Japanese old man draws a splendid picture by Excel

Are these pixel art? No. These are "Excel" art.

Mr.Tatsuo Horiuchi, 73-year-old living in Gunma, Japan draws a picture by Excel from 2000.

"I did not use Excel by work, but I watched that other people drew a graph neatly and thought that I could draw pictures by Excel". And he purchased a PC just before retirement at the age limit and challenged Excel art. Then, 10 years later, he became a painter as he participated in art exhibitions.

He is studded with auto-shapes in a worksheet innumerably and gives coloring. It is incredibly delicate that it was described in Excel.

Why will he draw a picture by Excel? He said, "Graphics software were expensive, but Excel was preinstalled in a PC. And it is higher-performance than paint and is easy to use it". He makes friends with oil painters and Japanese painters, and exchanges information now. Furthermore, he runs a Website and shows a method to describe Excel art. Unfortunately it supports only Japanese. However, we can watch his works here.

Source:
http://pc.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/interview/20130319/1083744/

LINE became No.1 in free apps ranking of Chinese App Store

According to China Daily, Japanese messaging apps LINE became No.1 in free apps ranking of Chinese App Store.

LINE started Chinese support from December 12, 2012 and they cooperated with QIHU360. They entered the Chinese market and got No.1 in 4 months.

Of course China has WeChat. They have users more than 200 million and probably are the world's largest messaging apps. It is very important to LINE that they beat them. By the way, LINE has about 130 million users now.

Big news! LINE launched e-book business

Today, LINE started e-book service LINE Manga suddenly. But it is only Japanese support at present.

LINE Manga is e-book apps for smartphones that market place, viewer and bookshelf were combined. About 30,000 popular Manga such as "Uchu Kyodai(宇宙兄弟;Space Brothers)" ,"ONE PIECE", "Shingeki no kyojin(進撃の巨人;Attack on Titan" and "Kaiji(カイジ)" have been already sold here. Furthermore, they are going to add Manga more than 1,000 every month.

The biggest characteristic of LINE Manga is to offer a limited stamp(sticker) to users who purchased Manga. They apply the tie-up technique with companies, brands, artists and game apps to LINE Manga.

Users can share favorite Manga sold in LINE Manga in a timeline of LINE.

Because there is a trial reading function in LINE Manga, users can confirm contents before purchasing them.

This is a big menace for other Japanese e-book services. About 30,000 sale numbers are the hugest in e-book services of Japan. In addition, the publishing companies join in LINE Manga are more than 50. Furthermore, LINE has already had users more than 45 million in Japan. It is huge in all.

By the way, I think that LINE starts the social music service someday. e-book and the music are already virtual goods like a stamp(sticker). It is natural for LINE to treat all of them. Possibly the trial of the other day may be its sign. In Japan, LINE is already contents platform as well as messaging apps.

Manga of Nameko makes Japanese literature pleasant

I bought Manga "Nameko; complete series of literaturec".

The goods of the popular smartphone game apps Nameko Saibai Kit series overflow now in Japan. However, not only its goods but also Manga is published serially in Manga magazine for women Comic Spica. These Manga books are released to 2 volumes with the thing which settled it now.

The stories are not original. They arranged Japanese various famous novels by Nameko. Osamu Dazai's "The Setting Sun""Run, Melos!", Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's "The Spider's Thread", Sōseki Natsume's "Botchan", Ichiyō Higuchi's “Child’s Play”, Kenji Miyazawa's "The Restaurant of Many Orders""Gauche the Cellist", Atsushi Nakajima's "The Moon Above the Mountains", Takiji Kobayashi's "The Crab Cannery Ship", Kyūsaku Yumeno's "Girls' Hell"...etc... All of characters of masterpieces of various Japanese literature is replaced with Nameko!

It's humorous, funnily and very cute! and it has an effect to give friendly feeling to difficult novels. Furthermore, it derives readers to novels of the source.

1 Manga book is 650 yen(about 6.5USD). They already sold more than 250,000 books, and the release of Vol. 3 has been already decided, too.

Commemorative AR of Doraemon

Doraemon is Japanese popular Manga/Anime, and Movie of Doraemon is shown every year in Japan in March. The total audience mobilization number of them broke through 100 million people this year. This is a record more than the Godzilla series.

Therefore the commemorative AR contents of the Doraemon movie are shown now. AR apps for smartphones "mue Alive!" is necessary for watch this. Japan's Knowledge Works provides mue Alive! and is developed based on Aurasma.

At first, read Logo with a camera. Official Logo is here.

The first loading time is slightly long. We may wait for 1~2min.

Doraemon has begun to move!

And an commemorative video of Doraemon movie is played. *The sound is played, too.

Unfortunately only Japanese is supported, but it is very cute!

LINE has begun to sell music with a stamp(sticker)

Messaging apps LINE launched interesting music business. It is to sell a stamp(sticker) and music together.

They sell a stamp of G-DRAGON, the leader of Korean Boys band BIGBANG for 250yen(about 2.5USD). It is slightly more expensive than other LINE stamps. Other pay stamps are usually 170yen(about 1.7USD).

However, users who purchased a G-DRAGON stamp can listen his new song "Michi GO" in a LINE's talk room. In addition, this song is not yet released and is LINE monopoly offer. Users can get the audio file of the song by sending a stamp of G-DRAGON to his official LINE account. It will be easy for his fan to pay 250 yen for new song. Furthermore, they can get cute stamp, too. Now, music is virtual goods, and this is new style virtual goods business.

Invention of the Japanese university students: VR system which a sweetheart hugs from behind

This is invention letting us realize that we live in the 21st century. The students of Japan's Tsukuba University did interesting invention. At first please watch this video(from Noco Nico Douga).



This is the VR system which a sweetheart hugs from behind. One of the developers says "If I have a girlfriend, I think it's a good situation that she suddenly hug from behind me".

This VR system is comprised of a coat and headphones. The sound of headphones links arms installed in the coat, and brings sense of girlfriend hug from behind.

Nico Nico Douga users who saw this video say, "People who has no sense of direction of the effort" "If technology and academic ability are given to Hentai, it will become like this".

*In Nico Nico Douga, comment of users are displayed in a screen. If they are obstructive, click this icon which is under a screen.

mixi challenges a social game for smartphones again

Japanese social networking site mixi and Grenge, Joint venture of mixi and CyberAgent announced that they opens  new mobile social game platform of mixi "mixi collabo smage"(mixi collaboration smartphone game). It is going to open in the end of this month.

They releases puzzle game "Monpani" and a shooting game "Magical glider" as the first title. It is an interesting point that these are released as a native apps. mixi users can easily compete with a friend for score in these. Well, It is just similar to LINE Game and Kakao Game!

They offered a PC social games and a mobile social games until now. In the first place mixi was the social networking site that started a open platform earliest in Japan. However, unfortunately current mixi is the ruins. They yield to GREE and Mobage for a social game platform, and yield to LINE as community. Many people say that mixi is service of the old generation. This may be the key to revival of mixi.

Japanese new virtual worlds for smartphone "Pipul"

Sirok, subsidiary of CyberAgent released virtual world apps for iOS "Pipul".

We can make my avatar, enjoy real time chat with other users, coordinate various interior and fashion in Pipul. In addition, Pipul links with camera apps or smartphones "My365"(It is their first service) of Sirok, and we can check photos from Pipul.

They offer all fashion items in free of charge in commemoration of release until May 3.

Well......this resembles CyberAgent's popular virtual world AmebaPigg(It has users more than 13 million now). Furthermore, it resembles LINE's virtual world for smartphones LINE Play very much. LINE Play grows up earlier than AmebaPigg and has users more than 6 million. They may compete to LINE Play. And of course they are going to release Android ver. of Pipul in a few days.

Japanese popular smartphone game "Puzzle & Dragons" sells a sound track

Popular smartphone game "Puzzle & Dragons" of Japan's Gungho makes efforts in goods sale, but they sell the sound track, too.

See Also:
A lot of cute goods! Gungho opens online shop of "Puzzle & Dragons"

The main composition charge is Kenji Ito of the game and Anime composer. The sound track is sold on iTunes early on April 3(JPT). The set is 1,500 yen, and every one piece is 200 yen.  Physical CD is sold in a official mail order site Pazudora-Ya from April 26. After them, it is sold in CD shops in Japan from April 29.

Japan got a new mobile social game platform. This is "Nijiyome"

Japanese startup EISYS,inc released new mobile social game platform Nijiyome.

"Nijiyome" is the title which shortened "Nijigen-no-Yome"(It mean a "2D bride" in Japanese. The Japanese often says girl character of contents such as the Games, Manga and Anime like that). Nijiyome is a platform for smartphones specialized in Bishojo(Beautiful girl) games. Most of users may be men. However, it is not only dating sim that here is. However, here is not only dating sim but also J-style card battle and the RPG. How about Porn social games? I don't still know it.

Nijiyome is still open beta ver., and they open officially at 2:00 p.m. on April 9(JPT). They have 4 games now, and 5 games increase more after officially opening.

LINE became the company name

NHN Japan, operator of Japanese popular messaging application LINE divided a company into 2 from April 1. They are NHN Japan and LINE. Well, LINE became the company name at last.

LINE Corp. set them mind to LINE, social curation service NAVER Matome and blog service livedoor blog. And NHN Japan devotes itself to a game.

This is important to LINE. NHN Japan is a subsidiary of Korea's NHN. Therefore many overseas sites introduce LINE when it is Korean messaging apps. In addition, there are the people who recognize that LINE is Korean apps, and don't use it in Japan8Unfortunately there are the people who discriminate a Korean and Korea in Japan). However, actually, LINE is developed in Japan. It is a good opportunity to appeal to them for it that LINE became the company name.

[April 1] Japanese messaging apps war: Japan's GMO releases new messaging apps "Muscle talk"

GMO Tokotoku BB is one of Japanese main internet service provider. Today, they releases new messaging apps "Muscle talk".

Muscle talk is the apps that can communicate with the hot guy. All the stamps more than 100 kinds are available free.

Furthermore, this has original function "muscle flick input" and sosial game "Muscle POP!".

.........You would already notice. This is parody of Japanese popular messaging apps LINE! :D

[April 1] Cute! Japanese virtual world Ameba Pigg became Ameba "Pig"

Japanese virtual world Ameba Pigg holds cute April Fool's Day event. And they become Ameba "Pig" today.

When we log in to Ameba Pigg, the face of our avatar transforms itself into a pig.

Furthermore, the service logos are changed in Ameba Pig from Ameba Pigg, too.

The face of the pig has color variations, and they change whenever we move the area. The face of the wild boar is very rare in them. I want to transform myself into it, but am not yet it.