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Weekly Wrapup 9/5 - 14/5
posted on by Georgia Blair
Two months after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai) disaster, charity events are still being held and planned to raise funds and support those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. ANN reported just a few of these events in the past week:
- Composer Joe Hisashi, famous for his work with Studio Ghibli, will hold concerts in Japan, France and China to raise funds for musical instruments for children in disaster-affected regions.
- Tezuka Productons donated 870 Osamu Tezuka manga volumes which were distributed to two cities in the Iwate and Fukushima prefectures.
- The YOSHIKI Foundation, founded by the leader of rock band X Japan, has raised over US $1.6 million in charity auctions, with more auctions announced.
- Rock band L'arc~en~Ciel will donate all proceeds from their 20th anniversary concerts and live screenings to relief efforts.
- Messages of support from 106 manga creators were published in a two-page spread in the newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun by publisher Hakusensha.
In an internet survey, 68.2% of respondents stated that anime programs should not exercise self-restraint in the aftermath of the March 11th earthquake. The survey asked respondents to specify things that should or should not exhibit self-restraint; anime programs topped the list of items that should not show self-restraint, followed by items such as eating out, wedding ceremonies and letting children play outside. Unnecessary use of electricity topped the list of items that should be restrained. Various anime and other media have been delayed, cancelled or edited due to the earthquake, such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Gyakkyō Burai Kaiji: Hakairoku-hen.
In other news, virtual idol Hatsune Miku will appear in a multi-projector concert for the first time outside Japan at Anime Expo on July 2nd. Miku has appeared on traditional screens in the United States and other countries, but the upcoming concert will utilise holograph projection used in the 2010 "39's Giving Day" concert in Japan, combined with new 3D projection. Hatsune Miku is the most famous of the Vocaloid characters, representing voice synthesizer software created by Crypton Future Media used to create songs without a human singer. Vocaloid characters Rin, Len and Luka will also appear during the concert.
Finally, Anime News Network Australia wants more news! If you know of any conventions, new products or other events related to anime and manga in Australia or New Zealand that aren't already covered on ANNau, please let us know through one of the methods we've outlined in our post.
