In today’s update: cosplayers brave the cold in snowbound Akihabara, Petopeto-san design works, Hibiki Reine drives the Setsubun demons away, Hitozuma Kasumi-san ero OVA vol. 2 scooped, Genshiken’s Ogiue at WF 2006 winter, and the first color glimpse of Atelier-Sai’s very sexy Kaname Chidori PVC, among other figure news.

Media Side

• Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuu-utsu net radio will launch on February 17th, a week after its terrestrial radio debut. In other web radio news, this week’s Paniponi Dash episode is online today.
• Design work for the Petopeto-san anime can be found here and here, courtesy of Web Anime Style.
• Those looking for a slice of anime history can catch the first episode of 1972’s Umi no Triton for free online courtesy of Biglobe’s streaming service, provided you have access to a DRM-enabled Windows Media Player.
• Drive out the demons in style this Setsubun with fukumame (“good luck beans”) from Toranoana. Each packet comes with a Hibiki Reine collector’s card!
• The past few days have brought the coldest weather of the new year thus far to the Kanto region of Japan. Akiba was not immune, turning very briefly white before the snow slushed away. Singers were still singing, though, and Akibajin was out and about as well. Not pleasant biking weather, let me tell you.
• MOSAIC.WAV released their second album (Space Akiba Pop) on January 20th, backing it up on the 22nd with a live concert in Akihabara. Short versions of several of the tracks are available here.
• Every Sunday the main street in Akiba is closed to motor vehicle traffic and the district takes on a more festive atmosphere. Hot, scantily-clad Asuka cosplayers are a rarer commodity, however. Kadokawa had some Karin and Canvas 2 cosplayers out as well, advertising their respective January 27th DVD releases and subsequent Anime Matsuri on the 29th.

Ero Side

• Great news on the eroanime front today for fans of improbably endowed women, as Muse opens an official page for its production of Hitozuma Kasumi-san OVA vol. 2, set for an April 14th release. From the stills it’s looking to be even better than the first round. :3
• The release of Underlip‘s three package version games slated for January 27th has been pushed back to February 3rd.
• New Site Launches / Release Announcements
  • AniSeed’s Relict DVD Edition
  • AniSeed’s Relict 2 ~Episode Moon~ [sample CG] (tsundere catgirl alert)
  • Vitamin’s Ijitte Princess Gaiden (sample CG embedded in the Flash)
  • Juliette’s Goshujin-sama he
• Demo Downloads
  • RaSeN’s Hime Miko
  • Rusk’s Kimi to Aishite Musubarete
  • West Vision’s Yadorimushi
• Sample CG
  • Vitamin’s Himitsu no Houkago 2
  • Crossnet’s Wiz Anniversary
  • Escude’s Mahjong Eiyuu x Maoh [official site]
• Wallpapers
  • Akabee Soft’s Sono Yokogao wo Mitsumete Shimau
  • Crossnet’s Wiz Anniversary
  • Palette’s Moshimo Ashita ga Harenaraba
  • Patisserie’s Miko x Mono

Hobby Side

• At least one March edition hobby magazine went on sale yesterday, as scans have started popping up on 2chan’s mokeiura board; Atelier-Sai’s eroero Chidori clothes-changing PVC from Full Metal Panic is revealed in all of her full color glory, along with several other PVC and resin scoops here and here (more details on the contents of these two images tomorrow). It seems Max Factory will be putting out a Carmen 99 to go with it’s recently announced Gun x Sword Wendy PVC, good news all around. :3
• Midareuchi has a review online of Megahouse’s Koyori PVC from Sengoku Cannon, apparently released yesterday in some fortunate locales. I won’t have mine for another couple of days. ;__; The [ERO] side review can be found here.
• Kaiyodo has posted the lineup of its Wonder Festival 2006 winter event-only Wonder Showcase resin kit releases, including the Koutetsu Hanten -sculpted Ogiue (Renko cosplay ver.) kit from Genshiken that was on sale at last summer’s event. At 5,800 yen it’s not a bad deal, might be one to keep an eye on.
• If you’re one of the cool kids in Cave’s cell phone club you could be preordering the Ibara OST + figure set today. I wonder how fast it will sell out…
• Dragon Age Pure has sample images online of its January 30th edition mail order-only Tsubame figure, now in color! Scroll down for the close-up shots.
• Amazon has more pictures of Megahouse’s upcoming Maicching Machiko-sensei PVC figure online, but still doesn’t quite deliver the goods… Come on, tilt that camera just a little more… The full (or partial) monty will be revealed on March 25th.
• Kotobukiya’s Sela-chan PVC has had her shipping date bumped back a day to February 3rd. Patience, we must have patience.
• According to a fax from Wafuudou Ganguten, their Stellvia Yayoi PVC (slated to come out in the coming week) has been produced in quantities less than were preordered. quality-up no tame… the full extent of the damage won’t be known until stores recieve their individual shipments, on or around January 26th.
• Akibajin has a review online of two of Banpresto’s Maid Cafe Collection Akihabara trading figures.

Tomorrow will see the release of March’s issue of Afternoon, and with it the much-anticipated climax of the Sasahara-Ogiue arc of the Genshiken manga. Will he be able to break through her complex of self-loathing and bring his dating sim scenario to a happy end? Stay tuned…