Momoiro Clover Z has been at the head of the idol sengoku jidai, a rising group that comes closest to threatening AKB48′s hegemonic hold over the proverbial Iron Throne of Japanese music. In April of 2013, the 5 girls from Stardust Promotions released their second album, titled 5th Dimension. The album reached the top of the Oricon charts, selling a total of nearly 200 thousand copies over three weeks.

The group had a website for their upcoming album before it launched, containing information about the album and its contents. Using crowdsourcing to play the game that was on the site, fans managed to reveal the tracklist, along with the composition and writing credits of each song.  On the hype front, the group couldn’t have done much better; fans around the world were activated to help with the unlocking.

Momoclo continues with an evolution of their theme from previous releases, but this time they took it a step further. Promotional material saw the girls in costumes that came out of science fiction, donning facemasks that would make all but the Hellraiser fans amongst us take a step back. While the radical look should earn some brownie points, one wonders why  it was done in the first place.

The album itself is a 13-track epic that covers more genres than you can shake a stick at. The members themselves have described it as an album with a flowing narrative, and one should listen to it as a concept album as a whole. Personally however, this might have been a lofty goal rather than something the group actually achieved, as there is no indication that it is a concept album. The tracks are individually great, but do not flow into each other as one might imagine in a concept album.

The album perhaps starts a little too ambitious. O Fortune from the Carmina Burana kicks off the album, setting an epic scene only to meet a letdown as Neo Stargate starts proper. It seems like a really awkward way to set the mood, and cheapens one of the most important points of an album. The album picks up steadily, however, and goes into a full gallop at Mugen no Ai. Accompanied by Marty Friedman and operatic backing vocals, Momoclo take their vocal range to the limit and end up with a song that befits their space opera image.

Mugen no Ai is the start of a stretch of solid songs almost unheard of in idol album history. 5 The Power is an organic hip-hop track, Roudou Sanka sounds like it came out of a blaxploitation soundtrack, and Get Down features a ridiculously catchy chorus with an oddly nostalgic sound. If you ever wanted to let your parents hear Momoiro Clover, that song would be your best bet.

Otome Sensou brings back the old Momoclo of yore, and it’s really the first time you hear the ‘idol’ in Momoiro Clover in the album. If you prefer Hashire to any of the songs before this, then Otome Sensou is for you. Tsuki to Gingami rounds up this crazy exploration of genres, and does it with style as the girls sing in harmony to a track that would remind many of Queen.

This is interrupted briefly by Birth Ø Birth, which in this writer’s opinion, is the weakest song of the bunch. Compared to the previous songs, the EDM influence in this song seems rather uninspired and unexciting. While the fact that the Momoiro Clover girls are not the best singers should be known to many, the vocals in this track sound especially bad; while some may appreciate the sentiment of not correcting it, it just sounds grating.

The ending of the album seems to be a homage to history. Jukyou Monogatari is an ode to Momoiro Clover; the excitement is infectious, even without watching them. Sora Tobu would not sound out of place in an old Morning Musume catalog. Saraba rounds up the metal quotient in the album, and Hai to Diamond ends the album on a softer note. It’s an uncharacteristic but poignant end to an album full of experimentation.

Momoiro Clover fans are so for many different reasons. Yet, no matter if you were a fan of their music, their personality or just the zaniness, everything comes through perfectly on 5th Dimension. If there’s only one idol album you should check out for this year, pick up 5th Dimension. You’ll realize why they’ve sold out concerts in 3 minutes and why their rise has been meteoric.

Last weekend, Tokyo Auto Salon made its way to Singapore bringing along with it race queens, a bunch of cars and AKB48. Not ones to give an event which gets three out of three right a miss, we visited the show which was held at Marina Bay Sands. Posters were on every other bus-stop, and television advertisements were running ad nauseam. So did the Tokyo Auto Salon manage to live up to the hype?

We hit up TAS on the first day, which was a Friday. Given that it was a weekday, response was understandably muted. Many of the people present were AKB48 fans queuing to get tickets to see their idols; evidently, this was not the ideal audience demographic for a car show. It did however, provide much needed space to explore the show before the crowds swarmed in.

Queues are everywhere, even on Fridays.

Overall, there was a good amount of space being utilized. Unlike the usual conventions most of us were used to, there was sufficient space to walk around, most probably due to them having to move the cars around. Besides cars, the rest of the booths were showing car accessories. Of course, the ones selling the products were the women.

I was taking a photo of the car, but some women got in the photo.

Motorcycle coolant.

More technically-inclined geeks would have nevertheless enjoyed the various products on display; it ranged from racing rims to sport suspension systems to audio rigs. It was also pretty funny trying to see some of the more ridiculous body-kits people managed to fit on their cars. Many jokes were made at the expense of the car with eyelashes on the headlights.

Under the hood, for the inner car-geek in all of us.

Pioneer also had a booth for in-car sound systems.

For when non-functional turbo dials are not enough.

Game of Thrones fans should refrain from reading further, because there’s a big spoiler here.

Besides the expected Japanese cars, there were also cars from other makers, such as BMW and Ferarri. There were a few interesting designs, but it was a little disappointing to see that much of what was on the show floor were cars made up to look as outlandish as possible. Those of us who appreciated more sleek and simple designs were mostly left unsatisfied, although some gems did leave a good impression.

Matte Black finishing was great, but the body-kit was too much.

This one elicited many Saints Row jokes from the company.

Nagoya represent.

Best-looking car of the weekend, in this author’s opinion.

As expected, the women of TAS were great. Made up of women from Singapore, Japan and even Thailand, many patrons could be seen taking photos of the booth-babes, who were more than willing to pose. Some of them even obliged to taking photos with some of their fans, although cunningly this was usually done with a logo available in the background. Owing to this, it was a good choice to visit on Friday. Getting shots of cars was a lot easier on this day, since many of the booth babes were not even there yet.

Photo opportunities generally mean opportunities to take photos of women, not with them.

My favorite coolant brand.

Despite the misgivings, it was a pleasant enough show. The price tag of $25 dollars was a little steep and left a little to be desired. Nonetheless, it was a great experience visiting a car show; it’s definitely a different experience from the usual Japanese-related events.

The Kouhaku Utagassen should be familiar to most people interested in Japan. A yearly occurrence, it is a singing contest where red and white teams battle it out on the last day of the year. The AKB48 Kouhaku is AKB48′s version of this famous competition. Occurring near the end of the year as well, the Kouhaku is a glorified shuffle concert with an extra bit of competition mixed in. AKB48′s second try of this format however, turns out very well.

Kobayashi Maya and Sakai Masaaki were the hosts for the night.

Oshima Yuko is hype.

Set in the relatively cozy Tokyo Dome City Hall, the event has a rather lackluster start. The red and white teams each perform their own version of Team B Oshi and Wasshoi B! respectively. While in theory it sounds great, both these songs have lost much of their attraction after the many reiterations and it just sounds very tired. Thankfully however, they were pretty much the only non-passable songs in the whole concert, and the rest of it was more than bearable.

Shimazaki Haruka in Sore Demo Suki da Yo was the highlight of the night.

This installment of Kouhaku saw some old songs popping up; besides the perennial favourites like Heart Gata Virus, the audience also got to see songs like Takeuchi Senpai. Team A stage classic Koike was given a hilarious twist, with the monologue being changed to take a dig at resident judge, Kiyohara Kazuhiro. A personal favourite was Tonari no Banana, where the duo from Kansai turned the monologue into a short skit of manzai.

Newbies HKT48 do an oldie, Takeuchi Senpai.

Sometimes the added entertainment outshone the actual performances.

Kiyohara can do nothing else but laugh.

Sister group JKT48 also got their time in the spotlight. While their time on stage last year was a little awkward (mostly due to them not having a clue about what was going on), this time the girls rocked the stage with a great rendition of NMB48 single Kitagawa Kenji (in Bahasa Indonesia, no less), aided by an appearance from the man himself.

The JKT48 girls and Kitagawa Kenji.

Streaming Heavy Rotation live for HEY!HEY!HEY!

There were also some pleasant surprises for this year’s Kouhaku, as some girls were given the chance to showcase their talents on the big stage. Ooya Shizuka got to be part of a group that did Oogoe Diamond acapella, while Matsui Sakiko accompanied Kojima Haruna and Yamamoto Sayaka in their version of Anata to Christmas Eve. Itano Tomomi and Matsui Jurina performed UZA, having been changed to add a dance break, making it more danceable and even more generic sounding.

Yui and Miyuki perform Tonari no Banana.

Masuda Yuka and Akimoto Sayaka lead the acapella group in their cover of Oogoe Diamond.

Matsui Sakiko accompanies Haruna and Sayaka.

Celebrity appearances were also rampant in this edition, with Dachou Club and Takeuchi Riki making appearances, amongst others. In terms of star power though, nothing beat the day’s performance of Give Me Five!, which saw a superband of big names Japanese rock accompanying Oshima Yuko as she fronted the band solo.

Takeuchi Riki pops up as they call for him.

Yes, that is LUNA SEA’s Shinya.

Team leaders Takahashi Minami and Shinoda Mariko also took their turn on stage. While Minami was good as always, Shinoda Mariko definitely stole the show, appearing in a kimono and armed with an umbrella as she busted out a cover of Iwasa Misaki’s Mujin Eki. For someone who has a reputation of being a dreadful singer, it was really good.

Umbrella songs are always popular.

All in all, it was a great show. Aside from the main concert however, there’s also extra content including footage from a camera trained on the girls on the benches, which can sometimes be more interesting than what’s happening on stage. The second disc also contains the non-shuffled single performances, should you be so inclined to want to watch those.

HD lovers should rejoice as well, the concert is also available on Blu-ray, and the quality is marvelous. It’s only the first quarter of the year, but I’m already looking forward to the next one.

Much like the other group that uses the tagline ’3MCs, 1DJ’, Rhymeberry couldn’t be farther away from a group you expect to be doing rap. A group of 4 girls, all under the age of 15, they definitely don’t look like they fit anywhere near the vicinity of a dope rhyme. But nevertheless, these girls put on a great show and are fast gaining traction in a ruthless industry full of cutesy pop and frilly dresses.

A group that spawned from the usa☆usa shoujo club collective, Rhymeberry is made up of MCs MIRI, HIME and YUKA. The 3 MCs are supported by DJ HIKARU. While you might think that a U15 turntablist is a ridiculously rare find on its own, DJ HIKARU plays a role that’s not unlike that of a tsundere hype-man, rather than that of a DJ ― she spends most of her time on stage spinning a CD turntable that’s not really connected to anything.

Nevertheless, the group seems to have a dynamic that fits, and each of the girls brings something to the table that comes together to form an idol-voltron. While a hip-hop influence is not particularly uncommon in idol music, Rhymeberry is one of few to really tackle the genre of rap proper without sugarcoating it with idol-pop. Their catalog fits better alongside a record of Teriyaki Boyz than it does HALCALI.

Speaking of catalogs, Rhymeberry does not really have much of one. Their first single (a brother-con single titled HEY! BROTHER) was released in July last year and a double A-side is dropping at the end of this month. The group has a throwback sound, with their backing tracks sounding funky, bassy and organic. To quote a friend who heard them, Rhymeberry has “better instrumentals than actual rappers”.

The brilliant use of instrumentals combine very well with the girls’ own energy, serving to supplement rather than drown, and the girls themselves are very good at hyping out the crowd at their live performances. The call and response of rap translates really well to the idol fan crowd and it adds a lot of energy to their performances. While they’ve shared stages with other groups like lyrical school, the fans always seem to always seem more excited when Rhymberry comes on.

Rhymeberry is a refreshing take on an idol group, and it’ll be interesting to see where they go from here. The group is in fact so underground, they don’t really have an official page, and instead has an official Twitter account. They also seem to regularly upload live videos on their YouTube channel. Hip-hop heads should definitely check this fledgling group out, if only to pad their backpacker credentials.

TGS AR.TV is Tokyo Girls’ Style’s attempt at using augmented reality applications to engage their fanbase. Using triggers from inside their goods, it also acts as extra incentive for fans to buy goods without making it seem like a total gimmick. I had no idea that there was a new installment of AR.TV that was going on with the Yakusoku release; there are still quite a few episodes to go however, and since it’s not particularly publicized, here’s a guide on how to access it!

AR.TV started with the release of Bad Flower, the single just before the release of Yakusoku. AR.TV refreshes weekly, with content being up to date; it usually involves the girls and any upcoming gigs they have. For example, this week’s episode is about their upcoming free live at Lazona Kawasaki.

Contrary to what some think, AR.TV is not actually its own app, but rather is an addon to an existing app, junaio. The app is available for both iOS and Android operating systems, so that should keep a chunk of the fans covered. Once you’re in the app, it’s a matter of simply searching for the TGS AR.TV addon and you’re good to go.

Launching junaio.

After you launch junaio, the button at the top left with the magnifying glass will bring you to a search page. At the start, the app is a little slow, so keep an eye out for the sliver of animation that tells you it’s loading.

Searching for the TGS AR.TV addon.

While in this case I used ‘TGS’ as a search term, using their Japanese name 東京女子流 yields the same results. All you have to do now is to simply select the addon by clicking the icon. This while bring you back to the front page of the app while it loads.

What the addon looks like once it’s loaded fully.

This is perhaps the most important and somewhat confusing bit about AR.TV. What you have to do now is to point your phone camera onto a particular page in the CD liner sheets of the Yakusoku album. For the CD/DVD version of the album, this is the spread in the middle, with Nakae Yuri on the right side. While this may differ for other versions of the album, but I do not think it will veer in this case.

So simply look for the page where the booklet is divided in half (where you can see staples) and point it at that. What happens next is a small screen will pop up, and a video will play, corresponding to the week’s content. As an aside, the red button in the screenshot brings you to a page where you can answer a survey. However, if you can answer those then you probably wouldn’t need this guide in the first place.

Mei hosts this week’s edition.

Don’t close it straight away however, because double-pressing the video itself will bring you to another video. On Android phones, this plays in the phone’s media player, but it seems that it leads to a YouTube video for iOS devices instead.

Offshot with the making of this week’s AR.TV.

The show is renewed with new content every Wednesday at 10pm (Japan time), so be sure not to miss it. After the TGS AR.TV addon is loaded, there is also an option to place an icon in your home-screen. This will then allow you to use the icon to access it without having to go through the earlier steps. Simply click the AR.TV icon in junaio and select ‘Add to desktop’.

Adding a desktop icon.

All in all, it’s a pretty innovative way to deliver content, and hopefully there’s more in store with future releases.

Avex’s lovable girls’ dance and vocal group released their eagerly-awaited third album in end January. Fresh from their record-breaking concert at Nippon Budoukan, the girls face a challenge of living up to lofty expectations as the new year begins. How does Yakusoku (約束) stand next to the rest of their albums? We take a look.

Tokyo Girls’ Style has always been a group that differentiated itself from the rest of the pop sphere. Likewise, this comes through in their music as well. While I expected Yakusoku to continue on the usual path of catchy funky pop tunes of Limited Addiction and Kodou no Himitsu, it was a pleasant surprise to hear that the group went for even more experimentation in their new album.

Intro

While it would seem a little superfluous to write about the start of an album, I found this rather interesting tidbit while listening to the album for the first time. The intro track actually provides a pretty good description of the feel for the album; the intro of Yakusoku is in the outro of Limited Addiction. It is also a little reminiscent of Electric Light Orchestra, at the start.

Bad Flower

The first proper track of the album is their most recent single, Bad Flower. The transition from the Intro is a little haphazard, but it works well enough that you probably want to listen to them in order. I’m not particularly fond of the track myself, but it has a catchy hook and Ayano’s voice fits the song very well.

Tsuioku

The single version of Tsuioku makes an appearance in the album. The girls show off their well-honed harmonizing in this slow song, and each girl gets an opportunity to show off her solo chops. While not a bad song overall, there’s not much to note of it, other than being very pleasant to listen to.

Discord

The first thing anyone notices when it comes to Discord is the vocoded vocals at the start of the song. An uptempo guitar number, it’s also the theme song for the Transformers anime that’s currently airing. It’s a great song to get pumped up to, and the guitar has just the right amount of cheese to rock out to.

Sore de Ii Jan

The first of the new album songs is Sore de Ii Jan, a midtempo song with what I would term the ‘TGS sound’. Many I talked to loved this song the most on the album, mostly due to its great funk sound and great singing. There’s even a part near the end where the keyboard and guitar faces off in a short interlude.

Taisetsu na Kotoba

According to the girls themselves, this is the only ‘kawaii’ song on the album. I am not inclined to disagree myself. The melody and use of horns in this song certainly makes it rather uplifting, and it’s no wonder that this was the second A-side to accompany the slower Tsuioku when they were released as a single. Overall, it’s a track that demonstrates TGS’ youthful side very well.

Tsuki to Sayonara

Personally, this is the best track on the album. With music done by Hiroshi Matsui, the track sounds like it belongs more in a JiLL-Decoy association release than a Tokyo Girls’ Style one. The track is a brilliant example of great production; the infectious bassline is supplemented well by the horns and the girls do a good job of sounding mature as they sing for this one. This track would not be out of place in a jazz bar’s playlist.

Maboroshi

The jazz is thrown out for funk in Maboroshi; the jazzy lines are substituted for tight bass slapping, and the music speeds up considerably. In terms of exploring the girls’ ranges, Maboroshi definitely gives the girls in a challenge in that aspect, as they reach for the higher notes. While it perfectly complements the music, it remains to be seen how this song will song live, as good as it sounds recorded.

Overnight Sensation ~Jidai ga Anata ni Yudaneteru~

TGS cover avex seniors TRF on this particular track. They have been performing this at live performances for the longest time; before this it was only available on a compilation album, so it is nice to have this in CD quality. IRF leader Shoji Mei has several lines in this song, and in lives takes over the hype-man position from Arai very well.

Futarikiri

This track is Yakusoku’s W.M.A.D. Opening with a guitar solo, this track has moodmaker written all over it. It is a ridiculously effective earworm; after one or two listens there’s no way you’re getting the chorus out of your head. The parts where the crowd participation is supposed to be is made clear with the inclusion of ‘yay’ chants as they sing. While the description sounds a bit silly, it adds to the excitement when you listen to it, definitely.

Lolita☆Strawberry in summer

The mood of the album mellows out a little bit as the album draws near to its close. Lolita is a SweetS cover, and is quite the favourite amongst fans. This is a throwback to the rather stereotypical avex girlgroup sound; nevertheless, it is a good interpretation of a fan classic.

Yakusoku

The album comes to a close with its title track, Yakusoku. The mood of the song definitely fits the title – it’s a little slow and there’s a lot more group singing parts; the older fans of the group would definitely feel some pangs of nostalgia as the song goes along. While it’s a little off-kilter compared to the rest of the album, it shows the versatility of TGS and is a great closer to a great album.

Himawari no Hoshikuzu

TGS’ second non-Japanese track after the Chinese language Onnaji Kimochi is an English version of Himawari to Hoshikuzu. While it is a little weird to hear in English and some parts are near incomprehensible, the enunciation in the chorus is crisp and there is clear indication that the girls spent a lot of time practising for this. One is left wondering why it came after the outro instead of with the rest of the album, however.

The number of singles in between albums has lessened in between album releases for Tokyo Girls’ Style. While this would be a bad idea for most groups (at least those in the Japanese pop limelight), I feel like this is a good direction to go in for TGS. They have a versatility in their sound that is better exploited in an album format, and I feel like releasing singles (even if they’re all double A-sides) seeks to only narrow this.

Concerns aside, Tokyo Girls’ Style has done it yet again. Despite making a marked departure from the sounds of the previous two albums, they have managed to keep a firm grasp on their style, thus keeping fans who love their established sound happy. The experimentation and its subsequent success however, is what really makes TGS so interesting to follow.

In a scene where girl-group is synonymous to idol group, one particular group stands out against the backdrop of pop idols to bring a new sound into the mix. A subgroup spawned from Sakura Gakuin; itself an idol group, Babymetal is one of the ‘clubs’ in the academy setting of Sakura Gakuin, named the Heavy Music Club. Making waves both locally and overseas, we take a look at Babymetal and see whether these girls are as metal as they claim to be.

The group is made up of Su-metal, Moametal and Yuimetal. The first song by Babymetal, Doki Doki Morning, appeared on the 2011 Sakura Gakuin album ~message~. However, this song was only officially released digitally, and the girls have another 2 singles released with the third Ijime, Dame, Zettai (IDZ) coming in the second week of 2013. Over the past year, the girls have shared stages with many artists, including artists like SuG and Tamurapan.

YUIMETAL, SU-METAL and MOAMETAL respectively.

What’s interesting is how Babymetal fits into the idol scene. An example is how the usually (barely) Satanic connotation of the devil horn hand-sign is made into their own by incorporating it into the Babymetal mythos; To them it is instead a fox sign, used to show devotion to the fox god that rules over all of metal. It is one of the many ways to make metal a little less brutal for the masses to consume, and having fun with it.

As the name obviously implies, Babymetal’s sound is metal. While there are other groups that incorporate a rock sound like BiS or Party Rockets, Babymetal’s is the only one whose style you can really call metal. There is a mixture of metal sub-genres spread around their music; for example, Iine! incorporates a style that resembles Attack Attack more than it does Slayer, mixing techno, hip hop and death metal growls.

Their most recent single Headbanger and upcoming IDZ seem to represent a move to refine the sound a little further. The two title tracks are an attempt to go towards a more mainstream metal sound. Maybe IDZ will be similar to Headbanger in that any experimentation will be kept to the B-side of the single (as seen by the dubstep influences of Uki Uki Midnight). It’s not really a bad idea to diversify, so here’s to hoping that doesn’t go away.

Su-metal is the only proper singer in the group, with the two two acting as hype men in live shows and chiming in once in a while. It was a little disappointing to see that they didn’t have her doing the growls, but perfectly understandable when you consider how much damage that would do to a young girl’s throat. Instead the approach to vocals relies on Su-metal’s angelic voice supplementing the heavy music, sounding more like Nightwish than Arch Enemy.

We saw them live last year at AFA 2012, and the girls are great at putting on a show. There are reports of walls of death and them utilizing a live band in shows staged in Japan, but unfortunately there was nothing of that sort in AFA. Hopefully when big enough they will perform full-time with a live band. Off-stage, the girls are mostly bubbly personalities right up to the point where they assume their ‘metal personalities’, at which point they morph from middle schoolers to metal maidens.

The future of Babymetal is a little uncertain, since as part of Sakura Gakuin, they are also bound by its rules, which state that only girls that have not yet reached high school age are allowed to stay in the group. Nakamoto Suzuka (Su-metal’s unassuming alter ego) turns 16 this year and makes that jump; no one really knows the fate of the group post-graduation, and whether or not it will continue. Stopping it would definitely be throwing a wrench into what is possibly the coolest idol group yet.

Sakamichi no Apollon (坂道のアポロン, translated officially as Kids on the Slope) is an anime adaptation of a manga series of the same name by Kodama Yuki. Set in 1960s Japan, the series is a coming-of-age story that focuses on a group of friends in a small town on Kyūshū. Apollon is aided by a soundtrack that is unparalleled and weaved deeply into the narrative, making for a series unlike any other in recent times.

The slope from which the anime derives its name.

Despite not being much a fan of recent TV anime (mostly due to the moeblob invasion), Sakamichi no Apollon came highly recommended by friends acquainted with my own tastes in animation. Looking at the credit roll however, it is not hard to imagine why. Director Watanabe Shinichirō heads the list, with composer Kanno Yoko doing the music for the series. Much like their previous collaboration Cowboy Bebop, music plays an important role in Apollon, but even more so this time.

One of the main characters, Nishimi Kaoru.

Nishimi Kaoru, a typically weak (both physically and mentally) high schooler, moves to Kyūshū after years of regularly moving due to his father’s profession as a sailor. In class, he ends up befriending the well-known school bully, Kawabuchi Sentarō. Along with the class monitor Mukae Ritsuko, the three form a bond unlike any other, as the characters are confronted with the usual issues that plague anime high-schoolers – friendship, love, and everything in between.

The trio is characterized by a shared love for music, namely jazz. This was actually the only reason I even decided to watch this series; I was delighted to find out that jazz plays a big role in the series, unlike any other anime I’ve seen, including ones that are actually about music. Jazz cats would be happy to know that the series takes its music seriously, and references to legends such as Art Blakey and Coltrane are thrown around with accorded reverence.

My Favorite Things.

Story-wise, Apollon pans out like many other high school anime, but it inherently feels more ‘adult’ if only because of the music. There are some parts where it turns rather stereotypical, but the intricacies of the plot play out more like that of a josei manga than the shoujo manga. At no point during watching Apollon did I need to skip a scene due to rising levels of fremdschamen, something I usually find myself doing when watching anime.

Episodes are named after jazz standards.

One thing that I found interesting was how Apollon does not go for the lowest denominator when it comes to narrative conflict. The setting in which Apollon is set is rife with stereotypical anime tropes, but the anime seems to deliberately gloss over them, instead finding that conflict elsewhere. Said tropes were kept in reserve and used sparingly, and accordingly resulted in a much better impact when they were actually used.

That doesn’t mean there’s none of it though.

For example, one would expect Kaoru’s high brow upraising to be the main point of juxtaposition, especially placed next to Sentarō, a high schooler with 4 other siblings. However, this fact is treated as though it is of little significance, coming up only in passing and only really being shown when Kaoru decides to practice on his own piano at home.

Instead, Apollon goes in a totally different direction; at the start of the series, Kaoru’s difficulty in learning jazz is blamed on his background as a musician. He finds jazz hard to grasp due to his classical training, and gets thrown off by the seeming chaos of jazz improvisation. Anyone who knows a classical musician can easily tell you how true this is.

The anime is full of references like these, which are a treat to discover for those in the know, and yet simple enough to appreciate if not.

AKB48 fans would be delighted to know that Satou Amina has a small role in this anime as well.

Mention anime with music, and some would name you series like Beck, Noiseman Sound Insect or Samurai Champloo. While music played a very big role in each of these shows, the music integration of Apollon is more like Nodame Cantabile than anything. Jazz provides the series with a very formidable soundtrack, but it is how the music is navigated in the narrative itself that really brings out the brilliance in the series.

Sentarō, who plays the drums, has a passion for jazz that is driven not simply by a superficial love for the sound, and this shows in how he plays it. As his mood changes in each episode, so does the way he plays the drums; a viewer who does not share his passion for music can nonetheless hear and feel the difference as he drums to tunes by Miles Davis, or improvises some drums to Lullaby of Birdland.

It is this particular attention that is paid to the music in Apollon that sets it apart from the rest, and ultimately makes the show what it is. Jazz is integrated so deeply and perfectly in the anime that music is moved from being simply a nifty addition to one that plays a significant role in the shaping of the narrative. Sadly however, it might also be the same reason that some people cannot stand watching the show; jazz is not for everyone, after all.

Another area that Apollon excels is in its animation. There are many anime titles that skimp on animating people playing music, although there are entirely reasonable decisions to do so. It is good to know however, that Apollon is not one of them.

Apollon’s animation of music playing is great.

Much like Nodame or that one bunkasai episode of Haruhi, the music-playing is animated perfectly, with each beat resonating both audibly and visually. Slight camera shaking whenever the ‘camera’ zooms in close also gives a nice impression of being in that cramped jamming area as the band plays around you, and it adds to the authenticity of the anime.

While the anime doesn’t do anything wildly out of the ordinary (think Gankutsuou), the plain style works well for Apollon. The characters, while stereotypically ‘anime’, do not look exaggerated proportionally, which is what turns me off most other anime. In that sense, you could say Apollon‘s character design is a plus.

Characters are drawn to look like people.

Fans of music-focused anime should definitely check Sakamichi no Apollon out, if only for its near-perfect integration of jazz music. Its differing approach to the genre is also refreshing (in this writer’s opinion) for those who prefer their anime with a dose of reality. Sakamichi no Apollon stands out for more reasons than one, and for that reason, comes highly recommended, even to those who don’t regularly watch anime.

The EOY cosplay festival is a yearly experience that every cosplayer marks in their calendars, along with a few others. This year, the event was held at the Marina Barrage; it marked the first time an event of this sort had been staged there. Given the high profile venue and general curiosity, we decided to visit EOY this past weekend to check it out.

We arrived at the Barrage pretty early, with most of the the people arriving with us being cosplayers. Due to the Barrage’s rather specific purpose as a dam, it was also relatively hard to get to. Only one bus service from the Marina Bay MRT station went to the Barrage at all, and the massive number of people meant we were left waiting for quite a while to board one.

The size of the place was beyond expectations; to put it simply, it was immense. None of us had been to the Barrage before, so we were left pretty awestruck by the sheer size of it. It was no wonder this place was such a hit for people who liked to fly kites or go picnicking; there was an abundance of space.

EOY as seen from the top of the Barrage.

There was more than enough space to house a few itasha.

We were a little disappointed to learn that the event was taking place at the ground floor of the barrage instead of the top of it (where the grassy areas were). It turns out that there was a wedding ceremony being staged at the top, although after a little consideration maybe expecting EOY to organize an event in such a windy area was a stupid proposition to begin with.

Being a cosplay festival, much of the crowd was made up of cosplayers and cameramen (writer included).

It’s always interesting to see the gear that some people packed to take photos of other people in costume. Some had equipment worth thousands of dollars, while others made do with cellphones or cheaper compact cameras. Nevertheless, the event was definitely a good way to get some photography practice in, given the variety of lighting and crowd issues you’d have to navigate.

The easiest way to spot the promising cosplayers was by the amount of cameramen they gathered.

The cameramen too belonged to a range of ages.

Some were content to just have some fun at the event.

Cosplayers ranged from the young to the old, with someone in her thirties or so being spotted wearing a schoolgirl uniform walking around. There was a particularly young girl crossplaying as Kagamine Ren too, to the point where a few of us were actually wondering if she was a boy or a girl. Crossplay on both sides was pretty commonly seen, although very few were notable for the right reasons. We have still yet to recover from seeing male crossplayers who didn’t even bother to shave their facial hair properly.

One of the younger cosplayers we saw.

At first I thought they were varying versions of Firefox.

Miku’s signature turquoise hair always turns heads.

We didn’t ask for her name (stupidly), but she was unanimously picked cosplayer of the day.

Noting a trend with other events in the year, there was also a lack of appropriately priced food in the event. While there was an Old Chang Kee ‘ninja van’ as we walked in, this was really the extent of food available, besides the rather expensive cafe and a Chinese seafood restaurant. Thankfully, there was a booth or two selling somewhat decently priced bottled drinks, so that was a saving grace. Maybe someone should capitalize on this very fillable niche.

Selling fried finger foods right outside the venue.

There were also other booths selling miscellaneous goods. Some were peddling their own manufactured goods or prints, while more than a few others had to do with cosplay supplies like boots and costumes. I’ve always had the impression that the most fun in cosplaying was making and wearing your own costumes, but I suppose that’s a silly way of looking at it, since not everyone is a qualified seamstress.

Browsing some cards that were for sale.

Handmade character goods.

As seems to be the case for any time anime fans gathered, there was a stage set up for karaoke performances. These ranged from the truly angelic to downright hellish, as visitors from all parts of the venue were treated to the sometimes really questionable vocals of the people registered to sing. Nevertheless, it added a bit of spice to the event, which would have otherwise been rather anti-climatic if you were not a cosplayer.

She was dressed as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, but didn’t sing.

Our title subject was amenable to requests for posing as well.

All-in-all, EOY was an eye-opening experience. The venue was great, although it did leave us feeling like there was ‘nothing much happening’, as it seemed like so much space was wasted. This was probably due to the fact that none of us had ever really been to a cosplay event of this scale before. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see a gathering of so many people with a common interest that wasn’t in the usual convention setting.

EOY would be worth another visit next year, if it continues to iron out any of the kinks we saw in this year’s event.

First World Anarchists for more trash cans.

If you’re one of the cosplayers in these photos, drop us an e-mail and we’d be more than happy to pass you some higher resolution photos.

Another AFA weekend has come and gone, as crowds thronged the Singapore EXPO in search of anime merchandise, and festivities lasted into the night fueled by Japanese pop music. Of course, Supermerlion was there as witness to it all. As the festival made its move from the familiar Suntec to new (bigger) venue, what improved and what didn’t?

Reaching the venue at noon on Saturday proved to be a miscalculation. We were under the impression that was a decent time to start, since the crowd might have started to taper off, but we were wrong. The crowd was at full force, with queues snaking around the outside of hall 7 for the entry tickets and queues everywhere even as you got in. It wasn’t very pleasant to enter at this time; half the crowd was moving and the other half standing to queue.

Singaporeans love queueing, so AFA is great.

The first thing you see as you come in.

Engrish exists everywhere.

Booth-wise, AFA2012 was definitely an improvement over the previous years. With an expanded artists’ section called the Creators Hub and the Japan Future Entertainment Zone hosting major entertainment companies like Amuse and Horipro, there was room for big and small players. These were also where a lot of the signings were held, including one we participated in, the BABYMETAL signature event.

The Perfume booth had AR apps on iPads.

Testing out the Perfume Augmented Reality app.

Otaku Camera maker Tokyo Otaku Mode had a booth as well.

The small booth sizes were really apparent once the signing events were under way. Queues snaked around the booths, blocking the merchandizing counters and crowds swelled to overwhelming numbers once the actual celebrities were in attendance. While this would not usually be a problem, the booth and everything around it came to a standstill because no one could get anywhere. Hopefully there’s a solution on the horizon to remedy this.

The Canon stage was a mini-exhibition of shots taken using Canon DSLR systems, and doubled as a stage to hype up some of the guests with sporadic appearances.  There was also a display of the new Canon EOS M systems for anyone so inclined to test it out. Not a bad idea on Canon’s part, seeing as so many photography hobbyists were in attendance.

Gage trying out the EOS M camera.

A slightly depressed pink Zaku.

Also popular, Gundam figurines.

Bandai had a booth to cater to builders, too.

Wigs on creepy heads.

One of the low points of AFA2012 was the lack of information at the actual venue. Individual booths in the Entertainment Zone had their own events with artist appearances and talk segments, but the given brochure for AFA only really listed the ‘bigger’ events.

Much of this information was on the Internet, but the ridiculously huge crowd made it impossible to access any of that information on a mobile Internet connection. While you could get brochures detailing this information at each booth itself, having it only available at the booths seems a little counterproductive to any sort of pre-planning.

Panasonic was keen to capitalize on product placement in anime.

The Sony booth selling Sony artist goods.

A Marble Collection model roaming the grounds.

We had trouble finding the area to collect our signed posters as well, and again, there was no way to check while at the actual event. This was highly frustrating, especially when we realized that the posters were given out by the acts themselves, and that meant we nearly missed the artists. Thankfully, we were helped by a kind soul who pointed us in the right direction just in the nick of time.

BABYMETAL posing in-front of the fox shrine.

DJ from Show Ning DJ Lab spinning some tunes.

Despite AFA giving out literally hundreds of signed posters and posters being sold at various shops, there was nowhere to obtain poster tubes in the whole of the convention; we had to hunt for a stationery shop at a mall to obtain one.

Most never brought a tube, due to simply assuming that there would be some sold in the convention, if not being given with the posters (which were won by a raffle from tickets costing over a hundred dollars). This was an oversight that marred our first day in the festival, since a significant amount of time was spent dodging collisions while looking for a tube.

Figurines were aplenty.

A false wall decorated with posters.

In-car entertainment fit for the family.

Vanguard flyers are surprisingly cute.

Similar to previous years, there was another hall that was prepared to host the introductions for different artists. This proved to be a decent move, as it helped to thin the crowds and provided an air-conditioned rest area for those who bought the tickets.

Swords were ridiculously popular.

Bonnets and cat ears.

The added space afforded to the convention by being hosted at EXPO is a nice addition. Many cosplayers were seen taking photos outside the venue, where there was plenty of greenery and general space to take a break. Of course, the only caveat was that it was an open space, which meant the killer Singapore heat. But it did help to alleviate the issue of human density commonly seen in Suntec; everyone had a tendency to stay indoors because there was nowhere else to go.

Taking photos, drinking and just general chilling out was easy outside the venue.

Canon staging area doubling as a rest point.

Wacom was giving out free bubble tea to thirsty visitors.

Those who had more propensity to spend opted to go to the maid or butler cafes instead.

Overall, the event was a pleasure to go to, and definitely was an improvement over previous years. A little bit of improvement would go a long way, and we look forward to seeing an even bigger and better AFA next year in 2013. Meanwhile, enjoy the rest of our photos from touring AFA2012.

Fans watching a card game tournament in progress.

Nostalgia pangs from a photo of the old Moe Moe Kyun crew.

A dad and daughter look at an intricate BMW itasha.

Pokemon made its first appearance here.

A poster made by an artist in the Hub.

The niconico live booth was broadcasting for several hours a day.

Obligatory cute cosplayers.

In just under a week, the biggest anime convention in Asia will kick off in Halls 7 and 8 of the Singapore EXPO. Coming unprepared to an event of this scale is generally not very pleasant, especially considering that the convention is no longer in central Singapore, meaning nearly everyone has to travel quite a fair bit. We look at several tips that would hopefully, make the AFA experience better for everyone.

To Infinity and Beyond

Anime Festival Asia moves east for the Singapore leg in 2012 to the Singapore EXPO. The floorspace for the convention has been increased, with the event occupying two halls, 7 and 8. The Singapore EXPO is located at the Singapore EXPO MRT station on the East-West Line.

The halls in question are also right next to the MRT station, so there should be no real problem in locating the venue. It is also accessible by bus from several bus-stops, although this method would incur some time for walking to the venue itself. Of course, should you get lost there’s always the solution of just following the crowd.

AFA2012: A Merchandise Odyssey

For many, goods are the reason to attend AFA. Not only are big names like Good Smile attending AFA, but also smaller shops that sell all manner of goodies. There are several things to take note of when it comes to buying goods. Namely, these are size, weight and of course, price.

Weight and size are two things you should always keep in mind. Physically huge items are harder to carry and store, even if they are light. Should you want to purchase something that’s rather bulky, try to see if it’s possible to get it near the tail end of your visit, to minimize having to carry such big items. This is also true for any non-time-limited shopping you want to do.

Replica swords are long and unwieldy, much like real ones.

It is always a good idea to pack a reusable shopping bag to bring along. These are those bags your mum brings to shop with; they’re foldable, practically weightless and very handy. You can use them to consolidate any smaller items you might have, and their preset shapes make it easy to Tetris-stack everything to fit nicely.

If you’re a pack rat who keeps everything you get in a con, consider bringing a clear file. There are always flyers being given out at AFA. While most would be quick to dispose of them, they can be quite collectible. The file would help keep the creases out and make sure they survive the trip home intact.

Cash-flow is an issue as well when people visit conventions. While the EXPO has no shortage of ATMs to use, one can easily foresee the crowds queuing up to withdraw money from the machines. If possible, withdraw money from an ATM before you reach the venue, maybe at your home MRT station, or along the way. This would greatly reduce time spent queuing; you can instead spend that time walking around.

Some things can get really pricey.

The Cotton Club

Comfortable shoes should be given high priority, assuming you want to actually view all the booths in the convention. Avoid too-high heels, flat-soles and flip-flops. Proper footwear goes a long way to making your feet less tired as you walk around the convention.

Besides shoes, remember to dress the part as well. If you’re expecting to stay at the convention for the whole day, then wear something comfortable. There might be no chairs for you to sit on, so skip the fair colored chinos and wear some denim trousers should you need to resort to that.

Of Rice and Ramen

Food is always an issue at any sort of big event, and AFA is not an exception. Thankfully, there are many places to get food at the venue. There is an AFA Food Street in the convention itself, which probably means there will be people peddling foodstuffs. Price however, is unknown until the day itself.

Alternatively, you could also dine at one of the AFA cafes.

Alternatively, there is food along the halls of Singapore EXPO. Flavours East has everything from hawker fare and fast food (like Burger King and Texas Chicken) to restaurants. Depending on your tastes, complete meals can be had for under 10 dollars, although some queuing is to be expected.

No matter what you choose however, always remember to bring a bottle of water with you to the convention. There’s nothing quite as bad as the feeling of needing a drink and your only choices are carbonated or flavored drinks. This is especially true for those attending the I Love Anisong performances; hours of cheering would take a ridiculous toll on your voice, and keeping hydrated helps the post-concert hoarseness.

The floor-plan for this year’s AFA.

Route 66

Finally, we’ve come to what is probably the most important part of this guide: Planning what you want to do. Head on over to the AFA2012 site to see what’s on at what time, and what exactly you want to see. Any specific acts appearing at specific times? What about time-limited merchandise or events? AFA will last 3 days, so you can always plan to do your shopping on one day and see all the acts you need to on the other two.

Have a look at the floor-plan to see at a glance what you need to see and where it is. This keeps your time standing around doing nothing (and blocking everyone else’s way) to a minimum. On the other hand, don’t be afraid to be a little pushy at times, especially if you find yourself in a jam through no fault of your own, like getting blocked by 3 people walking abreast.

The crowd can get quite packed.

This brings the AFA survival guide to an end. While it might seem like a lot of things to consider, it would help your (first or otherwise) con experience and hopefully facilitate actually having fun during the event. See you there!

Floor-plan from AFA Facebook page. A larger version is also available for perusal there.

Tokyo Joshiryuu (東京女子流), more commonly known as Tokyo Girls’ Style, paid Singapore a visit this past weekend. In conjunction with Takashimaya’s 19th anniversary celebration, the group were there as part of Japan Travel Fair. While some fans believed it to be a rather simple affair with the girls appearing and speaking about Japan, it turned out to be quite radically different.

Much to the delight of the fans, the avex trax group had other plans. The girls came prepared with a magnificent set-list, and in 4 performances spread over 2 days, they performed a total of 9 songs from their discography, twice.

The girls walked in to cheers from the crowd.

The first day of performances also coincided with the opening of the fair on Friday. After an opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony, TGS were the opening act, hyped up to the crowd as an introduction to Japanese pop. Armed with a translator, master of ceremony Andrew gave a short introduction to the group, rattling off some trivia about the group, as well as mentioning the girls’ upcoming debut in Budokan in December.

Much of the early crowd was filled with curious onlookers who stopped to have a peek.

Taking in the crowd as the rest of the girls introduced themselves.

As soon as that was done, he called out the group to rapturous applause from the fans; the general audience was as sparse as a crowd on Friday afternoon could be, but it was well made up for by the sheer amount of fans present. That was also the precise moment that fans realized they were in for a treat, as the girls came out decked out in full costume.

To some amusement from fans, the girls introduced themselves twice; first in Japanese with the translator present, and another time in (well-rehearsed) English just before they kicked off the show.

The girls looked positively tiny next to the translator.

The first session had them performing Kodou no Himitsu, Limited Addiction, Liar, LolitA☆Strawberry in Summer and Onnaji Kimochi. These songs characterize the sound of Tokyo Girls’ Style, and definitely showed off both their singing and dancing ability. At the end of the 5 songs, Andrew was back, this time armed with questions about the group’s name, their thoughts about being able to perform in Budokan, and their recommended places to visit in Tokyo.

Aachan fielding a question as Miyu looks on.

Of course, as is usual for TGS, the stream was up.

We left the venue for lunch after the performance, and came back to a crowd that was at least twice the size, and the second floor being filled with bystanders as well. Micstands on the stage brought up some wise cracks about them doing Heavy Rotation, but everyone cheered when the girls came out with flowers on their hands, signalling the performance of Himawari no Hoshikuzu.

Besides Himawari, the rest of the setlist was recent single Rock You, Love Like Candy Floss, Onnaji Kimochi and Ganbatte Itsudatte Shinjiteru. While a change in direction from the earlier songs, the use of props in the second session made for a fun ending to the day as the audience clapped along to the beat, led by the girls.

The girls were full of smiles whenever they were performing.

Miyu Yamabe, leader of Tokyo Girls’ Style

The end of the day saw the girls giving out flyers promoting the group, with the flyers containing information about the group and their activities. Also listed were the group’s social networking sites, a crucial area of web promotion that many other groups fail at but TGS does verywell. The second day was more of the same, but one could easily see the size of the crowd watching them increasing in size rapidly, with many more people present on the weekend.

Much of the dancing from the girls looked effortless.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the experience of seeing TGS, with the girls teaching the Onnaji Kimochi dance to the public and fans even joining in a mass dance to it. Many members of the public seemed to enjoy the performances, and even the kids present were happily following the simplistic dances for some of the songs.

Taking questions about Japan from MC Andrew.

Hopefully, the response to this event will be seen as favorable and TGS will decide to hit Singapore for a stop should they ever venture overseas again. As far as this writer is concerned, it was probably the best introduction to J-pop one could possibly get.

More photos of TGS can be found on our Facebook page

Gingham Check marks the last time AKB48 ace Maeda Atsuko ever graces a release as a member of AKB48. It also represents a new era for the pop group; the latest Senbatsu election saw many new faces making it into the single. How does the future look for post-Maeda AKB48, and does it hold any promise? I believe the answer lies in Gingham Check.

The title song is pretty standard as idol songs go, with the main melody being guitar-based and a relatively safe sound. The chorus is ear-worm material as well, and you’ll find yourself humming it after one listen. However, the whole song feels and sounds rather formulaic; while this is of course no fault of the group, it does make one wonder how much longer they can carry on releasing songs like this before people get tired.

Much of the hype for the single came from its promotional video by renowned director Joseph Kahn. Intending it to be an homage to Japan, the video is full of pop-culture references of kitschy parodies. As one can tell from the title, the costume of the single is a gingham-pattern, with the girls dancing in the comical costumes interspersed with the ‘movie’ scenes. Those who grew up at the advent of J-culture would definitely have a bit of fun with spotting the references, and making fun of the costumes.

Limited covers types A and B.

As is usual with Senbatsu election singles, the rest of the girls are split into different units for the rest of the songs on the single.

Nante Bohemian

A fusion of South-Asian melodies and electronica, it is personally the most interesting song on the single. The quirky intro leaves a lasting impression; if that didn’t however, there’s the dubstep break in the middle to help you jog your senses. While it comes from beyond left-field, it adds a dimension to the song rarely explored in singles, where many songs rarely go beyond one musical genre.

Do Re Mi Fa Onchi

An electronic number led by enka-whiz Iwasa Misaki. The lineup for Next Girls features many surprise entrants, including Nakaya Sayaka and Nakata Chisato. It’s great to see that are finally new faces in the singles, no doubt aided by the expansion of the system to include 64 members. Unfortunately, Do Re Mi isn’t very memorable on its own, and ranks the lowest in that respect under the rest of the songs in the single.

Show Fight

Show Fight sounds like something a group from Johnny’s Entertainment would release, rather than something from the AKB family. With a bassy beat and singing that’s more akin to rapping, the song has a fast tempo. It differentiates itself from the rest of the songs on Gingham Check, and those looking for more punch (quite literally) from their songs would definitely love this one. It features many of the new girls in AKB, and is definitely an interesting starting point.

The regular type covers.

Yume no Kawa

Yume no Kawa is Maeda Atsuko’s swansong as a member of AKB48. While the song features most of the popular girls in the group, the combination of lyrics and music make it clear that this is a song for Acchan. She takes the lead for many of the lines, as the rest of the members sing supporting lines solo.

It’s a song that will definitely reduce many fans to tears in nostalgia, and is quite a nice way to commemorate Maeda’s contributions to the group. It was a nice touch to include her in Gingham Check, as the single was actually released two days after her graduation from the group.

Gingham Check does well in showcasing the new girls that make up the new guard of the family who will take up the reins from the early generations. It remains to be seen if they will succeed, but the single is promising.

September 16 saw month-long Muslim festivities come to an end. Hari Raya is what many call the first day of the month of Shawwal. In Singapore, the festivities are closely related to the Malay community, one that makes up nearly 15% of the country’s population.

While many often mistake it for the Muslim new year, this is not the case. Rather, Hari Raya is a festival celebrating the end of the month-long fasting period of Ramadan. It’s not uncommon to see families out on Hari Raya clad in traditional wear. Most families wear matching colors; it is rather magnificent to see a family spanning several generations all wearing the same color.

A typical day of visiting.

While the convention is to visit each others’ houses, much of the first day is dedicated to visiting the oldest in the family, who usually have trouble roaming around. This results in the grandparents’ houses being full of people as the extended family comes to visit.

Visitors are greeted with homecooked food and a variety of kueh, which are sweets made for the ocassion. After a month of fasting, dishes can get pretty extravagant; some matriarchs are known to spend the whole night before cooking for the family.

Ready-made cakes provide some relief from all the baking.

It is also a time for visiting relatives from beyond the confines of the country. Being in South-east Asia, many families are spread out across the region and it’s not uncommon to see cars from Malaysia coming into Singapore, and vice-versa. With vacation times in the neighbouring countries sometimes extending to a week, the former happens more readily than the later.

All that money collection can get tiring.

Little ones look forward to Hari Raya mostly for the highly coveted green packets. Much like the Chinese hong bao, these cash envelopes are usually given to the children from relatives or acquaintances older than they are. However, it differs from Chinese tradition in that the ones giving them out are not married, but rather are working adults in general. Some even see it as a rite of passage, with the act of giving these packets being a symbol of finally entering society as an adult.

Simple home-cooked food always works in a pinch.

As the month goes by, the festivities turn more secular as Muslims invite their non-Muslim friends over for a gathering to celebrate the occasion. Near the end of the month, much of the celebration is drawing to a close.

With the working climate of Singapore, Hari Raya provides an excellent opportunity to meet friends of all denominations to catch up on a weekend. It’s also an opportunity to sample real home-made food which admittedly, is quite different from that being sold in food establishments.

It’s also a great opportunity to pick up that camera.

Next time Hari Raya rolls around, ask a friend if you can come over, I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to show you their home.

Marvel artist Leinil Yu was one of the superstar guests for this year’s STGCC. The Filipino-based artist has many works under his belt, with his most recent being the Indestructible Hulk. We sat down with Leinil for a group interview, as he talked about working with people all over the world, the Indestructible Hulk and the Internet.

In the Philippines, there are a lot of fans. I’m sure they want to know what you’re working on right now, any new projects?

Most of my attention is devoted to Indestructible Hulk for Marvel NOW!, it’s a relaunch of a lot of Marvel books. One of them is my book, it’s written by Mark Waid. It’s coming out 2 months from now, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s gonna be great, I just finished the first issue.

Are you an anime fan?

I was a fan of anime back when it wasn’t called anime yet, I was watching Voltes 5, Mazinger Z, all the old Japanese cartoons, I don’t think it was referred to as anime before. Even the later ones, like Dragonball. But as a hardcore fan, I’m not. but I really appreciate it.

Is there any hint of inspiration from them [anime] when you do artwork?

Huge, a lot. I love Katsuhiro Ohtomo, I love doing speedlines. Recently I’ve been looking at Naruto. Because it’s just a really fun book to look at, and I love all the artwork. I’m looking at the manga, actually.

If you were talking to an absolute newbie, which Avengers books or affiliated titles would you recommend for someone who’s looking to really get into the fandom?

It’s been a while, but The Ultimates is really good, by Mark Millar. You can always also start with Civil War, of course I did Secret Invasion. Those are crossover books but they’re also self-contained stories, so they’re great jumping-off points for new fans. Then they would expand their reading by picking up the peripheral books. But I would say the crossover books are good. There are too many to mention.

Speaking about experiences working with people around the world.

Any message that you want to share with those budding artists who want to make it to where you are?

In a way, it’s easier than ever, because of social media and the Internet. There’s no way your art won’t be discovered if it’s good. At the same time you’re also competing with everyone else in the world, so that makes it harder.

The good thing is though, if you have the talent, the proper style that’s fit with Marvel books, you’ll eventually be discovered. Especially now that Marvel is actively looking for new talent, with C.B. Cebulski. Just keep drawing and people will eventually see your work.

From your past experiences working with other artists, what was it like, and were there any challenges that you faced?

It’s very rare that I’m challenged, or that I meet any hardship. The internet allows me to work with everyone in the world and these people I work with, I’m lucky to have. They’re very professional, and it’s very rare that I encounter someone who’s unreliable.

Everything just smooth; I’ve been working for 15 years now, and everyone’s just nice.That’s what it takes to work for Marvel and DC, because by the time you get to work with them, you’ve proven yourself. When you work together, everything’s good.

“I’m using a Kopic marker for this”

What do you do to make yourself stand out?

It’s really hard to answer, because I think I’m just doing my own thing, and it just so happens that people seem to like my work. You can’t control your style; you can’t control what you like, your taste is your taste. You can change your style, but it’s still your style. You can incorporate this anime aspect, but you still like it, that’s why you put it in.

I think the most important advice would be to really meet the deadlines and really make sure that you’re reliable. If you do that, they won’t be able to do away with you, they’ll definitely need you. And learn, keep adding new stuff to your style, and keep taking the good stuff from others, and fusing them with yours.

You did a Guiness Book World Record attempt last year, how was the experience? We know of the logistics, but how was it for you, personally?

It wasn’t that hard for me, because I only did the cover. Mark wrote the whole thing, different artists were there, including some of my favourites. Duncan Fegrado, Sean Phillips was there, Frank Quitely was there. I just did a cover for less than an hour. It wasn’t that complex; it didn’t have backgrounds and stuff.

It was [not a lot of stress] for me, but for the others, “Oh what am I doing here”. The Guiness people were really nice, and they were there to help us out. I feel more sorry for the designer, because he had to put everything together. So I think there was more stress on their part.

Did the Internet revolutionize your workflow, working on comics?

When I started out, we had to use Fed-Ex and faxes. All my references came in fax, and you know how fax machines are. It’s not clear sometimes, the scripts are being faxed, the printing’s bad sometimes. We have to rush, because the cut-off date for Fed-Ex is around lunchtime on Thursday.

So you really have to rush your work just to meet that deadline. Very stressful. But now you just email one page at your leisure. The Internet’s just amazing, it helped in so many ways.

Do you see any shortcomings of it?

No, absolutely not. Well, piracy *laughs*. I think there are more pluses than minuses. It’s a double-edged sword.

Talking about the completed live sketch, as Andy Diggle looks on.

You worked on the Civil War series. Could you go a little bit into the ideological differences between the two sides in Civil War?

There were two groups. One where Tony Stark wanted every superhero to be unmasked, and be registered with the government. No superhero would be anonymous, they would have to be under someone’s control; a lot of the heroes didn’t like that. It also had some relevance in real life too.

If superheroes were real, would you really want them running around with masks, and be anonymous? Or would you rather have them being catalogued by the government?

It’s just really weird, in the comic books I’m for Captain America and the rest, who didn’t want to be on the list. But in real-life, I would want them to be [unmasked]. It was a great event, great comic book.

The comic book market is predominantly male, and of course there are girls who read comics. What would you say to a girl to get her into comics?

My wife reads a lot of manga. It’s the storylines. My example would be the WWE. It’s not really that girls aren’t allowed, they’re just not as interested as most men. I think maybe superheroes are not as interesting to the majority of women than other genres. If they want to enjoy comics, it’s easy to recommend Sandman, which is popular with girls.

I’m just not sure about superheroes. I don’t think it marginalizes girls, maybe it just doesn’t work for [female readers]. Maybe the appeal isn’t there – it’s guys running around in masks. Like Modern Warfare – of course there are some girls who play it – it really doesn’t do anything for my wife. Maybe it’s just the genre that’s more appealing. I’d recommend manga, really.

Do you have any personal projects on the side?

I really don’t have time. I do some paintings on Facebook, just for fun. But it’s really just an exercise, or just to procrastinate. Really, just to practice. But all my time’s devoted to Marvel comics, to making comics. I might do some artwork for a videogame, but it’s still illustration. I don’t think I’ll be drawing for myself that much.

The completed sketch, with tagline by Andy Diggle.

If you had time, would you do anything?

I have a story I want to tell, I have my own story that I would love to publish myself. But the temptation to do monthly comics for mainstream comics is just too big. And I don’t want to lose the awareness of the audience, I have to keep myself visible.

As an artist, I’m sure you sometimes run into blocks. What do you do to overcome these?

It happens a lot, actually. You just do your thing, watch a movie, play a game. Enjoy, and eventually the stress of the deadline will get to you. Take a break, and if your deadline’s really looming, just stay at your drawing table and maybe force yourself to start. “I’ll just work for 5 minutes”, and you end up working for 2 hours.

We tend to get stressed if you don’t finish something. Sometimes instead of finishing 1 page in a day, I fool myself by doing 5 layouts or doing roughs of 5 pages, just to say I accomplished something without finishing a whole page. Do different things at the same time.

You can find Leinil Yu on Facebook and on Twitter.

Mention A.C.M.E (A Certain Magical Event, although more people know it as its initialism) to anime fans around you, and you might get a few blank stares while a few others might light up. The event, which pushes itself as an event by fans for fans, seems to fit nicely into its niche role and from the looks of its organization, does not mind staying there.

A handy map showing where everything is.

In its fourth year in 2012, A.C.M.E IV was staged in the Garnet rooms of the Singapore Expo. We took a while to find where exactly this was, and it turned out to be at the other end of the convention halls from the Expo MRT station, which made it quite a lengthy walk. Nevertheless, there were signs to direct us there, and the air-conditioned walkways made it a breeze, quite literally.

Upon ascending the escalator, one might notice the significant lack of cosplayers (and their accompanying photographers); this is no accident, the organizers have explicitly stated that A.C.M.E is not a cosplay event.

This comes as a disappointment to some – given the local scene’s close ties to cosplay – but ultimately it makes for a nice refreshing experience being able to walk the floor without bumping into a huge styrofoam weapon.

Onlookers watch as players battle it out on a fighting game.

The event area is rather small, with some describing it as the size of ‘an exam hall’, which probably is the best approximation for it. A good comparison for A.C.M.E would probably be with dealer areas of big American-style conventions. The relatively small number of exhibitors, allows for a lot of breathing space and visitors can take their time exploring all the tables, despite the small size.

Anime goods on display.

Teruteru’s booth.

Handmade goods seemed to be popular as well.

As we walked in, many were practicing their card skills with friends in preparation for the card tournaments that being held throughout the day. No surprise, considering that the event is sponsored by Bushiroad and supported by The Card Geeks. One can really see the wideness of the appeal of card-games; we spotted age groups running from pre-teen to late twenties.

Much of the area outside was occupied with card players practicing against friends.

A.C.M.E IV also saw illustrator Suzuhira Hiro and Supercell guest-singer Yanagi Nagi making an appearance. Lines for the signing session extended outside the hall, with fans forming an orderly queue as organizers led them in in batches.

The queue to see Yanagi Nagi snaking out the door.

Fans browsing card-game accessories.

Overall, it was a great experience to visit A.C.M.E IV, if only because of the marked difference in how the event is staged compared to the rest of the ‘anime events’. While the one-day event seemed to be in a good place as it is, we look forward to more expansion as it does seem like it has a great formula for an enjoyable atmosphere as far as events like these go.

Whether or not said expansion would be detrimental to that atmosphere, however, is something that remains to be seen.

Notable changes are Takahashi Minami being named General Manager of the group, with Shinoda Mariko taking her place as captain of Team A. Oshima Yuko has been promoted to captain of K, while Umeda Ayaka has been moved to Team B to lead it.

In a move coming from left field,  the shuffle sees Suzuki Mariya and Miyazawa Sae moving to Shanghai sister group SNH48 along with Nakagawa Haruka and Takajo Aki moving to JKT48. They will move as part of AKB48′s overseas study program for the girls to experience being in an idol outside of Japan.

AKB48 releases their long awaited fourth album on the 15 August. Its title 1830m, alludes to the distance from the AKB48 theater to the girls’ destination, Tokyo Dome. AKB48 albums tend to be full of already released content, and as such rarely worth it for non-diehard fans. We take a look at 1830m and see if it’s the case here as well.

The album is notable for a variety of reasons, the most obvious of which is the title. The group’s official blog title is loosely translated as ‘The Path to Tokyo Dome’, and 1830m’s release only weeks before the momentous concerts at Tokyo Dome; according to leader Takahashi Minami, AKB48 is at a turning point now, with the album being the last one that also has ace Maeda Atsuko in it. Symbolically, 1830m is AKB48′s most important album yet.

As far as albums go, 1830m comes close as one of the longest, with a whopping 34 tracks spread over 2 discs.

Fans who have been buying AKB48 releases consistently might balk at the selection of songs for the first disc, which is crowded with already-released single songs and b-sides. Nevertheless, previously unreleased songs like Miniskirt no Yousei (performed by the Research Students) are available on the first disc. Also on it are the tie-up songs Yasai Uranai and Ren’ai Sousenkyo.

More interesting is the second disc, which contains original songs and specially formed units. There are songs available from all the teams, of AKB48, and even one song that incorporates all the sister groups. We look at some of the more notable songs, and how they stand together as an album.

The front and back covers for the 2CD/DVD version.

Plastic no Kuchibiru

Shinoda Mariko’s first foray into solo singing for AKB48 results in an electronic dance track. The song is a little house-y with copious loads of autotune, no doubt to mask the fact that AKB48′s fashion ladder can’t keep a pitch if her life depended on it. Nevertheless, it is a good effort, and the song sounds pleasant enough, if you’re not turned off by the vocal modification.

Omoide no Hotondo

A ballad with the power duo, Maeda Atsuko and Takahashi Minami. A ballad with lyrics alluding to the pair’s partnership over the course of the past 6 years, fans who have followed ‘Atsumina’ will be in tears by the end of the song. There is minimal accompanying music, with much of the song driven by the girls’ naked vocals. It is a fitting song for the voices that have dominated every AKB48 single, and a fitting tribute to a partnership that will continue to grow forward after Acchan’s departure.

Bokutachi wa Ima, Hanashiau beki Nanda

This song is sung by a combination that came from left field in Itano Tomomi and Kashiwagi Yuki. Much like how unexpected the pairing is, also unexpected is how their voices go well together. While the gap in singing ability is apparent whenever they sing consecutive lines, the girls generally harmonize well together. Disappointing however, is the fact that the song itself is rather bland and not very memorable.

Sakura no Hanabira

The last song on the album has Maeda Atsuko covering AKB48′s well-known debut, Sakura no Hanabiratachi. Maeda gets a bad rap for being at the center of the group without any ostensible talents, but this song is proof that definitely can hold her own, even if most of her live performances have been plagued by nerves.

It is no accident that she sings the song she first sang with the rest of first-gen AKB48. Sakura no Hanabira is an excellent nod to Acchan’s contributions to AKB48, and an excellent close to an album full of symbolism and nostalgia.

Theater version covers.

Listening to fan comments about music videos, Akimoto Yasushi decided that 1830m will allow fans to pick a song (limited to AKB48′s) that they feel deserves a music video, with the top song getting a music video that will be included in the single slated for release in December.

Sparking from a meeting about which songs deserve a music video of their own, the producer decided it best to let the fans decide, in what has been called AKB48 Music Video Request 2012. The voting period will last from release date to 20 September.

All in all, 1830m far eclipses any of the previous albums, especially in the tracklist. Coupled with the fact that 1830m is such an important part of AKB48′s history, it’s definitely worth a buy.