MangaBlog

My big week of post-C2E2 madness is over, and I’m so far behind, I figured I would just do a big catch-up post. Think of this as the MangaBlog version of the Sunday New York Times, oversized and bulging with the week’s news, for you to peruse at your leisure over bagels and lox. Enjoy!

Jason Thompson devotes his latest House of 1000 Manga column to yaoi manga creator Hinako Takanaga (Little Butterfly), who “isn’t wildly weird like est em and Yoshinaga, but is just plain good at what she does.” It’s worth checking out the column just for Thompson’s little essay on BL at the beginning.

At The Comics Journal, Ryan Holmberg looks at “An Introduction to Gekiga Manga,” which ran in, of all places, Shonen Magazine, in 1970.

Sean Gaffney takes a look at next week’s new manga, and he doesn’t find much to be excited about. Meanwhile, the Manga Village team checks out the past week’s new releases.

Erica Friedman posts the latest edition of Yuri Network News at Okazu.

Jennifer LeBlanc winds up her interview with Hinako Takanaga at The Yaoi Review.

Jake Forbes talks about his days as an editor at Tokyopop and his work on the Return to Labyrinth series at Words That Stay.

Comic Book Girl explains why she is so thrilled that Sailor Moon is getting a new release in the U.S. (Via Comics Worth Reading.) Anna discusses her own history with Sailor Moon at Manga Report, and Tony Yao posts his memories at Manga Therapy.

While it’s not official, Love Hina may be coming back: AstroNerdBoy spotted a listing for a new Kodansha edition at RightStuf. Bandai Entertainment has licensed two manga based on the videogame Tales of the Abyss.

Kate Dacey looks at a classic from earlier days, Marvel’s colorized and flipped edition of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Memories.

Linda, a.k.a. Animemiz, is hosting this month’s Manga Moveable Feast at Anime Diet, and Aria is the manga du jour. That link will be constantly updated as people add their own contributions, and there is already quite a bit there.

David Welsh reviews the top five license requests on his wish list and asks his readers what sort of careers they would like to see featured in manga.

The Banana Fish roundtable continues at Manga Bookshelf with Melinda Beasi, Robin Brenner, Connie C., Khursten Santos, Michelle Smith, and Eva Volin discussing vols. 14-16.

Melinda Beasi looks at three manga about the arts at Manga Bookshelf.

Led by Daniella Orihuela-Gruber of All About Manga and Michael Huang of Anime Diet, Anime and Manga Bloggers for Japan has raised over $4,000 for two charities, Shelterbox and Doctors Without Borders. Stu Levy has been asking manga readers outside Japan to send messages of encouragement, and the Ventura Star has an article about one anime club’s response.

Another manga milestone: The word “hentai” made it into the Oxford English Dictionary.

News from Japan: Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa has a new series in the works, Silver Spoon (Gin no Saji). It will launch in the April 6 issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday. The first part of the Tokyo youth protection ordinance goes into effect April 1, and Mainichi rounds up some reactions from publishers, including Tokyopop CEO Stu Levy:

Levy said that, from most foreigners’ point of view, some sexual content in manga seems to be “very shocking” and it is natural to have this kind of content restricted as it is in the United States.

The aftermath of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster continues, with some disruptions to the industry but outpourings of support from creators. Shonen Jump creators put some encouraging artwork up at that magazine’s website. Kodansha is putting six of its manga magazines online, for free and without ads; more details will be forthcoming next week. And ANN has the latest list of delayed anime and manga releases.

Reviews: Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith discuss some new manga that might lift their spirits at Manga Bookshelf. Other reviews of note:

Collin David on The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography (Graphic Novel Reporter)
James Fleenor on vols. 1-3 of Black Gate (Anime Sentinel)
Connie on vol. 15 of Blade of the Immortal (Slightly Biased Manga)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 3 of Bunny Drop (Comics Worth Reading)
Bruce P. on Bustician (Okazu)
Emily Kazanecki on vol. 6 of Cirque du Freak (Manga Life)
Erica Friedman on vol. 2 of Comic Yuri Hime (Okazu)
Cynthia on Crimson Snow (Boys Next Door)
Alexander Hoffman on Disappearance Diary (Manga Widget)
Carlo Santos on vol. 5 of Dogs: Bullets and Carnage (ANN)
Carl Kimlinger on vol. 1 of Eensy Weensy Monster (ANN)
AstroNerdBoy on vols. 8, 9, and 10 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Erica Friedman on vol. 1 of Girls Love (Okazu)
Dave Ferraro on vol. 1 of Goong: The Royal Palace (Comics-and-More)
Todd Douglass on vol. 2 of High School of the Dead (Anime Maki)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 23 of Hikaru No Go (Comics Worth Reading)
Kate Dacey on How to Pen & Ink: The Manga Startup Guide (The Manga Critic)
Rob McMonigal on vol. 5 of Jormungand (Panel Patter)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 2 of K-ON! (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Liberty Vocational: Will Supervillains Be on the Final? (Comics Worth Reading)
Anna on vol. 4 of Library Wars: Love and War (Manga Report)
Connie on vol. 3 of Lone Wolf and Cub (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 5 of Mad Love Chase (Slightly Biased Manga)
Lexie on vol. 1 of Magic Knight Rayearth (Poisoned Rationality)
Nicola on vol. 4 of Maoh: Juvenile Remix (Back to Books)
Todd Douglass on vol. 8 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Anime Maki)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 8 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Crystal White on vol. 8 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Japanator)
Amy Grockl on Mistress Fortune (Manga Village)
Danica Davis on vol. 2 of Neko Ramen (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Erica Friedman on vol. 2 of Nobari no Mori no Otome-tachi (Okazu)
Nicola on vol. 1 of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (Back to Books)
Connie on vol. 37 of Oh My Goddess (Slightly Biased Manga)
Alexander Hoffman on Oishii Kankei (Manga Widget)
Courtney Kraft on Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi, and Sashimi (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Michelle Smith on vols. 46-56 of One Piece (Soliloquy in Blue)
Michael Buntag on vol. 1 of Peepo Choo (NonSensical Words)
Cynthia on Pen & Ink (Boys Next Door)
Victoria Martin on vol. 3 of Pig Bride (Manga Life)
Emily Kazanecki on Romeo x Juliet (Manga Life)
Connie on Scarlet (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 4 of Seiho Boys’ High School (Slightly Biased Manga)
Christopher Mautner on A Single Match (The Comics Journal)
Alexander Hoffman on Soil (Manga Widget)
Andre Paploo on Taro and the Magic Pencil (Kuriousity)
Penny Kenny on vol. 3 of Twin Spica (Manga Life)
Ash Brown on Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide (Experiments in Manga)

Hey all! Sorry about the extended internet silence—I didn’t disappear, but I spent the weekend at C2E2 and the past few days writing up all my panel reports, so it has been a busy time. If you want to know how it went, check out my C2E2 con report at Graphic Novel Reporter, my overview of the kids’ and teen’s comics scene at PWCW, and my writeup of the State of the Comicsphere panel at CBR. And I took some pictures, too.

The big manga news of the weekend, of course, was the return of Sailor Moon, and the Manga Bookshelf bloggers (and frequent guest Michelle Smith) devoted a roundtable to why that is so awesome. They also took some time out to discuss their candidates for Pick of the Week.

David Welsh, The Manga Curmudgeon, asks his readers who are their favorite hard-working manga characters, and he also checks out this week’s new manga and reaches the letter H in his Josei Alphabet.

Sean Gaffney also takes a look at the week’s new releases as well as Kodansha’s September lineup.

Melinda Beasi reports from inside the Digital Manga Guild, where things have been quiet except for the announcement that DMP has signed 487 books for the fan-translation service, although they would not reveal any of the titles.

Reviews: Melanie checks out an interesting selection of recent releases at About Heroes. Kate Dacey posts short takes on her recent reading at The Manga Critic. Ash Brown files the weekly manga report at Experiments in Manga. Other reviews of note:

Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Aqua (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Anna on vol. 1 of Beast Master (Manga Report)
Ken Haley on vol. 1 of The Beautiful Skies of Houhou High (Sequential Ink)
David Welsh on vol. 1 of Blue Exorcist (The Manga Curmudgeon)
Snow Wildsmith on vol. 1 of Butterfly (ICv2)
Clive Owen on vol. 7 of Detroit Metal City (Animanga Nation)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 1 of Eensy Weensy Monster (I Reads You)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 2 of Eensy Weensy Monster (The Comic Book Bin)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 19 of Excel Saga (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Connie on vol. 1 of Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M (Slightly Biased Manga)
Sesho on vol. 18 of Fullmetal Alchemist (Sesho’s Anime and Manga Reviews)
Sean Gaffney on vols. 9 and 10 of Higurashi When They Cry (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Julie Opipari on vol. 2 of Library Wars: Love and War (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Connie on vol. 1 of March Story (Slightly Biased Manga)
Julie Opipari on Marriage at a Price (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Kristin on My Bad and vol. 3 of Kabuki (Comic Attack)
Connie on vol. 1 of Peepo Choo (Slightly Biased Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (The Comic Book Bin)
James Fleenor on vol. 1 of The Witch of Artemis (Anime Sentinel)

I’m working the floor at C2E2 today, so I won’t be checking in until late, but this news is too good to keep: Kodansha Comics is bringing back Sailor Moon. Go, read, and I’ll be back later with all the other manga news.

I’m on the train on my way to C2E2, so my internet access is limited, but I wanted to catch up with a few quick links.

I gathered up the latest stories about Japan and the anime/manga community at Robot 6, including a number of blogger and artist fund-raising initiatives.

Rob McMonigal continues his year-long appreciation of Rumiko Takahashi with a look at One-Pound Gospel.

David Welsh reaches the letter G in his josei alphabet. Also, David gives his take on About.com’s 2011 Manga Readers Choice Awards.

David, Melinda Beasi, and Kate Dacey discuss their pick of the week at Manga Bookshelf.

Reviews: Ash Brown chronicles a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga. Kristin looks at Digital’s Harlequin manga at Comic Attack. Other reviews of note:

Julie Opipari on Accidental Mistress (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Dave Ferraro on vol. 1 of Amnesia Labyrinth (Comics-and-More)
Ash Brown on vol. 5 of Blade of the Immortal (Experiments in Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 6 of Butterflies, Flowers (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Alex Hoffman on vol. 2 of Cross Game (Manga Widget)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 7 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Kristin on vol. 2 of Genkaku Picasso (Comic Attack)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 17 of Hayate the Combat Butler (The Comic Book Bin)
Connie on vol. 25 of Knights of the Zodiac (Slightly Biased Manga)
Snow wildsmith on Tale of a White Knight and vol. 1 of Wolf God (Good Comics for Kids)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 4 of Toriko (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Greg McElhatton on vol. 9 of Yotsuba&! (Read About Comics)
Connie on vol. 4 of Yurara (Slightly Biased Manga)

The news from Japan continues to be bleak, but a number of manga creators have posted messages of hope and images of smiling people, and at About.com, Deb Aoki has more of these as well as relief efforts by artists and creators. At Manga Therapy, Tony Yao looks at the best and the worst of the reactions to the disaster. Also, don’t believe everything you see on Twitter; there were a number of unconfirmed reports of creator deaths, but at least one of them has been debunked: Pokemon creator Satoshi Taiji is alive.

If you’re in the LA area, We Heart Japan is holding an art auction at Meltdown Comics on Thursday, with support from a number of anime companies and actors. And at All About Manga, Daniella Orihuela-Gruber is encouraging anime and manga bloggers to donate to two worthy causes.

There was some other news. At About.com, Deb Aoki unveils the winners of her Manga Readers Choice Awards.

Viz has announced it will release vol. 4 of Bakuman digitally (via its iPad app) a week before the print edition comes out. As a special promotion, they are offering the first volume for free until noon (PST) today. And don’t forget, all first volumes on the app are 99 cents throughout the month of March.

At the Otaku USA site, Jason Thompson Mikikazu Kometsu talks to Akira Himekawa and Qais Sedki, the creators of the first-ever Original Arabic-Language manga.

Lissa Pattillo takes us through her latest purchases, with quick first impressions of the manga, at Kuriousity.

Reviews

Snow Wildsmith on vols. 1-3 of Bakuman (Good Comics for Kids)
Bill Sherman on vol. 1 of Clean Freak: Fully Equipped (Blogcritics)
Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of Fairy Navigator Runa (Good Comics for Kids)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 6 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Connie on vol. 6 of InuYasha (VizBig edition) (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 3 of Itazura na Kiss (Slightly Biased Manga)
Diana Dang on vol. 2 of Kamisama Kiss (Stop, Drop, and Read!)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 4 of Library Wars: Love and War (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Connie on Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (Slightly Biased Manga)
Michelle Smith on vols. 1-6 of Rurouni Kenshin (Soliloquy in Blue)
Connie on White Guardian (Slightly Biased Manga)

The big news from Japan yesterday was of course, the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck offshore earlier today (yesterday for them), and the tsunami that followed. I rounded up tweets and blog posts from comics and manga people in Japan and the affected areas at CBR, and I’ll update here and there as more information comes in. ANN has a list of manga creators and other industry types who have checked in to say they are OK and another list of events that have been cancelled because of the earthquake. AstroNerdBoy translated some manga-ka tweets from the Japanese for us. And at All About Manga, Daniella Orihuela-Gruber rounded up some resources for those who want to help.

In other news…

At Robot 6, Sean T. Collins interviews Yuichi Yokoyama about his upcoming book Garden and posts a nice preview as well.

Sean Gaffney looks at the coming week’s new manga. Looking farther ahead, Kristin devotes her Bento Bako Lite column to manga in the March Previews.

Lissa Pattillo gets some more information on Viz’s upcoming release of Pokemon Black and White. And Lori Henderson wonders whatever happened to Magical Pokemon Journey.

David Welsh’s license request this week is for a classic shoujo manga, Glass Mask. Also, the people have spoken, and David will be buying A Certain Scientific Railgun, despite the use of the annoying word “esper.” (I hate it too.) Also at that link is an interesting discussion, in comments, following Shaenon Garrity’s discussion of crazy creator sidebars.

The Comics Journal website has relaunched, with a much improved design and better curation. They also seem to be giving plenty of space to manga, with Ken Parile’s detailed analysis of Moto Hagio’s short story “Bianca” and Chris Mautner’s review of the first three volumes of Bakuman.

At Otaku Champloo, Khursten posts an appreciation of Fumi Yoshinaga.

Tony Yao muses on Twin Spica at Manga Therapy.

On the occasion of her tenth anniversary, Melinda Beasi looks at manga marriages. Warning: Link contains a major spoiler for Fruits Basket!

Melinda and Michelle Smith look at a big stack of recent manga in their latest Off the Shelf column.

Alex Hoffman asks his readers what manga they would like to see licensed in English at Manga Widget.

Translators Alethea and Athena Nibley have some more fun with Google Translate.

Atsushi Suzumi (Venus Versus Virus) is coming to Sakura-Con.

Other news from Japan: American yuri manga publisher ALC has donated yuri manga to the Kyoto International Manga Museum. ALC publisher Erica Friedman writes about both the donation and the earthquake at Okazu.

Reviews

Todd Douglass on vol. 8 of Bamboo Blade (Anime Maki)
Kristin on vol. 1 of The Beautiful Skies of Houhou High (Comic Attack)
Anna on vol. 1 of Claymore (iPad version) (Manga Report)
Ken Haley on vol. 1 of Countdown 7 Days (Sequential Ink)
Michael C. Lorah on vol. 2 of Cross Game (Blog@Newsarama)
David Welsh on vol. 2 of House of Five Leaves (The Manga Curmudgeon)
Julie Opipari on vol. 24 of Kekkaishi (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Ken Haley on vol. 1 of Replica (Sequential Ink)
Erica Friedman on vol. 8 of Sasamekikoto (Okazu)
Connie on vol. 4 of Sensual Phrase (Slightly Biased Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 1 of Skyblue Shore (I Reads You)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 2 of Skyblue Shore (The Comic Book Bin)
Connie on vol. 1 of Under Grand Hotel (Slightly Biased Manga)
Michelle Smith on vol. 1 of Wandering Son (Soliloquy in Blue)
Connie on vol. 1 of Wounded Man (Slightly Biased Manga)