MangaBlog

Check out this week’s USA Today best-seller list, for the week ending December 30 (number in parentheses is last week’s rank):

78. Naruto, vol. 27 (135)
89. Naruto, vol. 26 (228)
96. Warriors: Warrior’s Refuge (0)
113. Naruto, vol. 25 (312)

Given that Diary of a Wimpy Kid, all of Stephanie Meyer’s YA novels, and all the Golden Compass books behaved similarly, I think we can safely attribute this to a lot of the younger generation using the gift cards Grandma sent them for Christmas. BTW, I haven’t checked, but this may be the first time that five works of sequential art have made the list at once (since everyone seems to regard Diary of a Wimpy Kid as a comic).

Although the best-of lists started coming out months ago, people are now beginning to summarize 2007 in earnest. Here’s what I found in the mangaverse.

Kai-Ming Cha lists the ten best manga of 2007. Topping the list: Tekkonkinkreet, which also picked up five votes in their critics’ poll of all comics.

Simon Jones says that Aurora Publishing is the biggest story of 2007, because it shows that Japanese publishers are taking an interest in setting up shop in North America, rather than simply licensing titles. And he predicts more for 2008; Ed Chavez agrees in comments.

The votes are in at About.com, where Deb Aoki lists the year’s best manga in several categories.

David Welsh looks at all the fun comics that came out in 2007.

Jog’s top-ten list includes two manga, Mushishi and Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms.

ChunHyang72 lists her ten favorite Tokyopop titles of 2007.

ComiPress posts Oricon’s top ten manga of 2007.

Khursten looks back at 2007 at Otaku Champloo.

At Comics-and-more, Dave Ferraro lists the five worst comics of the year, and Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time makes number one. And Mushishi makes Patrick Markfort’s list of his favorite comics of the year.

The Manga Recon folks present an index of all their reviews from 2007 and a report card on the past two months.

Tangognat and Kethylia review what they read in 2007. At Coffeeandink, Mely lists her December books, and she has already started her 2008 list.

At The Beat, Heidi talks to various comics pros, including Rikki Simons, about the year just completed.

In case I missed anything, ComiPress has a roundup of retrospectives.

Here’s a great resource: The Anime Blog posts the list of all manga scheduled to be released in January.

Ed Chavez welcomes the new year with a look at this week’s phonebooks, which are dressing up to usher in 2008, and he posts last week’s top-selling manga in Japan.

ComiPress rounds up coverage of Comiket.

The creator of the Vocaloid2 software has slapped a cease and desist order on a doujin circle, which complied. Commentary at the link. (Via Danny Choo, via Journalista.)

At Comicsnob, Matt Blind posts the top 150 manga and top 25 series in online sales last week.

David Welsh devotes a second Flipped column to under-rated manga.

ComiPress translates the last part of “The Reason I Quit My Job as a Manga Editor.”

The Times of India has an interesting interview with a Kamishibai storyteller. Kamishibai, which uses illustrated cards, is often regarded as a precursor to manga.

ANN reports that Tokyopop will be publishing global manga based on the Warcraft and Starcraft games.

An advance copy of Minima! is the prize in Del Rey’s latest contest.

Ed Sizemore is the newest comics reviewer at Comics Worth Reading, joining Rob Vollmar and Johanna Draper Carlson, and he jumps right in with a review of Japan Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan. Also: Johanna gets a bizarrely out-of-date copy of Tokyopop Manga magazine.

Comics Village, which launched this fall, has started carrying manga reviews, and some of the critics’ names will seem familiar to MangaBlog readers: Charles Tan on vol. 1 of Death Note, John Thomas on vol. 1 of Translucent, Lisa Patillo on vol. 1 of Nightmares for Sale, and Sabrina on vol. 1 of Flower of Life.

In other reviews: Matthew Brady finds Tezuka’s MW to be interesting, if not deep. Kethylia reads vol. 1 of Voice or Noise. At the MangaCast, Eva reviews the light novel Welcome to the N.H.K. Emily, of Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page, looks at the Japanese manga Ojousama wa Oyomesama. Tiamat’s Disciple presents an overview of another unlicensed title, IO. Manga Xanadu takes a thorough look at the December Shojo Beat and the recent changes in its lineup. Dave Ferraro finds Reptilia entertaining, despite its age, at Comics-and-more. Michelle gives vol. 24 of Basara an A+ at Soliloquy in Blue. Julie Rosato reviews Cute Beast and Greg Hackmann checks out vol. 1 of Zombie-Loan at Anime on DVD. At Prospero’s Manga, Ferdinand stretches a bit with a review of vol. 1 of Empowered. Rachel reviews vol. 1 of Vampire Hunter D at The Anime Blog. Julie takes a look at vol. 4 of Love*Com, vol. 2 of Fall in Love Like a Comic, and vol. 6 of O-Parts Hunter at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Connie checks out vol. 11 of From Eroica With Love, vol. 2 of 10, 20, and 30, vol. 1 of Andromeda Stories, vol. 2 of MPD Psycho, and vol. 2 of Roureville at Slightly Biased Manga. At Active Anime, Holly Ellingwood reviews vol. 24 of Flame of Recca, vol. 20 of Red River, and the novel Little Darling. Bill Sherman reviews vols. 26 and 27 of Naruto at Blogcritics. Leroy Doursesseaux takes a look at vol. 2 of Gyo and vol. 3 of Strawberry 100% at The Comic Book Bin.

Broccoli announced this week that they have licensed sola.

At Comicsnob, Matt Blind posts the online best-sellers for the week ending December 23, plus commentary on his methods and findings.

The 2007 retrospectives and best-of lists are still rolling in. At PopCultureShock’s Manga Recon blog, Katherine Dacey-Tsuei and
Erin F., who have already posted their favorites for the year, list the also-rans and must-read-it-this-years. Meanwhile, Precocious Curmudgeon’s David Welsh looks at the biggest stories of 2007 and rounds up critical praise for his pick for best graphic novel of 2007, Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms.

The voting is open for best josei manga of 2007 at Deb Aoki’s manga blog. It’s worth a look just to see the list Deb has compiled, especially if you’re running low on things to read.

Felicia J., blogger of Scaling Mount TBR, just started reading manga this year, and she posts a mini-retrospective.

Tokyopop editor Tim Beedle has some advice for aspiring manga writers.

Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page, which is a great if sporadically updated review site focusing on untranslated manga, celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008. Watch for a revamp of her magazine page and more frequent updates. She starts off the new year with a review of Strobe Edge.

Comics are now respectable enough to be taught in college, thanks in part to the popularity of manga. But how will the “special panties version” go over in the ivory tower?

Same Hat blogger Evan recounts, with pictures, his personal experience with Tatiana the Tiger.

Tiamat’s Disciple vents about the Tokyopop website—the UK version, but U.S. readers, especially those with slow connections, may have some of the same issues. The good news is that another redesign is on the way, and user-friendliness is on the radar this time.

The blog Mutant Palm, which seems to be about Chinese culture, points out an Uighur separatist character in vol. 9 of Eden. And they link to some interesting shots of Chinese manhua.

The Daily Yomiuri reports that Tokyo University Hospital is helping with research for a new medical manga by Yakitate!! Japan creator Takashi Hashiguchi. (Via ComiPress, which fills in a few of the blanks.)

The latest installment of Manga Zombie is about “incredibly strange” artist Tokunan Seiichiro.

Registration is open for Anime Expo 2008.

Reviews: John T looks at vol. 2 of Gyo at Mecha Mecha Media. At the MangaCast, MangaManiac reviews Dash! Back at the Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie checks out vol. 1 of Operation Liberate Men, vol. 1 of Sand Chronicles, Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy Ultimate Edition, and vol. 10 of Skip Beat. Katherine Dacey-Tsuei enjoys Do Whatever You Want at PopCultureShock. Leroy Douresseaux reviews vol. 6 of Reborn! and vol. 1 of Sand Chronicles at The Comic Book Bin. At ComicMix, Andrew Wheeler cracks open The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 2 and finds “Best” to be an overstatement. Ariadne Roberts checks out Your Honest Deceit at Anime on DVD. Michelle reviews vols. 22 and 23 of Basara at Soliloquy in Blue. Khursten starts the new year with vol. 1 of Welcome to the N.H.K. at Otaku Champloo. Billy Aguiar reviews vol. 1 of Tanpenshu at CBGXtra. Seemingly bent on reading every manga ever published in English, Connie posts reviews of vol. 15 of Astro Boy, vol. 29 of Dragon Ball, vol. 3 of Moon Child, vol. 21 of Jojos Bizarre Adventure, vols. 3 and 4 of Skip Beat, vol. 1 of Zombie-Loan, and vol. 11 of From Eroica With Love. At The Star of Malaysia, Pauline Wong reviews vol. 1 of S.A. AsianWeek looks at Manga: The Complete Guide. Terri Gudowicz checks out Azumanga Daioh: The Omnibus at PLAYBACK:stl.

Same Hat! Same Hat!! has a nice holiday gift for everyone… who is over 18 and not at work: They’re hosting a scanlation of Shintaro Kago’s Labyrinth.

Booklist Watch: The Naruto wave finally ebbs, with only vol. 27 making the USA Today Booklist, at nmber 135.

MangaCast checks Diamond Previews for manga shipping in March and April.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review profiles Undertown creator Jim Pascoe. The article mentions that Scholastic has picked up the book, which is aimed at kids 9 to 14.

Here’s a sketch and some info on the Hellgate: London manga, which is based on the game.

ANN brings news of some new projects over in Japan. You may not have heard of NisiOisin yet, but you will, as a wave of his work is headed our way from Viz and Del Rey. Viz has licensed his novel Death Note: Another Note, and over in Japan, Weekly Shonen Jump will be running a one-shot manga by NisiOisin and Death Note artist Takeshi Obata. And Welcome to the N.H.K. artist Kendi Oiwa is launching a new series, Yume-Watari Pulcinella, in March. Finally, for those who can’t get enough of Genshiken, game creator Katsuoshi Iida is writing a spinoff novel, to be published by Kodansha.

More news from Japan: Zatch Bell is coming to an end. ComiPress has that scoop plus a long list of new series, as well as a nerd/retailer bonus: circulation figures for Japanese manga magazines for 2004-2006.

Simon Jones (not very NSFW today) heard that France has 40 manga publishers and starts counting their American counterparts. He has 33 so far; check it out and see if he has missed anyone.

The voting has started for best shonen manga of 2007 at Deb’s Manga Blog at About.com.

We’ll be looking for a copy of Hello, Please! Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters from Japan, now that Serge the Concierge has brought it to our attention. (Via Giapet.)

At Industry Babble, Shizuki posts photos of Broccoli and Bandai’s year-end get-together.

A German company is using characters from Crows and Worst to peddle hair coloring.

Reviews: Julie checks out vol. 9 of Moon Child and vol. 1 of Camera Camera Camera at the Manga Maniac Cafe. At Comics Worth Reading, Johanna Draper Carlson enjoys vol. 1 of High School Debut but is less enthusiastic about Pop Japan Travel. Greg Hackmann gives vol. 1 of Aventura a qualified thumbs-up at Anime on DVD. Tiamat’s Disciple posts an overview of With the Light. At Active Anime, Scott Campbell reviews vol. 1 of I, Otaku: Struggle in Akihabara, Davey C. Jones reads vol. 2 of Atelier Marie and Elie Zarlburg Alchemist, and Sandra Scholes reviews vol. 2 of Operation Liberate Men. Julie Gray reviews The Manga Bible at The Comic Book Bin. Ferdinand checks out vol. 1 of Hanami: International Love Story at Prospero’s Manga. Tangognat is hooked after reading vol. 1 of Venus in Love. It’s another manga-thon at Slightly Biased Manga, where Connie reviews vol. 28 of Dragon Ball, vol. 10 of Iron Wok Jan, vol. 2 of Moon Child, vol. 5 of Stray Little Devil, vol. 15 of Tsubasa, vol. 14 of Astro Boy, vol. 2 of Berserk, vols. 9 and 10 of RG Veda, and vol. 11 of Hikaru no Go.

It’s a light week for new manga, but the MangaCast team make their picks anyway. Meanwhile, Ed posts some holiday covers from Japan.

David Welsh reviews this week’s list as well.

Business Week looks at the popularity of manga in Europe.

At About.com, Deb Aoki invites readers to vote on the year’s best shoujo manga and names Mushishi the best new manga of 2007.

Erica Friedman presents her top ten yuri countdown for 2007.

Occasional Superheroine asks “Where Are All Teh Female Comics Readers?” then finds them at NYAF. Interesting discussion in comments that includes the “manga formula” and this:

Manga is also incredibly easy to pick up. It’s collected in clear and consistent formats.

I wanted to find out about Naruto, so I just went and read *Naruto, Volume 1*.

A pal wanted to try reading *X-Men* and asked me where she should start. I had absolutely no idea.

(Via When Fangirls Attack.)

Aria is coming to an end in Japan.

ComiPress has a Backstage article about Anime News Service, one of the pioneers of anime coverage on the web.

Resplendent Beard has some thoughts on the manga version of X-Men.

Reviews: Charles Tan looks at vol. 17 of Eyeshield 21 at Bibliophile Stalker. Tiamat’s Disciple posts an overview of A.I. Love You. At Comics Worth Reading, Rob Vollmar reviews vol. 11 of Swan. Greg Hackmann finally cracks open Fruits Basket: Ultimate Edition at Anime on DVD and while he likes the manga OK, he’s disappointed with the presentation (maybe they should call it the “penultimate edition”). Also at AoD: Julie Rosato checks out Lover’s Flat. Ferdinand reviews vol. 1 of Red String and Miranda critiques vol. 1 of Shaman Warrior at Prospero’s Manga. Kethylia enjoys vol. 1 of With the Light but wonders if it belongs over here. EvilOmar posts another set of brief manga reviews at About Heroes. At Slightly Biased Manga, Connie reviews vols. 6 and 7 of RG Veda, vols. 25, 26, and 27 of Dragon Ball, vols. 7, 8, and 9 of Iron Wok Jan, vol. 5 of Princess Princess, and vol. 16 of Tenjho Tenge. Julie reads vol. 1 of Andromeda Stories, vol. 8 of Nana, and vol. 8 of Yakitate!! Japan at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Carlo Santos reviews The Manga Bible at ANN.