Shin Tennis no Oujisama Official Character Guide Vol 5

Title: Shin Tennis no Oujisama Official Character Guide - Pair Puri Vol.5
Date of release: 4 March 2010
Featured characters: Echizen Ryoma & Yukimura Seiichi
Publisher: Shueisha
Price: 500 yen

Shin Tennis no Oujisama Pair-puri Vol 4

Title: Shin Tennis no Oujisama Pair-puri Vol 4
Featuring: Kikumaru Eiji & Niou Masaharu
Date of release: 4 Feb 2010
Published by: Shueisha
Price: 500 yen

Shin Tennis no Oujisama Official Character Book Pair Puri Vol.3

Title: Shin Tennis no Oujisama Official Character Book Pair Puri Vol.3
Characters featured: Oshitari Yuushi & Oshitari Kenya
Date of release: 4 Jan 2010
Published by: Shueisha
Price: 500 yen (inclusive of tax)

Shin Tennis no Oujisama Vol 1 at No.7 of Top 10 weekly manga sales chart (24 Aug 09)

1) Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi Vol 23 (849,067)

2) Nodame Cantabile Vol 22 (733,157)

3) Sangatsu no Lion Vol 3 (275,213)

4) NARUTO Vol 47 (177,698)

5) BLEACH Vol 40 (126,979)

6) Sukitte Ii na yo Vol 3 (96,205)

7) Shin Tennis no Oujisama Vol 1 (83,145)

8) Amanchu Vol 1 (68,948)

9) Bakuman Vol 4 (66,110)

10) Monster Hunter Orage Vol 4 (58,485)

Shin Tennis no Oujisama Manga Vol 1

Title: Shin Tennis no Oujisama
Price: 500 yen
Date of release: 4 August 09
Published by: Shueisha
ISBN: 4088747240








Comments: Well, I read the first few chapters of Shin Tenipuri through Jump Square so getting this first volume was more of for the sake of collection purposes. The main difference between the book design should be the base colour scheme. In the first series, the base colour was blue. This time, it is red.

I have since stopped purchasing Jump Square primarily because I didn't want to waste money by paying so much just to read a few pages of Tenipuri. Although Jump Square is only published on a monthly basis, it is still expensive to buy it and leave the whole volume lying around. Coupled with the fact that the outcome of Sanada vs. Yukimura made me hopping mad, I think I can tolerate the wait for the manga volume release because I've lost quite a bit of interest. Anyway, that match between Sanada and Yukimura is not featured yet in Vol 1.

I already expected the outcome but I really disliked the way it was handled. That scoreline and how they reacted to the outcome was what left a bad taste in my mouth. I think this is as bad as what happened during the Kantou finals when Sanada lost to Echizen in such an unbelievable fashion. Of course, I don't expect all my favourite characters to win everytime but it is too hard to accept the way things are handled. It's almost a no-brainer that Echizen will win every single match just for the sake that the lead MUST stay in the story. That's boring. Someone should really teach this brat a good lesson.

Although I'm happy to see Tenipuri carrying on (or so claimed by Konomi-sensei that the original series was just a prologue and this is the main story) because that means the chances of having more OVAs or a new anime series are higher, I have mixed feelings as to where the story is going. The techniques are getting more and more exaggerated and the whole story is deviating from what it had drawn me to it in the first place. And that is pure fun from sports. Everyone seems more interested in refining their out-of-this-world skills rather than relish the joy of playing tennis or winning the match. It's getting so bloody and violent.*shakes head* That gratifying feeling of watching a well-fought match where both parties gave their best has been missing for a very long time. Although I won't say that I will stop reading this manga (at least for the time being), I may just do that if it continues to let Echizen have his way all the time. However, if the OVA series is to continue, I think I will continue to support that because watching anime and hearing the seiyuus' voices would probably alleviate the dissatisfaction derived from the manga.

Shin Tennis no Oujisama Vol 1 achieves No.4 ranking on weekly manga sales chart!

Ranking as of the week ended 17 August 09, figures in brackets refer to sales units:

1) NARUTO Vol 47 (783,827)

2) BLEACH Vol 40 (589,661)

3) Bakuman Vol 4 (242,745)

4) Shin Tennis no Oujisama Vol 1 (223,834)

5) Eyeshield 21 Vol 36 (165,014)

6) Toriko Vol 5 (139,650)

7) To Love-ru Vol 15 (129,490)

8) Nurarihyon no Mago Vol 6 (126,714)

9) Monster Hunter Orage Vol 4(125,381)

10) Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro Vol 23 (85,874)

Vol 1 of Shin Tennis no Oujisama to be released!

The first volume of Shin Tennis no Oujisama is to be released soon!

Title: Shin Tennis no Oujisama Vol 1
Date of release: 4 Aug 2009 (Tuesday)
Published by: Shueisha
Price: 500 yen

Details of Jump Square's June 09 issue

The June 09 issue of Jump Square will come bundled with a limited edition trading card of "Tennis no Oujisama".

Title: Jump Square June 09 issue
Date of release: 2 May 2009
Published by: Shueisha
Price: 500 yen

Tenipuri Manga Series to continue from March 09!

Tennis no Oujisama which was published in Shuukan Shounen Jump, ended its run in March but it will be making a comeback on 4 March 2009! Shueisha will publish the continuation to the popular series in the manga magazine "Jump Square". To mark the announcement of this piece of good news, there is a special story, "Houkago no Oujisama" (The Prince at After School) published in 4 Nov's issue of "Jump Square". It is drawn by Sakura Kenichi and the overall producer is Konomi Takeshi-sensei.

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This is indeed good news for all Tenipuri fans!

Frankly speaking, I was a bit undecided about whether to continue with this blog if I do run out of content to post. Given that the manga is completed and the OVA series should be released in full by next year, I was indeed worried about the lack of new content other than Rajipuri and the CD releases.

I don't know if the switch from Shounen Jump to Jump Square is good for Tenipuri but as long as it is back, I think nothing beats reading about our favourite characters again! Banzai!

Atobe Keigo on first reversible cover for manga Vol 35

Although Vol 35 of the manga was released last month, I've been so busy that I haven't started reading this. Well, since I've read the latest developments from Shonen Jump (now we are at Shitenbouji with Fuji vs Shiraishi), I don't have the same level of urgency to finish reading the separate volumes as before but I still grab the first press editions from the bookstore and remember the release dates by heart.

What distinguishes this volume from the rest so far is the introduction of the reversible cover which is the first for all Shonen Jump comics. To put it simply, a colour cover is printed on both sides of the cover sleeve so that you can choose whichever side you want as the cover. Not only it offers a choice to fans to decide which cover they prefer, it also allows for two contrasting images to be provided at the same time.

Due to the fact that Atobe Keigo had the "misfortune" of having his crowning glory snipped by that brat Echizen Ryoma after their match in the Hyotei Nationals arc, this double cover shows Atobe's before-and-after shot as a result of this "ordeal". Well, as a fan of Atobe, I don't like the idea of him losing to Echizen just because the latter is the lead in the manga and having to suffer at his hands in such an humiliating manner. This hurts even more than what I felt for Sanada during the Kantou finals. And to show his new hairstyle in such a manner, this just feels like rubbing salt to injury although some may find it amusing. Come to think of it, does anyone feel that Atobe's new hairstyle seems quite similar to Tachibana Kippei?

And to show "remorse" for making Atobe lose his hair, Konomi-sensei also cut his hair and showed off his before-and-after shot on the double cover. Just what purpose does this serve? He should never have allowed Atobe to lose which would mean that he doesn't have to do this in the first place. This move just seems redundant to me and frankly speaking, I'm not really amused to see this.

Manga Vol 33 - Tezuka Kunimitsu Kyuushuu Hen

As seen from the title, this volume focuses primarily on what happened to Tezuka when he was in Kyuushuu for his treatment. Thus, there are 4 chapters dedicated to that section alone.

When Tezuka was in Kyuushuu, the treatment itself did not take a long time but the real issue was coping with the emotional trauma of injuring himself again which would rule out the possibility of joining his teammates for the Nationals. Due to this, he was apprehensive about raising his left arm despite the doctor's assurance that he shouldn't have any problems. It was then when he met a little girl, Miyuki there who had a similar problem like him where she would freeze with nervousness whenever she took part in official matches even though she was really good at the game. Some Shishiraku guys came along and challenged Tezuka to a match but for fear of aggravating his injury, Tezuka didn't even dare to do a proper serve. Of course, it wasn't surprising that he had lost by 6-0. Miyuki knew that Tezuka shouldn't be playing like this and took on those Shishiraku guys alone. This made Tezuka overcome his fear syndrome as he derived courage from Miyuki's refusal to give up and trounced those arrogant guys. A few days later, when Miyuki won her first match, she went back to the hospital to look for Tezuka but he had already returned to Tokyo.

By the way, Chitose who was previously from Shishiraku with Tachibana also appeared at the end to watch what was going on and Miyuki called him Onichan. Are they siblings in the first place? Since there's an unexplored link between them, I suppose Miyuki might appear again when Chitose's team Shitenbouji takes on Seigaku in the semi-finals since Fudoumine looks set to lose to Shitenbouji even if Tachibana does beat Chitose in the match which has barely begun in Jump.

Coming back to Tezuka's match with Kabaji, the going gets tough for Tezuka due to the fact that Kabaji copies his every move and with increased strength since he has a larger build as compared to Tezuka. However, experience and adaptability in the form of Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami (loosely translated as The Self-Attained Essence of Endless Practices) gives Tezuka the upperhand as a sudden downpour causes Kabaji to be unable to copy Tezuka to a T in such conditions. Atobe had expected Kabaji to give Tezuka a hard time because it is hard to fight against yourself but the downpour thwarted his plans.

Due to the rain, the quarterfinals match has to be postponed. As such, the Doubles 1 match between the Golden Pair of Seigaku (Ooishi & Kikumaru) and Hyotei's version of the Golden Pair (Shishido & Ootori) takes place at 9am on the next day. This is a very close match since both pairs boast of a strong partnership and are in sync with their partners. However, the postponing of the match proves to be a big test to the stamina of these guys since the high temperature and humidity make it feel as if they are in a furnace when they stand on the court. Coupled with the fact that Ootori has managed to "upgrade" his Scud Serve to the new version "Neo Scud Serve" which is even faster than Inui's "Waterfall", this makes it difficult for the Seigaku duo to do anything about the service aces which go to Hyotei as a result. The match goes into a tie-break and by the end of this volume, we see the score at 6-3 with Hyotei needing a single point to win this match.

Well, from what I remember, this tie-break is going to take quite some time. As such, I'm not sure whether we will be done with the Singles 1 match between Atobe and Echizen in Vol 34 because that was also a lengthy match right till the end. And that bozu challenge...oh my god! I think those who have read my past entries would have known the outcome of this match so I won't go into details in case people do not want to read spoilers.

Before I forget, Vol 34 will be published on 4 July as announced on Shueisha's website. Till then!

Release Date of Manga Vol 34

According to the Shueisha website, the release date of the manga's Vol 34 will be tentatively fixed on 4 July 06. Barring any unforseen circumstances, the release date will remain unchanged.

As for Vol 33 released on the 2nd of this month, I have finished reading it and will post the review within the next few days.

Manga Vol 32 - Kusemono Doushi

This volume marks the beginning of the Hyoutei arc in the Nationals so we are going to see lots of familiar faces from now on. The thing is everyone seems to have new tricks up their sleeves so it is a challenge of trying to keep track of the names for the special techniques. Luckily, we are dealing with a school who is playing against Seigaku for the third time so there's no need to remember the names of the rivals.

We start off with Singles 3 where Momo is up against Oshitari. This is the second time they have played against each other ever since the Doubles 2 match during the Kantou Tournament first round. At that time, Momo took the place of Oishi whose wrist was injured and paired up with Kikumaru to beat Oshitari and Mukahi. The Hyoutei pair lost mainly due to Mukahi's lack of stamina and their conceited attitude which made them underestimate the Seigaku pair. As such, this is a very important match for both parties since they don't want to lose to each other. Especially for Oshitari, losing to the same person again simply goes against his principles so he is burning with desire to defeat Momo or he would never progress to the next level.

Initially, Momo has the upper hand because he has changed his playing style from an aggressive approach focusing on strength to one which uses less of his energy and concentrate on reacting according to the situation. However, he finds that he cannot read Oshitari's thoughts after 4 games even though the latter should be showing frustration at Momo's lead. And coupled with the fact that Oshitari has a number of new tricks up his sleeve, Momo seems unable to retalliate. Here's a list of the new techniques:

F & D: Fake & Dropshot
F A S: Flat Approach Shot
S S A S: Side Spin Approach Shot

I must admit that it is a mouthful to say these names. Trust Konomi-sensei to come up with these!

The turning point of the match comes when Momo bumps into the light beam at the side of the court and hurts his forehead. He was chasing a side shot from Oshitari and lost control thus leading to the injury. However, he refuses to give up despite the bleeding forehead. Although everyone thinks that Oshitari might finish the match quickly so as to take advantage of the situation, he decides to play to his heart's content since it's rare to bump into a rival who has so much perservance and desire in winning like Momo. In the end, Oshitari wins Singles 3 with the scoreline of 6-4.

Next up is Doubles 2 where Mukahi & Hiyoshi meet Inui & Kaidou. After seeing Momo's performance, it gets Inui very much heated up and he delivers his usual high speed serve. Due to comments that it feels very much like being swallowed by rapid waters, Inui decides to name his serve as "Waterfall". The Seigaku pair gets the first game easily because of Waterfall which measures 212 km/h, at least 10km/h faster than Ootori's Scud Serve.

However, the Hyoutei pair has a plan to finish the game as quickly as possible given that they will stand to lose out against Inui & Kaidou who boast of long-lasting stamina. It is especially important for Mukahi to do his acrobatic moves quickly or he would not be able to display them if this becomes a marathon match. That is why Sakaki has put Mukahi and Hiyoshi together despite them not enthusiastic about being doubles partners.

Inui and Kaidou sees through their aim and allows Hyoutei to go right to the match point before they start retalliating. At that time, Mukahi and Hiyoshi are already dog-tired since Kaidou had tricked them to use all of their energy before this. Thus, when he starts to use his new shot, "Tornado Snake" and Inui uses his data-tennis, they turn the tables on Hyoutei and grab the second match with a 7-5 victory.

Singles 2 pits Tezuka and Kabaji which comes as a shock to most of the spectators since nobody expected Tezuka to appear so quickly. Even though some are thinking that this will be a walkover since Kabaji is nowhere close to Atobe's level, they fail to realise that Kabaji is the copycat genius. As such, it may appear that Tezuka has the upper hand but it is definitely not the case. As Kabaji can copy Tezuka's moves easily, it will be like seeing 2 Tezukas on court where Tezuka is in actual fact fighting with himself. Imagine Kabaji and Tezuka both using Tezuka Zone! And Tezuka doesn't use his Zero Shiki drop shot because Kabaji will pick this up easily which is not to his advantage.

This volume ends with a recap of what happened to Tezuka during his Kyuushu rehabillitation trip where he meets a little girl who accuses him of stealing her tennis racket. It seems like Tezuka is having psychological problems in trusting whether he has the ability to play tennis again so remembering this episode during his match with Kabaji should have some significance to help him secure victory.

I'm elated to see Tezuka back but I'm very disappointed to see that his opponent was not Atobe. I was looking forward to them having a re-match but Konomi-sensei has chosen to pit Atobe against Echizen in Singles 1. And it looks like Jirou and Fuji will not play in this round since Doubles 2 is played by the Golden Pair (Oiishi & Kikumaru) vs Shishido & Ootori. Singles 3, Doubles 2 and probably the beginning of Singles 1 would be featured in Vol 33 to be released on 2 May but I had read a number of issues of Shonen Jump so that's how I knew about the order before they are shown in the manga volumes. Anyway, to avoid spoiling the fun for those who had not followed Jump, I won't discuss those matches yet.

Oricon ranking for New Year 2006 singles & Manga Vol 32

Results of the New Year 2006 singles on the Oricon singles chart (16 Jan) are announced today via NEC Interchannel. Not suprisingly, Megane's was the best performer among the three groups which had released singles on 1 Jan with a position of No.19. 3 Guava Trio got No.21 while Seigaku Ichinen Trio got No.68. This marks a good start to 2006 for Tenipuri character CDs and Interchannel so I hope they can release full singles instead of one-track singles which may cost less but is lacking in substantial content to justify the price tag.

On another note, manga Vol 32's release date has been confirmed as 3 Feb. I guess I'm probably going to buy it from the local Kinokuniya this time round.

Jump #296 - Who's going to lose his hair?

As expected, Singles 1 is between Atobe and Echizen BUT the biggest surprise here is that they made a bet to shave their hair off if they lose. Atobe was the one who suggested this so Echizen agreed to this condition. Well, I feel that Atobe is in a more precarious situation since such matches are usually skewed in the lead character's favour and both sides have to win in order to progress to the semi-finals. Surely Konomi-sensei doesn't intend to drag this quarterfinal arc to the reserve player match? Which means that Atobe has to shave his head?! That's simply too horrible to imagine! Actually, if Echizen loses his hair, he still has a cap to cover up but I don't like this idea too. Why on earth did Konomi-sensei put such a development for this round? To make it more interesting? I simply shudder to think who will lose his hair at the end of this match. Why can't they bet on something else?! The best would be for this match to end in a draw so everyone remains as he is but this possibility seems remote...Is there a satisfactory way to end this match in a draw? By the way, Atobe commented that Echizen is not even near Tezuka's class so I hope he can teach this haughty brat a good lesson. Well, I don't dislike Echizen but I think he's been getting kind of arrogant these days. He even stole Atobe's pet phrase during the Hyotei cheer so...it'll be good for him to learn that there's always someone better around.

Manga Vol 31 - Kisaku!? Kikumaru no Singles

This volume completes the Higa arc at long last so that we can finally move on to the Hyotei arc in the Nationals! I must say that Higa gets on my nerves even more than Jousei Shonan which did not appear in the manga. I'm quite neutral towards Jousei actually but Higa makes my blood boil. They appear as barbarians on court and I think they really lack the grace of sportsmen by using tennis balls to hit people as and when they like. I guess Konomi-sensei might receive some backlash from Okinawan people since Higa is from Okinawa but I don't think he actually meant that people there behave like those bunch of idiots of Higa. Surely the school must belong to some place so it just happened that he chose that place...Anyway, this is simply my conjecture though so I don't know how Konomi-sensei actually came up with the plot. To be frank, other than Hirakoba Rin who gets into my good books, the rest of the members simply put me off. The captain, Kite Eishirou gives me the impression that he is just a pretender and I can't stand him looking like a sukebe ojisan when he should be a junior high student. I can't comprehend why Konomi-sensei gave him half opaque spectacles too so this makes Kite look even weirder. Their coach resembles that bald guy during the Karuizawa OVA and is such a scumbag. I'm just glad that we are finally done with this school and I certainly do not hope to see them again.

As for the matches, there's Singles 3 where Kikumaru took part in his first singles match against Kai Yuujirou. Kikumaru was having the upper hand initially since he had improved his stamina and used acrobatics play to his advantage. However, when Kai used Viking Horn (I couldn't see what he was trying to do and can't be bothered to examine the move), things started to change so Kikumaru did a doubles style' singles play which stunned everyone. And he won by a stroke of luck during the tiebreaker at 7-6. Doubles 2 wasn't explored in detail since Inui and Kaidou won pretty easily by 6-3. As for Singles 1, Tezuka makes his comeback against Kite and won by 6-4. That oyaji was said to be a koroshiya (yeah, right!) but against the mighty Tezuka who simply turned invincible immediately through this state of Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami which seems to be more powerful than Muga no Kyochi, Kite was powerless to do anything. Actually, from what it seems, Tezuka reacted by instinct and this makes him very powerful by counter-using the opponent's moves with increased power and precision. Anyway, there's no reason for our dearest bucchou to lose after being out of action for so long. I look forward to seeing this match in the OVA DVD to be released in March.

Another happy thing for me besides Tezuka winning his match was to see Rikkai again! OK, their matches were not featured though but seeing Genichirou and gang plus Yukimura back in the limelight is simply thrilling. Based on the match schedule, it will be no surprise that Rikkai will head to the finals to meet Seigaku since their block doesn't have any notable opponents.

The other block's competition will be stiffer since Fudomine will face Shitenhouji in the quarterfinals while Seigaku will face competition from Hyotei, their longtime arch rival. Well, I feel sorry for Hyotei since there's no reason Konomi-sensei will let Seigaku lose at this stage. The latest issue of Jump was just done with Doubles 1 where Shishido and Ootori won against Oishi and Kikumaru so that leaves Singles 1 which should involve Atobe vs Echizen. To think that I was looking forward to a repeat of Tezuka vs Atobe again...

With regards to Fudomine and Shitenhouji, for novelty's sake, Shitenhouji might face Seigaku in the semi-finals but if Konomi-sensei wants Fudomine to get a chance to face Seigaku again, the reverse might happen. I feel that Shitenhouji's chances are higher simply because they are a new rival school in the series and a lot of attention has been put on them. I doubt Konomi-sensei is just introducing them for the fun of it especially with regards to that 1st year Kinta who should face Echizen. Actually, I think Oshitari Yuushi facing his cousin in Shitenhouji might be a fun match too but the condition is that Hyotei must beat Seigaku or else both schools won't be playing each other. By the looks of it, this seems impossible.

In the end, we might just see a Seigaku vs Rikkai final which actually suits me perfectly. Either Genichirou or Yukimura vs Tezuka will be like a wish come true for me. I've been dying to see these guys playing against each other. I can only wait since the quarterfinals arc are not completed yet. Who knows how long the Atobe match is going to take? I like Atobe-sama but...the Hyotei arc has been dragging for too long though. Maybe it's time to move on.

Tenipuri Illustration Fanbook 30.5

Here's the cover of the illustration fanbook 30.5 as scanned above. It comes in a cardboard box to put the book into and features a picture of Seigaku members on the front and reverse. As for the book cover itself, it's white in colour with a logo at the top left hand corner. However, it is not entirely plain as there are silouhettes of various characters on both sides. As such, fans can actually try to guess which silouhette is for which character. I've identified a number of them but there are some which resemble that of a number of characters so I will have to take a closer look first. As my scanner could not capture the silouhettes, the image turns out to be a plain white sheet so I decided against putting the cover here. That is why only the box's images are posted.

As mentioned previously, a number of the pictures are actually old images but the new drawings towards the end of the book can be considered as the highlights of this title. For example, seeing Atobe Keigo in a white shirt with pants AND baring part of his chest since the shirt is unbuttoned should set a lot of fangirls drooling. My personal favourite is a picture of my favourite Genichirou in the formal Rikkai uniform (the winter version, not the summer type we see in the anime) sitting in class and Yagyuu also being featured in the same picture. Are they supposed to be in the same class? Anyway, anything with my favourite three which also includes Tezuka is enough to get me hyped up. Although I thought I had been taken for a ride when I saw familiar pictures in the beginning, I started to think that this is really worth buying when I saw the new pictures although I would have preferred the whole book to contain new images only.

I've finished Vol 31 of the manga which completes the Higa arc and will probably post my review within the next few days. Tezuka seems to be transformed into a god overnight...and Eiji is simply too fantastic to be described in a few words. ^__^

Received Vol 31 and Fanbook 30.5 today

At long last, I've finally received the above titles from Amazon Japan. Although I ordered them from HMV Japan initially, they were still unable to ship it 2 days past the release date so I decided to cancel the order and find them on Amazon since they could ship it within 24 hours. The shipping was much more expensive though so I think I'll probably refrain from buying books from them unless I can't find them from other sources. The cost savings they offer on DVDs though is sufficient to cover the additional shipping so it's still cheaper on the whole. I can't say the same for books though. I thought express shipping will result in better treatment of my stuff but this is just like what happened to my last order of the fanbooks 10.5 and 20.5 which were shipped by sea shipping. The packaging is spoilt yet again and it's evident that the box was opened in the first place. I wonder if it happened due to wear and tear during the shipping process or it was actually opened for checking at customs. Otherwise, I simply do not understand how a box made of stiff cardboard material can appear so rundown with dents at the edges and a depression on the top. I certainly hope that this will not happen to my DVDs as I don't expect such service after paying so much for it to be shipped by DHL.

I will finish the manga first before doing a feature. As for the Fanbook, I flipped through it and was pleasantly surprised to find some nice photos of my favourite trio i.e. Sanada, Tezuka and Atobe. Since this is an illustration book, there is nothing written in it except for lots of pictures. I've seen quite a number of them but there are also many new pictures in this book. And the packaging is quite nice so I'll probably scan it later on.

Tenipuri's new Christmas events

There are a number of events titled "Interchannel presents On The Talk" held by NEC Interchannel before Christmas where the seiyuus will meet fans at various locations.

First of all, Vol 1 is held in Aoze Shimin Centre at 12.30pm on 23 Dec where Minagawa Junko (Echizen), Okiayu Ryotaro (Tezuka), Onosaka Masaya (Momo), Kawamoto Naru (Taka-san) and Kiyasu Kohei will make appearances during the talk event. In order to qualify for the lucky draw, you would need to buy at least 2000 yen worth of Tenipuri CDs released so far which does not include the game and musical soundtracks though. For me, I have bought more than that amount to date ^__^ but I get the idea from their website that you will get the lucky draw coupon if you start to buy some of the CDs now since the promotion will only be held in Animate shops located at Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Kichijoji, Yokohama and Omiya. And if you happen to have pre-ordered CDs to be released after 27 Nov, I think you would have to present your receipts to get the coupon.

Vol 2 is held on the same day at the same venue at 5pm where Minagawa, Okiayu, Onosaka, Kawamoto and Kaida Yuki (Fuji Shuusuke) will make appearances. It will be a talk event for the audience.

The last event is "Interchannel presents 2005 Merry Christmas Baby - Seinaru Yoru ni Kuchibue Fuite" (Whistle on the holy night) held on Christmas eve. The venue will be at Aoze Shimin Centre and the event will be held from 5pm. Members to appear include Minagawa Junko (Echizen), Oura Fuyuka (Osakada Tomoka), Kimura Akiko (Tachibana An), Kusuda Toshiyuki (Shishido Ryo), Takahashi Mikako (Ryuuzaki Sakuno) plus singers like Shinbori Saori, UZA and Shioya Asakou. Besides the talk event, there will also be singing performances.

By the way, the price of the 30.5 illustration fanbook has been reduced to 1800 yen from the initial price of 2000 yen. The release date is this Friday so I'm really looking forward to receiving it with the Vol 31 manga soon!

Ordered Vol 31 & Illustration book 30.5

After looking for the items daily on Amazon Japan, I just couldn't see the illustration book 30.5 being listed. When I emailed them, the response was that they couldn't guarantee that this item will be sold from the website. As such, I tried my luck on HMV Japan and managed to place my order for the items. It's only 20-plus days to the release date on 2 Dec so you can imagine how anxious I was to obtain the books especially the illustration book. My only concern is how long they would take to deliver the books to me. I simply hope that it would not take as long as the calendars last year which took close to 1 month for its delivery after its release date. Now, I have to think of what I should order together with the Meganes' single on 1 Jan while waiting for the Tenipuri Try-X calendar to be released next Saturday...