I never thought I would own any POP figures. Initially, I found myself put off by those cold, dead, black eyes and with how quickly they seemed to take over pop culture. But then, they came out with Miku, and as the saying goes, there's one for everyone! And of course with the figures being so affordable, it was just a week's time before I had bought Len, Rin and Luka, and yes, in that order. It's the first time that anything Vocaloid has been really affordable in the figure market, and I suspect it won't be the last time. There's a rumor going around that if these four continue selling out as they have been, that KAiTO and MEiKO might soon see themselves with Funko Figures, and maybe even GUMI too.
Project Mirai DX, a North American port of Project Mirai 2, is doing very well so far. I got my copy the very first day it hit GameStop, actually getting the first copy out of the shipment box. The AR cards not only unlock little poses, it's like allowing you the chance to interact with the Vocaloids in real life! Aside from tapping away with the beat of the songs, you feed, dress and play with the Vocaloids, giving them an occasional allowance, helping them decorate their rooms and bonding with them. It's sort of like parenting them, what with the Chibi designs and all, which is probably why I'm so disturbed seeing Chibi Miku sing "Romeo and Cinderella" while Chibi Rin and Len are dancing to "Adolescence" which both are about first-time sex, or KAiTO and Miku singing "Cendrillon" which is a song about Miku stabbing KAiTO. (She got a shorter allowance for that.)
More stores are carrying the Project DiVA Weiss Schwarz cards, while the Vocaloid concerts are doing well in the United States. And art galleries based on Miku Hatsune are popping up in newspapers as they are set up.
And the funny thing is..... the fans made this happen.
In 2008, Vocaloid started creeping up onto Facebook, sort of like an underground secret. And now it's become a part of our culture! We did this. We turned what was a Japan-only, seldom spoken-of project, and turned it into a standard staple of entertainment. Vocaloid's concerts by themselves have inspired companies to do "hologram" Pepper's Ghost concerts for 2Pac, Michael Jackson, and soon, more celebrities.
How long will this last? Who can say. It's lasted much longer than a "fad" and it's clear we are responsible for that. The best thing to do is to keep supporting it.
More stores are carrying the Project DiVA Weiss Schwarz cards, while the Vocaloid concerts are doing well in the United States. And art galleries based on Miku Hatsune are popping up in newspapers as they are set up.
And the funny thing is..... the fans made this happen.
In 2008, Vocaloid started creeping up onto Facebook, sort of like an underground secret. And now it's become a part of our culture! We did this. We turned what was a Japan-only, seldom spoken-of project, and turned it into a standard staple of entertainment. Vocaloid's concerts by themselves have inspired companies to do "hologram" Pepper's Ghost concerts for 2Pac, Michael Jackson, and soon, more celebrities.
How long will this last? Who can say. It's lasted much longer than a "fad" and it's clear we are responsible for that. The best thing to do is to keep supporting it.