In today’s update: the SOS-dan represents with various news from the Haruhi front, Seirei no Moribito broadcast details (a full 26 episodes!), studio ufotable gets an in-house cafe and a Manabi Straight anime, Dragon Age Pure gets a second volume, Media Factory launches a new manga serial, several bits of eroanime news (including “the world’s first shota” and a new Yakin Byoutou spinoff), Harthnir enters the eroge market, Alter’s Ignis PVC goes color, we hear Maritan’s voice for the first time, and more. Is HD finally back in action?!

SOS団

episode 10… so good…

• Sample cover images for the special release of Episode 00 “Mikuru no Bouken” are now online at the official Haruhi fanclub site. On sale June 23rd!
• A new episode of Haruhi web radio has been online since last Friday, and it is awesome (as usual).
• Vote for your best shot from episode 7! I have to agree with the prevailing trends, the Nagato-in-the-wind at the end was the most lovingly animated bit of the episode by far.
• The May image gallery has been updated (with the Megami poster scooped earlier, among others) over at Kyoani’s official Haruhi site.

Media Side

• Big news today on the Seirei no Moribito front: according to both game site eg and Production IG the series will run for 26 episodes on NHK starting in spring 2007. It was initially rumored for fall 2006, alas… still, nice to have the date (and high episode count) confirmed.
• News comes from animation studio ufotable that they’ll be converting the first floor of their Tokyo studio into a cafe come the middle of June. Sip your latte with Sara and Sojuu in style! Also from ufotable today is news that Manabi Straight will be animefied (I thought this was a foregone conclusion, apparently it wasn’t). The character introductions begin with Amamiya Manami (aka Manabi), and the first volume of the manga is now on sale.
• Volume 2 of Dragon Age Pure will be released on June 29th. For those who don’t recall the furor surrounding the first volume, let me refresh your memory. A cookie to anyone who can find the nekkid Itou Noizi pinup! …oh.
• Win international fame and fortune (roughly $2,700 USD) by designing the mascot character for Tokyo Anime Fair 2007! Applicants need not be in Japan, but the cutoff date is June 30th.
• Remember Dear Pianissimo, the Kogado game on a flash RAM stick embedded in a bishoujo figure scooped a month or so ago? Well, its official site is now open.
• Negima recieves a makeover from animation studio SHAFT for the production of it’s OVA series, official site now open. Though there will always be a special spot in my heart for Uno Makoto’s take on Akamatsu’s designs, this new feral look almost drums up enough interest here at HD to overcome the apathy usually brought on by all things Negima.
• The opening movie for Wrestling Angels Survivor, the other all-female pro wrestling console game, is now online. While more ADV (SLG) and less 3D than the alternative, these designs certainly win out in the moe arena.
• Comic ALIVE is a new manga serial set for launch on June 27th from Media Factory. A quick glance at its initial contents reveals a scheme along the lines of Dengeki Gao (mangafications of current/recent/upcoming anime, mangafications of visual novels), probably nothing to get too excited about.
• A trailer is online today for Spectral Force 3: Innocent Rage, which is looking pretty glitzy (as an Xbox 360 title it has no excuse not to be). The animated bits don’t seem to benifit much from a high definition treatment, though.
• According to their production site, Little Non will be doing the OP for the upcoming Tsuyokisu anime. Subtitled “Cool x Sweet”?
• The third installment of Cave’s Ibara web manga is now online for viewing. So pretty… almost pretty enough for me to forgive their uber-ultra-so-limited-it-doesn’t-really-exist-edition release of the Ibara figures. But I digress.

Ero Side

• Harthnir represents in the world of 2,000 yen eroge with the June 18th release of Cosplay Roshutsu Kenkyuukai from newly-formed maker Pin-Point. A demo movie and trial version are available here, with sample CG further down on the main page; though this seems like a rather slapdash project the price is definitely right, and I’m getting much better vibes from the presentation than is usual for Harthnir’s work. Here’s hoping this represents the beginning of his further forays into the ADV scene.
• Eroanime News
  • Pixy’s Kikishi Lilia vol. 1 is now on sale (at a very reasonable price I might add, available from DLsite here).
  • August 18th will see the release of yet another Yakin Byoutou-inspired eroanime from SED (makers of the infamous Nanase Ren OVA), this one entitled Kazama Ai (screenshots available below the red “18+” text).
  • Billed as the world’s first shota eroanime, Boku no Piko will be released on September 7th from maker Natural High.
  • The official site for D3’s Cleavage vol. 2 is now fully open, with an initial set of screenshots available for view. It’s still set for a June 23rd release.
• New Site Launches / Release Announcements
  • Stellar’s Hikaei! [sample CG]
  • Trust’s Ore no Dorei Hikawa Shizuku
  • Concept’s Suezen
  • Meteor’s Chokotto Vampire!
  • Heat-soft’s Dain
• We’ve Got Movie Sign!!
  • Soft House Chara’s Greensvahl no Mori no Naka (getting “unknown method error” at extract, may be a universal problem?)
• Sample CG
  • Erogos’s Maho Tama Oshaburi-hen (more lascivious anigifs!)
  • Akabee Soft’s Konna Ko ga Ittara Boku wa Mou…!!
  • Chuable Soft’s Amanatsu
  • Liquid’s Seidorei Gakuen
  • MBS Truth’s Nakadashi Igai wa Kousoku Ihan!!
  • Psychs J’s Yami no Senoh
• Wallpapers
  • Interheart’s Boin ni Kakero!
  • Inspire’s Edelweiss
  • Minori’s ef – a fairytale of the two –
  • Talisman’s June Wallpaper
  • Ankh’s June Wallpaper
  • Dengeki Hime’s July Edition Wallpapers
  • Purple Software’s June Wallpaper
  • Circus’s My HiME PC edition

Hobby Side

• Alter’s Jingai Makyou Ignis PVC, now in color!! Slated for a September release, but I’m drooling already.
• Why, oh why are these Sega Prize (UFO-catcher) figures not available for purchase on the regular market? If you happen to be in Japan in the next few months this would be a great way to waste several hundred yen.
• The few. The proud. Maritan gets a new top illustration (Navy-san banzai!!) and a diary entry complete with voice (!) from Tokunaga Ai, commanding us in the foulest of bad English to go out and buy the “hearing CD”-equipped Concentration Drills vol. 2 book, due out on June 17th.
• eg gets up close and personal with the Air Gear capsule figures due out very soon (within the next week, most likely) from Bandai’s HGIF division. Pretty good quality, especially at the 200 yen price point.
• I’ve got a list of Hobbynet items queued up to churn through, but no time this morning… expect a more full-figured hobby update after work (in about twelve hours).