Metal Gear Solid: Rising at E3 2009

The cryptic clues from the Famitsu interview is finally revealed at E3 2009. Kojima himself just announced "Metal Gear Solid: Rising" for the PS3, PC, and...Xbox 360. No other details were revealed except that it's a whole new experience and rather than starring Solid Snake, will star Raiden *cue fangirl squeal*.

Though I have to say my heart skipped a beat when I first heard Xbox 360...I could almost here the dying scream of "Noooooo" coming out of me for fear of the word "exclusive." Be that as it may, release dates are still TBA. Watch this space for more info.

Here's said trailer:

Metal Gear Solid: Rising at IGN.com

Silent Hill's Robbie the Rabbit

Don't ask me why, but I've always wanted my very own Robbie...as deranged as that may sound. And perhaps any other avid Silent Hill fan would understand - the thought of having Robbie sit on the edge of my bed looking so sinister pointing at you. My sister, for years, has always been on the look out to find me my Robbie, and Etsy has just the ticket.

This Robbie Rabbit Plush from Silent Hill is about 14 inches tall, excluding the ears, and is very reminiscent of our special bunny. It's no wonder that Robbie sold out very quickly. I think I was able to get the last one they had. [Source: Tomopop]

VAMPS add special appearance at Otakon to Tour Schedule

Baltimore, MD (June 16, 2009) – VAMPS, featuring HYDE and K.A.Z, have added a special appearance at Otakon 2009 to their busy tour schedule. The duo had already announced a special concert in Baltimore on Thursday, 16 July 2009, to coincide with Otakon.

Originally, HYDE and K.A.Z were to depart early Friday for their next concert, meaning they would not be available for any convention appearances. Otakon had arranged for members to submit questions for the band, and the original plan was to answer them via video, and show the video at the convention. However, the groundswell of support from Otakon's membership led the band to reconsider, and in the end VAMPS decided a more personal response was warranted.

"I guess we must have made a good impression on HYDE a few years ago," said Jim Vowles, Otakon's head of Guests, Industry, and Press Relations, referring to HYDE's appearance with L'Arc~en~Ciel in 2004.

"We were delighted to find that he and K.A.Z were interested in working Otakon into their tour. We were able to work out a special pre-Otakon appearance and a bit of cross promotion. When the responses started coming in, I guess everyone got excited. We're delighted and flattered that they changed plans to meet the fans."

Exclusively for Otakon members, VAMPS will give out special passes at their SONAR show on Thursday. These passes will grant priority access to the band's panel and autograph sessions at Otakon on Friday afternoon. (You must be registered for Otakon to attend the panel and autograph sessions.)

Otakon also plans to make special arrangements for pre-registration pickup on Thursday to allow concert ticket holders to pick up their Otakon badges early without missing the concert. (Otakon allows pre-registered members to pick up their badges Thursday evening, prior to the convention.) Details will be posted on the Otakon Web site in the coming weeks.

VAMPS will appear at Baltimore's SONAR on 16 July 2009. The autograph session and Q&A panel will take place on Friday afternoon, 17 July 2009, at the Baltimore Convention Center. For ticket information for the SONAR concert, please visit http://www.vampsliveusa.com/

For more information and updates, please visit the Otakon VAMPS page at http://www.otakon.com/2009vamps.asp

inFAMOUS

I'm always on the look out for something bold and new and I've been waiting for another Playstation 3 title that will wow me. inFAMOUS may be the one to deliver on that. After a short cutscence of a city-wide explosion, you are thrust in the shoes of Cole, a bicycle messenger, who's about to wake up from his coma to find a very different world. He finds that things aren't in the best conditions, in fact, it's in pretty bad shape. The federal government has quarantined the city leaving people in the hands of a deadly plague and where gangs have seized control of Empire City.

But that isn't to say that Cole is completely helpless. For he has gained the ability to shoot lightning bolts from his hands. His electricity-based powers are new and refreshing. It ups the ante in quality pairing a cool idea with great ease of controls and seamless movement. You can really feel Cole's agility and wide range of movements as you jump, climb, run from building to train track to building.

The story is solid with incredible character development and excellent pacing. The more you progress in the game, the deeper you get immersed in it. And what's more, inFAMOUS is truly an open-world. Rather than being confined to static storylines, you have choices to make and those moral choices are up to you. Will you become the hero and bring salvation to all? Or will you harness your anger and seek pure revenge?

inFAMOUS is whole-heartedly, one freaking incredible game! I can't wait to get home and see how this ends.

The Misato Katsuragi News Project

On June 6th, Namco Bandai will start offering software in Japan that creates a live news program anchored by Evangelion's very own Misato Katsuragi.

The Misato Katsuragi News Project software takes the daily news from real-life politics to the economy, the anime industry, and sports. The software then uses the voice synthesis engine from Cellius to have Misato read the news blurbs in realtime as if she was the newscaster for a television program called Nerv News 24.

Users can customize the backdrop of the news program's "studio" as the secretive Nerv organization's headquarters, Misato's dining room, and other options. Users can also customize Misato's clothing and hair. [Source: ANN]

Kojima's Cryptic "Full" Famitsu Interview

Okay, now this is just too much teasing. Noone else comes to mind at this moment that can best Kojima's teases and fans are all too familiar with this. But no matter how long you've been in this "game," I doubt that anyone can decipher the below interview between Metal Gear Creator Hideo Kojima and Famistu Editor-in-Chief Hirokazu Hamamura. Apparently Kojima revealed more than he originally intended about his new project. Kojima agreed to let Famitsu run the "full" interview as long as they censored the important style. And just as ordered, this is what we're left with:

Hamamura: XXXXXXXXX's XXXXXX?
Kojima: But, XXXXXXXXX. It's XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.
Hamamura: Ah! I get it!!
Kojima: "XXXXX XXXXX XXX". Well, it's not "X", but a "X" kind of feeling. That's him. I can't say the title yet, but it's this kind of feeling. But it's the Metal Gear saga's tradition.
Hamamura: The time period is XXX?
Kojima: No, it's XXX. I'm saying everything, maybe XXXXX. I'm designing and directing all of this game.
Hamamura: Wha!
Kojima: I think the focus will be domestic, and we're launching it globally. For me, this is like "XXXX". I won't say "X", but a solid story has been created, and the MGS4 staff is making it.
Hamamura: Wow! That's great.

Kojima: This time, only the image of this guy (image) will appear. Then lighting. Just this appearing, I wan everyone to guess. This is how XX's will be appearing.
Hamamura: This...is Big Boss?
Kojima: XX's way of appearing is slightly different.
Hamamura: Eh? Different...?

Kojima: The emblem on this guy's hat is important.
Hamamura: The emblem isn't a fox. There's like a world map thing drawn.
Kojima: It's not only an emblem, but for the game, it will be a new type of system.
Hamamura: Is it XX-XXXXXXXXXX?
Kojima: Yes. You'll while XXXXXXX. XXXX, etc. are a given, so they'll be included. Ooops, I've said more than I was planning to. (laughs)
Hamamura: Hahahahaha! Well XXXXXX, it's XXXXXXX? Also, where's the game going to be set?
Kojima: The place is XXXXXXX. XXXXXXXXX happened, and it's a XXXXX type of country. There isn't XXXXXXXX in the country, but they do have XX like things and XXXX. At that time, XXXXXX come to where the guy is.

Kojima: The theme is XX. XXXXX kinda thing or XXX theme, or XXXXXXXXXXXX, or why is there X, that's where we're drawing. Maybe everyone is probably thinking, "This sermon again!" Maybe this sermon will become a genre. (laughs)
Hamamura: Ahahahaha!
Kojima: This is quite a deep interview.
Hamamura: So true!

Very revealing, isn't it?

Mini 4WD EVA-01 Special

Ever wondered what a race car that has been modified to reflect Evangelion Unit-01 would look like? Well wonder no longer for Tamiya has brought that vision to life with the Mini 4WD Pro Avante Mk.III Azure EVA-01 Special. Retailed at 1,680 yen and due out August 2009, reservations may be placed through Dengekiya.com or inquire about reserving through Tokyo Hunter here.

RYZ Pseudo's Daughter by Camilla D'errico

For those unfamiliar, RYZ is an awesomely unique brand of shoes that showcases incredible designs by a community of artists. And their collection just got even hotter with the birth of a great collaboration between Jared Nickerson and Camilla D'errico! The result is an amazing pair of shoes based on D'errico's Helmet Girls series. Not to mention it's a crisp black and white...my fav!

Entitled "Pseudo's Daughter," you can preorder yours here. The shoes are $65 and are produced in limited quantities.

World Cyber Games Final at NYAF 2009

The New York Anime Festival will serve as the World Cyber Games ' USA National Final, with the winners crowned at NYAF going on to play the best gamers in the world. The WCG is a year-long, international tournament widely renowned as the Olympics of Video Games. In it, more than 1.5 million gamers from 74 countries compete for a share of more than $100,000 in cash and prizes and the chance to play in the Grand Final this year taking place in Chengdu, China.

Gamers will be able to see elite competitors live at NYAF as the WCG USA National Final will host several returning members of last year's WCG Team USA as well as the cast of the SCI FI Channel's WCG Ultimate Gamer. All will be gaming all weekend on Samsung high definition TVs, monitors, and mobile phones. PC, console, and mobile games featured in the WCG USA 2009 tournament include:

• Half-Life®: Counter-Strike™ 1.6 (5 v. 5 Team FPS)
• Starcraft®: Brood War™: (1 v. 1 RTS)
• WarCraft® III: The Frozen Throne™ (1 v. 1 RTS)
• FIFA Soccer 09 (1 v. 1 Sports)
• Carom3D (1 v. 1 Casual)
• Red Stone (4 v. 4 Team MMORPG)
• Gears of War 2® (4 v. 4 Team FPS) US title only
• Guitar Hero® World Tour (1 v. 1 Music)
• Virtua Fighter® 5 (1 v. 1 Fighting)
• Asphalt 3: Street Rules (1 v. 1 Racing)
• WiseStar (1 v. 1 Strategy)

Registration for the 2009 WCG USA Championship Tournament is open now. US citizens are invited to visit www.wcg.com/usa to register for this year's tournament and to obtain more information about the WCG USA Championship tournament, the WCG Ultimate Gamer TV show, and WCG's Team USA.

For more information about the 2009 New York Anime Festival, please visit the show's official website and blog.

ABe Announces Newest Project - "Desperant"

At this year's Sakura Con 2009 in Washington, Yoshitoshi ABe, manga creator and character designer of the gems "Serial Experiments Lain, Haibane Renmei, and Tehxonolyze, revealed the new project his is currently developing. The anime, "Desperant," is set in Japan's Taishō era about a century ago. Since Since the project has not been officially unveiled in Japan, ABe did not go into much further detail of the story, but he did present an imageboard drawing and sample work from the project. [Source: Bunka:Extend via ANN]

SH-O6A NERV Cell Phone

I really don't think I need to offer my sincerest thoughts regarding this piece of beautiful technology morphed into a phone that embues the essence that is NERV. So rather than voice my yearnings for this bad boy, I will just offer you the facts.

With the partnership of NTT docomo and Sharp, and the supervision and participation of both Anno and Khara, comes the SH-O6A NERV mobile phone, specifically designed for the new Evangelion films. In their fictional description, the "Type 5 information management and control device" was developed for personnel of the secretive Nerv organization, using MAGI System technology that has rarely been provided to civilian companies.

The 135-gram (4.76-ounce) phone features a 3.3-inch main display, a 10-megapixel outer camera, and a 0.4-megapixel inner camera. A Nerv logo hologram appears on the matte-coated casing, and the phone comes with an exclusive Frame Holder 01 case/stand and a Nerv 50% Be@rbrick mascot strap. Users can choose from several Evangelion-theme menu layouts, alert window animation sequences, clock display, and standby images. 20,000 will be available for pre-orders in the official Evangelion Store, and 10,000 more will be sold regularly, but only from June to July. For more photos, click here. [Source: ANN]

UPDATE (6/06/2009): Though this comes as no surprise, pre-orders for the 20,000 Eva phones sold out on Friday in just five hours. NTT began taking pre-orders for Sharp's SH-06A NERV phone for 90,000 yen (about US$900) on Friday at 10:00 a.m. By 3:00 p.m, NTT docomo had to announce that all phone pre-orders had sold out. 10,000 more phones will be sold in regular stores from the end of this month until the beginning of July.

Miyazaki at UC Berkeley this July

The legendary Hayao Miyazaki will be at UC Berkeley on July 25th to pick up his Berkeley Japan award. Apparently, he is contractually required by Disney to make a U.S. appearance, so folks, this is definitely an extremely rare opportunity, as you know that it is almost impossible to see Miyazaki outside of Japan. As this blog points out, Miyazaki didn't even show up to the Academy Awards to year "Spirited Away" made a splash. There aren't many details available right now, but watch this space for more updates.

Update (6/3/2009): The Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley has begun selling tickets for Hayao Miyazaki's personal appearance on July 25th. "A Conversation with Hayao Miyazaki, Legendary Filmmaker" will feature the director of the only feature-length Japanese animated film (Spirited Away) to have won an Oscar. The event will begin with an onstage interview, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.

Before Miyazaki's scheduled 6:00 p.m. appearance, the Institute of East Asian Studies will host "The Hayao Miyazaki Symposium" on July 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The roundtable panel discussion will feature scholars of Japanese popular culture, literature, and film. [Source: ANN]

Miyavi Special Box Set

Maru Music brings us a special and awesomely packed box set showcasing the musical sensation of Miyavi. This very limited edition box set is a chance to see one of the greatest Miyavi concerts ever. This is a specially produced DVD box set containing the legendary, 2nd live concert at Hibiya Yagai Daiongakudo.

This concert on October 19, 2003, with exceptional production quality brought Miyavi to the attention of the music mainstream. Miyavi was backed in this performance by some legendary musicans including, Petra (X-Japan), Luke Takamura (Seikma-II), Shinya (Luna Sea) and Chiolyn (hide with spread beaver). The amazing staging of this concert included a 20 meter Kabuki-runway through the center of the arena. This DVD is region free and approximately 76 min, NTSC.

This special box set, retailed at $75, also includes two photo books, documenting Miyavi throughout this time. Book 1 is 60 pages, and features live performance photos of Miyavi. Book 2 is 82 pages and features both photo session and candid photos. Both full color, hardbound books contain rare and un-published photos of Miyavi.

A Camilla d'errico Kokeshi

In a recent blog update, Camilla d'errico announces the completion of her Kokeshi. This will be part of the July's Kokeshi show, held at the JANM in Los Angeles, which opens July 11th. In her own words..."she’s a helmetgirl BUT instead of animals or lollipops, this girl is chowing down on a watermelon! I had a ton of fun coming up with the concept."

Can I say, "TOTEMO KAWAIIII!!!" Click on the link above to see more photos and information.

Tokyopop Celebrates Asian Pacific Heritage Month

In conjunction with Tokyopop, Macy's is holding an event at 2 of their New York Stores: Flushing and Herald Square, to celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month.

Tokyopop brings us a heavy dose of Fruits Basket: (1) Enter the costume contest and you could win a deluxe "Fruits Basket", that includes a Fruits Basket Sticker Collection, planner, T-shirt, hat, and much more; (2) Make any $100 or more purchase and get a free copy of Fruits Basket Ultimate Edition Vol. 1, Fruits Basket DVD, and Fruits Basket Fan Book; and (3) Get your picture taken with one of three Fruits Basket backgrounds.

This will take place on May 15th and 16th. For more details, click here.

Kanon Wakeshima to Make US Debut at Otakon

Rising star Kanon Wakeshima will make her US debut at Otakon 2009 on Saturday, July 18. Wakeshima brings a unique and haunting sound composed of baroque cello, strong vocals, and electronic arrangements.

Her incredible talent attracted the attention of Visual-Kei star Mana (Moi dix Mois, Malice Mizer), who became the sound & visual image producer for Kanon for her debut single "still doll" (released in May 2008) from her first album. Wakeshima's rich, haunting sound fits well with the Gothic & Lolita street fashion culture -- for which Mana (who is also the designer of his own Moi-meme-moitie apparel brand) is very well known.

Her highly anticipated first album, Shinshoku Dolce, was released in February 2009. A record-breaking in-store performance at France's biggest CD retailer, FNAC, paired with a sensational concert in Paris, put her on the road to international stardom. [Source: Otakon]

VAMPS U.S. LIVE 2009 - Baltimore

Otakon week will be insanely busy to say to least...not to mention insanely INCREDIBLE. VAMPS, featuring HYDE and K.A.Z. will be making a stop in Baltimore's SONAR July 16th as part of their VAMPS US Tour 2009!! Words can't describe my excitement - what an awesome way to kick off Otakon. (Thanks for the heads up, Sam)

VAMPS is the result of 2 collaborating geniuses -- L'arc~en~Ciel's HYDE and Oblivion Dusts' K.A.Z. Their first Nationwide tour of Japan, "VAMPS LIVE 2008", kicked off at Zepp Tokyo. Between August 1, 2008 and October 28, 2008, VAMPS played 46 shows at the prestigious Zepp live houses throughout Japan. The tour was totally organized by VAMPS and the venues were custom decorated by spray art such as the now-famous VAMPS castle. The band played 6 to 10 shows at each Zepp venue and every single show was sold out.



The sensation continues in the U.S. This concert is sure to be memorable!

See below for the rest of their tour schedule:

• Saturday, July 11, 2009: New York NY, The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
• Sunday, July 12, 2009: Hartford CT, Warped Tour New England Dodge Music Center
• Tuesday, July 14, 2009: Columbia MD, Warped Tour Merriweather Post Pavilion
• Thursday, July 16, 2009: Baltimore MD, Sonar Baltimore
• Sunday, July 19, 2009: Seattle WA, The Showbox at the Market
• Monday July 20, 2009: Portland OR, Hawthorne Theatre
• Saturday, July 25, 2009: San Francisco CA, Regency Grand Ballroom
• Monday, July 27, 2009: Las Vegas NV, Wasted Space at the Hard Rock Hotel“
• Wednesday, July 29, 2009: San Diego CA, SOMA
• Saturday, August 1, 2009: Los Angeles CA, The Wiltern Theater

UPDATE (6/1/2009): While this isn't an official Otakon event, Otakon members can enter to win free passes to the show. In addition, they are throwing in some passes that will allow you to bypass the Otakon pre-reg line so you can get your VAMP on. Winners will be randomly selected on June 17th. HYDE and K.A.Z. will also participate in a special virtual Q&A session, in which they'll select and answer questions submitted by fans. Enter here by June 15th.

Dawn: The Worlds of Final Fantasy HC

Yoshitaka Amano's "Dawn: The Worlds of Final Fantasy HC" is now available for pre-order. At 116 full color pages, Amano and Square Enix, Inc. have permitted the artwork that inspired the designs of the Final Fantasy games to be published. Witness the development of the first 4 games through Amano's paintings, detailed line art, and preliminary sketches. In a special afterword, learn about the development of this "history-making collaboration." The hard cover book also includes 2 full-color 32" gate folds! Retailed at $29.95, pre-order "Dawn" now at TFAW and save 20%. "Dawn" is due out June 3rd.

Nendoroid Sebastian Michaelis

Goodsmile whips out a set of gorgeous photos of our favorite butler a la Nendoroid. Kuroshitsuji's Sebastian Michaelis gets the Nendoroid treatment and comes with totally cute poses and expressions. Due out this July, Sebastian is retailed at 3,500 yen. Normal, gleeful, and sideways glances, as well as the cute cat paws, are included. Goodsmile, you've outdone yourself! [Source: Goodsmile]

TOKYOPOP T-shirts at Target

Target is now exclusively carrying TOKYOPOP T-shirts. There are currently 3 different prints available -- Dramacon Roses, Girl Icon, and Sketchy Angel. And to commemorate this release, TOKYOPOP wants to know what you think about their shirts, contest style. Email fancontent@tokyopop.com (with the subject line: "TOKYOPOP T-shirt Contest") and tell them what you think about the shirts. Five randomly selected winners will win a TOKYOPOP gift bag that includes a free T-shirt, a Gakuen Alice tote bag and 5 new TOKYOPOP manga. The last day to enter the contest is April 3rd.