MangaBlog

If you’re going to Anime Boston on March 21-23, and you’d like to meet some of your fellow bloggers, check below the cut.

We’re thinking it might be fun to meet up, maybe on Saturday morning, to chat with each other IRL. This will be very informal, probably just coffee in the food court or a nearby diner (suggestions welcome), so even if you’re not going to the show, come and join us. I’ll update this post once we decide on a time and place, and feel free to e-mail me contact info or let me know in comments that you’re coming. Kate Dacey is definitely in, and she says Erin Finnegan, Ken Haley, and Chloe Ferguson are coming as well, so a good time is guaranteed for all.

UPDATE: Urgh. My regular e-mail (brigid@mangablog.net) isn’t working today, so if you wnat to contact me directly, use this one instead: brigid.alverson@gmail.com.

Not manga, but interesting nonetheless: At Digital Strips, my colleague Jason Sigler (a.k.a. The Midnight Cartooner) talks to Michael Rouse-Deane about The Guest Strip Project, the latest creation of his fevered brain. Rouse-Deane is the creator of The Kid’s Book Project and the Tastefully Done calendar (which I’m in!), two projects that bring comics creators together on joint projects to benefit cancer research and the Make-A-Wish foundation.

Christopher Butcher surveys the graphic novel scene and concludes that Godwin’s Sturgeon’s Law applies there too: 95% is crap, and the manga is no exception. Choice quote:

Manga, especially manga, which despite being cherry-picked out off of a tree that includes some _truly_ wretched material, is often terrible thanks to its formulaic blandness. Even A Monkey Can Draw Manga was not funny, it was a warning.

And the National Post has a nice Q&A with Mr. Butcher as well.

Congratulations to Same Hat! Same Hat! on their third anniversary; they’re just a touch older than we are. Ryan just posted an update that includes their progress on the Secret Project, their con plans for this year, and more!

Here are some photos of the Manhua: Chinese Comics Now! exhibit in the UK (via ComiPress).

News from Japan: ANN has word of new manga from Kazuhiro Fujita (Ushio & Tora) and Nobuyuki Anzai (Flame of Recca).

Reviews: Carlo Santos reveiws vol. 1 of Love Attack and vol. 16 of Tsubasa, and Theron Martin reads the novel Dark Wars: The Tale of Meiji Dracula at ANN. Michelle gives vol. 10 of Ouran High School Host Club a passing grade at Soliloquy in Blue. Johanna Draper Carlson doesn’t have much to say about vol. 2 of Fool’s Gold except that she’s going to keep reading it, and she’s sticking with vol. 4 of Love*Com, too. Lori Henderson reviews vol. 1 of Phantom at Manga Xanadu. Kethylia takes a sharp look at vol. 1 of Honey and Clover and vol. 1 of Sand Chronicles. Lissa Pattillo reviews vol. 2 of Ordinary Crush and Kia Smalara checks out vol. 1 of Pumpkin Scissors at Manga Jouhou. Mangamaniac Julie reviews Everlasting Love at MangaCast, and back at the Manga Maniac Cafe she gives her take on vol. 1 of Crayon Shinchan. Tiamat’s Disciple posts his impressions of vols. 1-3 of Ray. At Active Anime, Margaret Viera looks at vol. 17 of One Piece and Holly Ellingwood moves on to vol. 19 of Fruits Basket. Connie has another manga-thon at Slightly Biased Manga, posting reviews of vol. 5 of Lunar Legend Tsukihime, Mr. Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show, vol. 2 of Let Dai, Comics Underground Japan, vol. 6 of Berserk, vol. 3 of Black Sun, Silver Moon, vol. 22 of Bleach, and vol. 6 of Click.

Missed it: I was busy with deadlines this week and didn’t catch that Danielle Leigh posted another excellent Manga Over Flowers column at Comic Book Resources. She is continuing her “manga for adults” series with titles for every taste and tendency.

Another thing I missed that is too good not to go back for is Telophase’s discovery of a manga devoted to trains and bento. Go, read, we’ll still be here when you get back.

Online manga: Tagruato presents a translation of the latest chapter of the Cloverfield manga.

The MangaCasters, plus special guest David Welsh, present their picks for best manga of 2007.

The Rising Stars of Manga competition is almost over; now is the time to vote for the People’s Choice Award. And the one titled Crabapple Crush is by Elae, of Deutsche Mangaka fame.

Speaking of Tokyopop, Rivkah Greulich addresses some of the questions raised by Johanna Draper Carlson about Tokyopop’s handling of its young global manga creators. More creators show up in comments to discuss their experiences.

David Welsh lists some manga that don’t fit comfortably into their (Japanese) assigned categories.

Erica Friedman has another excellent yuri news roundup at Okazu; of course the big story is the licensing of the Maria-sama ga Miteru anime. And she announced two contests to celebrate her upcoming 1,000th post and 1,000,000th visitor.

Kokoro Media has a brief look at the state of e-manga.

Erin Finnegan has some fun with possible sub-franchises of the Mom Cafe.

TheOtaku.com has updated its look.

Not for the easily offended: WaiWai explains why the three women arrested for burglary in Osaka are nothing like the trio in the manga Cat’s Eye: They’re too fat.

Job posting: Anime UK News is looking for a manga reviewer.

Manly Manga and More posts the German manga charts for January and February.

The SelfMadeHero manga versions of Shakespeare are now available in Singapore.

News from Japan: Always wanted to read Doraemon? Now’s your chance; 45 chapters have been put online for free. The link is to ANN, where they helpfully explain how to navigate the pages in Japanese. And look for a new Votoms manga later this month. Canned Dogs reports on some creators returning to Shounen Sunday. Gia reports on a real-life manga character who can’t quit his job. The Daily Yomiuri takes note of a new trend: manga based on novels. And the Japan Times takes a look at cosplay and its educational aspects.

Reviews: Erin Finnegan reviews vol. 3 of Heroes are Extinct, vol. 1 of King of the Lamp, and vol. 1 of Sundome at PopCultureShock’s Manga Recon. Dave White explains exactly why vol. 1 of S.A. is so mediocre at 741.5 Comics. Shigefumi Takasuka reviews Neon Genesis Evangelion for the Daily Yomiuri. Chris Mautner of Blog@Newsarama doesn’t much care for vols. 1-3 of The Guin Saga: The Seven Magi. Tangognat enjoys vol. 3 of Crossroad. Rachel Bentham reviews vol. 1 of Don’t Blame Me and Holly Ellingwood gets an early look at vol. 5 of Someday’s Dreamers: Spellbound at Active Anime. Julie checks out vol. 3 of Chunchu The Genocide Fiend at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Miranda is not amused by vol. 1 of In the End at Prospero’s Manga. At the Comic Book Bin, Leroy Douresseaux checks out vol. 1 of Selfish Mr. Mermaid. At ComicMix, Andrew Wheeler looks at three vol. 2s, of Black God, Alice on Deadlines, and Zombie-Loan.

The MangaCast team takes a hard look at this week’s new manga, and Ed has the 411 on three new titles from DMP.

The first wave of nominations for the YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens list is up, and manga is well represented. I like the range of the list, which includes both Pet Shop of Horrors Tokyo and Japan Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan, two books that are great (as in “awesome!” rather than “an epic for the ages”) in very different ways. If you feel something is missing, nominate it yourself! (H/T: Robin Brenner.)

Feministe has an interesting essay on unrealistic body images in BL comics (and a rather, er, interesting video game). (Via Journalista.)

At du9, Xavier Guilbert writes (in French) about the Salon du Livre, which included a “Manga Village” as well as a space devoted to BDs.

At Comics-and-More, Dave Ferraro discusses where he gets his comics, and he has a tip for manga fans: You’ll may get your books faster if you pre-order them.

I meant to mention this earlier: Matt Thorn dropped in on comments the other day to pimp his student’s new title, Seduce Me After the Show, due out in April from Deux. Looks yummy!

Sarah Walters provides an overview of manga for first-timers, tied to the exhibit “How Manga Took Over the World” in Manchester, UK.

Brave Story is coming to an end in Japan.

Milk and cookies with a side of weird: The Mandarake chain is opening a mother cafe in Osaka. (Warning: Swallow your coffee before reading the comment thread, or severe damage to your equipment may result.)

Congrats to blogger Matthew J. Brady on the birth of his daughter, Magnolia Rose. And yes, she is a beautiful baby!

Reviews: Ken Haley checks out vol. 1 of .hack//G.U.+, a title that sounds like it’s coughing up a hairball, at PopCultureShock’s Manga Recon blog. Michelle reads vol. 9 of Ouran High School Host Club at Soliloquy in Blue. Julie is more irritated than entertained by Voices of Love at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Erica Friedman discovers an awesome new josei/action yuri manga, Gunjou; too bad it’s in Japanese. Lissa Pattillo reviews Love Share at Manga Jouhou. At Anime on DVD, Sakura Eries checks out Deja Vu: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and vol. 14 of Fullmetal Alchemist, Briana Lawrence looks at Laugh Under the Sun, and Chris Beveridge raises his hand for Please Miss Yuri. Ed Sizemore reads vol. 1 of Minima, a book that takes a while to reach its stride, at Comics Worth Reading. Dave White critiques vols. 1-3 of My Heavenly Hockey Club, with emphasis on the art, at 741.5 Comics. At Active Anime, Rachek Bentham reviews vol. 10 of Yakitate!! Japan, Holly Ellingwood takes on vol. 2 of The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls, and Scott Campbell stares right back at vol. 3 of Dragon Eye. Jog reviews vol. 3 of Mushishi. Leroy Douresseaux reviews vol. 1 of Crayon Shinchan at The Comic Book Bin.

The villagers pick the best of this week’s new manga at Comics Village. David Welsh makes his choices as well and then adds a few more.

Johanna Draper Carlson takes a quick look at the state of josei manga at Comics Worth Reading and asks readers to suggest titles she may have missed, which makes for an interesting comments thread.

Previews talks to Dean Koontz about his upcoming comics, including Queenie Chan’s take on Odd Thomas.

Fruits Basket translators Althea and Athena Nibley write about sound effects in manga at Manga Life.

If the grey skies and melting snow of March have got you down, Bollywood Girl’s Guide to Life suggests some manga therapy.

ICv2 has more on Tokyopop’s deal with manhwa creator Hee Jung Park. A few notes on this: They actually announced this at San Diego last year, but obviously they plan a big push. I just read Fever and the art is beautiful. I’ll write a proper review soon, but suffice it to say that this book is worth your ten bucks. Miranda at Prospero’s Manga gives it four stars with a bullet. I was hoping I could send you to the website for a preview, but they don’t seem to have one up yet.

Charts news: Vol. 28 of Naruto checks in at number 73 on the USA Today Booklist, the only manga on this week’s list.

Do American and Japanese readers see things differently? Neil Cohn applies science to comics.

News from Japan: Canned Dogs notes the unexpected death of mangaka Yorishiro Tomiyuki, who had just started a new manga in Comic REX. ANN reports that Nanae Chrono, creator of Peace Maker, is starting a new manga about horse racing, Paka Run, which will run in Mag Garden’s Comic Blade. And George Morikawa’s new manga will be a Hajime no Ippo spinoff.

Ai Yazawa tops the list of favorite mangaka in Oricon’s latest poll.

At the Sunny Side Up Anime Blog, huamulan03 lists Yuu Watase fanlistings.

Time to start thinking ahead: Here’s the skinny on Yaoicon and a contest for those who pre-register for Anime Expo.

Not manga, but she’s one of our own: Ninjaconsultant Erin Finnegan is interviewed on CBS News about a weird weight-loss website she joined.

Reviews: Johanna Draper Carlson reviews Aurora’s new Teen Love manga, Voices of Love and Ed Sizemore checks out the breast-fest vol. 1 of Ral Grad at Comics Worth Reading. Here’s this week’s linep at Comics Village: Dan Polley on vol. 5 of Kitchen Princess, Charles Tan on vol. 2 of Death Note, John Thomas on Tekkonkinkreet, Lori Henderson on vol. 2 of Andromeda Stories, and the singly-named Sabrina on vol. 1 of Antique Bakery. BrianP gets a laugh from vol. 1 of Crayon Shinchan at MangaCast. EvilOmar posts a handful of Midweek Manga Reviews at About Heroes. At Anime News Network, Carl Kimlinger isn’t crazy about vol. 1 of Hell Girl. Lissa Pattillo has no trouble seeing Invisible Love, at Manga Jouhou. Ferdinand yawns at Please Miss Yuri and laughs at vol. 1 of Crayon Shinchan at Prospero’s Manga. Erica Friedman reviews vol. 2 of Maria’s Wink, an anthology of Maria-sama ga Miteru doujinshi, and the light novel Shiroyuki Gakuen Oneesama Itadakimasu! at Okazu. At the Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie is meh about vol. 7 of Inubaka but “thoroughly enjoyed” vol. 1 of Yakuza in Love. Ben Leary gives thumbs up to vol. 1 of Outcast and Danielle Van Gorder enjoys Crushing Love at Anime on DVD. Holly Ellingwood reviews vol. 2 of Wild Ones and Sandra Scholes looks at vol. 3 of In the Starlight at Active Anime. At Manga Life, Matthew J. Brady reads vol. 1 of With the Light and Tekkonkinkreet, and David Rasmussen reviews vol. 1 of Dino Wars. Connie reads and comments on vol. 9 of Saint Seiya, vol. 10 of Law of Ueki, and vol. 6 of After School Nightmare at Slightly Biased Manga.

First of all, thank you all for your kind wishes on my blogiversary post! I think the best part of manga blogging has been being a part of this great community of readers and writers.

Secondly, sorry to be lame on the first day of my fourth year, but I was wrapping up some freelance articles this morning, and Paying Work Comes First. I’ll be back later with the day’s news, but in the meantime, here’s a press release from Tokyopop that bears a second look because they are signing directly with a creator, rather than licensing titles from a publisher. Feel free to post opinions and speculation in the comments section.

TOKYOPOP Signs Korea’s Top Female Manga Creator,
Hee Jung Park, to Multi-Book Publishing Deal

Company Set to Release Four Titles in 2008:
Fever, Hotel Africa, Martin and John, and Too Long

Los Angeles, CA (March 5, 2008)―TOKYOPOP, the leader of the global manga revolution, is thrilled to announce a multi-book publishing deal with Korea’s hottest female manga creator, Hee Jung Park. In 2008, TOKYOPOP will release Fever (March), Hotel Africa (April), Martin and John (July) and Too Long (August). The company will premiere each of these stunning new series on its web site (www.TOKYOPOP.com) as well as on its MySpace profile (www.Myspace.com/TOKYOPOP). The free previews are part of a year-long effort—which will also include contests and giveaways, convention promotions, and online features—to promote the luscious artwork and sophisticated storytelling of this innovative global manga creator.

According to TOKYOPOP Editor-in-Chief Rob Tokar, “Hee Jung Park is a phenomenal talent as well as a manga superstar. Along with her bestselling sequential art, her work has been collected in art books and gallery shows around the world. “Inventive”, “unusual” and “sophisticated” are words that often arise in discussions about Ms. Park’s manga classics and we are both excited and proud to publish them.”

About the Books:

Fever: (March)
High school student Hyung-in has never been the same since her friend committed suicide. Fed up with her prestigious school and the expectations of her family, she just wants out. And, when she meets an orphan and a strange country-boy on the bus, she begins an unexpected journey into the unknown, at a mysterious place called “Fever.”

Hotel Africa: (April)
Alone, in the middle of the Utah desert, lies the Hotel Africa, where anything is possible. A world of joy, heartache, and friendship has traveled through its doors. Follow along with Elvis, our narrator, as he brings the history of this desolate hotel to life, weaving tales of his widowed mother, an unlikely pair of vagabonds, and a strange hotel guest…

Martin and John: (July)
Three different stories about three different men named Martin and three different men named John…Confused? So are they…about love, relationships and especially their feelings. This collection of stories take place in different places, in different times—all about a man named Martin and a man named John, and the struggle for love between them.

Too Long: (August)
A girl who seems to attract suicide victims, a shy record store customer in love with a female employee, the star of a band who’s in love with an average girl—these are just a few of the characters encountered in this collection of poignant short stories!