So pretty. Waaaay bigger version of image at source.
Kalafina announced at their live concert earlier today that they will be releasing their fourth album, Consolation, on the 20th of March. EDIT: Kalafina's official blog has corroborated the information. UPDATE 25/1: The album will come in three versions (CDJapan pre-order links ahead): Limited Edition Type-A (with DVD), Limited Edition Type-B (with Blu-Ray) and Regular Edition. I can't actually read the Japanese text on the blog, but from what little I can decipher the songs to the beginning (Fate/Zero OP), Hikari Furu (Puella Magi Madoka Magica ~Eien no Monogatari~ ED), the title track for their single moonfesta and Yume no Daichi (their new song for NHK's show Rekishi Hiwa Historia) are mentioned. I think it's safe to conclude these songs will appear on the album.

Updated: Album covers (click each image for a bigger version)


Limited Edition Type-A


Limited Edition Type-B


Regular Edition
EDIT: According to CDJapan, the track list for the album will be as follows:

1. al fine
2. consolation
3. moonfesta~ムーンフェスタ~
4. Door
5. 未来 (Mirai)
6. 花束 (Hanataba)
7. signal
8. obbligato
9. 木苺の茂みに (Kiichigo no Shigemi ni)
10. 満天 (Manten)
11. to the beginning
12. ひかりふる (Hikari Furu)
13. 夢の大地 (Yume no Daichi)



Yay, an appropriate moment to re-use this gif!
Based on the Google's typically garbled translation of the source blog, what I'm getting is that the Limited Editions will include footage of their time at Germany's AniMagiC event, the PV for their song Yume no Daichi (yay, more PVs to make fun of recap) and "inclusion of special photo book Deluxe Edition specification". So...a photo book with the LEs? Oh, let's just wait until a competent translator can make sense of this.

I'll let the nice folks of canta-per-me.net furnish you with the few details that are currently available. If you'll excuse me, I'm about to get busy shrieking with delight and dancing with manic glee.

Yesterday, I got an e-mail from CD Japan telling me that they had shipped my order, and that it would be arriving in 3-6 days. Okay, I could wait that long. When I dragged myself home that same night after a long day of work, I found a package from CD Japan waiting for me on my desk. That's crazy efficient. Well, its contents certainly cheered me up. My copy of Kalafina's Hikari Furu (plus bonus jacket) had arrived, two days before the official release date:

The CD. Limited Edition Type-B

Bonus jacket

But that wasn't it. There was another, pleasant surprise.

So pritteh. And HomuMado is ♥

The one with Homura x Madoka is on the other side of the bonus jacket. The Madokami image on the back CD cover is actually a sticker, it peels off just above where the tracklist is. Did not expect these, were they announced? In any case, they're pretty sweet additions. Will review the stuff I was actually paying for (the music, I mean, and maybe the PV too) later. Excuse me while I go put Hikari Furu on an infinite loop,

Real life has been really distracting lately, but I did manage to find some pockets of free time that I could have used for writing up a decent post.However, I ended up using that time to play with my two new acquisitions. *shrugs* It was fun. So instead of a post with some semblance of substance, here are a bunch of photos of the very poseable Figmas Mami and Kyoko:

Mami looks really awesome. And Kyoko! My favourite. She was a lot harder to set up than Mami, because her hair kept getting in the way when trying to attach her to the base...but it was worth it.I think I can only afford two Figmas for now...Fun with KyubeyMini Madokami wants a shot at him too"Want one?""Oh, don't mind if I do."

**UPDATE** The movie's official site now has links to trailers subtitled in English, French, Spanish and Chinese. I think the chances of this getting overseas releases not long after the Japanese premiere are looking good...

I've embedded the one with English subs. The video quality is a lot better than the previous video too:







A bit late, and this has been popping out all over the place but...Trailer starts at 0:45:





- I really wish they'd chosen a song other than 'Niji' for that first bit

- HE SAID ORO *squeals* Nice to see how true this Kenshin is to the manga, and seeing Sato portraying both Kenshin's badass side and rurouni side so well is just wonderful.

- Takei Emi looks pretty good in her role too. That scene where Kaoru confronts Kenshin? Totally pulling it off.

- First proper glimpse of Aoki Munetaka/Sanosuke and damn is he badass or is he badass? In terms of casting and characterisation this movie seems to be excelling.

- So much so that I'm not terribly bothered about the storyline. Jin-e, Saito, Kanryuu — based on the number of antagonists it looks like it's going to be severals arcs compressed into the movie. Is it just me, or does the guy in the Hitokiri Battousai poster look like Jin-e? That seems like a plausible way of combining Kenshin and Kaoru's first meeting with the Jin-e arc. And is that white-haired guy at about 1:28 — no way —

- It may be a little premature to judge, but it really does seem that even if the movie is departing somewhat from the original plot, it's staying true to the spirit of the manga and the characters. And that's what I was hoping for the most.

(EDIT: Re-read, realized I wrote this half-asleep, tried to improve...I don't think it's much better though. Haha.)

Eh heh heh I sure took a while didn't I? It's been so long that some of the details are lost to me, but I still couldn't not write this up.

There were five performers at the third day of AFA 11's I Love Anisong concert: Kanako Itou with Chyomaru Shikura, the seiyuu unit Milky Holmes (from a show I've never watched), angela, Kalafina and May'n. And as you can see from the post title, there were only two acts I was familiar enough with to care about and report on, so I apologize if you were hoping for reports on the rest. Popcultureonline.net has a pretty good report and lots of awesome photos.

But if you still want to read mine...Let's start with how I got starstruck at Kalafina's autograph session.

At last year's Anime Festival Asia, I went in with my eyes peeled and camera ready for photo-ops, mentally ready to take notes and burn moments into my memory, with the intention of documenting my experience afterwards. Not that I ever fully completed my report...but I did have an amazing time, and I was glad to be able to share it in writing – didn't matter if anyone was interested in reading.

This year, though? Not so much; I was tired after a long week of work and all I wanted to do was enjoy it. Just attend the events and visit the booths I was really interested in, don't bother about anything else then go home and rest. Kind of a pity in hindsight. There was so much worth writing about.

It's been a month. Let's see how much of it I can remember.

Saito Chiwa Live Dubbing
SPOILERS for Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica up ahead!

More Live-Action Rurouni Kenshin Film Images Released


Offhand, I can't tell which part of the manga this scene is from...does anyone know? I'm not ruling out the possibility that this is something new.



Not bad. Not bad at all. Sato Takeru is really managing to look the part. That's quite a feat in itself. First major hurdle crossed.





That's Takei Emi/Kaoru, right? She looks like...a poor Japanese girl. Which is about right, but from just images it's harder to tell with Kaoru whether the actress fits the character.

More images, plz! A trailer would be awesome too.

I keep saying I don't want to get my hopes, and it's still way too early to tell up but all these images and details are making me a very excited fan.

It's been a while, hasn't it? Work's been keeping me so busy. Last weekend, I blew whatever free time I had into enjoying Anime Festival Asia 11.

And it was epic.

First up, I'd like to brag about my acquisitions:

I spent a good chunk of my modest merchandise budget on this cloth wall scroll from the Aniplex booth:


Totally worth it. So pretty. And yeah, I know, I should probably shift that stuff behind it away...


I also blew $35 on a Kalafina T-shirt:



And by far the best item I came away with:


See the name of the band on the poster? See the three autographs below that? Yes. OH YES


My updated wall of autographs:


Hopefully it'll keep growing.


I'm very, very happy little fangirl.

I'm thinking of doing up an entry on angela and Kalafina's live performances at AFA's I Love anisong concert. Wish me luck with that...

via Canta-per-me.net

The Kalafina staff Twitter account posted an image of the Regular Edition cover of the group's upcoming book:



Kalafina Record


And it is pretty. I want it even more now...

I also got an artiste alert from CDJapan about another related product:


Kalafina 2012 Calendar


Image from Oh-news.net. Um, interesting poses from Hikaru and Keiko...

It's an expensive time to be a Kalafina fan...

Also, have you checked out the interview on ANN with Iwakami Atsuhiro? He's the producer for Madoka, and the guy most people forget is the fourth member or the Magica Quartet (somehow everyone assumes Kajiura is the fourth member...) It's spoilery, and therefore at least a little insightful. Definitely worth a read-through, at the very least.

In other Madoka news, look what just became available for pre-order:


Mami Figma!

It looks really good. I didn't expect anything else, yet it still manages to impress me. The figure's got a great range of alternate expressions. And look who comes along as an accessory:


I find this both amusing (are they pandering to the crack!shippers?) and slightly unnerving (given, you know, what actually happened between them...)

ED art for episode 9 on the BD. The full version makes a great wallpaper, by the way. You're welcome.

More fuel for Kyoko X Sayaka shipping -- although that ship was already pretty well on its journey. It's a nice song, certainly (both seiyuu are decent enough singers, and sound particularly good together) and the KyoSaya element just adds to its appeal. Those lyrics...



You know...while I'm pretty sure that the sentiments in the lyrics reflect Kyoko's feelings towards Sayaka, it may be possible -- heck, more likely, even -- that on Sayaka's part the sentiments aren't directed to Kyoko but some dude with a viol-- you know what I'll just shut up. KyokoSayaka, woo.

The Drama CD Farewell Story, which came with BD #5, is also something you should pay attention to if you're a fan. If you can't find somewhere to listen to it there's a translation available for your perusal. It details Kyoko's backstory; more specifically, Mami's involvement in it. More fascinating relationship dynamics; my love for Madoka just keeps growing...

Sony already announced earlier that extra bonuses are included with purchase of Kalafina's After Eden album from Animate, AniBro Gamers and Toranoana. One of the bonuses is a Kalafina postcard (a different one from each store). The other one was just revealed recently:


Madoka characters cosplaying Kalafina

I love it when my favourite things cross over. Way to draw in the fanboys (and fangirls), Sony.

As a user on cante-per-me.net's forums pointed out to me, they're wearing the same dresses Kalafina are wearing on After Eden's cover. I can't believe I managed to miss that -_-;; Homura's dressed as Keiko, Mami as Wakana, and Madoka as Hikaru. If I had to match each Kalafina member to a Madoka character that most resembled them I'd have come up with the same result.

I want...


In other news, I've managed to convince myself that the Rurouni Kenshin Kyoto arc remake OVA is a prelude to an animated version of the Jinchuu arc, and not the end of it (I may write up an entry explaining why, if I feel like it). Also, seeing (hearing?) the old anime voice acting cast again is something I'm anticipating. To celebrate, here is Kenshin's seiyuu, Suzukaze Mayo, in a video from her days as a gender-bending Takarazuka otokoyaku (male-role actress), singing about how her name is Oscar:



As of sometime in the 2000s, she still sounds pretty good:



Or maybe I just wanted to post some Takarazuka. What? It's awesome.

"The production company Aniplex confirmed on Saturday that the previously announced new Rurouni Kenshin anime series will be a two-part Shin Kyoto-Hen (New Kyoto Arc) original video anime series. The first part will play in Japanese theaters in December.

The new anime series will remake the Kyoto story arc of Nobuhiro Watsuki's original manga and the previous anime adaptation..."

I can't help but feel let down; I was really hoping to finally see the final arc (the Jinchuu arc) animated. The anime handled the Kyoto arc well enough, do we really need to see it squeezed into a two-part OVA? And what are the chances of overseas fans getting the opportunity to enjoy a theatrical release as consolation?

I'm still harbouring hopes that a Jinchuu project is still possible, and that Aniplex is using the response to the OVA to gauge whether animating Jinchuu will be worthwhile.

The announcement that the majority of the main cast will be reunited for the OVA is pretty cool though -- most of the old cast is still doing seiyuu work but Suzukaze Mayo and Fujitani Miki in particular (our leads Kenshin and Kaoru) don't seem to have had any involvement in anime for a long time. Heck, they've even gotten the composer of the original anime's OST, Asakura Noriyuki. They really seem to be banking on nostalgia here...

I can't find Doi Mika's (Megumi) name listed, though, I'm hoping it's just something they missed; I'm a fan of her work and I'm hoping she'll come back to being a part of this.

One confirmed notable change: Narita Ken will be replacing the late Suzuoki Hirotaka as Saitoh Hajime. The role I mostly remember Narita for is Sesshoumaru of Inuyasha, another cold, belligerent and ridiculously popular anti-hero character; I think he'll pull off Saitoh just fine.

/optimism

So yeah, other stuff happened, but this had to be the biggest surprise for me this week.



Seiyuu and singer Sakamoto Maaya married fellow seiyuu (and also decent singer) Suzumura Kenichi on Monday, August 8, presumably setting off an explosion of squeeing from seiyuu fans as well as those who ship characters played by Sakamoto-san and Suzumura-san. So, according to a bunch of people...


"OMG RL Zack and Aerith wedding!!"

or


"OMG RL Haruhi and Hikaru wedding!"

or


"OMG RL Shiki and Kokutou wedding!"


I may be in one or more of these groups of people. Just saying.

Sakamoto's official page and Suzumura's blog both carry this announcement, so unless they're pulling an epic prank this is as about as legit as it gets.

When I first read this I just went WHAT???!!! They'd been in a relationship? Granted, I'm not very up-to-date (or terribly interested) is any seiyuu's private lives but these two are pretty big. I would have thought we'd have gotten more hints of this first. It would have already been exciting news if either one announced that they'd gotten married, but to have wed each other is just...wow. Beyond huge. So huge it just broke the part of my mind where my vocabulary is. HUUUGE.

Well, it's not like my surprise matters anyway. But I'm a fan of both seiyuu and I think it's cool that they've found happiness with each other. May the two of them enjoy a great married life.

On another note, Hirano Aya's agency confirmed that she'll be leaving them by 20 August. That one's not such a surprise, but you have to wonder what's next for her. What about her role on Fairy Tail? Will they have to find a new seiyuu for Suzumiya Haruhi (I'm assuming this series isn't done with)? I think she's too big to disappear from the anime world just like that but I guess we'll see.

Emi Takei to Play Live-Action Rurouni Kenshin's Kaoru

I'm mostly extremely relieved that she's not a member of AKB48. I don't think I could have taken this adaptation seriously if she was.

She's 17, like Kaoru would be in the manga. I was actually expecting them to cast someone older, but hey, she might actually be able to pull it off. She seems to have quite a bit of experience under her belt (some prominent J-drama roles and Liar Game 2? Not bad). A quick YouTube search turns up quite a number of CM starring her -- she's quite an idol, it seems.

I asked the foremost authority on J-drama readily available to me (my little sister) how she was in Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta and she said, "Yeah, she's okay." And that's pretty much all I have to go on. I would have asked the kid if Takei could pull of 'tsundere' but she doesn't know what that means...

As for how well her looks match up to the character.




Pretty (but for better or worse that's pretty much expected these days, right?). Looks good in a ponytail. I just hope her acting measures up.

For a better comparison...



You know, I really think this could work.

And if you, like me, want to know what she sounds like (I was wondering how well she could yell) here's a small acting sample and a video of her working the Wii...

Anime News Network report

Nearly choked on my cereal when I read the headline. I'd pretty much dismissed the rumours about this that came out some months ago but it looks like they did have substance after all.

I've mentioned it before, haven't I? I'm a huge fan of Rurouni Kenshin. Some of my fellow fans are excited, others are apprehensive. A new anime, and a live-action film -- pretty cool for a series than ended more than a decade ago. But of course, they are worries about how well the source material will translate to the big screen, casting quibbles, and the occasional cries of "NO THEY GONNA RUIN MAH CHILDHOOD FOREVER". My opinion is that this has the potential to be epic, but I don't want to get my hopes up -- I'll reserve that for the upcoming anime adaptation instead.

I have to wonder, though, how they plan to adapt the story, which arcs they plan to cover, which characters will appear, so on and so on. It seems to be a given that it's not going to be based on what the Tsuiokuhen OVA already covered, which I think is a reasonable assumption. The plot will have to be compressed, naturally, for a movie, but...

"...The Sankei Sports newspaper adds that the staff aims to release the film internationally and eventually make a series."

The part about an international release is cool, but not surprising; from what I've heard, the RK manga has sold pretty well overseas, particularly in the US. As for the other bit...If they're planning for this to be the first of a series (a series of movies? Or are they going for a TV drama?)...It gives me more hope that they wouldn't completely butcher the story.

On the topic of casting, we only know who's playing Kenshin right now -- one Satoh Takeru:

Satoh Takeru and an apparently handless Kenshin *shrug* I just grabbed the first decently-sized image I could find.

Meh. Could work, I guess? I don't know much about the guy. There's a list of his acting credits in ANN's report but I've never watched Kamen Rider or Beck fan. He's 22, but Kenshin is supposed to look too young for a 28/29-year old. How tall is he? I couldn't accept a tall Kenshin. And I hope he gets a decent red wig.

I should probably be more concerned about his acting chops.

Anyway I'm looking forward to see who else they'll cast. Especially for the role of Kaoru.

Fate/Zero Promo!!

And epic background music is EPIC. And dark. Not to mention how it just screams KAJIURA(-SAMA). Sounds a lot like Tomaru Hanae on lead vocals, but I could be wrong.

Oh yeah, the animation is really gorgeous too. I'd expect no less from ufotable. Like with most made-for-TV anime the animation standards will probably falter as the series goes on, but this is a pretty good upper limit.

I'm not making much progress with the recap for the last two episodes for Madoka, which is lame, but I'm really hoping to get them up pretty soon.

I've also added a chatbox, in a pique of what can only be misplaced optimism. But if anyone wants to say something, feel free.

And now, some news.



It's been confirmed that Kajiura Yuki will be composing the music for ufotable's upcoming anime adaptation of Fate/Zero, a prequel to Type-Moon's Fate/stay night. You'll probably have known this if you're a Madoka fan, but the novel the anime will be based on was penned by no other than the now-legendary Urobuchi Gen.

I'd been hoping that Kajiura would collaborate with ufotable once more, after the visual and aural feast that was Kara no Kyoukai, but for that project to be Fate/Zero? The potential for epicness has just been expanded to ridiculous proprotions. I've been steadily coming down from my post-Madoka high, so I'm very glad to have something new and Kajiura-related to be enthusiastic about. The anime's scheduled to be out in October -- can't wait till then.

It also seems likely that Kalafina or another Kajiura-project will be recording an OP or ED for the anime -- from what I've heard here and there Kajiura's already started recording a song with some vocalists.



Speaking of Kalafina, my favourite trio will be performing at Anime Expo in Los Angeles. No word on whether Kajiura will be coming along though. Come on, ladies, why won't you come to Singapore, we're on the same freaking continent!

Instead, Singapore's getting AKB48, which is great for AKB48 fans and potentially horrifying for everyone else (sorry, I'm just not an idol band fan...) The updates from Anime Festival Asia's page that appear on my Facebook feed do keep catching my attention, however, and it seems that tickets are selling fast. I'll have to remember not to go into town on the days they perform. Or maybe I will, just out of curiosity...

To end off, here's a fanmade piano rearrangement/medley of music from Madoka, shared by Nick Hunter on the Canta-per-me.net forums. It is gorgeous -- if you have any love for the music on Madoka it's well worth the listen. Something to tide us over while waiting for the OST...

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