BRS - Black Rock Story

From a song, to illustrated art, supported by doujin, to figures and now

an OVA on the way...

BRS-san has come along way and I'm damn proud of her...

I remember posting a picture of BRS and a friend of mine said, "Wow, that Miku is so cute, all dark and gothic!" 

EH? O_O

I really hate the fact people don't know what BRS is all about, especially when they compare it to Vocaloid2, Miku and say its like her alter-ego, completely ignorant of her past. Please, for the love of BRS-san and her rock cannon, get your facts right!

So this post is inspired to help poor, misinformed individuals know more about BRS-san, from her origins to the latest updates. Not to say ignorant, but hopefully those who already know about BRS, would leave here with FULL KNOWLEDGE of BRS and spread the RIGHT INFORMATION regarding her. 

Nothing is scarier than passing wrong information...

So where to start? 

That's pretty easy, as it actually dates back to Vocaloids itself. Using Vocaloid2 by Yamaha, various songs were produced with notes from virtual divas that reach notes that are humanly impossible to hit. Then came Ryo, the genius who debuted with creating the legendary hit 'Melt', was viewed over 5 million times and later started his J-pop band, Supercell.

Soon, Supercell gained popularity as a doujin group and made various songs together, hits like 'World is Mine' and yes, 'Black Rock Shooter' by using Nico Nico Douga as their distribution media. 

BRS-san was born from a song, and propelled further by fans who fanned the flames of BRS, spreading the song everywhere to one point, reaching over 1 million views on Nico Nico Douga. 

Then came the art. Tons of beautiful and wonderful illustrations worth saving were created, following the official image of BRS-san, inspired by Supercell member and original artist, Huke. 

A pale and dark-haired, twin-tailed girl with bright blue eyes was the very image of BRS. Very charming and attractive as there was a mysterious aura behind this girl's poker face. But of course, what ever you know about her is practically contained in the form of her song 'Black Rock Shooter', so there was very limited information about her at first. 

Supercell then started to release their very own "Supercell" album at Comiket 74 in 2008, containing all their hits from 'Melt' to 'Love is War' and many more. This was their last independent album released. 

So as you can imagine, with such popularity, even big named corporations like, Sony Music Entertainment Japan took notice of them and they released their official album under Sony, "Supercell feat. Hatune Miku". 

BRS was still a major hit, with one-shot figures like the 1/8 Rock Cannon and 1/8 Blade Vers. by GSC . The story or plot behind the song, seems to carry a deeper meaning towards BRS-san. Many thought it would be great if it was animated, and guess what? It got the green light...

Produced and released under Good Smile Company (GSC), the first anime of BRS "Black Rock Shooter Pilot Edition" will be streamed, free for all from 25 June to 31 August 2010. Really excited since Hanazawa Kana will play the leading role. Go Kana~!! >.<

There are plans as well to distribute free DVD's of the OVA, bundled together with Hobby Japan issue. All under their new strategy I guess. BRS-san seems to have some background now, with a plot and lots of characters in the mix, including Insane BRS and nemesis, Death Master.

 

(Unrelated but I really hate GSC, for their ingenious marketing strategy and for making Mr. Wallet die over and over again...)

To further spread the glory of BRS-san, orders for the figmas and nendoroids were announced (already order mine ^^) for those who wish to procure BRS-san. Pretty sure more figures are to come as PVC for Death Master in on the way, along with other hopefuls like Insane BRS too.

A truly terrifying marketing plan, (in theory) to sell figures at low cost to make everyone purchase her, to distribute free DVD's and stream even public locations, all to for advertising of BRS with future plans... 

Day 1, after the PO was announced, BRS figmas and nendorons had already received over 20,000 units of EACH!
Pre-orders are still available at PlayAsia for both Nendoroid and figma versions;

Nendoroid Black Rock Shooter Pre-painted PVC
figma Black Rock Shooter Pre-painted PVC

From here on, your guess on how BRS might develop is as good as mine. We might see an anime hopefully, and to be more ambitious, a movie in the making. With the storyline of BRS, this is definitely possible.

So, Black Rock Shooter, "where are you now?"


UPDATE


Thanks to Evil Smile Co, the intended magazine to carry the DVD has been delayed to the following month (July). Instead, the June magazine freebie has been replaced with a BRS Charm. Naturally, I have acquired a copy...

New dates have been scheduled for the DVD release, along with the magazines that will carry the bundled DVD, with eager fans ready to buy-out every last copy.

Fortunately, the DVDs will be bundled with each of the 3 titles, ensuring ample copies are available for everyone.

Dates are as follows;

Magazine	Bundled item
Hobby Japan 9 ( July 24 release)	BRS animation DVD (50min)
Megami Magazine 9 [Vol. 124] ( July 30 release)	BRS animation DVD (50min)
Animedia 9 ( August 10 release)	BRS animation DVD (50min)