Japanese pop music idol duo ClariS has caused a huge stir in Japan and have caught the attention of mainstream media for starting their career when they were only in junior high school. While the pair has not revealed their true identities, they are best recognized through their illustrations drawn by popular artists often from the anime titles they are involved in. Their music has appeared in popular anime series such as Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Nisemonogatari. Learn more about the duo and find out how they feel to have their first album "Birthday," released in the United States (iTunes, Amazon)! If you're a fan, definitely do not miss The-O Network exclusive with ClariS's FIRST English interview!

Anime heavy metal band ANIMETAL USA shredded their way through the Los Angeles Convention Center during Anime Expo 2012, and we had a chance to sit down with them this year. Our resident staffers, Salvador Mateos, Jason Young and Theodore Mak talked to the group about their history and their inspiration for creating heavy metal covers of various anime songs including “Pegasus” and “Rock Lee.”

This year MangaGamer brought acclaimed eroge voice actress Tamiyasu Tomoe with them to Anime Expo 2012 as an industry guest. Tamiyasu's extensive resume includes her role as Yayoi in OVERDRIVE's Deardrops and as Rin/Riki/Sasasegawa in KEY's Little Busters!. Tomoe was gracious enough to sit down with our resident staffers, Benjamin Chu and Jason Young, to give us the lowdown on her career as a voice actress and who would win in a dispute between Rin and Yayoi!

The-O Network’s Jason Young and Theodore Mak had a chance to interview Japanese pop singer LiSA at Anime Expo 2012. LiSA, who is widely known for her work as the singing voice for Angel Beats!’s Yui and Fate/Zero’s opening “Oath/Sign” has released two Oricon-charting albums Letters to U and Lover"S"Mile to date, making her an up-and-coming J-pop sensation. We explore her love for Disney and her impressions of being in America for the first time in her career. Make sure to also check out her video shout out to The-O Network readers at the end!