Exclusive Interview: J’Nique Nicole

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Shortly after SQEX updated the official NieR:Automata site with the English version of the new theme song, I was intrigued to find out as much as I could about the vocalist.

The quality of her voice reminded me a lot of the Japanese singer AI. I looked into it some more and came to the conclusion that this wasn’t AI, but probably an entirely different vocalist than we’ve heard before.

A week later, I was able to attend the NieR Music Concert & Talk Live concert and we learned the name of the new vocalist: J’Nique Nicole.

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Ever since then, I had been working on this interview and, being delayed by many personal ups and downs in my life, I feel badly that it’s taken me this long to put the final touches on this to share. So, for everyone involved, I’m very sorry for working so slowly.

Then, without further adieu, please enjoy the interview:

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Thou Shalt Not Die – 3rd Signing Event

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October 25 marks the Big GanGan 5th Anniversary, kicking off events all across Japan including the Kochi Manga Festival (mansai).

Thou Shalt Not Die / Kimi Shi ni Tamou Koto Nakare writer Yoko Taro and illustrator Moriyama Daisuke will take part in their 3rd signing event for the series since 2015.

kochi-manga-festival

Additionally, The Wedding Ring Story / Kekkon Yubiwa Monogatari mangaka Maybe will also take part in this signing event.

Between October 15-28, you can receive an admission ticket to the signing event when you purchase one of the participating manga fair books at the main Kinkohdo store or the Tosayamada-cho branch Kindohdo store. Tickets will be available until October 30th at 11am when you buy a book at the Manga Festival booth. There are other Kinkohdo stores participating in this anniversary fair; please call the stores directly to make a reservation.

You can get a ticket to the signing event by purchasing any of the following books from the aforementioned stores:

Thou Shalt Not Die / Kimi Shi ni Tamou Koto Nakare, Vol. 1-3
The Wedding Ring Story / Kekkon Yubiwa Monogatari, Vol. 1-4*

* Vol. 4 will be released on October 25th.

kochi-manga-festival-schedule


When: Sunday, October 30
Thou Shalt Not Die / Kimi Shi ni Tamou Koto Nakare: 11:30am~1:00pm
The Wedding Ring Story / Kekkon Yubiwa Monogatari: 1:00pm~2:30pm
Location: Kochi City Bunka Plaza “Karupo-to” (Culture Port Community Center), 7th Floor
Address: 高知県高知市九反田2-1 (Kochi City, 2-1 Kutanda)
kochi-community-center

More details on this event is available on the official Big GanGan event page.

Editorial Review on NieR in the New York Times

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If you missed it, like I did, the New York Times actually ran an article in the newspaper that discussed the lack of knowledge on modern video games among the Supreme Court when dealing with legislature.

NieR is named as one of the most sophisticated, accessible games of our time. Originally published on May 3, 2010, the journalist touches on the issue of restricting games sales to minors, a notion that is far more restrictive than anything affecting the sales of books, movies, or any other similar media.

The article goes on to talk about the pros and cons of NieR, while giving an insightful look into the game as not just any ordinary hack-n-slash, but a creative work of art:

“It is … profound in its storytelling, empathetic and nuanced in its characters, exhilaratingly diverse in its game-play design and almost perfectly paced.”

Although the article is several years old, the issue regarding the hand of government and how far its reach may extend is still prevalent today.

Could a NieR Themed PS4 Be in the Works?

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I noticed this last night, but I was half-conscious at the time, still trying to get over the cold that I came down with two weeks ago, so I couldn’t write anything about it until now (sorry!!). But the NieR official Twitter account sent out an interesting tweet last night:


NieR_JPN: Hypothetically… Hypothetically speaking, we’d like to ask your opinion, but… if there were a “NieR” themed console, would you want it?

  • I’d buy one.
  • I’d buy two.
  • I’d buy one and a Pro.
  • I wouldn’t *not* buy one. (Undecided)

Yoko Taro also made an interesting follow-up comment:


Yoko: Ah, a NieR themed console, something like a “Snow in Summer” model that has little bits of salt packed inside the spaces between the buttons, right? Huh? In the game? It can’t be done. I mean, the salt would clog it up and corrode the wiring and motherboard.

Then Saito Yosuke responded to Yoko Taro’s tweet above:


Saito Yosuke: It would be a model that couldn’t corrode even with salt packed inside of it.

As for me, I currently don’t own a PS4 and I don’t plan on getting it for anything other than NieR:Automata, so for me at least, it would be super cool to get a special themed console.

Feel free to respond to their message in whatever language you speak! I’m sure they’d be interested in hearing from you!

Famitsu Magazine, Issue No.1453

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This week breaks a record-high placing for NieR:Automata in Famitsu’s Top 30 ranking list for upcoming titles!

famitsu-1453

The previous high ranking was at 16th place from the July 14 No.1440 issue released on July 7, 2016. …and even Yoko Taro was seemingly skeptical that it would place any higher than that.


It’s rocketing up the list! —Rekka Alexiel
There’s no way it’ll go up any higher…… —Yoko Taro

I guess this showed him! xD