Kagerou Days anime project announced

[something]

http://0taku.livedoor.biz/archives/4268395.html

Kagerou Days is an incredibly popular Vocaloid song (sung by Hatsune Miku), composed by the equally popular composer Jin (aka Shizen no Teki P). He had a few hit songs before but Kagerou Days got him into Vocaloid superstardom. He also put out the first song sung by IA to hit a million views on Niconico.

Kagerou Days is about... well I'll spoiler tag this to be safe, but only avoid it if you consider the story of a single song to be a spoiler: a time loop in which a boy and a girl in love keep seeing each other die. Kagerou Days is not actually the start of the storyline, as I gather (there were two songs earlier in 2011) but it does give the project its name and is the most popular. He followed Kagerou Days up with a number of other songs and in the process built up a world and a cast of over a dozen characters that have resulted in one of the best selling Vocaloid albums by an individual composer (Mekaku City Days), a light novel that's hit about 100k in sales so far, and a manga serialization also exists.

Kagerou Days is the only one I've sought out a subbed translation for. I keep meaning to do so for the others to get the whole Kagerou project storyline thus far, but haven't had the time. Now I'm somewhat glad I haven't. If this is a TV series, I'd rather get it there.

Format is unknown, though. This could just be a short OVA. But popularity is definitely at a level where a TV series would not be surprising at all. This would make the second storyline with a connection to Vocaloid to get an anime, after Black Rock Shooter.

[Draneor]

Please be related to Dog Days. Please be related to Dog Days. Dammit.

I'll have to listen to the song, but the concept sounds interesting. It will heavily depend on the writer though...

[FUNiOP]

Another anime based on a franchise originated from a Miku song (okay, BRS was a picture before that, but close enough). Interesting. Maybe it will follow the same pattern of an OVA first, then a TV series later. I was more fascinated by the origins of BRS than I ever was actually interested in the show, and it's possible that it would be the same for this, but I really have no way of knowing. I guess I'll hope it's a TV series since that would mean it would probably get a simulcast, in which case I'd be interested to check it out.

Just listened to the song. Another good one, which tells me nothing about what to expect from the anime, except that it seems likely that the OP would be an altered version of that song, like with BRS, so at least that should be good.

I'm guessing this news leaked slightly before it was officially announced? It seems like they'd announce it on the day in the song, since they're already so close.

[something]

Originally Posted by FUNiOP

I'm guessing this news leaked slightly before it was officially announced? It seems like they'd announce it on the day in the song, since they're already so close.

It was revealed in the CD booklet for Children Record, Jin's latest single. Street date for the single is 8/15, so yeah I guess it got out a day and a half early. Could just be someone got their copy shipped early though. Close enough.

[Buckeye]

Certainly, I will be intrigued as to what this show actually ends up being about. Not too sure what to think about it given that it is based off a Vocaloid song.

[something]

Originally Posted by Buckeye

Not too sure what to think about it given that it is based off a Vocaloid song.

Vocaloid will end up being totally irrelevant, I'd say. Vocaloid is just a technology, especially since the story isn't about Miku and the rest, but is a completely independent and original story with original characters, that is simply told through the medium of music, and just happens to use the voice synthesis technology of some Vocaloids.

I do appreciate that its relationship with Vocaloid further legitimizes Vocaloid as a valid medium and tool for artistic expression. That said, I don't think people should look at this strictly as "It's based on a Vocaloid song" so much as "It's based on a song". Well, songs.

[FUNiOP]

Originally Posted by something

Vocaloid is just a technology, especially since the story isn't about Miku and the rest, but is a completely independent and original story with original characters, that is simply told through the medium of music, and just happens to use the voice synthesis technology of some Vocaloids.

Speaking of which, how is there still no Vocaloid anime?

[something]

Originally Posted by FUNiOP

Speaking of which, how is there still no Vocaloid anime?

Artistically speaking, I guess if there's any hesitation it's in not wanting to pin down a "canon" when the entire appeal of Vocaloid if the community creation aspect. Miku, Luka, Len, Rin, Kaito, Meiko and the rest, Crypton or otherwise, are whatever an individual's creativity wants them to be. Make an official anime and stamp the Crypton/Yamaha seal of approval on it and suddenly you've got a "correct" Miku, or Luka, or whatnot.

I'm not sure how reasonable that fear is (fandom can and will do whatever they want, canon be damned), and the concerts have for example have taken some steps towards solidifying "who" Miku is already, as she's now being marketed to some degree like a real idol, so maybe a bit more solidifying wouldn't matter... but I kind of see why if might be a concern.

The other question is what the heck it would be about. There are recurring themes in Vocaloid fanon that could be used. For example, an aspiring composer, or just a curious individual, purchasing Hatsune Miku and then developing a bond with her as they work together to make music. Or focusing more on the Vocaloid, their inner turmoil as they're used, then set aside or discarded, and ponder their existence and such - there have been a lot of songs along those lines, from cheery to rather dark.

I think it more likely we'd continue to see established storylines getting animated. Aku no P/mothy's Aku no Monogatari series, or cosMo's Shoushitsu series are two of the more obvious examples. Where they differ from BRS or the Kagerou project is that they specifically depict Vocaloids in the roles, Shoushitsu explicitly so. Aku does not explicitly handle the characters as the Vocaloid personalities per se, to my knowledge, but Rin and Len are so ingrained in viewers' eyes in the roles of servant and princess that I can't see anyone accepting anyone else playing it. Shoushitsu would make a pretty awesome artsy psychological rise-and-fall descent-into-madness-and-then-salvation/transcendence/IDontEvenKnow short series. Hatsune Miku no Shoushitsu is actually getting a novel, though from what I understand it's not necessarily following the album per se. Maybe just some of the themes.

[FUNiOP]

Yeah, I figured since there are already Vocaloid manga, there's no real reason there shouldn't be any anime also. All your points are valid and since it hasn't in fact happened yet, I'm sure some of that and probably some factors we can't predict have resulted in there not being one, but the existence of manga seems to go against a lot of those points.

[something]

Originally Posted by FUNiOP

Yeah, I figured since there are already Vocaloid manga, there's no real reason there shouldn't be any anime also. All your points are valid and since it hasn't in fact happened yet, I'm sure some of that and probably some factors we can't predict have resulted in there not being one, but the existence of manga seems to go against a lot of those points.

A manga is much lower profile than an anime would be, though (and the one that exists is pretty disjointed and kinda ghetto). It only ran for 3 volumes and started back when Miku was only a few months old. It also has "Maker Hikoushi" in the title which is explicitly saying it's not considered official. Still, the storyline it follows is the other potential kind I meant to mention - Vocaloids as a family, with Miku as the older sister of Rin and Len (the person who finds Miku in the manga is a stand-in for Meiko it seems, and I saw a Kaito too though not as the "brother", at least in the few chapters I read). I guess Luka joins later in the manga since she wasn't out when it started. From what I saw of it, it reads like a really early, rough version of the fanon. I'm guessing being able to put it out was part of Kei's agreement when he did the V2 designs.

Doing a Vocaloid anime at this point would be a rather more involved undertaking, with a lot more at stake. And frankly it's a lot less needed than Mix was 4 months after Miku's release. I'm guessing most Vocaloid fans have never touched Hatsune Mix, but lots and lots of people would see the anime if they made one after 5 years. Still, fingers crossed.