Well, it’s been announced yesterday that a special video message will be played at FanimeCon 2012 just for the fans.
Who knows what kind of message it will be but May’n had dedicated her time into making it.
Here’s the Press Release:

—

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May’n presents special video message for FanimeCon 2012

May 18, 2012 – Fans of J-Pop superstar May’n (Accel World, Macross Frontier) will be treated to a special video message at FanimeCon 2012.

The May’n ROCK YOUR BEATS USA Tour panel is scheduled for Saturday, May 26, at 12 noon, and will feature May’n performance videos, trivia, and prizes. May’n took time out from rehearsing her world tour to record a video message specifically for FanimeCon that will be screened at the panel.

Tickets for May’n's first solo tour of America (including Los Angeles and San Francisco) will be on sale at the Anime V booth at FanimeCon.

May’n Tour Information:

http://maynusa.wordpress.com/

FanimeCon 2012:

http://www.fanime.com/

Anime V:

http://www.facebook.com/AnimeV

Video
“HEAT of the moment”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZYg_BGbuk8

May’n USA Twitter
@Mayn_USA

May’n Profile

The artist name “May’n” is derived from her real name, and it demonstrates her hope to “always sing songs that will be everyone’s main theme.” May’n was discovered in Horipro’s annual Talent Scout Caravan competition at the age of 13, and in 2008, she performed as the singing voice of Diva of the Galaxy, Sheryl Nome, in the TV anime “Macross Frontier.”

May’n released 2 singles in 2008 which instantly became big hits, each placing in the Top 3 on the Oricon Weekly Chart in their debut week. In January 2009, the long-awaited mini-album “May’n ☆ Street” was released, and it achieved 2nd place on the Oricon Weekly Chart in the first week. All of May’n’s releases since then have consistently entered the top music sales charts.

In January 2010, May’n performed her first solo Budokan concert, which sold out in only 1 day. In March of the same year, she held her first tour of Asia, followed in July by a 17-city summer tour of Japan. She works passionately on her live shows in Japan and overseas to deliver her songs directly, fascinating audiences with her irresistible singing skills and unique voice.

In Fall 2010, May’n was chosen to record the theme song for the film “Incite Mill -7 Day Death Game-.” In February 2011, she released her 3D Live Documentary movie “May’n THE MOVIE -Phonic Nation-” and later that month released her 2nd album “If you…” which reached number 7 on the Oricon Weekly Chart. In March 2011, she held her 2nd solo Budokan concert “RHYTHM TANK!!” for a sold-out audience.

Her second 6-city tour of Asia in May 2011 was a big success. She participated in the largest-in-Europe Japanese Culture and Entertainment Festival “Japan Expo 2011″ and received large applause. May’n's latest release “HEAT” (2012) reached Oricon’s Top 10 in its first week of release. She continues to be the must-see “New Generation Female Rock Vocalist.”

In July, 2010, May’n made her American live performance debut at Anime Expo in Los Angeles. May’n returns to America in 2012 in her “ROCK YOUR BEATS” world tour for special performances in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
In addition to her work on “Macross Frontier,” May’n has contributed songs to several anime and video games, including: “Love get Chu,” “Shangri-La,” “Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi,” “Aria the Scarlet Ammo,” “Phi Brain,” “Valkyria Chronicles 3″ (PSP), “Sengoku Basara 2″, and “Accel World.”

# # #

For more information, please contact:
David Cirone
RESONANCE Media

http://www.resonance-mms.com/

david.cirone @ resonance-mms.com

—

Related posts:

1. May’n to release 2 album on iTunes USA, 16 May
2. May’n Rock Your Beats, USA dates and more~
3. Stereopony completes Tour of USA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgovM71S2mY

Update: just 3 more days~

Sheng Tai Toys, along with Bandai Singapore will be inviting Fans to the Singapore Premier screening of Gundam Unicorn Episode 5 with a special redeem system.

For each selected HG gunpla purchased will earn you a cupon that can be mailed to Sheng Tai Toys for 1 tickets and a MG earns you a pair.

The Screening will be on the same day as the Japanese premier in Japan, on the 19th of May 2012, Saturday.

Location and time of the event will be made known on the confirmation email regarding the screening.

Please refer to the below graphics for more information.

Related posts:

1. Gundam Unicorn on Big Screen
2. Gundam Fiesta @ Singapore!
3. Gundam Unicorn Episode 4 Trailer~

May’n will be releasing 2 albums and 1 single, namely “HEAT”, “If you…” and the latest “Chase the world” onto iTunes USA, on the 16th of May.

This is in conjunction with the planned “Rock Your Beats” world tour to be held in 2 American cities this coming June.

Press release after the break.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May’n (Accel World, Macross Frontier) to release new album on USA iTunes

May 4, 2012 – J-Pop superstar May’n will release her recent albums
“HEAT” and “If you…” in the USA iTunes music store on May 16, in
conjunction with the singer’s upcoming American tour.

May’n's latest release “HEAT” (2012) reached Oricon’s Top 10 in its
first week of release, including recent Japanese anime theme songs
“Brain Diver” (Phi Brain) and “Scarlet Ballet” (Aria the Scarlet Ammo
/ Hidan no Aria), plus “Giant Step” from her collaboration song for
Kamen Rider Fourze.

“If you…” (2011) features more songs from the vocalist’s catalog of
popular Japanese anime/game/movie tie-ins, including “Ready! Go!”
(Okami-san and her Seven Companions), “Moshimo kimi ga Negau no Nara”
(Valkyria Chronicles 3: Unrecorded Chronicles), and “Shinjitemiru”
(Incite Mill – 7 Day Death Game).

May’n's most recent anime theme song “Chase the world” (from Accel
World) will also be available for purchase on May 16.

May’n on iTunes USA:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/mayn/id301384362

ROCK YOUR BEATS – USA Tour
May’n will return to America in June 2012 for two live performances in
Los Angeles and San Francisco. May’n will perform with a live band and
meet American fans at a special autograph session for VIP ticket
holders.

Thursday, June 21 – Key Club, Los Angeles
Saturday, June 23 – Yoshi’s, San Francisco
Ticket information: http://maynusa.wordpress.com

Video
“HEAT of the moment”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZYg_BGbuk8

” target=”_blank”>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZYg_BGbuk8

May’n USA Twitter
@Mayn_USA

May’n Profile

The artist name “May’n” is derived from her real name, and it
demonstrates her hope to “always sing songs that will be everyone’s
main theme.” May’n was discovered in Horipro’s annual Talent Scout
Caravan competition at the age of 13, and in 2008, she performed as
the singing voice of Diva of the Galaxy, Sheryl Nome, in the TV anime
“Macross Frontier.”

May’n released 2 singles in 2008 which instantly became big hits, each
placing in the Top 3 on the Oricon Weekly Chart in their debut week.
In January 2009, the long-awaited mini-album “May’n ☆ Street” was
released, and it achieved 2nd place on the Oricon Weekly Chart in the
first week. All of May’n’s releases since then have consistently
entered the top music sales charts.

In January 2010, May’n performed her first solo Budokan concert, which
sold out in only 1 day. In March of the same year, she held her first
tour of Asia, followed in July by a 17-city summer tour of Japan. She
works passionately on her live shows in Japan and overseas to deliver
her songs directly, fascinating audiences with her irresistible
singing skills and unique voice.

In Fall 2010, May’n was chosen to record the theme song for the film
“Incite Mill -7 Day Death Game-.” In February 2011, she released her
3D Live Documentary movie “May’n THE MOVIE -Phonic Nation-” and later
that month released her 2nd album “If you…” which reached number 7 on
the Oricon Weekly Chart. In March 2011, she held her 2nd solo Budokan
concert “RHYTHM TANK!!” for a sold-out audience.

Her second 6-city tour of Asia in May 2011 was a big success. She
participated in the largest-in-Europe Japanese Culture and
Entertainment Festival “Japan Expo 2011″ and received large applause.
She continues to be the must-see “New Generation Female Rock
Vocalist.”

In July, 2010, May’n made her American live performance debut at Anime
Expo in Los Angeles. In addition to her work on “Macross Frontier,”
May’n has contributed songs to several anime and video games,
including: “Love get Chu,” “Shangri-La,” “Ookami-san to Shichinin no
Nakamatachi,” “Aria the Scarlet Ammo,” “Phi Brain,” “Valkyria
Chronicles 3″ (PSP), “Sengoku Basara 2″, and “Accel World.”

Related posts:

1. May’n Rock Your Beats, USA dates and more~
2. May’n Opens USA twitter account, to reveal World Tour Logo.
3. May’n: 3rd album “HEAT” jacket revealed + tracklist.

http://aimi-sound.com/

Aimi(愛美) will be gracing the AFAMY this coming June.

For those who don’t know her, she is a Seiyu, Singer and also a Cardfighter(a very good one it seem). It will be her second time visiting Malaysia. The first time being a shopping mall event held in Sabah(western Malaysia), last December.

Aimi, fullname Aimi Terakawa, sang the opening song for the anime Ben-to and very recently also is a seiyu on the anime Vanguard, as Suiko.

She will be joining the other 5 artist for the 2 day 6 hour worth of anisong concert. Here is the time table of the 2 days.

Related posts:

1. AFAMY : Ultraman Zone
2. MY: Anime Festival Asia Malaysia 2012 !!
3. AFAMY: Super Ani-Song Genki!

Shigeru Araki well known for his roles in Kamen Rider Stronger series, passed away on Saturday, April 14 at 5:02pm age 63. He was admitted to a hospital in Tokyo for pneumonia symptoms but was found to have an aspergillosis infection.

In April 2007, Araki ran independently in the general election for Meguro ward assemblyman but loss.

He underwent an operation for esophageal cancer the operation, which was a success, but his appetite dwindled, leading him to lose over 30kg (66lbs), and his immune system suffered as a result.

He appeared to be in good health, but he was admitted to the hospital this month.

His condition went critical on the afternoon of the 13th. His wife, the former actress Masami and Noriko were constantly by his side.

When his heart stopped, his family recalled to him all the happy memories, Noriko said “Papa, Kamen Rider was pretty cool.”

Miraculously Shigeru was revived and somehow made it through the day, but aspergillosis infected his lungs and he eventually succumbed to pneumonia.

His wake is schedule to begin at 6pm on the 17th, and the funeral will be at 11am on the 18th. The chief mourner will be his wife Noriko.

Source: Sports Hochi via Henshin Justice

RIP Kamen Rider Stronger…

Related posts:

1. Upcoming Kamen Rider: Kamen Rider 000
2. Kamen Rider stands tall in the face of disaster
3. Kamen Rider gets Idol Group Spin-off

Congratulations to X Japan for being the first Asian band to not only be nominated for the Golden God Best International Band Award, but also WINNING it.

Seriously Congratulations!!

Head down for some pictures and the Press Release,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

X JAPAN WINS THE “BEST INTERNATIONAL BAND” AWARD AT THE GOLDEN GODS AWARDS

April 11, 2012 – X Japan took home the award for Best International Band Wednesday night at the Golden Gods Awards, after becoming the first Asian band to ever be nominated for a Golden Gods Award.

The band beat out internationally acclaimed Rammstein (Germany), Lacuna Coil (Italy), Sepultura (Brazil), Behemoth (Poland), and Meshuggah (Sweden).

Thank you Revolver. Thank you so much for recognizing us,” said Yoshiki, leader of X Japan, who was present at the ceremony to accept the award.

“Some people might have heard of us, we’re from Japan. Well, our band name is X Japan. We toured North America in 2010, and did our first world tour last year. Now we are finishing our first worldwide debut album. And we are planning on doing another world tour soon. And to our beloved fans: Thank you so much for your support, we are going to keep on rocking. And we fucking love you.”

Held at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, the fourth annual Golden Gods awards handed out 11 awards Wednesday night. Other winners included Avenged Sevenfold, Slash, Korn, and Evanescence. The Black Carpet and Show was broadcasted on X Box Live and will be aired again this year on VH1.

The show coincided with the opening of the Grammy Museum’s new exhibit, Golden Gods: The History of Heavy Metal, which will run through February 2013.

–

X Japan is one of the most successful rock bands in Japanese history, having sold more than 30-million albums, singles and videos, and filled the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome a record 18 times. The popularity of the band in Japan has made them a cultural phenomenon in music, fashion and business. X Japan made its North American debut at the 2010 Lollapalooza festival, and sold out their New York City debut at the famed Roseland Ballroom as part of their first American tour in 2010. In 2011, they kicked off the European portion of their tour by selling out Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London within 30 minutes. They continued their sold-out tour by performing in Latin America and Southeast Asia. X Japan plans to release their first English language album and is currently scheduling their next world tour.

The Golden Gods Awards was created in 2009 by Revolver, the number one hard rock and heavy-metal magazine in the world. Each year, the show features performances and appearances from the world’s biggest rock and metal stars, including Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, and more. It is considered America’s biggest hard rock and heavy metal awards show and it airs on VH1 Classic every year.

Related posts:

1. X Japan is nominated for a Golden Gods Award!
2. Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s “A Drifting Life” wins 2 Eisners
3. Noboru Kawasaki rejects TAF Award

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp1SQgc6X98

Translate the new sasakure.UK song, ガラクタ姫とアポストロフ feat. 初音ミク, Garakuta Hime to Apostrophe feat. Hatsune Miku, The Trash-Heap Princess and Apostrophe feat. Miku Hatsune and stand a chance to win some very interesting prize!

All you need is some rather high level Japanese level and an interesting interpretation of the Japanese lyrics, found on the contest page.

Prizes includes, 300 HearJapan pts for all that took part, 10k pts for the winner, 5k pts for the runner up and 2k point for the third place.

Of Cos, the Winner, other then the 10k points will also have his/her’s translations used in sasakure.UK’s official video

BTW HearJapan is an online music store that sells DRM free music from Japan.

Press Release from Hear Japan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Translate the New sasakure.UK Song with Hatsune Miku and Win a Spot in the Video!

===========================
Yokohama, Japan — April 11th, 2012 — HearJapan is proud to announce a new contest featuring a brand new song from sasakure.UK!

Combining chiptune, pop and even progressive rock influences, as well as his own illustration and animation style, sasakure.UK is a one man tour-de-force. His fame around the world on video sites like YouTube and NicoNico Douga is staggering, with rabid fans following him everywhere he goes.

HearJapan is giving the world the chance to bring the new sasakure.UK song “The Trash-Heap Princess and Apostrophe feat. Hatsune Miku” to life with a translation contest! sasakure.UK doesn’t just write songs. Through the voice of Hatsune Miku he spins storybook tales that stand the test of time. So by using a combination of the lyrics, video and Hatsune Miku’s emotional performance, entrants will be challenged to translate that story into English using their own words and personal interpretations.

Among the huge list of prizes is the top jackpot of having your English translation used in sasakure.UK’s official video, as well as: A beautifully illustrated story book of “The Trash-Heap Princess and Apostrophe feat. Hatsune Miku” signed by sasakure.UK, a signed CD for “The Fantastic Reality of Aesop” album, some secret sasakure.UK goods and over 17,500 yen in HearJapan credits to download a ton of music. But that’s just the beginning. There are many more goodies to oggle on the contest linked below, as well as all the resources you’ll need to get to work.

So fire up your imagination and get ready to tell the English-speaking world the story of “The Trash-Heap Princess and Apostrophe feat. Hatsune Miku!”

======

Links:

Contest Page:
http://www.hearjapan.com/en/news/sasakureuk-feat-hatsune-miku-translation-contest/

The Fantastic Reality of Aesop:
http://www.hearjapan.com/en/mp3/the-fantastic-reality-of-aesop/

Youtube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Dp1SQgc6X98
======

HearJapan is the largest and fastest-growing place on the web to purchase Japanese music of all genres. Featuring unique artist profiles in English, 45-second samples of every song, lyrics, images and videos. Over 100 releases are added every week to the 100% DRM free catalog. HearJapan is now the ultimate place explore the unexplored world of Japanese music.

======

Related posts:

1. SG: Win Exclusive HATSUNE MIKU Doll
2. Hatsune Miku Append Version Release
3. Kanno Yoko releases message song “Kimi de ite buji de ite” for earthquake victims

As part of the celebration of the Macross 30th Anniversary a real Miss Macross pageant will be taking place in search for the next Sheryl Nome the “Galactic Fairy” and Ranka Lee the “Super-Dimension Cinderella”.

Applicant however have to fulfill the following criterias,

- Age between, 12 to 25 and is single.
- Can converse in Japanese
- Regardless of you being a Professional or an Amateur, you can take part.
- Is not in any exclusive contract with any company.

Applications are open from April 1, 2012 – May 6 2012.

Applicants can choose either the “Actress Wing” or the “Singer Wing”. Applicants can also apply for both wings, if they so wished to.

Contestants will have to use the new CROSSO machine at Joysound Karaoke, and, with the uta suki douga feature, take a video of themselves performing one Macross songs and then filling up the application form.

Applicants can choose any of the macross related song stated in the list on the page below, from a choice of 14 Categories ranging from the original Macross to the Frontier movies.

http://joysound.com/ex/utasuki/movie/audition/_auditionno_98_detail.htm

Selected contestants have to go through a series of interviews before they are selected for the finals.

The Winner of the “Singer Wing” will get the opportunity to sing a Macross song on an upcoming CD from the Flying Dog label.

The Winner of the “Actress Wing” will be honored with a role on the upcoming Macross stage musical, planned for October.

For more information and updates on the contest please refer to the Macross 30 site.

http://www.macross30.com/mmc/

Related posts:

1. JP: Macross Celebrates 30th Anniversary
2. Namco Bandai Commemorating Macross 30th Anniversary in “Ace Combat Assault Horizon”
3. Macross Frontier Girasama Announcements!

One Ok Rock presents their first world tour! With 5 locations set for now, Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei, Korea and Singapore.

One Ok Rock is a 4 man rock band formed in 2005 with their latest album, Zankyo Reference, selling 100,000 copies to rank 2nd in the Weekly oricon charts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-xF2MAFw5s

They are seen as one of the most promising Japanese JRock band.

Other then the world tour, One Ok Rock also announces their newly created official Youtube Channel.

From One Ok Rock website:

「ONE OK ROCK 2012 “Start Walking The World Tour”」

5/30(水)東京； 新木場STUDIO COAST guest/9mm Parabellum Bullet
5/31(木)東京； 新木場STUDIO COAST guest/阿部真央
6/04(月)大阪； なんばHatch guest/後日発表となります。
6/05(火)大阪； なんばHatch guest/CROSSFAITH
6/09(土)台湾； Legacy Taipei
6/16(土)韓国； AX-KOREA
6/30(土)シンガポール； *SCAPE

May 30, 2012: TOKYO,JAPAN, STUDIO COAST
Guest: 9mm Parabellum Bullet
May 31, 2012: TOKYO,JAPAN, STUDIO COAST
Guest:  Abe mao
June 4, 2012:  OSAKA,JAPAN, NAMBA Hatch
Guest:  KAZUYOSHI SAITO
June 5, 2012:  OSAKA,JAPAN, NAMBA Hatch
Guest:  CROSSFAITH
June 9, 2012, Taipei, Taiwan, Legacy Taipei
June 16, 2012 Korea, AX-Korea
June 30, 2012 Singapore, *SCAPE

Related posts:

1. ASIA: Shoko Nakagawa Asia Tour 2012!
2. May’n Rock Your Beats, USA dates and more~
3. May’n Opens USA twitter account, to reveal World Tour Logo.

Hit Japanese TV show Culture Japan – starring Japanese pop culture authority and international celebrity blogger Danny Choo – is back by popular demand for its second season, as he explores all things that make Japan tick! In each episode, Danny spotlights different aspects of Japan that make the country special. Follow him through the many streets of Japan where he shares cool places to visit and lift the lid of what goes on behind the scenes at anime production studios. Enjoy a slice of life in Japan that we don’t see often on Culture Japan, a must-see for everyone, from fans of anime, manga and cosplay, to anyone who just wants to learn more about the country.

Culture: Japan By Danny Choo (Season 2) premieres 7 April 2012 airing Saturdays at 7.30pm first and exclusively on Animax

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxCuOCrp0iI

Related posts:

1. Danny Choo’s Culture:Japan
2. AFA11: A little Recap~ By Danny Choo’s Culture Japan~
3. AFA09: Interview with Danny Choo