We have won the war, but not the battle: While it’s true the JManga site was made available worldwide this week, it turns out that individual series are still grayed out because the publishers have not chosen to make them globally available. Erica Friedman has the scoop, along with how you can protest this, and there’s some handy advice in the comments section as well.
At Publishers Weekly, Danica Davidson looks at Yen Press’s move into global releases with Soul Eater NOT!, which they publish in their digital Yen Plus magazine the same day it comes out in print in Japan.
I posted my picks from this week’s new manga releases at MTV Geek, and Sean Gaffney goes over next week’s list at A Case Suitable for Treatment. Lissa Pattillo travels even further into the future with a look at the best manga in the February Previews.
Seven Seas announced two new manga licenses yesterday, both tied to anime: Haganai: I Have No Friends and Mayo Chiki!
Yuusuke Marata, the creator of Eyeshield 21, has posted some interesting short manga on Twitter that use paper folding and other techniques to create a three-dimensional appearance.
News from Japan: Lots of returns and revivals this week: Naoki Urasawa is working on Master Keaton Remaster, a sequel to his Master Keaton mystery series, with a different writer. Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond returns to Kodansha’s Weekly Morning on March 15. The anime Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai is being adapted into a manga for Jump Square. The mystery series Kindaichi Case Files returns to Weekly Shōnen Magazine after a 12-year absence. Usamaru Furuya’s Bokura no Hikari Club (Our Light Club), the prequel to his Lychee Light Club, will end with the next chapter. Santa Inoue is wrapping up Dan Da Barbarian in the April issue of Comic Birz. And ANN has the latest Japanese comics rankings.
Reviews: Omar posts some short reviews of recent releases at About Heroes.
Connie on vol. 5 of Blue Exorcist (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on Classmate (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 2 of Claymore (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on Cold Trilogy 2: Cold Light (Slightly Biased Manga)
Jason Yadao on Osamu Tezuka’s Crime and Punishment (Otaku Ohana)
Greg McElhatton on vol. 6 of Cross Game (Read About Comics)
Connie on vol. 1 of Embracing Love (Slightly Biased Manga)
Wolfen Moondaughter on vol. 17 of Fairy Tail (Sequential Tart)
Sheena McNeil on vol. 1 of Fluffy, Fluffy Cinnamoroll (Sequential Tart)
Zack Davisson on vol. 2 of Gate 7 (Japan Reviewed)
Karen Maeda on vol. 3 of Gon (Sequential Tart)
Connie on vol. 3 of Gravitation (Slightly Biased Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 11 of GTO: The Early Years (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sheena McNeil on vol. 7 of Kamisama Kiss (Sequential Tart)
Connie on vol. 1 of Lizard Prince (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 12 of Mars (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 8 of Natsume’s Book of Friends (Slightly Biased Manga)
Erica Friedman on vol. 3 of Ohana Holoholo (Okazu)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 8 of Pandora Hearts (The Fandom Post)
Wolfen Moondaughter on vol. 8 of Rin-ne (Sequential Tart)
Ken Haley on vol. 2 of Sailor Moon (Sequential Ink)
Patti Martinson on vol. 2 of Shugo Chara-Chan! (Sequential Tart)
John Rose on vol. 5 of Tenjho Tenge (The Fandom Post)
Matthew Warner on vol. 2 of Tokyo Mew Mew (omnibus edition) (The Fandom Post)