Archives for February 2011

Sean Gaffney takes us through this week’s new manga at A Case Suitable for Treatment.

Erica Friedman brings the latest from the world of yuri at Okazu.

Sam Kusek posts seventh and last days’ worth contributions to the Manga Moveable Feast discussion of Barefoot Gen.

Kate Dacey, David Welsh, and Melinda Beasi have a roundtable discussion on vols. 12 and 13 of Black Jack at Manga Bookshelf.

David Welsh asks his readers: Which manga would you like to see rescued from license limbo?

I’m somewhat tardy in linking this, but Matt Blind has worked out the cumulative manga best-seller charts for the third and fourth quarters of 2010, based on online sales. He also teases out the numbers a bit to see what they can tell him.

Reviews: Johanna Draper Carlson takes a quick look at some new Shojo Beat releases at Comics Worth Reading. Anna checks out some Harlequin manga about pregnant women and millionaires at Manga Report.

Andrew Cunningham on Ben Tou (Eastern Standard)
Connie on vol. 1 of Gunslinger Girl (omnibus edition) (Slightly Biased Manga)
Emily on Hakushaku-sama wa Yokujou suru (Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page)
Alex Hoffman on vol. 1 of Kamisama Kiss (Manga Widget)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 10 of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Comics Worth Reading)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 12 of Neon Genesis Evangelion (The Comic Book Bin)
Julie Opipari on A Powerful Persuasion (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Connie on vol. 2 of Ratman (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 5 of Rin-ne (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 3 of Sensual Phrase (Slightly Biased Manga)
Andrew Cunningham on Setsu (Eastern Standard)
David Welsh on A Single Match (The Manga Curmudgeon)
Connie on vol. 3 of Spiral (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 2 of Venus Capriccio (Slightly Biased Manga)

Sorry about dropping out of sight for a few days—I had one of those weeks—but I’m back with the latest news. First on the list: Check the ever-growing Manga Moveable Feast archive post at A Life In Panels, which chronicles a robust discussion of this month’s selection, Barefoot Gen.

Also, don’t forget to cast your vote in the 2011 About.com Manga Reader’s Choice Awards.

Speaking of readers’ choice, Melinda Beasi asks readers to name three series they would like to see discussed at Manga Bookshelf. And things are quiet at the Digital Manga Guild, but Melinda checks in anyway.

Does Kate Dacey have ADHD, or is she just reading series that get worse with each volume? You be the judge, as Kate lists four series she’s ready to give up on—even though they are not complete—and explains what’s going wrong with each one. Johanna Draper Carlson picks up the discussion and asks readers which series they would stick with to the end. Lori Henderson, on the other hand, can’t stop collecting a series—even if she stops reading it.

Lori Henderson posts this week’s all-ages comics and manga at Good Comics for Kids.

Over at Manga Widget, Alex Hoffman asks readers to name their favorite manga.

Jason Thompson’s House of 1000 Manga column this week continues his look at oddball manga you can read on your cell phone; this week, it’s sports manga, Ginga: Silver Shooting Star, and Appleseed.

Erica Friedman provides an introduction to the Japanese manga magazine Big Comic at MangaCast.

At Manga Bookshelf, Melinda Beasi, Robin Brenner, Connie C., Khursten Santos, Michelle Smith, and Eva Volin continue their roundtable with a discussion of vols. 11-13 of Banana Fish.

David Welsh’s latest license request is Zipang, and he features the letter C in the latest installment of The Josei Alphabet.

The Manga Out Loud podcast discussion of Ayako encountered technical difficulties, but host Ed Sizemore posts a brief summary of the conversation.

Christopher Butcher is giving a talk on manga censorship next week, and he gives an example of censorship and some links at Comics212.

News from Japan: Hideo Yamamoto’s horror manga Homunculus will come to an end in the Feb. 21 issue of Big Comic Spirits. And ANN has the latest Japanese comics rankings.

Reviews: Carlo Santos takes a quick trot through the new releases in his latest Right Turn Only!! column at ANN.

Julie Opipari on vol. 6 of 13th Boy (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Todd Douglass on vol. 2 of AiON (Anime Maki)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 2 of AiON (The Comic Book Bin)
Carlo Santos on vol. 2 of AiON (ANN)
Erica Friedman on vol. 6 of Aria (Okazu)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Ayako (Comics Worth Reading)
Lori Henderson on vol. 8 of Black Jack (Comics Village)
Rob McMonigal on vols. 7 and 8 of Bleach (Panel Patter)
Kristin on vols. 33 and 34 of Bleach (Comic Attack)
Ed Sizemore on Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga (Comics Worth Reading)
Anna on vols. 1 and 2 of Eensy Weensy Monster (Manga Report)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 5 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Kate Dacey on vol. 2 of Genkaku Picasso, vol. 2 of House of Five Leaves, and vol. 3 of 7 Billion Needles (The Manga Critic)
Erica Friedman on vol. 5 of GIRL FRIENDS (Okazu)
A Library Girl on vol. 1 of Hetalia: Axis Powers (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Deb Aoki on vols. 1-3 of Hyde & Closer (About.com)
David Welsh on Ivy and vol. 1 of The Stellar Six of Gingacho (The Manga Curmudgeon)
Penny Kenny on vol. 2 of Library Wars: Love and War (Manga Life)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 4 of Library Wars: Love and War (Comics Worth Reading)
Connie on vol. 5 of Maid-Sama (Slightly Biased Manga)
Lori Henderson on vol. 50 of Naruto (Comic Attack)
Michelle Smith and Melinda Beasi on One Thousand and One Nights (The Hooded Utilitarian)
Connie on vol. 8 of Rasetsu (Slightly Biased Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 3 of Rosario+Vampire Season II (The Comic Book Bin)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Sasameke (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Ken Haley on vol. 3 of Silent Möbius (Sequential Ink)

Sam Kusek is hosting this month’s Manga Moveable Feast at A Life in Panels, and he starts us off with an introduction to Barefoot Gen, the topic of this month’s feast. Ed Sizemore pinch-hits for the first day with a roundup of links at Comics Worth Reading.

Melinda Beasi rounds up the latest Korean comics news in her latest Manhwa Monday post at Manga Bookshelf, and Melinda teams up with Kate Dacey, Michelle Smith, and David Welsh to discuss their picks of the week.

Having trouble finding Seven Seas manga in your local bookstore? Now you can read them on the Nook (and also on the Nook app for iPad, etc.).

Reviews: Ash Brown gives us a quick rundown of a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

Diana Dang on vol. 2 of Grand Guignol Orchestra (Stop, Drop, and Read!)
Anna on vol. 2 of House of Five Leaves and vol. 5 of Biomega (Manga Report)
Erica Friedman on vol. 6 of Jormungand (Okazu)
Connie on vol. 24 of Knights of the Zodiac (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 3 of Laon (Slightly Biased Manga)
Kristin on vol. 4 of Library Wars and vol. 2 of The Story of Saiunkoku (Comic Attack)
Connie on vol. 2 of Maoh: Juvenile Remix (Slightly Biased Manga)
Shannon Fay on vol. 10 of Sand Chronicles (Kuriousity)

Voting is now open in the About.com Manga Readers Choice Awards; Deb Aoki has assembled lists in a number of different categories, so go check it out—because if you don’t vote, you can’t complain about the winners.

Manga creator Usumaru Furuya will be a guest at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival this year, and Christopher Butcher (who, not coincidentally, is the director of TCAF) provides a bit of background on Furuya and shows some examples of his work.

Erica Friedman posts the latest edition of Yuri Network News at Okazu.

Caddy C. discusses gender, food, and Fumi Yoshinaga at A Feminist Otaku.

David Welsh asks his readers to name which classic manga they would like to see licensed in English, and as usual, the readers oblige.

Melinda Beasi takes a look at three manga bloggers who focus on romance at Manga Bookshelf.

Tanbishugi spots three new Blu titles on Amazon, all from Gentosha: Beloved Devil, by Hiro Madarame, Itoshi no Nina, by Ryou Ikuemi, and Kawaii Hito Cute, by Erii Misono and Mizumi Takaoka. ANN fills in a bit of background on each one.

The National takes a look at women manga artists in the United Arab Emirates.

News from Japan: Zipang creator Kaiji Kawaguchi has a new series, Hyōma no Hata ~Revolutionary Wars~ (Hyōma’s Flag ~Revolutionary Wars~), which just started running in Big Comic magazine; the first chapter (in Japanese) is here. And Canned Dogs is back with some brief bits of news, including the tidbit that Shuhou Satou (Say Hello to Black Jack) has started another manga with a suspiciously familiar name, Bokuman.

Reviews: Daniella Orihuela-Gruber rounds up some recent reading at All About Manga. Wolfen Moondaughter celebrates Valentine’s Day by hunting for yaoi at Sequential Tart.

Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 13 of 20th Century Boys (The Comic Book Bin)
Todd Douglass on vol. 1 of AiON (Anime Maki)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Amnesia Labyrinth (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lori Henderson on vols. 1 and 2 of Beauty Pop (Manga Xanadu)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 3 of Bokurano: Ours (The Comic Book Bin)
Rob McMonigal on vol. 10 of Emma (Panel Patter)
Kate Dacey on vols. 1-3 of Fairy Cube (The Manga Critic)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 4 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Anna on vols. 5 and 6 of Gatcha Gacha (Manga Report)
Erica Friedman on Himitsu (Okazu)
Bill Sherman on vol. 56 of InuYasha (Blogcritics)
Emily on Kimi no Neiro (Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page)
Bill Sherman on The Manga Guides to Electricity, Biology, and Physics (Blogcritics)
Todd Douglass on vol. 3 of Neko Ramen (Anime Maki)
Sheena McNeil on Otomen (Sequential Tart)
Alex Hoffman on vols. 1-3 of Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee (Manga Widget)

Lori Henderson has the list of the past two weeks’ all-ages comics and manga at Good Comics for Kids. Manga Curmudgeon David Welsh looks at this week’s new releases, and rather than choose one of two books in Previews, he orders them both. David teams up with Kate Dacey and Melinda Beasi to discuss their Pick of the Week at Manga Bookshelf. Sean Gaffney looks ahead to next week’s new manga. at A Case Suitable for Treatment. At ComicAttack, Kristin takes the long view with a look at the best manga in the February Previews. And David looks even further into the future with a request for a book that hasn’t been licensed yet, the award-winning mountain-climbing manga Gaku.

Judit Kawaguchi interviews Yoshitaka Amano, the artist for Vampire Hunter D (among many, many other things) for the Japan Times. (Via Japanator.)

Melinda Beasi files her second insider report from the Digital Manga Guild.

It’s funny to think that manga has been around long enough that some of it seems dated, but it’s true. At All About Manga, Daniella Orihuela-Gruber has been catching up with some older series, as well as a few newer ones that are now out of print.

Now this is seriously out of print: Same Hat presents a gallery of art and the short story “Oni” by Go Nagai; both ran in Epic Illustrated #18 in 1983.

After telling Yen Press that they really shouldn’t publish the second volume of Sasameke, Alex Hoffman meditates a bit on the relationship between reviewers and publishers.

Sesho protests the high price of manga, as well as the inconsistency of some publishers in pricing their books, and he is surprised that he didn’t get much support from readers on the ANN forums. Readers, feel free to weigh in: Is manga too expensive? Do you resent the different prices for apparently similar manga? Do you miss the days of the standard $9.99 price point?

Jason Thompson is traveling in charming but apparently manga-free Jordan, so he devotes a second House of 1000 Manga column to odd, old cell-phone manga.

At Manga Bookshelf, Melinda Beasi muses about dreamy manga boys and teams up with Michelle Smith for a boob-free version of Off the Shelf, their weekly new manga discussion. (The title refers to the fact that last week’s column focused on fanservice.)

Tony Yao examines how Bunny Drop portrays single-father parenting at Manga Therapy.

Fruits Basket translators Alethea and Athena Nibley examine the question of what, exactly, is shoujo manga in their latest column at Manga Life.

In the second installment of The Josei Alphabet, David Welsh looks at josei manga that begin with the letter B.

An English-language release of Professor Munakata’s Museum Adventure, created by Yukinobu Hoshino (2001 Nights) for the British Museum, seems to be in the works, as a listing has popped up on Amazon UK.

Erin and Noah, a.k.a. The Ninja Consultants, are featured guests at Genericon this weekend, doing panels on the Japanese Commercial Apocalypse, Unusual Manga Genres, and 50 Manga Recommendations in 45 Minutes.

News from Japan: One Piece continues to break records; the latest release, vol. 61, sold 2 million copies in just three days. Here’s an interesting sidelight: Sankaku Complex (NSFW) reports that almost 90% of One Piece readers are adults. (They don’t really give a source for this, that I can see, just screenshots from a TV show.) There’s a new manga in the works based on the movie Hoshi o Ou Kodomo: Children who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below, by Voices of a Distant Star director Makoto Shinkai, and Makoto Raiku has a one-shot Gash/Zatch Bell story due out in March. ANN also has the most recent Japanese comics rankings.

Reviews: Ng Suat Tong examines Oji Suzuki’s A Single Match at The Hooded Utilitarian. Anna has some quick takes on recent Shoujo Beat releases at Manga Report. Rob McMonigal continues his appreciation of Rumiko Takahashi with a look at vols. 6 and 7 of Ranma 1/2 at Panel Patter.

Alex Hoffman on All My Darling Daughters (Manga Widget)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 3 of Bakuman (Comics Worth Reading)
Greg McElhatton on vol. 3 of Bakuman (Read About Comics)
Connie on vol. 1 of Bambi and Her Pink Gun (Slightly Biased Manga)
Michelle Smith on vols. 11-13 of Banana Fish (Soliloquy in Blue)
Kristin on vol. 7 of Black Bird and vol. 2 of Grand Guignol (Comic Attack)
Connie on vol. 13 of Blade of the Immortal (Slightly Biased Manga)
Ken Haley on vol. 23 of Blade of the Immortal (Sequential Ink)
Rob McMonigal on vol. 6 of Bleach (Panel Patter)
Clive Owen on vol. 31 of Bleach (Animanga Nation)
Nicola on vol. 4 of Children of the Sea (Back to Books)
David Welsh on Chi’s Sweet Home (The Manga Curmudgeon)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 3 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Connie on vol. 5 of Fushigi Yugi (VizBIG edition) (Slightly Biased Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 21 of Gin Tama (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lori Henderson on Himeyuka & Rozione’s Story (Manga Xanadu)
Anna on vol. 1 of Itsuwaribito (Manga Report)
Julie Opipari on vol. 1 of Itsuwaribito (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Connie on vol. 2 of Kamisama Kiss (Slightly Biased Manga)
Anna on vol. 2 of Kurozakuro (Manga Report)
Carlo Santos on vol. 4 of Library Wars: Love and War (ANN)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 1 of LIVES (I Reads You)
Snow Wildsmith on vols. 1-4 of MAOH: Juvenile Remix (Good Comics for Kids)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 4 of MAOH: Juvenile Remix (The Comic Book Bin)
Lori Henderson on Mistress Fortune (Manga Xanadu)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Erica Friedman on vol. 2 of Ohana Holoholo (Okazu)
Emily Kazanecki on vol. 10 of The Sand Chronicles (Manga Life)
Erica Friedman on Soredemo Yappari Koi wo Suru (Okazu)
Bill Sherman on The Story of Lee (Blogcritics)
Connie on vol. 2 of Yurara (Slightly Biased Manga)

AstroNerdBoy is getting frustrated with Dark Horse’s failure to make their release dates, despite (or maybe because of) the high quality of their books.

Lori Henderson and the rest of the Comics Village crowd look over the best of the past week’s new manga.

Graphic Novel Reporter’s Danica Davidson talks to Queenie Chan, the creator of The Dreaming and artist for the Odd Thomas manga.

Reviews: Ash Brown takes us through another week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 3 of Bakuman (The Comic Book Bin)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 3 of Bakuman (Comics Worth Reading)
Liz Reed on vol. 5 of Bamboo Blade (Manga Life)
Danica Davidson on vol. 1 of Crimson Hero (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Julie Opipari on vol. 14 of Crimson Hero (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Kyla Hunt on vol. 1 of Dengeki Daisy (Graphic Novel Reporter)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 2 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Todd Douglass on vol. 3 of Hanako and the Terror of Allegory (Anime Maki)
Deb Aoki on vol. 1 of High School of the Dead (About.com)
Danica Davidson on I.O.N. (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Sesho on vol. 1 of Lives (Sesho’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Kristin on vol. 4 of MAOH: Juvenile Remix (Comic Attack)
Dave Ferraro on vol. 1 of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (Comics-and-More)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 56 of One Piece (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
A Library Girl on Ristorante Paradiso (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Danica Davidson on vols. 1-3 of Rosario+Vampire (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Animemiz on Ultimo (Anime Diet)
Lori Henderson on vol. 5 of Vampire Hunter D (Comics Village)