Lissa Pattillo discusses this week’s new manga releases in her latest On the Shelf column at Otaku USA. Sean Gaffney picks the best of next week’s new manga at his blog.
Kate Dacey has the 411 on Kodoku no Gourmet, a foodie manga coming soon to JManga.
Ed Sizemore talks to Helen McCarthy, Ada Palmer, and Kate Dacey about gender roles in Osamu Tezuka’s Princess Knight in the latest Manga Out Loud podcast.
Daniella Orihuela-Gruber asks the readers: Should she make the switch to digital in the middle of a series?
Matt Blind has the latest manga best-sellers and a new Manga Radar post as well at Manga Bookshelf.
Erica Friedman looks at Shueisha’s brand new magazine Cocohana, billed as a shoujo magazine for adults.
The American miniseries I Kill Giants has won the Japanese government’s International Manga Award.
News from Japan: AstroNerdBoy has been following Ken Akamatsu’s Tweets, which contain some interesting news: Akamatsu is no longer exclusive to Kodansha (the end of his contract coincides neatly with the end of Negima!), and he has gotten his original art back for a number of series. AstroNerdBoy speculates that Akamatsu may do his next manga on his free manga site J-Comi, possibly following up with print tankoubons. In other news, the Space Battleship Yamato 2199 manga will begin serialization in Newtype Ace with a 63-page opening chapter. Futabasha is suing three Chinese companies who are using Crayon Shin-Chan on their products without authorization. The manga museum in Ishinomaki, which was severely damaged in the earthquake and tsunami last year, has put up a display of manga art in 35 local stores. The Mainichi Daily News looks at the popularity of One Piece, suggesting that its message of hope and loyalty resonates in these uncertain times. And ANN has the most recent Japanese comics rankings.
Reviews: It’s time for another round of rapid-fire reviews from Carlo Santos in his latest Right Turn Only!! column at ANN.
Kristin on vol. 18 of 20th Century Boys and vol. 4 of Kingyo Used Books (Comic Attack)
Alexander Hoffman on Breathe Deeply (Manga Village)
Anna on vol. 1 of A Devil and Her Love Song (Manga Report)
Kate Dacey on vol. 1 of Drifters (The Manga Critic)
Justin S. on vol. 1 of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Ken Haley on vols. 1 and 2 of Gunsmith Cats: Burst (Sequential Ink)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 19 of Hayate the Combat Butler (The Comic Book Bin)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 19 of Hayate the Combat Butler (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Kate Dacey on How to Draw Shoujo Manga (The Manga Critic)
Joseph Luster on vol. 3 of No Longer Human (Otaku USA)
Kristin on One Piece Color Walk 2 and vol. 7 of Toriko (Comic Attack)
Kelakagandy on vol. 1 of Soulless (kelakagandy’s ramblings)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 4 of The Tyrant Falls in Love (Kuriousity)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Uglies: Shay’s Story (Comics Worth Reading)