Highlights
- Yuki Kaji announced his project Soyogi Fractal, utilizing AI to create an immortalized voice bank for voice actors.
- A kickstarter campaign was launched for Soyogi Fractal, reaching its goal with tiers including exclusive merch and thank you notes.
- Fans speculate on a possible connection between Soyogi Fractal and Attack on Titan, with a teaser drawn by Hajime Isayama.
Yuki Kaji has always been passionate about his character as a voice actor. Starting in 2004, Kaji is most famous for his roles in Guilty Crown, Tokyo Ghoul, and Attack on Titan. Last year, Kaji announced his newest project, Soyogi Fractal, featuring a vocaloid-like character from another world. His purpose? To serve as an “immortalized” voice bank for voice actors, as they grow and their voices change (with permission, of course!). The program will be made using CeVIO AI, a software similar to Vocaloid that utilizes both singing and talking from voice banks, that can be used freely.
The intention is to make use of AI positively for creators. That way, their music and voices can live on and be utilized. The character in question is named Soyogi Soyogi (kanji for the surname meaning, “untainted/normal” or “self-aware”). Ultimately, the goal is to send out a positive message that AI can be beneficial for humanity – and for this special project, Yuki Kaji has enlisted none other than Hajime Isayama.
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Success Starts With Money
A widely debated principal, but in this case, it’s very much needed. On April 11th, an official kickstarter campaign on the site, Campfire, began towards the creation of the program. Tiers included prices up to almost 1,000 USD, and consisted of thank you notes and flyers, special one-on-one meeting opportunities, hoodies, acrylics and other collectibles, and a copy of Soyogi Fractal itself, with your name published and credited. The campaign ended on May 31st and has long since reached its goal. All tiers were limited to residents of Japan and will be shipped out this upcoming November. Moreover, a contest is planned to be held to decide who will illustrate the manga itself. But what does all this have to do with Hajime Isayama?
The Man Behind the Mind
A curious note was included in the tier description for the Soyogi Fractal manga. An “Attack on Titan notice” is supposed to be included. We already know that the series is in the process of finishing up, along with Linked Horizon‘s final contribution being released on August 7th. But the mystery remains: If Attack on Titan is over, what could this “notice” be? A spin-off or adaptation perhaps?
Fans are theorizing that since Hajime Isayama is in charge of the story, Soyogi Fractal may in fact have a connection with Attack on Titan. In a short teaser drawn by Isayama, we see a quick interaction between Soyogi and his peers, where they discuss the purpose of AI and if it could one day turn against humanity. Soyogi, loyal to humanity, insists that they merely exist to serve and humanity is safe. However, suddenly he becomes self-aware. With that cliffhanger, fans are left speculating about what this one-shot could possibly be about. Knowing Isayama’s work, it may be a message about how AI can be used. Kaji wants to use it to benefit humanity, but something with its own intelligence could be just as dangerous.
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Do AI Dream of Artificial Sheep?
Not much is known about the story aside from that it’s about a man and woman placed in the exact same situation. While the story is written by Hajime Isayama, Yuki Kaji is the one who came up with the ideas. It should be noted that on March 30th, for Eren’s birthday, Kaji released two versions of a cover of “Akuma no Ko”, one with his real voice, and another using Soyogi Fractal. This is no small project, either. The project has also used covers of “Orange” by SPYAIR as well as Kaji’s own song, “Sense of Wonder”, to demonstrate its creative ability.
Based on Isayama’s most recent interview in Shingeki FLY, it’s safe to say that he’s moved on from Attack on Titan for now; but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any more creative ideas up his sleeve. Soyogi Fractal, the program, is planned for a release in Fall of 2024, along with the one-shot coming this summer.
Follow the project on its official website, YouTube, and Twitter to stay in the loop.
Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan is a post apocalyptic themed anime where the world is plagued by monstrous creatures called titans. People live in walled cities to avoid the danger of the man eating titans. After they destroy his home, main character Eren Yeager swears to exterminate all titans off the face of the earth.
