Shopping Guide
A unique challenger appears in the world of collaborations! The February issue of the free monthly publication Billboard Live News features a wondrous collaboration between the French pop queen Sylvie Vartan, who is performing in Japan this month, and Alien Baltan, Ultraman’s long-time nemesis.
Both names are pronounced the same in Japanese, and it is even rumored that Alien Baltan’s name originated from Sylvie Vartan. Billboard picked up on this connection and decided to do a collaboration between the two. The February issue of Billboard Live News features both front and back covers. On the front is a picture of Vartan and on the back is a picture of Baltan.
The magazine also features an article that looks at the origins of Alien Baltan. The article features interviews with the director of the Ultraman series, Toshihiro Iijima, as well as actress Hiroko Sakurai, a regular to the series who has appeared in Ultra Q and Ultraman. Learn the truth behind Alien Baltan’s name as well as the inside story on the series as Tsuburaya Productions celebrates the series’ 50th anniversary.
Billboard Live News is available at the Billboard stores in Tokyo and Osaka, as well as on racks in the Tokyo Metro, CD shops, and other shops that cooperate with Billboard Live. You can also read the complete interviews with Iijima and Sakurai on Billboard Japan’s official site.
Source:
http://animeanime.jp/article/2012/12/25/12495.html (Japanese)
