MangaBlog

The October Manga Moveable Feast will focus on horror manga, and your hostess, Lori Henderson, starts off the week’s worth of reviews and commentary with a post asking “What Is Horror?” as well as a link roundup at Manga Xanadu. Noah Berlatsky jumps right in with a discussion of mother-child issues in The Drifting Classroom. David Welsh reprises a Flipped column on Kazuo Umezu at his blog, and Rob McMonigal takes a look at some horror manga in digital formats.

At Suvudu, Thalia Sutton has a good overall summary of the manga scene at NYCC.

David Welsh checks out this week’s new releases at The Manga Curmudgeon, and the whole Manga Bookshelf team discusses their Picks of the Week. The Manga Village bloggers post their choices for the best of the past week’s releases.

ICv2 talks to Viz veep Alvin Lu and Weekly Shonen Jump editor Hisashi Sasaki about why they are relaunching the American Shonen Jump in digital form.

Khursten Santos reflects on carrying BL manga across borders and she also posts her own reaction to the news of Viz’s new BL imprint, SuBLime.

Lianne Sentar discusses manga for women on the latest /report podcast.

Daniella Orihuela-Gruber recently got an iPad, and she gives a quick rundown on the manga apps she has tried so far—and what she would like but cannot find.

CLAMP fan Myrah shares photos of her manga collection at The Manga Critic.

Manga Bookshelf is looking for contributors to write columns and such.

News from Japan: Three Steps Over Japan takes a look at Comic Ran Twins. Shueisha has posted the first issue of its Super Dash & Go! magazine, which features light novels and manga, online, for free, until November 18. Mizu Sahara, creator of Same-Cell Organism and the manga adaptation of Voices of a Distant Star, is starting a new series, Itsuya-san, in Monthly Comic Zenon. Mika Kajiyama (Neo Angelique) is launching a new romantic comedy series, Ore to Atashi no Kareshi-sama, in Kadokawa Shoten’s Monthly Asuka in December. The baseball manga Ookiku Furikabutte/Big Windup will return to Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon in January. And if you bought a drawing by Moto Hagio online recently… no, you didn’t. Hagio says that drawings that purported to be her work were actually forgeries, and she is contemplating legal action.

Reviews: Carlo Santos takes a quick look at some recent releases in his latest Right Turn Only!! column at ANN. The Manga Bookshelf bloggers post a fresh set of Bookshelf Briefs. Ash Brown clues us in on a week’s worth of manga at Experiments in Manga.

Dave Ferraro on vol. 1 of Animal Land (Comics-and-More)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Butterflies, Flowers (Blogcritics)
Anna on vol. 4 of Cross Game (Manga Report)
Connie on issue 4 of Gen (Slightly Biased Manga)
Erica Friedman on Gunjo (Okazu)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 15 of Higurashi: When They Cry (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Connie on vol. 6 of Karakuri Odette (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 6 of Library Wars (Slightly Biased Manga)
Ed Sizemore on vol. 1 of Love Hina (omnibus edition) (Comics Worth Reading)
Connie on vol. 1 of Mars (Slightly Biased Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of No Longer Human (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sweetpea616 on Petshop of Horrors (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Connie on vols. 13 and 14 of Please Save My Earth (Slightly Biased Manga)
Alex Hoffman on vol. 1 of Sand Chronicles (Manga Widget)
Anna on vol. 1 of Sherlock Holmes (Manga Report)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 3 of Tenjho Tenge (omnibus edition) (The Comic Book Bin)
Kristin on vol. 10 of Twin Spica (Comic Attack)
Connie on vol. 4 of Tyrant Falls in Love (Slightly Biased Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on Young Artists Draw Manga (I Reads You)

The big news out of Yaoi-Con this past weekend was the launch of Viz’s yaoi imprint, SuBLime. Deb Aoki was live-tweeting the panel, and Lissa Pattillo rounded it all up with some good commentary. Viz rescued one title, Love Pistols, which had previously been published by Tokyopop under their BLU imprint. What’s particularly interesting is that they are publishing some of the books digitally as PDF files that can be downloaded and kept on a variety of e-readers. Digital books will be priced at $5.99 and will be available worldwide, not just in North America. Viz is working with the Japanese retailer Animate (which has been publishing yaoi manga for the Kindle for a while now) and the publisher Libre, but they can license books from other publishers as well.

The other news out of Yaoi-Con is that Digital Manga will be running Yaoi-Con, starting next year, and will move the show to Los Angeles.

Deb Aoki asks the tough questions in her interview with Viz digital guy Brian Piech; she covers piracy, adult manga, and the possibility of expanding Viz’s digital reach beyond North America.

Animemiz posts her interview with Hiro Mashima at Anime Diet.

Ed Sizemore files a very thorough and manga-centric con report from NYCC: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, closing the last part with a good summary of the event. At Manga Therapy, Tony Yao posts his con report and some photos. Animemiz thinks NYAF is being swallowed up by NYCC at Anime Diet.

Lori Henderson has the list of this week’s all-ages comics and manga at Good Comics for Kids.

Erica Friedman posts the latest Yuri Network News at Okazu.

Tezuka expert Helen McCarthy discusses the importance of his Princess Knight.

Erin Finnegan posts a video of her Unusual Manga Genres panel from Otakon.

Jason Thompson looks at Alien Nine, a disturbing manga about girls who fight aliens with aliens, in his latest House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

At Slightly Biased Manga, Connie continues her discussion of the world of From Eroica With Love with a look at the sons of Eve.

The title of Paul Gravett’s book 1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die is a bit ambitious, but Ash Brown winnows it down for manga fans with a spreadsheet of the manga from the list.

Matt Blind compiles the latest list of manga best-sellers, based on online sales.

David Welsh reaches the letter H in his alphabet of manga favorites, and his latest license request is appropriate to the Halloween season: Junji Ito’s josei manga.

News from Japan: Moto Hagio has adapted Yū Nagashima’s short story Jū Jikan (10 Hours) into a two-part manga that will run in Kobunsha’s Shōsetsu Hōseki magazine. Arina Tanemura is bringing her idol manga Fudanjuku Monogatari to a close. Four series ended in the latest issue of Young Gangan magazine, but Yuto, the creator of Hanamaru Kindergarten, has already announced a new one. A chapter of Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei that ran in Weekly Shōnen Magazine has been left out of the tankoubon, perhaps because of the negative comment caused by its eerie similarity to a Doraemon story. At the Official Schoolgirl Milky Crisis Blog, Jonathan Clements reprises the story of the manga-ka who thought she was too good for Fractale. And can we ever get enough GTO? Apparently not: A new, three-chapter GTO story will start in Weekly Shōnen Magazine‘s November issue.

Reviews: Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith chew over a trio of new offerings from Digital in their latest BL Bookrack column at Manga Bookshelf.

Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Animal Academy (Blogcritics)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 7 of Arata: The Legend (ANN)
Kristin on vol. 16 of Black Jack (Comic Attack)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 1 of Codename Sailor V (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Drifting Net Cafe (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
TSOTE on vol. 1 of Future-Retro Hero Story (Three Steps Over Japan)
Kate Dacey on vol. 1 of Gate 7 (The Manga Critic)
Zack Davisson on vol. 1 of Gate 7 (Japan Reviewed)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 1 of Gate 7 (Kuriousity)
Erica Friedman on Girls Love -strawberry milkshake (Okazu)
Zack Davisson on vol. 7 of Happy Cafe (Japan Reviewed)
Jocelyne Allen on vols. 2-8 of IS (Brain vs. Book)
Carlo Santos on vol. 3 of K-ON! (ANN)
Kristin on vols. 5 and 6 of Kurozakuro (Comic Attack)
James Fleenor on vol. 1 of Laddertop (Anime Sentinel)
Julie Opipari on vol. 1 of Laddertop (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Kris on vol. 1 of Maiden Rose (Manic About Manga)
Erica Friedman on Mizu-Iru Ether (Okazu)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Monster Hunter Orage (ANN)
Kristin on vol. 4 of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan and vol. 4 of Grand Guignol Orchestra (Comic Attack)
Leroy Douressaux on vol. 6 of Rosario + Vampire: Season II (The Comic Book Bin)
Michelle Smith on vols. 1-10 of Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei (Soliloquy in Blue)
A Library Girl on vols. 5, 6, 10-15, 17, 18, and 20-23 of Skip Beat! (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Kristin on vol. 18 of Slam Dunk and vol. 1 of Psyren (Comic Attack)
Andrew Smith on Stargazing Dog (Scripps News)
Voitachewski on Tank Tankuro (in French) (du9)

Lissa Pattillo picks the best of this week’s new releases in her latest On the Shelf column at Otaku USA, while David Welsh finds only one new book that piques his fancy. The Manga Bookshelf bloggers reveal their picks of the week. The Manga Villagers separate the wheat from the chaff of the past week’s new releases. And Sean Gaffney, one step ahead of the rest of us as always, is looking at next week’s new releases.

Jason Green rounds up a few late entries in this month’s Love Hina Manga Moveable Feast.

ANN notes two new titles on JManga.com.

Matt Blind presents his weekly list of best-selling manga (online sales) at Manga Bookshelf. Spoiler: Sailor Moon is doing well.

David Welsh lists his favorite manga that begin with the letter G, and he invites his readers to do the same.

Hey, there’s a new volume of Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service coming out in March!

News from Japan: Three Steps Over Japan takes a good long look at Evening, another one of those seinen magazines from Kodansha that’s chock full of good manga. Suppose Sherlock Holmes was a dog… That’s the premise of Yuma Ando’s Detective Dog Sherdock, which launched in Weekly Shōnen Magazine yesterday. The 4-koma manga Kemono no Chat has come to an end. Next week will see the first issue of Shueisha’s Super Dash & Go!, a new magazine that includes both light novels and manga. And ANN has the latest Japanese comics rankings.

Reviews

Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 4 of Afterschool Charisma (The Comic Book Bin)
A Library Girl on vols. 2-5 of Black Butler (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Sebastian James Flyte Lubbers Calderone-Sixse on The Book of Human Insects (When We Were Heroes)
Kate Dacey on vol. 1 of Codename Sailor V (The Manga Critic)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of The Drops of God (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Katherine Farmar on Entangled Circumstances (Manga Village)
Erica Friedman on vol. 1 of Kill Me Baby/Baby Please Kill Me (Okazu)
A Library Girl on vols. 5 and 6 of King of Thorn (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 4 of Kingyo Used Books (The Comic Book Bin)
Queenie Chan on Maison Ikkoku (Queenie Chan)
A Library Girl on vols. 32-43 of Naruto (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Diana Dang on vol. 9 of Natsume’s Book of Friends (Stop, Drop, and Read!)
Serdar Yegulalp on vol. 1 of No Longer Human (Genji Press)
Erica Friedman on Oshioki! (Okazu)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Princess Knight (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Danica Davidson on vol. 1 of Psyren (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Zack Davisson on solanin (Japan Reviewed)
Anna on vols. 4-6 of Twin Spica (Manga Report)
Kate Dacey on vol. 1 of X (omnibus edition) (The Manga Critic)

Manga seemed to be a more robust presence at this year’s NYCC than in the past few years. Viz was back, with a major announcement; Kodansha was there, with a special guest, a new digital app, and stacks of Sailor Moon volumes to sell; Yen Press and Vertical were there with a few surprises as well. The indy manga magazine Gen was there, along with indy manga publisher One Peace Books. Rumors (and snark) were flying about Tokyopop’s lurch out of the coffin. The Anime Artists Alley was packed. And best of all, the manga bloggers were out in force. I was exclusive to MTV Geek for the weekend, and here are my news posts so far:

Kodansha Comics panel: iPad app, Attack on Titan and Miles Edgeworth licenses, new omnibuses
Kodansha Comics panel 2: Q&A with Fairy Tail manga-ka Hiro Mashima
Yen Press panel: Alice in the Country of Hearts rescued, Puella Magi Madoka Magica licensed, and Yen goes simultaneous with Japan with Soul Eater One in Yen Plus
Viz panel: Loveless rescued, Jiu Jiu licensed
The big Viz news of the con: Shonen Jump goes digital and nearly simultaneous with Japan

And, while it’s not quite manga, I caught the Hatsune Miku panel.

Here’s a roundup of reactions and news from other bloggers:

Deb Aoki interviews the Viz brass about Shonen Jump Alpha, the new digital version of Shonen Jump.

Melinda Beasi gets visual with a gallery of photos from the show floor and rounds up the news and announcements at Manga Bookshelf.

Christopher Butcher is dismayed that the paper version of Shonen Jump will no longer be available cheaply on newsstands.

Pedro Cortes interviews Hiro Mashima.

Kate Dacey comments on the news that Shonen Jump is going digital at The Manga Critic, and she has a roundup of all the NYCC news at Good Comics for Kids.

Erica Friedman reported on two panels she participated in, XX: The Women of Queer Comics and CBLDF: Defending Manga.

Sean Gaffney has a very thorough and entertaining writeup of his experiences at NYCC: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.

Lori Henderson views all the announcements with cautious optimism.

Lissa Pattillo reports on the Viz Media, Vertical, Inc., and Yen Press panels at Kuriousity.

Lianne Sentar applauds the digital initiatives at Sleep Is For the Weak.

David Welsh is pleased with Vertical’s new license announcements.

Hey all! I’m back from NYCC/NYAF, and it was a wonderful weekend—manga seemed to be a bigger presence in this show, and everyone is finally jumping on board the digital bus. Well, almost everyone. I was covering the con exclusively for MTV Geek, so head over there for the manga news, and I’ll have a roundup here later today or sometime tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s some of what has been going on while I was otherwise occupied.

Lissa Pattillo lists her picks from this week’s new releases in her latest On the Shelf column at Otaku USA.

Lori Henderson has the list of the past week’s all-ages comics and manga at Good Comics for Kids.

AstroNerdBoy comments on Tokyopop’s latest flicker of life.

Connie lists her favorite medical manga at Slightly Biased Manga.

Animate USA announces their latest round of yaoi for the Kindle.

News from Japan: Six men have been arrested for uploading anime, games, and manga, including One Piece, to the internet. Their explanation: “We want to spread our favorite manga.” ANN has the manga lineup for Monthly Hero’s, a new magazine from Shogakukan that will be available only in 7-11 stores. Here comes another 4-koma manga from Houbunsha: Tae Sano’s Mura Doll, launching in Manga Time Family this week. Monthly Comic Ryū is making a comeback in March, not December as previously announced. And Gakuen Prince creator Jun Yuzuki has started a new series, Rose & Wolf, which is running in Kodansha’s Bessatsu Friend.

Reviews: Ash Brown reviews a week’s worth of manga at Experiments in Manga.

Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Bad Teacher’s Equation (ANN)
Connie on Bonds (Slightly Biased Manga)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 4 of Bunny Drop (Comics Worth Reading)
Zack Davisson on The Color of Earth (Japan Reviwed)
Dave Ferraro on vol. 1 of Drifters (Slightly Biased Manga)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 15 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime & Manga Blog)
Connie on Falling Into Love (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 3 of I’ll Give It My All… Tomorrow (Slightly Biased Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 5 of Kamisama Kiss (The Comic Book Bin)
Connie on vol. 28 of Knights of the Zodiac (Slightly Biased Manga)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Love Hina (omnibus edition)
TSOTE on vol. 2 of Mouryou no Hako (Three Steps Over Japan)
Carlo Santos on vol. 52 of Naruto (ANN)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 2 of Negima (omnibus edition) (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime & Manga Blog)
Connie on vols. 10, 11, and 12 of Please Save My Earth (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 1 of Recipe for Gertrude (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 2 of Seven Days (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 25 of Skip Beat (Slightly Biased Manga)

Sorry about yesterday’s absence: I have been having a busy week, and I’m currently en route to New York Comic Con/New York Anime Fest. I’ll be blogging from the show floor all weekend at MTV Geek, so head over there for the latest updates. I’ll be back on Monday.

I looked over the list of this week’s new manga at MTV Geek. Sean Gaffney takes the longer view with a look at next week’s new releases at A Case Suitable for Treatment, and Kristin peers even further into the future with an overview of the manga in the October Previews at Comic Attack.

The Love Hina Manga Moveable Feast is heating up; since I’m on the train right now, I won’t try to link to individual pieces but instead I’ll point you to the MMF archive page where everything is linked.

Robin Brenner helps a puzzled librarian find the right spots for Fullmetal Alchemist and Death Note—and offers some general advice on judging the appropriate audience for a given manga—at Good Comics for Kids.

News from Japan: A manga adaptation of Guilty Crown is in the works for Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine.

Reviews: Carlo Santos rounds up the new releases in his latest Right Turn Only!! column at ANN.

A Library Girl on vol. 10 of After School Nightmare (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
A Library Girl on vols. 21-24 of Eyeshield 21 (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Zack Davisson on Gandhi: A Manga Biography (Japan Reviewed)
Eduardo Zacarias on vol. 1 of Gon (Animanga Nation)
Kimi-chan on vols. 1-17 of Human Club (The Kimi-chan Experience)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 3 of March Story (The Comic Book Bin)
A Library Girl on vols. 2-4 of Otomen (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Anna on vols. 6 and 7 of Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee (Manga Report)
Greg McElhatton on vol. 1 of X (omnibus edition) (Read About Comics)