AKB48′s Yuko Oshima announces her graduation; Kouhaku Uta Gassen 2013 her last AKB performance

Moments ago, on NHK’s Kouhaku Uta Gassen 2013 (Red White Song Contest), Japan’s highest rated year-end music extravaganza show, AKB48′s Yuko Oshima announced that she is graduating from the group, and that the Kouhaku performance will be her last as a member of the popular Japanese idol group.

The announcement came as a shocker even to most members of the AKB48 group — numerous members on-stage expressed their disbelief visibly on their face, although a few of the front-line members, such as AKB48 general manager Minami Takahashi and HKT48′s Rino Sashihara, appeared to have been in the loop on Oshima’s decision, as they began to tear up moments before Oshima dropped the bomb.

More details to come soon; breaking story.

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Rurouni Kenshin live-action movie sequels’ 30-sec teaser trailer [Video]

You’ve already seen what Japanese actor Tatsuya Fujiwara (Death Note’s Light Yagami) looks like as Shishio Makoto in the new Rurouni Kenshin live-action movie, through the super-blur, ultra-fuzzy camera phone pictures of a 30-second long teaser trailer that we shared a couple of days ago.

Now see the actual trailer itself.

The pair of Rurouni Kenshin live-action sequel movies — Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen (The Great Kyoto Fire arc) and Rurouni Kenshin: Densetsu no Saigo-hen (The End of a Legend arc) — hits cinemas in Japan in summer 2014.

No word on when the movies would be screened in Singapore, but they will likely be screened here.

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Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd — opening movie (feat. Decorator by livetune) streamed

It’s almost Christmas, and today Sega has got a special treat for Miku fans: the full opening intro movie to Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd (PS3, PS Vita)!

And in it you get to listen to a bit more of livetune’s upcoming new track, Decorator, as well. Like we reported last week, Decorator is the opening theme song to Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd, and will also be featured as the lead single in livetune’s new album, Decorator EP, which is slated to come out on March 5, 2014.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd hit stores in Japan and Asia March 6, 2014.

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Rurouni Kenshin live-action movie sequels’ 30-sec teaser trailer [Video]

You’ve already seen what Japanese actor Tatsuya Fujiwara (Death Note’s Light Yagami) looks like as Shishio Makoto in the new Rurouni Kenshin live-action movie, through the super-blur, ultra-fuzzy camera phone pictures of a 30-second long teaser trailer that we shared a couple of days ago.

Now see the actual trailer itself.

The pair of Rurouni Kenshin live-action sequel movies — Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen (The Great Kyoto Fire arc) and Rurouni Kenshin: Densetsu no Saigo-hen (The End of a Legend arc) — hits cinemas in Japan in summer 2014.

No word on when the movies would be screened in Singapore, but they will likely be screened here.

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Sword Art Online: Extra Edition 15-sec TV-CM offers a sneak peek at the main characters — in beachwear

Just two more weeks to go before Sword Art Online: Extra Edition hits the TV airwaves in Japan — and on the Interwebs internationally through same-day simulcasts on Crunchyroll and Daisuki.net – on December 31!

Time to start up the hype engine!

The good folks over at Dengeki Online have just shared today a new 15-second TV commercial spot for the year-end special, which offers fans a sneak peak at the SAO cast in beachwear.

Here are some screencaps from the 15-second trailer, just in case you need to scrutinise the art to make sure that the SAO: Extra Edition animators aren’t cutting any slack!

To see the full 15-second TV-CM, you’ll have to head over to Dengeki Online’s story here. The TV-CM itself is worth checking out — you’ll be able to hear a snippet from the new theme song for Sword Art Online: Extra Edition, Niji no Oto (Sound of the Rainbow) performed by Eir Aoi, as well.

Sword Art Online: Extra Edition is an abridged edition of the hit 2012 anime series, with new scenes added.

The new scenes depict an extra story scenario that was never covered in the original run of the 2012 anime series: After the events of the Aincrad and Fairy Dance story arcs, Kirito and friends get back into playing Alfheim Online.

While in the virtual-reality game, Yui asks Kirito to take her to go see a whale, now made possible due to a new underwater quest in Alfheim Online.

As the entire party accompanies Kirito and Yui to the underwater quest, however, it’s revealed that Leafa is afraid of water.

Thus, back in the real world, Asuna and the other female characters decide to teach Suguha how to swim so that she, too, can accompany everyone on the underwater quest.

While all of that is going on, Kirito goes out to meet a certain someone alone, unbeknownst to his friends.

Anime fans in Southeast Asia can catch Sword Art Online: Extra Edition streamed online on December 31 at Daisuki.net.

Source: Dengeki Online

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Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd (PS3, PS Vita) dated for March 6, 2014 in Japan

Sega’s forthcoming PS3 and PS Vita rhythm game, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd will launch in Japan on March 6, 2014, the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu magazine will reveal this week on Thursday , according to anonymous sources who’ve managed to snag an early copy.

Previously, Sega had said that Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd would launch in Spring of 2014, so the March 6 date is no surprise. Especially given that the “Miku” in “Hatsune Miku” can be represented in numerals by the number 39 (read in Japanese as “Miku”), the launch of new Hatsune Miku games in the Spring tend to be around the March 9 date.

As new video games by and larch come out only on Thursdays in Japan (except for titles like Pokemon and Monster Hunter, which come out on a Saturday, or when Thursday is a public holiday, in which case games can be released on a Wednesday), so March 6 in 2014 is the closest possible video games release date to March 9.

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Atlus announces Persona 5 for the PS3

The next mainline numbered sequel in the Persona series, Persona 5, is for the PS3, Atlus announced today on a Nico Video livestream.

Persona 5 for the PS3 is slated to come out in Japan Winter 2014.

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PlayStation 4 to launch in Singapore December 19, 2013, at SGD639

The PlayStation 4 next-generation video games console wil launch in Singapore on December 19, 2013 at the recommended retail price of S$639, Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong announced today in Singapore at a press conference in Suntec City Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Apart from the PS4′s release date and recommended retail price, SCEH also announced that local games developer Ratloop Studios is currently also working on a next-generation title in their Rocketbirds series of games, entitled, Rocketbird: True Evolution.

23 software titles will be available alongside the PlayStation 4 at launch in Singapore.

More details to come from the press conference soon.

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Fans celebrate Azusa Nakano’s birthday

November 11 marks the birthday of K-On!‘s Azusa Nakano or, as her fans more affectionately call her, Azunyan.

When you have a favorite character it’s difficult not to celebrate their birthday. Fans of Azusa celebrated her birthday with the pocky game, a compiling of merchandise and lots of cake.

Because of her weakness for sweets and her birthday coinciding with Pocky Day, fans decided to try and play the Pocky game with her. One did so by making Azusa into a cake, making the end of one particular stick of Pocky even sweeter.

To make it a two-way Pocky game, another fan rigged a motor inside her mouth to create a robo-Azunyan.

Fans also offered up cakes to their shrines of Azusa, which covered this fan’s desk.

Another decided to recreate the cake from the second opening song No THANK YOU! with caramel sauce added to compensate for Azusa’s sweet tooth.

This fan, though, took the cake as they created a replica of Sakuragaoka High, the main school featured in K-On! and set the club members on the roof to celebrate their youngest member’s birthday.

Apart from cake and Pocky some fans decided to just surround themselves with as much Azunyan as possible, like this fan who even has the real-life version of Azusa’s guitar, a Fender Japan ’69 Mustang in Candy Apple Red.

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Takara Tomy taking pre-orders for Liccarize Mami Tomoe doll [from Puella Magi Madoka Magica]

The influx of new Puella Magi Madoka Magica themed merchandise just keeps on flowing, as Madoka fever continues to sweep Japan.

This latest Madoka-themed item comes from Takara Tomy, makers of the Licca line of dolls, who are launching a Liccarize doll version of Mami Tomoe from Puella Magi Madoka Magica (りからいず 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ 巴マミ 魔法少女バージョン).

The toys manufacturer is currently taking pre-orders for the Mami Tomoe Liccarize doll over at the Takara Tomy Mall online retailer (they ship only to Japanese addresses, so as usual, rely on your favourite package forwarding service). Expected shipping date is in late May, 2014.

To commemorate the release of the Mami Tomoe Liccarize doll, Takara Tomy is also releasing a second batch of the Liccarize Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi dolls.

The pre-order period for the Madoka and Homura dolls are supposed to last all the way till December 2 — although if you go to the order page now, the product status for both items is currently said to be “out of stock”, so you might have to check the site again on a later date if you’d like to order one.

All three dolls are 1/6 scale, and have a height measuring roughly 22cm tall.

Source: Takara Tomy

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Shoujo magazine Ribon creates outfit for Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai 2

Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai 2 will be hitting shelves later this month, and it’s promising no shortage of outfits for Miku to wear.

Mayu Sakai, whose Sugar Soldier manga is doing well in Ribon magazine has done something many VOCALOID fans would probably hope to do themselves: design a playable module for Hatsune Miku. The design is based on the high school uniform worn by the characters in Sugar Soldier, which is why this costume is called Sugar Soldier Miku.

The uniform, hair accessory, and hair style were all designed by Sakai, and give Miku that high school student feeling. It’s also one of 100 different outfits that are included within the game.

Sugar Solider Miku isn’t just limited to play in the main game mode either, you can choose it in the My Room area, as well as the PV viewing mode.

Miku takes the stage in Project Mirai 2 on November 28, and the special version can be ordered here.

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Source: Famitsu

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