Official American Miku Announced – “Not Again!”
- Categories: Anime, News
- Date: Aug 29, 2011 05:09 JST
- Tags: Artists, Character Design, Cosplay, Hatsune Miku, Image Gallery, Marketing, USA, Vocaloid
Manly Miku apparently not having proved a debacle enough, Hatsune Miku finally has an official American version, although not everyone seems likely to be overjoyed by the design selected.
The winning version, by American artist “Exiled Artist“:
The version was solicited from the public in a competition to create a design for the upcoming “J-Pop Summit Festival” organised by Crypton’s “Piapro” site and San Francisco’s Japan Town:
J-POP SUMMIT Festival is held in Japan Town, San Francisco on 27th and 28th August, 2011.
This year, Piapro.jp collaborates with Japan Town on the festival based on the theme of “Gambare Nippon”, and we collected ideas for the design of street banner in Japan Town and a model sheet of “American Hatsune Miku” which people imagine. Consequently, we have received a lot of feedback and applications from not only creators in Japan but also creators all over the world! Thank you very much!
Crypton have acknowledged the version so fans are now stuck with it:
We have adopted the work of a creator in the U.S. and the prize is a trip to Japan for the next Hatsune Miku Live! Congratulations! Miku’s costume in this work pictures her homecoming from L.A. and the work will be adopted on a commercial basis or used for projects related to the next concert.
The competition drew quite a few entries (most of which, it has to be said, are not very good at all, and a large proportion of which appear to be by Japanese artists), an unrepresentative selection of which are visible below:
The selection criteria for the winner are not clear, although Miku has already adopted a cheerleader motif for her charity edition “Ganbare!” Nendoroid, and Japanese certainly have an unrivalled love for such tawdry Americana.
The online Japanese reaction is very mixed, probably not a good sign when it comes to the normally unconditionally adored Miku:
“USA! USA! USA!”
“A cheergirl!?”
“Who wants a cheerleader?”
“Horrible!”
“It’s good, isn’t it?”
“Miku’s been made into a bitch?”
“Shabby.”
“Cute.”
“It does not seem well thought out.”
“The way yanks love cheerleaders so much is weird.”
“More mundane than I thought.”
“It’s not bad, but it is pretty nineties and overly simple.”
“The proportions are certainly off.”
“I suppose it will pass.”
“It looks like some 10-year-old eroge design.”
“I preferred the macho version.”
“Wasn’t the American version this:”
“That is so much better!”
“I wanted to see something like this:”
“More of this guy’s art:”
”Pretty nineties, isn’t it?”
“Leave this sort of thing to the Japs, guys.”
“What was wrong with the Japanese version anyway? The wapanese over there seem to like it.”
“When they said ‘American version’ I was expecting a monster…”
”I thought this version would at least be sporting a six pack.”
“Toyota’s manly Miku was the best.”
Considering the response of American fans to the last effort to alter Miku to fit supposed American tastes, the reaction of actual Americans should she be be foisted upon them will doubtless be interesting to behold.
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If they were going to Amercanize her they should have made her a single mom holding down 3 shit jobs to support herself and her kids. Thats the American Miku today!
I'll be blunt about the 'Americanized' version...
Miku here looks like the Voc@loid version of "Debby Does Dallas"...
Give her a cowboy hat while you're at it...And some spurs...
She has the face, but she lacks the fire...
You cannot even see her captivating shimapan or her delishushly alluring waki...
The clothes need to be redone...Preferably with more armpit and pantie exposure...
Kinda like a cheerleader uniform, but painted with red-white-and-blue...
Cowboys cheerleader basically. Not that it matters anyways..
yes it matters dumbass! XD
I didn't mind the first Americanized version. I thought she just looked more 'sporty' than manly.
Thanks to OSTER Project, Rin already has the Cowgirl part down lol.
Actually it is only the design for banners for a festival that is ONLY 2 days.
Why so much fuss over a design for a CONVENTION?
Actually, no, the banner contest is separate from this one.
exactly, just pick pic19; no decision be made, for she's rocking it out LOUD
Actually it is.
The original Miku is still, and will always be, the best.
Amen to that, John Hayabusa／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼.
I don't see any need to change Miku's look to somehow seem more appealing to another country. What defines Miku is her original unique look. She's easily one of the most recognizable characters ever.
If it isn't broken, don't fix it.
Something that i can agree
"The original Miku is still, and will always be, the best" -John Hayabusa／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼
Any fan in the US or outside the US would agree completely.
Original Miku is the Gold, nay, Aqua Standard.
The cel shaded toyota version is a shitload better than the original, it actually looks like something from a professional
Since when did American single moms work? All those kids are merely welfare bates didn't you know?
But then again she's Asian. Asian American are known to be hard working.
Shit even foreigners come to America, shit out kids, and collect welfare checks. Yes, I'm looking at you: burrito eaters.
God damn white people running America.
Both parties have run the US badly. We need moderation, not more extremism.
From where I come from they DON'T GIVE OUT WELFARE CHECKS.
Them gringos eat burritos to you know...
Of course they're gonna take full advantage of the traitors running this country to the ground.But thats a different story.
Tired of america's stupid nationalism trying to put their flag on everything.
I hope you know that the contest is made by japanese?
Just you wait, Miku will be in Walmart ads soon enough...
so many great artist on DA and they choose this lame thing? sigh i guess
it must be a prearrenged thing.
Make the kids girls of different ages, and they can capture the otaku market for sure...
Job
#1: prostitute
#2: harlot
#3: hooker
Sick, Truly
>3 jobs
implying the cunt wouldn't just be another welfare case
Why do they have to Americanize her? Vocaloid is a Japanese and that's it.
...Do they wrap Sushi in an American flag before eating it over there?
It's a standard in the US: if it ain't from America, Americanize it.
I think all the complaining is having a double standard.
Look at what Japan did to the power puff girls.
I don't like the Japanese x-men it is shit.
Personally, i like the character designs of PPG-Z... though the show is too painful to watch unlike the CN Original one (which I really enjoy on the other hand).
I'm pretty sure people have a bias towards decent art. In the PPG's case, the Japanese version's art wasn't horrendous, so people gave it some slack. In this (and previous Americanizations of Miku), the art is unattractive at best, and a 10-year-old's doodling at worst.
Yeah. We're the original China. China is just China-quality USA.
Japan fully acknowledges that all they do is pretty much steal things, Japanize and then remarket them. They haven't had an original idea in decades. Hell, the first major manga was based on Disney's designs.
Well, neither at least 50% of your childhood favourite cartoons and heroes are that original. Pokemon, Transformers, Robotech, Sonic, Mario, Zelda, Rockman, Power Rangers, etc; they all were based on toys, videogames and long time series from god damn Japan.
At least when Tezuka "stole" Disney and Betty Boop's design, he came out with Astroboy and Jungle Emperor Leo (that inspired Lion King which people nowadays still ignorantly unaware of). Also, keep in mind that the sparkling eyes design were actually already implemented in Japanese vintage cartoons back in the 30's.
@19:17
This. Japan tends to do a lot of "borrowing" from other cultures. Even their mythology isn't with some modification. Textbook example is my favor creature of "their" lore: the Oni.
@9:35
None of that disputes the fact that Japan steals everything from other cultures and makes it into the Japanese image before repackaging it. The Japanese admit they do it, only weeaboos try to ignore it.
no we wrap it in bacon because were are fat and bacon makes everything taste better even sushi
Sushi topping a slice of apple pie with a slice of cheddar cheese on top. Doesn't get more American than that.
Actually, apple pie with Cheddar cheese is very traditional British. Sushi I'm not so sure about, though.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSION! HA!!
I believe this is as American as sushi can get:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXjxHQQxcLw
I'd like to order an extra large sushi-bacon cheeseburger pizza with ultra-size fries and a 96-oz Diet Coke.
What? I'm hungry and I'm on a diet!
@yaku
Those guys are apparently Canadian. Though I suppose that still makes them 'North American'. :|
It's called fusion.
Sad part is considering the utter shit that is sushi fusion it is not too far from the truth.
That's Canadian.
That's the exact same question I want to ask some translators.
Cultural imperialism? To prove cultural superiority? Xenophobia? Patriotism? Glocalization?
Being born and having lived in Singapore my whole life, I feel absolutely zero loyalty to either country and am able to look at this from a outsider's perspective. I believe that cultural products should remain, and enjoyed, as close to the original as much as possible.
Yes, it is definitely imperial dogma at work here. America is out to stake their claim on inferior oriental countries by hitting where it really hurts - your prepubescent cartoon idols.
Singapore is on the list, but far far down on our priorities since frankly, it just doesn't matter really.
Oh, and good call on never ever leaving Singapore. Imperialists are just drooling at the chance to get their boots on your neck to subjugate you.
You're looking way too deep into it. Not everything's a consipracy you know? They're just assuming giving the character American style costumes would further increase it's popularity in the states.
I concur. The original is often the best, also in this case.
In other words, same Miku but in different clothes?
Just some marketing geniuses that wouldn't know who Miku was if she bit them in the ass.
Probably graduated from the same schools as the translators who localize manga and anime so Japanese high school kids wind up talking like Detroit ghetto rats.
Japanese cultural icons should stay Japanese. Whats the problem?
...Do they wrap Sushi in an American flag before eating it over there?
no they probably just change the name, in order to safe guard their fragile
egos, and maintain their perpetual state of denial.
fucken america they ruin every thing
u jelly?
You spelled "fucking" wrong, weeaboo.