Archives for April 2008

Kate Dacey runs through this week’s new comics and reviews three new titles from Yen Press in her Weekly Recon post at PopCultureShock. David Welsh looks at new releases as well.

John Jakala presents the short course in yaoi, courtesy of Fumi Yoshinaga.

Erica Friedman presents yuri and yuri-ish news at Okazu. And if you have been enjoying her reviews, translations, and commentary, you may be interested to know that she is now available for freelance work. Contact info is at the blog.

Lissa Pattillo has an interesting comparison of manga and anime at Kuri-ousity.

For those who don’t mind spoilers and literary discussion, Mely looks at the themes of “duplicity and duplication” in the works of Yuki Kaori (The Cain Saga, Angel Sanctuary) at coffeeandink.

ICv2 has a brief writeup on CMX’s new title announcements from NYCC.

Same Hat! has photos from the opening of an exhibit of manga-ka Shintaro Kago’s works in Amsterdam.

Jason Thompson was there for the opening of Manga Cafe Mika.

Congratulations to Tiamat’s Disciple, of Tiamat’s Manga Reviews, who is celebrating two years on the internets.

News from Japan: Shogakukan is opening its website to fan-made comics, a new Code Geass manga is starting in Kerokero Ace, and Minoru Murao will draw the manga adaptation of the game World Destruction.

Invaeon posts the German manga release list for May at Manly Manga and More.

Reviews: Check out the latest set of reviews at Manga Village: Lori Henderson on vol. 9 of Nana, Sabrina on vol. 8 of Buso Renkin, Charles Tan on vol. 4 of King of Fighters 2003 and Death Note: Another Note, and John Thomas on vol. 1 of Dororo. It’s the battle of the Speed Racers at About.com, where Deb Aoki compares and contrasts the classic Japanese version from DMP with the newer global version from Seven Seas. Jog reviews the newest Tezuka entry from Vertical, vol. 1 of Dororo. Kethylia gets her hands on an advance copy of vol. 1 of Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro, a new 4-koma book from Yen, and gives it points for good production despite its many flaws. Tangognat reviews vol. 1 of Hellgate and vol. 1 of Heavenshield. Tiamat’s Disciple reads Chronicles of the Cursed Sword, vols. 1 and 2 of Life, and a light novel, vol. 1 of Strawberry Panic. At Kuri-ousity, Lissa Pattillo checks out vol. 3 of Innocent Bird, vol. 2 of Ichigenme, and vol. 1 of Nightmare Inspector. Julie looks at vol. 6 of D Gray-Man, vol. 3 of Hikkatsu!, vol. 1 of Honey and Clover, and vol. 2 of Sand Chronicles at the Manga Maniac Cafe. LJ’er Arial posts a long list of short reviews, which could be a handy reference if you’re looking for something to read. Erica Friedman reviews some untranslated yuri at Okazu: vol. 1 of Sasamekikoto and the light novel Escalation – Die Liebe. Ferdinand takes a look at vol. 1 of Kannazuki No Miko and vol. 1 of Heavenshield at Prospero’s Manga. Active Anime has reviews of vol. 2 of Do Whatever You Want by Sandra Scholes, vol. 4 of S.A. by Rachel Bentham, vol. 29 of Naruto by Davey C. Jones, and vol. 1 of Fairy Cube by Holly Ellingwood. Michelle reviews vols. 27 and 28 of InuYasha at Soliloquy in Blue. Danielle Van Gorder reviews vol. 1 of Fairy Tail and Matthew Alexander catches up with vol. 5 of Lunar Legend Tsukihime at Anime on DVD. At Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson’s daughter Jenny reviews vol. 5 of Dragon Drive.

Here’s the latest round of new titles from DrMaster. Details below.
BLOODY WOUNDS & NOSE BLEEDS!!!
THE KING OF FIGHTERS ART BOOK, DARK EDGE VOL. 7 & PURI PURI VOL. 5 AVAILABLE NOW!
 
SAN JOSE, CA – April, 2008 – DrMaster Publications has announced that The King of Fighters Art Book by Wing Yan & King Tung, Puri Puri vol. 5 by Chiaki Taro, and the long-awaited return of Dark Edge vol. 7 by Yu Aikawa, are all available now!
 
The King of Fighters Art Book
Gamers out there, your wait is finally over! All of your favorite characters are here in this explosive art book! Kyo, Iori, Mai, Terry, Geese and many more are all present and accounted for in this collection. Original illustrations produced by artists Wing Yan and King Tung for the long running comic series in Hong Kong, have been compiled in a collection that has never been seen before! If you loved the fighting game and didn’t get enough of The King of Fighters comics, this art book is a MUST-HAVE for you!
 
Dark Edge vol. 7
Dark Edge is back with more blood, gore and zombies! The coffin that bound Kurou is destroyed and he comes out alive, contrary to the Nosferatu’s expectations. Shimizu gets injured during her rescue, but Sonobe’s healing power effectively recuperates her. Due to Kurou’s resurrection, the ambitions of each Nosferatu teacher had been crushed, except for the principal, who lures Mao into yet another sinister scheme. In the midst of all this, a group of students led by the honor student Kikuchi, becomes interested in the mystery of the academy and stays in school after sunset, only to be attacked and killed by zombie teachers. Kikuchi survives and tries to sue the school, but she is stopped by Yoshikuni and Nishiwaki and gets confined to the school grounds.
 
Puri Puri vol. 5
Kamioda has been entrusted to coordinate a Halloween gig for the community. He has found the right talent, but he has yet to face challenges of coping with a girl with a phobia of men from the sewing club, and becoming the mediator between the beautiful, yet unbending girls of the choir and the art club. Will he be able to produce a show worthy of representing admirable St. Sophia Academy on time?
 
Availability
The King of Fighters Art Book, Puri Puri vol. 5 and Dark Edge vol. 7 are available NOW! The King of Fighters Art Book is priced at $21.95, while Puri Puri vol. 5 and Dark Edge vol. 7 are each priced at $9.95.

The most recent preview on the Morning 2 site gives away the winner of their second international manga competition, Meng-Lin Yu of Taiwan, whose entry is entitled Fairy Tail. ANN has this scoop as well as the news that the first English issue of Cosmode magazine is online (registration is required, but free).

At Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson has some advice for publishers about using the internet to get the word out, especially about lesser-known titles. Also: A look at the latest Previews.

Deb Aoki looks ahead to the manga that will be available on Free Comic Book Day.

At Sporadic Sequential, John Jakala muses about personnel changes in manga.

It’s worth enduring the odd layout and multicolored type of this page to get a look at the lovely, economical drawings of Jenny R, the Madagascar-born, French-raised global manga artist.

At Pretty, Fizzy Paradise, Kalinara gripes a bit about the new X-Men manga.

NPR’s Fresh Air has a segment on Death Note.

ComiPress has finished running the translation of Manga Zombie and winds up with interviews with the author and translator.

If you’re in London, this seminar, Japan’s Manga and Anime Industries: Creativity and the Global Marketplace, sounds interesting; speakers include artist Emma Hayley and Yoko Ono (not sure if it’s that Yoko Ono, though).

News from Japan: Canned Dogs reports that Mx0 is winding up its run in the next few issues of Shounen Jump.

The Blogging News: Congratulations to Tangognat, who has just joined the When Fangirls Attack team after spending the past few weeks ensuring that manga is included among their links. The Anime Blog Awards final nominations are up. Thanks to all who nominated our humble blog!

Reviews: It’s a mixed bag at Active Anime, where Holly Ellingwood reviews vol. 6 of Absolute Boyfriend, Sandra Scholes checks out vol. 2 of Totally Captivated, and Scott Campbell reads vol. 6 of Dragon Drive. Beware of spoilers in Dave Ferraro’s rave review of vol. 10 of Nana at Comics-and-More. Ed Sizemore reviews vols. 1 and 2 of Pumpkin Scissors and vol. 1 of Cantarella at Comics Worth Reading. At Soliloquy in Blue, Michelle reads Brave Story, vols. 3, 4, and 5 of Kare Kano, and vol. 24 of InuYasha. Kethylia checks out vol. 12 of Hot Gimmick and Hot Gimmick S. Snow Wildsmith reviews vol. 1 of Gakuen Alice for Manga Jouhou. Deb Aoki reviews Disappearance Diary at About.com

Christopher Butcher gets the scoop of the day, as he follows up with Viz’s Marc Weidenbaum on his strategy for publishing original manga.

At MangaCast, Ed Chavez finds the new manga in the latest Diamond Previews. Precocious Curmudgeon David Welsh takes a look as well. ANN has word of some new titles from Aurora and Deux.

Deb Aoki has short previews of some new titles from Fanfare/Ponent Mon, including Jiro Taniguchi’s The Ice Wanderer and Hideo Azuma’s Disappearance Diary.

Shaenon Garrity takes a look at The Boys of Shonen Manga at ComiXology.

There’s a new manga cafe, Mika Manga Cafe, opening in San Francisco, and Gia got a sneak peek, while Deb was there on opening day.

Reviews: One volume is plenty for Wilma Jandoc and Jason Yadao, who look at Just My Luck and Calling You for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Connie thinks vol. 4 of My Heavenly Hockey Club is starting to fall a bit flat at Slightly Biased Manga. James Fleenor reviews vol. 9 of O-Parts Hunter at Anime Sentinel. Carlos Alexandre checks out The Dark Wraith of Shannara at PopCultureShock’s Manga Recon blog. At Active Anime, Davey C. Jones reads vol. 1 of Gun Blaze West and Rachel Bentham checks out vol. 3 of Prince Charming.

The newest ICv2 Guide to Anime and Manga is out, and there are no surprises for anyone who has been paying attention: Naruto is still the top seller, retailers are not in the best of shape, and this:

Publishers are seeking new opportunities this year in manga for adults; new venues such as school libraries and mass market retailers; and digital downloads, according to the report.

The report also lists the top 50 anime and manga properties, but the online version only gives the top 10:

1. Naruto
2. Death Note
3. Bleach
4. Fruits Basket
5. Absolute Boyfriend
6. Fullmetal Alchemist
7. Tsubasa
8. Pokemon
9. Ouran H.S. Host Club
10. Chibi Vampire

First, some news without a link: I got an e-mail from Yukari Shiina of Kodansha yesterday, telling me that Felipe Smith, creator of the global manga MBQ, will be drawing a new manga serial for the Japanese magazine Morning 2. You may remember this as the magazine that hosts the international manga competition. The first episode, which will include six color pages, will appear in the issue that hits newsstands on June 21. Smith will also draw the cover of that issue. After that, the story will appear monthly. Here’s a preview of what Smith’s life may be like in the immediate future (language is NSFW).

Japanator has a good, brief analysis of the slowdown in the manga market, followed by some interesting comments. Danielle Leigh presents her own take in her Manga Before Flowers column at CBR.

Fun with fujoshi: Khursten’s essays on the slashability of Shonen Jump have John Jakala reading shonen in a whole new way.

Deb Aoki has bigger, better previews of the art for Del Rey’s Wolverine manga at About.com.

Starting in May 2007, the artist formerly known as Koge-Donbo will now be referred to as Koge-Donbo*. This is for copyright purposes, according to the dot-anime USA blog, but that’s not a very enlightening explanation.

Another day, another chapter of the 18th Maria-sama ga Miteru novel. You go, Erica!

Reviews: At Comics Worth Reading, Ed Sizemore tells us why he enjoys vols. 1 and 2 of Dragon Eye so much. Xavier Guilbert reviews Santa Inoue’s Tokyo Burger at du9 (review is in French). EvilOmar posts some brief manga reviews at About Heroes. Like lots of other people, Kethylia is ambivalent about vol. 12 of Hot Gimmick. Matthew Alexander reviews vol. 1 of Dark Metro and Danielle Van Gorder reads Maybe I’m Your Steppin’ Stone at Anime on DVD. Lissa Pattillo checks out vol. 2 of RE:play at Kuri-ousity. Julie has an early look at vol. 6 of Absolute Boyfriend at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Tiamat’s Disciple finds Voices of a Distant Star a worthwhile read despite quality problems and some variations from the anime.