Feb 272014
 


 
The long awaited results for the Mikubook “Find Me” campaign are here, and the first selected city for the first ever Hatsune Miku Expo, by popular vote, is Jakarta, Indonesia! Congratulations!

The event promises to bring famous creations, exhibitors, and also a live concert event. Here is the announced schedule and location information, with more info promised later:

Date: Wednesday May 28th, and Thursday May 29th, 2014
Venue: Jakarta Convention Center Cendrawasih Room

Exhibition: May 28th-29th Time: TBA

Concerts: May 28th : Open: 18:30~ Start: 19:30
: May 29th : Open: 12:00~ Start: 13:00
: May 29th : Open: 18:30~ Start: 19:30

The official Hatsune Miku Facebook page also announced an official “Miku Expo in Indonesia” Facebook page, which will post news updates for Indonesian fans.

If you would like to see an official event in YOUR area, make sure to cast your vote at http://www.mikubook.com/findme! It appears that at least two more places will be announced in the future. Below is the official announcement video.

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH7oX5t1zgs]
Feb 252014
 


 
Hobby Japan and Good Smile Company have collaborated to include a 1/10 scale figure of Hatsune Miku’s Spring-styled rendition, Sakura Miku, with a future Figure Japan magazine release. Along with the figure, the magazine itself will contain 44 pages of A4-size full color illustrations.

The creation of this figure involved a process of 3D scanning the original 1/8 scale figure designed by KEI, then scaling down the size, as well as modifying the pose and some of the design elements. Admittedly, the color scheme, pose and expression makes this an absolutely beautiful figure.

Preorders for the magazine and figure will open on Miku Day (March 9th JST), and will end on June 16th. The expected shipment period is October 2014. The price for the magazine and figure together is 7980 Yen ($78 USD). Orders can be made from Good Smile Company’s online shop.

Feb 232014
 


 
With the launch date of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd drawing closer, the Tokyo Joypolis center and SEGA are gearing up to throw another celebratory event starting February 27th, and ending April 6th. The event is called “Daiba de Diva”, and various activities will be available for guests throughout each day of the event.


 
First up on the list is the stage event on Floor 1, which will play an event-exclusive promotional video for KZ‘s DECORATOR, the theme song for Project Diva F 2nd. The video is scheduled to play three times every day at 12:00, 15:00, and 18:00. The admission fee for viewing is 800 Yen for adults, and 300 yen for young teenagers.


 
Up next is the attractions. On the 1st floor is a popular attraction called the “Tokyo Half-pipe”, a ride that requires two people and costs 800 Yen per run (video here). On the 3rd floor is a photo booth where you can pay 500 Yen to take a single group photo with a decorative Project Diva styled border. Also on same floor is a Divination (fortune telling) sheet with Project Diva styling. Each sheet is 600 Yen.


 
There is also some goods available, such as a can (with a currently unknown treat) for 550 Yen. It’s also been very cold in Tokyo lately, so if you’re feeling a little under the weather, they have Diva-themed cough drops for 480 Yen. Lastly, there’s some event-exclusive clear files for 390 Yen per pack. These items are available from the 1st floor JP Store.


 
Feeling a little thirsty? The D-Lounge on the 2nd floor is offering character-themed drinks for 390 Yen each, and also comes with a useable sticker.


 
The Frame Cafe on floor 3 will be serving up some more character-inspired dishes. These include curry and drink for 1300 Yen, a green onion-topped hot dog and drink for 950 Yen, a Parfait for 900 Yen, and a latte with art reflecting the image of Miku (image not shown) for 700 Yen.


 
You’ll find plenty of carnival-style games available on the second floor, while the first floor will have a number of UFO Catcher machines with various Hatsune Miku-themed prizes. Carnival games are 200 Yen per play, while UFO Catchers are 100 Yen per play.


The multi-stage room on floor 3 will have multiple booths set up with PlayStation Vitas running Project Diva F 2nd, where you can freely try out the game before its March 27th launch date. It looks like they may have the life-sized Hatsune Miku statue on display again as well!

A few last extras are mentioned, such as a chance of seeing Mikudayo, scenic photo shooting from atop of the hotel, and a digital mirror much like the one seen at the Wing Shop at Haneda Airport.

Feb 182014
 

The upcoming April release of Otona no Kagaku magazine, a popular science magazine in Japan, will also be including a special digital pocket keyboard that comes preloaded with basic samples of Hatsune Miku’s vocals.

The device comes with the amusing model number of “DSX-39”, and was a collaboration project between Yamaha and Crypton future media. It uses an eVocaloid “NSX-1” audio chip that contains the necessary audio samples, and is able to be played in real time. The device requires three AAA batteries, and has a USB port, but the device is not capable of exporting data to PC. Instead, a tweet by Crypton’s CEO Hiroyuki Itoh states that “you will be able to import lyrics and melody to the device via a web application”.


 
You can use the keyboard to make Miku sing in 3 different modes: A “do-re-mi” mode, an “a, i, u, e, o” (vowel) mode, or a preset mode of 5 other lyrics. It can’t do more than five sounds, so think of it as a sort of “super-lite” Miku editor. The device face has the keyboard itself, operated by a touch stylus, and 9 physical buttons for operation.

Buttons 1-5: sing a~o (vowels)
Button 6: vibrato
Button 7: shift
Button 8: volume up
Button 9: volume down
Button 7+1-5: choose preset lyrics
Button 7+6: Do-re-mi mode (sing the scale)
Button 7+8: octave up
Button 7+9: octave down

As it’s lacking in full-scale composition ability, and cannot export data, the device is not meant for professional use and is more of a toy for entertainment. But for those who get ideas for melodies on the go, and can’t be sitting in front of a PC all the time, this could be helpful for experimenting with those ideas.

The magazine goes on sale on April 3rd, and can be ordered from CDJapan for 4980 Yen, or Amazon Japan for 5,229 Yen. International orders are accepted.

Feb 172014
 

If you were scrambling to place your preorders for the Winter Wonder Festival exclusive figures, or thought maybe you’d place your orders too late, fear not! Good Smile Company has announced that the deadline for preorders will be extended from February 17th to the evening of February 20th, JST!

The exclusives include the Snow Miku Figma, as well as the Magical Snow version Hatsune Miku Nendoroid. This will be your last chance to grab them, so don’t miss out! The expected shipment period for both figures is July 2014. The full list of festival exclusives can be found here.

Snow Miku Figma Product Page | Figma Order Page | Figma Review
Snow Miku Nendo Product Page | Nendo Order Page | Nendo Review