Today, I guess I'll write about the Kareshi Kanojo no Jijoo Soundtrack Act 3.0, which is slated to go on sale in a week, as of this writing.
The jacket art for this one has been in magazines and TV commercials in Japan lately. Originally, there wasn't going to be a new illustration on it, however. Back in March, Ogawa from King Records (the man with the PeroPero stickers on his briefcase, which has been written up previously in this space) said there wasn't time to schedule it, so they were going to pass on it. Upon hearing this, Tencho replied that he thought it should have a new illustration anyway. Ultimately, Hiramatsu was commissioned to do it. This was the eventual result. Upon seeing Ogawa's face when showing him the finished work, Tencho laughed and said, delighted, that he'd been right after all.
All of which means that it's thanks to Tencho that we've got this brand-new cute illustration of Yukino to look at. All fans of Yukino, face Musashino and give thanks, both to Tencho and Hiramatsu, who took time out from his busy schedule to do the illustration.

We also had a visit from Yukino this week. That is, prototype figure models were sent to us for evaluation. Three figures in all have been delivered at this time, and we took digital pictures of them. The one at right is from Craze, and the one at left from Musashi-ya. And the Tsubasa figure from Hobby House is... Oops, I forgot to get that picture. They'll all be on sale soon, though, and we hope you like them. That's all for now. Love Love Happy.

(Muramatsu)

The Package Art for Kareshi Kanojo no Jijoo Term 2

And boy is it hot around here! Feels like Summer's already arrived in Tokyo. In this fine weather, I rode my bicycle to Yuzawa-ya, a shop in Kichijoji which sells arts-and-crafts and related materials, to buy some curtains. After much agonizing, I settled on some drapes with mixed pink and grey patterns, that also looked like they might have some red lines running through them as well.

I can tell what you're thinking: what does this have to do with anything, right?
Well, right now, the animators' office on the second floor is getting a makeover. This is the month for putting everything in order. And as a result of changing the number and layout of the desks, we can't keep all of the materials around that we could before, so we've borrowed a room someplace else. The curtains I bought are for that room.

What was I agonizing over, you ask?
Well, when the subject of buying drapes came up, I asked Anno if he had any color preferences, and he replied, "Red." If I were buying scarves, that would be one thing, but come on... (Translator's note: If you get the "Red Scarf" reference, go to the head of the class, and explain it to someone who doesn't--if you dare.--MH) There really isn't much in the way of red curtains, at least, not off the shelf. So I settled for a color mix that would at least show that I'd made a hard try to meet Anno's request.
As to why this color should be such a big deal, the jacket illustration for KareKano Term 2, which goes on sale May 8, has Hanano wearing a pink tank top, and Anno wanted something in a slightly darker shade than this, for atmosphere (and please stop saying that that isn't even close to "Red").

So here we are, back from Golden Week, having had loads of fun and relaxation. Kareshi Kanojo no Jijoo Term 2, covering Act 5.0 - 8.0+8.5, goes on sale as of May 8, 1999. We hope you like it. That reminds me, the liner notes have our Print Club photos on them. I hope they'll be good for a laugh.

That's all for now. Love Love Happy. (Muramatsu)