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Shokotan, Yawaraka Sensha Creator Animate Music Video
posted on by Egan Loo
Shōko Nakagawa, the Gurren Lagann theme singer and self-professed otaku known to her fans as "Shokotan," collaborated with popular web animator Rareko (Yawaraka Sensha) on a music video for NHK's Paphooo Festival 2009 event this summer. The event took place on July 28, but the NHK General TV channel's Paphooo program will air a one-hour special on the festival this Saturday night in Japan.
Nakagawa and Paphooo have been hosting a project called Gattai Animal Design, in which people submit ideas for mascot characters that combine animals with various objects. Rareko chose one character, Nabesan Design's Onigiri Neko (literally, "rice-ball cat"), as the inspiration for an anime video. In turn, Nakagawa wrote a song called "Makka na Atashi" (Scarlet Me) based on Onigiri Neko, and the female rock band Guruguru composed the music. Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman produced the song and performed some guitar work. During the Paphooo Festival 2009 event, Nakagawa and Friedman performed the song live while Rareko's anime video played on the screen behind them. A short clip from the anime video can be seen in the first video on the Gattai Animal Design website.
Nakagawa has another character called Sukashi Kashipan Man ("Sand Dollar/Sweet Bun Man") which she said will be made into a live-action project in the America. Rareko is best known for creating the Flash anime Yawaraka Sensha about a soft, fragile battle tank on the Livedoor Net Anime website. Friedman made a cameo with his frequent drumming collaborator Jeremy Colson and Kiss lead singer Gene Simmons in last year's live-action film adaptation of Kiminori Wakasugi's Detroit Metal City comedy manga.
Source: Barks
