MangaBlog

Erica Friedman counts down the top ten yuri manga of 2007, five in English and five in Japanese, at Okazu.

ANN reports that the Japanese publisher Kodansha has apologized for unwittingly publishing a manga with images plagiarized from Death Note, MPD-Psycho, and Air Gear in its Weekly Shonen Magazine Extra: Magazine Dragon. Follow the link for links to side-by-side comparisons. Also: The Japanese government plans to spread the gospel of anime and manga to Eastern Europe.

The 11th Japan Media Arts Festival releases its recommended works, including Sgt. Frog and Fullmetal Alchemist.

ComiPress has a blog!

Gia rounds up last week’s Death Note incidents.

Reporters from The Star of Malaysia report on last week’s Comic Fiesta and answer a concerned mother’s questions about manga.

Shizuki posts some more Christmas cards at Industry Babble.

Reviews: Here’s a nice pre-Christmas gift: After a lengthy absence from the blogosphere, Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page is back with new reviews of Animal Jungle, Secret Kiss, Kimi no Kiss de Furete, and Chocolate Cosmos. David Welsh has some brief comments on vol. 3 of Wild Adapter. At the Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie reviews vol. 1 of High School Debut, After I Win, vol. 2 of My Heavenly Hockey Club, and vol. 3 of Love*Com. Michelle gives vol. 2 of The Last Uniform a C- at Soliloquy in Blue. Tiamat’s Disciple posts overviews of Gunsmith Cats, Yubisaki Milk Tea, and Recast. Dan Polley reviews vol. 1 of Juror 13 and Between the Sheets, and Michael Aronson checks out vol. 4 of Claymore, at Manga Life. Tangognat enjoys vol. 1 of Suppli. At Slightly Biased Manga, Connie reviews vol. 17 of Fruits Basket, Reptilia, vols. 3 and 4 of Iron Wok Jan, Cain Saga 5: Seal of the Red Ram 2, vol. 10 of Hikaru No Go, vol. 1 of Variante, vol. 8 of Nana, vol. 4 of Princess Princess, and vol. 13 of Astro Boy. Ed Chavez pans Vampire Hunter D and SunDome in a podcast review at MangaCast. Jog posts a lengthy review of Reptilia. At The Star of Malaysia, Tom Baker reviews vols. 17-19 of Detective Conan, Kurogane reads vol. 1 of Shinsoku Kiss, and an anonymous reviewer takes on vol. 10 of RG Veda.

ICv2 kicked off NYAF with a really interesting afternoon of panel discussions. Al Kahn stole the show with his comment that “Japan is over,” but there was plenty more to hear. Below the cut is my summary of the panel entitled “Girls—The Other Half of the Otaku Generation.”

Strong female characters, a more accessible storytelling style, and books that are available in girl-friendly chain bookstores—these are the key reasons why manga are so popular with girls and women, according to panelists at ICv2’s panel “Girls—The Other Half of the Otaku Generation.” And while manga has opened up the market, early indications are that anime will remain a boys club for some time.

The panel brought together an articulate group of professionals who are all involved in the female otaku market: Tokyopop senior editor Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, librarian Nola Thacker of the Suffolk County Library System, Del Rey associate publisher Dallas Middaugh, FUNimation senior brand manager Jill Snider, Yen Press co-publisher Kurt Hassler, and VIZ Media editorial director Elizabeth Kawasaki. Larissa Faw, editor of Youth Market Alert, moderated the panel.

Hassler called traditional American comics a “boys club,” produced by publishers who specifically target male readers. “They are very good at marketing to that consumer and maintaining that audience, but it is very exclusionary to female readers,” he said, while the Japanese model is more diverse.

That doesn’t mean the increase in female readers has gone unnoticed by American publishers. Snider pointed to Dark Horse’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Marvel’s Anita Blake as two successful series that target women. Diaz-Przybyl added that both series offer strong female characters. “Marvel and DC have been trying to capture the female audience for a while by reimagining Supergirl as a cheerleader and giving Spiderman’s girlfriend her own series,” she said. “Buffy and Anita Blake are really strong female protagonists. It sounds like a cliché to say that, but that’s what a lot of girl readers are looking for, like Sakura in Naruto or the side characters in Death Note.”

With its dynamic storytelling style, manga is more readable than American comics, panelists said, and that brings in new readers as well. “Manga relies on images and dialogue,” Middaugh said. “American comics—and this is a very broad generalization—rely on deep monologue. You have to go deep into a characters’ head with dialogue and thought balloons.” This makes manga more appealing to a wider audience, he said, and as girls read more than boys, anything that brings in new readers will bring in more women and girls.

One more key ingredient in the manga boom is the books are available in chain bookstores. Several panelists described comics stores as unappealing to women, even “icky.” And while some critics complained that manga would push American comics off the shelves, Hassler, the former graphic novels buyer for Borders, said just the opposite has happened: The success of manga allowed bookstores to expand their graphic novels sections, making more space for American comics as well.

When it comes to licensed merchandise, Snider said, girls buy more than boys, and they stay committed to a brand they like. Reflecting on her own experiences with the library’s anime and manga club, Thacker said that while the boys are collectors, the girls are shoppers.

One market the panelists did not see growing is anime for girls. Japanese producers aren’t making a lot of girl-oriented series, Diaz-Przybyl said, so there is less available for licensing. And there are fewer outlets as well. “When I meet with Cartoon Network, they tell me they don’t care about female audiences,” Snider said. “They only want to reach boys nine to 14 years old.” Middaugh, who has also dealt with Cartoon Network, added that while girls will watch cartoons for boys, boys don’t watch cartoons for girls. What’s more, viewership of shows like Sailor Moon dropped when they went into reruns, or as Middaugh said, “Boys will watch the same thing over and over again. Girls are a little bit smarter than we are.”

OK, MangaBlog readers, here’s an opportunity to use your extensive knowledge of all things manga to make the world a better place: Laura Hale of Fanhistory.com, a Wiki about the history of fan communities, would like your help in cleaning up and improving the anime section of their site (which also covers manga). (Someone could start by correcting the title of Fruits Basket). If you’re interested, go over and take a look.

Japan’s Daily Yomiuri profiles rem, the winner of Kodansha’s International Manga Competition and the artist of Tokyopop’s Vampire Kisses. (Via Blog@Newsarama.)

Jason Thompson wonders if Japanese students really look up to the cliques, as depicted in manga, or whether that just makes for easier storytelling.

At the MangaCast, Ed Chavez reports on the Vertical and Udon panels at NYAF, including covers of new titles.

An Australian newspaper takes a look at Siku’s The Manga Bible, which features a “kick-ass Jesus,” as one of many different ways of “gift-wrapping” the Good Book.

ComiPress presents another installment of Manga Zombie, this one about gekiga artist Takeuchi Kanko.

At ComicMix, Andrew Wheeler tries a little experiment: He reads just volume 2 of four different manga series, to see how easy it is to pick up the story.

Booklist watch: I’m a little late with the news this week, but it’s just more of the same anyway: vol. 27 of Naruto ranks 92 on this week’s USA Today best seller list, and vol. 26 is at 129. I guess only having two volumes on the list adds a bit of novelty value, but with the Naruto wave now over, it will be interesting to see what other titles make the list in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, Manly Manga and More has November’s German manga charts.

Gia Manry, a.k.a. Giapet, has been posting on anime and manga to watch for in 2008 at Fanboy.com. Check out her comments on Gakuen Alice, which is currently making the rounds at my house (and good news for Tokyopop: Both my teenage daughters liked it). Back at her own blog, Gia spots another kid-writes-a-Death-Note story.

If you read French, head on over to the French blog du9 where Xavier Guilbert writes about a derivative global manga whose format encapsulates the “myth” of manga—including structure derived from a nonexistent manga magazine and word balloons that look like they were designed for Japanese text. (Guilbert translates a lot of his work into English, so hopefully this will be available for non-Francophones soon.)

Contest updates: ComiPress has all the links for the Japan Foreign Ministry’s Second International MANGA Award. And don’t forget that December 31 is the deadline for Kodansha’s Weekly Morning International Manga Competition.

Here’s a little holiday fun: At dot-anime USA’s Industry Babble blog, Broccoli insider Shizuki shows off Christmas cards from different anime and game companies and gives a peek at the Square Enix holiday party.

Reviews: Matthew Alexander enjoys the 18+ title Swing Out Sisters at Anime on DVD, and Julie Rosato checks out Ordinary Crush. Dan Polley reviews vol. 6 of Suzuka and vol. 7 of ES: Eternal Sabbath at Manga Life. Erica Friedman eviscerates vol. 1 of Key Princess Story: Eternal Alice Rondo with wit and style at Okazu (for the uninitiated: LF = Loser Fan Boy). Ferdinand gives vol. 1 of Translucent 4 out of 5 stars at Prospero’s Manga. Sakura Kiss reviews vol. 1 of Flock of Angels at The Yaoi Review. At Slightly Biased Manga, Connie checks out Cain Saga 4: Mark of the Red Ram 1. Michelle reads vol. 21 of Basara at Soliloquy in Blue. At Comics Worth Reading, Johanna updates her reviews of Emma and Beauty Pop with info on the latest volumes. Sasa describes Suppli as “a real josei manga” and compares it to Hataraki Man at Heterochromia. Tiamat’s Disciple posts an overview of Gakuen Heaven. Scott Campbell reviews vol. 1 of Mr. Grieves and Sandra Scholes checks out vol. 1 of Romance Papa at Active Anime. Billy Aguiar reviews vol. 1 of me2 at CBGXtra. At Manga Recon, Katherine Dacey-Tsuei reviews vol. 2 of Jim Henson’s Return to Labyrinth and vol. 1 of Jim Henson’s Legends of the Dark Crystal: The Garthim Wars. John T enjoys vol. 2 of Parasyte at Mecha Mecha Media. J. Bowers reviews vols. 6 and 7 of Pastel at PLAYBACK:stl. Leroy Douresseaux pulls vol. 1 of High School Debut out of The Comic Book Bin.

The folks at DrMaster sure have been busy lately. Here’s the latest on their newest art book.

WANT MORE OF YOUR FAVORITE FIGHTERS?
DRMASTER & SNK PLAYMORE DELIVER THE ULTIMATE ART COMPILATION!

San Jose, CA – December 2007 DrMaster Publications Inc. and DGN Productions, has just announced (to the delight of gamers everywhere) the impending release of THE KING OF FIGHTERS Art Book.

Gamers out there, your wait is finally over! All of your favorite characters are here in this explosive THE KING OF FIGHTERS Art Book! Kyo, Iori, Mai, Terry, Geese and many more are present and accounted for in this collection. Original illustrations produced by artists Wing Yan and King Tun for the long running comic series in Hong Kong, have been compiled in a collection that has never been seen before!

If you loved the fighting game and didn’t get enough of THE KING OF FIGHTERS comics, this art book is a MUST-HAVE for you! This awesome collection of SNK’s greatest video game characters will be heading to a store near you this Spring/Summer season, just in time to be paired with the release of SNK PLAYMORE’s new arcade game THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’98 Ultimate Match. Whether you love them all – or are a die-hard fan for a particular character, this book has something for every THE KING OF FIGHTERS fan! You don’t want to miss the action on-screen and on the page this Spring/Summer season!

Availability
THE KING OF FIGHTERS Art Book will be available in April 2008. Each full-size/full-color 96 page art book will be priced at $21.95. Visit www.drmasterbooks.com for more detailed series information.

New SNK PLAYMORE Arcade Game Titles
THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’98 Ultimate Match SPRING 2008
SAMURAI SHODOWN -EDGE OF DESTINY- 2008
THE KING OF FIGHTERS XII COMING SOON
THE KING OF FIGHTERS Maximum Impact Regulation “A” 2 COMING SOON

My year-in-review column on web manga is up at Comix Talk. Enjoy!

Newsarama has their annual interview with DC prez Paul Levitz. I’ll spare you the blinky interface and reams of superhero stuff and excerpt the only part we care about here on MangaBlog:

NRAMA: Somewhat connected to WildStorm – CMX. As a whole, how is it performing compared to expectations and within the marketplace?

PL: The goal with CMX was to get us into the world of manga and to begin to build the relationships in Japan as we saw them as a growing part of the world of popular culture. It’s done that job – evidenced in part by opening the opportunity for the investment in FLEX Comics, which we think is a very interesting learning experience for us, and will hopefully lead to some very interesting projects both here and overseas.

It’s opened up a number of opportunities for us over there as well that we haven’t pursued, but that might not have been available to us otherwise. So the basic bsuienss goals, I think, we’ve met quite nicely. The success of the CMX print line itself has been…okay – not awe inspiring yet, but manga remains a very viable and growing segment fo the market, and hopefully, we’ll continue to improve our track record of what we pick and how we publish, and get a bigger and bigger share of that. We’re not in any danger of overtaking Viz any time soon.

NRAMA: I think that was a lot of the reaction when CMX was first announced – “Look out Viz, look out TokyoPop!”… and when it wasn’t that, the imprint took a hit in image (as well as for other issues at the time, too)…

PL: It would be pretty ridiculous for someone to assume that they could overtake Viz since they have the base relationship with the two best oil wells in the field. TokyoPop has had years to build their relationships with creators, hone their skill sets as a publisher, and get product out there that people wanted. It’s not shocking that they’re still doing well at it.

So, we’re content to be behind the two of them, but hopefully making our own place in the game.

Well, that puts a nice spin on the admission that CMX manga don’t seem to be selling very well. Let me be up front here: I have a lot of admiration for Asako Suzuki and Jim Chadwick and the rest of the CMX crew. They cleaned up the TenTen mess and have been publishing some very strong books: Emma, Oyayubihime Infinity, Canon. They are branching out into horror with Presents, which got some good critical buzz, and they also publish a lot of kid-friendly manga that doesn’t get as much attention, such as Time Guardian, Chikyu Misaki, and Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne. My girls, who turn up their nose at the Minx line that is supposedly designed just for them, really like a lot of the CMX titles. And they’re not alone; Emma, Canon, and Gon were all nominated for the ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, and David Welsh recently remarked that Shaenon Garrity could do an Overlooked Publisher Festival about them.

I think CMX would do a lot better if DC would back them up a bit more, maybe shell out for more color pages and better paper and a more commanding web presence. Perhaps if the guys in Corporate regarded them as a book publisher, rather than a tool for making deals with third parties, that would happen.