Top 10 manga (9/05) according to Tohan:

1. Bokura ga Ita, Volume 12
2. Hataraki Man, Volume 4
3. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Yoigoshi-hen, Volume 2
4. Five, Volume 7
5. Sumomomo Momomo, Volume 8
6. Uwasa no Midori-Kun!!, Volume 4
7. Parfait Tic!, Volume 22
8. Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 17
9. Zipang, Volume 31
10. Rhapsody in Heaven, Volume 3

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In the latest issue of PWCW, Kai-Ming Cha interviews Vertical's editorial director, Ioannis Mentzas, about Tezuka, his manga MW (pronounced "Moo"), and more.

Also from Kai-Ming Cha is an interview with Maki Murakami, creator of the BL manga Gravitation.

Finally, Laurel Maury looks at the rise of female graphic novel creators in "Women SVA Grads Quickly Rise."

September comics top 10 in the U.S. according to PWCW.

1. Bleach, Volume 20
2. Fruits Basket, Volume 17
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
4. Naruto, Volume 15
5. Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures, Volume 1
6. Absolute Boyfriend, Volume 4
7. Full Metal Alchemist, Volume 14
8. Hellsing, Volume 8
9. Kingdom Hearts II, Volume 1
10. Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Volume 14

From ICv2 comes a 4 part interview (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) with DC President and Publisher Paul Levitz, who talks about the industry, the market, DC's future, CMX, Minx and MMORPGs.

Also, MangaBlog's Brigid Alverson interviews Mark Crilley, creator of Akiko and Miki Falls.

Surprise! Another Backstage!

animeOnline, a social networking website dedicated to anime and otaku culture, officially debuted on February 22nd, 2007.

Backed by a team of dedicated editors, animeOnline experienced rapid growth and was poised to become the premier online anime community by successfully living up to its claims and seamlessly combining news, social networking and other informational resources into a single package. Fans could find the information they wanted, from the latest Lucky Star OP parodies to live convention reports streaming from Anime Expo.

The future seemed bright but on July 20th, barely 6 months after its launch, animeOnline was shut down by its parent company Navarre. A single statement is all that remains on the main page, suggesting a possible site revival in the future. Many people were left in the dark regarding the fate of the site. Many questions linger on unanswered.

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Shueisha has updated the official Weekly Shonen Jump website with a banner announcing the return of Hunter x Hunter.

Also, according to Weekly Jump Readers' Journal, there are rumors going around the internet that Prince of Tennis, Belmonde and Hero Studies may all be ending in Shonen Jump starting with issue 48 (11/26), to be replaced by new series from Shinya Suzuki (mangaka of Mr. Fullswing), Mizuki Kawashita (mangaka of Ichigo 100%), Takeshi Obata (artist of Death Note, Hikaru no Go) and Shiibashi Hiroshi.

The winners of the 38th Seiun Award (Nebula Award), one of the most famous Japanese science fiction awards, have been announced during the 65th World Science Fiction Convention & the 46th Japan Science Fiction Convention. Hitoshi Ashinano's Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou won in the Comics Category. Other entries in the category were Death Note, Busou Renkin, Karakuri Circus, and Yousei-koku no Kishi.

A complete English list of winners has been provided by Science Fiction Awards Watch:

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ANS points out an Amazon.com has listed Osamu Tezuka's Dororo manga under Vertical. According to the listing, Dororo will be released next April.

Edit: Publishers Weekly has confirmed the license.

Via: Giapet.net

Mainichi Daily News reports that Novala Takemoto, author of the novel Shimotsuma Monogatari that was later adapted a live-action movie and manga under the title Kamikaze Girls, has been arrested for possession of cannabis.

Source: Tokyograph

The Wall Street Journal has published an article titled "Manga Mania," which criticizes Japan for overly relying on manga and anime in its public relations campaign. MangaBlog rounds up the responses from around the web.