Hatsune Miku
A series of rhythm games starting from "" were produced by Sega under license using Hatsune Miku and other Crypton Vocaloids, as well as "fan-made" Vocaloids like Akita Neru. TinierMe also made attire that looks like Miku's for their services, allowing users to make their avatar resemble her. The series has sold 6million copies. "" was developed for the Nintendo 3DS. Miku's appearance in this game is based on the Nendoroid series of figures. Hatsune Miku is also briefly referenced in the game "Recettear", where a young man stargazing sees "The Green-Onion Girl" constellation. Also, in 2013, Saki Fujita voices Fei-Yen HD, a character based on one of Hatsune Miku's modules, in "Super Robot Wars UX"; this appearance does not use Miku's vocal library.
Minoru Miki
Miki was born in Tokushima in 1930, and his first musical experiences were connected with the traditional music of his region. He had no formal music education before he moved to Okayama for high school, where he first contacted with European classical music. From there he moved to Tokyo, graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1964.
Immediately in that year Miki founded Pro musica Nipponia (日本音楽集団), an orchestra of traditional Japanese instruments for which he would compose a large number of works. He also began cooperation with koto virtuoso Keiko Nosaka, developing the 20-string koto and reviving the instrument's repertoire with many new works in a variety of genres and combinations, including five concertos for koto and orchestra.
Miki composed his first opera, "Shunkinsho" (based on Tanizaki's eponymous novel), in 1975. Interest by members of the English Music Theatre Company in Japanese traditional music led to contacts with Miki which resulted in the commission of the opera "Ada, An Actor's Revenge", to an English libretto by James Kirkup. "Ada" premiered in London in 1979 and was one of the last works commissioned and performed by the EMTC before its ultimate dismemberment in 1980. During this period Miki developed a relationship with director Colin Graham that was to last until the latter's death in 2007. The most notable result of this cooperation was the opera "Jōruri", commissioned by Graham for the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (where he had moved following the disbandment of the EMTC) and premiered there in 1985.