MangaBlog

The march of the Best Of lists continues: Flashlight Worthy asked me and a bunch of other comics bloggers to name our favorite book of the year; their list is up so go see our picks! Scott VonSchilling posts his list of the top ten manga releases of 2009 at Anime Almanac.

David Welsh is psyched about the upcoming release of not simple, and he reaches the letter J in his shoujo-sunjeong alphabet.

Least surprising statement of the year: Kurt Hassler tells Tiamat’s Disciple to expect more adaptations and original manga from Yen Press in the future.

News from Japan: ANN has the latest Japanese comics rankings and the news that all 56 volumes of One Piece are on Oricon’s top 200 chart.

Reviews: The Manga Recon team is On the Shojo Beat again with brief reviews of Butterflies, Flowers, and some new volumes of longer-running series.

Danica Davidson on 9 Faces of Love (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Courtney Kraft on vol. 1 of The Battle of Genryu (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Casey Brienza on vol. 1 of Beast Master (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Casey Brienza on vol. 2 of Black Bird (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Lorena Nava Ruggero on vol. 1 of Butterflies, Flowers (i heart manga)
Tangognat on vol. 1 of Happy Cafe (Tangognat)
Courtney Kraft on vol. 1 of Karakuri Odette (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Joy Kim on vol. 2 of Kimi ni Todoke (Joy Kim)
Deb Aoki on Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater (About.com)
David Welsh on vol. 1 of Natsume’s Book of Friends (Precocious Curmudgeon)
Julie on One Piece: East Blue Vols. 1-2-3 (omnibus) (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Only One Wish (Comics Worth Reading)
Snow Wildsmith on vol. 1 of Tegami Bachi (Good Comics for Kids)

Gottsu-Iiyan has a question:

How many “manga” readers out there who are not happy that manga have been left off of so many of the year end & decade end “best of” comics lists, also think that manga and comics are different?

… and then he expands on it a bit.

Laura asks: What’s your favorite New Year’s scene in a shoujo manga? She has a few suggestions and invites readers to post their faves in comments.

David Welsh checks out this week’s new comics.

Best of the year: Johanna Draper Carlson picks her top five new manga and top five continuing series, as well as a few other notable manga of 2009, at Comics Worth Reading. The Manga Recon team posts their nominations for best manga of the year. Detroit Metal City tops Whitney Matheson’s list of the top ten graphic novels at Pop Candy. (Via Graphic Novel Reporter.) At Anime Vice, Gia lists manga and anime that let her down this year. At Japanator, Brad Rice lists Japan’s top-selling manga for 2009.

Viz has confirmed some new titles for next year, including the manga Kirby.

The St. Louis News posts a roundup of responses to last week’s article about Bishie-Con. (Via The Yaoi Review.)

Kristy Valenti visits an exhibit of Junko Mizuno’s paintings.

News from Japan: Japanator reports that a manga adaptation of Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex is coming soon to Comic Young.

Reviews: Danielle Leigh, Michelle Smith, and Melinda Beasi discuss vols. 7 and 8 of Nana at Comics Should Be Good. Other reviews of note:

Jack T on vol. 1 of Akira (MangaCast)
Connie on All My Darling Daughters (Slightly Biased Manga)
Dan Polley on vol. 2 of AmeFurashi: The Rain Goddess (Comics Village)
Lori Henderson on vol. 3 of Bakegyamon (Manga Xanadu)
Greg McElhatton on vol. 2 of Children of the Sea (Read About Comics)
Billy Aguiar on vol. 1 of Choco Mimi (Prospero’s Manga)
Emily on Danshi Kinshi!! (Emilys Random Shoujo Manga Page)
Johanna Draper Carlson on A Drifting Life (Comics Worth Reading)
Dave Ferraro on GoGo Monster (Comics-and-More)
Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane on vol. 12 of High School Debut (Manga Life)
Tiamat’s Disciple on vol. 2 of Ichiroh! (Tiamat’s Manga Reviews)
Deb Aoki on vol. 1 of Itazura Na Kiss (About.com)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 2 of Love Hina (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Penny Kenny on Oishinbo A la Carte, Izakaya: Pub Food (Manga Life)
Joy Kim on vol. 1 of Time and Again (Manga Life)
Connie on vol. 2 of Totally Captivated (Slightly Biased Manga)
Tiamat’s Disciple on vol. 7 of Yotsuba&! (Tiamat’s Manga Reviews)

I was happy to be part of the ComixTalk year-end roundtable, in which a bunch of bloggers look over the year in webcomics; I only wish we could all have been sitting around a table in real life, because it’s such a great bunch of people.

Sci Fi Soundtrack offers its list of the best comics of the decade, and Planetes and Pluto make the cut.

Melinda Beasi talks a bit about one of her favorite series, One Thousand and One Nights, in her latest Manhwa Monday post.

Reviews

Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of Angelic Runes (Comics Village)
Derik Badman on vol. 5 of Aria (Madinkbeard)
David Welsh on GoGo Monster (The Comics Reporter)
Chris Zimmerman on .hack//Legend of the Twilight: Complete Edition and This Ugly Yet Beautiful World (CBS4 Miami)
Erica Friedman on vol. 5 of Hayate x Blade (Okazu)
Kris on Hey, Sensei? (Manic About Manga)
Kris on Oishinbo A La Carte: Japanese Cuisine (Manic About Manga)
Kate Dacey on Oishinbo A La Carte: Vegetables (The Manga Critic)
James Fleenor on vol. 2 of Samurai Harem (Anime Sentinel)
Jason Punda on vol. 1 of Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro (Manga Jouhou)
Connie on vol. 1 of Totally Captivated (Slightly Biased Manga)
Lorena Nava Ruggero on vol. 3 of Two Flowers for the Dragon (i heart manga)
Connie on vol. 8 of We Were There (Slightly Biased Manga)
Julie on Word of a Gentleman (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Rob on vol. 1 of Yotsuba&! (Panel Patter)

ICv2 has an interview up with Dark Horse CEO Mike Richardson, and part two is where he talks about manga. His take: Shoujo brought in a lot of new readers, but that market seems to have peaked. Dark Horse appeals to a different audience:

Dark Horse has been in sort of a different area of manga, focusing on specific creators and titles, probably more likely to be science fiction, fantasy, or horror and not so much shojo although we have had some and continue to have some. We’re probably less affected by the trends in the book market that the bookstores created.

It’s true that Dark Horse manga appeal to the traditional comics-shop market rather than the bookstore-centered shoujo titles; Richardson says their best-selling series is Lone Wolf & Cub, which got its start in comics stores rather than bookstores.

The New York Times best-seller list is up, and it’s heavy on the Viz this week.

The Comics Village team make their recommendations from the past week’s new releases.

Lori Henderson presents her handy digest of the week’s manga news at Manga Xanadu.

For those who missed it, Deb Aoki summarizes and provides transcripts of Tokyopop’s recent webcast in which CEO Stu Levy talked about fan translations, making movies, and global manga.

Erica Friedman focuses on some new yuri manga to look forward to in her weekly yuri roundup at Okazu.

At Mania.com, Chris Beveridge comments on the recent trend toward omnibuses, especially at Del Rey.

MTV has some preview pages of the upcoming Gossip Girl manga. (Via Comics Worth Reading.)

Gia Manry lists some anime and manga released this year that… er… exceeded expectations at Anime Vice.

Y! Gallery is looking for some new staffers. (Via Kuriousity.)

News from Japan: Boys Over Flowers manga-ka Yoko Kamio has a new manga in the works for Bessatsu Margaret magazine, and Beck creator Harold Sakuishi has a manga about Shakespeare in the works. Meanwhile, Tooko Mizuno is bringing Haruka-Beyond the Stream of Time to an end. The last volume of Bokurano, vol. 11, will include a previously unpublished spinoff.

Reviews

John Thomas on vol. 1 of Akira (Comics Village)
Connie on vol. 1 of Baby & Me (Slightly Biased Manga)
Andre on vol. 2 of Bamboo Blade (Kuriousity)
Cynthia on Black-Winged Love (Boys Next Door)
Andre on Crimson Shell (Kuriousity)
Derik Badman on A Drifting Life (Madinkbeard)
Megan M. on vol. 1 of Dystopia (Manga Bookshelf)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 10 of Emma (Comics Worth Reading)
Connie on vols. 28 and 29 of Eyeshield 21 (Slightly Biased Manga)
Joy Kim on vols. 20 and 21 of Fullmetal Alchemist (Joy Kim)
Ken Haley on .hack//Legend of the Twilight: The Complete Collection (Manga Recon)
Bill Sherman on .hack//Legend of the Twilight: The Complete Collection (BlogCritics)
Susan S. on vol. 1 of Happy Boys (Manga Jouhou)
Matthew Warner on vol. 1 of Happy Boys (Mania.com)
Michelle Smith on vols. 6-8 of Kaze Hikaru (Soliloquy in Blue)
Lorena Nava Ruggero on vol. 1 of Lizard Prince (MangaCast)
Cynthia on Love Skit (Boys Next Door)
Connie on vol. 1 of Madness (Manga Recon)
Lorena Nava Ruggero on vol. 3 of The Name of the Flower (i heart manga)
Connie on vol. 20 of Nana (Slightly Biased Manga)
Erica Friedman on vol. 3 of Octave (Okazu)
Connie on vol. 28 of One Piece (Slightly Biased Manga)
Danielle Leigh on vol. 2 of Ooku (Comics Should Be Good)
Julie on vol. 8 of Parasyte (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Laura on vol. 3 of Pig Bride (Heart of Manga)
Clive Owen on vol. 8 of Rosario + Vampire (Animanga Nation)
Julie on The Sheikh’s Reluctant Bride (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Cynthia on vol. 3 of Tea for Two (Boys Next Door)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Tsubasa Album de Reproductions (Comics Worth Reading)
Julie on vol. 7 of The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Lori Henderson on the December issue of Yen Plus (Manga Xanadu)
Sarah Boslaugh on vol. 2 of Yokaiden (PLAYBACK:stl)

Aimee Levitt of the (St. Louis) Riverfront Times goes to Bishie Con and reports back on what she saw. The story attracted some commentary at The Yaoi Review, but considering the foreignness of the subject matter to both the reporter and the intended audience, it didn’t seem too bad. Several people say in comments at TYR that they were misquoted, which is unfortunate, but they seem happy with the publicity. Another theme that emerges in comments is that Twilight fans are really yaoi fans. Really?

At Icarus Comics, Simon Jones puts the nook through its paces as a comics reader, and he provides a link to one of his adult comics so readers can try it for themselves. His description sounded sort of buggy to me; he found a lot of fixes for the problems, but someone (like me) who is impatient and not particularly technologically inclined would probably throw the thing out the window.

David Welsh’s latest license request is Shoujo Manga, one of the manga honored in the recent Japan Media Arts Festival Awards.

Looking for something to read? Danielle Leigh suggests 10 underrated shoujo manga in her latest Manga Before Flowers column at Comics Should Be Good, and Lori Henderson picks the best of this week’s all-ages comics and manga at Good Comics for Kids.

Digital is running a contest starting at noon (PST) today: Rent any Harlequin manga at their eManga site and you are entered in a contest for a free copy of vol. 1 of Itazura Na Kiss. And Lori Henderson is giving away a set of the trilogy The Color of Earth, The Color of Water, the Color of Heaven at Manga Xanadu.

Erica Friedman invites Okazu readers to ask her their burning questions.

News from Japan: A number of news sites have sprung up recently that give the news in manga form; from this survey, it looks like readers don’t know they exist but might read them if they did. Also interesting: Slightly more people report reading manga, at least occasionally, than admit to reading newspapers. Here’s a sample, all in Japanese, of course. Barefoot Gen artist Keiji Nakazawa will give his original drawings for the manga to the Hiroshima Peace Museum.

Reviews: Stop that train! Today’s review of the day is Noah Berlatsky’s meditation on Yuichi Yokoyama’s Travel at comiXology.

Todd Douglass on vol. 1 of Beast Master (Blogcritics)
Emily on Boyfriend (Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page)
Snow Wildsmith on Boys Love (Fujoshi Librarian)
Kate Dacey on Butterflies, Flowers and Natsume’s Book of Friends (The Manga Critic)
Jason Yadao on vol. 1 of A Distant Neighborhood (Otaku Ohana)
Joy Kim on vols. 1-3 of Fairy Tail (Joy Kim)
Jessica Severs on The Ghost in the Shell (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Nick Smith on vol. 1 of King of RPGs (ICv2)
Julie on Millionaire Husband (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Greg McEhlatton on vol. 1 of Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture (Read About Comics)
Connie on vol. 19 of Nana (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 27 of One Piece (Slightly Biased Manga)
Melinda Beasi on vol. 9 of One Thousand and One Nights (Manga Bookshelf)
Derik Badman on vol. 1 of Ooku: The Inner Chambers (Madinkbeard)
Andre on vol. 1 of Queen of Ragtonia (Kuriousity)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 2 of Rasetsu (Mania.com)
John Zakrzewski on vol. 1 of Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei (Mania.com)
Phil Guie on World of Warcraft: Death Knight (Manga Recon)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 14 of xxxHolic (Mania.com)

So, the new Comics Journal/Journalista site turned into scrambled eggs while I was having a busy week, and it took me a while to get it sorted out, but now that I have, I’m impressed. The new writers include Anne Ishii, Roland Kelts, and Shaenon Garrity (creator of the single greatest manga feature ever, Overlooked Manga Festival), and the site will soon be hosting one of my favorite blogs, The Hooded Utilitarian. And they have lots of good stuff going on right now: Shaenon gives a quick course in Fumi Yoshinaga, Roland reviews the Rough Guides to Anime and Manga, and Anne takes a look at insiders’ picks for the best manga of the year. Oh, and I found Journalista; it’s right here. So go, click, subscribe, bookmark, etc.

Speaking of site changes, Lissa Pattillo of Kuriousity has launched a companion site, Boys-Luv.com, about—well, you know. And back at the home front, she has some questions about her readers’ preferences for design and content.

Writer, editor, and ultimate manga authority Jason Thompson is the guest on the latest Anime World Order podcast.

At The Anime Almanac, Scott VonSchilling courageously revisits his 2009 predictions on anime and manga.

Professional translators Alethea and Athena Nibley give their opinion of fan translators at Manga Life.

David Welsh continues his trek through the shoujo-sunjeong alphabet with the letter I.

News from Japan: If you ever wondered what Naruto would look like if he were drawn by Takeshi Obata or Akira Toriyama, check out the new Naruto fan book, with homages by a variety of prominent manga artists.

Reviews: If you only have time to read one review today, make it David Welsh’s entertaining take on vol. 1 of Butterflies, Flowers at Precocious Curmudgeon.

Connie on vol. 9 of Arm of Kannon (Slightly Biased Manga)
Michelle Smith on vols. 6-8 of Black Cat (Soliloquy in Blue)
Snow Wildsmith on vol. 1 of Four-Eyed Prince (Good Comics for Kids)
Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane on vol. 9 of Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden (Manga Life)
Julie on Honor’s Promise (Manga Maniac Cafe)
D.M. Evans on vol. 1 of Jack Frost (Manga Jouhou)
Lorena Nava Ruggero on vol. 8 of Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (i heart manga)
Noah Berlatsky on vol. 2 of Ooku the Inner Chamber (The Comics Journal)
Connie on vol. 7 of Real (Slightly Biased Manga)
Snow Wildsmith on vol. 1 of Time and Again (ICv2)
Barb Lien-Cooper on vols. 5 and 6 of Yotsuba&! (Manga Life)