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In about a week Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will begin her global concert tour titled the “KPP NANDA COLLECTION.” About six months ago Kyary stopped by San Francisco for the annual J-Pop Summit and participated in a four-act concert alongside LoVendoЯ (led by ex-Morning Musume’s Reina Tanaka), local Japanese-American singer Kylee, and beatbox master Daichi. Kyary made it a point to announce that there would be another tour and that San Francisco would be included. Her previous tour came as close as Los Angeles but for a lot of us that’s a bit too far.

For those of you unfamiliar with her, Kyary started out as a fashion blogger and model. In mid 2011 she added musician to her repertoire and released the single “Ponponpon” which exploded across the internet and currently has over 60 million views on YouTube. Her musical style can be described as electronica-pop and her three studio albums have become more and more popular throughout the world. During 2013 she began to spread globally with features in the French magazine Elle and the Wall Street Journal among other things. Her most recent album, 2013’s “Nanda Collection,” debuted at number two on the Billboard Top World Albums chart and at number one in Japan. A quick way of describing her is “Japanese Lady Gaga” and Kyary has even mentioned Lady Gaga and Katy Perry as a couple of her inspirations for both music and fashion. Her music is produced by Yasutaka Nakata, driving force behind CAPSULE and producer of the group Perfume.

The KPP NANDA COLLECTION begins in America at Seattle’s Showbox on February 13. A quick jaunt south to San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom on the 15th is followed by Los Angeles’ LA Live (Club Nokia) on the 16th. After a two week break it then heads east to Chicago, north to Toronto, and finally New York City. If you’re even remotely near any of those locations I suggest you come and see her. Future concert dates are in Australia, Hong Kong, Europe, and finally returning to Asia. The final tour date is on June 28th in Bangkok, Thailand.

We can expect mainstay songs like Ponponpon, Fashion Monster, and Invader Invader. There is a possibility that Kyary’s new single, “Yume no Hajimarinrin,” will be part of the show. It officially drops on February 26th but was performed last month at her KPP Magical Wonder Castle shows.  Kyary’s trademark dancers should also be on deck and they’re always fun to watch.

As of now tickets are available for all the US dates minus the Seattle show which is sold out. From experience I can say that The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco has a good sized capacity and will probably have tickets available even on the night of the show. If you want to be sure go and buy your tickets ahead of time either through AXS or in person at The Warfield to avoid a service charge. Tickets are reasonably priced in the mid-$20s and for the truly dedicated there are VIP tickets for the San Francisco ($100) and Los Angeles ($150) shows. The VIP package includes both entry with a balcony seat as well as a post-show meet and greet. At the meet and greet staff will help take your photo. Sadly, no autographs. All other tickets should be assumed to be standing room only.

The full list of dates is as follows:

February 13, USA - Seattle - The Showbox
February 15, USA - San Francisco - The Regency Ballroom
February 16, USA - Los Angeles - LA Live (Club Nokia)
March 5, USA - Chicago - House of Blues
March 7, CA - Toronto - Sound Academy
March 8, USA - New York - Best Buy Theater
March 23, AU - Sydney - The Metro Theater
April 5, CN - Hong Kong - ROTUNDA 3
April 25, FR - Paris - Bataclan
April 27, DE - Cologne - Gloria Theater
April 29, UK - London - Shepherd’s Bush Empire
May 17, JP - Tokyo - Zepp Tokyo
May 18, JP - Tokyo - Zepp Tokyo
May 30, TW - Taipei - Taipei International Convention Center
June 21, SG - Singapore - Japan Music Festival
June 28, TH - Bangkok - Bangkok Convention Center

Synopsis:
In the year 2046, people use portable devices called Neuro-linkers to manage their daily lives in virtual reality networks. But advances in technology haven’t managed to do away with bullies, and 13-year old Haruyuki Arita finds himself a frequent target. Haruyuki escapes his miserable life in virtual games-until the day Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl in school, introduces him to a mysterious program called Brain Burst and virtual reality called the Accel World.

Review:
Haruyuki Arita is your typical bully target. He is short and chubby with a low self-esteem. Based in the year 2046, neuro-technology has advanced so much that everyone uses a device over their neck called the neuro-link. The neuro-link allows users to access information on demand and allows the user to experience a virtual environment; think Google glasses, but even more advanced. Haru hates himself for being weak, and his only escape is to log into the school’s virtual network and attain the highest scores in the game. With his high scores, he catches the attention of the school’s student council vice president, Kuroyukihime (Black Snow Princess). After some commotion, the vice president introduces a game called Brain Burst to Haru.

In Brain Burst, the world feels like it is in a stand still. But in actuality, it only appears that way for the users, because their senses are being accelerated in the real world. At the end of Kuro-hime and Haru’s meeting, she warns him to turn off his neuro-link from the global net when he is out of school, but of course things happen and he eventually forgets about it. At the end of the first episode, Haru is thrust into the accelerated world as Silver Crow and will have to fight in order to stay in the game!

The result is obvious, as a newbie, Haru is defeated with ease and left wondering what the heck did he just got himself into. What is the point of the Accel World and why was it created in the first place? As the story progresses we discover that Kuro-hime’s goal is to reach the maximum level ten, whereas, the other leaders are content on staying at level nine so that they can rule the accelerated world and continue to use brain bust in their daily lives. The penalty for losing while attempting to reach level ten is severe; the brain burst program will be wiped off clean. So we can understand why some people would happily prefer to stay idle on quest for level ten.

The Breakdown:
Accel World is a good anime, with nice characters, music and an attractive story. The interactions between the characters are great as well. The show has a bit of everything. The romance comedy of Kurohime, Haru and Chiyo. The action of the Accel World battles and the drama of how all this connects and plays out. It is definitely one of the best anime presents you can gift out this holiday season!

I first saw DIR EN GREY many years ago on the recommendation of a friend. It was different from what I usually listened to but it was a good different. Kyo’s growls and haunting vocals amidst Die and Kaoru’s guitars sound, if you’re open to them, magical. A beastly magical. Kyo is the main draw of the band; he’s a unique one and people are drawn to him. It’s hard to put them into just one musical genre; there’s a mix of death, melodic, and progressive metal, and sometimes just straight rock.

It’s been a while since I last had the opportunity to see them in person. Their last concert that came out to this side of the country was cancelled as Kyo was diagnosed with vocal node dysphonia. In other words, he was unable to fully output what he is known for. The growls, grunts, howls, screams, and even the clean vocals that make up a huge part of DIR EN GREY were in jeopardy. I’ve seen other bands thrown into chaos because of the loss of a vocalist (possibly the most crucial piece of a band) and what happens afterward truly shows the strength of a band. This hasn’t been Kyo’s first run in with throat troubles and it probably won’t be the last but hopefully it will never stop him.

Much as they have in other tours they will be playing at San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom. Located in the heart of San Francisco at the intersection of Van Ness and Sutter Street, it’s been a long time home to the band whenever they stop by. If you’ve never been to a DIR EN GREY show be prepared for a war, especially if you want to be at the front. The front, and particular the fence, is a battleground. If you’re not comfortable with being smashed on all sides by fans you should stay towards the rear of the establishment. There might have been the illusion of space when the opening act played but it’s going to get very intimate.

Expect to hear a few songs from the albums UROBOROS and DUM SPIRO SPERO. Songs from their newest EP released in April, The Unraveling, will be featured as well. One thing you can always count on is the song “The Final.” It’s a fan favorite ever since it was released as part of the 2005 album Withering to Death. On a side note, DIR EN GREY has some of the best band t-shirts I’ve had the privilege of buying. There’s not even a question of whether or not I’ll buy one when I go to one of their shows.

Coincidentally the night of their 2010 San Francisco concert with Apocalyptica was also the night of a massive gas explosion near my house.  Over three dozen houses and numerous lives were lost to the eight-alarm fire.  For that night, at least, I rocked my ass off. Not much else to do when you can’t go home. Throw yourself into the music because what you’ve got might not be there anymore. That’s how you should face every concert. Get out there and have fun.

DIR EN GREY comes to San Francisco on November 23rd at The Regency Ballroom (1300 Van Ness Ave). They are accompanied by French band Dagoba. Tickets are $28 at the door. This is followed by the final stop of the tour at the House of Blues in West Hollywood on Sunday the 24th.

This post will be updated after the show.

Let me start out by saying, this is not a written article about the convention; sadly, I could not attend. What this is is a photo album of the events that occurred in the New York Comic Con 2013. My friend and fellow Animesou’s camera man was able to attend and I asked him to take pictures of the event, and because of that, we are able to see what went down at Comic Con on Saturday, October 13th. Without further ado…

Hatsune Miku, see her everywhere these days.

Batman vs Bane! with Mazinger-Z.

Shingeki no Kyoujin, Mikasa kawaii!

Sword Art Online, not surprised these made an appearance.

Doctor Octopus, looks like nobody wants to mess with him.

Henchman 21, Venture Bros.

Sergeant Hatred, Venture Bros.

Shingeki no Kyoujin cosplay.

Hello ladies.

Fullmetal Alchemist.

FLCL.

Catwoman, meow.

I guess its a $30 surprise.

Adventure Time.

Pretty packed.

I think someone called the Ghostbusters.

Whoa, 1995 flash back.

Nice lights.

Claptrap, Borderlands.

Resident Evil.

Bane couldn’t handle the real Batman!

Green Hornet and Kato.

Zelda’s Midna decided to show up.

Hold up, stop checking under Spiderman’s hood.

Mad Moxxi, Borderlands.

Metal Gear Revengeance.

Raiden.

She’s getting into Wolf.

MGR group picture.

And that’s a wrap. From what Ray told me, he had great fun at the event. He felt as if he was at Disneyland. I do hope those who were able to attend New York Comic Con had loads of fun as well. Hopefully next year around, my schedule will allow me to attend and write about my first hand experience.

Ghost in the Shell: ARISE, the newest installment of Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell franchise, began airing the first of its films in theaters just a few days ago.  Set as a prequel to the stories fans already know, Arise will be four fifty-minute episodes. The first of the episodes, titled “Ghost Pain,” will be released on July 26 on Blu-ray. Long time series partner Production I.G. handles animation duties. When I noticed that ARISE was on the Anime Expo premier list I had to get this up before then. Production I.G.’s Kazuchika Kise and Mitsuhisa ishikawa is also on tap for attendees.  There’s even a panel where you can ask questions on Saturday.

Ghost in the Shell was one of the first exposures to manga I ever had (and also one of the first things I ever had confiscated, but that’s another story) so it holds a lot of memories for me.  Through it I purchased quite a number of Masamune Shirow art books and did all I could to track down as much of his art as possible (and back in those days it wasn’t very easy).  The franchise is one of my favorites of all time and it’s one of those things I just can’t get enough of.  When I heard early this year that Arise was coming I was immediately pumped.

So what we have is familiar yet unfamiliar for existing fans.  You have Batou, you have Motoko, you have Aramaki, but they’re different.  They’re veterans and yet they are not so much as we know them for.  Motoko has an all-new design with a haircut very unlike the one we’re used to. Her voice, along with many of the others, is different.  Maaya Sakamoto gives life to Motoko, taking over for Atsuko Tanaka.  This actually isn’t Maaya’s first time as Motoko; in the first and second films she voiced the Major in her days as a child.  For that matter, this younger brand of Motoko is a lot less the seasoned warrior as shown from her words and interactions with others.  She’s still as much a bad-ass as we remember in terms of combat abilities.

Ghost Pain opens with a standoff between the current personnel of Public Security Section 9 led by Aramaki with Major Motoko Kusanagi of Unit 501.  S9 is in the process of exhuming the body of 501’s Lieutenant Colonel Giichi, Motoko’s superior officer, who naturally takes offense to that and the corruption charges against him.  It devolves into a cybernetic melee when a third party jumps into the fray.  We then follow Motoko as she attempts to track down what happened the night Giichi died and whether or not he truly was corrupt.  Along the line We run into a frustrated Togusa while he is still working for the metropolitan police and Paz from his undercover days.  Batou even joins the fun and spars a little with Motoko (and handily gets his butt kicked).

Arise is set in 2027, a few years after World War IV. Full-body cyborg soldiers that were designed for the war are still learning to reintegrate with a peacetime world.  Motoko, as one of these full-body cyborgs, has much to deal with including the fact that the military outright owns her body and the technology contained within.  They are walking weapons and tabs must be kept on them.  This, along with other things, stood out for me as implications for the future of warfare.  If soldiers do become full cyborgs, what happens to them if they want to exit the service?  Do they have to pay back the costs of the body?  Do they have to buy a separate, “civilian” body for transfer (and how much will that cost)?

The walking bombs are another point of contention.  Suicide bombers are frowned upon today.  Once science advances to the point that robots have small self-contained power sources and high-speed non-wheeled mobility systems will robot bombs become more prevalent?  Right now the technology is far behind (see DARPA’s “Big Dog” which clatters along and requires a gas-powered engine) but that can’t hold forever. In Arise, both of these are non-issues.  Imagine a wave of robots whose sole purpose is to run at you and explode. Nothing quite as horrifying as that.  They can infiltrate at will into crowds without fear or need of extraction.  Oh, did I mention they can run like spiders and leap trenches? At least the controversial UAVs today watch more than they destroy things…

No Ghost in the Shell would be complete without a walking, talking, robot tank, and today they are the Logikoma or “Logistics Conveyer Machine.” Being in the past these are nowhere near as advanced as the Fuchikoma or Tachikoma we know and love but all the same they have that happy-go-lucky -koma flare.  When given the order to disappear it takes it quite literally and turns on its optical camouflage with childlike glee instead of the implied “go somewhere else.”

A partnership with Microsoft to help promote the Surface tablet was revealed a few months back and I was curious to see just how they’d be using it. The first bit of product placement happens less than a minute into the film (just a small flash on a digital billboard showing the Surface logo).  The tablet itself is used by Motoko as a data terminal.  It’s actually not that blatant a product placement; if I didn’t know that there was a partnership I wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

In the meantime you can catch a manga version of Arise titled “Sleepless Eye (Nemuranai Me no Otoko)” written by Junichi Fujisaku (screenplay veteran of the two Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex seasons, Appleseed XIII, and Real Drive, all Shirow created works) in monthly Young Magazine.  It too depicts the early days of the people who would eventually come to be known as Section 9 including the first encounter of then-Ranger Batou with Motoko Kusanagi.

The next episode of Arise is titled “Ghost Whispers.”  A release date has not been announced.

Make sure you watch through the end of the credits!

As mentioned earlier, Anime Expo is going to show it this Saturday, July 6. If you’re in Los Angeles and have a badge you might want to check it out.

Japanese-American artist Kylee held her first standalone concert at Yoshi’s Oakland on June 21.  This marks her third live performance in the San Francisco Bay Area in the course of about a year.  Born to an American father and Japanese mother, Kylee hails from Arizona and currently resides in Stanford, CA.    Speaking of Stanford, she has just finished her first year of classes at its namesake university.  Congratulations are in order.

Last year I covered May’n’s concert at Yoshi’s San Francisco.  The two venues are under the same umbrella but are very different.  They both have restaurants that guests can grab a bite to eat before watching a show and full bar service available before, during, and after.  One big difference is the size; the San Francisco venue is two stories with both eating space and venue occupying parts of both.  The Oakland Yoshi’s location is in the heart of the popular Jack London Square area.

 The interior of Yoshi’s Oakland

The concert started a little past 10PM.  Kylee looked like a natural onstage and she should as she’s been seen on both coasts of the United States, various places in Japan, and soon enough, France.  With stints at Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival, the FIFA Club World Cup, and even singing for President Barack Obama, she’s definitely got high-end experience.

The set list officially consisted of 13 songs (with one additional) and primarily English ones.  A possible reason for the selection is to appeal to her stateside attendees.  Most are English speakers and while they do enjoy listening to Japanese music can’t exactly understand it.  With that said it was good to hear songs that were not at some of her other recent appearances.  Kylee’s album “17″ has made up the bulk of previous performances and this time there was only a few songs from it.  As noted in the pre-concert article, one of my favorites is the song “Just Go” and I was glad to see it live.  Being from the missing/IT’S YOU single it’s probably something a lot of people out here haven’t heard before.

Kylee supplemented her own songs with the covers “Clarity” (originally sung by Zedd) and Just Give Me a Reason (originally sung by Pink featuring fun.’s Nate Ruess).  Both songs are also Sam Tsui covers and “Just Give Me a Reason” is actually a duet with Sam (with keyboardist Troy filling in for Sam on vocals this night).  “Just Give Me a Reason” also happens to be the first YouTube video she’s been involved with with more than two million views.  She sang a third cover, Katy Perry’s “Fireworks,” as a sort of celebration of her where she is now.

She didn’t completely forget her Japanese songs; she sang “Kimi ga Iru Kara” and “Crazy For You” (her most popular in Japan and used for the Nissen Clothing Fall 2011 TV commercial).  An English version of “Crazy For You” is slated for release on July 1st (today!).  It might have been nice to hear one or two others like “Everlasting” which was used for Gundam Unicorn.  At the end of the day she is still a Japanese singer and what most of us probably learned of her initially.

Her next appearance in the U.S. will be late in July at the J-POP Summit Festival in San Francisco on both the 27th and 28th.  On the 28th (Sunday) she will appear alongside Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Daichi, and Una in a breakout show.  It’ll be a first for the J-Pop Summit to expand outside of the Japan Town area and this show will be held in the popular tourist destination that is Union Square.  Make sure to check it out from 2-4PM.

If you happen to be in Paris she’ll be at Japan Expo which is happening July 4th through the 7th!  For a couple of days she’ll be vacationing in England.
For more information about the J-Pop Summit event please visit http://www.j-pop.com/2013/union-square-live.

Kylee’s itunes page is located here.  New additions as of July 1st are the album “17,” the song “Vacancy,” the English version of “Crazy For You,” and her cover of “Sanbun no ichi no Junjouna Kanjou,” originally sung by Siam Shade and used for Samurai X.

She also has a twitter and Facebook page.
Thanks to Sony and Yoshi’s for making this possible (you know who you are!), and of course, Kylee.  We’ll see you again soon.

Kylee’s band for the night consisted of:

Guitar: Chris Vazquez
Bass: Bana Haffar
Drums: e-man
Keyboard: Troy Laureta

Track list is as follows:

Intro

Missing (17)
Just Go (missing/IT’S YOU)
Clarity (Zedd) (Sam Tsui/Kurt Schneider)
IT’S YOU (17)
You Get Me (Love Kicks)
UNNOTICED (17)
Fireworks (Katy Perry)
Kimi ga Iru Kara (Kimi ga Iru Kara)
VACANCY (Kylee meets Xam’d: Lost Memories)
Just Breathe (Kylee meets Xam’d: Lost Memories)
Over U (Kylee meets Xam’d: Lost Memories)
Just Give Me a Reason (PINK) (Kylee/Sam Tsui/Kurt Schneider)
Crazy for You (17)

Not For You (Love Kicks) (I don’t know where this one is positioned, just that I heard it)
Track count:

Covers: 3
Love Kicks: 2
17: 4
Kylee meets Xam’d: 3
missing/IT’S YOU: 1

Check out the “Just Give Me a Reason” video here: