Archives for June 2007

OK, I didn’t make it to MoCCA, but this was just as good: I had a delightful dinner last night with J. Dee Dupuy and Svetlana Chmakova at Fugakyu in Brookline. They actually did have a maki roll called Naruto, but we all agreed the best dish was Svet’s choice, Una-Coco Maki, an unlikely but delicious combination of manga, cream cheese, eel, and homemade hot sauce. And her soup, which was served in a teapot, was just adorable. In between bites we talked about Nightschool, the new book Svet is working on for Yen Press, and I got to see some glimpses of volume 3 of Dramacon. Dee does the toning for Dramacon, and she’s also the creator of the stylish webcomic OniKimono, Detectives of the Orient; watch for more from her in the future.

OK, back to blogging. David Welsh catches up on a few ongoing series in his latest Flipped column; Sgt. Frog is finally starting to wear thin, it seems, but Yotsuba&! still has the power to charm.

Nipple-Free Comix: Is that what the future holds? At Broken Frontier, David Hine ponders the possible effects of Tokyopop’s new ratings system. (Via Simon Jones, who scoffs at such things.)

Johanna lists Viz’s top-selling manga and DVDs, and surprise! They’re all Naruto. Nonetheless, she observes, ” I’m impressed that Viz puts out such a great variety of books when they make so much from only one property.”

ComiPress has a Backstage feature on Rumic World, the awesomely comprehensive Rumiko Takahashi fan site.

Seven Seas has announced their schedule for Anime Expo.

If you’re going to be in Brooklyn tonight, check out this Tokyopop round table at the Barnes & Noble in Park Slope, just down the street from my old digs on 7th Avenue. And if you’re in Vladivostok, check out their annual festival of visual arts, which will include manga classes.

Reviews: Here’s a treat to start your day: Mangaijin writes about Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (Yokahama Shopping Journal), a favorite among scanlation readers. Connie starts her summer reading at Slightly Biased Manga, with reviews of vol. 14 of Tenjho Tenge, vol. 14 of Eyeshield 21, vol. 1 of Hoshin Engi, and vol. 1 of Parasyte. At Active Anime, Holly Ellingwood checks out vol. 1 of Yurara and Scott Cambpell takes a look at vol. 1 of My Heavenly Hockey Club. Ben Leary reviews vol. 1 of Gundam Seed Destiny and Patricia Beard looks at Picnic at Anime on DVD. At Comics Worth Reading, Ed Sizemore reviews vol. 1 of Mechademia.

ICv2 was at the American Library Association conference, and they report that manga was big news there: Viz, Tokyopop, and Yen Press were all there; librarian/Eisner judge/manga maven Robin Brenner was signing her book, Understanding Manga and Anime; librarian Michael Pawluk was signing his Graphic Novels: A Genre Guide to Comic Books, Manga, and More; and Kat Kan was promoting her graphic novels database. In a two-hour panel discussion on graphic novels, the librarians revealed that they spend between 30% and 40% of their budgets on graphic novels.

Shelving by size, with manga-sized books shelved separately from the traditional comic or album sized volumes, was a strategy used to help conserve space and keep displays neat. Comic strip collections were generally shelved separately from graphic novels. Fiction and non-fiction graphic novels were shelved together, and all were shelved by title, rather than by author/artist. Light novels were generally being shelved with fiction, but there was some suspicion that shelving them with graphic novels would produce better circulation.

…

Series that shift up in age level in later volumes because of incidental nudity, or sexual or violent content, were relocated to the highest age level appropriate. Having an adult graphic novel collection was recommended as a key way to avoid challenges to teen titles due to content.

While most graphic novels are found in the Young Adult section, many libraries are adding children’s and adult GN sections, and libraries are becoming more important as a distribution channel for graphic novels, the report concluded. On a less serious note, Dance Chica displays her ALA manga and swag.

The top ten weirdest Japanese soft drinks. (Via Japundit.)

Go!Comi has posted their Anime Expo schedule. Their guests will be Wendy Pini, who is creating a webcomic, The Masque of the Red Death, and animator Aimee Major Steinberger, whose Japan Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan will be published by Go!Comi this winter.

At PopCultureShock, Katherine Dacey-Tsuei posts this week’s new manga and adds brief reviews of recent books, while Erin F. illuminates her review of the the two Death Note movies with helpful diagrams.

ComicSnob’s Matt Blind posts his manga watch list for this week.

Men’s manga weirdness at No-Sword.

Reviews: Connie is pleasantly surprised by vol. 2 of Sweety at Slightly Biased Manga. At the Star of Malaysia, on the other hand, Pauline Wong is disappointed by an early CLAMP title, vol. 1 of Suki: A Like Story. Wilma Jandoc of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin is not impressed by Spirit of Wonder. Holly Ellingwood reviews Casino Lily at Active Anime. Adam Stephanides reviews the two-volume Japanese series Tenshi Ni Narumon!

Check it out: Netcomics, new titles, and more. Links after the cut.

Online Manga Synergy

Netcomics to carry Yaoi Press titles
Netcomics website
DC invests in Japanese company

Planning ahead

Anime Expo schedule
Digital to announce Platinum imprint
Give blood, get Pocky

New Titles from BEA

Same Hat’s BEA roundup
MangaCast roundup
AoD scouts find new Tokyopop titles

Manga U: It’s more than just speedlines

Reuters article on foreign manga artists studying in Japan

A new direction for CMX? Newsarama has the DC solicitations for September; scroll down for the CMX titles, which include two horror series: Presents and Variante. Both are rated Mature and priced at $12.99, compared to $9.99 for most of their other titles.

Shaenon Garrity devotes this week’s Overlooked Manga Festival to a celebration of her former co-worker, Dark Horse editor and the original American Otaku, Carl Horn.

Robin Brenner’s book is out! Understanding Manga and Anime is a manga guide for librarians, which means the rest of us will probably reap the benefits of it indirectly.

At the Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie is gearing up for con season with advice for first-timers, a peek at DrMaster’s Anime Expo schedule, and a call to get together at AX.

There is much awesomeness at Same Hat. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to this radio interview with Frederick Schodt and Carl Horn, read the comments at SH2 and you won’t be able to resist. Also: Kazuo Umezu explains how to make a giant hand (note: it ends badly) and what if… Junji Ito drew Spongebob Squarepants?

News from Japan: Mainchi writes about Comic Yell, the first shoujo manga for boys, which eschews maids and spectacles but allows the occasional panty shot. ANN reports that the publisher Asahi Sonorama is folding, and Slam Dunk topped the list of favorite manga published by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs.

Kethylia reviews Dolis. At Prospero’s Manga, Ferdinand finds vol. 1 of Oh My Goddess is showing its age a bit, while Miranda has a brief review of vols. 4 and 5 of Kuro Gane. Okazu’s Erica Friedman reviews Battle Binder Plus. At Anime on DVD, Ben Leary checks out vol. 1 of Haibane Renmei, and Patricia Beard reviews the one-shot Little Crybaby and vol. 4 of Yotsuba&! Holly Ellingwood reviews vol. 7 of Kamui and Katie Gallant checks out vol. 7 of Ghost Hunt at Active Anime. Shaenon Garrity takes a fond look at vols. 1 and 2 of Black Jack at the Tezuka: Marvel of Manga blog. Manga Life’s Dan Polley gives good marks to vol. 1 of Zatch Bell. Mangaijin really likes vol. 1 of King of Thorn. At PopCultureShock, Katherine Dacey-Tsuei finds Tezuka’s Apollo’s Song too heavy-handed. Xavier Guilbert reviews Tokyo Eden at du9. At Slightly Biased Manga, Connie reads vol. 19 of Bleach, vol. 2 of Click, and vol. 3 of Stray Little Devil. David Welsh sums up vol. 12 of Death Note in a single, elegantly worded sentence:

I loved the series, but darn it, that was the head-talkingest tankoubon I’ve ever seen IN MY LIFE.

The MangaCasters look at this week’s new manga and discuss their picks. Also: Ed Chavez checks out the offerings in the July Previews and looks at the new manhwa recently announced by Tokyopop.

At TZG 2.0 Myk reveals what he’s buying this week.

I really enjoy the blog Polite Dissent, in which a real doctor fact-checks medical stories on TV and in comics. If you’re reading Apothecarius Argentum (and really, it’s worth a look if you like shoujo), stop by and check out his discussion of the poisons involved. (This blog is also a great companion to “House,” BTW).

Tokyopop web guy Jim Devico is working hard on version 2.0 of the site, and he’s looking for a few good beta testers.

CPM has confirmed the lineup Andre spotted the other day, and ANN has put them into a handy grid.

The Groovy Age of Horror has an introduction to horror manga.

Radio station KQED has a discussion on manga that you can listen to as a podcast. (Via Simon Jones.)

Will that recent court case holding server owners responsible for pirated works put a chill on scanlations? Mangaijin puts it in perspective.

The Japanese high school manga competition has begun, and the big publishers are sending scouts. Back in the U.S., Anime Expo is holding an amateur artist competition.

Speaking of manga competitions, Ryan and Evan post the winners of their 4-koma contest at Same Hat! Same Hat!!

The Jakarta Post examines the popularity of manga, manhwa, and manhua in Indonesia.

Curious about copyright? The Library of Congress sums up the basis in a manga-styled, slighly animated comic. It’s surprisingly cute and well done. If you want to take it to the next level, Heidi MacDonald has some advice for creators.

Reviews: At Read About Comics, Greg McElhatton says vol. 4 of Yotsuba&! was well worth the wait. Ferdinand is underwhelmed by vol. 1 of Eden: It’s an Endless World and Miranda is lukewarm toward vol. 1 of Gunsmith Cats Burst at Prospero’s Manga. At Manga Life, Dan Polley reviews vol. 5 of Kurogane. Kethylia reviews vols. 1 and 2 of Genju no Seiza. Holly Ellingwood checks out The Anime Encyclopedia and Scott Campbell reads vol. 8 of Claymore at Active Anime. The Anime on DVD gang lays down some Small Bodied Manga Reviews. Tangognat reviews vol. 1 of Apothecarius Argentum. At Slightly Biased Manga, Connie reviews vols. 1 and 2 of Saint Marie, vol. 5 of Can’t Lose You, and vol. 3 of Saint Seiya.

One of the ways I get material for MangaBlog is through various e-mail alerts. Today I’m clearing out my in-box and serving up some juicy leftovers, articles that I somehow missed the first time around. All the links are still good—I checked! (After all, this is “old” in internet time, which means a couple of weeks at most.)

Scott Meaney reports on the Graphic Novels panel at BEA.

Kokoro Media takes apart that recent Wall Street Journal article on girls’ comics.

The Anime Today podcast features an interview with Shojo Beat editors Marc Weidenbaum and Megan Bates.

What if Nymphet were fine art? The Village Voice doesn’t quite know what to make of a lolicon-inspired art exhibit.

The Daily Yomiuri reports on the decline of manga magazines, and what publishers are doing about it.

At Comic Pants, Dan Grendell posts brief reviews of a month’s worth of manga.

Del Rey has previews up of Le Chevalier d’Eon and Dragon Eye. (Via Advanced Media Network.)

Trendspotting has lots of info on manga downloading in Japan and wonders whether it will spread to other countries.

Artist Jun-Pierre Shiozawa drew a manga about viewing Leonardo da Vinci’s “Annunciation.” (Via Metafilter.)

Sony has come up with software to turn blog posts into manga. No one is sure why.

A Singapore company is bringing manga to India.

Here’s a blog by a guy who wants to do manga. In fact, he has already done one in Japan. And he’s right here in Boston. Cool!

Lindsay Beaumont reviews Translucent and Bill Sherman checks out vol. 1 of Fake for Blogcritics. On his own blog, Bill catches up with recent volumes of GTO, Monster, and Naruto. Tina Tsai reviews shojo with attitude, Crimson Hero and Skip-Beat! for the Asian Times. At the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Jason Yadao looks over the many iterations of Train Man. Julie Gray reads vol. 1 of Kitchen Princess and Leroy Douresseaux reviews vol. 1 of King of Thorn and vol. 1 of the Trinity Blood novels for Comic Book Bin. In the they-should-know department, Zac Bentz of Japanator reviews the first issue of Otaku USA.