MangaBlog

In this week’s PWCW, Kai-Ming Cha interviews Kurt Hassler about the recent changes at Yen Press, and Erin Finnegan reports on MangaNEXT, which took place last weekend.

ICv2 has an article on October’s top 20 graphic novels, as tracked by BookScan, but because they don’t provide an actual list, it’s a bit hard to decipher. Suffice it to say that while Watchmen topped the chart, 15 of the 20 titles on the list were manga.

The MangaCast folks post this week’s new releases, and what they think of them. Over at Comics Village, the villagers list their picks as well.

At Pretty, Fizzy Paradise, Kalinara wonders about tthe preponderance of josei manga on a recent “harmful to youth” list and wonders how many of the guys’ comics get tagged. (Via When Fangirls Attack.) Also via WFA: An interesting discussion on viola_canina’s LJ of sexism in manga and a brief article on moe and the Japanese ideal woman.

Futabasha has posted a Jiro Taniguchi story, the first chapter of Sensei no Kaban (The Teacher’s Briefcase), online for free. It’s in Japanese but lovely to look at even if you don’t speak the language.

Tezuka Productions will be putting 700 of Osamu Tezuka’s manga and 100 anime online for free. The plan is to eventually get all his works online and to have sister sites in English and Korean. Unfortunately, at the moment you have to use a Windows software plugins, so Mac users are left out of the party. Hopefully this unfortunate oversight will be rectified soon!

Adam Stephanides compares the manga and TV versions of MPD Psycho at Completely Futile.

Melinda Beasi muses on gender roles in Fruits Basket at there it is, plain as daylight.

Translators Alethea and Athena Nibley discuss the challenges of translation at Manga Life.

Scott, an actual doctor, provides medical notes for vol. 1 of Black Jack at Polite Dissent.

Job postings: Square Enix needs an English editor in Tokyo; fanfic experience a plus. Comics Village is looking for writers and an associate/editor reviewer. If you’re a beginning writer, this is a great way to get your words out there and get noticed. Plus, free manga!

News from Japan: Nosatsu Junkie is coming to an end. Happy news from Nodame Cantabile creator Tomoko Ninomiya: She gave birth to a son on October 24. And doesn’t 3,005 grams sound more impressive than 6.6 lbs.? That’s the metric system for ya.

Reviews: Ed Sizemore enjoys vols. 2 and 3 of Yumekui Kenbun: Nightmare Inspector but fears they will go the way of Planetes, admired by critics but unread by the rest of the world. Dave Ferraro reviews Bat-Manga! at Comics-and-More. Lissa Pattillo reads vol. 2 of You’re So Cool, vol. 9 of +Anima, and vol. 2 of Kaze no Hana. Julie checks out vol. 1 of The Flat Earth/Exchange, vol. 6 of High School Debut, and vol. 2 of Silver Diamond. Ferdinand reviews vol. 1 of Mixed Vegetables and Wanted at Prospero’s Manga. Emily’s latest find is Hikitateyaku no Koi at Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page. Greg McElhatton reviews vols. 1 and 2 of Black Lagoon at Read About Comics. Tangognat checks out the VizBig edition of vol. 1 of Vagabond. New at Manga Recon: Sam Kusek on vol. 23 of Hunter x Hunter, Isaac Hale on vol. 1 of Martin & John, and two sets of brief reviews, Manga Minis and The Otaku Bookshelf. John Thomas reviews Bat-Manga! and Katherine Farmar reads vol. 2 of Voice or Noise at Comics Village. Connie is deep into several series at Slightly Biased Manga: vol. 9 of Monster, vol. 30 of Oh My Goddess, and Hino Horror 12: Mystique Mandala of Hell. Snow Wildsmith checks out Shy Intentions at Fujoshi Librarian. At Manic About Manga, Kris reads vols. 1 and 2 of Magical JxR, vols. 1, 2, and 3 of Star Project Chiro, Tomorrow’s Ulterior Motives, Barefoot Waltz, You Make My Head Spin, and Ginger Mayerson’s yaoi novel The Pajama Boy. I haven’t been to The Comic Book Bin in a while (no RSS feed=I forget they exist), but Leroy Douresseaux has recently posted reviews of vol. 2 of Sugar Princess: Skating to Win, I Luv Halloween: Ultimate Twisted Edition, Love + Alpha, vol. 8 of Kurohime, The Devil’s Secret, vol. 13 of Nana, vol. 3 of B.O.D.Y., and Total Surrender. Michelle Smith reviews a Japanese title, vol. 2 of Touch, at Soliloquy in Blue. Deb Aoki gives you the pros and cons of Solanin and vol. 1 of Higurashi: When They Cry at About.com. New at Manga Life: David Rasmussen on vols. 2 and 3 of Gun Blaze West, Joy Kim on vol. 6 of Crayon Shinchan, and Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane on vol. 3 of B.O.D.Y. and vol. 11 of Ouran High School Host Club.

Today is the Super Bowl of democracy. It’s going to be a busy day. Try to vote in mid-afternoon to avoid the long lines, and if you can’t, do that, bring a good book and plan on being patient. And smile at the poll workers—they’re working a long day for peanuts, just because it’s the right thing to do.

I posted a week ago about verifying your registration, so you won’t have any problem, right? If you still don’t know where to go or what to do, there’s a widget on the right-hand side of this blog that will lead you to vote411.org, a nonpartisan website with links to help you find your polling place and other useful information.

If you are a registered voter, insist on your right to vote. If someone challenges you, stay calm but continue to assert your rights. Here are three hotlines to call if you have a problem at the polls:

1-866-MYVOTE1 (866-698-6831)
1-866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (en Español)

If all else fails, exercise your right to vote via provisional ballot. If the election is close (and no one would bother challenging you if they didn’t expect the election to be close), the ballot will be opened and, if your registration is verified, it will be counted. I work for a mayor who was elected by a single vote, so I’m a believer on this one.

One more thing: Emotions are running high, and everyone thinks it will be the end of the world if the other guy is elected. Not so. That single vote that put the mayor into office wasn’t mine. I voted for his opponent, whom I thought was smarter and would more effective. I was wrong. Over the next few years, I watched this mayor steer the city through a financial crisis, smooth over political divisions, and build a much-needed new middle school. Within a year I had changed my assessment of him; now, seven years later, I work for him. So even if you think the winner is a total nincompoop, don’t turn your back. Stay involved. Be open to the possibility that the new guy might do OK, and if that doesn’t happen, start working to change things.

But first, vote! Otherwise you’re not allowed to complain for four years.

The good news is that you won’t need a provisional ballot to vote for your favorite Claymore character at the Otaku USA site. The bad news is that the Claymores all look pretty much alike, so the campaign posters will be monotonous. Vote anyway; no one said democracy would be easy.

ICv2 has dire news from Borders Barnes & Noble: According to an internal memo, sales are down and their graphic novel buys are being cut 30-60% in November and December. If you’re a glutton for this sort of thing, Tom Spurgeon has posted a lengthy meditation on comics and hard economic times at The Comics Reporter and then followed up with more thoughts from other people. It’s more about the general comics marketplace than just manga, but there are some interesting points to be made.

Erin Finnegan missed the chance to pick up urology manga on her last trip to Book-Off, but she digs up some examples on the web instead.

The Powells blog is featuring a preview of that Bat-Manga book that everyone is talking about.

Erica Friedman presents the week in review, yuri-wise, at Okazu.

Reviews: Bad Jew gets into the Election Day spirit with reviews of Eagle and First President of Japan at Sleep Is For the Weak. In case you can’t get enough of these things, Nadia Oxford recommends five horror manga at Mania.com. New reviews at Comics Village: John Thomas on vol. 1 of Afro Samurai, Lissa Pattillo on Ruff Love, Katherine Farmar on vol. 1 of Voice or Noise, Dan Polley on vol. 8 of Kitchen Princess, and Charles Tan on vol. 1 of Old Boy. I’m a little late getting to this, but About Heroes posts some Halloween-themed manga reviews. Connie files a heap of reviews at Slightly Biased Manga: vol. 2 of Category: Freaks, vol. 1 of Suihelibe, vol. 1 of Cat-Eyed Boy, vol. 8 of Monster, vol. 2 of Cipher, vol. 6 of Crayon Shinchan, vol. 1 of Venus in Love, and vol. 2 of I Hate You More Than Anyone. Snow Wildsmith checks out Great Place High School and vols. 1-2 of Don’t Blame Me at Manga Jouhou. Erica Friedman reads vol. 1 of Nemurubaka at Okazu.

The MangaCast crew picks the best of last week’s new manga, and Manga Recon has a cover gallery for this week’s new titles. And Hazel looks to the future with a list of November releases.

Heidi MacDonald posts an entire story from vol. 1 of Osamu Tezuka’s Black Jack at The Beat.

Electric Ant, the new zine by Same Hat bloggers Ryan Sands and Evan Hayden, is out, and you can read samples and order your very own copy at the Electric Ant website.

Lets fall asleep takes a look at comics artists who influenced Taiyo Matusmoto, creator of Tekkonkinkreet. Click for awesome art!

Chip Kidd’s Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan is getting lots of attention; Joe (Jog) McCulloch and Kai-Ming Cha weigh in with their thoughts.

Madame Otaku presents the ten commandments of shoujo manga. Since she’s in the target demographic herself, she knows whereof she speaks!

Erica Friedman posts her con report on MangaNEXT at Okazu.

The Youth Welfare Office in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, is apparently tasked with looking over manga magazines and singling out those that are possibly harmful to young people. Wouldn’t you love that job? Anyway, they are being extra diligent lately and have singled out six that are especially desirable most deleterious to our youth.

At Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson questions the wisdom of replacing Slam Dunk with Tegami Bachi in Shonen Jump.

Matt Blind carpet-bombs us with online sales numbers at Rocket Bomber, posting the top 500 selling manga, a summary of rankings, new releases and pre-orders, and emerging trends for the week just ended.

Animanga Nation, one of the best review sites around, is adding original web manga to the mix. Normally this would make me groan, but these guys are a class act so I’m expecting great things.

Finding Dulcinea wishes Osamu Tezuka a happy birthday!

News from Japan: ANN has lots of reports of new manga launches: Shoujo superstar Arina Tanemura has a new title in the works, Sakura-Hime Kaiden, to launch in the January issue of Ribon magazine. Takeshi Konomi is launching a new Prince of Tennis manga in Jump Square in March. The December issue of Ciao will feature two new series: Kumappuri, by Sayuri Tatsuyama, and Ultra Hanamaru Z Gumi!!!, a school manga by Mariko Kodaka. Aria and Aqua creator Kozue Amano has a new series, Amanchu!, starting up in the next issue of Comic Blade. And the gag manga Chagecha, by Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo creator Yoshio Sawai, will come to an end after an 8-issue run in Shonen Jump.

Reviews: Phil Guie reviews Yonen Buzz: Plastic Chew and the staff pitches in for short takes on Halloween-friendly manga and other assorted titles at Manga Recon. Dan Grendell focuses on new and classic horror manga in his Manga Zubon column at Comic Pants. Snow Wildsmith pulls Maid in Heaven off the shelf at Fujoshi Librarian. At Read About Comics, Greg McElhatton is not impressed by vol. 1 of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Official Casebook. Casey Brienza reviews vol. 3 of Tactics and Theron Martin looks at vol. 1 of Vampire Hunter D, the novel, at ANN. Michelle Smith reads vol. 9 of Ghost Hunt at Soliloquy in Blue. Kate, an actual teenager, explains why Bleach is so awesome. Lissa Pattillo reviews vol. 1 of MPD-Psycho, vol. 1 of Cross X Break, and all of Hana-Kimi at Kuriousity. Julie checks out Romantic Illusions at MangaCast and vol. 11 of D.Gray-Man at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Clive Owen reads vol. 3 of Gun Blaze West at Animanga Nation. Deb Aoki goes from one extreme to the other with reviews of the dark and bloody Goth and the kid-friendly COWA! at About.com. Sean Collins reviews a new PictureBox release, Monster Men Bureiko Lullaby, at Attentiondeficitdisorderly Too Flat. (Via Journalista.)

Happy Halloween! If you’re just now getting into the spirit of the season, Lori Henderson lists some Halloween-friendly manga at Manga Xanadu.

The DramaQueen folks clarify the timing of their first new release in a while, vol. 1 of Tyrant Falls in Love: It’s coming out this November, not next September. They will be publishing a heap of yaoi titles first, possibly getting RUSH back into action in December, and then working on their manhwa titles (which are excellent and don’t attract enough attention, IMHO). If registration is required for that link, go to Kuriousity, where Lissa Pattillo has the full scoop.

At Comics Worth Reading, Johanna Draper Carlson talks to Kat and Mouse creator Alex de Campi about her book and the situation at Tokyopop. Also: The upcoming issues of Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat will include video game coverage, and Johanna applauds them for covering video games for girls.

MangaNEXT is this weekend. I went to the first MangaNEXT—it was my first con—and had a great time. Unfortunately, election time is my busy season so I won’t be able to make it this year, but the Ninja Consultants will be there, and lots of other great folks besides, so check it out if you can take the time off.

On the other coast, if you’re heading to APE this weekend, be sure to stop by the Bang Gang table and pick up a copy of Electric Ant, the new zine by the guys who brought you Same Hat! Same Hat! And they whet our appetite with an excerpt from their interview with manga maven Frederick Schodt.

Words fail me: A Japanese man has gathered over 1,000 signatures on a petition to allow marriage between humans and comic characters. It seems to me that this would also force the government to allow polygamy (or, more likely, polyandry).

Reviews: Get Backers and Papillon are fodder for the Manga Pulse podcast. Noah Berlatsky is not too impressed with vols. 1-2 of The Guin Saga Manga: The Seven Magi at Hooded Utilitarian. Leroy Douresseaux reads a seasonal pick, I Luv Halloween: Ultimate Twisted Edition, at The Comic Book Bin. Michelle Smith reads vol. 8 of Ghost Hunt at Soliloquy in Blue. New reviews at Manga Life: Joy Kim on vol. 5 of Venus in Love, Ysabet Rienhardt MacFarlane on vol. 9 of Crimson Hero, and David Rasmussen on vol. 6 of the Inu Yasha Ani-Manga. At Okazu, Erica Friedman gives her take on vol. 1 of Octave and vol. 1 of Hayate Cross Blade. Julie reads vol. 6 of My Heavenly Hockey Club at the Manga Maniac Cafe. At Kuriousity, Lissa Pattillo takes a look at vol. 2 of Kieli and vol. 7 of Ghost Hunt.