Video: Japanese Pop Star Comes Out Of The Closet… As A Computer Creation
Posted by Justin on June 22nd, 2011Fans of J Pop girl group AKB48 were delighted to see the addition of a new member in a candy commercial. Her name is Aimi Eguchi and she smiled and waves alongside her new band mates as they happily sung the virtues of Ezaki Glico. Yum!
But there is something about Aimi…
Fans immediately took to message boards and pounded out furious speculation on who the new girl was, why they hadn’t heard of her before the commercial and if she was related to one of the other AKB48 songbirds, because she looks a lot like… well… all of them.
The secret: Aimi Eguchi is a digital creation. Her face and body are a composite of the other girls. Ya’ll wanna see how it’s made? Let’s take a look at this behind the seasons demonstration featuring the AKB48 gals doing what they do best, singing their little faces off (so they can make another face):
Want even more? Listen to this comment from Aimi. Is there any doubt in your mind now that a totally digital pop star is a reality, if not already in our midst? Would anyone be surprised if Bruno Mars was really an elaborate project to market a singing version of a young Muhammed Ali?
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June 22nd, 2011 at 8:34 pm
Meh… not exactly a breakthrough in technology. It’s pretty much the same technique that was used to create a hot, Navi, Zoe Saldana in Avatar. It’s still just something created by an artist in a studio (no different than the Gorillaz or Miku Hatsune). It actually seems like a step backwards from fully virtual, because she is derived from real people, not created from scratch
I’ll be impressed when they add a some sorta logic engine, and a computer that can render her in real time. Until then, it’s just a 3d animation and a sound track as far as I’m concerned.
…although I have to admit, I’d still hit that.
June 23rd, 2011 at 6:13 am
somehow I see Mr. Mayne folding this into the podcast… the singularity is coming ever closer my friends.