It’s only February, but it already looks like this year’s trend will be digital licensing of niche properties. The latest announcement came at Katsucon over the weekend, when creator Izumi Matsumoto announced that his Kimagure Orange Road will be published in English viz NTT Solmare’s ComicFriends Facebook app as well as on Kindle and iBooks.
Meanwhile, at Kuriousity, Lissa Pattillo spots some new yaoi titles in digital and in print from Digital Manga, Yaoi Press, and SuBLime.
Returning to the present, the Manga Bookshelf bloggers discuss their Pick of the Week.
This month’s Manga Moveable Feast celebrates the work of Osamu Tezuka, and your host Kate Dacey kicks it off with an introduction to Tezuka at The Manga Critic. Connie adds a Guide to English Language Editions of Tezuka’s Work at Slightly Biased Manga. Rob McMonigal adds his appreciation of Tezuka at Panel Patter. Lori Henderson focuses on Tezuka in her Manga Wrap-Up post, and Kate rounds up all the MMF links in her Day One post, and here’s an odd bit of Tezuka news: The Brazilian cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa is about to publish an original comic that uses Tezuka’s characters, an arrangement that sprang from the friendship between the two creators and has been blessed by Tezuka’s editor.
Michelle Smith discusses reading Viz manga on the Nook, and Melinda Beasi and Sean Gaffney review some new JManga selections, in the latest Going Digital column at Manga Bookshelf.
Erica Friedman has the latest yuri anime and manga news in this week’s edition of Yuri Network News at Okazu.
ANN’s Brian Hanson sums up the problem with Mangastream, and all of scanlation: “Essentially, our little niche fandom has done a great job of supporting itself, but a terrible job of supporting anything resembling an actual industry.” And if you haven’t read Deb Aoki’s editorial, go check it out now, and don’t miss the lively discussion in the comments section.
Helen McCarthy has some thoughts on Eric Khoo’s film Tatsumi.
News from Japan: The nominees for the 16th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize have been announced, and they include Chica Umino’s March Comes In Like a Lion and Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan, which Kodansha Comics will be publishing in English later this year. Crunchyroll’s Mikikazu Komatsu takes a look at Kochi Indies Magazine, which is aimed at aspiring manga-ka. Also: Here are some scans of a K-ON! x One Piece doujinshi to start your week off right. Shun Matsuena is drawing a Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple spinoff for Shonen Sunday to celebrate the release of the OVA.
Reviews: Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith turn in some short reviews of recent yaoi manga in their latest BL Bookrack column at Manga Bookshelf. Ash Brown discusses this week’s manga reading at Experiments in Manga.
Justin on Ayako (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Erica Friedman on vol. 2 of A Certain Scientific Railgun (Okazu)
Kristin on vol. 2 of Dawn of the Arcana and vol. 18 of Hayate the Combat Butler (Comic Attack)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Honey Hunt (Blogcritics)
Carlo Santos on vol. 55 of Naruto (Anime News Network)
Kate Dacey on vol. 1 of Soulless (The Manga Critic)
Sweet Jesus, that KOR licensing is great news. KOR is the only title I’ve ever been tempted enough to read any scanlations of, but my moral code got the better of me after a few chapters. I can’t wait to be able to read an officially licensed version.