Atlus (videogames), Dynamo Pictures (CG), and Madhouse Inc. (anime) are all subsidiaries of Index Holdings, and represent the entertainment division of the group. Now Atlus has acquired Gonzo Rosso, who used to be owned by GDH (now going by their original name, Gonzo) but separated from them earlier this year as GDH struggled to restructure its business. Atlus is hoping this acquisition will enable it to expand their territory in the videogame software and online game markets, which is their new focus after announcing their intention to retreat from the game arcade business. None of this really affects me personally, but it did solve the mystery of why Gonzo Rosso was selling Madhouse-related merchandise at Summer Comiket this year. As I read this news on the net, I was surprised to find out that Index had drastically cut back on the number of companies they own from 25 down to 6. What surprised me was not the decrease itself, but the fact that Index chose Madhouse to remain among the six companies they decided to keep. After Gonzo's demise, we were all worried about the same thing happening to other anime studios, but it's a huge relief to know that Madhouse has been saved from going down the same path.

An idol cafe in Akiba formerly known as AKIBA Tenkyuu, is now reopening as Idol Station and will be holding an audition on 12/19/09 to choose their special "idol employee". The grand winner will be cast in Nintendo DS's television commercial for When They Cry Vol.4. Okay, that sounds exciting enough, but what in the world is an "idol cafe"? I read through their website and here's how they explain it:

The customers of the cafe are considered "producers." So, as producers, they are asked to think of the girls who work there as future idols and are expected to treat them as one. Once you become a "special producer" (the website didn't offer details on how to achieve that status), you can dress the girls in assigned costumes, have them perform on stage, and be included in the team that produces their original songs. Basically, the cafe claims to be the support group for the girls who want to become an idol.

I don't know...it looks and sounds like another dating service to me, but this cafe apparently succeeded in producing a real idol, Shoko Maejima. I'll check their website later to see who the grand "idol employee" of the year is.