VIZ Rescues More CLAMP Titles

Pull up a chair and pour yourself a strong cup of coffee—today’s super-sized post rounds up the best news stories, manga reviews, and personal essays from around the web!

VIZ is reissuing two CLAMP titles from the Tokyopop catalog: Duklyon: CLAMP School Defenders and Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess. As with VIZ’s other Tokyopop license rescues, Duklyon and Shirahime-Syo will be digital-only releases.

Sean Gaffney reports on the latest licensing news from Seven Seas and Yen Press, from light novels to 4-koma novelties such as Merman in a Tub. 

Over at Organization Anti-Social Geniuses, Justin Stroman interviews former Tokyopop editor Lillian Diaz-Pryzbyl about her experiences in the manga industry.

Manga scholar Ryan Holmberg posts a lengthy essay on Osamu Tezuka’s Manga Classroom, a how-to series that appeared in Manga Shonen from 1952 to 1954.

Unofficial Hatsune Mix tops this week’s New York Times Manga Bestseller list, followed by the first volume of Assassination Classroom and the second volume of Attack on Titan: No Regrets.

What’s arriving in comic book stores this week? The Manga Bookshelf gang lists the good, the bad, and the ho-hum.

Erica Friedman shares the latest yuri manga news at Okazu.

Khursten Santos has compiled a handy list of “the most dangerous BL titles of 2015,” complete with charts, cover art, and analysis.

Charles Pulliam-Moore explores the world of bara, manga by and for gay men.

In case you missed it: Chris Randle interviews translator Anne Ishii about her experience working on the new anthology Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It.

Using Tokyo Ghoul as a jumping-off point, Tony Yao explores Japanese fans’ changing taste in manga.

Wondering what josei fans are reading in Japan? Heart of Manga explores the current issue of Cookie magazine, from Rin Saito’s Back Alley Animal Clinic to Miho Obana’s Honey Bitter.

On Wednesday, January 14th, Kodansha Comics USA will be holding a special event at the midtown Manhattan Kinokuniya. Expect licensing announcements, manga giveaways, and Q&A with the Kodansha editorial staff.

Manga n00b Christina Negroni files a report on her visit to the Kyoto Manga Museum. While some of her reactions are stereotypical—who knew there was smutty manga?—her discussion of the museum’s collection is worth a read.

News from Japan: As part of its efforts to promote the Kindle platform in Japan, Amazon just launched a new service that gives customers free access to manga magazines via smart phones, tablets, and laptops. Kodansha is also getting into the e-manga game with simultaneous digital and print editions of Monthly Shonen Magazine, Weekly Shonen Magazine, and Young Magazine.

When asked, Which manga series would you most like to see end this year?, Japanese fans overwhelmingly cited Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo, which began serialization in 1976, and Detective Conan (a.k.a. Case Closed), which began serialization in 1994. And speaking of final volumes, the following series will be posting their last chapters in 2015: Ai Morinaga’s Kirara no Hoshi, which currently runs in Bessatsu Friend; Ryoichi Ikegami’s Tenshi wa Maiorita, which currently runs in Weekly Manga Times; Mako Kamao’s Ange Verge Linkage, which currently runs in Dragon Age; and Tsutomu Mutsuki’s Is This Girl for Real?!, which currently runs in Comic High!

Reviews: Shaenon Garrity devotes the latest House of 1000 Manga column to Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It. Here at Manga Bookshelf, Michelle Smith, Anna N., and Sean Gaffney offer pithy assessments of D-Frag!, Knights of Sidonia, and other recent releases.

Ken H. on vol. 2 of Ajin: Demi-Human (Sequential Ink)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Ani-Imo (ANN)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 1 of Assassination Classroom (Comic Book Bin)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Assassination Classroom (ANN)
Julia Smith on vol. 2 of Black Rose Alice (The Fandom Post)
Matthew Warner on vol. 12 of Blue Exorcist (The Fandom Post)
Chris Kirby on vol. 10 of Bunny Drop (The Fandom Post)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 14 of Dengeki Daisy (Comic Book Bin)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Drug & Drop (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Kate O’Neil on Garden of Words (The Fandom Post)
Kory Cerjak on vol. 2 of Honey Blood (The Fandom Post)
Katie Skelly on In Clothes Called Fat (The Comics Journal)
Joseph Luster on vol. 12 of Knights of Sidonia (Otaku USA)
Sean Gaffney on Legal Drug Omnibus (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Love at Fourteen (ANN)
Kathryn Hemmann on Marshmallow Bungaku Girl (Contemporary Japanese Literature)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 1 of Master Keaton (Comic Book Bin)
Laura on vol. 1 of Meteor Prince (Heart of Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Meteor Prince (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 1-2 of Monster: Perfect Edition (Manga Worth Reading)
Ash Brown on More of You and Other Stories (Experiments in Manga)
Matthew Warner on vol. 6 of Nisekoi: False Love (The Fandom Post)
Ken H. on vol. 1 of Norigami (Sequential Ink)
Jessica Chautin on vol. 1 of Phantom Thief Jeanne (No Flying No Tights)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Prophecy (Manga Worth Reading)
Joseph Luster on vol. 1 of Prophecy (Otaku USA)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Prophecy (ANN)
Erica Friedman on vol. 16 of Rakuen Le Paradis (Okazu)
Julia Smith on vol. 1 of Resident Evil: The Marwha Desire (The Fandom Post)
Matthew Warner on vol. 16 of Rin-ne (The Fandom Post)
Chris Kirby on vol. 21 of Toriko (The Fandom Post)
Megan R. on Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles (The Manga Test Drive)
Ash Brown on vol. 5 of What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Experiments in Manga)
Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of xxxHolic Rei (Manga Xanadu)