kuboBLURBs - Articles on Cool Japanese Stuff

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Shop | Vocaloid Gear at Rakuten
Shop | Vocaloid Gear at Kakaku
Official Site Vocaloid Software
Blog Hatsune Miku Blog (Japanese)
Blog Hatsune Miku Blog (English)

Vocaloid

One part anime queen, one part J-Pop starlet, and one part otaku imagination, the Vocaloid synthetic voice generator has given millions of wannabe songwriters a face to go along with their music. Using Yamaha's Vocaloid computer music sequencing software, anyone could create lyrics and music that sound remarkably realistic and professional.

Enter Miku Hatsune.

With samples from anime voice actress Saki Fujita (of Bleach fame), Yamaha introduced one of the finest and most realistic voice synthesizers to date. The extremely moe-like characteristics of Ms. Fujita's voice make songs recorded with the Miku Hatsune Vocaloid2 package sound like they could have been taken straight from the soundtrack of the latest anime series.

But what's a cute voice without a cute face to match? Miku Hatsune's character design in conjunction with her sweet and innocent voice has created a pop force to be reckoned with. She is now featured in copious amounts of fan-based internet videos, drawings, and songs, and is fast becoming a cosplay favorite along with keychains, figures, and other goods. Miku has also crossed into the video gaming world, as she was recently featured as a character in the Nintendo DS game 13 sai no Hello Work.

There may be no limit to how far she can climb the J-Pop charts. Will this usher in a new era of synthetic pop darlings?

Dig Deeper

Video | YMCK Music Videos and Live
YMCK | Official Homepage with MP3s
Auction | Video Game "Soundrop" Keychains
Amateur Chiptunes | The 8-bit Collective
Pro Chiptunes | 8-bit Peoples

YMCK 8-bit Music

Let's play a game together. This game is called, "Oh! That Video Game Tune". Here are the rules:

* No Googling to find the answer. Cheaters suck.
* You get 1 HP for every tune you know.
* You get -1 HP for every tune you don't know.

1. Whistle the Super Mario Bros. Theme Song.
2. Hum one of the Tetris songs on the original gameboy.
3. Clap the rhythm to the Street Fighter II intro music.

How'd you do? If you ended up with positive HP, good for you! You will most definitely enjoy the chiptunes J-indie group YMCK. They are a super fun, high energy, kawaii trio that sample exclusively from 8-bit sources and layer gleeful lyrics on top of their catchy melodies. Give them a listen, watch them on YouTube, and we promise that you too will be instantly hooked on YMCK!

And if you ended our little game with a negative HP total... you may not be down with the hardcore gaming crowd but you might still enjoy YMCK!