Title: A.I.が止まらない (Love Won't Stop) Vol. 6
Artist/Author: 赤松健 (Ken Akamatsu)
Book Size/Pages: Small B-6, 232pp., w/furigana
Volume: 6/8
Original Serialization: Monthly Shonen Magazine Special 3/96-8/96, Monthly Magazine FRESH 5/20/96
First Printing: 4/14/00
Rating: 3/4

I particularly enjoyed chapters 39 and 40 as it provided something a little more profound than the other chapters. Everything else is the usually episodic comedy. With only two more volumes to go, I wonder if anything more is going to happen or if it's just going to end at that.

There's a color page, a bonus chapter where the gang is trying to lose some poundage and a few sketches and merchandise gallery.

38. 野性の呼び方 (The Call of the Wild): Hitoshi, Kikuko, and the three AI beings are out skiing. Forty accidentally injures a baby wolf and takes him in to care for him. Later, they hear that there's a reward out for capturing a genuine Japanese wolf and Twenty is up to turn him in to get the 3 million yen reward. However, Forty (male) won't let him go and instead of just releasing him in the wild where he'll be caught again, they figure out a way to transport him out of the area so he won't get captured.

39. 夢で逢えたら（前編） (If I See You In My Dreams, First Part): Hitoshi has been purusing some sketchy Internet sites and downloading the contents. He gets discovered and quits. Later, Twenty starts getting these dreams where it seems like someone is trying to communicate with her. She remembers the URL from her dream and travels there. She finds an old school house and inside, there's a lady that looks just like her. Before she can talk though, she comes out in foreign house where she finds out that the lady, 石橋 (Ishibashi), who she remembers from her dreams has just recently died. Twenty and Hitoshi know that programs can't have dreams and determine that her dreams are because Hitoshi overwrote some of Thirty's files.

40. 夢で逢えたら（後編） (If I See You In My Dreams, Last Part): Thirty wants to find that school house in real life, but has no luck so Hitoshi posts a question on the web. They get a ton of responses, one of which leads them to the school house which they find out is going to be demolished soon. They head over to the school and Thirty finds a diary from the lady who used to be a school teacher there right before the war. Her wish was to be able to have a graduation ceremony for her students since they never had one. Then, the alumni from that school arrive and see Thirty thinking that she's their old school teacher. On Ishibashi's behalf, Thirty gives them their diplomas.

41. 目指せ！格闘王の道！！ (Onward on the Road to Champions): Hitoshi is out of money so he takes up a part time job programming. The girls also work as models and have to be in a convention. When Hitoshi takes over, he accidentally erases the secret fighting game the company has been working on to debut at the convention. With the help of Thirty and gang, he manages to fake out the crowd.

42. マイ・フェア・レディ (My Fair Lady): Cynthia (Cindy) MacDougal comes into to Hitoshi's workplace and asks to buy the most expensive computer. Hitoshi recommends something more model and goes the extra mile in giving her more specific instructions on the setup. Apparently, Cindy is a famous actor and daughter of IBN's chief and happens to be near Hitoshi's house. Thirty bumps into her and they talk a bit before they meet Hitoshi. Cindy asks Hitoshi for more personalized instruction and brings him and Thirty to her house. While giving her instructions, Hitoshi and Cindy accidentally kiss in front of Thirty.

43. フロム・シンディ (From Cindy): In a jealous fit, Thirty sets up a computer and also asks for instructions. After fighting over Hitoshi for a while, Cindy explains that she just wants to email her dad on his birthday (today) and has always been afraid of the computer after she broke her father's. She types really slow and is in danger of missing the midnight deadline. She finish in time, but then doesn't have his email address. Hitoshi help out by having Thirty pretend to be the computer fairy and helps deliver the mail.

Title: 夏色の砂時計　ビジュアルサウンドファンブック (Hourglass of Summer Colors Visual Sound Fan Book)
Original Creator: Princess Soft
Release Date: 4/7/03
Rating: 2/4

There's no cover to this CD as it's bundled together as an artbook, so the scan is of that book. Since the CD is part of the book name and not just a bonus item, I might as well review it as such.

The artbook itself is superb, as are all fan books, game, manga, or anime. It's loaded with tons of pictures from the games, as well as pictures from the PC version of the game. In addition to interviews and such, it has a complete walkthrough of the game for each ending. So as a book, it's great.

The music is lacking though. The CD is titled "Remix Soundtrack" and comprises of 8 BGM remixes and a remix of the ending song. The ending song doesn't get better and while I like the acoustic feel of the BGM remixes (they're all either guitar or piano solos), for a game like this, synthesizers sound a lot better. For my favorite BGM, Ai's theme, I can barely recognize it in the guitar remix.

Title: 花右京メイド隊 (Hanaukyo Maid Tai) Vol. 5
Artist/Author: もりしげ (Morishige)
Book Size/Pages: Small B-6, 208pp., w/furigana
First Printing: 5/25/02
Rating: 2/4

This volume has a lot more revealing scenes than all the other books combined and it's a little strange given this is a young boy's comic. Most critical parts are covered by steam and mist (while they're washing themselves), but there are a few uncensored parts.

None of the chapters in this volume really struck me as interesting. Learning a bit about Ryuka's past was insightful, but I could have guessed her childhood based on her attitude and her current status in her family's group.

There's a mini-comic and a chapter that doesn't follow the main storyline. Both of them deal with Konoe. There's also the summary page.

30. 不思議の国のシンシア (Cynthia in Wonderland): In Cynthia's dreams, she and Grace goes on a strange adventure much akin to Alice's. Kotaro is the rabbit who they follow into the hole, Ikuyo plays the mad hatter and Ryuka is the evil queen.

31. イクヨの夏 (Ikuyo's Summer): Ikuyo invites the Go Club to make some money by helping her at Comiket selling her doujinshi manga. They're supposed to dress as maids to attract the men, but she doesn't get much sales. However, seeing their effort reminded her of why she started drawing in the first place.

32. 里帰り (Visiting Home): Ryuka gets a little fed up with the other maids at Hanaukyo so she decides that she wants to go home. When she gets home though, she is reminded of how lonely her life has been and how the Hanaukyo's is like a family to her. So she goes back.

33. 初めてのデート (First Date): Taro sneaks out to go on a date with Mariel. They go to the aquarium, go bowling, and have ramen. Taro thinks he's managed to escape, but Hanaukyo security has been tracking his moves and the whole squad appears out of nowhere to help him when he's in danger.

34. 正式訪問 (Formal Visit): Ryuka's sister, Shizuka comes to Hanaukyo mansion to pay a visit to her sister. She takes a tour of the mansion, snuggles up to Taro, pulls the plug out on Grace's mainframe, and loses a fight again Yashima. Before she leaves, she has a talk with Ryuka about her duty as the leader of the family's group. Shizuka later shows up again much to Ryuka's displeasure.

35. お風呂談義 (Bathing Monologue): What starts out first as a private bath with Yashima and Konoe turns into a a party when all the main girls and some other maids join in. They start talking about what kind of guys they like which causes a riot in the outdoor spring. Mariel doesn't reveal her likes.