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Rick Martin · · 2 min read

Hatsune Miku Dominates Digital, Stars in New 3DS Game, Google Chrome Ad

Hatsune Miku Project Mirai display at 2011 Tokyo Game Show

Hatsune Miku Project Mirai display at 2011 Tokyo Game Show

About a month back we told you about how CyberAgent America was collaborating with Crypton Future Media to bring the famous virtual star Hatsune Miku into Pico World. And the iconic Vocaloid character hasn’t slowed down since.

During yesterday’s Nintendo Direct broadcast, a trailer for a new game Hatsune Miku and Future Stars Project Mirai was unveiled by Nintendo (TYO:7974) and Sega. Check it out below.

While I can’t claim to be a devoted fan of Hatsune Miku, I’m pretty amazed by how the character has managed to permeate so many aspects of digital culture in Japan and the world over.

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) recently released a commercial for its Chrome browser in Japan that nicely sums up the creativity and collaboration that has helped Hatsune Miku’s fame spread far and wide. It features fans creating music using Vocaloid software, creating dance clips, uploading videos, and even attending Hatsune Miku concerts (see below).

I’m not sure how the creative spirit shown in this video relates to the Chrome browser, but it certainly is comparable to how folks use Google’s many other services to collaborate online. This was especially evident in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake as services like Docs, Maps, and Picasa were used to pass along critical information in a collaborative manner. Here on this blog we’re big fans of Google’s suite of tools as well, using them on a daily basis as a part of our workflow.

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Rick Martin

Rick Martin lives in Tokyo where he writes about technology in Japan, China, and around Asia. After writing full-time for TechInAsia from 2011 to January 2013, he moved on to pastures new at The Bridge. He can be reached via his website, 1Rick.com