Hmm...

( Aoi Bungaku. )

Tale of Tales of "The Path" fame has released a new game called "Fatale", which is based on Oscar Wilde's play Salome. Needless to say, I'm very interested in the game.

http://www.tale-of-tales.com/Fatale/

And here's Emily Short's column, talking about the game.

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/11/column_homer_in_silicon_the_gr.php

Disney's A Christmas Carol... Seeing as how Gary Oldman and Colin Firth are in it, I kind of wish the production company had forgone the whole 3-D nightmare and let the actors shine instead.

Sherlock Holmes will be out on Christmas day. Huh, Holmes has become a kind of action hero (I know he can box and fence in the books, but still)...

The trailer for Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones does look quite lovely indeed, in a eerie kind of way.

Am still waiting for the HP6 and Up DVD to be released.

A while ago, there's this little doujin VN event called Girls Party that promotes yuri/shoujo-ai games. There is this one game called private canvas which I find quite interesting. It's very short, but it contains two stories. The art is quite nice; it conveys well the delicate, glass-like, water-colour aesthetics one might find in shoujo-ai manga (Maria-sama ga Miteru and Aoi Hana immediately come to mind; the other one I quite like is Fujieda Miyabi's Chatting at the Amber Teahouse).

http://www42.tok2.com/home/girlsparty/

Been busy all day, so only now do I have time to say a little something. Happy Hallowe'en!

Hmm, it seems that the anime adaptation of Ookamikakushi (the Peach-Pit x Ryukishi07 game collaboration) will be airing this coming January, much earlier than anticipated. Now I finally understand why there are so few watchable series this season; companies are saving up the interesting series for the winter season.

http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/okami/

( KHR latest chapter spoiler. )

Title: Carve Thy Name upon My Nape (1/4)
Author: Belladonna
Pairing: Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter
Fandom: Harry Potter
Genre: Angst in the form of fragments
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and its characters are not mine.
Summary: Like smoke it cannot be captured; like blood it cannot be washed away. This is the reality for one healer and his nocturnal patient.

( It might have been an Arabian night; it might have been a tale from an Arabian night. )

The very first issue of Rakuen is out today! It seems Rakuen will be released 3 times a year, so the next issue won't be out till February next year. For me, the highlight of Rakuen is definitely Nakamura Asumiko-sensei.

http://www.hakusensha.co.jp/rakuen/

Betsu Hana: Yuki Kaori-sensei's Guignol has restarted in this issue. Also in this issue is Glass Mask, as well as a Glass Mask calendar (I bet Glass Mask fans have been waiting for something like this for a long time). As for the next issue (out on Nov 26), there'll be new chapters for both Guignol and Glass Mask, in addition to a set of New Year greeting cards (a shame Yuki-sensei won't be drawing one; hmm, now here's a thought, Yuki-sensei going for the traditional Japanese style, which probably won't happen).

La-La: Vampire Knight is featured on the cover, and Ouran a colour spread. Natsume is taking a break this month. In the next issue (out on Nov 24), Natsume will be featured on the cover, and Kaichou ha Maid-sama will be featured in a colour spread to celebrate its upcoming anime adaptation. And of course, there will be new VK and Ouran chapters. The gift of the month will be the 2010 calendar.

Meldoy: Ooku (i.e. Ooku - The Inner Chamber; the English translated vol. 1 is out BTW) is featured on the cover, and Himitsu is starting a new arc. In the next issue (out on Dec 28), Himitsu will be featured in a colour spread.

New releases: Ouran vol. 15, Ouran official guidebook, Ouran novel vol. 2, Himitsu vol. 7 (truth be told, I didn't think Himitsu would run for this long; I'm pretty sure it won't turn into another Kaguya-hime (20+ volume...) though), Kaine bunko edition, Earl Cain bunko edition vol. 2.

November releases: Boys Next Door bunko edition (ah, my heartache) and Earl Cain bunko edition vol. 3. Both will be released on Nov 17.

December releases: VK fans can rejoice. VK vol. 11 will be released on Dec 4. Guignol vol. 3 will be released on Dec 18.

Assorted news: Ooku will be adapted into a live action movie; I can't say I'm surprised. Shimizu Reiko-sensei is currently holding an art exhibit featuring Himitsu.

Hallowe'en is upon us, so I figure I should talk about something more Hallowe'en-like (just kidding).

Discovered this site that sells gothic-themed fragrance the other day. Although I'm not really into perfume, I really like the content in the site. What I love most about it is that they transform literary characters and paintings into perfume, and they include a segment of the prose or verse in the description of the perfume. Their Lovecraft Collection makes me chuckle; their Ars Draconis collection conjures up countless possibilities in my head.

They even have a line of perfumes they called "Literary Vampire"; each perfume is based on a particular vampire in literature. So we have Mircalla (from "Carmilla"), Lord Ruthven (from Polidori's "Vampyre"), Perle Von Mauren (from Carl Jacobi's "Revelations in Black", one of my favourite vampire short stories), Countess Dolingen of Gratz (from "Dracula's Guest", the omitted chapter from Stoker's Dracula), and so on.

They are presenting a scent-and-art series based on Neil Gaiman's short story "Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot". 15 different perfumes and 15 tarot cards.

Maybe I should get myself a bottom of Belladonna.

http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/

Speaking of vampires, ever since Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has proven to be a success, there is suddenly an influx of old classics being given the horror genre twist. We have Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Mr Darcy, Vampyre (which I'm really curious about), and Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter. And of course, Dacre Stoker, the great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker, has just released an official sequel to Dracula, titled Dracula: The Un-Dead.

More books for me to check out in my next visit to the bookstore.

Nakashima Mika will be releasing a new single titled 流れ星 on Nov 4. I was kind of surprised by it because she's just released the Candy Girl single at the end of September.

Kojima Mayumi has also (or should I say finally?) been busy, with a new single due out on Nov 11, titled Arabesque. It will be her second single of the year. The release date for the album, however, is pushed back to Jan 20, 2010.

Tokyo Jihen has announced that a new single named 能動的三分間 will be released on Dec 2, and an album is currently in the work. Then from March to May, they will be holding a national live tour, their first since "Spa & Treatment" in 2007 (probably because Shiina Ringo has been busy with her 10-year anniversary in 2008, then her solo work in 2009).

Oh, and I've heard that Ali Project will be releasing a compilation album in January under the Lantis label, but it's not officially confirmed yet. If this is indeed the case, it should be interesting to see which songs will be included. I, for one, would love to hear the song they did for Zone-00 image album; the song is called 輪廻闇妖散華 by the way. There's a sample of the song up on Nico; I have a feeling I would absolutely adore the full version.

Kalafina will be releasing their latest single, progressive, on Oct 28. The song is not related to any series or show, and I think that's a good thing for Kalafina as a music group.

Onto something anime related.

Bungaku Shoujo drama CD 1 has been released, and apparently they have used the songs in the image album for the drama CDs.

Annabel's Light of Dawn, i.e. The Book of Bantorra ED single, will be released on Nov 6. Ah, it's so great that we get to hear Annabel more often; the new binaria single is simply lovely.

But that's not all.

Canaan Inspired album (i.e. image album) will be released on Nov 11. It will feature songs by Faylan and Annabel. There are 10 tracks in total, 5 songs per singer. What's more is that four of Annabel's songs will be composed by myu (the remaining one is composed by Nanase Hikaru, originally as a BGM of the series), though My Heaven won't be included. There is Faylan's mind as Judgment ~Ballad~ though.

http://www.lantis.jp/new-release/data2.php?id=6872733544473de8ef15a16ed3fe5ed6

(On a side note, I'm still waiting to see if Lantis will actually release the ga-rei Zero soundtrack. I've just finished watching the series recently, and I really quite like the music. Oh well, at least there's the image album.)

(Further side note: I just realize the OSTs for ga-rei zero are bundled with the DVDs, just like Kara no Kyoukai.)

Been ridiculously busy lately. The not-so-nice part is that when I'm extremely busy, I would feel an incredibly powerful urge to write stories, but that's another story.

The city is decked with red and orange and gold right now; soon it will be white and grey. Spring always fills me with nostalgia, but autumn has a special place in my heart.

At last, Umineko made it onto the cover of GFantasy. It's Maria with lots of pumpkins, just in time for Hallowe'en. Extra includes a Umineko poster, a two-side underlay (one side is Higurashi, the other side is Umineko). New chapters for the following series: Kuroshitsuji, Nabari, Pandora Hearts, Higurashi Minagoroshi-hen, Umineko EP 2, Durarara!!. Zombie-Loan is still in hiatus.

In the next issue (out on Nov 18), Kuroshitsuji will once again grace the cover of GF in anticipation of vol. 8. Pandora Hearts will be featured in a colour spread. Extra gifts include a Kuroshitsuji calendar seal (I don't know what that is either) and a Pandora Hearts book cover.

New Release: Pandora Hearts ~odds and ends~ artbook (Sep 26), Pandora Hearts Official Animation Guide (Sep 26).

Upcoming Releases: Zombie-Loan vol. 12 (Oct 27), Kuroshitsuji vol. 8 (Nov 27), Pandora Hearts vol. 10 (Nov 27).

Umineko EP 4 is currently serialized in Gangan ONLINE.

Umineko EP 3 has just started serializing in Gangan Joker, and Higurashi Matsuribayashi-hen is also serializing in Joker. And there is also a favourite of mine, Bungaku Shoujo.

I'm indulging in some lovely M3-24 music right now. This is the first time I listen to Mamyukka's Evilz (fairy tale but with a Hallowe'en twist; think The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline), and I like it so far. Hmm, looks like this is a new group. Wonder what their other CD Honey Pop sounds like...

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it! And that's it for today, I suppose? (Am busy writing the Hallowe'en fic and listening to Studio Kurage's 真夜中のピアニッシモ right now. Their rendition of Amazing Grace is quite lovely up to 2:50, then it gets a bit weird. I mean, rap?????)

Oh, forgot to mention something. Nightmare Syndrome's Kuroneko to Hana-san turns to be more straightforward than I thought. Guernica -Lord of the Flies-, on the other hand...

Sigh.

Zigzag has officially announced that the development of the game 夜蝶図譜 has come to a halt because their artist has resigned, and they are currently looking for a new artist. I'm not exactly surprised, since the game has been in production for a long time. Still, I would have really loved to play the game, even an incomplete one.

On a happy note, Nightmare Syndrome has just released a new mystery game called Kuroneko to Hana-san, which will be released on a chapter-by-chapter basis like Yodaka. The creator has mentioned something about the new game being somewhat similar to ETO, which, along with Puzzle and about three dozen other games NS has created, I have the misfortune to have missed. The presentation of the new game is very refreshing to say the least, but now I will have to try remembering the names of all the characters (and there are 24 characters in total...).

And speaking of which, I'm currently playing through Guernica - Lord of the Flies -. The CGs have definitely improved from the original game, which was taken down from the site (luckily, I still have a copy of it). But when it comes to the chessboard, I'm at a lost since I haven't figured out the relation between the scenes and the movement of the pieces yet.

The casting for Bungaku Shoujo anime has been announced. You can listen to the voice in the flash opening of the site. Hanazawa Kana (currently voicing for Kobato) voicing as Tooko sounds a little higher than I would imagine Tooko's voice to be, but Irino Miyu's Konoha is spot on. Toyosaki Aki's Chia (I'm looking forward to her performance) and Mizuki Nana's Nanase are also more or less what I've imagined, though I'll need some time getting used to Ono Daisuke voicing the serious, stoic Akutagawa. It's just a bit strange after hearing him voicing for characters like Battler and Sebastian. Miyano Mamoru as Ryuuto though, is not quite what I would expect. I'm trying to remember if he has voiced for any playboy characters before, but I come up with a blank.

Anyway, it's been announced that the first volume of the series, "Bungaku Shoujo" to Shi ni Tagari no Douke, will be adapted into a drama CD. The first volume, containing 2 CDs, will be released on Oct 21. Ah, wouldn't it be great if all eight volumes of the series are adapted into drama CDs?

Also, the second volume of the extra arc "Bungaku Shoujo" Minarai, i.e. Bungaku Shoujo Apprentice, will be released on Dec 26. A special DVD edition of the book release will include a DVD containing a movie promo video and a 10-min clip called "Bungaku Shoujo" no Kyou no Oyatsu ~ Hatsukoi~. Wonder if the 10-min clip will be an anime adaptation of one of the short stories.

http://www.bungakushoujo.jp/

More great anime news! After Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatari (Requiem from the Darkness) and Mouryou no Hako have been adapted into anime, the next Kyogoku Natsuhiko novel to be adapted into an anime featured film will be Loups-Garous Kihi Subeki Okami (ルー=ガルー 忌避すべき狼). Production I.G. will be responsible for the production.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-10-06/loups-garous-virtual-reality-werewolf-anime-film-green-lit

Read Durarara!! vol 1 and 2. Narita-sensei wasn't kidding about this being a twisted love story, or should I say weird love story instead? But it's Narita Ryohgo-sensei we are talking about after all, so it is to be expected.

Ah, the official promo video for Durarara!! (or should it be just DRRR!!...??) is up! Oh my god, I'm in love with the music already! I just absolutely have no immunity whatsoever when it comes to jazz. And the video clip itself looks good (the production team even includes a little Baccano! and Horo cameo). The anime itself will begin airing in January next year, so it won't be too long a wait. I'm definitely going to try and find the novels.

(An aside: I'm really getting ahead of myself here. Why am I getting far more excited about the winter season, which won't begin for three months, than the current fall season, which has just begun?)

http://www.durarara.com/

Edited: Added a link to the promo clip posted on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YVNwzhaR78

Been a bit under the weather lately. I apologize for the somewhat unpolished writing and unenthusiastic tone.

( Requiem for the Phantom, Pandora Hearts, Canaan. )