One of the highlights of Anime Expo this year was the US premiere of Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse. Since the first episode already aired in Japan, Anime Expo attendees also got to see the second episode. The screening was conducted by Kouki Yoshimune who is the creator of the series, and vocalists Minami Kuribayashi and Ayami.
Muv-Luv is a popular series in Japan that follows mankind's war against an alien invasion. Originally a visual novel game on the PC, there are literally hordes of Muv-Luv merchandise already in existence ranging from figurines to hug pillows. The series' dark theme, kickass giant robots, military premise, and a cast of voluptuous female pilots in skin tight suits gives it a winning combination and it's been highly unusual that it has taken this long for an anime adaptation to appear.
For those of you who haven't checked our gallery in a couple weeks, just click on the image above for some awesome cosplay photos from Yaoi-Con that was held late ast month at The San Francisco Airport Marriott hotel. Just because it's a convention that celebrates "male beauty & passion in anime & manga," doesn't mean there's any shortage of awesome cosplays!
Being an anime fan in the Bay Area of California is great for a lot of reasons, but one of the main pulls is the fact that we have so many outlets for Japanese pop culture. For example, this past August saw the latest iteration of the J-Pop Summit Festival, a fun street fair conglomeration of all things related to J-Pop. Since it was based in San Francisco's very own Japantown, traveling was easy and the setting was familiar to all attendees. Even if you're not big into J-Pop, the whole thing is like a miniature version of the Cherry Blossom Festival which means food stands and vendors in the street, plenty of cosplay, and an all around good time. If you weren't in Japantown in San Francisco on August 27th or 28th, sit tight and I'll fill you in on what you missed.
One of the largest anime convention in North America is sure to attract some of the best cosplays from all around. Check our gallery now!
For those of you who were not able to watch the Hatsune Miku concert, Mikunopolis at Anime Expo, you can check out the 8 minute highlight footage below. Video provided courtesy of the organizers of Mikunopolis.
Stay tuned for our own recording of the first 6 songs of the concert, impressions, as well as an interview with the creative force behind Vocaloid, Crypton Future Media CEO Hiroyuki Itoh and Producer Wataru Sasaki.
© MIKUNOPOLIS 2011
Video used with permission, please do not reproduce.
Page 21 of 31