Anime|Tokusatsu|Info|Gadget|Technology|Otaku: 10/25/11

Kamen Rider Fourze: The Witch & Fire Switch

After the awesome episode this week, here are the summaries for the upcoming Kamen Rider Fourze episodes. It focuses on Amonagawa High's mysterious student, Tomoko Nozama, and the debut of Fourze's Fire States.

Episode 9: Awakening of the Witch

Gentaro tries to be friends with Tomoko, but she says she doesn't need one. Furthermore, Tomoko, Ritsuko (3rd year student) and 2 others use magic to revenge themselves on those who despise themselves. A Zodiarts is also behind this...

Episode 10: N/A - 11/06

Even Tomoko transformed into the Zodiarts after Ritsuko. To save her, Gentaro takes her to the moon.

Also, KamenRiderKira of HJU pointed out that Class 2B's Homeroom teacher, Sarina Sonada's name one rearranged will form the words, “Sasori nanoda” which means “I am the scorpion,” could this mean that she is the mysterious Scorpio Zodiarts?

via Orends: Range

Moyashimon Manga Holds Miss Agricultural University by Reader's Vote

Masayuki Ishikawa's Moyashimon manga is running a contest for readers to choose the next Miss Agricultural University in the manga. In addition to that, the official website is also conducting a poll to determine who win the contest for the story.

The candidates are Aoi Mutō, Chisa Nakayama, Kosaka, Hazuki Oikawa, Kei Yūki, and Nishino. The readers will select one for the title by voting with a paper ballot included with the current issue of Evening magazine until November 8th.

Moyashimon is the story of the life of Tadayasu Sawaki, a first-year college student at an agricultural university, who has the unique ability to see and communicate with micro-organisms, germs and bacteria.

Source : Mantan Web via Anime News Network

Anime Contents Expo 2012 to Run March 31-April 1 (Updated)

The organizers of Anime Contents Expo (ACE) announced on Monday that the event will be held for the first time next year from March 31 to April 1. That weekend happens to be one week after next year's Tokyo International Anime Fair (March 22-25). The inaugural outing for the ACE event will be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba east of Tokyo.

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The voice actor Nobuhiko Okamoto announced on Monday that he will debut as a singer in 2012 with Kiramune, Lantis and Bandai Visual's music label. He will perform in Kiramune Music Festival 2012, which will run on March 17 and March 18. Okamoto posted a video message in which he also noted that Monday is his 25th birthday. (The limited-time video message will stream until October 31.)

Among other roles, Okamoto has been playing Rin Okamura in Blue Exorcist.

[Via Yaraon!]

Manga Creator Moto Hagio Warns of Forged Drawings

Editor Matt Thorn reported on Monday that an online auction claimed to have sketches drawn by manga creator Moto Hagio, but Hagio confirmed that she did not actually draw those sketches.

The auction, which ended on Sunday at 85,600 yen (about US$1,120), claimed to have sketches and a pin-up poster from Hagio's 1974 shōnen-ai manga Heart of Thomas (Thomas no Shinzō). Specifically, it listed the signed and inked sketch for the seventh page from the manga's 14th installment, as well as the draft sketches for panels and pages in the second, third, and fourth installments.

According to Thorn, Hagio wants to file a report with the police. Thorn also asked people who know the auction's final bidder to get in touch.

Fantagraphics announced last month that it will release the manga in North America next August. Thorn is editing and translating the manga, just as he did for last year's Fantagraphics release of Hagio's A Drunken Dream and Other Stories. The story follows the protagonist Juli after the death of his friend Thomas one winter morning.

[Via Ko Ransom]

'Hatsune Miku Live Party 2011' Concert to Screen in U.S.

The distribution company Live Viewing Japan will stage a theatrical simulcast of the "Hatsune Miku Live Party 2011 39's LIVE in SAPPORO" virtual idol concert video in nine major U.S. cities on November 10 at 7:00 p.m. (local time). The original Vocaloid idol performance event, organized by 5pb., took place in northern Japan in August. This multi-country concert screening celebrates the November 16 Japanese release of the "Hatsune Miku Live Party 2011" Blu-ray/DVD/CD package. The concert will screen in select theaters in the following cities:

Baltimore, MD (Owings Mills 17)

Boston, MA (Fenway 13)

Chicago, IL (River East 21)

Houston, TX (Houston Marq*E Stadium 22 plus IMAX)

Los Angeles, CA (Rave 18)

New York, NY (Empire 25 with IMAX, Union Square Stadium 14)

Orange, CA (Orange Stadium Promenade 25)

San Francisco, CA (Century 9 San Francisco Centre)

Seattle, WA (Pacific Place 11)

Locations outside the United States will also host screenings of the concert film including Bangkok, Thailand (SF World Cinema) on October 30, Sao Paolo, Brazil (UCI Cinemas Jardim Sul) on November 5, and Paris, France (CGR Torcy) on November 9.

The "Hatsune Miku Live Party 2011" Blu-ray/DVD/CD bundle will include a recording of a Hatsune Miku concert that took place in Tokyo on May 9 as well as the Sapporo concert event that took place on August 16 - 17. The retail price of the package is 7,770 yen (about US$100).

Hatsune Miku performed a sold-out multi-projector concert this year at Anime Expo in Los Angeles on July 2, which is also receiving a Blu-ray, DVD, and CD release at the end of the year. The event was based on the "Miku no Nichi Kanshasai 39's Giving Day" concert in 2010, Hatsune Miku's first solo concert. The virtual idol also appeared "live" in concert in Japan, the United States, and other countries via a traditional screen in 2009.

Keion High School Band Reality Special to Air This Saturday

E-Tele, the educational channel of the Japanese public broadcaster NHK, will launch a two-part music reality show special called School Live Show for Teens "Keion" this Saturday. The guests will include former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman and his tour mate Takayoshi Ōmura, the composer and bassist Akihito Tokunaga (Getbackers, Saiyuki Reload), and the drummer "CHARGEEEEEE." The comedy duo Savanna will host the show with voice work by Takanori Nishikawa — the artist better known as T.M.Revolution — and narrator Ippo Onodera.

The special (part of E-Tele's ongoing School Live Show programs) will profile seven real-life high school bands in Osaka and pit them in a battle of the bands. The bands must perform cover songs of Mick Jagger and Momoe Yamaguchi; Friedman, Tokunaga, and the other guests will then crown the winner. Friedman and Tokunaga will also hold what NHK describes as a "must-see" special session.

During the show, AKB48 idol group member Sae Miyazawa will file a "AKB48 no Totsugeki Report" from the light music club (kei ongaku-bu) of a noted high school in Tokyo.

This reality show is separate from Toyosato Keion Koshien, a nationwide high school light music band competition in Japan which will be held at the real-life model for the K-ON! anime's school next month. The Shirouto Meikan television variety program scouted real high school bands to find a "live-action" K-ON for a June episode, and television host Danny Choo filmed a similar premise last year.

The K-ON! anime film sequel will open in Japan on December 3.

[Via 0takomu]

“Anonymous” Now Fighting Child Pornography

Anonymous, the group of high-powered hackers famous for taking down websites belonging to Bank of America and Sony, has turned its vigilante brand of online activism to child pornography sites.

The “hacktivists” are targeting web host Freedom Hosting and accusing it of knowingly hosting child pornography. This marks a shift for Anonymous, which is better known for hitting corporate and big-business sites with DDoS attacks, briefly taking over operations or scraping information.

Anonymous released a statement condemning Freedom Hosting for its alleged practices and warning all other child pornography sites to take down their materials, reports BGR.

“Our demands are simple. Remove all child pornography content from your servers,” Anonymous wrote in a statement. “Refuse to provide hosting services to any website dealing with child pornography. This statement is not just aimed at Freedom Hosting, but everyone on the internet. It does not matter who you are, if we find you to be hosting, promoting, or supporting child pornography, you will become a target.”

Since the attacks began on Oct. 15, Anonymous has removed pornographic links, shut down access to all clients of Freedom Hosting and declared the web host as “#OpDarknet Enemy Number One.” You can check out the full statement from Anonymous on BGR.