MangaBlog

At PopCultureShock’s Manga Recon blog, Kate Dacey retools the Weekly Recon to include the complete release list plus her top picks.

Down at the Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie goes over the manga she’ll be buying from the latest issue of Previews.

Erica Friedman interviews yuri manga translator Anastasia Moreno at Okazu. Also: Yuri news highlights for the past week.

At Kuri-ousity, Lissa Pattillo notes that the Go! Comi folks have posted the covers of 07-Ghost on their DeviantArt site, and she likes what she sees. Also: Free Comic Book Day, manga-style!

In her latest Panelosophy column at ComiPress, Chloe Ferguson thinks it’s time for mainstream reporters to get a clue when writing about manga.

The Broccoli folks have posted a preview of vol. 1 of Nui.

Want to win a copy of Haridama from Del Rey? Deb Aoki at About.com has the scoop.

News from Japan: ANN reports that Arina Tanemura will wind up The Gentlemens Alliance+ and start a new series, Mistress Fortune, in the July issue of Ribon magazine. Also, Ayumi Komura, creator of Mixed Vegetables (to be released here by Viz) has started a new manga, Joō-sama no Tamago (Queen’s Egg), in Margaret magazine. ComiPress has the news that since Peach-Pit shifted Rozen Maiden from Comic BIRZ to Young Jump, Shueisha will re-release the already published volumes under its Young Jump imprint. At the MangaCast, Ed starts his big list of Japanese releases with the ero manga for May.

News from Germany: Manly Manga and More has the new release list for May.

Reviews: David Welsh reviews vol. 1 of Dororo and makes some good points along the way, at Precocious Curmudgeon. Carlo Santos finds much to like about vol. 1 of Hotel Africa at ANN. Julie checks out vol. 6 of Love*Com at the Manga Maniac Cafe. At Kuri-ousity, Lissa Pattillo reads Sensitive Pornograph, vol. 8 of Air Gear, and vol. 6 of Genju no Seiza. Manga Junkie Shizuki has a detailed writeup on vol. 8 of Cat Street, a Japanese title. At Active Anime, Scott Campbell has an advance review of vol. 19 of Whistle, Holly Ellingwood takes a sneak peek at Endless Rain, and Rachel Bentham checks out Better Than a Dream. Dave Ferraro observes Manga Monday with a stack of short reviews at Comics-and-More. Michell reads vols. 30, 31, and 32 of InuYasha at Soliloquy in Blue. Lori Henderson reviews vol. 2 of Phantom and vol. 4 of Genju no Seiza, and daughter Krissy recommends vol. 1 of Kingdom Hearts, at Manga Xanadu. At Anime on DVD, Greg Hackmann reads a light novel, vol. 1 of Missing, and Gary Thompson looks at vol. 9 of Eden. Erica Friedman reviews vol. 3 of Ninin ga Shinobuden at Okazu.

At ComicSnob, Matt Blind posts this week’s new manga and asks whether anyone is interested in criticism, rather than just reviews of brand-new books. For the record: I am!

Chloe looks at online sales numbers at Shuchaku-East and finds some interesting results.

At MangaCast, Ed has the 411 on new titles from Yaoi Press, Udon, and Infinity, and he notes that Udon and Tokyopop are teaming up on the WarCraft and StarCraft titles. He also posts on Mangazenkan, a store that sells only complete sets of manga.

News from Japan: Canned Dogs has a breakdown of the readership of Zero-Sum and the other Ichijinsha magazines by age and gender.

Reviews: Erin F. reviews two Fanfare/Ponent Mon books, The Ice Wanderer and Disappearance Diary, at PopCultureShock. Kethylia enjoyed Disappearance Diary as well. Julie reviews vol. 1 of A Strange and Mystifying Story at MangaCast and vol. 12 of Skip Beat! at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Snow Wildsmith checks out All Nippon Air Lines at Manga Jouhou. Ferdinand reads vol. 1 of Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro at Prospero’s Manga.

The Go! Comi crew have been in Japan, and I guess they have been busy there, because I just got this press release about their newest license, 07-Ghost, by Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara. The manga is serialized in Ichijinsha’s Zero-Sum magazine, and volume 6 is due out in Japan this month. It looks like 07-Ghost has quite a following here already, thanks to scanlations; it already has its own LJ community.

GO! COMI TO PUBLISH 07-GHOST

Los Angeles, CA, May 5 2008 – Manga publisher Go! Comi announced today that they will be publishing one of the most hotly-anticipated new manga series, 07-Ghost.

Set in a gothic fantasy world, 07-Ghost tells the story of Teito, a former slave who is now pursued by the forces of the Barsburg Empire because of his exceptional ability to use a form of magic called Zaiphon. Teito’s discovery of his true nature and his subsequent quest for revenge involve him in the affairs of the Gods themselves, as he finds himself at the center of the conflict between Verloren, the God of Death, and the mysterious “beings of light” sent by Heaven to oppose him: the Seven Ghosts.

“We’re thrilled to be presenting this incredible series in the U.S.,” said Go! Comi Creative Director Audry Taylor. “With its amazing artwork, exciting characters, and engrossing story, 07-Ghost is truly a cut above. It appeals to all types of manga fans across the board.” Taylor added, “We’ve actually had many fans request that we license this series. They know we’ll give 07-Ghost the same level of excellence that got us nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Presentation of Japanese Material last year, with the finest translation and the highest production values.”

07-Ghost was originally published by Ichijinsha in Zero Sum Magazine. There are currently six volumes, and the series is still running. A drama CD based on the series was recently released in Japan. Go! Comi’s edition of Volume One will be published in January.

ABOUT GO! COMI: Go! Comi is known for its exciting manga series and top-notch production values. Among its publications are the Bookscan best-sellers Tenshi Ja Nai!! and Her Majesty’s Dog, and the Eisner Award-nominated After School Nightmare, which was named one of the Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens of 2008 by the Young Adult Library Services Association. Two other Go! Series, Train + Train and Cantarella, have also been cited by the YALSA Great Graphic Novels list.

Free Comic Book Day is tomorrow, and ANN takes a look at the manga-related titles on offer, while Dorian runs through all the titles at Postmodern Barney.

The MangaCast team critiques this week’s new manga. Also: manga mavens Ed Chavez, Jason Thompson, and Rob Tokar cross over to endorse the Japanese magazine Morning Two, and Ed spots some new titles from Deux and Aurora.

Christopher Butcher preps for Anime North by asking his readers: What is the hot manga that everyone will be wanting but is currently not on my radar?

Almost everybody just loves Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms, so it’s interesting to read Oyceter’s more nuanced view, as well as the ensuing discussion in comments. (Via When Fangirls Attack, as are a number of the other links in this post.)

Design student SZE discusses manga genres, with examples.

du9 takes a look at the French comics market in 2007.

David Welsh looks at the Viz website and thinks about what is not there as well as what is.

At I Am A Tree, Michelle wonders where the feminist anime and manga bloggers are.

Attention artists: Animation Kobe is accepting submissions for logos and mascots.

Takeshi Obata, artist of Death Note and Hikaru no Go, will appear at the Japan Expo in Paris, which runs from July 3-6.

Reviews: Oyceter finds vols. 3 and 4 of Kotobuki Tarako (Love Pistols) weirdly fascinating. Elizabeth Schweitzer reviews vols. 1-4 of Mamotte! Lollipop at PLAYBACK:stl. At About.com, Deb Aoki checks out vols. 1 and 2 of Dororo. EvilOmar posts some brief manga reviews at About Heroes. Ken Haley takes a look at the VIZBIG omnibus vol. 1 of Rurouni Kenshin at Manga Recon. At Okazu, Erica Friedman critiques vol. 3 of Ninin ga Shinobuden. Holly Ellingwood reads vol. 12 of Hikaru no Go and vol. 25 of The Prince of Tennis, and Rachel Bentham checks out vol. 6 of Love*Com, at Active Anime. Tiamat’s Disciple reviews two light novels, vol. 1 of Scrapped Princess and vol. 1 of Kino No Tabi. Lissa Pattillo checks out vol. 1 of The Moon and Sandals at Kuri-ousity. Julie takes a look at vol. 4 of Muhyo and Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural investigation at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Ben Leary reviews vol. 1 of Dragon Sister and Sakura Eries reads vol. 2 of Bride of the Water God at Anime on DVD.

ICv2 lists the BookScan top 20 graphic novels, and vol. 28 of Naruto tops the list. No surprise there. A little more surprising is that the number two property is vol. 4 of Vampire Knight, and vol. 19 of Fruits Basket is third. Could Vampire Knight be the next Furuba? If so, that’s bad news for Tokyopop. (As the mother of a teenager, I can tell you that vampires are huge in this age group.) Anyway, Viz took 16 of the top 20 slots, leaving just enough room for one title each for Tokyopop (Fruits Basket) and Del Rey (Fairy Tail), plus two non-manga titles from DC.

In other charts news, ANN points out that Naruto has finally exited the USA Today Booklist and a new title has entered: Volume 3 of the Warriors manga, a global title based on a popular series of YA novels.

At Manga Life, Park Cooper files his NYCC con report, including quite a bit about the ICv2 conference.

Patrick Galbraith interviews Moe USA artist Okura Atsuhisa for Akibanana. Atsuhisa also drew the manga section that appeared in Wired magazine a few months back.

Go!Look: The Go!Comi folks are in Japan right now, and they’re blogging about their experiences, with lots of pix, at the Go!Comi blog. The latest post features their meetup with Japan Ai creator Aimee Steinberger in Harajuku. And if you just can’t get enough Japan Ai, Kristy Valenti presents part two of her Steinberger column at comiXology.

News from Japan: ANN reports that the TV anime series Tenkai no Shichi Ryu is getting its own manga in V Jump magazine.

Reviews: Kethylia takes down The Push Man, maintaining, “The emperor has no clothes.” Lissa Pattillo reviews vol. 2 of The Other Side of the Mirror at Kuri-ousity. Julie gets an advance look at vol. 3 of High School Debut at the Manga Maniac Cafe. The Manga Recon team files a sheaf of brief reviews of recent releases at PopCultureShock. Scott Campbell knocks down the stack at Active Anime, filing reviews of vol. 15 of Dr. Slump, vol. 9 of D Gray-Man, and vol. 2 of Sand Chronicles, and Rachel Bentham adds her take on vol. 1 of B.O.D.Y. Park Cooper is a busy guy, too; he checks out vol. 1 of Buddha, vol. 3 of Full Metal Panic: Overload, and vol. 5 of Lunar Legend Tsukihime at Manga Life, and Shannon Fay contributes a look at vols. 4 and 5 of Cheeky Angel. Michelle reads vol. 29 of InuYasha at Soliloquy in Blue. At Anime on DVD, Briana Lawrence finds Great Place High School almost as boring as real high school, while Matthew Alexander takes a look at vol. 3 of Alive! Ferdinand takes a look at the vaguely Oz-related new title vol. 1 of Toto! at Prospero’s Manga.

Kate Dacey runs through this week’s new comics and reviews three new titles from Yen Press in her Weekly Recon post at PopCultureShock. David Welsh looks at new releases as well.

John Jakala presents the short course in yaoi, courtesy of Fumi Yoshinaga.

Erica Friedman presents yuri and yuri-ish news at Okazu. And if you have been enjoying her reviews, translations, and commentary, you may be interested to know that she is now available for freelance work. Contact info is at the blog.

Lissa Pattillo has an interesting comparison of manga and anime at Kuri-ousity.

For those who don’t mind spoilers and literary discussion, Mely looks at the themes of “duplicity and duplication” in the works of Yuki Kaori (The Cain Saga, Angel Sanctuary) at coffeeandink.

ICv2 has a brief writeup on CMX’s new title announcements from NYCC.

Same Hat! has photos from the opening of an exhibit of manga-ka Shintaro Kago’s works in Amsterdam.

Jason Thompson was there for the opening of Manga Cafe Mika.

Congratulations to Tiamat’s Disciple, of Tiamat’s Manga Reviews, who is celebrating two years on the internets.

News from Japan: Shogakukan is opening its website to fan-made comics, a new Code Geass manga is starting in Kerokero Ace, and Minoru Murao will draw the manga adaptation of the game World Destruction.

Invaeon posts the German manga release list for May at Manly Manga and More.

Reviews: Check out the latest set of reviews at Manga Village: Lori Henderson on vol. 9 of Nana, Sabrina on vol. 8 of Buso Renkin, Charles Tan on vol. 4 of King of Fighters 2003 and Death Note: Another Note, and John Thomas on vol. 1 of Dororo. It’s the battle of the Speed Racers at About.com, where Deb Aoki compares and contrasts the classic Japanese version from DMP with the newer global version from Seven Seas. Jog reviews the newest Tezuka entry from Vertical, vol. 1 of Dororo. Kethylia gets her hands on an advance copy of vol. 1 of Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro, a new 4-koma book from Yen, and gives it points for good production despite its many flaws. Tangognat reviews vol. 1 of Hellgate and vol. 1 of Heavenshield. Tiamat’s Disciple reads Chronicles of the Cursed Sword, vols. 1 and 2 of Life, and a light novel, vol. 1 of Strawberry Panic. At Kuri-ousity, Lissa Pattillo checks out vol. 3 of Innocent Bird, vol. 2 of Ichigenme, and vol. 1 of Nightmare Inspector. Julie looks at vol. 6 of D Gray-Man, vol. 3 of Hikkatsu!, vol. 1 of Honey and Clover, and vol. 2 of Sand Chronicles at the Manga Maniac Cafe. LJ’er Arial posts a long list of short reviews, which could be a handy reference if you’re looking for something to read. Erica Friedman reviews some untranslated yuri at Okazu: vol. 1 of Sasamekikoto and the light novel Escalation – Die Liebe. Ferdinand takes a look at vol. 1 of Kannazuki No Miko and vol. 1 of Heavenshield at Prospero’s Manga. Active Anime has reviews of vol. 2 of Do Whatever You Want by Sandra Scholes, vol. 4 of S.A. by Rachel Bentham, vol. 29 of Naruto by Davey C. Jones, and vol. 1 of Fairy Cube by Holly Ellingwood. Michelle reviews vols. 27 and 28 of InuYasha at Soliloquy in Blue. Danielle Van Gorder reviews vol. 1 of Fairy Tail and Matthew Alexander catches up with vol. 5 of Lunar Legend Tsukihime at Anime on DVD. At Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson’s daughter Jenny reviews vol. 5 of Dragon Drive.