Manga News and Information
May, 2007From ANN comes an interview with A.D. Vision co-founder and CEO John Ledford, who talks about the current state of ADV and its plans for the manga market. Via: MangaBlog According to nebs66, the July issue of Shonen Jump has started a new campaign to promote "Shonen Jump Evolution," which will result in major changes in the content of Shonen Jump. Full detail regarding the change can be found here. A website for SJ Evolution will also become available in the future. Via: animeOnline ANN also reports that Viz has a few changes in store for Shojo Beat. The new comic release list for May 30th 2007 from ComicList, compiled by MangaCast. On the USA Today Booklist Top 150 for the week ending May 27th, Volume 14 of Viz's Naruto is the only manga on the list, ranking at #101. Seven Seas president Jason DeAngelis has sent out a letter in response to the reaction caused by the cancellation of Nymphet. The letter includes a brief timeline of the cancellation process, answers to questions raised by the fans, as well as a look at the current state of the U.S. manga market and how difficult it is to acquire a license for publishers:
Book Expo America, New York (May 31, 2007)-- There are many students who struggle with the demands of reading and vocabulary lists to prepare for the SAT and ACT exams. However, find something that they actually enjoy reading, and watch them "stand and deliver." Kaplan has joined forces with TOKYOPOP to bring these students a unique and engaging way to study vocabulary with the Manga Series. In "Profiles in Manga, Part 2," Manga Life's Park Cooper continues to interview global manga artists about their background and their works. Part 1 can be found here. Also, in a Maison Ikkoku article, PLAYBACK:stl's Jason Green interviews the series' adaptor Gerald Jones. Via: MangaBlog
The report states that thanks to do the popularity of Death Note, similar death notebooks have become very popular among elementary school children in Korea. The "red" notebook can be purchased from stores around school for 3,000 Korean won (approximately 3.2 USD).
On May 23rd, manga artist Mayu Shinjo announced on her blog her plan to leave Shogakukan after her current serialization ends. Below is a summary-excerpt of Mayu Shinjo's blog post: The monthly novel magazine Novel JAPAN is getting a new title: Charano! (キャラの！). Also, the release date of the magazine will be changed to the 30th of every month (from the 10th of every month). The first issue of the magazine under the new title Charano! will be out on June 30th, 2007. The new issue will see the debut of a new series, D&D replay (DUNGEONS & DRAGONS replay). Source: Hobby Japan The final stage of World Cosplay Summit Brazil will take place in São Paulo city on June 9th. The event, promoted by JBC Publishing, will produce the final couple that will go to Japan to represent Brazil in the event that is considered the "World Cup" of cosplayers. This year, WCS 2005 winner Francesca Dani will be special guest of the event. WCS will also see the participation of Ricardo Cruz: Brazilian member of the JAM Project (Japan Animationsong Makers).
More Coverage on the Cancellation: Discussions: In other related news, AoD reports that LiveJournal has removed a large number of communities and journals related to yaoi, shota, and rape. ANN has the full story. In more related news, Yahoo! News reports that proposals to execute pedophiles is making headway in the U.S. From MangaCast comes a podcast interview with Inui Sekihiko made during Fanime 2007. The interview touches on Inui Sekihiko's background, inspirations, doujinshi as well as his manga. In the latest Flipped column, David Welsh interviews Tokyopop's manga editor Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, who talks about what it's like to be an editor in the manga industry. In the latest issue of PWCW, Brigid Alverson talks with Elfquest creator Wendy Pini, who talks about her newest webcomic The Masque of the Red Death. Top 10 manga (5/30) according to Tohan.
Additional Rankings: Japanese news website Oh My News has an article that looks at what makes Global Manga a success, Manga Jouhou has the translation: San Francisco, CA– May 29, 2007 – Empire Theatres and VIZ Media, one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, have announced the special showing of the first NARUTO™ feature film — NARUTO™ THE MOVIE: NINJA CLASH IN THE LAND OF SNOW in 17 Empire Theatres locations across Canada on Saturday June 23, 2007. According to the latest newsletter from Kodansha BOX, the popular doujin game Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni will be adapted into a novel series. The story will be written by the game's creator Ryuukishi07. Source: animeOnline Precocious Curmudgeon links to an article from the Contra Costa Times, where Manga! Manga! and Dreamland Japan author Frederick Schodt talks about the Tezuka: Master of Manga exhibition, which takes place on Saturday in San Francisco at the Asian Art Museum. Via: Icarus Blog An online database for Detective Conan is current available at websunday.net/conandb/top.html. The searchable database contains dossiers and images from every case that has appeared in the Detective Conan series. Source: ANN
On May 29th, Shogakukan announced that the 37-year-old amateur mangaka apologized to Shogakukan and Fujiko Production, and swore that such things will never happen again. Also, the mangaka admitted to his gaining of illegal profits from the work, and paid back a portion of his sales. ANN posts a letter response from Seven Seas on the delay of Nymphet (Kodomo no Jikan), which has caused major debates online. According to Seven Seas, instead of censoring the manga, they "decided to delay its release and to have an open dialogue with the large book chains and other vendors [...] and let each of them make the final decision as to whether or not it is appropriate for their stores and their customers -- and then give them the chance to cancel their orders if they wish." Toronto, ON - May 29 2007 - What is Korean Manhwa? Combine unique storytelling techniques and manga-influenced artwork with the rich and diverse culture of Korea and you'll end up with the latest craze in Asian comics! UDON Entertainment has partnered with Korean publisher Haksan to bring the best Korean Manhwa to North America and English readers everywhere in the Fall of 2007. |
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. |
Korean news channel MBC reports that a "red" notebook that imitates Death Note is currently 
ICv2 reports that Seven Seas Entertainment has 
Earlier this year, Shogakukan announced that Doraemon - Last Episode, a fan-made conclusion to Fujiko F. Fujio's 
ComiPress teams up with writer Udagawa Takeo and translator John Gallagher to publish an online version of the English-language translation of Manga Zombie.
