Today’s Updates

• Magazine Review: Megami vol. 97 (June 2008)
• Figure Review: Alpha Omega Queen’s Blade Shizuka

See below for a bunch of news that wasn’t quite deserving of its own individual posts, but is still likely to be of use to figure enthusiasts and ero aesthetes alike (also new figure release whoredom, and some Play-Asia bargains):

The June ‘08 edition of Megami Magazine was released today, and we’re here with the scoop of its contents! With poster entries from most of the bishoujo anime of the season along with several looks ahead at what we can expect in the summer it’s a pretty well-rounded issue, and though soft in a couple of parts (too much tiny Nanoha) there are a few standout offerings that make the purchase worth it in the end. Moon Phase scoops the news of a new Higurashi OVA and talks about yuri love in Koihime Musou revealed in this issue, but we’re here for the posters:

When we first saw her in prototype at Wonder Festival last summer and later learned of her castoff potential, a preorder was mandated by some sort of federal law. With two of the top figure makers in the business collaborating on the project and a price that shouts rude epithets at the rising cost of oil (not to mention her demonic good looks), who could possibly resist Shizuka’s allure? Not me, which is why I am making this post:

Today’s Updates

• Volks Hatsune Miku preorder open
• Maritan Nendoroid announced
• Crowd’s X-Change Alternative 2 official site renewal open
• Taki Corp. does nekomimi mode Ryomou Shimei
• Bandai Metamo To Love-Ru Lala, Haruna preorders open

See below for other totally awesome news, served fresh with a side of incoherent rambling:

Update for those who don’t read the Mainichi posts (read them! please?): Volks Miku preorders sold out of the first round within a day. Preorders for a second round will open on May 3rd.

As scooped in our earlier coverage of the figure, preorders opened today at the Volks official online shop for their store limited Vocaloid2 Hatsune Miku PVC. Recapping our earlier coverage, the figure is 1/6 scale, with a sculpt from A-BRAND’s Miruhi Shutoraase (Milchstraße, ミルヒ・シュトラーセ) and a retail price of 7,140 yen. She comes with a second exchangeable arm option, and is scheduled for release in early September. The figure is available exclusively through Volks’ online shop and brick and mortar outlets, and preorders will be closed when the production quota has been reached, so if you’re thinking of purchasing via proxy the earlier the better. Kit image below:

An intrepid anonymous at 2chan’s mokeiura board posted an image today from what I assume to be the new volume of Maritan Drills that came out over the weekend, announcing plans to produce a Nendoroid action figure based on the Magical Marine Pixel Maritan design! No details beyond the initial planning have been announced, but the foul-mouthed bloodthirsty English profanity-spewing moe mascot character is an ideal candidate for Nendoroidization and I can’t wait to see what they come up with… We’ll keep an eye out for further news. Announcement image below:

For the past several months it seemed that the Crowd eroge brand was dead in the water while sister brand Anim churned out titles in rapid succession. Rumor on the Crowd blog indicated last week that we could expect an update soon though, and as promised one came yesterday in the form of a full renewal of the X-Change Alternative 2 official site. In addition to a repackaging of content already on the site several new items have been added, including new sample images (click on each individual character profile and scroll right to view). Apparently work on the title is now proceeding full steam ahead, and there’s the added bonus of the news that the game’s opening movie will debut at Dream Party Tokyo 2008 Spring this coming Saturday, March 3rd. I’m really digging the “cute and pop” design feel of the game, and have a feeling that we can expect something unique from previous games in the series with this title. It’s received a hard release date of July 25th, 2008 - here’s hoping they can hold to schedule! We’ll be keeping an eye on developments as work on the game proceeds. (no more)

Related affiliate items

• X-Change Alternative (visuals uncensored, English text)
• X-Change series (1-3, uncensored, English)

Figure maker Taki Corporation, king of the Ikkitousen figure conveyor belt, is at it again - this time with a new catgirl maid rendition of Ryomou Shimei. She’s due out in PVC in June, at full Taki price of 9,240 yen, 25 cm tall (scale unspecified), fully castoffable with a choice of two costumes and matching arm and leg configurations (nekomimi maid, and standard blue French maid). Additional gimmicks include an exhcangeable face part, handcuff accessories, and her maid apron removable to reveal a heart-shaped cutout that exposes her breasts. While they still don’t go to the trouble of crediting their sculptors the face on this one looks decent, and with the few design innovations present this is a somewhat tempting kit despite the poor paint job… images below:

We scooped them ten days ago, and now here they are, looking not nearly as freaky as in their original introductory shots on the anime homepage: To Love-Ru’s Lala Satalin Deviluke and Sairenji Haruna, in temperature-based color changing “Metamo” incarnations from Bandai. Both are scheduled for release in late August at 1/8 scale (22 cm tall) and 5,040 yen retail (sculptor uncredited). Lala’s bikini changes from white to black, while Haruna’s changes from white to blue. Images below:

Today’s Updates

• Goods Review: Ikkitousen Limited Treasure Box
• Kotobukiya’s Haruka (damage ver.) preorder open
• Yamato announces Creators’ Labo Ignis

See below for more figure news, ero news of the day, requisite whoredom, and other ramblings:

When we first reported on this item back in November I was a bit skeptical as to how it would turn out; it seemed like a bunch of expensive knick-knacks worth less than the sum of its parts, little more than an attempt to sucker Ikkitousen fans like myself into parting with our hard-earned cash without providing much in return. After having the chance to peruse my copy in person my opinion has not changed, but as both a sucker and an Ikkitousen fan I have to say I’m happy with the result, and would appreciate being pandered to in a similar fashion by other shows in the future (Sekirei, I’m looking at you). Read on for a textbook primer on how to be swindled in style:

Kotobukiya submitted another entrant into the Choukou Sennin Haruka (Beat Blades Haruka) figure fray today, though not an unexpected one - their Sennin Haruka (damage ver.) PVC follows on the heels of both their regular version Haruka and a damage version of their Sennin Narika. This damage version Haruka differs from her regular edition counterpart with an “embarrassed” face part, as well as holes ripped in her costume; coming in August her release is a month later than the regular version, but price (6,090 yen) and size (1/8 scale, 20 cm tall) are otherwise unchanged. Figure images below:

Figure maker Yamato updated their event page today with a listing for their appearance at World Hobby Festival Ariake 18 Final on May 5th. All of the display items listed there are things we’ve seen before, except for one intriguing addition to the Creators’ Labo lineup - a figure described simply as “Jingai Makyou Ignis”. I thought Orchid Seed’s Ignis the White brought an end to the storied dynasty of Ignis figures last fall, but it seems she’ll be back for at least one final PVC encore. This raises the question of which Ignis kit the listing is referring to; my money is on Cerberus Project (G.O)’s version, given that a) Yamato has featured Cerberus in the Creators’ Labo series in the past, and b) I’m not aware of any other non-PVCified Ignis kits of any quality still at large. We’ll be keeping a close eye out for further news on this kit, and will be sure to document the display prototype fully at the event. (no more)

Today’s Updates

• Magazine limited Kanu, Kanokon figure series unveiled
• Magazine Review: Dengeki Moeoh June 2008

See below for additional news, pillow talk, whoredom, and DADADA:

Official site updates for Comic Gum and Comic Alive today provide us with a couple of rare Sunday figure scoops: first is news that the UArt Bladeworx Mogudan Kanu Unchou we’ve been following for the past month or so will be coming in a limited clear pink version exclusively via mail order from Comic Gum. Details such as price and release date don’t appear in this online listing, but they can be assumed to be comparable to her unlimited counterpart.

In other news, Comic Alive has announced a Kanokon heroine figure project that will be rolled out with preorders opening one per issue over the next four months. The first one will be a 1/10 scale version of Chizuru, and is available for preorder in the magazine’s current issue. This is similar to the promotion they ran last year for Zero no Tsukaima, which produced the only Henrietta and Kirche figures I’m aware of to date; here’s hoping this announcement doesn’t similarly doom Kanokon’s cast to figure obscurity. Images of both newly announced items below:

Dengeki Moeoh. More than a magazine, Moeoh is a bimonthly artistic encyclopedia of moe that features original full color spreads from some of the highest profile artists in Japan’s 2D industry, coupled with articles, serial manga, and great extras that are themselves worth the price of admission. If it’s not perfectly clear from this introduction what follows is less of a review and more of a fanboyish evangelistic rant about what is truly one of the greatest products to originate from the modern Moe Industrial Complex - and the June 2008 issue (released yesterday, April 26th) is no exception. Spring is in the air, and that means short skirts and long stockings, and the perfect season for an exploration of that most ineffable of moetic qualities, the zettai ryouiki zone…

Today’s Updates

• Figure Review: Movic’s Musubi (race queen ver.)
• Griffon PVC announcements, event news

News of the day (mostly ero) and shameless whoredom below:

When Movic’s race queen Musubi was first announced at last summer’s Wonder Festival I was pretty excited, coming off the successful release of their first Musubi PVC a few months before. With a strong affection for her character and the obvious castoff potential exhibited by that unpainted prototype, expectations went a bit wild… The following eight months became an exercise in coming down to earth, but I wasn’t prepared for quite the extent of the inept production that awaited. Read on for a look at how a decent kit didn’t quite meet its potential:

PS. Thanks to SbebiWan for pointing out that there was nothing in this excerpt. ^^;;