Tokyopop shut down their website this week, after sending a blizzard of e-mails warning users to make sure they had copies of anything they posted to the site over the years. The URL now redirects to their Facebook page, where fans are mourning the demise of their favorite publisher. Tokyopop took its fair share of criticism over the years from bloggers, but it’s easy to forget that we weren’t their core audience. The posters at the Facebook don’t follow the intricacies of publishing, but they do want their Hetalia/Alice in the Country of Hearts/Maid-Sama to continue. I hope the marketers from other publishers are looking at this—and noting the fierce loyalty some of these series inspired. Here’s a fairly typical comment, from Anna Elizabeth:
I want Tokyopop to answer this: Why are you shutting down? What about Hetalia? I can’t live without your manga and anime!!! WHYYYYYYYYY!?!?!?
Actually, the digital version of Hetalia will continue to be available, although there is no word yet on whether new volumes will come out in future. Over at MTV Geek, I took a look at Tokyopop’s closing event, a contest in which the winner gets a goodie bag and the chance to buy manga at a discount.
At The Comics Journal, Sean Michael Robinson talks to several Tokyopop creators about the situation regarding their rights.
Dark Horse announced yesterday that they would indeed be publishing CLAMP’s Gate 7 manga; I talked to DH director of Asian licensing Michael Gombos about it at MTV Geek.
Lori Henderson has this week’s list of all-ages comics and manga at Good Comics for Kids, and David Welsh checks out the best of this week’s new manga. Sean Gaffney takes a look at the manga heading our way next week.
The Manga Moveable Feast is going strong with this month’s celebration of Rumiko Takahashi. Head on over to Panel Patter, where host Rob McMonigal has links for days three, four, and five, as well as some fun facts and an interview with the hosts of the Takahashi fansite Rumic World.
For his latest House of 1000 Manga column, Jason Thompson looks at the classic Akira.
Johanna Draper Carlson and Ed Sizemore discuss 20th Century Boys in their latest Manga Out Loud podcast.
Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith head over to The Hooded Utilitarian for this week’s Off the Shelf column, a discussion of Please Save My Earth. This in turn inspired David Welsh’s latest license reques: Global Garden, which is by the same creator. And Melinda’s Three Things Thursday post at Manga Bookshelf is… three reasons to read Please Save My Earth.
David also reaches the letter M in his Josei Alphabet.
Crunchyroll has just added a news site, Crunchyroll News, with updates on manga, anime, J-pop, and all other aspects of Cool Japan.
News from Japan: ANN has the latest Japanese comics rankings, and they note that vol. 55 of Naruto is tops this week’s Oricon chart. Sakura Ikeda is working on a manga based on Tsukasa Fushimi’s Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai light novels, to run in Dengeki G’s magazine. And St. Oniisan creator Nakamura Hikaru has made five postcards to be auctioned off to help earthquake victims.
Reviews
Anna on vol. 1 of Ai Ore (Manga Report)
Noah Berlatsky on All My Darling Daughters (The Hooded Utilitarian)
Snow Wildsmith on vol. 1 of Amnesia Labyrinth (Good Comics for Kids)
David Welsh on vol. 1 of The Beautiful Skies of Hou Ou High (The Manga Curmudgeon)
Kristin on Cafe Latte Rhapsody and Honey Colored Pancakes (Comic Attack)
Erica Friedman on vol. 1 of Citrus (Okazu)
TSOTE on vol. 4 of Geobreeders (Three Steps Over Japan)
Michael Buntag on vol. 21 of Kare Kano (NonSensical Words)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 8 of Kimi ni Todoke (The Comic Book Bin)
Julie Opipari on vol. 3 of Library Wars: Love and War (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Sean Gaffney on Lychee Light Club (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Greg Burgas on Monster (Comics Should Be Good)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 2 of Oresama Teacher (I Reads You)
Diana Dang on vols. 14 and 15 of Ouran High School Host Club (Stop, Drop, and Read!)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 2 of The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Kristin on vol. 3 of The Story of Saiunkoku and vol. 2 of Oresama Teacher (Comic Attack)
Two typos in manga titles:
Café Latte Rhapsody, not Cafe Latte Melody
The Beautiful Skies of Hou Ou High, not The Dreary Skies of Hou Ou High – “dreary” is David’s assessment of the book :)
Ack! Thank you—they are fixed!
The Ho Ou High typo was worth a nice giggle, though. :)
Lol, “Hou Ou”, not “Ho Ou.” It attracts typos.
that really stinks that tokyo pop shut down. My sister read maid sama and i read alice in the country of hearts. They were both okay but my favorite manga book is gakuen alice! To find out more of my favs why don’t you check out my site it is called mangamollie.com