Kyouran Kyōdai » OP and ED

Presenting the OP of B★RS The Game

TheFuzzy — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 03:35:47 +0000

FUCK YES.

I know ufotable’s pretty talented, but I’ve only personally seen their work in God Eater Burst. This…this just takes it to a whole new level. d(^v^ d)

We see that there are multiple City Eaters at work here, and a total of 5 out of the 8 Apostles are revealed. The new faces consist of 3 guys (there goes that all-girl harem fantasy), and so far, only the details for the red one have been revealed.

His name is Azuma (アズマ), and he’s the 2nd Apostle. His outfit is very asymmetrical, and his left eye is covered by a metal “scar”. Herald of meridian calls it a “spine”. He also wields a blade, and appears to be able to perform fire-based attacks.

Here are some more screenshots released alongside Azuma’s reveal. So it’s mission-based…I expected as much from a PSP title.

Famitsu also launched a special page detailing all information they released before Azuma’s reveal. The game’s website got updated too, obviously.

If the OP is anything to go by though, it seems this’ll be one epic title, at least before the release of the PSVita. Gah, my patience draws thin.

Sources:

Famitsu
2channel (somewhere >_>)

Meiko’s “Palette” PV Awesome as Ever~

Fariz Asuka — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:18:29 +0000

Meiko’s “latest” 3DPV titled “Palette” is an awesome piece of work that was recently released on NicoNicoDouga.. It is quite nice to see a 3DPV of Meiko; Usually it is either, Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Twins or Megurine Luka.. I really love the song after my friend recommended listening to this old song..

Just like usual, lemme show you the epic PV~

【MEIKO】 – Palette:

Here is the lyric (Romaji) to the song..

“Palette” Lyrics:

たりない色は水色
閉じた瞼に広がっている
雲の切れ間から覗く澄み切った空の水色

こんなにも不確かで不完全な私という存在は
「貴方」で形成されてた

想い描いたガラス製のパレット一つ
貴方との記憶が鮮明に映った

繋いだ手の暖かさが　貴方とのつながりが　そこに残っていた
繋いだ手の暖かさが　私という生命のたった一つの証明
貴方との記憶は色彩に満ちていた

望んだ色は赤色
この体に流れている
私という存在が生きてると実感する色

掠れた声で歌ういつか聴いた子守歌
伝えたい言葉が浮かんでまた消えた

今でもそっと目を閉じればいつでも思い出せるあの時見た景色
触れた手のひら　目を閉じればいつでも思い出せる貴方の体温

もう二度とは戻れない日々の事。色褪せた写真が残る
もう大丈夫、笑えるよ。このまま歩いて行ける

Now, regarding the music itself.. The song was actually made 2 years ago.. Thats right, it was created way back in 2007, dated 12th December by composer “作者” or “nocchi1031″.. Being an early VocaRock song, I find it very sweet and melodious.. The chorus on the other hand is very well-tuned and I find it very catchy.. The intruments played perfectly well together, complimenting Meiko’s voice.. A true wonder for quite an old song..

For the animation itself, one initially think that the graphic looks like those from the old Resident Evil games.. Thats what I also think of when I first watched it.. Even the backdrop where Meiko is singing seems like one.. Meiko’s movement in this PV is quite fluid; no rigidity or perhaps little or no lag at all, apart from one part where her mouth didn’t synchronize with the song.. Other than that, I love the singing part during the chorus, very surreal..

Well, thats all I have for today’s review.. Very sorry to those who always visit my blog to see it hanging there.. Abit busy with schedules for this month but most probably everything should be sorted out within the end of next week.. Till then enjoy~

Black★Rock Shooter OVA – My Impressions

TheFuzzy — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:32:04 +0000

Source: Pixiv by IsII

First off, I’d like to be totally honest and blunt about this: the OVA felt a little disappointing to me.

The OVA in itself is a strange mix of schoolgirl slice-of-life and hot-blooded action scenes which seem to have little correlation, that is, until you realize they’re not exactly following a chronological order. We’ll get back to this part in a bit.

Some of the scenes felt completely useless, too. STRength’s (as in the character) only purpose appears to be augmenting the Sequel Hook scene right after the credits. At least Black★Gold Saw was duking it out with the titular character.

There were also scenes done up to recreate the feel of the original PV, which is all well and good, except for the fact that they don’t add to the overall plot at all. Sure, Black★Rock Shooter’s standing on the end of the bridge. Why? You can’t even tell, especially since she doesn’t even have any internal dialogue during these scenes.

The slice-of-life scenes definitely dragged on for too long; the scenes in which Mato hung out with Yomi in particular. I know the writers are emphasizing the fact that they’re really close, but I think they could’ve cut that down a tad and still make it work.

I know criticizing the slice-of-life part is out of character for me, but Black★Rock Shooter isn’t supposed to be a slice-of-life show anyway.

I’m not saying the OVA was horrible, though. The voice acting was pretty well done; the starring seiyuu fell into their roles perfectly. Kana Asumi did her job pretty well for genki girl Poplar Yuu, too.

The weapon metamorphosis bit was totally unexpected.

The action scenes were also very impressive and well-animated. The lack of speech lets you focus on the fighting on-screen, and since you don’t hear the usual internal monologue (i.e. “she’s just too strong!”) from either side, you can’t really predict the outcome, especially in the final battle. Oh god, that was epic.

Of course, this meant that Dead Master’s defeat seemed totally lame compared to the rest of the OVA. Meh.

Also, I wonder if anyone noticed how Black★Rock Shooter’s weapon reverted to its gun form before she ran down the stairs, and then turned back into its blade form in the corridor scene? Bad Ordet, bad! And we even let you have your one month delay, too!

As far as the soundtrack goes…I’m surprised the very song which the show is based on didn’t play during any of the fighting scenes, or during the opening and closing credits (though it did crop up as slow background music a couple of times).

The song playing during the closing credits was “Braveheart” by THE GOMBAND, though the song itself was composed by ryo. I’m addicted to the chorus, and the way the song picks up the pace right before it. Not to mention the rocking out.

Here’s the song and lyrics to sing along to, if you feel like it:

Japanese (Romaji)	English
Hitotsu, jibun ni uso Futatsu, mune ga itande Dakara mittsume ni wa kizukanai furishita	Firstly, I lied to myself Secondly, my chest ached So thirdly, I pretended not to notice it.
Kore de heiki Mou daijoubu da yo Boku wa boku de nakute ii kara	I feel fine with this I’m all right now Because it’s okay that I’m not myself
Yowakute okubyou na Braveheart Kizutsuku no ga kowain da Aa waraeba iin darou	The weak and timid Braveheart Is scared of getting hurt Ah, I think you should smile
Nakenashi no yuuki daite Me o tsuburi susumu shika nai Aa mubou to wakatte ite mo	Embracing what little courage I have There’s nothing to do but shutting my eyes and moving on Ah, even if I know it’s reckless
Koukai ni oitsukare Hayaku hayaku nigenakya Dakara sutetetan da daiji ni shiteta mono	Getting overtaken by regret I must run away quickly, quickly So I threw away the things I cherished
Ki ga tsuitara Tada ikiteru dake Boku no kachi nante sonna mon da kara	When I realized it I was only simply living on Because my worth is that sort of thing
Mamae wa go-rippa da Braveheart Yaku ni tatanai kuse shite Abb sore de mo mada ugoku	Your name is remarkable, Braveheart Despite that you’re of no use Ah, yet you still move
Inochi ni nani o negaeba ii Furueru kokoro ga sake Aa ikitakute shou ga nai y Mou takusan da	What should I wish upon life? My trembling heart tears apart Ah, I can’t help that I want to live There’s already plenty
Kanashiku nanka nai no ni Namida ga afurete kuru Aa nande atatakain darou	Even though I’m not sad My tears overflow Ah, I wonder why they are warm
Aa tsutaete kuretan da Braveheart Konna ni natte made mo Aa gomen boku no sei de	Ah, you told me so, Braveheart Even to the point when it’s like this Ah, I’m sorry, it’s my fault
Arittake no yuuki hataite Me o ake mae o mirun da Aa konna ni mo sekai wa kagayaiteru	Expending all of the courage I have I’ll open my eyes and look forward Ah, even when it’s like this, the world is shining
Saa mou waraeru darou Maketsuzukeru yuuki o mote Kizutsuku no o osorenna Saa sore koso ga boku no Braveheart	C’mon, I wonder if you can laugh now Have the courage to keep losing Don’t fear getting hurt C’mon, indeed that is my Braveheart.

Lyrics are ripped from courtesy of Words of Songs.

And now, back to the chronological order bit. I’ve been reading up some reviews and plot explanations here and there, and it seems the jumble of scenes got some scratching their heads.

So here’s my rough interpretation of the story’s chronology, assuming there are 4 antagonists (counting Insane Black★Rock Shooter):

Mato befriends Yomi.
Mato befriends Yuu, Yomi turns into Dead Master.
Mato turns into Black★Rock Shooter to find Yomi.
Mato defeats Dead Master and rescues Yomi.
Yuu falls into depression, turns into STRength.
Mato defeats STRength and rescues Yuu.
???
Mato defeats Black★Gold Saw and rescues ???.
Insane Black★Rock Shooter appears.
???

Expecting IB★RS to appear seems like a long stretch, but I just have the feeling she’ll show herself eventually.

So, overall, the OVA was a bit of a letdown thanks to the scene structure, but the action scenes certainly help to prevent the OVA being a total disappointment. That, and the promise of more to come.

In any case, I’ve already pre-ordered the Limited Edition set, so expect a second review on its contents when it arrives. Hopefully the animation quality will be much better by then.

I do have a lot more to say about the OVA, but due to time constraints (i.e. I can’t stay up too late since I’m booking in in 7 hours) I’ll have to cut myself short. Oh well. >_<

“Secret” by Megurine Luka so “Lady-Gaga”~

Fariz Asuka — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:50:29 +0000

Source: Jet@Pixiv

After a long hiatus, I finally got a chance to write something on this blog.. So firstly, I’m celebrating my “little” return with a song review post.. For today’s post, I would like to talk about a new animated PV by Megurine Luka titled “Secret”.. A very catchy and interesting English song to listen to.. More on that after the jump..

As usual, lets go take a look at the music video itself.. Enjoy~ XD

“Secret” – Megurine Luka:

This is by far one of the best English song sung by Megurine Luka; It is done by a nico user by the name “Arth” way back in January this year.. Although some do already know that her program can be made to sing english words, only few can come out with such nice English songs such as this for example..

After listening to the song, I felt that the tune is almost similar to that of Lady Gaga’s, not all of them.. The way the song is playing and how Luka sings the song is pretty upbeat and funky in a way.. =3

Animation-wise, I felt that it is quite interesting in a way since she gets turned into a “nekomimi”.. Done by a user called “Jet” with his signature mouse in one scene, the animation has a mixture of 3D/2D in it and I like how well and smooth it is made.. However, I don’t find it very eye-appealing.. Well, it deserved some credits for having such nice graphics..

Thats all I have for this music review.. Do catch for more future reviews in time to come.. Till then, take care.. =D

Project DIVA 2 Opening Trailer Full Version~

Fariz Asuka — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:50:45 +0000

It has been quite a long while since the release of the preview for the Opening video of the upcoming game, Hatsune Miku – Project DIVA 2 - by SEGA.. Now just a few weeks before the release of the game itself, someone got a chance to grab a video of the full version of the video, with the song being played titled “こっち向いて Baby”..

Now, get ready to be mesmerized by the wonderful and awesome video itself.. Enjoy~

Project DIVA 2 Opening Full Version:

When I watched the whole video, I was totally awed by its wonderful animation, especially the band-singing sequence.. This is also a first time SEGA decided to make a whole Opening PV with a full song.. Unlike the previous “Project DIVA” which plays a shorter version of the song, “The Secret Garden”, the 2nd one plays at a more energetic note and so-called allow players to listen to the cool song composed by “Ryo” himself.. XD

I kinda love it when I saw they put Tako Luka in the video as well apart from the tiny chibi Mikus.. Another thing to note is that Miku, Luka and the Kagamine twins are more detailed in the video itself.. I hope to see something like that if it is possible to play “Project DIVA 2″ on “Dreamy Theater”.. =3

After hearing this, I’m so excited to play the gmae once I received it on its release date which is on the July 29th..

Thanks to “inferno0748″ for the info.. XD

「Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- “Dreamy Theater“」 Finally Out!!

Fariz Asuka — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:00:49 +0000

Source: OHSEさん@Piapro

I saw the videos and I was awed by their sheer awesomeness.. Although they aren’t as good as the Arcade version, at least its a graphical improvement for those who wished to watch it on their HD TVs via PS3 while playing the game from their PSP..

Even though I’m abit slow in reporting this, I have true intention in doing so which is to post the long-awaited videos uploaded by users playing 「Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- “Dreamy Theater“」.. Like said in the above statement, a player is able to play their 「Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA-」 game in a much better 3D quality using the “Dreamy Theater” program on the PS3..

In order to get “Dreamy Theater”, you have to purchase it via the Japanese Playstation Store for about 3,000yen or about SGD$47..

Below here are some of the videos taken from the game played using “Dreamy Theater”.. Enjoy~

「Project DIVA “Dreamy Theater”」 – Bad Mood Waltz:

「Project DIVA “Dreamy Theater”」 – Dear Cocoa Girls:

「Project DIVA “Dreamy Theater”」 – Marginal:

「Project DIVA “Dreamy Theater”」 – Melt:

「Project DIVA “Dreamy Theater”」 – Moon:

「Project DIVA “Dreamy Theater”」 – Packaged:

「Project DIVA “Dreamy Theater”」 – World Is Mine:

「Project DIVA “Dreamy Theater”」 – Disappearence of Hatsune Miku:

I wish I have my very own PS3 to play Dreamy Theater.. =3

Source: Moetron

Project DIVA 2nd – New Batch of Gameplay Videos~

Fariz Asuka — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 12:25:17 +0000

Source: ぜろきち @ Pixiv

Sega has again released new gameplay videos from the game 「Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- 2nd」.. This time, the videos showcased 3 well-known songs back in the days; “Innocence” by Kazu-P, “Promise” by Samfree & “VOiCE” by Lovely-P. More after the jump~

After the release of the gameplay videos of “PoPiPo” and “Sound”, I had a 50/50 view that they would release more gameplay videos from the game itself.. Although “PoPiPo” do caught my attention with its hyperness, I still don’t feel the vibe for the “Sound” PV in the game, but thats just my own opinion.. XD

This time however, all 3 videos really catch my attention for their own respective reasons, not just for their own unique outfits chosen perfectly for the PVs. So let us begin with the song “Innocence”..

“Innocence” [Project DIVA 2] – Hatsune Miku:

What I like about this PV is the stage used for the song; it really suits the theme the original animation showed.. However, instead of using the same colour theme, it is more of a white colour scheme, giving a livelier atmosphere..

Moving on to “Promise”~

“Promise” [Project DIVA 2] – Hatsune Miku & Kagamine Rin:

For this PV, I really like the dance sequence of Rin and Miku.. Although it resembles abit like “Magnet”, it’s really dynamic.. I and Fuzzy still remember the dance sequence from the Thanks Giving concert but it looks way better with the new costumes.. XD

Last but not least, we have “VOiCE”..

“VOiCE” [Project DIVA 2] – Hatsune Miku:

I particularly love this PV due to the fact that they recreated the room in the mansion, taking every detail that you’ve seen in the original 3DPV itself.. From the furniture to the painting, it is quite accurate.. For this scene, its part of the flashback for Miku who is now wandering around a post-apocalyptic landscape..

Here’s the original PV, in case you’re curious..

I can’t wait for the game to be finally released on the July 29th.. Just one more month to go~ Maybe SEGA will upload more gameplay videos..

Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- “Dreamy Theater” PS3 PV~

Fariz Asuka — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:30:01 +0000

Artwork by: ちゃうねん@Pixiv

As you all know, Sega’s PSP rhythm game DLC data for your PS3, titled 「Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- “Dreamy Theater“」 will make your gaming experience more interesting. You’ll be able to play as your favorite virtual singing idols in full HD, from Hatsune Miku to Megurine Luka~ All you need is your PSP and the 「Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA-」 game, connected to the Playstation 3 system.

Although there isnt any news if this will also be compatible with the upcoming 「Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- 2nd」 PSP game which is coming out in July, I doubt Sega will forget about doing the same for the 2nd game.. XD 「Dreamy Theater」 will be available for purchase on June 24th at the Japanese Playstation Store; priced at 3,000 Yen or at about SGD$45.

A promotional video was just released quite recently by Sega and its available to view below. Enjoy~

Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- “Dreamy Theater” PV:

UPDATE: Longer version here:

By the way, it’s out right now.

Project DIVA 2 Opening Trailer Preview~

Fariz Asuka — Mon, 24 May 2010 11:50:16 +0000

Sega has just released a preview of the Opening video for the upcoming game, Hatsune Miku Project DIVA 2.. Coming out in July 29th, the video features not only Hatsune Miku but also Megurine Luka, Kagamine Rin and Len.. Its just too amazing, animation and song-wise.. Here is the video~

Project DIVA 2 Opening Preview:

Nico

The video showcased a more active Hatsune Miku than the one shown in the previous game.. She is joined in together with Kagamine Rin and Len who plays the Bass guitar and standard guitar respectively.. They are also joined by Megurine Luka who is the drummer for the group..

Animation-wise, I find it more attractive and entertaining that I didnt feel bored watching it over and over again.. Furthermore, the song played in the video, titled “こっち向いて Baby” is done by none other than one of my favourite Vocaloid compsoer, “Ryo”.. The song is very nice and has a catchy tune to it.. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any source of the lyrics to the song nor the song itself..

Another good news is that the Dreamy Theater will be a PlayStation Store only title selling for 3,000Yen or about SGD$47, releasing on the 24th of July.. In order to get the whole 3D experience of the game, it requires a PSP and a copy of Project Diva to run.. I will get back to this when there is more news regrding it..

More Screenshots:

As alot of people has expected, Project DIVA 2 will be one of the most anticipated PSP game to come in 2010.. XD

Via moetron.

Miku Project Diva 2 Bundle Pack Announced!! (Updated!)

Fariz Asuka — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:45:32 +0000

To those waiting for the next release of the highly popular rhythmic game, Project Diva, rejoice! Sega has recently announced that a special bundle of a Hatsune Miku themed PSP will be released along with Project Diva 2 game itself..

FUZZY EDIT: Pre-order details are now available! Check out the bottom of this post for details!

For 26,800 yen or around SGD$390, you will get the “Hatsune Miku: Project Diva 2nd Ippai Pack”. This includes a turquoise-coloured PSP-3000 (Better than having a PSP-GO!), a soft pouch, cleaning cloth, and wrist strap and of course, the game itself~

For those who already have a PSP, don’t fret.. Sega came out with a Miku theme kit… The kit contains a pouch, UMD case, cleaning cloth, PSP cover, strap, and decorative stickers for just 3,980 yen or at about SGD$58..

Want more stuff? Add another 1,980 yen (bout SGD$30) for a monogram pouch and another strap.. XD

The Project DIVA 2 game will be released on July 29th.. So don’t wait, order them when they come out~

FUZZY EDIT: Pre-orders for all the bundles are out!

~~You can get the PSP bundle set (also known as the “Full Pack”) at Ami Ami (26,980 JPY). It’s also up on Amazon.co.jp, but for some reason the price isn’t showing.~~ The PSP bundle set appears to be sold out, sorry guys. =(

You can also get the accessory set (the more expensive of the non-PSP sets) at Ami Ami for 3,250 JPY, or Amazon.co.jp for about 3,383 JPY.

The pouch set (the one with only the pouch and strap) is going for 1,620 JPY on Ami Ami and 1,980 on Amazon.co.jp.

It’s kinda obvious that they’re milking our money here, so if you’re a big fan, you better have a big wallet ready!