Archives for December 2008

PR: Del Rey acquires Ninja Girls

Because you can never get enough ninjas…

DEL REY MANGA ANNOUNCES THE ACQUISITION OF NINJA GIRLS

NEW YORK, NY – December 19, 2008 – Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, today announced the acquisition of the manga NINJA GIRLS, by Hosana Tanaka. In Japan’s distant past, ninja warriors ruled the land. Raizo, a young man disfigured by a strange horn in the middle of his forehead, is an outcast who has a long way to go before becoming a ninja. But an encounter with a beautiful female ninja leads him to realize his destiny—he’s the last living descendant of a feudal lord family, and now he has a group of gorgeous, glamorous ninjas who will do anything to help him regain his throne!

The martial-arts-themed manga is an ongoing series that currently has five volumes published in Japan under the title Rappi Rangai. NINJA GIRLS marks Tanaka’s US manga debut.

Before the storm

I’m posting late today as I spent the morning battening down the hatches, figuratively speaking, for the anticipated first blizzard of winter. The flakes are just starting to fall, so I figure I’d better post this in case we lose power. I’ll have more later. Probably.

Gloom and doom watch: Tokyopop’s Marco Pavia doesn’t have much new to say in this brief article on the most recent round of layoffs, other than to neatly summarize the problem:

“Publishers and booksellers are describing this as one of the worst retailing environments in memory and I don’t know what to add,” he said.

On the other side of the retail coin, Diamond’s Roger Fletcher says comics stores are staying above water, although sales are down a bit because retailers are cutting back on inventory. Bad news for BL fans, though: Snow Wildsmith spots an item on the DramaQueen forum indicating a problem with the printing of the long-awaited Tyrant in Love, which is now slated for January; things are getting a little testy there as the fans anticipate having the football yanked away from them yet again.

Meanwhile at Rocket Bomber, Matt Blind takes a long look at Borders’ financial situation and some possibilities for a brighter future, and then goes into it a bit more after a comment from Shannon Smith.

The Manga Recon crew have a roundtable discussion about which manga they want to see rescued from licensing limbo.

As for the future of manga on the web, well, Manganovel, which was basically an attempt to institutionalize scanlation, has come to an end. ANN has a little more background. It sounded like a good idea, but I never used it because it was Windows-only.

Jumpland, the Weekly Shonen Jump website, has posted the first chapter of the soccer manga Meister in English. To read it, you must download their browser, for which you must have… Windows. Sigh.

If you want to stave off Armageddon by, you know, buying some manga, the MangaCast team has some suggestions for you from this week’s new releases, as well as news of new shounen titles from CMX, josei from Aurora, and yaoi from Deux.

Also, Alex Hoffman has some manga-oriented gift suggestions at Manga Widget.

Christopher Butcher highlights the April Drawn & Quarterly offerings at Comics212, and one of them is the 840-page autobiography of Yoshihiro Tatsumi, the creator of The Push Man, which looks like a giant cube of depressingness from here (although one hopes that his autobiography will be cheerier than his fiction).

Jason Thompson asks a question; the internet answers, and wins some free manga.

News from Japan: Anime Vice reports that Shueisha is launching a new manga anthology featuring work by, among others, Range Murata (Robot). They also spotted some new variation of moe (bushido moe!) running around on the internets. Manga Life magazine is going to do a 4-koma “real-time” parody of the American TV show 24. Patrick Macias looks back at Akihabara in 2008.

Reviews: I was in a hurry yesterday and left out two of the reviews I wrote for Graphic Novel Reporter: Short-Tempered Melancholic and vol. 1 of Apothecarius Argentum. Huamulan03 reviews Butterfly in your thumb (released in the U.S. as Oyayubihime Infinity) at the Sunny Side Up Anime Blog. The Indonesian version is easier to pronounce but the CMX edition has a nicer cover. Casey Brienza reviews vols. 17 and 18 of Monster at ANN. Lissa Pattillo reviews vol. 4 of Black God, vol. 1 of Kyo Kara Maoh!, and vol. 1 of Red Angel at Kuriousity. New at Comics Village: Justin Colussy-Estes on vol. 1 of S.S. Astro and John Thomas on vol. 3 of Translucent. Lianne Sentar turns a jaded eye on the fifth anniversary issue of Shonen Jump at Sleep Is For the Weak. At Manga Recon, Melinda Beasi checks out vol. 1 of Hitohira, Ken Haley looks at vol. 1 of Gankutsuou, and Michelle Smith and Erin Finnegan check out the latest Shojo Beat offerings. Connie reviews vol. 2 of V.B. Rose, vol. 1 of June and vol. 3 of Suppli at Slightly Biased Manga. Snow Wildsmith reads and re-reads Two of Hearts at Fujoshi Librarian. Kris checks out vol. 1 of Time Stranger Kyoko and presents more short reviews of BL for beginners at Manic About Manga. Kethylia has nice things to say about Ai no Polgtergeist. Tangognat reviews vol. 1 of We Were There. Emily takes a look at Zenbu Chodai at Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page. Billy Aguiar is not impressed withPokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea at Prospero’s Manga.

Follow the links

I’m running out the door today, but I wanted to point out a few things.

First of all, Graphic Novel Reporter launched today! There are a ton of manga reviews on this site, way too many for me to link to individually, so go explore on your own. In the spirit of shameless self-promotion, here are links to the reviews I wrote for the kids’ section: vols. 1-3 of Hollow Fields, vols. 1 and 2 of The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, Shirley, vol. 1 of Sugar Princess: Skating to Win, vols. 1-8 of Sugar Sugar Rune, vol. 1 of Suihelibe!, vols. 1 and 2 of Warriors: The Lost Warrior, and vol. 1 of Yokaiden. There’s some heavy talent writing for this site, including Robin Brenner and Eva Volin, so it’s well worth checking out.

Also, my colleagues at Good Comics for Kids have collaborated on a Best Graphic Novels of 2008 post. It’s more of a discussion than a list; we were each supposed to pick two titles, one for readers under 12 and one for teens, but some people can’t limit themselves…

This is not manga, but to put everyone in the holiday spirit, I have posted on my personal site about a book of twisted Yuletide tales that became a big part of my family’s Christmas tradition. I hope you get a smile out of it!

PR: Udon launches kids’ line

Udon, which publishes an interesting mixed bag of manga, manhwa, and manhua, is going after the under-12 crowd with its new line of Kids Manga. This looks like a good move. There isn’t a lot of manga for the younger set, but kids love it, so they end up reading age-inapropriate titles. This gives them manga of their own. The first four are a mixed bag, featuring ninja baseball players, a magical fantasy, a girl whose fairy friend transforms her into a pop idol, and a space patrol staffed by, apparently, a bear and two swans. So, something for everyone! Udon promises to avoid toy and cartoon tie-ins, which should please the adults if not the kids. We’ll be watching with interest to see how these turn out.

‘UDON KIDS MANGA’ GIVES YOUNGER KIDS THEIR FIRST TASTE OF MANGA!
UDON Announces Manga Line for Kids 12 and Under

Toronto, ON – December 17, 2008 – Manga’s popularity in North America has exploded in recent years, with diverse titles covering almost every genre imaginable. But for kids 12 and under, there are still almost no age appropriate manga series available on bookstore shelves other than occasional spin off or promotional tie-ins from Anime shows or products. To fill the void, UDON Entertainment has teamed with Japanese publisher Poplar to bring a new line of original Kids Manga to North America.

This new line, branded UDON KIDS will give younger readers their first chance to join in on the exciting world of manga they’ve seen their older brothers and sisters enjoying so much. Each series under the UDON Kids Manga banner will be guaranteed safe for kids 12 and under, giving parents and librarians a variety of books they can be confident are suitable for their young ones.

“We have spent the last two years researching the Japanese manga market to look for titles suitable for kids in America.” says UDON’s Chief of Ops Erik Ko. “The titles we`ve chosen to launch this line are meant to be enjoyed for their captivating stories, and are not trying to sell kids on the latest animated series or card game like too many manga series are these days.”

The first four series in the UDON Kids Manga line cover popular genres that kids love – Fantasy, Sports, Music, and Space. They all follow the idea of ordinary kids teaming up with a fantastic new friend for wondrous and exciting adventures:

THE BIG ADVENTURES OF MAJOKO – Follow the adventures of a human girl and her new wizard friend Majoko, as they explore the Land of Magic and its many wonders.

NINJA BASEBALL KYUMA – After a little ninja named Kyuma mistakes the team captain for his master, he becomes the local baseball team’s first ever ninja player!

FAIRY IDOL KANON – Kanon was just an ordinary girl who loved to sing… but now with the help of a magical fairy, she’s on her way to becoming a pop idol!

SWANS IN SPACE – Two young girls are recruited by a cute, bear-like alien into the Space Patrol, a secret organization dedicated to helping others across the galaxy.

The all-new UDON Kids Manga launches in April 2009 with the first volumes of THE BIG ADVENTURES OF MAJOKO and NINJA BASEBALL KYUMA. FAIRY IDOL KANON and SWANS IN SPACE will follow in May and June, respectively.

Ruminations on the state of the industry

Pink Kryptonite rolls out this week’s new releases. David Welsh is looking forward to Quest for the Missing Girl.

The L.A. Times scores an interview with Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto.

Here’s some industry news that’s not grim for a change: Yamila Abraham reports on the state of Yaoi Press. Sales were solid this year, but they’re anticipating the same lean times as everyone else in the future. One result might be a boon for readers:

We’ll be putting out fewer titles with higher page counts going forward. For instance, rather than publishing a series like Dark Prince in three volumes, we will release entire series in single 450+ page one-shots. The length and height of the books will increase also. From 5″ wide, 7.5″ long, and .5″ thick, to 6″ wide, 8″ long, and 1.5″ thick. This will result in less printing costs, more value for consumers, and fewer titles for stores to try to find shelf space for.

A few days ago, Tom Spurgeon posted ten questions about the state of the comics industry at The Comics Reporter. Number 10 was “What is the Big Picture Future of Translated Manga?” Some reactions: David Welsh thinks the question can’t be answered just yet, so he responds with eight more questions that delve into specific aspects of the market and the audience. Matt Blind has a very long answer at Rocket Bomber in which he takes on all ten of Tom’s questions. Simon Jones at Icarus, which looks SFW for now, has a short and mostly sensible response in which he predicts (somewhat wistfully) the return of porn as the dominant genre.

Matt also continues his analysis of online manga sales with an emerging trends report and rankings summary for last week.

At Manga Life, translators Alethea and Athena Nibley urge readers to boost the chances of seeing their favorite titles reach print by supporting the industry.

ANN’s women’s roundtable has an interesting discusson of porn for women this week. (Memo to ANN: Perhaps you should look at the number of people who regularly link to this feature without using the unfortunate title you chose for it and, you know, get a clue.)

Not for those who are easily offended or particular about historical accuracy, but fun for everyone else: Same Hat links to another helping of Dance! Kremlin Palace! (NSFW, needless to say.)

At Manic About Manga, Kris is pleased with Digital’s new website. It does look mighty pretty, but then, purple is my favorite color. And you can help shape the future of manga by telling them which books they should reprint! Over at Fujoshi Librarian, Snow Wildsmith has their spring release list.

News from Japan: The Eastern Edge posts a sample of Naoki Urasawa’s Dylan comic, which isn’t so much a comic as some drawings accompanying handwritten text. In other news, a recent poll shows that otaku rank only behind compulsive gamblers in their repulsiveness to women.

Reviews: Dan Polley checks out vol. 6 of Le Chevalier d’Eon at Comics Village. Connie reviews vol. 4 of Embalmer, vol. 16 of Iron Wok Jan, and vol. 7 of Let Dai at Slightly Biased Manga. James Fleenor shares his impression of vols. 21 and 22 of Hunter x Hunter at Anime Sentinel. Emily checks out Rifle Shoujo at Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page. Kris reviews vol. 1 of Sugar Princess at Manic About Manga. Snow Wildsmith takes a look at vol. 1 of Kiss Blue at Fujoshi Librarian. Ferdinand reviews vol. 1 of J-Pop Idol at Prospero’s Manga. Erica Friedman puts on her yuri goggles to read vol. 1 of Hitohira, but no such device is required for vol. 14 of Yuri Hime. Julie checks out vol. 10 of Love*Com at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane gives her take on Heaven’s Will and vol. 2 of We Were There at Manga Life. Lissa Pattillo reviews Black Sun and vol. 2 of Very! Very! Sweet at Kuriousity. New at Active Anime: Scott Campbell on vol. 9 of Suzuka, Holly Ellingwood on vol. 2 of Blank Slate and Sea View, and Davey C. Jones on the Genshiken Official Book. Matthew J. Brady flips through the January issue of Shojo Beat at Warren Peace Sings the Blues.

News and reviews roundup

God Len lists this week’s new manga and anime releases at Japanator.

Deb Aoki has a preview gallery of Viz’s planned 2009 releases at About.com.

Anime Vice unveils a useful feature: Every Monday, they post links to lists of interest, everything from best-sellers to (this week at least) the most popular baby names in Japan.

Alex Hoffman has some thoughts on the Tokyopop layoffs.

News from Japan: ANN and others report that the creative team known as Peach-Pit has put Zombie-Loan, Rozen Maiden, and Shugo Chara! on hold because of a sudden illness. Also, creator Yu Ito is launching Shutoheru, a new fighting manga, in the Dec. 22 issue of Big Comic Spirits.

Reviews: Dave Ferraro devotes Manga Monday to The Outcast, a global manga from Seven Seas, at Comics-and-More. Carlo Santos reviews vol. 19 of Tsubasa at ANN. The Manga Recon crew post a handful of Manga Minis to brighten your day. AstroNerdBoy reads vol. 9 of Hayate the Combat Butler. Kathryn Hemmann reviews the light novel Chain Mail: Addicted to You at Contemporary Japanese Literature. Julie checks out vol. 11 of Chibi Vampire at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Alex Hoffman reads vol. 1 of Croquis Pop and Charles Tan checks his brains at the door in order to enjoy vol. 5 of King of Fighters 2003 at Comics Village. Connie reviews vol. 4 of Nana and vol. 3 of Embalmer at Slightly Biased Manga. Kris turns her gaze to vol. 2 of Clear Skies at Manic About Manga.