Steins;Gate is one of the better orchestrated time travelling stories I have seen. Not only does it challenge your ability to piece together different elements of the story, it also entertains fairly well with the wacky personality of its main character, Okabe Rintarou. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, here is the plot summary from MyAnimeList:

Steins;Gate is set in the summer of 2010, approximately one year after the events that took place in Chaos;Head, in Akihabara.

Steins;Gate is about a group of friends who have customized their microwave into a device that can send text messages to the past. As they perform different experiments, an organization named SERN, who has been doing their own research on time travel, tracks them down and now the characters have to find a way to avoid being captured by them.

The original Steins;Gate was a visual novel for the Xbox 360 created by 5pb and Nitro+. Spanning 24 episodes, Steins;Gate initially comes off as a mass of events with little connection to each other. For example, what does a dead scientist, a UFO, and a text message have in common? Not much, unless you come up with some wild story. Steins;Gate does come up with a wild story, but surprisingly, it’s highly ordered and actually has a method to the madness. The story can effectively be broken up into 3 different phases: a fun experimentation phase, a consequence phase, and the Kurisu phase. These three phases work in concert with each other to form the traditional elements of a story: the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.

Random static, or clues to the secrets of the Universe?

The experimentation phase, as I like to call it, consists of the exposition and takes place from episodes 1 to the end of 12. I found this part of the series to be the most boring in terms of plot. Most of the episodes were centered around Okabe, the main character, and his lab members playing around with their time machine for their own benefit. Although not very attention-grabbing, the first half of the series was essential in establishing the conditions necessary to move onto the next phase.

I would consider the end of episode 12 to be the beginning of the consequence phase, which consists of the rising action. It is here that Okabe discovers that time manipulation is not without its consequences. This is when the story started picking up and shifted from a comedic tone to one of dark desperation.

The Kurisu phase is so named because it is largely focused on the cute teenage prodigy, Kurisu Makise, and consists of the climax, falling action, and denouement. In this phase, we see a reversal of roles as Kurisu, who had been the one helping Okabe deal with the consequences of time manipulation up until now, suddenly becomes the damsel in distress.

The entire story is told from Okabe’s point of view (there is not a single scene where he is not present), and if you’ve studied literature, that would make you immediately question the reliability of the narrator. However, the story is more focused on character development through both external and internal conflict. The antagonist is initially presented as the organization of SERN, but slowly shifts to Okabe battling with the consequences of his past decisions. Over the course of the series we see him develop from a goofy nerd to a man struggling through adversity before rising to the title of hero.

A story with a well-written plot and excellent character development deserves top-notch animation and that’s exactly what Steins;Gate received. While White Fox is a relatively new animation studio, they have proven themselves fully capable of creating high-quality animation with Katanagatari, and now with Steins;Gate. One of the ways in which I compare animation quality is to see how characters look when shown at a distance. If their clothes are still the right colour and there are no lumps sticking out of their faces, then I usually consider that good for a TV anime.

One final thing that really helped deliver this series was the voice acting of Mamoru Miyano, who played Okabe. Not many anime voice actors are able to create convincing auditory displays of emotion, but Mamoru is one of them. Okabe is certainly no easy character to act, often jumping from emotions such as joy, hopelessness, anger, and sadness. My favourite part about Mamoru’s performance was that he was able to make his voice sound hollow and devoid of life when Okabe had all but given up on his quest to change fate.

Steins;Gate is definitely one of the hidden gems of the year with its well-organized and written story, and excellent execution. I look forward to seeing what the movie will bring.

Related posts:

1. Character Analysis of Okabe Rintarou
2. Yosuga no Sora Review
3. Katanagatari Review

It’s time for another volume of Megami Magazine. Volume 136 (September 2011) has the most extras that I have seen in a while, and rightly so considering it costs 990 yen rather than the usual price of 780 yen. The front cover features Kurisu and Mayuri from the anime and visual novel Steins;Gate, both sporting cute maid uniforms and nekomimi. I’ve noticed my Megami posts getting longer and longer, so I’m going to try cutting back this time by just introducing the characters and anime in each poster, followed by my overall thoughts at the end. As with every Megami post, ecchi (NSFW) pictures are in the image links, so click at your own risk.

Himari and penguin #3 from Mawaru Penguindrum.

Haruka from The Idolmaster.

http://nopybot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/megami136-04.jpg

Subaru and Kanade from Mayo Chiki.

Ohana and Minko from Hanasaku Iroha.

The girls from Tantei Opera Milky Holmes.

The Carnival Phantasm girls.

Characters from upcoming anime, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai.

Cecilia and Charlotte from Infinite Stratos.

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Tomoka, Maho, and Hinata from Ro-Kyu-Bu!

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Yune from Ikoku Meiro no Croisee.

Makise and Mayuri from Steins;Gate.

Unknown

In Megami Magazine volume 134, there was a section dedicated to Megami Radio and its hosts. Yuka Iguchi appears again in this volume in a beautiful yukata.

A poster is included of Yuka as well.

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Girls from Kamisama Dolls.

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Akari and Chinatsu from Yuru Yuri.

Mayu and Yuzu from Nekogami Yaoyorozu.

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The Girl’s Avenue feature artist in this volume is Kurono Omikuzi (御敷　仁).

Girls from Mahou Sensei Negima.

Nagi, Hinagiku, and Maria from Hayate no Gotoku.

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Girls from Manyuu Hikenchou.

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Ran and Fukune from R-15.

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Haruka, Aoi, and Kurumi from Twin Angel – Twinkle Paradise.

My favourite poster in this volume is the Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai one, but that is more for the character designs rather than the quality of the image. Most of the posters were of good image quality, with my only complaint being the shading in the Hanasaku Iroha poster being too dark. There were none that stood out as amazing, and there seemed to be more ecchi and swimsuit posters than usual. I think the Steins;Gate poster would have looked a lot better if it had used the same background as the one on the magazine cover, but the cat footprints make it look cute.

In the figures section, Megami decided to feature some of the new and upcoming swimsuit figures. I haven’t followed swimsuit figures in a long time, but those Nanoha bikini figures seem to be relatively popular.

Also featured on the next page was a new Madoka card game with guess what, more swimsuits!

The only thing that really caught my eye in the Anime Character Catch-up section was the second episode of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kira, which will have both Rika and Satoko become magical girls.

One of the main extras in this volume was an Idolmaster CD.

The second extra was an Idolmaster Weib Schwarz card.

Third was an Idolmaster CD jacket to go with your new Idolmaster CD.

On the back cover is Kurisu advertising for Dr. Pepper, the soft drink of mad scientists in every world line.

This is the first time I’ve come across one of these, but apparently it’s the 12th such release. It’s called Tokusenbisyoujo and ranks 120 female characters from various anime. I can’t read Japanese, but I’m assuming it’s something along the lines of Megami Magazine’s own Saimoe contest.

On the front pages are 4 featured characters: Ichigo Morino, Nanoha Takamachi, Taiga Aisaka, and Yuki Nagato.

Following that is the actual ranking itself. Now, I don’t intend on grabbing a dictionary and translating every name to find out who’s ranked what, but I have listed below all of the characters that I could recognize based on their pictures. I don’t know what’s scarier, that I was actually able to identify 106 out of 120 anime characters, or that I still can’t recognize Britney Spears when she makes TV appearances.

1. Taiga Aisaka (Toradora)
2. Sumomo Akihime (Nanatsuiro Drops)
3. Mio Akiyama (K-ON!)
4. Homura Akemi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
5. Nemu Asakura (Da Capo)
6. Mikuru Asahina (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu)
7.
8. Rei Ayanami (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
9. Arika Yumemiya (Mai-ZHime)
10. Mahoro Ando (Mahoromatic)
11. Ika Musume (Shinryaku! Ika Musume)
12. Ikaros (Sora no Otoshimono)
13. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star)
14. Mahiru Inami (Working!!)
15. Index (To Aru Majutsu no Index)
16. Victorique de Blois (Gosick)
17. Eclair (Kiddy Grade)
18. Karen Onodera (Onegai Twins)
19. Asuna Kagurazaka (Mahou Sensei Negima!)
20. Mizuho Kazami (Onegai Teacher)
21. Sora Kasugano (Yosuga no Sora)
22. Shima Katase (Uchuu no Stellvia)
23. Hinagiku Katsura (Hayate no Gotoku!)
24. Madoka Kaname (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
25. Misuzu Kamio (AIR)
26. Ami Kawashima (Toradora)
27. Tamaki Kawazoe (Bamboo Blade)
28. Aria H. Kanzaki (Hidan no Aria)
29.
30. Ruri Gokou (Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai)
31. Kirino Kousaka (Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai)
32. Kallen Stadtfeld (Code Geass)
33. Tsumugi Kotobuki (K-ON!)
34.
35. Manaka Komaki (To Heart 2)
36. Sanya V. Litvyak (Strike Witches)
37.
38. Tomoyo Sakagami (Clannad)
39.
40. Kurimu Sakurano (Seitokai no Ichizon)
41.
42. C.C. (Code Geass)
43. Mafuyu Shiina (Seitokai no Ichizon)
44. Sheryl Nome (Macross Frontier)
45. Shaorin Shugogetten (Mamotte Shugogetten!)
46. Shana (Shakugan no Shana)
47. Charlotte Dunois (Infinite Stratos)
48. Kotori Shirakawa (Da Capo)
49. Shinku (Rozen Maiden)
50. Suigentou (Rozen Maiden)
51.
52. Akane Suzumiya (Kimi ga Nozomu Eien)
53. Haruka Suzumiya (Kimi ga Nozomu Eien)
54. Haruhi Suzumiya (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu)
55. Subaru Nakajima (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS)
56. Saber (Fate/stay Night)
57. Nadeko Sengoku (Bakemonogatari)
58. Hitagi Senjougahara (Bakemonogatari)
59. Ritsu Tainaka (K-ON!)
60. Nanoha Takamachi (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha)
61. Kanade Tachibana (Angel Beats!)
62. Popura Taneshima (Working!!)
63. Chii (Chobits)
64.
65. Tenma Tsukamoto (School Rumble)
66. Yakumo Tsukamoto (School Rumble)
67. Ayu Tsukimiya (Kanon)
68. Di Gi Charat (Di Gi Charat)
69. Erio Touwa (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko)
70. Rin Tohsaka (Fate/stay Night)
71. Mai Tokiha (Mai-Hime)
72. Yuki Nagato (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu)
73. Azusa Nakano (K-ON!)
74. Yuri Nakamura (Angel Beats!)
75. Nagi (Kannagi)
76. Ai Nanasaki (Amagami SS)
77. Naru Narusegawa (Love Hina)
78. Nymph (Sora no Otoshimono)
79. Nerine (Shuffle!)
80. Haruka Nogizaka (Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu)
81.
82. Hazuki (Tsukuyomi -Moon Phase-)
83. Nodoka Haramura (Saki)
84. Kagami Hiiragi (Lucky Star)
85. Amu Hinamori (Shugo Chara!)
86. Himari Noihara (Omamori Himari)
87. Mizuki Himeji (Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu)
88. Yui Hirasawa (K-ON!)
89. Binchou-tan (Binchou-tan)
90. Feena Fam Earthlight (Yoake Mae yori Ruriiro na)
91. Fate Testarossa (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha)
92. Honami Fujieda (Tsuki wa Higashi ni Hi wa Nishi ni ~Operation Sanctuary)
93. Petite Charat (Di Gi Charat)
94. Kaede Fuyou (Shuffle!)
95. Nagisa Furukawa (Clannad)
96. Belldandy (Ah! My Goddess)
97. Holo (Spice and Wolf)
98. Maria (Hayate no Gotoku!)
99. Multi (To Heart)
100. Mikoto Misaka (To Aru Majutsu no Index)
101.
102. Akari Mizunashi (Aria)
103. Nayuki Minase (Kanon)
104. Chiaki Minami (Minami-ke)
105. Chizuru Minamoto (Kanokon)
106.
107. Saki Miyanaga (Saki)
108. Miina Miyafuji (Onegai Twins)
109. Yoshika Miyafuji (Strike Witches)
110. Yuna Miyama (Maburaho)
111. Millhiore Firianno Biscotti (Dog Days)
112. Milfeulle Sakuraba (Galaxy Angel)
113. Mint Blancmanche (Galaxy Angel)
114. Ichigo Morino (Onegai Teacher)
115.
116. Yuno (Hidamari Sketch)
117.
118. Rena Ryuugu (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni)
119. Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière (Zero no Tsukaima)
120.

Since Homura and Mami got their own large-sized posters in a previous volume, it wouldn’t be fair to exclude the other puella magi. Kyouko and Sayaka both appear in the same backdrop and both in swimsuits.

Like with the Homura/Mami poster, I’m disappointed that they decided to print characters from the same series on opposite sides of the same sheet. It’s really annoying if you want to hang up posters of all of the characters. I’m guessing there’ll be a Madoka/Kyubey poster in the future to complete the set.

Volume 136 had an obvious swimsuit theme going on here, from the pin-up posters to the magazine content and the large-sized poster. Due to personal preferences, I thought it was an average volume, but if you like swimsuits and/or Idolmaster, then this is definitely the volume to get.

–>Subscribe to Megami Magazine

Related posts:

1. Megami Magazine Vol. 135
2. Megami Magazine Vol. 133
3. Megami Magazine Vol. 134

Today I bring you volume 135 (August 2011) of Megami Magazine, 36 volumes and 3 years after my first post on volume 100. While the girls have changed, not much else about the magazine has. There are still tons of bikini’s, panty shots, and extras. Idolmaster fans will probably like the cover of this volume.

Below are the posters included in this volume. Ecchi images can be found in the links. I’ll make this poster shorter since I’ve had a long day.

Most of Megami’s Hanasaku Iroha posters have been of good quality, but this one seemed a bit off. Maybe it’s the girls’ super thin legs or Minchi’s broken wrist?

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I was never really interested in Infinite Stratos, but this was a nice poster.

I am still at a loss as to why Erio is the only one that sparkles, it looks a bit out of place when she’s with the other girls.

Nice sheep.

This is one of my favourites from this volume. It has just the right amount of fanservice and the detail and quality are good.

Steins;Gate posters in Megami seem to be rather dark.

Leo’s waist seems to be a bit misplaced, but otherwise, this Dog Days poster was excellent.

It’s odd to see the Type-Moon girls together in their swimwear like this.

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It’s not often you see basketball lolis with cameltoes.

If you recall, this poster of Anaru from Ano Hana is in the same format as the one of Menma in the previous volume. Maybe fans of Tsuruko have something to look forward to next month.

I absolutely LOVE the artwork in this poster. Forget that the black haired girl’s feet don’t look quite like they’re on the coffee table, the shading in the uniforms and hair is perfect, and the character designs are cute. If you guys don’t recognize this anime, that’s because it hasn’t aired yet, which is odd for something in Megami. The title of the anime is Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai and it is coming this fall.

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I’m happy to see another Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi poster, but again, there’s no Ibuki and Madoka’s bust seems to have shrunk.

This is average as far as Megami goes.

This poster made me laugh, mahou shoujo Rika and Satoko, and a little fairy Hanyuu.

The image for this poster comes from this volume’s Girls’s Avenue artist, Haruyuki Morisawa (森沢晴行, http://pixiv.cc/h-morio/).

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I’ve never seen the clarinet as a sexy instrument (probably because I used to play it), but I guess it works. For anyone wondering, yes, reeds are tasty.

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Once again, I am very disappointed in the Soft Tennis poster that Megami has included. While it doesn’t look too bad in my picture, the actual poster is very yellow, almost the same colour as urine.

The details in the cherry blossoms is amazing.

Is Yune a replacement for Victorique’s cuteness? Not quite, but she’s pretty close.

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You can always count on Seikon no Qwaser to bring you ecchi content.

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You can now add Manyuu Hikenchou to that list as well.

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I’m happy that this OreTsuba poster has Asuka in it, but I wish it was a bit more colourful.

Of the figures covered in the magazine, the only one I have on preorder is the Madoka nendoroid. The Elsie figure looks nice, but I decided to pass on her.

The anime section lists Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai as an upcoming anime, but they only have the chibi characters here, so I’m assuming the anime styled characters might be different from what was in the poster above.

The back of this volume looks, oddly, more like a front cover than the actual front cover.

One of the extras included with this volume was this Madoka Special Fan Book with illustrations from various artists.

These two are my favourite.

The book is a nice thing to have, especially when you don’t have the time to browse through sites like Pixiv.

This time the large poster inserted had the front and back covers on it. I used to think that it was common for Megami’s large poster to have the same images as the covers, but this is actually doesn’t happen very often. The Steins;Gate side is probably the most pink the series will ever get.

Overall, I thought this was a very good volume. Except for the Soft Tennis poster and a few awkward limbs, there wasn’t much to complain about. The details in shading and even the line art was good in posters like the ones for Baka Test, Dog Days, Boku wa Tomodachi, and A Channel. This is definitely one volume worth the 840 yen.

–>Subscribe to Megami Magazine

Related posts:

1. Megami Magazine Vol. 133
2. Megami Magazine Vol. 134
3. Megami Magazine Vol. 132

The 134th volume (July 2011) of Megami Magazine covers just about every anime in the spring 2011 season, great for anyone who enjoyed the season’s lineup. The cover features one of my favourite characters, Erio Touwa from Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko.

Below are the pin-up posters in this volume. Click on the text links to see the ecchi images.

The first poster is of Kurisu Makise of Steins;Gate in a rather compromising position. Personally, I think they should’ve given her a lab coat rather than a white shirt here, and I’m a little confused about the position/size of her left arm.

It’s amazing that Aria can overpower someone bigger than her like that. I also find it amusing how her clothing has an angry cat on it.

The IdolM@aster  series seems to have finally gotten its own anime that isn’t about giant robots. I hope the animation quality is as good as what’s in this poster.

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Asuka was one of my favourite girls in Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai, so I really liked this poster. It made me wonder though, do some bras really have pointed tips like that?

This was a cute Ano Hana poster of both the ghost Menma and the Menma from 10 years ago. The blue flowers blowing in the wind was a nice touch.

The last few Hanasaku Iroha posters have been rather fanservicey, but it’s nice to get a regular one every now and then.

I love Milhi’s dynamic pose in this poster and the way it shows off her outfit. The graffiti and shadows in the background really completed the image.

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I only watched the first episode of C so I don’t know who these two are, but this poster looks cool. I’m curious as to how that wine glass doesn’t fall over.

Erio looks as sparkly as ever in this poster. The zig-zag lines and Yashiro in the background add to the “denpa” feel of it. I also like how even though Erio’s shirt is almost completely undone, the image doesn’t seem that fanservicey.

It’s interesting to see the girls from Infinite Stratos in different outfits.

This A Channel poster was rather cute. The only thing I would change is to distort Tooru’s body a little behind the clear tube.

Nurse cosplay causes nosebleeds, apparently.

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I love how well Madoka and Ui’s figures were drawn here. The colours and shading in their hair and eyes is also done pretty well; an accurate representation of the anime’s quality.

Victorique from Gosick looks a bit off with her eyes like that, but the combination of the kimono, her long hair, and the red linen she’s lying on looks beautiful.

The animation style in Softenni is horrid, so Megami doesn’t really have much to work with here. At least the blondie doesn’t look too bad with that sideways glance.

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Just once they should add a Seikon no Qwaser poster that isn’t ecchi.

Included in this volume is a poster of two of the hosts from Megami Radio, which covers the latest anime news, and that you can listen to here. In case you’re wondering, both of these girls are anime voice actresses. On the left is Eri Kitamura, who played such roles as Yui (Angel Beats), Rimi (Chaos;Head), Sayaka (Puella Magi Madoka Magica), and Ami (Toradora). On the right is Yuka Iguchi, who played Chise (Mayoi Neko Overrun) and Index (Toaru Majutsu no Index). I’d rather have a nice anime poster rather than 3D girls, but I guess it’s good reference if I ever need to know what the voice actresses I listen to so often look like.

Despite the first Nanoha movie being long past, they still manage to get posters in current volumes of Megami. I’m surprised both at the low quality in this one and that they haven’t included a poster for the second movie yet.

This drawing style was a nice change of pace from the usual anime style. A lot of people complained about the changed hair colours of the characters in the Fractale anime adaptation, and I have to say that I agree with them. The original colours here look much nicer.

The last poster in the volume is a Girl’s Avenue one featuring an artist that works for Rococo Works. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to read his name and there’s no website listed, so here’s a link to Rococo’s site. The drawing style looks cute and seems fitted for comics, an anomaly considering Girl’s Avenue usually features bishoujo with vibrant colours.

Out of the figures featured in the Figure StyleS section, the only one I’ve ordered is the nendoroid Mayuri.

The anime section covers some new and upcoming series as well as a few currently airing ones.  Fate/Zero looks interesting, but what has most of my attention right no is Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kira.

The back cover of the magazine lists the release dates of each Kira episode. The first one will be out on July 21.

Included with the magazine was this Puella Magi Madoka Magica booklet.

Inside were character bios, interviews, and general information. Sadly, no new images.

The back of the booklet was nice.

The large posters included this time were also focused on Puella Magi Madoka Magica. On one side is Homura in a rainbow-striped bikini.

On the reverse is Mami with flowers printed on a white bikini. I thought it was great that they decided to use my two favourite characters from the series, but I’m upset that they’re on the opposite sides of the same poster. Now I have to choose one or the other.

My favourite pin-ups from this volume were the one of Menma and the one of Milhi. The ecchi level seems to have been toned down here, with me only having to censor 3 images. In exchange, we got another non-2D poster and a couple at the end in a non-anime style. If you want a Megami Magazine with as little fanservice as possible, this is probably the best you’re ever going to get.

–>Subscribe to Megami Magazine

Related posts:

1. Megami Magazine Vol. 133
2. Megami Magazine Vol. 132
3. Megami Magazine Vol. 130

It looks like I remembered about the June 2011 volume of Megami Magazine just before the month ends. This volume came out in the midst of the Spring anime season, so if you’ve enjoyed the anime recently and want some posters, you might want to consider ordering. The cover features the Shana clone, Aria, from Hidan no Aria. I thought it was great how they used bullet holes to feature some other characters.

The posters you’ll find in this volume are shown below. As usual, ecchi content isn’t directly shown on this page, click the links if you want to see them.

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The first poster is of a couple of the girls from Infinite Stratos. Megami usually has no problems with body proportions in their posters, especially for bath scenes, but I found the hands here are too elongated, and Houki’s knee looks unnaturally sharp.

The reverse side has Erio and Ryu-ko/shi sleeping with a very lucky futon. I’m glad to see that Megami is starting to bring back these larger pin-up posters.

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I can only imagine what Ohana is thinking right now.

The colours in this Houkago no Pleiades poster seemed rather dark to me. I think it would’ve looked nicer if they made the uniforms and skin a lighter tone.

I’m not particularly fond of the stick-figure style character designs in A Channel, but this poster is beautiful. You can tell a lot of work went into the drawing, colours, and shading, especially in the water.

I laughed when I saw this poster. Ruka, the one on the left, is either a girl or boy, but you don’t know which one because he/she is different depending on the timeline. The sarong around his/her waist keeps Ruka’s gender a mystery.

A lot of Madoka images try to capture the essence of the anime, but that’s more than a difficult task. This one was a good attempt with the long stairway and where the girls are looking, but the round disc and the white pillars just don’t seem to fit.

This Fate Zero poster looks nice, but I miss the older version of Rin.

Here’s the cover illustration of Aria again. It’s nice to see that they kept the bullet holes in the background, it makes it feel more like an action scene.

I have two complaints about this poster: missing lines, and missing Kirino.

I thought Idolmaster was a singing game, but hey, cat girls are fine with me.

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Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi probably has the hottest girls this season, so it’s to be expected Megami would include a poster of them in lingerie. I’m a bit  upset they left out Ibuki though.

Considering Anaru’s attitude towards Menma, I was a bit surprised to see this poster of them together at first. Then I remembered that Ano Hana was an anime about understanding and forgiveness, and suddenly this poster just seemed so much better.

More cat-girl/guy?

This illustration was done by the 114th artist to be featured in Girl’s Avenue, Yu Narumi. She’s not as popular as some of the other featured artists, but anyone who has played/watched 11eyes would be familiar with her work. I love how she blends the colours in her characters’ eyes.

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I love Aoi Nishimata’s character designs, so I was hapy to see an Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai poster in here, but it’s so typical that they would make it so the oil looks like something else.

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I know the animation style for Softenni has more to do with this than the quality, but I think this poster is just ugly.

This is my favourite pin-up poster from this volume. It has my two favourite characters from Dog Days, and I don’t see anything wrong with the illustration. The marble table and designs on the floor were a nice touch.

Clothes swapping is always fun.

Once again, I’m amazed that Megami has not once come out with an ecchi Kami Nomi poster. They always make Elsie look cute though.

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On the other hand, Seikon no Qwaser always seems to get ecchi posters. This one, surprisingly, looks pretty good despite the lack of any clothing or objects.

Megami once again manages to keep up its tradition of including at least one Nanoha poster in every volume even though all of the series and 1st movie have ended, and the second movie is still a long time away.

Megami covers some nice figures in their figure section, but the only one they cover that I’ve ordered is the support Miku nendoroid. Yes, I bought it despite the crazy shipping and against my conclusions about GSC’s profits.

The anime section covers just about every upcoming anime for the next season. Some titles that have caught my attention are Blood-C, C3, Kami-sama no Memo-chou, and Dantalian no Shoka. One rather disturbing title is Baby Princess 3D; it looks like a super-harem of girls ranging in every age under 18.

On the back cover is a reminder about the Steins;Gate blu-ray release. While I’m currently enjoying the series, I don’t think the animation quality warrants a blu-ray.

No Megami magazine volume would be complete without an extra booklet or large poster. This time they included Fate in her usual blue bikini.

On the reverse is Victorique from Gosick. I absolutely love her long flowing golden hair. While there are a couple of odd spots like her protruding cheek and elongated palm, I still like it enough to stick it on my wall.

While there were no posters in this volume that were absolutely terrible, there was also nothing that really jumped out at me. Overall, I’d say this was an average volume with some good posters for fans of this year’s anime so far.

–>Subscribe to Megami Magazine

Related posts:

1. Megami Magazine Vol. 132
2. Megami Magazine Vol. 130
3. Megami Magazine Vol. 131

As of this writing, Steins;Gate has aired 11 episodes. What we know at this point is that the phone microwave can send 36 bytes of data back in time, and with each message, world lines shift, changing the future (or present). Okabe is also the only person in the world who is immune to the effects of shifting world lines, allowing him to remember events that happened in different timelines. There are a few problems with this situation. First of all, based on current physics, while it is possible to travel into the future, it is not possible to travel into the past. Secondly, microwaves are just a section of the electromagnetic spectrum, just like light or radio waves. There’s nothing to suggest that they can cause something to travel back in time. Lastly, Okabe is the only person who can remember initiating an experiment and observing its results. To stand as solid proof of time travel, he would need to be able to record his observations and repeat his results, and then have them verified by a second lab. Under the circumstances, though, it is impossible to prove that Okabe has succeeded in time travel and we have to believe that he is in possession of a fantastical one-of-a-kind microwave, and that Okabe himself has super-temporal powers.

While stories of time travel and a gifted individual sounds great and all, I am a believer of Occam’s razor, a principle that says that the simplest theory is usually the correct one unless a competing theory can be fully explained with proof. With no actual proof that Okabe’s lab has created a time travelling device other than his word, I think it’s safe to say that Okabe is actually suffering from a mental illness, specifically, Schizophrenia. According to the 4^th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), there are 3 criteria that an individual needs to meet to be diagnosed with Schizophrenia, and I believe Okabe meets all of them.

To meet Criterion A of Schizophrenia, an individual must display 2 or more characteristic symptoms for a large portion of 1 month. Admittedly, Okabe does not meet 2 or more of the symptoms listed in DSM-IV (only qualifying for delusions), but there is a note that states, “if the delusions are judged to be bizarre, only this single symptom is needed to satisfy Criterion A for Schizophrenia.” So what counts as a bizarre delusion? DSM-IV doesn’t define bizarre and basically leaves it up to you to decide. Okabe believes that he has changed history, he has special powers (reading Steiner), Ruka is a boy, Akiba is a moe Mecca, there is an “organization” out to get him, and that SERN is out to steal his discovery. If that doesn’t count as bizarre, then I don’t know what does.

The requirement for characteristic symptoms to be present for a large part of 1 month may be debatable in Okabe’s case. Episode 1 of Steins;Gate begins on July 28, and episode 11 ends on August 10. That’s a period of 2 weeks in which Okabe experiences continuous bizarre delusions. Whether that counts as a significant portion of a month isn’t defined, but I would consider half a month to be a large chunk.

Criterion B of Schizophrenia covers social-occupational dysfunction. While Okabe is a University student, he is never seen going to class or working a job. One could say that he’s too busy or preoccupied with his research, but just ask yourself, what does he actually do in the lab? That’s right, nothing. All of the research and technical work is pushed onto Kurisu or Daru, with Mayuri being the main source of groceries. With all of this free time, I think it’s safe to assume that Okabe is not comfortable in a school or work environment, especially considering he talks to himself through the phone and makes evil laughs at random moments (another indicator of Schizophrenia).

The third criterion for Schizophrenia, C, involves the duration with which the symptoms have been present. If symptoms are present for at least 6 months, then an individual meets Criterion C. While the anime has only covered a period of 2 weeks thus far, there is evidence that Okabe has had some symptoms long before the start of episode 1. In the second episode, Okabe dictates to the viewer that Ruka is male, however in episode 10 it’s revealed that she is in fact female and Okabe was the only one that believed she was male. Mayuri and Daru also seem to be accustomed to Okabe’s constant talking through his phone (while it’s turned off), and his warnings about “the organization.” This is evidence that Okabe’s strange behaviour has been present for a long time.

While DSM-IV does list Criteria D, E, and F, those are mainly to eliminate the possibility of an individual having a similar but different disorder, and I won’t be covering them here. The biggest problem with whether or not Okabe has a mental disorder is the length of time he has displayed symptoms. The anime does not give any specifics, but I think Okabe’s does have a disorder, it will become more apparent in later episodes.

As for how Okabe developed Schizophrenic symptoms, Steins;Gate does offer a possible explanation in the fever Okabe had as a child. In a discussion between Okabe and Mayuri, Mayuri mentions that she was afraid that Okabe was going to die when he got the fever, and that he had temporarily lost motor function. Okabe attributes this to being the moment he obtained his “reading Steiner,” but it’s more likely that he suffered some brain damage if Mayuri was concerned for his life. Any brain damage sustained as a child could have made Okabe more susceptible to Schizophrenia. His symptoms also seem to only get very serious during the anime. This agrees with the statistic that the modal age of onset is between 18 and 25 years for men.

It seems that with each experiment, Okabe gains a new delusion, but despite his worsening condition, his personality remains largely unchanged. In the very first scenes of the first episode, Okabe is depicted as an egotistical but kind character. He argues that experts in the area of time travel are wrong and that he’s right, and pays for Mayuri’s Opa toy even though he’s short on cash. Whether a delusion or not, in the later episodes he also believes he can beat SERN and changes history to bring Suzuha back. His unchanged personality brings into question whether he really has a mental disorder or if he can traverse world lines.

Okabe Rintarou’s situation is a bit like the problem of Schrodinger’s cat, you don’t know if a cat in a box is alive or dead unless you look inside. Similarly, at this point in the series, it’s not possible to tell if Okabe really does have the power to change history or if he’s Schizophrenic unless we finish the anime or ask the writer(s). While the anime shows time travel as actually taking place, keep in mind that everything is presented from Okabe’s point of view (it’s all moot if he’s an unreliable narrator) and there’s plenty of evidence from the other characters that show there is something wrong with him. Regardless of the result, I think the writers of Steins;Gate have done an excellent job in creating a complex character to capture the interest and curiosity of the viewer.

———–

Further Observation:

Mayuri said she did this when she and Okabe were children and Okabe had a fever, in order to pray for his recovery. She still does it.

No related posts.

The May 2011 issue of Megami Magazine (volume 132) has one of the nicest covers (I think) in a long time. If you don’t recognize this pink-haired girl with doggy ears, she’s Princess Millhoire F. Biscotti from the anime Dog Days. I think she’s absolutely adorable (and it helps that Yui Horie is her voice actress) so I think whoever chose the cover for volume 132 did a good job.

There are quite a number of posters covering the spring season this time as well as some from the previous season. You can see them all below. As usual, any ecchi material is not previewed on this page, you will need to click on the links to see them.

While its been a while since K-ON ended, it still appears in this volume of Megami. I think it’s going to be like Nanoha and find its way into every volume from now on. There wasn’t anything special about this poster, which just seems really ordinary.

I would be very surprised if Kurisu actually did go somewhere without her red tie in the anime. On the other hand, I can totally see Mayushii and the pink-haired girl (I forgot her name) dressing up like this. The curved horizon is a nice artistic effect.

http://nopybot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/megami132-04.jpg

Erio is a serious contender for the top spot in my list of top 10 anime girls this year, and this poster certainly helps her. It’s nice to see that she gets sparkles not only in the anime, but in illustrations too.

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I think the most amazing thing about this illustration is that Kanzaki was able to fit (sort of) into that outfit.

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The only thing I really liked about Yumekui Merry was the cool character designs, so I’m rather upset that they decided to make a poster of the girls in the bath. I’d much rather have one of them engaged in battle or at least doing some fighting poses.

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The art style in Dog Days is nicely represented in this poster. Whoever drew it captured the cuteness of all the characters along with their personalities. The splashing water at the bottom also helps to highlight the characters.

This is the full image that was used on the cover of the magazine and shows Millhoire in all her cuteness. The folds in her dress are nicely done, her facial expression looks happy and bright, and the background looks cool. I actually wish they had used this image to make a B2 sized poster.

The characters from Hidan no Aria seem really skinny. At least they have nice swimsuits.

Anyone looking forward to Fate/Zero will probably like this poster. It’s so strange to see Saber not wearing her white and blue clothes.

Onii-chan no Koto has been getting quite a number of posters recently. The previous ones have looked pretty good, but I’m not to happy about the extra lines they drew on the shoulders and other parts in this poster.

This was cute and funny. Except for the lower part of th legs being really thin, I thought this poster was really nicely drawn.

Idolmaster seems to be getting quite a bit of Megami posters recently too.

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I love Aoi Nishimata’s artwork and character designs, but I thought this illustration was too plain. The girls are down to their underwear and the background is just a bed and some purple. I know it’s a fanservice pose, but I expected something a bit more detailed for Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai.

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I really don’t like the skintones in this one, they seem too dark.

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I think this Hozhizora e Kakaru Hashi poster explains the anime pretty well. I love the character designs.

The poses for this Softenni poster has the girls in great poses, but fails to meet its full potential by using a crappy background.

This is my favourite poster out of this volume. It shows that you can make swimsuit/beach with detail despite the lack of clothing. Nanoha’s ribbons and Fate’s cloth thingy (what is that called anyways?) add a sense of style, and the glowy things at the bottom direct your attention upwards.

This is another example of a good poster. It’s dynamic, bright, colourful, detailed, and all of the body proportions seem right.

The illustrations of the characters is great in this poster, but sadly, there’s no splashing water or anything in the background to compliment it like the previous ones.

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I’m finding Astarotte’s Toy to be a rather cute and funny anime, and I think this poster manages to show that side of it.

http://nopybot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/megami132-22.jpg

Someone’s going to have to refresh my memory, that blond is a guy right?

I really like the left half of this Madoka poster, but Madoka herself seems a bit lacking in colour and shading compared to the other characters. It may be due to the fact that Kyubey creates a huge white spot in the middle of everything and Madoka isn’t wearing her mahou shoujo clothes.

Those were all of the posters in this volume, which left me a bit disappointed. In all but the oldest volumes that I own, there has always been a Girl’s Avenue poster. If you don’t remember what that is, it’s a single pin-up poster that features artwork from a selected artist. It’s a good way of finding out about people I would otherwise never have heard of, so I hope they didn’t remove it permanently.

Besides the posters, below are some of the things within the content of the magazine.

Included in this volume was a free dust jacket for the Nanoha comics. If you’re wondering why it’s so small, it’s because that’s how big the standard Japanese manga is. I was surprised the first time I saw Japanese manga, because they’re physically smaller than the English-translated manga you find in bookstores here.

This is some awesome sportswear. I’m not a big fan of the K-ON anime, but I love the characters. If these clothes wouldn’t get me any weird stares, I’d wear them.

Of all the figures that Megami covers, I think the only ones I would want are the Miku figure and the one of Mio sitting on a strawberry. The rest just don’t look that great or are too revealing.

On the back cover is an ad reminding everyone that Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kira will be out on June 21. I’ve loved everything from the Higurashi series so far, so I’m looking forward to this. Anyone who hasn’t seen the series should give it a chance.

One of the extras included was this mini Madoka guidebook.

Inside are some details about the characters, screenshots, and the fanart featured at the end of each episode. There are images on the front and back covers that you can cut out and use as postcards, but I doubt anyone will be doing that.

I can’t say that Inifnite Stratos really caught my attention last season, but wow, this is a nice poster. All of the clothing and hair scattered everywhere must have made it difficult to draw. What I like about it is that the girls are in a circle so you can display the poster in any orientation and it’ll still look right.

On the back side is also a very nice poster. I’m curious as to which timeline it’s from because I can’t imagine glasses Homura wasting time at the beach when she could be out foiling Kyubey’s plans.

While there were some pin-up posters that I really liked, they were mostly due to the art style rather than and special attention to detail, so I’d have to say that this volume was of average quality. On the bright side, the large B2 size poster compensates for that with a detailed Infinite Stratos image and a cute Madoka one.

–>Subscribe to Megami Magazine

Related posts:

1. Megami Magazine Vol. 130
2. Megami Magazine Vol. 131
3. Megami Magazine Vol. 128

30-sai no Hoken Taiiku

This just weirded me out. I also didn’t see any of the so-called “advice” that this show was supposed to be offering for 30+ year old men.

Status: not watching

A Channel

I’ve already seen Lucky Star, there’s only so much room in my head for series with 4 girls and their daily lives in high school.

Status: not watching

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

My first throughts on Ano Hana were that it was going to be a boring monologue with some depressed teenage boy, but I was way off. Ano Hana is one of my two favourite series this season because of its portrayal of human nature and the strength and fragility of relationships. The mystery of what exactly Menma is also has me interested. Is she a ghost or just a figment of Jinta’s imagination? The draw of what caused all of the characters to change so much also has me wanting more each week.

Status: watching

Ao no Exorcist

There seems to be a lot of action, blood, and just plain violence in Ao no Exorcist. I would’ve loved this series in the past, but I think I’m getting too old for senseless violence.

Status: not watching

Astarotte’s Toy

The premise sounds like something from a porno film, but if you watch it, you’ll realize that it has very little to do with sex. Astarotte’s Toy actually feels a LOT like Hayate no Gotoku. You’ve got a blue-haired butler taking care of a blonde loli princess voiced by Rie Kugimiya with a whole lot of comedy and a bit of drama thrown in. The animation also looks very similar. I enjoyed Hayate no Gotoku whole-heartedly, and as of episode 5, I can say the same thing about Astarotte’s Toy.

Status: watching

Battle Girls – Time Paradox

The only thing I remember about this was giant boobs.

Status: not watching

C

This must be the shortest anime title ever. From the plot summary, I thought it was going to be about business and economics, but judging by the first episode, it’s more of a fantasy/adventure. It does seem interesting, but not enough to convince me to watch it.

Status: not watching

Deadman Wonderland

The concept of a boy forced to survive in a prison set up as an amusement park is an intriguing one. I was under the impression that this would turn out to be a serious anime about the human condition, but then a random girl with skin-tight clothes shows up, and the main character reveals that he has some kind of super power. So much for the human condition…

Status:  not watching

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko 

I have to say that the opening song for this anime is extremely annoying, but so catchy that it was stuck in my head for several days. The character designs are (s)excellent, I mean really, who wouldn’t want a huge poster of Meme or Erio? The sparkles that SHAFT keeps sprinkling all over the place helps in that department too. In addition to the character designs, there is actually a sense of plot and character development, but it manages to keep things from getting too dull with random scenes more suited for Azumanga Daioh. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko has surpassed all of my initial expectations for it.

Status: watching

Dog Days

It’s cute and reminds me of Nanoha.

Status: watching

Dororon Enma-kun Meramera

Two things: giant dick being used as a spear, and swinging boobs like putty. This is one of the stranger anime of the season.

Status: not watching

Fireball Charming

I dont’ particularly like what they’ve done with Drossel, but otherwise the series seems unchanged from the first season. Each episode is only a few minutes so I’ll probably watch them all at once when the series is over.

Status: on hold

Hanasaku Iroha

I think everyone will agree that the first episode of Hanasaku Iroha was the best first episode of the season. Unfortunately, the subsequent episodes haven’t seemed to make as big as a splash. I was interested in seeing a story of a young girl struggling to get by in life by overcoming all the obstacles that she faced. Now it seems like the anime has started to turn into a slice-of-life series. As of episode 6, it’s still entertaining, but nowhere near as good as the first episode made it out to be.

Status: watching.

Happy Kappi

I would consider this a masterpiece… if I was 3 years old.

Status: not watching

Hen Zemi

Some people keep their weird thoughts and fetishes to themselves, but the characters of Hem Zemi share everything with each other. It feels like the writers tried to make this anime funny, but I thought it was creepy. For example, the main female character likes catching her farts in the tub and sniffing them. I believe this was meant for people who also have weird thoughts/fetishes in order to not feel alone.

Status: not watching

Hidan no Aria

Speed 1 had a bus, Speed 2 was on a boat, next up is a bicycle? Hidan no Aria has all the makings of a Shana clone: a bossy loli tsundere voiced by Rie Kugimiya, a useless guy that isn’t actually useless, and girls flocking to shack up with the useless guy. I enjoyed Shakugan no Shana, so I was a bit disappointed to see a few things in Hidan no Aria that just didn’t fit at all. First off, a bomb on a speeding bicycle doesn’t sound exciting at all. Next, machine guns mounted on remote-controlled segways sounds like something out of the mind of a high school geek. Anyone serious would’ve used a real vehicle. I’m on the fence about this one and will wait until the series is over and reviews are out.

Status: on hold

Hoshizora e Kakeru Hoshi

I normally wouldn’t follow an anime like this, but I liked the character designs and I have time now that I’m out of school so I figured, why not.

Status: watching

Hyouge Mono

The main character in Hyouge Mono (I forgot his name) is hilarious. I don’t think I know anyone who would risk his life and do the crazy things he does just to get a hold of some ugly tea pot he reveres as a piece of art. A funny guy isn’t enough to keep my interest though. There is a serious lack of female characters and the guys are butt-ugly. I usually watch anime before I go to sleep and I don’t think I want those faces popping up in my dreams.

Status: not watching

Moshi Koko Yakyu no Joshi Manager ga Drucker no Management o Yondara

Moshidora seems like one of those anime about struggling to reach your goals. I didn’t find the first episode to be particularly funny and it didn’t provide much in the way of plot or character development, but that’s usually how these kinds of stories start. I’ll wait to hear what people have to say about it once it’s done.

Status: on hold

Nichijou

I don’t understand…

Status: not watching

Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai

The only reason I kept watching this past the first episode was because the character designs (which, surprisingly, has a huge impact on what I watch) were done by Aoi Nishimata. It was confusing as heck and there are so many characters that that’s impossible to remember them all from one viewing. Just when I thought everything came together and was explained in episode 4, the next episode threw another wrench into the story and completely lost me again. The copious amounts of fanservice somehow manage to not seem out of place here.

Status: watching

Pretty Rhythm – Aurora Dream

This totally reminded me of Yu-Gi-Oh when one of the characters said to listen to the voice of the dresses. It looks like a nice anime for young girls, but the horrid CG animation ruins the flow of the episode.

Status: not watching

Seikai-ichi Hatsukoi

Imagine meeting your high school crush 10 years after you graduate and rediscovering what it’s like to be in love. Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi looks like a very sweet romantic comedy with good animation and a good plot. The problem? The main characters are all male, and I’m somewhat of a homophobe, but just for guys though, yuri is A-OK with me.

Status: not watching

Showa Monogatari

Uninteresting story + old-fashioned art style = :(

Status: not watching

SKET Dance

I would say this is about as average as an anime can get. It has average characters, an average plot, average problems and solutions, and average entertainment value. Unfortunately for SKET Dance, I look for above-average features when I decide on anime to watch.

Status: not watching

Soft Tennis

The first episode failed to entertain me in any way. Think of what K-ON would have been like if they were in the soft tennis club rather than the light music club. Now subtract the following: cuteness, moe moe kyun, good comedy, and cake.

Status: not watching

Steins;Gate

After the debacle that was Chaos;Head, I thought I’d never watch a “;” anime again, but here I am a few years later with Steins;Gate. I’m enjoying it as much as I was enjoying the first half of Chaos;Head, so I’m really hoping that it doesn’t go down the same path and ruin everything.

Status: watching

Tiger and Bunny

It seems like Sunrise is trying to cut into Marvel’s gains in Japan and at the same time help some companies advertise their products. I can find superheroes on TV so there’s no need for me to turn to anime.

Status: not watching

Toriko

The animation totally turned me off to this.

Status: not watching

X-Men

Honestly, I wouldn’t categorize this as an anime, but technically it is Japanimation. If any of you watched the Marvel cartoons of the 90′s and 00′s, then you’ll have a good idea of what the X-Men anime is like. The only difference is that everyone’s speaking Japanese. It’s not bad, but I’m not here to watch Japanese versions of shows I can watch on TV.

Status: not watching

Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san

I found Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san to be moderately funny, but not enough to give up 25 minutes of my time each week. It also doesn’t seem to have a very strong story.

Status: not watching

So in the end, I ended up watching 8 series out of 31, which puts the total number of anime I’m following at 9 (the last being Gosick from last season). That number actually bumps up to 10 if you include Strike Witches, which I’m almost done watching now.

Related posts:

1. Winter 2011 Anime Round-up
2. Fall 2010 Anime Round-up
3. Spring 2010 Anime Round-up

The November 2009 edition of Dengeki G’s magazine is my favourite so far, mainly because of this cute little alarm clock that comes with it. This edition also features a couple games from my favourite game company, Key, and other popular games like SHUFFLE Essence+.

I really wonder how similar Angel Beats is to Haruhi. People have already pointed out the similarities in appearance between Yuri and Haruhi, but apparently in Angel Beats Yuri also starts a club called the SSS which is really close to the SOS. The scene in the second picture above also reminds me a lot of when Haruhi first dragged Kyon into her club.

More SHUFFLE stuff. I think out of the new characters, I like Ruri the best. Maybe I just like characters with that band or whatever it is across their hair.

I don’t know what Twinkle Crusaders is about, but I like the character designs ^.^

Little Busters! Converted Edition came out for the PS2 back in December. Like the title says, it’s basically Little Busters! Ecstasy for the PS2 rather than on PC. The only difference that I know of is that there are no “adult” scenes in the converted edition. Speaking of the PS2, doesn’t anyone find it strange that so many visual novels are still being released on it rather than on the PS3?

Magus Tale is another game I don’t know much about. Anyone care to enlighten me?

I still don’t like the colouring of the hair in Steins;Gate, but that pink haired girl has got me interested. She looks funny in that maid outfit. The girl on the top of the right page looks kinda scary though with those yellow-green eyes of hers.

Here are some goods and figures that were available for preoder back in November. Did anyone manage to get a Mio nendoroid? I checked every online store I knew of on the preorder release date and they were all sold out :(

The Chaos TCG that came with this edition of Dengeki G’s is a character from Fortune Arterial. If this keeps up, I’ll have enough cards to make a deck after several years.

They’ve been using the same ad for the back of Dengeki G’s Magazine for a while. I wonder how much it costs to place ads on the back cover.

Like I said earlier, this edition of Dengeki G’s came with a cute little alarm clock. It was packed in a relatively big cardboard box, probably to keep it from being damaged.

The alarm clock is shaped like one of those old ones that you see in movies where you hit the top to stop it from ringing. The thing about this one though is that the bells on top are just for show, they don’t actually ring when the alarm goes off. Instead, when it reaches a set time, it beeps like a digital watch. It’s kinda cute to have and useful if you’re travelling somewhere, but I would have liked it more if the bells actually did ring like old alarm clocks do.

–> Subscribe to Dengeki G’s Magazine

Related posts:

1. Dengeki G’s Magazine 2009-10
2. Dengeki G’s Magazine 2009-08
3. Dengeki G’s Magazine 2009-09

There were a couple of nice goodies that came along with the October 2009 edition of Dengeki G’s Magazine. I got a new Konomi figure and a little Love Plus booklet, but first lets take a look at some of the things featured in the magazine.

At the front of the magazine was some info on the Japan Illustrator’s Festival, which I believe takes place twice a year. If I had the oppurtunity to go, I’d be there in a heartbeat, some of the artwork there is simply gorgeous. I especially like Tinkle’s artwork; the image on the top left of the page was done by Tinkle.

It looks like the figure of Konomi that came with this magazine has another version which is cast-offable. It’s too bad they didn’t include that one along with the apron one.

Is anyone else excited about the upcoming Angel Beats anime? By my count, this will be the 3rd series that Key has gotten animated (the first three being Kanon, AIR, and Clannad). It’s too bad they didn’t decide to animate all of their games though. I would’ve liked to see a Little Busters anime or at least a Planetarian movie. Hopefully an anime will be made for Rewrite too after the game is completed.

This is the first time I’ve come across the title Sora wo Tobu, Nanatsu Me no Mahou. From what I can tell, it’s a sequel to Sora wo Tobu, Mittsu Me no Mahou which was a sequel to True Tears. That’s actually what the “true tears” above the title is referring to. I’ve never watched/played True Tears or its sequel so I don’t know if the series is any good. What’s got me interested though is the image on the top left of the right page. It reminds me a lot of Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha. I might watch the True Tears anime if it’s anything like Nanoha.

Here are some game images and details on upcoming Steins;Gate. Personally, I don’t really like what they’ve done with the hair of the main characters. I’d much rather have characters like in Chaos;Head with hair that was more anime-like.

A new Higurashi game came out for the PSP on November 26. It’s a sort of fighting game where you get to run around a large battlefield and fight two enemies along with a partner. It’s kinda cute to see what kind of weapons each of the characters has.

Fairy Life: Miracle Days for the PSP has some nice character designs, but it looks like a generic dating sim. I guess it’s nice for people who aren’t able to use their computers for a while.

Like I said before in a previous post, I really want to play SHUFFLE Essence+. Some people don’t like how Aoi Nishimata makes all of her characters with the same face, but I think she should keep doing what she’s doing. All of her characters are so cute so I don’t have a problem with it.

eden* is the newest game by Minori, the company that created the ef series and Wind ~A Breath of Heart~. Considering how beautiful Wind and ef were, I was expecting eden* to be very visually appealing, and I was not disappointed (at least not with the demo movie). You can take a look at some of the amazing art Minori has made for eden* here. I really hope it gets made into an anime like Wind and ef were.

Dengeki G’s has a small section where it shows some figures that are about to be released. I got myself a Hanyuu figure a couple months ago :)

As usual, the magazine comes with a free playing card. This time it’s of Riannon from Tears to Tiara. At first I thought she had a moustache, but upon closer inspection, she’s actually just holding a cookie in her mouth.

The back of the magazine features a Sekirei ad.

Like I said earlier, the magazine came with a couple goodies and here they are.

The first is a Love Plus booklet containing images and info on the three girls. In case you’re out of the loop, Love Plus is a hit dating sim that came out on the DS several months ago.

My favourite character is Manaka Takane, the one featured on the front of the booklet.

The other two get relegated to the back :P

The second little goodie that came with the magazine was this figure of Konomi from To Heart 2. It’s really similar to the figure that came with the previous month’s edition, being naked and all except for a single apron covering the front. The quality isn’t that great, but it’s cute nonetheless.

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Related posts:

1. Dengeki G’s Magazine 2009-09
2. Dengeki G’s Magazine 2009-08
3. Dengeki G’s Festival! Anime Vol. 2