MEIKA Hime & Mikoto

MEIKA Hime & Mikoto (鳴花（メイカ）ヒメ・ミコト) are Japanese VOCALOIDs developed and distributed by Gynoid Co., Ltd. in association with MontBlanc Pictures. They were released for the VOCALOID5 engine in March 2019. A complementary pair of speech banks were also released for Gynoid Talk the same day as the VOCALOIDs; ports of these voicebanks for were announced in December 2024, to be given away for free to users of their soon-to-be-discontinued Gynoid Talk versions starting in March 2025.https://x.com/AIVOICE_PR/status/1870076493654831114
They were voiced by the Japanese voice actress Kotori Koiwai.
==Concept==
Hime and Mikoto represent the "spirit" (精霊) of . 
The illustrator gave no official statement of their genders, making the characters genderless in Gynoid's eyes. Gynoid notes that they are not human beings and are instead a part of the spiritual world.https://x.com/gynoid_jp/status/1103945906380976128
===Etymology===
Their surname is officially rendered as "MEIKA" in capital letters.https://x.com/gynoid_jp/status/1103951549636567040
During the sketching stage of their designs, Hime was nicknamed "cute" and Mikoto "cool" by the artists as the final names were not decided yet.https://www.dtmstation.com/archives/23988.html
===Appearance===
When listening to their voices during the recording process, miwasiba intended to create a design that was reminiscent to flower's. As time progressed, a girlish character was done alongside a boyish one with a clear distinction between the two. 
When asked if hair color served any significance, Gynoid answered that they don't believe so and that it was up to their illustrator to answer that question.https://x.com/gynoid_jp/status/1104064050382532608 Although the hair color may hint at the Japanese folklore of Aka-Oni and Ao-Oni, a set of characters who are foils to one another in personality and actions. One Oni, Two Oni. Red Oni, Blue Oni
===Relations===
* Gynoid noted that it is undecided if Hime and Mikoto are siblings, when asked by a user whether they were sisters.https://x.com/gynoid_jp/status/1103946190607929345
* flower - fellow Gynoid Vocaloid whose design inspired their character design.
==History==
===Marketing===
Hime and Mikoto received official 3D models created for by and 2D standing illustrations by niijimaakiichi (新島秋一
).https://www.gynoid.co.jp/news/view/60 Prior to the pair's release, Hime's 3D model specifically, was featured in an article in volume 248https://shop.cgworld.jp/shopdetail/000000000677/ of the magazine, giving an overview of the 3D modelling process by mqdl.https://x.com/CGWjp/status/1109062376874082304https://x.com/mqdl/status/1104247020187860992
Gynoid did not give permission until the April 4, 2019 to allow works for them on Crypton Future Media, Inc.'s "Piapro" website. As of this date, MEIKA Hime and Mikoto, as well as Xin Hua, can all be posted onto the site.https://ch.piapro.jp/creator/2019/04/f1904041-1
===Voicebanks===
;MEIKA Hime
:A feminine vocal with a girlish tone.
* MEIKA Hime & Mikoto (VOCALOID5), March 30, 2019
;MEIKA Mikoto
:A feminine vocal with a boyish tone.
* MEIKA Hime & Mikoto (VOCALOID5), March 30, 2019
;MEIKA Hime - Talk
: A talk voicebank was released for Gynoid Talk.
* MEIKA Hime & Mikoto (Gynoid Talk), March 30, 2019
* (), In development, expected March 3, 2025
;MEIKA Mikoto - Talk
: A talk voicebank was released for Gynoid Talk.
* MEIKA Hime & Mikoto (Gynoid Talk), March 30, 2019
* MEIKA Hime & Mikoto (A.I.VOICE), In development, expected March 3, 2025
==Music featuring MEIKA Hime & Mikoto==
==Reputation==
==References==
==External links==
Language	Description	Site
==Navigation==
Category:MEIKA Hime & Mikoto
Category:Gynoid Co., Ltd.
Category:VOCALOID
Category:VOCALOID5
Category:Feminine vocals
Category:Japanese vocals