Manga News and Information
June, 2007Rumic World is one of the most complete English guide to the works of renowned female manga artist Rumiko Takhashi. The large fansite consists of 7 series-specific subsites: Tomobiki-cho, Life at Maison Ikkoku, Ranma ½ Perfect Edition, The Inuyasha Companion, Mermaid's Flesh, The Ring & The Rosary and Rumic Theater. Over 10 years old (counting its subsites), Rumic World is one of the oldest site of its kind, and it continues to grow as new works from Rumiko Takahashi are published every week in Japan. Channel NewsAsia has a report on the Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore's Comics Publishing Forum 2007, which took place on June 23rd. Present during the event were representatives from Tokyopop and Diamond Book Distributor, many Singapore comic artists also attended the event:
More detail on Comics Publishing Forum 2007 can be found here. Villagers (Tianjin) Manga Ltd., the first ever Chinese-foreign joint venture manga company, will be established on June 28th in Tianjin, China. Villagers (Tianjin) Manga Ltd., a joint venture between China and Korea, aims to become one of the biggest original Chinese comics publisher, and help spread Chinese comics overseas. According to the latest Diamond Previews for July 2007, Yuu Asami's A.I Revolution, which was previously licensed by Studio Ironcat, has been acquired by Go! Comi. From Mainichi Daily News comes an article on Houbunsha's Comic Yell, a new magazine that will carry girl-oriented manga aimed at men:
Heartwarming Film Won Four Japanese Academy Awards And Shows How Hard Work And The Hula Dance Inspire A Dying Town San Francisco, June 22, 2007 - VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced a run of special screenings in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles of the celebrated film HULA GIRLS from director Lee Sang-il. The screenings are presented in partnership with VIZ Pictures licensees Fortissimo Films and Cine Qua Non. More details on Honey and Clover creator Chika Umino's new manga The Lion of March (Sangetsu no Lion) have been made available by Hakusensha. According to Young Anime's official website, the new title will begin serialization in Young Animal issue 14, on sale 7/13. San Jose, CA. June 2007. DrMaster will be exhibiting at Anime Expo 2007 at the Long Beach Convention Center the weekend of June 29-July 2. Stop by our booth (#1458), talk to our staff, and check out our latest releases. Additionally, we will be holding a daily drawing at our booth at 2 PM—we will pick five winners daily, so make sure you drop by! We will also be hosting two panels: an industry panel and one on our new hit series Purgatory Kabuki and its author, Yasushi Suzuki. Don’t miss hearing some important announcements before anyone else does!
According to the president of Asahi Sonorama, the decision was made due to Asahi Sonorama's ongoing financial difficulties, as well as their aging workforce, and it was decided that a corporate restructuring would be difficult. Instead, Asahi Sonorama will be dissolved at the end of September, and Asahi Newspaper (Asahi Shimbun), which owns 100% of Asahi Sonorama's stock, will take over the Sonorama's business operations. Asahi Shimbun will also find new positions for Sonorama employees who wish to stay on. Critically Acclaimed Film Presents A Poignant And Often Comedic Story About Friendship And Competition Set Against Backdrop Of Table Tennis San Francisco, June 21, 2007 – VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced a special screening of PING PONG, the critically acclaimed comedic film about table tennis by director Fumiko Sori, at Anime Expo® 2007, Friday, June 29th, 4-6PM in Video Room 1 at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach hotel. Anime Expo 2007 takes place June 29 – July 2, 2007 at the adjacent Long Beach Convention Center in Southern California. According to the latest issue of Shounen Gangan, Fullmetal Alchemist mangaka Hiromu Arakawa's Juushin Enbu will be adapted into an anime. Source: Ultimatum Chat Frederik Schodt, author of Manga! Manga!, and Dark Horse manga editor Carl Horn were interviewed on Michael Krasny's radio show Forum. The two talked about Osamu Tezuka and the current state of manga in America. Same Hat! Same Hat! has a full report of the radio show. "Oath to Love and Passion 1" and "Full House 5" to be available in July and to be priced at $9.99 SRP. NEW YORK, NY (June 20, 2007) - Central Park Media announced today that the OATH TO LOVE AND PASSION 1 graphic novel will be available in July. The debut of this romantic comedy focuses on the relationships of four teens and the trials and tribulations they face in finding happiness both within themselves and each other. FULL HOUSE 5 is also scheduled for release and is the basis for the highly rated Korean TV show by the same name. The story focuses on an arrogant movie star and an up and coming screenwriter who are forced to feign their engagement while sharing the same house. Both books are geared for a teenage audience and will retail for $9.99 SRP. "YEBISU CELEBRITIES" and "LOVE A LA CARTE" available in July and to be priced at $15.99 SRP. New York, NY (June 20, 2007) – Be Beautiful, America's leading publisher of yaoi manga graphic novels, announced today that its upcoming new releases will include two stand-alone romantic tales. YEBISU CELEBRITIES, the first of these stories, was written by Kaoru Iwamoto and drawn by Shinri Fuwa and is a stylish love story set in the world of a high profile graphic design studio. While LOVE A LA CARTE, by Haruka Minami, is a voyeuristic tale of a photographer enamored by his beautiful subject. Both books will be available this July and be priced at $15.99 SRP. Mainichi Shimbun reports that the preliminary round of the 16th annual Manga Koushien, also known as the National High School Manga Tournament, has begun on June 18th. This year, Shogakukan and Kodansha will each send 3 representatives to scout for possible talents. Those scouted will received guidance from professional manga artists. The Manga Koushien has been hosted by the city of Kouchi since 1992. This year 295 schools from 46 prefectures entered the competition. Source: Mainichi Shimbun According to a report from the market research and consulting company Seed Planning, Japan's e-book market experienced tremendous growth in 2006 as a result of the popularity of mobile manga. The report estimates that the e-manga market will continue to grow throughout 2007, and will reach 71 billion yen by 2012. According to the report, Japan's e-book market tripled in 2006, reaching 28 billion yen. E-manga occupied over 2/3 of the e-book market at 19 billion yen, 5 times as much as 2005's 4 billion yen. From MangaCast comes the Diamond Previews for July 2007, which provides information on new U.S. releases for September/October 2007. Top 10 manga (6/06) according to Tohan.
Additional Rankings: Kokoro Media reports that a recent copyright ruling in Japan from a victory by JASRAC could have serious consequences on manga scanlation:
Via: Journalista Panini of Brazil has announced its plans to publish numerous new titles in the Brazilian market in the next months. Newly announced licenses include Bleach, Princess Princess, Count Cain, Gantz, Vampire Knight and Blood - The Last Vampire. The manga will be released in the following order: Blood - The Last Vampire in June at Fest Comix. Bleach and Vampire Knight in July. Princess Princess in August. Count Cain in December. Gantz has not received an official release date yet. Source: Anime Pro (via Shoujo Cafe) The Library of Congress has opened a website that aims to teach children the basics of copyright with the help of manga-styled artworks. Source: animeOnlime According to PEACH-PIT's latest weblog entry, due to the recent trouble and sudden suspension of Rozen Maiden, volume 8, the manga's final volume, will carry only chapters 41 to 43 and contains no extra artworks. Source: Canned Dogs From Trendsspotting (via MangaBlog) comes an article that looks at the popularity of manga downloads in Japan, and whether the trend will spread to the West. Also included is a translation of the survey from Infoplant on manga downloads: Tech Shout has published an article looking at how the Singapore-based manga publisher Chuang Yi is teaming up with Sterling Publishers to bring manga to the Indian market. Also included is an interview with Rony Neo, the Chief Operations Officer of Chuang Yi. From Finding Wonderland: The WritingYA Weblog comes an interview with Svetlana Chmakova, who talks about her manga Dramacon. Via: MangaBlog |
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. |
On June 21st, manga publisher 
ComiPress teams up with writer Udagawa Takeo and translator John Gallagher to publish an online version of the English-language translation of Manga Zombie.
