MangaBlog

Today marks the one-year anniversary of MangaBlog. In the short time that I’ve been blogging, I’ve found a whole new world, “met” some delightful people online, and learned a lot, not just about manga but also about other comics, comics stores, Bookscan and Booklist (Thanks, David!) and Japanese pop culture in general.

I hope I have been able to add to the dialogue in some useful way. Because my kids are the target market for a lot of manga, I have tried to reflect their views as well as my own in this blog. I also see, and sift through, all the marketing that comes at them, which adds some perspective.

Blogging has given me a focus and forced me to write frequently, which is always good for a writer, and it has also given me a secret identity. Since I’m basically a soccer mom and part-time (serious) writer, the people I meet in everyday life are almost always startled to hear that I blog about comics—Japanese comics, at that. It’s fun to shake up their preconceptions a bit.

Anyway, it’s been a great year. You guys are fun to hang out with, and whether I’m lurking or joining in, it’s always interesting to follow your discussions. I’m enjoying myself immensely and looking forward to getting even more involved in the future.

From ANN (and soon to be re-posted all over, I’m sure) comes the news that volume 9 of Naruto placed 29th on the USA Today Booklist. Previously, the highest ranking manga was volume 10 of Fruits Basket, which hit 69th place.

Gee, maybe the U.S. government is cooler than I thought. They’re going to show anime in Iraq.

The 52-part series “Captain Tsubasa” — dubbed into Arabic as “Captain Majed” — will air on the US government-funded Iraqi Media Network.

“As soccer is a popular sport in Iraq, it is expected that the TV program will strengthen goodwill toward Japan,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

That’s the Japanese foreign ministry—the story is datelined Tokyo. And this:

Japan, which has 600 troops in Iraq, previously tried to woo the country in 2003 by offering the tear-jerker TV drama “Oshin”.

I guess a lot depends on who has control of the remote.

Sequential Tart lists the books that librarians have suggested on the American Library Association as “Great Graphic Novels for Teens.” Then writer Rebecca Salek added some suggestions of her own.

Manga is well represented on the list, which includes Dramacon, One Piece, Socrates in Love, Kimi No Unaji ni Kanpai!, Fruits Basket, Steady Beat, Off*Beat, Death Note, Crimson Hero, The Prince of Tennis, and Nana. (I’m not posting links to all those—if you read this blog, you probably own most of them anyway.)

It’s certainly an interesting range. One thing that strikes me as a little odd is that the librarians chose to nominate, say, volume 12 of Fruits Basket, rather than another volume. I assume the whole series would be off limits, or a long-running series like Inu-Yasha could conceivably swamp the category.

Fix yourself a drink and get comfortable, because David Taylor is wrapping up the NYCC news with a lengthy post on Love Manga. For those who are curious about the new titles announced last weekend, David has hunted up cover scans so we can get a first glimpse. As usual, the info is accompanied by commentary that highlights the most important developments.

Kids in the U.S. don’t read, eh? Tell it to the kids in Brooklyn Park, Maryland, who are getting together for some cosplay and manga-drawing fun.

Here’s my favorite part: a local comic store owner’s quick take on manga:

“Oh, my goodness! He turned into a fuzzy animal – how will he get a date to the prom?” said Martinez, describing a typical plot line.