TYPE-MOON manga

A few weeks ago I decided to update the TYPE-MOON related manga that I follow all at the same time at CD Japan, except for the ones that were too recent (like Fate vol. 17) and some of them that they didn't have in stock (like the last 4 volumes I'm missing of Shingetsutan Tsukihime). And to think that while I was living in Japan buying manga was SO easy...

Anyway, the list:

-TAKE MOON Sakuhin Shu Special Edition by Takenashi Eri
-Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei! volumes 2, 3 and 4 by Hiroyama Hiroshi
-MELTY BLOOD volumes 8 and 9 by Kirishima Takeru
-MELTY BLOOD X volumes 1 and 2 also by Kirishima Takeru
-Fate/Zero volumes 1 and 2 by Shinjiro
-Fate/Extra volume 1 by Robina

And now a bit more in detail:

TAKE MOON Sakuhin Shu Special Edition is the limited reprint of the original TAKE MOON volumes that I already have (and I talked a little bit about them here) in one big tankoubon instead of two.

The reason of the re-purchase is because includes a dvd called Carnival Phantasm EX Season, an extra episode that includes some gags that didn't make the cut to the regular OVAs.

Cute ashamed Bazett.

My only grudge is that is a dvd instead of a Blu-ray, and now that I'm getting hooked at watching anime with blu-ray quality, dvd quality is an eyesore...

The manga doesn't includes anything new (besides two pages of Takenashi thanking her fans and TYPE-MOON), but the paper is of much higher quality than any normal volume.

The multicolored Ren's chapter. The quality of the paper is not visible in photos, but the page is more white than usual.

A mini-booklet called TYPE-MOON Artworks is also included, that features color illustrations by Takenashi.

Random page.

Most of the illustrations already appeared (also in color) in the first pages of the previous edition of TAKE MOON.

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei! volumes 2, 3 and 4 by Hiroyama Hiroshi.

Until now I only managed to buy the first volume almost a year ago and the limited edition of the volume 4, so now I bought the volumes 2 and 3 and the regular version of volume 4 (because of the different cover).
A pleasant surprise that I found is that in the volume 2, the bonus chapter featuring the cross-over with Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha was included! I missed the chance when was released in the Comp Ace and I thought it was lost forever (or pay an absurd amount of money for it).

Nanoha and Illya.

MELTY BLOOD volumes 8 and 9 and MELTY BLOOD X volumes 1 and 2 by Kirishima Takeru. With this Melty Blood manga is totally over, no new arcs after this. Is a shame because despite I didn't liked that much at first I found it rather enjoyable at the end.

The first 6 volumes included the main story (Sion vs Wallachia) and the volumes 7 to 9 included all the half-joke scenarios (Miyako, Mecha-Hisui, G. Akiha...)

Miyako was the main heroine in the second arc.

MELTY BLOOD X was not based directly in the Melty Blood games, so in an original arc starring the Back Alley Alliance formed by Sion, Riesbyfe and Satsuki. Is a non serious arc like the Miyako one, were the main characters are forced to climb a pyramid-like house made by mistake by Sion.
Even if it was not based in any story arc from the game, it included some characters that didn't appeared in the previous volumes.

The short appearance of the tsundere White Ren

Actress Again final boss Dust of Osiris.

Fate/Zero volumes 1 and 2 by Shinjiro.

It covers until the battle royale of Saber, Lancer, Rider, Archer and Berserker. I don't have nuch to say besides that the male characters looks quite ugly, and some females (like Maiya) looks weird as well.

Berserker vs Saber

And finally Fate/Extra volume 1 by Robina.
Robina did a Fate/Extra one shot for the Type-Moon Ace 6 (that is included in this volume) and that escalated to a whole series. The pace is pretty quick, in one volume they are already fighting against Archer, and for now I like it better than the game.

Main characters are the male MC and Saber.

Archer, Caster and female MC appears in some extra pages, quite unhappy for not being the main characters.

2011 Tokushima Awa Odori Poster

One of the items that I bought back in August was a 2011 Tokushima Awa Odori poster, but I didn't wanted to do a review until I got it laminated and hanged.


The poster was made by studio ufotable to promote Awa Odori festival in Tokushima.
Tokushima for the past few years is comissioning promotional posters featuring anime characters, and because those posters are not for sale reach quite high prices in second hand markets. This time was different, the poster were sold at Animate stores because half the price was destined to charity efforts for the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake.

Since it was for a good cause, 2011 poster features a lot of guest characters. The bigger ones are the reason that I purchased it: Saber drawn by Takeuchi Takashi and Shiki drawn by Sudou Tomonori (character designer of the Kara no Kyoukai movies), but it also features Major Kusanagi drawn by Nakamura Satoru, Black Rock Shooter by huke, Vash by Nightow Yasuhiro, Asuna from Shinkai Makoto's movie Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo, Nitroplus Super Soniko drawn by Tsuji Santa, Minori from Minori Scramble!, several characters form Milky Homes, Tsukineko, Manabi Straight! and Vanguard, as well as the character mascots of Animate, Mosaic.wav, NipponIchi, Seikaisha, Anime Style, ufotable and the prefecture of Tokushima.

IDOLM@STER Blu-ray & Gravure For You! Vol. 2

Next in the review line is the second Blu-ray of iDOLM@STER and the second volume of Gravure For You! for PS3.

This Blu-ray includes the episodes 3 to 5, and as a bonus includes a drama cd (pretty much the girls talking about what kind of program they would like to host) and a booklet called Model Sheet Collection Volume 1 that features character settings.

The cover of the Blu-ray features this time Yukiho and Makoto (volume 1 featured Haruka and Miki)

Postcards with the photos from the endings.

Again, the "Special" section includes creditless endings and the extended episode previews from the website.
This time the extra audio commentary track features Asakura Azumi (new voice of Yukiho), Hirata Hiromi (Makoto), Imai Asami (Chihaya) and Hara Yumi (Takane).

Model Sheet Collection Volume 1 is 104 b&w pages long, and includes general settings for each main character, and specific clothes and sub-characters from episodes 3 (the festival) and 4 (GeroGero kitchen).

Azusa face expresions.

Yukiho on stage clothes.

Hibiki and Takane kitchen clothes.

Gravure For You! Vol. 2 setting is in school, and the 2 clothes available are a school uniform ("School Days blazer") and a school swimsuit ("765 school swimsuit").

Random photos:

Tsuki no Sango hardcover edition

I received this harcover edition of Tsuki no Sango in early November:

The contents are pretty similar to the previously reviewed Tsuki no Sango booklet, but with more illustrations and 2 cd's containing the narration by Sakamoto Maaya.

The book (right) is 75 pages long, so is almost the double amount of pages of the booklet version, and features pictures that where not present before. The thing to the left is the cover of the digipak containing the cd's.

One of the pictures not included in the previous booklet.

By the way a translated version of the story can be found at Mazui Subs webpage.

The cd's voiced by Sakamoto narrates the whole story. Both discs together are about 90 minutes long.

I hope they release sooner or later a Blu-ray (or at least a dvd) of the Tsuki no Sango video that was originally aired during the recital. I thought it was to be included in this version, but sadly is not. The promotional video below:

Carnival Phantasm 2nd Season

With over a month of delay since I received it, here's Carnival Phantasm 2nd Season review.

Carnival Phantasm 2nd Season, the limited edition book CP Dokuhon and Toranoana exclusive clear book featuring Saber Alter and long haired Arcueid.

Like the first season, a large amount of it is directly based on Takenashi's TAKE MOON, but several pieces of it are original contents.

Saber Alter's pose based on this figure

Saber Extra short cameo. Her "it's not see-through, I'm showing it" line is priceless.

Like the previous season, both Blu-ray and dvd discs are included, no subtitles and the special audio commentary this time is made by Tiger Dojo Taiga and Bloomers Illya.
There's also a Special section that includes a playthrough of "Illya's Castle" minigame from Fate/hollow ataraxia with the characters audio commentaries.

CP Dokuhon (reading book), includes the script of the audio track "Teach me Ciel-sensei" from the previous season, a character settings section, a section of special illustrations (like the eyecatch scenes), an early storyboard with contents that never went to production and a couple of short manga by Kengou Yagumo and Keikenchi.

Character settings for Arcueid and Saber

Eyecatches from the first episode

Storyboard with Saber Lily versus Princess Arcueid in the unused opening

Young Ace December '11

Aggh... the pending reviews keep piling up, and as more time passes since I received the goods the less interest I have in doing the reviews, and thus they keep piling over and over... Anyways, I'll try to continue with them, even if it's months late...

I decided to review Young Ace December '11 issue first because we are still in December (altough the magazine was released in late November...).

As I said when I received the previous issue, the extra included in this one is an original Fate/Zero clock drawn by Takeuchi featuring Saber, Irisviel and Illya, all wearing Iri's dress.

As expected is a rather cheap clock, but the illustration is gorgeous.

There's only two of the series included that I'm interested in. One of them is Fate/Zero by Shinjiro:

Loli Rin arguing with Kotomine.

And the other is Shin Seiki Evangelion by Sadamoto Yoshiyuki:

Rei "betraying" Gendou.

In the manga version this is the second Rei and not the 3rd, but even with that it seems that the end will be similar to the movie. And because Sadamoto's pace, this will be the last chapter for months...

IDOLM@STER Blu-ray & Gravure For You! Vol.1

And this is the last part of the coverage of THE iDOLM@STER 2 for PS3, covering the first volume of the Blu-ray and also the first volume of Gravure For You!

The vol. 1 of the Blu-ray includes only the first two episodes, a pretty usual thing in Japanese releases. I don't have any complain about the quality of the image or the sound, both are pretty high.

Like is usual in Japanese Blu-ray releases, the extras are very few. The "Special" section includes creditless opening and ending (of both episodes) and the extended episode preview from the website.
"Sound" section includes the normal track and an extra audio commentary track by Nakamura Eriko (Haruka), Kugiyama Rie (Iori), Shimoda Asami (Ami-Mami) and Nigo Mayako (Yayoi). Their commentaries are pretty random, and with little to no relation with what is happening on the screen at that moment.
No subtitles available.

There's also a bonus cd included in the package called Perfect Idol 01, that contains four tracks: "I'm So Free!" (sung by Miki, Azusa and Takane), "Relations -Jazz Rearrange Mix-" (Miki), "Tonari ni... -Jazz Rearrange Mix-" (Azusa) and "Kimi wa Melody -Jazz Rearrange Mix-" (Takane). Jazz tones in iM@S songs doesn't work too well, and the only new song "I'm So Free!" is clearly the best song in the cd, but not really that great.

Gravure For You! is a PS3 game that is includes in the limited version of the Blu-ray. Well, "game" is not really accurate, since the only thing you can do is to take pictures of the girls. You control the camera and you can give commands to the girls about how to pose. The photos can be easily exported in JPEG format.
In this first volume there's only one costume available, the "beauty swimsuit", but it seems that from volume 2 onwards there are two costumes available.

Some random photos: