In today’s update: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni anime gets design sketches, Brave Story exists, infinite monkeys with infinite typewriters churn out a list of 2006 winter shows, Toranoana is market savvy, Rin gets a stuffed doll, Maritan DESTROYS THE EVIL POWER, and fans of striped undergarments dance in the streets.
In today’s update: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni anime anime design sketches, Brave Story exists, infinite monkeys with infinite typewriters churn out a list of 2006 winter shows, Toranoana is market savvy, Rin gets a stuffed doll, Maritan DESTROYS THE EVIL POWER, and fans of striped undergarments dance in the streets.
Media Side
- Not only is Higurashi no Naku Koro ni being animated by Studio Deen, there are character design sketches up on the official site today. This is being reported elsewhere as if it’s not much of a scoop, so I’m guessing I missed the initial anime announcement back in the void that was my ‘netless September… [edit] it seems I did in fact note this already. A rather forgettable item, I guess.
- In other Higurashi news, a new installment of the saga will be on sale at Toranoana on December 30th. At 4:00 PM. A specified time in midafternoon might seem odd, until you realize what event ends at 4:00 PM on December 30th and where the people who were at that event will be going next. Toranoana, you clever bastards.
- Brave Story is an animated film produced by Gonzo, Fuji TV, and Warner Brothers, slated for a July 8th 2006 roadshow, and with an official English site here. I’d recommend checking out the trailer, it looks pretty cool (though not quite as cool as Giniro no Kami no Agito, though I may just be partial to the presence of female characters).
- Web Anime Style has a handy chronological lineup of the anime offerings for the winter 2006 season as far as their launch dates are known. Here’s a rundown of the more interesting titles:
- Rean no Tsubasa: initial broadcast is online only, via Bandai Channel. An action-packed sci fi OAV.
- Kage Kara Mamoru!: wacky ninja high school love comedy hijinks.
- Yomigaeru Sora Rescue Wings: realistic series about the Japanese equivalent of the coast guard, with a list of supporting contributors longer than this post.
- Gin-iro no Kami no Agito: a postapocalyptic CG fest that just might lift animated cinema out of its doldrums of the past few years. [trailer]
- Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl: Though the title is promising, the presence of males on the cast page means it can’t possibly be yuri enough.
- Fate / stay night: I don’t need to say anything about this, do I?
- Tactical Roar: one man, nine women, and a bunch of shoddily composited CG on a three hour tour. The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed…
- Rakugo Tennyo Oyui: girls reborn as “heavenly nymphs” to fight evil at the end of the Edo period. Has a cute tanuki kid.
- Nerima Daikon Brothers: I really don’t know, but whatever it is I don’t like it. Feel free to ignore this comment.
- Majikano: tagline: “I’ll make you a man for real!”
- Lemon Angel Project: a bunch of unknown singers / voice actresses star in an anime about a bunch of unknown singers / voice actresses. Related to an earlier project with the same name.
- Rec: I will watch the first few episodes of this based solely on the fact that it features a girl wearing nothing but headphones and a towel. All I need to know, really.
- Binchou-tan: she has a log. On her head.
- Dengeki Animaga The Best Issue 2 was out on the 30th of November, and like its predecessor it includes only one poster. Unless you want an artbook digest of previous Animaga poster offerings (this time around the theme of “school uniforms and costumes”) I’d give this one a miss.
- Taito’s Shikigami no Shiro Episode 3 site opened yesterday, for the shooting game fans. In unrelated gaming news, the Ar Tonelico OST has some pretty rad stuff going on ([edit] December 21st release, thanks to VanRaily for pointing out the error).
- Today’s denpa discovery is Mosaic.wav, with a fair distribution of sample tracks here. Listen to more than ten consecutive minutes of this and your teeth will rot and fall out of your head, guaranteed.
- This week’s edition of Radio To Heart 2 is online, probing yet deeper into the mystery that is curry and rice.
Ero Side
- This week’s Galkko feature is Marmalade’s Miraroma. [sample CG]
- The first part of Game Style’s 15th Heroine to Talk feature is online, profiling the cast of Clover’s December 16th release of Quilt.
- The OP theme of Unchain’s Oratorio is available for download at its official site (a full version 192kbps mp3), and is quite a nice change from the incessant denpa of most eroge.
- In eroanime news, a 2-minute version of the preview for the December 4th release of Soft On Demand’s Nanase Ren OVA is available here.
- Toranoana angles for your December 9th purchase dollars as they announce the release of an exclusive 32-page volume of To Heart 2 doujinshi to go on sale in conjunction with the release of TH2 xrated.
- New Site Launches / Release Announcements
- Ivory’s Wanko to Kurasou [sample CG]
- Demo Downloads
- Ail-soft’s Ragna Science
Waffle’s Nukenin Side Story Kaede-hen
- Ail-soft’s Ragna Science
- Sample CG
- Wallaby House’s Yousei-san to Issho
- MBS Truth’s Mome! Chichi Shimai Katei Kyoushi 11 [official site]
- Puzzlebox’s Niizuma wa Sailor-fuku
- U・Me Soft’s Furin Kazoku [official site]
- Mille-feuille’s Mahou Shoujo Sae vol. 1
- Wallpapers
- Puzzlebox’s Niizuma wa Sailor-fuku
- Light’s Imitation Lover
- Stoneheads’ Maid in Heaven SuperS
- Comiket Corner
- TinkerBell represents
- F and C represents (futanari alert)
- Littlewitch represents
- Nanoha A’s represents
Hobby Side
- The few. The proud. The new diary entry and survey, which you can fill out to win a Maritan-enhanced desert colors American flag patch subtitled “DESTROY THE EVIL POWER”. It doesn’t get much cooler than this.
- February 16th, 2006 wil see the release of this Rin stuffed doll from Fate / stay night. I’m trying to think of a word to describe the expression on her face, and it’s just not coming…
- An Aishia figure will be released with the Da Capo Second Season vol. 4 DVD, on sale January 12th, 2006.
- Akibajin presents a handy summary of some recent figure news, in visual form. Still waffling on this one… also, Itsu Datte My Santa DVD box sample figure at Toranoana.
- On Sale Today
- Yamato’s Story Image Figure Extra Sonsaku Hakufu PVC from Ikkitousen
- Wave’s Sagisawa Noriko PVC from Da Capo [Akibajin review]
- Yujin’s SRDX Sayaka PVC from Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo
- Yujin’s R.O.D the TV trading figures
- Coming Soon
December 2005
- Spring’s Higurashi no Naku Koro ni trading figures
January 2006
- [ERO] Solid Theater’s Colorful Pure Girl FLAT STYLE PVC (pettanko + striped pantsu alert)
February 2006
- B Club’s Sheema Garahawa & Lily Marlen polystone from Gundam 0083 Stardust Memories
March 2006
- Tomy’s Tetsudou Musume vol. 2 trading figures
Perhaps I’m mistaken, but isn’t the Ar Tonelico OST to be released on 12/21? I see a different album entitled “Ar Tonelico Hymnnos Concert Side” scheduled for release on 01/26, but I have no idea what that album actually entails.
Anyway, thanks for pointing out the OST. I have a feeling that my wallet may be about $30 lighter come the end of December…
You’re completely right, thanks for pointing that out. I’ve amended the post to suit. It seems the OST is coming out before the actual game. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to pick it up this month…