Manga News and Information
October, 2007MangaCast has officially launched MangaCast 2.0, now powered by WordPress. ComiPress caught up with MangaCast's Ed Chavez, who talks about what the new site will offer: After years of development, MangaCast 2.0 is finally launched! Anything you'd like to say about the new site? Ed: Took a little longer than I thought it would, but I am really happy to see it live. The LJ was great and will still be around. But our new home mangacast.net is where we really want to show how much manga mania we collectively posses. Ubisoft's Video Game, Based on the Popular U.S. Animation Series Arrives in North American Retailers This Week SAN FRANCISCO - October 30, 2007 - Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that NARUTO: Rise of a Ninja™, exclusive to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, has released and will be arriving on North American store shelves this week. The NARUTO: Rise of a Ninja video game is based on VIZ Media's hugely popular NARUTO™ animation series which airs on Cartoon Network. SAN FRANCISCO - October 30, 2007 - Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that NARUTO: Rise of a Ninja™, based on VIZ Media's NARUTO™ animation series and exclusive to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, will have the voices by the official NARUTO Japanese cast available post-launch as free downloadable content on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace. Website For Popular Ninja Series Features Comprehensive Episode Guide, New Artwork, Character Details And Online Games San Francisco, CA, October 30, 2007 - VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has redesigned the look and expanded the content of its popular NARUTO website at http://naruto.viz.com. New look for 20th Anniversary, plus expanded sections for anime superstore, Nozomi Entertainment & Anime Today podcast. GRIMES, IA, October 30, 2007 - Anime producer and distributor Right Stuf, Inc. continues its 20th anniversary celebration with the Web site launch of the "new" RightStuf.com, featuring expanded sections for its online anime superstore, Nozomi Entertainment production division and Anime Today podcast. According to Moon Phase, a new manga titled Lucky Star: Pocket Travelers (based on Lucky Star's "Lucky Channel") by Akari Ryuryuu will begin serialization in the January issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Comp Ace (11/26). Many new acquisition announcements have been made at this year's Yaoi Con (list compiled by ANN): Yen Press:
Broccoli:
Boysenberry (Broccoli):
UDON and d/visual Join Forces to Continue Popular Artbook Series Toronto, ON - Oct 29, 2007 - Conceived and edited by Range Murata ("Last Exile", "Blue Submarine No.6"), and published in Japan by Wanimagazine, ROBOT is a unique, full color anthology series which unites Japan's greatest Manga creators, many of whom are experimenting with color stories for the first time. New volumes of the series' English language version have been absent from store shelves for nearly a year. Now, UDON Entertainment and d/visual have teamed up to continue bringing the series to English readers, starting with ROBOT Volume 4 in December 2007. San Diego, California, Tuesday, October 30, 2007 -- JAST USA affiliate brand G-Collections, the leading publisher of Japanese PC dating sim games in English, today announced the acquisition of Japanese adult PC game maker Sekilala's hit title Cosplay Fetish Academy, the latest planned release in G-Collections' popular line of bishoujo ("beautiful girl") dating simulation games. In Cosplay Fetish Academy you portray Ryouji, an average student living and attending school with his beautiful twin cousins Yuuki and Shana. One day while walking home with them a mysterious storm cloud gathers above, and he is struck by a bolt from the blue - only to awaken in a world where MediaWorks will be launching two new special issues of Dengeki G's Magazine this November: Dengeki G's Festival! COMIC is a special issue of Dengeki G's Magazine that's aimed at men in their 20s to their 30s, some manga serialized in Dengeki G's Magazine will be serialized in this magazine, and the first issue will be out on 11/26. The first issue (11/30) of Dengeki G's Festival! DELUXE will provide full coverage on the ef anime, game and other related goods. Sakaki Masaru: A full-on Fleshbomb Atmosphere, Overflowing with Claustrophobia
All about love...and hate From the publication of his debut work, Sakaki Masaru's lifelong obsessions as an artist were very clear: "The love, the hate and the passion that lurk beneath the surface of everyday life." 'Tsuyuko's Grave' (Tsuyuko no Haka) is a melodramatic tale abounding in all three. The setting is a farming village in the present day. A child's father has been murdered and his sister abducted. Now a teenager, he sets out on a journey to track down the culprit. On the chase, he ends up in a car crash and loses his memory. Fortunately, a young farm girl comes across the scene in time to save him and nurse him back to health. Before you know it, they're in love and thinking of tying the knot. However, the girl's father has other ideas. He's the killer. His 'daughter' is actually the young man's abducted sister. Everything will be revealed if the traveler regains his memory. Time for another murder – but this time the plan fails, the kid survives and the shock brings his childhood memories flooding back. The stage is set for the final catastrophe. From Taipei Times comes an article titled "Animamix: fusion art," which delves into the world of animamix artists, a new breed of artists influenced by Japan's visual culture:
A new manga by Itsuki Natsumi (winner of the 21st Kodansha Manga Award) titled Vampire (ヴァムピール) will start in the December issue of Afternoon (10/25). A new Gundam manga called Mobile Suit Gundam: OO (機動戦士ガンダムOO) by Taguchi Oto will start in the December issue of Magazine Z (10/26). From Yaoi Suki comes the annual Yaoi Awards. In '06-'07 Yaoi Awards: Finale, the winners are:
ITmedia is reporting that the Japanese Cabinet Office has conducted a survey among 3,000 people aged 20 and above on whether manga and other illustrations should be regulated by child porn laws. According to the result, 86.5% felt that child pornography regulations should be applied. For more info visit ANN and Canned Dogs. Yaoi Suki has announced that it will be interviewing Hinako Takanaga, creator of Challengers, The Tyrant who Fell in Love, and Little Butterfly, during Yaoi Con, and is currently looking for interview questions from its readers. Also, Broccoli Books has announced its Yaoi Con plans on its blog:
MangaCast points to an AoD post, which has discovered a new manga listed under Broccoli Books on Amazon.com:
Also discovered by MangaCast are three new tentative adult titles from Icarus Publishing:
From MangaCast comes "What Manga is Like in Indonesia - Part I," the first of a series of articles that looks at the world of manga in Indonesia. Canned Dogs reports that Star Ocean 2 character designer Koio Minato has written a post on his website criticizing Kodansha's Shounen Sirius magazine:
Although the original post from Koio Minato has been removed, a screenshot can be found here. ZUDACOMICS.COM INVITES WEB COMICS CREATORS AND JOURNALISTS TO CELEBRATE SITE LAUNCH WITH HAPPY HOUR AND LIVE SUBMISSIONS EVENT (October 24, 2007; New York, NY) - Zudacomics.com, the first ever web comics imprint from DC Comics, will go live on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007, it was announced today by Richard Bruning, DC Comics Creative Director, SVP. Top 10 manga (10/24) according to Tohan:
Additional Rankings: The following manga appeared on the USA Today Booklist Top 150 (PDF) for the week ending October 21st:
Also, Comicsnob posts the online manga sales rankings: A round up of the new comic release list for the week of October 24th 2007: The latest issue of Wired has two articles on manga: "How Manga Conquered the U.S., a Graphic Guide to Japan's Coolest Export" and "Japan, Ink: Inside the Manga Industrial Complex." Source: AICN Futami Shobo has launched a new BL bunko label called Charade Pearl Bunko (シャレードパール文庫). The label will be Charade Bunko's sister label (also a BL bunko label by the same publisher). |
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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ComiPress teams up with writer Udagawa Takeo and translator John Gallagher to publish an online version of the English-language translation of Manga Zombie.
