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 Treasure 24: REI's ROOM

Wardrobe malfunctions and eating disorders

REI's ROOM is right back into the fray at Comic Treasure 24 with a tapestry of kanmusu carriers Unryuu and Hiryuu for sale, and attendees will receive free of charge a postcard featuring Kagerou girls Isokaze and Tokitsukaze eschewing dry clothes for some soft serve.

Comic Treasure 24: Digital Lover / Yuka Nakajima

Life after Amatsukaze?

Between the aftermath of Comic Market 86 and the upcoming premiere of the anime adaptation of Amagi Brilliant Park, Digital Lover's Yuka Nakajima surely didn't have much time to put together a new full-length doujinshi, but there is a new, 85th volume of the circle's Rough Sketch omake books, featuring KanColle's Unryuu, plus fans can cleanse their snouts with a face towel featuring the puppy-like Kagerou sister Tokitsukaze.

COMITIA109: AYUEST / Ayuya

Stand, delivered

With the smoke clearing and the rubble revealed following the chaos of Comic Market 86 just weeks ago, most circles were happy to simply offer copies of their newest and latest at COMITIA109 at the tail end of August.  AYUEST, not being most circles, offered a plastic smartphone stand featuring Amatsukaze and some highly styled calligraphy--what it reads, I shall leave to someone literate in Japanese, and simply state MORE OF MY BOAT WIFE PLS.

Comic Market 86: Jenoa Cake じぇのばけーき / TakayaKi

Head gasket replacement?

Jenoa Cake's TakayaKi has been largely silent since the circle's Comic Market 85 release, featuring KanColle's Suzuya, the only sign of life being a drawing of Suzuya's fleetmate Agano posted to the circle's website back in February.  The drawing may have changed, but the focal point remains the same, as Agano takes the cover of the circle's C86 release.  

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: TIES / Takei Ooki

Zuihougatari

TIES' Takei Ooki seems to have no trouble with the concept of monogamy, if the circle's Comic Market 86 offerings are any indication.  It's a steady diet of KanColle's Light Carrier Zuihou, first reprising her role as cover girl last performed at COMIC1 this April.  She also appears on a reusable bag and a custom-made netsuke.

Updated 9:28 pm 8/15:  Naturally, immediately following my commenting on Takei Ooki's apparent fidelity to Zuihou does the artist admit to having a wandering eye, with Shoukaku leading the circle's second sortie at the Battle of Odaiba.  This is her first tour of duty 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...

Comic Market 86: REI's ROOM

Kantai Collector's Paradise

Another of the Because Japan "I can't believe I didn't know about this circle before KanColle" cabal, REI's ROOM is bringing a ridiculously big and completely adorable collection of kanmusu-themed goods that may necessitate a cargo barge to get home.  The repair ship Akashi looks like she could use a hosing off on the cover of their erotic parody doujinshi...

...and reprises the role in tapestry form.

REI's ROOM is perhaps best known for their delectable dakimakura selection, and Taigei here, reclining on big whale pillow, is exemplar...

...and she also appears in slightly intense and TOTALLY INTENSE clear file form...

...and looking more demure as a netsuke and, alongside big sister Ryuuhou, as badges.

Finally, S-Class A-cuppers Zuihou and Ryuujou appear back-to-back on a clipboard.

Comic Market 86: Mochiya 餅屋 / Karochi

I still say her visor is lame

Okay, time for this blogger to come clean:  I know exactly zero about Mochiya or circle artist Karoti, and the only things I know about Kantai Collection's Ryuujou is that she wears a stupid-looking visor and speaks in Osaka-ben.  Consider it blissful ignorance, because HOLY SMOKES look at the erotic parody doujinshi and dakimakura of Ryuujou that Mochiya's putting out for Comic Market 86.  And there's an artist/subject backlog.  I've mentioned discovering new circles to follow because of KanColle that I never would've found otherwise--add Mochiya to the list.

Comic Market 86: AYUEST / Ayuya

ALL-matsukaze

The recent scene-wide dominance of Kantai Collection has been a boon for me as a fan to discover other doujinshi circles that I otherwise might never have investigated.  Between the nightly KanColle OneDraw hashtag on Twitter, the pursuit of different works of any of the hundred-some-odd kanmusu, and the busy calendar of doujin events giving artists numerous chances to hone their skills on their boat wife of choice, the Fleet Girls have done much to bring artists and fans together in a way I have never experienced, this author having completely missed the Touhou phenomenon of years past.

Of all the circles I've come across through their kanmusu, AYUEST is most definitely the one I look forward to following after the otaku hivemind moves on to its next obsession.  With a very quick workrate, circle artist Ayuya has fed fans a steady parade of vessels to worship since this time last year, with Kongou, Shoukaku, Taihou, and Verniy all getting the full-sized release treatment.  I was super-excited in June to see Ayuya's Twitter avatar change to be my favorite ship in the fleet, Amatsukaze, but was disappointed to see her only with Rensouhou-chan as a set of badges at June's COMITIA108--so much promise, wasted!

Either Ayuya answers prayers, or I just had to be a little patient, as my darling twintailed one has gained the cover of the circle's newest release for Comiket 86.  It looks like there'll be a ton of KanColle gear for fans to pick up from the circle, including the fifth AYULOGUE omake collection, featuring Shoukaku and Zuikaku in a pose similar to the netsuke the circle produced earlier this year...

...a Shoukaku dakimakura to go along with the tapestry from earlier this year...

...an Amatsukaze towel...

...AND the Lady in Black will even be featured on the side of the circle's goodies bag!

Comic Market 86: Sayori NEKO WORKs

Crazy Cat Ladies at C86

Sayori of NEKO WORKs was kind enough earlier this year to release a Kantai Collection parody doujinshi that allowed me to break through the steady diet of servile sister catgirls that usually come out of the circle's chambers, but I understand fully that kissin' kittens Chocola and Vanilla are the circle's bread and butter.  The girls grace the cover of NEKO WORKs 04, which historically have been story-free, full-color retrospectives that collect the artist's ecchi and non-h, commercial and just-for-fun works, the last edition of which was released at last summer's Comic Market.

The parody business must have treated Sayori somewhat fairly, though, as the circle will release a second book, Eden/Abyss, featuring more Kantai Collection artwork.

Comic Market 86: Mugen@WORKS むげん＠WORKS / Akiduki Akina

Fource of Nature

Since last year's Summer Comic Market, Mugen@WORKS has cranked out a trio of KanColle parodies featuring Kongou, and followed them up with another trifecta of Suzuya parodies.  It looks, however, like it'll be a fourth tour of duty for Suzuya--perhaps in the Marianas?-- at Comic Market 86, if this preview image is anything to be believed. 

Updated 2:49 pm 8/10:  While the pose hasn't changed much over the years, it looks like Akiduki Akina might be ready to pass the torch on from one kanmusu to another for the cover of his circle's erotic parody offerings.  As was expected, Suzuya is indeed on another Mugen@WORKS cover, clutching herself in the same way she's done for the artist three times prior.  This time, though, she's followed in form by her fleetmate Taigei.

Comic Market 86: Popochichi ぽぽちち / Yahiro Pochi

Soft, squishy ship shapes 

Though the content of his books occasionally enters Abgrund-level areas of sexual deviancy, one would be hard-pressed to deny the sweet squeezability of Popochichi's character art as anything less than appealing.  By manipulating coloring and applying gravity and a little extra weight to his characters' physiques, circle artist Yahiro Pochi makes his girls soft and supple without making them overly cartoonish.  Pochi also certainly knows how to pay the bills as a doujinshi artist, and in the current fandom climate that means MOAR KANTAI COLLECTION.  After a double feature with Shimakaze and a Kongou/Haruna pairing at C85, and a showcase of the less endowed pairing of Taihou and Zuihou at Sankuri 62 in February, fans of both body types will be served at C86, with Kaga, Bismarck, and Nagato on one cover, and Shimakaze's predecessor/big sister Amatsukaze on the other.  

Comic Market 86: Hyoco Road ひょこ道 / Hyocorou

Second evolution awakens first-rate doujin-ka

After a steady diet of excellent, edgy OreImo parody works over a course of about four years, Hyoco Road hasn't been heard from across doujinshidom since last August's Comic Market 84's Zettai Kirino Ryouiki 2.  Though there certainly hasn't been any lack of incestuous rom-com series to parody since Kirino and Kyousuke Kousaka's story ended, it's no surprise that it's the KanColle juggernaut that's brought series artist Hyocorou out from hiding.  The light cruiser Sendai, in her second evolutionary form, takes the cover, apparently in need of help with a gasket or washer replacement.

Comic Market 86: Abgrund / Yusa Saikawa

Queen of Taboo rules supremely

Abgrund's Yusa Saikawa made her name in the doujin world with sadistic yaoi otokonoko works, cooled off a bit with straight hentai releases, then more recently delved into sibling and parent/child incest.  Not content to allow leave any corner of the doujinshi underrealm unexplored, Saikawa revealed recently another line item to be checked off the societal taboo checklist.  At Comic Market 86, Summer Halation, subtitled she is still someone's wife, looks to be Abgrund's first netorare release. 

Update 1 2:28 pm 8/3:  In the build-up to Comic Market 86, Abgrund has revealed more goods to entice event attendees to stride confidently into doujinshidom's seedy underbelly.  A 16-page full-color companion piece to the circle's NTR release Summer Halation will be available only at the event.

Also, the circle will have a tapestry of an original character creation for sale at the event.

Update 2 10:19 am 8/19:  If you follow me on Tumblr, you know that Amatsukaze is my boat wife, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.  You can surely understand my trepidation, then, when I report that my poor poor darling one has captured Yusa Saikawa's attention as well--Abgrund will have a second book released at Comic Market 86 featuring KanColle's current It Girl, grimly titled DARKNESS.