Quick show of hands: how many of you spent most of January 1 sleeping?  Yeah, thought so.  You aren’t alone.  While a lot of you probably can remember what you did the last day of last “decade”, some of you may not.  While you try to remember what you did overnight, [...]]]>

Artist: Takitate (via e-shuushuu)

Quick show of hands: how many of you spent most of January 1 sleeping?  Yeah, thought so.  You aren’t alone.  While a lot of you probably can remember what you did the last day of last “decade”, some of you may not.  While you try to remember what you did overnight, I’ll be spending this segment recalling some of the Vocaloid fun of 2009.

If you’re wondering, yes, this is a thinly-veiled excuse to do a Best of 2009 article in 2010.

We start our look back at 2009 with a look back at 2008, sort of.  Now, I’m really cheating :3

Later on, we had Luka, and from her we have some interesting songs there.  Included: just being friends, wingspans, Google Romance Search, and this.

Then came the Summer of Green, with Gumi and Sonika both releasing within a month of each other.  For obvious reasons, the duets flowed like the spice.

Finally, there was fall and winter, and outside of all the new voices, singing or otherwise (which you knew about), nothing else of note happened.  Except maybe…

And that’s 2009 in a nutshell.  Well, one last bit of old business: Luka’s “Tower” hit #44 on the charts last week.  In case you were wondering, this is why.

Looking ahead to the first ranking of the new year, it’s going to be another tough week for newcomers.  Only 7 new songs made last week’s Top 30, the 2nd fewest ever. (#110 had all of 6).   However, the Kagamine cover of “Ura Omotte Lovers” has gained steam, breaking 100k pts, and there’s also this.

Nothing like some Nightmare Fuel to start the new year.  Uploaded on the Eve, “Marionet Syndrome” [sic] scored 60k in its first 2 days and will probably inspire a bunch of fanart and cosplay pics (he says, like none of the other songs inspire those).

DK says:

Funny story… I HAVEN’T been getting much sleep during these past couple of weeks. I went from party to party to party to party… you get my point. Now my entire body’s killing me… and y’know what? I’m still not done! Tonight I’ll be in yet another party, and I think I’m on the verge of collapse here.

So after an eventful rush to the end of 2009, we’ve come to, well, the end of 2009.  And that also means the end of the Vocaloidism Awards.  We have the winners for the big big awards, plus some well-wishes from some of our staff.  If any of that [...]]]>

Featuring Krystal & LivingFlame's collaborated logo

So after an eventful rush to the end of 2009, we’ve come to, well, the end of 2009.  And that also means the end of the Vocaloidism Awards.  We have the winners for the big big awards, plus some well-wishes from some of our staff.  If any of that interests you, come inside.

First off, another big thanks to everyone who voted.  Another 600 votes were tallied and here’s how they fell.

Best New Vocaloid: Luka Megurine

The winner is unsurprising.  The results are.  Yuki and Sonika were on 0 for so long, I felt bad.

Producer of the Year: minato

This was close for a while, but minato pulled away from Hachi and samfree in the end to claim the win.

Song of the Year: Just Be Friends

While I don’t necessarily see this as a Bad Thing, we only have ourselves to blame.

Wait, rephrase.  We as staff only have ourselves to blame.  We all thought the song was awesome, and you all either agree or we brainwashed you :3

So congratulations to the winners, nominees, and the voters.  Before we go into 2010, we at Vocaloidism have a few things to say.  They’re good things, I promise.

DK says:

…I think I lost my jolly soul somewhere between Thesis, Internship, getting my art skills bashed by Krystal, and the recent sibling argument between V-ism and VO. But that’s beside the point..

2009 has been a mellow year for me as a Vocaloid fan. I say this because every year I become more and more complacent with regards to new Vocaloid songs/info/whatnot. To give you guys an idea of what I mean, here’s a short time-line of my “addiction” to Vocaloid:

2007: Who’s this “Hatsune Miku…?” OMGOMGOMG! Her songs are awesome! Must download EVERYTHING!!!

2008: Oooh, now other people are singing Vocaloid songs, too! And they actually sound better than the original!

2009: Meh, I’ll just get what sounds good in the WVR… or I’ll wait for their Utatte Mita versions…

On the bright side, my MP3 player ain’t too swamped with Vocaloid songs as it was before, and being picky gave me my taste in music (believe me, I wasn’t a music-lover before I discovered Vocaloid) and the skill to critique them. That’s why I’ve been reviewing the WVR ever since.

However, at the pace I’m going right now, some of you guys might think that one day I might outgrow Vocaloid and move on. I assure you, that’s never gonna happen. Vocaloid has become a part of my life now, and I will bring it with me where ever I go.

My first year of Vocaloid, by deztora

Ripping off of DK’s HTML example, because I’m lame like that. =P In order to avoid writing a whole novel here, I’ve broken my Vocaloid journey this past year into bite-sized segments that can be taken alone or with food. Onward!

First, an online friend linked a video of a short tegaki PV to Servant of Evil. Confused, I wondered, “How can a boy’s voice go that high??”

Then, I discovered on my own a cover of Seikan Hikou being sung by Kaito. I thought, “This song sounds familiar… oh, it’s from Macross Frontier! Wow, this guy’s a good singer.

Then, a different online friend linked a tegaki video of World Is Mine. At very beginning, I thought it sounded weird… like ‘clippish.’ Wait, was that that “Miku” character I’d been hearing about?

At this point I should note that I *KINDA* knew what Vocaloid was, but I thought the program was only used to sing covers of existing songs. I had no idea people were creating original songs with the program. When searching and searching in vain for an “original” version of World Is Mine, that was when I learned that the world of Vocaloid originals existed.

Thus began my journey. I went through many stages, experienced all the highs and lows. I went through a small “Kagamine only” phase where I would only listen to songs by those two. To be fair, Len was my first Vocaloid. At the beginning, I hated the thought of UTAU (ripoffs, I called them). Then I heard Yurika Sayu and I did a one-eighty– I loved UTAU and the thought of UTAU, and only listened to UTAU for a while. Discovered utatte mita, and liked it for all of… one or two weeks? Discovered MMD and odotte mita, and still love it. Went through a phase of only listening to Vocaloid songs that sounded “realistic” (i.e. with as little ‘clipping’ as possible), then went through a phase where I only listened to Vocaloid songs that sounded really catchy. Eventually reached a happy medium. Listened to Luka song after Luka song when she was released; listened to Gumi after Gumi song when she was released. Discovered NND and learned that youtube sucked in comparison. Discovered English Vocaloids; at first I didn’t like them, then I grew to like them. (I thought Sweet Ann was the coolest. Now it’s probably Big Al though!) Discovered fanmade Vocaloid characters. I like Haku but still hate Neru. Discovered the Weekly Vocaloid Ranking and thought it was the coolest thing ever. And finally, I discovered Vocaloidism, and no longer had to long for a Vocaloid-related place to call home.

This year has really been a learning experience for me. Vocaloid is probably the most varied and the most fun fandom I’ve ever been obsessed with, and I’ve loved every minute. I’ve laughed (「彼氏の財布がマジックテープ式だった」, 「脱げばいいってモンじゃない！」), I’ve cried (ココロ, Last Night Good Night, カムパネルラ), I’ve experienced drama through shipping wars (I support no ships as of right now) and whether or not the twins are actually twins (they can be whatever you want them to be, guys).

To bring this to a close, I’m really looking forward to next year. I know it’s gonna be even bigger and better, and I can’t wait to see what new surprises lay in store. Maybe with the release of Big Al, more people will take notice of the English Vocaloids. That would probably be the biggest and best surprise of them all. お楽しみに！

DT’s words:

Well, I am a late fan when Vocaloid is concerned (in fact even a bit later than deztora), an introduction to Vocaloid videos on YouTube such as “Ievan Polkka”, “Caramelldansen” and “Kurutto, Odotte, Hatsune Miku” by my friend back in end of December 08 has got me interested in Vocaloid as I went in search of more information and songs relating to Vocaloid and before I know it, I am a Vocaloid fan ever since.

For the first few months I went around sites like Kazenomize, Kyouran Kyodai, Mikufan.com and Vocaloidism as well for my fix of Vocaloid news and information before moving on to sites like Hatsune MikuMiku and others. It was then in early March that I decided to start a small Vocaloid news blog of my own and looking for a Vocaloid community in which I could join and be a part of. I eventually joined Vocaloidism forums and was surprised when Kevin asked me through PM whether I would like to blog on Vocaloidism. I thought it would be good to learn more about blogging and accepted the invitation.

Over the months I have indeed learnt a lot about blogging, about Vocaloid in general and it has been an enriching experience for me, especially when I get to listen to wonderful Vocaloid songs which I like and enjoy a lot. And that stretches all the way till now. I am still learning about Vocaloid at the moment and I probably still have much to learn, so I am hoping to look forward to more advice and guidance from fellow Vocaloid fans, especially those who have been around longer and knows way more than me.

Hopefully year 2010 will continue to be a great year as far as Vocaloid are concerned and I will be gladly looking forward to that as another Vocaloid fan around.

Finally, it falls to me.  My origin story is boring and is 2008, so it’s irrelevant, too.  Instead, here’s a fun history lesson.

On January 1, 2009, Vocaloidism had 234 views.  Post #2 (whatever it was) had 13 hits, the NicoNico account tutorial and MMD 3.21 article each had 8, and a Luka demo song article had 7.  On December 1, the blog had 2,699 views, and sixteen articles had at least 13 clicks.  In the last 2 months, Vocaloidism has gotten over 90,000 hits.  On average, someone or something points their browser to this blog once every 50 seconds.  Saying the blog exploded in 2009 is a gross understatement.

So what does it all mean? It means that all of you reading this actually care about what we say here.  Whether it’s about chart-topping tunes, video games, software, merchandise, controversy, astronomy, or anything else remotely pertaining to Vocaloids, you come here for that information.  And that’s really awesome.

There are way too many people to thank for this blog’s success, but it definitely could not happen without all of you readers.  You help keep us going (hell, these awards ran on your votes) and inspire us to work as hard as we can to give you all the Vocaloid news you want, and it is you who I owe the most thanks.  I hope that all your wishes come true in the new year, and even if they don’t, we’ll still be here, reporting from the true center of the English Vocaloid community.

Welcome to the 2009 Vocaloidism Awards, the show 3-part blog where YOU decide the winners.  We have an exciting lineup of awards, some great surprises, and competitive categories.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, and if we do, well, there’s always next year.

The way [...]]]>

Featuring Krystal & LivingFlame's collaborated logo put on a fake trophy

Welcome to the 2009 Vocaloidism Awards, the show 3-part blog where YOU decide the winners.  We have an exciting lineup of awards, some great surprises, and competitive categories.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, and if we do, well, there’s always next year.

The way this will work is that in this entry, we’ll announce a category and its nominees, and you’ll have about 2 weeks to choose a winner.  In part 2, we’ll announce the winners and the second set of categories and nominees.  More voting will ensue, we’ll announce the winners and wrap things up in our final entry.

Tonight, we’re going to announce our nominees for Video of the Year and Best New Producer, but in a twist to conventional award shows, we start with our Lifetime Achievement Award.

2009 has been a banner year for Miku Hatsune.  In her 2nd year, she has helped promote Vocaloid software into mainstream culture like never before.  There have been many people to thank for this, but tonight, we’re honoring one person in particular.

Do you know who made this?  Now don’t cheat.  If you don’t, that’s okay.  I’m sure some of you do and some of you don’t.  Perhaps you’ll be more familiar with another work of his.

I think you know who we’re talking about now.  Of the 2 dozen or so Vocaloid songs with a million views or more, he’s responsible for 5 of them, including one of the most popular Miku Hatsune songs of all time.  We are, of course, talking about ryo.

Co-founder of the doujin group supercell, ryo’s works have been comparatively few, but each song has had a lasting impact, impacts that have gone beyond the world of Nico Nico Douga.

A short list of ryo and his group’s accomplishments: an anime (seen above), various figures, a gold album, and opportunities beyond the world of Miku Hatsune.  Needless to say, but I’ll say it anyway; ryo’s star is rising, and his success should serve as an inspiration to anyone who buys a Vocaloid CD.

So for his music, his group, and his success, we at Vocaloidism are proud to present our award for Lifetime Achievement to ryo.

(Here to accept the award is, well, no one, though if anyone did, that’d be awesome and can we interview you?)

Now that we’re underway, we’ll move to the other awards.  Here are the nominees for Best New Producer. (Big thanks to Miyuki for helping with the eligibility criteria.)

とくP

ハチ

れるりり

現実逃避P

古川P

The poll for the award will be below, along with the award for Video of the Year.  The nominees are:

“Nebula,” tripshots

“Gummy Bear RMX,” sasakure.UK

“LOL -lots of laugh-,” mikumix

“Campanella,” sasakure.UK

“Noroi no Megane～ stray girl in her lenses,” ぶっちぎりP

. .

You have until Midnight JST on December 12/13  to vote.  Part two comes on the 15th.

Our new logo, provided by user LivingFlame

Thank you to everyone who voted on the logo contest.  I voted for DK, but of course he had to go and choke away the victory, but LF’s design is quite nice.  It will be used with love forever and ever and ever.  If you have [...]]]>

Our new logo, provided by user LivingFlame

Thank you to everyone who voted on the logo contest.  I voted for DK, but of course he had to go and choke away the victory, but LF’s design is quite nice.  It will be used with love forever and ever and ever.  If you have a problem with this, then you should’ve voted.  Besides, LF’s forum av is so adorable, it’s hard to argue. x3

The logo contest has just been one facet of a fun and exciting year here at Vocaloidism and so we’re going to celebrate the Best of 2009 with our first ever Vocaloidism Awards. Over the next few weeks, our editing staff will nominate songs and videos fitting of our categories and it’ll be up to you to vote on who wins.

However, we’re not absolutely certain who we’re going to nominate, so we’re going to give you one shot to try and influence us via the comment box.  A full list of the nomination-based awards is below the break.

• Song of the Year
• Video of the Year
• Producer of the Year
• Best New Producer

Of course, these aren’t all the awards (we like surprises), but this should be enough to inspire you to inspire us.  Just remember that if you want your idea to be accepted, there has to be some sort of 2009-ness to it, so no “Melt” or ika or anything like that.  2009.

The first round of award voting starts around November 30th, so go ahead.  Try to sway us.