MangaBlog

As if to prove my point from yesterday, one of our local School Committee seats was decided by a single vote. This is the second time that has happened in my city in the past few years; the mayor I work for was also elected by a single vote. Just another reminder that voting, especially in a low-turnout election like yesterdays, is definitely worthwhile.

Jason Thompson has an interesting post about the different types of manga—not the usual shoujo/shonen/yaoi stuff, but more of a look at where the manga-ka is coming from.

At the MangaCast, Ed continues this month’s Big List of new Japanese manga with parts 2 (ero pubs) and 3 (the major publishers).

Yaoi Suki has a Q&A with Kurt Hassler about Yen Press’s plans to publish BL.

The UK Times talks to Moyoco Anno about Hataraki Man, her manga about a woman in the workplace, and takes a broader look at women and work in Japan. (Via Blog@Newsarama.)

Matt Blind and John Jakala have some fun with the new 27-volume Naruto box set (which comes with its own bookcase).

Reviews: At Comics Worth Reading, Johanna Draper Carlson reviews vol. 2 of Love*Com and updates her review pages with comments on recent volumes of Nana, Emma, ES: Eternal Sabbath, Fruits Basket, Kat and Mouse, and Tramps Like Us. Dan Polley checks out vol. 11 of Black Cat and vol. 1 of Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives at Manga Life. At the Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie takes a look at vol. 4 of E’S, vol. 1 of S A—Special A, vol. 7 of VS Versus, vol. 2 of Uzumaki, vol. 24 of Boys Over Flowers, vol. 5 of Night of the Beasts, and vol. 5 of After School Nightmare. Kethylia has kind words for vol. 2 of Shout Out Loud. Ferdinand reads vol. 1 of Tears of a Lamb and vol. 1 of Aventura at Prospero’s Manga. If you’re looking for brief reviews of recent books, check out Manga Zubon at Comic Pants and the Small Bodied Manga Reviews at AoD.

This is a short post because I’m heading out before dawn to work at the polls for my city’s municipal elections. Local elections don’t get a lot of press, but they have a huge impact on your day-to-day life. After all, you don’t encounter the feds too often, but most likely you drive on local roads, send your kids to local schools, use local parks and libraries, and call local police and firefighters in emergencies. So, vote. If you don’t know who to vote for, take a few minutes to read your local paper or simply ask a friend who is knowledgeable about local issues who they are voting for and why.

Voting today should be quick and painless, and it’s an excellent way to keep your registration active and guarantee that you will be able to vote next year, when the lines will probably be longer. So, vote!

OK, on to the manga.

Newsarama talks to Emma Hayley of Self Made Hero about her company’s manga adaptations of Shakespeare and other classics.

Canned Dogs has a peek at Kamisama Dolls. And they report that the first issue of Jump Square, the magazine created to replace Monthly Shonen Jump, sold out its 500,000-issue print run in Japan. This is interesting:

The magazine targets both males and females at a 6:4 ratio within the age group of 15 to 25. Meaning one of the manga in the magazine is about the wonderful friendship between two handsome men that keep having their clothes taken off every other page.

The Japanese company Lotus has set up a portal for information about manga and other entertainment items that are available for licensing. Simon Jones of Icarus Comics wonders (slightly NSFW) if they’re duplicating something that publishers do for themselves—but maybe that’s the point?

Reviews: Ginger Mayerson reviews Constellations in My Palm for the Lincoln Heights Literary Society. At the Star of Malaysia, Kadzuki is not too taken with vol. 1 of The Devil Within. Nick slams vol. 1 of Zombie Powder at Hobotaku. Graeme Flory checks out three Yen Press volume 1s, Zombie Loan, Black God, and Spiral, at Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review. At Comic Mix, Andrew Wheeler looks at vol. 1 of Alice on Deadlines and vol. 1 of Psycho Busters. Miranda reviews vol. 1 of Heaven!! and Just My Luck at Prospero’s Manga, and contributor Billy Aguiar checks out vol. 1 of Pumpkin Scissors for CBGXtra. Michelle reviews vol. 9 of Bleach at Soliloquy in Blue.

Katherine Dacey-Tsuei starts off the week right with her Weekly Recon, a list of new manga plus some quick reviews of recent titles.

Shaenon Garrity sings the praises of Yotsuba&! in her latest Overlooked Manga Festival.

Queenie Chan takes a break from her work on In Odd We Trust, the graphic novel based on Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas novels, to update us on that work and treat us to some chapter headers from the final volume of The Dreaming.

The Sweatdrop gang has a new podcast up, with impressions of Fuyucon and the London UK Expo.

At Comicsnob, Matt Blind posts The Pulse, his analysis of online sales for the past week, along with the top 25 series and top 100 single volumes.

MangaCast has Part 1 of the Big List of Japanese manga releases (this one focuses on BL) and more info on Yaoi-Con announcements from June (light novels), Aurora/Deux, and Yen Press, as well as audio of the June panel.

ComiPress continues to publish the translated Manga Zombie with a look at Miyaya Kazuhiko.

As I predicted, the folks at du9 have translated Xavier Guilbert’s review of Ode to Kirihito into English.

It seems like a lot of folks are doing overviews of entire series. Here’s Lyle Masaki at AfterElton, blogging about Fake. Isaac Hale looks at X-Day at Authentic Mango. In a similar vein, Tiamat’s Disciple posts series overviews of Battle Royale and Battle Vixens. And Love_Nothing_El… has a summary of Naruto at Manga Punk.

Reviews: At Mecha Mecha Media, John T posts meaty reviews, with scans, of vol. 1 of Uzumaki and vol. 1 of Psycho Busters. Coeli reviews Uzumaki, vol. 1 of Zashiki Onna, and Air at Poopsies. Nick checks out vol. 1 of Black God at Hobotaku. Michael Aronson is earning his keep at Manga Life, with reviews of vols. 1 and 2 of Nextworld, vols. 5 and 6 of Bleach, and vols. 9 and 10 of Vagabond. Joshua Habel checks out vol. 1 of Yotsuba&! at The Stute. At MangaCast, Eva reviews the yaoi novel Little Darling and Julie checks out vol. 1 of Little Butterfly. Connie reviews a string of Hino Horror manga at Slightly Biased Manga: Onibono and the Bugs from Hell 2, Living Corpse, Black Cat, The Collection 1, and The Collection 2. Ken Haley opens up vol. 1 of Presents at Manga Recon. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)

According to this press release from Viz, the December Shonen Jump will achieve bridal-magazine proportions, with a cornucopia of goodies that includes the conclusion of Yu-Gi-Oh, a short story by Naruto creator Mashashi Kishimoto and a sneak preview of Slam Dunk.
VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES BIGGEST ISSUE EVER OF SHONEN JUMP

Expansive December 2007 Issue Features Conclusion of YU-GI-OH!
And Full Color Preview of Long Awaited SLAM DUNK Series
And the True Origin of NARUTO!

San Francisco, CA, November 2, 2007 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the most expansive issue to-date of its hit monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP™. The December 2007 issue will run a hefty 416 pages and is expected to hit retails shelves nationally on November 6.

Among other the notable content, the issue will offer the conclusion of the epic Yu-Gi-Oh! saga, which raised generations of Duelists and has dominated the trading card world. SHONEN JUMP also interviews YU-GI-OH! creator Kazuki Takahashi and gives a retrospective on the impact and history of the internationally loved manga. However, fans needn’t despair because YU-GI-OH! GX will continue its popular ongoing run in the magazine.

Also included will be a sneak preview of Takehiko Inoue’s influential and long-awaited basketball manga series, SLAM DUNK. The critically acclaimed series has sold over 100 million copies in Japan and is a winner of the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award. Catch all the on- and off-court action of the entire first chapter, which is featured in full color in this issue.

For NARUTO fans, SHONEN JUMP offers a manga short story that creator Masashi Kishimoto drew before he dreamed up the hyperactive and unpredictable ninja that millions of North American fans have come to know and love. They will be interested, and perhaps a bit surprised, to get a fascinating glimpse of a Naruto that might have been.

Rounding out the issue is an expanded Games We Love section — lengthened this month into a 10-page blowout covering the magazine’s picks for the best video games of 2007. The issue also includes some extras such as Nintendo DS cards for the latest NARUTO and BLEACH games that let readers unlock special features.

“This is a special issue for SHONEN JUMP as it’s not every day that a long-running series like YU-GI-OH! reaches its conclusion,” says Marc Weidenbaum, the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, “But that’s exactly what happens in this issue, and creator Kazuki Takahashi closes things off in a very satisfying way that fans will definitely not want to miss. We’ve also got the early NARUTO short story that offers an intriguing look at Masashi Kishimoto’s initial idea for the beloved series, and we publish the first chapter of the highly anticipated basketball series SLAM DUNK, one of the most popular manga of all time, in color!”

This impressive issue is estimated to reach over 1.9 million readers as reported by the recently released Spring 2007 Simmons Youth study in which SHONEN JUMP is measured.

Fruits Basket is almost over, and Tokyopop is looking for the next big shoujo title. It’s about a kid at a magic academy (honk if you’ve heard that setup before) but it sounds like there may be a few original twists. I’m looking forward to checking it out. More after the cut.

Discover the Alice That Lives Within! TOKYOPOP Proudly Presents…

GAKUEN ALICE

Japan’s Hottest Shojo Manga Series Since Fruits Basket Hits U.S. Stores December 2007

Los Angeles, CA (November 2, 2007)―TOKYOPOP, the leader of the global manga revolution, is thrilled to announce the release of Japan’s hugely popular shojo manga series, Gakuen Alice. From the same Japanese publisher that originally released TOKYOPOP’s best-selling manga juggernaut Fruits Basket, Gakuen Alice, created by Tachibana Higuchi, has sold more than three million units in Japan alone. Now, for the first time ever, TOKYOPOP brings U.S. audiences the irresistible and adorable story of the magical adventures of Mikan and her “Alice” at the Alice Academy.

Young Mikan runs away to Tokyo following her best friend, Hotaru, who has been enrolled in an exclusive, secretive private school for geniuses. But it turns out that Alice Academy is a lot more than meets the eye. If Mikan wants to stay by Hotaru’s side, she has to pass the strange “entrance exam” AND face the even greater challenge of befriending her very odd new classmates. Whether it’s Hotaru’s gift for inventing gadgets, the cranky Natsume’s fire-casting ability, or Professor Narumi’s control of human pheromones, everyone at the school has some sort of special talent. But what ability, if any, does Mikan possess? Mikan is going to have to rely on her courage and spunk if she’s going to stay in school, or even stay alive!

According to TOKYOPOP Senior Editor, Lillian Diaz-Przybyl: “What’s great about manga is that it can capture little bits of reality and reflect familiar and compelling aspects of human nature, even in bizarre, fantastic situations. On the surface, Gakuen Alice is a fun, charming school story about cute kids with special powers, but it’s also full of bullies, angst-filled pasts and mysterious adults. Ranging from classroom torment to adorable giant animals to devoted friendship and loyalty, Gakuen Alice captures the joy and terror of school all in one brilliant and entertaining package!”

Gakuen Alice will be supported by an aggressive marketing and promotional push that includes a highly interactive and innovative online campaign complimented by anime and comic convention promotions.

Find your own Alice when the first of fourteen volumes of TOKYOPOP’s much-anticipated Gakuen Alice manga series arrives in stores nationwide this December!

At Comicsnob, Matt Blind posts this week’s new manga list and highlights some new titles from Seven Seas as well as Tezuka’s MW, the book that seems to be on top of everyone’s stack this week.

Where is Iris Print? Yaoi Suki (no permalink) notes that their planned yaoi magazine BL Twist has been cancelled, and they are trying to run down reports of a cancelled book. Also: Jen Parker posts a wrap-up of Yaoi-Con.

At the MangaCast, Ed Chavez has a podcast about a title in which he has a special interest: I, Otaku, a book he worked on for Seven Seas. You can check out a preview here.

Carlo Santos critiques Fruits Basket, Hikkatsu, and the oddball Super Cruel and Terrible Tales of Mangaka with his usual verve in his latest Right Turn Only!! column.

The Muppet Newsflash interviews Tokyopop’s Tim Beedle, the editor of The Dark Crystal and Return to Labyrinth, both based on Jim Henson films.

Because there’s not enough writing about manga in the world, go check out the Otaku USA website, which currently features Joseph Luster’s reviews of six horror manga and Jason Thompson’s take on Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms. (Via the blog of editor Patrick Macias, who has a new and different blog at the Otaku USA site.)

Hazel looks over more new scanlations, and it’s worth a click just to see some interesting art.

Another way to get free manga is to go to your local library, Erica Friedman reminds us, and if yours doesn’t carry much manga, she has some suggestions for gentle persuasion.

Congratulations to blogger Julie on the second anniversary the Manga Maniac Cafe. Julie reads manga in Jason Thompson-like quantities, and I really enjoy her reviews. To celebrate, she’s having a contest, so drop in and say hi.

Naruto has a snappy new website.

If you’re going to be in NY on November 3, check out the Del Rey-sponsored panel on Your Career in Manga at Kinokuniya.

Reviews: Dave Ferraro is impressed with vol. 1 of Gyo at Comics-and-more. At Coffeeandink, Mely has a long and spoilery review of vol. 7 of Godchild. Rob Vollmar reviews vol. 1 of Bride of the Water God, a manhwa that has been getting some good buzz, at Comics Worth Reading. Evil Omar posts some short reviews at About Heroes. At Anime on DVD, Danielle Van Gorder reviews vol. 1 of Words of Devotion and the standalone Not Enough Time, and Greg Hackmann looks at the one-shot horror title Portus. Nick gives vol. 1 of St. Lunatic High School a D+ at Hobotaku. At Active Anime, Holly Ellingwood reviews vol. 3 of Mamotte! Lollipop, Scott Campbell reads vol. 13 of Eyeshield 21, and Christopher Seamann checks out vol. 6 of ES: Eternal Sabbath and vol. 19 of Firefighter Daigo of Fire Company M. Leroy Douresseaux reviews vol. 8 of Yakitate!! Japan at the Comic Book Bin.