With Soul Calibur IV, it seems the best physicists in the land have been summoned to ensure every knock is accompanied by fluid dynamics to make the supercomputers of yesteryear wince; so what better a theme could there be for a topical video gallery, now the game has shifted millions of copies?

The Soul Calibur series has always displayed a tasteful appreciation of the human body, reproducing it faithfully and artistically, though it would not be an exaggeration to say that the better part of these efforts have centred on ensuring even the most flat or strapped down female character displays no lack of enticing jiggle, and not just limited to the ample breasts lately so favoured.

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Hadaka/Naked Apron – though she still has her pants on (this may be allowable). There seems to be no limit to the fidelity with which our character cravings can be realised in this game, as we saw in the SCIV cosplay galleries: sensible and chaos.

Your route onto Nico, which positively overflows with these videos now.

Konami seems to be busy – now they bring Shakugan no Shana to us in figumated form, due for release on the 21st, and available in just about every variety of Shana, as well as side characters (below).

How will this fair against the upcoming nendoroid Shana? At a mere ¥500 each, it may not be a fair comparison, although the finish seems nice enough (actually it seems rather good). Bandage Shana is rare – thank goodness…

Something of an intriguing premise underlies this latest manga adaptation: まりあ†ほりっく / Mariaholic, by lady mangaka 遠藤海成 / Endou Minari, centres around the oppression of a cross-dressing boy attempting to duplicitously fit himself into life in a convent school by disguising himself as a pupil, whilst surrounded by young ladies of the sort of tastes typical in exclusively female Catholic schools. Also, it has sadistic maids, and probably nuns.

If you’re not familiar with the work, a chapter is reproduced below.

Both in this chapter and elsewhere, erotic content is fairly lacking, though the extremely accomplished illustrations seem to make up for it. Great style, and an amusing enough plot to boot; one to look out for, even if it is perhaps tilted towards certain tastes.

Due to be produced by Shaft. News via Moon phase.

As part of an initiative to reinvigorate the local economy, the Hokkaido government is set to establish special areas where cannabis can be grown freely, so as to put fallow fields to work and reduce the need to import.

According to reports, the government intends special economic zones where the growth of hemp will be endorsed, though fans will be disappointed to know that the growth plans are strictly for industrial use, and will employ low THC (active component) varieties.

Whether these measures will be enough to discourage unintended diversion of the crop is unclear. On the other hand, rope users (of all kinds) will be delighted.

Many of you will doubtless know that Japan has a long history of hemp usage, both in the usual rope manufacture, and also as a spiritual or recreational etheogen… More a revival of a traditional industry than anything new?

At any rate, this may have a positive effect on rope prices.

One of the many peculiarities exhibited by foremost lolicon ero-manga anthology magazine Comic LO is the publication of disclaimer style images exhorting the readership not to touch, complaining about opprobrium, etc. Frequently they are eccentric, often they are strange, but always they seem to be witty and well designed.

Here are most of them for your inspection, now with almost comprehensive translations:

“Please by no means touch any children”.

“Don’t touch: this our duty”.

“For the sake of your future, let us not touch.  Let us preserve this ideal”.

“I’m a lolicon. I love children. So I won’t lay a hand on them”.

Switches for reason and imagination are on. Action switch is off.

“Don’t lay a finger on the children!”

“We’re serious when we say we want to see an end to all sex crimes against children”.

“Comrades! Don’t lose your way!” On the left are “gomics”, the right is the pen.

“Answer in the box: I want to do children / I won’t do children”.

“If/because you’re a lolicon, you protect children”.

Lolicon Hazard Managemnt Manual: “Don’t get near little girls. It is extremly hazardous”.

The Promised Land: Lolimanga Isle.

“Life is good if there is lolita and music”.

“Do you know? A lolicon tax is due for implementation in…”

“Let us protect the priivacy of adults”.

“We’ll never forgive those who make the world like this”.

(the left looks to be a personal alarm)

The Game of Life.

“I think we should try thinking again about the matter of lolita”.

“Let’s believe”.

“Friendship, not little girls, is what’s required for lolicon”.

“The flowers in bloom fall, children eventually become adults. So what becomes of the lolicon?”

“Damn all you lolicon! Have you no shame?” Aspiring Beako.

“Lolicon can’t do it over”.

“The End for Loli-Manga Draws Nigh”.

“Lolicon are human beings”.

“They (lolicon) stink, they’re gross, nasty”.

“It’s summer, so be sure to masturbate properly!”

Loli counselling room.

Clebrates the 50th issue of glorious cake.

“We can cure you”. (by giving you delicious cake)

The crab one in particular is very puzzling. There doesn’t seem to be any viable explanation for that?
The source.

Some rather impressive art from China, employing an interesting choice of medium: the humble watermelon, carved and decorated into a variety of artful representations, all eminently edible of course.

Via Heaven.

Too good to eat? Or a waste not to? Outstanding culinary art at any rate.

In a departure from the usual character-centric galleries, let us enjoy a collection of superb photographic views, mostly of the Japanese countryside, as collected by the Vippers. Some of the scenes are quite captivating, and it certainly makes an interesting change.

So ends the picturesque landscape gallery. The urban scenes for which Japan is well known are perhaps a little lacking; maybe in a future gallery we will see more. Not that anyone could complain given the quality of these scenes…

This digest of tentacle anime came up, and it is amusing enough to share. Quite a comprehensive selection, both of anime and girls, and of styles of tentacle. I see some of the more unusual starfish headed types, as well as the more usual plain shokushu. There is plenty of non-ero-anime featured, but rather a lot of mainstream anime also features – 3×3 Eyes I knew about, but Nanoha had those kind of scenes?

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Bonus hentai points if you can recognise more than half of the titles featured.

Nico. The comments are rather amusing: “Enough! This country is too much!” etc…

In case you were wondering, the title image is by AskRay/Bosshi, shortly to get his first anime, although tentacle aficionados doubtless knew of him already.

The colossal and highly successful グイン・サーガ / Guin Saga series of fantasy novels, by 栗本薫 / Kaoru Kurimoto, now standing at over 120 volumes, will be adapted into an anime airing in the spring of 2009. The announcement was made on the cover (obi) of the just released 122nd volume, though that there was activity in adapting it to anime has been discussed for a few years (three years ago, in fact).

This is sure to be an interesting project, and possibly the start of a major mixed media franchise, although as yet further details are lacking. Via Moonphase.

Some Vippers have been posting interesting images of Japanese girls doing a spot of cheerleading, so allow me to present a gallerified version. Consider it an accompaniment to the earlier sport girl gallery, although with even less posed photography. So now we have all manner of school uniforms, school swimwear, normal swimwear… the only thing missing would be bloomers?

I am a devoted fan of this illustration, so seeing the latest figure compelled me to post. No wonder Type Moon’s illustrations are so sought after. Also some more puchi nendoroid type images are provided…

More at Moeyo. And it seems no sooner do I ready the post, than the good Danny Choo provides a similar assortment… worth a look. Puchi Itoshiki Nozomu:

Needs a better version of the image though… anyone?

]]> http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2008/08/06/puchi-lion-saber/feed/ http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2008/08/06/super-music-maker-%e2%80%93-master-madness/ http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2008/08/06/super-music-maker-%e2%80%93-master-madness/#comments Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:54:49 +0000 Artefact http://www.sankakucomplex.com/?p=913

A pair of rather exceptional Idol Master MADs are presented here, one is just released, and the other one I hoarded for some time. Both are excellent.

Super Music Maker, with Haruka. Nico.

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MadPV Sentaku Mix. Nico.

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These are experimentally hosted locally (for when there’s a danger of Nico kowtowing to a studio, or of YouTube removing it over complaints of exposed ankles); please report any problems you might have. You may need to upgrade to the latest version of flash on account of the encoding.

Few would deny an original work by Type Moon’s top illustrator 武内崇 / Takashi Takeuchi, of Fate/stay night and Tsukihime fame, to be one capable of commanding a high price, and worth it, but a recent auction in which a single page from a sketchbook, featuring but one rather rough pencil illustration, certainly turned heads when the auction concluded at an impressive ¥456,000.

The provenance of the sketch is not, by the way, in doubt. It was drawn at a doujin event, Sunshine Creation 10, for the current seller in 2001.

That’s all there is. See a cache of the auction here, and an introduction to the origiating thread here.

Money well spent? It may, of course, appreciate…