Only one new game announced this week: Chien’s RGH ~Koi to Hero to Gakuen to~. There will be a lot more next week, including one from FAVORITE (Hoshimemo FD?). Release dates have been set for the following games:

Shapeshifter – January 29th
Hinomaru – February 25th

Shirokuma Bell Stars has been delayed to December 11th. Why don’t they just release it on Christmas Day? Cure Mate Club has been moved back to March 26th.

Great news coming from MoonStone, via Akiba Blog. The iPhone app for Gift had been available in Japanese for almost a year (I had mentioned it on a post last November). Now there’s an English version out too! The translations are so-so, but it’d be better than what you’d get with online translators. You can buy the app for $9.99 USD. If I had an iPhone, I’d definitely try it out. Speaking of Gift, I really should finish that. >_>

As part of the 500k hit and comiket 77 selection celebration for Sonata’s imouto fan site ONE NIGHT DREAM, there are two polls up: favorite imouto and imouto trait. Obviously, I’m voting for Sana, but I really should play through Yaya (Clover Point), Sora (Yosuga no Sora) and Mai (Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro na) since I’ve heard nothing but good things about them. I was torn between ‘onii-chan LOVE’ and ‘jealousy’ for the imouto trait poll. While I love bracon imouto (Sana, Ai, Kotori), I think that jealousy and not wanting others to take away their onii-chan is the defining trait of any imouto route. That’s why imouto such as Koisora’s Mikoto and DCII’s Yume are so appealing.

For IchaPri!, the winning situation for Tsubaki and Yuzuna is public 3P dressed in china dresses. This week is Sumireko and Futaba. Choices are nurse 3P in the school infirmary, 3P in the gym storage room and exhibitionism wearing a half-coat only in the shopping area. The last one is leading with almost 90% of the votes.

Tamahime won the Sugarcoat Freaks chara poll. She’s an ojou-sama who poses as the protagonist’s imouto. SCORE is holding a chara poll for Zettai Maou until November 27th. You can vote 3 times a day. There’s so many characters…

TECH GIAN Brilliant will cover all 215 eroge released in the first half of 2009 in 2 DVDs and 1 CD, with HD demo movies, trials, wallpapers, songs, walkthroughs and CGs. It’s a good catalogue for only 2400 yen.

CIRCUS held another event as part of their 10th anniversary, “CIRCUS no Nanika”. It was basically a lot of postcards of their games, plus some other stuff. Here’s to another 10 years! ^o^

Gift has a giant Marisa doll (70cm tall) on sale this December. The price is gigantic too at 29800 yen. If you want something a little bit smaller, why not check out Rin and Len. They look so huggable!

On the same topic of Touhou, Griffon is releasing 1/8 scale figures of Flandre and Alice in February.

CharaAni has a bunch of mini figures from To Aru Majutsu no Index coming out in March. My favorite is Kuroko; That face just never gets old.

SKYTUBE’s 1/6 scale figure of Haruka from Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (February, 14490 yen) doesn’t really look like her…

There’s dual CDs that came out on November 4th featuring collaborations by Niconico songwriters and singers. I love the cover art by Kogado Studio artist Shiro.

Have some tea with Azunyan.

The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi will premiere on February 6th. I’d rather watch the Nanoha movie.

Check out Tete’s independent anime short “Fumiko no Kokuhaku”. Nicely done.

Dream Party Osaka 2009 Fall is this Sunday. Should be more of the same stuff as last month in Tokyo.

The OP for Love Death 4 is out and it’s obvious what the focus is.

Webclap responses:

Hi…Umm…I REALLY WANT Riiiiiiin To!(sorry.first time writing on a blog) by Yowane Haku
You want Rin? You can have him. And welcome to the blog ^^

Sarasa has finally arrived and I for one could not be happier! That is until I actually played the game. Not to say Kiss to Maou to Darjeeling (Dear god that is a long name, KissMaou it is from now on) is a terrible game but on the whole it simply lacks the sophistication a game of this type should have, and we have come to expect. Regardless of the disappointment I felt after playing there are still a few things to like about the game.

Story:

KissMaou starts out as the title would suggest, with Sarasa kissing Keiichi while telling him that he is, in fact, the Maou. With this oh so shocking development out of the way we can begin the actual story in the form of a flashback to before Sarasa sexually assaulted Keiichi. Flashing back to his normal everyday life at school the plot opens with characters being introduced one by one as they meet up with keiichi during the day. Once we are through basic character introductions the common route begins with.. well not a whole lot. Most of the common route and game in general is very focused on replicating a rather normal, natural, slice of life environment, giving a grounding to the story that both works for and against itself.

As a result of Keiichi becoming maou and the blue flower turning red, it seems the school created a “Hero club” to deal with the maou. Of course they would choose the most worthless teacher to supervise this club, none other than the resident blonde twin tail heroine Chiyoko. As a result Chiyoko drafts Keiichi and all his friends as members of the same club. Since the sister could not stand for that Sarasa and Daigo are added in too for good measure, what a blatant plot setup. I do wish they would have tried a tiny bit harder in establishing a setting that brings all of the characters into a single place.

The various routes through KissMaou range from touching with Sarasa’s route to mundane in the case of Tsubasa, all the way through to dull and nonsensical when Chiyoko is chosen. What everything comes down to is that the only route that really stands out at all is Sarasa’s, the rest are pretty much typical of every eroge in existence for their character types. In fact it is only in Sarasa’s route that the maou, kissing, and tea have any real significance. Of course there are a few noteworthy elements of each in the other routes, however not only do the individual situations hold less of an impact, they also only have one of the three major elements at play. Perhaps the last major difference between the routes would be that Sarasa is the only one I felt had real character growth during the story, there is room for argument with Chiyoko as well perhaps but surely not to the same degree. As a result there is a feel of the common route carrying on into the heroine routes, though there is a clear focus, the scenarios one finds oneself in usually involve the group until much later. At which time you are in the winding down stage, leading to there being little true bonding time, or perhaps rather the scenes which depict a deepening of relationships have a similar sensation to those you would expect in a common route after making a choice.

Moving along I feel it may be better to get the positive points out of the way first, leaving my usual abrasive ranting for later. First up with things I found enjoyable with KissMaou would be there are plenty of scenes involving the relationship between the heroine you chose and the main character. Where many games focus on the build up then often neglect furthering their development, favoring instead a quick plot build up towards a final problem that requiring them to overcome it. Now I am sure a few of you are thinking I am contradicting what I said above about the routes not having enough development only to say there is plenty here. However you are wrong. I mean different things, when talking about relationships deepening here yes there are plenty of scenes, however for the most part they are rarely alone. Perhaps being a little more clear they are rarely able to continue being away from the group during an activity for a long enough duration. So there you have it, yes there are plenty of cozy relationship moments to create an adequate sense of attachment towards each other, which really I do not think we get enough of in many games.

Perhaps another one of the better points of the game for me would be the method of heroine selection. Initial choices are pretty irrelevant and the main options come from the now pretty typical SD character selection from a campus map. Now of course that alone is not enough to mention but rather the brevity of the selection process is notable, there are three quick choices on the map in succession with one another that result in a route selection. After you select the same character all three times you get a little CG notice telling you which character’s story you are on. This simple and quick decision making, as well as avoiding of blind choices really strikes home for me as a smooth and easy selection method. Thanks to the minimal diversion due to options there is a smooth and pleasant transition between common and heroine routes that allows you to focus on the character at hand. I for one would prefer more games taking a similar approach, since all I really want is the story to progress, not worry about which specific choice I have to make in order to follow a certain route.

On a rather neutral note the absence of familial problems gives me a somewhat shallow impression of the depth in the setting. I understand that it is a boarding school but the lack of effect on the characters due to their home and family situations feels lacking. There are a few moments where things from the past are brought up briefly to be dealt with or explain a current issue, but never does it go past that. There is a feeling of isolation, almost as though the school is an island where nothing outside has any bearing on what happens within. While that is fine for the story and certainly is not something that causes many problems it feels incomplete, especially when one considers the end and future of any of the established relationships.

Ah on to my favorite part, giving voice to all those little complaints and disappointing elements that build up while playing a game. Perhaps the most glaring fault in KissMaou would be the very title itself and the implications of rendering that meaning throughout the story. Keiichi becoming maou fluctuates as a story element between excessive and understated. On the one hand I feel the story in it’s entirety could have done just fine without any maou element at all. The plot, characters, and the problems they face for the most part have very little to do with the concept of a “Maou”, simply unabashedly using the maou as a cheap gimmicky plot device to get things moving. Changed to a normal slice of life game without the use of a maou would have given a far greater depth to the emotions on display throughout the plot. Thus necessitating  characters to develop themselves and also their relationships wholly on their own.

On the other hand the idea of a maou could have been kept in the game even with the same stories only by slightly expanding the role which maou plays throughout the story. That is to say minor details like being kissed activates his power of well.. strength, regeneration, and uhh.. red eyes, or the really silly and unconvincing explanations given for the maou would have needed a better definition. Quite frankly the abilities and restrictions of the maou as well as the reasons for its existence and why people wanted it made me want to give a good stiff backhand to the writers. Not only was the use of a being called maou underdeveloped, there were no point through the entirety of the story I felt they gave even adequate attention to using the maou as a plot device. Every single development felt excessively superficial in its placement and use of the maou, there was nothing to make you feel that he was really special in some way, nor that there was some kind of purpose to him being the maou other than heroine get. This lazy writing on both sides of the maou issue really hindered the story for me, making much of the central plot feeling gimmicky and worthless.

What turns out to be a relatively minor annoyance for me would be the way certain scenes just cut off in the middle. As an example, we would have a scene depicting a slight misunderstanding over the reason Keiichi told one of the girls not to bother doing something such as making a bento. Now under usual circumstances the protagonist would be forced to desperately explain himself, however in KissMaou the entire situation just disappears into thin air. Not only does Keiichi not offer any response or explanation, but the girl somehow magically cheers herself up as well. It feels as though the authors made the rather accurate observation that we all know exactly what is going to be said and the scene will play out. However astute that may be off them, this leads to what feels like lazy writing, those scenes may be cliche but if you do the lead in and yet skip out on the climax in order to move along with the story, well there is not much to say other than it is being half assed and lazy.

Then there is the way tea is used as a plot device. Keisuke cannot drink tea (He is perfectly fine with green tea though) due to his childhood trauma. While it does make sense in a way.. however vaguely, and while I can see such a thing being possible the reasoning for it does not sit well with me. Certainly the tea element does not play much of a role in any of the routes, with the small role it does assume being mostly irrelevant and pointless. For all the build up I was expecting more of a use as a plot element, specifically in his overcoming it. But no, all that expectation went to waste as there were only about five or so minutes devoted to Keiichi mastering his tea-phobia, and that was only in one route. Not to mention the reason for him to do so was useless, superficial and quite frankly made little to no sense in the context with which it was used. How in the hell could him finally coming around to drink tea again, in the process doing a terrible job of overcoming his fear and proving his point, be used as an excuse to go make out with another girl is beyond me.

After the common route, post selection, beyond the dating, and following the H scenes comes the final piece of each and every story, completing the puzzle that makes up a route, the endings. I for one cannot say I very much enjoyed the endings to KissMaou, they came about quite quickly, and fell apart just as quickly. Each conclusion pretty much reiterates those things we already know from the story, in fact often the ending does not really even conclude until the epilogue. What this means is that both the final part of the normal story and the appended bit afforded by the epilogue both come across as rather shallow. There is precious little to project their relationship into the future and what may or may not occur as a result of their choices during the course of the story. In fact the endings feel as though you just ran full speed into a concrete wall, disillusioned, disappointed, and most of all with a bloody nose and concussion you fall over at last in the ultimate bad end.

But wait! There’s more! Call now within the next ten minutes and you get a side story, absolutely free! Which instead of being a touching and heartwarming story about character development, or maybe their pasts, or perhaps even a proper ending extending further into the future than the few days they give us… Ends up simply as an extra H scene. Yes, who cares about stories or their conclusions when you can placate people with a few extra ero pictures. It is not so much the fact that they added in the extra H scenes as “Side stories” that bothers me so much as with the lack of real stories and developments they really could have done much better things than simple extra H scenes. In fact they could have kept those scenes and made these stories actual ya know, stories. Instead there is little plot and simply a quick build up as an excuse then onto the H.

Characters:

In KissMaou the characters are well… cookie cutter designs. What you see is pretty much what you get, and of course you can expect them to grow according to the usual format as well. With that said the characters are good examples of their respective traits, each of them pulling of their personality in a convincing manner, with a few exceptions anyway. Other than Chiyoko all of the heroines have a well defined character that neither feels lukewarm nor goes too far with the quirks which define them.

Keiichi:

Ah Keiichi, change his name and you have the protagonist from just about every other eroge in existence. The only defining features this cookie cutter character has are his extreme fear of tea, his affinity towards wire puzzles, and lets not forget the fact he is the maou. As the typical nice guy that he is Keiichi always does his best to consider the girls around him, and of course fails due to thickheadedness only an eroge protagonist could ever manage to deal with and still get the girl.

Keiichi lives in the dorm with his friends Ryuuji, Tou, and Shinobu, his room is apparently the official meeting place and just about every day the four of them come together there in order to talk, play games, and just relax. With his parents dead Keiichi when not in the dorms lives with his kind aunt who in order to burden less he stays at the dorms over vacations.

Sarasa:

Sarasa, as the student council president is your standard cool beauty type of character, flawless at everything she does, Sarasa is serious and direct. As a result she is quite clumsy when attempting to relate to other people. Technically the first girl Keiichi meets, Sarasa becomes Keiichi’s loyal  servant as a result of him becoming the maou. Throughout her route the idea of her seeing herself as a servant to him causes the most conflict and hesitation, neither her nor Keiichi are quite sure where the line for their relationships is, nor able to easily grasp the others true feelings. As their relationship develops her curt and harsh demeanor slowly gives way to a more affectionate if a bit jealous and awkward character, at least towards Keiichi. Her personality changes little towards everyone else, almost as though she is trying to seclude herself and Keiichi. Most of the characteristics that define Sarasa come from an extremely strict and traumatizing past, which often drives her to machine like efficiency.

To sum it all up Sarasa is a shy and lonely girl who really just wants someone she can rely on to hold her hand and prioritize her over everything  and everyone else. As a side note here, Sarasa is by far my personal favorite character, being the embodiment of my favorite traits both physical and mental I have a hard time finding flaws in her character.

HAUUU~  OMOCHIKAERI!!!

Yuna:

As Keiichi’s childhood friend Yuna often played with Keiichi as a child. In fact he was her only real friend for some time as children, leading invariably to her current crush on him. With the standard elements such as forgotten promises given as naive children, Yuna runs the full range of typical childhood friend scenarios. Her personality is quiet, calm, and attentive, she is excellent at housework and of course thoroughly enjoys taking care of Keiichi. Quite popular among the boys around her age she nevertheless turns them down without exception, greatly confusing the thickheaded keiichi. Despite her friendly manner Yuna only really has one friend, Tsubasa, leading to them being an almost inseparable pair, where one appears the other is usually not far behind.

Tsubasa:

Tsun, Tsun, dere! No eroge would ever be complete without a resident tsundere to put all the M people in their place. Filling in the obligatory tsundere role Tsubasa is strict with an upright character, her unyielding character is the perfect counterpart to the gentle and forgiving Yuna. While Tsubasa is not as sharp tongued as one may expect of a tsundere, she has a level of tension as a result of her more forceful attitude. In simpler terms Tsubasa is the type of character that yells at people who run in hallways. As the closest thing to an athletic girl in KissMaou Tsubasa also has a cheerful energetic side that makes others want to try their best when around her.

As a side note am I the only one who sees Minato from Akane iro when looking at Tsubasa?

Chiyoko:

Supposedly genius teacher who has a personality as childish as her looks. Chiyoko holds a special fondness for Keiichi and his friends, often dragging them around to play along when inspiration strikes her. In between her being completely annoying and useless she can occasionally be helpful or offer useful insights.. extremely rare though. Students in the school have nicknamed her “Choco teacher” as a result of her being easily tamed by a piece of chocolate. For the most part I for one found Chiyoko a nuisance, she was not only a useless character she was far too loli to be convincing  as a teacher. Chiyoko is nothing short of a gimmick for all you lolipedofins out there to have a reason for buying KissMaou.

Am I the only one who felt her voice was rather flat? There was almost no emotion especially when she was yelling… which for her is pretty much all the time.

Lycerisious:

With a Headache inducing name Lycerisious rounds off the group of heroines as the stereotypical frail, sick girl who is pretty much on her deathbed. Only able to walk a small distance when feeling especially well Lycerisious is usually found in her wheelchair.. which is less like a wheelchair and more like a batmobile with all the gadgets it has. Attended by her personal maid Lycee makes the best of things, diligently maintaining her plants and rooftop garden as a hobby, quietly passing her days. All the while she secretly stalks Keiichi’s group as they pass under her window daily, longing to be a part of their cheerfully rowdy group. Warm hearted and kind despite the harsh hand dealt to her in life, Lycee is innocent, naive, and unsuspecting of others, thinking of everyone else before herself even when it would cause her direct harm.

Other Characters:

There are only a few characters besides the protagonist and the heroines, the only ones with a dedicated role who appear much are his friends. Unlike most games however Keiichi is a bit more realistic in that he has three friends instead of the usual single pervert friend. Of course it goes without saying that one of them still fills the perverted friend role. For the most part however these characters have little to no impact on the game itself, at best being used to setup situations that drive Keiichi and his chosen heroine forward.

Ryuji:

Ryuji is a good friend if a bit of a narcoleptic. Playing the role of the lazy cool guy Ryuji is apparently not quite cool enough to sway any of the heroines, thus making him a great best friend for an eroge protagonist. Still when he manages to be awake he is a loyal and trustworthy friend who often helps guide Keisuke in the proper direction.

Tou:

The usual perverted friend character who only thinks about girls that just about every eroge has. Tou fills the niche of both good friend and comic relief, of course in between those moments of sexually harassing everything female he will join in with Ryuji to offer up some keen insights. Of course as the eroero friend Tou also offers up no competition when it comes to wooing those bishoujos. Tou like Ryuji and his narcolepsy also has a special ability, the complete inability to read a situation, thus leading to all sorts of inappropriate and comical comments.

Tranny:

From Merriam-Webster online dictionary:

Main Entry: trans·ves·tite
Pronunciation: \tran(t)s-ˈves-ˌtīt, tranz-\
Function: noun
Etymology: German Transvestit, from Latin trans- + vestire to clothe — more at vest
Date: circa 1922
: a person and especially a male who adopts the dress and often the behavior typical of the opposite sex especially for purposes of emotional or sexual gratification

Another of Keiichi’s friends Tranny is there purely for comedic relief. Between teasing Keiichi by trying to kiss him awake Tranny will often engage in other silly situations such as laying in wait in Keiichi’s bed. Usually quite jealous of the heroines Tranny is the least useful of Keiichi’s group of friends, without being restrained by others Tranny would have made many active attempts to break in between Keiichi and the various heroines.

I think that it had a name? Shinobu or something like that, whatever I am sure no one cares.

Daigo:

Completely convinced that Tranny is in fact a girl. This guy is more gender confused than Tranny, they make such a perfect match I would really like to see them get together in the end. As he is completely sure of his own convictions Daigo sees Keiichi as his rival in love, thus looking for any chance to best Keiichi.

Nun:

The local Sister is also a teacher at the school and pretty much the opposite of Chiyoko. Extremely strict she does not get along well with keiichi’s group of friends. Constantly seems to be running after Chiyoko in order to teach her a lesson.

Kozue:

Paparazzi. The typical wannabe journalist character. About as annoying as Tranny and Chiyoko, Kozue is pretty much a throwaway character who only really does anything other than cling to Keiichi in one route.

Artwork:

KissMaou has excellent artwork which makes the biggest flaw all the more glaring. To start with there are few if any awkward positions or badly designed perspectives. The style is consistent and the characters are well represented throughout the game. Shading is your standard cell shading affair that we are all used to by now, though there are a few CGs where the shadows and lighting are brought out quite well. In addition the backgrounds are flawless if a bit bland, giving the usual simple and sterile 3d prerendered feeling. Of course the sprites hold up to the standard being well made and usually fitting the character and situation.

On the other hand there are a few minor mistakes to be seen here and there, though far less than average and they are probably rather hard to notice when not paying attention to all of the little details. So then what could possibly be such a big flaw that I saw fit to mention it almost immediately? Lack of CG. That is to say there are almost no CG other than the HCG itself. Against the smorgasboard of HCG the average of two to three normal CG per character comes across as a problem to say the least. There are so many scenes that are deserving of a good CG to accompany the mood and really set stage… which are simply ignored, leaving us to deal with sprites the entire game. Of course the sprites are quite excellent and change more often than usual to prevent the scenes from becoming static, but in the end sprites fall short during important scenes. Additionally, the sprites are just looping the same five or so poses and expressions in various outfits. In fact even the HCG suffers from lack of variation, there are perhaps six to eight or so HCG images per character, then those images are reused, simply drawing over the top for different facial expressions and such.

Sound:

To be honest I have nothing good to say about the sound at all. The reason that I failed to give sound a complete zero is due to the voice acting and background music being the usual fare.  Generally on par with everything else the voice acting was acceptable though even that has a few faults that did get to me after awhile. Though I must say in all fairness I did enjoy Sarasa’s background music, and now that I think about it the maou background music was pretty good too.

I do not know if it is just me who feels this but the voice acting often feels like it has a lack of emotion, especially for Chiyoko. Her energetic demeanor leads one to feel the voice should match, but instead it gives the impression of imitating a high pitched and loud voice while talking normally. Given that Chiyoko talks in this way almost all the time makes it all that much more pronounced and annoying. There are moments where the same sort of completely flat, not quite monotone but definite lack of expression can be felt. I am unsure of whether this is due to giving all the voices a static volume control to keep them all at the same level, or is the result of poor directing of the voice actors or even just voice actors doing a bad job. No matter what the reason is though the result is somewhat appalling.

The background music suffers from being the typical fare in eroge, however that is not the main problem I have with it, I am used to the normal music and while certainly not great, it is far from being bad either. What really bothered me about the background music was the timing, it would often change too early in a scene leading you to already know exactly what was going to happen. When this happens it feels akin to watching the climax of a drama where misunderstandings are piling up and two people are fighting when suddenly! Dramatic music dies off and the calming romantic music begins, of course anyone would know exactly what is going to happen and the moment is ruined. Not saying this is exactly how it happens, and really the music was only off by a few seconds, but it is often enough to have an impact on the feeling of a scene.

Somewhat difficult to address without being vulgar are the H sound effects that are in play throughout the game. Not only did they get a bit monotonous rather quickly but the sounds were often… quite badly done. We all know by now how bad the slurpie sounds are in certain scenes however KissMaou managed to come up with a sound effect which neatly trumps even those. All I will say about this one specifically is that to me it sounded like the sputtering of a small engine putting along, I am sure anyone who has played the game will immediately know what I mean. While normally a bad sound effect here or there is par for the course and nothing game breaking other than becoming a fun joke, the pervasiveness of this particular sound effect along with the the location often ruin the moment so to speak.

I do not know if it was just me but on a final note there were some volume changes among sound effects in the various routes for me, of course changing the volume settings had no effect.  Not a major annoyance as the sound effects were annoying anyway, but the fact that volume controls did nothing to change it was something to note as odd.

Interface:

KissMaou has your standard eroge interface, which can be navigated successfully while blindfolded. I did however like both the character introductions and the intro page when you arrive on a certain characters routes. Although it is hard to not know which route you are on at that point…  Still that aside there are no problems with the interface itself, but at the same time nothing that really stands out as being especially useful or a good idea. Well that is other than not being pink all the time, I did not mind the switch to pink when changing to the heroine’s perspective.

There are 75 saves and 5 quick saves in KissMaou, for a grand total of… 80. A bit small really though I only used roughly half of them myself so for the game it is more than reasonable.

The extras menu is standard fare as well not much stands out here other than the lack of CG, especially for everyone other than Sarasa. I suppose if there is something to note it is that the menu felt a little bit cluttered to me, though that is simply my impression.

H Scenes:

The H scenes in KissMaou were fairly decent, with proper build up and development before to allow the relationship to feel natural. There were no completely out of place H scenes to leave a bad aftertaste nor any fetish play to turn people away… or on. I also have to give the writers some credit here for withholding the normal “MOU GAMAN DEKINAI” moment where H scenes generally stop feeling like part of a story and more like something out of a hentai movie, minus the tentacles.

On the other hand the scenes were a bit lengthy and felt static, with there being maybe one or two CG per scene with just facial expressions changing or clothes being removed. Towards the end you also get the feeling once you reach the first H scene the story is pretty much over, it becomes a few H scenes in quick succession one small problem rapidly solved then you reach the end. Only at that end you are rewarded with yet another H scene rather than a post epilogue touching scene or something with more meaning.

Conclusion:

While KissMaou may have a few good points, especially if Sarasa is your type of character the rest of the game is disappointing and in the end probably not worth your time. Half hearted stories combined with average characters, average artwork, abysmal sound effects, standard interface, and decent H scenes makes for a forgettable experience despite the potential to be a winner.

Final Judgement:

I use a percentage based system to grade the various aspects of a game in a final section here. The breakdown will be that a 50% is dead neutral, completely apathy, no plus or minus. Below that is bad and above is good. The Overall score is simply a rating of the game in its entirety and is somewhat unrelated to the other scores. It may end up being better or worse than the sum of its parts.

• Overall: 66%
• Story: 58%
• Characters: 72%
• Artwork: 57%
• Sound: 31%
• Interface: 50%
• H Scenes: 68.9%

Useful Links:

The offical Marmalade website can be found here.

Walkthrough for the game can be found here.

Getchu link: http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=651985

Kiss to Maou to Darjeeling OP:

Play videos for Imouto Smile are up on Citron Soft’s site. There’s a video of the trial play and also a normal scene and H scene for each of the 6 imouto. It seems that the lucky protagonist will be referred to as onii-chan, nii-san, nii-sama and… nii-nii. I’m having flashbacks of Satoko from Higurashi. After listening to Akiho, I’m convinced she’s the second coming of Chinami.

Cotton Soft will be announcing their 5th game soon. SAGA PLANETS will have some merchandise for their next game (in 2010) on sale at Dream Party Osaka this Fall.

Remember all that ruckus a few months back? Illusion has unblocked foreign IPs.

I forgot to mention that the Moege Award 2009 results were announced at Dream Party Tokyo. The winner was Shin Koihime Musou (BaseSon), followed by Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! (Minato Soft), Twinkle Crusaders (Lillian), Baldr Sky Dive1 “LostMemory” (GIGA) and 77 ~And two stars meet again~ (Whirlpool).

Lump of Sugar is holding a chara poll for all characters from Nursery Rhyme, Itsuka Todoku Ano Sora ni and Tayutama. Mashiro is currently leading; chibi Mashiro is too cute. The second Sakura Tale chara poll will run till December 31st. Mikage won the first one.

The winning H scene for Sakura and Koyuri in IchaPri! is poolside 3H. The currently running poll is for Tsubaki and Yuzuna. Choices are office cosplay 3P, china dress 3P in public or Tsubaki getting punished by Yuzuna and her onii-chan at school. I guess I’ll go with the china dress…

Japan won RWC2009, followed by the Philippines and Thailand. iRO managed to place 4th. Korea fell in the second round even though it had a bye, probably because of the mechanics change and 3rd class implementation. Dengeki has full coverage of the event: rounds 1&2, semifinals and finals. I’m quite surprised that iRO actually did pretty well… then I heard the team was pretty much all Pinoy.

Max Factory made quite the revealing figure for ToHeart2’s Tamaki. This 1/6 PVC figure will be out in April at 8800 yen. Akiba Hobby has a review up for it. I really don’t like how the hands were crafted.

Saki DVD vol7 comes with a Yumi x Momoko dakimakura cover. Not so stealthy there, Momo.

Busy week for me. Only played 15 mins of Mashifoni… Sakuno… （･∀･）ﾆﾔﾆﾔ

My boyfriend is the president. This brings new meaning to political affairs.

Webclap responses:

Congratulations on over 400 posts~ This blog has gone a long way since it’s beginning; keep it up Ari! by Mizahel
Thankies Miz ^^ Excellent, my plan to slowly corrupt everyone is working…

hiii
o kenki desu ka by kuramasu
hi there o.o

♥ 「世界一の生徒会長」　桜野くりむ ♥
♥ Sakurano Kurimu – Best Student Council President in the World ♥

Inspired by フィン’s MAD for Toradora’s Ami, めでぃあさん created a Kurimu MAD using 転少女’s rendition of ryo’s Miku original “World is Mine”. Even though her voice is not exactly the same as Kurimu’s, with a bit too much low intonation, it’s pretty close. In terms of the animation, I thought it fit extremely well with the lyrics. Then again, there’s nothing I can say against a flood of moe Kurimu pics.

Beware of Chizuru. こっちのが危ないわよ！

CIRCUS held a mini live in Shibuya on November 1st as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations. Guests included yozuca* and CooRie. During this event, they announced their plans for upcoming games. It was also broadcasted live on Niconico and reported on by MOON PHASE.

D.C. III
It’s here!!!!!!!! ｷ･ｷ･ｷ･ｷﾀ━━━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━━━!!!!

Honestly, this shouldn’t surprise anyone. I’ve been waiting for this announcement since the release of the D.C.II Fall in Love OP that marked it as the final chapter of D.C.II. Where will they go with this one? Another 50 years in the future? I’m still awaiting an Amakase Mifuyu.

D.C.V.
They skipped IV and went straight to V. Actually, it’s a cross between D.C. and Valkyrie Complex. I’ve already mentioned this before. Kyrie, Mikoto, Kylayne and Elis move from the battlefield fighting monsters and other enemies to the metaphorical battlefield of love in Kazumi Gakuen. While it’ll be nice to see Elis again, I hope this doesn’t extend to more than one game since it’s just a crossover.

D.C. ZERO
Now they’re going backwards too! This is actually a continuation of Sakura’s story from D.C.II, aka the true end. I am actually quite looking forward to this as it probably will answer our questions about her past and maybe give her a happy end at last.

Hatsunejima Miku Mirai
First of all, this isn’t that Miku. Actual title is Mirai (未来); I guess they just pronounced it as ‘miku’ since it’s a pun. I’m not even sure if it’s a game, all I know is something about the future (GJ Captain Obvious.) It’s quite possible that this is actually the ai sp@ce renewal mentioned below.

CIRCUS Tactics (tentative title)
What? Another SRPG? Haven’t CIRCUS learned from the Eternal Fantasy and VC flops that they should probably leave these to Eushully or GIGA?

New D.C. anime series in spring 2010
The rumor is that it will be based on the original D.C. cast, although the story details are unknown at the moment. However, this just means more Miharu for me~! >w<b

D.C. download version available on November 20th
A cheaper version of D.C. in case you haven’t played it already. Classic.

D.C. adapted for PSP
A bit late, but I wonder if they add new scenes and CGs…

D.C. if ported back to PC
For those that didn’t watch the OVA or play the PS2 version, this is the story where Junichi doesn’t end up with Nemu, but with Kotori. Personally, I’m torn between Nemu and Kotori.

D.C. adult comic
Wait, adult comic? An official H manga? This isn’t usually the sort of thing that companies announce. Need more info on this one.

ai sp@ce renewal
Not sure about what they mean by ‘renewal’, but I assume that it’ll mostly be cosmetic. ai sp@ce is all about dressing up anyway.

I guess most of you aren’t hardcore D.C./CIRCUS fans, but this is really exciting news for me! I can’t wait for next year!

Dream Party (Doripa) Tokyo 2009 Fall took place on October 25th at Tokyo Big Sight. A similar event will be held in Osaka on November 15th. Almost all major eroge companies took part, so almost 3/4 of the event was age restricted ^^;; Anyways, I’ve compiled some pictures from the event. Links are available at the end of the post if you wish to see more. Enjoy!

Main stage

Talk event at GIGA’s booth with NekoNekoSoft

Booths and Merchandise

YuzuSoft

Native & ABHAR

MoonStone

Nitro+

PeasSoft

Twinkle

TSUKASA

ALcot

GIGA and partner brands

feng

Illustration by Mitha, who works for MoonStone

TOYPLA’s super stash of goodies…

…which include Sana and Hitsuji side by side! >_<

Other goodies include Sakura Sakura and Little Busters!

K-ON! goodies

5pb.

Oppai mousepads

Volks‘ figure of Celia from Walkure Romanze (Ricotta)

Volks’ figures of Rain and Sora from Baldr Sky (GIGA)

Max Factory’s se.Kirara figmas

Mascot for Native

Hitsuji dakimakura (SAGA PLANETS – Natsuyume Nagisa)

Meriel dakimakura (Fizz – Asanagi no Aquanauts)

Capella and Deneb dakimakura (Nitro+ – Sumaga Special)

Hinagiku dakimakura (Hayate no Gotoku!!)

More dere Mio goodies (K-ON!)

Itasha

Tenshin Ranman’s Sana (YuzuSoft) Sanaaaaaaa~!!!! <3

Shukufuku no Campanella’s Minette (Windmill)

HimexHime’s Nanami (ETOILES)

HimexHime’s Miyuki (ETOILES)

airy[F]airy (RococoWorks)

Koiiro Sora Moyou’s Aya (Studio Ryokucha)
Is that Mikoto-chan driving!?

Wagamama Capriccio’s Melissa (UnisonShift Accent)

Muramasa (Nitro+)

Muv Luv Alternative’s Meiya (âge)

Pia Carrot e Youkoso!! 4 (F&C)

SHUFFLE’s Lisianthus (Navel)

Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai’s Ai (Navel)

Tachikawa Project. That’s the first time I’ve seen an ita-wheelchair

Supreme Candy’s Tokimi (makura)

Cosplay

Cross Days (Overflow)

Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi (feng)

SHUFFLE! Essence+’s Ruri and Daisy (Navel)

PARA-SOL’s Miu (ORBIT)

eden*’s Sion (minori)

Hidamari Basket’s Mutsuka (eufonie)

airy[F]airy’s Monika (RococoWorks)

Imouto Smile’s Shiki (Citron Soft)

Akatsuki no Goei’s Reika (Shangrila)

11eyes’s Misuzu and Yuka (Lass)

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni’s Hanyuu

Strike Witches‘ Lynette

Bakemonogatari’s Hitagi

Disgaea’s Etna

Bleach’s Nelliel

Love Plus‘ Manaka

Vocaloid2’s Miku (princess ver.)

Mia Cafe meido

Official Doripa meido

Coverage links:

Official Dream Party site
Akiba Hobby – Overview
Aoi Nishimata’s blog – Navel booth
ASCII.jp – Overview, Cosplay, More Cosplay
Linz’s blog (自由な色で広げたい) – Overview
Moeyo – Overview, Cosplay, More Cosplay, Dakimakura, Figures, Itasha

Aside from the highly anticipated 2nd Baldr Sky game and Akatsuki Works Hibiki’s debut work Shiden, there are not many games this month. Personally, I’ll be busy with Suzunone Seven! -Sweet Lovers’ Concerto- and seeing if Imouto Smile lives up to my expectations. If you decide to skip a month to catch up on your backlog (including last month’s stash), this is the best time to do so.

All in all a lackluster month, probably due to everyone gearing up to vacuum the money out of your wallets for Christmas. That aside there are a few potential diamonds in the rough for this month which make up for the rest.

Usotsuki to Inugamitsuki

Company: 工画堂スタジオ (Kogado Studio)
Game site: ウソツキと犬神憑き
Release date: November 20, 2009
Comments:
This is an all-ages VN from Kogado Studio. Tsukumo’s father had always told him not to be near the forest when dusk approaches. However, he was curious and often tread near the forest even though he cannot walk well due to an accident. One day, he sees something red along the road… is this blood? Then he could smell the scent of a beast, even though he could not before. Was this the reason why he was told to stay away? The plot’s actually quite interesting and Kogado Studio is one of the better all-ages VN companies out there, so this will be worth your time.

Mm, I do not know whether I should be interested in this game or not. On one hand there may be an interesting story, while on the other I find the werewolf bit a little tacky perhaps. With the game being an all ages VN though I have to assume story is the one and only selling point, therefore with that being the focus I want to at least give this game a chance.

Hikari no Valusia ~What a beautiful hopes~

Company: ライアーソフト (liar soft)
Game site: 白光のヴァルーシア～What a beautiful hopes～
Release date: November 20, 2009
Comments:
Hikari no Valusia is set in the desert city Valusia where no one except for ‘adepts’ can leave the city. It definitely has that ‘Arabian’ feel to it and it shows through the art style. The character cast is HUGE. Personally, it isn’t that interesting to me, but if you liked liar soft’s other games, this one should be right up your alley.

The art for this game intrigues me though the setting and story do not. Art wise I feel that a game like this needs a lot of motion to really bring a bright and vibrant painted look to the story. Story wise I feel there may be much to be desired, with the background feeling like a setup.

Koigoromo ~Mazu wa Kore Kite!~

Company: Catear
Game site: 恋衣～まずはコレ着て！～
Release date: November 20, 2009
Comments:
Catear specializes in crossdressing games and this game is no exception. When Minoru confessed to Chisa, she was surprised and said that it would be fine if he dressed up as a girl. I don’t know how that works. Maybe she is secretly yearning for some female loving. Anyways, the art is bad and the story is bad, so definitely pass.

This plot is just plain lazy. forcing a crossdressing story with such a simple and boring setup should be a crime. Even under the assumption that I desired a crossdressing storyline this game would not be worth the time or effort to so much as skim through. If you are even vaguely interested I suggest watching the OP and leaving it at that, after all you get the entire story right there at the relatively cheap cost of a few minutes of time.

Shiden ~Enkan no Kizuna~

Company: 暁WORKS-響- (Akatsuki Works -Hibiki-)
Game site: 紫電～円環の絆～
Release date: November 26, 2009
Comments:
This is the first game by Akatsuki Works Hibiki, a new team under Akatsuki Works. The feel of the game is the same as past Akatsuki Works games, with a strong protagonist who doesn’t trust anyone and lots of girls who fight and can hold their own. I really like the OP. If you’re looking for an action ADV, this is a good choice.

I will pick this one up if I have the time to see how this new team works out. For the most part though gives a bit of a standard action based eroge feel. With an unproven track record and a game that feels a bit average there is not much more to say at this time. Cannot say I am too fond of muscle men in fundoshi though…

Baldr Sky Dive2 “Recordare”

Company: 戯画 (GIGA)
Game site: BALDR SKY Dive2“RECORDARE”
Release date: November 27, 2009
Comments:
The highly anticipated 2nd story for the popular ACT/ADV Baldr Sky. There’s not much more for me to add since most of you will be playing this regardless anyway.

I like the Baldr series but hate the work I need to do for these games, therefore I shall not be playing this game. So well if you liked Baldr Sky then this should be on your must play list, especially for this month.

airy[F]airy ~Easter of Sant’Ariccia~

Company: RococoWorks
Game site: airy［F］airy（エアリィフェアリィ）～Easter of Sant’Ariccia～
Release date: November 27, 2009
Comments:
There is a large sacred tree in Alicia Forest near the village of Nemi. Once every year it’ll glow and if a couple vows to love each other under its glow, they will live happily ever after. Elmo is preparing for the the annual Easter of Sant’Ariccia festival. His adoptive father disappeared 3 months ago and he had to take over the graveyard duties. Every Tuesday midnight, he has to participate in the battle of ‘Eremita’. If he loses, Tuesday will be stolen from this world.

Ahahahah…. his name is Elmo! Ahahaha… Um, sorry. I mean… what a weird story. The characters are interesting though, especially Monika who looks like Mio the Mad Hatter. RococoWorks’ art style is quite distinctive and I have no problem with it.

In my opinion the feel of this game lends itself toward the magical girl school type story. Art work is very moe centric with a focus on childish romance. The premise leading towards the battle for Tuesday feels inescapably lame to me, with the scale of the plotline feeling mismatched when compared to the character designs and other story elements.

For once I have to agree with Micchi though, I am a bit intrigued by the characters and especially Monika. The mix of cuteness along with what appears to be a mischievous side I find rather appealing.

…. Elmo…    nuff said.

But if we lose Tuesday, then that’s one less day to play eroge!

Shirokuma Bell Stars

Company: PULLTOP
Game site: しろくまベルスターズ♪
Release date: November 27, 2009 Delayed to December 11, 2009
Comments:
It’s a little early for Christmas, but we’ve got our first holiday season game already. In Shirokuma Bell Stars, some girls act as ‘Santa’ and can grant wishes using magical powers known as “Tree”. Acting as their partners are ‘reindeers’ (not actually reindeers) who help them carry things around using a machine called a ‘cervi’. Touma saw a Santa and reindeer pair when he was small and wanted to become a reindeer. Now he acts as a reindeer to an energetic, but clumsy, Santa named Nanami. Together they head to the Shirokuma village where there is no “Tree”.

So long as I can throw out my initial imagery of Santa as a jolly old (big-bellied) fellow and reindeers as horny horned animals, I’ll be able to enjoy this seemingly fun and light-hearted tale with a magical twist. I don’t mind seeing girls dressed in Santa suits using magic. Nanami is omochikaeri material.

This game is terrible. I suppose with a lead in like that I should give them a little credit for being the first to attempt to cash in on christmas, I swear it gets earlier every year.. With this lone little “Positive” safely out of the way I can begin my usual opinionated bashing of other peoples work.

Frankly this idea is even lazier than Koigoromo. Christmas moe style I suppose would be appealing to middle aged pedophiles looking to recover their lost youth, or alternatively… Micchi. Not only does this game lack any real story, or even a forseeable possibility of interesting characters and their development. I am not one to care about the bastardization of corporate holidays, especially when I much prefer the Japanese method of celebrating the winter solstice . However the mind numbing simplicity that is the plotline of this game means that after a summary you already know the story. I would wager that with a few extra details, such as exact scenarios for the endings and character traits I would be able to write a convincing review on the entire game. Normally I would be done with my comments after a quick “No” however the drought of games this month leaves me with a lot of pent up assholery to vent.

I think I finally understand why you’re such an ass. You were always on Santa’s naughty list and you didn’t even get coal for Christmas due to rising fuel surcharges. Look, you even invented the word ‘assholery’.

Sorafune

Company: だんでらいおん (Dandelion)
Game site: そらふね
Release date: November 27, 2009
Comments:
The world is full of mysteries. Even though the adults laugh and think it’s just pretending to explore and chasing a childhood dream, a group of friends head out to investigate these mysteries and understand the truth behind things in this world. The premise of exploration is definitely one that I find interesting since it reminds me of being a child when you don’t understand how everything works. That being said, I find the art horrendous. Some of the CGs are really disproportionate and I can’t bring myself to play something that I can’t stand looking at.

I like anything that gives me something to think about. In this case I am interested in where they will be going with this story. Assuming the childhood exploration is not emphasized on but rather an interesting world view is developed I feel this may be an interesting game that I will pick up.

I see none of the epic failure that Micchi did in the CG, while there are a few CGs that are off, that is normal in almost every game. Nothing that I witnessed for Sorafune was on the scale of Eden bad.

Atori no Sora to Shinchuu no Tsuki

Company: TOPCAT
Game site: アトリの空と真鍮の月
Release date: November 27, 2009
Comments:
Haito returns to Ashibi-mura and reacquaints with friends after 6 years. The people in the village all worship a god, but there’s a hidden bloody past that the adults are hiding. I’m having Higurashi vibes here, as this game is listed as a rural horror ADV with mystery elements. I’m not too familiar with TOPCAT, so I’m going to wait for some blog impressions before considering this.

Maybe a Higurashi that is not silly, nonsensical, and written for people who enjoy pseudo intellectual rubbish. Ok back on track and I do like the idea of this eroge but I also find the retro art style repulsive. I do not know about the rest of you but I find bishoujos with manly faces a travesty.

I think this is just realistic, unlike Majikoi.

Suzunone Seven! -Sweet Lovers’ Concerto-

Company: クロシェットlumie (Clochette lumie)
Game site: スズノネセブン！－Sweet Lovers’Concerto－
Release date: November 27, 2009
Comments:
This is the fandisk for Suzunone Seven!, which I have reviewed already. It takes place after the end of the ‘Worst Seven’ trial and will have lots of meromero and eroero. In addition to the 4 main heroines, all 4 subcharacters (Riri, Momoko, Shizuho, Kaname) will have routes too. Yesssssssss! More Sumirecchi and Nino! Riri and Momoko-san! I am so playing this.

Fandisk. ZZZzzz

Natsuiro Penguin

Company: リトルプリンセス (Little Princess)
Game site: 夏いろペンギン
Release date: November 27, 2009
Comments:
Since there’s an OP out (and a really catchy one at that), I guess it’s actually coming out this time. After all the stuff I said about this, I actually am considering playing this. The characters are cute and there’s a lot of comedy. And there’s a yandere kouhai idol. How can you not like that?

Not sure on the how exactly, but I am certain at least that I do not like it. With all the delays I am even less interested.. if that is possible than I was when this game was first slated to be released.

Imouto Smile

Company: しとろんソフト (Citron Soft)
Game site: 妹スマイル
Release date: November 27, 2009
Comments:
Living alone in a huge mansion after the death of his parents, our protagonist gazes outside and sees a cute girl. He thinks to himself that life would be so much better if she was his little sister, a part of his family. He then hears a knock at his door and the girl introduces herself as his little sister.

It’s obvious that I like imouto chars, but after being hyped for this game at first, I’ve been sorely disappointed. My main problem is that imoutos are not just younger girls who come to your door and proclaim themselves as such. There’s a very close existing relationship and part of their story is progressing from one type of relationship to another. When there’s 6 imouto in one house (I’m assuming they’ll all end up living together), I’m afraid it just feels like Citron Soft is taking advantage of one moe genre too much, similar to what they did with Mikoko. From the H scene previews on the official site, it seems more like an imouto-nukige than one with a decent plot.

I’ll still check this out though. Just for Haruna.

Wow even in a bad month this game stands out as just plain bad. If you like a good story this is certainly not the game for you. I cannot see anyone enjoying the (and I use this is the loosest possible way) story that was cobbled together from reading too many H doujins. This game is simply a CG with pesky words in between.

Micchi’s Top 3 for This Month

1. Suzunone Seven! -Sweet Lovers’ Concerto-
   
2. Natsuiro Penguin
   
3. Shirokuma Bell Stars
   

Zen’s Top 3 for This Month

1. Shiden ~Enkan no Kizuna~
2. Sorafune
3. Usotsuki to Inugamitsuki

Happy Halloween everyone! Hmm… now that I think about it, why is it happy? Isn’t Halloween supposed to be scary? Zen thinks that it should be called ‘crappy american cosplay day’. Well, whatever floats your boat.

As usual, a special banner (lovable Kaede) is up for the occasion. A new one will be up tomorrow, along with the November releases. If you plan to dress up and go trick or treating tonight, have lots of fun and get lots of yummy candy ^^

きひひひひひ

Newly announced games this week are:

ABHAR – Ushinawareta Mirai o Motomete
BasiL – Rebirth ~Kioku e Tsumugu Rinbukyoku
Concerto – Oborokomachi
Lapis Lazuli – Areas ~Koisuru Otome no 3H~
Lime – Petapeta
Nel – Narikiri Ba-Couple (January 29th)
Shallot – Happy Wardrobe
Sprite – Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate

Concerto, Shallot and Sprite are all new companies. I’ll be keeping my eye on Sprite since their art is very pretty. Shallot is a sister company of the AkabeeSoft2 brand. Rebirth will be a full game of Rondo -O-va-chua- from Mogitate BasiL!. August will be also be announcing a new game later this winter.

TailWind/TailSkid announced that they were closing earlier this week. While I didn’t play their games, Trample on Schatten!! did get some good reviews.

Release dates have been set for the following games:

Ohimesama wa Banterareo – January 22nd
Kagura Gakuenki – January 29th
Oni Mari. – January 29th
Puara! – January 29th
Tenkuu no Yumina FD – January 29th

BaseSon’s Shin Koihime Musou Desktop Mascot ~Itsudemo Issho~ package will be coming out on December 25th.

TSUKASA’s EternalSky has been delayed a month to December 18th. The November list is looking very empty.

Since a lot of chara polls wrapped up this week, I’ll just quickly list them.

Coμ – Yoruko
Hapitora – Aina
Hime x Hime – Nanami
Imouto Smile – Shiki

Akatsuki Works Hibiki is holding a chara poll for upcoming game Shiden until November 14th. MOONSTONE Cherry is holding H scene polls for IchaPri!. The current one is Sakura and Koyuri (until November 4th). NekoNekoSoft is accepting suggestions for the Sorairo fandisk on their BBS. I just want more Ai-chan!!!

Suzunone Seven! will be ported to PS2 in March by Alchemist as Suzunone Seven! ~Rebirth knot~. There will be two new heroines introduced. Alchemist is also releasing a new game called No Fate! -only the power of will- for the PSP and Xbox 360. It comes out February 25th.

Good Smile Company is releasing a pair of figures for the Nanoha movie in January. First up is a mini Nanoha nendoroid for 3500 yen. The second is a Fate figma for 2800 yen, although it’s by Max Factory and the quality isn’t that good. Nanoha is adorable though ><b

A closer look at the mini Higurashi figures from Takara Tomy Arts that are part of the promotion for Higurashi Daybreak Portable MEGA Edition for the PSP. They cost 300 yen each and there’s rare versions too!

It seems like mini figures are really popular. Bandai Collectors has some really cute K-ON! figures for 500 yen each. The stand at the back looks awkward, but it’s fine from the front. My favs are Yui (stage ver), Azunyan and Ui. MOVIC is also releasing a 1/8 scale PVC original costume Mio figure. It’ll be out in January with a 7140 yen price tag. I like the design; they made good use of that zettai ryouiki.

Kotobukiya’s latest figure is a 1/10 scale PVC of Charlotte from Quartett!, an eroge by little witch which came out a few years ago. The design is relatively simple and the 3990 yen price tag reflects that. It’ll be out in February. They are also releasing a 1/8 scale PVC figure of my favorite character from Koihime Musou – ‘hawawa strategist’ Shuri! It’ll be out on February 28th at 5040 yen. She comes with her signature fan and you could take her beret off if you want (although why would you!?) はわわ！

The latest collaborations at ai Sp@ce are with NekoNekoSoft (Sorairo) and BaseSon (Koihime Musou – Shuri outfit). They keep on partnering with titles I like, but unfortunately it’s basically just a dress-up game. And they want you have to pay for it.

The GungHo Festival 2009 will be running this Sunday in Yokohama and it’s free to enter if you’re in the area. Flagship titles Ragnarok Online, Emil Chronicle Online and Grandia will be represented. The main event is the Ragnarok World Championship 2009 (RWC2009) which is held in Japan this year after being held in South Korea and the Philippines in past years. I’m not sure if any of my ex-guildies will be there, but good luck to the iRO contingent. They’ll need it.

In case you didn’t know how to masturbate…

Innovation at its best.

It took a while, but the company site listing has been updated. Please feel free to use this as a resource.

I hope you’re all having fun with this month’s releases. I’ll probably be starting up Shuffle! Essence+ in a few days. Wait for me, Daisy! November is looking really light, so you’ll have plenty of time to work on your backlogs ^^

Webclap responses:

clap clap clap =)
do i ever annoy you onii-chan? With useless claps?
I’ll work hard to press your buttons one day…
then cower in fear
sana sux! *runs* by Serenity
Well it just means I have something to respond to this week ^o^ And I’m immune to that since Zen is a total ass. Even though he actually secretly loves moege.

Liquid Stone recently started up their Mameshiki series for figures. This line of figures are high quality PVC which are chibified (1:2.5 proportion). Just like figmas, you can move them around so you can pose them anyway you like. The first two figures are Kirisame Marisa and Hakurei Reimu from Touhou. Release date will be in Spring 2010. Price isn’t known yet, but preorders start up on AmiAmi tomorrow. I really love the proportion; it makes them look so cute! The poses can be quite dynamic and the balancing is well done. It’s Liquid Stone’s first foray into making sd figma-style figures, but I think this is quite successful.

Liquid Stone product page
AmiAmi blog entry

The third member of the K-ON! nendoroid series from Good Smile Company is Ritsu! Release date is in February 2010, with a price tag of 4000 yen. She comes with the drum set, as well two additional faces (flustered and pained). You can also take her hairband off if you wish. Ritsu isn’t my one of my fav chars in the series, but this figure has more options than Mio and Yui.

Good Smile Company product page
Mika-tan blog

Dream Party 2009 Tokyo will be held this Sunday at the Tokyo Big Sight, with almost all companies attending it. There was a lot of news in the eroge world this week as companies prepare for this major event.

From this month’s issue of TECH GIAN comes a bunch of new game announcements. The main one (as Kres had already pointed out) is the RPG fandisk Tenkuu no Yumina -ForeverDreams-, with Nayuta as the main heroine. It’s scheduled for a winter 2010 release. Other games are:

AXL – AXL006 (no title yet)
LOVERSOUL – Green Strawberry
PeasSoft – Ama Ane (Spring 2010)

There’s also a mysterious game titled Taiyou no Ko, featuring staff from AkabeeSoft2, GIGA, CandySoft, among others. More news on this will come out in 2 months.

Windmill will also announce a new game next month. Lime plans to reveal their next game at Dream Party.

New release dates this week include:

Fake Azure Arcology – December 17th
Dies irae ~Acta est Fabula~ – December 25th
Hana to Otome ni Shukufuku o Royal Bouquet – January 29th
RUNE LORD – January 29th
Yunibaru! Paranormal Girls Strike!! – January 29th
KOI-LABO. – February 26th

The following games have been delayed:

Natsuiro Penguin – November 27th
Manaka de Ikuno!! – December 18th
PARA-SOL – February 19th
se.Kirara – March 26th

φâge opened the official site for Shapeshifter. It’s quite a change from their previous work, Owaranaki Natsu Towa Naru Shirabe. Taking a look at the seiyuu… isn’t this basically the same cast!?

There’s a seiyuu change for Erika in D.C.II Fall in Love. She is now voiced by Tamiyasu Tomoe instead of Ishikawa Yoshiko.

The last part of Leaf’s Manaka de Ikuno!! fandisk is Mananatsu, a 3D after story for ToHeart2’s Manaka. Iincho’s so cute >_<

Navel blocked foreign IPs for all of one day. Wonder what that was about. Anyways, there will be 12 endings for SHUFFLE! Essence+ and some routes (like Daisy’s) will not be open at the very beginning. Rumors has it there’s a bonus if you finish the entire game.

For Accany and Algester: The trial for Innocent Grey’s Caucasus is now available. Enjoy! For Hemi-tan: One part of Alice 2010 fandisk is something called Haruka vs Escalayer. Interested?

More info about the story for Citron Soft’s Imouto Smile has come out. Some rich kid who lives alone sees a cute girl outside and thinks that it would be nice if she were his little sister, and then she comes to his door and announces that she is. What? I didn’t expect much of a plot, but this is pretty bad. Looking at the H scene dialogue, it seems more like a nukige than one based on a story. I’m highly disappointed since I wanted a good story with lots of imouto meromero.

If I wanted to play a nukige, it’d be MoonStone Cherry’s IchaPri!. They recently added a special page detailing all the H stuff. There’s plenty of 3P and even a harem route. Sugisaki would be happy.

Miru won the second &LOVE chara poll. You can download a commemorative wallpaper off Comet’s site.

The chara poll for Tropical Kiss has started up with Matsuri and Hotaru currently in the lead. You can vote once per day until November 5th. There’s also a chara poll for Sugarcoat Freaks, although it doesn’t seem like there’s an end date. I guess it’s until the release date on December 18th. Green Strawberry also has a chara poll even though it was just announced. It runs until November 9th. Sakurako is really cute ^^

Battler won the first chara poll on 07th Expansion for Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru. Beatrice placed second. In announcing the results on the blog, Ryukishi07 also broke news that long-time 07th Expansion staff member and close friend BT-san passed away due to illness. His post was really touching. RIP.

Studio Ryokucha has an interesting poll running on their Koiiro Sora Moyou blog. If you could change your past, to which point in time would you return to? Personally, I would repeat my high school days and then complete university again, but without falling into the trap known as MMOs. Of course, that depends on if you retain your memories so you don’t make the same mistakes. Hindsight is always 20/20.

It’s the 10th anniversary for NekoNekoSoft (although they took a 3 year break in the middle) and they will hold a poll regarding the Sorairo fandisk next week. I’m almost done Ai’s world in Sorairo and I really loved Ai’s route. Kenji and Ai are the best siblings ever!

Latest goodies from Good Smile Company are charms of the really cute Pylori Miku and Pylori Rin and cathead Toet. These 30mm tall charms come out in January, at a price of 500 yen each. Their latest PVC figure is Hayakawa Yuzuko from Yuzuko Peppermint. It comes out in March at a price of 9800 yen, with a drama CD and booklet. I haven’t heard of this manga before. The chain and movement is nice, but I don’t like the blue/white hair. The next nendoroid is Magical Marine Pixel Mari-tan’s Jiei-tan, scheduled for March at 4500 yen for the special edition (3500 yen for normal).

Kotobukiya’s latest Strike Witches figure is of Lynette Bishop, with a January released date and a price tag of 7140 yen. I’m still not fond of those legs.

There will be a Saber figma packaged with the upcoming PSP game Fate/Extra. Looks ok, but not the best Saber figure out there.

The OP for Higurashi Daybreak Portable Mega Edition is out. Hauuu~ Chibi charas are adorable!

Currently running anime that now have console games include: Sora no Otoshimono (PSP) and Seitokai no Ichizon (DS). I wonder if SoraOto will be a flying game. Please make Sei☆Zon a VN!!!

Speaking of SoraOto, people were so moved by the 2nd episode’s ED that they tried it out. Beautiful.

Dengeki Moeou releases an illustration collection every season and the theme for this winter is bandages (ばんそうこう). Mini-figures of the To Aru Majutsu no Index cast will accompany the upcoming issues of Dengeki Daioh.

“Nakeru! Bishoujo Game Goroku” (1260 yen) by PHP Kenkyuusho offers famous quotations from nakige (games that make you cry). key’s works are definitely included, along with Da Capo, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, Fate/stay night (although this isn’t really a nakige), Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku o and Kazoku Keikaku. Samples can be seen off Akiba Blog. I’ve always loved nakige for their stories. A ranking on Niconico listed AIR as the top nakige as of July 2007. What do you think is the best one now?

Majisuki and Sakura Sakura have visual fan books coming up. I still find them a bit on the expensive side.

Pizza Hut supports Railgun. I’m very interested in that double roll.

I laughed at George not being on the cover of his own Umineko character album. The guy can’t catch any breaks.

PonyCanyon released a sound CD called NaviKano ~Omukae ni Kichatta~, where you can choose between a ladylike osananajimi or a tomboyish imouto to be your raburabu guide as you journey from the Tokyo Big Sight to Shinbashi station. The tracks are coordinated with the stations on the Yurikamome. This is a brilliant idea.

Really really cute Yunocchi USB bundled with the Hidamari Sketch x365 Special DVD.

I know I’ve mentioned Kagabuu before, but I find it too funny not to post more pictures of her.

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, I’m quite busy IRL. I’ll try to keep the weekly news on Friday, but there might be times when it’s pushed back to Saturday or Sunday.

Webclap responses:

Oh hey look what I found… by Seishi
Ah crap, I’ve been found. Must hide the evidence!

＞＜ by 岡崎　ともや
Is your last name pronounced すぎさき?

PS: NAVEL is blocking international access but meh…. still I dont know why though i mean all of their titles do not extend to the “banned list” by Algester
Old news.

Webclaps are pretty lame….
Web hugs are the way to go!
*hugs oniichan* <3
PS: Send webhugs to everyone’s favorite closet otaku ;) by Serenity
Zen would definitely want some of those…

Congratulations to Taiga, winner of Saimoe 2009.

2009 is the Year of the Taiga, as she follows up her victory in Best Moe with a Saimoe crown. Yui gave it her all, but fell a bit short 1332-1278. The vote count ended up being higher than last year.

Fanart:
Top: 「えんじぇるたいが」 by へっぽこくん
Bottom: 最終回記念！ by 澱住

There were lots of memorable moments in this year’s tournament: Mio’s early ouster by BOSS, the manipulation of Asahina Mikuru, Maria winning a match, Block G (also known as the “I thought ties were rare” block), Saki romping through the brackets but losing when it counted, Louise being herself, and of course, Taiga’s double crown.

I’d like to thank frustra for all the result postings and posters, Seishi and the folks over at Lunatic Antics for their wild predictions opinions, kevo for the in-depth tabloid-style coverage, ando for inspiring me to become a Saimoe info junkie, and the 2ch poster-making anon guy for doing what he does best.

Thanks for following Saimoe 2009. I hope you have passionately supported your favorite characters, discovered new characters and series and enjoyed the tournament as much as I have.

See you again next year!

HOOK is planning to release a short FairlyLife fandisk Yorikorimakuri at Comiket 77 this December. In their latest 4koma, NekoNekoSoft has also declared that they’re working on a Sorairo fandisk.

The following games have release dates set:

Hoshi Uta ~Starlight Serenade~ – December 25th
CureFull! – January 29th
Harukazedori ni, Tomarigiri o. 2nd Story – January 29th
id -Rebirth Session- – January 29th
Mahonyo! – January 29th

Skyprythem was pushed back one week to October 30th.

The OP to eufonie’s Hidamari Basket is up and I’m already quite looking forward to the game, especially Kasuga’s route.

SMEE has started up the Love Delation! chara poll. It lasts till November 20th. Nanaka placed first in the Nega0 after release chara poll. There’s a commemorative wallpaper available for download. The total vote count seems pretty low.

I recently read a review of light novel Dekotsun off JITSU’s blog. Oh man, Kokoa is so adorable and their relationships sounds as beautiful as Kenji and Ai’s in Sorairo. I should pick this up next time I buy manga.

There’s lots of hype about the upcoming PS3 game Ar Tonelico 3. It hits shelves January 28th.

The Fate series now has a PSP game with the introduction of Fate/Extra.

ALTER is releasing a 1/7 scale PVC figure of Shamal from Nanoha StrikerS. She comes with puppy Zafila. Release date is March 2010 and it’ll cost a whopping 10290 yen.

Orchid Seed will release a 1/7 scale PVC figure of Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica’s Corticarte in January 2010. Standing around 22cm tall, it’ll cost 7800 yen.

Kaito nuigurumi from Gift actually looks pretty nice. It has a November release date and a 3675 yen price tag.

It seems that mini-figurines of the student council girls from Seitokai no Ichizon in bloomers will be made by Fujimi Shobou. They’ll tentatively come out in May 2010, with a total cost of 2980 yen. I hope they look nice. Kurimu~

No webclap responses this time around. It’s been a hectic week for me.

For some reason, CandySoft made a dance for the TsuyoKiss series. It’s actually pretty well done.

A Touhou double from Good Smile Company this week as both the Reimu figma and Marisa nendoroid were announced. Both are scheduled for release in January 2010.

This is one the better figmas that GSC have produced. Not only is our favorite Hakurei Shrine miko rendered well, but the details are of high quality. There’s also many extras and that darake face is awesome. The price tag is actually a very affordable 2980 yen. She stands about 140mm tall. The figure stand is included.

Following the previous nendoroid of Reimu comes nendoroid Marisa. She stands 100mm tall and costs 3000 yen. I’m not as impressed with this one and there’s only two faces included. Nice if you’re looking to add to your Touhou collection.

Mika-tan blog
Good Smile Company – Reimu figma product page
Good Smile Company – Marisa nendoroid product page