Monday Notes (June 5)...
Everybody have a nice weekend? :) Mine was pretty good... though I spent most of it doing things other than blogging (I know, I know). Some stuff I ordered came in Saturday, including this:
Got the limited edition of Kamichu! Vol 1. and the June issues of Megami and Ciao (that's a somewhat odd combination, ain't it?). I'll post the Kamichu! and Ciao stuff in a separate entry and Megami after the jump. First, some news from the past week.
Negima! "Spring" OVA Site
I thought from the post on Akamatsu-sensei's diary that the entire OVA would be included on a DVD to be bundled with volume 15 of the comics, but I guess not. Instead, a 5 minute digest of the OVA (with commentary), the OP, and a video version of the web radio broadcast. On sale August 17.
CPM Still In Business (ANN)
The company sent out a statement attributing the reductions in staff to the bankruptcy of Musicland, their largest customer. No bankruptcy filing as the previous story rumored. CPM will be releasing products as they restructure the company.
ADV Offers Digital Downloads Through ZVUE (ANN)
A press release from ADV announced a partership with ZVUE to digitally distribute ADV titles online. My first reaction: who's ZVUE?
ZVUE makes a low-cost low-end media player that is sold at Wal-Mart for $100. At January's CES show ZVUE annouced two new ZVUE players with upgraded specs but no release date. Checking their online store, most titles sell for $1.99. The video format is either very low-res low-bitrate xvid for the ZVUE player or 320x240 for viewing on a computer or other devices that support it (like a Pocket PC).
I can't quite understand why ADV choose to team up with ZVUE instead of seeking a bigger and more well-known partner -- the obvious one being Apple with iTunes. Either way, I doubt I'd utilize the service due to the low resolution format and the likely possibility that only dubs will be made available for download. I suppose it is a good first step, though we'll have to see if it's successful and can lead to an offering of downloadable content from others.
Tsuyokiss Official Site Update
Character information, story, and staff and cast updated for this show where all the heroines are tsunderes. The character design is different in style than the original game, the main character is different, and most of the cast is different. As you could guess, the people who played the original game by Candysoft are letting their outrage be known on the Japanese side of the interweb.
With what I've watched, it seems to be the case more times than not that the cast of the original game (especially with PC games) is replaced for the anime adaptation. And that's just one of the difficulties in adapting these kinds of games for an anime. You've got to make a game with branching storylines and different endings into a complete whole, changing things along the way that won't work in anime (making some fans mad), adjusting it to reach those who haven't played the game (making some fans mad), then choosing an ending from the game (making some fans mad) or making up an anime original ending (making some fans mad). Then there's dealing with differences between PC and console versions, like additional scenarios and characters you have to choose to include or leave out. Seems like it could be rather difficult (^^;;)
Anyways, I haven't played the original Tsuyokiss so I'm not really biased either way. Character designs for the anime actually appeal to me more, not to mention that Nana Mizuki and Mai Nakahara and Norio Wakamoto, etc. are going to be in it... I'm usually the type to at least give things a chance, anyways. I liked what Shin'ichirou Kimura, the director, did with Mahoraba so I'm looking forward to seeing what he brings. He does admit he's weak with tsunderes from a quote in the June issue of Megami (that's been jumped on), but it sounded like he's going to do his best. Now, if what MOON PHASE mentioned about the script/scenario writer saying something about not playing the game since he didn't want to have any preconceived notions about it... that is a bit too much there. At least play the game, really (^^;;)
As promised, some scans/photos of stuff.
The cover for the June Megami is Fate/Stay Night. There's a section with quite a bit of information on the show.. servants/masters/all that kinda stuff inside.
There's an ad for the TBS AnimeFesta prominently featuring the Asatte no Houkou anime that's going to start in the fall. Look for a writeup on the manga (I've got two volumes of it) sometime soon ;)
Shana kawaisu~ :)
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And here's Rimone from Simoun with her usual stash of snacks... I don't really need the panchira and such, though. Just cute is plenty fine (^^;;)
Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime Gyu! and Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club in Megami? Yup, definitely targeted towards kids ;) Putting that aside for now, the page on Sasami is in the section with shows that have a High (Heaven) and Low (Hell). High being "Sharing a secret with cute mahou shoujo" and Low being "A big panic with explosive magic they can't control" in this case. Sounds about right ;) The page on Futago Hime Gyu! is appropriately in the tennen (roughly, "airhead") section, with quick character descriptions and a summary. There's also a comment from the director, Shougo Kawamoto, on why you shouldn't miss it. Now where's the Miruro pinup? ;)
Megami site is here if you want to check out what's in the current issue.
The thing with getting stuff on iTunes is that, well, they still have to go through Apple. I believe one of the other R1 labels (it might have actually been CPM) enquired about it as soon as the video store was announced, only to be plonked at the bottom of a huge queue of other hopeful partners. I'm sure ADV will have investigated that route to much the same result, unfortunately.