Just recently, the 4th MikuMikuDance Cup has ended.. This is where people uses their creativity to create some of the most amazing MMD videos ever following one of the three categories chosen by the tournament organizers. Winners are then selected through a point system on NicoNicoDouga.. It is so good to see wonderful and even epic MMD videos..

Well, here are the top few favourites from the whole list~

「Chaining Intention」 PV (*by MasatakaP)

「東方でマイケル～Smooth Criminal～」 (*by dancho-P)

「Confeito Star」 (*by ショ大河P)

「つなわたリフティング」 (*by 6666AA-P)

「papermoon」 (*by アルカ, koishi, gomezP)

「METSU☆ミクさん」 (*by ふと-P)

「Reimu Shift Change “RED ZONE”」 (*by kiyoP)

「UTAU事件簿-All Starts are the “M”」 (*by inaphon)

I hope you all enjoyed the videos.. I will most probably be posting up the results soon.. ^^

What happened when you mix Vocaloid with one of the cool OPs in 2008? You will get this wonderful result; “Discotheque”, Vocaloid style.. Taken from the anime series, “Rosario to Vampire Capu2, watching the video makes me remember the anime itself 2 years back.. So notstalgic.. Well, enjoy the video~

Rosario + Vampire CAPU2 OP 【Vocaloid Ver.】

I really liked how well the video was edited out to replace the original casts with the Vocaloid characters, from Official ones like Miku, Kaito and the Kagamine twins and also Unofficial ones like Akita Neru, Haku and Teto.. Miki and Megpoid were not left out either but the main character for this PV is Megurine Luka who have the same pink colour hair as Moka..

I really love the song sung by Mizuki Nana (and so does Chibi.. XD ) Luka’s version seems alrite though it can be improved in some part of the songs where her voice goes slightly off-tuned.. But I still give an “A” for the effort made not just on the song, but also the video editing itself too..

Before I leave, here is the original OP from Rosario to Vampire Capu2~..

Rosario + Vampire CAPU2 OP 【Original】

Credits to BlazingAngel22 for uploading the videos.. ^^

Technically only the faces were repainted, but still.

While I wouldn’t call them masterpieces, they do match the tiny little figurines perfectly. They are cute.

You hear me?

Cute.

You can catch the culprit, soboro (そぼろ), on fg, though you’ll need an account to view it in full.

He didn’t forget the other Nendoroid Petites in the set, thankfully, and they look just as cute (though not as posable, sadly).

Blushing Rin and Len are simply <3-ly. I would fork out my money just to get them. In any case, all of them look better than the originals IMO. >_>

Stay tuned for FarizAsuka’s review on our set; though I can’t promise it’ll be as awesome as these ones are.

Via Miku Aishiteru and WCloudx(kumo)’s blog].

After waiting for 2 months, the item is finally here.. Since the announcement for it being opened for reservation on 31st August 09, I’ve been getting quite excited to get the whole set itself.. Although feeling disappointed about the BRS and World Is Mine being delayed, I know they have their reasons.. Well, the item is none other than the Nendo Petite/Puchi Vocaloid Set #1..

The set, which contains 12 boxes and 11 possible Vocaloid figures including the special figure, and one extra.. The 11 possible figures are Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin & Len, Kaito, Meiko, Yowane Haku, Akita Neru, Megurine Luka, Saihate Miku and Sakine Meiko… The special figure is apparently a Nendo Petite Hachune Miku.. A very lovely set indeed..

The cover itself, showing the 11 Vocaloid figures + 1 secret figure.

Nendo Miku feeling all excited to welcome the new members..

I shall do a good review of the Vocaloid set just like how Persocom did for his.. The whole set cost me at around SGD$120 which was quite reasonable since each figure cost about SGD$10 somewhat.. There isn’t anymore opened slot for reservation since it closed as soon as it was opened..

Now, I shall await for the release of the World is Mine Hatsune Miku figurine, which is coming out on the 10th December 2009 after a delay back then.. ^^

Today marks another joyous occasion for Hatsune Miku fans and as well as the Vocaloid fans around the globe..This is the day we celebrate Hatsune Miku’s 2nd birthday.. Well, technically she was created/born 2 years ago as a simple voice synthesizer program by Crypton.. However, she grew from a relatively-unknown character like KAITO and MEIKO to something like a pop sensation..

Honestly, since her debut, there have been quite alot of wonderful songs (too many to count already @_@) and also spinoffs of her were created (Akita Neru, Yowane Haku, perhaps BRS and countless other characters).. Figurines of her were made, from 1/8 scale size to figmas and nendoroids.. There is even a game made featuring her as the main character; Project DIVA..

Well, the “MIKU” franchise has come so far, what more can we expect?? o.O

1) The B★RS Pilot Project

Yes, after a couple of months since the release of the music video by ryo & huke, there is finally a anime pilot project being developed by Ordet.. More info in a previous post here..

Well, the DVD/Blu-Ray are already up for pre-orders and they will be released to the market on the 30th September this year.. It is well, a pilot project as a teaser for a full-length anime next year.. Judging by the small trailer itself, I can expect a sell-out of the DVDs/Blu-Rays within a few days.. The graphic is amazing indeed… XD

And now, I would like to present to you the trailer itself, thanks to AkibaHobby.net~

B★RS Pilot Project Trailer:

The Kyouran Kyodai will get this DVD and do an epic review on it.. XD Now, next up we have….

2) The Nendo Petit Vocaloid Set #1

What can we say, even after the release of so many figurines/figmas/nendos, the figurine companies want to burn a huge hole in our wallet make us more happy by releasing more figures, like this Nendo Petit Set..

The set comes with the whole official Vocaloid gang plus Akita Neru and Yowane Haku as the only spinoffs to be included.. Apart from them, there is also 2 nendo petit that will come together with the set; the “Saihate” Miku and the “Sakine” Meiko which I talked about here..

Well, during the Chara Hobby (which I will do a post real soon), they also displayed 3 nendo petit Vocaloid in their SuperGT outfits.. I would sure love to get my hands on them too lol.. =3

I wish all the best to Hatsune Miku in the coming years.. Most of the songs inspired people to carry on making more beautiful music videos in so many genres (VocaRock is one of them..).. She was even selected to perform for Animelo 2009..

Well, lets hope that next year and the coming years, Miku will still be ever famous.. As for now, I would like to show my gratitude to all Vocaloid fans by showcasing some Miku artworks, most of them relating to her birthday today!! ^^

Source: Pixiv by HapiBeat

Source: Pixiv by towa

Source: Pixiv by me.

Source: Pixiv by 芳原舞人

Source: Pixiv by 鈴白

Source: Pixiv by めい

Source: Pixiv by 花茄子

Source: Pixiv by 藤ひょろね

Source: Pixiv by kokuyou

Well, we can finally say that the Vocaloid Nendoroid Petit #01 set is complete, so says Mikatan who was kind enough to reveal the final 2 characters that will be included in the set.. In this Nendo-Petit set, you will get the whole Vocaloid characters plus Akita Neru and Yowane Haku..

To some who know Vocaloid quite well, the characters poses are taken from an old fan-made video called “Kurutto, Odotte, Hatsune Miku”; a parody from the Keroro ED itself.. You will see it nearing the end of the dance before Caramelldansen.. ^^

A few days back, Mikatan revealed all but 3 (The Tako Luka was revealed earlier on, but won’t be included with the set..) characters in this picture (below)..

So who are the 2 remaining characters that were just revealed by Mikatan? They are none other than “Saihate” Miku and “Sakine” Meiko.. Enjoy the pics.. ^^

Notice the difference between the original Meiko (right) and the “Sakine” Meiko (left).. The latter has bright and cheerful colours compared to the former since the “Sakine” Meiko’s cheerful characteristics was taken from the PV, “Koi no Fuga”..

On the other hand, the “Saihate” Miku was taken from the PV, “Saihate” lol.. Well, to those who really forgot where/how/what the heck the PVs are, I will show you.. Lets start off with the main one, the…

“Kurutto, Odotte, Hatsune Miku” – The Vocaloid gang:

Next we will have the..

“Saihate” – Hatsune Miku:

Last but not least…

“Koi no Fuga” – Meiko:

Reservation for the Vocaloid Petit #01 set will open next Monday.. Hope you get your wallets ready for another good Vocaloid item getto.. XD

Well, today’s the official release date of the game.

Project DIVA, as we all know, is a rhythm-based game (similar to the DJ Max series) featuring none other than Hatsune Miku, dancing along to some of your favourite songs (and some new ones too).

Before I begin, I’d like to admit that we did download a copy off the Internets, since obviously Fariz’s pre-ordered copy won’t be arriving for a while.

Let’s start this unbiased review from the top, with an overview of how it works.

Overview

Starting the game lands you into the main menu, which (surprisingly) contains no Japanese in sight, and Miku’s silhouette blending with the background is a nice touch.

Waiting for a bit (or not skipping the splash screens) starts the OP video, and I gotta say, it looks gorgeous. I have yet to see another Miku-based video from NicoNicoDouga (recently) that has as much impact as this one. Oh yes Miku is so cute!

(Yes, I ripped it directly from my “copy”.)

Anyway, the game starts you off with 6 songs available to play, and everything else (costumes and room customizations) unavailable, except for maybe Miku’s default costume. Playing (and completing certain achievements) these songs unlock more songs, as well as the aforementioned unavailable goodies.

The gameplay is simple. While an animated sequence (be it 2D or 3D) plays in the background, you have to press the corresponding key as a symbol of the same shape crosses over a similar (but black) symbol, which also has a timer on it indicating the amount of time you have before the symbols cross.

This gives you two methods to determine when exactly to press the buttons, but personally I feel that simply waiting for the moment when the symbols cross is far easier than squinting at the screen and observing the timers ticking down. This is especially true on faster (and harder) songs.

Near the end of a song, you’ll encounter a “Chance Time” sequence. It’s simply the portion of the song in which you can earn loads more points by maintaining a combo while the “Chance Time” is active. Miss once, and your bonus points per hit drops back to meagre levels.

At the end of a song, Miku’s reaction is dependent on your performance ranking, which can range from the following:

• Cheap – You weren’t that good (though you made it through). Not counted as clearing the song.
• Standard – You were alright, but you can use some improvements.
• Great – Need I say more?
• Perfect – You didn’t even miss once.

If you didn’t manage to make it through the song, it ends abruptly and Miku presents you with a “MissXTake” rank.

orz

Achievements for songs include achieving a high combo count (usually 100+), having a high playcount (usually 5), attaining a certain ranking on a certain difficulty, or any combination of the above.

If you’ve managed Standard Great on any difficulty for a song, you’ll be able to activate “PV mode”, which allows you to watch the entire sequence without any symbols to get in your line of vision. Pressing the right trigger key takes a screenshot, which you can save to your memory stick.

Costumes (when unlocked) allow you to give Miku a makeover, ranging from cosplay to bridal gowns. Costumes are also reflected during normal gameplay as well as in the room, which I’ll cover in a while.

Other characters are also available, though they’re treated just like costumes, and won’t affect the voices you hear during gameplay (except for two songs, neither of which are “Dear cocoa girls”). It feels weird watching Luka sing “Love is War” in Miku’s voice. LOL

Room mode (which I’m dubbing it, since I can’t read moonrunes) sticks Miku with her current costume (or any other character) into a small room and lets you…observe her. That’s it. It’s simply a glorified, power-sucking screensaver. The right-trigger-screenshot key works here too.

The game does allow you customize the rooms’ objects (provided you’ve unlocked any) at several positions around the room, as well as the room design itself. The background music can also be altered, though the “unlock song before use” concept applies here too.

The game’s major feature is a song builder, with which anyone can build a complete sequence to play and share with others. Sequences can be built using the built-in songs, or from an MP3 in your memory stick, allowing for non-Miku sequences.

I won’t go into detail here; not because I cannot import an MP3 file like others have reported (got it on my first try, too), but because I’d rather not, since that’ll make this post way too long (which it’s on the verge of becoming). We’re (probably) going to post guides on how you can play the game (since it’s all in Japanese) as well as making your own sequences using the builder.

The game also features a gallery, in which you can view all the pictures (and videos) you have unlocked (which are the same ones you see in the bountiful loading screens). I believe pictures are unlocked in the same way, by completing achievements in-game. The right trigger works here once again, allowing you to save a picture into your memory card.

The pictures, by the way, were submitted by fan-artists as part of a contest held by Piapro. Not only were in-game pictures submitted, but songs (not available as playable sequences) and some costumes as well. Yup, that makes this game partly fan-made. Oh wait most of the playable songs are fan-made too. =D

There is an ad-hoc mode, but since I seem to be unable to use it, I’ll have to skip this part.

So now that I’ve covered the ins and outs, how does it fare in my eyes?

Review

Pros:

Gameplay is simple when it needs to be; playing songs on easy has you simply mashing one or two keys to a simple rhythm, while songs on Hard (and some on Normal) can have you trying frustratingly hard to achieve a Standard or Great rank, while still limiting controls to only four buttons. It’s a far cry from the DJMax Portable series which can have you mashing up to eight buttons, which I probably cannot handle.

Having a large number of unlockables gives a player (such as yours truly) a lot of motivation to keep on playing (and achieving), especially if you happen to be a fan of the main character.

The song builder greatly increases the replayability of the game, since it allows for user-made sequences to be shared between players (and probably across places like 2ch, too). We’ve seen how well the popularity of the VOCALOIDs (Hatsune Miku especially) has managed to sustain itself through the amount of work produced by fans, and this same amount of effort could probably do well with such a flexible feature. It’s no Miku Miku Dance, but it’s powerful even on a portable device.

Given that the game meant to please the fans, it’s no surprise that the game does it well. Playing with a 3D model of Hatsune Miku (and other VOCALOIDs) is a big plus, as well as dressing her in costumes and posing for the camera. The little features such as the screenshot key, PV mode, and the gallery help too, providing free PSP wallpapers without a need for additional software, and allowing fans to enjoy their daily dose of Miku anywhere, anytime.

The included ad-hoc mode is also a great way of enjoying the game together (if it works).

Cons:

Project DIVA isn’t a perfect game. It’s good, but it’s not 100%, 10/10.

Playing through a song can be difficult when the symbols flying past the screen are a little hard-to-spot courtesy of the dynamic “background”. This could’ve been planned as a “difficulty” feature, since the harder the game is, the more the fans keep playing just to beat it through and through.

Some songs aren’t sequences of Miku (or another character) dancing as you mash the buttons in rhythm. Rather, they turn out to be slideshows; simply flipping through pictures already viewable in the gallery, with seemingly no connection to each other.

These were from older posts.

The game is also missing features that were shown in some of the development videos and screenshots. I mean, sure, things change through the course of development, but was it really necessary to remove Hachune Miku of all things, and reduce Levan Polkka to a mere slideshow?

Some stats (such as combo count and the number of playthroughs) can only be seen only when the song has loaded on the screen before it starts. This wouldn’t be so bad if the same statistics play a part in achievements. I do hate having to go through a loading screen just to check up on my progress for a certain song.

The lack of an online server to allow easy-sharing of user-made sequences makes it difficult, since players will probably have to resort to copying the sequence file (and its MP3) to the right folders before being able to actually play it). Sharing may be available in ad-hoc mode, but since I can’t get in anyway…

And the biggest flaw: no auto-save. Take care, so you don’t lose your Perfect rank in The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku. On Hard.

Result:

I give it an 8/10. A must-buy if you’re a Hatsune Miku fan, and you own a PSP. If you aren’t, and you don’t find the song builder, costumes or the “room mode” appealing in the slightest bit, then you won’t enjoy the game as much.

Another VocaRock song caught my attention at NicoNicoDouga.. The song is titled, [Nai] “Nothing” Live (「無い」ライブ).. I was mesmerize by the wonderful animation in the video this is by far the best animated Vocarock song this few months since “ShinigRay” PV which is very lovely indeed..

Well, I pretty much love this song as well because this rock song begins on a nice beat, with some part of the song going slow and fast, thus listeners will surely enjoy the magnificent tune.. For this video, there are 4 people playing the song, namely Hatsune Miku as the main singer…

While Akita Neru is a drummer,

Yowane Haku being a bassist,

while Kaito is a lead guitarist..

Before I continue on about the song, I would like to present to you the music video itself.. Hope you like it..

Hatsune Miku – “Nothing” Live:

Well, although I really like the song, I find one thing weird about Miku’s singing during some part of the song.. Her high pitch voice sounds weird, perhaps just unrealistic for a rock concert.. On the contrary, it just makes the whole music video unique.. xD

Other than that, I will say that this song is pretty wonderful to listen to once again with its catchy and unique tune…

I will post more wonderful Vocaloid songs in the coming weeks.. As for now, I shall make a post about the K-ON! OP and ED.. See you~

A new week passed and there is another good song sung by Hatsune Miku.. The song is titled, “Blaze” and it is about Hatsune Miku (the main character in the video) feeling shocked that her childhood friend (Kaito) has become her enemy.. The theme of the video is “Ninja in a Modern World” it features all the Vocaloid characters together with Akita Neru and Yowane Haku..

Before I carry on with the song, I would like to present to you the music video itself.. Enjoy~

“Blaze” – Hatsune Miku:

When I listened to the song, I was pretty impressed with how nice the music is.. The composer uses an Emo-Rock tune to create the song, making it unique to most Hatsune Miku songs I always listened to.. Well, its not surprising that the art isn’t what most do want but I do like one particular scene which attracted my attention (Top).. I do love the butterflies flying around her.. xD

I can expect that this song will make it to the Vocaloid Weekly and I am pretty hopeful that it will make it to at least one of the Top 10 spots in the ranking.. ^^

Searching through the net, I once again found a Hatsune Miku video that is worth reviewing on this blog.. I actually got hooked to the song long ago.. However, the song, titled “Stripe”, was released last June (2008) and after awhile, I kinda forgot about it.. Well, the animated video using MikuMikuDance was released on 31st March 09 but it shows mostly the background and such and not on the characters themselves, especially Miku.. =3

I pretty much love how well the video was made, from the beautiful sky to the amazing stage itself.. Usually ppl will just stick to using one of the many stock stage sets to do their video but for this animator, he really creates the whole thing from scratch.. I congratulate this guy on a very job well done.. ^^

Before I continue, I would like to show you the music video itself.. Do enjoy~

“Stripe”:

So for this video, the animator uses characters from Idolm@ster, Haruka Amami and Yayoi Takatsuki, replacing Akita Neru in another version of the video.. They, together with Miku, dance quite beautifully on the one-of-a-kind stage…

Haruka takes the left spot…

Miku takes the center spot..

Yayoi takes the right spot.. xD

It is quite awesome that they comes out with another skin model for Hatsune Miku.. This version pretty much looks like she is an Idolm@ster character herself, seriously..

Now, speaking of the different version of this song, there is another video created by the same animator.. This time however, there are only 2 characters in the music video, Hatsune Miku and Akita Neru.. In this version, the camera isn’t focused on the characters but just focus on one spot facing the stage..

This time, you get to see the whole sunrise effect, unlike in the current one which focused on the characters themselves.. Without further ado, I would like to present to you the video:

“Stripe” 改装版 -Type.A-:

The music is so catchy, almost feels like a trance song.. I do love the chorus of the song, very lovely to listen to.. I hope you all will enjoy listening to the song.. xD

Well, thats all I have for this review.. I will keep on posting more wonderful Vocaloid songs in the coming days.. Till then, good morning~