Manga News and Information
June, 2008New York, NY – June 27, 2008 – Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced today plans for popular Fairy Tail manga creator Hiro Mashima's first-ever US convention appearance at Comic-Con International in San Diego, California. During his appearance at the convention, which takes place from Thursday, July 24 through Sunday, July 27, Hiro Mashima will be featured on a panel hosted by Del Rey Manga. Mashima will also meet with fans at two separate signing events. Panel, Convention Premiere of MARIA WATCHES OVER US & Screenings! GRIMES, IA, June 26, 2008 – Anime producer and distributor Right Stuf, Inc. and Nozomi Entertainment unveiled their events schedule for Anime Expo 2008, which takes place July 3-6, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. More Sneak Peeks From This Year's Hottest Show Los Angeles, California (June 26, 2008) ‹ Want to see a different side of our official online coverage hosts from AXBackstage (www.axbackstage.org)? Want to get some hints on where to get cheap eats in downtown L.A.? Anime Expo® 2008 premieres 2 new videos on its site to show attendees some of the things they can expect in the excitement of the pending convention this 4th of July weekend. Anime Expo® 2008 will be held from July 3-6, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. More information can be found on the website www.anime-expo.org.
The graphs show the ratio of gender and the age group of readers, as well as the difference of readers for each magazine. The data is interesting because such data isn't usually published. After some inspection, some facts were found that were both expected and unexpected. Last Saturday (June 21th), the pair that would represent Brazil in the upcoming World Cosplay Summit was announced: Gabriel Niemietz and Jéssica Campos. They cosplayed as the robot Jango and Jo, the mercenary from Burst Angel. VIZ MEDIA PARENT COMPANY SHUEISHA INVESTS IN JAPANESE PUBLISHER SHOGAKUKAN’S LICENSING AND MERCHANDISING SUBSIDIARY TO FORM NEW PARTNERSHIP – SHOGAKUKAN-SHUEISHA PRODUCTIONS CO., LTD. New Entity Will Help Streamline Operations And Increase Flexibility To License Titles For Global Manga And Anime Markets San Francisco, CA, June 19, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced that one of its parent companies, Japanese publisher Shueisha, Inc., has made an investment in Shogakukan Production Company Ltd., the licensing and merchandising subsidiary of Japanese publisher Shogakukan, Inc., another of VIZ Media’s parent companies. ShoPro will be renamed Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co., Ltd. VIZ Media Licenses BLUE DRAGON Trading Card Game Rights To Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. For North America San Francisco, CA, June 18, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, and Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. (KDE), a leading publisher of mass market video games and manufacturer of trading card games (TCG), today announced that KDE will exclusively manufacture and distribute the BLUE DRAGON Trading Card Game and Trading Card Game Accessories in North America.
A co-publishing agreement with HarperCollins Publishers in 2006 handed over the distribution rights for a portion of Tokyopop's inventory. Along with this came permission for Tokyopop to begin creation of global mangas based on HarperCollins Publishers' books. It was the largest corporate news heard from the manga-publishing giant until June 2008, when Tokyopop announced a restructuring of the company. On June 3rd, 2008, Tokyopop representatives issued a press release stating that Tokyopop would be split into two separate companies. While one side will continues its lead focus on the publishing aspect of the company, the other, titled Tokyopop Media, will deal with the company's recent endeavours with its digital releases and comics-to-film division.
Below is the final part of a review of the novel from the website Libra: Constellation of Aleksey, translated by Sarah Neufeld: A Review of Kara no Kyoukai Part II Kasai Kiyoshi's basis for boosting a new author this far is, in the end, nothing more than "numbers". No matter how you reason it out, insomuch as Nasu Kinoko has "sold" far better than Kasai Kiyoshi's works, he ranks above Kasai Kiyoshi, and "Kara no Kyoukai" outranks "The Philosopher's Sealed Room". In the end, this sort of bald-faced "push" is possible simply because Kasai has been captured by what I must call "the worship of numbers".
Below is the second part of a review of the novel from the website Libra: Constellation of Aleksey, translated by Sarah Neufeld: A Review of Kara no Kyoukai Part I Now then, I think I've given ample proof of the "ruinously bad writing, and the shallowness of the author's powers of reasoning which shows itself in that writing" of "Kara no Kyoukai" via concrete criticisms. This novel was most certainly written in a style and with reasoning that doesn't bear reading. However, at the very beginning of his long "commentary," which spans both volumes, Kasai Kiyoshi writes: SAN JOSE, CA – June, 2008 – DrMaster Publications announces the licensing of the fantasy shojo manga Divine Melody. Divine Melody is a fantastic tale set in mystical ancient China, where fairies and demons secretly coexist with humans. I-Huan, the popular author of Real/Fake Princess, creates another splendidly enchanting series that weaves swoon-worthy romances, heart-wrenching drama, and mystifying exhilarating action and adventure into her divine tapestry of artwork that will leave readers entranced in her fantasy world. San Francisco, CA, June 5, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, brings some of the hottest anime properties to the Licensing International Expo, taking place June 10 through June 12 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. VIZ Media will be located in Booth # 4505. June 5, 2008 (Cypress, CA) - Bandai Entertainment and American Cosplay Paradise are proud to celebrate the US release of LUCKY STAR and GURREN LAGANN at Anime Expo® 2008 in Los Angeles (July 3 6, 2008; Los Angeles Convention Center; www.anime-expo.org) Stop by Bandai's booth on Friday and Saturday in the exhibit hall, where you will be treated to various games testing your otaku knowledge, singing, and random prize giveaways! The highlight will be a performance from the LUCKY STAR Cheerleading Squad, featuring members of American Cosplay Paradise (ACP) as the cast. Whether you're a diehard fan of the show, someone who has no idea what LUCKY STAR is, or just someone that likes cheerleader outfits, there's a little bit of something for everyone, so don't miss out! Nation's Largest Anime and Manga Convention Welcomes Famed Character Designer Anaheim, California (June 4, 2008) ‹Anime Expo® proudly announces famed character designer Akemi Takada as an official Guest of Honor to this year's Anime Expo® 2008 held from July 3-6, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. More information can be found on the website www.anime-expo.org. Panelosophy - Thinking Lighter
by Chloe Ferguson Just when booksellers thought it safe to return to their graphic novel sections, in comes another mystery item to send them confused and scrambling back to the stock rooms. Light novels, or prose accompanied by illustrations (often centered on a manga or anime franchise, with illustrations by the series' author) bring with them a headache inducing slew of questions: is it a book? A comic book? And perhaps more importantly, where the heck does it get shelved? Saturday 14th June to Saturday 12th July 2008 -- The First UK International Manga Art Show Fairfields is very pleased to organise the first event of its kind in the UK - 'The First UK International Manga Art Show.' There have, of course, been good exhibitions of manga in the UK in the past. But this show is not meant to be any kind of comprehensive overview of manga, it is the first one which is specifically about Manga as an Art form, and the first one which draws from such a wide ranging international range of artists.
Below is the first part of a review of the novel from the website Libra: Constellation of Aleksey, translated by Sarah Neufeld: The Demon that Dwells in the Void
- Kasai Kiyoshi and "Kara no Kyoukai" Nasu Kinoko Company To Offer A Dynamic Array Of Manga Titles For Children, Teens And Adults At Preeminent Publishing Event In Booth #1647 San Francisco, CA, May 30, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will highlight several notable upcoming manga (graphic novel) releases at the 2008 BookExpo America (BEA) show, taking place May 30-June 1, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. BEA is the preeminent yearly trade event for publishers and booksellers in North America. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 1647. Showcase Of The Newest VIZKIDS Format Introduces The Exciting World Of Ninja To Young Readers In Booth #1647 Los Angeles, CA, May 30, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, showcases its first Chapter Book series based on NARUTO, the wildly popular animated and manga (graphic novel) series, at the 2008 Book Expo America (BEA) show which takes place May 30-June 1, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. BEA is the preeminent yearly trade event for publishers and booksellers in North America. VIZ Media will be located in Booth #1647. New trailer, plus contest to win Kaoru Mori artwork reproduction in advance of Season 1 DVD release on June 24, 2008 GRIMES, IA, May 28, 2008 – Anime producer and distributor Right Stuf, Inc. and Nozomi Entertainment are pleased to announce the launch of emma.rightstuf.com (http://emma.rightstuf.com) – the official series site for EMMA: A VICTORIAN ROMANCE, which is set to make its North American DVD debut with the release of its Season 1 DVD Collection on June 24, 2008! May 28, 2008 (Arlington, TX) Score Entertainment, a leading manufacturer of premium trading card games, will have a huge presence at Anime Expo® 2008 in Los Angeles (July 3-6, 2008; Los Angeles Convention Center; www.anime-expo.org), promoting the BLEACH Trading Card Game, whose license is granted by VIZ Media, with a panel, tournament and fan appreciation party. |
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. |
Japanese fansite Takahiro no Kenkyuukan recently published 
Originally known as Mixx, the well-known Tokypop is a company that licenses, publishes and distributes translated Japanese anime and manga as well as Korean mahn-wa and global manga. Stuart Levy, who still maintains position as owner to this day, originally founded the company in 1997. Tokyopop has since released hundreds of manga graphic novels in both English and German, including global manga and 'cine-manga' (manga styled graphic novels using images from animated shows).
ComiPress teams up with writer Udagawa Takeo and translator John Gallagher to publish an online version of the English-language translation of Manga Zombie.
