PR: Del Rey to publish Moyashimon and more

Back in May, when Moyashimon won a Kodansha Manga Award, I opined that it sounded pretty interesting and that Del Rey should publish it. Ahem. Apparently great minds think alike, because they have indeed licensed it (dropping the h to make it Moyasimon in English). Because a manga about bacteria is a guaranteed winner. There’s an anime too. (Warning: Extreme cuteness.)

Oh, Del Rey announced three other books as well: Tsubasa Character Guide 2, Amefurashi, and Maid War Chronicle. Details after the cut.

DEL REY MANGA ANNOUNCES NEW MANGA SERIES, GUIDE FOR 2009

NEW YORK, NY – September 27, 2008 – Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, today announced an eclectic range of new manga titles to be published in Summer and Fall of 2009.  The new series acquisitions feature some of the best characters that the manga world has to offer, including fighting maids, a temperamental rain goddess, and—in a unique twist—cute, talking bacteria.

Take a look at the world of bacteria through the lens of manga! MOYASIMON: TALES OF AGRICULTURE, by Masayuki Ishikawa, follows Tadayasu Souemon Sawaki, a first-year college student at an agricultural university in Tokyo. Tadayasu has a one-of-a-kind talent that may just come in handy at school: the ability to see and communicate with adorable bacteria and microorganisms! While this series showcases the author’s zany sense of humor, the series is so scientifically accurate it’s legitimately educational, too! The cute creatures have been a merchandising hit in Japan. A hilarious comedy and fantastical drama, MOYASIMON: TALES OF AGRICULTURE is otaku-friendly and filled with scientific facts, making for a unique manga experience. Del Rey Manga editor Tricia Narwani says, “Del Rey Manga has always ventured into new territory with our list, but this time, we’ve licensed something that has a true claim to total originality: the wholly unique and irresistibly charming Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture.” The manga will make its North American debut in Fall 2009.

Learn more about the rich, complex world of CLAMP’s Tsubasa with the TSUBASA CHARACTER GUIDE 2, set for publication in Summer of 2009. This second guide picks up where the first guide left off, and covers volumes 8-14 in the bestselling series. Fans can learn more about beloved characters such as Sakura and Syaoran, and discover details on “crossover” characters from other CLAMP series, including Cardcaptor Sakura and xxxHOLiC. Also featuring brand new full-color art and a fold-out poster, this fully-illustrated companion to Tsubasa is a must-have for CLAMP fans looking to broaden their reading experience.

Atsushi Suzumi brings her talent to the Del Rey Manga lineup again with AMEFURASHI, a new shôjo manga. A small Japanese village’s fortune is dependent on the whims of the Amefurashi, the rain goddess. Gimey, a village resident, ends up meeting Amefurashi on his own and discovers that she’s actually a cute little girl! Gimey must now try to persuade her to save his village—by keeping this somewhat temperamental, demanding goddess happy. Suzumi is a co-creator of Haridama: Magic Cram School, published this summer by Del Rey Manga, and is also known as the creator of the popular series Venus vs. Virus. AMEFURASHI will be published in July 2009.

RAN is a rising talent in the manga world, having worked with superstar Ken Akamatsu on Mao-chan, which goes on sale from Del Rey Manga in November. Del Rey will publish MAID WAR CHRONICLE, written and illustrated by RAN, in May 2009. Playing into “Maid culture” with a sense of zany, non-stop action and humor, MAID WAR CHRONICLE starts by following Cacao, who has landed her dream job as a live-in maid for the Prince of the Urbansberg Kingdom. However, the kingdom finds itself under siege and the Prince and his five maids make their escape. In order to win back his kingdom, the super-cute maids need to be the warriors that the Prince needs—and be ready to save the day!