Well, the guy’s not immortal, so what will the world do when Gackt moves on from this world? They’ll keep right on keepin’ on, using a new version of Vocaloid– of Miku Hatsune fame –with Gackt’s voice, called Gackpoid, according to Canned Dogs. Apparently it was actually announced on April 1st, but everyone thought it was a joke…

Anyway, there’s a sample song here, and the software will be released in June. It still sounds pretty electronic to me, so maybe it needs some of that VocaListener magic. Still, maybe Gackt WILL be immortal. All we need now is to keep boosting our CG abilities…

If you thought that Vocaloid’s Miku Hatsune sounded realistic straight out of the package, you’ve got to check out this post at Moetron. Combining Miku’s voice with VocaListener, which adjusts the synthesized voice to sound more human, results in a pretty phenomenal-sounding fake voice.

Perhaps even disturbingly-realistic…

SaiAni reports that Jpop band Exile is going to be made into an anime, not unlike yesterday’s news in which one section of the 48-member girl group AKB48 was getting made into a manga.

The anime series is called Eguzamurai (”Egg Zamurai,” perhaps, or a play on “Exam”?), and the seven members of Exile will be samurai characters in the show, which is set in a whimsical future Japan. The anime is going to be released as a bonus item with the band’s best-of compilation, EXILE ENTERTAINMENT BEST, this July.

The rock manga Detroit Metal City, which follows a KISS-esque band, is being made into a live-action movie, and Kenichi Matsuyama (alias L in live-action Death Note) is in it. And so, apparently, is Gene Simmons, playing the Demon God of Rock and Roll in a cameo appearance. He’s apparently tickled pink to do it, too.

…and party every day! o/~

…Yeah, I don’t know where that title came from.

Anyway! Anime Expo has announced a new guest of honor and the second main event concert ticket, Jyukai.

Jyukai is probably best known by anime fans for performing the ED theme to Fate/Stay Night, “Anata ga Ita Mori.” They also did the OP for Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy, the ED theme for Buso Renkin, and the OP for Mamoru Oshii’s movie Shin - Onna Tachigui Retsuden. Good stuff! Their official site is here if you wanna check ‘em out.

Well, that’s what the Mainichi reports: in an anime, a blog, and a picture book with the theme “LOVE OUR PLANET,” Gackt’s dog Ener– a long-coat chihuahua –will be the main character. I’m not making this up. The project is known as Ener’s Big Adventure and the official website is online here.

So take THAT, Paris Hilton and Tinkerbell!

Man, it’s a hell of a day for interviews out there. Here are three I’ve come across lately:

TokyoGraph has a translated interview with Visual Kei’er Miyavi, in which he talks about his new album “This Iz The Japanese Kabuki Rock.” Apparently he was particularly focused on expressing pride as a Japanese person, using traditional Japanese drums, the shamisen, and even geta sandals as a tapping noise on one track. The CD also apparently contains what Miyavi says is his “first erotic entry.” Rawr! I’ve heard some clips on Miyavi’s official website and the CD sounds badass.

Meanwhile Japanator’s Dale North had a chat with Nirgilis while they were at Anime Matsuri in Houston. The members talk about their history and influences, and apparently one of them admits to being an otaku; two of them mention a bunch of favorites (Keroro Gunso, Evangelion, Death Note, Gunbuster, Ichigo Marshmallow, Crayon Shin-chan…).

Now, the third interview isn’t music-related, it’s con-related: ActiveAnime talked to the founder of Zuiichi, a new kind of anime event taking place in Vancouver, WA (near Portland, OR) on August 3rd.

I’ll foreword this by noting that I have friends who run Portland’s KumoriCon, and that I believe this new event Zuiichi is being run by former K-con staffers, so maybe I’m biased, but…$150 to spend a weekend watching a handful of anime and a lot of Serenity and Firefly?

Now, there are some neat aspects to this “elite” event, which is supposed to be more about fandom than anime specifically (hence all the Whedon stuff). It actually takes place at a theater called Cinetopia, so they actually have full-on theater screens to show stuff, which is neat. And they do have a couple of relatively unique events: a sake tasting, for example, and a “pocky marshmallow roast.”

But the rest looks like pretty standard far, and the only guest so far is…PDX Browncoats, the Portland Firefly fanclub. $150 is a lot of money for that. (They also have a $60 ticket that features entry to one movie and a dinner of some kind.) I’ll be in town that weekend, but I don’t know if I’ll go.

According to TokyoGraph, WOWOW is planning to air footage from both the hide memorial summit concerts, which are going to happen in early May, as well as broadcasting the full X Japan reunion concert. The memorial summit footage will air May 5th, and the reunion concert will air May 2nd.

So one of those little factoids that his fanclub never gets tired of talking about is that voice actor Vic Mignogna isn’t just a voice actor, he’s also a musician. If you’ve never listened to his music– and he often brings CDs with him to con appearances, I believe, so I’m sure you’ve had a shot –you’ll get a chance if you’re attending A-Kon, who announced him as a musical guest at their May convention. It’ll feature him singing songs from One Piece and DN Angel as well as his own original works.

I’d actually be interested in hearing his music, but I fear I wouldn’t be able to hear it over the high-pitched squealing of fangirls surrounding me…

I had a tip that Otakon would be making a musical guest announcement today, and they have– JAM Project, which is sort of the Video Games Live of the anime world? The group consists of a number of soloists doing anime themes. More info here. Now, back to TOKYOPOP!