The Japanese cover of The Garden of Words
Let’s kick off the week with some new-license news: Vertical announced three new series at Katsucon this past weekend: Ajin, by Gamon Sakurai; Witch Craft Works, by Ryū Mizunagi; and The Garden of Words, the manga adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s anime.
Yen Press also announced three new titles on Friday: Accel World, based on the light novels by Reki Kawahara; Übel Blatt; and Barakamon.
The latest addition to the Shonen Jump lineup is Stealth Symphony, by Durarara!! writer Ryohgo Narita and Yoichi Amano, who was once an assistant to Gintama artist Hideaki Sorachi.
Lissa Pattillo has some info on Seven Seas’ new yuri title, Citrus.
The Manga Bookshelf team discusses this week’s new releases and their Pick of the Week.
Queenie Chan (The Dreaming, Odd Thomas) is writing a series of articles on her blog about being a professional manga artist. You can jump right in with today’s post on how she started drawing manga and first connected with Tokyopop, or you can go right back to the beginning, with her introduction and the first part of Part 1.
Here’s another insider view: Justin at Organization Anti-Social Geniuses talks to manga translator Amanda Haley, who got her start in the JManga Translation Battle and now translates Coppelion for Crunchyroll, as well as being part of the Digital Manga Guild.
Daniella Orihuela-Gruber has some thoughts on Hetalia and history.
Shisei
Jocelyne Allen gives us a peek at a lovely manga that hasn’t been translated (yet!), Shizuka Nakano’s Shisei, which has an interesting retro art style.
Lori Henderson looks at some new series and some complicated couples in her latest Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu.
News from Japan: Takehiko Inoue is putting Vagabond on hiatus until June. Boys Over Flowers creator Yoko Kamio has ended her Ibara no Kanmuri manga. Love Roma creator Minoru Toyoda is starting a new series, Obake no Sally (Sally the Ghost), a children’s manga that will launch in the May issue of Shogakukan’s Shōgaku Ichinensei magazine. Hisae Iwaoka, creator of Saturn Apartments, is starting the final arc of her latest manga, Hoshi ga Hara Ao Manjū no Mori.
Congratulations to Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa on the birth of her third child.
Reviews: Ash Brown brings us through a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.
Kate on Basara (Reverse Thieves)
Ash Brown on Blue (Experiments in Manga)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 12 of Case Closed (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of A Centaur’s Life (ANN)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 1 of Deadman Wonderland (I Reads You)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 13 of A Devil and Her Love Song (The Comic Book Bin)
Rebecca Silverman on vols. 1 and 2 of From the New World (ANN)
Kristin on vol. 1 of Gangsta (Comic Attack)
Maggie on Good-Bye Geist (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 4 of Happy Marriage?! (Comics Worth Reading)
Ben Leary on vol. 4 of Hetalia (The Fandom Post)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 38 of Negima! (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Drew McCabe on vol. 1 of Nisekoi (Comic Attack)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 17 of Otomen (The Comic Book Bin)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 20 of Pokemon Adventures (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Sarah on vol. 12 of Sakura Hime (nagareboshi)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 1 and 2 of Sherlock Bones (Comics Worth Reading)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 2 of Sweet Rein (Comics Worth Reading)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Takasugi-san’s Obento (ANN)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 13 of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)