Anime Character Crushes Old Lady

[The Wooster]

Anime Character Crushes Old Lady

An elderly Japanese woman was hospitalized after a snow sculpture of ridiculously-popular, virtual pop star Hatsune Miku fell on her.

The (aheh) 'meltdown' took place at the annual Sapporo Snow Festival, [http://www.snowfes.com/english/] which lasts for seven days and features hundreds of snow and ice sculptures [http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/travel/images/Sapporo_Snow_Festival_0063.jpg]. The statue of Hatsune Miku, virtual pop star and Vocaloid mascot [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocaloid], was around three meters tall - it's now somewhat shorter given that its head fell off and injured a 60-year-old woman.

For the uninitiated: Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer program which aspiring musicians can use to make horrifying approximations of actual music. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTXO7KGHtjI] While my inner music snob sneers at the idea of replacing human vocalists with unfeeling automatons, though the process has worked before [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbXiECmCZ94], some of the songs produced with the program are really quite catchy. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cHsNnDfmDs] Hatsune Miku was originally one of the voice packs available for the program - think Microsoft Sam with pigtails - but has since gone on to garner a massive following as a virtual pop star, unsettling anyone who's seen Macross Plus. 'Snow Miku' has been a regular fixture of the snow festival for a couple of years now.

Organizers Sapporo festival have apologized for the incident and are currently rebuilding the statue. Miku will return to delight fans and potentially cripple elderly ladies on February 11th.


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[PsychoticMango]

Yeah, the vocaloids are all jerks, that's why I stick with Kasane Teto.

 

[ph0b0s123]

<
For the uninitiated: Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer program which aspiring musicians can use to make horrifying approximations of actual music. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTXO7KGHtjI]

Hey, I like that track, but then I liked the Sharon Apple tracks as well. Que less favourable comparisons to some western teenybop music. Oh well, any excuse the knock Japanese culture....

Now the second track you thought was the catchy one sounds more horrific to me. But that's the thing it's all subjective.

Even though the vocals from the vocaloid software can be a bit grating and high pitched, I think it is interesting what they have done. She is almost like the youtube of singing. That live concert you linked to is all of user created songs that she is singing, weird but interesting.

 

[The Wooster]

<
For the uninitiated: Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer program which aspiring musicians can use to make horrifying approximations of actual music. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTXO7KGHtjI]

I like that track, but then I liked the Sharon Apple tracks as well.....

Then Sharon Apple tried to murder everybody.

 

[ph0b0s123]

<
For the uninitiated: Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer program which aspiring musicians can use to make horrifying approximations of actual music. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTXO7KGHtjI]

I like that track, but then I liked the Sharon Apple tracks as well.....

Then Sharon Apple tried to murder everybody.

The music was nice while she tried though.... Can't beat a bit of Yoko Kano or whatever she's called...

Edit: Actually, now I think back didn't see just hypnotism everyone. I don't think it was clear what she planned on doing to them after that.

 

[Knight Templar]

Well, this was quite informative.

 

[Quiotu]

Technically something like this has happened outside Japan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8_5sg2H_FI&feature=related

Though, that's actual real people singing and playing, too...

 

[Torrasque]

...unsettling anyone who's seen Macross Plus.

*shudder*
Some memories are better off forgotten, and that is one I'd really rather be without =|

 

[Callate]

Organizers Sapporo festival have apologized for the incident and are currently rebuilding the statue.

...What, in the hopes it will get a chance to finish the job?!

 

[Gatx]

Technically something like this has happened outside Japan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8_5sg2H_FI&feature=related

Though, that's actual real people singing and playing, too...

I thought you were going to say that a snow statue of a pop culture icon fell and injured the elderly in other countries.

 

[Formica Archonis]

it's now somewhat shorter given that its head fell off and injured a 60-year-old woman.

Tsk tsk. Like so many pop stars before her, Miku's finally lost her head and lashed out at someone. Next thing you know she'll be whacking SUVs and shaving her head.

Once she gets it back, anyway.

really quite catchy. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cHsNnDfmDs] (...) unsettling anyone who's seen Macross Plus.

So much dislike. You really should try take it easy.

Shame that video had subtitles. Ruins the joke entirely.

 

[Dogstile]

So, did it just injure her? Or did it actually crush her? Because, you know, one of those implies death while the other doesn't.

 

[TWEWER]

Miku isn't an anime character. Also there is no anime style.

 

[Tireseas_v1legacy]

Technically something like this has happened outside Japan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8_5sg2H_FI&feature=related

Though, that's actual real people singing and playing, too...

Technically Gorillaz is not the same. Vocaloid is a completely synthesized voice, whereas Gorillaz are real guys who use animated avatars.

 

[emeraldrafael]

hehe, joke about a J-Pop song.

anyway, yeah. to be honest I thought the gundam statue fell and killed some people when I came into this so really this is arleady better than what I expected.

 

[Lunar Templar]

An elderly Japanese mare was hospitalized after a snow sculpture of ridiculously-popular, virtual pop star Hatsune Miku fell on her.

:/ i'd forgotten about Macross Plus :/

thanks for the reminder .....

other wise >.> i am reminded of a song state wise, Fat Lip, start of verse 2

"be,cause,you,don't, know us at all, we laugh when old people fall, but what would you expect with a conscience so small"

seems fitting for reasons i can not fully place .......

 

[ThreeKneeNick]

For the uninitiated: Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer program which aspiring musicians can use to make horrifying approximations of actual music. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTXO7KGHtjI]

Here's some more horror for you, I actually like this! Playing it repeatedly now. Thank you.

 

[rickthetrick]

Anime Character Crushes Old Lady

unsettling anyone who's seen Macross Plus.


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Kill it with fire! Or a Variable transforming fighter..that works too.