MangaBlog

Tokyopop has reset all the online manga previews on their site to chapter 1. Every two weeks a new chapter will come up and the previous chapter will be locked. (This comes from the promotional e-mail they sent me; the info doesn’t seem to be anywhere on the site.) When you click on a locked video you still get a mysterious message about VIP membership, which makes me wonder what else they have up their sleeves.

It’s a festival of baking over at Shaenon K. Garrity’s website, where she features competitive cooking from three manga: Buches de Noel, a curry volcano, and pigeon pie.

David Welsh comments on buying comics at Restoration Hardware and other unlikely spots, as part of their attempt to market an entire lifestyle. A lot of these stores already have their own books—I remember my daughter picking up a Limited 2 novel, in which the characters frequently went shopping, I’m sure. But books like that have a very limited appeal. Actually, Limited 2 would be an ideal outlet for shoujo manga, as a lot of their merchandise already features Japanese characters, and they appeal to the perfect shoujo demographic.

From When Fangirls Attack: Julianne Corlath asks why yaoi seems to dominate over yuri and hentai in the manga department, while there are more hentai anime than yaoi or yuri. Is it that girls like to read and boys like to watch? I’m not sure she’s right about this, actually, but I’m counting on Simon Jones to provide enlightenment. And XStylus wonders why yaoi is so popular at all. The post is brief, but the discussion gets interesting in comments.

Tezuka show opens in Australia. This is just a news blurb, but I thought this was kind of an interesting comment from the curator:

“The culture was dealing with the issue that Japan was the aggressor in the war,” he said.

“Tezuka was perceptive and did not shy away from the issues.”

“Tezuka thought it was a gift to survive World War II and Hiroshima and the shame of losing the war,” Mr Brophy said.

“Tezuka dealt with the business of being human.

“Everyone has bad and good in them.”

That last bit sounds pretty trite, but as I’m drawing to the close of Ode to Kirihito, I can say that Tezuka’s mastery is bringing something like that to life in unexpected and powerful ways.

Pop singer swipes lyrics from manga. Details at ComiPress.

Tangognat really enjoyed volume 1 of Oyayubihime Infinity. At Anime on DVD, Matthew Alexander says the samurai manga Satsuma Gishiden gets off to a rocky start.

If you missed volume 1 of Dramacon and you can’t find it in the stores, here’s your big chance: Tokyopop is making a chapter a day available online starting yesterday. It looks like the chapters only stay up until the last day, which is November 8, so don’t put it off. If you don’t have time to read, Tokyopop also links to a Dramacon video on YouTube (it’s not animated, just dissolving scans).

And if you just want to hold both books in your hands, Tokyopop has a deal at their online store: Buy one volume of Dramacon and get the other one half off. Enter the Promo Code dramacon06 to make it so.

Let me just say that it’s nice to see Tokyopop really using its site’s capabilities to push a book, and Dramacon is certainly deserving. Now I’d like to see them use it to promote some of their lesser-known titles, like the Mitsukazu Mihara books.

Today I’m doing my training for Election Day. I’ll be working at the polls again, but I’ve gotten a last-minute promotion (one of the regular workers bailed out) so I have a lot to learn about procedures and working the machines.

I’m worried about doing a good job, but I’m not worried about having my vote stolen, because I live in Melrose, Massachusetts. We vote by marking a piece of paper, which is tallied in a machine; it’s easy, reliable, and checkable, and I don’t understand why everybody doesn’t do it. And our Clerk of Elections, Dottie Maguire, works hard to make sure everyone is registered and all the paperwork is in order. You’re less likely to get turned away from the polls for a stupid reason here than anywhere else on earth.

For the millions of people who don’t live in Melrose, however, I suggest you take a few steps today to make sure you can vote next week. Every year there are stories of people who are turned away from the polls or have their votes stolen in some way. (Don’t believe me? Check here and here for updates on election issues.) A bit of advance work can prevent a lot of hassles.

First of all, check out Vote411.org, which is sponsored by the reliably nonpartisan League of Women Voters.* Click on your state for more information.

Here are three things to do now, before Election Day:

1. Check that you are registered, especially if you recently registered or moved, or if you haven’t voted in the last couple of elections. Vote411 has links to secretaries of state, who can direct you to your local elections office. In some states, you can check your status online. If there’s any doubt, clear it up now.

2. Check to see if you need to bring ID, and if so, what sort.

3. Make sure you know where to vote and how to get there.

If you get any surprises, like finding out you have to bring photo ID or that all the polling places have changed, consider writing a letter to your local paper to let others know the news.

Here’s some Election Day advice from the LWV and the Women Donors Network:

1. Plan on voting during off hours—usually between 10 and 11 a.m. and 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.—when the polls won’t be as crowded.

2. Check with relatives and neighbors and see if anyone needs a ride to the polls.

3. If you get to the polls and find that your name is not on the list, get a ballot anyway. The poll workers will guide you through the process.

4. If your voting machine doesn’t work properly, get an emergency paper ballot—not a provisional ballot.

5. If you have any problems, ask the poll workers for help! We’re mostly friendly and helpful types—it’s not the sort of job you do for the big money or the easy hours. If workers are unhelpful, get names and complain to the local Election Office or the Secretary of State.

6. Don’t be discouraged by long lines. Stay and vote. If you think the polls are going to be busy, clear your schedule and bring a book. Then when your candidate sweeps into office, you can get him or her working on election reform!

The League has a handy-dandy card, “5 Things You Need to Know on Election Day,” that summarizes most of this. You can download it from their website.

And don’t miss this opportunity to vote. Melrose has 18,000 registered voters, but a few years ago we had a mayoral election that was decided on a single vote. Next week, that could be you!

*Full disclosure: I’m a member of the board of directors of my local League. And I wrote our nonpartisanship policy. So there.

ICv2 has the Bookscan chart, which tracks graphic novels sold in bookstores, and this week brings a surprise: American comics! Well, more American comics than usual, with titles from both DC and Marvel making the top ten. I’ve unscrambled the list for your convenience:

1. Kingdom Hearts, vol. 1
2. Naruto, vol. 11
3. Hana Kimi, vol. 14
4. Loveless, vol. 3
5. The Marvel Encyclopedia
6. Bleach, vol. 15
7. Naruto, vol. 1
8. Dramacon, vol. 2
9. Infinite Crisis
10. Naruto, vol. 2

It’s worth noting that volume 1 of Bleach is number 13 on the list, presumably illustrating that “Cartoon Network effect” we’ve been hearing about. And every volume of Naruto is somewhere in the top 25.

Volume 2 of The Dreaming is due out on Nov. 7, but I’m happy to say that I got my copy today. My daughter was making a Barnes & Noble run so I told her to look out for it. Of course, she insisted on reading it first. For those who just can’t wait, Queenie has posted a preview on her website.

David Taylor is closing up shop again at Love Manga. His farewell post is about a book he’s been looking forward to for some time: the first volume of the Rush anthology from DramaQueen. But David’s not hanging up his keyboard; he’s moving over to join the crew at MangaCast, so reset your bookmarks and RSS feeds accordingly.

Simon Jones comments on the yaoi article I linked to yesterday, picking up on the backlash issue. Not surprisingly, his reaction includes a spirited defense of porn—and of free speech. Be sure to read the comments.

Same Hat has a followup post filled with comments and linkage about Dark Horse horror manga, including some interesting comments on scanlation and the unlikeliness of volume 4 of Museum of Terror appearing in English anytime soon.

Manga tarot cards? Sure, why not.

It’s the first of the month, and that means a new issue of Sequential Tart. This month they have a lengthy analysis of Return to Labyrinth. And while it’s not manga, everyone is talking about American Born Chinese, so check out Shaenon Garrity’s interview with Gene Yang.

At the Tokyopop blogs, ChunHyang72 takes a break from phenomenology ‘n’ stuff to present her usual thorough manga roundup. And hey, what’s this? She and Erin “Ninja Consultant” Finnegan have their own Manga Recon blog at PopCultureShock. They already have a couple of cool posts up, along with a preview of vol. 2 of Omukae Desu, so check it out.

Dark, But Shining interviews Michael Gombos, director of manga licensing for Dark Horse. (Via Blog@Newsarama.)

David Welsh’s sharp eye caught something I missed in the yaoi article I linked to yesterday: a certain attitude toward the appearance of yaoi fans.

Latest from ICv2: Tokyopop is bullish on Trinity Blood, with a manga series and two series of novels in the works.

At ANN, Pata has a hard time finding anything bad to say about Ode to Kirihito but has no such problem with volume 2 of Air Gear. Just the thought of writing a column that includes both of those makes my head want to explode. The Comic Book Bin reviews volume 1 of Judas, a new series from Tokyopop. At Anime on DVD, Jarred Pine gives high marks to DVD, a manwha title by Kye Young Chon, the creator of Audition. At Okazu, Erica Friedman reviews Yuri Hime 6.