Misuzu Live
I am certain there is too much certainty in the world.
Otakon 2011
Aug 3rd
This year Otakon was hot. I know it’s hot every year, but for the first time I was avoiding outdoor shoots like they had plague. Still, the convention ran smoothly and overall improved from last year. Both attendance (29k to 31k) and operations; I’m happy to report that I ran into no issues. My only complaint is the rising cost of the convention (but I don’t want to start speculating on their reasons, I’ll be here forever).
I’ll think back pleasantly on this years Otakon, despite not doing much as I was a bit out of it. Still, I didn’t go for reporting and managed to have fun despite everything. Maybe I’ll post again later (well, probably not, when I need to kill time I’ll go over notes from one of the many cons this past year I haven’t had time to write about). At least, right outside, I could get ice cold water for only one dollar. And on that note, I can’t remember anything else.
Here are the photos!
Animazement 2011
May 28th
Posting photos irregularly during the con!
http://misuzulive.com/gallery/index.php/2011/Animazement-2011
Deejay Busters!
Apr 8th
Key Sounds Label has announced a Little Busters! and Kud Wafter remix album for release at Rewrite Fes. Various club styles and well known DJs such as Shimamura, Sharpnel and Muzik Servant are featured.
Deejay Busters! (KSLA-0068) will be 2,000 yen at Rewrite Fes on 5/8. A general release follows on 5/27 for 2,100 yen.
Track List:
01 Little Busters! (Little Busters! OP) (DJ Shimamura Remix)
02 RING RING RING （KOuki Izumi Remix)
03 死闘は凛然なりて (Shitō wa Rinzen Narite, Commanding Struggle to the Death) (LiLA’c Remix)
04 Sunday Morning Dance (Groovetune Remix)
05 Adagio for Summer Wind (DJ SHARPNEL’s bass;drive remix)
06 AugustGreen(M-K-S mix)
07 one’s future (Kud Wafter OP) (Dee!’s SPEEDKING Remix)
08 星屑 (Hoshikuzu, Stardust, Kud Wafter ED) (すみじゅん Remix)
09 Saya’s Song (NTMGmix)
10 Alicemagic (A Little Busters! ED) (MUZIK SERVANT Remix)
New Rewrite OP
Apr 1st
A new opening for Key’s upcoming game Rewrite, appeared today! Changes to the website and character intros have also been posted.
Rewrite Homepage
Special Charity Miku Nendoroid from Goodsmile Company
Mar 25th
Goodsmile Co. is launching a special Support version of their normal Nendoroid Miku. She includes special items like a music note flag and pompons; in addition to all the standard items such as Hachune mode and the leek. Each sale will contribute 1000 yen to the Japanese Red Cross. Orders will be accepted from overseas (Yes, you can buy it directly!) starting on April 8th!
For more information and pictures, visit Mikatan’s English Blog.
Rewrite Postponed, Key Responds to Disaster
Mar 23rd
In response to the disaster in Japan, Key has delayed the release of Rewrite. Previously due out on April 28th, it will now hit shelves on June 24th, 2011. Your pre-orders should be safe, but check with your supplier for updates. For example, Amazon.co.jp has yet to update their release date.
Rewrite Homepage
Rewrite Fes, originally scheduled for this coming Saturday, has also been postponed indefinitely. It was determined unsafe to proceed given, among other factors, the unstable electricity and resulting reduced train services. But don’t throw away your ticket, they hope to reschedule it as soon as possible, given the recovery of infrastructure and social conditions.
Rewrite Fes Homepage
Key and their sibling brands under VisualArts, have posted responses to this unprecedented disaster on their homepage. They will also be selling badges for Key and Rewrite, with the proceeds going to the Red Cross. For more information, see the VisualArts purchasing homepage: http://va.koubaibu.jp/user_data/charity.php
The VisualArts homepage where these responses have been posted, was previously blocked from view outside Japan. (The Key homepage was not included in this block.) They have not commented on the removal of the block, so it cannot be determined if it is related to current events. The removal of the block may be temporary or even accidental. Confirmed via a previous brief discussion with the President of VisualArts; the block was put in place to protect them from being targeted by foreign activists and media. Events in 2009 brought international attention to some of the edgier games in the Japanese industry.
Disaster in Japan (updated)
Mar 11th
Art by Formalin
A colossal 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit near north-eastern Japan on Friday afternoon. The crisis was compounded by tsunami and a crisis at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Several coastline cities and towns have been completely devastated, if not completely wiped out. Thousands have been evacuated from surrounding the Fukushima #1 plant. Over 10,000 more are missing.
Google has posted a comprehensive list of information, maps, and donation links (including Japan-based Red Cross) at: www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html
Update: Google posted an experimental version of Google Translate with text to speech and SMS translation.
Donations through Crunchyroll, Anime streaming website, will be matched: www.crunchyroll.com/helpjapan
You can follow the news live via several networks:
NHK World – UStream
NHK – UStream
TBS – UStream
Akiba Live Cam: UStream
Kyodo News
Pixiv users has responded with art with uplifting messages and asking users to pray for Japan. The tag 日本頑張って (Good luck Japan) has popped up with a rapidly increasing number of works.
Update: Reitaisai 8, the Touhou convention scheduled for Sunday at Tokyo Big Sight, has been cancelled. The convention center in Tokyo was damaged, it has not yet been announced if it will be rescheduled.
Twitter users have held their own virtual Reitaisai via the #AirReitaisai hashtag. Many artists picked up on the massive participation in #AirReitaisai and published some of their Reitaisai works as part of disaster response, asking for your donations or other assistance in recovery efforts in return.
Update: Tokyo International Anime Fair (March 24 – 27 at Tokyo Big Sight) has also been canceled.
To everyone in Japan, がんばって！(Hang in there!)
Katsucon 2011
Feb 23rd
Katsucon photos are now online, a most wonderful report will follow in due time.
Ichibancon 2011 Media
Jan 10th
I’ll be updating this post as I get more online, so bookmark it! For now, day 1 photos have cleared processing and they’re now uploading.
http://misuzulive.com/gallery/index.php/2011/Ichibancon
Update: Day 2 is now uploading!
http://misuzulive.com/gallery/index.php/2011/Ichibancon/Day-2
I also just realized that I forgot to set the time zone back on my camera after I landed Wednesday evening. The timestamp on all the Ichibancon photos is 14 hours ahead.
Update: Day 3 is now online!
http://misuzulive.com/gallery/index.php/2011/Ichibancon/Day-3
Not really a lot here from Sunday, but none the less. That should be all the photos, although there are a few that I pulled for various reasons; usually: It came out badly and I didn’t check it at the time of shot (Sorry!), it was more revealing than anticipated and I didn’t post it for your sake (and couldn’t edit it) or I wanted to confirm permissions for something. If you know a photo was taken of you but it was not posted, contact me.
I have some video to post and an article to now write, but this is not as urgent so it might be next week before the next update. I’m now going to try to get Comiket 79 photos online before I rush off to MagFest later this week.
More to come!
P.S. I’ll be at MagFest near Washington D.C. this weekend! If you’re planning on going, their pre-reg ends tonight and it looks like they’ll have an attendance cap.
Backlog and Stuff!
Jan 9th
Ichibancon is now over!
So then; I’m currently working on processing photos from Japan, Comiket 79, and Ichibancon! This will take longer than usual because I have to more carefully screen/edit photos. For example, I want to properly blur spectators faces at C79. For a few cases I need to check for permissions and things like that.
I’ll likely go ahead and post Ichiban photos first, since they will be the quickest task. However, if you have photos in one of these sets, you can skip ahead and contact me if you want copies! (Or if you have questions, concerns)
I also have a backlog of a few articles and some media (lol AUSA ;_;)