When I step onto the train to work every morning around 6.40am, I sometimes break open a Bishoujo gaming magazine to enjoy a rush of moe to the head. NOTHING wakes you up in the morning like the moe Bishoujo goodness of Dengeki G’s.

Of course, sometimes I do draw some stares as it isn’t a normal occurance to see someone reading a Bishoujo gaming magazine in the train in Singapore. But majority of the commuters look like bloody zombies at that time of the morning, and most of the time they’re snoozing off in their seats. In fact, the reason I sometimes don’t take out a moe-filled magazine is because I myself am busy being a freaking zombie.

Visual novels (non-Bishoujo and otome games) and Bishoujo games make up 70% of software sold in the Japanese gaming market. However due to xenophobia/superiority complexes, very little effort is made to market these games outside of Japan. Anime used to be that way actually, until entreprising Americans took over. And why can’t they do the same with VNs? Its basically because American males in general don’t like to read (according to a manga distributing director of Diamond Books). To put it in his words at a manga publishing meet over here at SMU (Singapore Management University) last year: “American males play sports, watch sports, and that’s about it.” XD

Anyway, since I don’t know Japanese well, I’ll just be doing a brief overview of the magazine. In fact, you can understand most of a Bishoujo gaming magazine without knowing Japanese. The magazine break down is 2/3 Bishoujo gaming news, and 1/3 Bishoujo gaming manga serials.

If this ad doesn’t get the sand out of your eyes, I don’t know what will.

The PS2 remains a popular platform for Bishoujo game releases since they don’t really require insane amounts of processing power to be satisfying. When I finish learning Japanese, it is obvious that the PS2 would be an indispensable console, but I would most probably have a PS3 by then.

Monthly game and character popularity charts. Seems that the visual novel adaption of Lucky Star is selling incredibly well. I don’t know which character is ranked at the top on the right page, but its good to see that Shana and Saber are still popular.

Full review of the incredibly popular To Heart 2 ~another days~. Note the Nanako screenshot, seems that Nanako is saying “bye bye onii-chan!” to the protogonist in the first photo. XD

Key’s latest 15+ (non-ero) visual novel Little Busters! officially gets an 18+ re-release with of course, ero-content. It is titled Little Busters! Ecstacy.

This seems like a light novel serialisation of the Da Capo series of Bishoujo games.

Although I knew donkey years ago that Clannad was getting a XBOX360 adaption, I only found out in this issue of Dengeki G’s that it is coming to the PSP to join its previous Key brethren, Kanon, as well.

Nanatsuiro Drops (character design by the god of eroge character designs Noizi Itou) and the popular doujin visual novel Higurashi no Naku Koro ni get Nitendo DS adaptions.

Not exactly a Bishoujo game, but we get some screens of the upcoming arcade fighting game adaption of one of the most popular eroge of all time (Fate/Stay Night), Fate/Unlimited Codes. This should be coming to Singapore so look out for it in arcades.

The popular Seinen light novel on economics Ookami to Koushinryou, or better known as Spice and Wolf, gets a visual novel adaption.

Preview of Navel’s latest game. I really don’t know what the hell the name is, but the character design is distinctly Navel-flavoured. I don’t even need to read the Japanese to know its a game by Navel. Navel also made the popular Bishoujo games Shuffle! and Really? Really!

Finally, a look at the manga adaption of Nanatsuiro Drops. Although I’ve not actually gotten into the anime adaption, I must say that the manga is very well drawn. The characters are not warped or noticeably changed like many manga adaptions (Suzumiya Haruhi comes to mind).. looks as if its straight out of a light novel. Hope someone licenses the Nanatsuiro Drops manga soon