Today’s Updates

• Figure Review: UArt’s Cerberus Project Kanu Unchou
• Griffon’s maid/school swimsuit Sasara in PVC
• Resinya’s Louise castoff revealed
• Miyabiya’s Bible Black Minase Yukiko preorder open (updated)
• Movic’s Asu no Yoichi Ibuki, Ayame preorders open

See below for several other highly interesting bits of news:

This French Doll (Cerberus Project) Kanu figure has a long history, starting life as a resin kit before moving last year to mail order limited PVC release and finally to full distribution in this alternate black and white color scheme. Like the Pearl Black Ryomou before her this kit is a glimpse back in time at French Doll’s craft before he fully matured as a sculptor, but nonetheless has so many charm points that I couldn’t pass her up - not to mention being the only castoffable entry in the Cerberus Ikkitousen lineup thus far. Read on for a look at how UArt managed with their latest PVC conversion:

Hot on the heels of their nekomimi Kanu Griffon has announced the second PVC conversion of a resin kit they had for sale at the recent WHF Ariake 18, the Morikawa Hiroaki-sculpted Kusugawa Sasara (school swimsuit maid ver.) from To Heart 2. This PVC incarnation is scheduled for release in September at 6,720 yen retail and 1/7 scale (precise size undisclosed); this kit follows Griffon’s Maaryan-senpai as the second in their “To Heart 2 swimsuit series”. Gallery below:

Moeyo! Akibajin Blog posted a review of Resinya’s camisole-clad Louise from Zero no Tsukaima today, and along with it the surprising revelation that she is castoffable (albeit unofficially so). According to Moeyo’s documentation the castoff procedure isn’t exactly easy, but her dress is removable without irreparable damage; the censorship in the post makes it impossible to tell for sure, but he says that her upper half (while contoured) is not painted to indicate deliberate castoff readiness. The figure was originally released in late April at 6,980 yen with a sculpt from Kazuki and is now available through standard distribution channels such as Play-Asia. (no more)

Online shop Web Omocha brings the surprise announcement this evening that the next figure in rookie maker Miyabiya’s lineup will be Bible Black’s Minase Yukiko. Like Imari Kurumi and Takashiro-sensei before her she’s sculpted by Souden Sonamae, and is scheduled for release in September at 1/8 scale (20 cm tall) and 5,670 yen retail. Her halter top and skirt are both castoffable. Update: full image gallery below:

First scooped here back on April 10th, figure maker Movic today opened preorders on its official site for their Hankyuu Ibuki and Hankyuu Ayame PVC figures from manga Asu no Yoichi!. Ibuki’s sculpt is from Saitou Heel (Love Love Garden), and she’s scheduled to retail in August at 1/8 scale (19 cm tall) and 5,800 yen retail. Ayame’s sculpt is from Tanaka Masanori (Jet Stream), and she’s due out in September, likewise at 1/8 scale (19 cm tall) and 5,800 yen. Figure images below:

Today’s Updates

• Ayanami, Kanu, Didii figure updates

See below for a quick look at last weekend’s Futaket, as well as other assorted hijinks:

Three minor bits of figure news today: first is word from Kotobukiya that their plug suit Ayanami Rei will be reissued in September at 7,140 yen, 1/6 scale (20 cm tall), and with a sculpt from Shirahige Tsukuru. Preorders for the reissue should be open soon.

Next, online shop Ganbo Store has announced that preorders for a limited color version of Happinet’s armored Kanu Unchou will open officially at noon on May 22nd. We can infer from this that regular edition preorders will open around that same time as well, and we’ll be keeping an eye out for those in the next week or two.

Finally, Hobby Japan is reporting that their magazine-limited Jingai Makyou Didii will be shipping on May 21st. Those who ordered via Play-Asia or another proxy service can expect their deliveries to ship around that time. (no more)

Today’s Updates

• Event Report: WHF Ariake 18
• Gift’s Toda Saber, in color

See below for a bunch of random (mostly ero) stuff:

We conclude our coverage of last week’s World Hobby Festival Ariake 18 Final with an overall “meta” look at the event. If you’ve been wondering exactly what WHF is or why it was canceled after nearly a decade of successful operation, this is the post for you:

We first brought news of the new “just a desk” figure brand Gift a month ago when we saw the prototype of their Toda Satoshi (Yume no Kagutsuchino Koukoku)-sculpted Saber unveiled at a Akiba Blog.

Today the maker’s representative and sole employee Kanegon follows up his earlier coverage with a look at the kit’s color resin prototype, as painted by sculptor Toda himself. A clear view of the face won’t be revealed until Hobby Complex Osaka on May 25th (and in the hobby magazines scheduled for release on the same day), and there are no details of the PVC release yet, but from the visual evidence available this is looking like a pretty stunning kit. More on this in our Hobby Japan coverage toward the end of the month; for now, one of Akiba Blog’s pictures is reproduced below:

Today’s Updates

• May 10th eroanime news roundup
• Dire straits for the eroanime industry?
• G.J?’s Majodou master announced, new sample CG

In a rare occurrence there were no new eroge released this weekend - not a single one. This will be made up for in the final two weeks of the month, as May 23rd and 30th are jam-packed with new high profile titles that we’ll be doing our best to cover as their releases draw near.

Taking things a bit easy tonight, the only thing you’ll find below is an explanation of Manyuu Chibusa’s castoff procedure:

Despite the grim news today from Pixy it seems the eroanime industry is still pumping out titles full steam ahead, as shown by a spate of new updates that came in yesterday from several major producers. We look at what’s up in the coming months for Milky, Pink Pineapple, and Vanilla below the fold:

Eroanime production company Anime Antenna employee Murakami Kouichi (村上恒一: producer - Mahou Shoujo Ai, The Guts!, Taimanin Asagi, other Pixy titles) made a post on the official Ani-An company blog on May 6th relating the news that Lilith Soft affiliate brand Pixy is in danger of financial collapse within the year, and that other major brands may soon follow.

He describes how Pixy was established with the goal of setting a revolutionary low price point for the OVAs it produced while retaining a high standard of quality, to make legitimate purchase of the product an option for all consumers. As a result profit margins on each sale became razor thin, but for Pixy’s first year of operation they were selling well enough that it seemed they could squeak by. Now, however, according to Murakami Pixy titles are being so widely pirated that their low-cost sales model is proving untenable. He makes the claim that if the current status quo continues, not only Pixy but adult anime as a whole may cease production within the year. Continued below:

The official site for eroge maker G.J?’s latest Sano Toshihide-designed game Majodou was updated last night with the welcome news that the game has attained master status! This means it’s on its way to the printers as I type this, and barring catastrophe should be complete in time to reach stores for its May 30th release date. Last night’s update also included two new awesome sample CG images to further whet the appetite, along with colorized versions of store-specific “omake” telephone cards. See below for a collage of yet-undisclosed game CG:

Today’s Updates

• Otaku no Musume-san drama CD announced
• Revoltech Fraeulein Haruhi to come with Wii game
• Medicos launches second Queen’s Blade bust collection
• Griffon’s catgirl Kanu Unchou PVC preorder open
• WHF Ariake 18: PVC maker galleries
• Tezuka Osamu x Yoshizaki Mine figure project unveiled
• Yamato lists VMF Ryomou Shimei action figure

That’s about it for the day, other than this:

Today in conjunction with the release of the fourth volume of Sutahiro manga Otaku no Musume-san, a two volume drama CD set was announced! The story of a 20-something otaku who finds a daughter on his doorstep one day that he didn’t know he had has come a long way from its humble webcomic roots, currently serialized in Dragon Age and with this new Drama CD set produced by some of the best talent in the business (including the “original landlady” Shimamoto Sumi reprising her spiritual role as OnMs landlady Asou Taeko). The first CD volume is scheduled for release on June 27th at 2,940 yen. Check out the CD official site for a very funny manga promo movie as well as voice samples.

The main reason I’m posting this (other than for inherent awesomeness) is that drama CDs have traditionally paved the way to anime series, and with this as one of my favorite manga currently running the mere possibility of an anime in its future engages the engines of delicious fanboy self-delusion. We’ll keep an eye out for further news. (no more)