Super Kabuki - Fusion of the traditional Kabuki drama, Pop culture and the technology

Yesterday, Japanese national channel NHK broadcasted Kabuki performing art(歌舞伎) where Vocaloid Hatsune Miku(初音ミク) appeared. Can the virtual female singer appear in Kabuki? It is possible by power of the technology.

This is Cho kabuki(超歌舞伎: Super Kauki) which fused traditional Kabuki and state-of-the-art digital audio, 3DCG animation, projection technologies and AR. It was live-staged in huge event Nico Nico Cho Kaigi 2017(ニコニコ超会議2017) which Japanese Video community site Nico Nico Douga(ニコニコ動画) held on April 29 and 30.

This was made by Shochiku(a large film studio and Kabuki production company), Dwango, NTT and Panasonic. The leading actors were popular young kabuki actor Shido Nakamura(中村獅童) and Hatsune Miku, of course.

Actresses cannot appear in Kabuki, but there is no problem if they are virtual(for details, please check Wikipedia).

 The stage was constructed by monitors and hologram screen of the multiplex structure. Kabuki actors performed in front of them and played with Vocaloid.
Furthermore, monitors and the hologram screen contributed to cool and dynamic stage direction. They were totally like effects of games.

All visitors of Nico Nico Cho Kaigi were able to watch Cho Kabuki, but because it was too popular, it was "First come, first served". In addition, some visitors were able to watch this using HoloLens. HoloLens added comment of ceiling of Kabuki theater and comments of Nico Nico Douga on Cho Kabuki. NHK broadcasted this HoloLens version. You may feel these comments are obstructive, but this is charm of Nico Nico Douga. Cho Kabuki was live-streamed in Nico Nico Douga, and users could post comments in screen. This was a share of the enthusiasm through texts.

In addition, they played Cho Kabuki last year and it won Cool Japan Matching Award which the government hosted.

via:
Kabuki, Hatsune Miku stage duo takes 1st Cool Japan award(The Asahi Shimbun)

The word "Kabuki" originated in Sengoku era(Warring States period), and it comes from "kabukimono", the people who were showy and bizarrely dressed act that defies common sense. Now, Kabuki becomes the traditional arts, but originally it was the pop culture that adopted contemporary fashion skillfully. In a sense they made Kabuki which is faithful to a tradition.

Japanese game personified syllabary "Hiragana" at last

Japanese games personified every thing until now. Battleships, tanks, fighters, guns, swords, Castles, bases of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, Heavy industrial machines, Gods and Buddha, Liquor, flowers, mushrooms etc... It is difficult to look for the things which are not personified. Today, the pre-registration of the new personification mobile game began. This is "Hiragana Danshi(Hiragana Boys)", It is the game that personified Japanese syllabary "Hiragana(平仮名)".

Hiragana is a kind of the Japanese phonogram(There is Katakana other than this). In most basic letters in the Japanese learning, it consists of 48 kinds. In other words, 48 characters appear in these games.

Each Hiragana is personified as handsome boys. They have voices, and voice actors play them.

For example, he is "U(う)".

"A(あ)" talks with "U(う)".

Originally this was a character making project of TV program I-chara. This was an audience participation program and they invited illustrations from audiences and made characters. This game is cross media development of this project.

Players become calligrapher and spin memories with puzzles with them. It is like single stroke puzzle. This is released in this summer.

Japanese popular mobile game Monster Strike got a own shop in Tokyo

Unfortunately mixi's mobile game Monster Strike did not succeed in North America(It is shut down on August 1), but is still popular in Japan. They opened physical shop "XFLAG STORE SHIBUYA" in Shibuya, Tokyo at last. Besides, the visit completely needs reservations.

This shop consists of 2 floors. 1F is the goods section, but there do not have stock of goods. Because...

Customers do shopping using a large display and own smartphone. They look at the sample of goods displayed in a shop and purchase them with a large display. The shopping data are saved in smartphone through application and the terminal of the display.

Customers put a smartphone in the terminal of the cash register counter. Then a payment amount of money is displayed by a terminal.

Staff waiting gather up goods in a bag according to shopping data.

Basement floor is a cafe and event space.

The stage is good to talk show and small e-sports.

Various art of the game are displayed to the cafe space. Of course the menus assume characters of the game motifs. Naturally customers will upload those photos in Instagram :)

When I look up at the ceiling, small figures hid. His name is "Oragon", the  mascot-like character of Monster Strike. It is totally like the treasure hunt to look for him.

This is a big challenge for mixi. Now, it is high-risk to have a large-scale shop(Besides, it is Shibuya!). But the visit reservation is favorable for the moment. It is fully occupied until June 19.