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Hatsune Miku Virtual Idol, K-On! Head to Singapore
posted on by Egan Loo
Singapore's Anime Festival Asia 2009 (AFA09) event will host a "live" performance by the virtual idol Hatsune Miku and a live dubbing session with the voice cast of the K-ON! anime series during the November 21-22 weekend. The Hatsune Miku LIVE! Performance on Saturday and the LIVE! K-ON Experience on Sunday will be the first performances for both acts outside Japan.
Hatsune Miku, Crypton Future Media's virtual singer whose voice is created by a software engine, had only just sung and danced "live" for the first time anywhere in August at Japan's Animelo Summer Live 2009 Re:bridge concert. That concert used a screen installed at the back of the stage to project Hatsune several stories tall before a standing-room-only crowd of 25,000. Hatsune's image was created by an artist named Kei, and her voice was provided by YAMAHA Corporation's Vocaloid 2 engine using samples from voice actress Saki Fujita.
The K-ON! anime adapted kakifly's four-panel comedy manga about a budding high school band. "Hōkago Teatime," the two-CD mini-album "performed" by the five K-ON! characters, became the first anime character CD release to top either the weekly album or singles chart. The main voice cast will come to Singapore to dub a scene from the anime before a live audience. The cast will also answer pre-submited questions in a session after the live performance.
In addition to Hatsune Miku, AFA09's “I Love Anisong” music concert will feature veteran anime and live-action theme song singer Ichirō Mizuki and Gurren Lagann singer Shōko Nakagawa on November 21. Macross 7 singer and JAM Project member Yoshiki Fukuyama and Macross Frontier singer May'n will perform on November 22.
Images © Sega/Crypton Future
© kakifly, Houbunsha/Sakuragaoka High School Light Music Club
