Silent Siren, also known as "SaiSai" (taken from the first sound of each of the words) stopped by San Francisco earlier this month, one of their two stops in the States on their S World Tour 2016 . This marks Silent Siren's second time in San Francisco. They were in town only a few months earlier in July for J-Pop Summit (check out our interview coverage here). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see them back in July, so it's the first time seeing them for me.

Anime Expo 2016 had yet another US first to its name. The super-franchise Love Live has, til now, never graced American shores to a meaningful degree. July 2 would mark the date that six of the nine members of Aquors (pronounced "aqua") walked the stage and said hello, in person, to America.

This past Anime Expo was a banner year for musical events organized as a joint project between AX and Daisuki/Anime Consortium Japan under the name "Anisong Matsuri." The crown jewel of the event was Saturday night's Japan Super Live which combined the efforts of eight different singers and groups to put on a spectacular show in downtown Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater. This theater has been the Anime Expo home for names like Hatsune Miku, AKB48, and Momoiro Clover Z, among others.

J-Pop Summit has teamed up with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu to start the 2016 event off with a bang! On Friday, July 22, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will play at the Regency Ballroom in the heart of San Francisco as part of her 5ive Years Monster Tour which celebrates her illustrious five-year career.  

As part of their 25th anniversary event Anime Expo and parent organization the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation has announced a new initiative titled the "Youth Protection Program" (YPP).  On the surface its intent is to provide a fun, safe place for its attendees but it has raised a number of issues including actual effectiveness, timing, and cost.  We will take a look at some of the benefits it brings about as well as some of the potential pitfalls.

The concerts of MIKU EXPO 2014 were accompanied by what was more or less a Hatsune Miku village full of exhibits, merchandise, music, and lots of fun. Fans in Los Angeles and New York were treated to a unique experience. This year's MIKU EXPO is going to be a bit different. Being that the expo will stop at ten cities there won't be anything as grandiose as a village. In its place will be a variety of satellite events all featuring Miku. San Francisco happens to be the only location in the entire tour that has every event and I'll be giving you a quick rundown of each.