Manga News and Information
May, 2006Japanese anime production company We've Inc. has announced that it will purchase Sony Magazine's division that's responsible for publishing magazine and books. The price of the acquisition has not been announced. Kenjiro Hata, mangaka of Hayate the Combat Butler, will be having an autograph session in Makuhari on June 17. According to the latest Shounen Jump Early Sales Info, starting July 4th, 2 volumes of Rurouni Kenshin Complete Edition manga will be released every month, with a total of 22 volumes planned. Also the Rurouni Kenshin DVD-BOX will go on sale on December 20, and will come in paulownia wood box at a price of 84,000 yen. Also in the TOC was a comment made by D.Gray-man (which will resume serialization in Jump No. 27) mangaka Katsura Hoshino: "I'm sorry for taking such a long break. My neck is feeling much better, so I'm restarting the serialization. m(_ _)m" The first issue of a new otaku magazine from Kodansha, "Megabi" (Mecha + Bishoujo), will be released on June 2nd. From Junji Hotta, author of "Gainax Interviews" and "Moe Moe Japan", and Toru Honda, who worked on "Denba Otoko, "Megabi" can be considered as the definite otaku book among the many publications that deals with the otaku boom in Akihabara nowadays. On May 13th, an "One Day Maid Cafe" appeared in Beijing's Dashanzi Art District, where this year's Dashanzi International Art Festival was held. The Chinese and Japanese maids greeted costumers with: "Welcome back, Master" and served coffee while kneeling. The first issue of SweetPrincess (Cool-B special) will be released on 5/22. From the ComicsFan Cultural Group comes the first Chinese-produced Tarot Cards, based on the story of Houshin Engi, the cards will be designed by the popular Chinese CG artist Weng Ziyang. Los Angeles, CA (May 26, 2006) - Broccoli Books has announced the acquisition of two manga titles, Disgaea and Yoki Koto Kiku, along with the acquisition of the Disgaea illustration book. Announced in Young Champion No. 12 (5/22), a new magazine from Akita Shoten called Young Champion Retsu will be released on 6/20. Young Champion Retsu will act as a special issue of Young Champion, and will be released bi-monthly (on the 3rd Thuesday) for 390 yen. It has been confirmed that the blockbuster live-action movie Death Note, directed by Kaneko Shuusuke, and adapted from the 14 million units-selling manga also titled Death Note, will also be released in 8 Asian countries and locations. At the Cannes Film Festival, over 50 film companies, including Western ones, rushed to make offers for it. This includes Hong Kong's own major film distributor, Golden Harvest, who has completed negotiations to distribute it. Gardena, CA, May 25, 2006 - Digital Manga Publishing, one of the industryâs most innovative manga licensing and publishing companies, is happy to announce Makoto Tateno as a guest of honor for Otakon 2006.  - http://nuruwota.blog4.fc2.com/blog-entry-887.html Nuruwota ga Kiru has compiled a list of the best selling Shoujo manga, based on the information gathered in this 2ch thread. San Francisco, CA, May 22, 2006 - DRAGON BALL Z, the most popular manga (graphic novel) series in Japan and abroad, will reach the end of its long and spectacular run this summer. VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive manga and animation licensing and publishing companies, and SHONEN JUMP magazine will be celebrating the conclusion of this tremendous series all summer! Dark Horse Comics Celebrating 20 years 1986 - 2006 Dark Horse Comics and ReelArt Studios have announced an agreement for Dark Horse to act as exclusive sales agent for Reel Art's upcoming program of licensed, limited-edition statues, busts and wall plaques.
[addendum] 「デジ埋」 管理人様、ご紹介有難うございました! According to the latest Shounen Jump Early-Sales Info, D.Gray-man by Katsura Hoshino will resume serialization in Shounen Jump issue 27 (on sale around 6/5) Also, according to the Early Sales Info, Takaya by Sakamoto Yujiro will be ending in Shounen Jump issue 26. Nobuhiro Watsuki's Buso Renkin, on the other hand, will be made into an anime TV series this fall. A list of casts and staffs can be found San Francisco, CA, May 19, 2006 - VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced a wide array of new manga titles set to debut at the 2006 BookExpo America (BEA) show in Washington DC, May 19-21 at the Washington DC Convention Center. BEA is widely recognized as a leading gathering point for professionals who publish, sell and market books. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 2850. North American Distribution of Manga, Manhwa, and Yaoi to Commence June 1, 2006 New York, NY (May 18, 2006) - Leading U.S. independent graphic novel publisher Central Park Media (CPM) is proud to announce that it has contracted with Consortium Book Sales & Distribution (CBSD) for the sales and distribution of its books throughout the U.S. and Canada. CBSD will begin handling distribution of CPM titles as of June 1, 2006. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes full use of "pop culture" - such as manga, animation and music. Such pop culture is gaining popularity all over the world, and develops a chance for cultural diplomacy. PLAY! A Video Game Symphony is a symphony world-tour featuring music from blockbuster video games, performed by some of the finest world-class orchestras and choirs, and accompanied by bigscreen videogame graphics. Launching in Chicago on May 27, 2006, the world premiere of PLAY! Being adapted into drama, movies, and more, Shoujo Manga are catching more and more attention everyday. Now Entertainment Weekly "Oricon Style" has announced the result of its "Sweet Entertainment ~ Shoujo Manga Book Ranking." What kind of Manga is best at stimulating a girl's feeling? In order to celebrate Kochikame's (Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo) 30th anniversary, Shueisha will be releasing the Super Kochikame Hobby Box on on September 15th for around 19,800 yen. Included in the box are nine special items: - Ryou-san's 30th anniversary memorial statue The site will be undergoing maintainence again tonight...sorry for the inconveniences, some page may not work, if so please let us know! Update 1: All permanent links to past articles have been changed...^^; Please don't forget to update them if you linked to any of them. Sorry for the inconveniences. ^^; Emoticons are unavailable for the time being. Feel free to comment on the site! |
Manga Zombie
Finale: Panelosophy
An ongoing conversation about the philosophy behind manga both in the U.S. and abroad. Manga Ranking
Monthly charts of comparative manga rankings based on aggregate online sales listings from Matt Blind. |
The blog 
ComiPress teams up with writer Udagawa Takeo and translator John Gallagher to publish an online version of the English-language translation of Manga Zombie.
