News From the Other Side of the Pond #6

Rika Fukami Narrates Audiological Journey!

Rica Fukami (Sailor Venus) can be heard on iTunes Japan narrating part of a new series aimed at bringing the world to Japan without listeners needing to leave home! The audiobook series that is being brought to iTunes Japan is called Walking of the Earth and is an audio travel book for overseas destinations. Background sounds to really simulate the destination include airport sounds, and sounds of the town. Rika can be heard narrating about Vienna and famous composers such as Schubert, Haydn and Mozart, and also talking about Western Heroines such as Sharon Stone and Jodie Foster. If you wish to purchase this and have access to iTunes Japan, here is the link. On another note, it seems she held a workshop on movement and dance in February and for anyone who wants to read a fan's account of it should click here!

Toru Furuya Promotes New Intel Processors!

Intel has recently come out with some new processors, the E2000 series in Japan. These are dual core processors that run at 800 MHz and come in either 1.6 or 1.8 GHz speeds. On June 30th, Intel held an event in Akiba Square, in Tokyo's famous Akihabara district. Toru Furuya (Tuxedo Mask) is well known to be a bit of a technophile, as he has programmed some election simulators on his site, and is big on playing video games. Fans can catch him playing an upcoming Gundam game for the Wii here and here. Toru (in the middle) appeared at this event to promote these new processors, and was well received by the audience. These processors are the cheapest dual cores around, and are aimed for consumers with a lower budget.

Masako Katsuki in New Anime Series!

Zero no Tsukaima is a new anime whose second season started to air last week. It's a comedic fantasy about Louise, who fails at all magic, except for one, Void. And it just so happens that Void is a rare and powerful element, and it's terribly ironic she fails at magic involving other, more common, elements. Masako Katsuki (Sailor Neptune) plays Sheffield, a mysterious (and villainous) black-haired woman whose face is always hidden with food. Masako in an interview stated that she likes this element of mystery with her character and loves to laugh as this character.