Manga News and Information
April, 2007According to Manga Jouhou, Japanese internet service provider livedoor and publisher Takeshobo has announced a new award event called "4-Koma Manga Nouvelle Y-1 Grande Prix." The award event is a combination of Takeshobo's "Takeshobo Manga Nouvelle Prize" and livedoor's "Daily 4-koma Grand Prix." According to the report: "Judges for the new award include manga artists and editors from both Takeshobo and Livedoor, including Risu Akitsuki, Mikio Igarashi, Masashi Ueda, Yoshito Usui, Tsuyoshi Oohashi, Shou Tanaka, Miruku Dajima, Katsuhiko Hotta and Takayuki Mizushina." Kobato to be serialized in North America's top anime magazine HOUSTON, April 4, 2007 - Newtype USA, the leading anime magazine in North America, is pleased to announce a special agreement with manga powerhouse CLAMP (Chobits, Tsubasa) to exclusively serialize the creative team's latest effort, Kobato, in the pages of the magazine. This will mark the English-language debut of this highly anticipated new manga, and it will be the only way to read Kobato during the course of its serial run. AOI HOUSE: THE MUSIC VIDEO original flash animation on the pack-in DVD of Newtype USA's April issue LOS ANGELES, April 4, 2007) - Seven Seas Entertainment is pleased to announce the inclusion of its original flash animation, Aoi House: The Music Video, on the pack-in DVD of Newtype USA’s April 2007 issue.
According to the letter, Norihiro Yagi's Claymore will be temporarily serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump; however, new chapters will still come out only once a month. A new manga magazine will be launched later this fall. The new magazine will continue the serialization of a majority of the Monthly Jump series, including Claymore. Below is a translation of the letter: Simon Jones of Icarus Publishing talks about the current state of the comics market and its effect on small publishers and artists in the article "Ramblings from a shameful publisher". The article touches on the recent CPM/Libre incident, doujinshi artists, as well as some inside information on Icarus Publishing itself. Go! Comi is currently looking for a new background artist, pin-up artists, digital colorists, and new logo artists. Also according to the announcement: "if you're an artist living in Japan or will be moving there soon, send me a note. We may be looking for an artist who did not grow up in Japan but who lives there for reasons I -- as usual -- can't discuss. ;-)" Manga top 10 according to Tohan. Monthly comics top 10 in the U.S. according to PWCW.
From Publishers Weekly's Kai-Ming Cha comes an interview with Alvin Lu, Vice President of Viz Media. The interview touches on Viz's current success, as well as its plans for the future. Twelve one-shots were published in the latest issue of Shueisha's Mantarou 2007 (Special issue of Young Jump). According to Shueisha, readers will be able to vote for their favorite one-shot, and the work that receives the most vote will be serialized in Weekly Young Jump. Via: Manga Jouhou DMP has announced that it has acquired Fumi Yoshinaga's shoujo manga Garden Dreams, and plans to release it on 10/24. Also announced was that volume 1 of Megami DX, "A collection of pin-ups and full-color illustrations from popular anime series," will be released on 10/31. Via: ANN From The Japan Times comes an interviews with Rieko Saibara, a cartoonist whose work "known for her work that has both a lyrical and "rebellious" side to it." Via: ¡Journalista!
Male oriented light novels: Shounen light novels:
Two new light novel imprints were launched by Gakushuu Kenkyusha and Frontier Works in March: Gakken: Frontier Works: According to Icarus Blog, as of March 31st, Brenner Printing Company will no longer accept adult publications, which includes adult manga as well as some yaoi titles:
Source: Icarus Blog E-store Paypy has announced a new digital manga rental service called "E-book Renta!" The new rental service will rent each volume for 100 yen for a 24 hour period. Via: Manga Jouhou From Newsarama comes two interviews: - Interview with Josh Dysart on Make 5 Wishes Via: MangaBlog Icv2 has published an article looking at the new shojo publisher Aurora Publishing, its line-up, as well as the new Deux Line of manga. From MangaCast comes the translation of a second article from Takeshi Ishizawa, a Japanese who have spent a long time living in Indonesia. The article, "Depth of Japanese Manga - Travelogue Comics," looks at mangaka and their adventures around the world when gathering information:
MangaCast translates the weekly Doujinshi ranking (03/31) in Japan according to Toranoana, and the weekly BL Doujinshi ranking (03/31) in Japan according to Toranoana's BL specialty store Princess Side.
Recent archaeological evidence support the theory that concept of Death Note originated in ancient China. With two successful movies and an anime series, Death Note, written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, has become a household name to anime and manga fans. In 2006, dedicated Japanese fans discovered a one-shot story called The Miraculous Notebook by Shigeru Mizuki, which some claimed was the inspiration for Death Note. However, recent archaeological evidence suggests that "Death Note" may have existed in ancient China long before the birth of Japanese comics. San Diego, California, Friday, March 30, 2007. Peach Princess, a leading publisher of Japanese PC dating-sim games in English, announced that its latest title, Yume Miru Kusuri :: A Drug That Makes You Dream has gone "Golden Master." An interactive dating simulation game for Windows, intended for adults aged 18 and older, this is the latest in the company's popular lineup of anime-style interactive games for the English-speaking market. The game is published by JAST USA under its Peach Princess label. Kyoto Animation has launched a new web magazine called Kyo Ani Bon. According to Kyoto Animation, instead of serializing new manga series, Kyo Ani Bon will serialize 10 promising works that have the potential to be adapted into anime; however, the work to be adapted into an anime will be chosen by the magazine's readers. Source: animeOnline |
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 May issue of 
April Fools' 2007 Special Feature
ComiPress teams up with writer Udagawa Takeo and translator John Gallagher to publish an online version of the English-language translation of Manga Zombie.
