Manga News and Information
September, 2007Kadokawa Group Holdings has revealed plans (PDF) for the consolidation of 2 of its affiliates, ASCII and MediaWorks. The merger is slated for April 1st, 2008. No details have been decided yet, but the merged company will be called "ASCII Media Works Inc." The reason cited for the merger is to "consolidate resources, streamline the management structure and to become competitive." Also, it was mentioned that Kadokawa GHD decided to not include Enterbrain (another entertainment magazine publisher under Kadokawa who put out Comic Beam) in the merger with MediaWorks. Kagami Hiiragi, a character from the manga/anime Lucky Star, is a big fan of light novels. Ever wondered what Kagami likes to read? LightNovel.org has compiled a list of the light novels Kagami read through Lucky Star. MangaCast posts a press release from 801 Media, which is celebrating its first anniversary by offering free shipping on all orders over $14 (usually the cost of one book) to all domestic addresses. The press release also contains information on 801 Media's plans at this year's Yaoi Con:
Mainichi Shimbun and Mantan Web report that incomplete manuscript of Tezuka's Black Jack manga has been found for the first time. The manuscript will be exhibited at the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum, located in Tezuka's hometown of Takarazuka on October 30th.
Lucky Star is a 4-koma by Kagami Yoshimizu serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Comptiq magazine (and later appeared in Shonen Ace). The manga was originally created as a filler comic, but the series soon became popular among fans, and was adapted into an anime in early 2007. A new book titled 2112 September 3rd, Doraemon is Born! (2112年9月3日、ドラえもんは本当に誕生する! ) was recently release in Japan. The book, written by Japan's first science navigator and sakurAi Science Factory's host Susumu Sakurai, claims that technologies found in Doraemon, such as the fourth-dimensional pocket, time machine and dokodemo door (a teleportation device), can become a reality through Einstein's theory of relativity. VIZ Media Delivers The Creeps This Halloween With Four Acclaimed Horror Manga Releases, Hot New Issue Of Shojo Beat Magazine And A Sponsored Night AT A Haunted Attraction San Francisco, CA, September 28, 2007 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will spook mature-aged manga fans nationwide with an array of horror manga just in time for Halloween. A new serialization titled Saruman 2.0 (サルまん2.0) by Kentaro Takekuma and Aihara Kooji will begin in the December issue of Shogakukan's Ikki (10/25). The original Saruman, more commonly known as Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga, provides useful information and parodies about creating and analyzing manga stories in the manga industry. Also starting in the same issue is a new manga titled Wired Apartment (ワイヤード マンション) by Fujihiko Hosono, mangaka of Crusher Joe and Gallery Fake. Source: Ultimatum Tidbits VIZ Media continues the momentum behind its NARUTO NATION campaign as it brings everyone's favorite ninja to 585 Toys "R" US stores nationwide this weekend (Sept 29/30) on behalf of Geoffrey's Birthday, which celebrates the toy retailer's famous giraffe mascot. In addition to the festivities planned at each participating Toys "R" Us store, there will be a special NARUTO NATION area. Toys "R" Us will promote this NARUTO NATION event with in-store flyers, email blasts, as well as feature offers for the numerous NARUTO products available at their stores. The following manga appeared on the USA Today Booklist Top 150 (PDF) for the week ending September 23rd:
Also, Comicsnob posts the online manga sales rankings: DMP's MySpace blog posts a reminder that Udon Entertainment has picked up Robot, an anthology by various manga artists lead by Range Murata. Robot was previously licensed by DMP, but was discontinued after three volumes. Volume 4 of Robot will be released in December. The Broccoli Books Blog has announced the winners of its Murder Princess "vol 1 for my friend & vol 2 for me" give-away. A Japanese art exhibition called "Beautiful New World" has opened in Beijing. The exhibition is part of the Year of China-Japan Cultural and Sports Exchange initiative aimed at commemorating the 35th anniversary of normalized relations between Japan and China:
In the latest issue of PWCW, Brigid interviews Tokyopop Editor-in-Chief Rob Tokar, who talks about Tokyopop's plans to release an omnibus Battle Royale Ultimate Edition this October. Suspenseful Mystery To Debut On October 20 San Francisco, CA, September 26, 2007 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has licensed the Shonen Jump DEATH NOTE anime series to Adult Swim for domestic broadcast beginning Saturday, October 20 at midnight (EST) on the network's popular Adult Swim block of programming. New episodes will follow each week thereafter. A round up of the new comic release list for the week of September 26th 2007: Flex Comix will launch a new free online magazine titled Flex Comix Flare (FlexComix フレア) on Yahoo! Comic on October 18th. The new magazine will serialize manga aimed at female readers. Manga serialized in this new magazine will mostly involve romance, fantasy, adventure, comedy and school life. Also, the popular josei manga Moto no Moto no Ana no Naka will be moved from Flex Comix Blood to Flex Comix Flare (serialization on Flare starts on 11/8). A new adult manga magazine from Oaks titled Comic Ran-Oh! will begin publication on the 26th of this month. The magazine will sell for 500 yen. According to Oaks, the magazine is "an adult's magazine that surpasses a young man's magazine." Source: Ultimatum Tidbits Top 10 manga (9/26) according to Tohan:
Additional Rankings: Feature Film Based On Popular Anime And Manga Series Debuts At Number 25 On Nielsen VideoScan San Francisco, CA, September 25, 2007 - VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced that impressive DVD sales of NARUTO THE MOVIE: NINJA CLASH IN THE LAND OF SNOW have placed the title at Number 25 on Nielsen's VideoScan list of the Top 100 DVD titles for the week ending September 9, 2007. VIZ Media debuted the DVD across North America on September 4. NARUTO THE MOVIE: NINJA CLASH IN THE LAND OF SNOW is a theatrical side story based on the continuity of the massively popular NARUTO animated TV series. From the newest issue of Flipped comes an interview with Katherine Dacey-Tsuei, Senior Manga Editor at PopCultureShock, who talks about one of her favorite group of women creators, CLAMP. Mainichi Daily reports that LDP leader Yasuo Fukuda has been elected the new Japanese Prime Minister after Shinzo Abe's resignation. Also mentioned is that Taro Aso, the well-known "otaku politician", has resigned:
Source: Japanator From Kylandra comes a report of this year's Anime World Atlanta, which took place from 9/21 - 9/23. The report contains some info on the Dark Horse panel, info on new release and more. Via: MangaBlog Yaoi Press has updated its blog a prototype of its recently announced Yaoi Parasol. |
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. |
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According to Kodokawa Shoten, thanks to the anime adaptation of Lucky ☆ Star, various Lucky Star-related items have been enjoying a big boost in sales.
ComiPress teams up with writer Udagawa Takeo and translator John Gallagher to publish an online version of the English-language translation of Manga Zombie.
