At MTV Geek this week, I talked to the Digital Manga crew about their license rescue of Erementar Gerad. And—exciting news for all you folks who are always posting license requests—they want to do more manga this way and are looking for your suggestions. Also at MTV Geek: My look at this week’s manga pickings, which were slim, so I went off on a tangent about Kekkaishi. Enjoy!
Jason Thompson discusses one of my favorite manga, Disappearance Diary, in his House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.
Tony Yao wonders what Viz will do once Naruto and Bleach have ended.
At Okazu Erica Friedman compiles a handy list of yuri manga available outside of Japan and picks up on some new yuri titles at JManga.
Derek Bown’s latest Combat Commentary focuses on a battle of wills, not fists in Bakuman.
Matt Blind is catching up with another post on manga best-sellers (online sales) for the week ending February 5 and another Manga Radar post to go with it.
Khursten Santos spots a Kaoru Mori collection she would like to see licensed.
Manga/anime/figurine collector Safetygirl shows off her dedicated Otaku Room at The Manga Critic.
If you read French, check out this 31-page preview of the Square Enix manga Lost Paradise at Manga news.
News from Japan: Manga-ka Hikaru Nakamura is returning from maternity leave and will resume work on Arakawa Under the Bridge; no word on her other manga, Saint Young Men. Three Steps Over Japan takes a peek inside the covers of Monthly Shonen Magazine.
Reviews: Omar posts some short reviews of recent manga at About Heroes.
Leroy Douresseaux on The Art of The Secret World of Arrietty (I Reads You)
Erica Friedman on vol. 3 of Cardcaptor Sakura (Okazu)
Erica Friedman on Chou no you ni, Hana no you ni (Okazu)
Kristin on vols. 10-12 of Kimi ni Todoke (Comic Attack)
Lori Henderson on vols. 1 and 2 of One Missed Call (Manga Xanadu)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 3 of Sailor Moon (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
TSOTE on Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei (Three Steps Over Japan)
Sweetpea616 on part 2 of Tramps Like Us (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Ash Brown on vol. 2 of Wandering Son (Experiments in Manga)
Kinukitty on Yakuza Cafe (The Hooded Utilitarian)
Jocelyne Allen on Yume no Q-SAKU (untranslated manga by Suehiro Maruo) (Brain Vs. Blog)
Would love for more usual, less cliched yaoi titles to be translated: anything by Nakamura Asumiko (especially Doukyuusei) , Miyamoto Kano, or Nitta Youka (especially Haru o Daiteita). Also, Tango no Otoko by Okadaya Tetuzoh, and there’s a ton of people waiting for Crimson Spell and Voice Or Noise to be continued. I’d order – even pre-order – any of these. The majority of yaoi titles out there are fluff and absolutely no substance, which just devalues the genre for new perspective readers. There’s good stuff out there, if only people would actually put it on the shelf.
I am still not understanding why these titles are not licensed in English yet?! They will be highly profitable I assure you:
Sakura Gari by Watese Yuu
Cornered Mouse & The Carp Jumped by Setona Mizushiro
Usotsuki wa Shinshi no Hajimari by Matsuo Maatta
Amayakana Toge by Miyamoto Kano
Lighter reads:
Maruya Kae’s “Taiyou no Kikoushi”
Masara Minase’s “Toiki Yori mo Yasashii”
Tarakai Saki’s “Katsubou no Manazashi”
ITSUKI Kaname’s “Mede Shireru Yoru no Junjou”
Katsuai Monster by NARAZAKI Souta
Sekaiichi Hatsukoi
Love Stage & Back Stage
I second the request for Miyamoto Kano titles and Cornered Mouse…by Mizushiro Setona (this is exquisite!).
But I would also like to see:
{Aniya Yuiji} Comedy Evolves by Love
{Fujiyama Hyouta} Hitomi no Ounowa
{Fukai Youki} Yubisaki de Ai o Katare
{Hidaka Shoko} Hana wa Saku ka
{Jaryuu Dokuro} Endless World
{Motoni Modoru} Tanbishugi
{Takao Hiroi & Kamuro Akira} Ikenai Otoko
{Aida Saki & Takashina Yuu} Deadlock (Novel)
{Suzuki Ami & Itsuki Kaname} Mede Shireru Yoru no Junjou (and the novel series)
{Takaguchi Satosumi} Nanahikari
{Natsume Isaku} Doushiyoumo nai Keredo
Finish the series:
{Sugano Akira & Etsumi Ninomiya} Mainichi Seiten
{Hidaka Shoko} Signal + After a Storm (Not Enough Time)
{Yamagata Satomi} Three Quarters (Emotion Circuit + Fake Fur)
Relicensed:
{Enjin Yaminaru & Eda Yuuri} I Can’t Even Breathe Without You
{Enjin Yaminaru} Voice or Noise
Anything by:
Yoneda Kou
Ima Ichiko
Kusama Sake
SHOOWA
Yamada Yugi
Suzuki Tsuta
Monden Akiko
Please…