In today’s update: the precursor (and post-cursor) to Shinobuden gets a drama CD, Melty Blood: Act Cadenza streets August 10th for the PS2, Ar Tonelico rises from the grave, Gainax dumps another layer of embalming fluid on Eva – for the next fifteen months, Galkko previews the big upcoming ota-love title of fall ’06, and “Nard” becomes “Nerd”. Sieg Zeon!
Media Side

- Before there was Ninin ga Shinobuden there was Genome, which was Shinobuden with elves and dinosaurs. Now Genome is getting a drama CD (as well as a new, post-Shinobuden manga series). What could this portend…
- The Tsuyokiss anime is now officially subtitled “Cool x Sweet”. I’ve will be handling the ED theme, and a nice (though very orange) wallpaper featuring the main cast is available in the site’s special section.
- A reminder from Toranoana today that the PS2 version of Melty Blood: Act Cadenza will be out on August 10th.
- Ar Tonelico‘s not dead! Frontier Works announces the release of volumes 3 and 4 of the Ar Tonelico drama CD series (on September 22nd and October 25th respectively), for those not sated by the game, the manga, the OVA, the artbook, and the first two drama discs in the set (not to mention the various OSTs).
- Starting on July 1st and continuing on the first and fifteenth of every month thereafter (for the next fifteen months), Gainax will be releasing serial installments of what they’re calling the Evangelion Chronicle: a 960-page tome (should you collect them all) that will contain more information regarding the Evangelion universe than anyone could possibly want or need. At 690 yen each (x30 installments = 20,700 yen) such knowledge does not come cheaply, but rest assured that you’ll be spending beyond that for the Cerberus Project-sculpted Ayanami figure available in limited edition via mail order (details in the first issue).
Ero Side

- Lest we forget the other otaku love eroge title on the horizon, Galkko steps in with a teaser preview of Gindokei’s Otaku Masshigura, due out on September 29th.
- New Site Launches / Release Announcements
- C-side’s Kimi ga Tonari ni Ita Kinou
- Undermoon’s D-spray 2
- Lovecherry’s Harami Hime
- Eroro’s Semerarete Onna Tenchou
- We’ve Got Movie Sign!!
- Windmill’s Happiness! ReLucks
- Undead’s Sweet Room
- Juliette’s Natsuiro Kouen
- Sample CG
- Leaf’s Fullani
- Anim-e’s Please Maid Me!
Figure Side

- Old news, but it looks like Goodsmile fixed Akiba Blog‘s
NardNerd-tan jersey prior to last month’s release. Thank goodness!
And finally,
Because the world needs MORE Evangelion merchandise …
As far as Gainax is concerned the world can go on craving Eva until the end of time, I’m sure. -_-
There’s something morbidly fascinating about how Gainax are finding ways to milk the Eva cow. You could probably develop some kind of long-term drinking game around it – see Rei in a suggestive pose, take a shot! See Gainax promise to ‘explain all’, down your pint!
Arghhh!
I’ve always found the Rei fetish a little creepy . . . .
The really interesting thing is that I always felt Eva was kind of an indictment of the otaku mindset. Shinji’s escapist tendencies and his finally being given the choice on how to reshape the world in the end… All seemed like a pretty stinging criticism of otaku culture.
It seems ironic that that very culture has latched onto the series like no other. At 10+ years, Eva worship is still in full swing.