MangaBlog

Kate “Manga Critic” Dacey here with a fresh crop of links. Brigid should be back tomorrow with a new post, so stay tuned. In the meantime, please give my fellow relief pitcher Melinda “Manga Bookshelf” Beasi a round of applause for her thorough round-ups — she made it look easy!

‘Tis the season for best-of lists! Casey Brienza compiles her list of the year’s top manga for Graphic Novel Reporter, while David Welsh, Brigid Alverson, and I offer our nominations at Flashlight Worthy Books.

The Reverse Thieves examine page design in Kyoko Arioshi’s ballet classic Swan.

David Welsh demonstrates his considerable poetry chops with a rhyming ode to One Piece and shares links to the latest Manga Movable Feast contributions.

Brian Ruh uses My Girlfriend’s a Geek as a jumping-off point for discussing the portrayal of female otaku in Japanese pop culture.

For her latest Bento Bako Lite column, Kristin flips through the December Previews and finds a mother lode of good manga scheduled for a Spring 2011 release.

Reviews: In their latest Off the Shelf column, Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith say good-bye to Del Rey with reviews of Ghost Hunt and Papillon, and hello to Fumi Yoshinaga’s latest title, Not Love But Delicious Foods Make Me So Happy!

Juli Opipari on Crimson Hero, Vol. 13 (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Chris Kirby on D. Gray-Man, Vol. 19 (Mania.com)
Lissa Patillo on Genkaku Picasso, Vol. 1 (Anime News Network)
Nick Smith on K-On!, Vol. 1 (ICv2)
Matthew Warner on K-On!, Vol. 1 (Mania.com)
Lori Henderson on One Piece, Vols. 43-45 (Manga Village)

Melinda Beasi here, filling in for Brigid this week, along with Manga Critic Kate Dacey.

Yesterday’s most overtly provocative voice comes from Noah Berlatsky at The Hooded Utilitarian, who wraps up his discussion of Moto Hagio’s A Drunken Dream and Other Stories by Criticizing the Critics. He describes the piece on The Comics Journal front page as “discussing critical reaction to the work, and what it reveals about the limits of the manga blogosphere.”

In the article, he calls out manga bloggers in general (and by name) to criticize their approach to Hagio’s work, characterizing it as “almost completely useless.” Though much of the comment thread so far comes from the usual HU crowd, it’s worth scrolling down for a reaction from Kate Dacey, who has effectively verbalized what many of us are feeling this morning.

On the topic of new releases, Danielle Leigh expresses excitement over the release of Osamu Tezuka’s Ayako, while David Welsh and Kate Dacey share their thoughts on what’s shipping this week.

Speaking of Tezuka, Scott McCloud waxes nostalgic in his blog about his early love for the father of manga (link via Journalista).

David Welsh reports in on day three of the One Piece Manga Moveable Feast, coupled with a timely announcement from ANN, reporting that the series has taken the top five spots in Japan’s 2010 comics rankings.

The Beat shares more details on Dark Horse Comics’ new digital program, announced earlier this fall at New York Comic Con.

At Manga Life, the Nibley sisters take a moment to give thanks in their latest Words of Truth and Wisdom.

News from Japan: ANN reports on Japan’s top selling manga for the year, both by series and by volume (1 | 2).

Reviews: At The Manga Report, Anna takes a quick look at three Viz Signature series, 20th Century Boys, Children of the Sea, and Detroit Metal City. Deb Aoki offers up ten mini reviews at About.com, including an early look at Fumi Yoshinaga’s Not Love But Delicious Foods.

Lissa Pattillo on vol. 1 of Demon Sacred (ANN)
Snow Wildsmith on vol. 1 of Grand Guignol Orchestra (Good Comics for Kids)
Erica Friedman on vol. 3 of Ichiroh (Okazu)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Skyblue Shore (A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Hi there! This is Kate Dacey (a.k.a. The Manga Critic). I’ll be sharing manga-blogging duties with Melinda Beasi this week while Brigid is away. As Shonen Jump characters are fond of saying, “I’ll do my best!”, though I have no illusions about the size of the shoes I’m filling. On to the links!

The December Manga Movable Feast continues with more essays and reviews; David Welsh shares day two highlights. And in a special guest post at The Manga Curmudgeon, Erica Friedman examines those time-honored shonen themes of friendship and teamwork in One Piece.

Planning to go to the comic store this week? Melinda Beasi offers her pick for Wednesday’s must-read manga.

Over at The Manga Critic, I post a holiday gift guide for readers under fourteen.

Do you have a secret stash of old manga in your garage or basement? You might find Sheena McNeil’s article on the valuation of comics informative, especially if you’re trying decide which titles might be worth selling and which ones have depreciated in value.

Melinda Beasi offers recommendations from the Yen Press/ICE Kunion catalog in her latest Manhwa Monday column.

Esther Keller, Lori Henderson, Robin Brenner, and I discuss what we’re reading at Good Comics for Kids.

VIZ Media is hiring! They’re looking for an Associate Producer (Animation Production) and a Digital Production Coordinator (Editorial). If you’re still in school, consider applying for one of VIZ’s Spring 2011 Internships; applications are being accepted now.

News from Japan: Anime News Network reports that The Magic of Chocolate, a shojo horror manga set in an enchanted confectioner’s shop, will be getting the anime treatment in 2011. Take that, Godiva! Also on the ANN news blotter: VIZ is sponsoring the world premiere of the first two Gantz live-action movies on January 20, 2011 at theaters around the US.

Reviews: Johanna Draper-Carlson is first out of the gate with her review of the eagerly anticipated Not Love But Delicious Foods Make Me So Happy!, Fumi Yoshinaga’s valentine to the Tokyo restaurant scene, while Ash Brown offers quick takes on an assortment of books, manga, and DVDs. Other reviews of note:

Alexander Hoffman on Ayako (Manga Village)
Connie on Deka Kyoshi, Vol. 1 (Slightly Biased Manga)
Karen Maeda on Hikaru no Go, Vol. 21 (Sequential Tart)
Connie on I’ll Give It My All… Tomorrow, Vol. 2 (Slightly Biased Manga)
Danica Davidson on Monster, Vols. 1-3 (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Lori Henderson on One Piece, Vols. 1-4 (Manga Xanadu)
Victoria Martin on Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 3 (Manga Life)
Carlo Santos on Pandora Hearts, Vol. 3 (Anime News Network)
Leroy Douresseaux on Papillon, Vols. 5-6 (Comic Book Bin)
Grant Goodman on The Push Man and Other Stories (Manga Village)
Erica Friedman on Rakuen Le Paradis, Vol. 4 (Okazu)
Karen Maeda on Shinobi Life, Vol. 6 (Sequential Tart)
Wolfen Moondaughter on Slam Dunk, Vol. 13 (Sequential Tart)
Carlo Santos on Ultimo, Vol. 3 (Anime News Network)

– from Melinda Beasi

There’s a lot to catch up on after a long weekend, so let’s be sure to consume slowly and carefully.

First, a little holiday cheer! At Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson shares some food-related manga to set the Turkey-Day mood, while Daniella Orihuela-Gruber warns against it. At The Manga Curmudgeon, David Welsh gives thanks for some of his favorite manga this year so far, while at Manga Bookshelf, I thank those who introduced me to some of my favorite manga. Katherine at Yuri no Boke, Erica Friedman at Okazu, and the Reverse Thieves also give thanks.

Moving on to the real focus of the holidays, Lissa Pattillo starts the shopping season off right at Kuriousity. And Manga bloggers do their part to ease your shopping anxiety with some new additions to the Great Manga Gift Guide. This weekend saw offerings from Rob McMonigal, Erica Friedman, Manga Report’s Anna, and Daniella Orihuela-Gruber.

At About.com Deb Aoki weighs in with her list of the Best Continuing Series of 2010. She also reports that TOKYOPOP’s Alice in the Country of Hearts has topped the New York Times Graphic Books list.

Sean Gaffney gets a jump on December, with a roundup of this week’s new manga, while Lori Henderson rounds up the Week in Manga.

I get my rant on at Manga Bookshelf for the latest Failure Friday.

At Soliloquy in Blue, Michelle Smith and I discuss artwork from Children of the Sea and Suppli in our latest installment of Let’s Get Visual.

November’s Manga Moveable Feast is now underway, this month featuring One Piece! Host David Welsh shares links to the Feast’s first offerings at The Manga Curmudgeon. David also puts in a license request for Rainbow, George Abe and Masasumi Kakizaki’s tale of juvenile delinquints in the 1950s.

Erica Friendman shares the latest Yuri news at Okazu.

News from Japan: As more manga publishers look to digital distribution, ANN reports that Kodansha’s popular seinen magazine Morning will soon be available in English on the web.

Reviews: Kate Dacey offers up a new set of Short Takes at The Manga Critic. At Manga Bookshelf, Michelle Smith and I discuss some manga from Del Rey, Viz, and Vertical in our latest Off the Shelf. And Ed Sizemore talks Chi’s Sweet Home with his nephew Christopher in his newest podcast at Manga Out Loud.

Connie on vol. 2 of Beast Master (Slightly Biased Manga)
Shannon Fay on vol. 1 of Cross Game (Kuriousity)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Eensy Weensy Monster, Vol. 1
Jason Thompson on From Eroica With Love (ANN)
Chris Zimmerman on vol. 4 of Hero Tales (The Comic Book Bin)
Snow Wildsmith on How to Draw Shojo Manga (Good Comics for Kids)
Rob McMonical on vol. 1 of Jormandgand (Panel Patter)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of K-ON! (A Case Suitable For Treatment)
Bruce on Lesbian II: Mitsu no Heya (Okazu)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 7 of Maid-sama! (A Case Suitable For Treatment)
Connie on vol. 36 of Oh My Goddess (Slightly Biased Manga)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 8 of Pokemon Adventures (ANN)
Lissa Pattillo on Short-Tempered Melancholic and Other Stories (Kuriousity)
Phoenix on vol. 2 of Spice & Wolf (Experiments in Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 3 of Urusei Yatsura (A Case Suitable For Treatment)
Connie on vol. 8 of Vagabond (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 1 of Wild Adapter (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 16 of xxxHolic (Slightly Biased Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 24 of Yakitate!! Japan (The Comic Book Bin)

Good morning, and welcome back from the long weekend! I will be away from this blog for a few days while I deal with a minor medical matter, but Kate Dacey (a.k.a. The Manga Critic) and Melinda Beasi (of Manga Bookshelf) have kindly agreed to help out in my absence. Please give them a warm welcome!

Melinda Beasi rounds up a couple of reviews and a Netcomics contest in her latest Manhwa Bookshelf column, and her Pick of the Week is the ghost-hunting manhwa Time and Again.

David Welsh looks at this week’s new comics at The Manga Curmudgeon.

Lori Henderson wraps up the week’s manga news at Manga Xanadu. Erica Friedman has your yuri news of the week at Okazu.

Chris Mautner shows off a true manga rarity: He has a galley of Sweet Cream and Strawberries, which was licensed and apparently translated by CPM but never actually published.

At MangaCast, Niki talks to doujinshi creator Polly Guo, whose subjects include Sherlock Holmes and Harry Houdini.

Cecil Adams gives a concise history of tentacle porn at The Straight Dope. (Via Comics Worth Reading.)

Reviews: Omar posts some short manga reviews at About Heroes. Ash Brown looks at a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga. Anna has quick takes on some new Tokyopop titles and some recent shonen manga at Manga Report.

Connie on vol. 5 of 13th Boy (Slightly Biased Manga)
Kate Dacey on vols. 1 and 2 of 7 Billion Needles (The Manga Critic)
Diana Dang on vol. 1 of Arisa (Stop, Drop, and Read!)
Dave Ferraro on vol. 1 of Arisa (Comics-and-More)
Anna on vol. 1 of AX (Manga Report)
Hisui and Narutaki on vol. 1 of AX (Reverse Thieves)
Courtney Kraft on vol. 1 of Bakuman (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Lori Henderson on vol. 2 of Bakuman (Manga Xanadu)
Michelle Smith on vols. 1 and 2 of Bokurano: Ours (Comics Should Be Good)
Julie Opipari on vol. 1 of Daniel X (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Casey Brienza on vols. 1 and 2 of Demon Sacred (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Connie on Gay’s Anatomy (Slightly Biased Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 11 of Ghost Hunt (The Comic Book Bin)
Julie Opipari on vol. 1 of Gossip Girl: For Your Eyes Only (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Kristin on vol. 2 of House of Five Leaves (Comic Attack)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 4 of Itazura na Kiss (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Connie on vol. 21 of Knights of the Zodiac (Slightly Biased Manga)
Casey Brienza on vol. 1 of K-ON! (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Ken Haley on vol. 11 of Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Sequential Ink)
Kinukitty on vol. 1 of Maiden Rose (The Hooded Utilitarian)
Deb Aoki on Mega Man Megamix (About.com)
Andre on vol. 4 of Natsume’s Book of Friends (Kuriousity)
Emily on Ookami Shounen (Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page)
Oyceter on vols. 3-5 of Phantom Dream (Sakura of DOOM)
Snow Wildsmith on vol. 1 of Saturn Apartments (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 2 of Saturn Apartments (Comics Worth Reading)
Connie on vol. 3 of Seiho Boys’ High School (Slightly Biased Manga)
Katherine Farmar on Seven Days: Monday-Thursday (Comics Village)
Erica Friedman on Sore ga Kimi ni Naru (Okazu)
Anna on vol. 1 of Summoner Girl (Manga Report)
Erica Friedman on vol. 2 of Tokimeki Mononoke Gakuen (Okazu)
Kristin on vol. 1 of Wolf God (Comic Attack)
Erica Friedman on vol. 14 of Yuri Hime S (Okazu)