Comic Treasure 24: Shigunyan

STILL THE BEST

Nekomimi Haruna shows no signs of relinquishing her control over my heart on the cover a roughly drawn continuation of Shigunyan's ongoing KanColle parody series.

Comic Treasure 24: HitenKei / Hiten

An honest assessment

HitenKei offers the young circle's first omake book, not subtly titled HentaiKei Rough Book 01, available at Comic Treasure 24, featuring KanColle's Yukikaze and Tokitsukaze on the cover.  Haruna (watch out for the stripes!) is featured on a new B2-sized tapestry.

Comic Market 86: Renai-Mangaka 恋愛漫画家 / Hirofumi Naruse

Haruna's fourth sortie GO GO GO

I don't have very much to say about Renai-Mangaka, as I have not yet had the chance to mine their past works, but if books can be judged by covers, I'm sure my investment will be well-spent once I have the opportunity.  The circle has a pair of KanColle books prepared for fans at Comic Market 86, including Haruna's fourth tour of duty..

..while virtually unheralded, overshadowed Kagerou sister Umakaze brings up the rear of the formation in her first sortie for the circle.

Comic Market 86: Digital Lover / Yuka Nakajima / DL Action 88

Like a sex comic book machine

I am quick to hail Digital Lover's Yuka Nakajima as the hardest working person in the doujinshi business; seemingly every convention, major or minor, there's a new offering of some sort from the circle, and they certainly tend to go all-out with their offerings at the two annual Comic Markets.  C86 will certainly be no exception, with new works and career retrospectives coming to Odaiba next week.

Kantai Collection's Suzuya, Haruna, and Amatsukaze look a little tuckered out on the cover of DL Action 88, the circle's sixth KanColle erotic parody.  Perhaps most notable is Amatsukaze's appearance on the cover; this marks the first occasion of any of the kanmusu returning to cover duty.

The twintailed experimental one gets no break, either, appearing on a B2-sized tapestry entangled underneath imouto Shimakaze amidst a smattering of Rensouhou-chans.

Concurrent with the second season of Sword Art Online, Asuna Yuuki appears alongside spiritual sister Kuroyukihime from Accel World on the cover of DL AW & SAO Soushuuhen, collecting DL Actions 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 74, and 83.

Just in time for the new school year, SAO 2's Sinon and Asuna appear on a book cover.

Seizing the opportunity for a dash of self-promotion, Yuka Nakajima will also offer a 20-page non-ero booklet introducing the characters of Amagi Brilliant Park, the light novel series and soon-to-be-anime which characters she designed, with leading ladies Latifa Fleuranza and Isuzu Sento at the fore.

All these goodies culminate in a 20-page 20th anniversary memorial book, featuring characters from works the circle's parodied in the past, including Ragnarok Online, where the circle first made their hay, along with Trauma Center, Evangelion, OreImo, and more.

Comic Market 86: Shigunyan しぐにゃん

I will say it until you believe me...

...SHIGUNYAN HARUNA IS BEST HARUNA.

I wish all of doujinshidom could see the perfect, celestial synergy taking place between Shigunyan and Kantai Collection's Haruna--somehow, some way, a relatively unheralded and undistinguished circle has found its muse, and we are all best served by merely bearing witness to the adorable display.  Thus far, she's graced three doujinshi, a tapestry, and a small bag, and now the cat-eared cutie comes dakimakurized, wedding-banded and ready for prime placement in your otaku lair.  

Not content to simply laze about in bed, Haruna is also featured in an erotic parody doujinshi, her fourth such appearance for the circle, though it's not certain where her nekomimi have gone off to in this outing...

Also, for the third time, KanColle's Kaga will star in an erotic parody book for the circle, apparently having inherited Haruna's cat ears and also sporting a wedding ring, neither of which she had in her previous outings at C85 or Sankuri 62.

Finally, Shigunyan's 52nd convention-exclusive omake booklet, featuring a chibified KanColle Airfield Princess...

Renai-Mangaka's Third Haruna Parody Streets

Filled out, in triplicate

Renai-Mangaka's third tour of duty on board Haruna since Comiket 85 took place at a special KanColle-only event at the tail end of June at INTEX Osaka. 

Sunshine Creation 64: Karomix / Karory / Karorful mixEX12

Kantaiful Collection

While the circle has been far from dormant, with not one but two art books scheduled for release this year, for the first time since last summer's Comic Market 84, Karomix finally has a new erotic parody doujin to offer fans.  To the surprise of absolutely no one, it's Kantai Collection-themed, with Haruna on the cover. 

Sunshine Creation 64: Shigunyan

Paradigm-setter

Once is a rumor, twice is a trend, three times is a paradigm--SHIGUNYAN HARUNA IS BEST HARUNA.  Shigunyan first captured my attention at Comic Market 85 with their rendition of Kantai Collection's demure destroyer Haruna looking completely fetching sporting nekomimi.  Looking into the circle's past output, and considering some of the work the circle's done since, it seems to me like Shigunyan has simply found its muse in Haruna, and I hope that when all the kanmusu collecting wanes, the circle can capture this moe moe lightning in a bottle once again.

Sunshine Creation 63: Alpha to Yukaina Nakamatachi

Airships

Credit Alpha to Yukaina Nakamatachi for coming up with an entirely new way of touting one's otakudom worldwide--kanmusu sisters Kongou and Haruna appear on a perfectly lovely folder for airline boarding passes for sale at Sankuri 63, alongside the circle's latest cryptic omake book, Zero Three Zero.

COMIC1☆8: Shigunyan / しぐにゃん

Shigunyan Haruna is best Haruna

After all was said and done after Comic Market 85, my number one most desired book was not from my favorite artist, Tony Taka, or my favorite circle, Digital Lover, or from my favorite parodied franchise, OreImo.  Above all comers, my attention was rapt by a circle I previously had no knowledge of whatsoever, Shigunyan.  Their presentation of Kantai Collection's Haruna, sporting nekomimi, looking every inch the embodiment of Because Japan, put the circle firmly on my radar.  Looking into their past catalogue, I didn't see a whole lot of books that caught my attention, and the covers of their releases since C85 have been, frankly, somewhat underwhelming to me--had the circle managed to capture lightning in a bottle just the once?  With the circle's recent revelation of their plans for this year's COMIC1, it certainly seems that lightning can indeed strike twice.  Haruna makes a triumphant return on the cover of the circle's feature-length ero parody, as well as a B2-sized poster and a small bag.  German kanmusu Z1 and Z3 appear on the circle's 48th iteration of their omake books.

NEKO WORKs to Release Kan Colle Parody

Catgirl sisters yield to battleship sisters

For months and months, I've been looking for an excuse to post something new and exciting from the wonderfully talented Sayori of doujinshi circle NEKO WORKs, but other than the artist's work on eroge, the circle has for years been entirely focused on besmirching the chastity of their darling original character mascot catgirls, Chocola and Vanilla.  After a sudden change of avatars on Twitter to none other than alpha kanmusu Shimakaze, circle leader Sayori revealed the circle's first full-length parody work since Comiket 79's Touhou doujin Eastern Garden 03, with Kantai Collection's Kongou and Haruna at the fore.  The book was previewed at Comiket 85 in December, but not ready for sale until now.  The 28-page B5-sized effort is available for preorder from Toranoana now (home of these images), with a release date of March 21.

Raigeki-sen Yoi! 6 and Comic Treasure 23: Karomix

Dakimakanmusura

Karomix has definitely swung their attention from producing doujinshi to festooning all matter of goods with their distinctive artwork--the circle only produced one doujinshi, the Attack on Titan parody Karorful Mix EX11, last year.  So it goes at Raigeki-sen Yoi! 6 at Tokyo Big Sight and Osaka's Comic Treasure 23 this weekend, as the circle has revealed a preview of a dakimakura of Kantai Collection's Haruna. 

Comic Market 85: Mugenkidou A / 無限軌道 A / Tomose Shunsaku

Sexpot shrine maiden ships on parade

If Shimakaze introduced otakudom to Kantai Collection at Comic Market 84, then the Kongou sisters have kicked down otakudom's door, thrown all their stuff out the window, and claimed squatter's rights in preparation for C85.  It seems to me like some iteration of members of the quartet occupy more than half the doujinshi being sold at Tokyo Big Sight on the 31st--not just Kan Colle parodies, mind you, but ALL doujin.  Add Tomose Shunsaku to the list of those whose head space has been occupied by the girls, as Kongou and Haruna appear on the cover of Mugenkidou A's C85 offering. 

Comic Market 85: Shigunyan / しぐにゃん

Haruna Nekomimi Mode Melts My Face Off

One of the great thrills of being a doujinshi fan is discovering new artists.  Whether via Pixiv, Twitter, or Toranoana, it seems that every Comiket I find a new book from an artist I don't recognize which stops me in my tracks and forces a headlong dive into their backlog to learn more.  With just a couple of days between now and the beginning of Comiket 85, and a never-ending stream of the same kanmusu over and over to wade through, I truly did not expect to find anything to capture my attention this time around.  Then, I saw this cover, and my rate of deceleration was concussion-inducing, Formula One-grade.  I needed to know more.

From long-time doujinshi circle Shigunyan, this presentation of Kantai Collection's Haruna reclined on tatatmi and sporting nekomimi arrested me on the authority of her supreme cuteness, and the preview pages proved that the art quality carried over into the interior of the book, which, given the high number of submissions and short turnaround time from the Summer Comiket, is even more rare in Winter Comiket releases.  I am rapt.  Going to the artist's website reveals that in addition to this release, the circle will offer a second full-length book featuring a fuwa-fuwa take on Kan Colle's Kaga and a third omake book with kanmusu I-19's torpedoes heavily featured.

Looking back through Shigunyan's previous works reveals that the circle has been in the game for quite a long time, and sticking on a pair of nekomimi to a character seems to be something of a trademark of theirs, but, in this writer's opinion, the circle's art seems to carry shades of mid-90's character designs and, quite simply, isn't that attractive to me.  I am not certain what elements have clicked to produce this Haruna release, but I will definitely be watching to see if Shigunyan's work stays at so high a calibre as this.  

Comic Market 85: Tony Taka / T2 Art Works / Kantai Collection

Kanmuse can't be ignored, corner Tony into a parody at C85

Finally, a franchise that Tony Taka couldn't ignore!  For the first time since August 2011's Comic Market 80, T2 Art Works will offer for sale an erotic parody doujinshi, as Kantai Collection's Kongou-class sister-battleships Haruna and Kirishima find themselves entwined on the cover of the circle's offering for Comiket 85.  Tony has confirmed that this, like his last two books, will be an A4-sized release totaling 36 pages, 24 of which will be full-color.  The preview page suggests that the heavy cruiser Atago will feature heavily in the erotic content of the book.

The past several Comic Markets have gone by with Tony either focusing on original artworks or mining his own characters for content; the last parody doujin he produced was August 2011's Chitchakunaiyo'!!, starring Popura Taneshima of Working!!  It remains to be seen if it's just the Kongou sisters or if other kanmuse will get involved in the festivities, but one way or another, it's a return to what made Tony Taka the S-Class artist he is today.

Update 1, 9:53 pm 12/26/13:  Tony has revealed his circle's slate of goods to be offered at C85, and it's a big bet on Kantai Collection's floating menagerie as expected.  A blown-up and rotated version of the ero parody's cover, featuring Kirishima and Haruna in repose, is converted into a calendar.  Tony's C85 shikishi features Shimakaze, perhaps the game's first iconic character, making a bit of a personal adjustment, while Nagato is caught in a bit of a more heated moment.  Kongou is featured on the circle's goods bag, sharing that billing with the fairy girl that graces the cover of his 2014 calendar.  Finally, a dakimakura of what looks like Akagi, but yet I'm 100% isn't Akagi, will keep me guessing until someone sharper than I am can correct me.

Comic Market 85: Popochichi / ぽぽちち / Yahiro Pochi

Double-barreled puni-puni Kan Colle action at C85

Yahiro Pochi, Master of the Warm and Soft and Roundish and admiral of Popochichi, has revealed a double feature of Kantai Collection parodies for sale at Comic Market 85, tapping early-leader-in-the-clubhouse fan favorite Shimakaze for one, and Kongou and her sister Haruna for the other.