Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2

When citizens are in need of a helping hand and yodel for assistance, the Ouendan boys are never too far away. The dashing cheer captain Ryuta Ippongi and the team from the original Ouendan return to the rhythm fold along with another cheer quintet led by Hayato Saionji. Whereas Ryuta and company wear black trench coat uniforms with red armbands, Hayato's squad is decked out in prim blue uniforms with white trim. As is the case in the original Ouendan game, the boys help hapless folk by performing well in syncopated rhythm exercises which require deft stylus tapping and sliding. The soundtrack contains 19 new songs including "Bang! Bang! Vacance" by SMAP, "Boy's Heart" from Home Made Family, and "Pop Star" by Ken Hirai. «NCS Game Notes»

Black Lagoon Revy 1/8 Scale Figure

In the Black Lagoon animation, an average salaryman named Rock is recruited into a mercenary group known as Lagoon Company which tackles hairy missions in Southeast Asia. Supported with work from the Russian mob known as Hotel Moscow, the Lagoon crew runs into a motley assortment of killers and professional assassins in their travels. Lagoon Company's renown is generally bolstered by Revy, a woman warrior who shoots first and asks later. Tuyoshi Takashi's production of Alter's Revy figure measures 17cm or 6.69" tall and her pose is highly dynamic. We imagine her spinning around after killing one brute and taking dead aim at an oncoming merc carrying a jagged blade... «Photo Gallery»

Maria Ozawa Collection Card

Look, it's Miss Perfect herself, Maria Ozawa (小澤マリア) aka Miyabi (雅) which may be translated into English as the ideal of perfection.

Born from the union of a Japanese mother and a French-Canadian father in 1986, Maria's current profession is JAV-actress. Since she's perfect, the creators of the Juicy Honey collection cards have produced a dedicated set of cards that feature Maria in swimwear, street clothing, her birthday suit, and other forms of wear. A total of 72 regular cards are featured in the set along with obligatory autograph cards, jersey cards, two bra hook cards and the highly desired Kiss Card where Maria plants one right on the card.

NCS supplies this item in factory boxes of 12 packs at JPY6300 or US$55 + shipping. Preorders will ship today but unfortunately we are not able to accept any new orders. Demand was much greater than expected and we're completely sold out this morning. «Trading Card Samples»

Import Schedule Updates

Another batch of Japanese imports have been added to the upcoming 2007 schedule. Highlights are listed in bold-face below but we couldn't justify highlighting either of the Idol Janshi Suchi-Pai games for the NDS and PSP despite stellar sales for previous releases in the series. We're in a whole new North American marketplace that frowns on mahjong.
Nintendo DS
7/12	Rockman ZX Advent	Capcom
7/19	Zenmai Zamurai	Genki
7/26	Idol Janshi Suchi-Pai 3	Jaleco
	Mimi de Unou o Kitaeru DS: Chou-Nouryoku	Milestone
	Shikaku Kentei DS	Sega
	Taiko no Tatsujin DS	Namco
8/9	SD Gundam G Generation Cross Drive	Bandai
	SD Gundam G Generation Cross Drive NDS Lite	Bandai
Playstation 2
7/19	Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 14	Konami
	Sengoku Basara Double Pack	Capcom
7/26	King of Fighters Maximum Impact Regulation A	SNK
8/23	Pure x Cure Recovery	Alchemist
	Pure x Cure Recovery Limited Edition	Alchemist
Playstation 3
7/05	Boku no Natsuyasumi 3	Sony
7/26	Minna no Golf 5	Sony
Playstation Portable
7/26	For Symphony: With All One's Heart Portable	Takuyo
	Idol Janshi Suchi-Pai 3	Jaleco
	Mawaskes: Based on Carton-kun	Irem
	Sarugechu SaruSaru Daisakusen	Sony
	Minna no Golf Jou Vol. 2	Sony
	Minna no Golf Jou Vol. 2 + GPS Receiver	Sony
Nintendo Wii
7/12	Dragon Quest Swords	Square
7/19	Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Wii	Konami
	Momotarou Dentetsu 16	Hudson
7/26	Dewy's Adventure	Konami
	Guilty Gear XX Accent Core	Sammy
	Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary	Sega
	Sharuui * Takoron	Compile

Aqua Rain

Taking a bath generally involves bubbles, a scrubber of some sort, and thou. However, if you want to spice things up, throw an Aqua Rain into the mix and introduce a geyser of LED-lit water into your bathing ritual.

Shaped like a smoke detector but buoyant, the Aqua Rain product floats on the surface of your bathtub and shoots out beams of colored light for the first visual effect. A powerhead on the bottom of the device sucks water in and blows it out the top in streams of liquid for the second effect. Now, with the water flowing and the lights blazing, the effect is rather hypnotic and perhaps even magical as the water scatters upwards and cascades down as the LEDs light up the droplets. Two fountain patterns are selectable - a lazy radial spray or tight water jets that are ejected more forcefully. Seven colored LEDs provide the illumination for nifty effects. A video of the streaming water may be viewed on the manufacturer's website. NCS is accepting preorders to ship next week.

Chocobo Magic Book Mug

When one thinks of Chocobo, an image of yellow feathers and expressive eyes are two salient features that come to mind. Square Enix bats a .500 with the upcoming Chocobo Magic Book Mug which sports two expressive blue eyes but no feathers. The mug may be interpreted to possess a sunny disposition and the handle could represent Chocobo's tail if you strain your imagination and visualize it.

A rich banana-yellow patina covers the cup along with a beak which protrudes from below those expressive eyes. The mug measures 12cm or 4.72" tall and holds approximately 15 ounces of liquid... or birdseed if you're so inclined. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late July 2007 and pricing is set at JPY1700 or US$18 per mug from NCS.

Dragon Quest Monsters Soft Vinyl Figures

Square Enix has started preorders for Dragon Quest Monsters toys which are scheduled to ship in late July 2007. The first group of DQM Sofubi figures measure between 6.5 to 14cm (2.55 to 5.51") tall as follows:

Slime / 6.5 cm tall
Golem / 9cm tall
Ryuo (After transformation) / 14cm tall
Saro / 12cm tall
Rhapthorne / 14cm tall

Another 5 monsters are expected to ship in late August 2007. Preorders for the monsters from the first batch are welcome today at US$19 each.