Starting today, March 13, 2020, Gynoid Talk flower – the newest text-to-speech synthesis software from AI Inc. – is available for pre-order until her release on April 3! Listen to a sample of her below!
Operating conditions: Windows : Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (latest update) CPU : Intel / AMD Dual Core Processor (Intel Core i3 and alater) Memory: recommended at least 4GB (at the very least 2GB) Storage: recommended at least 1.5GB Display resolution: recommended at least XGA (1024 x 768)
Official Art
Her box featuring new designs by △○□× / miwasiba was revealed as well. Furthermore, new tachi-e illustrations by 新島秋一 / Niijima Akiichi and a 3D model by mqdl will be made available for free download on her release day here!
gynoid first announced that flower would be getting a talk bank back in July, 2019. But since then, we haven’t seen any developments revealed, not even so much as a design… until now.
But little did I realize, there’s something written on the ribbon-like object attached to flower’s left sleeve, which some keenly aware fans may have noticed…
If one looks at the letters closely, they may be able to make out the words “Talk FloweR”
Could this actually be the design for flower Talk?
gynoid didn’t say until Koetsuki was over, and finally made this confirmation tweet:
“Thank you to everyone who came to gynoid’s booth today at Koetsuki 6! ! We’ve been wanting to exhibit our stuff at Koetsuki for some time, and be just barely managed to make it! We hope you continue to support us in all that we do, starting with this outfit for flower Talk (working name) revealed for the first time!”
So there we have it, flower Talk’s official design! gynoid has proven that they can be quite sneaky indeed, having had fans take pictures of AND publicize her design without knowing it!
Stay tuned as gynoid reveals more about flower Talk, and hopefully they won’t do things in quite a sneaky manner in the future!
The 2019 Creative Yunnan Cultural Industries Expo took place at Kunming, China on Thursday, August 8, and fans of Xin Hua who were in attendance had some sights to enjoy!
TANITA Collaboration
During the expo, a collaboration between Xin Hua and TANITA was revealed at their event space. A new design was even created by 朔朔 / Shuo for the event, showing a very sporty side to the VOCALOID character.
A life-size popup display of Xin Hua in her new outfit could be seen alongside TANITA’s posters promoting healthy lifestyles and dieting. It’s very possible that more will come from this collaboration in the near future, so stay tuned for developments!
Also at the expo, it was announced that Gatebox will soon be making its way into the Chinese market. Gatebox CEO Jin Nakamura was even present to demonstrate Hikari Azuma to the crowd, and how she interacts as a virtual A.I. to owners of their product.
What is relevant to VOCALOID fans is that Gatebox is being brought into China through a partnership with the Shanghai Fangcheng Group., which Xin Hua’s rights holders, Shanghai Wangcheng Information Technology Co. Ltd., is a part of. The goal of the partnership is to promote Gatebox in China with a focus on “virtual idol culture.”
In fact, towards the end of the official announcement article, Xin Hua is even pictured and introduced to readers while it was hinted that someday, a certain “virtual idol, brimming with the national characteristics of China, will sing beautiful songs for us with her elegant and cute voice.” Could this mean that Xin Hua will become a Gatebox character someday? We’ll have to wait and see, and as always, we will report on any developments!
gynoid and v flower made two exciting announcements today on their respective Twitter accounts.
First is the announcement of gynoid Talk flower! Her official talk bank is now under development, so the name is not final, nor is there a release date set yet. But once more details arrive, we’ll report!
On July 7, the voice provider for the MEIKAs, Kotori Koiwai, and producer mathru will host a lecture about how to make “let’s play” game videos, utilizing the mUniSm platform for video capture and more. And it won’t just be them; they will also be using the MEIKAs themselves to help with narration!
Tickets will be available the Animate Fukuoka Tenjin shop starting on June 29, and will be given out with purchases of MEIKA Hime and Mikoto merchandise.
“Wait, what merchandise?” is what you may be asking. If so, then read on!
Starting on June 29 at the above-mentioned Animate Fukuoka Tenjin store, new MEIKA Hime and Mikoto merchandise will be up for sale! All pics below come from this blog, and all prices are tax included.
① Clear file folder: ¥378 JPY ② Acrylic stands (2 kinds): ¥1,512 JPY each ③ Stickers (3 kinds): ¥324 JPY each ④ Can badges (2 kinds): ¥400 JPY each
⑤ Collectible can badges (6 kinds, random): ¥324 JPY each ⑥ Acrylic keychains (3 kinds)¥540 JPY each
Illustrations for all the goods were provided by △○□× / miwasiba.
For those who can’t make it to the store, the goods will be available on the gynoid store in the fall.
Furthermore, they announced that life-size popup displays of the MEIKAs will be appearing all over Fukuoka during that time! Look forward to more information on that at a later date.
Pirikarako-chan is a series of anime shorts that will begin airing on July 7 on KBC at 6:15 (JST). Its ending theme is called “ぴっぴぴりから、ぴりからこ。 / Pippi-Pirikara, Pirikarako,” and is being composed by mathru, using none other than the MEIKAs to sing it! And on July 8, the day after the anime debut, the song will be made available on iTunes and other music distribution services. Look forward to it then!
**UPDATE ON JUNE 29, 2019** The full song and PV are now available on mathru’s YouTube channel!
Was that enough MEIKA news for you? Don’t expect gynoid to slow down in news surrounding their VOCALOID characters, though. Expect more announcements from them to be covered by VocaSphere!
So far, since their release in late March, MEIKA Hime & Mikoto haven’t received much recognition beyond fans’ passive comments on the two’s complimentary designs. It seemed that the twin plum flowers would be lost in a sea of unpopular Vocaloids that came before them, like Kanon & Anon and galaco, but just because a Vocaloid isn’t popular doesn’t mean they aren’t a good addition to the growing list of vocal synths; sometimes all it takes is a well-known producer to make an outstanding song using them. Luckily for the young Gynoid Vocaloids, that’s exactly what happened.
Rerulili, a producer famous for reluctantly naughty tracks Holy Lance Explosion Boy and Brain Fluid Explosion Girl recently released Specialgirl featuring MEIKA Hime & Mikoto- a happy-go-lucky song just perfect for the twins. The blithe melody alongside adorable MMD animation choreographed by motion actor gurico15 made for a radiant experience that wasn’t originally expected from the pair. Though there has been no official English lyrics released quite yet, it can be inferred that this song is easily more innocent than many of Rerulili’s previous releases.
The song opens with MEIKA Hime’s childish tone, elucidating her visuals of someone she sees in the back of a classroom. Despite Hime’s cutesy initial appearance in the song, Mikoto goes on to question the secrets of the universe and the illicit perversion that comes with them. Before the chorus, MEIKA Hime reveals the nature that terrifically reflects her adolescent voice- as long as she dusts of her skirt, she can continue doing her best! This is comparable to saying “when you get knocked down, just keep getting up.” MEIKA Hime & Mikoto have an affinity with the aforementioned student in the classroom, and despite their worries and lack of understanding, they know that they have to keep going no matter what, even with a girly heart.
Dokkoisho, dokkoisho!
(Japanese equivalent to heave ho, heave ho!)
They’re excited and their hearts are throbbing, but they want to try their best to tell their love how they feel. This is reminiscent of famous song “Suki Daisuki” featuring Kagamine Rin by JevanniP, a piping of a girl in love and through feminine anxieties, attempting to tell him her adoration. It’s clear that this song isn’t like anything Rerulili would typically produce, but it’s an adorably mellow song- good thing too, as MEIKA Hime & Mikoto’s estimated age is around 12.
Directly after the chorus we are introduced to an adorable expression of love by Mikoto. “If you are a pencil, I want to be your eraser.” Not only is this sickeningly sweet, it fits perfectly into the classroom environment set by the first verse. Even Hime cannot see through her glasses foggy with the sweet trickery of intimacy, and accepting that she may not be loved back to the same extent, explains cheerfully, “It is better to love than to be loved.” That is the truth of the universe’s many questions.
Rerulili’s Specialgirl is a very kindhearted and happy-go-lucky tune about the many emotions that come with falling in love- and is just what the plum spirit pair needed to become more than just a mascot with a voice. All we can do is try our best and push through, and it is okay if our crushes don’t like us back- we can keep moving forward through the universe; after all, as MEIKA Hime & Mikoto tell us, in verse before the final chorus, we need to put on a courageous smile! Love is cherishable, the truth to all the questions the universe offers, and we are all special.
Want to listen for yourself?
MEIKA Hime & Mikoto are copyrighted by Gynoid. All rights reserved.
There are some brand new Xin Hua merchandise currently up for grabs for a limited time!
Blanket
First comes the Xin Hua blanket, fluffy and soft to the touch, and bearing her new 2019 design and logo! To win one, you’ll need to follow Xin Hua on Weibo and share this post by Friday, June 14, and you can become one of three winners to receive a blanket!
Even if you don’t think your chances are winning one are that great, it’ll still be good to share the post. That’s because Xin Hua mentions that if more than 300 people enter, they’ll consider making more!
Acrylic Stand and Keychain
Next, we have the Xin Hua acrylic stand and keychain! They are based off illustrations by 白天不闹鬼 / bugost and created by oh幻都 / ohhuandu. The stand depicts Xin hua in a beautiful Dragon Boast Festival garment, while the keychain is of the adorable tsumamare type!
The items are available for pre-order until June 20, and go for ¥18 RMB each or ¥25 RMB as a set. You can find the Taobao page here!
Greeting people right at the entrance were pop-up displays of Xin Hua in her new outfit designed by Mi’yuki, alongside the main character from the Shijiuji manga.
And here’s a photo from Shijiuji’s official Facebook page. Reportedly, over 50 guests came dressed in lolita outfits to score free admission into the restaurant!
Once inside, fans could see and take photos with more pop-up displays of Xin Hua and the Shijiuji cast, and of course get to dine on some delicious seafood!
The event was the second of its kind with the first occasion taking place in December, 2018 at the Shijiuji restaurant in Shanghai. It’s also the first of what will surely become many of the #2019從心開始 (2019 starts from the heart) activities involving Xin Hua and her brand new design all throughout the year!
After weeks of teasing, Xin Hua’s official 2019 outfit has been revealed! The winning outfit was designed by 深雪 / Mi’yuki, and follows themes of moth orchids, tung trees, and swallowtail butterflies all blended into one, perfectly capturing the look and essence of Taiwan!
Xin Hua invites all her fans to attend a seafood feast at the Shijiuji restaurant in Beijing! Shijiuji started life as a popular online food manga before having an actual themed restaurant opened for it, and they’ll soon be collaborating with Xin Hua!
Details on the collaboration restaurant event go as so:
Date & time: Saturday, April 20 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (CST) Location: Shijiuji restaurant in Chaoyang Joy City
The first 30 (female) guests who come dressed in a lolita dress will even be allowed into the restaurant for free, so dress appropriately! To sign up, you’ll have to PM Xin Hua’s official Weibo account with your nickname, cell phone number, and the hashtag #食久记 华相伴#