles include Alicia (ARIA) and Layla Hamilton (Kaleido Star). In recent years, she often plays the roles of mature women, and often motherly characters, in anime. More recent notable roles include Irisviel von Einzbern (Fate/zero), Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail), Sofia Velmer (Jormungand) and Rokka Shimao (Natsuyuki Rendezvous). Most fans would have at least known her from the CLAMP series xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, in which she steals the show as “The Dimension Witch” Yuuko Ichihara, with her mysterious allure and charming, free-spirited childishness.

Ōhara has a highly respectable list of works as a narrator, including narrations for countless TV shows and commercials. She is also the specified voice for Japanese major mobile phone company au, train announcements along private railways lines Keikyu and Keio, as well as other forms of media. By 2010, her voice has been used in at least 5% of all railroad and train announcements in the Kanto area. She has also been the DJ of bayfm radio show “NOW HITS STREET” since 1999, on top of her commitments in anime radio shows.

Known as “Saaya”, “Sayasaya” or “Saya-nee”, she first met overseas fans at the 2012 annual Taiwan Comic Exhibition as a guest for the Fairy Tail stage event, in her first trip out of the country. In the short interview and autograph session, she spoke of how she was drawn to the profession. According to her, a seiyuu could portray various characters by voice alone regardless of appearance; aptly summing up the main reason why fans continue to love this industry.

Given the massive popularity Tomatsu enjoys, it is rather unfathomable that she has only been active since 2007. She entered the industry as a seiyuu when she passed the “Music Ray’n Super Seiyu Auditions” organised from 2005 to 2006, together with the other members from Sphere (Aki Toyosaki, Minako Kotobuki, and Ayahi Takagaki). She immediately caught audiences’ attention with her role as Corticarte Apa Lagranges in Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica, and her portfolio exploded soon after, followed by her meteoric rise to super-stardom.

Showing amazing dedication and tenacity, she spent most of her last two years in high school travelling between her hometown and Tokyo on weekends, juggling school and recordings. Upon graduating from high school, she started living by herself in Tokyo, while continuing her seiyuu, singing and acting work, whilst attending university. Even early in her career, she already had a string of iconic characters under her belt, which includes Nagi (Kannagi), Shiho Sannomiya (Zettai Karen Children), Megumi Shimizu (Shiki), ‘Annaru’ Naruko Anjou (Anohana), Shizuku Mizutani (Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun), Saki Rukino (Valvrave), showing off unparalleled versatility. You can also catch her this season as Morigiana in Magi, Mari Maya in Samurai Flamenco, and Karina in Wake Up, Girls.

Haruka Tomatsu, Sphere (from planet-sphere.jp)

Armed with immense talent, a unique singing voice, fantastic stage presence and good looks, she has been unstoppable since her debut, earning herself legions of adoring fans. She’s known for her quirky and unassuming personality, which to this writer, is one of her most endearing charms. By injecting a little of her own quirkiness into her roles, she each one uniquely hers. Also a previous recipient of the Best Female Newcomer Award at the 3rd Seiyuu Awards, she continues to outshine her peers in every domain. Enjoying phenomenal success both as part of Sphere and as a solo artiste, her singles, albums and live performances often becoming best sellers, with her last album Sunny Side Story reaching 5th on the Weekly Oricon Rankings.

Up next: 2013′s Best Newcomers

 Image credit © ボイスニュータイプ , from Voice Newtype Issue 47 : 7th Seiyuu Awards feature article unless otherwise stated
Voice Newtype is available at selected local Kinokuniya stores. 

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BREAKING!! The list of winners of the top awards for this year’s 8th Seiyuu Awards have been announced!!

These awards serve as a platform to honor the best performing actors, actresses, song artistes and radio personalities from the seiyuu industry. Somewhat like the Oscars of the seiyuu-kai, these awards are handed out yearly (incidentally the Oscars is also this weekend~). Thanks for staying with us through the week-long features of last year’s awards, and now, we bring you this year’s winners!

Best Actor

Yuuki Kaji (VIMS)
Notable roles: Eren Jaeger (Shingeki no Kyojin), Yukine (Noragami), Alibaba (Magi)

Best Actress

Rina Satou (Haikyo)
Notable roles: Mikoto Misaka (Toaru Kagaku no Railgun), Haruka Minami (Minami-ke), Ema Hinata (Brothers Conflict)

Kaji stuns again this year by winning two Best Actor awards in consecutive years, making him the only awardee so far to win this award twice. Both had strong profiles of leading characters in prolific anime such as Shingeki no Kyojin and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, in the past year, and proved to be worthy of this award. 

Best Supporting Actor

Yoshimasa Hosoya (Mausu Production)
Notable roles: Reiner Braun (Shingeki no Kyojin), X-Eins (Valvrave the Liberator), Haruto Kirishima (Kimi ga Iru Machi)

Best Supporting Actress

Yui Ishikawa (Sunaoka Jimusho)
Notable roles: Mikasa Ackerman (Shingeki no Kyojin), China Kousaka (Gundam Build Fighter), Yutika (Lupin III: Princess of the Breeze – Hidden City in the Sky)

This year’s number of winners for Best Supporting Actor/Actress had halved (much to our surprise), with only one male and female awardee each. This year’s winners are quite different in terms of experience. Hosoya has built up a steady portfolio of characters in recent years, with impressive variety and range. Ishikawa completely swept us away with her stunning performance as Mikasa, zooming past the Newcomer Award to land this award instead.

Best Male Newcomer

Kaito Ishikawa (Pro Fit)
Notable roles: Harutora Tsuchimikado (Tokyo Ravens), Ledo (Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet), Tsumugu Kihara (Nagi no Asu Kara)

Daiki Yamashita (Arts Vision)
Notable roles: Sakamichi Onoda (Yowamushi Pedal), Touya (Log Horizon), Rekka Shirogane (Gaist Crusher)

Best Female Newcomer

Maaya Uchida (IM Enterprise)
Notable Roles: Hiyori Iki (Noragami),  Rikka Takanashi (Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!), Hajime Ichinose (Gatchaman Crowds)

As hot favourites to win this award, this year’s Best Newcomers come as no surprise. Ishikawa and Yamashita rose quickly to fame despite only debuting only 2 years ago, having landed leading roles and shone in them. Uchida has chalked up an impressive list of characters over the past two years, and her performance has definitely been more-than-worthy of this award.

Singing Award

Mamoru Miyano (Gekidan Himawari)
Songs: Kanon (Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love 2000% OP)

Riding the wild sucess of Uta no Prince-sama, Miyano’s Kanon single hit a record high of 3rd on the Oricon Weekly Charts. Considering that he was also the first male seiyuu to hold a solo concert in Budoukan last year, this award comes as no surprise.

Best Radio Personality

-not awarded-

This is just sad. We are once again reminded of the dismal year (in 2010) in which the Best Actor award was, also, not awarded.

Most Popular Award

Hiroshi Kamiya (Aoni Production)

With this marking his 3rd consecutive year winning this award, Kamiya has shown himself to be truly unstoppable. As the one and only winner since this award was inducted, one wonders if this award should be renamed the “Hiroshi Kamiya Award” instead. 

Turns out Shingeki no Kyojin was the big winner tonight, with their leads sweeping the board with 4 winners. And Noragami remains the frontrunner this season, with all 3 leads taking home awards today. 

The gala award ceremony will be held tonight, which will also be broadcast live on Bunka Housou Internet Radio Chou! A&G+ (文化放送 インターネットラジオ「超！Ａ＆Ｇ＋ 」) from 6pm (Japan time). Check out the official website and twitter for more details!

All images from http://seiyuawards.jp/

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RADWIMPS are (from left to right): Yusuke Takeda (bass), Satoshi Yamaguchi (drums), Yojiro Noda (vocals and guitar) and Akira Kuwahara (guitar).

We’ve been excitedly talking a lot about it, but if you’ve managed to miss the news, we’ll gladly tell you again: As part of the Japan Music Festival, popular J-Rock band RADWIMPS will be performing live in Singapore! And tickets are selling fast! They will be playing at TAB on 7th June 2014. This performance is also part of the band’s “RADWIMPS GRAND PRIX 2014 Live Tour”, which includes shows in Japan and other overseas venues.

Given that they’re currently in the midst of the Japan leg of their tour, you’d expect that RADWIMPS would be pretty busy. However, the band has very kindly spared the time for an e-mail interview with AFACHAN. Through their responses, the band members shared with us their thoughts on their most recent album, “X to ○ to Tsumi to”, gave due credit to an energy drink, discussed what they want to do in Singapore (spoiler: Merlion) and provided advice on how to best enjoy their shows.

Read on to find out more about what RADWIMPS had to say to AFACHAN

The INTERVIEW

The interview was conducted in Japanese and translated by Chibihien.

Q: For the fans of Asia, please give a brief introduction of the band. 

 We would like to think of ourselves as a four-man rock band.

Q: What do you think is the strength or trump card in RADWIMPS’ music? 

Everything stands out. That and the number of bass strings.

Q: What is the overall concept for the “RADWIMPS GRAND PRIX 2014 Live Tour” (including for Japan and the rest of Asia)?

Colour. Moulting. Transcendence. Freedom.

Q: Congratulations achieving Platinum certification for “X to ○ to Tsumi to”, your most recent album. Can you tell us more about it, and what sets it apart from your previous works? 

The sense of speed is present. We paid particular attention to keeping the song as ‘fresh’ as possible from the time the music is born until the whole song is completed.

For the 10 years that we’ve been together, this is the most excited we’ve been while working on the album.

We owe this to large amounts of Red Bull.

Q: Are there any songs on the album that you would recommend and why?

Satoshi Yamaguchi: “Perfect Baby”.  You can’t help but feel good after listening to it. It seems like something would happen.

Akira Kuwahara: ”Kaishin no Ichigeki”. It feels great and it’s lots of fun performing the song live. I think everyone would like it as well.

Yusuke Takeda: ”DARMA GRAND PRIX”. A song that everyone can dance to, and very fun to play.

Yojiro Noda: ”Iron Bible”. It’s a fusion of everyone’s senses and skill, making a very comfortable feel. I think it’s a song that can only be created by us as a band.

Q: Please give us a reason why it was decided to go on tour in Asia, as well as what we can look forward to? 

We’ve always wanted to perform overseas. Finally, that wish has come true. There must be people who have been waiting for us, and we hope to exceed their expectations multiple times with our live performance.

Q: What is your impression of Singapore? Is there anything you are looking forward to doing when you travel here?
Merlion, casino, smart people with high IQ, ability to speak English, the hotel with the boat on top and ginger chicken.

Kuwahara: I want to see the Merlion.
Yamaguchi: I want to take photos of the streets.
Takeda: I want to go to the casino.
Noda: How much are you bringing?
Takeda: 50,000 yen.
Everyone: That’s so little. (laughs)

Q: To enjoy a RADWIMPS live performance, what kind of mental attitude should a fan have?

Leave all your worries behind and enjoy yourself to the fullest. Do whatever you like!

Q: Do you have a message for your fans in Singapore and other overseas countries?

We are very excited for our first overseas live performance.

Please be ready for us. We are looking forward to be able to meet everyone.

I am looking forward to the Merlion. 

About RADWIMPS

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

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

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

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

Their 7th album, “X to O to Tsumi to” was released in December 2013, and also in Singapore on February 14, 2014. The band will be on tour in 2014.

RADWIMPS’ 7th album, “X to ○ to Tsumi to” is now available in Singapore at CD Shops like HMV, priced at S$19.90

Don’t miss your chance to watch this amazing band live in Singapore; get your tickets at Miticket+. Also, check out AFACHAN’s live report of RADWIMP’s awesome concert in Yokohama.

For more details on their upcoming show in Singapore, please visit, http://radwimps.japanmusicfestival.asia/

The post [INTERVIEW] RADWIMPS’ Singapore; Hotel with a boat, Ginger Chicken and the Merlion? appeared first on AFA Channel!.

Missing something from your fingers? Nope not referring to the 1 carat diamond ring or the blink blink you put on to show off your riches…

Check out the latest in Japanese fashion, after their Charabento, Itasha, Itaindou and Itachari~ We now have,

ITANAILs!

based on the concept of printing anime characters onto your nails, the beauticians at VenusRico Nail Salon presents their ItaNails! And you can finally have your favourite anime at your finger tips~

Collaborations

VenusRico also have official collaborations with the school live, MMD animated anime, Tesagure! Bukatsu mono which features seiyuu Satomi Akesaka, Yua Suzuki, Asuka Nishi, Aoi Takahashi, Karin Ogino, Koharu Tanaka and Ayaka Oohashi.

And the Seiyuu sentai rangers, VOICETORM 7!!

About Venus Rico

And with so much emphasis on having the anime characters on you hand, it is no wonder that VenusRico Nail Salon is situated just a 15 minutes walk away from Akihabara train station and a street from the UDX building.

Price-wise, it would cost from 5000 yen to an upwards of 12,000 yen to apply, a small cost for the lovely nails. 

You can find out more about the VenusRico Nail Salon on their website, http://venusrico.com/

Picture credit: VenusRico Nail Salon

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This year saw the merging of the Tokyo International Anime Fair and the Anime Contents Expo to form the first ever Anime Japan! The event was organised with the help of  The Association of Japanese Animations and The Association of Manga Publishers.

Anime Japan was held over the course of two days (March 22-23) at Tokyo Big Sight which is home to events such as Comiket and the Tokyo Motor Show.

The event boasted an impressive repertoire of  companies, including Aniplex, Toei Animation, Kadokawa, Production IG, Bandai Visual and Sunrise just to name a few.
Needless to say, the event was incredibly fun and had lots to see!

So, with no further delay, I give you

The 5 Booths You Should Have Seen At Anime Japan 2014

1. Type Moon x Ufotable

Type Moon x Ufotable featured their Fate Series and had impressive artwork displays. They also boasted a Life Size Saber~
Official Artbooks and Artist graffiti books were on sale.

Hopefully fans got their hands on some of the goodies. I am a big fan of the Fate Project. Are you?

2. TV Tokyo

TV Tokyo’s booth featured Pokemon, Naruto, Soul Eater Not! and much more! It comes also with a message board that allows for attendees to wish a happy TV TOKYO a 50th Anniversary.

As well as NANA NA! The mascot for TV Tokyo’s 50th Anniversary, who could have missed that!
I am exited about Soul Eater coming back to the screen!  What about you guys?

3.  Girlfriend/ Boyfriend Beta

Huh? Saw someone familiar?

The new mobile game Girlfriend Beta followed by the Boyfriend Beta on popular demand!

Fun Fact: Boyfriend Beta has received over 150,000 Pre Orders. The female fans are quite dedicated!
Too many waifus? Never.

4. Agriculture Angel Baraki! Agukaru (あぐかる）

Ibaraki Prefecture is known for its delicious vegetables and other agricultural products.

The farmers of Ibaraki grow their veggies with lots of love and care and people say the vegetable reciprocate when they are harvested.

If you haven’t tried food from Ibaraki, fret not!

Now you can feel the love of the farmers of Ibaraki through the Anime “Agukaru” which follows the adventures of Sanae Baraki, farmer’s daughter who can see spirits. Sanae works hard every day to produce the best agricultural goods full of the farmers’ love whilst fighting off evil doers who seek to harm their farms!

5. Aniplex

The Aniplex Booth featured gorgeous artwork from their projects such as Hidamari Sketch, Darker than Black, Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai, Kill la Kill, Ano Hana and much more!
Being at places like these help one appreciate the sheer work put into the Animes that we watch on a daily basis.
I would have loved to own these beautiful works of art but alas, they were not on sale.

I suppose its time to wrap this up!

There were just a few of the many amazing booths that were on display at Anime Japan 2014 and I personally had a ton of fun.
If you happen to be in Japan during the next Anime Japan, do make sure to drop by!

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Watch the seiyuu of Shingeki no Kyojin, Yuuki Kaji, Yui Ishikawa and Yuu Kobayashi challenge 「Shingeki no Kyojin Real Escape Game: Escape from within the Colossal Stomach」in a Nico Nama live broadcast!

© リアル脱出ゲーム (http://realdgame.jp/shingeki/)

「Shingeki no Kyojin × Real Escape Game. Escape from within a Walled City」is a event collaboration between hit series Shingeki no Kyojin and Real Escape Game, which will be held in 6 major cities in Japan.

Before it is first unveiled on 3rd May in Yokohama, get a sneak peek of this colossal event as the voice cast of anime takes part in a special 「Escape from within the Colossal Stomach」 Escape Game event, which will be aired on Nico Nico on 12th April 2014 (Saturday).

(from left) Yuuki Kaji, Yui Ishikwa, Yuu Kobayashi (from KAI-YOU.net)

Seiyuus Yuuki Kaji (Eren Jaegar), Yui Ishikawa (Mikasa Ackerman) and Yuu Kobayashi (Sasha Blouse) will take part in this game event broadcasted on Nico Nama, which will put their their puzzle-solving, mystery-cracking skills to the challenge. Will they be able to escape the grisly confines of a titan’s stomach?

Shinkgeki no Kyojin NicoNama Event – from Koepota.jp

Program Details

【進撃の巨人×リアル脱出ゲーム】脱出ゲームニコ生特別公演「超大型胃袋からの脱出」
【Shingeki no Kyojin × Real Escape Game】Escape Game Nico Nama Special Event「Escape from within the Colossal Stomach」
【Broadcast】12th April 2014 (Sat) Opening: 20:50 / Start: 21:00 (Japanese Standard Time)
【Appearances】Yuuki Kaji, Yui Ishikawa, Yuu Kobayashi, Takao Katou (Commentary), Hisanori Yoshida (MC)
【URL】http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv174107818

Setting

In the Nico Nama Broadcasting Studio, the announcements for the Real Escape Game are being broadcasted as usual. Suddenly, a Colossal Titan appears!! While the staff are trapped in a state of shock and panic, the studio was swallowed by the Colossal Titan!!

There are only 15 minutes left.

If you cannot escape from the Colossal Stomach within 15 minutes, you will dissolve into the stomach contents.

Solve all the puzzles and escape from the Colossal Stomach!!

Do note that you would need a Nico Nico account to watch the live broadcast. Basic accounts are free but premium accounts would have priority access when viewing traffic is high.

According to Nico Nico, this event can only be viewed on mobile devices, so remember to check out the link and details early if you want to catch the broadcast live!

Check out our earlier post for more details on Shingeki no Kyojin: Real Escape Game!

Shingeki no Kyojin: Real Escape Game is a event collaboration between hit series Shingeki no Kyojin and Real Escape Game, titled 「Shingeki no Kyojin × Real Escape Game. Escape from within a Walled City」. Brought to you by SCRAP, this is likely to be the largest real escape game anyone has ever experienced!

The event will be first unveiled at Yokohama Stadium this coming May and held at later dates in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sendai and Toyota, covering 6 major cities. Set in stadiums around Japan, this event comes closest to the actual scale of Shingeki no Kyojin. Fans of the series can now immerse themselves in the Kyojin world and experience the terror of the titans first-hand (3D Maneuver Gear not provided).

Will you be the hunter, or the hunted?

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Categories: JAPAN MOVIE Tags: Fatal Frameproject ZeroZero No this is not a production of TMA but a real movie production, It will be featuring 2 of the cover girls of the Japanese fashion lifestyle magazine, Seventeen, as the characters from the Novelised version of the original classic. The two are Ayami Nakajo and Aoi Morikawa. They will be the star of the upcoming […] (Read more...)

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The meido outfit is one of the most popular moe element in the otaku subculture, and it is common for anime characters to dress up in meido outfits for fanservice in anime series.

So why is meido popular amongst otaku? 

The Japanese word “Meido (メイド)” is derived from the  English word “Maid”. While there are several reasons why meido appeal to fans, one of the key reason is the tight-fitting french maid outfit that typically comprises of an apron, petticoat or pinafore teamed up with matching accessories, stockings, and French maid head dress. Apart from a kawaii appearance, meido are typically viewed as demure, sweet and attentive to the needs of their master.

So have you visited a meido kissa before? 

One of the most interesting phenomenon associated is the rise of Meido Kissa (メイド喫茶), cafés where young ladies dressed in meido outfit serve coffee and play games with customers. You would be able to find a meido kissa on every corner of Akihabara, and the business has spread all over Japan and can be seen in other Asian cities such as Hong Kong, Seoul, and Taipei. Of course, Anime Festival Asia also feature our very own Moe Moe Kyun Maid Cafe.

When you first enter a meido kissa, you can expect to be warmly greeted by the meidos who would bow to you they would use polite phrases like “Welcome home, Master (Mistress)” (お帰りなさいませ、ご主人様！ Okaerinasaimase, goshujinsama)”. Its quite an interesting experience as if you are some sort of nobility and you have just returned home to your huge mansion. For that short moment where you are inside the meido kissa, you are treated like a king.

Apart from having coffee inside a meido kissa, you can order simple entrées and desserts. One of the most popular item on the menu is omurice, where the meido would decorate it using ketchup. You can request for a personalised message or any image of your choice and they will draw it to the best of their ability.

The meido kissa in Japan have evolved into new variations and is no longer catered to just the male audiences. There are butler cafés featuring elegant gentleman that serve and address their female customers as “Ojou-sama (young lady)”. There are also spin-off of normal services such as hairdressing, massage parlours and even cleaning your ear wax. If you are okay to pay a premium price for getting your hair cut, you can check out these establishments in Akihabara as well.

My thoughts on Meido and Meido Kissa

Even though it serves more as fanservice, the meido outfit will continue to be a key moe feitish element in the otaku subculture. If you have not visited a meido kissa before, I would definitely recommend a visit at least once in your life because its not everyday that you get to be pampered by a cute waitress that can be so sweet to you that you might leave the cafés with diabetes.

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

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It was announced recently that Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd. would tie up with Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn to bring a special train service for a limited time, the “Second Coming of Red Comet Limited Express Rapi:t Neo Zeon Version“.

This special Rapi:t train will be available on the Nankai Line and the Airport Line to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Airport Line’s opening and the Limited Express Rapi:t. On the May 26 2014, an opening ceremony was conducted for the first day of its operations at Namba station

A large crowd attended the ceremony and they were hoping to catch the first glimpse of the red Rapi:t train. The legendary voice of Char Aznable and Full Frontal, Shuichi Ikeda also graced the event. Along with the tape-cutting on the platform, the very first painted sample of the enormous HGUC Neo Zeong was unveiled!

Here’s a short clip of the goings of the event.

Mr Ikeda was pretty shocked at the large size of the Neo Zeong gunpla!

Before the tape cutting event could proceed, famous Char impersonator Numacchi made a surprise appearance as Full Frontal at the event! As you can see, the entire train is designed from the ground up with all new Neo Zeon livery!

Mr. Ikeda also received a giant “Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn × Limited Express Rapi:t Memorial Express Ticket” from Nankai Electric Railway Railway Operations Manager Mr Tetsuro Kanemoto.

During the course of the operations, the train’s livery will be in Neo Zeon red, with reserved seats for Mineva Zabi, Angelo Sauper and Full Frontal! The train does not move three times faster unfortunately.

As mentioned earlier, the Gundam Unicorn x Limited Express Rapi:t Neo Zeon train will be operating through the Airport Line and the Nankai Main Line from April 26th to June 30th.

The train does look like it has a Zaku face if you look carefully, which makes it really cool! Unfortunately, I will not have the opportunity to make a trip on the Neo Zeon rapi:t as I will not be in Japan during this period. If any of you readers are making a trip to Japan during this period, I hope you get to enjoy the Neo Zeon rapi:t train! Sieg Zeon!

Source: Gundam.info
Video: Kyodo News, Osakatour20XX

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