Hanakuma Chifuyu (花隈千冬) is a Japanese vocal developed and distributed by TOKYO6 ENTERTAINMENT in collaboration with AH-Software Co. Ltd., and released as an AI voice database for Synthesizer V Studio in October 2022. She also released as a speech voicebank for CeVIO AI, which later in October 2024 was ported to VoiSona Talk; she was also announced to start crowdfunding for a VOICEPEAK text-to-speech library starting in November.
She is voiced by Kaya Okuno, a Japanese voice actress.
Concept[]
Hanakuma Chifuyu is a first-year student attending the fictional Otaru Shiokaze High School. She can play the drums and is noted to have "serious withdrawal thoughts". She decided to enroll and join the music club after seeing Natsuki Karin performing live. She is described to be addicted to taking photos with an old camera she found in her warehouse.
Chifuyu likes matcha, reading, and cameras. She dislikes sweetness in general.[1] She is themed around the winter season.[2]
Etymology[]
Hanakuma (花隈) is an existing Japanese surname with Hana (花) meaning "flower" & kuma (隈) meaning "corner/nook/recess" while Chifuyu (千冬) translates to "a thousand winters".
Appearance[]
Chifuyu is a high school student with long black hair tied into braids extending past her shoulder and small white bows tied to the tips of the braids. Her eye color is a pale green and she wears a pair of black glasses, although she also wears contact lenses sometimes.[3] Her Synthesizer V AI design omits the glasses.
Chifuyu wears a standard school uniform - a grey top with a green tie and a dark blue/white accented long sleeved jacket over it. She also wears a short, dark blue pleated skirt, black leggings with a pair of black and white-striped socks, and grey calf-length boots.
Larkpatch (ラークパッチ Raakupacchi), her companion who was also called Professor Larkpatch (ラークパッチ教授 Raakupacchi-Kyouju or ブロフェッサー、ラークパッチ Purofessaa Raakupacchi), is a light blue stuffed bear with black claws and dark blue patches over his left eye, arms and legs. He wears a dark blue tie and has a small top hat on his head. He has a white bandage on his right arm and has a pair of tattered yellow wings on his back. His name "Larkpatch" is inspired by Doctor William Smith Clark, an American professor of chemistry, botany and zoology and a colonel during the American Civil War and the word "patch" in reference to the patches on his body.[4]
Relations[]
- Larkpatch - Stuffed bear companion
- Koharu Rikka - fellow student & music club member at Otaru Shiokaze High School.
- Natsuki Karin - fellow student & music club member at Otaru Shiokaze High School.
Voice Libraries[]
- Hanakuma Chifuyu Talk Voice (CeVIO AI), October 20, 2022
- Hanakuma Chifuyu AI (Synthesizer V Studio), October 20, 2022
- Hanakuma Chifuyu AI Lite (Synthesizer V Studio), November 2, 2022
- Hanakuma Chifuyu (VoiSona Talk), October 21, 2024
- Hanakuma Chifuyu (VOICEPEAK), To be crowdfunded November 2024, expected 2025
Additional Information[]
Marketing[]
On May 22, 2021, Chifuyu received an official acrylic keychain.[5] A cocktail collaboration with Bar V, a bar in Susukino Sapporo, was also announced.[6] On May 24, three contests as part pf the Koharu Rikka x Otaru Collaboration were launched one of which was to name Chifuyu's and Karin's stuffed bear companions.[7] Finalists of the Otaru Collaboration radio FM, Mascot Name and Audio Drama contests were announced during the second TOKYO6 ENTERTAINMENT Official Live Broadcast on July 21. Twelve entries were submitted for the stuffed bear mascots for Karin and Chifuyu respectively. Of the winning entries, Larkpatch-Kyouju (ラークパッチ教授, lit. Professor Larkpatch or ブロフェッサー、ラークパッチ) was selected by Kaya Okuno, Chifuyu's voice actress, as the name for Hanakuma Chifuyu's mascot submitted by Twitter user Mamon;[8][9] this name would be later simplified to just Larkpatch (ラークパッチ) on Chifuyu's official character page.
On April 22, 2022, Kaya Okuno performed "Himetaru.NE" at "Koharu Rikka 1st LIVE! First Day of School!".[10]. It was a song written by Itsuki Minato, Takapira's keyboardist, that was intended to be a future demo for Chifuyu.[11] On September 29, an MMD model by tumidango and official standing art were made available.[12]
Chifuyu's birthday is acknowledged as March 2 and TOKYO6 ENTERTAINMENT may annually encourage fans to create content for her.
Chifuyu was among one of the Synthesizer V vocals that could be trialed at certain Japanese music retail stores where customers can use the software that was set up with the stores' PCs.[13]
Reputation[]
References[]
- ↑ https://note.com/tokyo6/n/nc5e32c933fa1
- ↑ https://x.com/s_akasakov/status/1527328339945746433
- ↑ https://x.com/Chifuyu_Info/status/1488017581629841410
- ↑ https://x.com/V1JZpwkKFGpv8qD/status/1396475684223025157
- ↑ https://x.com/tokyo6info/status/1396092732460912646
- ↑ https://x.com/tokyo6info/status/1396092732637028357
- ↑ https://x.com/tokyo6info/status/1396729377426087940
- ↑ https://x.com/V1JZpwkKFGpv8qD/status/1396475684223025157
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9wDSETvuzY&t=4528
- ↑ https://x.com/kaayaataaaan/status/1518219391048896512
- ↑ https://x.com/s_akasakov/status/1518268067771744256
- ↑ https://x.com/tokyo6info/status/1575385469172338688
- ↑ https://x.com/shima_umeda/status/1598220720546676737
- ↑ https://x.com/tokyo6info/status/1541070939374624768
- ↑ https://x.com/Chifuyu_Info/status/1551946581146234880