Hatsune Miku to Make US Concert Debut at Anime Expo 2011

LOS ANGELES (May 12, 2011) -- Hatsune Miku, a Japanese virtual pop idol whose computer-generated singing and holographic performances have sparked a new form of musical entertainment, will thrill U.S. audiences for the first time when she performs live in concert at Anime Expo, North America's largest anime and manga celebration in Los Angeles from July 1 - 4, 2011. In addition to her live concert, Hatsune Miku will be Anime Expo's first Virtual Guest of Honor.

A digital diva famous worldwide for her ankle-length aqua-colored pigtails and distinctive voice, Hatsune Miku will light up the stage at Nokia Theater on July 2 nd in her U.S. live concert debut presented by The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, Crypton Future Media, Inc., SEGA Corporation, Tokyo Kawaii Magazine (ASCII Media Works) and Toyota Motor Sales, USA.

Created by Crypton Future Media, Inc. in 2007, Hatsune Miku's voice is synthesized using Yamaha's VOCALOID (= Vocal + Android) software application, to produce a fully synthetic voice with unprecedented quality and remarkable realism by typing in lyrics and setting a melody. To date, her voice has been featured in more than 100,000 songs and videos created and shared by fans worldwide. She has been sampled in CDs, DVDs, games, novels, and figures and her sell-out, computer-graphic-driven live performances have become legendary. Attesting to her unique star power, Toyota selected Hatsune Miku to star in a U.S. ad campaign for the 2011 Corolla – which has been named the Official Car of her July 2 concert at Anime Expo.

“Fans in North America have been clamoring for Miku to perform here and we have listened,” said Marc Perez, Chairman and CEO of the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, the non-profit that produces Anime Expo. “We're extremely excited to be able to present this 21st Century star at Anime Expo in what promises to be an unforgettable experience for all.”

The Anime Expo concert will be based on “39's Giving Day,” the first-ever solo concert by Hatsune Miku held in Japan on March 9, 2010, which was heralded by media worldwide. Visuals for the July 2 concert are created by SEGA with Crypton Future Media supervising overall production.

Hatsune Miku will be Anime Expo's first Virtual Guest of Honor and will join the line-up of Anime Expo 2011 Guests of Honor that includes the chart-topping Japanese pop trio Kalafina, Japanese TV Host and blogger Danny Choo and voice actor Vic Mignogna. Themed the “Year of the Fan,” Anime Expo 2011 will fully immerse guests into the world of Japanese animation, manga (comic books), music, fashion and games. Anime Expo is a non-stop marathon of Japanese pop culture that's been likened to Halloween in July.

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About Crypton Future Media, Inc.
Crypton Future Media, Inc. (HQ: Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido; CEO: Hiroyuki Itōh) has been handling software sound source since 1995, and is a developer of Character Vocal Series 01: Hatsune Miku, which was released in 2007. There are more than tens of thousands songs released, and fan's support is expanding day by day.

About SEGA Corporation
SEGA Corporation (HQ: Ohta-ku, Tokyo-to, COO: Okitane Usui) has been recognized as one of the leading game software company in the world with its capability to produce high quality contents. New sensational rhythm action game "Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- 2nd" for PSP has been sold for more than 400,000 copies, and has great support by Miku fans.

About Tokyo Kawaii Magazine
Tokyo Kawaii Magazine, an electronic magazine for iPhone, was first released on March 2010. It releases the latest Japanese pop culture info such as anime, fashion, etc. in English and Spanish, and has been downloaded from all over the world, mainly by young generations. They have featured Haruhi Suzumiya, Evangelion, etc, and the latest issue (Vol.007) featured Miku Hatsune.

About Toyota Motor Sales, USA
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion

dealers which sold more than 1.76 million vehicles in 2010. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

About Anime Expo
Held annually in Los Angeles, Anime Expo is North America's largest anime and manga event. Anime Expo gives fans the rare opportunity to meet and hear from some of the most famous anime, manga and musical artists from Japan and get into the action through everything from costume play, karaoke and video competitions to exclusive screenings, non-stop video gaming competitions and the wildly popular Masquerade, in which fans transform themselves into their favorite characters through creative costuming, accessories and make-up and put on their own show before an audience of thousands. AX 2011 will be held July 1 – July 4, 2011 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. To register or for more information, please visit www.anime-expo.org.

About The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more popularly known by its entertainment property, Anime Expo®. For more information, please visit www.spja.org.